England squad for Ashes tour of Australia

Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire) wk, Zak Crawley (Kent), Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

After watching SJM in recent Scotland international matches, I can't be the only Hibs fan who can see him eventually moving on from Villa for a hefty fee, much like Jack Grealish. I wonder how much he'll sell on for if he continues his progress and enhances his reputation along the way? It's a curious position with Hibs being a possible significant beneficiary in the process.

Rumour control has it that Mike Ashley is looking to buy another club. Derby is bring held up as favourite, no doubt it would be available much cheaper than we would. But we would not come with probably relegation and massive debts. Lets just hope Lai does not give him a call.

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 15th October:
West Bromwich Albion v Birmingham City

Saturday 16th October:
Town v Hull City
Town scorers:
Hull scorers:

Fulham v Queens Park Rangers (12:30)
Blackburn Rovers v Coventry City
Bristol City v AFC Bournemouth
Middlesbrough v Peterborough United
Millwall v Luton Town
Nottingham Forest v Blackpool
Preston North End v Derby County
Reading v Barnsley
Sheffield United v Stoke City

Sunday 17th October:
Swansea City v Cardiff City (12:00)

Tuesday 19th October:
Bristol City v Nottingham Forest
Derby County v Luton Town
Queens Park Rangers v Blackburn Rovers
Sheffield United v Millwall
Stoke City v AFC Bournemouth

Wednesday 20th October:
Town v Birmingham
Town scorers:
Brum scorers:

Fulham v Cardiff City
Hull City v Peterborough United
Middlesbrough v Barnsley
Preston North End v Coventry City
Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion
Reading v Blackpool

Table after Matchday 11:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 273 pts
   
2. St Charles Owl = 258 pts
   
3. Lord Snooty = 256 pts
   
4. jjamez = 254 pts
   
5. neonfoxinthebox = 243 pts
   
6. theo_luddite = 237 pts
   
7. themaclad = 230 pts
   
8. SHEP_HTAFC = 227 pts
   
9. WakeyTerrier = 215 pts
   
10. ritchiebaby = 206 pts
    
11. Amelia Chaffinch = 184 pts

£133011.00 donated in September. Still a fantastic effort by the fans who continue to show not only their love of their club but also, their continued financial backing as well. Great effort imho

Something a bit different this week. Seeing National League teams are in FA Cup action and I can't be bothered doing 32 FA Cup matches for prediction, I've decided to pick 12 matches to predict.

Leicester City 2-0 Manchester United
Norwich 1-3 Brighton
Hibernian 2-1 Dundee United
Rangers 2-2 Hearts
Huddersfield 2-0 Hull City
Notts Forest 2-4 Blackpool
AFC Wimbledon 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Bolton 2-3 Wigan
Oldham 0-4 Stevenage
Port Vale 0-3 Barrow
Curzon Ashton 0-2 Chesterfield
York City 0-1 Morpeth Town


League Table After Matchday 12

Amelia = 168
St Charles = 136
Dancing = 128
Lord Snoots = 124
Spireitematt = 122
Devon = 120

Well this World Cup group fixture becomes another "must win" target for Steve Clarke and the guys. We must ensure that 4 pts gap in second place is maintained! Does he rest players v this level of opposition and bring in fresher ones? I'm not sure TBH! I tend to view this scenario as one to win the game as early as poss with our strongest side and then bring on subs who are comfortable playing in a winning position. There is no doubt Grant Hanley will return to the CB position. So that will free up McTominay to play in an adapted midfield set up. IMO this is still gonna be a challenging fixture v a stuffy side that has just been thrashed by Denmark. IMO the win is more important than the number of goals we score although it would be nice to win it well. As commented in one of my previous threads - NO COMPLACENCY PLEASE!! C'mon Scotland!
On a separate note, I'm perusing the unseeded international sides that Scotland will possibly face at Hampden Park in the play-off semi-finals. They are:- Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, Norway, N Macedonia, Wales, Austria. I don't wanna be drawn v the Czechs or Wales TBH!! Anyway, we've gotta deal with one game at a time before we seriously consider this play-off scenario.

I couldn't get myself interested tonight.
Playing a team who's whole countries population could fit it Wembley stadium and still have seats to spare is a non starter IMO.

