2 points for correct result
4 points for correct score
2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score   (correct score on a joker would give you 8 points)
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Badger gives you 2 points

The prize for winning the league is one rep point.

Cup games: In the event of a draw, it's half the points if you've predicted a draw when it gets to 90 mins and the full points if it's still a draw after extra time. Half the points will be awarded for correctly predicting the winner of the match if it goes to penalties. However, if you do predict a draw and it's a match that won't be going to a replay, you can get a possible extra point by stating which of the two teams you think will eventually win.

Random score generator: I will be using the random score generator again for those who miss predicting, so we shouldn't get some people too far behind that after missing a couple of weeks they lose all interest, because I know it's not easy getting on here every week.
To be fair to everybody, this is going to be like, say if three people in one week miss their predictions, the first one in the table will be given all 0-0, the second one down the line will get 1-0 and the third will get 0-1 and so on, like if there's four missing the 4th will get 1-1, then 5th 2-1, 6th 1-2. and if there are so many missing, might as well pack in.
And if you miss two weeks on the trot, I'll stop until you come back on again. Not doing it for half a season like I did t'other year.  


At the end of the season, the winner of group 2 and the bottom of group 1 will swap places in what is commonly known as "promotion" and "relegation". It's something that most football fans will be familiar with, unless you're a fan of Liverpool or Arsenal or one of those other fashionable clubs.

The second placed player in group 2 will then have a play off with the player who finishes second from the bottom in group 1 to decide whether they will be going up, down or staying where they are.

We're going to have two seasons in one though, just to try and make it a bit more interesting and not so long drawn out. The first season will end on the Boxing Day fixtures, with the play offs being on the dates of the Twixtmas fixtures and the NYD fixtures.

The second season will start the following week, which is usually the FA Cup 3rd round, finishing on the last game of the League One season. Then another period of relegation/promotion play off games, taking in such fixtures as the EFL play offs, FA Cup Final, UEFA finals and such like.

Each group will have it's own set of fixtures. Both groups will have the Town games, with scorers to predict as before. Then it will be a split of League One fixtures and bonus matches, hopefully around ten, eleven or twelve games per Matchday.

The random badger is restricted to three goal scorers in any of the fixtures in your group.

Here's how that will appear at the end of the fixture list. All you have to do is fill in the blanks.......


*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

Any of those will score two points if correct. No minus points for getting it wrong.

Postponed matches will only count if the match is re-played before the next Matchday is under way. Abandoned matches will be awarded half the points for the score at the time of abandonment, so 1 point if you have the correct result, 2 points if you have the correct score.

Substitute or scorer in one of the Town games:- These will be only be allowed if you change them before the match involved has kicked off.

Prediction League Archive: https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=12830

Division One table after Matchday 5:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 101 pts
   
2. jjamez = 88 pts
   
3. neonfoxinthebox = 87 pts
   
4. ritchiebaby = 87 pts
   
5. theo_luddite = 81 pts
   
6. Lord Snooty = 76 pts
   

Saturday 21st February:
League One:
Town v Barnsley
Town scorers:
Barnsley scorers:

Plymouth Argyle v Cardiff City (12:30)
Luton Town v Burton Albion
Mansfield Town v Lincoln City
Northampton Town v Leyton Orient
Peterborough United v Exeter City
Port Vale v Reading

Championship:
West Bromwich Albion v Coventry City (12:30)

Premier League:
Brentford v Brighton & Hove Albion

Sunday 22nd February:
Sunderland v Fulham (14:00)

Scottish Premiership:
Celtic v Hibernian (15:00)

*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

1. St Charles Owl = 100 pts
   
2. themaclad = 98 pts
   
3. SHEP_HTAFC = 80 pts
   
4. Devongone = 69 pts
   
5. Amelia Chaffinch = 58 pts
   
6. WakeyTerrier = 56 pts
   

Friday 20th February:
Championship:
Blackburn Rovers v Preston North End (20:00)

Saturday 21st February:
League One:
Town v Barnsley
Town scorers:
Barnsley scorers:

Rotherham United v Doncaster Rovers (12:30)
Wycombe Wanderers v Stevenage (12:30)
AFC Wimbledon v Bradford City
Bolton Wanderers v Blackpool
Stockport County v Wigan Athletic

League Two:
Crawley Town v Chesterfield

Premier League:
Manchester City v Newcastle United (20:00)

Sunday 22nd February:
Championship:
Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday (12:00)

Premier League:
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal (16:30)

*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has been appointed Blackburn Rovers boss until the end of the season in a move that will see him juggle both roles.

Confirming the appointment on Friday, Blackburn said interim boss Damien Johnson will be in the dugout for Saturday's Championship game against Queens Park Rangers with O'Neill watching in the stands.

O'Neill's backroom team at Ewood Park includes his former Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis and ex-Blackburn and Manchester United defender Phil Jones.

In addition to leading Blackburn's efforts to avoid relegation to League One, O'Neill will also be tasked with preparing Northern Ireland for next month's World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy.

If Northern Ireland win in Bergamo on 26 March, they will face Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina in a play-off final five days later.

