Chris

@liampie I pay little attention to cricket, so all this tends to fly over my head. @super_ram likes his cricket, as does my brother @william1984. Good luck to them. PS. I love the chrisps Skips, but this isn't very nice. ????

The managers page has been updated to reflect on the appointment of Stuart Maynard. https://prideofnottingham.co.uk/club/manager/

Good insight and analysis, it goes to show how ideal finding someone who plays similar to Luke Williams can inherit a good squad that has more depth than his previous team but in a way where his ideas should be easier to put over. It shouldn't be a dramatic change. Which is good. I don't think a new manager changing things is a negative approach, because it's down to the players to take it on board and work to incorporate it - yet it's easier when someone has a similar idea. The transitional period between Stuart Maynard taking over should be easier for him to instruct the players because we already have a similar style to Wealdstone. I also doubt any of our players will resist his ideas, as they all seem on the same page and want to continue to do well. So, ideally, Maynard can get to grips with our defence. Figure a way to retain the same formation without leaking goals but also attack with the exciting momentum where you feel it's only a matter of time before we do score. This is sad, I will stand behind Maynard no matter what - even if he gets off to a slow start. It's a cliché, but that first win will be massive and hopefully signify the torch being passed from Luke William/Jim O'Brien to Stuart Maynard.

We are proud of you, James Sanderson! Congratulations to him for signing his first professional deal. I look forward to seeing more of his future appearances in the Notts squad. We want more of our squads spaces filled with home-grown talent.

Good player, lacked confidence when he was here and defensive responsibility. I don't think he was a bad player, but defensively he seemed very weak with us. More adept at controlling the ball and taking powerful shots on goal from long range.

Not so late after all, @DangerousSausage. Good news! I am sure Jim O'Brien would have done his best, but I always do feel it's best for the manager to get involved as quickly as possible - instead of missing a game whilst an interim head coach takes his squad to the field. He will have time to access, tactics might be the same, but it will be interesting to see.

Recently, the nights have been feeling colder, especially during Christmas when the cold seemed to seep in at times. The weather keeps being reported as 'expected to bad' but it's just cold. We have the tendency of over reacting to it; other countries just get on with it - including snow. I am concerned for people due to the high price in energy and the cost of living, I don't like the thought of people being cold and struggling to stay warm. This sort of thing should be classed as a basic human right.

Most likely, but if an appointment is made before Friday - we can't rule out that the new head coach won't want to take full charge. Personally, I would prefer to take control the moment it became official, and I wouldn't worry so much about training, I would just make sure my instructions were clear enough. Though I am not a coach or manager. I think you are right though, the head coach may be appointed before or on the day, then allowed to watch the squad.

@NottsCountyKev Yes, I am no pro, but I am quite good. The majority of graphics on PON have been created by me, except the logo, which I out sourced. A friend called Craig designed the Magpies, but if you need help just ask, and I will try to help.

Stockport County are very blessed in midfield and in their attack, Paddy Madden was a player I once wanted Notts to sign back when he played in the Irish league. We all know that Kyle Wootton is a threat. Those are obvious danger men for them. Connor Evans, Cody Johnson and Isaac Olaofe are all players I would be aware of. I am looking forward to seeing Scott Robertson. It will be interesting to see if we maintain the tactics of Luke Williams, or if by this point the new head coach will be appointed and therefore choose his own setup. I do have the feeling that Jim will remain temporary in charge even if we do make an appointment before this game. I would like to say that the Notts players will be fighting for their place in the team and this ideally would get the most out of the players. I do want to see more of Aaron Nemane because he's unstoppable when he gets going. Defensively and in terms of goal are concerns, but I would stick with the same line-up as Grimsby.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @Thomas Cotton. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

This is another area I need to educate myself on, as I don't know many tennis players, but I do like to watch it. It would be nice if we had more than Andy Murray competing for grand slams, but we put way too much pressure on talent. Emma Raducanu is a prime example of this. I'm also pleased to see the tweet about Alfie Hewett. Someone can correct me, but I believe it was Alfie who did that powerful video about treating him the same and not criticising disabled athletes for being boring.

