Coventry City 2v1 Stoke City

Southampton 2v2 West Bromwich Albion

Derby County 0v2 Barnsley

Wycombe Wanderers 2v2 Stevenage

AFC Wimbledon 1v1 Doncaster Rovers

Tranmere Rovers 2v1 Forest Green Rovers

AFC Fylde 0v2 York City

Altrincham 1v3 Southend United joker

You've got time till 3pm on Saturday! Go on, what have you got to lose (except pride, dignity etc.)?

@Joshua, @DonnyNotts, @TheSkipper, @allardyces tash, @OoooooTommy, @KingWilliams, @NottsCountyKev, @thommo, @JIMBO, @jimbob, @Nocturnal-Magpie, @AmericanPie, @CliftonMagpie, @KB1862, @George L, @Canadian

The results:

Coventry City 0-0 Stoke City
Southampton 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 3-0 Barnsley
Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Stevenage
AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Doncaster Rovers
Tranmere Rovers 3-0 Forest Green Rovers
AFC Fylde 0-2 York City
Altrincham 2-0 Southend United

---

This was a high-scoring round (for some of you anyway ), and this week's winner is @william1984 with a superb 14 points!

@william1984 - 14
@4everapie, @super_ram - 10
@Fan of Big Tone, @magpiejue - 9
@gtownjohnno, @nottsnutter - 8
@upthepies - 5
@cheeky~k8, @Dan, @DangerousSausage, @Megan_Elizax - 4
@Chris - 3
@ARLukomski, @liampie - 2

---

@ARLukomski is our first player to hit 100 points, but @gtownjohnno goes second and takes a big chunk out of his lead. Elsewhere, the board's senior citizens are on the march! No fewer than five of you overtook me this week, which is very rude.

ARLukomski - 100
gtownjohnno - 87
4everapie - 83
cheeky~k8 - 83
super_ram - 80
Fan of Big Tone - 80
nottsnutter - 80
william1984 - 79
DangerousSausage - 78
magpiejue - 69
Joshua - 69
liampie - 67
upthepies - 66
Chris - 66
Megan_Elizax - 62
Dan - 61
DonnyNotts - 52
TheSkipper - 52
allardyces tash - 46
OoooooTommy - 45
KingWilliams - 44
NottsCountyKev - 41
thommo - 39
jimbob - 38
JIMBO - 38
Nocturnal-Magpie - 38
AmericanPie - 36
CliftonMagpie - 36
KB1862 - 22
George L - 6
Canadian - 4

---

The next round is on Saturday, so the fixtures will be posted on Wednesday at the latest. Have a good week everyone!

i did not expect any questions about the trouble, but i thought the interview would be a bit more than it is. it was very simple compared to normal, i respect the decision to leave Luke Williams to reflect on things but there are a few questions which could have made it bit more informative. such as the decision to drop aidan stone, i dont think sam slocombe did anything wrong but its a call which makes a lot of change leading into a big game away from home.

I think he handled it brilliantly - his response to the penalty is so different to many others. He clearly thinks there's no point getting angry about things you can't influence, and that's a healthy attitude to have.

For once he didn't say how good the opposition were

On 10/11/2023 at 22:21, Fan of Big Tone said:

I’ve got a bottle of Rosy Nosey for tomorrow it’s from the Batemans brewery, it promises, fruity flavours of raisins. Sounds good, it’s £1.50 from Morrisons, I’ll let you know my verdict.

I wasn’t that impressed with this one really, the fruity flavours promised didn’t materialise unless it was because my mouth was on fire eating Mrs. T’s Chilli con Carne. 

So today was Remembrance Sunday, we normally go up to the local memorial for the ceremony but today we were busy with other things, I wanted to do some gardening before it rained because the brown bin is collected tomorrow but we did pause from our chores at 11am to remember those that gave their lives for our freedom.

Relaxing now hoping to watch Forest get trounced at West Ham. 

I hope everyone has had a good weekend.

yesterday i was at the crewe game, i was not really entertained by the game and thought we could have done better. the trouble towards the end of the game is being focused on our fans, but the crewe stewards were very eager to cause trouble. i dont think we did ourselves any favours with throwing things at the assistant ref, but the way everything is being blown out of portion and the trouble fans who was not doing anything had was very shocking.

today i am just relaxing because i feel its really needed to unwind after yesterday.

