Johnny Bostock!  

In the distant past there was a certain Tom Keetley who became a prolific goalscorer for both Doncaster Rovers and Notts County 

From 1923 to 1929 Tom played for Rovers scoring 180 goals from 231 appearances.

Tom moved to Notts in 1929 till 1933 where he scored 94 goals from 103 appearances.

Nathan Tyson: 2014 and Notts 2019/20, Doncaster Rovers 2014/16.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Tyson

On 19/12/2023 at 10:45, Piethagoram said:

For an accountant, I don't think one would necessarily raise questions over an investment of £200k? @Chris

I know football is a multimillion pound sport, but £200k is a considerable amount for a team like ours.

It's basically a player's annual wage.

https://footystats.org/england/efl-league-two/salaries

Some company chief financial officers / accountants can be on 150k, 200k a year... a £200k investment would not be questioned in general

I doubt the club would be liable for this - the accountants in question sold their stake again and probably got "their" money back, either from Ray Trew or whoever bought the stake off them. If they no longer have a stake in the club, I don't see how it could be claimed back from the club.

It’s about time for such a minor change, it’s nice to see the club taking the initiative to make improvements.

I welcome these improvements to our ground.With attendances increasing its great to know that the club are doing all they can to enhance the safety of the fans.

The modifications at Meadow Lane are indeed a positive development. With the club drawing more supporters, the investments should easily recoup their costs, if they haven’t already. The better the experience, the happier the fans will be. Safety is paramount.

It’s a great poem and very relatable. I believe this was presented in school when I was in Year 7.

It’s important to remember, Christmas can quickly become a time of stress and worry, when it should simply be a time to spend with family and loved ones.

Nice Poem.

i really like the darkness song dont let the bells end.

My number one Christmas  song Has to be Bing Crosby's White Christmas.

Neil Warnock is unique, his antics could easily be a comedy sketch for a late-night show. I believe he’ll return to management at some point, I can’t imagine him fully retiring.

He can be a bit annoying sometimes but there's no doubting his passion and he is very funny  and a proper character.

7 hours ago, super_ram said:

He can be a bit annoying sometimes but there's no doubting his passion and he is very funny  and a proper character.

I understand what you’re saying, but I believe that’s just his nature. He’s become less grumpy over the years and more humorous, he seems to have ceased being resentful around the mid 00s.

This is the first time I have seen the highlights, wow... We are defending blindly and have become very lazy, no pressuring and so much that could have been done. I want to know what was in Adam Chicksen's boots that made him so slow to react, the decision to slide in seems silly because staying on his feet would have been more practical.

The Simpson's Comic Book Guy would say... 'Worst defending ever'. I'm not sure it's 100% true, but it's shocking.

i want an angry face as the second goal sealed the game and i felt very much deflated, i wanted to leave there and then. its not a feel i like but we put so much effort in and we cant even defend against a team we should have done better against. i loved jodi jones passion but everyone else it was missing.

The sad part is, our defence has been poorer on many occasions this season. Hats off to Harrogate for their impressive play.

this is a great thing, i wonder how many ex footballers have been this selfless to start a charity that benefits others instead of their own greed.

The foundation carries out crucial work. Referring to individuals as guests demonstrates respect and avoids passing judgement. It appears to be a practice that should be adopted nationwide.

A commendable charity, one I wasn’t aware of, but it does some fantastic work in the community.

I believe this is the same game that Waitt flicked on for David Hunt to strike a cracking volley.... The ref inexplicably called a foul against Mick Waitt. That game since rackles with me, we didnt get the ref's decision when we played Spurs at White Hart Lane in the 90's , when Gazza should have been red carded

By the way, the state of the pitch compared to Meadow Lane now

John Chiedozie is on the bench for the Spurs. That's criminal.  

19 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Defenders made mistakes in those days too, Dean Yates of all people! Normally he was rock solid, nice to see Charlie McParland scoring a goal too. Thanks for posting @Piethagoram 

to be fair, that pitch is shocking compared todays standard. i think we tend to over water the meadow lane pitch too, i am not making excuses but i do not think it helps.

Pegguy Arphexad

gavin strachan...  

Adam Nowland is another player to be added to this list.

Hello, @JOHN BOND. It's nice to be saying hi to you. Welcome to PON.

Welcome to PON @JOHN BOND. Hello from me.

Hello, welcome to PON @JOHN BOND.

Hello, @Niederbayern Pie. It's nice to be saying hi to you. Welcome to PON.

Welcome to pon!

Hello, @Niederbayern Pie. Welcome to PON. Curious to learn more about yourself and your chosen username.

I couldn't agree more about Aaron Nemane's performance in the first half. Top-notch, without a doubt. You can see the confidence in his play.

Frankly, I wasn't also overly impressed with Will Randall's performance. However, we must keep in mind, that one game doesn't define a player's aptitude. Let's hope he takes this as a learning opportunity and improves in the future games.

