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 players for 2025/26:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 0 pts
   
2. neonfoxinthebox = 0 pts
   
3. Lord Snooty = 0 pts
   
4. jjamez = 0 pts
   
5. ritchiebaby = 0 pts
   
6. SHEP_HTAFC = 0 pts
   

Saturday 2nd August:
Town v Leyton Orient
Town scorers:
Orient scorers:

Cardiff City v Peterborough United (12:30)
Blackpool v Stevenage
Bradford City v Wycombe Wanderers
Burton Albion v Mansfield Town
Doncaster Rovers v Exeter City
Lincoln City v Reading
Plymouth Argyle v Barnsley
Rotherham United v Port Vale
Wigan Athletic v Northampton Town

Sunday 3rd August:
Stockport County v Bolton Wanderers (12:00)

Bonus match;
Sunday:
Scottish Premiership:
Dundee v Hibernian (15:00)

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

1. St Charles Owl = 0 pts
   
2. themaclad = 0 pts
   
3. theo_luddite = 0 pts
   
4. Devongone = 0 pts
   
5. WakeyTerrier = 0 pts
   
6. Amelia Chaffinch = 0 pts
   

Friday 1st August:
Luton Town v AFC Wimbledon (20:00)

Saturday 2nd August:
Town v Leyton Orient
Town scorers:
Orient scorers:

Blackpool v Stevenage
Bradford City v Wycombe Wanderers
Burton Albion v Mansfield Town
Doncaster Rovers v Exeter City
Lincoln City v Reading
Plymouth Argyle v Barnsley
Rotherham United v Port Vale
Wigan Athletic v Northampton Town

Sunday 3rd August:
Stockport County v Bolton Wanderers (12:00)

Bonus match:
Saturday:
League Two:
Chesterfield v Barrow

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

A consortium looking to take over beleaguered National League club Morecambe is being led by an investor called Jonny Cato, the Shrimps' current owner has said.

Cato's consortium is separate to that of Panjab Warriors, who had their own takeover bid approved by the English Football League shortly after the club's relegation from League Two last season.

Shrimps owner Jason Whittingham had previously said terms had been agreed with Panjab Warriors, with a deal set to be formally completed earlier in July, before a "last-minute bid" came in from Cato.

In a statement, external on Friday, Whittingham said Cato would be part of "an impressive group being built around him to develop the club over the coming seasons".

"Neither Jonny or his team have any connection to Jason or [his] Bond Group [firm] of any kind," the statement continued.

"Sales agreements will be completed today (Friday) and will include a generous payment from the buyer to pay staff and players while the National League approval process is completed. We are grateful for this gesture of goodwill when the club and its stakeholders needed it most."

A further update will be given later on Friday, the statement added.


The announcement of Cato's identity comes a day after former co-chairman Rod Taylor said he was "fearful" for the club's existence, with June's payroll only partially paid after a turbulent summer.

Taylor and the former board of directors had threatened to put the club into administration at the beginning of July if a deal to sell the Shrimps did not go ahead.

Whittingham then sacked the board in response but brought them back days later in order to help finalise a deal to sell the club to Panjab Warriors.

When that deal did not go through, the board resigned from their posts, and former board member James Wakefield told BBC Radio Lancashire on Thursday he was amazed the club was still operating and predicted it could have only days left.

Morecambe are scheduled to begin their 2025-26 National League campaign against Boston on 9 August.

No further update was provided , the only Johnny Cato anyone can find is a Swedish politician. The owner of the club was previously owner of Worcester Warriors Rugby Union team who went bust, this is going the same way

Morecambe's former co-chairman Rod Taylor says he is fearful for the existence of the club as a prolonged takeover continues.

The Shrimps had looked set to be bought by the Panjab Warriors group when the EFL approved their takeover in June.

With the deal still to go through, however, the board of directors threatened to put the club into administration and later resigned, with owner Jason Whittingham then opting to sell the club to a different party in a "last minute deal" which is still to take place.

