I miss the days when Rangers would run away with the Scottish Premier League, at least then it was between them and Celtic.

i watched a few games from the scottish premier league and it reminded me of our top three highest divisons. very hit and miss with quality but i dont get why other teams cant put more of a challenge. it cant just be down to money.

A Quote From Scottish Comedian Kevin Bridges. The SPL used to be a Two Horse Race. Now It's Show Jumping !!

It was some time ago when I read much of the things Manchester City had been charged with, along with various threats from them about taking action over the FA. They seem to be able to avoid punishment, I am not sure the amount of money to them is a big thing. Which makes it not effective.

The Premier League is a joke and always will be. Some clubs are treated differently, and it shouldn’t be this way. Manchester City, being one of the biggest teams to bring in revenue, gets some unfair advantages. Manchester United did before them. The only big team I think has been nailed and sometimes punished worse is Chelsea.

i dont have much time or interest in the premier league, i sometimes caught games last season but i think it lacks the fan element that we have.

manchester city being unable to sell out their ground, despite having the appeal and ability to lower their tickets just sums it up. when teams start buying the league, it does take away their identity and i am disappointed they are managing to avoid proper punishment so far for all their charges.

DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE 2

After a Hard Battle Wolverine turns to Deadpool and Says

I'm Getting To Old For This.

Yeah You're Even Older Than Notts County replies Deadpool.

Hugh Jackman might be more likely to favour Wolves.  

what about tom cruise or brad pitt? two of the biggest stars, unconnected to @Dry Nelson Ray. ???? 

Air marked to watch.

I did have it on when I stumbled across something which has been more pressing for me personally, but I do love the Magpie Circle and I will always sing praise for Paul Mace. I have stumbled across comments, which I think are unrealistic and somewhat unfair - such as saying certain questions should have been pressed. The club won't let Stuart Maynard speak freely, as they will want to protect him.

This said, I do hope to catch it soon.

i watched a few minutes but I thought it would play it on the way to tranmere, as i want to see what @TheSkipper thinks.

@liampie

The thing is Fella will Notts be given time to build a good run of Form. If the Magpies start off badly then the knives are going to be out for Stuart Maynard, Fans are going to be baying for his Blood and should he be Sacked after a couple of months of the season, then it will mean a New Coach coming in and putting his ideas into action ( as long as he's allowed to). That could Result in another season of Mediocrity down the Lane.

However there is No Point on holding on to a Coach who is out of his Depth in Hope that things will Improve Results Wise.

Problem is @Wheelbarrow repair man if Notts dismissed Maynard for poor Notts performance the powers that be at Notts would just appoint another Maynard, Burchnall clone who would carry on with the same tactics, when it will clearly show we need something different, not the same old.

Very True @Robbie Maybe if Maynard is Sacked then Richard Montague will be given the Job as Head Coach. Because I Believe He is the Mastermind behind the way Notts Now Play, there's been enough hints from the Guy. Then if the Magpies continue to Struggle, he'll Get The Sack. We live in Hope.

He does have a similar appearance and physical build to Jack Grealish. He has already claimed that he will be better than him, which, considering Jack’s situation at Man City, might be an easier task.

Jota Silva does look a lot like Grealish, though.

He looks like a weaker imitation of Jack Grealish. I do think the pair share an uncanny resemblance. I don’t think Grealish would be bothered about the comparison. Jota Silva is a decent player, but I think Grealish is far better.

I don’t get all the fuss over the off-topic comments. It sounds like effort was made to encourage people to respond.

I don’t understand the fuss that the BBC and other media outlets have been making about this deal. Just because a player looks like another doesn’t mean it should be the main focus. I see he’s already come out saying he’ll be better than Jack Grealish. Those are big words. Yes, he does look similar, but I am sure he’s his own player.

I believe it encouraged people to renew quicker, but I am less sure how many wouldn't have purchased a season ticket knowing that Notts were going to sell him. I certainly can understand why some fans would think it might impact the quality we see on the pitch and not everyone who purchases a season ticket can be defined as a supporter. Some just go to watch football. I know 4–5 people who have done this, just because they're Nottingham born and want to watch good football.

To me, it seems unlikely to have made a large impact. It probably would have been very minor, if noticeable at all.

To be honest. When a player is transferred to a bigger club, everything looks nice and dandy.

The player gets a good lump sum signing on fee and a bigger salary, then they find themselves sitting on the substitutes bench game after game.

