Fans' Forum tonight

[Elite_Pie]

Live stream on YouTube from 6:45pm:

https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2023/november/fans-forum-081123/

[matt_magpie]

Thought the first half has been really good and hopefully it puts the short corner debate to bed, done in very comical style by LW.

[Glad2BeAPie]

Plenty of positives going forward, and some serious dosh will be spent on various projects planned or being thought about.

[ForeignLegion]

Thought the first half has been really good and hopefully it puts the short corner debate to bed, done in very comical style by LW.


his response to the perceived discipline/yellow card issue was great...Tozer taking 15 minutes to tumble dry the ball and running half way up the stand to take the throw in.

[BigFatPie]

Great to see Williams more animated than you sometimes see him in interviews. Safe to say he’s not as big a fan of refs or Wrexham than we might have thought. The deal we get with fouls to yellow cards is unbelievably crap.

[matt_magpie]

his response to the perceived discipline/yellow card issue was great...Tozer taking 15 minutes to tumble dry the ball and running half way up the stand to take the throw in.

He’s definitely been on form, first time I’ve seen a bit more of his personality come out.

[Elite_Pie]

That was really watchable despite the dull questions at the end. All of the panel came across really well, the highlight was Luke Williams answering the short corner question with some relish! We are definitely heading in the right direction.

[nw6pie]

My main takeaway is that the club is in great hands.

Luke was obviously the star of the show with his answers about short corners and our disciplinary record, but the others in their own way also impressed. We’ve heard so much talk over the years about getting our own training ground, but if anyone can make it happen, it’s these guys.

[Old_pie]

Pitch last done 23 years ago (2000)? I though AH made a big thing of digging up the pitch properly, unlike Trew, and there was quite a stench (no, not AH) around Meadow Lane at the time because the decomposed layer of old vegetation being exposed to the atmosphere.

[Magpies1959]

Really impressed by Richard Montague.

[Chicken Balti Pie]

Pitch last done 23 years ago (2000)? I though AH made a big thing of digging up the pitch properly, unlike Trew, and there was quite a stench (no, not AH) around Meadow Lane at the time because the decomposed layer of old vegetation being exposed to the atmosphere.

I think that was just the top few inches but it wasn't a full renovation. The last full one was the laser thing we had done that ironically made the drainage worse

[SwalePie]

Well worth watching, especially the first half. One thing that came across well was that each of the members of the panel is crystal clear on their role and aims. It blows my mind that Notts are seriously considering ground improvements to increase capacity after so many years of moaning that the ground was too big. Not to mention that they're actively seeking land for the training ground we've never had. Remarkable.


Slightly disappointed that nobody asked JP about the monorail. Missed opportunity.

[Glad2BeAPie]

Why do people attend, and just sit and listen without any input, could have watched it at home.

[slack_pie]

Why do people attend, and just sit and listen without any input, could have watched it at home.

Why leave the home at all if everything can be done online. Why even get out of bed.

[1955pie]

Why leave the home at all if everything can be done online. Why even get out of bed.

Or go to a match when you can watch a stream?

[nw6pie]

Why do people attend, and just sit and listen without any input, could have watched it at home.

Obviously, you had to be there to ask a question in the second half. My question was asked in the first part, but it was still fascinating to be there and to watch Luke Williams - a very charismatic presence and a natural leader with a real sense of empathy for both players and fans alike.

I loved his comment about not wanting to create a “victim” mentality among the players (in relation to the Crewe defeat). The only slight hint of disagreement I sensed was Rich and Luke’s take on overseas players, with the former seeing them as adding value and the latter seeing them as having more potential baggage (citing Ruben’s rocky start with us - though he could also have mentioned Eli Sam).

[Notts78]

Obviously, you had to be there to ask a question in the second half. My question was asked in the first part, but it was still fascinating to be there and to watch Luke Williams - a very charismatic presence and a natural leader with a real sense of empathy for both players and fans alike.

I loved his comment about not wanting to create a “victim” mentality among the players (in relation to the Crewe defeat). The only slight hint of disagreement I sensed was Rich and Luke’s take on overseas players, with the former seeing them as adding value and the latter seeing them as having more potential baggage (citing Ruben’s rocky start with us - though he could also have mentioned Eli Sam).

I suspect it could be the level of English that is understood by said overseas player. Given Gosling said recently that the amount of information he had been given was huge - imagine that but with restricted understanding of the English language.

[Jeekay56]

I loved his comment about not wanting to create a “victim” mentality among the players (in relation to the Crewe defeat). The only slight hint of disagreement I sensed was Rich and Luke’s take on overseas players, with the former seeing them as adding value and the latter seeing them as having more potential baggage (citing Ruben’s rocky start with us - though he could also have mentioned Eli Sam).

Luke Williams hasn't worked with Eli Sam, why would he mention him?

[Chicken Balti Pie]

When LW was talking about the long term injuries, he mentioned Palmer wasn't picked one game because he was sulking? What was that all about?

[countygump]

When LW was talking about the long term injuries, he mentioned Palmer wasn't picked one game because he was sulking? What was that all about?

That's not what I heard. I heard along the lines of, "Matty is Mr Reliable, except for the first game of the season where he was sulking". Or words to that effect?

[irishpete]

That's not what I heard. I heard along the lines of, "Matty is Mr Reliable, except for the first game of the season where he was sulking". Or words to that effect?

Was that the previous season when Burton Albion wanted him?

[jacobncfc]

Was that the previous season when Burton Albion wanted him?

Yeah, it was rumoured at the time that Palmer was left out of the opening game because we’d had a ridiculously low offer from Burton that he was keen on.

If anything shows how ridiculously good LW seems to be as a man manager that he quickly sorted that, had Palmer happy enough to sign a new long-term contract by Christmas and can now joke about it a year later.

[thefulltenyards]

If the transcript of Luke Williams' fantastic short corner monologue could be got and posted on here that would be beneficial and very much appreciated.

Hearts well and truly broken.

[Jeekay56]

If the transcript of Luke Williams' fantastic short corner monologue could be got and posted on here that would be beneficial and very much appreciated.

Hearts well and truly broken.

There's nothing to stop you Daniel! Have at it.

[the_anticlough]

If the transcript of Luke Williams' fantastic short corner monologue could be got and posted on here that would be beneficial and very much appreciated.
Hearts well and truly broken.

Correct. Pity he has to have to go to such lengths though. If any opposing coach wants to be 100% sure what to expect, he knows now. But I guess there's such a big chunk of our fanbase that needs the explanation.

As teams face us a second time, we'll be relying on the refs to enforce the full ten yards, thefulltenyards. And to have a few different passes to make up our sleeves.

[Bushwacka]

Correct. Pity he has to have to go to such lengths though. But I guess there's such a big chunk of our fanbase that needs the explanation.



The thing is, you could:

make fans watch that monologue 10 times
and you could explain to them that about 1 in 30-40 corners lead directly to a goal
and that 30-40 corners is about 6-8 games for us
and that foreign managers/players are often bemused when they come to this country and see fans cheering corners like its a penalty

And you'd still get fans thinking LW has got it wrong and we should be slinging every corner in for some of the lumps in this league to head it away.

[the_anticlough]

The thing is, you could:

make fans watch that monologue 10 times
and you could explain to them that about 1 in 30-40 corners lead directly to a goal
and that 30-40 corners is about 6-8 games for us
and that foreign managers/players are often bemused when they come to this country and see fans cheering corners like its a penalty

And you'd still get fans thinking LW has got it wrong and we should be slinging every corner in for some of the lumps in this league to head it away.

Got it, it's a hard crowd to get through to.
But what else might it say about the rest of the park footy creed? The big lads, the tall lads, the long balls, the get rids, the gerrit forards, get stuck ins, target men, midfield hard men, flick ons, hard ons, flick offs etc.

[thefulltenyards]

The first side I noticed taking short corners exclusively was Barca. At the time I put that mainly down to Messi being in the side and wanting him on the ball as much as possible , and secondly because they were overall a small side like Notts are now.

Following Williams' comprehensive response we've now heard from both sides. Would be interesting to now hear from the anti short corner brigade following the detailed explanation last night, without any digs or micky taking. Would be interesting to see if any of their views on the subject have changed as a result. Or does the explanation not wash and want more of a mix from flag kicks to surprise the opposition even though we are outnumbered in terms of obvious targets.

