I'm NOTTS crazy

[Blarney]

So here we are again.

I think this will be my 5th or 6th attempt at a Notts save over the course of the past 2 years that I've been playing this game.  

Or "attempting" to play it, because I'm obviously not very good at it.

So here's what I have learned about myself in this journey.  I love this sport.  I've told my story before so I'm not going to go into detail for the 10th time here.  I am American and lived in England while in the Air Force.  I became a fan at that time.  But I am completely an infant when it comes to knowledge of the game compared to probably everybody else on this forum.  I know the basics but when it comes to tactics or formations or having real in-depth conversations about clubs and why one does this or the other does that.... my understanding is limited.

I think that's partly why I struggle with some saves.  As much as I love the game and love the sport, I don't know enough about it or have the lifetime connection that most do that make it natural for me.  If that makes sense.  I can't - as much as I have wanted to - just pick a club like Oldham or Torquay and make up a story that feels natural to me.  That I'm invested in.  I think partly because I have never made it far enough in a save that I've gone beyond a couple of seasons and really felt a connection to what I'm doing.

Notts County became my first "love" in England.  It was my team.  But even now having been away from England it's hard to feel that connected to them because we don't have access here in the states that obviously you do while being there.  I watch what I can on social media.  I read about them during the season.  I try to follow along and feel I'm still a part of it, but I'm really not.  And there are no American clubs I have any connection to.  I live in a city where we have a club... but I'm not a fan.  I'm not a fan of football here in the states compared to the quality that I saw when I was in England.  I don't know why, but it's just different.

So after multiple failed attempts at Notts -- database being ruined, being fired 2 or 3 times after a couple of seasons, accidentally erasing everything I had saved and not being able to get it back -- I'm turning back to them for a final time, because it's where I started, they are my first love in the sport and right now I'm in a place mentally where I really, really just want to make a save them with and get it right.

It's funny because my attempt at a Ted Lasso save really got me excited after my last failed attempt at Notts where I got fired again.  But as I explained in that save when I ended it, I couldn't get it to work how I wanted without changing up a lot of things I didn't want to change, like messing with player attributes and everything else.  It ruined the save for me and it's something I should have realized before I even got started that I'd have to do, but I was just so excited to try it that I didn't even think about how it was going to work.  And so it didn't.

But an interesting thing happened in that save.

Richmond went up against Notts County in the FA Cup.

When Notts County popped up in my save... it was like a sign.  I was already feeling that my Ted Lasso save wasn't working.  I couldn't change the owner, I didn't want to mess too much with player attributes, and I felt like what I was attempting to do was impossible without being too much involved in forcing things to get what I wanted.

So shortly after I had already decided that I couldn't continue on with it.

And I already knew that I was going back to Notts for a final time.

We're going to make this work, because in my heart it's the only save I want to work right now.

[Blarney]

So I'm not going to re-hash what I've done I think the last 2 times with Notts.  I'm not coming up with anything new because I liked the story of the hiring of Eddie Sirrel - Jimmy Sirrel's grandson.  So we're sticking with that.

I'm also starting back in the 22/23 season because I want to take over when they're still back in the National League and pull them out of there and create my own story with them.

Trent Crimm from the Independent is coming with me.  I loved that character in Ted Lasso and since he writes for The Independent... why not.

Otherwise most of what I'm doing with this save is what I've done in the past.

No changes to any players.  I'm coming in as a new manager to help a struggling team and lead them back to relevance.... well as much relevance as Notts County has ever had.

I hope Wrexham comes along for the ride becuase I like their story also but this is about my club.  My goals are going to be simple and straight forward.  First we get out of the National League and then we fight to stay in the Football League beyond that.  I don't have visions of the Premier League (personally) at the moment.  I'd just like to get past a couple of seasons and see where we're at.

What I will be is more cooperative with the board.  It's been my one big downfall to this point.  I feel the need to argue with them when I don't get my way and it doesn't work out for me in the end.  I will capitulate more to their desires until I get more grounded in my job and can probably push my will more.

Eddie is a new manager with the attributes that are suggested for a National League job so he has much to learn also.

He'll be taking this journey right along with Notts County.

[Blarney]

Eddie Sirrel

Biography

Eddie was born April 28, 1999 in Nottingham, England.

He is the grandson of Notts County legend Jimmy Sirrel, who managed the club 3 different times in his career.  When Jimmy Sirrel was first hired by Notts back in 1969 he famously said "ask any kid what he knows about Notts County and they'll tell you they're the oldest football team in the world.  By the time I've finished, they'll know a lot more."  Jimmy's 2nd season at Notts County was one of the best the team has ever played.  The won the Fourth Division by 9 points.  They won 30 games that season, which stands as a record to today (remember 2022 season, irl they broke that record that season).  The scored 89 goals - top 6 in franchise history, and the most they had scored in 50 seasons - and they allowed only 36 goals all season - also top 6 in franchise history.  On top of that it took just 2 more seasons and Notts County had achieved their 2nd promotion in Sirrel's 4 seasons with the club.  Jimmy stayed with the club for another 2 seasons beyond that, reaching mid-table finishes in the Second Division each year.  Jimmy left to join Sheffield United following the 1975 season.  However, he returned late in the 1977 season as Notts was in a relegation battle in the Second Division.  They ended up saving their season with a respectable mid-table finish and Jimmy spent the next 2 years rebuilding the club once again.  It all came together in the 1980 season as Jimmy lead Notts County to a 2nd place finish and County was back in the First Division for the first time since 1926.  Jimmy stayed on as manager for another couple of seasons before taking a role as General Manager for the club.  That didn't last long though as the new manager didn't have the success that Jimmy had had and the club was relegated following the 1983/84 season and were in a relegation battle the very next year as well.  Unfortunately, this time, Jimmy's magic wasn't enough to save the club and they did end up getting relegated.  Financial difficulties at the club following that season didn't make things any better but Jimmy managed to get the club to mid-table finishes his next 2 years before announcing that he was retiring for good.  Jimmy has a stand named after him at Meadow Lane and a statue out front of the stadium as well.  He remained a mainstay at Meadow Lane and one of their greatest ambassadors up until his death in September of 2008.

