theAnticlough

I liked that interview better than the Bromley post-match. It's alright being disappointed and emotional sometimes (shows you care) and the points about our strikers were valid but the overall content was a bit alarming (since when do we have to panic or change our club because some Bromley players are tall, so what?). After that, the buzz word of the week i.e on Magpie Circle and in this interview today (about 10 times!) is alignment. MP's mission is to inject some tempo, aggression and purpose but apart from that to keep to our ball-playing, possession-based identity. We had success with Palmer, Langstaff, Nemane, Jones, Crowley all in the same side. We may not have all that quality at the moment but that proves you don't have to have a team of brick shithouses to have success at the lower levels. Good luck to them, but I wouldn't pay to watch Bromley and their likes

Same here, much prefer the computer. I keep my phone as far away from me as possible! It's good you get where your parents are coming from. Years down the line you'll remember all the things you did outside and with friends, and too much unproductive time on devices will seem like a waste of a youth. I guess a healthy balance of all things is a challenge for all of us, but especially for the younger generations. When school restarts you'll get back to a normal routine

I turned last season's Salford game into a Manchester stay - a city i used to live in. I visited all of my old haunts. Generally though, I was sad about the state of things there. I was especially disappointed with the area around the Etihad Stadium. Years back it really was post-apocalyptic around there - Ashton Old Road / New Road and the Clayton Aniline area but all the regeneration was lipstick on a pig IMO.

The Case for Prioritising a Cup Run? How about glory and the standing and respect of the club. We enter only 3 competitions so why can't we take all of them seriously and try to go as far, or as high, in each of them as we can? As you can tell, I'm a traditionalist here. I believe too many lower league clubs became infected and influenced by behaviours of the elite teams - resting players, picking your games and priorities, poo-pooing the domestic cups to chase the dollar. Teams down the league copied these behaviours without ever checking if their fans were on board with it. Even now success in the cups is cloaked only in the language of money. To hell with that, I want to get to cup QFs for the respect and the glory. Those victories over Newcastle and Everton and the QF at Leeds were what made me a ardent Notts fan. I remember those great games under the lights not the money that was earned from them. I love the fact we made the FA Quarter-finals in 84 and 91, giving our best against the eventual winners in both cases, Everton and Tottenham. Again, as a fan, I don't give two hoots about the money - let Palmer take care of that, it was about the thrill of the run, the respect for the club and all the memories created. I still think all of that is the reason to have cup runs.

Good luck to him, he earned that - making the play-offs is something on his CV, to go with what he did at Wealdstone. I hope him and Alves do well. I think his strength is, as he says, on the tactical side - he does seem to have a good understanding of the game. Doubling down too much on this strength was his undoing at County IMO. He became too clever with his team changes and too much focus on game tactics seem to neglect all those other things which make for winning football - the psychological side, the aggression, the toughness, earning a shirt and the right to keep it. Everyone is on a learning curve with what they do, so maybe he'll find this balance at York and get them back in the EFL. That will definitely be their target and expectation.

Hmm that could be dangerous. If he gets his confidence up he could hurt us. But if he has one of his bad games where he gets muscled off it all the time it will be OK. There's no point having Palmer and Norburn around him. I'd prefer to see Iorpenda deeper anyway, but he could neutralise a No.10 like Whitaker.

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Norwich City Watford 1-1 Southampton Barnsley 1-2 Huddersfield Town Wigan Athletic 0-2 Stockport County Joker Barnet 1-2 Colchester United Bromley 2-0 Harrogate Town Hartlepool United 1-1 Boreham Wood Morecambe 1-2 Woking

I get a reprieve for a few weeks@liampie, then they’ll be installing girders and various hardware into my jawbone. Can’t wait 😜

Even on loan. Get on it Gaggers

Following the results only, it could be that this transfer is a complete nightmare Last night, an unused sub in a 8-0 defeat, Vitoria slump into the relegation places with the worst form in Serie A. He's only totalled a few sub minutes since he got there, but if doesn't get more time after a 8-0 loss, then he may be wasting his time there.

