Premier League

Stairs      11pts 1CS 4CR 0GB 3BB 0SB
SCO          8pts 0CS 4CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Zinman    8pts 0CS 4CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Sanjay      8pts 0CS 3CR 0GB 3BB 1SB
Derby      7pts 0CS 4CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Minizin      5pts 1CS 4CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Blue          3pts 0CS 4CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Snooty      1pt 0CS 3CR -3GB -3BB 1SB

A close week with scores again dragged down by the balls. Just 2 positive gamballs, 3 bonuses (though that's the highest number for a few weeks) and only 2 correct scores. Not surprisingly, an average week with not much between all players. 3 of the week's fixtures delivered an overall negative score - nobody predicted Fulham's win at Brighton, nor Wigan holding Norwich.

Stairs is the only player to reach double figures thanks to getting 1 of the 2 correct scores, his bonus right and opting out of the gamball. After that, it's all a bit meh. SCO, Zinman and Sanjay are locked together on 8 points, SCO and Zinman being the only players to get anything from the gamball, while Sanjay joined Stairs in avoiding it. Derby sits just a point further back, 2 points ahead of Minizin who was the other player to get a score correct but losing out on the gamball and bonus ensured it wasn't agreat week for him.

Blue Baggie avoids the wooden spoon which this week belongs to Lord Snooty, saved from a whitewash by his extra scoreball point.

Minizin 220
Derby 210
Zinman 205
Stairs 203
Snooty 178
Blue 172
Sanjay 155
SCO 153

Unsurprisingly given the close scores this week, there are no positional changes in the overall league though Stairs is edging towards the top 3. Four players have now broken the 200 barrier and they are opening up a bit of a gap to the bottom half of the table.

Zin


Championship

Dingle 16pts 1CS 2CR 10GB 3BB 1SB
Amelia 15pts 1CS 3CR 5GB 3BB 1SB
Lady Jane 11pts 1CS 4CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
BaggieOne 10pts 2CS 2CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Twerton 10pts 1CS 3CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Themaclad 5pts 1CS 3CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
AAA 3pts 1CS 2CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
BBB 3pts 1CS 2CR -3GB -3BB 1SB

Not a bad scoring week in the Championship.  The top 5 this week are only separated by 6 points. Dingle leads the way on 16 points courtesy of a spot on Gamball and a CR Bonus, he had little else but when you score on the big balls you don't need much else to get a decent score.  Amelia was the only other player to score on both her big balls and she finished 2nd just a point behind Dingle. 

Lady Jane with 11 points is third with BaggieOne & Twerton just one point back.  Twerton was the only other player to get positive points on the Gamball but the common theme with these three is they all got one ball incorrect which stunted their points total. 

The remaining three players all personified what happens if you miss on both the Gamball and the Bonus.  Themaclad, AAA and BBB all scored on as many games as Dingle at the top did, but where he scored big on his balls they completely failed on them!!

248 Dingle
228 Lady Jane
222 BaggieOne
202 AAA
183 BBB
160 Themaclad
145 Twerton
138 Amelia

No positional changes this week.  Dingle extends his lead a bit, AAA is still stalking the top three and Amelia and Twerton are still in a dog fight for the wooden spoon.

Cheers
SCO

Former Leyton Orient manager Ross Embleton has been put in temporary charge of Colchester United following the departure of Matt Bloomfield.

The 41-year-old has been Colchester's head of recruitment since last summer.

Bloomfield left the League Two club earlier this week to return to former club Wycombe Wanderers as head coach after just five months in charge.

Embleton will be assisted by Dave Huzzey and Elliott Ward, coaches of the U's under-21 and under-18 teams.

"Ross has good experience of managing in the league and we know he will prepare us in the professional and detailed manner needed," said sporting director Dmitri Halajko.

"The process is already under way to recruitment a new head coach and we will go through a detailed and professional process as we did when recruiting Matt."

Colchester are 19th in the table, nine points clear of the relegation places, and have a home game against Northampton Town on Saturday.

PIES ARE IN TOWN



LAST TIME OUT



FORM GUIDE

PNE 8 PIES 10

Unbeaten since Maloney took the job

Celtic appointed Maloney to a coaching role with their under-20 development squad in August 2017.[78][79] Maloney was added to the coaching staff of the Belgium national team in September 2018.[80] Later that month, he left Celtic to take the position with Belgium on a full-time basis.[81] Maloney worked for Belgium during the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament,[82] in which they lost to, eventual winners, Italy in the quarter-finals.

Hibernian
Maloney was appointed manager of Scottish club Hibernian in December 2021.[83] They won his first two matches as manager, but a run of one win in 13 league games meant that they dropped into the bottom half of the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership when it split after 33 games.[84] Maloney was sacked by Hibs on 19 April 2022, a few days after they had been beaten 2–1 in a Scottish Cup semi-final by Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts.[84]

During May 2022 Dundee entered discussions with Maloney with a view to him becoming their manager, but they failed to reach an agreement.[85]

Wigan Athletic
Maloney returned to Wigan Athletic on 28 January 2023 as manager.[86][87]

In The Dressing Room

PNE will be without Ched Evans as he serves the final game of his suspension, while Ben Whiteman still has two matches to go before he can return to action.

Andrew Hughes, who was forced off through injury in the first half against Hull City, will be assessed ahead of the weekend, but manager Ryan Lowe stressed he would not be rushed back.

