Our monthly Notts County column is back with Julian McDougall, formerly of the beloved Notts County fanzine The Pie and currently of the excellent When Saturday Comes magazine. Here's his reflections on a languished start to the season at Meadow Lane...
First, disaster and, in the headwinds of the binary madness I described in the last column, it was clear that the new coach, tactics, recruitment and generally everything were bad, broken and doomed.
Second, improvement and green shoots. A win, then a draw that would have been a win if Jatta had not ‘reported a back spasm’ in the heat of the transfer window. And then an away win, and the kind of end of match battling performance that was never happening last season. But – and hence the ‘third half’ – this was in no small part due to Alessana Jatta coming on as sub to make everything better. Which was a paradox, because we had felt pretty sure that he was away, rumoured to be joining Didzy at Barnsley. Following the first game at Newport, a draw, Notts were poor in losing to Salford at home, then played very well at Wigan but lost to a Paul Mullen penalty, just to remind us of those Disney days.
Then we went to Barrow full of hope but were very, very poor, until Dennis’ first goal seemed to earn an unexpected draw, until it didn’t. Martin Paterson was, at times amusingly, presenting the literal opposite of Stuart Maynard. Where Maynard had always praised the team and over-rated Notts’ performance, Paterson at times appeared to be so exasperated with the players that he seemed to have forgotten his involvement in proceedings. But then we battered Shrewsbury, and OK they were awful, but we helped make them so, and then the Bromley draw and then the away win at Tranmere which was pleasing in so many ways.
Third, to the transfer window deadline day. After waiting for Jatta to play, now we were waiting for Jatta to leave. And hoping that we had a plan to replace him.
1st September 2025. It was a long day. And then, as with Godot, nothing. “Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.” Except, it wasn’t awful, at the end of the day (literally). This was a good nothing, it was nothing in a good way. It was ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’. There was certainly “no lack of void”, but the void was the victory.
Waiting for betterment by doing nothing was the futile plight of Beckett’s characters but, in the end, this is what Notts achieved. After waiting for Jatta for the whole of August, to return, now we waited for him to leave. And then, when he stayed, it felt like he was .. well, Godot. If Godot had shown up.
Quite a thing, for your absence to be so present that your remaining, just by being no longer absent, is a presence out of all proportion with the reality of your previous presence. I mean, Jatta was part of the team for the last two disappointing seasons. But no matter. What is Jatta now if not the paradox of hope and inaction?
I am writing this on the day after the window closed. It is, therefore, entirely possible that we will discover the truth behind this strange day and it will change the narrative. But right now, we are where we are. Into September, with Jones, Jatta and Dennis up front, a stronger looking defence and a much more direct and physical approach which looks a lot more League Two. The questions remain around squad depth and cover for that attacking trio, of whom two will play international games, one was over-stretched playing as a lone striker whilst we waited for… OK, that point has been laboured. One has always been injury-prone and one missed the first month so he needs match fitness. We also have several players who our ‘data-led performance metrics’ identified as assets, but our new coach appears not to rate. If they don’t go out on loan, they need to be kept positive to add value when needed. If they do go, they will leave us short in cover.
Looking back at August, how different it can suddenly seem. A final kick of the game defeat at Barrow with ten players, a draw against Bromley that would certainly have been a win if not for Jatta’s back twitching. Three more points on the board and we would be in the play off places, our most familiar setting. Expectation is back. Notwithstanding it’s the hope that kills us, one second half and a day of nothing has changed the outlook, “when with folded arms we weigh the pros and cons.”
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