Eddie spent years around Meadow Lane growing up.

He graduated from Loughborough University, one of the best universities in England when it comes to teaching football management.

For most of the past 2 years Eddie has been working for Notts County in their recruiting department, doing statistical analysis.

And now he's the new manager.  Can he carry on his grandfather's legacy?  Only time will tell.

[Rick87]

Good luck mate, I like the back story. 

[Blarney]

Press Release

From the desk of Christoffer Reedtz - Chairman Notts County

Today marks a new chapter for Notts County.  Today we are announcing the hiring of our new manager, Eddie Sirrel.  If the name is familiar to our loyal following it should be.  Eddie is the grandson of legendary Notts manager, Jimmy Sirrel.  Eddie is a living embodiement of what Notts County is.  He has lived and breathed Notts County from the time he could walk.  But that's not the only reason we hired him.  Eddie is as passionate about this club as anybody we've ever spoken to.  As he told us in his interview, he bleeds black and white.  Nobody else we talked to had the same passion and desire for Notts County to succeed as Eddie did.  But again, that's not the only reason he was hired.  Eddie's value goes far deeper than his name or his passion.  He's a graduate of Loughborough University.  He's studied football since he was a child.  He played football growing up in Notts County's youth development program.  He's a student of advanced statistics, something near and dear to my heart obviously.  Out of everyone that we interviewed, Eddie just showed that something extra that we wanted in our next manager.  Yes, we recognize that he's young - we might as well just get that out of the way - but we think that youth is going to serve him well with this club and the supporters.  He's new school.  He has new ideas.  He wants desperately to bring Notts County back to the Football League and put this club back on the map.  So we are more than overjoyed to announce his hiring and the ushering in of a new chapter in Notts County's storied history.   

[Blarney]

23 minutes ago, Rick87 said:

Good luck mate, I like the back story. 

Cheers, much appreciated.  I am a little crazy that way but I like trying to come up with something that makes sense or draws in something about the club to my saves.  The idea of bringing in a legend's son or grandson to lead the team back to some semblance of prominence, especially with a club like Notts County is a major drawing point of the save to me.

[Blarney]

Let's meet the Club

Forwards

Not a lot of depth here - this will be a recurring them - but honestly we don't much care when your #`1 guy is Langstaff... and Scott as a backup isn't a bad option either.  Our strength is definitely up front between Langstaff, Scott, Rodrigues and Jones.  Scoring goals shouldn't be a problem at all for this club.

Wingers

Rodrigues is good but we already know he doesn't want to stay.... and can't qualify for a work permit, so our hands are somewhat tied with him.  Jones is here on loan, but good.

Attacking Mids

Rodrigues is a really good attacking-mid but we're still kind of stuck on what to do with him.

Defensive Mids

We didn't list center-mids on purpose because we most likely aren't going to use them in our formation.  Bajrami is our big man in defense here but Palmer and Francis aren't bad.  Bostock in real life is better than he is listed here... but that's real life.  Here he's expendable.

Back-end Defense

We are just so weak on our defensive line.  No depth.  Bajrami is a good option but a better one at the defensive-mid position in my opinion.  We'll need a couple of warm bodies at this position at the very least.  Our weakness is definitely on the back-side.  Bajrami is good, Palmer is okay, Francis is okay... but beyond that no depth, no real solutions on the defensive line that are really good.  Baldwin and Cameron are okay... especially maybe for the league we're in but beyond that there are real question marks.

Keepers

Mair is our only option here worth anything... and he's here on loan.  At least he's really good.

[Blarney]

Club Info

History

Notts County's biggest claim to fame obviously is the (disputed) fact that they are the world's oldest professional football club.  They were also one of the 12 founding members of the Football League.  Beyond that, honestly there isn't much to talk about.  They've never had a tremendous amount of success of been widely regarded as a great football club.  In fact in their whole storied history they've only spent 29 seasons playing top flight football... and none since 1983.  We hope to change that.

Vision

Not much to talk about here.  Win, get promoted within 2 seasons, stay up.  Sounds fairly straight-forward.

Facilities

We need to improve our youth facilities.

Stadium

I'll go to my grave saying Meadow Lane is one of the most beautiful football stadiums in the world, but I'm biased.  Still.. especially at this level it's outstanding.

It also happens to be the 2nd closest stadium in the league to their "rivals" Nottingham Forest.  I think Dundee and Dundee United are the closest.  But City Ground is just across the Trent River from Meadow Lane... all of 300 yards away.

Finances

Financially we are not okay.  We have a limited transfer budget - one I don't expect to use much of anyway.  And our wage budget is okay but miles behind what Wrexham is spending.  Still it's a lot more than some other clubs in the same division.  We'll be okay for the season but we hope to make a little bit of money going forward.

Edited August 15 by Blarney

[Blarney]

** I'm going to be busy for a few days so may not be able to update this, but it's not being abandoned **

[Rick87]

12 hours ago, Blarney said:

Cheers, much appreciated.  I am a little crazy that way but I like trying to come up with something that makes sense or draws in something about the club to my saves.  The idea of bringing in a legend's son or grandson to lead the team back to some semblance of prominence, especially with a club like Notts County is a major drawing point of the save to me.

Totally get it, When I manage a LLM save in England I'll generally use my own details. But when managing abroad or a bigger team I use an avatar I have used since about FM11, he's complete with backstory and has also been my pro on career mode of FIFA/EAFC.

