Issue 5

BLACK & WHITE #5 - APR ‘13 - £1

the Notts County fanzine

BLACKAPRIL & WHITE MIDLAND YOUTH CUP FINAL FRIDAY, GE 1 TH WALSALL YT v NOTTS COUNTY YT PA26

WELCOME TO NOTTS’ FUTURE They say we have to look at the youth as a way forward, developing young players for the future.

Going to watch the youth team for their first home game this season, I was left thinking that we have a long way to go, but slowly things have improved.

Going a goal down in extra time was not what we wanted to see. My thoughts went straight back to the Walsall game. But this time, heads didn’t drop, they carried on attacking and got their reward with a 2-1 win. I was invited to take some pictures in the dressing room afterwards, and also travelled back on the team coach, The coaching staff have set standards, shirts must be taking plenty of pictures - and eating their pizza. tucked into shorts, black boots only, none of these silly colours that players wear for the 1st Team, it all sets the But on a personal level, I have really enjoyed following scene for the professional standards the club want, and the team this season. What started off as just trying to the players grounded. out my new camera has led me to taking thousands of pictures which are now used by the club and players As the season has gone on it has become obvious that themselves. It has been good watching the players the lads have gelled together both on and off the pitch develop and a few of them appear with the first team, - following the banter on Twitter, it would not be lost in Romello Nangl, Kyle Dixon and Malachi Moore, but just a script of the Inbetweeners. On the pitch results were missing out on a game was Goldie, as he was going to be getting better. For me, a game that really got the team on the bench for the FA Cup replay against Rotherham, going was a cup tie versus Grimsby played at Meadow which was called off just before kick off.

Lane.

I have been fortunate to get close to the team, getting to They love playing on 1st team pitches, and at home in know the players and have a good chat with them. The front of some very proud parents they played as a team coaching staff as well have been so accommodating so and ground out a 2-1 win. Not scared of scoring goals thanks to Mick, Brett, Lee and Darren! they’ve put six past Scunthorpe, five past Hartlepool and Rotherham, but a real low point was a cup match against A number of the players are in their second year, and Walsall. A 7-2 defeat saw a lot of heads drop during this is the time when their futures at Notts County are that game, you were left asking how the team had been decided, so good luck to those lads. They have all made playing so well yet never turned up for this one? me very welcome and almost part of the team, sharing the good and bad times.

But heads soon lifted again, from their attitudes you knew something had been said and players were made I could name all the squad individually, but they are a to look at themselves. The next four league games saw team, and being led by captain Kyle “Scholesy” Dixon, them scoring 10 and conceding three and without losing, can hold their heads high when they look back over took the team into the biggest game of the season to this season at the highs and lows, and being bored to date, the Midlands Youth Cup Semi-Final. This was to be death by stewards when acting as ball boys at first team played at Greenhous Meadow, against Shrewsbury Town. games, my heart goes out to you Harry and Guesty!!

They were looking forward to this game, especially as Lets hope my last few action shots of the season, are of the team sponsor On Call had laid on the 1st Team coach the lads showing off the trophy at half time when the first so they could travel in style. While I was taking photos team play Coventry tomorrow afternoon! of them warming up you could see both from the players and coaching staff, that they were preparing well for the game, but in a relaxed way, with the usual ones posing Andy Stokes for their photos! @AndyJStokes

BLACK & WHITE PAGE 2

BLACK WHITE

& PAGE 2 & Andy Stokes for use of their photos Black & White thanks John Sumpter of JMS Photography

BLACK & WHITE #5 - APR ‘13 - £1

the Notts County fanzine

LEE HUGHES 2012/13 REVIEW FANS v PLAYERS

His very last Notts interview

It was fun at one point, honest The concluding part of the story

ALSO FANS v PLAYERS SEASON TICKET RENEWALS BOOOOOOING 1975/76 & MORE

INTRODUCTION

It actually happened! I did mention in the intro for issue four that we’d been pushing to get an interview sorted out with Hughesy. As it happened, the day after we sent the final proof to the printers, I had a call from Paul to say Lee had just spoken to him and that the interview was on!

This issue was going to come out during the closeseason but with the interview confirmed it made perfect sense to get it out of the last game of the season. And let’s be brutally honest - what’s likely to happen today that’s going to make a difference to anything in these pages?

You have the issue in your hands so there would be no sense in me unncessarily over-hyping the interview, but it makes for incredible reading - I dare say it’ll be the basis for many a rant on Notts Mad, several Facebook posts and plenty of emails to the club. Hughesy’s words put across his love for the club, as does Paul on Lee’s behalf in his own article. As the season has fizzled out it’s been difficult not to ponder what his absence has ultimately done to our season. Reading his thoughts certainly haven’t helped that.

Both Keith Curle and the board come off poorly in equal part. But that he only heard from Keith Curle that the board said he was needed out of the club concerns me meanwhile Lee points out the shirt number change and a system that that was to his detriment as a reason for

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not doing so well this season. It’s a matter I had hoped to cover from the board’s side in an interview with Ray Trew but that hasn’t happened in time - it’s certainly something I’ll be going back to in issue six to provide some balance.

Such is the current climate though that I imagine many will have made their minds up long before that interview happens - but there are two sides to every story. I’m sure that second side will be just as revealing, eventually. Regardless, Lee Hughes sells. Pre-orders of this issue were unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

That he seems to think Notts fans could forget the good times whilst he was here is incredible.

But PLEASE, don’t let the Lee Hughes interview be all you read from these pages because this is our best issue yet!

This is the last issue for this season. Issue 6 will be out by the end of the Summer, just in time for us to look back over the few months between now and then.

Thank you to everyone who picked up a copy from us this season and helped make the fanzine such a success - whether it was from issue one on the first day at Crewe, or this fifth issue on the final day.

Cheers!

Stu @BlackWhiteZine

Have the next six issues delivered straight to your doorstep before their matchday releases.

blackandwhitezine.bigcartel.com

CONTENTS

The biggest thank you of this issue goes out to David Prest for his help in getting the Hughesy interview together. I can’t thank him enough for his patience and assistance on this. Same also to Paul Smith as well who made time in his schedule to come up from London to make the interview happen.

The Season So Far ................................. 5

Then of course this issue’s contributors Jacob Daniel, Ian Cooksey, Richard Ogando, Richard Mottershead, Drew Dennis, Helen Faccio, Mark Dowding, Piran Lynn-Smith, Dean Fido, Stephen Moore, Luke Williamson, Graham Farquharson and Ian Marsden.

Non-Renewal Is Not An Option .............. 22

Since this is the last issue of our first season, thanks also to Damon Threadgold, Sean Redgate, Darren Patterson, Dave Straw, Jake Phillips, Aston Perrin, Alan Combes, Dave Fells and Sam Robinson for their contributions throughout the season.

Again as well, thank you to Richard Ogando for helping making Black & White happen!

DISCLAIMER

The Black & White is an independent release produced by fans and as such has no official affiliation with Notts County Football Club. The views in each publication reflect those of the individual contributors themselves.

Jacob’s Season Review ........................... 8 Hughesy: Notts Through And Through ... 10 A Day In The Life ............................... 10 Lee Hughes interview .......................... 14 Non-Renewal Is The Only Option ............. 23 Giving Youth A Chance ......................... 24 What We Need By Next Season ......... 25 Hey Dad! We Got Cushions ................ 26 The Jimmy & Jack Appeal ................... 27 Tears For Souvenirs ............................ 28 Reasons To Be Semi-Optimistic ............ 30 Ta-Boo, Or Not Ta-Boo ....................... 31 Our Next Generation .......................... 32 My Dream XI ....................................... 33 Great Expectations?

........................... 34

Passion & Commitment ....................... 36 A Season To Remember: 75/76 ............ 37 Ten Non-League Players To Sign ......... 38 End Of Season Awards .......................... 40

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2012/13 - THE STORY SO PART FARFOUR

Despite being unbeaten in the last six of Chris Kiwomya’s seven games in charge, any hope of reaching the play-offs was slipping away thanks to an inability to finish games off. As it happened, at the start of this roundup Notts (in 10th) had scored the same amount of goals as League One leaders Doncaster Rovers, and had only conceded three goals more! Tellingly though, no side in the division had drawn more games than Notts.

MARCH 19th, 2013

CRAWLEY 0, NOTTS 0 Two sides who back in midNovember played out a frustrasting 1-1 draw (thanks to Johnny Forte’s equaliser for Crawley).

That game offered pretty decent entertainment value. This one certainly didn’t. In fact bar Haydn Hollis clattering his own crossbar, and Enoch Showunmi’s first touches drawing a save from the home ‘keeper, this was as negative as it had been all season.

“DA DA DAAA DA, PASS IT BACKWARDS! DA DA DAAA DA...” we sang.

MARCH 12th, 2013

NOTTS 0, PRESTON 1 Crawley manager Richie Barker said that after that game that “League One promotion chasers were running scared”, and that Notts had “parked the bus” en route to that draw. Ironic then that the next game would be against the side who’s manager (of the time at least) Graham Westley was the one who uttered those words first.

That was before the game in which Notts winger Jamal CampbellRyce broke the leg of North End’s Scott Laird. This was as their own supporters called it, time for “major beef”. Stop laughing.

Campbell-Ryce went off “injured” early on anyway, so there’s no sense in bringing him up beyond that. His replacement Curtis Thompson was easily the best of a very, very bad bunch in another dour Meadow Lane performance. It would be Haydn Hollis’ first half own goal that would seperate the sides.

But the last midweek game of the season at the Lane - witnessed by just 3219 Notts County fans - was as painful an evening as we’d seen in some time.

An ultimately unsavoury evening’s entertainment.

MARCH 16th, 2013

NOTTS 1, SCUNNY 0 A win’s a win as they say, but in all fairness this was a victory in which Notts were grateful just as much to matchwinner Dean Leacock as they were to the returning Karl Hawley.

Deano’s strike with ten minutes of play left was vital, but Hawley’s best performance for Notts is said to have left him in tears at the final whistle.

On no less than three occasions did “The Hitman” (don’t laugh) look certain to find the back of the net only to fail miserably.

MARCH 23rd, 2013

SWINDON 0, NOTTS 0

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At any other point of the season we’d be hailing a decent away point at the division’s top scorers. When it’s the play-offs being chased though there’s little of note that you can take from a game like this.

Bartosz Bialkowski was for the second time this season the thorn in Swindon Town’s side with a string of world class saves. But what the home side had in volume of chances, Notts made up for in the clarity of theirs. Enoch Showunmi had a header cleared off the line, Neal Bishop’s effort from eight yards was parried away, and Alan Judge’s delicate lob needed to be fingertipped at full stretch over the bar.

Like I say, a decent away point if it wasn’t for the desperate need for three points to lift both the players and the Notts fans.

MARCH 29th, 2013

BRENTFORD, 2 NOTTS 1 A (for many travelling fans) beer soaked Good Friday afternoon in London that likely left plenty with twice the hangover.

This was a game in which the difference having strikers who can make things happen makes to a side. Whilst Notts must persist with the seemingly bored Yoann Arquin and the always trying but not quite upto it Enoch Showunmi, Brentford have the embarassment of riches of Clayton Donaldson and Bradley

time appointment of Chris Kiwomya.

APRIL 13th, 2013

NOTTS 3, COLCHESTER 1 It’s not often these last few months that I’ve been able to summarise a game in a positive light - but it’s nice at least that I can finish off this last game I’ll cover this season in a positive light.

Getting the obvious part out of the way first - Colchester are not a good team. They’ve been in a relegation fight for much of the season and as of writing they’re still not clear of danger with two games left to play.

Wright-Phillips who were always a handful.

Bialkowski’s clanger after 20 minutes gifted the hosts a deserved lead.

Poland’s Number One (Poland’s, Poland’s Number One) was replaced at half-time because of “illness”.

It allowed the evergreen Kevin Pilkington, 143 years of age to make his 150th appearance for Notts. But he was helpless to stop BWP doubling the advantage in the second half. Alan Judge would snatch a consolation with 15 minutes left, grabbing the rebound from Jamal Campbell-Ryce’s missed penalty.

It sparked what was amongst the promising periods of play that we’d seen for months - not that it mattered by the final whilst though.

APRIL 1st, 2013

NOTTS 1, YEOVIL 2 In a case of history repeating, for the second season in succession Notts followed up a Good Friday trip to the capital city with an Easter Monday fixture against Yeovil Town. Last year, a Lloyd Sam hat-trick led Notts to victory - much to the dismay of an always grouchy Gary Johnson.

He was the happier of the two managers this time though. On an increasingly disgraceful Lane surface his side made the long trip back south with three points thanks to Matt Dolan’s second half free-kick catching out Fabian Spiess at his near post. It came just three minutes after Alan Judge had put away penalty to equalise Paddy Madden’s first half opener. He was unfortunate to not earn a second penalty too given his was a tripped in the area a second time - instead he was booked. The game killed off the faintest of playoff hopes that the club harboured.

In the post-match tweeted words of Alan Sheehan: “This was the year to

go up and we’ve blown it.”

APRIL 6th, 2013

B’MOUTH 3, NOTTS 1 In the previous game against Yeovil, Jeff Hughes was guilty of Notts’ miss of the season in somehow stabbing the ball wide from six yards with it looking easier to score. He wasted no time however in attempting to make ammends in this game as he headed Notts into the lead in just the second minute of play! As good a start as Notts have made in recent weeks, but it wasn’t to last long. Goals from Matt Ritchie and Brett Pitman (featuring a rugby-style hand-off as an assist) in the first half, and a late (cruel) Ritchie second saw the game if with consumate ease.

In November, Bartosz was unstoppable in keeping Ritchie of then Swindon Town at bay for 90 minutes. This time - not so much.

In spite of a renewed second half effort when down to ten men thanks to Andre Boucaud’s second obscene sending off of the season, this was a third straight defeat since the full

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That said, this very first example of how important Notts’ youth ranks was a most satisfying excercise.

Curtis Thompson and Tyrell Waite made their first senior starts, Haydn Hollis was reinstalled to defence, whilst Romello Nangle would make his own headlines later in the game.

Notts took a first half lead through Jeff Hughes, poking home Waite’s cross after sharp work down the right. Shades of his miss against Yeovil as Showunmi made a hash of connecting, but Hughes scrambled the ball over the lines this time.

The visitors equalised though, Jordan Ibehre tried his hardest to miss, but it was 1-1.

In the second half Waite would make way for Yoann Arquin - and the often lacking Frenchman headed home Alan Sheehan’s corner within five minutes. Enter Nangle.

It was he who deep into injury time converted Enoch’s low cross into the area to make it 3-1 and spark wild scenes of celebration.

APRIL 20th, 2013

DONNY 0, NOTTS 1 It’s with great pleasure that I’m able to end these season’s updates with easily Notts’ best performance of the season, on what was comfortably the best away day of the season, to witness Notts’ best goal of the season.

675 travelling supporters made the trip to the Keepmoat Stadium - most if they’re honest will tell you they never expected anything like they saw. For the top of the table hosts, the task was simple. Win, and they’d be promoted if results elsewhere went their way. Not saying they took beating Notts as a given, but the matchball was delivered onto the field by someone based on a promise built around Doncaster Rovers earning promotion.