Although not anti the short corner at all , as it makes perfect sense to me with this squad I certainly learnt something new, and hadn't considered the impact of not letting their side rest for one minute, as is the case with a traditional corner sending the big lads up from the back.

Could be a good debate. Silence of course will tell it's own story.

[OP67]

Here you go the start of the set pieces and short corners...

https://youtu.be/Q9oZ1VNsEu4?list=RDCMUCL0tl-6YAAdE6U4QKK_eb3A&t=3826

[slack_pie]

Here you go the start of the set pieces and short corners...

https://youtu.be/Q9oZ1VNsEu4?list=RDCMUCL0tl-6YAAdE6U4QKK_eb3A&t=3826

Thanks for this. Amazing stats.

Luke is a legend.

[keldsyke]

If the transcript of Luke Williams' fantastic short corner monologue could be got and posted on here that would be beneficial and very much appreciated.

Hearts well and truly broken.

Laddo is back!

[nw6pie]

Luke Williams hasn't worked with Eli Sam, why would he mention him?

I know. I mention Eli as an example of the gamble Notts take when bringing in overseas players, and I’m sure LW would have been aware of his time at Notts.

One mitigating factor that wasn’t mentioned with Ruben (and Eli) is that he arrived during the pandemic, and that must have made life so much harder for him - no visits from family and friends, no socialising with new teammates, etc. Testament to his character that he was such a success by the end.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Scandinavian or two arriving at some point - but let’s hope they last a little longer than that mardy Dane.

[Bushwacka]

Could be a good debate. Silence of course will tell it's own story.

There is a debate to be had in football overall, and that's play to your strengths. If that means you've got a team full of 6ft plus lads, then spend hours in training practicing set pieces. We obviously choose to spend hours in training passing the ball.

We are the second top scorers in the league, scoring goals isn't the problem. Short corners obviously work for us, so there's no debate there.

[nw6pie]

Looking back on last night, aside from Luke’s passionate defence of short corners and why refs have it in for us, these were the things that resonated most for me:

* Our budget is “mid-table” level, so perhaps not even in the top 10 as Sky claimed on Saturday. I assume mid-table to mean 11th-13th, and Notts were surprised by the number of clubs with better budgets. Clearly, despite not saying so out loud, the owners believe that the quicker we can gain promotion, the better.

I assume this ties in with Joe Palmer’s talk about the club becoming sustainable in the next year or two. He even mentioned the “p” word - profitable. That really would be some achievement.

* Luke’s defence of having a small squad was a good one - if you buy “another Matty Palmer”, they will not be happy sitting on the bench playing once every four games, and that can produce discontented cliques within the squad (hello, 2018/19 malcontents). Interesting point from Rich Montague that they assess likelihood of players getting injured, and felt safe assuming that Palmer was Mr. Reliable. All part of the learning curve, but we’re never going to have a bloated squad under LW.

* I was surprised that LW sees us having our training ground as being top of his wish list, given that it’s hard to imagine this happening anytime soon. Maybe the club should suggest taking Broad Marsh off the council’s hands - we could even get a Notts County/local sports museum built there.

[countygump]

Looking back on last night, aside from Luke’s passionate defence of short corners and why refs have it in for us, these were the things that resonated most for me:

* Our budget is “mid-table” level, so perhaps not even in the top 10 as Sky claimed on Saturday. I assume mid-table to mean 11th-13th, and Notts were surprised by the number of clubs with better budgets. Clearly, despite not saying so out loud, the owners believe that the quicker we can gain promotion, the better.

I assume this ties in with Joe Palmer’s talk about the club becoming sustainable in the next year or two. He even mentioned the “p” word - profitable. That really would be some achievement.

* Luke’s defence of having a small squad was a good one - if you buy “another Matty Palmer”, they will not be happy sitting on the bench playing once every four games, and that can produce discontented cliques within the squad (hello, 2018/19 malcontents). Interesting point from Rich Montague that they assess likelihood of players getting injured, and felt safe assuming that Palmer was Mr. Reliable. All part of the learning curve, but we’re never going to have a bloated squad under LW.

* I was surprised that LW sees us having our training ground as being top of his wish list, given that it’s hard to imagine this happening anytime soon. Maybe the club should suggest taking Broad Marsh off the council’s hands - we could even get a Notts County/local sports museum built there.


What surprised me is a lot of the "wish list", were bl00dy expensive items. Training ground, Concourse under the Jimmy, pitch renovations. OK, poss medium term projects, but costly, where's the bunce for that lot gonna come from?

[matt_magpie]

Thought it was also an honest assessment on sides being fitter and relating it back to we haven’t 100% adapted to facing more energetic sides in the second half.
I have also always agreed with having a smaller squad as it is more inclusive and as RM said also allows them to spend a bit more on the likes of Mcgoldrick, Jones, and Crowley.
The thing is on life as well as on here not every gets the reasoning or agrees with it whatever the subject might be.
Now it’s been stated we believe we have a high mid table budget (not sure exactly what that means position wise) but I think if we make the top 7 we have probably over achieved.
Some won’t be happy with that and want the owners to spend more but they also have to consider the club is still loss making so what do they actually want.
Thought RM was very impressive, driven, knowledgeable but at the same time quite humble and honest.

[cjpieman]

Thought it was also an honest assessment on sides being fitter and relating it back to we haven’t 100% adapted to facing more energetic sides in the second half.
I have also always agreed with having a smaller squad as it is more inclusive and as RM said also allows them to spend a bit more on the likes of Mcgoldrick, Jones, and Crowley.
The thing is on life as well as on here not every gets the reasoning or agrees with it whatever the subject might be.
Now it’s been stated we believe we have a high mid table budget (not sure exactly what that means position wise) but I think if we make the top 7 we have probably over achieved.
Some won’t be happy with that and want the owners to spend more but they also have to consider the club is still loss making so what do they actually want.
Thought RM was very impressive, driven, knowledgeable but at the same time quite humble and honest.

The point about sides still being energetic in the last 3rd of a game I think has largely passed people by. By this I took it that actually is US that’s getting tired in the second half whilst our opponent is getting stronger- hence why our performances are dropping and teams are scoring second half goals against us.
I wonder what Luke is doing to combat this ?

[Magpies1959]

I don't know if it was said jokingly, or more of a barbed comment about RR by LW last night, when he said towards the end of his time here, he was running around like he was king of the castle, or words to that effect. It may go someway to explain how below par RR was in the play off semi and final.

[matt_magpie]

The point about sides still being energetic in the last 3rd of a game I think has largely passed people by. By this I took it that actually is US that’s getting tired in the second half whilst our opponent is getting stronger- hence why our performances are dropping and teams are scoring second half goals against us.
I wonder what Luke is doing to combat this ?

I took as maybe more mental, said quite a lot of games we could just go into cruise control last season and I think it’s more keeping that mental tenacity up for the whole game as there’s no reason the side shouldn’t be as fit as other L2 sides.

[matt_magpie]

I don't know if it was said jokingly, or more of a barbed comment about RR by LW last night, when he said towards the end of his time here, he was running around like he was king of the castle, or words to that effect. It may go someway to explain how below par RR was in the play off semi and final.

Think it was more saying he had totally come out himself. I never doubt Rubens commitment, I think that’s what held him back in some big games he was trying to hard at times.

[nw6pie]

What surprised me is a lot of the "wish list", were bl00dy expensive items. Training ground, Concourse under the Jimmy, pitch renovations. OK, poss medium term projects, but costly, where's the bunce for that lot gonna come from?

Good point - especially when weighed up against the sustainability goal. Things like the concourse expansion is a positive step, but it would only really pay dividends if we reached the Championship and regularly got big away followings.

Talking of bringing more money in, would anyone be surprised if we weren’t trying to sell the naming rights to the ground? I assume Joe Palmer was involved in Plough Lane becoming “the Cherry Red Records Stadium”. Or as I’m sure Wimbledon fans call it, Plough Lane.

[durhampie]

Good point - especially when weighed up against the sustainability goal. Things like the concourse expansion is a positive step, but it would only really pay dividends if we reached the Championship and regularly got big away followings.

