Overall I thought we were pretty poor yesterday. Had a couple of good chances from Hoskins, but created precious little else. Relatively even first half in that I don't think Stockport did much other than score, and we were well on top in the second half for 10 minutes but then looked like we had ran out of ideas once we didn't get that early goal.

Coaching staff have been superb and the new deals are well deserved, but to be honest I think they had as much of an off day yesterday as the players did. The substitutes after their second goal seemed to strike me as just throwing as many attackers on as we could and hoping for the best without actually thinking how we could break through them.

Hylton looks absolutely shot for some reason. He may not have scored goals but he did cause problems when he came off the bench earlier in the season (Swindon and Stevenage away in particular) but he's not even doing that at the moment. Bowie looked lost on the left wing and probably should have come on up front centrally if we wanted to make things awkward for their CBs.

If we're going to sign anyone this transfer window for me it needs to be a target man. We barely won a single header yesterday when the ball went long, and it meant that Stockport could let us pass it around the back and then just press once we got it into midfield, knowing that we had nothing if they stopped the through ball to Hoskins.

I also think a couple of players could do with a break. Pinnock in particular just looks tired at the moment.

There's been some poor performances recently, but I think we just have to accept we're in a bit of a blip at the moment and that every team has them over a season. We had a similar spell last year where I thought we'd blown automatic promotion in that March period, but then we came back strongly and we all know that it should have ended with promotion had things been fairer on the last day. I have every faith we can get a good run of form again soon, particularly with players returning from injury and what, on paper, should be an easier run of fixtures. But also think a couple of extra bodies (midfielder and target man) could really help us in the second half of the season too.

I'd find it funny if we'd actually submitted a formal complaint - but from all accounts we didn't, which makes the whole thing a bit weird from my perspective.

In any case though, they're only doing it as it drives engagement from Rovers fans lapping it up. The social media admin probably has some targets to hit and pulls the NTFC card out to rescue the day - we should be flattered 

That said, I do hope our social media team have a little Canva design up their sleeves ready to press send on when they eventually get relegated 

Really good work from all concerned. Undoubtedly made a big difference during a tough time!

Just remind me as my memory is awful, how did the link between Cildara, the Trust and this land start?
I recall suggesting something but damned if I can remember now….

If the memory is slipping it may be worth reminding you that Cilldara and NTFC had discussions on the land well in advance of the correspondence you're alluding to - way back in 2020.

Implying that the link started with the Trust is a bit misleading based on the below information is it not?

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/sport/football/cilldara-had-discussions-to-buy-cobblers-and-submitted-three-bids-for-sixfields-land-3626353

3) some new members with new ideas join the Trust. Andy and the rest of the board who don't engage in aggressive behaviour to fellow fans remove / distance themselves from those that do. Combination of current and new engage with their members, go on a recruitment drive and re engage with the club in a way that holds them to account whilst maintaining a working relationship.

Followed by a focussed drive to sort out the GDPR issues and implementing a social media policy for all board members and advisors.

That's definitely a good option, but it requires the 'new members' joining part still which merely reinforces my point!

Every team hits a sticky patch at some point in the season. Hopefully this is ours and we still sit in third while being unbeaten in 4 games, including playing away against the two teams above us.

If we start losing multiple games then I'll worry, but for now I'm quite happy with our lot.

Very much inclined to agree. I remember last season and us looking utterly hopeless at Mansfield in a 1-0 loss at the start of April. We'd lost four of the last 8 and hand on heart thought we'd blown automatic promotion and maybe even the Play-Offs. Four wins in six after that and only denied promotion by a freak result.

This team has a hell of a lot of mental strength, but at the moment they look knackered and in the last three 45 minutes they've ran out of ideas. Getting Fox and Hylton back will be key in that they offer us a different playing style which wasn't available to us yesterday. It also means that whatever style Jon and Colin start with, they can change it if it's not working.

That said there were some strange tactical decisions made yesterday by the management team. I'm amazed they tried Pinnock in the middle yet again when it clearly doesn't work. As was alluded to earlier, we played square pegs in round holes yesterday when we didn't need to and that only exacerbated things. Jon and Colin do tend to do this every now and then to try and shake things up, but it never works. Hopefully they realise this a bit quicker than they did last season and get back to basics for the next game.

This is exactly what puts me off joining at the moment though. Swelling the numbers at this stage lends credibility to their voice and can be interpreted as a sign of support for their current actions. I get the mantra of "if you don't like it join and make a difference", but it's something of a double edged sword, isn't it?

I don't deny it is a double edged sword if that's how you feel. But then again, what's the alternative? To me there are two choices.

Option 1) An influx of new people with similar opinions to yourself join the Trust, and when given the opportunity at the next AGM, make their feelings known and/or vote in people onto the board who they think in their opinion will do a better job. I'm not sure the board can claim an influx of new members is a mandate if they're voted out!

Option 2) No-one joins and everything carries on as it is at the moment.

I think you have to ask yourself what scenario you'd rather see play out, because in my opinion one of these two things will happen. If there's an alternative argument I've missed then I'm genuinely all ears  

I donated £10, and more, so the Trust still got my money. If I did join then, I would have cancelled my membership now so wouldn't be any better or worst off

Fair enough.

I guess what I perhaps didn't articulate is that the money during 'non-crisis' times would also have helped in terms of trying to improve matchday experience/club infrastructure. And that a Trust that has a large membership is going to be able to achieve more than one with a small membership.