O'Neill thanked the Irish FA for "their support and co-operation in allowing me to take this opportunity".

"Blackburn Rovers is a historic Premier League-winning club with a proud tradition, and the chance to work at a club of that stature is one I felt was important to embrace," said 56-year-old O'Neill.

"The immediate focus is clear – there is a challenge ahead in the final stretch of the season and the objective is to help the team build momentum and climb the Championship table."

He added: "For now, my focus is on giving everything to Blackburn Rovers in the weeks ahead.

"I understand what this club means to its supporters and I am looking forward to working with the players and staff to deliver performances the fans can be proud of."


Blackburn are 22nd in the Championship table, one place from safety on goal difference.

They were without manager since Valerien Ismael left his role on 2 February, with Johnson taking interim charge.

O'Neill had a similar agreement - combining duties with club and country - with Stoke City when his first spell as Northern Ireland manager came to a close in 2020.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the Euro 2020 play-offs and O'Neill left his role before those games took place.

He took charge of 143 games for Stoke, guiding them to safety in the Championship in his first season.

After being sacked by Stoke in August 2022, he returned to Northern Ireland, signing a contract that runs until after the Euro 2028 campaign.

Northern Ireland are aiming to qualify for a first World Cup in 40 years, and a first major tournament since O'Neill guided his country to the Euro 2016 finals in his first spell.

O'Neill also managed Brechin City and Shamrock Rovers before starting his first stint with Northern Ireland in 2011.


Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson said it was a "progressive move" and added the move has been structured "to ensure that the national team's preparation and planning remain unaffected".

"Michael remaining active on the grass during this period can only enhance the level of our preparation for the play-off," said Nelson.

"We are assured that, following four months of preparation, everything remains on track, and our focus is firmly on ensuring the squad is ready between now and kick-off in Bergamo. Michael will be using his downtime productively by being in and amongst the cut and thrust of elite-level football.

"With a World Cup play-off on the horizon, we are confident this experience will only strengthen his preparedness ahead of such a key fixture."


Northern Ireland fans will naturally question the timing of this considering the World Cup play-off is just six weeks away.

They will also be concerned that O'Neill's attentions will be split.

For O'Neill, moving to Blackburn appears risky given the club's precarious position in the Championship.

Blackburn's 1990s heyday are long gone, and both John Eustace, who left for Derby County, and Ismael, who was sacked, only lasted a year each in the job before leaving the club.



Fast forward a year and they have have taken 50 points from 45 league games and are in need of help and experience to get themselves out of a precarious position.

At the start of the week, the smart money was on Gary Rowett succeeding Ismael, but by Wednesday, he was out of contention.

Rovers turned their attention to a head coach already in work but with Championship experience.

There will be supporters of Northern Ireland and Blackburn Rovers who feel that Michael O'Neill can't devote his undivided attention to two roles at the same time.

He could lead his nation to the World Cup and keep the club in the second tier, but if your glass is half-empty, he might succeed in neither.

What happens at the end of the domestic season will be intriguing, with Rovers calling his arrival "an initial short-term arrangement".

Which role does he see as the one with the biggest future? Time will tell.

Extra balls in play this week.

2 bonus balls for: Themaclad, Zinman, Snooty, Vicar and AAA.
2 Scoreballs for Lady Jane

Gamball;
Swansea - Bristol City

Others:
Brentford - Brighton
West Ham - Bournemouth
Stoke - Leicester
WBA - Coventry
Norwich - Birmingham
Watford - Derby
Wrexham - Ipswich
Sunderland - Fulham
Spurs - Arsenal

Oops, forgot I was doing this one too.

I'll cobble a quick one together Saturday morning.

Having welcomed and duly dispatched Black Country opposition on home turf with five goals in the last round of the cup, and then put five more past another Black Country side in the league on our own patch (trauma counselling is available for anyone affected by any of the issues raised in this sentence), Norwich could be forgiven for thinking that tomorrow's tie is a formality, and that they're guaranteed to sail through. And indeed, five wins in the last six is a pretty emphatic dose of momentum to take into tomorrow's encounter. But having seemingly perfected the art of the no-score draw this past week, Albion might yet have enough fight left to take things the distance in this one.

Of course, it won't be the end of the world if our cup journey does end here; we've got our league status to worry about. But the day the cup becomes a mere distraction is the day we give up on football altogether, so let's hope for more guts and gusto from the Baggies tomorrow.

Dino Maamria has been appointed as Barrow's new head coach following the departure of Paul Gallagher.

Former Preston North End striker Gallagher was only appointed on 2 January and lost all of his five games in charge. Assistant John Welsh has also left Holker Street.

Maamria arrives with the club third from bottom of League Two and three points above the relegation zone, having lost six matches in a row and eight of their past nine.

Tunisia-born Maamria has previously managed Burton Albion, Stevenage, Oldham Athletic, Nuneaton, Southport and Northwich.

"I'm thrilled to join the club and can't wait to get started," the 54-year-old told Barrow's website., external

"It's a terrific club that I've watched from afar and I know a lot about the players, who I'm excited to get to work with.

