v



LAST TIME OUT

PRESTON NORTH END 2 LUTON TOWN 1



LEEDS UNITED 3 CARDIFF CITY 3



LAST MEETING

CARDIFF CITY 0 PRESTON NORTH END 1
Super Tommy Clarke cha


Match Officials: Cardiff City Away
Jeremy is from Carnforth probably travelling down on the team coach






For our final game before Christmas, we will be officiated by a match official we have not seen since the opening home game of the season.

This weekend’s live Sky Sports fixture against Neil Harris’ Cardiff City, will be refereed by Jeremy Simpson, who took charge of his seventh game at Deepdale when we beat Wigan Athletic 3-0 back in early August.

The match official actually took charge of our last competitive home game before that too, against Sheffield Wednesday, back in April, one of three games where he was in charge the Lilywhites in 2018/19.

The Carnforth referee also had the whistle for our 1-1 draw with Bristol City at Deepdale at the beginning of March and the October clash at home to Rotherham United.
Prior to that he had not refereed the Lilywhites since January 2018, when he was the match official for the draw at Millwall, his second North End game of 2017/18; the first being 1-0 home win over Queens Park Rangers in December 2017.
In 2016/17, the select group two match official took the game for our Boxing Day clash with Leeds United and the Lilywhites’ Roses victory over Huddersfield Town in October, as well as acting as fourth official at two home games.

He also was in charge when North End took on Stoke City at PR1 in pre-season that year, and is an experienced official, with plenty of Championship action under his belt.

This will be his 13th game of the season, having so far issued 42 cautions and four red cards, two coming in his last match – Swansea City’s 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers, where a player on each side was sent off.

This weekend he will be assisted by Michael George and Robert Hyde, whilst Sam Purkiss will be the fourth official.

Major signings

Glatzel and Flint at approxiamate tota of £9 million

Unusual with this fixture, it's the fourth time since the beginning of the century that it has been televised, we have won twice and City once, last time was just shy of two years ago when a late Tommy Clarke goal won the game which really did cheese off Colin at the time.
After relegation City have had an average start which in the end led to Colin leaving and being replaced by Neil Harris the ex Millwall boss, who has already got one over on us on the first day of the season when Millwall beat us.
A difficult game especially our inability to hit the net in recent away games were we have been poor, nice early kick off 12.30 which would mean a coach at 5 am for some for me it's television for this one.

THE MATCH

SUNDAY 22ND DECEMBER 12:00PM KICK OFF

v

[b]LAST MATCH



Well that was probably our best performance of the season, or at least up there with the Boro performance & result. We got off to great start with a Rhodes brace having us 2 up after 13 mins, his first a first time finish from Fletchers flick and then a close range header from 6 yards. We continued to create chances and JR completed his hat-trick with a overhead kick       We made it four just before HT when Fletcher prodded home from close range. We saw out the 2nd half, both teams had a few chances, but couldn't change the scoreline as we ran out comfortable winners.

THE MATCH



Next up we are back at Hillsborough, as Bristol make the journey north. Bristol had been having a good season but have lost there last two games (at home to Blackburn & Millwall). They will look to bounce back this Sunday and cement there top ten status. They have a few players you might recognize, Weimann, Diedhiou and of course Jack Hunt. They are still managed by Lee Johnson, who has done a pretty god job overall, and will be looking to get them into playoffs at the end of the season.

CURRENT FORM

OWLS               -                          

CITY                 -                          

THE BASTARD IN THE BLACK

TONY HARRINGTON
Nick Greenhalgh and Paul Hodskinson
Fourth Official : Andy Woolmer

THE TEAM

Barring injury, the same team as Forest, maybe Luongo in for Hutch, Borner for Lees.

Dawson
Palmer Iorfa Lees Fox
Reach Luongo Bannan Harris
Fletcher Rhodes

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

2-1 Rhodes

ATTENDANCE

24324

BML STANDINGS

Washington 9
Stateside 7
Pei 7
Owlkev 5
Imre 5
Wereham 5
Southey 5
SCO 4

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Watford v Man Utd
Tottenham v Chelsea
Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao
Real Betis v Athletico Madrid
Atalanta v AC Milan

AHHAD

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC





One for Washington



The thread awaits the Meggo of Statesides choice.[/b]

Bristol Rovers boss Graham Coughlan has left the League One club to take charge of League Two side Mansfield Town.

Rovers "reluctantly" gave the Stags permission to talk to Coughlan on Monday, after rejecting two approaches.

The 45-year-old has succeeded John Dempster, who was sacked on Saturday.

