Mess

Members
  • Content Count

    799
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

Posts posted by Mess

  1. Oz,

    Notts just couldn't get round Salford's deep press. They had little time or room to settle into their passing game and Karl Robinson's tactics paid dividends. Jodi Jones and Dan Crowley didn't make much of an impact and our new hero Jatta didn't turn up. Notts were a shadow of the team that beat Bradford last Tuesday. A mid table finish is the best we can hope for until Stuart Maynard or maybe his replacement sorts them out. Notts have several players who aren't good enough for L2 and those who are are too old or summer targets for other clubs. Cameron had a very poor game and really shouldn't be captain.

     

    The Stags looked to be suffering from stage fright in the televised early kick off against Dan Cowley's Colchester.
    They really struggled against a very well organised U's side who made them look very ordinary. Cowley has got Colchester playing with determination and belief and today Mansfield just couldn’t break them down. Even their equaliser was a scrambled affair.
    Clough reminded me of Paul Ince at Notts, leaning against the dugout with his hands in his pockets looking quite disinterested.
    He looked thoroughly miffed at the end but had calmed down in his interview.
    The wind and bobbly pitch certainly didn't help.
    I don't think Mansfield's promotion is in doubt but I think Stockport will probably take the title. They have recovered from their recent blip and are now looking very good.

     

    I hope the break has done Forest good because they are going to need every bit of strength (and luck) to survive in the Premiership.

    They could do it but I'm not sure that Nuno has the Cooper touch to rally them. The fans are really behind them which is amazing given the mess their owner and his cronies have made. 
    It would seem the directors were unaware that newly promoted clubs had a different spending limit to established premier league clubs. Basic stuff really that even their highly paid legal representative couldn't blag his way round.

    Money plays a huge part in succeeding in the top flight but it has to be spent wisely on footballing talent and coaching otherwise it won't bring success. It might work in Greece but UK football is run differently.

    • Like 2
  2. Tonight Notts looked the real deal.

    Dan Crowley ran the show and was MOTM for me.

    Jatta is looking a great signing and is a real handfull.

    I think Maynard has weathered the storm and Notts shouldn’t look back. I'm genuinely pleased for him. He's had a very difficult initiation.

    A solid win on Saturday and I think we're back in business.

    The playoffs are a big ask now but certainly not impossible.

     

    • Like 1
  3. I've been quiet for the last week or so hoping I'll wake up and find Notts County's disintegration was just a bad dream but no, it's real.

    A slump of epic proportions has occurred and the pre-Christmas optimism of the club and it's fans has just melted away.

    How has it gone so catastrophically wrong?

    Most of the disgruntled fans blame the new manager of course but there are others that are pointing their fingers at the owners and director Richard Montague for appointing him.

    There's no doubt it was a high risk appointment and I've been reading that the senior players simply don't respect him and have voiced their opinions. It might explain why John Bostock and David McGoldrick haven't played recently although the official line is they're injured. The new striker Allasana Jatta has only had a few minutes off the bench since SM arrived too.

    A very worrying time indeed. Something's got to give and I think SM could be gone very soon. The brothers cannot sit back and let all the previous good work go to waste. A bad result on Saturday and he'll go I think. He may even fall on his sword.

    Just a quick word about last night. Sam Slocombe was outstanding. He pulled off some brilliant saves and without him Notts would have lost by more. Mom for me.

     

    A quick comment on The Stags. I was surprised they lost last night and some of their supporters believe Nigel Clough was resting some of his players for the trip to Bradford on Saturday. It's a tough place to go although Steve Cotterill's Forest Green won there last night. I was disappointed Steve didn't stay at Notts under Ray Trew's tenure back in 2010 and he also did well at Forest. Notts could certainly do with him now..

    I think Mansfield are almost up but I still think they may not get the title. I fancied Crewe would finish top and then I changed my mind to MK Dons. Now I'm thinking Stockport are coming back.

    One thing is for sure, it won't be Notts.

     

    • Like 2
  4. Oz,

    I enjoyed watching the first half of Forest v Man U in the cup last night.

    Both sides moved the ball around quickly and skillfully and it was good to watch.

    Forest's intensity fell away in the second half but Man U failed to capitalise. One Forest fan wrote that United were there for the taking and I can see what he meant but just as extra time was looming Forest unusually lost their concentration and Casemiro nipped in with a late winner.

    I'm not convinced Forest would have won if it had gone to extra time because they were starting to look disjointed and leggy.

    So on to Saturday and Liverpool at the City Ground. On paper it's a straightforward win for Liverpool but as Brian Clough famously said “unfortunately the game is played on grass not paper”.

