https://www.skysports.com/football/news/...-man-squad

So Clarke's 26 man squad is finally announced and I think the only contentious issues centre on why RFC's RB, Paterson, was given a call up after playing a few games for the Govan club and after violating COVID rules that resulted in him being banned for four matches plus why the Scotland manager never added Leigh Griffiths as another striking option - use him as a wildcard option esp if goals are in short supply.

So every year I tend to vote in the WBA Goal of the Season, usually it is not to hard but this year after all our issues and problems, I am finding it so difficult to pick a favourite from some stunners. How are others finding it?

Goals at: https://www.wba.co.uk/video/player/0_f73...e0b6c4160c

Saturday

Brentford v Bournemouth
Swansea v Barnsley
Sunderland v Lincoln

Sunday

Villa v Chelsea
Fulham v Newcastle
Leicester v Spurs
Sheff Utd v Burnley
Wolves v Man Utd
Morecambe v Tranmere
Forest Green v Newport

Premier League

Player Pts CS CR GB BB SB
St Charles 16 1 4 5 3 0
Derby 15 2 4 -3 6 0
Themaclad 15 2 4 -3 3 1
Snooty 14 1 6 -3 3 0
Bomber 10 0 6 -3 3 0
B.B.B. 8 1 2 -3 3 0
A.A.A. 8 1 1 NP 3 1
Sanjay 6 0 4 -3 3 0
Twerton 4 0 3 -3 3 0
Amelia 2 1 2 -3 -3 0

We all know the Gamball is called that because its a bit of a Gamble to play it (obviously our resident Vulcan AAA doesn't see the logic in gambling so always abstains )!!  This week epitomises that risk perfectly!!  St Charles finished top of the table with 16 points and was the only one to predict a Leicester win in the Cup Final, hence taking the risk on the Gamball and winning!!  What make this interesting is that he only scored on 5 games in total, with the 5 players behind him all scoring on more games but missing that all important Gamball.

Joint second is a resurgent Derby and battling Themaclad with 15 points, both scored on 6 games and had 2 CSs each with Derby getting one of his on the Bonus.  Snooty is in 4th on 14 points even though he scored on a week high 7 games, but missing the Gamball and only getting one CS kept his score down.  Bomber rounds out the double digit scorers with 10 points, like those above him he scored on more games than SCO but couldn't turn any of his scoring games into CSs.

Joint 6th is our current leader BBB and AAA on 8 points.  AAA only scored on 2 games but one was his Bonus and he got the other one spot on!!  BBB is still on the beach but was at least sober enough to get positive points this week.  Sanjay is 8th with 6 points, his mediocre form continues as we close out the season.

Twerton's recent good form comes to an end and sees him finish 9th with just 4 points.  Amelia was looking good only a few weeks ago but her form has deserted her and these two points won't do her any good in the table.

BBB - 337*
St Charles - 288
Sanjay - 274
Bomber - 266
AAA - 250
Lord Snooty - 250
Derby - 239
Amelia - 233
Themaclad - 202
Twerton - 194

I think I have to start this weeks table summary with an explanation regarding the * next to BBBs total score.  There is an investigation underway by the committee after an allegation of misrepresentation and an extreme and egregious jumping of the gun by BBB.  It is alleged that he has changed his signature on SportsBabble to claim he is already the Champion of the 20/21 WBA Prediction League.  It is claimed this inaccurately describes the current situation and shows a complete lack of maths capability on behalf of BBB!!  The committee has taken the advice of Mr Bates (my old math teacher, we called him Master back then!!) and he confirms that while the probability of BBB winning the title stands at 99.37%, it is still mathematically possible for St Charles to catch him and claim the title!!  The committee will take this into account and could apply a points deduction in accordance with the rules and their dictatorship style power!!

A few key changes this week, SCO moves further ahead of Sanjay and Bomber for the race for runner up (or the title if you read the above paragraph!! ).  Lord Snooty has caught back up to AAA in the battle for 5th spot and Derby has finally clawed his way out of the relegation playoff spot and firmly dumped Amelia into it!!  The wooden spoon battle changes hands again this week, Twerton's stay off the bottom lasted one full week!!

We move onto the last week of fixtures with a number of things still to be decided, good luck to all!!

Cheers
SCO

Championship

DD            22pts 2CS 7CR 5GB 3BB 0SB
Stairs        16pts 2CS 5CR 0GB 3BB 1SB
Somerset   13pts 1CS 5CR 0GB 3BB 0SB
Zinman      12pts 2CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Minizin       11pts 1CS 5CR -3GB 6BB 0SB
Silver         10pts 1CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
BaggieOne  10pts 0CS 6CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Joker          10pts 0CS 5CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Lady Jane     6pts 1CS 3CR -3GB 3BB 0SB

A truly traumatic weekend. Moving house, a steam driven computer deciding that it no longer likes excel and a last minute goalkeeper scoring to beat the Baggies (VAR doesn't get a mention as we've all got used to that sh*tshow). At least the Championship scoring improved (ironically helped by a certain last minute goal).The gamball yet again proved costly, scoreballs were as rare as membership of the Mike Dean Appreciation Society but bonuses proved more fruitful with only one failure.

A stand out performance this week from DD with his second best score of the season. He scored on 7 games with 2 correct scores, a gamball and bonus - too late for him to mount a promotion challenge but this may give him hope for next season. Stairs takes 2nd place, his non-gamball policy once again paying dividends - is a play-off spot in his sights?