Talking of bringing more money in, would anyone be surprised if we weren’t trying to sell the naming rights to the ground? I assume Joe Palmer was involved in Plough Lane becoming “the Cherry Red Records Stadium”. Or as I’m sure Wimbledon fans call it, Plough Lane.

Talk of expanding the concourse is just pure fantasy island stuff. If they want to do something meaningful, then less of the talk, and install safety rails to the steps in the Pavis Stand. The number of people who have fallen on those steps over the years, and nothing has been done..

[nw6pie]

Talk of expanding the concourse is just pure fantasy island stuff. If they want to do something meaningful, then less of the talk, and install safety rails to the steps in the Pavis Stand. The number of people who have fallen on those steps over the years, and nothing has been done..

Agree about the safety rail. Joe Palmer said it’s in the works but needs to approved by, I think, the council’s safety officers.

[marky]

It's very clear that the ground is becoming old and tired and several claims from previous owners that they had undertaken a lot of renovation work now looks laughable. It's simply not as nice as some people seem to think and the people in charge have realised this. However I'm not really sure that much can be done other than the safety rails to the steps. Also the club need to look at encouraging children to use the Family Stand like when it was first built in 1992, for the first 3 years that stand was full of "Junior Magpies" I was one of them, since then it's looks empty, depressing and frankly crap.

[marky]

It was also very interesting to hear them describe the Kop as "not really fit for purpose" in response to the lady who asked about the ladies/disabled toillets, but the problem is that's the most popular stand.

[durhampie]

Agree about the safety rail. Joe Palmer said it’s in the works but needs to approved by, I think, the council’s safety officers.

If the design of the rails is structurally approved and ensures the safety of those using the steps, then there should be no problem getting planning permission. Just get on with it.

[TSANHO]

I know it is our home but Meadow Lane is a depressing place to be honest. It’s in the middle of one of the most run down areas of Nottingham, Has no real character or atmosphere, and the stands seem to sit too far away from the pitch. It isn’t quite a flat pack stadium like most are now-a-days but it it still feels like it has no identity….no surprise really seeing as we’ve been largely piss poor since we’ve been in this stadium. Anything the owners can do to make the place less dreary and covered in bird poo the better

It doesn’t sound like it’s an easy job at all, but a massive lick of paint, refurbishment of the bogs and an attempt to get the place hung with black and white at the back of the stands in the way of flags etc would make a difference.

[Magpies1959]

I think I must have imagined all the development going of on Meadow Lane, which the club are hoping to build on, pardon the pun.
It is also very obvious the huge lick of paint given to the ground, both literally and in terms of new signage, and sound system.
Must have missed the covering of bird poo as well.

[Chicken Balti Pie]

Let's be honest, Meadow Lane was redevelop with no real clear plan. Pavis had pinned his hopes on the council building a "super stadium" where Toys R Us was and is ground sharing with them over the river. As soon as that went up in smoke, they redeveloped Meadow Lane to have a similar capacity as before but had no real plan on how to monetise it l, the kop having minimal options for catering for example.

The family stand is effectively a semi permanent stand that isn't really part of the building behind it and the Sirrel stand was a best they could do within the footprint they had job.

The only stand they took time on was the Pavis/Main stand and that has its issues now.

It would not surprise me if in the next few years we had a new stadium elsewhere or even in the same area built and paid for those who want us out of Meadow Lane

[nw6pie]

It's very clear that the ground is becoming old and tired and several claims from previous owners that they had undertaken a lot of renovation work now looks laughable. It's simply not as nice as some people seem to think and the people in charge have realised this. However I'm not really sure that much can be done other than the safety rails to the steps. Also the club need to look at encouraging children to use the Family Stand like when it was first built in 1992, for the first 3 years that stand was full of "Junior Magpies" I was one of them, since then it's looks empty, depressing and frankly crap.

It find it slightly odd that the ground is being described as old given that the oldest stands are only 30 years old. The Kop, County Road and Family Stand probably suffer from being built in a hurry and without frills, though the Pavis Stand is a little better in that regard. I suppose it feels a little worse for wear for Joe Palmer as he’s come from a new stadium at Wimbledon.

All these years later, though, I’m still not sure if the generally poor atmosphere is due to the ground or the fans.
I’m still not sure

[SmiffyPie]

Nowt wrong with the ground!

[marky]

Nowt wrong with the ground!

I've got 1994 on the phone. They'd like their year back.

[Elite_Pie]

I know it is our home but Meadow Lane is a depressing place to be honest.

I couldn't disagree more, Meadow Lane is one of the jewels in our crown. I love the place, always have and always will, and it's where I want my ashes to be scattered when my time is done. It might not be perfect, but it doesn't need a great deal in terms of improvement to be a decent Championship stadium. We should appreciate what we've got rather than moan.

[crazyfists]

Love the ground, from standing in what is now the Sirrel as a kid to going in the Kop now. When in full swing the atmosphere is good but does seem quiet sometimes but away we're louder and in turn so are away fans at ours, when they have 2,000 down the whole side of the pitch then they're going to sound loud. Especially when they're mostly pissed as well. Nottingham is a good place to go out before the game alot of the teams we play can't say that for their home town. Especially when alot of grounds now are a long way from the city centre.

[Big Bob]

I missed the forum last night. Just tried to watch it. The link doesn't work

[Elite_Pie]

I missed the forum last night. Just tried to watch it. The link doesn't work

Just go on YouTube and search 'Notts County'.

It should be one of the first things that pops up.

[Jampie]

That was a very interesting watch/listen.

The budget comment was that we were roughly 'upper mid table' in terms of budget and so we're definitely over achieving based on money spent. Which is great news.

I really like the [financial] sustainability talk but am very sceptical of it. We'll see.

In terms of the squad there seems to be general agreement it needs strengthening and but we feel very strong attacking even now. Palmer sorely missed, so if we get a strong midfielder short term and a defender or two in January that would all make sense. And gels with the general opinion here too.

Overall it gave the continuing impression of a very well run club with a bright future.

[Jeekay56]

I missed the forum last night. Just tried to watch it. The link doesn't work

It's on the Notts County YouTube page.

[optipez]

I know it is our home but Meadow Lane is a depressing place to be honest. It’s in the middle of one of the most run down areas of Nottingham, Has no real character or atmosphere, and the stands seem to sit too far away from the pitch. It isn’t quite a flat pack stadium like most are now-a-days but it it still feels like it has no identity….no surprise really seeing as we’ve been largely piss poor since we’ve been in this stadium. Anything the owners can do to make the place less dreary and covered in bird poo the better

It doesn’t sound like it’s an easy job at all, but a massive lick of paint, refurbishment of the bogs and an attempt to get the place hung with black and white at the back of the stands in the way of flags etc would make a difference.

Blimey, that's the oddest take on ML I've ever heard. Away fans like coming, it's one of the better days out, it's not on an industrial estate, when only half full it generates atmosphere and as the whole area is slowly but steadily being redeveloped its looking a better and better spot to be based.
I hope our crowds keep going up and we can build the corners in one day and then we'd have a fantastic home.

[countygump]

I couldn't disagree more, Meadow Lane is one of the jewels in our crown. I love the place, always have and always will, and it's where I want my ashes to be scattered when my time is done. It might not be perfect, but it doesn't need a great deal in terms of improvement to be a decent Championship stadium. We should appreciate what we've got rather than moan.

ML is looking a wee bit tired but as you look around other local clubs stadia? Mansfield! Lincoln! Chessie, (tidy but tiny).

In this league, Wimbo, MKD and Donny, maybe a tad better but there ain't many.

[SwalePie]

I missed the forum last night. Just tried to watch it. The link doesn't work

Here you go ...

https://www.youtube.com/live/Q9oZ1VNsEu4?si=mEUfYhKF0pN8kHgX (https://www.youtube.com/live/Q9oZ1VNsEu4?si=mEUfYhKF0pN8kHgX)

[The_Don_ORiordan]

We have a fantastic stadium. Yes it has its limitations, but it costs us peanuts thanks to Haydn Green.

Very few clubs pay as little for the ground each year as we do.

[Old_pie]

My observations and comments on the forum (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9oZ1VNsEu4&t=5507s)

Not properly addressed was the safeguarding of the club against owner debt contrasted to sustainability. I do not see how on earth the club is going to be self-funding and certainly not if all the plans that were talked about such as training ground, improvements to the stadium including capacity, serious improvements to the pitch, rebuild of the academy plus strengthening the squad is going to come from supporter and promotional items. I didn't hear mention sale of our star players at a profit, for instance Macca, Palmer etc which certainly could go a long way to balancing books.

