Mansfield Fans

[Bohinen]

Wow that brings back some memories.
Losing away at f-word, then winning at field mill in the same week
FA cup run including battle of Brighton beach, then the wilds of south London for the day out at millwall.
Happy days

The battle of Brighton beach was a moment in history for Notts fans. The Union Jack was unfurled, I do like to be beside the seaside sung, then Brighton fans appeared like Red Indians on the hill and we gave it toes, as they say. I got caught on a boat by the sea shore, but I looked a bit Southern so the youth didn't know what to do. Plod told us it was our fault because we shouldn't have come.

Millwall wasn't that bad, but then again, I was in the seats.

[Stagnificent]

It's pretty hard for Mansfield fans to understand how we feel. I started watching Notts in the early 90s. I've seen us play in all four divisions, and this is pretty much the worst we've ever been during my lifetime. Mansfield, on the other hand, have had a couple of seasons in the third tier, a few on the Conference, and the rest have been as a run-of-the-mill fourth tier club. Having a top-three budget and being considered among the favourites in L2 is about as good as it gets for them.

It's a bit like them dropping down to the National League North and having local derbies against Alfreton. And is if that's not bad enough, they are pretty much guaranteed to get hammered every time. I wonder how optimistic their fans would be in such a situation.

Games against Mansfield these days are nothing more than a ritual humiliation. A 90-minute representation of just how far we have fallen. It's ****ing embarrassing, to be honest.

While you are obviously a bigger club historically, I think you're getting a bit carried away with the hyperbole there. 'A couple of seasons in the third tier'? We've had 21 seasons at that level and 26 in the fourth tier.

We may not have experienced top flight football, but we have experienced a fall far greater than yours. The drop into non-league football is a much bigger difference in terms of quality of football and, well everything from attendances to refereeing levels. When we were down there, I heard people talking about the days when we were regularly at the top of the third tier and even ventured into the old Second Division. I'd say that naturally, we are a third/fourth tier yoyo club in terms of size, which Notts should be a second tier side.

[Stagnificent]

Mansfield are not superior to us in any way mate. They may be playing better football than us at the moment but that will change soon. Have faith in the new man!

Players, manager, backroom staff, owner, ambition, squad happiness, finances, infrastructure, home atmosphere, style of football, league position, direction the club's going in.

Those are just some of the ways in which we are superior to Notts at the moment. Things change quickly in football, but times are very good at Field Mill and have been ever since John Radford took over.

[SwalePie]

Players, manager, backroom staff, owner, ambition, squad happiness, finances, infrastructure, home atmosphere, style of football, league position, direction the club's going in.

Those are just some of the ways in which we are superior to Notts at the moment. Things change quickly in football, but times are very good at Field Mill and have been ever since John Radford took over.

I'd say you have a fair claim to just three of those. League position, style of football and direction. I might add that even we don't know regarding the manager yet.

[Stagnificent]

I'd say you have a fair claim to just three of those. League position, style of football and direction. I might add that even we don't know regarding the manager yet.

You think Hardy is a better owner than Radders? Or that your massive squad is as happy as ours? The only one that's in question is the manager, which as you say is a bit of an unknown, but what we do know is that David Flitcroft has just been nominated for manager of the month.

[queenslandpie]

Mansfield are not superior to us in any way mate. They may be playing better football than us at the moment but that will change soon. Have faith in the new man!

Have you looked at the results? I dont mind them giving it large. I am always happy to be the under dog the only way is up baby woo hoo for you and me yeah

[slack_pie]

While you are obviously a bigger club historically, I think you're getting a bit carried away with the hyperbole there. 'A couple of seasons in the third tier'? We've had 21 seasons at that level and 26 in the fourth tier.

We may not have experienced top flight football, but we have experienced a fall far greater than yours. The drop into non-league football is a much bigger difference in terms of quality of football and, well everything from attendances to refereeing levels. When we were down there, I heard people talking about the days when we were regularly at the top of the third tier and even ventured into the old Second Division. I'd say that naturally, we are a third/fourth tier yoyo club in terms of size, which Notts should be a second tier side.