Mowatt's goal is up for Goal of the Month and I am sure he would appreciate our support, you can vote direct on twitter if you already know who you want to vote for.

https://twitter.com/SkyBetChamp/status/1...68180?s=20

If you want to watch the three contenders, they are here;

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/...-September

Premier League

Snooty      13pts 1CS 5CR 5GB -3BB 1SB
Silver        10pts 1CS 4CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Derby        10pts 1CS 2CR 10GB -3BB 1SB
BaggieOne  5pts 1CS 3CR 0GB -3BB 0SB
SCO            2pts 1CS 3CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
Minizin        2pts 0CS 2CR 0GB -3BB 1SB
Sanjay        -2pts 0CS 0CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
BBB            -6pts 0CS 0CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
AAA            -7pts No submission

Albion's worst performance of the season so far was eclipsed by the Premier League's prediction efforts. A complete blank on bonus balls, nobody getting more than 1 correct score and 4 of tte fixtures generating negative scores. The gamball was a true differentiator with varying predictions and not surprisingly the 3 players getting it right sit on top of the table.

A stand out score from Snooty from a week's high of 5 correct results including the gamball. Silver and Derby also achieved double figures though the fact that Derby got 10 points from the gamball might correctly suggest that his other predictions weren't great! BaggieOne chose to avoid gambling - in his case wisely - to sit in mid table. SCO and Minizin just managed to get a positive score, Mini being the other player to avoid the gamball saving himself from a negative week. At least SCO can claim to have doubled his score from last week though his great start to the season seems to have ground to a halt.

And so to this week's minusmen. Sanjay's miserable score of minus 2 - just 2 correct predictions and a complete miss on his balls - was eclipsed by BBB's complete 100% balls up to produce the first minimum score of the season. Oddly, having the worst possible score still doesn't piut him bottom of the table - that honour (?) falls to AAA who was once again abducted by aliens. (ou would have thought they'd seen enough of him by now).

Silver 96
Derby 88
SCO 86
Minizin 83
BBB 81
Snooty 69
BaggieOne 61
Sanjay 58
AAA 19

A complete change in the overall table. Silver's consistency sees him top with Derby leaping from 5th to 2nd. SCO and Minizin somehow retain 3rd and 4th spots and , not surprisingly given his performance this week, BBB plummets from to to 5th. Snooty makes up some ground behind the early leaders, BaggieOne remains in 7th with Sanjay dropping 2 places. And then there's AAA.......

Zin

Championship

Lady Jane 12pts 2CS 0CR 10GB -3BB 1SB
Zinman 5pts 1CS 2CR NPGB -3BB 0SB
Twerton 3pts 1CS 2CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
Themaclad 3pts 0CS 2CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Blue Baggie 1pts 0CS 1CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Salop 1pts 0CS 2CR NPGB -3BB 0SB
Amelia 1pts 1CS 1CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Stairs 0pts 0CS 1CR NPGB -3BB 1SB
Dingle -1pts 1CS 0CR -3GB -3BB 1SB

Wow, dreadful week for most with just 25 points being scored!!  No wonder no one is clamouring for the results!!  Lady Jane though is the one exception, she has another good week and this time at a point while everyone else tanked!!  She scored a decent 12 points, a spot on Gamball certainly helped and added another CS as well!  In 2nd spot was Zinman on 5 points, he was oh so close to double figures but declined to play the Gamball and then got it spot on costing him 6 points!!

I goes right downhill after the top 2 though, the next two are Twerton and Themaclad who managed just 3 points each.  Still that 3 points is higher than the rest of the division scored altogether, Blue, Salop and Amelia at least got a point each, Stairs didn't trouble the scorers with a zero and after last weeks lowest score for Dingle he outdid himself and ended up this week with -1!!

One interesting stat on Balls is that as a collective group the Championship so far has scored a combined 3 points on the Bonus Ball!!  Good job we don't let you choose the Gamball each week!!!

99- Blue Baggie
91 - Stairs
72 - Salop
69 - Dingle
65 - Twerton
64 - Lady Jane
56 - Themaclad
49 - Zinman
44 - Amelia

Not much change in the table, Blue increases his lead by 1 with Stairs failing to score.  The one mover was Lady Jane who moved up one place but is now only 8 points off 3rd place!!  The maclad drops into the bottom 3 and the bottom 2 are still somewhat adrift.

Cheers
SCO