So the thought is that I will do a few different types of quizzes, so there will be the good old anagrams and a few other different ones, I'll explain at each round. But some will be football related, others will be more general knowledge, but all will be relative to countries in the World cup. No sneaky googling!


Connections



What links these answers?

1) Pitana, Rizzoli, Webb, Elizondo, Collina

2) Mbappe, Pogba, Muller, Podolski, Donovan

3) Hutchinson, Pepe, Alves, Silva, Ronaldo

4) Uruguay, Italy, England, W Germany, Argentina, France

5) Van Gaal, Queiroz, Santos, Suarez, Tite



Missing Link



Simple enough, here is a sequence, what is the last one missing?

1) If MN=1, LM=10, GB=11, CR=7, HK=?

2) Montevideo, Rome, Paris, Rio de Janiro, ?

3) Lloris, Lahm, Casillas, Cannavaro, ?

4) Pele, Fontaine, Muller, Ronaldo, ?

5) Modric, Messi, Forlan, Zidane, ?


Anagrams



A few anagrams of things to do with world cup football

1) Jittery Rump Holes

2) Gospel Kid Tech

3) Id Coin Casual Stimuli

4) Dear Stonemason Sanctioned

5) Zoom Rail Lag


Group Question



One question about each team per group, simple enough, there are further general knowledge questions further on.

Group A

1) Qatar had a six month training period ahead of the world cup, but which Irish side beat them in a friendly?

2) What is the national tree of Ecuador, bonus kudos for telling me why it is special

3) What is the most popular sport in Senegal?

4) What food stuff got its colour thanks to the Dutch, more accurately the King?

B

1) England fought the shortest ever war, what was it?

2) Which club is the most successful in Iran?

3) What is interesting about the Frankford Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia?

4) Wales has the largest population of what sea mammal in Europe?

C

1) What is the national sport of Argentina?

2) Saudi Arabia is the largest country without what?

3) What is Cuexcomate and what is special about it?

4) What was Karol Józef Wojtyła most famously known as?

D

1) France has won the most Nobel Prizes in what field?

2) The Australian capital, Canberra, means what in Aborigine?

3) Denmark has the worlds oldest what?

4) What is the national flower of Tunisia?

E

1) What happens in the Spanish town of Buñol every year?

2) What is the national animal of Costa Rica?

3) What is the most common surname in Germany?

4) What is traditionally eaten by Japanese families at Christmas time?

F

1) What is the national symbol of Belgium?

2) In Canada it is illegal to kill which mythological creature?

3) Morocco has a valley dedicated to what flower?

4) Which inventor was born in Croatia in 1856?

G

1) Ilha da Queimada Grande in Brazil is also known as what?

2) Serbia is the second largest exporter of what in the world?

3) What is the tallest mountain in Switzerland?

4) The name Cameroon comes from the Portuguese for what animal?

H

1) The Monarchy of Portugal holds the records for what two things?

2) What is the name of Ghana's national dish?

3) Uruguay has the longest what in the world?

4) Haesindang Park in South Korea hosts the largest collection of what?


General Football



General questions about this world cup

1) Who is the youngest outfield player at this world cup?

2) Which club has the most players at the world cup?

3) Which country has the lowest domestic player representation at the world cup?

4) England provides two head coaches for the competition, who are they?

5) Who are the tallest player, tallest outfielder and smallest player at this world cup? Kudos for getting their heights

6) What is the name of this world cup mascot and what does it mean?

7) Who is the oldest player in this competion?

8) Which player in the tournament has the most international caps? bonus for how many

9) Which country has the lowest average aged squad in the competition?

10) Which two countries have the highest?


General Knowledge



Some more general questions

1) Australia has the most southerly capital of all the countries in the world cup, but who is next?

2) How about the most northerly capital

3) The African Renaissance Monument is in which world cup countries capital? Bonus mark for the capital and what nation constructed the statue (hint-not at the world cup)

4) Which countries national anthem is the oldest in the world cup?

5) Which world cup country is home to the tango?

6) Which world cup nation consumes the most doughnuts per annum?

7) Which world cup nations capital city is last alphabetically and what is it?

8) And which Country has the first alphabetically and what is it?

9) Who played the first ever televised world cup final? bonus for what year it was

10) Which world cup had the most venues/host cities? bonus for how many

Cardiff City have confirmed interim boss Mark Hudson as manager until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Ex-Cardiff captain Hudson was offered the role by Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan last week and was promised support in the January transfer window.