Even adding 5,000 to the capacity of the ground is not likely going to make financial sense for the few occasions we might want to break 18,000 gates. The cost would not be recouped unless we were a couple of levels up, and successful there as well.

The debt is not something that particularly concerns me providing it remains owners' debt. At all times we need to be able to pay HMRC, the milkman and other clubs for any signings (yes I know there's more).

My take on it is that this is an exercise for the Bros in how "sustainably" they can run a successful football club. They chose Notts as it was affordable, marketable and had potential for growth. So I expect they've set a cost they are prepared to pay and they want to do things within that cost, and that cost is such that it will not impact any other businesses they have other than possibly as a tax relief outlet.

Regarding the pitch I've looked back on AH's "major" work in 2017 and there is a YouTube video on the Notts County video sections extalling the work done in taking 25mm (1") off the top and the work getting a stamp of approval from his golf course greenkeeper. Clearly the work mentioned at the forum is going to be much more extensive and as usual AH was bigging-up the importance of the work he had approved even if more than the RT efforts.

I think the loss of academy funding was covered on this site at the time, and of course we now know we lost youth players ("they were pillaged" were the words used), and that the impact will hit us for several seasons.

Injuries have to be a concern with what sounds like Cedwyn, Baj and Matty out for all or most of the rest of the season. There were articles in the media recently about the number of premiership players out injured. Begs the question of can they be trained like finely tuned athletes and yet take the knocks they have to endure and for a full 90mins of playing time rather than the 80mins that was probably more typical before every little break was added on. If that is going to become the norm then LW is going to have to accept that we need more squad depth and he's going to have to deal with high calibre players wanting game time.

The extent to which I think the vision for the club was promoted, even if some of it never comes off, seems to show the Bros have a long term plan and commitment to our club regardless of their motivations. They've got off to a good steady start and I can only hope that they can replicate some of the success Dunnett had whilst avoiding the flat and disappointing atmosphere that surrounded football when we finally got into the top flight for the first time im most supporters' living memory.

A couple of gripes from the video and the event which have been evident from previously too:

1) Put the camera a bit higher or re-arrange a couple of the front seats so we are not staring at someone's bald head.
2) Get the sound and the roaming mics sorted.

But all in all a good event, chance to hear the new CEO and see Luke now he feels more of the furniture rather than the new kid on the block.

COYP

[hissingdwarf]

Ground wise…it is tired and 30 years old, but we see it every other week. When I go away, apart from MKD and a few others, we’re still streets ahead of them stadium wise. Some of the away grounds so far have been shocking! Never mind the facilities for away fans, the actual home facilities are so poor and we’re blessed that they’re ’not that bad at all.’

Would we all love to have a ‘new’ stadium that’s ours on the same site at the Lane? Yep. Can’t see it myself. Longer term, I still reckon we’ll end up moving to a new purpose built stadium, away from the area totally.
But that’s a long, long way off and until then, we need to look more at what we’ve got. Get the handrails sorted. Get it spruced up with a bit of prominence and make it stand out a bit. Sort out the bogs and do what’s possible with the catering.

One thing I can’t see us doing is the area for disabled, chair based fans. Without removing a swath of seats and building all the needed access etc…not going to happen unfortunately. Would be good for those users to be higher up and under cover, but with our current stadium, we’re really restricted.

I remember after the MK Dons game the debate about their ground and setup. It all got confused with some fans saying about the ‘history and franchise fc etc…’ where for me it was never about that. It was about having the land to find a place where everything could be in one place and be totally connected. Main stadium, car parking, shopping, food outlets, transport, entertainment venues so the area is utilised all the time.

And on a final note…ffs. Haven’t they learnt to not ask John Wilmott to speak yet? As soon as he was offered a question. Boom. Switch off for ten minutes whilst he waxes lyrical without saying anything meaningful at all! ��

[Old_pie]

One thing I can’t see us doing is the area for disabled, chair based fans. Without removing a swath of seats and building all the needed access etc…not going to happen unfortunately. Would be good for those users to be higher up and under cover, but with our current stadium, we’re really restricted.

Any idea of the numbers that need to be catered for? Disabled vertical lifts don't seem to require a large footprint.

[Old_pie]

On the question of card only payments surely the club could have pre-paid cards, add £20 or so cash at the shop then use it as required? Top up in advance of need.

[marky]

On the question of card only payments surely the club could have pre-paid cards, add £20 or so cash at the shop then use it as required? Top up in advance of need.

Yeah that's a good idea as the shop and ticket office can still take cash.

[magpie_mania]

I couldn't disagree more, Meadow Lane is one of the jewels in our crown. I love the place, always have and always will, and it's where I want my ashes to be scattered when my time is done. It might not be perfect, but it doesn't need a great deal in terms of improvement to be a decent Championship stadium. We should appreciate what we've got rather than moan.

Fully agree. Still gets the hair on the back of my neck raised when I am walking down Meadow Lane.

As you say, maybe not perfect and issues with toilets etc. need sorting asap.

[the_anticlough]

I couldn't disagree more, Meadow Lane is one of the jewels in our crown. I love the place, always have and always will, and it's where I want my ashes to be scattered when my time is done. It might not be perfect, but it doesn't need a great deal in terms of improvement to be a decent Championship stadium. We should appreciate what we've got rather than moan.

With you on this. I'm proud of the ground, and remember too well what it was like before the Pavis rebuild. I stood too many years on the uncovered, stand-only kop and the County Road cow shed not to appreciate what we have now. Any decades old structure needs upgrades and maintenance, but that's as far as I'd go in criticising.

[hissingdwarf]

Any idea of the numbers that need to be catered for? Disabled vertical lifts don't seem to require a large footprint.

No idea tbh. (Fortunately) my son, who is disabled, is primarily ambulatory, so with my help can get to a normal seat. Wouldn’t want him to be out in the rain over the winter though, poncho or not from the club. In fact, when we’ve thought he needed his chair at home games, we’ve decided to give it a miss rather than get soaked through.

It’s also having a level area and seats for carers. When we wen to Wrexham last season, we used his chair then and they had a lift to their area…but we still got soaked through when it came down because, as is the tradition, wheelchair users are normally at or near the front of the stand.

[BigFatPie]

Yeah we’ve got a great ground, the Kop is the best home end in league 2 possibly 1 as well. The atmosphere could sometimes be better, but that’s down to us fans really, in full voice it sounds fantastic as well.

It seems to me that previous owners since Pavis have spent the square root of fa on infrastructure and those chickens are now coming home to roost. The lady complaining about toilets has had some stick but she’s perfectly entitled to point out the difficulties, in an ideal world female fans should be making up 50% of our crowd.

[durhampie]

The ground is the best outside the Championship, and we should be proud that it's our home. If Joe what's his name thinks it's looking old and tired, perhaps he should have stayed at that new place in Wimbledon...

[Magpies1959]

Why would 50% women at a football match be an ideal world.
Would they have to be shared equally between race, religion, disabilities and the hundreds of genders.

[Elite_Pie]

Why would 50% women at a football match be an ideal world.
Would they have to be shared equally between race, religion, disabilities and the hundreds of genders.

Not in terms of specific numbers, but it would be good to appeal to everyone out there and make them feel welcome.

[BigFatPie]

Why would 50% women at a football match be an ideal world.
Would they have to be shared equally between race, religion, disabilities and the hundreds of genders.

Yes it would be great if a Notts crowd reflected the general population of Nottingham.

You and Soccerman could represent the right wing simpleton element.

[Chicken Balti Pie]

The ground is the best outside the Championship, and we should be proud that it's our home. If Joe what's his name thinks it's looking old and tired, perhaps he should have stayed at that new place in Wimbledon...

It's just isn't frankly. For facilities it's MK Dons, regardless of what I think about their organisation, their stadium is fantastic. Atmosphere wise, loads are better than Meadow Lane, take your blinkers off

[Magpies1959]

BFP I won't rise to your childish insult, but do not have a clue why a football match would be better if it represented the population of the locality, totally bizarre thinking. Would the experience become less good if more than 50% of women and girls watched Notts.
Would watching Notts Ladies be better if they were watched by 50% men.
Ever heard of freedom of choice.

