What a major setback for the Scotland coach, Martinez, and a group of players some of whom will never wear a Scotland jersey again - not good enough, not set up properly to combat a team, group leaders, with impressive goal stats and no goals conceded - the huge challenge was plainly obvious before they arrived in Spain - FAILED MISERABLY AND THEIR FACES, COMING OFF THE PITCH AT FULL TIME, SAID IT ALL!!

Upwards of £144000.00 is latest donation from supporters. Pretty damn good considering Xmas is looming.
Hats off??????

A home draw for Hibs and a decent one as well. Hopefully the guys will progress through this cup tie without any mishaps.

Sorry, but it has to be......Gamball game:

Coventry - WBA

Others:
West Ham - Chelsea
Newcastle - Burnley
Southampton - Brighton
Barnsley - Huddersfield
Bristol City - Derby
Cardiff - Sheff Utd
Millwall - Birmingham City
SG's Aston Villa - Leicester
Leeds - Brentford

And following the postponement of last week's Burnley - Spurs game, the following have extra balls to play:
Bonus: SCO, Stairs & Lord Snooty
Scoreball: Blue Baggie, Themaclad.

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 3rd December:
Fulham v AFC Bournemouth

Saturday 4th December:
Barnsley v Town
Town scorers:
Barnsley scorers:

Coventry City v West Bromwich Albion (12:30)
Blackburn Rovers v Preston North End
Blackpool v Luton Town
Bristol City v Derby County
Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Middlesbrough v Swansea City
Millwall v Birmingham City
Nottingham Forest v Peterborough United
Reading v Hull City

Sunday 5th December:
Queens Park Rangers v Stoke City (14:30)

Bonus matches:
FA Cup rd 2:
Friday:
Gateshead v Charlton Athletic
Rotherham United v Stockport County

Saturday:
Buxton v Morecambe (12:45)
Yeovil Town v Stevenage (17:30)

Sunday:
Rochdale v Plymouth Argyle (12:15)
Kidderminster Harriers v FC Halifax Town (16:00)
Salford City v Chesterfield (17:15)

Table after Matchday 18:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 472 pts
   
2. theo_luddite = 415 pts
   
3. Lord Snooty = 404 pts
   
4. jjamez = 402 pts
   
5. St Charles Owl = 394 pts
   
6. neonfoxinthebox = 393 pts
   
7. themaclad = 388 pts
   
8. SHEP_HTAFC = 381 pts
   
9. WakeyTerrier = 355 pts
   
10. ritchiebaby = 342 pts
    
11. Amelia Chaffinch = 314 pts

Well the "winter footie season" looks like it has finally arrived and the first December fixture is gonna be challenging for Hibs with Rangers new manager, Van Bronckhorst, attaining two opening victories in his first two fixtures. Hibs and Jack Ross have thankfully curtailed a horrible sequence of lost matches with a decent display/victory v Saint Johnstone. I'm hoping the "tide has turned" in that regard and I am a bit more optimistic re our chances on Wednesday night. Kevin Nisbet looks like he may well have found his "mojo" again in scoring terms and I'm happy to see Ryan Porteous back in his customary CB position alongside captain Paul Hanlon. I notice GVB has introduced a more possession based style to their way of playing as well as personally preferring a 4-3-3 line up. Something to note JR. I think this change of style might actually suit Hibs v a Rangers team that has found Hibs matches to be difficult to negotiate compared with other Scot Prem games. There's no doubt they'll be trying to avenge their well deserved defeat at the hands of Hibs in the recent PS cup semi-final. Hibs/JR must counter that with their own "edge" and tactics v opponents they don't particularly like for obvious reasons. As usual, I'll be interested in discovering who the assigned referee will be for this fixture and then I'll have a clearer picture of knowing if we have a decent chance, a sad situation TBH, but that is where we are in this Scot Prem set up. C'mon Hibs! Lets "get in their faces" again and give them a serious game of footie!!

GGTTH

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/59406675

So we play Ukraine at Hampden Pk in the semi-final and our final play-off opponents will be Wales or Austria.
IMO it's a decent draw and I'll take it although it will be a tough challenge, but achievable. Heartbreak or jubilation after years of failure?? We can only wait n see how it all unfolds in March next year. I wish we'd got a home play-off TBH, not to be, but the Tartan Army will still be there in huge numbers.
And Portugal on a "collision course" to meet Italy in a play-off final - OUCH!!!!!