"The situation I come into is something I have been in before and I can never promise to win every week, but my teams will always show heart, desire and passion and cover every blade of grass.

"It's so important we all work together, players, staff and the supporters and make a team that will do the town proud."

The Championship is considering extending the Play Offs to six clubs, meaning the team finishing 8th could end up in the Premier League.

Is this just to get Wrexham promoted? Do you think it's a good idea?

Personally I think we should go back to promoting the top three without a play off. But that's never happening now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/art...dnll5gp1go

THE MATCH

SATURDAY 14TH FEBRUARY KO 3PM

v

LAST MATCH



Another game, another defeat, no goal again and and no shots on target again. We did ok for the first 10 minutes but when Swansea took the lead in the 19th minute there was only going to be one outcome. Swansea got the ball wide and the cross was turned in from close range. We kept it at 1-0 to halftime. Onto the 2nd half and Swansea were on the front foot trying to look for a second. We manged to hold out until the 70th minute when Vipotnik blasted in a free kick from the D. It was soon 3-0 when Swansea got in down the right and crossed for Vipotnik who turned and fired past Cooper. It was 4-0 when Cooper gave the ball away and Yalcouye raced into the box and fired past Cooper.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

THE MATCH



Next up we return to Hillsborough and Millwall and of course the return of Bannan. Millwall are having a very good season and are currently in 5th place in the Championship, they are only 6 points off the automatic spots and have a 6 point gap to 7th place Preston. With the state of the Championship this season, I would say they have a chance of the autos but more realistically a spot in the playoffs would be a good achievement. They are managed by Alex Neil, who has been in charge since December 2024. There leading scorers are Azeez and Ivanovic who have 7 goals each this season.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 20
MILL 19
DRAW 17

CURRENT FORM

OWLS     L L L L L L                                                                

MILL      W D W L W W

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

Referee: Duckworth, Edward
Assistant Referee: Venamore, Lee
Assistant Referee: Hodskinson, Paul
Fourth Official: Joyce, Ross

THE TEAM

Cooper
Palmer Cooper Otegbayo Adaramola
Thornton Ingelsson Heskey
McNeill Yates Ndala

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)



WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME



ATTENDANCE



BML LEAGUE

Owlkev 16
Imre 16
Washington 14
SCO 11
Maddix 8

BMPL

Stateside 15
Pei 0
Wereham -11
Southey -12

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Derby v Swansea
Portsmouth v Sheff Utd
Lincoln v Bolton
Bromley v Notts Co
Forest Green v Carlisle

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE

OWLKEV

We got his brother sacked, likely to be a short appointment

Championship side Watford have appointed Edward Still as their head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Still takes over at Vicarage Road following the resignation of Javi Gracia after only three months in charge.

The 35-year-old, who is the older brother of former Southampton boss Will Still, was previously assistant manager at Belgian club Anderlecht.

"I'm so thrilled and proud to be here. This is a club which has a big place in English football and a fantastic history," he said.

"All of the focus will be on winning games as quickly as possible and getting the best out of the players.

"Fans can expect our team to be aggressive, really compact defensively and attack with pace."

Still takes over with Watford 11th in the Championship, but only three points outside the play-off places before Saturday's game at Preston North End.

Still has managerial experience in the Belgian Pro League with Charleroi, KAS Eupen and KV Kortrijk.

He has also previously worked as assistant to his younger brother Will at French club Lens, guiding them to an eight-place finish in Ligue 1 in 2024-25.

"Ed's appointment was made on the conviction that this is a coach whose modern and progressive coaching methods fit perfectly with our squad dynamic, who we believe will take the team forward, and who gives us a real chance to challenge for the play-offs," said Watford chairman and chief executive Scott Duxbury.

Former Bournemouth defender Charlie Daniels, who has been interim boss at Vicarage Road for the past two matches, will take on the role of first-team coach alongside Karim Belhocine.

"We are delighted Charlie Daniels has accepted Ed's invitation to be part of his coaching staff, as we are really grateful for the job and work he did in the interim period," said Duxbury.

"He quickly earned the respect of the technical department and the players, and his promotion maintains that link with the academy."

Still becomes Watford's third head coach this season with Paulo Pezzolano lasting only 10 games at the start of the campaign prior to Gracia's reappointment, having previously left in 2019.

The Hornets also had three bosses in the same season in 2021-2022 when Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson took charge, and again in the following campaign when Rob Edwards, Slaven Bilic and Chris Wilder held the job.

Still is Watford's 14th head coach, not counting interim bosses, since September 2019 when Gracia left for the first time, and their 11th since the end of the 2020-21 season.


I think this could be described as a pretty left-field appointment given Watford are only three points from the play-off positions and Ed Still has no British, let alone Championship, management experience.

He has worked in Belgium for the majority of his coaching career and with his brother Will in France at Lens.

Chief executive Scott Duxbury speaks of the young squad Watford have and the hope they will identify with Still, so the Hornets hierarchy are banking on him forming a good relationship with this youthful set at Vicarage Road to get them back on track.

Watford have good contacts in Belgium so Still has obviously impressed them. His first task will be to get the Watford supporters on board who seem underwhelmed by the appointment.