Also, it's crucial to note the brilliance of some of the goals scored by Notts. Each goal was well-earned and well-placed, a sure sign of a team with a good understanding of the field and each other's playing styles. The way Notts analysed and took advantage of Bradford's weaknesses was very impressive.

I very much enjoyed this game, yes we played differently in the second and could have allowed Bradford City back into the game but the first half was just pure class from us.

We need to go back to bossing teams, because it takes so much pressure off us at the back.

its not a name i remember, its interesting to see his career being somewhat average but he has already found his way into management.

I don't even recall his name. He seems to have been a signing with the future in mind. Still, I don't recall seeing or hearing his name at all.

It’s just me and my parents, no real change but a day where we try to just chat, watch a film or two, and enjoy snacks.

At some point during the day, we will be calling by @super_ram and spending some time with him. This will probably be after Christmas dinner, so the day will start with presents and watching things together. I assume Jake will be on his PlayStation more than being downstairs, but we will be eating together. We have invited him to spend a few days afterwards with us, which I am looking forward too.

It’s the shortest day today so the nights will start to get lighter. 
 

Mrs. T has been baking mince pies, sausage rolls and chocolate log, enough to feed an army, so it’s definitely beginning to look a bit like Christmas.

I really have no issue with Burchnall leaving, in the same way I wouldn't have been upset if Williams had gone to Oxford.  We are where we are, and one of our main attractions is that we provide managers a sound platform to showcase their skills.  If they then move on, it is good for us as it raises our profile and allows us to attract more tested candidates.  I have no doubt that whoever we brought in would be at least equivalent to Williams, and it could be argued that maybe we had William's application because of what Burchnall was allowed to do here. Don't get me wrong, I don't want Williams to leave and he is definitely an upgrade on Burchnall... but when he leaves I will be wishing him the best and hope he doesn't get the flack that I feel Burchnall unfairly gets.

Luke Williams has done much to gain the respect of his colleagues. While I had a liking for Ian Burchnall and thought he was a good manager for us, I felt he placed his own influence above those who assisted him. It wasn’t quite on the level of Jamie Fullerton, but there were some minor similarities.

McParland’s assessment is spot on. Williams indeed shows great potential, but Burchnall’s performance was disappointing. If we aspire to reach the Championship, we need to refine our game on all fronts. This includes not just individual performances, but also our overall team strategy and recruitment planning. Here’s hoping for a more polished and well-rounded performance in the future.

Playing Rawlinson on the left back fired. His pass was charged down but on the highlights, the first penalty, just looked like an invitation to dive over Bostocks leg? 

The ref failed to give a clear hand ball (penalty)  to Notts in the 2nd half.

The 2nd penalty, build up was conceding a needless corner.

Our failure to defend the corner properly perhaps led to Crowley  being adjudged to have impeded their guy?

I was pretty sure, Jake Reeves would hit it down the middle... Slocombe looks nowhere near to saving a penalty.

Notts certainly made it harder for themselves, showing resilience to level the score but repeating the same errors that initially gave Wimbledon the lead. Notts’ defence was lacking throughout the match, with too much dependence on Sam Slocombe to pull off a rescue act. We need to see more urgency in defence when teams figure out how to breach our back three.

Also, there’s no disputing that penalty - Crowley clearly held onto the Wimbledon player. But Notts do need to improve their defence of set pieces.

As a long-time supporter of Notts, I’ve seen us go through highs and lows, gaining invaluable experience along the way. Facing Wimbledon now, we had hoped to leverage that experience. Their recent performance suggested a potential vulnerability, and we aimed to capitalise on that. However, maintaining the integrity of the game and avoiding disorderly play was paramount. I had high hopes that our midfield could be the game-changer, given their proven ability to dominate in previous matches. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring that control to bear this time. Despite the defeat, we remain hopeful for future games.

I believe if we had signed him at the start of the season, some might have lost interest in him by now due to the time it took for him to get his opportunity. Hopefully, we can find a way to integrate him quickly into our first team and strengthen it. He does seem to be a reliable defender.

I’m not particularly concerned about Lewis Macari. I believe it’s a decent signing, but not the solution to our issues. He’s a future regular, but for now, he deserves to be used as needed. I’m happy with the signing, but I hope it won’t be an expensive fee to make him a permanent player.

He’s a promising young player, and I’m delighted he’s part of our team. I’m eager to see his contribution to the squad once he’s back playing regularly. Does anyone know or have any guesses about how much we spent on the transfer?

Ha! Joking aside, I think it's great.

However, there should also be something representative of Notts County as well. Steve Cooper's actions and interactions with Luke Williams show that he had a perspective that extended beyond football. That's something I will respect, and I wish him well.

i think they are in special measures, its probably how steve cooper found out about them. poor school's being dragged down.

