Blarney

MATCH EIGHT NOTTS COUNTY (2) VS BROMLEY (5) @ MEADOW LANE

MATCH SEVEN DAG N RED (14) VS NOTTS COUNTY (2) @ VICTORIA ROAD

TWO NEW GUYS Regan Booty Kian Flanagan So again we're really not talking anything special here, just bodies to fill a need. We did have to spend a little cash but it wasn't much and the moves needed to be made. Part of my thinking here is that I have a few older players on relatively big contracts and I'd like to dump them. So if I can bring in comparable younger players on smaller contracts then I can move the bigger contracts to help out with the budget and finances.

Gratz on the new "job." Pretty gutsy resigning after a decent year and hoping for something better. Glad it worked out.

Safe travels, mate.

AUGUST What a grueling month. Six matches. We faced (at the time) a 3rd ranked and two 4th ranked clubs... and escaped with a 5-1-0 record. At times it looked easy but it was anything but. The first couple of games were blowouts, 3-0 victories in both. Then we came back to win the 3rd match 2-1. Then 2 straight matches where we escaped with 1-0 wins. And then finally a match against Solihull where they jumped to a 2-0 lead before we got our first goal... then they scored again to go up 3-1 before we roared back with 2 goals to get the draw. Regardless, for the month we allowed no goals in 3 games and 1 or less in 5 matches. For a team that I was concerned about their ability to play defense that's a pretty good stretch against clubs that at least at the time were up at the top of the table. Unfortunately I started to notice that we were getting very tired quickly in games and obviously early in the season. Again, I don't have much depth at the moment and am trying desperately to bring in some more quality players. This will have to be remedied before it gets out of control. On a positive note... Langstaff went off for a hat-trick in his 2nd game after being shut out in the first match... and then went on to score 4 more times for the month. So 7 goals in 6 matches to start the season. I'll take that. Scott added 3 himself and Rodrigues and Jones both put 1 in each. We currently sit comfortably in 2nd place with York having a perfect month. And where is Wrexham? 16th and suffering a very slow start to their season. I don't think that's going to last.

MATCH SIX NOTTS COUNTY (1) VS SOLIHULL MOORS (4) @ MEADOW LANE

MATCH FIVE FC HALIFAX TOWN (3) VS NOTTS COUNTY (1) @ THE SHAY

MATCH FOUR NOTTS COUNTY (1) VS CHESTERFIELD (4) @ MEADOW LANE

MATCH THREE GATESHEAD (18) VS NOTTS COUNTY (1) @ GATESHEAD INTERNATIONAL STADIUM

MATCH TWO BOREHAM WOOD (18) VS NOTTS COUNTY (1) @ MEADOW PARK

OPENING DAY NOTTS COUNTY V MAIDENHEAD UNITED @ MEADOW LANE

A TRIO OF NEWCOMERS Harvey Cullinan Joe Ling Malachi Talent-Aryeetey Mostly just depth. But we needed depth. In fact we probably need more but as usual we're having issues bringing in greater quality as players are wanting bigger and better clubs. And as we've discussed our finances are a mess and we don't have a lot of money to throw around regardless. We're not Wrexham.... But a warm body is better than a dead body on the pitch... so these lads will have to do.

That's the spirit!

PRESEASON Win some. Lose some. Stay relatively healthy. Mission accomplished. Good to see Langstaff put 6 in the net. Can this carry over?

SEASON PREVIEW The Golden Boot The good money is on Langstaff... as it well should be. If he stays healthy I think there's every chance he wins this award. Mullin will be up there as well. Top Player I'm going with Rodrigues in this one... assuming I even keep him all season since he's already asked to be transferred. Dream 11 I'm taking Langstaff over Palmer up front. That's a pretty big error in judgment if you ask me. Who's Going To Win It All And of course the big money is on Wrexham, but at least we're #2 on the list.

MISC CLUB INFO I'm not so sure that Forest is a "fierce" rival since they play several levels above us, but they certainly are a cross-town rival. Mansfield and Derby are probably bigger rivals of late, but that's just nit-picking. We really need to get some better facilities. Meadow Lane is amazing but beyond that average training facilities, average recruitment and basic youth facilities just aren't going to get it done. This will be something we work on in the future. Once we secure our insecure financial status, that is. No, we don't have a lot of money to work with... but that's okay since most of my early moves will be only of the free transfer variety.