In the last game of Andre Boucaud’s suspension, and with Neal Bishop still injured, Alan Judge returned to the Notts side from his own spell on the sidelines. As too did Krystian Pearce for his first start of the season.

way traffic, and it offered further evidence that Notts are amongst the best sides in the division when it comes to backs to the wall defending. So many times we’ve been there this season, but this was the best defensive performance of the campaign. Pearce was at fault once in the whole game yet made ammends instantly with a goallne clearance, Leacock alongside himself his usual self. Alan Sheehan hasn’t looked as confident getting forward in months, Gary Liddle as solid as ever also.

Judgey too put in a great shift, enough to remind of you just what we’re likely to be missing next season. Jossy Labs since his return from his Torquay loan spell has looked a real asset and will certainly pose quite the dilemma for Chris Kiwomya as he ponders who deserves a contract next season.

This season has been a waste, a real

Notts had the better of the first half and were rightly rewarded for Joss Labadie’s thunderbolt of a free-kick from fully 35 yards. Donny thought they had an equaliser soon after, yet the offside flag was raised before the ball had even found the back of the net - not that much of the home crowd noticed, to the County contingent’s great pleasure.

The second half was largely one

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missed opportunity and no one will tell you otherwise. But winning two league games in succession for the first time since September suggests that are players still here who want to be a part of things next season.

Ultimately, it’s Kiwomya’s budget that might have the biggest say on who is at Meadow Lane.

The win on Doncaster Rovers’ beach was the perfect bookend to our season’s travels, ending how they began - bathed in sunshine, a great vocal following, and the performance of a Notts side who had it in them to be Champions.

Let me leave you with the look on the face of Donny Chairman John Ryan at the end of the game - just think of all the bubbly that went to waste!

Stuart Brothers @BlackWhiteZine

JACOB’S SEASON REVIEW

So, here we are, at the end of another long, winding and dusty road. Whilst the rest of the Football League are still digging their fingernails into the blackboard of their division, desperately trying to keep themselves up, gearing up for a tense play-off campaign or already have the champagne on ice, Notts’ season kind of unravelled into nothingness. It began with promise, ended up in apathy via anger, confusion and Oldham and this is how it happened.

AUGUST

Ah, August. I remember August. The country as a whole was basking in the unexpected glory of us actually being quite good at jumping over things with a bendy pole, punching people in the face and dancing on a horse. The sun was out and Notts travelled north to Crewe with a palpable sense of expectation, at least until Keith Curle decided to name sushi-munching, prosecco-guzzling waste of oxygen Tom Williams at centre back. Happily the tanned, carefully coiffeured Williams limped off with a broken nail, Gary Liddle switched back into defence and Notts were in business. Francois Zoko volleyed in the opener, Yoann Arquin swept in a second before being sent off for randomly kicking the Aston Villa bound Ashley Westwood and, despite a late consollation, Notts began with a well-deserved win in sunny Cheshire. Speaking of the sun, it had gone the same way as Williams come Notts' Tuesday night win over Hartlepool, a game played in a rain shower that wouldn't have been out of place in the Amazonian monsoon season. Notts' 2-0 win was comfortable, though, and noteable for a virtuoso debut

by André Boucaud and Neal Bishop deciding to celebrate by telling an old man to be quiet.

There was a set back as Walsall came and snatched a 1-0 victory at Meadow Lane days later, but there was a sense that things were just fine. This was our year.

SEPTEMBER

September began on a pleasant afternoon, the tired Autumnal sun bathing the ground below it in a warm glow, with long shadows lazily snaking their way along the pitch. Sadly the ground in question was Bury's Gigg Lane, but you can't always have everything - a lesson learned by Notts who put in their poorest performance of the season but escaped Lancashire with three points thanks to Alan Judge double, although the opener was credited simply to Lee Hughes' presence.

Then, on a dark, utterly meaningless Tuesday night, something amazing happened - Notts made progress in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy without needing a bye.

Scunthorpe United were the team vanquished, with the goalscorers being Enoch Showunmi and Carl Regan we can be sure there was something entirely other-worldly going on up in Lincolnshire.

Back in the league, newly promoted Shrewsbury Town visited Meadow Lane, a topsy turvy game settled by Lee Hughes' turn and finish that was set up by Arquin, who rampaged the length of the pitch with the ball having noticed something shiny that he really wanted on one of the Kop's empty seats - 3-2 Notts. Two draws on the road followed, a 2-2 at Oldham was marred by the bizarre sending off of André Boucaud for a tackle that would provoke little more than mild applause in an Under 10's game, but the 1-1 at Stadium:MK three days later saw a first half level of performance that Notts would never reach again - Neal Bishop's long range blast was the minimum reward the Magpies deserved.

Ending the month with a 3-0 rout of desperate Portsmouth at Meadow Lane and a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United, courtesy of a late Hughes equaliser, Notts found themselves well placed at the top of League One. This really was our year.

OCTOBER

Then October came, the night began to draw in and golden leaves crunched under foot as people made their way to Meadow Lane for the two games that I still believe wrecked our season. First up were fellow highflyers Stevenage for a Tuesday night match - the visitors deciding to spend the entire game frustrating and defending, having been unable to escape the shadow of Graham Westley. Notts finally took the lead with their second penalty of the night, Jamal Campbell-Ryce converting, but threw it all away when the returning Alan Sheehan bizarrely decided a full length diving save was needed to stop the ball rolling into Bartosz Bialkowski's arms - the penalty was tucked away and Notts collapsed, bizarrely sending everyone forward rather than holding on for a useful point. Predictably, Robin Shroot pounced in injury time to steal the points for Stevenage.

By the time league leaders Tranmere Rovers had left NG2 with a richly deserved 1-0 win days later, the first seeds of doubt were starting to appear in the minds of the Notts faithful. Happily, though, next up was a trip to Carlisle - a long trip, but a game that is becoming one of Notts' most anticipated, with this year's 4-0 romp backing up the 3-0 victory at Brunton Park on the first day of last season under Martin Allen. In the brave new world of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Second Round, it was little surprise that a reserve Notts side was thrashed 4-1 by Sheffield United at Meadow Lane days later, but after a classy 2-1 victory at Coventry that was lit up by fine goals by Boucaud and Arquin, everything seemed to be back on track. A thrilling 3-3 draw with Eddie Howe's Bournemouth side at Meadow Lane was a disappointment, considering Notts surrendered the lead twice and it seemed as though Notts' struggles were being confined to their own patch as Doncaster powered their way to a 2-0 victory to end the month.

Notts remained unbeaten away, but no one could be sure that this was our year any more.

NOVEMBER

Needing a break from the league, Notts will have been glad that the start of November took them on the long trip South to Portsmouth for the FA Cup first round, a game against a side still struggling to find any sort of form with their hastily assembled side. Notts controlled proceedings from the off and coasted through to the second round thanks to goals from Zoko and Arquin.

Away from home we were looking imperious and that continued in the midweek trip to Essex and Colchester United, the strugglers offering little resistance as first half goals from Bishop and Judge sealed a second successive comfortable 2-0 win.

Unfortunately we then had to go and play a home game, last season's hero of the Valley Jonathan Forte coming back to haunt Keith Curle with the equaliser as Crawley Town held on for a 1-1 draw, Lee Hughes having been guilty of missing a number of chances. You can never keep Hughes down for long, however, something that he proved in a 2-2 draw at Scunthorpe, the experienced forward snatching his opportunity to start with two equalisers against Brian Laws' struggling side. Ending the month with a hard fought 0-0 draw at Preston in a tempestuous game that saw Graham Westley's prematch verbals spill over onto the pitch and ended with Campbell-Ryce's dismissal for a crude challenge

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that left Scott Laird out for the season. As the home hoodoo seemed to finally have been lifted with a 1-0 win over Swindon Town, thanks to a long-range Judge screamer and a string of stunning Bialkowski saves, it was beginning to look like it might just be our year once again.

DECEMBER

December is supposed to be a month of celebration of tinsel and presents, roast chestnuts and Christmas cheer. At Meadow Lane though, it was something of an unmitigated disaster, as Notts' season began to unravel entirely. It started off solidly enough, Yoann Arquin's goal of the season contender - a nonchalant volley from Alan Sheehan's lofted cross - got Notts through a tricky looking FA Cup trip to Rotherham and earned a replay at Meadow Lane, whilst a 0-0 draw at Yeovil was a decent return but again Notts were indebted to their increasingly busy Polish goalkeeper. A disappointing home defeat to Brentford saw Notts back in the mire at Meadow Lane though and, when Steve Evans' Rotherham thrashed the Magpies 3-0 in the cup replay, questions were starting to be asked of Keith Curle's guidance of his squad. Boxing Day's 2-2 draw at Shrewsbury wasn't a disaster after a couple of late postponements due to the deluge of rain pouring across the country, but a winless month coupled with a disappointing cup exit was hardly what Notts needed to get back on track. Maybe this wasn't going to be our year, after all.

JANUARY

A new year, a fresh start, a new Notts? Well, that was the theory, but it was pretty much demolished on New Year's Day as Keith Curle's side began 2013 how they'd finished 2012 - losing games at Meadow Lane. Milton Keynes were the beneficieries this time, two early goals enough for the Dons as the soon to be departed Lee Hughes missed Notts' best chances to take something from the game. As the weather and the FA Cup saw more than a two-week gap in games for Notts, the visit of Sheffield United to a snowy Nottingham gave an opportunity to put things right - but that seemed to be wasted within seconds as Harry Maguire headed the Blades ahead. Things went from bad to worse as Francois Zoko was sent off, presumably for telling the referee he was merde, but Notts fought back for a point through that rarest of beasts - an Alan Judge header.

In midweek things got even weirder as Enoch Showunmi, half forgotten man and half laughing stock, returned to the side to score the winner an an awful game against Oldham. It was a two-yard tap in, but every good thing has to start somewhere. Notts had been holding onto their stunning unbeaten away record in unconvincing circumstances for quite a while now, so it was no real shock when it was finally ended by Leyton Orient in East London, although things didn't really go Notts' way - Charlie MacDonald should have been sent off for an early lunge that left Bialkowski in hospital. Finishing the month with another gimme match against Portsmouth, won 2-0 but with a black mark as Bishop got himself needlessly sent off in injury time, Notts were well on the way back to the confines of mid-table. The month ended on deadling day, with the rest of League One signing striker after striker after Notts had allowed Hughes his move to Port Vale. It appeared that we were relying on Enoch and it was becoming harder and harder to see this being our year, to be honest.

FEBRUARY

laughing stock for much of the season, Hartlepool edged past Notts 2-1 thanks to goals from Poole and Hartley, causing much national hilarity as the scorers kind of, almost make the name of the team they scored for.

Incredible scenes, as they say. Not so incredible for Curle though, who became the latest manager to suffer at the hands of the Ray Trew guillotine, along with pretty much entire coaching staff, leaving development squad manager Chris Kiwomya in caretaker charge pretty much by default. He started off with a 2-0 defeat at Stevenage, an improved performance doing little to mask frustration at the continued use of Curle's increasingly bizarre three at the back system. Things improved slightly at home to Crewe and at Walsall, two 1-1 draws that were noteable for their dire first half displays by Notts as much as the rousing comebacks after the interval.

At Walsall Notts fans seemed to take bringing some entertainment to proceedings into their own hands, throwing the world's least smoky smoke bomb onto the pitch, leading the referee to consider bringing in the bomb disposal unit. A Friday night match against Bury at Meadow Lane was bizarrely chosen by some drunk Sky executives to be shown on TV, Notts going in behind at the break again but coming back to win 4-1 after an inspirational showing by Bury centre back Ashley Eastham. The month ended with another 1-1 draw, at the rapidly self-destructing Tranmere, leading most Notts fans to conclude that 2013 probably wasn't going to be our year.

MARCH

By now everyone's interest was starting to wane a little, to be honest, and March gave birth to probably the most tedious sequences of games and performances i've ever seen from a football team. It started with a 1-0 win over struggling Carlisle, through a pretty uninspiring 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient and into a 0-0 draw at Crawley in a match where literally nothing happened whatsoever. A home defeat against Preston even woke the owner up from his slumber, Trew having been pretty quiet since criticising the fans on NCM in January, this time turning his pen on the players after a dismal 1-0 home defeat to Preston. Notts turned it around somewhat with a 1-0 victory over Scunthorpe United, Notts again being spurred on by a former player's ineptitude as Karl Hawley spurned about thirty seven open goals either side of Dean Leacock's winning goal. As Notts went and bored their way to a 0-0 draw at Swindon, the Notts hierarchy were suitably impressed to offer Chris Kiwomya threeyear deal, at the same time as unveiling their plan for a youth-orientated future for the football club. Kiwomya's first match in permanent charge was a defeat, 2-1 at Brentford, a result that again flattered his side. A result that, incidentally, nearly mathematically confirmed that it wasn't going to be our year.

APRIL

Not much has happened in April thus far, apart from pretty routine defeats at home to promotion chasing Yeovil Town and at Bournemouth. There was also an interesting fans' forum down at Meadow Lane, where Kiwomya decided to spend two hours chastising his players for not trying hard enough and not being good enough - something that at least indicates that he knows what the problems are. At the time of writing we still have to play Colchester, Doncaster and Coventry, but whatever happens in those games is pretty much entire meaningless, so this still works as a review of the season.

See you next year, maybe that one will be our year?

