Breaking news - Porteous heading to London in a £1.3M move with a sell-on clause attached. I regard this deal as a "snip" for MAFC. I'd also like to know what the thinking was to release one of our best young prospects while reflecting on what our central defensive options are at the mo in terms of age, experience and risk of being injured. Is there a replacement who Hibs have targeted? Anyway, good luck to him - going to a far better footie league and will have to improve and "rise to the challenge" or fail.

LAST TIME OUT

COVENTRY CITY 2 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0



PRESTON NORTH END 0 READING 0



HEAD TO HEAD

First meeting at Hillsborough was in 1883 we sauntered home 5-0, every time bar one that I've been we have lost the Doyle/Beckford bust up being the most spectular of defeats, last season won 3-1 after being 1 down
First ever visit March 3 1973 Wednesday won 2-1 David Sunley bagged both sat opposite the main stand it rained and was grim

WEDNESDAY NEWBIES

Windass and Paterson cost fees at the start of the season, Hutchinson has re signed after playing abroad, Izzy Brown is decent and just seemed to be permanently on loan to some club or other and they brought in Dunkley from the hapless Pies

FORM GUIDE

OWLS 11 PNE 9

MACS VIEW

All change at the club Pearo and Darns leaving, Davies on the possible brink of joining a pub side in the East End of Glasgow, change is in the air. On the pitch next upthe Owls who although bobbing around at the bottom have done fairly well at home in recent games
Started the season with negative points, since then have potted two managers and appear to have a few issues off the pitch.
Still rate Bannan, Harris has speed to burn and Windass can get some goals still have score when he wants (Rhodes) in reserve
They have also had a touch of the Covids and are six points from safety
Cunningham back in the squad for us after a spell in Wales, the new midfield partnership of Molumby and Whiteman maybe a partnership that will last beyond this season (noises being made about signing Molumby)
Only bug bear we have is being a bit shot shy 1 goal in the league this year needs to be rectified.
Tough game always is over there, don't forget you can watch on I Follow and be warned the coverage from this wonderful platform is usually shite

The 114th meeting between Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday takes place at Hillsborough this weekend, with the Lilywhites looking to add to their 45 wins in the preview 113.



They lead the head-to-head by two in all competitions and they will be hoping to pick up a similar result to their last visit to South Yorkshire, when they came behind to win 3-1 back in July, after the restart.

There have been two changed of managers at the Owls since then, with Neil Thompson currently in charge of the team, who have picked up some good results since he took caretaker charge, as they look to move away from the foot of the table.

For PNE, it has been the first of three consecutive weeks with no midweek game, which has allowed a number of bumps and bruises to recover, as well as more work to be undertaken in the transfer window, with the arrival, or should that be return, of Greg Cunningham.


Team News
Manager Alex Neil has no new injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s trip to Hillsborough. Greg Cunningham is available after completing his loan move from Cardiff City, taking the No.37 shirt.

Andrew Hughes will be given a late check on the shoulder injury that ruled him out with the home draw with Reading during the warm up, after colliding with the advertising hoardings at Birmingham City a few days earlier.

That just leaves the long-term casualties of Declan Rudd, Patrick Bauer and Louis Moult not available, with the PNE boss telling the media at his pre-match press conference that the latter was back out running and slowly building back up.

Massimo Luongo made the bench for Neil Thompson on Wednesday night and after a couple more days of training, the Australian could be in line for a return to the starting XI.

Chey Dunkley is also getting closer, but fellow defender Moses Odubajo is out with a hamstring injury.

Andrew Green and the returning Sam Hutchinson both made their first starts, or re-starts in the latter’s case, in the defeat at St Andrews against Mark Robins’ Sky Blues and Green could again start against the club he spent the first half of last season on loan.

marriner_a_match-official2021_1440x810.jpg

Match Officials
For the first time in ten years, Premier League match official André Mariner will be the referee for a North End game this weekend.

The last time he was in charge of a Lilywhites match was Graham Alexander’s first ever game in management, back in December 2011, when he took caretaker charge of the side’s 1-0 televised win over MK Dons at stadium:MK, when Paul Parry scored the only goal of the game.

