There are many Shady characters who were in the Employ of English Sovereigns or the People who "Advised" the King or Queen Robert Cecil Queen Elizabeth's Spy Master was one such person, who hired people to  work as Servants in the Houses of People that were Deemed to be Traitors who would bring harm to the Queen or Replace the English Monarch with the Scottish Catholic Mary Queen of Scots. Then of course there was the ever looming threat of the Spanish, so a Spy Network was an essential to help Protect and Serve the Queen and to Keep all ills away from her Person.

Another story (unproven) was that Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester who was one of Elizabeth Favourites and a contender for the Queen's hand in Marriage had someone approach Cecil on his behalf to have his First Wife Murdered, so he could be Free to marry the Queen. Dudley's first wife was found dead at the bottom of a Staircase. However such was the scandal surrounding the Death, and the rumours of Dudley's involvement in his wife's Death, it became impossible for him to Marry the Queen. Eighteen Years after his first wife's Death, Dudley married for a second time upon hearing this Elizabeth promptly banished her from Court.

oh wow, this is fascinating! how long until some of this details inspires hollywood to make a money. it explains how queen elizbeth knew so much.

@liampie

Kate Blanchett played Queen Elizabeth and Joseph Fiennes Dudley in the film Elizabeth ,

Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons played the parts in a TV Series.

Another interesting story is the one between Elizabeth and another of her Favourites 

Robert 2nd Earl of Essex.. But that's for another time.

The site is fine, as was the old one. There’s not much difference aside from the design and navigation. If it makes the online shop and other features more streamlined, then it will be a good thing. I just wish the ticketing system was better; even TicketMaster is dreadful.

It looks similar but nicer. To be honest, I thought it was the same site, just redesigned. It's that close, but I still think it's impressive.

Yes, it appears to be a nice design. I particularly like the menu area as it has a very modern look. I’ve noticed a few issues, but they’re easy to overlook. However, the club’s request for fans to report issues might be something they regret, given how particular some people can be.

@Chris sometimes I do have some topics for the forum but they can end up being a bit long winded and I think, who’s going to want to read all that! So I usually end changing quite a bit and cutting a lot of thoughts out just to make them snappy and more as a discussion starter! I’m probably suited to churning out a couple of articles every now and again, so yes I’d be more than happy to contribute.

Drop me a PM if you have anything suited for publishing as an article. I'll keep you in the loop - re:content so that things don't cross paths. I am over the moon that you're up for it!

PS. I know what it's like posting long comments, sometimes I just throw caution to the wind. ????

I hope so. I think if we do well enough, next season we might see a few more successes. This time it really shows how well we did. We had the highest assist maker and the highest goalscorer.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea (06-18) all identify the best players and go out of their way to sign them. It generally works, but some of the best players in the world don't always work well. Sometimes you need a dependant player, that might not be the best but does exactly what you want.

England has a good squad.

Defensively, I think it's a lot more promising with Marc Guéhi. I think he's a far better defender than John Stones or Harry Maquire combined. He's settled well into this squad, but when you push good players to play in weaker areas due to a lack of cover there. Such as Kieran Trippier who has done well on the left side and can play the position - this tournament I just wished we played him on the right where he's extremely far more lively.

Midfield wise we are extremely blessed, and I think the best players we have in this department can work well together, provided they keep a better shape and make movement. Rather than remaining stagnant and merely staring into space.

You have to make the best players you have accountable, push them and ensure you can get the best out of them. Otherwise, it's just wasted potential.

@Chris

@Wheelbarrow repair man

As an example, Jude Bellingham has been lauded as the best England player we have and is also touted as currently the best player in Europe and is being mentioned as being in the same page as Ronaldo & Messi

I've seen Messi quite a lot playing for his club and internationally, and I can't remember him having a poor match. If he didn't score, he was till an influence on the pitch.

Bellingham has had a poor tournament to date. He scored England's only goal in the first group match and he played reasonably well in the that match too, but in the next two he looked ordinary.

I don't want to say he is overrated because he is clearly a gifted player, but as in any sport such as tennis for instance, talent is one thing but the head has to be tuned in too.

