Notts dream never rang Trew

As the Notts County dream lies in ruins, in his own inimitable style, Turls reviews what went wrong at Meadow Lane.

They dreamed of glory. They dreamed of the Premier League. They even dared to dream of a place among the elite clubs in Europe.

This was their moment, their time. The fans sang songs of joy and danced to the tune of future success.

So why are Notts County now talking about how their new owner will ensure the clubs survival?

Peter Trembling, the former chief executive and then former chairman of the club, confirmed that he had sold County for £1 to Ray Trew.

That's it?! This is the same club who were reported to be worth £12 gazillion and now they've been sold for the same price as a burger from McDonalds!

Trew, the former Lincoln City chairman, has released a statement saying that his vision is long-term and his first job is to ensure the club continues to exist.

Sounds like a completely different statement to the ones made by Munto Finance at the beginning of the season.

In the summer of 2009, the Magpies were at the centre of one of the most exciting football stories of the century, as Munto Finance bought the club and promised big spending and the "achievable dream" of Premier League football.

They brought in Sven-Goran Eriksson as director of football and they would later sign Sol Campbell - although we know how that turned out.

The pauper club of the East Midlands had found its sugar daddy, and the fans were dreaming of usurping Forest as the biggest team in the city.

Six months down the line and Eriksson has gone, Campbell has gone, and Munto Finance have gone. So what went wrong?

The team didn't get off to the start everyone expected. Everyone thought County would run away with the league and, although these expectations were unreasonable, no-one cared.

The club didn't pick up the desired 36 points from 12 games. They didn't routinely beat every single team in the league and they didn't look like a top-flight club in waiting. So they sacked the manager.

This was expected. No-one expected Ian McParland to last and he didn't, so no harm was done. The problem was the seeds of doubt had been sown. Munto Finance were questioning their decision to ever get in bed with Notts County.

Trembling, McParland, and Eriksson - back when the future was bright

We all knew this day would come. It was inevitable that at some point, the ridiculously wealthy owners would pull out of the operation and leave Notts County in an ocean without arms - worse than being up the creek without a paddle.

However, not a single one of us predicted that it would end before the season was over.

Although the club didn't spend huge money, they were spending beyond their means and when Munto Finance did leave, it was always going to be a worry. Despite Trembling forming a consortium of sorts to buy the club, the dream was over.

I feel sorry for Notts County fans because they all believed the dream that Munto Finance were promoting. They bought every last drop of rubbish that spieled from their mouths.

Can you blame them? Here was a group of men who promised them the world and more importantly, to knock Forest off the Nottingham top-spot.

Earlier in the season, I likened running a club to a relationship. Magpies fans dreamed of a long and happy marriage to Munto Finance.

They wanted the big fancy wedding and the honeymoon. They wanted to nestle down together and watch Take Me Out on Saturday night.

However, Munto Finance didn't want to settle and, after getting a little bit of sex and a few cuddles, they decided it would be cheaper and more exciting to sleep with a bedroom full of hookers instead.

Here's hoping Munto Finance wake up tied to the bed, stripped of all their clothes and money, sporting a massive hangover, and an unsavoury STI - because that's what they did to Notts County.