The month of love, apparently, but there wasn't much romance in the air when Keith Curle disappeared into that black hole of Notts managers - Hartlepool. The division's

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Jacob Daniel @NottsCountyMad

HUGHESY: NOTTS THROUGH AND THROUGH

They say you should never meet your hero, with the fear being that person failing to live up to the status you have bestowed upon them, having marvelled at their greatness from afar.

the past is unforgivable, I believe in judging my team’s players on the pitch - Hughes is without question a Notts County icon. A great. And he has already been missed… anyone who thinks any one of Enoch Showunmi, Yoann Arquin or Francois So it was with a degree of trepidation Zoko is a better bet than 36-year-old that I embarked on the journey from Hughes is ludicrous. my London home to Burslem to meet Notts County great Lee Hughes for And for those reasons, he is my allan interview that you can read in the time favourite Notts player, in more than 20 years watching the club. So very pages of this fanzine. back to Burslem, and I am waiting in Throughout his time at the club, the canteen at Vale Park for Hughes Hughes was everything I ever and his teammates to finish training, wanted in a Magpies striker. Though so I can interview him. my time supporting Notts has been punctuated with brilliant attacking Having been a journalist now for more talents, from Tommy Johnson to than five years, and having recently Gary McSwegan and onwards to Mark interviewed plenty of famous names Stallard, Paul Heffernan and Danny in sport from Mo Farah to Andy Allsopp - did we really have all the Murray, and from Lawrence Dallaglio latter three on our books at once - to Sir Chris Hoy, I fancy myself as a no-one more than the former West fairly professional interviewer. But Brom ace has had such an impact on when it is with someone who means a great deal to you, the stakes me personally. appear all that greater and I was In the few years prior to Hughes’ desperate to do it right. arrival at Meadow Lane, Magpies fans had not only been starved of success I’d arranged a noon meeting through but also starved of hope. And one of Vale’s secretary and was patiently the biggest factors had been a lack waiting thinking through Hughes’ of goals and a lack of genuine quality time at the club to ensure all basis in the final third. As then manager were covered, when in he walked in Ian McParland said to Hughes when his Vale tracksuit - and for interested attempting to get him to sign, the observers he didn’t have the number Notts County fans were crying out for nine on his shirt, nor in fact did he wear 19… he’d gone up another ten a goalscoring centre-forward. to 29! With a big smile on my face And Hughes became that missing he was immediately very welcoming, link, helped of course by excellent almost embarrassed when I spoke signings including the likes of Ben about our desire to cover what I told Davies, Craig Westcarr and Luke him I considered a truly great time Rodgers to supply the ammunition. at the football club. And just like that We became a feared team, we scored we were into it, and to be fair Hughes goals for fun, and eventually romped didn’t hold back. our way to the title. But Hughes was the catalyst, and we had that striker, Whenever he was interviewed post that goalscorer we had craved for match on BBC Radio Nottingham by such a long time. He struck 31 times Colin Slater during his time at the club, even to me his most staunch that season. fan, I always felt he didn’t interview But it wasn’t just his goals. From the particularly well and certainly didn’t celebration opposition fans deride give much away. as stupid came a new fans craze, while his jokey nature on the pitch But now I realise that was perhaps and his commitment to the cause the professionalism in him, and the further endeared him. In short, he experience. For with me, it seemed brought fans back to Meadow Lane, apparent from the off that he wanted he made supporting Notts fun again to get something off his chest. He - and although his first season was showed a particular disdain for those undoubtedly his best, he continued who run Notts County, for some of to have a big impact until he was the boardroom decisions that went foolishly allowed to sit out too on in his time at the club. many matches earlier this season, prompting his desire to leave in He was quick with his criticism of the decision to hire and fire so many search of regular football. different managers in short spaces Ignoring his off-pitch problems - of time, and he revealed how certain because while what he has done in players such as Gavin Mahon and

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club stalwart Mike Edwards had been left feeling under-appreciated by contract decisions made by those at the top.

Off the record, there was even more revelations. But while I was indeed there to find out more about the poor decision to allow him to get into that position where he felt he had to leave the club, and why I wanted some headlines for the piece, speaking as a proper fan I also wanted some positivity from Hughes. I wanted to know he had enjoyed playing for my club as much as we had enjoyed having him.

And he clearly couldn’t be prouder at how things went on the pitch for him, particularly in that brilliant first season. He spoke about his favourite moments, his best goals and how he appreciated all of the managers he worked under - including Keith Curle despite strong rumours to the contrary. That he rated Ian McParland above them all though definitely came as something of a surprise.

Most of all he interviewed as he played on the pitch for the majority of his time at Notts - with a smile on his face.

Happy to sign my 2009/10 shirt and a copy of the book I have written about that very season, Hughes shook my hand, posed for a picture, and wished me well. As I did him.

I hope he scores the goals that get Vale up, and I hope he does indeed return to Meadow Lane with his new club next season and gets a proper send off from us Magpies fans.

They say never meet your hero - I’m certainly glad I did.

Paul Smith @psmithyjourno

Wishing both Notts County FC and Black & White all the best and hoping both the fanzine and Chris Kiwomya’s Notts take us all the way to extra time and penalties next year!

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sensitively composed

with added emotion

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER Before I continue with the final part of this trilogy I must apologise to those of you who wondered what had happened to the conclusion of this piece, none more so than Stu himself who has shown the patience of a saint. Yes I know, I mentioned Stu and saint in the same sentence!

Anyway, for the sake of continuity we will rejoin our story a couple of paragraphs back from where we left it...

We continue to put up a fight and concede just two more goals before we finish our half.

The highlight of which for me followed another effortless build up by the pro’s ending in a strike from the edge of the box by youth team striker Chris Langham.

Somehow I had anticipated this and found myself in the right place at the right time, instinctively clearing his powerful shot off the line. AS GOOD AS A GOAL! (Almost).

The whistle blows and we trudge off, taking our applause as we head to the dugout.

When I get there I have to say I am well and truly knackered.

This was one hell of a work out and I’m struggling to catch my breath. Now there are occasions in life when things happen that leave you feeling deflated, disappointed or well and truly let down and I’m sorry to say what happened next, especially considering the person involved, had the potential to completely ruin the whole experience for me.

with a rumble, the sound of a storm brewing in the distance, and then it struck me like a thunderbolt delivered by the hand of Thor himself. Yes I was about to face the wrath of ‘Mad Dog’ and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

“Oi you! What the f**k are you doin’ over there? Who do you think you are? Are you better than everyone else, why aren’t you sat here with the rest of your team? Get your f***in’ arse over here now!” . . . or words to that effect.

I take my seat in the dugout and then sit like a scolded schoolboy made to stand in the corner of the class as the Gaffer continues to make his point, eyes fixed in my direction, asserting his authority and then dressing it up with the words “you wanted the experience of being a professional footballer, well this is it”.

Of course I fully understood what he meant, I dislike a Prima Dona as much as the next person and would like to think that this type of treatment is handed out to any overpaid underperforming

Our instruction is to find our training top and sit in the dugout for a debrief by the gaffer. I can’t find my top and I desperately need to take in some fluids. I stand by the dugout, gulping down an energy drink totally oblivious of anything other than my need for liquid refreshment and air in my lungs. And then it hit me.

At first I couldn’t work out what it was, my ageing brain, starved of oxygen, still not fully engaged. It started off

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professional footballer, but to be honest I had paid my money for the privilege of playing a game of football on the pitch I had spent the last 30 odd years watching childhood heroes and club legends grace with their presence past and present. I had not paid for the privilege of being singled out, to be made to feel embarrassed and upset by the one person who up to that point I had held in the highest regard, albeit from a distance.

The game continues and its obvious the ‘Fans’ team are never going to score in a month of Sundays and as the game draws to a close we are told to get ready to go back on to the field of play for the final few minutes. The score is currently 9-0 to the professionals and this is our final chance to grab a consolation.

Players have been withdrawn from the pro’s team, including the keeper and we are now a team of 28 playing a team of 9. It works and with no goal keeper to beat we get our consolation with a long range effort. With arms and legs flapping in abundance the

derail him at any given time.

infamous ’Let’s all do the Hughesy’ jig celebrations break out in front of the TV cameras and the man himself who, in true Hughesy style returns the compliment.

We leave the field, acknowledging the applause from our friends and family in the Pavis stand as we go and make our way back down the tunnel and into the changing room where another surprise awaits us. Every single member of the Notts County senior squad, fit or injured are lined up around the walls of the room as we all get to shake hands with each and every one of them individually.

Thank-you’s and hand shaking over we all settle down and listen intently as the Manager gives us all one last team talk, acknowledging the efforts of those who played a part in making this night possible, not just the players but the back room staff who had given up their evening to make this such a special occasion.

I was just beginning to feel the love again, and put aside the disappointment of my earlier rollicking when out of nowhere he continues, finger pointing accusingly in my direction.

“You see, it’s all about being part of a team, not pissing about doing your own thing, you know like not doing as your told, you know what I mean don’t you”.

So I had been singled out again, but this time in front of everyone including players, training and backroom staff, and this time I’m really not happy.

“To be honest you let me down” I retort, and continue to provide examples of how I was unable at that time to do

We all know professional footballers are a sensitive bunch and if how I was treated is anything like some of the pro’s might be treated (Mike Edwards and the youth team for example) it is no wonder controversy seems destined to dog the aptly nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’ of football throughout his career.

as requested. It didn’t go down well and I am lambasted for my insolence and told to get down on the floor and do 20 press-ups.

Fortunately the softer side of the gaffer’s character came through, I’m assuming as he saw the look of disgust on my face and one or two of his peers. “Only joking!” he shouts as everyone has a good laugh.

Now at a risk of coming across as a mardy arsed wet lettuce I have to say that those two incidents have unfortunately left a slightly soured taste in my mouth when it comes to memories of Martin Allen’s tenure at Meadow Lane.

Without a doubt his part in keeping us up the previous season was immense, and ‘immense’ is pretty much how you could describe his character. It is this character though that I fear has the potential to

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However, as I write these words he has just taken his Gillingham side to promotion and quite possibly the league Two title so he must be doing something right and I will be forever grateful for his involvement in making the ‘Fans v Players’ match a reality.

I’m sure it will live long in the memory of those fortunate to have been involved and I very much doubt we will see anything of the like again anytime soon.

Richard Ogando @ncfcog

HUGHESY! In the FIRST interview about his time at Notts County since leaving for Port Vale in January, iconic Magpies striker Lee Hughes spoke to Paul Smith exclusively for Black & White about his three-and-a-half seasons at Meadow Lane.

He scored 31 goals in his first season at the club after signing in the summer of 2009 to lead Notts to the League Two title, finally ending his spell at the club with 66 goals in 146 appearances.

In a revealing interview, Hughes talks about what he believes was a boardroom decision to get him out of the club, his disappointment at losing his favoured number nine shirt last summer, how he knew the writing was on the wall on his time at the club, his feelings towards managers including Keith Curle, Ian McParland and Martin Allen and why he will always look back on his time in Nottingham with great fondness.

Hughes was speaking at Vale Park on April 11, just days after scoring a hat-trick against Burton Albion and with Vale set to secure promotion to League One...

nine goals in 11 starts and I am really enjoying it. It is a new challenge for me and hopefully now we are looking good for promotion, and trying to get up. Hopefully it will happen. You have just got to get those points on the board really because you never know. Football is a funny old game.

You left Notts earlier in the season, tell us a bit about why that came about?

To be fair I knew my time was numbered there really, probably once they changed my number and different things were going on. I know that the board, when I spoke to Keith Curle, he said that the board didn’t want me there really, they wanted me off the wage bill.

It was disappointing because I love the club.

How are you finding things at Port Vale first of all, it has gone pretty well for you hasn’t it?

It was one of them things where I wanted to stay there but if I knew I wasn’t going to play a lot… I just love playing football. I just want to enjoy it. I’m coming towards the end of my career now, I have got a couple more years left and I just want to enjoy playing football.

It has gone really well for me, I’ve got about

The fans will be dismayed to hear about

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the apparent desire to get you off the wage bill. But you had previously taken a pay cut… so was it more for football or financial-related reasons that you were allowed to leave do you think?

I took a pay cut during my time there, I took a pay cut and we agreed that I didn’t mind taking a pay cut because I loved it there and I wanted to stay there for as long as possible.

To be fair every manager we had during my time there, I got on with. I think the fans were saying that me and Keith Curle didn’t get on but we did. We never had any arguments, we got on really well. I knew it wasn’t his decision, to be fair to Keith.

But it was his decision to take the number nine shirt from you and give it instead to new signing Enoch Showunmi. What were your thoughts when that happened?

Like I said it made me think that my days at the club were numbered and that I would be leaving. It was disappointing. When you have been at a club and when you are scoring goals and have done really well at a club, to take your number off you, it is just saying that you aren’t going to be playing anymore really.

Going into the season I didn’t feel part of the plans. I can’t imagine Newcastle would have ever taken the number nine off Alan Shearer… and that is when you know that your time is virtually up there and it left me really gutted.

Speaking as a fan it is particularly frustrating when you see a player with your goalscoring record leave, yet others

such as Yoann Arquin are still at the club and quite frankly haven’t filled your boots…

You see Yoann is one of those players who has definitely got something. You can see that on his day he is a good talent. But that’s why players are in the lower leagues at that age.

I was up there with West Brom scoring goals at that age. You have to want to do it and you just have to put the effort in.

Going back to the start of your time at Notts, you actually came in on the day Sven Goran Eriksson was unveiled as the club’s director of football. That must have been surreal?

That season was absolutely mental. I think you could write a few books on that. To see Sven and the likes of him there to help the players out, it was unbelievable and probably one of the best seasons I had in my career, one I really enjoyed.

And you got it all off to a good start. It may have been a friendly but the Notts fans remember your goal against Forest in that pre-season game. Was it always in your mind to make sure you started well and made a positive instant impression?

Touch wood I always do well wherever I go.

I always score goals. To get a goal against Forest especially was a great start for me.

Every club I go to you are always going to have doubters because of my past.

I knew I could turn the fans around, but to

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score against Forest and showing them that I could score goals especially against the local rivals was good for me. As long as you put 110 per cent in every game, the fans appreciate it.

And the season couldn’t have gone any better for you personally could it?

Not at all. To score over 30 goals in my first season was brilliant. When Ian McParland signed me he said they are crying out for a centre forward to score goals and you could score 30 goals for us this season and I did so I was really happy.

It started with a hat-trick against Bradford.

And you got a couple more hat-tricks against Northampton and Burton. You must like playing Burton because you got one against them for Vale the other week?

They let him go, which was disappointing.

Not that it knocks your confidence, but I just know deep down that if I am playing and I am getting crosses to me in the box I can find the back of the net. I have proved it here. Port Vale are playing with two wide men and they get the balls into the box.

I know whatever league I am playing in and whoever I am playing against if you put crosses into the box I will get in there and score goals - and that is happening again now since I have moved.

I would say that annoys the Notts fans as much as it does you. How difficult did

Yes and the one for Notts at Burton had been the last time I scored a hat-trick so it was nice to get one the other night against them as well. It was one of them seasons where I just scored most games.

To be fair that season we had players like Ben Davies in the team who were supplying crosses for me and I was getting on the front of them and from his quality free-kicks I was getting in there. And then they got rid of him and it was disappointing. Ben loved the club and to get rid of him and not replace him… and then we were changing the system and playing one up front and that don’t suit me at all. I like to play with two up front.

And this season at Notts you were left at times as the lone striker as well…

I knew when I came to Vale, I knew that I weren’t getting chances at Notts County when I was playing. If you get crosses in the box, I know I am going to score goals and that wasn’t happening at Notts County towards the end of my time there.

Even somebody like Craig Westcarr was sold, and he had been a supplier for you too hadn’t he?

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it make it with the constant changes of formation?

When you play one up front it is hard on your own. They say it is a 4-3-3 but mainly it is a 4-5-1 and you are all sitting behind the ball.

There are big gaps between you and the midfield and no-one can get around you close enough so that you can lay the ball off. It is disappointing. When you are going into games and you know you won’t even get a chance to score… at Notts this season even when I played I was going games without even having a shot, without having chances, and you go home and you are gutted. I would go home in a bad mood. But when I came to Vale I knew

they play with two wide men, that they play 4-4-2, and that suits me. Alright it might be a league lower but even if it is in League One I know if you put the balls in the box I will score goals. I’d scored six in however many ten or so starts for Notts this season. So I know if I start I will score goals.

Some said you couldn’t play more than one game a week because of your age.

And it happened where you started and scored twice at Scunthorpe and then in the midweek at Preston you were on the bench. Did that hurt?