The player left a club where they were the first name written on the team sheet to mearly a squad player with the new club.

Somehow, I don't think many players think about that before they sign on the dotted line.

its a good question, but i dont think fans would have been less likely to renew. if they wanted to, it would make sense to have done it whilst the early bird prices was available. paying more because a player left just seems odd, as does if they refused to go to games because he left therefore not buying a season ticket as some sort of protest towards the club.

i get the knee jerk reaction and the upset, but it would not have made much difference.

2 hours ago, Robbie said:

have fond memories as a boy of the old massive Coop department store on Upper Parliament Street.

Yes we used to go in there if I remember right they had lift operators, do you remember that @Robbie?

@Fan of Big Tone

Yes I remember although I was very young at the time. The store was so big. If I remember right it was the only big department store my parents shopped at. They used to shop mostly at small shops on Hyson Green high street.

My Grandma owned a paper shop at Bobbers Mill but I don't know exactly where it was. She sold it in the late 50s so I was too young to remember it.

11 minutes ago, Robbie said:

@Fan of Big Tone

Yes I remember although I was very young at the time. The store was so big. If I remember right it was the only big department store my parents shopped at. They used to shop mostly at small shops on Hyson Green high street.

My Grandma owned a paper shop at Bobbers Mill but I don't know exactly where it was. She sold it in the late 50s so I was too young to remember it.

@Robbie  it was a bit like Grace Brothers in the sitcom Are You Being Served 

I hope fans know before setting off, as it would be disappointing for those who travel to have a wasted journey.

Let’s hope peace and love prevail and the fans can watch a good game with no trouble before, during or after.

its hooligans causing trouble and a large amount are trying to use the situation to steal stuff. stupid rioters, i hope it dont effect notts.

I haven’t watched a good horror film in years. I don’t like these ghost trends or creepy dolls. None of them are remotely creepy; they just try to make you jump with cheap thrills.

Liked the Frankenstein movies with Boris Karloff & the Wolf Man with Lon Chaney Junior.

Those films tend to be looked upon as Comedy nowadays.

The Hammer Horror films were popular too in the late 50s & 60s with Christopher Lee as Dracula.

Probably my favourite horror film is King Kong 1933, with Robert Armstrong & Fay Wray.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3sH9vRz4Lbq58dtyjRB0Kvx/the-fright-stuff-what-makes-horror-movies-tick

The original Candyman gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Yep

That's a fair number of us already. I'll post the first round tonight!

@True Magpie, it's great to see a new name in the mix. And don't worry about being the best, I've decided I'm going to win it this year ????

@Robbie I think everyone has their own method, whether studying the form table, guesswork, octopuses that can see the future or, in my case, surrendering my soul to the devil in exchange for eighth place in the prediction league. 

Count me in please... Can last seasons winner have a 20 point handicap please... Lol.. 

I’d loved to have seen him sign for Notts, oh well, onward and upward.

I'm not disappointed that he didn't sign for Notts.

Not sure that he would have got well into our style of play anyway 

Notts have three excellent strikers of their own and if it comes down to it, one of our attacking midfielders such as Jodi, Nemane or Crowley could fill in as an emergency striker if needed.

i sometimes wonder if stuart maynard would be better if he had a more experienced assistant, but i do think its important he can trust them. he has formed a working relationship, so hopefully its enough for him to start winning fans over more.

I am sure all the coaching and management team are 100% behind the club and are trying their best to provide Stuart Maynard with important feedback. I think it's better that the technical area is no longer to be bombarded with players and staff.

Not that it has stopped other clubs from doing this exact thing last season at Meadow Lane.

The dugout is more for players. Only the manager/head coach can be in the technical area, and the assistant is usually nearby. A coach usually doesn’t have much involvement during games, so he will probably be watching from the stands. It’s not like we have first-team staff that are paid to be idle.

very good preview, its good to see that notts got mentioned and obviously they would mention life without macca. seeing them list our defensive signings again gave me a buzz. they do look like strong signings for us.

It's a good read, from the Notts perspective they have done a fair amount of homework.

I do feel a little disappointed that some teams have more depth than others, it takes away a fair balance, but it's not like they could write a compressive preview. I believe there are teams that will pleasantly surprise those who have high expectations for them. I think the likes of Walsall will do much better this season.

i am pleased for bromley, as underdogs and newly promoted team i wish them all the best in league two.

it was nice to watch them gain promotion, as it meant something and it really is an exciting chapter for them. the task to remain an efl club is quite large but if they continue with their team spirit and fight, i am sure they will survive the drop.