Something of a logjam after Stairs with just 4 points separating the next 6 players. Somerset grabs 3rd place (another beneficiary of gamball avoidance) with Zinman just a point behind. Minizin scored a maximum on his bonus to lie just another point behind with Silver, BaggieOne and Joker locked together on 10 points. Sadly it's a familiar week for Lady Jane, the only player not to reach double figures to once again sit at the foot of the table

Minizin 299
BaggieOne 284
Silver 273
Zinman 270
Somerset 267
Stairs 266
DD 248
Joker 235
Lady Jane 213

As we enter the final week of a long season it would truly take a miracle (or some very dodgy scoring....not that that could happen, of course) to deprive Minizin of promotion, and the title seems equally assured. BaggieOne is within touching distance of the second promotion place but the hunt for the play off position is tight with just 7 points separating 4 players. I will be dusting off the rulebook to see what happens if we have a tie for the play-offs - I have a feeling that if points are tied it goes on reverse alphabetical order, but I'll need to confirm that.

DD and Joker have pulled away from Lady Jane at the foot of the table, so can relax going into the final week. As for Lady Jane - better luck next season!

Zin

https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2021/05/17/spotted-new-w

   

Looks like we are turning into Bolton. DD    

So another cup final looms ever closer for Hibs after concluding a vg Scot Prem season albeit in the most surreal circumstances in living memory. No pressure from any critical Hibs fans in the stands this season and they adapted very well to such a challenging footie season. Saint Johnstone apparently still trying to deal with the constraints of a COVID crisis. But we'll ignore that situation altogether and focus on Hibs and demand a total commitment from the guys from KO to the dying seconds of this match - give it all you've got to offer and no regrets after the final whistle! So what starting line up does Jack Ross choose? Also one striker "up top" or two? IMO this is all down to a strong belief in the ability of his chosen players to "deliver the goods" on the day. Therefore he'll opt for "two up top" esp after resting Doidgy and Nisbet v Celtic and Nisbet will drop back to a mid role when required anyway. One of the big fan debates centres on Darren Mac or Porty for one of the CB positions and I'm still not sure which way JR will go on this. But I'm guessing that final decision will be based on what happens on the training ground this week. All I can say is, "Choose wisely"! Will he slot Gogic into that mid anchor role in front of Hibs CBs thereby losing a bit of forward mobility in an attacking sense? A case of defensive solidity and caution v a hi-press strategy to win a Scottish Cup final v a stuffy and well organised team. Lastly, re the goalie position I suspect Macey will be given the "thumbs up" as he has been a regular in previous Scot Cup rounds. In fact, he has the chance of picking up a cup winner's medal after doing the same with Arsenal in the FA Cup final last season - only as a sub though. C'mon Hibs - we can do this!!

GGTTH

Cup Final day used to be almost ridiculously big. It got wall-to-wall coverage from morning till you sat down for your tea with the stentorian tones of BBC News volume-controlled in the background.

Now it's desultory, a second-rate presentation of a competition completely overshadowed by former players' nostalgia.

No moment spoke more loudly than the post-match interview with Youri Tielemans. It was I think conducted by that daft girl who ruins the EFL for Final Score every other week, whose voice is that of a cat, strangulated by excitement at the long-delayed opening of a tin of Whiskas. Youri Tielemans is Belgian. He turns out to be as fluent in English as he is at shooting from outside the box. In possibly his third language he was forced to conjure interesting replies to the same question, tweaked only slightly with only minimal use of vocabulary, squawked at him five times by a broadcaster, whose future surely lies in a return to print media asap. He was brilliant. She was embarrassing. We found out How He Felt! He has a bright future in broadcasting when he can no longer shoot.

The game certainly gave pause for thought, when all we hear is about the array of talent available for England in the upchucking Euros, that by a country mile the best two players on view were Tielemans, who certainly wouldn't be rated Belgium's best and the superb Fofana who is struggling for a place in France's U-21 line-up.

The afternoon was topped off by Gary Lineker's assertion that Schmeichel is the best keeper in the Premier League. Yeah Gary and I'm a zebra. Comparing his save from Mason Mount with Jimmy Montgomery's famous effort, or Banks from Pele, will have National League keepers shaking their heads and thinking, "I'd have stopped that!" It was a really good save. FULL STOP.

Or maybe you loved it all?

Jeez, I know I’m not a Diagne fan but Robson-Kanu.......WTF

Points awarded:
7 for Winners; 6 for Losing Finalists; 5 for Losing Semi-finalists; ..........1 for Losing 3rd Round (I didn't bother with Beaten in Rounds 1 and 2.)
(4 pts for early Years' winners when there were only 4 Rounds, etc.)

Pts
1 368 Arsenal
2 366 Manchester United
3 356 Everton
4 345 Liverpool
5 338 Tottenham Hotspur
6 336 Aston Villa
7 330 Chelsea
8 313 Blackburn Rovers
9 309 West Bromwich Albion
10 301 Manchester City
11 296 Newcastle United
12 292 Sheffield Wednesday
13 288 Wolverhampton Wanderers
14 279 Sheffield United
15 277 Nottingham Forest
16 276 Bolton Wanderers
17 270 Derby County
18 260 Sunderland
19 251 Southampton
20 248 West Ham United
21 247 Birmingham City
22 244 Middlesbrough
23 240 Preston North End
24 240 Burnley
25 222 Stoke City
26 222 Leicester City
27 201 Portsmouth
28 192 Leeds United
29 190 Fulham
30 184 Notts County
31 177 Huddersfield Town
32 172 Millwall
33 167 Crystal Palace
34 166 Norwich City
35 164 Barnsley
36 163 Luton Town
37 156 Watford
38 152 Blackpool
39 152 Cardiff City
40 150 Queen's Park Rangers

53 years since we got the 7 pts! But The Cup - which used to be as prestigious as The League - just isn't anymore, I'm afraid. I watched yesterday's match, but couldn't be bothered last Year. Sad.

Jeez, I know I’m not a Diagne fan but Robson-Kanu.......WTF