Well it is back to league business after another depressing international break where the reputation of Scottish footie has been damaged even though Scotland won 6-0 v the worst international team on the planet.
A match on any artificial pitch in this league is a game full of threat and trepidation - the SFA accepted these pitches and that is sadly the "way it is". Therefore Hecky must be training all squad players this week on an artificial playing surface and dismissing those who "cannae handle this surface" in favour of the Hibs players who can perform at a reasonable level. I can't see us winning this game v a very stuffy Accies side and one can only hope that Hecky's "one up front" plan A, coupled with a tight defensive line, will add an unbeaten result to a wee run of unbeaten games since Hibs' league cup tie v Killie. Will any of our strikers score this week??? I'll be very surprised but one can "live in hope" re this striking crisis finally being resolved!! Even one striker's goal would be a "ray of sunshine" for many Hibs fans - is that too much to ask for in a footie league that is not as high a standard as many people seem to think it is??????

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 * Changed from -2
Incorrect Result (Gamball) = -3
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Score Ball = 1 added Point if both teams score.  !

Correct Result = +2 points
Correct Result (Bonus Ball) = +3
Correct Result (Gamball) = +5  * Changed from +4
Correct Score = + 4 points
Correct Score (Bonus Ball) = +6  
Correct Score (Gamball) = +10   * Changed from +8

As you can see the incorrect scoring has not really changed apart from a wrong Bonus this will be now scored at -3 instead of -2 the reason for this are the gains on the new Gamball scoring you will make (see below) in the hope this encourages you to use it most if not all of the time.

So to the Gamball, the use of the Gamball was tactically not used in some cases last season as the gains we not considered to great compared to the losses, it's for this reason we have decided to change the scoring, The loss will stay the same at -3 but the reward will be a correct result will go up by one from 4 to 5 points and the correct score will go up by 2 from 8 to 10 points !!!
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 2018/19 PARTICIPANTS,

Premiership
                             
1/ Zinman
2/ ST Charles Owl
3/ Derby                            
4/ Bomber
5/ Sanjay
6/ Beefy                                                      
7/ AAA
8/ BBB 
9/ MattWBA
10/ MacLad                  
                           
Championship

1/ Joker
2/ Stairs
3/ MightyBrom
4/ Baggieone
5/ 4eva
6/ Amelia                          
7/ Twerton
8/ Snoots
9/ Lady Jane

                        
                             
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  


Saturday 19th Oct

1/ Aston Villa V Brighton
2/ Wolves V Southampton
3/ Blackburn V Huddersfield   12:30pm
4/ Charlton V Derby
5/ Leeds V Birmingham
6/ Middlesbrough V WBA
7/ Stoke V Fulham
8/ Walsall V Cheltenham

Sunday 20th October

9/ Wigan V Notts Forest
10/ ** Man Utd V Liverpool  

14 October 1967, Coventry 2 Spurs 3.
Greaves 2, Jones.

Spurs 4th in the FL.

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 18th October:
Cardiff City v Sheffield Wednesday

Saturday 19th October:
Blackburn v Town (12:30)
Town scorers:
Blackburn scorers:

Barnsley v Swansea City
Brentford v Millwall
Charlton Athletic v Derby County
Hull City v Queens Park Rangers
Leeds United v Birmingham City
Luton Town v Bristol City
Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion
Reading v Preston North End
Stoke City v Fulham

Sunday 20th October:
Wigan Athletic v Nottingham Forest (14:00)

Tuesday 22nd October:
Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers
Millwall v Cardiff City
Preston North End v Leeds United
Queens Park Rangers v Reading
Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City
Swansea City v Brentford
West Bromwich Albion v Barnsley

Wednesday 23rd October:
Town v Middlesbrough
Town scorers:
Boro scorers:

Bristol City v Charlton Athletic
Derby County v Wigan Athletic
Fulham v Luton Town
Nottingham Forest v Hull City

Bonus matches:
Premier League:
Sunday:
Manchester United v Liverpool (16:30)

Monday:
Sheffield United v Arsenal

Table after Matchday 11:
jjamez = 246 pts
neonfoxinthebox = 244 pts
themaclad = 238 pts
theo_luddite = 234 pts
SHEP_HTAFC = 228 pts
Amelia Chaffinch = 225 pts
ritchiebaby = 220 pts
Baggiebob(BBB) = 219 pts
St Charles Owl = 216 pts
Lord Snooty = 205 pts
Beefy 1965 = 169 pts

A colleague asked which 3 teams I dislike the most.

Without hesitation, top of the list is Spurs. It's totally irrational but I can't remember ever not disliking them.
2nd is Leeds .... obvs.
3rd, I initially said Millwall but bumped them for Posh. Originally because they were always a bogey team but eventually, and still, because of that MacAnthony pillock.