I would be too afraid to say anything to that dude. I wouldn't waste my breath :)

It's just 5 games, and he's playing behind defenders he hardly knows yet. Most of what he does is tidy and I like how he can get rid of the ball quickly sometimes. He needs a clean sheet, more familiarity with the team and the fans to give him more of a chance. Anyone can make an indifferent start at a new place of work. Sometimes it takes a bit of time.

Is any of that new from today, @Robbie, or all from the post-match interview?

Sorry to hear that @Fan of Big Tone, let's hope slowly means glacially, but if not it must be pretty routine to remove, in fact, it is.

Had a root canal finished yesterday, stitches taken out of the molar area today - I'm finally starting to pull away from the dentists' chair. Tough week ahead at work - a Notts signing would brighten things up a bit

We've gone backwards fast since we were led by LW's vision, a squad packed with attacking talent and good ballplayers. and a recruitment team making more hits than misses. For sure, we're much better off than the Trew and Hardy days. I don't think we're on a track to non-league again - but the great momentum from our promotion has been squandered. We raced to the top of L2 by following the formula that had success in the NL - but step by step, adjustment by adjustment, it's been diluted....we must be more defensive... we mustn't throw players forward, they must be back to cover....we need to be taller, more physical etc Are these adaptations that protect us against relegation? Or do they just put us on track to be an average and more typical L2 side? Does becoming more typical give us a better or worse chance of getting out this league? Seems to me that we're bedding in for a long stay in this league rather than pushing all our chips in by trusting in our principles. As MP gets more and more stretched, tested and stressed as the season goes on, his true footballing instincts will come to the fore. Do we want to be more like Bromley so we can battle with these middle-ranking L2 clubs? Or so different that on our day we can steamroller them through superior football? I don't know which way it's going to go.

Yeah @menzinho, their first equaliser ultimately came down to an Aljofree misjudgement as the ball was definitely in his zone for clearing. Their 2nd was even flukier. I'm more concerned that they had a lot of possession and we didn't retain the ball enough. Our game relies on taking responsibility, getting on the ball and passing it well. Among the backlines, I thought Palmer and McDonald did OK, but Bedeau, Aljofree and Norburn didn't get on the ball enough to enable us to dominate.

Hmmm, seems there's been a flight from the 'we have to be better at being us' idea from the first game The main way to beat a team like Bromley is to outplay them with better, more skilful players like we did in the 2-4 at their place last season. The more we think we need taller, more physical players like them we play their kind of game, on their terms and lose our identity in the process. Of course we have to deal with balls into the box, and have to fight in general but the key is good players, well-prepared, playing better than they can.

Good point @liampie, unlike Wednesday, this time the subs came on and took us backwards. I though Grant was Ok, but Hall, Bennetts and especially Gordon just didn't make the contribution MP was looking for. The others 3 might have needed a rest, but I think Cotter might have easily done the 90

Sam Austin and Kairo Mitchell both scored winning goals today. Cal had an assist as Scunthorpe get into the play-off places

Don't think there's any need to overthink this one - Matty Dennis. Running him close I think is Matty Palmer. We have enough evidence now to know it's a different player than the recovering MP we saw last season. I thought he was great, popped up everywhere. Shout out too to Iorpenda - IMO his best game so far this season.

What a pity. They've benefitted from 2 random looping balls and mishits. Better than Salford though, we can see progress

Nice one MP, Unchanged. That's about right. COYP

Norwich City 1-1 Middlesbrough Sheffield United 2-1 Millwall Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Lincoln City Mansfield Town 2-1 Leyton Orient Joker Fleetwood Town 0-1 Oldham Athletic Gillingham 2-0 Crewe Alexandra Halifax Town 0-2 Forest Green Rovers Sutton United 2-3 Scunthorpe United

Yes, it's a difficult fixture. I agree, our best chance is a 'momentum win' building on the buzz of 4 goals and the first win of the season. Use this confidence to score in the first 15mins, then keep them out til HT - that'd be the best route to victory today.