 

Nice old ground Meadow Lane, been there a couple of times with Walsall years back but lost both times. It always seems crazy how close the two grounds are together across the Trent.

[Blarney]

The Independent Reports

Sports with Trent Crimm

Yesterday new Notts County manager, Eddie Sirrel, was introduced to the media and supporters.  He smiled, he answered a lot of questions and generally sounded like someone that was prepared for what was ahead in this journey.  As a young 23-year old that's been handed the reigns to a football club that's been on somewhat of a downward spiral over the past decade he mostly said the right things.

When asked what made him think he was ready for the job he replied, "I think one of my biggest strengths is confidence... and I don't mean that in an arrogant way.  I think you have to have confidence to do this job, really any good.  If you're not confident, if you don't believe that you can do it, you're probably not going to be very good at whatever it is you're doing.  I was only 9 years old when my grandfather passed away, I wish I would have had more time with him, but the time we did have together, I soaked up everything he had to teach me about the game.  And one of the most important things he taught me was something that you've probably all heard him say before.  The game isn't difficult.  You put your best players out there and you let them play.  He didn't care much for tactics or formations.  Just get the best players and teach them the game.  Teach them to believe in themselves.  To work together.  Now that's a very simplistic view of football.  He knew that, you know that, I know that.  There's much more to it than just that, but there also isn't.  That's the foundation of the game.  So do I think I'm ready to do that?  I think I'm ready to go out there and put my mark on this club.  To find the best players and put them in position to be the very best they can be out there on the pitch.  If we can do that, then I think we have a chance to do something here.

He's right, that's a relatively simplistic view of the sport but he's also right that it's not necessarily a wrong view.  Granted, it does take more than just throwing 11 guys out there that know their jobs and hoping they work together.  But in the end it is about talent.  I think there is talent on this Notts club but that talent hasn't been working together very well.  We've been good but not good enough.  This is our 4th season in the National League.  We've had a 3rd place finish and 2 5th place finishes in the previous 3 seasons.  We've made the playoffs each year... and each year we've failed to earn promotion.  So something is working... well enough to put us in contention, but it's not working well enough to get us out of the National League.  To that end, I don't disagree that something has to change.  Can a 23-year old come in and make that change?  I guess we'll see.

Eddie was also asked about his tactical approach and what sort of football he thought we'd see out on the pitch.  Here's his reply.  "I have this thing about scoring goals.  I mean not only is it the most exciting thing to see in the game but it's sort of how you win also.  If you can score more than your opposition, you're going to win.  Now, again, there's more to it.  You have to play smart and you have to play defense.  But I think if you can pressure your opponent then you're dictating the tempo of the game.  Hold possession, force the ball up the pitch, put pressure on your opponent to stop you.  So long answer short, I like to attack.  We won't be sitting back and waiting for things to happen, we'll be forcing the action."

I think most supporters will like to see that.

So here's my final thoughts.  Christoffer Reedtz, Chairman of Notts County, said that they had to make a change.  What was there wasn't working.  They felt they needed to shake things up.  The fact is this club has spent 3 years in the National League and 4 years in League Two before that.  We haven't been above the 3rd tier of the pyramid since 1994... nearly 20 years.  We have a proud history in this sport.  We can always says we're the oldest professional football club in the world.  We can always say we were there at the start, one of the founding members of the Football League.  We can say we've won the FA Cup... back in 1894.  But if we're being honest... we've been mostly irrelevant for 20 years.  I don't like saying it and you don't like reading it, but it's true... and we need to be honest with ourselves.

So with that train of thought, is it really outside the realm of "this makes sense" that the club has decided to go outside the box and hire a 23-year old to try and shake things up?  And let's remember, this isn't any 23-year old.  Now, we don't want to give him the moniker of "wonder-kid" or anything like that or announce right now that he's the answer or knows more than any other 23-year old in the world knows about the game.  But... if you're going to hire a 23-year old to lead your club, I think you start with one that's had the upbringing that Eddie Sirrel has.  Yes, he only got to spend 9 years with his grandfather but his dad spent his whole life with him.  And his dad was also a coach under his father and then worked with Notts County in player development for many years as well.  So I think that given all of that... it's not a bad starting point for what you're looking for in a manager.

But don't take my word for it.  Les Bradd - who played for Jimmy Sirrel - and is one of Notts County's biggest supporters and ambassadors to this day had this to say when he was asked about the hiring.  "I've known Eddie his whole life.  I know how much Jimmy loved that kid.  In fact Jimmy told me once about a year before he passed that one day Eddie was going to be a manager and he hoped he'd get the opportunity to manage this club.  I don't know that he thought it would happen so soon but I can tell you this with all honesty... Eddie Sirrel is one of the smartest kids I've ever been around.  He lives and breathes Notts County football.  You could not have hired anybody, anybody, that would have cared more about this club and this city than Eddie does.  So no matter what happens on the pitch, you'll never be able to question his heart or desire.  Now, I don't know and you don't know what sort of manager he's going to be... but give me someone with that passion, that spirit, that desire to win for his city and I'm going to stand behind them.  All I do know is that Eddie Sirrel will have my full support.  I think the team is going to love him.  I think the fans are going to love him.  He's going to come in here with some fresh ideas and he's going to be very open to talking with the men and trying to put them in position to be the best they can be.  Everything else will come with time."

I don't think you could have asked for a better endorsement.

So do I know what's going to happen?  No.  And neither does anybody else.  But I can't argue that things needed to change and maybe this is the change that was needed.

Here very shortly... we're all going to know for sure.

[Blarney]

The Independent Reports

Sports with Trent Crimm

County fans, it's nearly time.  The pre-season is over and it starts for real here in just a few short days when Maidenhead comes to Nottingham to face your Magpies.

