and another slant, on our own Notts supporter Ian Marsden's story

My heart goes out to anyone who has been diagnosed with this awful condition, I can’t imagine being told you’ve got the big C it must be awful. There are however many success stories from people who have survived we have a wonderful NHS.

i like tobi but hes not very defensive minded, he can make decent crosses and attacks quite well but where does he fit in with the other options we have? we need players like him roaring to go and to make an impact.

brindley always tries, but defensively hes not a centre back.

those are two potential releases. if jim remains as a coach at sheffield united, i doubt he would choose us over them.  

I think there needs to be a big shake up down the Lane this off season. This may sound controversial but to be honest , I think there are only a few of the current squad are up to playing at League 2 level. Cedwyn Scott  deserves a new contract, John Bostock maybe but as another fan as said, he looks lost without Matty Palmer. And Luther deserves a new contract then given a run in the team next season to see how he shapes up. The rest sorry they need to be let go. I'd like to see  Jim stay in some sort of coaching role, because in a couple of years or so I can see him in the Big Chair.

New deals

Cedwyn Scott - 2 year deal. See tweet below. 

Aden Baldwin - 2 year deal. I know he has mistakes in him but he is a real big reason we can play out from the back, Mistakes will come with that role in the middle of the back 3.

Geraldo Bajrami - 1 year deal with an option of an extra year. I think Baj still has a part to play. His future is in central midfield. He just needs his passing game to go with his physical side of the game, then we've got a player. His physique since he got his injury is incredible.

John Bostock - 1 year deal. Not the same player since Matty got injured. Still an experienced head to lean on, but maybe not a regular starter anymore

Luther Munakandafa - 1 year deal. This must be his year for progression. He was excellent against Derby. Must find a good National League loan. There's a player in there. We've got to find room for him.

Jim O'Brien - Offer coaching role. Let him continue on his coaching journey but like with Michael Doyle, sometimes you have to move on from the playing side. He's gave his all to this club and we should honor that

Tobi Adebayo-Rowling - Release. It's hard to release players that you have such loyalty to because of their achievements with the club. However, it's now about progression over loyalty and we need upgrades in the squad. His infectious personality is amazing. He's had some good cameos this season. I thought he was excellent at MK linking up with Crowley

Richard Brindley - Release. Thank you for your  efforts and being part of the squad that took us back to the Football League. I truly appreciate how Brinds stayed with us through all four seasons in the National League. Whilst he had an extended spell in the team this term, due to his move to a central role in the back 3, he's been found out at this level. 

The results:

Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Stoke City
Middlesbrough 1-2 Bristol City
Blackpool 1-1 Oxford United
Reading 2-0 Charlton Athletic
Swindon Town 1-1 Salford City
Walsall 0-3 Newport County
Altrincham 3-0 Rochdale
Boreham Wood 1-0 Maidenhead United

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This week's winner is @ARLukomski, closely followed by @gtownjohnno and @Fan of Big Tone!

@ARLukomski - 8
@Fan of Big Tone, @gtownjohnno - 7
@Dan, @DangerousSausage - 6
@cheeky~k8, @Harry Buckley, @super_ram - 5
@DonnyNotts, @william1984 - 4
@magpiejue - 3
@4everapie, @Robbie, @TheSkipper - 2

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There's little change in this week's table, with the top two streaking ahead and @cheeky~k8 moving back into the top three:

ARLukomski - 169
gtownjohnno - 165
cheeky~k8 - 145
4everapie - 142
william1984 - 142
super_ram - 139
Fan of Big Tone - 138
DangerousSausage - 137
magpiejue - 131
Dan - 126
nottsnutter - 113
Megan_Elizax - 110
Chris - 106
liampie - 101
DonnyNotts - 99
upthepies - 90
Joshua - 82
allardyces tash - 67
KingWilliams - 66
TheSkipper - 62
CliftonMagpie - 55
thommo - 49
OoooooTommy - 45
NottsCountyKev - 41
JIMBO - 40
jimbob - 38
Nocturnal-Magpie - 38
AmericanPie - 36
Robbie - 30
KB1862 - 22
Harry Buckley - 17
George L - 6
Canadian - 4

---

As there's a full set of fixtures on Tuesday night, there will also be a prediction league round. The fixtures are online now - good luck!

Only 1 point behind you now @super_ram 

I

1 hour ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Only 1 point behind you now @super_ram 

I'm getting bored waiting for you

Great signing today. This boy is going to do big things for us. And there is going to be competition up front, now Jatta has joined us, still subject to getting a work visa.

I’m hoping we’ll get the official, official statement that transfer has gone through this week and get to see Jatta at the club.

