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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

You sound like me with Notts County. No matter how many times I keep trying to do a save with them it fails for one reason or another. So I attempt a different club and ultimately it either fails or I miss Notts so much that I go back to them time and time again. Which is probably what I'm going to do again. Good luck with this, this time.

Gratz!!!!

Great win!!

I'm not sure I'm going to. I'm not flaking out again... it's a matter of the save not working the way I wanted -- meaning I had an idea about what I could do and I really can't so for me the save doesn't work. I could just go with it as it is and not worry about the details but that's never been me. The details -- the story -- has to work. I wanted to do a Ted Lasso save but I had never had the editor before or messed with it or even knew what exactly it could do. Once I got in I realized I coudn't change the owner or couldn't figure out how and that's a big part of the story to me. But I went ahead and dismissed that. I easily figured out how to change the names of players... no big deal. But then I realized that without editing players further that I wasn't really going to get the player I wanted to make the save the way I wanted. And to me that was just too much involvement and me making the story the way I wanted without it just being the story I wanted (if that makes sense). So I didn't change anybody stats... which was fine at first. But now that I'm in the game I'm realizing that I named a kid Jamie Tartt -- who's supposed to be a really good player but I don't know that he will be. He may just be a one and done type player and then that part of the story is ruined. Roy Kent I HAD to go in and change one thing about him to make him aggressive because that was his whole personality in the show.... but again I changed one thing with him and then felt bad about it after. But I went with it --- but in the end it's the same thing as with Tartt... I would have to force him to be the player and then coach I wanted rather than just generically letting the story happen. Other players I didn't change because it was a lot of work to mess with player names but not even be sure they'd be the players they were in the show. So in the end what I've done is create a Ted Lasso story... that's basically just a shell of what I was trying to do. So now I'm just sitting here wondering if I have any interest in just having a shell of the story I wanted to create or just let it go and realize that it can't be done the way I wanted. Oh... also the logo bothers me because I'm not talented enough to get rid of the white around it and in the game it looks bad and for some reason on the league table my team name is off-center as well.... which also bothers me. I know, that's stupid stuff, but it's all part of the investment in the story and that's not working for me. So here I am... stuck again. Trying to figure out how I want to continue. Oh and I fully realize that most of this sounds just.... "who cares" stuff, and maybe to some and in their stories it wouldn't... but to me and in my story it does.

FA CUP FIRST ROUND from Meadow Lane, Nottingham (I just love this stadium) We put up a fight Trent Crimm I assume that this is what you meant when you talked about morale victories prior to the match? Lasso We did everything we set out to do against a very good team in Notts County. My guys went out there and played hard, gave 100% and in the end lost to a late goal - deserved, but late. We hold our heads high after this one and I'd hope the supporters agree. Nottingham Post You seemed very appreciative of Notts County before the match. Has your opinion changed in any way? Lasso Absolutely not. I have a lot of respect for your team. Your fans should be happy with this result. Right now I'd say that you're in a place that we strive to be in. This is a beautiful stadium. It's a beautiful town. Your fans are loud. I wish you nothing but luck going forward in your season and hopefully down the line we'll get a chance to do this again.

FA CUP PREVIEW Notts County **yes this is funny** Trent Crimm You're facing Notts County who escaped the National League last season after spending 4 years there. They are currently 3rd in League Two. This should be a very tough match for your squad. How are you feeling going in? Lasso I'm actually a huge admirer of Notts County since learning their history. One of the oldset - or the oldest depending on what you believe - clubs in the game. A long history in English Football. Found themselves demoted a few years back and then went on a historic run last season to get back in the league. I mean they're sort of what we aspire to here, aren't they? We obviously don't have the history but we're fighting for recognition. Beating a club like them would be a good first step. Trent Crimm So you're predicting a win? Lasso I wouldn't bet against us but I'm the head coach so maybe I'm a little biased. It's going to be a tough match. We need to be prepared and we need to be on our game. If we are then I think maybe we might shock some people. Win or lose though the idea here is to be competitive. Show we belong. I don't want my guys to come undone if we lose here. I never want to come undone by one loss. If we go out there and play our game then we stand with our heads held high no matter the result. Charles Townes It sounds like you're predicting defeat? Are you setting your supporters up for a loss and trying to temper expectations? Lasso No. Not at all. I'm saying that in some matches it's how you play that's as important as the result. If we go out there and give everything we've got and the result doesn't go our way then that doesn't mean we played bad... it just means that it wasn't our day. But if we go out there and lose and play like we didn't belong on the same pitch then that's more than just a loss... that's an indictment on the coaching team, the players... everything. So what we want to do in every single match is belong. That's what I want to see out there. Charles Townes I think the supporters would want to hear that you have faith in your club and are obviously looking for a victory. Lasso I think we're looking to win everytime we step foot on the field.... pitch. If we're not then I'm not doing my job. But winning is a lot of things. Preparation is part of that. Heart is part of that. Desire is part of that. Those are the things that can be judged win or lose. If you don't have those things then a loss is more than a loss and a win doesn't mean as much. Nottingham Post Since you're new to the sport and the country, how are you finding life in London and with your new club? Lasso It's exciting. I said when I came here I think that there's not much difference coaching one sport compared to the next. If you're a coach, you're a coach. Obviously the rules are different, the game is different. But coaching is about people. I love Richmond. I love London. I love the people I've met here. I'd love to visit Nottingham and see the forest. That probably sounds very... touristy, but I'm a huge Robin Hood fan. I don't know how that plays here in England, it's probably a very American thing to be a fan of that story. But no, I'm very happy here. Very.

October in Review Schedule Make it 2 months unbeaten now. We are definitely rolling after our change in tactics. And we're moving on in the FA Cup. Life is good... right now. Table We're holding the top spot although Tonbridge has a game in hand. We're definitely not the only club in the league enjoying success at the moment, but sitting at the top sure does feel good. It looks like it's going to be a tough fight all season long. National League South Team Stats Our conversion rate is great.... our shots on target percentage -- currently at 37% -- is 5th worst in the league. National League South Player Stats Jamie Tartt (doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooo) is scoring goals... but his on target percentage is horrific. Finances How much money can we lose this season????

SIXTEEN from Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover Well.... a draw. 20 shots but only 3 on target....... ouch. Huge possession advantage but we really fell flat in keeping them from scoring on just 3 shots on target. A match we really should have won.

FIFTEEN from Kings Court missed opportunities Another match we "dominated" but we just couldn't find the back of the net. Very disappointing, but at least it wasn't a loss. Ben Seymour - who's been a pain in my backside because he whines constantly about not playing enough or not being the star - mised TWO nearly wide open shots, including one that bounced back to him from the keeper that he missed wide right with NOBODY in front of him. Not a way to make the manager want to give you more playing time.

FOURTEEN from Kings Court late goal for the win Again, didn't play our best... Worthing even held the possession advantage here. However they struggled putting up shots and we managed to put one in late for the win.

THIRTEEN from Wordsworth Drive, Taunton Quality win when we shot horribly I think I just said this is a funny game at time. We won this match while only putting up 3 shots... and making each one. Possession, tackles... everything else was equal. But we won.

TWELVE from Kings Court a nice late victory for the good guys Funny game this is at times. We absolutely DOMINATED this match. 11 shots to 4. 68% possession to 32%. More tackles won, more headers won... better average player rating. Yet somehow we barely sneak in the victory.