Morecambe are scheduled to begin their 2025-26 National League campaign against Boston on 9 August but an embattled summer off the field, which has included incomplete wage payments from June's payroll to staff and the remainder of the playing and coaching staff, has overshadowed pre-season preparations.

"It's extremely serious. It's critical. We're right in the last throes of this now. You just don't know where to go next," Taylor told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We're doing all we can as ex-officials, we can't play any part beyond that. We're right in the throes of we may not have a club this time next week.

"I think it could be as serious as that. There has to be movement rapidly.

"I'm fearful. As we stand today I am fearful for the existence of the club. I hope and pray that he [Whittingham] sees sense and gets the papers signed."

BBC Radio Lancashire have contacted Whittingham for comment.

Whittingham previously said terms had been agreed with Panjab Warriors with a deal set to be formally completed shortly after.

The club's board of directors had stepped down with the deal still to be concluded, having previously tried to put the club into administration in early July when the deal dragged on.

Despite Panjab Warriors looking set to take over Whittingham last week said an unidentified buyer had worked to pay outstanding wages as well as agreeing contracts pending the approval of a sale by the National League.

The identity of the new party is unknown, and in a statement issued by Whittingham on Thursday, he said that the club were looking to complete a deal "as quickly as possible".

"We can confirm that a takeover deal is near completion with a consortium of individuals headed by people with genuine football experience, to acquire Bond Group's interest in the club," the statement said., external

"We can also confirm that despite speculation on the buyers' identity, nobody from the consortium has yet been named publicly and recent guesses are not accurate.

"The buyers have funds available to bring payments for the club up to date and we are working to conclude the transaction as quickly as possible."


Former board member James Wakefield said he was surprised the club was still in existence and, when asked by BBC Radio Lancashire how long the Shrimps could continue operating, he theorised that they could have just "days" left.

"I'm amazed it's still alive today. We as a board decided that the only responsible course of action was to put the club into administration and that was on 1 July, 16 days ago," Wakefield said earlier on Thursday, before the latest club statement.

"It's still dragging on. It's days. It's literally days. There will be payroll again quite soon and the club's not meeting its obligations at the moment, the most important of which is staff wages.

"But I'm amazed it's still alive quite frankly."

Burton Albion are being investigated by the Football Association over deals made during their British-record transfer spree last summer.

The League One club have confirmed they are working with the FA and the English Football League over the issue, but would not comment on the specifics of the case.

However, BBC Radio Derby understands the investigation concerns the level of involvement and potential conflicts of interest relating to the outsourced recruitment which was relied on, following Burton's takeover by the Sweden-based Nordic Football Group (NFG).

With a complete rebuild demanded by the new owners, Burton recruited 23 players last summer to set a new British record for players signed in a single transfer window.

Burton's chief operating officer (COO) Tom Mahon, who took up the role in May, said the focus of the investigation is "purely on last summer" and has so far had "no material impact" on the Brewers' ability "to do business" ahead of the forthcoming season.

"It hasn't stopped us recruiting so far - we have had a number of players come through the door and a number of players have gone out," he told BBC Radio Derby.


Mahon, a club administrator who worked at Manchester City for 15 years before becoming COO at Stockport County, has also spoken about how Burton have made a number of off-field staff redundant in recent months and how last season's narrow escape from relegation gave the Brewers' hierarchy a lot to learn from.

It is understood the redundancies are a reaction to significant financial losses, with the structure of player contracts - which sources have said came with a 20% bonus for every player for every point earned - a major drain.

Mahon said layoffs had been made to "streamline the organisation" and to make it as "efficient as possible", while adding that the club is "absolutely fine" financially going forward.

"That obviously comes at a personal cost to some people who have been around the club for a long, long time and to people who have done nothing but serve this club with real passion and distinction for years," he said.