Hudson has been in charge since Steve Morison was sacked in September.

"I'd like to take the opportunity of thanking Tan Sri Vincent and the board for putting their faith in me and my backroom team," Hudson said.

"I'd also like to thank the City fans for their support. [They are] as passionate and committed as I always remembered them being during my time as a player."

Speaking to Cardiff's website, he added: "It's an honour to be back here as manager and I'll be doing my utmost to take this club forward, as I always have."

Hudson, 40, returned to Cardiff as a member of the coaching staff in November 2021 and took the reins following Morison's exit.

Cardiff have since won four, drawn one and lost six Championship games, with Tan seeing enough to show faith in Hudson.

"I think for the staff as well to know where we stand - we can get our heads down and look forward, which is something which is important to all us," Hudson said when it emerged he was close to settling his future last week.

On his visit to Cardiff for last Tuesday's 3-2 home defeat by Hull City, Tan promised backing for Hudson in the next transfer window.

Hudson said: "We have spoken about January, we want to talk about the right personnel for the football club if it's possible.

"We have started planning all that and the closer we get to it, we will see where we are at.

"We have a plan for each player and as a squad and as Vincent said, we have a plan for January as well."

The forthcoming winter World Cup in Qatar has presented a number of problems to top-level teams this season.

However, now the tournament is here and the Premier League has started its six-week break, clubs face the task of keeping their players whose nations didn't qualify - or weren't selected by their countries - match fit for the return of top-flight football on 26 December.

Sure, they can get a head start on the Christmas shopping and put in some quality time on games console but, after a while, even that might get a bit boring.

Step forward Northern Premier League Premier Division side Ashton United.

The non-league club have submitted a, presumably VERY tongue in cheek, loan bid for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

Haaland, who has scored 23 goals in all competitions for City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, won't be featuring in Qatar after Norway failed to qualify, so City's local 'rivals' have asked if they could have him on a 28-day loan deal.

Boss Michael Clegg is hoping the potential to come on the club's Christmas do in Newcastle could help sway the Norwegian's mind.

"We're in the hunt for a striker so we thought why not," boss Michael Clegg told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's been hard for any of the teams in our league to get any momentum so I'm sure slotting the big man in would only help us climb the table. I'm sure he'd hit the ground running and I'd be hoping for a minimum of six goals a half from him.

"My mate is the kitman at City so I've been asking him who else we could maybe take from them."

Clegg added: "I think we'd have four or maybe five games while he'd be here and he could even come on our Christmas do in Newcastle."

Ashton is just six miles from City's Etihad Stadium home and the town does have fine World Cup pedigree - England's 1966 hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst and Three Lions team-mate Jimmy Armfield were born there, as was Italian midfielder Simone Perrotta, who won the trophy in 2006.

The transfer window is still open in non-league so, theoretically speaking, City could let him go to the Hurst Cross side in time for next week's trip to Lancaster City, who are eight points below the Robins in 17th place.

The non-league side say they are yet to hear a response from the Premier League champions. Maybe don't hold your breath on that one guys.

According to boss Pep Guardiola, Haaland is going to spend the break on holiday in Marbella and back in Norway with family before returning to training with City, who are second in the Premier League.

But who knows, maybe he could be swayed into spending a month with Ashton and spark a wave of similar transfers?

Mohamed Salah to Marine? Miguel Almiron to South Shields? Martin Odegaard to Barnet?

Probably not, no. But still, worth asking.

https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/article/ji...-1946-2022

Very sad news that Jimmy has passed away at the ripe old age of 76. A Hibs legend, he was a member of the great Turnbull's Tornadoes team that won the Dryburgh Cup final in 1971 and the Scottish League Cup final in 1972 - both finals v Celtic at Hampden Park and scoring a couple of cracking goals in both matches too. And he played a notable part in the historic 0-7 skelping of Hertz at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973. Jimmy scored the first of these goals from a long throw in and also scored the sixth goal after being set up by Pat Stanton. What a prolific goal scorer he was and he continued to deliver goals for years to come. An avid Hibs fan, his secondary school education was at Holy Cross Academy and at that time Hibs picked up a crop of budding players from the school - Jimmy Hogg, Davie Hogg and Pat Stanton - not a bad piece of scouting and recruiting btw!! The rest is history. A true Hibs legend, loyal till the end, RIP.

