Chris

Saturday, I spent most of the afternoon offline. We decided to have the film night then, so we popped out to a local shop to get treats (as bribery) to encourage it to be watched, without complaints. We ended up choosing IF, which is about imaginary friends. I thought it was very good, less story-based driven but full of meaningful messages about enjoying life etc. I also made some home-made popcorn, which is something I liked to do. A bit of oil, sugar stir it in nicely and then coat the popcorn kernels and shake every 20–30 seconds. On Sunday, I managed to go see @super_ram. No gardening, just catching up and talking. It was a decent weekend, thankfully not overbearingly warm.

He swears to much to transition into a commentator for the BBC but punditry he might do. I really hope not, as at times I do enjoy watching Tennis. Plus, I hate to further say negative things about Andy Murray, but he's got no personality. He's not relatable and would bore me to sleep.

I'm trying to relax whilst feeling a nice cool breeze through my window. I have been literally melting these past few days and at night I have struggled to sleep due to it. I've also earned a bit of a rest, since doing some gardening earlier in the week. The past few days, I have been tempted to go to Wilford Hill Cemetery, but it won't be today. So, I will rest up today and try to catch up on some of the things I have been otherwise tied up with. Tomorrow, I really do want to get out though, so I'll probably go see that person who calls himself Super Ram. We are planning to have a film night too, though I think that will be sometime in the upcoming week. As for making it to Wilford, I think Kate's spoken about Thursday for that. It's maintenance time and tidying things up, so if the weather is nice. We can take care of that... ????

I believe it encouraged people to renew quicker, but I am less sure how many wouldn't have purchased a season ticket knowing that Notts were going to sell him. I certainly can understand why some fans would think it might impact the quality we see on the pitch and not everyone who purchases a season ticket can be defined as a supporter. Some just go to watch football. I know 4–5 people who have done this, just because they're Nottingham born and want to watch good football. To me, it seems unlikely to have made a large impact. It probably would have been very minor, if noticeable at all.

I've never liked him, I don't deny he has been a good player at times. He was better than the likes of Tim Henman, but that doesn't mean much. The surrounding hype at times is unbearable, as is the whining he does when things don't go his way. He could play some superb tennis, but then look average sometimes against players ranked much lower than him. Seeing him on some of the game shows, like Question of a Sport, he takes himself way too seriously. In 2011, he played some of his best tennis, but I have found him very inconsistent. Good luck to him in retirement, but I hope it doesn't mean he'll transition into someone who appears frequently on our TV screens. There's enough annoying ex-sports personalities without him joining the ranks.

The Caley fans seem highly sceptical with good reason. https://caleythistleonline.com/topic/36282-investment/page/16/#comment-569160

I'm a little tied up, so I am not sure if I would be able to commit. Plus previous years, I would get these very annoying reminders sent frequently. I suppose it's one positive thing. Count me in too, I'll find something to shove in @super_ram's gob or ask Ava to tie his fingers up.

I know other EFL clubs are still streaming games to overseas fans, as you have mentioned. Although I think the decision for Notts to change to a new site is probably holding this back for our fans. There's many features which I would have believed would be carried over to the new site, which are standard to all EFL clubs which is currently lacking. There's not been much actual work done on the new site since it's launch, which is disappointing. It might just take a bit of time, I'll try to get some clarification for you.

The other day, when we went over to see @super_ram with Ava turning 13, we were talking and for some reason, my dad started talking about songs he liked. He played Andrea Bocelli's daughter, Virginia, signing what was one of @GrannyPie's favourite songs. A few other songs played, then on TV an Amazon advert came on. He mentioned that he liked the song which was used, he asked if I knew what it was - I didn't, but quickly found it googling. It samples Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields's "Canon À 3 on a Ground in D Major". What songs do you like that are featured in adverts? PS. Did you know that due to their loose licensing rights, Nickelback became what the internet considers to be the most hated band?

The current system allows us to have a more presence-focused movement across the pitch. It's partly why we have such a large amount of possession, but there's much that we could do better. Being able to adapt to different formations is useful, but I am not sure if we could be successful going back to a traditional 442. This would be my line-up. Bass, Platt, Bedeau, McDonald, Robertson, Edwards, Crawley, Jones, Nemane, Scott and Jatta. McDonald and Edwards could be replaced, but I think this would be our strongest team, provided all are fit. I don't think Palmer would feature.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the lack of content. I am trying to organise myself into a routine that will help me over the season and into the future. I have been focusing a lot of time on doing this and sorting other issues that have come up. It's been quite slow in regard to news, but I have missed some, and I don't want this to worry anyone. Social media-wise, I haven't had the time either, but I will make up for that. When we are closer to the start of the 2024-25 season, you have my word that PON will be all systems go. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Get well, @CliftonMagpie. I hope you feel better soon mate. Thanks for letting us know @liampie.

I went to help @super_ram do some gardening, basically taken a lot of tree branches down. @super_pie helped, despite him not feeling well. Despite being tiring, I do enjoy it and will certainly go back to trim the branches into easier sizes to get rid. Coming back, @cheeky~k8 cooked me a double cheeseburger and some chips. I can back very thirsty and hungry, so I really enjoyed that.

I remember a smaller one from the 90s, that used to have very basic animations when goals were scored. I have seen this one during my time though, but I can't share any good stories about it. I have heard other fans at Notts games tell me about it, so I know it meant a lot to fans who were fortunate to have seen it in action.