"It's never easy, but it's a decision we had to take as best for the needs of the football club."

Among those to be moved on is Ben Robinson Jr, the son of long-time former owner Ben Robinson who remains involved as honorary chairman.

"In terms of Ben Jr, the role he performed was one that we couldn't justify in the wider plan, and again it is very much about the role and not the person," Mahon said.


Having a continued link to the Robinson family was something NFG highlighted as being important to help ensure the historic achievements of Burton's rise from non-league levels to the heights of the Championship were preserved.

Fleur Robinson, daughter of Robinson Sr, was brought back to the club from Wrexham to take over as chief executive.

It, however, was a role she left at the end of the season.

Her exit came at the end of a chaotic first year of NFG ownership, in which the group's founder and deputy chairman Tom Davidson stepped down alongside chairman Ole Jakob Strandhagen and commercial director Kevin Skabo.

Bendik Hareide, who started last season as sporting director, left in January after first taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.

Richard Dorman, the former technical director of Finnish team SJK Seinajoki, eventually came in as Hareide's replacement, while Wouter Gudde, who is said to be a 'rebuild specialist' and formerly of Dutch side FC Groningen, has taken over as interim chairman and chief executive.

"The people who were here, and who went through last year... as long as we use those things as a learning opportunity then you certainly learn more from failure, and I say that for want of a better word and not to say it was a failure," Mahon said.

"It's a learning experience that can help positively influence how we proceed going forward."

NFG arrived at Burton Albion a year ago with bright ideas and an enthusiasm that many hadn't felt before.

Over the course of the year, it became apparent that excitement had turned into naivety in moments opting for immediate sweeping changes rather than steady progress.

Hopes internally of a new pitch, building a base at St George's Park and to build on a British record 23 arrivals in the summer soon turned into a relegation fight and a sacked head coach.

Had it not been for the arrival of head coach Gary Bowyer and his assistant Pat Lyons in December, this may be a piece on rebuilding from League Two.

As I understand it, Burton overspent in their first year which has resulted in redundancies, streamlining the business and a new outlook on League One football.

Will the task be even tougher this year for Bowyer? That remains to be seen, but it certainly looks that way and the likes of Tom Mahon and Wouter Gudde have the job of picking up the pieces from those initial board members unveiled to the Brewers supporters once upon a time.

Rapper Snoop Dogg has become a co-owner and investor at Swansea City after taking a minority stake in the Championship club.

Snoop Dogg was the surprise model as Swansea launched their home kit for the 2025-26 season last weekend.

The Swans have now announced that the 53-year-old American star has followed Real Madrid and Croatia legend Luka Modric by joining the club's ownership group.

"My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City," Snoop Dogg said on the club's website.

"The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me.

"I'm proud to be part of Swansea City."

Swansea announced in April that Modric, who this week joined AC Milan as a player, had acquired a stake in the club following a takeover led by American businessmen Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen last November.

Now Snoop Dogg, real name Calvin Broadus, who has well in excess of 100 million social media followers, has come on board with a pledge "to do all I can to help the club".

Snoop Dogg's involvement is believed to have come about as a result of a mutual connection between him and Cravatt and Cohen.

Swansea's owners have made it clear that they want to raise the club's profile in an attempt to generate greater revenue, which will then allow them to invest more money in the team under profit and sustainability rules.

"To borrow a phrase from Snoop's back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club's reach and profile," the club's owners said in a statement.

"Snoop's colossal global fanbase and audience will certainly help us do that, and he has made clear to us throughout this process just how excited he is at the prospect of joining the club.

"Snoop has openly shared his love of football and his desire to be involved in the game and we expect his involvement to support us putting as competitive a team as possible out on the field."

While Snoop Dogg's involvement in the launch of the club's kit appeared to come out of the blue, Swansea hinted that he would have a bigger role to play in their future.

Swansea say Snoop Dogg has "always had a deep love of sport".