I was disappointed then, I remember that game. The Scunthorpe game was my first start in a long time, and I knew I could score. The thing was there were a couple of crosses put into the box that day and I got on the end of them.

I could have played more than I did.

Like I said, no matter what league it is I know if balls are put into the box I will score goals.

Going back to that first season, while it ended brilliantly there were difficult times off the pitch.

How hard was it to deal with when half-way through the season we didn’t even know if we would have a club?

I could have written a book on that!

To be fair we had a great bunch of players and everyone stuck together.

I think it showed the team spirit was there because we all stayed together and everyone was fighting for each other. It got a bit difficult, it was around Christmas/January that it all happened, but we got through it and that was the main thing and the club got it sorted out.

Did you ever go without pay?

I think we got paid late one time because I remember the players phoning me up to have a word with Peter Trembling.

So the players told you to sort it out!?

Yes! I have got on with every player who has been at the club during my

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time, I had no problems with anyone. You can ask anyone there everyone loved me there and I got on with everybody else.

And the fans loved you, how did you see your relationship with them?

The fans were brilliant. You could see that.

They were always chanting my name and hopefully I gave them a few things to shout about on the pitch. Its vice-versa, I couldn’t have done it without them being there either!

Your second season ended in a relegation battle. What changed?

We changed the team, and in my personal opinion, we changed it straight away and broke up the championship-winning side too quickly. When you have won the league you are on a high but they got rid of players and to be fair they brought quite a few new players in and it takes a while to gel, and you could see that.

If we had kept that team we would have done a lot better than we did.

You ended up scoring a vital goal at Swindon which kept us up once Martin Allen came in, so you still got some goals didn’t you?

I had a couple of injuries midway through the season but I still scored some goals. I don’t know exactly what my record is from my time at Notts but I think I scored something like one in two, or one in two-and-a-half games. If you get that as a striker it is a good ratio and you are more than pleased.

What was Martin Allen like as a manager?

I got on really well with Martin Allen, but then again I got on with every manager there.

Martin Allen was a character but he got the players motivated and I don’t think he should have been sacked, I thought he did a good job.

And he has proved what kind of manager he is now at Gillingham, where he has gone and got them promoted and I think they will go on and win the league now. The board did the wrong thing. The amount of managers they are changing there is ridiculous. There is no stability.

The players are going to get down every time there is a sacking and they are thinking, who is going to come in now and it upsets a lot of people.

The season has ended on a bum note for Notts. Many fans would say the players have given it up a bit. Are you still in touch with any of the Notts lads?

I still speak to some of the players and they are just disappointed. I think they are disappointed with what has gone on with the way the board are treating the players, with different things.

It is hard for the supporters anyway when they are seeing the results are not going for them. The supporters deserve a lot better than they are getting.

Do you retain an interest and an eye on things at Notts then?

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Yes I went back when they played Oldham at time at the club, the Juventus game was Meadow Lane. When I am not playing for Port unbelievable, and it had to be you that Vale I will definitely try and get back up there scored… because there are so many people I like.

Even just to be there, to be going to Turin I got on with all the back room staff there and and be playing at that stadium and against it is nice to go back and see some old friends. the type of players we played against such as Pirlo, Buffon, Del Piero it was just such a Of course since you left Notts have yet surreal moment. another new manager in Chris Kiwomya.

To score there it was without doubt one of the Did you come across him at all? highlights of my career, it really was.

I didn’t really have much to do with him no because he was doing the development squad And being a big West Brom fan, scoring when I was there. It’s not good for the players against Wolves in the League Cup at their to have to go through another manager it is place must have been nice as well? unsettling and I know a few of them aren’t too That was a good one for me personally, happy at the moment. especially with them being our local rivals and Clearly you are enjoying yourself at Port to get one there was a great feeling!

Vale, going up and scoring goals, but is there a regret you aren’t doing that at And your best goal for Notts?

Notts instead?

Given what it meant against Rochdale, that I was gutted that I left. If I was playing I would was virtually it then to secure promotion with have loved to have stopped there and would that win. It was a must-win game because never have thought about moving. But there they were up there as well and there was was that much going on behind the scenes with the players. From the players Ive spoken to, Jim Rodwell isn’t very well-liked.

I remember Gavin Mahon got offered a new deal in October, something like that, but if he played so many games he would get another deal and he was doing well. But they said we don’t want to give you a new contract anymore.

To do that, and then not play him… they know what deal they offered him in October. To do that you are just left thinking where is the ambition? Because you gave him a contract two months ago and then you are saying you can’t play because you don’t want to give it him again, it is awful. It was similar with Eddy (Mike Edwards) as well with how he was allowed to leave as he did when he had given such good service to the club.

Then when Jason Scotland was training with the club he was only offered £100 a week plus his appearance money.

Picking out some highlights for you personally during your

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so much at stake on the game. We have got Rochdale for Vale on Saturday as well and if we Well Steve Cotterill would be up there, but I win there we are virtually there again so it is loved Ian McParland when he was here with Dave Kevan. He was probably wrongly sacked similar for me. as well - we were up there weren’t we? I think Keith Hill is of course back in charge of it was that Munto business that got him out but Rochdale. He had some words to say I think he knows these leagues and I think he about Notts during that title year. Did you was a good coach and manager, definitely. as players hear much about that and did A surprise that he hasn’t got in anywhere you take any notice? else then?

Yes we definitely heard about it. All managers are going to say something to try and put you Yes definitely. I still saw him when I lived in off your game but that spurred us on more. Nottingham, I used to see him all of the time You could see that when we were playing we and we still get on which is good. went on an amazing run in the last 18 games under Steve Cotterill, and that definitely got us Who would you say was the best player you played with at Notts during your time up there. at the club?

Cotterill left in the summer of course, would you have preferred him to have Ben (Davies) was a quality player, Bish as well he is hard working, he is up and down the stayed on? field constantly. I think when he is happy he He was a good manager but to be honest you does really well! Judgey as well, he is a quality knew he was going to go higher. I think that player. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he left things weren’t right in the back room and that in the summer, definitely. I can see him going. is why he left. He is at QPR now and I see him on the dugout there on Match of the Day next And what about your future as a player, have you got another year at Vale on your to Harry Redknapp, it’s quite funny to see. contract?

Who would you say is the best manager It depends if we go up, if we do I get another you worked under then at Notts?

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year here, so yes hopefully I will be here still next season. I don’t think a lot of fans can believe how much I can still run in the games.

I think they think I am half my age. As long as I keep myself trim - I go to the gym a lot as well - I think, especially these two leagues, that I can still play when I am pushing on 40.

coach somewhere to help the younger players out, especially the strikers.

And Vale coming up to join Notts in League One for next season sets up the possibility of playing again at Meadow Lane, only this time against Notts. What will that be like for you if that does happen?

And you still have lots of different types of goals in your locker. If you think of the headers, the tap-ins and then goals like the one you hit at Meadow Lane against Walsall…

That will be a strange one for me because I will be feeling a bit gutted because I liked playing for Notts County. But then I am enjoying it at Vale as well and they welcomed me here so it will be a strange game for me. Hopefully all the Notts fans will realise what I did for them, I helped them and tried my best for them and had some great times there that I will never forget.

But like I said hopefully I have a few more years left. I have scored I think 15 goals in 20-odd starts this season so I have proved I can still do it at this level.

I am still scoring different goals and I have done that since I have been here. As long as the balls are coming in, and the team is getting crosses in I know I will score goals.

You could always come back to Notts in the future as manager… (laughs) You never know!

Have the last word if you like?

What are your plans for after your playing All I can say really is thank you to all the fans days, have you thought about that? at Notts. They really made my time what it I would like to get into coaching but at the was really, a great experience that I’ll never moment I don’t want to try and think about forget.

Paul Smith other things until I know my time will be @Psmithyjourno virtually up. Hopefully I can get taken on as a

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NON-RENEWAL IS NOT AN OPTION

I came to this club through my dad, who supported Notts as a boy. We always looked forward to Tuesday’s paper to see the football results, this was long before the internet and up to the minute scores.

rumours of an apparent shortfall, which was recognized

by Trew in a message for fans posted on Notts MAD.

A lot as been said on internet forums, mailing lists and social networking regarding the poor performances towards the end of this season - the sacking of Keith Being Australian I never got to see Notts play, but read Curle, the permanent appointment of Chris Kiwomya, about the likes of Christie, Chiedozie, Kilcline, et al. The and the lack of signing a goal-scoring striker. first game I ever attended was whilst I was on holiday in September 1993. Notts at home to Derby a 4-1, a This led to fans ruing the decision of the club letting Lee McSwegan hat-trick. I was hooked. After moving to the Hughes leave, during the last transfer window. People UK and finally settling in Nottingham, I used to attend vowing to not support Notts by buying a season ticket next year, some suggesting that they will only follow the the occasional game with my cousin - a red. club away from home and some even discussing going to I never became a regular until late 2003. Notts was watch Mansfield! asking for money and I stumped up £250 to help the fight as I couldn’t see my Dad’s club go under. The following I say good luck to them I know exactly where I will be year I receieved tickets through my Daughter’s school next season, I’ll be amongst the 2000-3000 Season and started to come more regularly. The beginning of the Ticket holders that will renew, watching a Notts squad, 2005 season I brought my first season ticket and have coping with the current financial situation. All the glory had one ever since. All my 3 children have season tickets hunters will have gone, taking with them the tattered dreams of Munto’s five-year plan. and come down to Notts with me regularly.

The situation the club finds itself in is by no means the fault of the Trews, but a system of Financial Fair Play combined with the allocation of football money outside of the bottom 2 tiers of the Football League and parachute payments to Premier League clubs creating an unfair playing field in Leagues One and Two. It all seems Then came Munto in the beginning of the 2009/2010 ominous for teams in the lower two leagues. season. Promising riches and enticing Sven GoranErikson, Lee Hughes, Kasper Schmeichel and a former Despite all this, I will take my seat for the majority of England centre-back to play for Notts. The dreams were the home games with my children in the Kop amongst of riches and a plan to climb the football ladder league by friends and acquaintances. I will sit and enjoy two hours league leaving everybody in their wake. Whilst there was a fortnight where I can forget about the problems I have spending to keep the dream alive, it seemed that there in my personal life and watch a Notts side rebuilding was not a lot of substance to the group of individuals who towards the future. We have the making of what could owned the club. The spending was brought to an abrupt be a really good Notts side. halt on a cold Australia Day spent down at Dagenham & Redbridge, on the way home wondering if the club could Look I know there will be major departures at the end be wound up the following day. In stepped Ray Trew to of this season, but hopefully we can bring in some save the club and bring the season home, with the help good young players to play with our band of seasoned professionals who’ll show a bit more fight than we’ve of Steve Cotterill. seen as this season has tailed off!

Since then the club has had not reached the peaks Richard Mottershead expected, leaving some fans unhappy. Things began to @rmotters boil over when we failed to land a striker in January, then Since having a Season Ticket I have experienced more lows then highs - from watching dismal journeymen lacking anything in the final third (sound familiar) to the Baudet penalty, against Kasper Schmeichel at the backend of the 2006 season that kept us in League 2.

BLACK & WHITE SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE NOW! h t t p : //b l a c k a n d w h i t e z i n e . b i g c a r t e l . c o m

NON-RENEWAL IS MY ONLY OPTION

I’m a Notts County season ticket holder, so are my sons. These tickets wont be renewed for next season, despite being on the fixed price scheme.

This decision has nothing to do with cost, it isn’t a recent one either.

manager will exit stage left. Not only has this approach led to an apparent lack of results on the pitch, it has also brought about financial instability (or rather a severe weakening of the clubs finances).

The only guarantee we have is, that once form dips, the

Mark Dowding

Each new manager that comes in brings his own ideas It was made when Keith Curle was hired last season, but and the clubs “philosophy” for that season is set. Fans forums are organised to communicate the new way not for the reasons people will assume. of doing things and off we go again. We’ve had top I had no real opinion on Curle. His connections six budgets, experienced managers, inexperienced to Mansfield didn’t come in to it, nor his apparent managers, young, middle aged and mad as a box of inexperience. My decision would be based on how long frogs managers. Each season I’ve bought in to it and he was at the club. His brief stint last season aside, if he each season I’ve been let down. didn’t make it through this season I wasn’t renewing.

The club is now focusing on youth. Fantastic. I think this The football during his tenure hasn’t lived up to the is a great idea. But I have no faith in the manager being promises of last summer. On the face of it Curle was allowed to make his mistakes, learn his trade and be solely responsible for Hughes leaving (still not convinced allowed to build his team. He’s already being judged by by that one - seems people forget the ups and downs fans on how the team performance in this already over he’d had with previous managers and their view of when season. I believe it is too soon to do that. he should play differing from his own).

These games are showing who should and shouldn’t be But, having been a Notts fan for a long time, these are a Notts player next season. The players are the ones things I accept happen at the club. Rubbish football is a failing and have been all season, now they have a chance given for most seasons in recent years; the Munto blip to redeem themselves they just carry on as before. aside. Star players leaving is also par for the course for I am fully aware that not renewing my season ticket clubs in our position. won’t help the financial stability of the club. But then, What has bothered me for a long time is the lack compared to the damage done by constantly changing of stability at the club and the constantly changing managers, my decision will have very little impact. Its philosophy on how to gain promotion. Unless my time to show and prove. memory is playing tricks on me, I believe we have been promised stability several times. The way to achieve this Time for the club to show it is serious about stability and seems to be to change manager and back room staff proving it by standing by the man they’ve appointed to manage the most important element - the team. every season.

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GIVING YOUTH A CHANCE

There are some things in football that are abundantly clear, most of which have hit home this season.

Some players aren’t worth their weight in muck, strikers win games, teams that win promotion generally do so on the foundations of a good home record and closer to home, the pot is usually emptier than any of us would like to believe.

So with the recent confirmation that Chris Kiwomya’s long term future at the club being in the managerial hot seat, now more than ever we need to acclimatise to the fact that youth may be the way forward for the long term benefit of the football club.

A lot has been made across the footballing community in recent months about a supposed Stand Against Modern Football although at times, the motives and agendas lack clarity and justification in my opinion. But one part of the modern game that I do feel is distinctly lacking from decades gone by is the identification fans have with their club, players and more importantly, locally nurtured youth team players.

Whilst it would be extreme to compare the lack of local lads in Football League clubs at present to the large quantities that occupied shirts mid-way through the 20th century, it is with a sense of melancholy that we sometimes yearn for a day when an entire defensive line or a strike pairing learnt their trade on the very streets that surrounded the ground or the suburbs that spread across the city.

Today, even down in League One, it is common place to have more than a mere sprinkling of foreign talent in squads whilst the fashion for shipping in journeymen professionals who’ve failed to make a name for themselves in recent years appears to be on the increase as the last two summers have proven.

I am not against foreign players playing for English clubs in much the same way that I am not against a veteran who has a clear purpose being brought in for experience.

However, when these influxes begin to effect the identity of a club, I feel that owners, managers and patrons of our game have a responsibility to ensure that it is not lost once and for all. This is where the kids come in.