@Robbie I am a bit ignorant to rugby, I don't find it very interesting - except for big games. Did they almost go up to the top level during COVID? A little while ago, my wife's family was discussing the Leicester Tigers. It was mentioned that they were close, I don't remember if it was said they made the playoffs or something. I did show a brief interest when they were part of us, but I tend to be less interested in sports I struggle to get excited about.

Yes, I suspect the form is mostly down to what unfortunately happened to Adam Johnson. I don't think a death such as that would be very easy to just continue with, as it happened live and was quite graphic. I haven't watched the Panthers live yet, but I have always wanted to go watch them.

I completely agree, @DangerousSausage. If we were more established at this level, it might be a bit more different, but really I fully understand that Stockport County are a very good team. The save by Aidan Stone when Kyle Wootton was one-on-one was very good. Plus our goal line clearance, but the issue isn't with our keeper. It's the amount of chances we give due to not handling the threats.

I don't want to be negative, but the highlights from a defensive point wasn't great with the goals, it did sound like Aden Baldwin did very well, but why did we leave so much space open for their first goal? I showed @cheeky~k8, and she asked me if the Notts players were ready for the corner. The second goal (penalty), Tobi Adebayo-Rowling gave me shades of Richard Duffy. Wait, that might be harsh, but I'm sticking with it. Just knock it out or draw a foul, don't do what happened. Anyone else usually would have been slaughtered on social media and I don't think that is needed. Yet it was awful, and is a talking point for us to mention as I can't believe he made such a comical error. It's worse than Richard Brindley's mistake a few games ago, but then you see the way we attacked. There was a lot more effort. Our keepers have made a considerable amount of saves, putting us within a joint third of the league. It really does show that Aidan Stone isn't the issue. I'm not dwelling overly on the issue because I do acknowledge that good teams do cause problems, and the overall performance did sound 100% better. We need to be a bit more careful on the ball though.

Imagine if people actually referred to 'The Beatles' as Liverpool. I know anywhere above London is considered "North" them, which is odd as someone born in the East Midlands being told 'You're a northerner'...

It's going to be interesting, our support hasn't faulted and still continues to sell-out what allocation we get. I hope for the travelling fans that effort is put in and that they have something pleasing to show for the journey. We know what Kyle Wootton is all about. Yet they have a squad full of good talent, and they aren't lacking attacking options. I think we need to get a feel of the game before we even remotely think of bringing the ball back. That just adds pressure onto us from the start; we need to get natural movement and work at creating chances at the other hand. If our midfield can hold onto the ball and use it well, we have the players who can turn the tide at the other end. I'm just worried that Stockport are in such fine form, with all of their attacking options. It will make Notts lack the confidence to apply themselves, and we really should be making teams work harder to get results against us. It's not worth thinking about, Nay. Hopefully Notts can make it much harder for them than we have made it easy for others.

Welcome to the Pride of Nottingham, @StanfordPie. I hope you enjoy being a part of our Notts County community.

I don't fault him for choosing to take a managerial job, over coaching. So, for that, I do wish him well. As for his decisions, if he wants to become a good manager he will need to choose carefully if ever tempted to leave. I think he bases a lot of his decisions based on his heart, instead of his head but I hope he does alright at Woking.

Harrogate is a decent League Two team, although there's been comments about them being better than where they are and whilst I think on their day they can beat anyone. They're always a mid- to lower-half-team. They're largely unflattering, but work hard as a team and understand what works within their own squad. I don't think they are afraid to have to work harder in order to lift their game, and they can adapt quite well in games, if they are allowed to think. I would have said before our recent form, we would be in such a beneficial advantage with our possession rate. However, I think with them being at home it's going to take something special from us to be more creative on goal. I have this game currently throughout as a draw, potentially 1-1. If we want anything more, we need to think about who can cover for Matt Palmer. I would agree starting Dan Gosling at this stage will aid us in knowing if he needs more time come January or if we should pass on his services. I really want to see our back three settle, but with the defensive wows against Walsall and recent away games. I wouldn't blame Luke Williams for trying to make changes there.If Lewis Macari is completely fit, he should definitely be in the starting lineup.

