Features

A lot of Notts fans, myself included, were celebrating when Alan Hardy became the club's new owner, finally putting an end to the Ray Trew era, and there was a weekend of relative joy when the losing run was snuffed out at the 11th attempt with a face-saving goalless draw against local rivals Mansfield Town. However, the harsh reality are that the Magpies are still in very deep trouble. After 27 League Two games played, we're 23rd in the table, on 23 points. The other teams occupying the bo

There has been a big change in how some clubs assess whether any potential player could possibly make the grade, our own chairman recently commented on this very subject on his Twitter account. Even a club the size of Manchester United have taken this new style approach which critiques a player's mainly physical attributes and that is the grading for whether or not a player is good enough. They all forget the one golden question that you cannot coach into anyone. Can he play?

To usher in the Alan Hardy era I thought I'd start a new piece that will be a fortnightly ramble about all things football and also some things slightly away from football with the focus being on what effect this has or could have on Notts County. This week I will be starting with the January transfer window. The two transfer window periods only favour the teams paying the biggest wages - they can attract the better players at the start of the season, leaving very little, low-lying fru

The atmosphere around Meadow Lane since the Notts County takeover has shown just how much fans wanted change, whilst the hope has remained in many prior to this – there is something refreshing about the club having found a ‘new hope’. After the dismissal of John Sheridan, I was probably in the minority camp that was disappointed to see the departure of the 12th manager at the helm of the Magpies since we gained promotion to League One in 2010. Yet the appointment of Kevin Nolan may not

Saying it's not easy being a Notts County fan is as much a case of stating the obvious as proclaiming that bears probably go for number twos in forested areas. Four years ago, almost to the day (9 January 2013), then-owner Ray Trew declared that he was not prepared to invest more money in the club, due to falling attendances and a lack of support. This was at a time when the club was in the midst of relative stability and success, having enjoyed tilts at the League One playoffs and boa

Were you looking for an early Christmas present? Perhaps Notts County and Alan Hardy have given you just that. After protracted negotiations lasting several months, Ray Trew has agreed to sell the club and his 100% stake to Magpies supporter Alan Hardy. Whilst nobody is expecting immediate fireworks, it will be a relief for most Notts fans to see new ownership of our beloved club. A lot of people will be hoping for an end to the winding-up orders and so on, which I’m sure Mr. Hard

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. Who, at some point in their life, hasn't thought about certain aspects of the past and harked back to the "good old days"? Of course, when the present day is considered bleak, it makes delving into yesterday even more common and generates even stronger feelings. Being a supporter of Notts County is very bleak business at the present day, with a sizeable amount of fans disappointed to the point of numbness about the today and worrying about tomorrow. Because

It's quite serious to think that the club is yet again in another relegation battle. Whether this will be long-winded like prior battles or simply a case of the Magpies finding their feet under John Sheridan remains to be seen, but it's obvious by now that this sorry state of affairs will take years to fix. Whilst an increased amount of fans are becoming hacked off with Sheridan, and a minority standing behind the decision to protest for “fresh change” in the direction that club is being le

Once again Notts stumble back to the drawing board, yet as a club, do we ever learn? It doesn’t seem that long ago that Jon Stead was League Two's Player of the Month, in fact it was only last September - but things seemed a lot more optimistic back then. With back-to-back defeats at the hands of Blackpool and more recently Newport County, it seems the Magpies are destined to pitifully play out the remainder of the games until the January transfer window opens up. The injury to St

Going into the local derby game against Mansfield, I had stated on the Pride of Nottingham community and to various fans when talking – Notts needed to go aiming to prove a point. What actually happened, however,  was just more disappointment against our big rivals in the division. It’s easy enough to write off a defeat, yet things had been building quite nicely and I hope the postponed game against Morecambe and the EFL Trophy loss Rochdale don't become basis for any excuses. Not

So the time has come once again to look forward to a heated derby between Notts County and Mansfield Town, their biggest rivals in the division. As with all derbies, the two league fixtures between rivals will tend to stand out in any given season - even a poor campaign for a team can retain some pride if they have claimed good results over their rivals. The 2015-16 season will go down as one of County's most miserable in history - high expectations quickly turned to relegation worries