Notts County’s Youth Team, since November last year, have been in excellent form in the North East Youth Alliance whilst two impressive cup runs have seen them reach the final of The Midland Youth Cup (to be played at the end of April) meeting the side that beat them in the Semi Final of the Youth Alliance

Cup back in February.

The signs are promising for a side that, lets not forget, did not exist in the early stages of 2009.

In addition to the current crop of youngsters that are impressing during their apprenticeship, you can also take into account the progress from the likes of the Greg Tempest, Hayden Hollis, Curtis Thompson and Jake Wholey, as well as the already established Fabian Speiss, that have all been nurtured by the Notts Youth system and are now pushing for further opportunities in a first team squad that, at times this season, has fallen someway short of what fans consider to be good enough.

My old man was always keen to tell me about the likes of Tristan Benjamin and a former friend of his Pedro Richards when I was growing up. Whilst both may have been born considerable distances from the working class streets of the Meadows, both were treated like home town lads, earning their stripes at Notts after being given a chance whilst young.

Years later I had my own young heroes in Mark Draper and Tommy Johnson whilst others lads of era, such as Dean Yates, were considered to be one of our own having worked his way through the ranks at the club.

Looking back, the over riding emotion I feel when I think of such players is that they were Notts at heart. Maybe it is more a sign of those times that we fans could identify with the players but a great part of me still believes it is because of the nature of their emergence onto the scene, breaking through and making their professional debuts in the black and white shirt.

If you take two respective league titles won in recent decades and isolate them as a stand alone seasons, devoid of history and track record, I am pretty sure Manchester United gained much more satisfaction from winning a title with Ryan Giggs, Gary & Phil Neville, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes than Manchester City did with Yaya Toure, David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero.

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Surely as a fan you feel like you played a part if you see a bit of yourself in the players you support.

And maybe therein lies a clue.

There is something very pure and rewarding about doing it from scratch. Anyone can be in with a chance of success given a few quid and some erratic backers. We saw as much with the Munto effect. But to make it off your own back, and with your own produce, it will feel much more enjoyable when success arrives.

So as we look towards 2013-14, what does the future potentially hold? Well Jim Rodwell mentioned several times in a recent interview that Chris Kiwomya shared a vision with the board for the future of the club. Given the managers back ground, it’d be foolish not to expect that a large part of this vision is a responsibility to nurture and develop young, local talent at a considerably cheaper cost than bringing in the veteran journeymen of this world.

Despite their limited glory down the years how many of you have, at one stage or another, felt a little bit envious of the way Crewe do things?

I’d like to think a few because in essence, it’s a model that if done correctly, is the most sure-fire way to run a club and ensure you are not staving off the creditors on a yearly basis.

If this is to be the way forward, and I for one hope it is, the biggest requirement is the need for patience. Patience from the fans?

Yes. From the board? Most certainly.

Give someone the time to re-build for a different sort of future and should it not work, will we be any worse off than we were five years ago? Not a chance.

If you gave me the choice of throwing Hayden Hollis and Greg Tempest in at the deep end come August or opting for a more experienced players in the mould of Tom Williams or Carl Regan, I know which type of player I’d choose.

The kids might just be alright.

Luke Williamson @LukeWilliamson

WHAT WE NEED BY NEXT SEASON

I think we are all in agreement that this season has not panned out quite how we wanted or expected. But enough moping about and pondering the ‘what ifs’ of the last few months, now is the time to start thinking about how to avoid making the same mistakes next season. So here are ten things that would help our situation before it all kicks off again in August.

1) Buy a new striker. One of the main reasons why we haven’t made the play offs this year is our lack of attacking prowess, especially since the departure of You Know How. We desperately need a 20 goal a season striker, someone who scores for fun, knows where to be, when and is prepared to take a gamble and get on the end of any ball coming into the box.

A failure to secure the services of someone who can supply us with goals will result in another season of disappointment, so we need a new forward. Urgently.

2) Find a new hero. Different from number one in that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a striker, though Lee Hughes was a goalscorer and a hero. We now need someone else to fill that void. Someone who excites, who the kids look up to and want to be like, a talisman.

Find a hero and hopefully the crowds will get bigger again, the results improve and our club’s identity strengthened.

3) Get a new playing surface. This goes without saying really and I am sure the groundstaff are already planning when to lay the new turf. As has been the case over the past few seasons, our pitch has badly deteriorated during the winter and has affected our playing style.

I’m not sure what the solution is long-term, as I don’t want us to make the rugby club homeless at the end of our agreement with them, but we can’t afford to have a bog of a pitch for half the season.

4) Arrange a big pre-season friendly. It would be really nice if we had one that will attract a big crowd and gives us the chance to see some really good players. Juventus would be amazing, but even a middling Premier League club would be better than nothing. A good preseason does wonders for improving the mood of fans, though we are better rehearsed in the school of thought that a pre-season means nothing once the real football kicks off!

5) A fixture list that is kind to us. It would be more than helpful to our finances if we could get some of the bigger and/or local clubs at the Lane on the key dates of the season. First day, Boxing day, Easter – the days that are the ones you look out for when the fixtures come out.

We all too often seem to have a rubbish fixture

list that does nothing to increase attendances and create some of those ‘big match’ day atmospheres that you look forward to.

6) Clean seats in the stands. I am presuming it is not just me who has to remove the cobwebs and layer of dust from my seat when returning after the summer?! It would be nice if someone could go round with a damp cloth and give the seats a wipe down. Until then white jeans are a definite no-no when going down the football.

7) A mystery cash windfall. This is more wishful thinking than anything, but what Notts needs now is to find that a long-lost uncle has left it a fortune in its will. It has been well documented that our financial position is only getting worse and a big donation would do wonders. Until then, it is down to the fans to help out by renewing season tickets, buy merchandise and doing anything else we can to inject some cash into the club.

8) Buy another striker. So, once we have a 20 goal a season striker, we also need a 15 goal a season striker to play alongside him and shoulder some of the burden. Again, easier said than done, but if we don’t buy two recognised goalscorers we are going to struggle to challenge for promotion in what is bound to be a league of better quality than it was this year.

9) Bring back Three Little Birds. When we won League Two, the team used to come out to Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. Maybe we can recreate that winning mentality by bringing it back for next season? It definitely made things a bit more relaxed and a bit more joyful, which cannot harm.

10) The renewal of hope among fans. We Notts fans are a resilient bunch, but mustering up any enthusiasm for the last few weeks of this season has not been easy. However, it is astonishing how quickly fans forget the dross of the previous year and discover a new-found belief that next year will be our year.

This is bound to happen and I am already looking forward to the renewed sense of hope and positivity that comes with the start of a new season. Who’s with me?!

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Helen Faccio @HelenBeighton

HEY DAD! WE GOT CUSHIONS!

Now you’ll have to bear with me on this one still reveals itself to me as something truly magical. We because the facts are a little hazy, but believe me set off quite early as my dad walked me through the city backstreets and suburbs, stopping occasionally to the memories will live long in the heart. regale me, sorry I mean bore me with stories of the Like most boys during the 1970’s the absence of todays misdemeanours of his youth, stopping on route to show technological advances meant that football to me was me the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home of his everything, in fact it consumed me. In my mind no one childhood hero’s Real Madrid. I was impressed. could ever begin to understand the joy I felt when I had a football at my feet. What’s more it didn’t matter whether What seemed like a very long bus ride later we found I was playing for my local team, in the playground at ourselves at our next stop, a typical small, smoke school or playing on the local park with my mates, I filled Spanish bar just a short walk from the stadium. just had to play at every opportunity. Cue memories of I was plonked on a stool, near the door with a bottle of coke and a small bowl of nuts for company whilst jumpers for goalposts and ‘rush’ goalies! my dad enjoyed what appeared to be a very large It was at the age of about 9 around 1973/74 that I first brandy as he chatted away to the dark haired, olive started to feel an affinity with a professional club. Up to skinned and heavily moustachioed patrons of this truly that point I was actually a bit of a neutral as my dad was authentic establishment synonymous with a bygone era.

Spanish and to be honest due to his work commitments Apparently my bright red hair and matching sunburnt (he was an entertainer, but that’s another story!) we complexion was a bit of a talking point! didn’t really see a lot of him and so there wasn’t really that traditional hand me down father/son football club To cut what is becoming a long story short we eventually allegiance thing going off. With that in mind this is where arrived at the stadium where we were furnished with it could have all gone wrong for me as a fan, you see one somewhat exquisite embroidered cushions to park our of my ‘Uncles’ in the absence of my father decided he backsides on. “Hey Dad, we got cushions!” Obviously we would take me to a game, a Nottinghamshire County Cup were not in the cheap seats! The game got underway and Final between Notts County and Nottingham Forest. The it was like nothing I had seen before. The ball would ping problem, which I was blissfully unaware of at the time, from player to player, the crowd cheering in unison and in time with the ball. “Ole! Ole! Ole!” It was like I was was that my ‘Uncle’ was a Forest fan. lost in a human pinball machine. The two teams finally So there I was at my first ever football match, stood played out a 1-1 draw with Cruyff scoring the equaliser in the Kop at my now beloved Meadow Lane watching for Barcelona with an unbelievable strike from some 40 Forest run out 4 – 2 winners in what was a highly yards out, the keeper never moved. The anticipation entertaining game surrounded by several thousand of a replay at the legendary Camp Nou shimmered jubilant fans adorned in the red and white of the winning appealingly on the horizon like the Spanish sun at team. Yet somehow it just didn’t feel right. Back then daybreak. I remember making our way back after the my Grandmother had not long passed away and my game, completely lost in the magic and authenticity of it Granddad had come to live with us, in fact he shared a all. And it was this authenticity, the feeling of being part bedroom with me and my brother (I don’t think that was of a community with a common love for something real too unusual in those days?). I remember him being in that seemed to stay with me. Seeing the Bernabeu was bed when I got home and asking me all about the game great and I was obviously impressed with the grandeur to which I replied “Well I suppose it was a good game of it all, but the emotions I experienced before, during and after the Atletico game appeared to have had a Granddad . . . but Forest won”. profound effect on me. It was obvious I was not one to It seemed that my lacklustre and non-enthusiastic follow the trending masses (my fashion sense over the response left him somewhat confused especially knowing years would no doubt confirm this). that surely it must have been a truly enjoyable night for me given my obvious love of football. “Well that’s good One weekend a few years later, a school friend and me isn’t it?” he replied. “Yeah, I suppose?” I answered, not decided we would spend our hard earned paper round wanting to upset him, but deep down I knew that even money on going to see a match. At this time we had though they were my local team I just didn’t think I could no allegiance and just wanted to see some football follow Forest, it just didn’t feel right. A few weeks later and experience a match day for ourselves. It just so my Dad returned from one of his ‘trips’ and shocked us happened (as luck would have it) that Notts County were all by declaring that we were going on holiday to Spain, playing at home this weekend against Oldham Athletic. It in fact we were going to stay with the family in Madrid. was a cold, wet October day and we witnessed probably It was during this trip that one of the most unbelievable the worst display of football from both teams we could footballing experiences of my life was to take place, an never have hoped to have seen. We even managed to experience firmly etched into my memory. We were go in the wrong gate and ended up on the Kop with nearing the end of our stay when I was informed that the handful of travelling Oldham fans until a nice police tickets had been acquired for me and my dad attend an officer realised our mistake and kindly lumped us into the upcoming Spanish Cup match (Copa Del Rey) between main stand for which we were extremely grateful!

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. I could hardly contain I’m sure many lads would not have been too impressed myself! with the way the day played out, but I was far from Now the odd thing was that whenever my dad spoke of disappointed, I felt something that day that I last felt Spanish football, being from Madrid he always talked a few years earlier. It was a feeling of raw authenticity, about Real Madrid so to have tickets for a match at community and indeed history that from that point took Atletico Madrid was a little confusing but exciting none an unfathomable hold of me, I was hooked, I was a Notts the less, especially as Barcelona boasted a certain Johan County supporter and it felt great!

Richard Ogando Cruyff in their team. Even now in the deepest most @ncfcog cynical reaches of my memory the evening of that game

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THE JIMMY & JACK APPEAL

Time for me to start reacquainting people with a project we tried to get off the ground earlier in the club’s 150th year which never really caught people’s attention as much as we’d have liked.

I proposed on the Notts Mad board some months back the idea of documenting the stories of the Notts County supporters and players from as many of the last 150 years as we could. We would put out a book with the best submissions with the aim of raising money for the statue fund.

We had mentions on the club’s official site, and the matchday programme. Progress was slow. A few (very good) stories were submitted - but not anywhere near enough for us to be able to make anything “fundraisable” out of. We need more.

We need photos, anecdotes, favourite games, the highs and lows. ANYTHING. Photos can be either digital or hard copy - we can scan those in and they’d be returned to you within just a few days.

The fund has picked up the pace a lot over the last few months - this book idea will now do the same during pre-season.

Over the course of the next few months, expect to see this pushed heavily - be it (if Ralph plays nicely again) on the official site, in the matchday programme, in the local press and perhaps on the radio. We’re determind to not let this idea die on it’s feet - but we need more people’s help than we’re getting so far.

The season’s finished. Get cracking!!

Stuart Brothers @blackwhitezine

The more that get involved, the greater chance we have of publishing over the coming months and raising money to help push the Jimmy & Jack Statue Fund closer to it’s £75,000 target.

PRESIDENT Ray Trew

CHAIRMAN Malcolm Voce

SECRETARY Alan Malloy

TREASURER Andy Bryan

Alan: 07909 752 772 Malc: 07980 284 331 golf@nottscountygolfsociety.co.uk

TEARS FOR SOUVENIRS

As we all know, there will be precious little joy for Magpies’ fans between now (as I write it is a positively Baltic March) and the sunlit end of season uplands of May. With this in mind I have resisted the temptation to wallow in perennial disappointment.

Instead I give you what I can only describe as my five favourite Notts County knee tremblers from days gone by. These are the rare occasions when following the world’s oldest football league club has actually moved me to tears. Of joy and/or pride at least. You are well aware that blubbing tears of unhappiness is no option for a fan of a club as hapless as ours – not unless you want to attend games on a saline drip.

5

Munto Mania Notts 5-0 Bradford City Meadow Lane - August 8 2009

The most recent entry and the most bittersweet.

Tales of Mr Eriksson and our new invisible megabucks owners had lured me once again to the Lane from my far flung corner of Wiltshire.

Optimism was clearly running high as there were at least four of us exiles stood disbelievingly in the Kop as a new look County side spanked the Bantams.

I have a vivid memory of Dave, agape and looking at his watch in wonder as we went three up before half-time. Being on the right end of this kind of thrashing was simply unknown territory, and for ninety beautiful minutes it felt like our lives were about to change forever.

As the final whistle went we levitated out of the ground and I must surely have squeezed out a tear at the sheer serendipity of it all. Fast forward four months and we were back in the shitter as the whole diabolical sham collapsed around Sven’s ears. Oh well.