2 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

I wasn’t that impressed with this one really, the fruity flavours promised didn’t materialise unless it was because my mouth was on fire eating Mrs. T’s Chilli con Carne. 

So today was Remembrance Sunday, we normally go up to the local memorial for the ceremony but today we were busy with other things, I wanted to do some gardening before it rained because the brown bin is collected tomorrow but we did pause from our chores at 11am to remember those that gave their lives for our freedom.

Relaxing now hoping to watch Forest get trounced at West Ham. 

I hope everyone has had a good weekend.

I have tried a few of the'different' beers and find most drinkable but mildly disappointing.I do like to try different brewery beers when I get the chance though.

I watched the Remembrance Sunday programme on telly,which brought back memories of watching the parades in Alfreton with my dad many ,many years ago.

Not exactly a trouncing @Fan of Big Tone but at least a good result. I do wish referees would clamp down on all the pushing and pulling at corner kicks and free kicks though.Even the commentators seem to condone some of it.

Apart from the result at Crewe a very good weekend!

I've never been one much for chocolates or sweets.I do very occasionally have a Crunchie, Mars bar or Cadbury chocolate or similar and to be honest I don't even recall, Caramac so doesn't even bother me..

I don’t eat many chocolates or sweets these days I think your tastes change as you get older, I think I remember Caramac being quite a unique taste when I’ve had one when I was younger, I quite liked them. However my favourite chocolate bar was Galaxy.

16 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

I don’t eat many chocolates or sweets these days I think your tastes change as you get older, I think I remember Caramac being quite a unique taste when I’ve had one when I was younger, I quite liked them. However my favourite chocolate bar was Galaxy.

Mine still is Galaxy, you can keep all your namby pamby posh chocolate, give me a bar of galaxy any day of the week!

My angle is that I would consider a big club re financial budget say to a Port Vale.... Big budgets should help deliver an advantage on the pitch...so in my view, Frank did fail @super_ram

Lampard was The Rams manager for the 2018/19 season.His first game was at Meadow Lane where I witnessed the pre season friendly which ended  4-1 to my team.He brought in several high profile loans in Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea,who was voted Derby's player of that season(now playing for AC Milan),Harry Wilson from Liverpool(Now playing for Fulham and Wales in the Prem) and also from Chelsea ,Mason Mount (now playing for Man Utd and England) He undoubtedly acquired these loanees due to his connection with Chelsea and also Steven Gerrard at Liverpool..Derby finished the season in 6th place,same as the previous season but with 74 points ,one fewer than previous season..A notable victory during his tenure was in the EFL cup when beating Man Utd at Old Trafford in a penalty shootout.He did get us to the Championship play off final but lost to 2- 1 to Villa.So to summarise, after losing the returning loanees at the end of the season,Derby ended one point fewer and still in The Championship.Considering the backing he got from Derby and help from connections he actually took Derby backwards.Yes, @Piethagoram he was a FAILURE.He didn't do much in his subsequent positions as manager either.It seems a reputation as a player goes a long way beyond playing days.

@Fan of Big Tone I hope that answers your question and I didn't even mention his dithering with the open secret of him leaving to manage Chelsea.

i think he will end up bringing in loans to oxford if he gets the oxford job. i dont think he knows league one football enough to do a proper job, he seems to favourite bringing in expensive players and his time at derby was more down to the clever loans he managed to secure when derby were a very good championship team.

47 minutes ago, Piethagoram said:

A hard read @Fan of Big Tone

Oh my goodness it certainly is a hard read, I had no idea about this. 

The sheer scale of executions in Germany, is heartbreaking...

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

All  so sad and truly awful !

He was tiped to do well, quite highly thought of but it shows how sometimes football doesn't quite work out. At least he had one season with Hibs, which could have been the turning point in his career.

honestly, i dont remember him at all. did he do anything of note? the lack of responses so far would suggest nothing.

I always thought Vela had some "class" about him

I would not mind seeing him back at #Notts as he is a footballing defender so to speak

Was Sam Austin not aware of the Lincoln City player speeding towards him? Surely, he did see it.

One of my pet hates of football is when players don't move to intercept the ball, yet act like the ball has to fall to their feet and this isn't always the case. It's quite a sloppy goal to concede. You would have thought someone would go to support Kyle Cameron who made the correct call to cover. Aidan Stone perhaps could have done better, what with the angle, but these are a common occurrence we see with the way Notts plays it out from the back.