    Forest will do well not to lose however but at least their remaining fixtures look much easier.

    • Like 2
  5. Notts attack weren't at their best last night but they were still OK.

    The defence however were simply diabolical and I think their dreadful performance left the rest of the team feeling thoroughly deflated.

    Something has got to change and quickly. They were doing OK coming up to Christmas and then Williams jumped ship. Some fans are saying he saw this coming and maybe they're right.

    I think they can hang on this season because they accumulated a good few points at the start but next season it could easily be a relegation battle if it's not sorted. The worry is that Jodi Jones and possibly Crowley and Langstaff could get poached this summer which would leave them in a big mess.

    Forest aren't out the wood yet (sorry for that one). A points deduction and relegation would be bad news but surely not terminal? If they do drop down I would expect them to bounce back quite quickly but their massive wage bill might be the knock out punch. A very worrying few weeks ahead for the men in Red.

    It would nice if they could put up a good show against Man U in the cup tonight. It would be a great tonic for them and their fans and we all know the form book goes out the window in the FA Cup. Fingers crossed.

    • Like 1
  6. The Notts defence was hopeless tonight and Stuart Maynard doesn't seem to know how to fix it.

    I'm beginning to wonder how long the brothers will give him to change things.

    The season's over for Notts now.

    I hope Forest can survive because the only excitement in Nottinghamshire at the moment is in Mansfield.

    • Like 1
  7. Oz, Notts were very poor yesterday but credit to Crewe who stopped them from playing. The playoffs are still possible but they really need to sort themselves out quickly. I can't see them getting any further this seasons even if they did scrape a playoff place.

    Mansfield had a great win yesterday after going behind. I can't see them not being promoted now but they maybe won't take the title.

    The remaining fixtures look very tasty for the front runners. 
    Stockport or Crewe might yet snatch it. Wrexham are not looking particularly impressive at the moment but look out for MK Dons who are lurking in fifth place.

    Nuno's honeymoon is certainly over with lots of fans expressing frustration with his team selection and tactics. I don't think he's a fan of Yates. I really rate the local lad. His attitude is superb.

    I'm looking forward to the Man U cup game. Form goes out the window if the FA Cup so Forest are in with a real chance.

    I thought Derby might get a draw at Barnsley but they finished up losing. They should see Charlton off on Tuesday.

    • Like 1
  8. A great three points picked up by Forest whilst the other teams around them were losing. I didn't see the game but the reports I've read suggest they were good value for their win.

    It would be such a tragedy if a points deduction sent them down after the way the players have dug in.

    BTW I thought Luton were unlucky against Man U yesterday. On the strength of that performance they're too good to go down. At the moment Sheffield United and Burnley look as if they're going down but who will join them?
    Everton are playing Crystal Palace tonight so that's a result to look out for.

     

    Notts were very unlucky to leave Wrexham with nothing.

    They dominated them in the first half but they took their chance and went in ahead at half time.

    Wrexham upped their game in the second half but Notts kept them out and then Didzy McGoldrick had his equaliser ruled out for handball. The replays are inconclusive and the ref gave Wrexham the benefit of the doubt. It's not uncommon for Wrexham to get the rub of the green when they're at home. Their luck won't last forever and the promotion race is far from over.

    I'm a great believer in karma and it certainly came along for Mansfield at Walsall on Saturday. They were denied a clear goal when the ref. ruled the ball had not crossed the line. Replays showed it was well over and Nigel Clough was bemoaning the ruling and calling for goal line technology.

    I hope someone reminded him how Notts were denied an equaliser against them on Feb 3rd when the ball was later shown to have crossed the line.

    Despite their defeat Mansfield remain in second place one point behind Stockport who also lost. Is there another wobble coming up?

    Derby won again against Steve Evans' Stevenage to stay second in L1. They're six points behind leaders Portsmouth with a game in hand.

    Steve Evans and his number two Paul Raynor are a very unpleasant pair IMHO and I very much hope Stevenage don't get promoted.

     

    • Like 2
  9. Last night Notts looked like a totally different team.

    What a turnaround. A stunning renaissance.

    Huge credit to Stuart Maynard. He changed the goalkeeper, the formation and with them the team’s fortunes.

    Notts looked like automatic promotion let alone playoff candidates based on that showing.
    I feared a loss was on the cards after the way they played against Gillingham last Friday, add in Newport's recent form and even a draw would have been a great outcome.

    Stuart Maynard used nearly all the same players from last Friday but reassigned their roles and the team's formation and boy did he get a fantastic result.