Couldn’t agree more Fez. Should this actually come to fruition, additionally the Board should represent the full spectrum of popular opinion and that means all of it. There should be an easy and accessible way for the membership to challenge and if necessary change board decisions. Above all else the vilification and occasional persecution of members and supporters for having an opinion differing from Board members in an official or personal capacity should be outlawed within any new constitution. Everyone’s opinion should be heard and valued irrespective of whether you agree with it. If any new Board doesn’t meet these objectives it will have failed in my eyes. Not that I have any authority to demand this despite Dickys claims.

The social one is a difficult one isn't it? The perception now is that when you post as a Trust board member you are speaking on behalf of the Trust. I personally think it should be possible to distinguish between the two, but it's fundamentally clear that that's not what the majority of people read the posts as, whether that's fair or not. So I'd be inclined to agree that there needs to be a line reminding people of their responsibilities on social media if there isn't one already - I wouldn't word it as strongly as you have though 

It's a tough one though because Trust board members are not operating in a workplace environment as such. This is all voluntary and they are also human beings talking about what is clearly an emotive subject. I also genuinely think there has been some very ill thought out posts about the Trust in the last few months that have probably caused a few people who support the Trust's aims to 'double down' in recent weeks and take aim at people who were actually asking genuine and fair questions about the way it functions. This is totally counter productive though in that the person who may have had a minor gripe to start with has been labelled 'anti-Trust', and from that point on starts to not actually like the Trust after all - in a sense creating the very thing they were accused of being!

I've said throughout that everyone needs to take some responsibility for what they write and not to be needlessly inflammatory. The level of debate on this subject online has been poisonous for years despite the fact that I think the vast majority of fans probably sit somewhere in the middle of it all when you speak to people at the ground. Perhaps a sign of the times and the impact of social media rather than the subject at hand.

No, what difference would my membership have made? It would have been money that I couldn't donate towards the bills.

To you it may not have seemed like it would have contributed anything. But it would have been an extra £10 to loan to staff, to cover the costs of the coach trip to Crawley, to have to hand now in the rainy day fund if we're ever in that situation again.

You would have also increased the numbers, and the more numbers the Trust has the more it can successfully fight on behalf of the supporters.

The flip side to your argument is that if everyone adopted the same attitude we wouldn't have anything at all.

Burge.

And anyone who doesn't pick him should be banned 

Hoskins for me. Would have given it to Burge without that feelgood factor that came with the wonder goal.

FAO admins 

I've blabbered on for years about getting new people to stand for the board so members actually have a choice on the direction the Trust takes.

I didn't sign the petition as I thought there was a democratic way to do it which should have been the first port of call rather than calling for the resignation of everyone with no clear outlined plan as to what happens after that. I also found some of the wording to be needlessly inflammatory and not particularly helpful to raising the level of the debate.

If however people are willing to stand to join the board as a result of it, then that's a good thing regardless of whether you agree with the method. I do however want those who are willing to stand to make themselves visible and explain what the intended road map is - which the petition doesn't do.

For example would they be in favour of just discarding everything the current board has done and back the CDNL deal as it stands? Would they want to scrutinise the deal with the third party that has been struck by the current board, outline the pros and cons and ultimately put it to a members' vote? Or would they ask members to vote on whether they backed the current CDNL deal?

This to me needs to be clearly outlined.

Burge.

And anyone who doesn't pick him should be banned 

Well that was a good old fashioned daylight robbery. Newport were better than us for the full 90 and comfortably at that.

Burge kept us in it in the first half with some outstanding saves, but County will be absolutely ruing a couple of easy chances that they should have buried too. It only takes one mistake or loss of concentration though when you're 1-0 down, and thankfully they decided to leave Hoskins completely unmarked in the area at the death.

You take the point of course, but that was a concerning performance on the back of the second half against Sutton.

Couldn't really understand why we put Lintott out of position at LB when we had Haynes, that said he was no better when he came on. A lot of aimless hoofball up to Appere who isn't great in the air. Very strange today, couldn't tell you even now what the game plan was.

Anyway, I will say that this squad keeps belief until the very last minute, so credit to them for that. But a massive improvement in performance needed if we're to get back to winning ways.

#notmytruss 

Not sure any lettuce could outlive the Redevelopment thread though!

Sowerby.

Unfortunately there's been some pretty tasteless stuff from all sides here. Both club now Trust have had their mudslinging moment, so I hope that is now finally put to bed and each party can just crack on with their respective bid without it getting even more nasty.

The crux of the issue for me is that Trust members need to be given the full facts of the bid, be given the full due diligence on whoever the partner organisation is, and then be given the final decision on whether to proceed with the bid. And any vote needs to be organised and communicated a lot better than the ACV vote was. That's the line in the sand for me.

You can only lead a horse to water 

“On all the other FULL coaches.. 😜😜

It was good to see you and the old man. 👍

Good to see you too Tel. Cracking day out all round!

I guess if you’re told to ask no questions by the top dogs, getting thrown under the bus for not obeying wouldn’t be a great option.
Great to hear that nobody on your bus has any bid concerns worthy of discussion… I guarantee that was not the case with anyone I spoke to.

I don't agree with everything the Trust have done, I don't agree with everything the club has done. I have relayed those opinions to both Andy Roberts and Tom Cliffe when I wanted to and have found both of them very approachable.

I have questions r.e the ACV which I will ask once I have more details from the Trust. I think I'm happy to give them a couple more weeks to come up with further details, and hope once that happens that members get a full chance to scrutinise them and ask those follow up questions that I'm sure we all have.

During the meantime, I'm enjoying watching the lads play football regardless of the method of transport I choose to get there to support them.