Yesterday I had a chance to sit down with Eddie Sirrel and ask him a few questions about the pre-season and the upcoming campaign.

Here's some of that conversation.

Thanks for sitting down with me, Eddie.  First I'd like to ask your thoughts on the pre-season.  You had quite a few matches lined up with some pretty mixed results.  Are you happy with where the club is?

Yeah we wanted to get in about as many games as we could because we were looking to rotate our guys and give everyone a chance so we could see what we have.  We had a lot of decisions to be made about our final roster.  Look, my philosophy on the pre-season is pretty simple.  I don't really care much about wins or losses because most of the time you're not even playing your first squad... or at least not all at the same time.  What I do care about is preparation.  No matter who's out there on the pitch they need to be working on fitness and technique.  The only other thing I truly care about is getting through pre-season as healthy as we can as a club.  Luckily we accomplished that.  No major injuries to talk about.

Have you decided on a tactic?

Well we worked on a few things but I think the one that stuck the most is a 5-1-2-2 incorporating 3 on the back-line, 2 wing-backs, a defensive-midfielder who has the option to push up the pitch when needed, 2 center-mids playing mostly a defensive ball-winning role and then 2 attackers up front with Langstaff being the focal point and Scott playing on his side.  In my opinion it's sort of a hybrid formation, even though we technically have 6 back on defense, only 3 play on the line while the others play more middle-defense and have the ability to disrupt the opposition and counter-attack when needed.  I look at it sort of like being able to blitz the opponent.  I want players to have the fluidity to move around the pitch up and down when needed as I want to be able to push the attack at all times.

So it sounds like you want to try and control the pace of the match and disrupt your opponent as much as possible while pushing a counter-attack style of play?

It's almost like you've been in the coaches room with me!  That's pretty much exactly what we want to do.  I've said before I want to dictate the match.  We want to be in control, not reacting to our opposition but making them react to us.  We want to hold possession as much as we can, push the ball up the pitch and put pressure on our opponents.  When they have the ball we want to hassle them and force errors, pick our spots and counter-attack when we can.  It will take a lot of working together as a team and takes a good fitness level, because we're going to play at a high tempo rate all the time.  If we do those things I think we'll be okay. 

So you're about to manage your first professional match.  Any jitters?  Predictions?

I'll predict what I'm going to predict in every single game we play this season.  We're going to be prepared and if we're not then blame me.  We're going to leave everything on the pitch and if we don't then blame me.  We're going to play hard and fast and if we don't then blame me.  Win or lose what you're going to see if a bunch of players working toward a single, common goal and giving 100% effort.  As far as myself, I'm looking forward to getting it started.  We've spent a lot of time preparing for this and I think we're all just ready to get it started.

Speaking of okay... the betting line right now is that you're going to finish comfortably in a playoff spot this year, in fact just 2nd behind Wrexham.  Do you agree with that?

I think Wrexham has to be considered the favorite as for one thing they're probably outspending most of this league by a 3-1 margin and they've made some big moves.  It's not my job to worry about those things and I don't want my players to react to anything the media says honestly... no offense.  As for what I think about how the season will go... I think we've got a very good shot at being near the top.  We've at least done that for the past 3 seasons, so hopefully we can at least continue that and maybe challenge for the top spot if we do what I think we can out there.  That part is up to us.  We have to perform.

Two other predictions were made... one for Top Player and the other Top Goalscorer.  You had pretty good representation on both lists with Macaulay Langstaff, Ruben Rodrigues and Jodi Jones all in the running for Top Player according to The Athletic and Langstaff and Cedwyn Scott in the running for Top Goalscorer from Football Radar.  Thoughts?

No offense to any of those players but these are lists... they need to go out and perform and earn whatever praise they might get.  Saying that, it's good that they're being recognized as having the potential and the talent to possibly be considered for these awards.

Any final thoughts?  Anything you want the supporters to know?

We're looking forward to getting the season started and I'm really happy we get to kick it off at home in front of our fans.  We do have one small surprise for them.  We've decided to have a little fun and play some walk-out music when we take the pitch.  We've chosen a song called "Legend" by The Score.  We think it fits our new attitude perfectly and we hope that our fans will be singing along.  It will be the start of a new tradition at Meadow Lane.  Other than that, we thank you all for your support.  And here's to a great season.

 

Edited August 19 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Match One

from Meadow Lane

a resounding victory

We came out firing on all cylinders as it was 5-0 at the half.  I guess you could say there was a little bit of a let down, given we gave up 2 goals and didn't score in the 2nd half... but when you win 5-2 you don't sweat the small stuff.

We had a huge possession advantage and an excellent shot on target ratio.

The match went about as well as we could hope for our debut... including the hat-trick from Langstaff to get him off and running in the league.

[Blarney]

Media Reactions

First Match

The Independent

Things probably couldn't have gone much better for the Eddie Sirrel lead Notts County club.  While they were facing one of the teams in the league that's predicted to finish at the bottom of the table it still was a statement match for County.  I don't know that one match can tell a story about how a team is going to perform all season long, but a win has to be better than a loss and supporters have to be happy with this one.

The Non-League Paper

I didn't know what to make of the Eddie Sirrel hiring and honestly I still don't.  But you can't take away what Notts County did in their first match this season.  It was a pretty sound beating of Maidstone and a real statement of what this club could be if they play this way all season long.

Nottingham Post

We're not saying that Notts County and Eddie Sirrel in particular had to go out and have a really good first match in front of the home crowd... but if they had lost you can imagine that the "he's not ready crowd" would have been ready to pounce.  So for at least one match he's quieted the anti-Sirrel crowd.

Nottinghamshire Live

5-0 in the first half is a pretty quality half.  0-2 in the second half isn't.  Which is the real Notts County?

