Player Pts CS CR GB BB SB
Beefy 10 2 1 -3 6 1
B.B.B. 7 2 0 -3 6 0
St Charles 6 0 4 -3 3 0
Sanjay 4 2 1 -3 -3 0
A.A.A. 2 0 2 NP -3 1
Derby 1 1 1 -3 -3 1
Bomber 0 1 1 -3 -3 0
Themaclad 0 1 1 -3 -3 0
Zinman -4 0 1 -3 -3 0

So after a three month shutdown, football has returned!! Everyone has been a bit worried about the short "pre-season" that the players have had and would they be a bit rusty or even pick up injuries?? Well so far it would seem the professional players are doing ok with some good performances but we certainly can't say that about us lot!!!!! A truly abysmal week with a total of only 26 points being scored, with a complete blank on the Gamball!!!!

Leading the way, and the only one in double figures is Beefy on 10 points. Obviously he is still relegation threatened but is this the start of his big comeback to safety?? He was one of 3 players this week to get more correct scores than correct results, picking up 2, plus he got a max on the Bonus ball to boost his score. In 2nd spot on 7 points is BBB, like Beefy he got 2 correct scores including the Bonus but got no correct results to back them up! Still as the only one of the leaders to get a half decent haul he will close the gap on the top two and could make the title a three horse race!! SCO comes in third on 6 points, his usual problem of not being able to get correct results left him trailing the top 2 even though he scored points on more games than any other player!!

Sanjay is in 4th spot on 4 points, he is one of 4 players to get nothing from any of his balls but unlike the other three he was able to get a couple of correct scores to keep his score up a bit. AAA and Derby come in joint 5th on 1 point, not much to shout about, AAA didn't get a negative on the Gamball as he didn't play it of course but didn't get much else and Derby only managed to get a scoreball our of his balls to go with the couple of other games he scored on.

Joint 7th spot is occupied by our top two, Bomber and Themaclad who might as well have not bothered as they ended up on zero points anyway. Both had identical records, 1 correct score, 1 correct result and bugger all on all their balls to wipe out the points they did gain!! Bottom this week is Zinman who has a second half comeback from Chelsea against Villa to thank for not hitting the absolute minimum!! He missed on every other game and all his balls and as a consequence ended on minus 4 points. That will see the three below him close the gap a bit and pull him back into the relegation scrap!!

It's good to be back!!!!!!

Cheers
SCO


   


Amelia 9pts 2CS 5CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Lady Jane 8pts 1CS 3CR -3GB 6BB 1SB
Joker 7pts 1CS 5CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Snooty 5pts 1CS 4CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Twerton 5pts 0CS 5CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Stairs 1pt 0CS 3CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
BaggieOne -2pts 1CS 2CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
MightyBrom -3pts - no predictions


I think we can blame rustiness, or perhaps over indulgence during the shut-down period, but it wasn't exactly a stunning return to the Prediction League's restart. Nobody managed to reach double figures thanks to a compete set of negative gamballs and just the one positive bonus ball. Our Huddersfield friends seemed to have forgotten how well their team was playing pre-Covid - both predicting a big win for the Terriers with Snooty making things worse by playing his bonus. The same could be said for us Albions as nobody gained points from that match.

A familiar figure at the top of this week's table as Amelia continued her run of form on her seemingly unstoppable surge for promotion. A week's high of 2 correct scores with 3 other correct results helped to offset her unusually poor balls keeping her 1 point ahead of Lady Jane. LJ was the only player to get anything from her bonus and fortunately for her got the score spot on.

Joker is desperately hoping for an Amelia slip up as his hopes of promotion fade. He'll be relieved that the gap didn't grow too much this week as he matched her 5 correct results and kept this week's gap to just 2 points as he came in third on 7. Snooty and Twerton are locked together in mid table with 5 points with Stairs struggling on just the solitary point.

BaggieOne went into Sunday facing the prospect of a wipe-out but gained points from both matches to avoid complete embarrassment, though minus 2 is still a poor showing for weeks of studying form. He was also the only player not to pick up the extra score-ball point.No predictions from MightyBrom, hopefully due to an oversight rather than Covid.


   

They just keep coming.

1. Apart from the brown envelope bung caused the "VAR" to go faulty in the last game.

2. Today we have "TRANSFER TALK" over Grealish has unsettled the team and caused him to have a dip in form.

Sensible quick calm response needed.

1. Cheats. 

2. Good. 

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 26th June:
Brentford v West Bromwich Albion

Saturday 27th June:
Preston North End v Cardiff City (12:30)
Swansea City v Luton Town (12:30)
Barnsley v Millwall (13:00)
Derby County v Reading (13:00)
Birmingham City v Hull City
Charlton Athletic v Queens Park Rangers
Leeds United v Fulham
Stoke City v Middlesbrough
Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Sunday 28th June:
Nottingham Forest v Town (14:15)
Town scorers:
Forest scorers:

Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday (12:00)

Tuesday 30th June:
Millwall v Swansea City (17:00)
Barnsley v Blackburn Rovers (18:00)
Reading v Brentford (18:00)
Queens Park Rangers v Fulham (18:30)
Cardiff City v Charlton Athletic
Leeds United v Luton Town
Wigan Athletic v Stoke City

Wednesday 1st July:
Birmingham v Town (18:00)
Town scorers:
Brum scorers:

Preston North End v Derby County (17:00)
Nottingham Forest v Bristol City
Sheffield Wednesday v West Bromwich Albion

Thursday 2nd July:
Hull City v Middlesbrough (17:00)

Bonus matches:
FA Cup 6th rd:
Saturday:
Norwich City v Manchester United (17:30)

Sunday:
Sheffield United v Arsenal (13:00)
Leicester City v Chelsea (16:00)
Newcastle United v Manchester City (18:30)

Table after Matchday 34:
neonfoxinthebox = 733 pts
jjamez = 709 pts
Baggiebob(BBB) = 703 pts
themaclad = 692 pts
theo_luddite = 689 pts
St Charles Owl = 647 pts
ritchiebaby = 633 pts
SHEP_HTAFC = 618 pts
Lord Snooty = 611 pts
Amelia Chaffinch = 574 pts
Beefy 1965 = 556 pts

How can Dirry Leeds give the Knee?
What happened with the racist goalkeeper ?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/202...t-language

Macclesfield Town will remain in the English Football League despite a two-point deduction for breaches of regulations over non-payment of wages.