They added that a mural of the hip-hop artist has been unveiled in the Swansea.com Stadium's West Stand "to mark taking his place as part of our club ownership".

Though they are based in America, Cravatt and Cohen have visited Swansea's pre-season training camp in Spain this week, with the club posting pictures on social media of the duo alongside players and staff.

Leicester City have named former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes as their manager on a three-year deal.

The 43-year-old Spaniard replaces Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Foxes' helm with less than a month until the season starts.

Cifuentes takes charge of a Leicester side that finds itself in the Championship for the second time in three years, having been immediately relegated from the Premier League after going up as second-tier title winners under Enzo Maresca in 2024.

Cifuentes now joins Maresca, who left Leicester after promotion to take the job at Chelsea, as one of the six permanent managers the Foxes have had in just over two years.

Just as the Italian was tasked with returning the East Midlands club to the top flight during his tenure, promotion will also be expected of Cifuentes.

In his time at QPR, the Spaniard, for whom the Foxes will pay Rangers an undisclosed compensation fee, oversaw 18th and 15th-placed finishes.

Leicester say they feel the Spaniard will bring "a modern, progressive footballing philosophy" to the club, while chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha says that Cifuentes "is an excellent fit".

"We felt strongly that bringing him to the club would help us to create the success we all want in the years ahead," Srivaddhanaprabha added.

Cifuentes took charge of QPR when they were second-from-bottom in the Championship in October 2023 and escaping relegation was first asked of him at Loftus Road.

His latest campaign ended with him on gardening leave after the Hoops suffered a 5-0 defeat by already-promoted Burnley in April.


At the time, Cifuentes was also being linked to a move away from the west London club.

It was not until late June, two months after being stood down, that the former Hammarby boss officially parted ways with QPR.

He was seen as a popular figure among Hoops fans, but was also viewed as a head coach that only got "streaky" results out of his side.

His appointment at Leicester, however, is seen a shift back to Maresca's approach to the game, with the Spaniard sharing the Italian's possession-heavy, high-pressing style.

Cifuentes has described taking on the job at the King Power Stadium as "a great honour".

"This is a fantastic club with a proud history and it's a privilege to me to be asked to help write the next chapter," he said.

Cifuentes has had eclectic coaching career to date, with a spell working at Ajax's famed youth academy in the Netherlands in 2007 followed by a stint at Millwall, before he went on to coach in Spain's lower leagues.

He relocated his coaching career to Scandinavia after that, working in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, where he guided Hammarby to a third place top-flight finish in 2022.


Cifuentes takes the Leicester job on almost 10 years to the day after Claudio Ranieri became what would be the most famous managerial appointment in the club's history.

In his only full season at Leicester, the Italian miraculously guided the little fancied Foxes to the Premier League title.

A decade on, and the anniversary of the club's most glorious achievement will be celebrated while they are in the second tier and up against numerous on and off-field issues.

Not only will Cifuentes have less than four weeks to get to know his players, it is also a squad that is yet to get attention since relegation.

Leicester legend Jamie Vardy left at the end of the campaign, and is yet to be replaced.

Just how much business the East Midlands club can do remains unclear, with Leicester charged with allegedly breaching the English Football League's financial rules when they won the Championship just over a year ago.

It also means that Cifuentes might also have a points penalty to deal with in the coming season.

The leadership that Cifuentes has previously shown when working in difficult situations, as well as his history in youth development and track record for promoting young talent, are understood to have appealed to Leicester's hierarchy as they approach what are sure to be trying times at the King Power Stadium.

'Work to do but little time'

Nearly three months after relegation was confirmed and three weeks since Ruud van Nistelrooy eventually left the club, Leicester City finally have their man.

Marti Cifuentes arrives at King Power Stadium with plenty of work to do and not too long to get it done.

In terms of the football, I'm told we can expect something similar to the style implemented by Enzo Maresca during his time at the club, with possession a key focus.