@TheBlackAndWhiteArmy Podcast

Where's the haters now?  I said Eddie Sirrel was the answer and he delivered in match one.  I'm stoked for what's coming!

@Magpie4Lyfe

I really wasn't sure what to expect but I'll take a 5-2 win every match, please.

@NottsCoFan4ever

I want the best for the club so I can't hate on the hiring but I'm still not convinced.  Great first half, really questionable second half.  Can we put together a full game?

@NateFromNotts

Great club win.  I don't know that I give the manager the credit.  Langstaff is a beast and would perform for Mickey Mouse most likely.

@StacyHeartsCounty

What a match.  Eddie Sirrel is the answer.  And he's cute!

@Notts4TheWin

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Won't stop 'till we're LEGENDS! That was fun.

Edited August 20 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Match Two

from Meadow Park, Borehamwood

another nice win

We controlled this match from the start.   1-0 at the half and then 2 more goals in the 2nd half before they put 1 in late.

Langstaff gets another.  Rawlinson somehow manages 2 as a center-back.... unexpected.

[Blarney]

Gateshead Preview

Trent Crimm

You're facing Gateshead at Gateshead International Stadium.  It wil be a homecoming for both Langstaff and Scott as you signed both away from Gateshead this season.  Scott scored 24 goals for them last season, while Langstaff was the both the National League North Player of the Season and Golden Boot recepient as he scored 32 goals total.  They also lead Gateshead to a promotion after 2 seasons in the NL North.  How do you think the reception is going to be for them and how are they feeling on the return?

Eddie Sirrel

I would think it would be warm and welcoming.  Transfers are just part of the business and I think most fans understand that.  It's hard to see your favorite players go but Langstaff and Scott helped that club escape the NL North and I think that the true supporters understand what they meant to that club last season.

Trent Crimm

It's only been 2 games but so far your attacking has been exceptional.  Langstaff has 4 goals in 2 matches and Scott has 1 goal with 2 assists.  It would seem like signing that duo has already paid off.

Eddie Sirrel

I can't think of a better attacking combination in the league, with respect to Mullin and Palmer at Wrexham and Beck and Dallas at Moors.  They are simply outstanding together and have real chemistry on the pitch.  I'm very excited to see what they can do this season.

[Blarney]

Match Three

from Gateshead International

very nice victory

Gateshead scored first and then we just pretty much steamrolled them.

Langstaff gets 2 and Scott gets 1 plus an assist in their return to their former club.  Gateshead actually put a lot of pressure on us, got off 13 shots and 6 of them on goal but Mair was a beast in front of the net and after letting their first shot go in, nothing else got past him.

[Blarney]

Chesterfield Preview

Trent Crimm

As you well know the supporters will be expecting a big match against rivals Chesterfield.  I don't remember ever reading much about what your grandfather, Jimmy, thought about rivalry matches.  He famously was friends with most of the other managers that managed during his time here so did that affect the general attitude of going against local rivalries or do you think it meant nothing to him?  And what are your thoughts on rivalries in the sport?

Eddie Sirrel

I'm not sure that grandpa ever met someone he didn't consider a friend or that considered him a friend, but don't confuse that with wanting to beat another club on the pitch.  That was a lot different than Sir Alex Ferguson.....

Trent Crimm

Sir Alex Ferguson from Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson?

Eddie Sirrel

I met him one time when he was over for lunch at my grandpa's house.  They were good friends.  I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions as we obviously got to discussing the sport.  There were definite managers that Mr. Ferguson went up against that he just didn't like and he really, really wanted to beat those clubs badly.  I think whatever the manager is feeling probably bleeds over to the club a little bit, so I think it's important to try and maintain some semblance of balance as the person that your guys are looking at to lead them.  If you're overly fired up it's probably going to put a little added pressure on the boys whereas if you maintain a more calm and cool attitude I think that has the ability to settle them down.  Regardless, personally I like rivalry matches... at least from a fans perspective.  I don't like the violence that someimes erupts from it... but having pride in your town or your football club definitely isn't a bad thing.

[Blarney]

Match Four

from Meadow Lane

another big win

Chesterfield played us tough.  We didn't score until the middle of the 2nd half and then put another in late to put the match away.

Our defense was stifling and that was the difference here.  They put up their fair share of shots but couldn't find the back of the net... and if you can't score, you're probably not going to win.  We'll take the close victory though, every time.

On another note... 14 fouls were committed by Notts and 9 on Chesterfield's side.  These 2 clubs don't like each other.

Edited August 20 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Match Five

from The Shay, Halifax

another clean sheet

Not a lot of offense in this match.  We only put up 7 shots total but 4 of those were on target and 2 went in.

Halifax was worse with only 4 shots, 1 on target and we held them scoreless.

We did hold a massive possession advantage though.

[Blarney]

Match Six

from Meadow Lane

they put up a fight

This is the first match this season that I'll say we might have survived... even with the 3-1 score.

Solihull had precious few chances with a resounding 64 to 36 possession advantage for us, but they made the most of them by putting up 14 shots.  Unfortunately for them - or fortunately for us - only 4 were on target.  Our defense held firm when we needed it.

On the other hand we had 11 shots, 6 on target and put 3 in.

It was sort of a "dirty" match (not as dirty as the Chesterfield affair) as both clubs had penalty shots - both made - and there were quite a few other fouls committed as well.

Edited August 20 by Blarney

[Blarney]

August in Review

Schedule

A perfect month.  It really couldn't have gone much better.  6 matches, 6 wins, 5 total goals allowed against 19 scored.

Langstaff scored in every match but one.  A very nice start to his Notts career.

Table

6 wins is good enough to put us at the top of the table after 1 month, but there are quite a few other clubs having good starts to the season as well.