A deduction of three points or more by an independent panel would have seen the Silkmen drop below Stevenage and be relegated into the National League.

The decision leaves Macclesfield 23rd in League Two after the application of the points-per-game formula agreed by clubs earlier this month.

They have also been fined £20,000.

As well as being ordered to cover payment of the legal costs related to the latest hearing, the Silkmen have been given an additional four-point penalty, but that is suspended and carried forward to the 2020-21 season.

A Macclesfield statement said: "We would like to express our gratitude to the independent arbitration panel for their unquestionable diligence, in reaching what we deem to be a fair and unbiased conclusion."

The latest punishment relates to late payment of wages for March and it is the third time Macclesfield have been deducted points during the 2019-20 campaign.

December 2019: A 10-point deduction, with four suspended, for non-payment of salaries and failing to fulfil a fixture against Crewe. In March, this was reduced to a seven-point penalty with three suspended after Macclesfield appealed. It meant the club were deducted four points with immediate effect.
May 2020: A seven-point deduction for failing to play a match against Plymouth and non-payment of wages, including the suspended three points from the first case being applied to the second punishment. That took the total deduction for the season to 11 points. A further two-point deduction was suspended.
June 2020: That two-point deduction was activated by the latest ruling - taking the season's total deduction to 13 points.
Stevenage's only hope of a reprieve now is if the National League is unable to assure the EFL Board that their 2020-21 season is able to go ahead.

Discussions are ongoing to confirm that the relegated club from League Two has somewhere to play next season.

Tough month for bottom two
It has been an anxious 18-day wait for Macclesfield and Stevenage since the EFL announced the latest misconduct charge against the Silkmen.

On 9 June, the decision was taken to end the League Two season, but preserve promotion and relegation, effectively ending any hope that both could retain their EFL status.

The EFL said, however, that "due to ongoing disciplinary matters, the final placings cannot yet be confirmed".

Boro chairman Phil Wallace told BBC Radio 5 Live on the same day that "there should be consequences" for Macclesfield, although he admitted there was an "element of culpability" for his club as their poor results had left them bottom of the table.

A statement issued on behalf of Macclesfield's players accused the EFL of "trying their best" to throw them out of the league.

And two days later the players said their mental health had been "disregarded" while they waited to learn their fate.

"We feel like our own mental health has been disregarded at every turn and this has manifested itself in respect of the fact that many of our players and staff have had to battle and continue to battle, with tangible and often debilitating symptoms of mental illness," their statement added.

On 17 June, Macclesfield had a winding up petition over unpaid tax adjourned for the 11th time by the High Court,

And following the panel's ruling there is still plenty of work for the club to do moving forward.

They must deliver a "professionally prepared business plan to the EFL, seeking to demonstrate sustainable financial resources and management to be put in place for next season and beyond" by 31 July.

strange surroundings
obviously no crowds

not sure about the piped crowd noise
managed to watch the first half of the Spurs/Man U Game minus the crowd noise
very surreal

are you lot glad to see football back?

my daughter will be having a baby girl in November
making me a granddad
and seeing as granddad supports the Baggies
she will be following suit non of this following anyone else

She really was one in a million RIP Dame Vera Lynn.

No idea how it's gonna work this time, what dates are involved etc, but we might as well get a new thread going.
I'll start with the news that Leicester will be releasing Andy King. So would you have him sign on full time for us?

Barrow have been promoted back to the English Football League after 48 years away after National League clubs voted to end the 2019-20 season and compile tables on a points-per-game basis.

The Cumbrian side were four points clear when the season was suspended.

The vote also means King’s Lynn Town and Wealdstone will be promoted as champions of National League North and South respectively.

But the decision is still subject to final ratification by the FA Council.

The resolution to finish the season on an unweighted points-per-game basis received majority support from sides in all three divisions of the National League in a vote on Wednesday.

Play-offs in all three divisions will now proceed with the clubs that qualify, subject to competition rules and government guidance on the phased return of elite sport during the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be no relegation from National League North and National League South this season, following the Football Association's decision in March to null and void the campaign from steps three to seven of the non-league pyramid.

The number of clubs relegated from the National League will be determined to keep a 24-team league for 2020-21 following relegation from League Two.

Just one club is expected to drop down from the EFL following the demise of Bury earlier this season.
Barrow lost their Football League place in 1972, despite finishing third bottom of what was then known as Division Four, when the bottom four clubs were required to submit to re-election.

But Barrow were voted out of the league and replaced by Hereford United - who had finished second in the Southern League.

The process of re-election was ended in 1986 when automatic relegation to the National League - formed in 1979 as the Alliance Premier League, and subsequently the Football Conference - was introduced.

"The enforced curtailment of our season does nothing to discredit the quality of the football played and I am pleased that our clubs have overwhelmingly supported the award of their titles," National League chief executive Michael Tattersall said.

"We can now also look towards the completion of end of season play-offs.