It's gone quiet, but it's all gonna go pear shaped very soon.
Inter Milan owners are in trouble as they have interests in the Evergrande group.
We must assume Lai company is in the same situation. It could be good news for WBA as they may have to sell to the highest bidder.

LAST TIME OUT



MANAGER

Coaching career
Estoril
On 10 June 2011, immediately after retiring, Silva was appointed director of football at Estoril. However, early into the season, he replaced Vinícius Eutrópio as manager,[10] with the Cascais team ranking tenth in the second tier.[11] His first game in charge was a 1–3 defeat at Penafiel[12] and, after losing only three matches in 24, he helped the club return to the top flight after seven years, as champions.[13] He ultimately was chosen as the league's Manager of the Year.[14]

Silva made his debut in the Portuguese top division on 17 August 2012, in a 1–2 away defeat to S.C. Olhanense.[15] Estoril overachieved for a second best-ever fifth place in the table, with the subsequent qualification to the UEFA Europa League, also a first. Highlights included not losing any of the games against Sporting CP (3–1 at home, 2–2 away),[16] and drawing at S.L. Benfica 1–1.[17]

On 23 February 2014, Estoril achieved an historic first-time win at the Estádio do Dragão, the 1–0 victory – where he was sent off midway through the second half – being FC Porto's first home defeat since the 2–3 against Leixões S.C. in 2008.[18][19] He left his position on 12 May, after leading his team to the fourth position.[20]

Sporting CP
Silva agreed to a four-year contract with Sporting on 21 May 2014, replacing Leonardo Jardim who left for AS Monaco FC.[21] He led the team to the third place in the championship, also winning the Taça de Portugal by beating S.C. Braga 3–1 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the final[22]– this was the club's first piece of silverware since the 2008 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

On 4 June 2015, four days after winning the trophy, Sporting announced that Silva had been dismissed with just cause,[23][24] for not wearing their official suit in a cup match against F.C. Vizela.[25] The dismissal was necessary for president Bruno de Carvalho to bring in Jorge Jesus from rivals Benfica, and included a clause requiring Silva to pay Sporting should he join another Portuguese team.[26]

Olympiacos
On 8 July 2015, Silva was appointed the successor of countryman Vítor Pereira at Olympiacos FC, signing on a two-year contract.[27] His first competitive game occurred in the season opener in the Super League Greece, won 3–0 against Panionios FC. On 16 September, he played his first UEFA Champions League match with his new club, losing 0–3 at home to FC Bayern Munich in the group stage.[28]

Silva subsequently guided the team to break the record of 11 consecutive league wins from the first matchday,[29][30] also recording a 3–2 victory at Arsenal in the Champions League group phase.[31] The Piraeus side's run of domestic wins ended at 17, a European record in the 21st century,[32] but they nonetheless won a record 43rd title with six games remaining.[33]

Silva quit his job on 23 June 2016, alleging personal reasons.[34]

Hull City
On 5 January 2017, Silva was appointed as the head coach of Hull City until the end of the season, replacing Mike Phelan who was dismissed with the team bottom of the Premier League. Upon his appointment, vice-chairman Ehab Allam said: "He has a great track record and we feel this is a bold and exciting appointment in our aim to retain the club's Premier League status".[35] Silva brought in his own coaching team, including assistant João Pedro Sousa, first-team coach Gonçalo Pedro and goalkeeping coach Hugo Oliveira.[36]

Two days after his appointment, Silva coached the side to a 2–0 win over Swansea City in the third round in the FA Cup.[37] His first league match in charge of the Tigers also ended in success, a 3–1 defeat of Bournemouth on 14 January.[38]

On 26 January 2017, Silva's Hull defeated a Manchester United team, coached by Portuguese compatriot José Mourinho, 2–1 in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, giving the club its first victory over that opponent since 1974.[39] However, due to the latter's 2–0 win in the first-leg of the tie, the former failed to advance to the final,[39] but on 4 February they beat Liverpool 2–0 in the domestic league, giving the coach four wins from his first four home matches as manager.[40]

In March 2017, Silva stated that he wanted to end the groundshare agreement with rugby league club Hull F.C. at the KCOM Stadium, as the latter played on Friday and affected the pitch quality for his team at the weekend.[41] On 25 May, after the team's relegation, he resigned.[42]