BOARD CULTURE AND EXPECTATIONS SUPPORTERS CULTURE AND EXPECTATIONS There's nothing here outlandish and pretty much fits right in with what I was planning on doing anyway. Possession and attacking football. Don't sign any old guys. Work within the budget. And win the damn league. (The board said to make the playoffs, that's not good enough for me... or the supporters who expect a promotion.)

MEET THE CLUB TOP PLAYERS We have 5 pretty good players on the club, real quality for this level actually. Unfortunately 2 of those players are here on loan and I already know we can't afford them, but we should make good use of them to help get us promoted. If you look closely though, it's apparent that we are top heavy in attack... with nobody of real quality in defense. It should be quite apparent what our goal is this year... attack, attack and attack some more. And maybe go find some good defenders. GOOD PLAYERS Bajrami and Francis maybe stand out here. Baj will be our top "stopper" whether he ends up playing in a DM role of CB role. We're going to rely on him, even though he is only 22-years old. SUBS I don't put everything into star rating as it can fluctuate but typically if I see someone that's only 3 or 3 1/2 stars I don't hold out too much hope for their future with the club. But depth is always good. FORWARDS Langstaff is a stud. I anticipate him being at or near the top of the list when it comes to scoring this season. Rodrigues and Scott out in the slots are capable players both... and will set up Langstaff quite nicely. Jones is here on loan but will fill in nicely when it's necessary to rest guys. MIDFIELDERS Baj, Palmer and Francis all have quality. We don't have a ton of depth but the guys we do have are decent at least. BACKFIELD We are just so weak here. Baj is great but he's probably going to play more as a Defensive-Midfielder which leaves me with 2 players here that I might be able to count on. We are definitely short-handed and need players here. KEEPER Mair is outstanding. He's also a loaner. We have a couple of other guys that can fill in but they're not starters. We have nobody in the system that can play at this position that I trust. Unfortunately I know we'll not be able to afford or keep Mair unless we can extend the loan so finding a suitable backup and potential down-line starter is a must. ASSESSMENT We are so good up front. We have a quality starting striker and 3 quality guys that can play on the wing that can all score or set up Langstaff. Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong, there's absolutely no reason that as a team we are putting the ball in the net all season long and potentially leading the league in goals scored. The backfield is my biggest concern. We have very little quality there besides Bajrami - in a Defensive-Midfielder role who can play Center-Back. And we absolutely have no depth... at least none I really want to play for any extended periods of time. We probably need 2 or maybe even 3 guys who can step in there and play. And another Keeper as well. So what's the plan? Simple. Outscore our opponents every match. We are going to play a very attacking brand of football. We are going to hold possession and counter=attack and push the ball up-field quickly. If we can keep pressure on our opponents, we should be able to control the game and then not be as penetrable on the defensive side.

Media Reactions Nottinghamsire Live A legendary name returns to Nottingham as William Sirrel, grandson of Jimmy Sirrel, takes over the helm at the Notts County Football Club. Reactions are mixed with some questioning whether he's ready while others are jubilant with the announcement of a Sirrel back in charge at County. The Athletic William Sirrel - the grandson of legendary Notts County manager Jimmy Sirrel - is named new manager at the club. When asked if he thinks he can match his grandfather's success he states that it'd be good to win his first match before worrying about his 246th (the number of games Jimmy Sirrel won as manager at Notts County). BBC Nottingham A Sirrel is back in charge at Notts County. Is the club hoping past success from another life leads to new success with this one? The Nottingham Post Nostalgia strikes Notts County as they look to the past to fix the present and advance to the future. Jimmy Sirrel's grandson, Will Sirrel, hopes to take charge at Notts County and provide the same direction and leadership that Jimmy did. The Guardian A 3rd straight year of making the playoffs and not earning promotion prompts the Reedtz brothers to make another change at Notts County and hire an unproven 26-year old to take over as head coach. The name shouldn't matter, this isn't Jimmy Sirrel in charge, it's his grandson Will, who hasn't proven he has what it takes to manage at this level... or any level. Nostalgia doesn't equal wins.