National League Team Stats

Not surprisingly we find ourselves at the top of the rankings in multiple categories; goals scored, shots on target ratio, conversion rate and pass completion ratio.  We're also 2nd in average possession and just for good measure #1 in average attendance.

National League Player Stats

Who else but Langstaff leading the league in goals scored... and average rating.  Scott is tied for the league lead in assists and is first in shots on target ratio at an incredible 90% rate.

Finances

Made a little money this month... need to make a lot more.

[Blarney]

Match Seven

from Victoria Road, Dagenham

we keep rolling

Our defensive back end has just been stifling... and we keep scoring just enough to keep winning.

I'm loving the consistent possession advantage.  Just keep the ball away from our opponents and they're having a hard time doing anything against us.

[Blarney]

Match Eight

from Meadow Lane

pushed to the brink

Sometimes it's not about the shots you take but the shots you make.

Bromley really pushed us in this one despite the 2-0 advantage late in the 2nd half.  We just managed to put a couple in where they didn't - until late.

This was a good defensive win when our offense was struggling just a little.

[Blarney]

Match Nine

from Meadow Lane

it had to end -- somewhat -- I suppose

Disappointing but we knew that Aldershot was going to give us their best.

It's not a loss, so we take some small satisfaction from that... but at the same time we dominated this match.  It's one we really should have won.

A 70-30 possession advantage is crazy.  Not allowing a shot on target is excellent.

Not being able to score despite constantly pressuring them... unfortunate.

Credit to them for keeping us out of goal.

[Blarney]

Match Ten

from Meadowbank, Dorking

good comeback victory

Going down 0-1 on a penalty within 4 minutes of the match probably isn't the best way to start a game.

But it was pretty much all Notts from there.

It wasn't necessarily our best tactical match but we did control it and we got the win.

We are starting to show signs of being a little tired though - lack of depth will do that - so we're going to have to bring in some cheap reinforcements.

On a side note..... there sure are a lot of "meadows" in English Football... at least in this league.

[Blarney]

Transfer News

It didn't take long to find a few warm bodies.

And all were had for "free" which is exactly what we can afford.

Jonathan Dinzeyi

Jonathan is a former Tottenham prospect who also spent a little time with Arsenal.  To see him sitting there on the waiver wire (probably an American thing - meaning available) for free was a little surprising.  I'm not saying he's good but he ain't bad or at least doesn't look it.  He's very tall and tackles okay.  He also has good acceleration and pace.  He's not the best mentally but as good as our defense has been, we think he's going to be a good fit.

Luke Dreher

A former Crystal Palace prospect, Luke is still just 23-years old and looks to be a pretty competent defensive-midfielder.  He can also play center-mid but his lack of acceleration and agility doesn't really suit him for that position.  We needed another guy to be able to spell Palmer, so this is a good fit for us.

Nya Kirby

And then we have 22-year old, Nya Kirby, who also is a former Tottenham prospect.  Again, doesn't look to be an amazing player but what do you want for free.  He's got good pace, acceleration and dribbles the ball very well so he should be a good fit in the middle for our club and we could definitely use some more "talent" there along with Francis and Vincent.

Edited August 20 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Match Eleven

from York Community Stadium, York

winning streak activated

Another clean sheet.

2 more goals for Langstaff.

That's a winning formula.

[Blarney]

September in Review

Schedule

Aldershot had to go and ruin the run... but 11 matches down and we still haven't lost.  Not bad.  And just 2 goals allowed in 5 matches.

Table

6 points up on #2 Woking - who also haven't lost - but 10 points separating us from #3.  We could be opening up a rather insurmountable lead if this continues.

National League Team Stats

Still #1 in goals scored, although Woking has closed the gap.  Also #1 in possession, shots on target ratio, conversion rate and pass completion ratio.

National League Player Stats

Langstaff with the slim margin in goals scored but has dropped to 4th in average rating.

Finances

Losing money is not what we need.

[Blarney]

Match Twelve

from Meadow Lane

quality win

Altrincham was always going to be tough and they definitely brought the pressure but once again our defense proved the better.

Plus we brought out the offense in this one as well with 11 shots, 6 on target and 3 in the net.

Langstaff and Nemane score while Kirby puts in his first in a Notts kit.

[Blarney]

Wrexham Preview

Trent Crimm

You're facing off against Wrexham at home in your next match.  They were predicted to finish first this season and are currently sitting in 5th place.  Is this a match you're looking forward to and do you think it could be a statement match for your club?

Eddie Sirrel

I look forward to making a statement no matter who we're playing but yeah Wrexham might be a little special just because of the aura surrounding them right now.

Trent Crimm

Is that a good aura or dark aura?

Eddie Sirrel

I'm probably not counted as one that is against what they're doing there.  They're trying to win and I'm pretty sure that's what we're all trying to do.  There's a circus around them right now because of who their owners are and maybe that's good for the club and maybe it isn't.  It's up to their management team to make sure it's not a distraction.  But spending money and trying to win can never be considered a bad thing.  It obviously puts pressure on the rest of us to try and keep up and it's unfortunate that some just don't have the money to spend but that just means we have to be smarter.  It's not always just about money.

Trent Crimm

Is there maybe a little hidden message in there about Notts needing to spend money?

Eddie Sirrel

I want to win as much as the next guy.  But like I said it's not always about spending money... but that doesn't mean that sometimes you have to.  These things I don't control.  My job is to win with what's available to me and if that means that Wrexham out-spends us... then I have to out-think them.

[Blarney]

Match Thirteen

from Meadow Lane

that's a complete win

This might be our most complete and impressive win of the young season.

We absolutely man-handled Wrexham in this match.

We allowed only 3 shots, 1 on target and held a 65-35 possession advantage.