Rotherham United had no game this weekend due to internationals (don't laugh) so I was looking forward to visiting the magnificent Meadow Lane stadium and two in form clubs, namely Notts County and Grimsby Town. Unfortunately due to my internet being down during the day and me making a snap decision to go, I couldn't meet up with Joe, my site buddy (not ignoring you, honest). With more Millers connections than a lego set (Adam Collin, Scott Loach, Rob Milsom, Michael O'Connor and Jonathan F

There were certainly alarm bells ringing in my head four games into the season, with Notts County losing three and drawing one in all competitions. After the first home game, I found myself feeling much like everyone else I spoke to and the phrase ‘It’s the same old Notts’ was mentioned multiple times. Game number five, however, saw the Magpies finally claim a win which instantly brightened up the mood and ended the unwanted continuation from the monstrosity that was the 2015-16 campai

I must admit that, when I heard the rumour that Notts County were keen to sign Louis Laing on loan, I sort of dismissed it. Why? Quite simply, I couldn’t see a return on the cards, despite the fact he appears to be out of favour at Scottish Premier League outfit Motherwell. However, he is the exact type of signing which instantly reassures fans and after a disappointing start to our 2016/17 League Two campaign, it’s a boost we needed. His performance against Hartlepool was nothing shor

Being a Notts County fan, you will obviously have countless memories of your club from years gone by, from legendary players to incredible matches that you will never forget. In this piece, Phil Dexter counts down his top 5 Notts County games of all time. Number 5: Notts County 3 Manchester City 2, Second Division, 6 May 1985 This was my first ever Notts County game, an end-of-season relegation battle fixture at Meadow Lane which saw Justin Fashanu, Rachid Harkouk and Alan Y

Finally, the 2016-17 League Two campaign is almost upon us and whilst a large amount of Notts County fans I know appear optimistic about the season ahead, I still remain fairly quiet with regards to how we'll do. I was asked a few days ago, by a fellow fan if I was excited or nervous - my reply was ‘neither’. I think much of what we can expect will come after about seven or eight games have been played - the first few is always a case of teams sussing each other out and I’m only really

With just two days to until the 2016-17 League Two season gets underway, Rob Davies has produced an extensive analysis of the Notts County squad which will be in contention for the first fixture against Yeovil Town on Saturday. The sensible, no-nonsense approach of John Sheridan has been typified by a summer of transfer activity that seems to have been led by something badly missing from Meadow Lane before his arrival – logic. Sheridan has ‘only’ made seven permanent signings this summ

On the back of three very disappointing campaigns in a row as a Notts County fan, I find myself aligned with new hope and prospect for the new season – however, I must admit I didn’t believe I would be at this stage. 2015-16 was a year the majority of fans will no doubt want to forget and it’s all for the right (or should that be wrong) reasons. The broken ambition and desire shown really tugged at the heartstrings of many genuine supporters I know, and it was difficult at times to con

Euro 2016 has, to some extent, proved a welcome distraction from the ongoing circus at Notts County. However, with the recent appointment of John Sheridan, I am quietly optimistic for the new season and what it might bring. Sheridan has undoubted experience at galvanizing teams - whether bringing sides from the brink of relegation, guiding them to promotion or offering them a shot at the play-offs.   In my opinion, especially after the kick in the teeth of losing Mark Cooper, Sheridan

Finally, FINALLY, Notts County’s wretched season of 2015-16 has come to an end. Finally, we can consign one of our worst, most embarrassing and most mentally draining campaigns to the dustbin of history. But where do we go from here? I had actually felt somewhat guilty after posting my previous column, where I had longed for the season to be over, but I then found out that a lot of people shared my views. And when I say a lot of people, I mean virtually everyone I’ve spoken to at and a

Unsurprisingly, following Notts County’s 5-0 drubbing by Mansfield Town at Field Mill, Mark Cooper’s post match interviews displayed a man who was perplexed by what he had just seen. He wasn’t the only one. The only consolation for Notts at this moment in time is that results are not crucial, with league safety assured. But, as any die-hard football fan will tell you, a local derby is a different beast entirely, whether you have something to play for or like Notts, you’re simply filling your