[Elite_Pie]

BFP I won't rise to your childish insult.

You just did, with a pretty pathetic reply.

[nottsfan81]

The ground is the best outside the Championship, and we should be proud that it's our home. If Joe what's his name thinks it's looking old and tired, perhaps he should have stayed at that new place in Wimbledon...

I love ML but that is a disillusional take.

For a start you are saying it's better than Pride Park and MK Dons.

Secondly it has issues such as size of concourse that are difficult or impossible to resolve. The CEO did explain how it will be resolved in the JS but I'm an ideal world there will be larger concourses in the kop as well as more catering outlets and toilets.

I love ML but let's be realistic

[slack_pie]

Not in terms of specific numbers, but it would be good to appeal to everyone out there and make them feel welcome.

They are welcome. If more women (or other groups that are underrepresented) don't come to watch Notts, it's probably because they don't want to rather than something we're doing wrong.

Generally speaking, you can't appeal to everyone, because we don't all like the same things.

[slack_pie]

On the comments about our budget being upper-midtable - how do we know what other clubs are spending? Is it public knowledge, or is this just an educated guess?

Amazing if true, especially considering that we're seen as one of the big spenders in L2.

[thefulltenyards]

It's a good stadium and certainly one to be proud of but if you have been to matches elsewhere around the country you will know that isn't even close to being true.

Add Bradford City AFC and Reading FC to the list.

As for our beloved Meadow Lane it's without doubt Championship quality, it's just a bit barren and bare. With a serious lick of paint, some brightening up (especially all stands bar the Derek Pavis), and some basic improvements, which have already begun, I think it can can be transformed to something pretty special and much improved. Probably unwise to encourage our new CEO, who can help make those improvement happen, to leave. He was part of an impressive panel at the Fans Forum. Far better than the ones in the 90s and 00s I attended.

Also Meadow Lane is in a great location, walkable to the city centre, close to the train station, located between a depressed and a very affluent area next to lovely canals, lots of nice pubs, the River Trent, and a stones throw from a beautiful Test cricket and some other large football stadium. Compared to the majority of other ground locations (surrounded by terrace houses or in the middle of nowhere on a retail park) it's a gem of a location.

[thefulltenyards]

In response to the question above about club budgets I recently read that EFL clubs get the list/rankings provided by the EFL. They get the figures directly from submissions by each club in League Two.

I am not involved in the process so this is second hand information but does not seem far fetched at all that clubs know rankings rather than exact figures.

If Notts are indeed 8-11th, and with this being out first season back at this level for a wee while. It strongly suggests we have really overachieved to date and a play off spot come end of season would be a good achievement.

[BigFatPie]

They are welcome. If more women (or other groups that are underrepresented) don't come to watch Notts, it's probably because they don't want to rather than something we're doing wrong.

Generally speaking, you can't appeal to everyone, because we don't all like the same things.

Unless you belong to one of those underrepresented groups, you likely have no idea why they don’t come to matches, Joe Palmer being a bit clueless about the state of the ladies toilets being a prime example. My missus and daughter have a passing interest in Notts, came with us to MK and both commented what a nicer experience than Meadow Lane it was.

I think I’ve seen about two Asian heritage faces at Notts, you’d have to be mightily incurious as to why that might be or how it can be improved.

[Magpies1959]

Maybe people of Asian heritage are not interested in football. I haven't noticed any signs outside the ground saying Asians not welcome.
Equal numbers of *** and race does make the experience any better or worse, it is up to those that choose to go, to decide whether they enjoy the experience or not.

[Dspig]

There is a transcribe button on youtube which gives this:

Caren hicklin has asked or has stated I understand that we take short Corners I would think due to lack of height in the box but these don't result in goals. How can we improve on this?

Luke - okay right I'm going to tell you the truth now okay we have the most shots on target from corner in efl. One in four corners results in a shot on target is the best by a long way. We've actually scored the most goals in the division from corners but you don't know they're from Corners do you because unless we whack it in a box it's not a corner okay. But we take a corner we pass the ball until that ball is turned over and we give it away or it goes off the pitch it's still a corner, still a corner, okay and we are extremely successful at Corners. I am sorry to break your hearts but it's the truth because, uh, I made sure we've done the research and of course look and I'm being serious now. Corners have a very low success rate across football worldwide, you know putting the ball into the box, but of course when somebody runs through the crowd and heads the ball, smashes into the back of the net, we remember it. We don't remember 50 Corners that just got caught by the goalkeeper, hit the side netting, headed away, we just forget and we also forget that when the ball comes into the pitch immediately and he's passed five times and then crossed from the other side, we think it was open play that it was just a part of the game, but it wasn't it was from a corner. Okay then, when you play against Notts County, one of the issues that you have is that the ball is in play for longer than any other game in the EFL. So,you will notice that the players have been instructed that they Sprint Paul it wazer he (???) Sprints, gets the ball puts it, down pass it immediately so you don't get a break. Some of the Defenders, many, many of the Defenders, they love Corners cuz they can have a rest. They're six foot three so they don't want Dan Crowley running at them, or as a running behind them. They definitely don't want macka in the Box free and scoring 42 goals from open play. Right so we take the ball, put it down immediately, pass the ball and the defender, ah again Nots County, come on just kick it into the goalkeeper hands, so we can smash it the length for the pitch and break, no not going to happen I'm afraid, I'm sorry, and we kicked one last season directly into the box and macca scored. You know why? Cuz everybody was at the corner trying to stop us playing short. So I'm sorry to break everyone's hearts, but this is the reality that we are extremely successful from Corners.

[thefulltenyards]

That is a thing of beauty!

I would encourage ALL to read such an enlightening response from our head coach to such a commonly posed question from supporters.

Also thank you Dspig, I was unaware of such a feature. Could prove very useful moving forward.

[cher1]

Maybe people of Asian heritage are not interested in football. I haven't noticed any signs outside the ground saying Asians not welcome.
Equal numbers of *** and race does make the experience any better or worse, it is up to those that choose to go, to decide whether they enjoy the experience or not.

Surely it's blindingly obvious that getting people who aren't currently interested in watching Notts, to come along, can only be a good thing. It's about making Notts attractive to as many people as possible. If therw are demographics who don't come, why not? Can we do something to get them to come? The bigger the fanbase the better.

[SongBird]

The short corner speech was brilliant, don't just read it find it and watch it. The sheer passion of LW is well worth it. In fact watch the whole forum, the panel paint a bright future for Notts County.

Very impressed with Palmer and Montague and reassured by Williams who we all know is already doing a great job.

Please don't moan on here about this and that until you have watched as your question will likely have been addressed.

[ancientpie]

That is a thing of beauty!

I would encourage ALL to read such an enlightening response from our head coach to such a commonly posed question from supporters.

Also thank you Dspig, I was unaware of such a feature. Could prove very useful moving forward.

Still bloody frustrating at times though innit ? ;D;D

[1955pie]

Can someone help me please? I have forgotten the name of the presenter/question master at the forum.

[Magpies1959]

Maybe it is not in some countries culture to take an interest in football.

[SwalePie]

Can someone help me please? I have forgotten the name of the presenter/question master at the forum.

I think it was Nick Richardson, the Media and Communications Manager

[slack_pie]

Maybe it is not in some countries culture to take an interest in football.

It's definitely a cultural thing in some cases. Besides, while it's all good and well to say we should try and attract, say, more Asian people, it's not clear how we would go about that in a practical sense.

We're a football club, so our goal should be to provide an outstanding matchday experience for everyone who wants to come, with exciting, winning football on the pitch. We're actually doing well at both these things, hence the increase in attendance. It doesn't matter to me what ethnicity or gender the people who decide to go are, it matters that more people in general are going.

[Old_pie]

Still bloody frustrating at times though innit ? ;D;D

Big Tone wouldn't be 'appy. And Tommy would just complain if the laces were facing the wrong way when his head hit the ball.

[jackal2]

Luke:

Okay right, I'm going to tell you the truth now.

We have the most shots on target from corner in the EFL. One in four corners results in a shot on target, and is the best by a long way. We've actually scored the most goals in the division from corners, but you don't know they're from corners do you, because unless we whack it in a box it's not "a corner". But [when] we take a corner, we pass the ball until that ball is turned over and we give it away, or it goes off the pitch. It's still a corner, still a corner okay, and we are extremely successful at corners.