For me Bellingham looks out of it mentally at this time, his reaction to the rough treatment he was getting was telling, & he looked frustrated too.

jude bellingham looks like a great player with no end of potenial but the last two games he has been virtually invisible. players like him need to be game chargers, have that spark that makes things happen. we have a talented squad and some of the best players in the world but that does not mean they will be great when playing together.

Scotland has always suffered from the fact that their League system is so weak 

They have two sides in Rangers & Celtic who would struggle to get out of the Championship and the rest of the Premier League is top of English League 1 standard only. 

The rest of the teams outside their Premier League, some of our National league sides would beat them.

And because more & more foreigners are coming in, the Scottish players get less & less game time & have to come to England.

Scotland used to rely on big name players in the past, who played in the old first divisions like Dalglish, McLeish, McStay, McCoist, Robertson, Law & McAlister when they used to beat England quite often.

Scotland had a shot at advancing, but after their initial loss to Germany, I always felt it wouldn’t materialise. It was a crushing defeat, marked by the most defensive football I’ve seen all tournament. In their second game, they should have strived to maintain their lead against the Swiss. Instead, they narrowly avoided a loss, as they were outplayed in the final 20 minutes.

On 24/06/2024 at 07:40, Piethagoram said:

If Armstrong hadn't have grabbed Orban's shirt, I think that was the element of doubt that prevented the penalty being given

i think the referee seen it has two players coming together, armstrong does have a hold of the player but he also puts his left knee/foot out in an aggerated way that makes me think he knew he would be brought down. i am not sure its a penalty, because what can the defender do? hes not going to magically stop running.

the slow down really does show the defender made no intention to bring him down, it was forced due to movement.

armstrong may have done better to naturally shield the ball and remove his arms from the defender, as he could have got a shot away or made the defender react in a way that was to bring him down. not two players coming together because one saw the opportunity to come together.

Very Good Point @Robbie  perhaps the only Comfort we Fans can take is the statement from Richard Montague , when he and Joe Palmer appeared on the Magpie Circle pod cast, in which he stated  Notts don't have to sell Players and it take a Huge Offer to Prise Macca from the Lane. Also take Comfort that Macca doesn't want to Leave. But every Player has his Price, and according to some Reports Macca is already on his way to Millwall , with only Personal Terms to be Agreed.

If that's the case (and it's a Big If)  you  would have thought the Club would have come out with a Statement on the matter  By saying Nothing would be totally  Unprofessional and I wouldn't call the Notts Board Unprofessional.

@Wheelbarrow repair man

Possible reason for the silence? Season ticket sales. Maybe by making him captain they wanted to boost season ticket sales too.

There's been a big push for season ticket sales during the last week before the cheaper renewal deadline expires.

I wonder if the sales are behind last year's figures.Notts need to be open and honest with supporters if Macca is on the point of going.

i noticed that @ARLukomski tweeted this, its a shame but we did a similar thing by gutting our promotion winning team and its not always the best idea. obviously teams are coming in for the crawley players, but its going to be hard for them to stay up in league one imo. i really think they will struggle and its a shame because they had done so well together.

horrible to see they need such a huge amount of money in order to survive, that sort of cash is difficult to come back and it looks very disappointing. i hope southend can overcome it but its looking unlikely.  

I thought everything was alright now? I read that a group came in and found a way to save Southend?

Sorry, I thought he was rather incompetent. He seemed capable, but he was either lazy or lacked effort.

I never rated him highly. I thought he was decent enough, but he wasn’t the quickest and always seemed to want the ball delivered straight to him. People criticised Yoann Arquin for this reason, but Balint Bajner was far more lackadaisical.

Spot on @theMagpies extra kudos for using the word "lackadaisical"????

@TheSkipper

Don't think his Kid will thank him if that's the case. Once the Lad's grown up and he can watch all the antics Gazza's been up to over the years, he ain't going to be impressed with his Old Man. You Named Me After Him? Cheers Dad.

I’m not sure, but it seems like a blend of Gazza’s flashes of brilliance and his father’s talent. He could be a star in the making! The England team could use a practical joker right now, someone to lighten the mood amidst the pressure of performances and results. We just need to steer him clear of the more distressing aspects associated with Paul Gascoigne.

I'm pleased for him and his family. I hope he comes back focused and determined to help us if we get through. I'm not sure if he'll be back in time to play, but we have other players who can step in if needed.

