Who would've guessed that Rangers huge lead over Celtic has been whittled down to just 2 pts leading in to this Glesca derby match at Celtic Park and in front of a sell-out crowd with no Hun presence in the stands. What an opportunity to finally "leapfrog" above them although one must utter caution in the fact there is still a lotta footie to be played before the season is concluded. I think Ange's team selection really centres on who is fit to "fight for the cause" as the past couple of weeks has seen some very unfortunate injuries to key players like McGregor and Ideguchi while Rogic is away plying his trade with the Australian international team - not favoured very well by Lady Luck re the timing of said events, but Celtic still "ticking over" nicely and unbeaten for a while. And Rangers not as good as they think they are either!!

https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/article/ma...w-hearts-h

THE MATCH

TUESDAY 1ST FEBRUARY KO 7:45 PM

v

LAST MATCH



We got back to winning ways as we saw off possession based Ipswich. We got off to the perfect start when NML crossed from the right and Johnson finished well. Ipswich had a lot of the ball but weren't doing much with it. We had a few chances with NML missing when he should have scored then Nutch was denied by there keeper. Onto the 2nd half Bannan tested there keeper who made a good save, while our back line made several blocks to deny an equalizer. BPF didn't have a shot to save all match

NEXT MATCH



Next up Morecambe at Hillsborough. Morecambe inflicted our first defeat of the season when we lost 1-0 at there place, although it was an own goal by Adeniran. They are languishing in the relegation zone and will have as fight on to stay in the division. Cole Stockton is there big danger with 20 goals so far this season, be interesting to see if anyone puts a bid in for him today before the window shuts tonight, hopefully someone does and we wont have to face him on Tuesday.

CURRENT FORM  ]

OWLS               -                                              

MORE              -                                 

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

OLLIE YATES
Joe Clark and Grant Taylor
Fourth Official : Robert Madley

THE TEAM

Peacock-Farrell
Hutch Dean Storey
NML Dele Bannan Luongo Johnson
Windass Kamberi

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

2-0 Windass

ATTENDANCE

20112

BML STANDINGS

SCO 11
Pei 9
Wereham 9
Kev 8
Maddix 6
Wash 4
Imre 4
SS 3

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

AFC Wimbledon v Cheltenham Town
Doncaster Rovers v Rotherham United
Gillingham v Crewe Alexandra
Wigan Athletic v Oxford United
Bolton Wanderers v Cambridge United

HAAHH

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

2 points for a correct result
4 points for a correct score
2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score      
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Random Badger gives you 2 points

The random badger is used for any random prediction used once in each matchday sequence. For instance, a scorer at a particular match, the number of red cards in the matches or yellow cards or own goals or owt you want really within reason, I do need to be able to check whether it's correct or not. Please don't put stuff like....."Commentator says...."  
The joker   is played for one match in each sequence and if correct you get double points. So if you've predicted 1-0 and it finishes 2-0, you get 4 pts, but if you've predicted 2-0, that's 8 pts. But if you get it wrong, it's minus 2.
Jokers and badgers are optional. You don't have to play one if you don't want.


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. Similarly with the badger, if your random prediction is affected by this, it'll be half the points.

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.  

NEW FOR THIS SEASON: End of season Play Offs.

The one who finishes top of the league will still be champion, but after the season finishes there will be Play Offs between the top 4, with 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. This will take in stuff like the EFL Play Offs, FA Cup Final, final day of Prima Donna League, European Finals etc. It will be one matchday for the semis and one for the Final. It will be the individual scores for each matchday against the allotted opponent, with some kind of tie breaker for a drawn match.
So last season's matches would've been Baggiebob(BBB) v theo_luddite and jjamez v St Charles Owl and would've given a bit more to play for towards the back end of the season.
The prize for winning will be enormous. Another rep point.

We now have an Appeals Committee set up, consisting of me, myself and I. All appeals must be made before the next Matchday kicks off.