They had no answer to our pressure.

[Blarney]

Post Match Presser

The Independent

You have to be pleased after that performance.  Not many would have suspected that you'd push Wrexham around like that.  What went right?

Eddie Sirrel

It's football.  Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't.  Today seemed to be our day and everything we did just worked.  The next time we face them it might go differently.  I certainly hope not but you just never know.

Nottingham Post

So you're saying it's just luck?

Eddie Sirrel

No, not just luck although it would be foolish to say that sometimes luck doesn't come into play.  Wrexham is a much better club than what they just showed out there but I'm not taking credit away from the way we played the match either.  The next time we face them it might be 4-3 or 1-0... you just can't predict what's going to happen.  What I do know is that you train hard to perform on the pitch.  But even with all the training you still have to go out there and do it.

Nottinghamshire Live

You were very complimentary of Wrexham prior to this match.  Have your feelings changed at all after this match?

Eddie Sirrel

No, not at all.  Why would they?  I think Wrexham are a top club and I expect them to challenge us all season long.  But they're also not the only good club in this league.  There's a long way to go to get to the top and nobody better think it's going to be easy, because it's not.

[Blarney]

Match Fourteen

from Kingfield Stadium, Woking

a tale of 2 halves

I'm not going to lie, I was very worried in the first half of this match.

We had absolutely no answer to their relentless pressure.  We were lucky - I mean lucky - to escape down just 0-1 because it could have been 2 or 3 with the way they were playing in our half.  And on the other side we were showing nothing against them at all.  They held a possession advantage and a shot advantage.

Then the 2nd half started and it was like we were a completely different club.  All of a sudden we held the ball, we were getting shots off we couldn't in the first half.  And we completely blew them away with 3 straight unanswered goals.

Funny game this can be.

[Blarney]

FA Cup Preview

Trent Crimm

You're facing off against Warrington Rylands from the Northern Premier League in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.  This would seem like an excellent opportunity to give some guys a little bit of much needed rest as it should be a rather pedestrian match for your side.  Is that your thought as well?

Eddie Sirrel

I never want to take any opponent for granted but we "should" be the better side here, no disrespect intended to Warrington - who are currently leading their division by the way.  But I think they'd probably begrudgingly agree to the fact we should be better.  Just like we'd agree that if we went up against Forest we'd have to admit that right now they should be better.  Still that doesn't mean that when we met them on the pitch we wouldn't give everything we had to beat them.  I have a feeling Warrington feels the same way and will definitely try to bring everything they have at us.  In that way, we have to be ready for them.  I'll look at resting who I think needs a day off but we're not going to just walk out there thinking we're going to win no matter what.

Nottingham Post

You've had a really good run of games to start the season.  Is success in the FA Cup something that you imagine is possible?

Eddie Sirrel

I guess it depends on what you'd agree that success is.  I think we can hold our own here in the first few matches for sure.  I'd like to think that even if we face a club a step up or 2 we're going to not just roll over on them.  But we'll take it day-by-day and match-by-match just like we do everything else and not worry about what comes next week until we get past today.

Edited August 20 by Blarney

[Blarney]

FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifier

from Meadow Lane

a satisfying victory

The match honestly played out about how it should have.

No offense to Warrington but they just weren't in our league... in more ways than one.

[Blarney]

Post Match Presser

Trent Crimm

You're through the qualifier here in pretty easy fashion.  Any words for your opponents?

Eddie Sirrel

Nothing but praise for the way Warrington played out there.  They can hold their heads high that they came to our house and put it out there.  We were just a little too much for them today but I think they have a bright future.

Nottingham Post

Any thoughts about how far you think you can go after this impressive win?

Eddie Sirrel

Like I said before - as cliche as it is - we're taking it one match at a time.  I'll never bet against my guys so you put them in front of us and we're going to do our best to knock them down.

Nottinghamshire Live

You rested a lot of players today including Langstaff, Scott, Bajrami and Palmer.  Are you concerned that Warrington might have taken that as a sign of disrespect that you held 4 of your best players out of the match?

Eddie Sirrel

I did what I thought needed to be done for the best of my club.  I make those decisions never worrying, thinking or caring about what my oposition might think.  We put the team on the field that I wanted to put out there today, it was Warrington's job to try and beat them, no matter who it was.  It would be the same if we were going up against an Arsenal and they rested some of their normal starters.

[Blarney]

Match Fifteen

from Meadow Lane (Fan Day)

a little disappointing

It was one of those days where you just think you should have scored 3 or 4 easily... and you got 1.

Can't complain because you got the win, but this wasn't a good showing.

Edited August 21 by Blarney

[Blarney]

The Independent Reports

Fan's Day @ Meadow Lane by Trent Crimm

Meadow Lane invited fans to come watch the home team play Maidstone yesterday with fun and games galore for young and old alike.

Nearly 10,000 faithful showed up to watch the good guys win... albeit by a 1-0 score.

Notts ran rampant all over the pitch against Maidstone, holding a 76 to 24 possession advantage and getting off 17 total shots to just 7 allowed.  It was quite the showing for the home team in front of their supporters.  Unfortunately that's where the fun ended.  Despite all the shots and 10 of them on target, Maidstone was able to turn Notts attackers away time and time again.  Even superstar Macaulay Langstaff suffered as he got off 8 shots himself and at least 6 of them on target yet he couldn't find the back of the net.  He was alone with Maidstone keeper Daniel Barden twice... and he went off target once and the other time Barden made a brilliant save to keep his club in contention.

So while the supporters got to see a win, they certainly didn't see the best match exhibited out there by their home team.  However, as he has done since day 1, Eddie Sirrel gave credit to Maidstone for their "bend but don't break" style of defense and said it was just one of those days.  He applauded his club for applying pressure and said that one any given day if they played like that, they may have scored 3 or 4.