He has actually taken charge of PNE on nine occasions down the years, the first of which came way back on Valentine’s Day 2004 and include the 2-0 home Play-Off semi-final win over Derby County in 2005, the 1-1 home Play-Off semi-final draw with Sheffield United in 2009 and a 4-1 home win over Leeds United on Halloween 2006.

This weekend André – who will be in charge of his 17th game of the season, having issued 46 cautions and no red cards – will be assisted by Richard West and Matthew Jones and the fourth official will be Benjamin Speedie.

When you seek out creativity and innovation around the world you almost always find it hand in hand with flatter organisational models where power and decision-making are accessible and in touch with those doing the actual designing, developing and making.

Like every empire throughout human history large organisations tend to become flabby, they develop pyramidal power structures, adopt bureaucratic procedures and become slow and extremely conservative decision-makers, a habit which they tend only to break by adopting wild, on-the-spot, Trumpesque guesses. Managers build empires within empires and the fortresses which they use to protect their own positions become blocks not only to innovation, but also to the satisfaction of other employees. Rules and procedures appear which become more important than the actual aims of the organisation.

I doubt anyone could successfully argue that the EU is not a huge and unwieldy bureaucracy, but perhaps someone will. It even has to physically shift that bureaucracy from one centre to another on a regular basis. Significantly, because the countries making up the EU act individually in health matters many of them appear to have dealt with the pandemic far better than the fairly useless UK. Germany for instance operates its hospital system all the time much further from capacity than us. Every year flu' poses a threat of overwhelming us. Every measure the Germans imposed worked better than our efforts (and that includes Nicola Sturgeon's Scotland).

It is only now that having made the apparently sensible decision to bring together the EU's massive buying power to bear when purchasing vaccines that suddenly the UK has leapt ahead by refusing the invitation to join. The decision what to buy and where to buy was made so slowly that not only did the EU fall miles behind even a daft UK government brilliantly advised by scientists, but it also placed bets on the wrong parts of the roulette wheel. EU regulators have moved so slowly that they are now demanding supplies of a vaccine that they only today will allow themselves to use for the first time. Whilst the UK successfully invested in four vaccines which will enter human bloodstreams the EU was backing a French firm, which might not get there until the the turn of the year and which may decide to switch to producing the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. Already Germany is beginning to make its own arrangements.

And that is the problem with bureaucracies. If you want niceness and fairness with lots of rules at the risk of falling permanently behind the curve, then bureaucracy's the way to go. If you have the capacity to be original and innovative, if you've a reputation for having your own way of thinking and not being particularly bothered whether everyone else agrees with you, if making your own way appeals more than being dictated to (even in a very kindly way!) then don't sign up to join a bureaucracy.

It's not that the EU is an evil empire - it's a rather nice one. It's just that it's fat and getting fatter, and the fatter it gets, the slower it will go. And what's worse is that the less capable it appears of moving, the more self-satisfied it becomes. By its every action it confirms its view of itself. Why else do all its negotiations run to the last day and beyond?

If you think the world seems to be speeding up and that the need to adapt to change will be of prime importance in the future then I can see why any people would seek independence. And I'd always support that desire. Self-determination! And once you've achieved it for gawd's sake don't surrender it, or sell it to anyone.

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/foo...ist-abuse/

Well the matches are arriving "thick n fast" but unfortunately Hibs are losing most of them although a bit "hard done by" v Rangers on Wed night but still didn't play particularly well again. We play opponents who were thrashed 1-5 on the same night and well shown up by a rampant Buddies team that normally doesn't score many goals. Therefore one would expect Hibs to head up to Tannadice and try to "rub salt in their wounds" while taking advantage to finally lift morale, score a few welcome goals v a really dodgy defence (and a dodgy goalie!) and gain a valuable 3 pts in the process. We need to "break the mould" and get back to winning ways!! I hope Newell is fit enough to return because I reckon his high work rate and effort in Hibs midfield has been sorely missed - prob our best player in the past couple of months! I'd like JR to drop Gogic and opt for a hi-press strategy v a team that I regard to be inferior to Hibs. However, the guys have to still earn a victory and not just expect it. Our defence looks to be more secure than of late. So it looks like the dependency is on what happens "up top" where certain players really need to regain some kinda positive form and score goals. Otherwise, the downward spiral to a lower league position will continue. C'mon Hibs!