As for me, I can’t say I have anything thrilling planned. I’ll probably be watching whatever games are on TV. The rest of my plans will depend on the weather. If it’s nice, I might treat myself to a Sunday dinner at the local pub.

tomorrow i have no idea, i have been hoping to get back on my bike and go out on it. its been a bit too warm for that, though it would be nice to explore some of the parks in and around nottingham playing pokemon go.

sunday, i have to fetch my mums shopping and take my aunt to derby, so that she can go to this event thing.

2 hours ago, Robbie said:

@Blake Nothing wrong with that. Hoping for the best for England. Hoping they can win well and lift the Nation.

Please let my parents know that I won't be the only one watching the Euros. ????

Can definitely play in a back 3 and has been great the last few seasons with Gateshead. Physically strong and able to play across the back line and is comfortable with the ball at his feet, as is expected of a Gateshead player

I don’t think we can really judge Richardson from his time with us! One game just isn’t enough to get a fair reflection of his ability. I don’t think we’ve signed any of the players we’ve been linked with so far, but if you throw enough names out there someone will get one right at some point!

I can’t say I’ve seen much of him but he’s featured regularly for Gateshead and the fact he's linked with a host of clubs higher up is reassuring (assuming a few are true). But then all our defenders struggled with the step up from the NL, this would be my concern with Richardson too.

I’ve seen him play several times for Gateshead. He has grown into his role there and has the potential to be a good signing. However, I don’t think it would be beneficial for him unless he continues to get regular game time. With the new signings and players like Lewis Macari and Kyle Caermon leaving, some players might find their opportunities limited, and Kenton Richardson could suffer from a lack of game time. It would be like re-signing Alex Lacey with no intention of playing him.

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Hopefully, the league cup is worth taking seriously, but we seem to take the ELF trophy more seriously in recent years. Just like the FA Cup is well worth taking seriously, and not choosing to drop out of it.

Agreed, we looked very good.

We didn't look the same when we played them in this after that, Shrewsbury looked much better, but we didn't give a very good account of ourselves.

Chris, the cup game at the San Sirrel, we gifted them. Their striker who got a hat trick hardly scored for them that season

A good goal for Sanderson for us, we were unlucky not to get another

By taking the Cups seriously, I mean that we should play our strongest squad, not necessarily our strongest team. 

That's probably one of the reasons Stuart wanted to put together a bigger stronger squad to be able to rest some players on occasionally even for the League matches.

Notts can still put some of our star players on the substitutes bench for cup games in the early rounds, & Notts should still be very competitive with a good large squad.

It should be an interesting match. It will be intriguing to see how the two teams stack up against each other a season later. If anything, it’s going to be a game from which we can learn valuable lessons.

The act of throwing bottles is disgraceful. It’s acceptable to voice your opinions or chant them, but there’s no justification for hurling objects or being offensive.

its all just disappointing isnt it? i think its poor behaviour on the england fans but our media is just terrible for spinning negative stories. its a joke which is not funny.

Minority spoil it for the majority, but sadly that’s the case for everything these days. I don’t think anyone would dispute that a small number of the fans from all nations who have gone are d’heads who will cause trouble and get into fights but the majority will just be there to support their team. I guess writing a piece about 90% of the fans just going to watch the football and behaving is what you’d expect so it's kind of pointless to do. But I get that it would be nice for these papers to report the good things about the fan experience too.

I believe we were previously interested in Rod McDonald a few years ago, but I am not sure if that was serious. He's a good player, comfortable on the ball and copes with pressure. I am very pleased we have signed him, as he doesn't seem to have aged yet and should have a few good seasons left in him.

Yes, he's only 32-years-old, but I have seen some fans concerned about that and I don't think it's an issue. He's a bright and alert defender, who should help us improve defensively.

@Chris

If Rod can do a job for Notts for a couple of seasons and help Notts to get promotion, it will be money well spent. 

I just believe that Rod is just the kind of player we needed. If it is true, that he is calm on the ball that's exactly what we need, especially after what we saw last season.

If Notts can stem the goals against by around 35 goals, compared to last season, Notts are promoted.

He appears to be a sturdy addition to the team. Notts are constructing what seems to be a very equitable and balanced side. The defensive reinforcements, such as Rod McDonald, are greatly appreciated.