Coughlan said the ambition and facilities at Mansfield, plus the opportunity to be based closer to his Sheffield home, made the club "an absolutely mammoth attraction".

He takes over with Mansfield 18th in League Two, seven points above the relegation zone.

By contrast, Rovers are fourth in the third tier, just two points off an automatic promotion place and in contention for a surprise promotion to the Championship.

Coughlan added: "I've been living in this part of the country for the best part of 20 years and it's an honest, hardworking area - that's what I am and that's the background I've come from.

"That's all we drummed into the players at Bristol Rovers. If you're not honest and you're not hardworking, you won't have any place at this football club.

"We will be honest, we will be hardworking and we will wear that jersey with pride. That's all I ask of the players."

Rovers 'on road' to appointing new manager
Coughlan revealed he was considering his future with Rovers after Saturday's win at Ipswich, telling BBC Radio Bristol: "I don't know where I can take this football club.

"I've got decisions to make in my own personal life and my own career. I'm going to make that decision with my wife and kids."

Asked if his decision would be based on personal or professional reasons, Coughlan answered: "It's both. How far can we go with the club? How far can we take it? I don't know."

He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal as Rovers boss in January 2019, after an initial spell in caretaker charge.

Chief executive Martyn Starnes told BBC Points West on Tuesday: "We are already on the road to looking at a replacement manager.

"Ideally I'd like to make an appointment by the weekend, but I think that's unlikely."

Starnes has also indicated that Rovers may consider offers for star striker Jonson Clarke-Harris in January.

He said: "Every player has a value. If an offer came in we'd have to consider whether it's in the best interests of the club."

This will be a challenging home fixture for Hibs but it is normally a match that is historically difficult for Rangers down the years. I don't know if it is the pitch or the "atmosphere" in the ground but they have rarely played an easy game v Hibs. Lets hope it remains that way on Friday night. They look like they've lost McGregor in goal with Morellos suspended due to being "sent off" v M'well! So we won't have the pleasure of seeing our "friend" Alfredo!
How will Jack Ross tackle this game? It looks like Maxwell in goal for starters - not a fan but fair enough as not many other options available!! Jermaine Defoe is gonna be a goal scoring threat in the absence of Morellos and I hope JR highlights that fact and devises a defensive strategy to "shackle" him - even "nail him" if the opp arises although I must say he is a likeable character who shouldn't be playing for a poisonous Scot footie footie club like this one from Govan!! Ross will prob pick the same team although I'd be tempted to play Darren Magregor alongside Paul Hanlon with Ryan Porteous pushed into an "anchor" defensive mid role. IMO Allan and Mallan doesn't work in Hibs midfield for me and I'd like to see one removed and "keep" for later in the game. C'mon Hibs and "show up" for this one!!

GGTTH

https://twitter.com/RobPaddockWBA/status...96993?s=09

i will keep this brief(if i can)
personal reasons as to why i haven`t posted,various mental issues
anyways
still managed to get my therapy dosage in over the last few games
(forget tablets,watching albion has the same effect)

I Will Cut This Post Short
But Would Like To Wish Ever Single Poster On Here
A Very Merry Christmas


And Before I Go
The Name Garry Has Changed(by deed poll)
Happy Christmas All xxx

i will keep this brief(if i can)
personal reasons as to why i haven`t posted,various mental issues
anyways
still managed to get my therapy dosage in over the last few games
(forget tablets,watching albion has the same effect)

I Will Cut This Post Short
But Would Like To Wish Ever Single Poster On Here
A Very Merry Christmas


And Before I Go
The Name Garry Has Changed(by deed poll)
Happy Christmas All xxx

So the last 32 draw gives the Hoops a chance to progress v the Danish superleague outfit. IMO it will be a tough test but the draw could've been far worse as one can see that there is a huge number of formidable opponents who will definitely qualify to the last 16 draw and will have a good chance of winning this Europa League. None of these quality sides are from the Scot Premiership!

The prediction league cup kicks off this weekend, won by SCO last year. The same set of fixtures and scores will count towards the 1st round of the group stages. League points are not affected they still count towards the table as they always do

Group matches will take place during weeks 17, 19, 21 & 23.

The top 2 will then progress to the quarter finals knockout stage over 2 legs using weeks 25 & 27.

The winners of those then meet in 2 legged semi finals in weeks 29 & 31,

The final will be a straight sudden death result using the last weeks fixtures for scoring, which is usually around the 33 week mark.

Guaranteed to be a Premiership & Championship predictor in the final.

Let battle commence