According to a report from Denmark the deal is worth £125,000! I know we received quite a bit of money when Luke Williams left but I feel given the price tag there’s actually a bit of pressure on him. He hasn’t actually really played for Viborg this season, he’s only ever featured as a sub. Surely we’ve not paid all the money for him to do the same here, I’d expect him to feature a lot more. So I’m kind of excited and scared about this signing!

I thought it was a bit of an odd rumour at first, when he signed I was still taken back, but I think he offers something different. I am hoping he can be someone who can use their height to hold up the ball, with the clips of him that I have seen - he doesn't look afraid to take on players. Who else do we have that is willing to burst into space other than Jodi Jones?

The rumour of his paper work being sorted by the end of the month seems to make sense to me, but I don't buy into the concerns that it will be rejected.

We are allowed two players that normally wouldn't be granted a working permit within the UK, under rules that changed last June.

I believe the delay is just a case of sorting his paper work and making it official, we know it takes time to get documents and footballers aren't treated differently at least below the bigger clubs.

It appears that Notts are still waiting for Jatta to get his immigration clearance.

It would be great to have him available asap, because he could be a new addition to the side that would prove very awkward for opponents, his hight, pace, and strength would give Notts an extra dimension, which is really needed at this time.

Is he any good at centre half?

18 minutes ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Is he any good at centre half?

He can’t play centre half as he’s earmarked to play in goal!

On 07/02/2024 at 17:39, DangerousSausage said:

Having said that, I can't stand the entitlement and the whingeing. There are people who seem to relish it when we lose and become abusive towards anyone with a different opinion. 

I don't want to seem like I'm criticising fans, but some who take pleasure in our struggles or expect us to be like Manchester City in League Two are a bit much. There's a lot to take away from this situation, but it feels harsh for some to now complain about our owners not supporting us in January.

On 07/02/2024 at 12:07, Robbie said:

If we don't get promoted this year, it will still have been a good season for us, something the team can build on to challenge for the top three next season.

No matter how we view it, it's not a bad season, and I agree with you. Over the past few years, we've demonstrated that the club can progress. If we went up and immediately came back down, I imagine there would be more complaints. I prefer to see us ascend in good form, having made improvements, so we're better prepared. The Playoff Final against Chesterfield hinted that we might face difficulties against strong teams, as we did with Wrexham; we didn't have many challenges until now.

I'm concerned that those individuals who only desire to witness football victories and don't support the club during crucial times are a distinct group. Human behavior is evolving, as are the kinds of fans that teams like Notts County attract. While there may be some disheartened fans who have been with Notts since the '60s and beyond, many newer supporters haven't experienced success, and their genuine frustration often stems from unrealistic expectations. Success isn't guaranteed; it must be earned, and unfortunately, we've fallen short in this regard. I hear amusing comments at games, and while I question some fans' faith, I understand that football is a diverse sport, and success is only partially measured by winning games.

I think a lot of it is just overreactions, but some fans are just grumpy folks who love to complain and criticise players. It’s easier to do that than to stick with the squad and understand that we’ve been punching above our weight. With the injuries, managerial loss, and other changes, the momentum has shifted.

Wrexham might have an easy time if we don't shape up. I overheard someone saying yesterday that we didn't perform well against higher-ranked teams and those in the top 10. Is it nerves or fatigue? Whatever it is, I believe it will require time, probably the rest of the season, to sort out.

Last season we were usually a class better than our opponents, now we're not. We were always going to have closer games against teams at our own level, and those games are often decided by fine margins.

The match at Gillingham was one example, we won it at the death that day but more often we're not giving ourselves a chance due to our defending. We took the lead yesterday, and if we could have held it for longer, Gillingham would have had to start taking risks and the game could easily have unfolded in our favour. In those games you can't just blast the opposition away, you've got to be able to hold a single goal lead or even a draw.

I don't anticipate much happening this season, but we can assess our progress next season by comparing our results to those performing well. While we may see some areas of improvement, a significant boost might require new additions to the squad.

teams will always bounce up and down between the premier league with a few surprises along the way, maintaining long term success these days is hard. the playing field has never really been level but at least clubs like brentford are emerging stronger for thinking outside of the box.

He expresses himself in a lengthy manner, making it challenging for me to grasp his point. The football pyramid shouldn't be straightforward, and numerous clubs are essentially small teams with big dreams. Accrington's chairman went from being refreshing to becoming quite dull and resentful regarding the potential to elevate them beyond League One.

This is an excellent idea.

The sides that enter the tournament will all be previous winners of the Fifa World Cup.

England, Argentina, Brazil,  France, Germany,  Italy, Spain & Uruguay are the teams set to take part in the new mega competition.