30 minutes ago, Chris said:

@Robbie it used to be a yearly habit of watching the Grand National, we used to have a friendly bet within the family and on occasions a bet would be placed, but I have to admit, I lost interest. It's the same with the University Boat Race. Habits change; information isn't stored the same. Technology has a lot to do with it IMO.

I see what you mean Chris.

I can remember those iconic thoroughbred horses, from the 70s like Mill Reef,  Brigadier Gerrard, and Nijinsky, I still remember that the Brigadier won 17 out of 18 major races and his only defeat came from another great, Roberto.

I can't name a modern horse at all now. 

@Piethagoram thanks for sharing that.  

Hayley Turner, we take pride in you. Your name will be etched in our memories. You are one of our own!

@liampiepurchased

I hope the games streamed, as this would be a nice touch. I don't have a passport (as said elsewhere) but I think it's a fun fixture that brings a different friendly to those who can make the trip.

Flights sorted, travelling out through the Netherlands as flights were much cheaper

im not really interested in this competition, but i hope we field some of the players who need game time in the matches. it would be a good way to see who deserves a shot in league games. 

Field a decent enough squad, but give Tiernan Brooks the chance to start and many of our younger players. Yet don't just throw them in with fringe players; give some of the first team candidates a chance to pass on their experience. I am not that bothered about the EFL trophy, but I do see it as a chance to give game minutes.

With a larger squad, we can afford to do it this time round.

Dum Dum Diddle Dum Diddle Dum.

Now We All Know Dolly's had Many Country Hits

But I Don't Care For Her Music, I'd Rather Look At Her

Dum Dum Diddle Dum Diddle Dum.

I would be astonished if folks from Wrexham genuinely had an interest in Dolly Parton. I barely recognise her myself. I’m aware she’s a country singer, but her current relevance seems rather minimal. Unless Wrexham boasts a large number of fans who are, let’s say, seasoned gentlemen, I doubt they would be particularly concerned.

If @Dry Nelson Ray had got Dolly Parton over for our game last season, I am 100% sure @super_ram would have 'loved' to join me. Although I didn't get tickets unfortunately, it remains a ground that I haven't yet visited.

Very funny video, Dolly at times looks unsure how to respond. ????

I’m not particularly keen on spending a substantial amount of money for a single match outside England. I prefer to stick to local friendly matches.

i think it would be a fun game to attend, i am not sure about flying but how else will i be able to get there? its not like i have no been in a plane before. im 50/50 so far.

It would be a super experience, sadly I can't make it as I'm already away that weekend. Football overseas is a wonderful adventure.

clubs need to recruit within their means but try to sign the best players they can afford, i think andy holt needs to try to replicate the squad that did take them up and avoid complaining about the funds teams use. he wont stop clubs from having higher funds or using more.

15 hours ago, Chris said:

Some interesting comments, such as the amount of money teams in the National League are paying, but I just find Andy Holt to be someone who's never happy any more. He's always got something negative to say, usually towards things that don't concern him. He's done well as a chairman and for Accrington, those are things he deserves credit for. When they got promoted to League One, he seemed a much more interesting person.

I just find his complaints about football as an industry and as a competition to be double-negative. If he hates it so much, I wished he would get out of it or quit complaining. However, it's the thing which seems to make him most relevant, and he likes that.

He needs to be careful what he says about when things go wrong, as Accrington seem to be taking steps back and could find themselves in the National League themselves in the next 3 years. Yet, that will be down to their budget, not the recruitment according to him.

Sorry to disagree @Chris I always find Andy Holt's musings as a breath of fresh air, a sensible voice in the finances of football. He always explains the situation of the problems the smaller clubs face. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire recently mentioned average losses in EFL1 were close to £5m. Small teams were always going to find it difficult on promotion to EFL1

https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en/services/financial-advisory/research/annual-review-of-football-finance-football-league-clubs.html

Edit: If you strip our Derby's losses, EFL1 clubs losing around £4m a season

No need to be sorry, due to disagreeing @Piethagoram.

I value your opinion, I do think Andy Holt is a two-sided coin.

Until more information is available, it’s all conjecture. I haven’t come across any news reports linking him to Notts. He might be in discussions with the club, but it’s common for players to post pictures like that. It seems harmless enough to me, but who can tell? Things might be unfolding, we just have to be patient and see.

