The new season is nearly upon us so it's time to turn your thoughts to the All New 2023/24 Prediction League!

When I say "All New' what I really mean is "Slightly Changed" but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

So, after some detailed statistical analysis of last season's scores, we are making some alterations to this season's scoring (which means I've got 2 weeks to change and check my spreadsheet) but we're keeping those lovely balls. For 2023/24 the scoring system will be:

Gamball - still optional - Correct Score 8 pts; Correct Result 4pts; Incorrect result -1pt.
Bonus Ball - compulsory - Correct Score 6pts; Correct Result 3pts; Incorrect Result -3pts
Other Games - Correct Score 4pts; Correct Result 2pts; Incorrect Result 0pts.
Score Ball - compulsory - Both teams score 1pt; Neither team scores (0-0) -1pt.

Leagues:
Premier - Derby, Minizin, Zinman, Stairs, Blue Baggie, Dingle Dingle, Lady Jane, BBB.
Championship - Sanjay, SCO, Snooty, BaggieOne, AAA, Themaclad, Twerton, Amelia.

I know there are several of you out there who frequent this board but don't participate in this fun contest - please consider joining in, I promise we'll be gentle with you! If we do get any new players we may juggle the divisions to get equal numbers.

Good luck, everybody!

Looks like a good night for a game of footie at ER Stadium although the more serious Euro stuff to come at the end of the month v Andorran opponents, Inter Club d'Escaldes.

Dreading this coming season.

Which of these stats will the Albion achieve this year.?

Earliest date for relegation?

Lowest season points total?

Fewest goals scored?

Most goals conceeded?

Highest number of suitcases of cash exported to China?

DD#No1

Played a friendly last night against a very lower league German team only just got home 27-0

Forest Green Rovers have named Southampton's B team boss David Horseman as their new head coach.

He takes over from Hannah Dingley, the first woman to manage a professional men's team in England, who has been in interim charge since 5 July.

Last season, Horseman was also Saints first-team coach under Ruben Selles.

"I'm grateful to Hannah for holding the fort for the club while we went through the complete recruitment process," said owner/chairman Dale Vince.

"Although she did not get the top job this time, it's undoubtedly been a valuable experience and a big step on her career path."

Dingley, who has a Uefa Pro Licence and initiated the club's girls academy which launched in 2021, took charge of the club's first pre-season fixture against non-league Melksham Town and a trip to Ireland.

She will also oversee this week's friendlies against Coventry City and Everton Under-21s, with Horseman and assistant Louis Carey taking up their roles on Thursday.


First female to manage a professional men's team says she wants to see more women in clubs
Previous Rovers boss Duncan Ferguson left the club the day before Dingley was appointed as caretaker, following the team's relegation to League Two.

Vince said Horseman had stood out from over 100 applicants to succeed Ferguson.

"We're delighted to have David join as our head coach, he brings a wealth of experience and a modern approach to the game which matches our own," he said.

Horseman enjoyed success last season as Southampton won the Premier League 2 Division Two title, beating Leeds United Under-21s to top spot on goal difference.

"Louis and I have been lucky to be involved for a long time in professional football and study from some elite coaches which we will bring some ideas with us," he said.

"The supporters can look forward to seeing a team with energy and aggression and one that they can be proud of."

Contract details for Horseman and Carey - who is Bristol City's record appearances maker - have not been disclosed by the club.

York City have signed Ayr United striker Dipo Akinyemi for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old scored 24 goals in 46 games for the Scottish Championship side last season.

The Minstermen have not revealed the length of contract the former Dulwich Hamlet and Welling man has signed.

"I spoke to [head of recruitment] Dave Stockdale and there's a lot of ambition in the club at the moment," Akinyemi told the club website.

New Home Kit

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Leeds United defender Robin Koch has joined Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on a season-long loan.

The 26-year-old German made 77 appearances in all competitions for Leeds after joining in 2020 from Freiburg.

The Germany international's contract with Leeds will expire at the end of next season and he will become a free agent when his loan ends.

Leeds will reportedly receive a loan fee from Frankfurt.

Koch, quoted on Frankfurt's website, said: "I've matured a lot in the last three seasons at Leeds in what is perhaps the strongest league in the world - as a footballer but also as a person.

"I want to prove that again in the Bundesliga. I am convinced that we can have a strong season."

His departure comes two days after Daniel Farke was announced as Leeds' new manager on a four-year deal.

Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2022-23 after a campaign that saw them sack two managers, Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia, with Sam Allardyce unable to keep them up.

Barnsley have appointed ex-Sheffield United defender Neill Collins as their new head coach on a two-year deal.

The 39-year-old Scot takes over at Oakwell after four years in charge of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USA.

Collins replaces Michael Duff, who left to take over at Championship side Swansea City in June.

Duff led the Tykes to fourth in League One last season, but they were beaten by South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final.

Collins, who also had spells as a player with Dumbarton, Sunderland and Wolves, will manage USL Championship side Tampa for the final time on Saturday before coming to England.

The Rowdies are third in the Eastern Conference with 31 points from 17 games so far this year, and owner Stuart Sternberg said they would "say farewell with a mixture of pride and sadness".

Collins on Roy Keane, Joe Cole & managing in Florida
"I am absolutely thrilled to be stepping back into the English Football League and even more so to be joining a club of this stature," Collins told the Barnsley website.

"I am fortunate to be working with a squad that just achieved a play-off final but understand there is a lot of work to be done if we want to replicate that success and go a step further.

"I can't wait to get started and work on getting this club back to where it belongs."

Collins spent five years with Sheffield United before leaving to join Tampa in March 2016.

The former centre-back retired from playing to become the club's manager in May 2018, and was named the league's coach of the year in 2021.

He is the Tykes' fifth managerial appointment since October 2020, with the club starting the season at home to Port Vale on Saturday, 5 August.

Neill Collins
Collins has won 98 of his 175 matches in charge of Tampa after taking over in May 2018
Analysis - Big step up but Collins working from solid base
BBC Radio Sheffield's Adam Oxley

As soon as Josh Windass scored his 123rd-minute play-off final winner at Wembley to send Sheffield Wednesday to the Championship and keep Barnsley in League One, everyone connected with the Reds feared that Michael Duff would be on his way.

And so it proved, as Swansea came calling for the man who had turned Barnsley into a promotion-challenging team from the shell of a relegated side he inherited less than 12 months previously.

Replacing Duff was always going to be a difficult job, but players, coaches and even chief executives are like a revolving door at Oakwell, with mixed success over recent years.

Collins is well-respected locally from his five years and 200-plus appearances at Bramall Lane - the 39-year-old Scot initially left the Blades to join Tampa in the USA as a player, before being promoted to manager in 2018.

He has been successful in the United Soccer League Championship, but clearly taking over an aspiring League One club in England will be a big step up.

It's no doubt a left-field appointment by Barnsley, but such appointments have worked before, with at-the-time-unknown head coaches like Daniel Stendel, Gerhard Struber and new Watford boss Valerien Ismael all enjoying relative success.

The Reds will expect another tilt at promotion and, with a lot of the same players still at the club, Collins has a good base to work from.