Well hopefully this will not be a feared "banana skin" for Scotland v a scratch Czech side after a gross violation of COVID19 rules v Slovakia. Clarke announces his line up and it looks like he is opting for his favoured "four at the back" with decent defenders, Palmer, Leeds' Liam Cooper, McKenna and Robertson. My concern centres around Robertson AGAIN! He may be great for Liverpool but it aint the case when he captains Scotland!!! He needs protective cover down the left flank esp during tough matches. Fleck, McTominay and Kenny McLean are moved into the mid area and it looks like Fleck and McLean will be the holding mid players. Dykes is up front again supported by Christie and Armstrong.

what a pair of muppets

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54059328

Ey up, Harrogate Baggie, see what we've got!
Shame it's not up here, though.

In passing, isn't it strange how we've got used to something called the Carabao Cup.

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.

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.  

Friday 11th September:
Watford v Middlesbrough

Saturday 12th September:
Town v Norwich
Town scorers:
Norwich scorers:

Birmingham City v Brentford (12:30)
Wycombe Wanderers v Rotherham United (12:30)
Barnsley v Luton Town
AFC Bournemouth v Blackburn Rovers
Bristol City v Coventry City
Cardiff City v Sheffield Wednesday
Derby County v Reading
Millwall v Stoke City
Preston North End v Swansea City
Queens Park Rangers v Nottingham Forest

Bonus match:
Premier League:
Saturday:
Liverpool v Leeds United (17:30)

Table after Matchday 1:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 17 pts
   
2. Lord Snooty = 16 pts
   
3. ritchiebaby = 16 pts
   
4. Amelia Chaffinch = 15 pts
   
5. theo_luddite = 12 pts
   
6. themaclad = 10 pts
   
7. Beefy 1965 = 9 pts
   
8. St Charles Owl = 9 pts
   
9. jjamez = 8 pts
   
10. SHEP_HTAFC = 8 pts
    
11. neonfoxinthebox = 6 pts

Supporters will be allowed back into two games in English Football League competitions next week as test events.

Cambridge United's home matches with Fulham Under-21s in the EFL Trophy on 8 September and the League Two game with Carlisle on Saturday, 12 September are part of the government's pilot scheme.

The club's Abbey Stadium will allow 1,000 fans for the EFL tie and 2,500 for the league game.

Cambridge has been chosen for both fixtures to allow quick "learnings".

An EFL statement said: "Appropriate measures have been applied at the Abbey Stadium, with both terraces and seating arrangements available.

"As a result of two fixtures taking place at the same venue in a short period of time, it will allow for any learnings to be implemented quickly under the same conditions."

Cambridge have previously been part of a joint project by the EFL and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) looking at safe application of social distancing at football grounds.

That work was overseen by crowd dynamics experts Movement Strategies, who will also assess the pilot scheme.

The Premier League season is set to start on 12 September but, as it stands, no fans will be admitted to top-flight matches before October at the earliest.

Ok Guys, Amelia and LadyJane the Prediction League is back,
The new Divisions are laid out below much to the displeasure of many  
The rules/scores seem to work so stay the same and it's at this point we are asking for as many people to sign up so we can still run the Two Leagues and involve Relegation and Promotion Issues.

SO PLEASE IF YOUR READING THIS AND NOT PLAYING , PLEASE SIGN UP, HAVE FUN , BANTER AND MAKE YOUR WEEKENDS MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE OR STRESSFUL AS THE CASE MAYBE (This includes You SKAD)  

**First Fixtures will be up around Monday so good luck everybody  




SMILIES/BALLS

 Bonus Ball
 Score Ball, Free to use Ball , play it on a game that you think both teams will score in !
 Gamball,

New Scoring System

Incorrect Result =  0 point
Incorrect Result (Bonus Ball) = -3
Incorrect Result (Gamball) = -3
[/color]
Score Ball = 1 added Point if both teams score.  !

Correct Result = +2 points
Correct Result (Bonus Ball) = +3
Correct Result (Gamball) = +5  
Correct Score = + 4 points
Correct Score (Bonus Ball) = +6  
Correct Score (Gamball) = +10  

Just a reminder you DO NOT have to play the Gamball if you dont want too, the score will then be marked normal.  


Again the third from bottom of the premiership will play off against the third in the table from the Championship to keep even more excitement going, they will have to predict through all the Playoffs and the winner obviously takes their place in the Premier League the following season  

Beefy, Bomber, Zinman & SCO  


If you do not predict,...........
If in your league everyone scores above zero you will receive Zero points,
However if in your league the person with the lowest score is below Zero (eg -4) you will score -5 and receive your first strike, Remember 3 strikes and you're out.

All scores must be in before MIDDAY SATURDAY,(For The Early Kick Off If Applicable) If the early kick off is missed the rest of your predictions must reach us by 2.45pm or none will be counted.



* NEW & UPDATED 2020/21 PARTICIPANTS,

Premiership
                             
1/ AAA
2/ Amelia
3/ BBB
4/ Bomber 
5/ Derby
6/ MacLad
7/ Sanjay
8/ SCO
9/ Snoots
10/ Twerton                
                           
Championship

1/ BaggieOne
2/ Beefy
3/ DD
4/ LadyJane
5/ Joker
6/ MightyBrom
7/ OneTrueBaggie
8/ Silver
9/ Somerset
10/ Stairs
11/ Zinman

                        
                             
I'm almost 100% sure Myself & the Scorers get the scores added up correctly, From time to time over the season we may get now and again get this wrong, SO IN THE EVENT OF ANY POINTS DISCREPANCIES can i ask all you guys to check your predictions and if you feel they are incorrect in anyway contact me Via PM within a week of the TABLES & SCORES being presented and they will be corrected the following week.
Anything later unless it is a Major error will NOT be corrected. It is as much your responsibility to check your scores as much as it is ours to try and score them correctly.
Beefy  

Still under construction ...........

A lot of work needs doing.

We needed a new website. The old one looked crap, was permanently out of date, led the user to look at something which sounded intriguing, only to find it was years out of date, so hooray for change, but to get it right is going to be a lot of work for one man, considering he is also updating exciting day-to-day changes like our recent bid for Messi.

Personally I think we need younger players.

IMO this is an international fixture, this time in a Nations League group, that is becoming far too regular for my liking. There seems to be a dearth in striking choices and quality, prob the worst I've seen for a long time, and it results in the great possibility that an untried striker like Lyndon Dykes could well be "given a start" by Steve Clarke. Thankfully the opposition is nowhere close to being of any great footie quality but neither is Scotland at the moment! Another "area of concern" is the centre of our defence and again it is a weak area that has festered for a few years - never properly resolved due to a lack of top quality defenders at this level. Previous incumbents have lacked discipline and focus in certain games where Scotland have been exposed and "shown up" v poor opponents particularly in away matches and this needs to resolved. Another prob for Clarke is that age old one where two top class full backs, Robertson and Tierney, are either fielded in an accommodating defensive line up or one of them is dropped. Our midfield area is decent and it is a case of trying to "strike the right balance" for Steve Clarke. I suspect this match will end up in a stalemate and just hope that Scotland surprise me with a win.

John Percy of the Telegraph a well respected reporter says, we have had a12million plus add ons bid for Grady Diangana accepted. 
Bring it on if true.
In the same statement he says our initial bid for Grant has been turned down.