That’s really lovely.

That is something quite special! It took me back to my childhood and times when I was forced by school to go to a nearby church. Where live instruments were played, and the pupils had to form the choir. It made Christmas different for sure.

beautiful! if only things like this could reach mad men and people who only want war as it could stop it otherwise. no words or peace treaty needed. let the music do it.

I wouldn’t turn down either, but I don’t think the odds are very high. I think Forest might not be too concerned about their wages now that they’re in the Premier League, but they would likely want to protect their valuable assets by not letting them drop too far down the league. I think there was more hope that someone would come in for Harry Arter towards the end of his playing career if he performed well with us.

I think it’s unlikely, but each player mentioned would easily improve us and would be a fantastic loan addition. I do agree, Forest will most likely want a portion of their wages paid. But then I can see the benefit of loaning out a player who is out of favour until the end of a season with a recall clause [yes this would upset us]. But it could see the player fight for his place or attract interest in a transfer come the new transfer window.

Any opportunity that might have existed is now gone since they’ve dismissed their manager. Instead of loaning players, I think they’ll want to sell, which puts us out of the running. They might have a decent centre back in their reserves or U18s, but I believe we need someone with experience.

I don't fault him for choosing to take a managerial job, over coaching. So, for that, I do wish him well.

As for his decisions, if he wants to become a good manager he will need to choose carefully if ever tempted to leave. I think he bases a lot of his decisions based on his heart, instead of his head but I hope he does alright at Woking.

I’m not particularly concerned about Michael Doyle. I don’t think Woking is a place where he’ll learn and stay for a long time. I give him a maximum of 12-14 months.

He might become a competent manager one day, but he’s always rushing and hasn’t dedicated enough time to learning. He’ll either be a natural or he’ll fail. I wish him the best, though succeeding at Woking is tough.

I believe a more straightforward approach could alleviate issues at the back. It would be beneficial to ensure we’re not left lacking or with few options to pass the ball when under pressure. However, I don’t think having three robust centre backs familiar with the position would make a significant difference.

Real weakness now without Matty Palmer is that our midfield cannot cope with being outnumbered and we’re having to play either aging players or players out of position so any press we have is ineffective as they don’t have the legs for it.

That, along with playing wingers instead of proper wingbacks in the position is leaving the defence vulnerable to attacks down the flanks and now through the middle. When we have the ball the lack of height in the side means that they can’t go long as it is going to come straight back and the opposition press means they are being forced back to the keeper, who then has to boot it long as he has no movement in front of him.

We need to shift to either a 433 or 4321, play two proper full backs bring in another centre half to play alongside Baldwin, and at least one central midfielder with legs. We also need a vocal keeper who is competent under the high ball and not superglued to his line. Stone may come good under a more solid defence but I have serious reservations and cannot see what made us sign him in the first place as he is no upgrade on Slocombe and is arguably worse in every department.

In my eyes, defenders are defenders. The only difference is their positional awareness and I don’t think that is the issue. I think it’s largely about confidence and mental strength to handle pressure. But I don’t understand how we manage to put the most amount of pressure on ourselves. I suppose it would make more sense to play 3 solid centre backs, who can form an alliance and rely on each other. Instead of players forced into the position, but I do think defenders are defenders regardless of where they are primarily played.

After Harrogate, thought Sunday , I needed to be in a "stable" condition

I spent saturday using my present and spending time with family. Also as Chris said we went to pizza hut.

Sunday i was at home looking after my kids and my nephew and neice. Had a fun day at home and in the garden.

I stayed at home over the weekend, I didn’t visit Harrogate. I switched off the radio after they were 2-0 up. I didn’t have the drive to bear any more than that, which is unlike me. On Sunday, I caught up with my college work and just relaxed. I had a quick go on my Playstation.

On 16/12/2023 at 07:34, Super_Danny_Allsopp said:

3rd tier in Scotland? Nice. Career on the up.

Worrying that article says he's a natural defender. Not sure that maps with what i saw of him.

I wouldn't either, he was better going forward.

I don't understand why people are playing him as a left back. He would be far more effective on the left of midfield, but the issue is he's a flash in the pan. He can start off well, but fails to maintain himself. I am glad we managed to dodge signing him, as there are fans who still wish he was here due to a few very good performances. He was rubbish at Chesterfield.

He’s not a poor player, but there are certainly better ones out there. I think some of our fans prioritise flair over ability. If a player can show off and produce a few moments of brilliance, it often seems to overshadow their weaknesses. I wish Calvin Miller all the best, but I’m relieved he’s not with us.

Celvin Miller wasn’t the greatest of signings, but there was something about him that makes clubs willing to take a risk. It won’t be long before he moves on to another club. It’s a pity he doesn’t care more about his career to truly focus on being a valuable asset to a club. He has the talent, but perhaps not the motivation.