Just wondering what Anti-Virus or Internet Security everyone uses. Used Norton for years when you would buy a key license for 1 year but wasn't interested in their automatic renewal scheme where they charge inflated prices after the 1st year. I've been looking at Bitdefender and they are on automatic renewal with reasonable prices.

I`ve been expecting to see a report from you, Dev. Did you not go?

From what I`ve seen on the highlights, they were five quality finishes. A sign of things to come, I hope.

THE GREAT SAM HARDY WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE COMPETITION

2022 is 140 years since the greatest goalkeeper who ever lived was born. So, as the World Cup heads into its very predictable Group Stage and Sam Hardy died in the same year England last won the damned thing, here is a simple little competition named in his honour. He played over 500 league games and served in the First World War. Playing for Chesterfield, Liverpool, Villa and Forest, he was capped 21 times for England. He was reputed to be the greatest ever and that’s how my dad introduced him to me. He shook my hand and didn’t drop it! His first team was Newbold Church School. I went there too! So, as a supporter of Chesterfield, the club which produced England’s two best-ever keepers, I devised this little predictive competition to relieve the quality desert of the homophobic qualifying rounds. Anyone can enter up to 4pm Sunday November 20th – all are welcome.

Points are awarded thus:-
8 points for each team ‘s correctly predicted FINAL POSITION in its group.
The GOALS FOR total will score you 3 points per goal only IF you get that TOTAL CORRECT.
The GOALS AGAINST total will score you 3 points per goal only IF you get that TOTAL CORRECT.
A correct prediction of 0 GOALS FOR OR AGAINST GETS 10 points
In EACH GROUP you MUST also name just ONE PLAYER from just one of the four teams to score goals. His score for you will be calculated by his team’s quoted odds (below) for the whole competition multiplied by the number of goals he scores. IF HE FAILS TO SCORE YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR POINTS FOR THAT GROUP – so it’s a gamble, play safe or go big, it’s up to you.

Just make your entries in reply to this.

Competition ends Friday December 2nd at 6pm.


                                 

Here is the Christmas thread remembering our friend madsteve and hopefully its a better one than the last few years have brought both on and off the pitch     

Just one ajustment to the predictions, Im taking off the POM and replacing it with a new prediction becuase it takes too long for the official site to get this information out   

This festive season sees us away 3 times and at home 2. In Derby and Exeter away I dont think there could be any worse fixtures to start the month off  we know the history off both grounds so no need to explain  Fleetwood at Boxing day has to be the saddest fixture weve ever had in our history on boxing day aswell    anyway it is what it is like the tradition off Christmas its all slowly going down the pan  


A: Derby  Saturday early kick off ......... 0-0, No cards

A: Exeter Saturday........1-1,  Patterson,1 yellow card

H: Oxford Saturday.......0-0, 3 yellow cards .

A: Fleetwood Boxing day ...1-2, Byers, Johnson, 1 yellow card

H: Port vale Thursday night kick off ..2-0, Smith, 1 yellow


Rules :  Only the correct results win points there are no nearest and the results predictions are the same rules as usual .....copying is allowed 


1: Total points from the matches   

2: Total goals we will score using for and against GD   

3: Total amount off cards picked up as a team  Red counts as 3 and yellow as 1       

4: Top goal scorer   

5: Predictions for the 5 games Home Away Draw  etc     




I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year enjoy the festive weather      

Predictions need to be in on the 2nd of December and if owlskev could move the points over to the BML when its done please

Well, this is an away match between two teams with form that is "hot n cold". Hibs previously stumbling to a 0-2 defeat to the Staggies and Kiliie given a real drubbing at Tannadice. Lee Johnson professing yesterday that he was still well backed by the Hibs hierarchy - is this the first indicator that he is actually being scrutinised by the club and the pressure is on him to get results? He is facing up to another team at the bottom of the Scot Prem and I don't think we can endure a defeat to another lowly club esp with higher aspirations to succeed - that is not in the "script" of Ron Gordon and other critical fans plus shareholders. I don't think we'll win this game on another artificial pitch that won't help our cause at all. I just hope I'm wrong and we'll see these players are made of positive stuff. Otherwise, I fear Johnson's fate is sealed.

GGTTH