Bromley has a very tough task ahead of themselves, but they did well to rise in the National League and earn promotion. I would rather see teams like these, then Sutton in the Football League. Their journey could just be the beginning, it wasn't that long ago it seems, when Bournemouth and Brentford were underdogs in League Two.

It was a good friendly, entertaining, and I don’t think we have much to worry about at this stage. There are a handful of players who didn’t make the game, so I would be curious to see if they actually make the bench or start against Tranmere. Peterborough were always going to win this friendly. A high-scoring match should give us more confidence rather than affect morale. It’s how you look at things, I suppose, but Jodi Jones played at his very best.

It was a good pre-season friendly, a lot of intent and good chances by both teams. The result means little, so I would caution less worry over the 4-3 finish. I would say, it shows that we can be competitive with good teams, and it's all about form. If we learn to finish the chances we get against League Two teams, we should be fine.

Now we can start building the first 11, focus on performances and form.

The first few games will only be a good insight as to how we are adjusting defensively and how Stuart Maynard sees which players have what roles in the squad.

For those that are interested I've found the highlights from the Peterborough site, they are free to view!

Highlights of the first match: 

https://www.theposh.com/video/player/0_qr5ds7cb?feed=572d5031-67d2-44eb-90e1-19cf03693c7d&section=9029b27b-2dd9-4a50-8844-77c477038c99

Highlights of the second match:

https://www.theposh.com/video/player/0_idoqe8ih?feed=572d5031-67d2-44eb-90e1-19cf03693c7d&section=9029b27b-2dd9-4a50-8844-77c477038c99

Second match is, um, more entertaining... ???? ????

I don’t know, but I think when we have our own players of this age, it makes little sense to sign or bring in someone else’s young player.

????????‍♂️its a interesting spot, i always wonder how people get pictures like this and why the club does not do more to ensure nobody is sneaking pictures. if a player is training with you, then its less a problem but when its just like this anyone could see it and trigger interest. i dont really know him but trust the recruitment.

Sadly he's probably a lot better than any of our strikers that are also 18. He's scored plenty of goals in the Premier League development Leagues and the then did well in his short spell in the National League. A move to a League 2 club would be a good next step for him.

As for the photo though ????‍♂️ It could be a number of players to be honest, it's very hard to tell who it is as it's so far away! Maybe a touch of wishful thinking to say it's Dajaune Brown, but it could be... 

I'm not going to keep saying things about Andy Murray; I personally don't like him or his attitude, but I don't deny he's a good player.

He would make a very good coach.

A great send off for the Legend that is Andy Murray.

reminds me of my school days. ????

good luck to him in retirement, if he can inspire or coach the next generation of great british talent that would be great.

i love reading the memories, the old scoreboard has been mentioned a fair bit during my time on pon and i have seen many of those pictures before. its nice to know that there was a joking element to it too.

I remember a smaller one from the 90s, that used to have very basic animations when goals were scored.

I have seen this one during my time though, but I can't share any good stories about it. I have heard other fans at Notts games tell me about it, so I know it meant a lot to fans who were fortunate to have seen it in action.

I have no memories of the old Spion Kop scoreboard, but I do think preserving its history and the memories of fans is very important. I would welcome seeing more comments from fans here on PON who may have had the experience.

@Robbie

I've Not Heard or Read anything else about Snus, there's been No update from any Main Stream Media (as I've seen anyway) My Original Thread on this Topic is currently on Page 17 of the PON Website. One of Snus main problems is it increases the Risk Of Heart Problems !! Make you think doesn't it? Also could it part of the Reason why Players Suddenly Feel Tired? Whatever it is Snus needs looking into by the F.A. and Banning, or Football could end up having a lot more Young Fit Players Suddenly Collapsing on the Pitch, Heaven Forbid.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I couldn't find anything recent either since those last reports. Seems that they want the story buried, I wonder why?

This dangerous habit is not going to help sportsmen in the long term and it's use needs to be put in the spotlight, highlighting the dangers of it's use.

I'll monitor the airwaves from time to time to see if SNUS is mentioned or not.

Good Luck To You @Robbie but  I think you may be Flogging a Dead Horse. Because has you have said the SNUS Addiction of Players is Something that People Want Buried.