North End will be missing Ali McCann, who is expected to be sidelined for the next eight to ten weeks with a thigh injury, as well as long-term absentee Emil Riis.

A Look At Our Visitors


Wigan Athletic will arrive at Deepdale this weekend sat at the base of the Championship table, but that doesn’t tell the full story.

Having gone nine games without a win under Kolo Toure, the Latics became rooted to the bottom, however since the arrival of former player Shaun Maloney as manager at the end of January, their form has certainly improved.

The ex-Belgium national team coach has made his new side far more difficult to break down, having conceded just once in their previous four outings, while also going unbeaten during that run, and he’ll be hoping their upturn in form continues as they look to avoid the drop.

Going Head To Head


Games played: 48
PNE wins: 20
Draws: 15
Wigan Athletic wins: 13
Last victory: Wigan Athletic 1-2 PNE, 8th February 2020

One To Watch


Former Preston North End loanee Will Keane is unquestionably the biggest goal threat which Wigan possess.

Having netted 26 goals in League One last season, the Republic of Ireland international forward has reached double figures in the Championship this term for what is comfortably his best tally in the second tier to date.

The 30-year-old could be partnered up top by Ashley Fletcher or Danel Sinani this weekend, with the latter having joined on loan from Norwich City in January.

Match Officials

On Saturday, Preston North End will be refereed by Thomas Bramall for the second time this season.

Bramall last took charge of a North End fixture in August 2022, when Ryan Lowe’s side lost narrowly to Wolves in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

So far this season, Bramall has refereed 23 matches – including five Premier League games – and has shown 70 yellow cards and one red during that run.


MACS VIEW

Good news my mate who missed the only Saturday home win has scuttled off to the other side of the world so basically that could give us a chance of winning this weekend. In reality we are playing a side bottom of the league who have not lost in 4 games and seemed to be improving.
Nothing less than a home win is required, always difficult against the Pies apparenly Dave Whelan their ex owner broke his leg in a cup final so time to up the game Mr Fantastic or the natives will be more restless than they are now

THE MATCH

SATURDAY 25TH FEBRUARY KO 3:00PM

v

LAST MATCH



After a poor start we finally saw off the Donuts and moved back to the top of the table. The Donuts took the lead in the 2nd minute when Leko broke forward and fires in from 25 yards. We were quickly level when Windass broke thru and chipped the keeper. The donuts retook the lead when Eisa found some space and fired past Dawson. Onto the 2nd half and we woke up. Smith levelled from the spot after a handball, then took the lead when Gregory fired in from close range. Windass made it 4 when his shot was deflected over the keeper and then Byers headed in the fifth in injury time.

THE MATCH



Next up and a nice long trip to Charlton. Charlton's form is a bit hit and miss at the moment, winning 3 and losing 3 of there last 6. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is there leading scorer with 9 goals and 4 assists. They currently lie in 11th place and are 16 points off the playoff spots and are 11 points above the relegation, so they look to be stuck in League One for another season. Dean Holden is there new manager and has been in charge for a few months

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 25
CHARL 20
DRAWS 16

CURRENT FORM

OWLS              -                                                                         

CHARL            -                                        

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

BENJAMIN SPEEDIE
Paul Kelly and Nicholas Dunn
Fourth Official : Anthony Da Costa

THE TEAM

Dawson
Palmer Iorfa Flint
Hunt Bannan Byers Vaulks Johnson
Windass Smith

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-2 Smith

ATTENDANCE

N/A

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

26

BML LEAGUE

Owlskev 25
Stateside 21
Imre 19
Wash 19
SCO 17
Maddix 14
Peiowl 12

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Leicester v Arsenal
WBA v Middlesboro
Peterborough v Plymouth
Doncaster v Bradford
Torquay v Southend

AAAAA

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE

WEREHAM




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

Gamball:
Stoke - Millwall

Others:
Everton - Aston Villa
West Ham - Nottingham Forest
Bristol City - Hull
Coventry - Sunderland
Birmingham - Luton
QPR - Blackburn
Sheff U - Watford
WBA - Middlesbrough
Charlton - Sheff Wed

Goes to Wycombe

Gets Wycombe gig

Gareth Ainsworth has left Wycombe Wanderers after more than a decade in charge to become head coach of Championship club Queens Park Rangers.

The 49-year-old has agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract and replaces Neil Critchley, who was sacked after just 12 games in charge.

He will be replaced at Wycombe by Colchester boss Matt Bloomfield, who has "agreed in principle" to return.

Bloomfield, 39, left Adams Park in September to take charge of the U's.

Ainsworth spent almost seven years as a QPR player before joining Wycombe in 2010, becoming their manager two years later.

Before his exit from Wycombe, he was second in the list of longest-serving managers in England's top four divisions.

'Absolutely rocking'
Only Harrogate's Simon Weaver had been at the helm for a longer period than Ainsworth, who leaves the Chairboys seventh in League One, just three points outside the play-off places.

"This is all a little bit surreal. It has been a whirlwind two days and leaving Wycombe Wanderers was very tough because of the connection there," he said.

"But this is QPR and when I spoke about something special forcing me away from Wycombe, this was pretty special.

"This is going to be a real challenge because the club is so special to me, and so huge as well. I want to get Loftus Road absolutely rocking again."