Regardless it seems that fans day was a huge success for the club and hopefully it will boost attendance going forward.

[Blarney]

Match Sixteen

from Grovernor Vale, Ruislip

domination

Ouch.  I almost feel sorry for Wealdstone but it's not our job to give up.  It's their job to stop us.

The funny thing is they got off a lot of shots but that shouldn't be too much of a surprise with as often as we were putting them in.  We gave them plenty of opportunities to get them back.  They just couldn't.

A hat-trick by Langstaff capped the scoring with 2 more added by Baldwin and 1 by Scott.

It was an impressive offensive display.

[Blarney]

Match Seventeen

from Meadow Lane

ouch

Well... okay, it had to happen.  Well I guess it didn't HAVE To happen but I assumed that it would at some point.

The fact it took 17 matches is a strong statement to how well we've been playing.

We just were not good in this match at all.

Our shooting was terrible.

[Blarney]

First Loss Presser

Trent Crimm

So it took 17 matches but you've finally - I don't know that finally is the right word - lost your first match.  What's your reaction and how is the team doing?

Eddie Sirrel

Well it had to happen at some point, I mean I wasn't going to go my whole career never losing a match.  I'm not horribly upset.  I think we did not play our best out there and that's my fault.  That's the only upsetting thing.  No disrespect to Torquay but we just didn't play well in front of the goal.  A lot of missed opportunities.

Trent Crimm

You decided to rest Macaulay Langstaff for this match.  Are you regretting that decision now?

Eddie Sirrel

I love Mac... absolutely love him.  But if this club is only about him and we're worried about losing just because we give him some much needed rest, we're in trouble as a club.  So no, I don't blame this loss on resting him and it's not something I'm going to look back at and wonder if we would have won with him.

Nottingham Post

It's been a good run up until now.  Is there any concern that now with this first loss that all the good things you've done might come undone?

Eddie Sirrel

No.  Absolutely not.  I have faith in my guys that they know this is just one setback.  We'll go back in training and work out some kinks and be better the next time out.  Nothing about what happened in this match is going to carry over.  That's not who we are.

[Blarney]

October in Review

Schedule

So we suffered our first loss of the season, but overall obviously still a good month.  5 league wins vs the 1 loss.  And a win in our FA Cup match as well.

Table

We are 9 points up on Woking now, who finally decided to lose a match (2) as well.

National League Team Stats

We slipped a spot in average possession but our stat domination has mostly continued for the past 3 months now.

National League Player Stats

Langstaff still on top.

Finances

Even making a small amount of money is better than losing any.

[Blarney]

Stockport Preview

FA Cup First Round

Trent Crimm

You're up against League Two side, Stockport in your FA Cup First Round match.  How has training been and do you think you have a chance at coming away with the win here?

Eddie Sirrel

We're as prepared as we're going to be, the boys are feeling good.  No major injuries to speak of currently.  We'll be at mostly full strength and ready to play.  That's about all I can ever ask.  We're going to go out there and give it everything we have.

Nottingham Post

You're traveling to Edgeley Park.  Does playing at their house make any difference to you compared to being at home?

Eddie Sirrel

We'll have our fair share of supporters traveling there but of course we'd rather be at home in front of our fans.  It won't make a difference in how we play though.

[Blarney]

FA Cup First Round

from Edgeley Park

so close

It just wasn't our day.

We went down 0-2 in the first half after a few missed opportunities.   We had one goal called back for off-sides which looked very close to me.  And then we hit the wood on another shot where Langstaff was 1v1 against their keeper.

We came out in the 2nd half playing better and put one in but then Stockport seemed to just sit back and harass us and we just couldn't get shots off.

Congrats to them for playing our game and dictating tempo.  They were just the better side today.

Edited August 22 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Transfer News

Rodrigues out

We were told early on that he wouldn't be considering renewing his contract and there were going to be work permit issues anyway so our best and really only option was to get whatever we could for him.

[Blarney]

Match Eighteen

from Roots Hall, Southend-on-Sea

last minute is as good as any

I really like the way Southend plays.  They control the tempo and wait for their chances.  We do the same so between both clubs it was just like playing a game of chess.

And it lasted nearly the full game.

Between the 2 clubs in the first half there were 6 total shots -- probably boring to most fans in the stadium - but it was all about possession and picking spots.

We ramped up the pressure a little in the 2nd half and finally got one in the 86th minute.  Just a few minutes later we got another on an own-goal which put the game away.

Credit Southend for really making us work for this one.

[Blarney]

Match Nineteen

from Silverlake Stadium, Eastleigh

clean sheet

So let's talk about our defense.

Since our first loss of the season 2 matches ago we've pitched 2 straight shutouts (definitely an American phrase - referring to baseball but means not allowed a score against us.)

Our offense on the other hand has definitely slowed down but a 1-0 win (as I've said before) is still a win.

What's really been impressive this season is our defense more than anything.

And honestly that's going to help us moving up the pyramid more than our offense will I think.  So hopefully that continues.

[Blarney]

Match Twenty

from Meadow Lane

3 straight clean sheets now

3 straight matches now where we have not given up a goal.

None of them have been easy but we're finding ways to win and that mostly revolves around not letting our opposition but the ball in the net.

That's a good way to continue winning... or at least earning a draw.

[Blarney]

Match Twenty-One

from Meadow Lane

streak over...

Let's be honest, it was bound to happen.  We couldn't hold our opponents out of the net each game for the rest of the season.

3 matches in a row was pretty impressive... and we only allowed 1 here.

Unfortunately we also only got 1, which seems to be a trend as well on our end.

By the numbers we probably deserved the win but we'll settle for the draw and try to figure out what's going on with our scoring.