A new face with a familiar name Introducing William "Will" Sirrel, grandson of legendary Notts County manager, Jimmy Sirrel. Will is 24-years old but don't let his age fool you. He grew up in the sport - obviously learning tactics from his grandfather but also his father, who managed a couple of different semi-pro clubs around Nottinghamshire. He played the sport - learning at a young age in the Notts County Academy. He studied the sport - earning honors degrees at Loughborough University in both Sports Management and Sports Science. And he's taught the sport. While going to school he worked part-time with Notts in player analysis. And since receiving his degree he's been with Notts County full-time the past 2 seasons working closely with our Director of Youth Development... and working with our academy players. Notts County is in his blood. And for those reasons - and more - he's been named the head coach for his favorite team and the team that his grandfather managed 3 separate times. "Will has been involved with Notts County almost his entire life. He used to come to Meadow Lane with Jimmy and hang around the players talking about the sport. I've known him since he was born and watched him grow up to be a compassionate and caring individual that loves this town and loves this team. He's a smart kid, too, just like his grandfather. I can't imagine someone that would walk in here and want to do a better job for this team than Will. I also can't imagine someone wanting more for this club than he does. This is a fantastic hire," said Les Bradd when asked about the announcement. In the press release announcing the hiring, Chrisoffer Reedtz made this statement. "When we decided to let Ian go we met for a long time, Alex and myself and some of the rest of the backroom staff and advisors. The last few years have not been what we imagined or wanted for this club and the blame for that lies solely in our laps. We've been through 2 managers since we took over. And while we've made the playoffs the last 3 seasons we've failed to achieve our goal of getting back into the Football League. That must change. And it must change for our supporters, for our players and quite honestly for our financial situation and the future of the club. To that end we spent a long time discussing what qualities we wanted in our next manager. Obviously that list was long... but one of the top qualities we wanted, one of the things we needed, was a manager that truly cared about this club and our vision. One that wanted promotion as much as we wanted promotion. One that wanted the very best for this club and, while it may sound cliche, one that bled black and white. So we looked at a lot of applicants that had ties to Notts County or at least Nottingham in general and we just kept going back to one. And what made this one unique is that nobody we looked at had more ties to this club than William Sirrel does since his grandfather managed this club through some of the best years in team history. Now, obviously, that's not enough to just say "he's the guy" just because his grandfather was a legend at the club. William has been with Notts County in our player analysis department and youth development for the past 4 years. He's a graduate of Loughborough University and earned 2 honors degrees there in Sports Management and Sports Science. He played football at the Notts Academy when he was younger. His father was a trainer, a coach and then a manager in his own right. To say that Will has football in his blood might be the understatement of the century. But that's still not enough. Then we talked to him. Jimmy passed back in 2008, which means we never got a chance to know him but we've learned plenty about him from players like Les Bradd and others who are still around the club. William was employed by the club before we took over ownership so other than in passing we'd never really had much of a conversation with him either. We knew who he was, he hung around Les and some of the other old-timers that came around... the players that knew him as a kid. He held a special place in their hearts because he was Jimmy's grandson. So when we got a chance to sit down and actually discuss the game with him, we saw what everyone else saw... this guy was special. You could tell immediately that he was a student of the game, which makes sense knowing where he came from. He also understood analytics and that's obviously something very near and dear to our hearts. To be honest, if we didn't offer him this job, we'd be making him a head of one of our analytical departments with Football Radar. The guy is whip smart. One thing that you could also tell is that he really wanted the job, he wanted the opportunity... but he also understood the magnitude as well. He knew that Notts was underachieving but that didn't mean that he thought it would be a simple thing to achieve our goals. He knew it would take hard work, some patience and a lot of time spent on the training grounds. There was a lot more to the interview but in the end we knew he was our guy. It's time for another Sirrel to take his place at the head of the Notts County Football Club. It's time for William Sirrel to make his own name. We are proud to announce him as the new Head Coach for your Notts County Football Club."