I am left speechless by their second goal.

Ollie Tipton gave away the ball very poorly, but what is more disappointing is that we have only 2 other players in a defensive position.

Credit to Tipton for tracking his man, even if him and Cameron do look a little clueless on how to defend this situation but whoever the 2nd defender, that casually strolled and then took to walking needs to be pushed to get back into position quicker.

We display a sense of urgency in our attacks, but our defence is far too relaxed for my taste. Yes, they were probably instructed to reserve energy and the competition is one I am personally not bothered in. Yet, I still want to see commitment in defending.

It seems simple to avoid, which I don’t understand. Don’t make foolish moves or turn your back to the player. If you need to protect the ball or find a nearby pass, do so. Regardless of the FA Trophy, losing due to those goals is annoying.

both their goals were very similar in terms of how we lost the ball, how they scored and the lack of cover. its the reason why we struggle at times because we are not adaptive enough.

I wasn't a big fan of his, but I thought he looked good in goal. He would probably do well in a Notts team now that focuses on giving the strikers plenty of chances. In games where Macaulay Langstaff doesn't get much service, he wouldn't be helpful up front. It's about giving him chances to score.

Old style centre forward who made a nuisance of himself. Not the best goalscorer but I would definitely have him in my squad as an impact player as I think he is a better player now than the one we had on loan.

I remember the game against Grimsby at home where he came on and caused havoc amongst their defence, which enabled us to come back from 2-0 down.

In my opinion, his performance was mediocre at best, and we could aim for better. It’s pleasing to see former players succeed, but the likelihood of that happening here is low. I don’t foresee him advancing in the same manner given our current trajectory.

Allow Craig Short the time to see if he can continue and if good results come, then perhaps they should allow him to find an assistant. He knows their current setup, which nobody else does and a new manager often changes things which takes time to settle.

I don't fear Luke Williams will be interested, I think the appointment they make might be underwhelming unless they stick with Short.

Hoping to see Short given the chance and to bring necessary changes. Oxford United does not need much direction, and he might just be the one to continue their current performances.

I think Craig Short was unfortunate during his time here. Many blamed him for dismantling the team that got us promoted, but I believe those decisions were made by others before he even took the job.

@theMagpies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jérémy_Balmy Not Crewe according to Wiki???

Neil Cox, our former assistant, can be added to this list.

Jim Gannon ended up that way after playing for us on loan.

I thought I hadn’t seen the best of Zeli Ismail, but there’s a chance that his career didn’t quite reach the potential that those who enjoyed watching him play had hoped for. I felt he always did his best when wearing a Notts shirt and I had hoped he would join us.

Zeli came from Wolves with an "exciting" reputation. I was nonplussed about his performances for #Notts. Did we ever have a good loanee from Wolves, Cassidy and Jones both disappointed. Tipton's Lincoln performance didn't do him any favours this week

Zeli Ismail did okay. He had times when teams struggled to play against him, but I always felt that he needed a strong manager to get the best out of him on a regular basis. It's quite sad to see how far he has fallen, because he could easily be playing at a higher level even at his age now.

He appears to be nearing a mid-life crisis, but his openness will allow him to recognise and express it if it occurs. I’m curious if he behaves this way in board meetings when things don’t go as planned.

i can imagine him having a similar reaction to a restaurant getting his food order wrong or him disliking the meal. its not good for his stress levels but its funny and probably very honest.

It's funny, but he needs to look at his own decisions and take some blame for the performance. If he tells the players what to do and they don't do it, he has a chance to change things during the game. So he can take some of his own words on board.

This is a fantastic acquisition. His skills and experience will ensure we can continue to perform well, even in Matt Palmer’s absence. While I’ll be relieved when Palmer returns, I believe this is an excellent signing that demonstrates our dedication to maintaining a successful season. It could have easily not happened, or we could have ended up with another young player on loan who might not get much game time, with someone else providing cover for the rest of the season.

44 attempts to win a penalty shoot out. only die hard fans would have stayed to watch all those. i would have been gone after the 6 or 7th kick of each team.

james perch was a good player, very versatile. its funny how the strangest connections appear only after things happen like this. you would never have guessed that he were staying with someone unconnected to us.

i think its brilliant.

Why is Jack Vale not playing for Port Vale? 

terrible performance at times, notts looked quite clueless and lincoln took the opportunities they had well.