    I'm not going to jinx it by suggesting that the visit to Wrexham on Saturday is going to be anything other than very challenging but if they play like they did last night then it's going to be a brilliant game to watch.

    Mansfield produced an outstanding performance to humiliate Harrogate. Their amazing result actually helped Notts get back into the playoffs group. With performances like that they could yet go up as champions.

    BTW Derby won again. The tide is turning at Pride Park. Get ready for the jubilant Ram's fans celebrating Forest's misery sadly I think it's coming.

     

    • Like 2
  10. The Stags are looking quite formidable at the moment but with sixteen games to go it's far from over. Stockport are favourites for the title but there's still two or three other teams who could deny them automatic promotion.

    If they do go up the Radford's will need to invest in the facilities. The playing surface is a priority.

    The next few games will be telling for Notts. There's only a few points between five or six clubs outside the playoffs so the run in is going to be fascinating. Harrogate, Newport and Salford are top of the form table with Notts third from bottom. Three games in and Stuart Maynard is already under scrutiny.

    Nuno's good start at Forest has faded quickly but the players continue to try hard.

    I think the midweek cup replay took its toll on a few of the Forest lads. Ryan Yates in particular looked shattered when he was substituted yesterday. For a club fighting relegation the FA cup is a distraction they could really do without.

    The sooner any points deduction is announced the better. Then at least they'll know what they have to do to stay up.

    If they are deducted say six points then they just might hang on.

    Ten points would surely mean game over.

    If they do drop down their troubles aren't over because their wage bill is going to be huge by Championship standards.

     

    • Like 1
  11. Can't disagree with that summary Oz.

    Notts's team spirit seems to have disappeared. I think they have yet to recover from Luke William's departure. Stuart Maynard has quite a job on his hands getting Notts up off the floor and performing again.

    I think the defence is troubled by goalkeeper Stone's unreliability.

    He certainly doesn't command his area well. Some similarities with Turner at Forest. To be fair though Turner had a very good game midweek against Bristol in the cup..

    Notts have Luca Ashby- Hammond on loan from Fulham and I think he's due a start now.

    Notts need to start winning again soon or this season is going to slide into mid table mediocrity very quickly.

     

    • Like 1
  12. A very welcome point after a spirited performance by Forest at Bournemouth this afternoon.
    Bournemouth resorted to some very rough play and had a man sent off for a nasty tackle from behind on Callum Hudson-Odoi who had to be substituted soon afterwards
    The Forest team gave it a real go and if they do finish up being relegated because of a points deduction then the board has to take the blame for the appalling cock up in their management of the ffp incident.
    Hats off to the Forest lads who never stopped trying. 
    They could really do without the midweek cup replay. I think Nuno should field a weakened team so they can go into the Newcastle game with a full strength side.
    • Like 1
  13. There was little sign of the Mansfield wobble this afternoon as they put in a very solid shift against Notts on a pitch that had more sand on it than Skegness beach.

    Nigel Clough was in the stands after criticising the officials last week about penalties, a sending off and some other highly debatable decisions. Today I think it's fair to say the Stags got away with a few themselves. Jodi Jones was kicked around by a very agricultural Mansfield defence with very little retribution from the referee and Notts had two decent penalty shouts waved away.

    Mansfield are a hard team to beat and they certainly stifled Notts passing game with some very tough tackling helped by the awful pitch.

    Their goal was a quality strike but they had little else to offer in attack. Notts hit the woodwork twice and a goal line clearance so I think on balance a draw would have been a fair outcome.

    They're up to second now and look like strong automatic promotion candidates whilst Notts are clinging on to the last playoff place by their fingernails.

    Derby are up to second in League one and Forest arrived in Bournemouth this afternoon for their match against the Cherries tomorrow. A point for Forest tomorrow is the best they can hope for IMHO. Some Reds fans are already calling Nuno negative.

    • Like 2
  14. 1 hour ago, mary1947 said:

    HI Mess     You will get a telling off by the children it was not just a Spotty dog?

    It was the biggest Spotty dog that you ever did see/

    Mary,

    I thought Spotty Dog was wonderful particularly how both his/her ears went up during the introduction.

    I was also amused how he seem to walk on air but then so did many of the Watch with Mother puppets.

    • Like 1
  15. Oz,

    The Forest result was no surprise at all. They didn't play well and their late goal was never going to change the outcome.

    The fans have been calling for Turner's head for a few games now and his mistakes have cost Forest several points. I wonder if Nuno will get a replacement in before the transfer window slams shut.

    Forest are coming to Bournemouth this Sunday where I now live.

    They really need to win but I think the best they can hope for is a draw.