The Photo shows Will Evans at Notts County. He's Invisible  then? What an Asset a Striker you can't see, he could play havoc with opponents defences. If you can't see him, you can't mark him, then again if your Team Mates can't see you ? Ah Well maybe Not such a Good Signing.

Interesting that he still has a year to run on his contract, so he would cost Notts probably up to 500K. Why buy him when we have the best striker in the league?

Nah, it wouldn't make sense. 

All Right, All Right Calm Down Calm Down.  We a had Scouser  Mick who worked with Us  and two Blokes got into a Bit of  an Argy Bargy and He said that phrase (without realizing He'd said It.) Everybody in Ear Shot just Collapsed into Gales of Laughter, Even the two Blokes forgot their Argument. No Work was Done for a Full 20 minutes, even the Team Leader who came round to see what all the Noise was about , joined in with the Laughter while Mick just stood there wondering was Hell was up with Everybody. Until somebody managed to Stop Laughing Long Enough to tell him what he'd said.

Have we stopped laughing yet?

Here's a classic clip from the Goodies. Used to have me & my Dad in stitches.

Laughter Is The Best Medicine. Nobody Can Deny That.

@Chris

Thanks for the Documentary Chris, I'd not seen it before. Despite it being Hard to watch in Certain Places, when listening to Jeff's Daughter Dawn at the start in particular , bought back memories of my Mum, I'm Glad I watched it and I appreciate the Up Load.

I do believe that heading the football, especially back in the days when the ball was made of pure leather and became really heavy when it was soaking wet, does have an impact on ex-footballers later on in life especially leading to issues like Dementia. 

Football's of today are nothing like they were but even despite this, there is still a danger that it could have an impact on the brain. It just depends on how long before it takes effect, especially if you're continually heading the ball. Irrelevant of how lightweight the ball is, it's about the impact. In the images of Jeff Astle from a post above you can see how much impact there is.

The only thing that can really be done is something they've slowly started integrating and that is to limit heading in training. Matchday scenarios can't be helped as it is part and parcel of the game, unless they want to do something drastic like go 5-a-side rules and stop the ball going above head height. Though I do agree in doing as much as possibly to stop children heading the ball. 

I don't think it's right to sue anyone no matter how much you believe in it being the root cause. Even if it was proven to be the case, in those days there wasn't much in terms of assessing the dangers of heading the football as much as there is in today's world. Medical science has come a long way. 

So many people are attempting to take legal action over issues that weren’t known at the time. I think Joe Kinnear’s daughter may struggle to prove that people knew injuries would lead to Joe’s death. Where does this insanity end? It reminds me of people trying to sue American gun manufacturers because of deaths caused by their use.

EFL2 is a tough league, Stockport and Wrexham budgets effectively bought promotion ( sorry @Dry Nelson Ray)

I think Chesterfield will not find it easy. 

I'm not a betting man, but with the calibre of the the players that Notts have recruited, & the squad they are putting together, I believe it would be a reasonable bet for Notts to get automatic promotion this season.

Given that we've strengthened an area which was our weak link last season and had an impact on our downfall, 14/1 may well be worth a punt. 

@menzinho absolutely agree. If England can't be motivated by this very lucky draw, they can't get motivated over anything.

So far it's been a good tournament.

VAR has proven during this tournament so far that it does have a place in the game. It's been quick and efficient and fans have been kept in the loop as to what's going on. The only exception with this was, shockingly, when English referees were involved in the game between France and Netherlands. The only time in which VAR took an age to come to a decision, a decision that I still feel was wrong, and disallow Xavi Simons goal.

Shock of the group stage has got to be Georgia beating Portugal. 

The only 2 teams that have impressed me throughout the group stage has been Spain and Austria. Spain have got to be deemed favourites now and Austria the dark horses.

France and England, both the favourites going in to the tournament, haven't backed up that favourites tag. 

I still feel like they need to abolish the whole best 3rd place teams go through. A few of the final group games were a bit of a bore because teams didn't want to risk anything, sat back and played for the draw as that was all that's needed to finish 3rd. It takes away the jeopardy. UEFA should have either kept it at 16 teams or made it 32 like the World Cup.