That may have frustrated some of the Foxes fans, but we know it's a way of playing admired by the players who were part of the 2023-24 Championship winning team.

But with the squad off to Austria this week and the start of the new season less than four weeks away, time is already against Cifuentes to get his ideas across and his players ready. He also needs to target new recruits with not much money to play with.

The fans would have wanted this appointment confirmed much, much earlier. But hopefully now it's finally done, it's one they can get behind.

Former Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham striker Andy Carroll has joined sixth-tier Dagenham & Redbridge on a free transfer.

Carroll has signed a reported three-year deal with the National League South club after leaving Bordeaux last month.

The 36-year-old departed the French fourth-tier club after just a season because he wanted to be closer to his children.

Carroll said in an interview with Sky Sports, external that he had "clubs ringing me up from higher leagues" but it was important that he moved to a team which was the "right fit".

"It doesn't matter the level, or anything, as long as I get on the pitch and play football, that's all that matters," Carroll said.

"Coming here and showing people I am just playing for the love of football rather than the money and the level is something I wanted to do.

"This is something which could be fantastic. We have a project to get them out of non-league and back up the leagues."

Gateshead-born Carroll scored 54 goals in 248 Premier League games during spells with Newcastle United, Liverpool and West Ham United.

He then went on to play for Reading and West Bromwich Albion before moving to France with second-tier side Amiens in 2023.

Carroll won nine caps for England, scoring two goals, between 2010 and 2012.

On the day they signed Carroll, Dagenham & Redbridge also announced a deal to sell the club to a consortium of private investors from Qatar.

The Daggers were bought by Club Underdog, a subsidiary of US-based company North Six Group, in May 2024.

"Completion of the transaction remains subject to legal finalisation and approvals from the FA and the National League," Dagenham & Redbridge said in a statement.

It is about us but can be about many, many clubs


https://mattyhenno.shorthandstories.com/...index.html

Billy Connolly said there were only two seasons in Scotland, June and Winter, remaining true to that dictum the Scottish League Cup group stages start tonight, for those tiring of all the plastic football around, and gasping for a real game of gashed shins, grazed thighs, embarrassing errors in defence and apoplectic middle-aged managers.

I think these are the fixtures for Matchday 1 in case anyone other than me is interested.

11/07/2025

Group B
Edinburgh City v Partick Thistle

12/07/2025

Group C
Bonnyrigg Rose v Alloa Athletic

Group H
East Fife v Livingston

Group G
Peterhead v Greenock Morton

Group A
The Spartans v Queen's Park

Group F
Elgin City v Raith Rovers

Group C
Dundee FC v Airdrieonians

Group F
East Kilbride v St. Johnstone

Group G
Clyde v Motherwell

Group A
Brechin City v Falkirk

Group D
Annan Athletic v Forfar Athletic

Group D
Arbroath v St. Mirren

Group H
Brora Rangers v Kilmarnock

Group E
Stirling Albion v Hamilton Academical

Group B
Stranraer v Ross County

Group E
Heart of Midlothian v Dunfermline Athletic

AFC Wimbledon forward Osman Foyo has been charged by the Football Association with breaching betting rules.

The 20-year-old is alleged to have placed bets on matches on 252 occasions between 29 October 2023 and 28 March 2025.

Foyo spent the first half of last season on loan at non-league Chelmsford before returning to Wimbledon in January and making six appearances for Johnnie Jackson's side as they won promotion from League Two.

He has until Wednesday 16 July to respond to the charge, an FA spokesperson said in a post on its official X account, external.

If found guilty, Foyo could face a lengthy suspension.

In May 2023, England striker Ivan Toney was banned for eight months for 232 breaches of the FA betting rules.

And earlier this week, former Cheltenham, Shrewsbury and Exeter forward Ryan Bowman was banned for three-and-a-half years for placing 6,397 bets over an eight-year period.