Friday 4th February:
Championship:
Birmingham City v Sheffield United

FA Cup:
Manchester United v Middlesbrough

Saturday 5th February:
Town v Barnsley
Town scorers:
Barnsley scorers:

Peterborough United v Queens Park Rangers
Southampton v Coventry City
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic
Cambridge United v Luton Town (17:30)

Championship:
Blackpool v Bristol City
Hull City v Preston North End
Swansea City v Blackburn Rovers (17:30)

Sunday 6th February:
FA Cup:
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City (16:00)

Tuesday 8th February:
Championship:
Coventry City v Blackpool
Derby County v Hull City
Fulham v Millwall
Luton Town v Barnsley
Stoke City v Swansea City

Wednesday 9th February:
Preston v Town
Town scorers:
PNE scorers:

Blackburn Rovers v Nottingham Forest
AFC Bournemouth v Birmingham City
Bristol City v Reading
Cardiff City v Peterborough United
Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough
Sheffield United v West Bromwich Albion

Table after Matchday 27:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 642 pts
   
2. jjamez = 599 pts
   
3. Lord Snooty = 593 pts
   
4. theo_luddite = 575 pts
   
5. St Charles Owl = 574 pts
   
6. neonfoxinthebox = 562 pts
   
7. themaclad = 562 pts
   
8. SHEP_HTAFC = 518 pts
   
9. ritchiebaby = 483 pts
   
10. WakeyTerrier = 482 pts
    
11. Amelia Chaffinch = 445 pts

1
Fulham
28
48
58

2
Blackburn
29
15
53

3
Bournemouth
28
20
52

4
QPR
28
13
51

5
West Brom
29
10
45

6
Middlesbrough
28
6
45

7
Huddersfield
29
4
45

8
Nottm Forest
28
9
43

9
Coventry
27
4
40

10
Luton
27
6
39

11
Sheff Utd
26
3
39


State of our position if all teams have played 29 matches.
Middlesborough ahead. Down to 6th
Notts Forest ahead, down to 7th
Coventry ahead, down to 8th
Shef United ahead, down to 9th.
Luton equal on points

NOT GOOD READING IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN. IT'S TIME FOR A MANAGER THAT HAS AT LEAST A FOOTBALLING BRAIN.

LAST TIME OUT



FORM GUIDE

PNE 12 BRIZZLE 6

After scoring on his North End debut on Wednesday evening as a substitute, Cameron Archer will be hoping for a place in the starting XI this weekend.

Elsewhere, Josh Earl could come in to the matchday squad after stepping up his return to training, but he wasn't quite ready to play a part in the midweek victory.

Manager Ryan Lowe will provide further updates on team news in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.

The Opposition


Bristol City sit 16th in the Championship on their arrival at Deepdale, with experienced manager Nigel Pearson in the dugout.

He’s been left frustrated this season with his side’s lack of consistency, highlighted by the fact they are yet to achieve back-to-back victories in the league this term.

A factor in their up-and-down form has undoubtedly been their tough luck with injury, and that could continue this weekend, as former PNE midfielder Matty James is one of a few key players who could miss out.

Key Stats

PNE are unbeaten in the last eight home meetings against Bristol City, with the last defeat at Deepdale against the Robins coming in 2011.

That was also the last time North End failed to score against the side from the south west at home, netting 15 in those eight games.

In Andreas Weimann, the visitors have one of the most in-form strikers in the division, with the Austrian having scored seven in his last six Championship games.

Our Last Meeting


Neither side could break the deadlock the last time these two faced in each other, back in September 2021 at Ashton Gate.

North End had much the better of the chances, with Sean Maguire coming closest, striking the crossbar just before the half-time break.

Ben Whiteman and Daniel Johnson were among those who also came close, but PNE had to settle for a point.

Man In The Middle


John Busby will referee his first ever Preston North End first team fixture this weekend.

Busby, formerly an assistant referee, joined the National Group Referees List in 2016 and was added to the Select Group 2 List ahead of this season.

So far this term, he has taken charge of 22 matches, showing 87 yellow cards and four red.

MACS VIEW

For the first time in a while there seems to be connection between the fans and the club, the opening of the Kop for home fans being a start, the fanzone being another. On the pitch for the first time since long before lockdown there seems to be progress, switching the midfield three in front of the defensive midfielder protecting the back for seems to have been a positive.
City were woeful at home for weeks this season but had a good away record. Weimann scoring for fun this season, Chris Martin writes songs, played cricket for New Zealand and scores goals for City. They have added Tim Klose to the squad this week will be experience. Tough but winnable

Well, after all the doubts and hype, the Beijing Winter Olympics finally start on 2nd February 2022. Just ignore the official date of 4th February for the Opening Ceremony with the Mixed Doubles Curling and the Luge Practice Sessions starting 2 days earlier.