County Ownership and Management Sometimes I think that it would be easier to list everyone in the world that hasn't had a hand in either ownership or management of Notts County. But then I realize that this isn't really just indicative of Notts... but really English Football as a whole. There seems to be a real revolving door with most clubs when it comes to ownership and even more so when it comes to management. I think that's partly due to the fact that while owning a football club sounds cool, which it really does... the stark reality is that if you're not a Premier League club or at least one that bounces back and forth from the Premier League, you're just not really making much money. It has to be a passion much more so than an investment. Granted, if you can build your club - much like what the ownership group in Wrexham is trying to do - then you can potentially build yourself up a nice little investment. The question becomes how much money do you throw at it to build that investment. So that's the question that is facing Notts County ownership at the moment. County is currently owned by Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz, 2 Danish brothers that purchased the club from Alan Hardy back in 2019. The club was in financial disarray when they bought it and millions were owed in overdue wages to both players and staff. This followed a pretty long line of ownership problems - maybe the worst of which was the Munto Financial debacle in 2009. One could say that that scam - and it was a scam which set back Notts MILLIONS in debt - started a downhill spiral that they still haven't completely recovered from. Alan Hardy sharing his privates on social media whilst in the midst of not paying debts maybe comes a close second. Yes, Notts County ownership has been a disaster. But there's quiet optimism regarding the Reedtz brothers. Christoffer and Alexander are owners of the statistical football analysis company Football Radar, which was formed in 2009. Yes, Chris and Alex are stat-heads... a new breed of ownership that believe in a more progressive style of breaking down the game and players based on analytics. Football Radar was founded in Copenhagen - where the Reedtz brothers are from - but now has headquarters in London, England. One of Football Radar's main goals was to increase their presence in the lower levels of the English Football League. In 2019 the brothers decided another way to increase their presence within the league was to purchase a club... and hence Notts County was bought. Now, unlike a lot of other ownership groups, the Reedtz brothers had no prior ties to Notts County and no reason to target them other than their availability, but that doesn't mean they haven't come to love the town and the club. Chris, especially, follows the club around and attends most matches and both brothers take pride in their availability to both media and fans - frequently spending time after home matches meeting with fans and taking pictures and answering questions. That's all well and good... but the goal here is to win and earn promotion. To do that you need money and you need smart people running your business. So let's talk about management. So this has been another real revolving door for Notts County. Over the past decade there have been 11 different voices - between caretakers and head coaches - that have given instructions at the club. That's just not sustainable or good for business. It makes it worse that a number of those managers didn't even last a year, some making it only a few months. The last manager that made it over a year was Neal Ardley - who was in charge from the end of 2018 to March of 2021. Neal took over in the midst of one of Notts' worst seasons and was unable to turn things around, eventually seeing them relegated to the National League. He then lead them to a 3rd place finish in the 2019/20 season but failed to earn promotion through the playoffs. His 2nd full season in 2020/21 he was sacked in March with the team sitting in 6th place on the table. Some supporters were more than a little taken aback by the move but Christoffer explained it by saying they felt the club needed to go in a different direction and once that decision was made there was no reason to wait. He was replaced by Ian Burchnall who lead the club over the last few months to a 5th place finish in the league but another loss in the playoffs ensured another season in the National League. In the 2021/22 season Notts once again finished in 5th place and once again earned a playoff spot and a chance at promotion. Unfortunately for the 3rd straight season, Notts was turned away in the playoffs and failed to earn promotion. Once again this prompted the Reedtz brothers to make another decision regarding the future of the club... and in early June of 2022 they decided to let Ian go. That brings us to today... and the announcement of a new face taking over at Notts County.

James "Jimmy" Sirrel Born 2 February 1922 Died 25 September 2008 Jimmy Sirrel was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His football career began in 1945 when he signed with Celtic. Sirrel was not a big man by any stretch but he had a certain tenacity about him that endured him to fans. He was a capable defender and played hard on the pitch when given opportunities. Unfortunately he was often injured - partly due to his playing style - and between 1946 and 1948 he played in only a handful of games. He ended up leaving Celtic in 1949 and joined Bradford Park. He only made 12 appearances with Bradford before moving on to Brighton and Hove Albion where he made 55 appearances over 3 seasons. Aldershot was his next destination and he made 31 appearances there over 3 seasons. Jimmy was hired as a trainer at Brentford in 1965 before being named their manager in 1967. But it was in 1969, when he made his move to Notts County, that his and their fortunes would begin to change. Between 1969 and 1975, Jimmy lead Notts from Division 4 to Division 2. He left for 2 seasons to join Sheffield United but in 1977 returned and lead Notts County to Division 1 in 1981. Jimmy temporarily retired following the 1982 season but returned to Notts for the 3rd time in 1985-1987 after they had fallen back to Division 3. Unfortunately he couldn't recapture the magic from his first 2 turns as manager and retired from the game for good. He left Notts as their winningest manager and a legend to players and supporters alike for his passion and dedication to the game and to Notts County. Players joked that the Scottsman had quite the temper behind the scenes - sometimes throwing jugs of tea across the dressing room when he felt he wasn't being listened to - but that he was always fair and had their best interests first in his heart. His favorite saying was "if ye dinnae score, ye dinnae win!" Les Bradd - Notts legend and all-time leading scorer - said that Jimmy Sirrel just had that certain infectious spirit and passion that just always got the best out of his players. Don Masson said that he owed "everything in my football career to Jimmy. He was fantastic." Even after his retirement, Jimmy stuck around Nottingham - moving to Burton Joyce - and Notts County, becoming an ambassador of sorts for the club. In 1993 County renamed the newly redeveloped County Road Stand the Jimmy Sirrel stand. Notts also put his statue out in front of Meadow Lane as well. When Jimmy passed in 2008 thousands of Magpie supporters showed up at the grounds and paid tribute to the man and the legend. He will surely be missed but his spirit shall remain. And so will his legacy....