    The clubs below the Reds have started to pick up points so the pressure is mounting and that's before any points deduction

    • Like 2
  16. 19 minutes ago, Oztalgian said:

    Even as a kid I thought Torchy the battery boy and Twizzle were a bit naff.  I have heard of Whirligig but can't ever remember watching it. I have never heard of Billy Bean

    Oz,

    I don't remember Twizzle but IIRC it was on ITV along with Torchy. ITV arrived in Nottingham where I lived in around 1956 or 1957. My friend at primary school had ITV installed early on and used to tell me about the ITV children’s programmes including Torchy.

    You might recall that to receive ITV you needed a different aerial and sometimes a tweak to your TV for the different transmission frequency.

    Twizzle and Torchy were early creations of Gerry Anderson as was Four Feather Falls which I don’t remember either lol.

    I googled Billy Bean and found this:

    https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1950s/billy-bean-funny-machine/

    It was on BBC from 1954-56 and like you I don't remember it.

    Interestingly the programme featured the voice of Peter Hawkins.

    Hawkins Wikipedia entry is fascinating. He was in great demand for his voices. Apparently he was the voice behind Rainbow's Zippy, Spotty Dog in the Woodentops (did he speak?) and Whirligig’s Mr Turnip amongst many others.

  17. 8 hours ago, mary1947 said:

    Has any one  (old tv programs)  mentioned Muffin the mule / Stooty and sweep.  Emergency Ward 10   radio Sat  Uncle Mac and there's more Watch this space.

    Mary,

    I was born in 1950 and used to enjoy listening to Derek McCulloch aka Uncle Mac presenting Children’s Choice on Saturday morning radio on the Light programme. The theme music was called Puffing Billy. My mum used to say Derek had lost both his legs but I later learned he'd lost one leg when he fought on The Somme in WW1.

    I have an excellent double cd set which has many of the songs he played on the programme such as The Laughing Policeman and Nellie the Elephant.

    His friendly uncle persona was tarnished  a few years ago when he was cited in the BBC child abuse investigation where it was alleged he had used his position at the BBC to abuse children.

    We had a TV around 1954 and I adored Muffin and Sooty. I remember my mum crying when in 1955 she told me Annette Mills had died and Muffin would no longer be on the TV.

    Harry Corbett and Sooty were brilliant and I particularly liked Sweep when he came along in 1957. Harry's son Mathew took over Sooty when Harry died but whilst my kid's loved it, Harry was irreplaceable IMHO.

    Finally I should say as a 10 year old I was madly in love with Jill Browne who played Nurse Carole Young in Emergency Ward 10. I even had a picture of her on my bedroom wall lol.

    For children's TV in the 50s to 70s this book is a must read and not expensive.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Golden-Age-Childrens-Television/dp/1852864079/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L3M8OKQ38BBA&keywords=Golden+children's+television&qid=1706519525&sprefix=golden+children's+television%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

     

    • Like 1
  18. Jill,

    Yes, Jonathan Platt was in my year at Forest Fields Grammar (1961 onwards)

    He was in the A stream and IIRC he excelled in Mathematics.

    The Forest Fields 1968 Speech Day programme records he went on to Sheffield Uni presumably to study Maths and later had a good career in IT.

    I found Paul Sheasby on LinkedIn where he too seems to have made a good career from IT.

    I don't think I've ever come across anyone as bright as Alan Allcock.

    At school, not only did he grab prizes for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Latin he was also a talented artist and sportsman. As I recall he was a very modest bloke and married his school sweetheart Penny.

    BTW do you remember Graham Stanley from Berridge?

    I worked with him in Boots QC labs in D10 Beeston in the late 1960s.

    I was also at Salford Uni with him in the early 70s where we both studied Chemistry. He attended my wedding in 1973 and later went on to UMIST to complete his PhD. 

    I believe he then worked for Cortaulds in Spondon but I then lost touch.

  19. Both Notts and Mansfield seem to have lost out to poor refereeing today.

    Notts should have had a penalty and Barrow should have had a man sent off when Jodi Jones was scythed down as he closed in on goal. Overall it was a very frustrating game as Barrow resorted to anti football with lots of niggly stuff and time wasting which the ref let them get away with. Barrow had a very underhand tactic when they had a corner with the Notts goalkeeper being blatantly impeded at least three times all going unpunished.

    On balance a draw was a fair result with Notts struggling to find much fluency as Barrow's quick tackling kept the Pies under pressure.

    Mansfield are having a difficult time with recent results, injuries and now a suspension following a sending off. Mansfield are definitely wobbling. I very much hope it continues when Notts play them next week.