There are a couple of websites giving excellent information, the succinct BBC Day-by-day Guide - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60111409 - and the Official Winter Olympics site which is more like War And Peace than Mills and Boon https://olympics.com/en/beijing-2022/ . Having said that the official website gives you full details of all the events and all the athletes, as well as a whole load of guff about "Together For A Shared Future", legacy, purity and the like.

Team GB is represented by the following 50 athletes plus 2 nominated reserves:-
Alpine skiing
Billy Major, Dave Ryding, Charlie Guest, Alex Tilley
Bobsleigh
Brad Hall, Nick Gleeson, Greg Cackett, Taylor Lawrence, Ben Simons (reserve), Mica McNeill, Montell Douglas, Adele Nicoll (reserve)
Cross country skiing
James Clugnet, Andrew Musgrave, Andrew Young
Curling
Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, Hammy McMillan, Ross Whyte, Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, Hailey Duff, Mili Smith
Figure skating
Natasha McKay, Lilah Fear, Lewis Gibson
Freestyle skiing
Lloyd Wallace, Leonie Gerken-Schofield, Makayla Gerken-Schofield, Will Feneley, Ollie Davies, Gus Kenworthy, Zoe Atkin, James Woods, Izzy Atkin, Kirsty Muir, Katie Summerhayes
Luge
Rupert Staudinger
Speed skating
Kathryn Thomson, Farrell Treacy, Niall Treacy, Cornelius Kersten, Ellia Smeding
Skeleton
Laura Deas, Brogan Crowley, Matt Weston, Marcus Wyatt
Snowboarding
Huw Nightingale, Charlotte Bankes, Katie Ormerod

Eve Muirhead, Gus Kenworthy, Izzy Atkins and Laura Deas have all won Olympic medals already, so a few more wouldn't go amiss. I've bravely (stupidly) predicted GB would win 9 medals at these Games and I've a good feeling about doing it, as we're on the up in Winter Sports.

There is blanket coverage of the events from 12 midnight Wednesday/Thursday lasting all morning on the Eurosport channels. The BBC will ravenously devour a scrap or two thrown away by the media giants. Ppplease sir, I want some more? MORE!!! (in a Brian Blessed voice). You know the rest.

Anyway, there will be more to come from me over the weekend, so bate your breath and gast your flabbers for further revelations. 

Barnet 0-4 Stockport
Boreham Wood 2-0 King's Lynn
Bromley 1-2 Notts County
Dag & Red 2-1 Halifax
Dover 0-2 Southend
Grimsby 2-0 Wealdstone
Solihull Moors 3-0 Altrincham
Weymouth 1-1 Aldershot
Woking 2-3 Yeovil
Wrexham 0-1 Maidenhead United
Eastleigh 2-3 Chesterfield


League Table After Matchday 32

St Charles = 356
Lord Snoots = 354
Devon = 352
Amelia = 346
Dancing = 314
Spireitematt = 312

I watched the tv highlights of the Lions v Rangers at Ibronx and one notable thing about their resolute performance v Rangers (IMO Huns lucky to get that victory with that only goal by that irritatingly "saluting" prat, Arfield!) was how stuffy they were in protecting their goalie, Strijek, who had a good performance "between the sticks". So Hibs play this stuffy Livy side with a clearly visible striking problem that is not welcome in matches like this upcoming one. None of our preferred strikers is anywhere near prolific. Nisbet could've scored in the initial mins of the match v M'well when sent through the home defence, but not direct enough or committed to get into their pen box and score, his first touch rotten btw!! Doidge is similar whereby he could've won the game in the last quarter from a position where he needed to show a bit of quality to loft the ball, from the right corner of their pen box, over a stranded M'well goalie to score an acclaimed winner - couldn't do it!! Mueller is a good hard-working young player, but he is clearly not a prolific goal scorer either - seen enough to confirm that fact already!
All I can say is I hope somebody "steps up to the plate" and scores the winning goal - prob one goal in it, which is sad to say considering where Hibs are and it is Livy who are our opponents

GGTTH