4

Sir Jimmy Notts 2-2 Bury Meadow Lane - May 6th 2006

Slightly odd this one as the tears came before the game even kicked off. Probably the club’s darkest hour to date, as nigh on ten thousand of us rallied to the cause for the ultimate end of season nail biter – football league survival the prize.

Also notable for ending my self-imposed exile from Notts in general and Meadow Lane in particular dating back to 2002. I had moved down south with work and the dreadful fare on offer in the intervening years had never truly come close to tempting me back. In fact,

watching a limp end of season defeat at Loftus Road the previous May had only deepened my apathy.

But something in me stirred as my beloved County faced oblivion and I made contact with friends I had not seen for a decade – we would be there. So was Jimmy. Older than ever, but unmistakeably ours, and as I heard the man speak in person for the first time I choked up with emotion. Having originally come to Nottingham in 1988, I had never seen his teams play, but I knew Jimmy represented everything that had ever been successful and special and different about us. Surely we would not let him down – somehow, thank God, we didn’t.

3

Wurzel At The Double F****t 1-1 Notts City Ground - February 11 1992

A nigh-on Valentine’s Day date with the filth more on such things later – when we were more than happy to go dutch in the top division.

I was squashed nose-to-armpit on a long demolished terrace and hardly saw the left back’s equaliser as it bobbled into the net through a crowded penalty area.

Richard Dryden was the unlikeliest of scorers in a game where we barely showed up. No tears from me at the time and other memories of the day are hazy to say the least, but show me the goal on YouTube these days and you’ll set me right off.

Something about the sight of the heaving mass of Notts County humanity (which just so happened to include me) celebrating at the home of the old enemy just turns me to jelly.

Give it ten years or so and Hughesy’s league cup goal at the same end will probably have a similar effect. For some reason it doesn’t yet make me go misty eyed. Bloody Wes Morgan.

2

Don O’s Thunderbolt Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Notts White Hart Lane - March 10 1991

An FA Cup Quarter Final (no less) in what was a hell of a season all told. To this day I cannot fathom what on earth was so important that I was in Sneinton not North London for this once in my lifetime fixture, but I was.

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Back in those days Notts on telly was about as common as a unicorn in Sainsbury’s so maybe that was it. There’s still a dent in the ceiling of somebody’s front room from where I rocketed off the sofa as O’Riordan’s screamer left Erik Thorstvedt grasping thin air as it zoomed inside the far post. All in front of the travelling hordes who went predictably and beautifully mental for the TV cameras.

His reply was satisfyingly irate and unrepeatable and I still smile to think of his humiliation at losing to us. Or hugging a complete stranger at the final whistle in utter elation. Or a small car full of large Magpies virtually bouncing down the embankment as the radio replayed Colin’s commentary of Charlie’s winner and they jumped up and down inside like demented toddlers.

For ten surreal minutes I wept into my beer can as the impossibility of it all took hold in my alcohol addled imagination. At which point mental visions of Phil Turner hoisting the cup were promptly banished by chubber Gascoigne as he forced one own goal and scored another.

Or all the obvious stuff – our ground full to bursting for once, getting the winner from a twice taken free kick just after they equalised, answering the pre-match taunting from overconfident reds in the best possible way, being the last time we beat them and the only time I have seen that happen. I could go on.

This after he’d escaped what should have been a straight red for viciously elbowing the block of granite that was (and probably still is) Paul Harding’s head.

I guess karma caught up with Gazza some time ago, but either way I don’t rate our chances of ever getting within spitting distance of the semis of a major trophy again while my grandchildren are still breathing. Thanks Paul.

1

Charlie Palmer Day Notts 2-1 F****t Meadow Lane - February 12 1994

I know, I know, how predictable. But come on, what’s not to like? Calling my redback ‘friend’ on the following Monday (Valentine’s Day) – “Roses are red, violets are blue, F****t got one goal but County got two”.

But standing head and shoulders above all of this by the proverbial country mile is the sight of Sir Charles Palmer, arm aloft, bolting along the touchline at the speed of light, his joyous team mates trailing in his goal scoring wake. I’m filling up now just thinking about it. No really, I am. I know a lot of that is because such improbable joy seems so impossibly far away these days, but what can I do?

I never really understood criticism of fans that wallow in their club’s past glories – how else do you cope with the months and years of unending dross if not by clinging onto memories of better times? Or watching cracking YouTube clips of your favourite team. Over and over and over again. Sob.

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Piran Lynn-Smith

TI PTIMIS O REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL I M E S C

There’s plenty of doom and gloom enveloping Meadow Lane at present. Plenty of it justified, equal ammounts sheer melodrama.

The club’s outline of it’s future, centres around the club relying on it’s own development squad to bring through talent – rather than the club throwing good money after bad in the transfer market on the sort of over-the-hill journeymen we’ve all suffered with for so long. When you have the likes of the exciting Curtis Thompson, combative Kyle Dixon and confident Greg Tempest coming through to compliment what is already the spine of a good League One outfit then maybe things aren’t so bad?

It doesn’t need pointing out that I am ever the optimist – but when you look at the spine of the team that we might have in place next season, I’d dare anyone to challenge my opinion that the players we have at our disposal are certainly above getting mired down in the relegation battle that many have already forecast in 2013/14.

It doesn’t particularly start with the brightest of beginnings however.

Bartosz Bialkowski is simply the best goalkeeper in this division – of that I’m in no doubt whatsoever. The greatest compliment I’ve been able to pay Poland’s Number One (Poland’s, Poland’s Number One) is that he at times makes League One football just look too easy. Glaring howlers at Brentford and Bournemouth exempted obviously. But in Fabian

OUT OF CONTRACT

Yoann Arquin Hamza Bencherif Haydn Hollis Jeff Hughes Alan Judge Julian Kelly Joss Labadie Gavin Mahon Liam Mitchell Krystian Pearce Alan Sheehan Greg Tempest Curtis Thompson Tyrell Waite Jake Wholey

a very solid, competitive spine of a Notts County side, capable of competing with plenty of sides in League One. Play-Off candidates?

Difficult to judge – but certainly the In that respect, Bart represents our not the relegation candidates that most sensibly saleable asset, in that if many are quick to forecast. he’s sold, we’re adequately covered.

And with two years remaining on his Then you have the youth element contract after this season, there’s highlighted by the board as playing a key role in the club’s future. Curtis certainly be value to be found here.

Thompson, a player unlucky to not In front of Spiess would be Dean feature since PNE at Meadow Lane Leacock and (you’d imagine/hope) is comfortable anywhere down the Manny Smith. Seems a long ago right. Greg Tempest has continued to now that Smith was brought in grow in confidence with each cameo and heralded as the better of our appearance he has made. Meanwhile defensive signings. Injury in the pre- Haydn Hollis is still the same raw season Bradford City game curtailed talent he has been in pre-season – his season however, and Deano one which is effective, just lacking stepped up to be one of the best confidence. players in the Notts side this year.

There’s plenty of potential for both This is without taking into account men to form a formidable partnership players like Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Francois Zoko who have only given the opportunity. shown their full capabilities in fleeting Looking at the midfield, and this in glimpses thus far at Notts. the Summer will likely be headlined by the exit of club captain Neal It’s Kiwomya who’s ultimately going Bishop. Would I welcome such an to be the wildcard and i’ve seen exit? No chance whatsoever, but on nothing yet to suggest he’ll bring the surface I’d say it’s been coming the cohesion the team needs BUT for months. Relations between I can acknowledge he’s swimming Bish and supporters (to his own against the tide when his options admission) have not been at their are pretty much what would best since he confronted supporters become Keith Curle’s legacy – the in an FA Cup game at Stevenage. The lack of dangermen up front. Not to skipper would in turn feel the brunt mention this has been a team for of Notts fans’ anger in amongst our months utterly bereft on confidence worst form of the season. As the in getting themselves forward even season has drawn approached it’s when Kiwomya is encouraging it. conclusion, his commitment on the field has not waned in the slightest, If I had to put forward a wish list for but his body language certainly the Summer that lies ahead, well it’s suggests he’s a player who can’t wait pretty simple to be honest. to get away.

1) A new striker That his agent, the quite petulant Tom Curle (yes, Keith’s boy) is 2) Another new striker probably still hurting is unlikely to 3) The kind of patience at boardroom work in Notts’ favour either. level that we’ve not seen so far.

We aren’t struggling for options in the centre of midfield however. Joss No I’m not massively confident Labadie was recalled early from a we’ll be able to pull of the hat-trick, season long loan at Torquay which but with a fee for a highly-rated suggests he may still have a future goalkeeper thrown into the mix at Meadow Lane. Chris Kiwomya has then we have do have a shout. talked up Jeff Hughes (out of contract shortly) in the local press in saying I make no apologies for what is an overly-optimistic he needs to be played in position admittedly – is that something on next year’s outlook - I just believe in the players agenda? Similarly wasted, the quite that we’ll hopefully have left by the superb, yet grossly under-utilised in start of the new season. defence Gary Liddle looks in recent games to be chomping at the bit to If we don’t, we’ll come back to this piece and laugh about it together! be able to get forward.

Spiess we have a goalkeeper so good that some weren’t even sure Bartosz should’ve come back into the team following injury.

With the right bolstering, that is

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Stuart Brothers @BlackWhiteZine

TA-BOO, OR NOT TA-BOO?

Monday 1st April 2013, for the fourth time this year, boos rang from the Spion Kop and surrounding stands as an albeit improved, yet lacklustre first half performance by the Magpies saw them enter the changing room with a one goal deficit.

as spectators aren’t just there to watch, they interact with the game. Booing and jeering aimed at bad refereeing decisions elevates home team performance and increases anxiety of visiting teams (Greer, 1983). When it comes to jeering home players themselves however, detrimental effects are observed with heckling resulting in a greater number of mistakes and poorer discipline, indicating detriment to both performance and behaviour (Thirer & Rampey, 1979). This season has been riddled with suspensions for the Magpies.

Reserve goalkeeper, Fabian Speiss, returned to the starting line up for the first time since his shortlived spell following a head injury to Bart away at Leyton Orient. Fabian held himself well; making a terrific first-shot save from Matthew Dolan and nearly reached the follow-up by Madden, putting It is not just their performance which our interaction the travelling team in front at Meadow Lane in the impacts upon however, we are too quick to see our team as a team and disregard said team as first minute of first half added time.

11 individual players. Brentford away for example Although many in attendance that day were saw Bart concede his worst goal since joining the dismayed by such overt disapproval by their fellow Magpies, a 20-yard strike which rolled past him. fans, the majority were content to evident their displeasure, and why shouldn’t they? They paid Now any faithful supporter of Notts County will not their hard earned money and felt let down by be surprised to see Bart contend player of the year their team. No fan wants to see their team lose, this year along side Gary Liddle, and potentially but in their eyes, certain players didn’t even try. (though not deserved), Alan Judge. Bart has saved Questions need to be raised about whether booing us the most points this season and as he conceded is morally right or wrong, how different is this from his London goal, support for him soon followed as singling out individual players, and whether fans the County faithful cheered out “Poland’s Number need to take a step back and think about their 1!” - except for a small County contingency who began chanting for Pilkington to come off the actions. bench and furthermore, and most disrespectfully, The act of booing is an age-old tradition used within “Poland’s Number 20” in reference to a poor the sporting world to show displeasure and acts as performance by Bart. means of venting anger. This anger is commonly directed towards the opposing team or a referee Goldberg (2008) highlighted that there’s nothing for making a bad decision (a common occurrence like a fair weather fan who loves their team when at Meadow Lane this year), but what impact does they’re on top but whom will turn quickly against this have when the home players themselves are them the minute the clouds darken. Would they expect such abuse, up close and personal as these subject to ridicule? lower league grounds are, after one bad spell at Rightly so, most fans choose not to boo their their job? own team; feeling a distinct connection with their players (Anderson, 2010), but interestingly, it may So where are we now? This season has left us with be this connection allowing us to critique them so a team lacking passion and direction, and a fan freely, similar to how we so easily can argue with base with even their most loyal following having our family and loved ones. Social pressure to join trouble seeing where the next win is to come from, in may also play a factor with fans fearing negative and failing to believe how this season has panned judgment of peers, friends, or at the very least, out. At the Fans Forum, manager Chris Kiwomya individuals they are stuck with for the remainder ended his speech by saying “…give me a chance of the season if they fail to join it. It is easy to next year and I can show you what my team can see how they may act out of character here, do, if you don’t like it, then you have the right to losing individuality and following the actions of the boo”. collective group.

Research would suggest that this could have a Interestingly, sporting history has constantly damaging effect and undo the hard work which discussed the ‘home advantage’ in sports (Tauer, Chris will undoubtedly put into getting the new era 2009), often attributed to facility familiarity, the of the Magpies up and ready. Yes booing the players need to defend one’s territory, and the notion of may seem to spur them on in the short term, but a mass supportive audience. Swimmers perform is at the risk of causing personal damage to the better during trials as a result of supportive player-fan relationship and detriments to their coaches and peers (McKenzie & Rushall, 1974) performance in the long-term. Could our actions be with athletes showing increased performance in the proverbial straws to break the Magpie’s backs? the presence of spectators (Stauss, 2002).

Dean Fido @dfido1 Football has one fundamental difference however

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OUR NEXT GENERATION

July 1st, 2005 was a momentous day in the history of Notts County, or so I initially thought - it was the day that the saviour of our club was born. I was under no illusion that he was the first nor the last, but from that moment my first son was going to be the one that would drag us out of the doldrums and into the Promised Land.

I had it all planned out. Commanding centre-half, in the Yatesy mould, pushing us up a couple of divisions in his early Notts career and then – the moment that would shape the future of our club forever. Juventus bound (yes, sold, he was going to be no Steve Bull!) with a £20 million price tag, apparently a figure needed to cement our dream, it would clear off the remaining debts and give us the investment we needed to get to the Premier League.

But then the reality smacked me in the face. OK the chances of this happening were minimal, however I subsequently faced the daunting task of making, even forcing, him into a loud and proud Notts County supporter. This wasn’t going to be easy due to us living within 20-miles of Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and ,dare I say it, Wigan Athletic. It was a challenge I could not refuse nor fail in.

First few days at home and his first major moment as a Notts fan. The Masters Cup – Central Masters. Mock you may, but sat in his “Born to dribble for Notts County” bib we witnessed a classic moment together.

Nottingham Forest 0 Notts County 5. The stuff of dreams! Lucky omen? I’d hoped so and so the journey had began.

I did all the old tricks. People since called it brainwashing and if that’s what it is, then I have no problem with it. Instead of Nursery Rhymes he got The Wheelbarrow Song. Replacing bedtime stories, he got full match reports. Goals were recorded, shirts were bought, player chants were sung to him and even mild derisory comments about Forest and the North West teams were introduced to him. I was doing all I could in the early impressionable years!

Soon the time came, I had to make the next step and actually take him to a game. This horrified me at first.

The thought of him not being settled enough so I could enjoy the game or, even worse, have to leave early, played on my mind. So drafting in reinforcements, my dad, and armed with a bag full of every single bribe possibly known to man, the three of us headed into the unknown. Macclesfield Town, away, the second league

I took “Dad on the next match can we take loads of sweets again?” as being hooked!