Alan Sheehan was always a hero for Notts, if playing on the left of defence or as a centre back. I hated seeing some of the comments he attracted from some poritons of our fans who didn't appreciate his ability. He always did give 100%, good luck to him.

Neither of these are correct.

Bonus Round: Who's this? No clues... Try to guess first, and hints will follow. ????

Once I got home, I started writing a response to this on my phone. I felt very displeased with what I witnessed, and I couldn't put into words how I felt about the game. I kept changing my text until I ended up deleting parts of it. Then I just gave up, it seemed pointless. I have nothing but respect for our players; it pains me to write things which they might disagree with or find unfair. However, I try to reflect on what I think, see and feel. Kyle Cameron wasn't at his best, I honestly think the pressure is getting to him. I heard other fans say after the game that he's never been good defensively and that he's not that good going forward. I disagree, because I feel there's been times when he's been exceptional. I thought when he arrived he looked quite comfortable and, mostly, did well in the National League. Yes, he got caught out at times, but nothing like against Walsall. It's not just Kyle, John Bostock looked unlike himself - could he still be carrying a knock? Maybe, but he was very poor on the ball. Likewise with David McGoldrick, he held the ball up and did some nice touches but largely had a pretty big off day. Lewis Macari was very encouraging in the first half, I thought he looked useful in the second and the decision to take him off for Richard Brindley left me questioning why. I don't think the game suited bringing on Jim O'Brien either, he showed his surge in wanting to get us forward but largely fell into the same trap as everyone else. Losing possession by making weak passes or holding onto the ball for too long without considering passing it sooner. In the first half, our game management allowed us to press and create chances. Notts focused on bringing the ball back far too much, especially when better passes were available. I was extremely disappointed with Aaron Nemane, particularly in his defensive skills. He looked magic at times going forward, but unproductive too, and sometimes you felt he should have passed. I love seeing him take on players, but when you are being marked by 3 or more players, passing seems a much safer option. There's no fault on him for Walsall's first goal. However, Cameron should have been where Nemane stood. Also, John Bostock and Sam Austin should have done better to cover the cross. Both put their feet in hoping to block it but neither actually focused on the ball. More hoping sticking out their feet would be effective enough, but it's not good defending. Aidan Stone mostly could be forgiven for me, but his positioning wasn't the best. Yes, his distribution at times perhaps wasn't great, but he wasn't the problem. He made some very good saves in situations where you would feel the attacking player was favoured. I couldn't imagine how difficult his job became in the second half with the lack of pressing, covering, defending and effort. Nemane should have put more effort to get back for their second goal, Walsall had another player who sprinted into a very good passing position and Nemane just stood as a spectator. He might not be great at defending, but a little effort wouldn't go a miss. The marking in the middle is too focused on a crowded area, but we lack effort from the midfield to get back and cover. Yes, everyone watched the ball end up being played perfectly to Isaac Hutchinson. There was time for more thought to go into the organisation of our defence. Jodi Jones really should have moved to get behind Hutchinson, he's watching it develop. The space opens up, by the time the ball is struck, only then does Jodi jog to cover. Although it's a bit belated, it's evident that everyone's defensive performance in the second half was absolutely dreadful. There is a lack of urgency, coordination, and communication. Our passing was disappointing, and we wasted every crucial minute when we could have pulled ourselves together. Mostly, I feel through a lack of effort and application. As for Luke Williams, he's at fault for not demanding more and for extremely poor tactical changes. No way should Dan Crowley have been taken off, he was one of the few players who were capable of stringing several successful passes together. Junior Morais should have come on for David McGoldrick. Dan Gosling made sense, at least in principle. I wouldn't have introduced Jim O'Brien or Richard Brindley. I know these seem like attacking minded players, I can't help but feel Adam Chicksen and Will Randall (although the latter has been poor) would have given us more attacking options. We might want to consider how strong our bench is in games where we need to produce more creativity because that's where we lack in that department. The defensive issue is a big headache, when nobody wants to take responsibility for it.