I am sorry to break your hearts but it's the truth, because I've made sure we've done the research. I'm being serious now. Corners have a very low success rate across football worldwide: you know, putting the ball into the box, but of course when somebody runs through the crowd and heads the ball, smashes into the back of the net, we remember it. We don't remember the 50 corners that just got caught by the goalkeeper, hit the side netting, [or were] headed away. We just forget, and we also forget that when the ball comes into the pitch immediately and is passed five times and then crossed from the other side, we think it was "open play", that it was just a part of the game, but it wasn't... it was [still] from a corner!

When you play against Notts County, one of the issues you have is that the ball is in play for longer than any other game in the EFL. So, you will notice that the players have been instructed that they sprint, [puts the ball] down and pass it immediately, so you don't get a break. Some of the defenders, many, many of the defenders, they love corners because they can have a rest. They're six foot three so they don't want Dan Crowley running at them, or running behind them. They definitely don't want Macka in the box, free and scoring 42 goals from open play. Right?

So we take the ball, put it down immediately, pass the ball, and the defender [thinks], ah not Notts County again, come on, just kick it into the goalkeeper's hands so we can smash it the length for the pitch and break. No, not going to happen I'm afraid, I'm sorry. We kicked one last season directly into the box and Macca scored... you know why? Because everybody was at the corner trying to stop us playing short!

So I'm sorry to break everyone's hearts, but this is the reality that we are extremely successful from corners.


That is a thing of beauty!

I would encourage ALL to read such an enlightening response from our head coach to such a commonly posed question from supporters.


Luke Williams explanation of his thinking around short corners (which I've tidied up a bit above from the YouTube transcript because I think it deserves to be done full justice) was nothing short of brilliant.

I'd already previously understood the principle that it's about not giving possession away easily, but to hear the full evidence-based justification was something else. I've never heard a manager or head coach open up about their tactics as eloquently and honestly as this.

It's an incredible, huge sign of respect to the fans that Luke is willing to offer such a detailed justification. Many traditional managers when challenged on their tactics would just become surly and take the "What do ordinary fans know about professional football?" attitude. Luke accepts the challenge and uses it as an opportunity to explain his philosophy, such is his confidence in it. Imagine how his players feel when they ask a question and receive a detailed explanation like this. How could you not be impressed by someone who has done this depth of analysis and yet can explain the findings in such an accessible way?

Williams was also right with his evidence-based argument about time-wasting, where the perception that we take too long over throw-ins is more than outweighed by the amount of time it takes teams to take corners, set-pieces and even long-throw-ins. The problem he faces, quite frankly, is that a lot of officials - especially at this level - simply haven't reached that level of football education and enlightenment yet.

Luke Williams and the Reedtz Brothers appear to me to be a match made in football heaven in terms of their willingness to look at the game in new ways and their ability to develop strategies based on evidence rather than emotion or tradition. I sincerely hope the partnership lasts for many years, not least because the football it's producing is the most consistently entertaining I've ever seen outside the Premier League.

[Kent Magpie]

Surely simple things like making sure that the womens' loos are of an acceptable standard, disabled people are as well catered for as the infrastructure allows are just no brainers. And what is wrong with trying to encourage people from other backgrounds to come and see what we are about?

I don't think anybody is really saying that the crowd must reflect the population, but why shouldn't it be an aspiration? It isn't as if these new fans would be replacing existing fans, or that there would be a quota of white straight males, black gay men or women etc. The more the merrier as far as I am concerned and if we do reflect the population then we are doing a lot right.

[Newish Pie]

It's definitely a cultural thing in some cases. Besides, while it's all good and well to say we should try and attract, say, more Asian people, it's not clear how we would go about that in a practical sense.

We're a football club, so our goal should be to provide an outstanding matchday experience for everyone who wants to come, with exciting, winning football on the pitch. We're actually doing well at both these things, hence the increase in attendance. It doesn't matter to me what ethnicity or gender the people who decide to go are, it matters that more people in general are going.

It's obviously not just a Notts problem, it's a football problem. Crowds are much whiter and much "maler" for most teams than the communities they're based in.

Why that is a good question, and as a white bloke myself I can only speculate. Part of it might be generational... how many of us here were taken to their first match by a relative, and had that early experience? If you've never been, you don't know what you're missing out on, and you don't know what to expect.

For me, it's hard to imagine a less threatening environment than the Pavis Stand. But even when I went to watch County for the first time after I moved to Nottingham, I knew it would be fine because I knew what to expect. I knew to go for the Pavis not the Kop. I knew it was fine to talk to the people around me, that no-one would mind that I was an Everton fan coming to watch my new local team, that no-one would have a go at me for not knowing the words to the songs, and would actually quite like to tell me about their players.

I know that you're supposed to stand up when the team enter the field, that you can stand if a goal is scored or to acknowledged departing substitutes and maybe at moments of high drama but should otherwise sit down. I knew (roughly) what level of bad language (swearing) and worse language (discriminatory language) to expect. I knew that a lot of crowd anger is pantomime and performative. It's people venting... that guy turning the air blue about the offside decision is just letting off steam, and he's not going to turn on me and it's not going to escalate to violence. I know that as a middle aged white bloke, no-one's going to look at me twice.

That's a lot of tacit knowledge that most of us take completely for granted because we've always been to the football. If you're in a minoritised group, you may not know any of that. You might not know if you'll be welcome. Maybe you (or your parents) remember football violence and hooliganism, maybe you remember ***ist and racist songs being openly sung at football matches. We all know how little this happens any more, but that's because we go to matches.

Parallel case: sometimes I see stand up comedy bills with made up entirely of comedians of black or asian heritage. Probably I know one or two and I'd like to see them... but do I go? Would I be welcome? If I was welcome, would I be picked on by the comedian? Would people stare? Should I leave them their space to talk about their cultural things? Genuinely don't know the answer, but this is my best parallel case.

Why does it matter? I agree that we don't all have to like all things to the same level and degree, and that the composition of the crowd doesn't affect the quality of the short corners (can we have a song about short corners? we need one...). I agree it maybe doesn't matter in brute income terms if we'll selling most seats most games.

But... I think it matters because of social integration. Football clubs are ***** parts of local communities, they bring people together, and surely it's better if that's the whole community. Others have very wisely said that this forum brings together a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise interact much/at all, and surely that's true of going to the game as well. And for men who aren't great at small talk, it's something in common to talk about.

It's funny how the people who like to sound off about "multiculturalism" having "failed" are also against actual opportunities for greater integration and interaction and having more in common or in taking an interest in "our" culture, or at the very least don't want to promote them.

[1955pie]

I think it was Nick Richardson, the Media and Communications Manager

Thanks Swale

[durhampie]

It's a good stadium and certainly one to be proud of but if you have been to matches elsewhere around the country you will know that isn't even close to being true.

Add Bradford City AFC and Reading FC to the list.

As for our beloved Meadow Lane it's without doubt Championship quality, it's just a bit barren and bare. With a serious lick of paint, some brightening up (especially all stands bar the Derek Pavis), and some basic improvements, which have already begun, I think it can can be transformed to something pretty special and much improved. Probably unwise to encourage our new CEO, who can help make those improvement happen, to leave. He was part of an impressive panel at the Fans Forum. Far better than the ones in the 90s and 00s I attended.

Also Meadow Lane is in a great location, walkable to the city centre, close to the train station, located between a depressed and a very affluent area next to lovely canals, lots of nice pubs, the River Trent, and a stones throw from a beautiful Test cricket and some other large football stadium. Compared to the majority of other ground locations (surrounded by terrace houses or in the middle of nowhere on a retail park) it's a gem of a location.

You need to go to places like Barrow, Newport, Sutton, FGR and Harrogate to realise how good our stadium is..

[thefulltenyards]

I do realise that is why I called it Championship quality, a good stadium and certainly one to be proud. I can't be much clearer than that. I have been to plenty of crap stadiums in League Two and Non League.

However if you have ever been to Pride Park, Stadium MK, Valley Parade like I have you will realise it is certainly not the best stadium outside of the Championship. Not even close.