GGTTH

THE MATCH

WEDNESDAY 30TH JANUARY 3:00PM

v

LAST MATCH



Well how can I put that into words, POOR, DOGSHIT, CRAP, PATHETIC, EMBARRASING, GUTLESS, USELESS, PAINFUL (You can pick your own word for last nights performance, been far too many this season particularly against teams around us). Defenders who cant defend, Midfielders who can't tackle, pass or create anything and Forwards who cant shoot anywhere near the intended target. Coventry weren't any great shakes, but knew how to tackle, pass and shoot, the basics for a football match.

THE MATCH



Next up Preston at Hillsborough. We have lost our last 3 games v Preston so we need to change that tune. Preston have won 7 times away from home although they have struggled in the last few months on the road. They are managed by Alex Neil who has done a decent job since taking charge. They are 6 points off the playoffs and will hope to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, being a bit more consistent might get them there

CURRENT FORM

OWLS               -                      

PRES                -                                                  

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

ANDRE MARRINER
Richard West and Matthew Jones
Fourth Official : David Webb

THE TEAM

Might depend on whose is fit, the younger lads seem more bothered & better than the first team, why not play them.

Westwood
Palmer Borner Brennan Penney
Green Bannan Paterson Hutch Reach
Windass

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-1 Windass

BML STANDINGS

Owlkev 9
Washington 8
Stateside 7
Imre 6
Pei 6
SCO 5
Maddix 2
Wereham 2

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Cardiff City v Millwall
Derby County v Bristol City
Huddersfield Town v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Barnsley
Rotherham United v Swansea City

HAAAA

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC





One for Washington

Saturday 30th Jan

Crystal Palace v Wolves
Albion v Fulham**  
Arsenal v Man.Utd
Southampton v Villa
Blues v Coventry
Huddersfield v Stoke
Sheff.Wed. v Preston
Walsall v Mansfield

Sunday 31st Jan

West Ham v Liverpool
Leicester v Leeds

Cheltenham 2 Oldham 0

Given the recent league records of these two teams, a home win seemed most unlikely.
Oldham's record is for some reason better away from home, 4 wins and 2 draws in their last 6 away matches.
The Robins haven't won at home since beating Exeter on the 5th December and haven't scored twice in any game since.

So the best we can possibly hope for is another draw or a narrow defeat.

Well, based on the first half performance; here we go again. Not helped I thought by:-
1) Only 3 days since that monumental struggle against City.
2) Playing Andy Williams upfront when he too last scored against Exeter.
3) Ongoing injury problems with at least three first team players unavailable.

No score at half time although young keeper Josh Griffiths, one of the heroes on Saturday almost letting another speculative long range shot creep under his body and into the net. The Oldham players were in no doubt that it had crossed the line before Josh hauled it back.
Perhaps thank goodness VAR wasn't present.

The second half was equally even until the 54th minute when Any Williams scored a cracker of a goal. Receiving the ball out on the left, he advanced to the corner of the penalty area before unleashing a shot across goal that hit the inside of far post and into the net.
Could the Robins hold onto a one goal lead?
Well Oldham had their chances but failed to take them/
Alfie May, one of Saturday's heroes added a second just 7 minutes from time and the frequent wobble in the final minutes was averted.
Man of the Match?
For me,  Finn Azaz who really bossed the midfield throughout and actually played all 90 minutes.

Barnet 0-2 Torquay United
Boreham Wood 0-2 Eastleigh
Dagenham & Redbridge 0-2 Chesterfield
FC Halifax Town 2-2 Maidenhead United
Hartlepool United 2-2 Sutton United
King's Lynn Town 0-0 Wrexham
Solihull Moors 1-2 Wealdstone
Weymouth 1-2 Notts County
Woking 0-3 Stockport County
Yeovil Town 2-0 Dover Athletic
Bromley 1-1 Aldershot Town

League Table After Matchday 23
Lord Snoots = 200
Spireitematt = 166
Dancing = 164
Amelia = 158
Devon = 156
St Charles = 104

Premier League

Player Pts CS CR GB BB SB
Derby 14 1 4 NP 6 0
Twerton 13 1 5 -3 6 0
Snooty 11 2 2 -3 3 1
B.B.B. 10 1 4 -3 3 0
Bomber 8 1 3 -3 3 0
A.A.A. 7 0 5 NP -3 0
Amelia 2 0 4 -3 -3 0
Sanjay 1 0 3 -3 -3 1
St Charles 0 0 1 -3 3 0
Themaclad 0 1 1 -3 -3 0