What will it take for this to be Brought into the Spotlight? Some World Class Player Collapses and Dies on the Pitch in Front of Thousands of Fans and his Death can be linked to his use of the SNUS Drug. That Statement is a Morbid One I Know but it's Probably the only way the Use of this Drug will be brought back to the Forefront of Awareness.

his ideas will probably be all americanisation and that wont work here in the uk, scotland would be more opposed to it. i hope he does good, but i think if someone could make a team that is not known for winning things and claim to have revolutionary ideas. it would make me wonder why not a more profitable team? i really hope for inverness caledonian thistles that this is a good thing for them.

They'll be back in the Highland League then.

Every time someone swans in who knows nothing about football and promises to revolutionise football we know exactly what's going to happen. It's like a bad soap opera.

The Caley fans seem highly sceptical with good reason.

https://caleythistleonline.com/topic/36282-investment/page/16/#comment-569160

Check

https://chudphotography.smugmug.com/Notts-County-FC/2024-2025-Season/MSV-Duisburg-v-Notts-County-20072024

I don’t view it as a criticism of the young players who were on the pitch when the goals started coming in. I also believe the penalty was more a case of their player pushing into Chicksen and then falling over. It’s challenging to keep up with games when there are numerous changes, and while some fans might see this as making excuses, for a young player it’s much tougher. Once a goal is conceded, it impacts how you play and it can be easier for the attacking team to capitalise on this. All things considered, it’s not a bad result.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I think we can safely say that we lost because Stuart drastically changed the side.

I wonder why Stuart can't change the personnel a few at a time in the second half so that the side is affected so much.

My question would be, How can one seriously find out the worth of a trialist if he isn't playing within a side full of first teamers?

On 31/07/2024 at 10:25, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

Preseason Friendlies are to build up a Players fitness, time for New Players to get settled into their New Environment  and for the Head Coach to get an idea of the players he'll start in his First XI  once the League Season Starts and by Winning Games to Install Confidence and a Positive Attitude.

Leaking Goals was a Major Problem last season and new Defenders have been brought in to Stop the Rot. And yet 7 goals conceded in the Last 3 Matches  alone Is A Major Concern. So perhaps the Fault doesn't lie with the Defence more of the way Notts play. I don't know how many more times Fans are going to have to say this, until Richard Montague and Stuart Maynard Realize it.

THE NOTTS TIPPY TAPPY FOOTBALL "MODEL" DOES NOT WORK.

I would say a Majority of Players Don't like it as it goes against the way they normally play  and New Players are struggling to Adapt. Stuart Maynard does Not have very good Man Management skills. However left to his own devices he May be able to Find a Winning Formula. But I think there is to much  Interference  from other  Quarters that Stops him doing his Job Properly.

And for Fans not overly concerned with the Preseason Results, if memory serves, the Preseason before Notts were Promoted back into the EFL, the Magpies Didn't lose a Match. Therefore Winning becomes a Habit and a Team will carry that Winning Attitude Into The New Season.

As you rightly said, winning becomes a habit, and it also breeds confidence.

I cannot for the life of me, understand how anyone can say preseason games don't matter.

It's like when some managers are saying cup games don't matter. Every single game that Notts play has to matter. 

It mattered to Boston Utd that they beat a league 2 club the other night.

I get the concerns about not having a starting 11 that would more resemble the starting 11 against Tranmere, I feel like this pre-season we’ve struggled more with injuries than is being revealed.

It’s not helped all the games have been away games so fewer fans have seen the team, most fans are relying on the club to bridge the gap and our media coverage is usually top notch but it feels like we’ve been fed scraps this season. The updates on the games have been minimal and highlights non-existent. I’m having to watch other teams highlights and interviews to try and gauge how we got on!

I’m still not overly concerned, yet… But I totally understand why fans would be concerned that we couldn’t score, but conceded against a team with 10 men. A post-match reaction from Boston would’ve gone some way to help calm and explain. I’ve heard we’ve been doing double sessions before games, so if that’s true it would explain why we seem to tail off as games wear on.

i partly wonder if its just stuart maynard trying to get a further insight on what changes work from off the bench, the team defensively was weak but against boston it should have been a closer result. people are saying that they scored for fun against peterborough and we should have fielded our strongest team but maybe we are trying to make sure the squad as a whole is on the right level amongst the squad?

there is no point having a bench of players who are not quite match fit.

this is very sad to read, rest in peace craig shakespeare.