The rest of that season was a breeze. He was absolutely loving it and a lot of thanks for that should go to his first football idol – Kasper Schmeichel. If Kasper was playing, he was happy and I could enjoy the game. It was god-like adoration; his bedroom walls were a church to the great Dane. Favourite players and their chants really helped him follow the club. These were drilled into him military style!

However when Kasper left the club the huge void had to be filled. The keeper’s posters and photo-cards came down to be replaced by “Super” Ben Davies.

They soon came down and to be replaced by Craig “He plays on the left, he plays on the right ...” Westcarr.

Spot the pattern? (You can imagine how quick I got a photo of Tom Williams up for him!) I was jinxed.

Would he fall out of love with the Pies as his favourite players left? He’s now onto Francois “Oh,oh, oh, he’s magic …” Zoko. I’ve not put a photo of him up – yet!

Challenging times lay ahead though as he begins to go through Junior School. His classmates are awash with a sea of varying shades of red and blue on non-uniform days.

His football team-mates train in a similar range of colours, yet he has remained strong and loyal in his black and white.

Furthermore the “brainwashing” has continued. As he watches virtually every single football program broadcast he now has a list of favourite, nonNotts, players, but we have developed a quick retort for each of them: Joe Hart - “but Bart is better Dad”; Steven Gerrard - “not as good as Bish Dad” and, disgustingly, Wayne Rooney - “well we sometimes score goals, don’t we Dad?”. He will not stray on my shift!

So, so far, it’s all going quite well. There was no way I could let him go any other way. I’ve even conceded country for club (an easy decision!) as his mum is from Northern Ireland and a reasonably keen Liverpool follower, so forgiving England was a small, yet necessary, loss. I see it as I’m doing my duty, my job, my role, my single goal in my adult life – bringing up the next generation of Notts County fans.

I presume all this sounds familiar or I hope it does, as we all do our part for the future of our club. Yet if he does falter , never fear, for there is another who is just about to embark on the very same adventure.

But you never know, I might have to accompany him, or his younger brother, to their signing-on press conference in Turin – one day!

game of the Munto era. We battered them. My lad, then 4 years old, loved it and he was hooked. Well

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Stephen Moore @9_Moore

MY DREAM XI

3. Nigel Worthington A complete dearth of decent left backs at this club over 30 years, although i do like Alan Sheehan at the minute, Nigel was a young lad brought over

by Sir Jimmy and he took the place of Ray O’Brien and played in the top flight and i liked him, especially as he was a Notts player who got picked for an international side and being 6/7 Firstly, this team will be jointly years old, that is just awesome. managed by Jimmy Sirrel and Neil 4. Craig Short Warnock. I was a bit to young to with the number five appreciate what Jimmy had done for Along this club, but i learnt and respected next, formed the best defensive that the great man was Notts County. partnership in my lifetime. From I met him a couple of times, had my 1989 through to 1992, these two picture taken with him which is on were absolutely rock solid, and my wall at home now, and one story strikers wept when they were to play i remember, i went to the junior us because they knew they were in magpies end of season disco in 86 for their toughest afternoons of the ish, and they had a football quiz season. which i won! Always been a bit of a 5. Dean Yates statto geek, and after going up to collect my prize, apparently Jimmy Quite simply the best defender I approached my dad and said hes have ever seen play for Notts county. a brainy lad hey, or words to that Since he made his debut in 85, he effect, my dad, chuffed to bits, told was just simply awesome. One game me afterwards and i looked up and stands out for me. A random away Jimmy sat there and smiled at me, day at Millmoor, Notts 1-0 up but and for this 10 year old, that made then Deano scores an own goal to equalise for Rotherham, but then me feel 10 foot tall. in the last minute, in front of the Mr Warnock would complement travelling hordes (me included!)

Sir jimmy really well, i think they Deano scores an absolute belting would make a wonderful double act. goal that won us the three points.

Warnock was a great manager, still Dean Yates, pure class, simples. is, and he gave me some of my best 6. Phil Turner memories as a Notts fan, Wembley wins, promotion to the top flight, that Very underrated and maybe a surprise wonderful FA Cup run, the list goes choice for many but I thought he was on and so he would be the assistant excellent, he would be my captain to Sir Jimmy to make a dream team as well, and you could say he was management team, and who would our most successful captain with lifting two play-off trophies and the manage the following: Anglo-Italian Cup, but he did his job and was an excellent servant for the 1. Raddy Avramovic A very tough choice. I have seen Magpies, and deserves his place in so many great keepers at the Lane, this team. and Kasper Schemeichel will be my 7. John Chiedozie sub goalkeeper, just ahead of Steve Cherry and Darren Ward but Raddy One of the most skilful, quickest just edges it. He was our keeper that and most exciting players I have won promotion to the top flight and seen at Meadow Lane. On his day he then kept goal for two years in the was simply amazing, and our record top flight, and getting his autograph signing until 91. I do think he was was a major thrill when i was six an excellent player and he even came back and made a cameo role years old! in Warnocks first season and it was great seeing him back. Just brilliant.

2. Sir Charlie Palmer Not just for ‘that’ goal but most 8. Mark Draper definitely the best right back I’ve seen play for the club. A bargain buy Probably the easiest choice in the for Warnock and he paid that back whole team, he was awesome, in spades as he was a mainstay of brilliant, excellent, he was a both promotion winning teams and goalscoring midfielder, he had skill did himself justice in the top flight to die for, he was the best player in as well. That goal certainly helps the Notts team of 92-94, under Mick Walker he flourished and earned though! himself the Premier League move. A So, seeing as I have been a fan of this great club for just over 30 years, who would make my dream X1? Its a tough choice and not everybody will agree with me, if anybody, but this is a personal choice of who i thought should be in the ultimate Notts County team since 1981.

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truly wonderful footballer and it was a pleasure to see him grow up into a Premier League footballer.

9. Lee Hughes The first Notts striker to score 30 plus league goals in a season, overall has scored over 60 goals for the club in just 3 and a bit seasons. He is more than a goalscorer though, his work rate and effort is first class, but also some of his goals have been fantastic and to see the kop all doing the Hughesy is amazing. I think he is the most natural goalscorer we have had for many a year.

10. Mark Stallard The best £10,000 ever spent! Almost 80 goals scored, with almost two seasons ruined with injury, otherwise it would have been a lot more. Him and Hughes up front in their pomp would be a devastating front pair.

Stall, had class, skill and he knew where the goal was. He bought others in the game and he was in a different class to anyone else.

11. Tommy Johnson Oooooh Tommy Johnson, Oooooh Tommy Johnson! We made him who he was, and he gave Notts the best years of his career. He scored goals for others, including Celtic where he was something of a cult hero, but Tommy Johnson is, was and always will be a Notts County hero.

SUBSTITUTES

In goal is Kasper Schmeichel who I think will go and have a great career.

Michael Johnson features as cover in any defensive position. Alongside Draper, Ben Davies is the dead ball player I’ve ever seen and would sit on the bench with Steve Finnan who used to be my first signing on Football Manager! Controversial, but Neal Bishop is one of the best midfielders we’ve ever had so he would feature, as well as Paul Devlin who I rated very highly who can play on either flank or up front. Finally, it has to be Gary McSweeeeeegan – I just wish he could’ve stayed with us for a few years more.

So that’s my team, playing 4-4-2 and with 7 subs as is the norm these days! I’m sure you will all disagree with at least one player, or maybe all 18 of them! But as I say, its my personal choice of players I have seen play in my 30 years or so of supporting this great football club.

Ian Marsden @IanMarsden76

GREAT EXPECTATIONS?

I am not easily pleased. In the recent past, I’ve been accused of being “negative”, a “moaner”, “boring” and a “prophet of doom”. I’ve also been accused of having too high expectations, and told that “we have to live within our means” and “we can’t expect to win every week.”

So I’d like, in my final article of the season to are “scared to play” at Meadow Lane, examine supporter expectations, whether because the crowd expects promotion, we are expecting too much, and if we goals and entertainment, and the team should revise our expectations downwards is struggling to cope with expectation. As a result, team confidence is low because for the future. we’re not meeting those expectations.

I believe that Notts County F.C. should be Unfortunately, that’s not good enough. producing better football and pushing for They are bloody professional footballers, promotion. I’m not a member of the “we’ve paid to do nothing but play football. It’s not got enough money, so let’s not bother their job for which they train all week, and trying – mid-table is the best we can hope unfortunately, the poor dears have just got for” brigade – you know who they are. The to knuckle down and perform better. moment you stop striving for better things and accept mediocrity, you might as well If I did my job as badly as the current team give up. We’ve wasted a real opportunity to do theirs, and tried the “I’m struggling go up this year in the weakest League One to deal with your expectations” excuse, I for years, and I expect much better next would at best be offered re-training and if I didn’t improve, I’d be shown the door. year. Full stop.

Footballers earn a good wage for their (at At the recent fans forum, Ray Trew told the most) 3 hours a week game-time and are fanbase exactly where we are as a club. given the opportunity to train in order to He stated that whilst he was ambitious improve during the rest of the week – as and wanted Notts to succeed, the club is a result, I expect continuous improvement running at a loss and he alone is footing the and not the same uninspiring, mediocre bill. He asked for “realism” from the fans performances week after week. who expect “immediate results”, and whilst he acknowledged the season has been Players moan about fans that boo, yet disappointing, he asked for more support at when people who work longer and harder games, and stressed that it was important than them for their money, have to watch that the fans don’t abandon the club if well paid footballers strutting round the things aren’t going well. He was lowering pitch putting in minimum effort (Yoann expectations, and as a Chairman of a mid- Arquin, anyone?), they are expected table League One club, I understand that, not to express their unhappiness, but to but it won’t change my views - managed “shut up and support the club - booing is counter productive”. Everyone likes praise, properly, we can do better, much better. but, like it or not, when you’ve paid £23 There is a line of thought amongst fans, to watch your team, at home to Yeovil, particularly prominent during the Trust’s make 50,000 passes along the back four era that Notts are a small club with a before Alan Sheehan boots the ball into the tiny fanbase who will never amount to stand, before conceding a sloppy goal and anything and should be grateful to simply losing the match, you’re going to get boos. exist “because we were in administration Notts fans are not that hard to please – try umpteen years ago”. That won’t wash with harder, and we’ll love you. We’ve had so me – the “club apologists” who will accept much shite over the years, a few shots on any rubbish as long as it’s in a black and target and we’ll be delirious! white shirt need to take a long look at I was too young to experience the Wembley themselves, if you ask me. days in the late 80s and early 90s, and am There has also been an argument made in desperate for those days to return. I would the past by previous managers that players argue that the club don’t agree with my

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expectations. Ray Trew has earned a great deal of money operating a recruitment consultancy, of which CVs, verifiable achievements and contractual negotiation are key, so why are Notts stuck with donkeys playing for us, and managers, with questionable qualifications, on ridiculously long contracts, who are constantly being replaced at great expense?

Having lost so many games at home this season, I think the people that pay their money and make sacrifices to support the football club home and away are totally within their rights to criticise if the product isn’t good enough, as you would with any other shoddy service. If the depressing and over-priced fare served up at games by the club was a meal, you wouldn’t return to the restaurant again.

Recent performances haven’t been entertaining or inspiring enough, which I think will be reflected in season ticket sales.

Fans have been quietly ebbing away since the end of the Munto season, with some of the ‘glory’ fans disappearing back to Forest

or their sofas on a Saturday afternoon.

Personally I think we’ll lose more with the ‘we can’t expect to succeed, and must live within our means whilst charging you an arm and a leg’ line.

It’s difficult, we’re not Manchester United, or Chelsea, we’re certainly not Forest. We don’t have millions in the bank, we don’t have a team of world beaters (we have Hamza Bencherif, and that’s it!) We’re not going to get to the Premier League or win major honours any time soon, I understand that. However, with some shrewd decisions and more effort, we can achieve promotion next year, and I don’t think it’s unrealistic or wrong to have expectations of doing well.

Whilst living within our means, the club has to revise its strategy on and off the field, or at the current rate we’ll be back in League Two and Ray Trew’s “twelve million pounds investment” will have been squandered.

Live within our means certainly, but never stop dreaming.

Drew Dennis @DrewNotts

PASSION & COMMITMENT

Recent events have led many of us to question whether our players are truly committed to the cause.

But, how do you define whether a footballer is really passionate and committed on a football pitch? Do they have to run around like a lunatic to show they care or can these qualities be demonstrated in subtler, more understated ways? This article will explore this issue and hopefully draw some conclusions as to which Notts players do show passion and commitment on the park.

Firstly, what is Passion?

1: A strong emotion; 2: An outburst of anger; 3: Great enthusiasm for something. Now, which Notts players demonstrate this on the pitch?

And, what is Commitment?

1: To commit meaning to do or to perform; 2.

The state of being involved in an obligation.

Who shows emotion on the pitch?

Who performs consistently for the team?

Bish obviously, Deano at the back and after that I’m struggling which is why I think a lot of our fans are so quick to slate our players for not getting stuck in and for not getting involved.

I first remember this accusation being levelled after the Rotherham horror show but part of me is not convinced that the modern footballer is encouraged to show such passion on the pitch any more. With tackling now effectively outlawed, it is as if a cool, calm head has to be kept at all times and that getting over emotive on the park is actually going to lead to a performance that is detrimental to the team. Look at Yoann against Crewe, the red mist descended and off he went.

Unfortunately, consistent performers have been few and far between this season but I do think Bart, Deano, Lids and Bish have been pretty consistent this term. Having run through those names though it is clear to see why we have struggled this year.

Who gets angry?

Bish! Clearly, Bish gets angry with the red card at Portsmouth a prime example.

Again, in today’s game, I don’t think this is a quality that coaches and managers want.

Football is a far more mechanical and strategic game these days; check out the photos of the players grouped around Hannah’s laptop as they view her latest piece of analysis. Therefore, players who have a tendency to lose it are not going to make it at the top level.

Who shows great enthusiasm?

For me, this is where it starts to get interesting and having wrestled with this for a while, I personally define enthusiasm on a football pitch as getting involved, wanting the ball, not being afraid and willing to make mistakes in the hope of driving the team forward and ultimately winning the game. For me the players that epitomise these qualities are Judgey and Julian Kelly. However, we are clearly lacking forwards who are willing to do these things, how many times does Yoann go missing in a game (despite his obvious qualities)?

So based on the above, the killer criteria for me as to whether a player shows passion or not is their enthusiasm on the pitch and as such I believe our most passionate players are Judgey, Kelly and Leacock.

To being involved in an obligation: Clearly, and Ray Trew obviously agrees, the Notts players are obligated to put a shift in on the pitch and to give 100% (if only to justify picking up their salary).