Another poor week in the PL with points proving hard to come by for many.  Again the Gamball did its thing with no one who played it picking up any points!!  Top spot this week is the mid table maestro Derby with 14 points, courtesy of a screw up on his ball playing he ended up saving three points on the Gamball by using it on the wrong game but redeemed himself with a CS on the Bonus!!!  Close behind him is Twerton on 13 points, is this the start of a recovery that will propel him out of the relegation zone?  Scoring on 6 games and get a spot on Bonus will certainly help.  Also maybe staging a recovery is Lord Snooty, whose 11 points this week gets him a podium spot, a weeks high 2 CSs as well as a CR bonus for him.

Our current leader BBB is in 4th spot, a solid but unspectacular 10 points will see him consolidate his position at the top.  Bomber is in 5th spot with 8 points and his rival in the table AAA is right behind him in on 7 points, so the gap will close a little.  Amelia in 7th spot actually scored some positive points for the first time in three weeks, so while it was only 2 points its something for her to build on.

The bottom three all had miserable weeks.  Sanjay is in 8th with 1 point and had he not been only one of two players to get the Scoreball point he would have suffered the same fate of zero points as the bottom two - St Charles and Themaclad, who both finished the week with zero points!!

BBB - 196
Sanjay - 173
St Charles - 170
AAA - 144
Bomber - 138
Amelia - 125
Derby 125
Lord Snooty - 109
Twerton - 102
Themaclad - 94

BBB extends his lead at the top of the table to 23 points from Sanjay and SCO.  AAA is still in 4th but Bomber is edging closer.  Amelia after her run of poor weeks has now been caught by Derby.  The one change this week saw Twerton finally get off the bottom, and sees Themaclad dumped firmly into last place!!  Both Twerton and Lord Snooty finally crack the 100 points mark.

Cheers
SCO


Championship

BaggieOne  17pts 1CS 5CR 5GB 3BB 1SB
Minizin        16pts 3CS 4CR 0GB 3BB 1SB
Joker          14pts 2CS 6CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Stairs          12pts 1CS 6CR 0GB -3BB 1SB
Zinman        10pts 1CS 3CR 0GB 6BB 0SB
Lady Jane      9pts 1CS 4CR -3GB 6BB 0SB
DD                9pts 0CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Somerset      7pts 0CS 3CR 0GB 3BB 0SB
Silver            4pts 0CS 3CR -3GB 3BB 0SB

Steady rather than spectacular scores this week. The gamball proved problematic for a change with only 1 player getting the result right but bonuses proved easier with only 1 player failing to get it right.

Top of the pile this week is BaggieOne, continuing his form from last week. He was the sole beneficiary of the gamball and also scored from his other balls to put him 1 point clear of our overall table leader Minizin. Mini only scored on 4 games but managed 3 correct scores and also scored on the balls he bothered to play - yes, he wimped out on the gamball. Joker and Stairs occupy the next 2 places both of them getting a week's high of 6 correct result predictions. Joker got 2 scores right but lost points on the gamball, keeping him off top spot. Stairs is 2 points further back, another player benefiting from ignoring the gamball, but also the only palyer to lose points from his bonus.

Zinman only scored from 3 games but scrapes into double figures thanks to a maximum on his bonus. Lady Jane was the other player to max out the bonus but lost out on her other balls to join DD on 9 points for the week. Like Zinman, Somerset and Silver only got 3 correct predictions but in their cases they failed to pick a correct score though they did at least pick up the extra bonus ball point. Silver's decision to gamble - and get it wrong - keeps him to the foot of the table.

Minizin 180
Zinman 168
Stairs 166
DD 150
Silver 149
Somerset 145
BaggieOne 142
Joker 127
Beefy 107
Lady Jane 105

This week's close scores mean there's only 1 positional change in the overall table, DD edging ahead of Silver into 4th place. Minizin extends his lead at the top and while Zinman holds on to 2nd place he is only 2 points ahead of Stairs. Only 8 points separate DD in 4th from BaggieOne in 7th as the middle of the table tightens up again. Lady Jane remains at the foot of the table but has at least stumbled over the 100 point mark.

Zin