[jackal2]

You need to go to places like Barrow, Newport, Sutton, FGR and Harrogate to realise how good our stadium is..

I agree.

I didn't really understand the references to our stadium being 'old' or looking 'tired'. I think our stadium is in pretty good condition, and the colour scheme always makes it look sharp and smart. Being picky I noticed one of the scoreboards wasn't working for the last game, but they're quite new so I hope that will soon be resolved.

One of Derek Pavis' best moves was to retain the gable design and flag pole on the Jimmy Sirrel stand, and to build the two towers on the Main Stand. It marks our ground out as distinctive, and retains a 'nod' to the old stadium, whereas so many of the modern all-seater stadia have a soulless 'off-the-shelf', Lego-set feel.

Meadow Lane is a good stadium. It would be great to fill in the corners one day, but obviously you wouldn't spend money on that until attendances justified such expansion. We can dream!

[keldsyke]

I agree.

I didn't really understand the references to our stadium being 'old' or looking 'tired'. I think our stadium is in pretty good condition, and the colour scheme always makes it look sharp and smart. Being picky I noticed one of the scoreboards wasn't working for the last game, but they're quite new so I hope that will soon be resolved.

One of Derek Pavis' best moves was to retain the gable design and flag pole on the Jimmy Sirrel stand, and to build the two towers on the Main Stand. It marks our ground out as distinctive, and retains a 'nod' to the old stadium, whereas so many of the modern all-seater stadia have a soulless 'off-the-shelf', Lego-set feel.

Meadow Lane is a good stadium. It would be great to fill in the corners one day, but obviously you wouldn't spend money on that until attendances justified such expansion. We can dream!

After going to S****horpe Utd on Tuesday night where there was 3000 in attendance, I’d say that Meadow Lane is one of the better stadiums up to League 1 standard (and yes I know S****horpe are a National league north team) it’s a good reminder to go to places like this to remind you how good the facilities at the lane is.

[SmiffyPie]

As I said before, nowt wrong with the ground, once you are in and sat down it's as good as anywhere.

[Magpies1959]

Your last paragraph Newish Pie is a load of rubbish, regarding football match attendance. How difficult is it for anyone to rock up to Meadow Lane to watch a game of football.
I notice too an incredibly low percentage of transvestites at the Lane, should we be doing more to get these people to watch games, or any other minority for that matter, not that we discourage them.

[LeadowMane]

It's obviously not just a Notts problem, it's a football problem. Crowds are much whiter and much "maler" for most teams than the communities they're based in.

Great post, won't requote all of it for space reasons but thank you for this. I'm new-ish as well so this resonated with me, as did all your other points. Thank you. Should I ever meet thee, I'll get you a drink, cheers.

[OP67]

I do realise that is why I called it Championship quality, a good stadium and certainly one to be proud. I can't be much clearer than that. I have been to plenty of crap stadiums in League Two and Non League.

However if you have ever been to Pride Park, Stadium MK, Valley Parade like I have you will realise it is certainly not the best stadium outside of the Championship. Not even close.

Valley Parade??? It's a right mish mash of stands and one of the worst looking grounds in the EFL. They always take pictures with the new bit in the background making it look awesome XD

[PedroTheFisherman66]

I love the ground !! Loved it when it was built and love it to this day maybe it has faults but it's much much more spectator friendly than the old ground.i can remember being in county road stand when they were having to poor a bucket of water onto litter below the stand as the litter was starting to catch fire.i also remember the old toilets having to urinate into a gutter along the floor which overflowed at peak times !!! Loved the old ground all the same but the new one was and stil is a revalation in my eyes !...

[Elite_Pie]

Valley Parade??? It's a right mish mash of stands and one of the worst looking grounds in the EFL. They always take pictures with the new bit in the background making it look awesome XD

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Maybe it's an age thing, but I don't like these modern 'bowl' stadia at all. Who would want to watch a game from well behind the corner flag? Not me, somewhere near the halfway line midway up the stand gives the best view by far. I think Rotherham provides the best example. I've seen us play them at Millmoor, the Don Valley Stadium and their new ground. I much preferred Millmoor, it might have become tatty but it was a proper footy ground with four stands. I loved Burton Albion's ground, it was new but traditional, a bit like a mini version of Meadow Lane. If we play them next season I'll be there.

[thefulltenyards]

Sincil Bank or Blundell Park take your pick. There isn't a camera angle that helps.

[countygump]

Valley Parade??? It's a right mish mash of stands and one of the worst looking grounds in the EFL. They always take pictures with the new bit in the background making it look awesome XD

Valley parade is a bit of an odd one. Half of it looks like a prem league stadium and the other half looks like a ground from the 1940's. Bit of an ugly one! :O


https://i.postimg.cc/Vk7300ZX/Screenshot-2023-11-23-204138.png (https://postimages.org/)host an image (https://postimages.org/)

[durhampie]

Sincil Bank or Blundell Park take your pick. There isn't a camera angle that helps.

There's no comparison, Lincoln is by far the better ground, Grimsby is just a flea pit.

[Newish Pie]

Your last paragraph Newish Pie is a load of rubbish, regarding football match attendance. How difficult is it for anyone to rock up to Meadow Lane to watch a game of football.
I notice too an incredibly low percentage of transvestites at the Lane, should we be doing more to get these people to watch games, or any other minority for that matter, not that we discourage them.

I tried to explain in some detail how difficult it might be to "rock up at Meadow Lane" for someone who's never been to a football match before and/or isn't a white male. It's not a difficult point to grasp for anyone who possess enough empathy and imagination to put themselves in someone else's shoes and reflect on how much tacit knowledge they have that they take for granted. Or who can think of a cultural context they might find themselves in where they (a) don't know the rules everyone else knows; and/or (b) feel conspicuous in some other way.

Presumably by "transvestites" you mean transgender people. I've honestly no idea whether the transgender community is over or under-represented at matches - I've not done any research onto the issue.

But yes, I think football is for everyone and everyone should be welcome and made to feel welcome. If there are barriers in the way - whether that's substandard wheelchair seating, awful women's toilets, or not thinking you'd be welcome and/or safe - we should remove them.

Do you not think that football is for everyone?

[thefulltenyards]

Lincoln is pure miss mash lots of stands all different sizes, styles nothing similar. Only one worse I remember was the old manor ground with it's 7 stands?

Grimsby is indeed a flea pit, surprised the away end passes health and safety requirements. Absolute dive.

Both comfortably worse than Bradford's stadium.

I tried to post aerial photos of either but both too ugly and tin pot so would not allow me.

[Magpies1959]

Newish Pie please show me where I have even hinted that football is not for everyone.
Anyone would think from your comments that a visit down 'The Lane' was like entering a war zone.
Could have been transvestites as stated or trans***uals ( the vast majority of, by the way are transvestites). All welcome at the lane, (the toilets would be another issue though).
Basically anyone is welcome at Meadow Lane, just that some are more likely to come than others.

[BigFatPie]

Your last paragraph Newish Pie is a load of rubbish, regarding football match attendance. How difficult is it for anyone to rock up to Meadow Lane to watch a game of football.
I notice too an incredibly low percentage of transvestites at the Lane, should we be doing more to get these people to watch games, or any other minority for that matter, not that we discourage them.

I’ve already provided an example as to why women might not want to come to Meadow Lane, do you not think other reasons might apply to other groups?

You’re the epitome of an opinion on everything, knowledge of nothing syndrome.

[1955pie]

I agree.

I didn't really understand the references to our stadium being 'old' or looking 'tired'. I think our stadium is in pretty good condition, and the colour scheme always makes it look sharp and smart. Being picky I noticed one of the scoreboards wasn't working for the last game, but they're quite new so I hope that will soon be resolved.

One of Derek Pavis' best moves was to retain the gable design and flag pole on the Jimmy Sirrel stand, and to build the two towers on the Main Stand. It marks our ground out as distinctive, and retains a 'nod' to the old stadium, whereas so many of the modern all-seater stadia have a soulless 'off-the-shelf', Lego-set feel.

Meadow Lane is a good stadium. It would be great to fill in the corners one day, but obviously you wouldn't spend money on that until attendances justified such expansion. We can dream!

Attendances for home supporters are already at their limits. For 2 matches this season (Mansfield and Wrexham) there were no more home tickets available. How will we be able to expand the fan base that will obviously be needed to make us sustainable.
As for condition of the stadium can I add 1 more issue. Cracked and deteriorating seats. Mainly caused by UV but also people climbing over them.