Watford
Wikinews has related news:
Marco Silva joins Watford on two-year deal after Hull City relegated from Premier League
On 27 May 2017, it was confirmed Silva would join Premier League club Watford as head coach on a two-year contract.[43] After a good start to the season, he was tracked for the vacant managerial position at Everton in November.[44] During this period and in the subsequent two months, the team's performances became increasingly poor (five points from 30 in ten Premier League matches), with fans citing his loss of focus as putting them at risk of relegation.[45][46]

Silva was dismissed by Watford on 21 January 2018, with the club citing the "unwarranted approach by a Premier League rival" that caused "significant deterioration in both focus and results to the point where the long-term future of Watford FC has been jeopardised".[47][48] In February 2018, Everton agreed to pay Watford £4 million in compensation in response to this claim.[49]

Everton
Silva was confirmed as manager of Everton on 31 May 2018, on a three-year contract.[50][51] His first game in charge was a 22–0 win in a pre-season friendly over Austrian amateurs ATV Irdning.[52][53]

On 21 April 2019, Silva guided his side to a 4–0 defeat of Manchester United, making this the Toffees' largest victory over that opposition in all competitions since their 5–0 victory in October 1984.[54] His first season at Goodison Park ended with an eighth-place finish, the same position that they achieved under Sam Allardyce a year earlier.[55]

Silva was sacked on 5 December 2019, after a 5–2 defeat to city rivals Liverpool which left the team in 18th place.[56][57]

Fulham
On 1 July 2021, Silva was appointed at recently relegated Championship side Fulham on a three-year contract, after Scott Parker had left to join Bournemouth.[58] After leading them to 13 points out of a possible 15 in the first five matches of the season, he won the Manager of the Month award for August.[59]

MACS FORM GUIDE

PNE  13  FULHAM 17

https://www.fulhamfc.com/

https://www.not606.com/forums/fulham.19/

PNE Team News

In his pre-match press conference, Frankie McAvoy said that North End had suffered a few knocks in the midweek victory over Middlesbrough and they would be assessed in training on Thursday.

Ched Evans made his return from injury in that game, finding himself on the scoresheet, and he could be looking to force his way into the starting XI for this fixture.

Longer-term absentees Izzy Brown, Connor Wickham and Josh Murphy will miss out.

The Opposition


After relegation from the Premier League last season, Scott Parker left his role as head coach and in to replace him came Marco Silva, formerly of Hull City, Watford and Everton.

He’s done a fine job with the Cottagers so far, picking them up from last season’s disappointment to take them to the top of the Championship.

They could have a depleted squad arriving at Deepdale on Saturday, though, with illness in the Fulham camp meaning many could miss out, including top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, Harry Wilson and club captain Tom Cairney.

Key Stats

Fulham have been free-scoring so far this campaign, bagging 48 goals in just 19 matches – that’s 14 more than the division’s next top scorers, AFC Bournemouth.

Responsible for 21 of their goals is Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, and he’s always enjoyed playing against PNE, having netted seven times in his six matches against North End. He missed Wednesday’s draw with Derby through illness though, so may not be available for this game.

The Cottagers have had fun on their travels so far this term, sitting second in the away table, and they’ve scored four or more goals on three occasions away from home so far, while conceding an average of one goal per game.

Our Last Meeting


Fulham came out 2-0 winners the last time North End faced the Cottagers, back in February 2020.

PNE forward David Nugent broke the deadlock by inadvertently heading into the back of his own net, while a late Aboubakar Kamara goal sealed the three points for Scott Parker’s side, who would go on to earn promotion.

Man In The Middle


There will be a Premier League referee in charge of Saturday’s fixture, with Chris Kavanagh taking the whistle.

Kavanagh, who has been a Select Group 1 referee since the 2017/18 campaign, will officiate his first PNE game since September 2017 when the Lilywhites drew 2-2 with Simon Grayson’s Sunderland.

The official has overseen nine matches so far this season – the majority of them being in the top flight – while two have come in European competition.


MACS VIEW

Big test tomorrow against probably the best team in the league made more interesting by the fact they may be slightly weaker due to a bug which appears to be going through the camp and our wonderful ability to be abject most of the time. It's televised at the ungodly hour of 12.30 means away support will be low and the lack of atmosphere will be high. Given it's likely to be bitterly cold and blowing a gale can these soft flu ridden Southerners hack it up North answer probably