Fair enough mate, but I was just talking about the two club's fortunes since I started watching Notts back in the early 90s. In that time I think you've had a couple of one-season stints in the third tier, that relatively short period in non-league, and the rest has been in the fourth tier. For most of that time, you were a very average bottom-division team - I mean you used to pick up our awful cast-offs for a while - Bolland, Silk, Somner, etc.

Granted, things have changed since then, and you are now a relatively wealthy, well-run fourth-tier club. Chances are you'll be playing in the third tier next season.

There's not much of an argument really. We're a bigger club than you, but you are currently a better club than us - by pretty much any marker apart from home attendance. As for atmosphere, your fans do make a good noise and tend to sing throughout the game (probably because you are always winning when you play us), but when Meadow Lane is rocking, it's hard to beat in terms of noise. It's just that we have nothing to sing about these days.

Anyway, enjoy the game on Saturday. As someone else said, I'm happy to go into it as an underdog rather than the favourite. And as you say, things chance quickly in football, so enjoy this while it lasts

[Scanlon's Hatrick]

The battle of Brighton beach was a moment in history for Notts fans. The Union Jack was unfurled, I do like to be beside the seaside sung, then Brighton fans appeared like Red Indians on the hill and we gave it toes, as they say. I got caught on a boat by the sea shore, but I looked a bit Southern so the youth didn't know what to do. Plod told us it was our fault because we shouldn't have come.

Millwall wasn't that bad, but then again, I was in the seats.

I remember it well Bohinen.

On the football special train, game was postponed due to fog I think, but the train had to carry on.

We had to kill about 5 hours in Brighton. I was on the beach when the Brighton lads appeared throwing stones/rocks at us.
Police on motorbikes arrived to stop the aggro.

I was about 14 at the time and pretty scared, it was my first real taste of football aggro (even that word isn't used anymore!)

The person who took me is no longer with us but was a passionate and very dedicated Notts fan. We went to a lot of away games on the official coach.

And the goings on at Vale Park this week remind us that these cavemen have never gone away and never will.

"Happy" days.

[Stagnificent]

Fair enough mate, but I was just talking about the two club's fortunes since I started watching Notts back in the early 90s. In that time I think you've had a couple of one-season stints in the third tier, that relatively short period in non-league, and the rest has been in the fourth tier. For most of that time, you were a very average bottom-division team - I mean you used to pick up our awful cast-offs for a while - Bolland, Silk, Somner, etc.

Granted, things have changed since then, and you are now a relatively wealthy, well-run fourth-tier club. Chances are you'll be playing in the third tier next season.

There's not much of an argument really. We're a bigger club than you, but you are currently a better club than us - by pretty much any marker apart from home attendance. As for atmosphere, your fans do make a good noise and tend to sing throughout the game (probably because you are always winning when you play us), but when Meadow Lane is rocking, it's hard to beat in terms of noise. It's just that we have nothing to sing about these days.

Anyway, enjoy the game on Saturday. As someone else said, I'm happy to go into it as an underdog rather than the favourite. And as you say, things chance quickly in football, so enjoy this while it lasts

Can't argue with any of that really. We're at about our average historical level, with obvious ambitions to push on from that, which Notts are below where they ought to be. In my lifetime watching football (which sounds like it may be similar to yours), we've been dire for the vast majority of it. I've only ever seen us lift one trophy, the Conference title. So I'm enjoying things right now and hoping we can get back to the glory days of the 70s. I must admit that the way we perform in derbies is also a pleasing aspect of being a Stags fan these days. In league games we haven't lost to Notts for about 13 years I think, but it's also something like 11 years for Chesterfield and Lincoln too. That could all change on Saturday of course.

[nottscol]

I'm not going. I've never been since the 5-0 drubbing. And the reason is that during that match I found myself seated among a bunch of out and out hooligans. These were people I had never seen at Meadow Lane or at other away matches. They were baying and shouting obscenities, provoking the Stags fans and the stewards. I didn't feel safe. The whole experience was horrible. I have never been to that fixture again and probably never will.