I believe it will prove be very popular tournament. Over 35 years old players representing top teams

There are lots of famous players to choose from. 

The Brazilian side will be awesome. Hope it's on the TV.

@Robbie I hope it's on TV as well, it'll be quite a good watch. Obviously it won't be the same as watching them in their prime but I'm sure they've still got something in their locker and it'll make for a good tournament that could become a regular feature. 

It's like a larger scale Masters Football. Loved watching that.

The Mail Online clickbaiting again, what a surprise.

I'm not sure what I'd make of this, it's a big change but then red and yellow cards were new once. I can imagine there being confusion over what exactly would merit a blue or a red card. Wouldn't a blue card be less of a deterrent for a professional foul?

On the other hand, I've been at ice hockey matches where sin binned players have to sit alone on a kind of naughty step and it's hilarious.

On 08/02/2024 at 22:13, Fan of Big Tone said:

I wonder what’ll happen if the goalie gets sin binned?

A lot of people have asked the same thing. I'm assuming it'll run like when a keeper gets red and they've used all 3/5 subs so an outfield player goes in net. 

Brilliant stuff from Doyle wasn’t it, thanks for the reminder @Piethagoram

Uurgh! ????

I agree with @Fan of Big Tone, but I also believe that attacking players should be made to cut out some of their bad antics. It should be a straight run-up.

Despite this rule being implemented, I still see that the penalty takers are still able to do stuttering run ups instead of having a straight run up and hitting the ball. Surely the rule should have been applied to both sets. 

Good debate.

I think that they should leave things as they were.

The goalkeeper trying to put the penalty taker off for me is just part of the game.

I saw it yesterday in the Africa Nations semi final.

They didn't follow the new rules there.

I'd pick Pelé for his legendary status, Cristiano Ronaldo for his skill and dedication, and Sir Alex Ferguson for his coaching wisdom. It'd make for an inspiring and diverse football weekend.

To discuss football coaching Wilkinson, Moniz, Williams

On the razzle : Killer, Harkouk, Gazza

Cedwyn Scott, Cody Rhodes, Charles Leclerc and a photo of Cedwyn Scott 

The awe inspiring collection of style, aura, beauty, skill and talent. Then whatever I am (none of those)

I can remember that Notts had a good side that year, but we were leaking goals. We were in the mix for the playoffs, but our defence was letting us down. A bit like now.

When Colin Foster joined us on  loan he shored up our defence and we went on a little run. We beat Forest at home in the famous Charlie Palmer match. Colin played his part in winning that match, a match that will always be remembered by Notts fans.

He was available to buy, they were quoting £175K to buy him, but unfortunately we didn't raise it.

It was a bit like the Glenn Roeder fiasco when the supporters were asked to try to raise money for him. I sent the club a £5 cheque. I believe several thousand was raised, but we failed to get Glenn.

When Colin went back to his club our form dipped. We failed to win any of our last 6 matches and just missed the playoffs by 3 points.

I believe Colin Foster could have got us to the playoffs that year if he had been signed by Notts. It's ironic, the fact that he was transferred later to Watford for £100K when we were quoted much more.

Colin for me was in the same class as David Needham. He was one of our most influential loanees we've had, even though he only stayed 9 games.

To be honest I remember him mainly from the commentary of the Charlie video. "Colin Foster far side. Draper sweeps it in..."

Walker got sacked after we had a poor start to the following season. We ended up getting relegated. 

Can’t argue with the fact that our season has fallen apart since Matty got injured. I’m trying to think of the sides in the past that have been so dependent on one key player and seen results seriously drop off without them, Bryan Robson at Utd and Stevie G at Liverpool are the ones that spring to mind but there are bound to be others.

You can’t replace the irreplaceable, you have to adapt your side and style. We have failed to do that.

A very revealing Statistic.

Just demonstrates how valuable and an influence Matt Palmer is to us.

It's very unlucky to have him out of the side for so long, however Stuart & his team has to find a way to negate his loss, & I believe in the last two matches he's trying to do just that. 

I said at the time that the loss of Matt Palmer impacted our form and how his absence would be a big task to find cover. I thought Dan Gosling may have fitted in nicely, but he was largely disappointing. Scott Robertson seems to be improving, but it's more about how we adjust tactics or give individual player instructions during games, as we won't find another Palmer. Certainly not someone who can be simply replaced in a like-for-like manner.

Also, I think it's worth noting that the amount of bad injures would have played a part because they all seemed to come at points where our momentum was picking up.

I am sure lessons can be learnt from this, but it's not all about recruitment - it's about understanding the squad at your disposal and how someone else can come in, bringing their own game in a way that compliments everyone else.

Well the holiday had to come to an end some time, we are flying back tomorrow, we’ve had a really fabulous time, I will however need to get back to eating and drinking normal amounts.