[Newish Pie]

Newish Pie please show me where I have even hinted that football is not for everyone.
Anyone would think from your comments that a visit down 'The Lane' was like entering a war zone.
Could have been transvestites as stated or trans***uals ( the vast majority of, by the way are transvestites). All welcome at the lane, (the toilets would be another issue though).
Basically anyone is welcome at Meadow Lane, just that some are more likely to come than others.

No-one sensible would think from my comments that going to the match is like a war zone. Just saying if you've never been before, you might not know what to expect and you might not experience everything in the way that regular match goers do. Same as the difference between going to the theatre or the opera, or the tennis, or a really expensive restaurant when you've been before and know what to expect and what the unwritten rules are.

I'm not going to rise to your "transvestite" nonsense... that's a profoundly ignorant thing to say. I can respect people having different views on difficult questions about gender and how we organise society, and I can understand people who are a bit older feeling a bit baffled and struggling to catch up. If I didn't have transgender friends and colleagues, I'd know a lot less. But trotting out "transvestite" stuff is just ignorant.

I am glad that you do think that football is for everyone, and that everyone's welcome at Meadow Lane. That's something we agree on, at least. It's just that I think we (and all clubs) should actively make people feel welcome, try to find out what's stopping people feeling welcome, and seeing what can be done.

[Magpies1959]

Newish Pie, ta for all the patronising guff. A transvestite is a man with his genitals intact who chooses to dress as a woman, not difficult. If they call themseves transgender they are lying. Even an 'older' man like me does not find that baffling.
Maybe just maybe, nothing is making Asian people unwelcome, they are just not interested in coming to a footie match.

[thefulltenyards]

For me upgrade of the current stadium is significantly more important than increasing capacity. As mentioned cracked seats, handrails, lick of paint, more areas to eat and drink at games will all improve the match day experience of those in attendance.

The obvious way to increase the home capacity is to safely segregate the Jimmy Sirrel stand to allow flexibility and home supporters to use part of this stand. How practical this is I do not know.

The stadium is obviously more than big enough for Notts games. The average home attendances and importantly the occupancy of the home sections rather than the total crowd of just a few games a season is key. Until we get to a stage where the home sections are selling out regularly does it become an issue.

To be perfectly honest I can't believe the above is true for a Notts County side in League Two and even an discussion. It's frankly mind-blowing to me!

If you told me a few years back we would be having games during the season (and televised) selling out, out average attendance is likely to be over 10,000 for the season I would have thought you were mad! This is 4th tier football.

I never thought this was possible especially not following dropping to Non-League level even with ambitious, sensible owners, a very talented manager, entertaining tippy tappy football and top quality recruitment that we have not seen for decades.

The support home and away under this ownership and especially these coaches still hasn't fully sunk in and has me shaking my head in delighted disbelief.

[magpie_mania]

For me upgrade of the current stadium is significantly more important than increasing capacity. As mentioned cracked seats, handrails, lick of paint, more areas to eat and drink at games will all improve the match day experience of those in attendance.

The obvious way to increase the home capacity is to safely segregate the Jimmy Sirrel stand to allow flexibility and home supporters to use part of this stand. How practical this is I do not know.

The stadium is obviously more than big enough for Notts games. The average home attendances and importantly the occupancy of the home sections rather than the total crowd of just a few games a season is key. Until we get to a stage where the home sections are selling out regularly does it become an issue.

To be perfectly honest I can't believe the above is true for a Notts County side in League Two and even an discussion. It's frankly mind-blowing to me!

If you told me a few years back we would be having games during the season (and televised) selling out, out average attendance is likely to be over 10,000 for the season I would have thought you were mad! This is 4th tier football.

I never thought this was possible especially not following dropping to Non-League level even with ambitious, sensible owners, a very talented manager, entertaining tippy tappy football and top quality recruitment that we have not seen for decades.

The support home and away under this ownership and especially these coaches still hasn't fully sunk in and has me shaking my head in delighted disbelief.

Regarding the Jimmy Sirrel stand, I can't see a problem with the actual seating being segregated but I guess it's the access & entrances which might be more problematic. Can't remember what that stand is like though.

We use the Family Stand - now that they are selling beer from the refreshment bar I guess there could be a bottle-neck down there when it's pretty full - people have to congregate in what is quite a narrow concourse as they can't take the drinks to their seats.

[IrateKnight]

Been to watch quite a few games now over the last couple of seasons, as a new fan I would say overall the stadium is good for the level but definitely some improvements could be made to the matchday experience. Main thing for me personally is the food options are extremely poor, you see even non-league teams doing brilliant options now on the footy scran pages. I know personally I'd rather pay £7-8 for something nice than £5 for a ****e cheeseburger or microwaved pie maybe could help get extra revenue in from food sales?

[Kent Magpie]

Been to watch quite a few games now over the last couple of seasons, as a new fan I would say overall the stadium is good for the level but definitely some improvements could be made to the matchday experience. Main thing for me personally is the food options are extremely poor, you see even non-league teams doing brilliant options now on the footy scran pages. I know personally I'd rather pay £7-8 for something nice than £5 for a ****e cheeseburger or microwaved pie maybe could help get extra revenue in from food sales?

That's a really good point. I came up for the FGR game and had a burger, my partner had chips. Yuk. When we came for the Wrexham game we ate elsewhere despite running late.

[Magpies1959]

I buy my lucky cheeseburger from the van inside the ground, just before entering the DP stand, very tasty and all for a fiver. When the van is not open for trophy games stc, I have bought a pie from the food outlet under the stand, and again have found them both tasty and hot, all for £4.50.
I am not fortunate enough to have £8 pound to spend on a pre game snack.

[TSANHO]

The food from the ground is largely awful. The food wagons inside the ground used to be ok but they’ve significantly increased the prices lately and reduced the portion sizes. The food, and staff, at the kiosks under the stands are as bad as each other!

It really can’t be that hard to get decent original scran at decent prices to sell at football grounds. You see some great examples on ‘footy scran’, like someone else alluded to. But as long as people keep consuming that slop they will continue to sell it!

I wouldn’t mind paying 5-7 quid for something if it resembled something edible, but the prices they charge for substandard animal feed is just greed.

[Newish Pie]

On the food topic, I think football food (and drink, for that matter) is a particularly difficult problem.

Think it's a general rule of most things that you can only ever have two of Quick, Good, and Cheap... never all three. Football food needs to be Very Quick given the large numbers of people to be fed in a short space of time, so it's how they balance Good and Cheap. A chippie or a cafe might cater for similar numbers of people, but over a much longer and less intensive period of time.

Not saying whether they've got it right or not at the moment... I've always just assumed it's either overpriced or low quality or both and avoided it. Perhaps that's unfair.

[IrateKnight]

That's just it though a 'pre game snack' there's a lot of clubs where you can get an entire meal for £7-8 and people could treat buying food at the game as their lunch instead of getting food before/after outside of the ground.
Not sure how many of the crowd are season ticket holders vs not but the people that don't go every week would have more money to spend.

Not saying you can't have your Pukka pie but would be nice to have the option of cheap crap grub or pay a bit of a premium for something nice.

[matt_magpie]

I don’t always have a pint at the game, but I always wonder why they don’t pre pull them at half time as it’s literally a 10 minute wait and I imagine some just don’t bother because of it. I don’t know whether other people think that’s a good idea ???

[kill_the_drum]

I don’t always have a pint at the game, but I always wonder why they don’t pre pull them at half time as it’s literally a 10 minute wait and I imagine some just don’t bother because of it. I don’t know whether other people think that’s a good idea ???

I always wonder the same. Nobody goes into a football ground expecting a decent pint, but would like a quick pint. Just have someone constantly pouring.

[durhampie]

I always wonder the same. Nobody goes into a football ground expecting a decent pint, but would like a quick pint. Just have someone constantly pouring.

You should have been at Wimbledon, I was having to pay £7.60 for a pint of lager in the local pubs..

[thefulltenyards]

Personally I'd rather pay more for a proper beer in a pint glass in a decent pub than a **** pint in plastic stood behind an away end.

Which pubs did you try before the game? Plenty of very good venues to try.