Season 2010-11
The season 2010-11 contained everything you could possibly expect to experience as a Pie. No other team could take you less than ten minutes from defeating the world's richest club and then finish up ninety minutes from relegation. No one else could run through four managers a season and still only just survive in the league. No one could bring in such a huge array of strikers and yet struggle to score. Hardly surprising then, that a survey said recently that Pies' fans were more stressed than any other. Too right !
Welcome to the campaign 2010-211 !
The season began, as usual, with the arrival of a new manager to replace the successful Steve Cotterill who didn't want to stay with such a small playing budget and who moved to near-bankrupt Portsmouth....hmmm. OK. Welcome Craig Short, one time player and a favourite with the fans. Craig explained how he had rung Mr Pavis to ask him for a job in management and was told to go away and get some experience. Eight months later, he came back, having managed half a season with Hungarian champions, Ferencvaros, and got the job. With the goal of being in The Championship for the 150th year, it was important to get a underway early but last season's form didn't carry over and the team made a poor start. Continuing mediocrity forced owner Ray Trew into taking decisive action. Exit the inexperienced Short and enter the Big Name. Paul Ince had done well with MK Dons but after an unsuccessful with Blackburn, he needed to repair his reputation. He didn't. There was a lot of shouting and bringing in of new players (including his own son Thomas) but with Hughes increasingly side-lined and no Rodgers, Notts resorted to playing Westcarr up front .Even so, as in days of yore, they still found difficulty in scoring. The players form, initially buoyant, seemed to drain away and Ince's prediction that his was a squad to avoid relegation rather than gain promotion began to look more like a tactical instruction. Where he did succeed, though, was in the cup. Faced with the possibilities of TV exposure and rubbing shoulders with his old international mates, Ince was, once more, ''The Guvnor' as his team defeated Premiership opposition for the second year running. An away victory at Sunderland meant a dream tie, at home against Manchester City and two televised contests which saw The Pies eventually outclassed but only after coming so close to knocking out the eventual winners.
The excitement and energy of the long cup run had its effect on the side though and as the team drifted closer and closer to the bottom of League One, owner Ray Trew moved again- removing Ince and installing Chief Scout, Carl Heggs as a temporary boss. A couple of enertaining games and even more enjoyable press conferences followed as the honest appointee gave a very down-to-earth appraisal of his team's performances. In a situation reminiscent of the previous season, the owner first backed Heggs and then abruptly fired him. With last season's success rapidly unravelling, he could do nothing else. Again, though, he delivered a master stroke, prising Martin Allen away from under-performing Barnet and giving him the same job at Meadow Lane - saving a disjointed squad from relegation. He did just that, getting crucial points at the season's end to take the side into a final last-day surivival situation that they'd been in so often before in previous years. Fortunately, again, they got what was needed and lived on. Next stop 150 years and hopefully, a more comfortable situation....
The Squad 2010-2011
1. Rob Burch
2. Stephen Darby
3. Conor Clifford
4. Mike Edwards
5. Graeme Lee
6. John Thompson
7. Kevin Smith
8. Ricky Ravenhill
9. Lee Hughes
10. Neal Bishop
11. Ben Davis
11. Kevin McDonald
12. Krystian Pearce
14. Liam Chilvers
15. Karl Hawley
16. Luke Hubbins
16. Lewis Gobern
17. Stuart Nelson
18. Stephen Hunt
19. Luke Rodgers
19. Alan Gow
20. Craig Westcarr
21. Jake Jervis
21. David Martin
22. Alan Judge
23. David Grof
24. Thomas Ince
24. Carl Regan
25. John Spicer
26. Jon Harley
27. Ben Burgess
28. Sam Sodje
29. Lee Miller
29. Febian Brandy
30. Michael Woods
30. Ivan Sproule
37. Njogu Demba-Nyren
39. Matt Marshall
39. Adam Langley
40. Lewis Williamson
41. Jamie O’ Connell
42. Lewis Whitely
43. Haydn Hollis
44. Liam Mitchell
45. Nathan Fox
Cosmetic changes to the ground included a long-awaited new scoreboard (above) and a welcoming sign. Too many clubs were also given a complimentary three points when they visited.
Relive the season with the comfort of knowing it was all OK in the end. Press the little buttons left.