Here’s a nice picture of the sunset tonight.

I'm pleased you both had a lovely time on holiday.I hope you 're well prepared to return to the weather that's being forecast  though.

9 hours ago, super_ram said:

I'm pleased you both had a lovely time on holiday.I hope you 're well prepared to return to the weather that's being forecast  though.

Not really @super_ram it’ll be a bit of a shock, I just hope our plane isn’t diverted.

Philipp Lahm, the former defender from Bayern Munich and Germany, didn't commit a foul in the Bundesliga for 13 months from September 2015 to October 2016. This is truly remarkable given how physical football is. It shows Lahm's outstanding skill in understanding the game and tackling cleanly.

with the way the programmes are going, there is room for the clubs to insert more from the fans perspective and to bring a bigger draw to them. i know it was attempted to be revived, but unfortunately, its difficult. good article.

I always remember Garry Birtles taking issue with a cartoon in The Pie. The result was the whole issue of unsold mags, I believe were put through the shredder!

i thought bostock, nemane and cameron were all very poor.

i am more close to agreeing with @Robbie with the overall ratings. but those three players could have easily been replaced.

I don't believe there was much that could've been done about the goal. Stone would've had to make a remarkable save to deny it, and that's just not realistic. Baldwin seems rejuvenated under Maynard; I believe we'll see others stepping up soon. Fair ratings, thanks for sharing.

Stone 7 - He appeared much more confident and made some decent saves. Overall, very dependable.
Warner 7 - He slotted in quite well, seemed organised and conscious of the threat. Big match for him to make his first appearance for Notts.
Baldwin 8* - Player of the Match all day, excellent fighting spirit and defence.
Cameron 5 - Weak on the ball, lacked awareness but did some good things. I just feel his mind wasn’t in the match and the poor contributions affect his overall score.
Nemane 5 - Mansfield was never going to let him play his usual game and he suffered for that, but no further ideas or effort made him seem pointless.
Robertson 7 - Best performance by him so far, his relentless pressing and eagerness to move forward was a delight.
Bostock 5 - Not his best match, felt he lost the ball a bit easily and failed to hold his ground against them.
Cowley 6.5 - He did alright, nothing to his usual standards but he connected well and tried to make things happen.
Jones 7 - Brilliant play, very direct and suffered from a lack of protection from the officials which led to him being kicked and pushed around all match. Despite this, he did very well.
McGoldrick 6.5 - I thought he was better than his performance against Barrow, but still below the standard we know. He didn’t pose much of a threat.
Langstaff 5 - Lacked involvement but it wasn’t so much down to him, it was a failure to get the ball to him.

This is a great piece of our history caught on video. I also didn't know that we were one of the first clubs to have female fans present, it seems strange to hear that, but it does show how times were different.

I found some old footage of this match, that hadn't been added to the crowd footage. It's just 30 seconds be you can observe a snipet of the match & a throw in. Notice the crowd being so close to the touch line.

Some more longer footage of the match.

Fantastic footage of a past era of Notts, splendid clips.

I've watched clips of Mike Dean on YouTube, still sharing his opinions on decisions and responding to VAR questions. In a recent instance against Forest, when Toney moved the ball for his goal from a free kick, the referee sprayed the foam. Toney moved it twice and displaced some foam. Dean's response lacked insight, making him seem less credible as an official. I don't consider him suitable for handling VAR, let alone being informative enough for Sky Sports.

Totally agree @AmericanPie Tobey's actions should have resulted in a red card for totally disregarding and changing what the ref did when the ref marked the pitch, but even afterwards, no action has been taken against the player.

And VAR, that for another storey where I've asked the question. What's the point of VAR? 

I believe the incident could be considered as clever cheating; not a single Forest player complained, and their keeper neglected to set up the wall. I'm torn regarding the punishment or whether the goal should have stood. Ben Foster thinks every player adjusts the ball, but with the introduction of foam, we haven't seen mishaps like this before. Mike Dean's unknowing response doesn't present well, but VAR requires ongoing training and simplified outcomes to ensure accurate decision-making in response to changes.

He's a character in his interviews. Hope he does well tbf, it's a different venture for him but I genuinely don't think the man will ever retire.????

Neil Warnock's first press conference as Manager of Aberdeen.

It's commendable for him; clearly, it's for the experience and a test of his capabilities. The restriction on Aberdeen signing anyone under his management will highlight his teamwork and ability to bring out the best in players. There could also be an increase in youth players emerging, given his track record of guiding youngsters into their first teams with previous clubs. Hopefully, once this stint concludes, he'll find time to settle away from football, but his evident love for the game is apparent.