    A quick comment on Forest who didn't look particularly comfortable against Bristol City. If they get anything against Arsenal on Tuesday I will be very surprised. I think they are starting to feel the pressure and a replay against Bristol City they could do without.

     

    • Like 2
  20. Hi Jill,

    I've been enjoying the school photos that Lesley posted and can maybe help a bit more.

    First photo: back row third in from left looks like Keith Brown.

    Third row from front seventh from left is David Jepson (directly in front of Alan Allcock)

    On the front row third from left is Paul Sheasby and fourth along is Jonathan Platt

     

    Second photo: Definitely not David Jepson on the back row!

    Front row third from left looks like Paul Sheasby.

     

    Until I read your post I didn't spot Alan Steele or Paul Sheasby.

    They are both on Facebook BTW.

    Keith Brown messaged me via Nottstalgia few years back but didn't reply.

    Allan Allcock is a GP and runs The Health House in Portsmouth

    Nicholas Clarke ran the Gregory Boulevard Post Office for many years after his dad retired. I think Nick is also retired now.

     

    Finally I was struggling to spot Sue Pollard until I saw your post.

    Surprised me at first.

  21. Jill,

    Lesley Allen (nee Webster) has posted a couple of nice school photos for Berridge on the Nottingham Lost School Friends Facebook page. I think you're a member so can view it OK.

    One of them features lots of my school friends at Forest Fields Grammar including Alan Allcock, David Jepson, Nicholas Clark and Keith Brown.

    I've only seen a dark photocopy of this class before so it's great to see the original.

  22. I think Forest had the beating of Brentford this evening but ran out of steam after their energy sapping midweek FA cup replay at Blackpool. All very unfortunate as they really need the points if a points deduction is in the pipeline. They had looked the better team until Ryan Yates went off injured but started to look tired afterwards.

    There's a video clip on Facebook showing Toney moving the ball just before his free kick that produced Brentford's equalizer.

    I didn't spot it at the time but it should have been picked up and Toney booked. Very unsporting but apparently he has a reputation for underhand stuff.

    I thought it was a very good free kick until I saw the footage.

    https://fb.watch/pHW377Ifge/?

     

    • Upvote 1
  23. Oz,

    Seems the standard of the half time bacon rolls is going to remain unchanged.

    The Viking I predicted to take over at Notts  is staying put and the National League's hottest property has resigned his job and is coming to Notts full-time.

    Maynard's appointment is very typical of the Reedtz bros. modus operandi.

    The departures of Ian Burchnall and Luke Williams both yielded good returns in the form of compensation payments for their services.

    These guys are pretty shrewd operators. They usually but not always get a decent return on their investment.

    Stuart Maynard has been monitored closely so when Luke moved on it was relatively straightforward to get him signed up.

    His style is a good fit with Notts and they've signed him up in time to get players in before the transfer window closes.

    The next few games will be a good indication if Notts can manage another promotion or if they consolidate, regroup and go for it next season.

    Looking at the calibre of the teams at the top I think Notts can go up this season but probably only via the playoffs. They've done very well so far given the key players they've lost to injury and if Mr M can sort the leaky defence out quickly then we should fear nobody in L2.

    Exciting times ahead for the mighty pies.

    The future of Forest in the Premier League hangs in the balance.

    A 6 point deduction for their misdemeanours and they could hang on as Nuno seems to have identified the players who have the talent and attitude to make it happen. A 10 point deduction and it’s definitely squeaky bum time. We should know soon.

    The Stags usually start to wobble in the second half of the season. Has Mr Clough got them out of that mindset?

    Sorry but I think not. Nigel Clough has some major failings and when it gets difficult I haven't seen much evidence that he can lift them. Time will tell.

    If you scroll back to my posts last August you will see I tipped Derby to get back up into the Championship. I see no reason to change my forecast. I think they've started to sort themselves out on and off the field.

    Their fans are really enjoying Forest's financial woes.

    It's Karma when you think about it which I'm sure the red necks won't want to.

    • Like 2
  24. An excellent win for Forest tonight on a bitterly cold night in Blackpool.

    A weakened Forest side were well in control at 2-0 up but then lost their composure to let Blackpool draw level and force extra time.

    Forest took control in extra time and grabbed the winner with 10 minutes remaining.

    A fitting reward for the 2000 fans who travelled from Nottingham and sung their hearts out. I hope their return journey is uneventful on a very cold winters night.

    Tonight's game must have taken a lot out of the Forest squad and I think they may have picked up one or two more injuries so the Brentford game coming up on Saturday is going to be a very big ask just when they badly need points.

     

    • Like 2