Notts County by the Numbers 1862 The year Notts County was founded - making them the oldest professional football club in the world... allegedly. 1888 One of the 12 founding members of the English Football League. 11 Where they finished in the league their first season. Only Stoke City finished worse. 3 Their highest finish in league history which happened twice - first during the 1891 season and then again during the 1900 season. 1891 First FA Cup final - a loss to Blackburn 3-1. 1894 FA Cup Champions after a 4-1 victory over Bolton. Their only victory... and in fact the last time they've even reached the final. 1910 Meadow Lane is opened. It is an all-seat stadium with about a 20,000 capacity. 4 As in Division 4. That's where Notts County found themselves at the start of the 1969 season since being relegated in 1964. 1969 Jimmy Sirrel is hired. 1971 Notts County earns promotion back to Division 3. 1973 Notts County earns promotion to Division 2. 1981 Notts County earns promotion to Division1. Unfortunately it only lasts 3 years but it was a dramatic rise in their fortunes over the past dozen seasons compared to where they were. 246 The number of wins Jimmy Sirrel had during his 3 stints with Notts Co. 2009 Munto Finance takeover of the club. This ends in disaster as it turns out it was all a scam. The club faces financial crisis and a winding up order. 2019 The year Notts County was relegated to the National League. 157 How many years Notts County was in the English Football League before being relegated to the National League. 2 Brothers. Alexander and Christoffer Reedtz who purchased Notts County in 2019. 5 Where they finished on the table the past 2 seasons. They finished 3rd their first year. That means they have made the playoffs all 3 seasons they've been in the National League and have yet to earn a promotion. 564 The number of appearances by Albert Iremonger. The most in team history. 125 The number of career goals scored by Les Bradd. The most in team history. 39 The number of goals scored in a single season by Tom Keetley, a Notts Co record. 30 Their highest win total which was accomplished back in 1971. 99 Their highest point total which was accomplished in 1998. .26 The number of miles separating Meadow Lane from City Ground where Forest plays. They sit on opposite sides of the river Trent. But the most important number is 1 One Goal. The first goal. To get back to the Football League.

Wait. Wait. Don't stone me yet. Listen to my plea. I have my computer back. I've been messing with it for a day. So far, so good. I went in and was messing with my "new" idea of recreating Wakefield after my disastrous 2 outcomes with my last 2 Notts saves. I was downloading images and coming up with ideas and trying to figure out the differences between running a much lower tier team, including the fact they were part time players and what that meant going forward. But in the back of my mind (and my heart)... as usual... there was Notts. My team. As much as anything is my team since I live in the good ol' USA now but I've been all through that. And as they say... "what the heart wants." No, but really, I had planned on going forward with Wakefield and waiting until next season and just buying FM24 and redoing Notts but the fact is Wrexham just wrapped up the National League with a record breaking performance - most wins, tied for the fewest defeats, most points. And see, I can't have that. It's nothing personal against Wrexham, honestly I like the team. I like what Ryan and the other guy have done with it. I like their passion. I think most fans wish they had that in their ownership. But there's Notts. There's what that team should be. There's the fact that we've put up nearly a record breaking performance ourselves this season after losing out in the playoffs 3 straight years and it could happen again this year. And in my little online fantasy world.... we can't have that. I mean, assuming of course I can get them promoted... again. So far I'm one for one in trying. So while most of you are probably sitting there reading this, shaking your heads and wondering what drugs I'm on (I'm not), I'm just sitting here needing to give this one more try. Because I want to. And since it's my save, I guess I can do what I want. If you want to come along for the ride, awesome... glad to have you. And if I crash and burn... y'all can laugh right alongside me. So if you're still with me, I'm basically just going to recreate what I did so a lot of the intro is going to be exactly the same as some of you have read. Same manager as well because I liked that idea. No, my "cloud save" still hasn't synced - I checked - so there is no just picking up where I left off... but I'm just going to pretend none of that actually happened and just use the same idea I had. Anyway, we're off... thank you for understanding my madness.