Ricky Ravenhill – The Munto Championship

Ricky Ravenhill was a serial winner – not just with Notts County but with Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers and in New Zealand under former Notts man Mick Waitt too.

But undoubtedly it was the League Two championship success in 2009 with the Magpies which the midfielder lists as his most surreal and bizarre, in the latest episode the Magpie Circle podcast.

Notts were reported to have hundreds of millions to spend as part of a Middle Eastern consortium referred to as Munto.

Sadly it all started to unravel in a few months but not before Notts had landed Sven Goran Eriksson as director of football and welcomed  Sol Campbell, Lee Hughes and Kasper Schmeichel amongst others.

Eventually Notts did go on to win the title under Steve Cotterill and Ravenhill recalls an incredible chapter in the club’s history.

“An incredible time but one which was ultimately successful at the end of that season.  What got us through it was the incredible camaraderie of the team.

“We had a lot of strong characters but we all mucked in together.  We would go out as a group for meals and we all looked out for each other.

“I was a little nervous when I met up with Neal Bishop.  I’d broken his jaw in an accidental challenge when I was at Darlington and he was at Barnet.

“Mind you, he got his own back.  Although we were on the same team for Notts, there was a collision in midfield in which his boot sliced open my face just below my lip and I had to have quite a few stitches.

“Sven was supportive throughout and we’d see him on the training ground every single day.  After it started to unravel, he stayed on  and helped get new investment into the club so we were all very grateful for that.”

Thursday 21st January 2021

*Main image @NCFCFoundation Ravenhill (right) facing the great Alessandro Del Piero for County against Juventus.

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