Fingers crossed, I'll be able to get over to see and help @super_ram with his gardening later today. I'll report back if I do; a bit of tree trimming and general tidying up might be nice. There was a good breeze yesterday, despite the heat.

I wish Colby Bishop all the best. It's not good news and I have been pleased seeing how he's done at Portsmouth. I'm glad they have caught it, before it might have been a problem and I hope it doesn't impact his career.

I haven't had chance to really watch any of it, I used to, as I liked seeing our team get medals. Now I can track this topic! In all seriousness, I would like to watch some of the events. I'll need to watch out for the GB Hockey team.

I don't want to tempt fate, but we could give it to our highest earner and in that I mean, David McGoldrick. He already looks likely to be the vice captain (to my knowledge this hasn't been confirmed by Notts yet). I would rather Alassana Jatta or Cedwyn Scott get it, but Jatta has done remarkably well. The numbers on shirts being given relevant importance, is a trick teams did to sell shirts, and it really doesn't mean much. That said, I have said in the past that it would be nice to return the traditional way of numbers being given to important players, as the numbers 1-11 did actually mean something.

It doesn't make any sense, no sense at all. I mean stranger things have happened in football, but I don't buy it. To sign a player, register them after having completed a transfer isn't a simple job. Their fees involved with having the contracts overlooked, an agent just doesn't do it. It would be weird to see Leeds United pay them more than what we got. Honestly, I think the rumour will end up being debunked. The Millwall manager sounded very intent on signing Macaulay Langstaff, and the deal seems relevant for them as there's not many prolific strikers I think they could actually afford. We are in that same boat, so I would be more inclined to call bull on it.

Champions: Arsenal Runners-Up: Manchester City Third Place: Liverpool Fourth Place: Spurs Fifth Place: Chelsea Sixth Place: Aston Villa FA Cup winner: Manchester United League Cup: Crystal Palace

I thought that it would take them awhile to establish a connection with the club, and whilst I thought their ideas sounded exciting. I wasn't expecting it to be as positive as we have seen. It pains me when I see so-called supporters claiming they have no intent or ambition. It comes across as very mardy and deluded, either that or they are extremely ungrateful. I'm not sure any other owners could have come in and changed things around, recruited players for money and used a modern approach to finding players which has largely been successful. Investing money shouldn't always be spent on the pitch with the players, if we have learned anything it has to be spent in the right manner. If you spend on players, you risk other areas falling behind such as the stadium. If you spend it solely on the stadium, then you risk having a weaker squad and being forced to sell players to overcome it. I thought Alan Hardy did well in his first season. I appreciated his efforts until he totally lost the plot. The Trew era had some fantastic elements, I know certain people won't give credit, but I always have done. Despite noses being placed out of joint at any opportunity to be upset about trivial matters. At least, we are not being run like a circus. I like how the Brothers have largely kept behind the scenes; it allows the club to be more efficiently run. I think we should be thankful, as the club does seem to be moving forward. We just need to trust the process and try to keep our support, without the meltdowns over nonsense.

Let the scout go back to Tranmere happy, because until we play neither team will truly know what to expect. I have only seen the score, but it seems like we played David McGoldrick as a striker. I'm hoping this won't be the answer for the season, as he might have scored today, but we need energy up top. I've read a lot of gloomy comments, I don't see much validation in them. We could have properly afforded to go into the game with a more established side, one that would look like our first team. It's a bit disappointing we didn't because I do believe form going into the last run of friendlies before the new season is underway is important. I dread to watch the highlights, judging by @Piethagoram's comment about Sam Slocombe.

The Nest is designed to not cost the club when it's not in use. It's normal for event areas to be closed and opened on the day of the event, so I doubt money will be getting lost there. As for the Paddle Centre, it's always busy when I have been past. It has attracted large numbers of players to come take the facilities up, and I had heard it was very profitable. I know some fans questioned the decision about allowing season ticket holders access for free, but that didn't really drum up a lot of use cases by our fans. Notts aiming for promotion is enough to make me happy, if we keep digging a way and work hard, it will happen. I'm just glad the club are investing in things because as a business model it will attract curiosity and potential new fans.

I like the look of Boston's new stadium, I have been meaning to go when we have played them but it's just not worked out. It should be a good friendly, as the pitch tends to be decent and Boston shouldn't throw to much into the friendly. I think both teams will get a good amount of time on the ball, so it would be good to see us defensively cope with their attacking play.

My youngest daughter, Ava, loves eating fruit. She has an apple a day and two oranges. If you have strawberries or grapes, she'll be wanting those too. I don't eat that much fruit right now; I have certainly noticed a decline in the taste. According to certain family members of mine, strawberries are naturally sour. I like sweet tasting strawberries, which are full of flavour. The taste can be very hit-and-miss, but some recent ones really did taste horrible. I love Pineapple; it's a fruit that never changes or lets me down. Bananas are nice, but they seem to darken very quicker. I think preservatives being less used is the reason, but I have heard that some fruit can be very old by the time we get our hands on it. I don't like the idea of fruit cased in wax, then left for months to find itself on shelves. Yet a programme I watched on ITV, showed this side to it. Including fruit grown in the UK, which makes me wonder why they can't just make sure it's picked, and distributed quicker. It's a good thing that preservatives, especially chemicals, are being less used, but there's no reason why we can't be more effective with some fruits.