@DangerousSausage Port Vale may have a youth player called lincoln.  

I believe in the #Notts accounts, £110k is paid as a consultancy fee

#Notts are directly owned by an Isle of Man registered company

The success of Football Radar would undoubtedly be beneficial for the club, as we certainly utilise the resources they provide. A significant portion of our coaching team previously worked for Football Radar, which is advantageous. Given that it appears to be the primary company and income source for the brothers, its success will inevitably enhance our situation, despite them being a separate entity.

i dont think letting people go automatically means that a company is struggling to turn a profit, its quite common lay offs happen even with companies turning huge profits and i am pleased the accounts show that football radar is making a steady profit.

maybe the reason the reedtz where over in italy was for business meetings relating to football radar.

Right player at the wrong time. I would happily have him back, especially in this system under the guidance of Luke Williams. Technically astute, can pick a pass. We weren't stable enough at the time we signed him, to be able to help him achieve his potential. We are in a much better place now as a club, and as for Will, he's improved as a player too

I was quite fond of Will Patching, who appeared to be superior to Ed Francis. Both seemed to have the potential to become excellent players, but Patching simply appeared to be the more promising of the two. I wish him success in his current endeavours and hope that he can make a return to the Football League.

@ARLukomski i think we could have held onto him and loaned him out a bit, he just needed to get that competitive strength i feel. he was a lot better than ed francis but never had the opportunity francis had with michael doyle being at the club.

On 27/10/2023 at 12:35, Piethagoram said:

https://talksport.com/football/1587121/taylor-swift-wrexham-club-chief-racecourse-ground/

Perhaps gamesmanship to unsettle #Notts!

Well, well. Not guilty, I say. I’d suggest a closer look at home base. Or if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, maybe take a gander at x.com. You know, the site that used to go by the name of Twitter. Quite the plot twist, right?

@Dry Nelson Ray Taylor Swift nah, maybe Belinda Carlisle because "Meadow Lane" is "Heaven is a place on earth"!!!!

this was a weird story, however it got into the media it tricked people and i wonder if she thought about squashing the rumour herself.

i get the comments about disappointment but i do think it sounds about right.

crawley is not a glamourous tie and only local teams could probably draw more. i think we have to be realistic, i bet it was mostly season ticket holders who attended and fans who regularly watch no matter. those casuals who float around because of where we have been and where we might be heading probably decided to sit it out for whatever reason.  i think betweem 4-5k is about right for actual fan base.

dont forget many fans are bringing mates to league games too, there is little reason for them to come to a starting cup game.

I think the weather probably put a lot of people off. Mum and I were there. Was a good game. COYP

I find it disappointing. The club must have anticipated that attracting more than 4k to the opening round tie, especially against Crawley Town, would be a challenge. Some fans were pessimistic about our chances of winning. The low turnout can be attributed to several factors, but most importantly, it probably represents 70-80% of our current real fan base. After a promotion, there’s usually a surge in attendance for home league games as fans are hopeful that the club can replicate its success. That’s an event most wouldn’t want to miss, whereas many people aren’t interested in the early rounds of the cup until a bigger club is drawn.

I think they never set a rate for below the Conference because they never envisaged us dropping that low @Piethagoram. With the council involved, turfing us out would be politically toxic in those circumstances (unless we'd actually gone into liquidation or something).

Either way, Bradford's experiences show that we're very lucky indeed! 

Seeing Mark Hughes manage a League Two team seemed weird, but on paper it looked good.

They need to bring in someone who is good at managing in difficult circumstances, whilst keeping a tight-knit squad. Bradford really should be doing better, as they do have a decent squad in my opinion. Hopefully, things will improve for them in time.

it explains why they are not doing as well, they might have used that money to bring in players under different circumstances. i wish them all the best, i think the efl and fa should make rules that make it harder forum bad owners or previous ones.

I'm not familiar with Darnell Fisher, so I can't comment on him. However, I do agree that offering training sessions to players who aren't transfer targets seems pointless. It's possible the club did consider him, so I'll wait for the news before commenting further.

It’s upsetting to learn that Darnell Fisher has hung up his boots, presumably due to the injury that sidelined him for a long period. One can’t help but wonder if Notts avoided a potential issue by not pursuing his signature, or if the outcome could have been different. Regardless, it’s always disheartening when an injury forces a footballer to retire.