During our recent run of form, many fans have been taking to the airwaves to complain that our players are not putting a shift in. Yet, I feel it’s difficult to actually ascertain whether they are committed. Take Yoann Arquin for instance. Never in a million years is he going to run around to show how much he cares. But does that actually mean he cares less? As the Guardian’s secret footballer once said, one of the most common things that players do when they are having a bad game is to run around a lot and make a late challenge on someone to show the fans that they have passion and are giving 100%. For me, this is a pretty cheap way of getting the fans onside yet many of our fans do seem to prefer this approach far more than seeing someone who is having a bad game skulk off into the shadows.

So when it comes to commitment, which of our players has shown this this season?

Unfortunately, it’s a short list but for me Bart, Deano, Lids and Bish have been the stand out performers this year.

And, putting it all together…

Who is Mr Passion and Commitment for Notts?

For me, it is Deano Leacock and that is why I hope he is our Captain next season.

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Graham Farquharson @gfarquharson

A SEASON TO REMEMBER - 1975/76

The Shipp Cup, that famous old trophy was up for grabs when the season kicked off with Notts up against the powers of Cambridge United, Kettering and Peterborough. And I’m still not sure whether we won it or not but bigger fish were to be fried over the next 9 months.

The league season began in London with a 2-1 at newly promoted Charlton and four days later we were back in London with a draw at Orient.

The following two games were big games for this author with Southampton at home being my first Notts match ever.

August 23rd, 1975 - the start of a love affair with the most demanding of partners. The following Saturday, an 89th minute Les Bradd winner at the Temple of Sin and that was it, I was hooked.

Four more wins on the bounce were to follow, and by the end of September we were top of Division Two and facing second placed Sunderland at Roker Park. This was a team we had already met (and beaten) in a League Cup game that was to lead us into a game that would provide Notts with arguably the biggest result in their history.

But more of that later.

but before that game the bombshell dropped that Jimmy Sirrel was leaving the club to join a rock bottom Sheffield United in a move that shook the club to it’s core. Ronnie F e n t o n took over and kept the clubs promotion bid on track but with only one win in six games in November it was clear that the promotion b u b b l e w a s bursting.

McManus.

With the run ended league form had to be improved.

Three home wins helped, but two away defeats cancelled them out. 1976 dawned and first game of the new year was an FA Cup 3rd round tie with Leeds United - but there was to be no dream result this time as the Yorkshiremen gained their revenge with a 1-0 win in front of 31,000 at Meadow Lane. With no distractions now the league again became a priority and with a run of 5 wins in 7 games March arrived with Notts challenging at the top alongside West Brom, Bristol City, Sunderland and Bolton.

But March proved to be a disaster with four defeats - the promotion challenge was over.

April came and went with draws against Sunderland and Forest the highlights. Notts ruining Bristol City’s own promotion party with a 2-1 win bought the curtain down on a season that promised so much but ultimately bought nothing but disappointment. Now where have I seen that before?

Goodison Park was the venue on November 11th, and after being behind twice Notts hung on for a 2-2 draw and a replay a fortnight later in front of 23,404. Notts triumphed 2-0 thanks to a couple of Bradd goals. It earned a quarter final at Newcastle United which is where the run ended in bizarre circumstances - a throw in Facts and figures of 75/76 fumbled into his own net by Eric League Placing 5th (the last Roker Park was the place where time Notts were to finish above our unbeaten start to the Forest) season ended - and in some style as Notts succumbed to FA Cup 3rd Round League Cup Quarter Finals a 4-0 defeat. A three game run without a league win was Highest Attendance 29,279 v interspersed with a trip to Forest April 13th, 1976 Elland Road on October 8th where Notts somehow managed Lowest Attendance 8005 v to beat an all-conquering Carlisle September 6th, 1975 Leeds United side that just four months earlier had been Also, on February 25th versus in a European Cup Final. Ian Portsmouth (a) a bloke called Scanlon on 70 minutes made Chris Kamara scored against it a night to remember for Notts. Whatever happened to the 5,000 Notts fans there him ? that night and everyone else connected with the club.

Ian Cooksey Everton away was the reward

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TEN NON-LEAGUE PLAYERS WE SHOULD SIGN

The Football League is all very nice, with it’s seats, floodlights and play not being suspended whilst the ball is coaxed back down from a fir tree, but the non-league has its uses too - increasingly as a proving ground for future league players. The list of non-league stars who’ve gone on to make it higher up the pyramid is growing every season, such as Championship goal machine Jermaine Beckford (Wealdstone), hard-working Charlton midfielder Bradley Pritchard (Hayes & Yeading), Reading centre back Alex Pearce (Arnold Town) and Bournemouth midfield schemer Harry Arter (Havant & Waterlooville). With a new job that essentially involves standing in the rain and the wind, night after night, watching games low on quality for the most part, but with the odd shining diamond. From Chipstead to Chippenham, Mickleover to Merstham and Hendon to Herne Bay, I did the scouting so Notts don’t have to.

Daniel Bradley (21) Alfreton Town

Blue Square Premier Central Midfielder It took Alfreton Town midfielder Dan Bradley a while to settle after falling into non-league football following his release from Aston Villa, where he had progressed through their academy. Initially finding his feet at Tamworth, scoring five goals in an impressive debut season, he moved onto Kidderminster Harriers but struggled to establish himself under Steve Burr.

Since Nicky Law brought the young midfielder to the Impact Arena for an undisclosed fee, however, he has blossomed in both defensive and attacking midfield roles, impressing with his tenacity and ability to drive at opposition defences with the ball.

Nick Freeman (17) Histon

Blue Square North Winger Histon winger Nick Freeman has made a real impression in his debut season with the Cambridgeshire club’s first team, earning himself trial periods with Premier League duo West Ham United and Norwich City. Neither decided to make Freeman a firm offer, but he looks destined for a future in the Football League at the very least.

Capable of playing on either flank and with excellent ball control and the ability to go past players, Freeman has the raw talent to make the grade at a much higher level than the Blue Square North and is one of a number of Stutes players attracting interest, with 18 yearold forward Matty Waters having been training with Birmingham City.

It represents a huge rise to prominence for Freeman, who only joined the club a year ago but rose to attention during Histon’s FA Youth Cup run, where he struck eight goals before they were knocked out by Liverpool.

Eddie Oshodi (21) Forest Green Rovers

Blue Square Premier Position - Central Defender For such a young centre back, Forest Green Rovers’ Eddie Oshodi already has a huge amount of experience to call upon, having come through the youth system at Watford before a successful loan spell at Rushden & Diamonds. He was let go by the Hornets, but Dave Hockaday quickly brought him to the New Lawn, where he has become a mainstay of a Rovers side beginning to push for a place in the Football League.

Quick and strong, Oshodi has the physical attributes that are complimented by a confidence on the ball that allows him to bring it out of defence and start attacks with ease. A former England U17 international, Oshodi has now gained caps at England C level and was rumoured to be interesting Millwall and Cardiff City last summer. With a play-off place now beyond Rovers, he is likely to be moving to the Football League this summer, despite recently signing a new deal.

Luke Richards Hinckley United

Blue Square North Forward Former Notts caretaker boss Carl Heggs’ Hinckley United side can make a genuine claim for being the worst team in the country - at the time of writing they sit with just six points and a goal difference that is rapidly approaching -100. Financial troubles have forced Heggs to field a young team all season, however, something which has at least unearthed the talent of young forward Luke Richards, who signed from local Leicestershire league side Burbage Old Boys in January.

The local leagues’ top scorer, he has picked up where he left off after a massive leap up the leagues, bagging six goals in eleven appearances for the Knitters so far. In a team used to spending most of their time defending, that is a particularly impressive record. His best moment undoubtedly came in Hinckley’s shock 6-3 win over Corby, where he bagged a hat-trick of long range strikes - the first of which was a dipping volley from forty yards. His meteoric rise may just have further to go yet.

John Sands (26) Bury Town

Isthmian League Premier Division Striker A late blossomer, Bury Town striker John Sands is destroying the Isthmian league goal charts this season, with 24 goals thus far, all from open play and for a side struggling to keep pace with play-off places.

Sands came through the youth system at Cambridge United but was let go at a young age, resurfacing with Mildenhall Town where his goalscoring exploits caught the eye of rapidly rising Bury Town.

The two have proved a good match, with Sands’ goals proving one of the catalysts for their push towards the Conference North. However, with reported interest from Brentford, Sands could finally be in with a chance of the move up the pyramid that he was denied two years ago when injury put paid to a return to Cambridge. A clinical finisher with excellent movement, Sands seems the kind of player who could score goals at any level if given an opportunity.

Fabio Saraiva (19) Merstham

Isthmian League Division One South Attacking Midfielder Young Portuguese midfielder Fabio Saraiva has really made an impression in the Isthmian League this season with some eye-catching performances in the Merstham midfield. With exquisite close control and vision giving him the ability to create chances for his teammates, plus the odd goal from himself, Saraiva has established himself as one of the best players at that level despite his young age. The Portuguese midfielder’s displays earned him a spell on trial at Charlton Athletic, where he impressed manager Chris Powell, and it seems unlikely that Saraiva will be plying his trade at such a low level for too much longer.

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Nyren Clunis (21) Dulwich Hamlet

Isthmian League Division One South Winger Isthmian League side Dulwich Hamlet have become one of the most watched in non-league football recently, due to the number of exciting young talents coming through a youth system that has carved out a place in South London despite the proximity of successful setups at Millwall, Crystal Palace and Charlton. The darling of Dulwich is currently forward Daniel Carr, who has trained with Liverpool and looks set to have his choice of the country’s biggest clubs this summer.

Others are also coming through, however, including wide man Nyren Clunis who has now made over a century of appearances for the club. Clunis’ key weapon is his seering pace, but his ability to put quality delivery into the box and chip in with goals make the Football League almost an inevitability for the 21 year-old who has played a massive part in what looks like being a title winning season for Dulwich Hamlet.

Kristian Dennis (23) Curzon Ashton

Evo-Stik Northern League First Division North Striker I’m not sure how much you need to say about Kristian Dennis other than quoting his remarkable goals tally for Curzon Ashton this season - a stunning 40 and counting just in the league. Dennis seemed to show promise as a young forward at Macclesfield Town but was never really given his chance at Moss Rose, but has blossomed since moving on from the Cheshire club.

Brief but prolific spells at Mossley and Woodley Sports preceded his move to Curzon Ashton, but this season he has been irrepressible, smashing them home from all angles. A real poacher, the majority of Dennis’ goals and good work come within the box and he has the natural striker’s instinct that would suggest that he has

the ability to produce at a higher level.

Kane Richards (18) Ilkeston FC

Evo-Stik Northern Premier Division Winger/Forward Released by Derby County in January, pacy young forward Kane Richards has begun rebuilding his career with some impressive performances for Kevin Wilson’s Evo-Stik Premier side Ilkeston FC. A star in Derby’s eye-catching recent youth cup campaigns, Richards earned a professional deal last summer but failed to trouble the first team at Pride Park, making a handful of appearances in a loan spell at Matlock Town. Since moving to the New Manor Ground he has become a vital part of Wilson’s side, however, with his direct running troubling a number of the division’s full backs.

His final ball remains erratic, but Richards provides a genuine threat to opposition defences and looks to be an exciting prospect for the future.

Cheyenne Dunkley (21) Kiddy Harriers

Blue Square Premier Central Defender A product of the prolific youth system at Crewe Alexandra, towering central defender Cheyenne Dunkley has now become a vital part of the Kidderminster Harriers side battling for a return to the Football League.

Blossoming under the tutelage of Steve Burr, Dunkley has formed a formidable partnership with Josh Gowling since his £5,000 move from Hednesford Town. His raw physical attributes give him the presence required to become a success higher up the football pyramid and his composure on the ball his improved immeasurably since his move to Aggborough. Is destined for a career back in the league, whether his club are able to get there or not.

Jacob Daniel @NottsCountyMad

THE END OF SEASON AWARDS

A few weeks ago, with the season tail-spinning towards mid-table obscurity I took the opportunity to email our readers. In that email was a series of nine questions about what we’ve seen this year – our end of year awards so to speak. In all honestly, there were very few surprises amongst the answers.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON

Like I assume he will next week at the club’s own soiree, Bartosz Bialkowski ran away with matters here. “The reason we aren’t worried about relegation” is the best argument put forward for Bart’s cause.

BEST LOANEE

But this year’s loan activity was nothing short of woeful.

So much so in fact, I’d question why I even asked people the question in the first place. There’s ultimately very little competition in this for the winner Andre Boucaud – the closest to him is John Cofie who picks up votes almost by default just for scoring a goal.

GOAL OF THE SEASON

Alan Judge picks up a decent number of votes in this category – yet few seem able to decide which goal! His 35-yard rocket versus Portsmouth, a similarly fierce strike past Swindon Town, or his chip against Carlisle United (all at Meadow Lane) all pick up praise. But it’s the Yoann Arquin goal at Rotherham in the FA Cup that takes the spoils.

GAME OF THE SEASON

Not bucking the trend in any way whatsoever, there’s hardly a wealth of options to pick out in this one. Both Carlisle United away (a 4-0 win) and Shrewsbury Town at Meadow Lane (a 3-2 win, capped off by Lee Hughes’ late winner) came tied in this one.

FAVOURITE AWAY DAY

I could’ve called this one before checking the votes out.

Crewe Alexandra away. But doesn’t it hurt that this was the very first game of the season? A 2-1 win which gave everyone associated with Notts the hope that this could be our year – a side putting into practice every trick of the trade they’d learned since promotion in 2010.

THE HIGHS & LOWS OF 2012/13

Keith Curle’s sacking proves to be quite the polarising opinion here. For some, it should never have happened – others say it didn’t come soon enough. “We deserve better” says one submission, citing Curle as the most boring manager since Colin Murphy and Steve Thompson. It’s Rotherham at home again which is the match seen as the beginning of the end, as the season’s ultimate low point.

Somewhat tied in I’d dare say, the exit of Lee Hughes is overwhelmingly though considered the season’s low point. Notts County’s loss has most certainly been Port Vale’s gain this season as they look to clinch promotion to League One. For a season so wasted, there are no discernible highs to be found unless you go back to the first few months of the season and pick out away days like Crewe Alexandra and Sheffield United.

Stuart Brothers @BlackWhiteZine

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THE ROAD TO WALSALL Wednesday, August 22nd 2012 Monday, September 17th 2012

Walsall 3 (Garner, Flanagan, Griffiths) Chasetown 1 Mansfield 0 Notts County 1 (Campbell)

Wednesday, October 3rd 2012

Burton Albion 1 Walsall 5 (Ashmore, Hobbis, Heath, Griffiths, OG)

Monday, November 19th 2012

Notts County 2 (OG, Nangle) Grimsby Town 1

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013 Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Walsall 2 (Heath, Reid) Chesterfield 0

Shrewsbury 1 Notts County 2 (Dwaer, Nangle)

BLACK & WHITE PAGE 43

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Harry Andrews Liam Guest Monty Parkes Kameron Campbell Kieran Geldenhuys Tyler Guy Brad McGowan Kyle Dixon Matthew Crust Elliott Hodge Mitchell Clarke Glodie Bange Romello Nangle James Randall Malachi Lavelle-Moore Jack Goulding Alex Kenlock Anthony Dwaer

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