I know we've done all this before but thought it might be ok to remind each other ... and our time in the prem may have changed your selections. Also, we can hope that we get responses from newbies or other boards!

What a great game this could be. Amazing that it is actually happening considering events of yesterday.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/foot...l-20559883
And not appealing this ruling that he can't have any dealings with businesses that are linked to the FCA. In other words, this man is "dodgy" and worthy of being "blackballed" due to a breach of rules during his takeover bid of RFC in 2015. I actually think this position should be escalated up to the football authority, the SFA, carrying out a formal investigation into this breach of rules and if indeed there is also a violation of SFA rules/regs on the same issue.

If you do your predictions after these specified times, they will not be accepted.

Weekend games 12 pm
Midweek games 7:30 pm

Just a reminder that you can use your    on any fixture, but its not compulsory!! Get it right and you will score double points but getting it wrong will result in -2 points, so the reward and risk are there for all!!

Saturday 12th October

Fylde 0-2 Sutton United
Aldershot 0-1Hartlepool
Barnet 2-0 Woking
Barrow 2-0 Dover
Eastleigh 3-1 Chorley
Ebbsfleet 0-3 Maidenhead United
Halifax 4-0 Boreham Wood
Notts County 1-3 Torquay
Stockport 2-1 Dag & Red
Yeovil 4-1 Harrogate

Tuesday 15th October

Wrexham 0-2 Chesterfield

League Table after Matchday 16
Amelia = 238
Dancing = 204
Theo = 200
SaltergateBorn = 170
Lord Snoots = 164
Spireitematt = 156
St Charles = 152
Devon = 98

Steve Clarke looked like he'd set up some kinda defensive solidity in the 1st half and with a game plan that was deployed to stifle the opposition, not lose silly goals and play for a 0-0 score line. His mission is to try and establish some kinda settled Scotland side and attain a run of positive results in the coming months. The first two goals were not "silly" but were world class goals and the eventual 4-0 thrashing has been a huge disappointment and just too easy for Russia!!!! We are not formidable opponents any more and I know, and Steve Clarke must likewise know, that we f####### well need to get back our best players asap and well before the "last chance saloon" play off ties!! We need Tierney, Griffiths , McKenna, Forrest, Armstrong and others returning to this Scotland team!!!! IMO Devlin is not good enough and even Mulgrew is well past his sell buy date. I'd even risk Hibs' Ryan Porteous in a CB "sweeper" position and stuff the requirement for experienced players at all cost!! We gotta do something different!!!! I must say there is a certain "malaise" about Scottish footie and Scotland international team sports in general. The possibility of the Scotland RU team being eliminated from the World Cup rugby union tourney in Japan by a typhoon of massive proportions, compared with the previous one in Japan, will be the "icing on the cake" for me in terms of this malaise being compounded and many Scots just asking the question, "Why is it us poss gonna be another casualty AGAIN in such a force majeure situation"!!!?? And esp after being "done" by a South African referee v Australia 4 years ago in an infamous last secs quarter-final incident at the previous World Cup tourney!! I hope this "make or break" quali match somehow kicks off in Yokohama and "may the best team win through to the quarter final".

The North End curse strikes again, Stendel sacked after we play Barnsley next up Reading sack manager before they play us



Reading have sacked manager Jose Gomes after just 10 months in charge following a poor run of form.

Portuguese coach Gomes departs with the Royals third from bottom and without a win in six Championship games.

He was appointed at the Madejski Stadium in December after leaving Rio Ave in Portugal's top flight.

Gomes, 49, guided Reading to safety and 20th last season, but they have won just two league games this season and lost 1-0 at Bristol City on Saturday.

He is the third manager to depart Reading in just 19 months after Jaap Stam parted company with the club in March 2018 and Paul Clement was sacked midway through last season.

A club statement said: "Following just two wins in the first 11 league games in 2019-20, owner Mr Yongge Dai has made the difficult decision to part company with Gomes and make a change at first-team level.

"We would like to sincerely thank Jose for his hard work during his tenure as manager at Reading Football Club and we wish him the very best of luck in his future career."

Reading won just eight of 34 Championship games with Gomes in charge.

He was backed in the transfer market last summer by the club's Chinese owners as seven new players were brought in during the last window.

They included the high-profile signings of Romania striker George Puscas from Inter Milan and Lucas Joao from Sheffield Wednesday, as well as returns for centre-back Matt Miazga and midfielder Ovie Ejaria on season-long loans from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.

But Reading have scored just 11 goals in their 11 league games this season and despite some encouraging results in the opening weeks of the campaign, they have not won in the Championship since beating Huddersfield on 24 August.

The Royals' next Championship match sees them host Preston on 19 October.

"I have established a strong bond with the club, its supporters and the city, and I will never forget my time as head coach here," Gomes said in a statement released by the League Managers' Association.

"I extend my deepest gratitude to every single member of the club's staff who worked with us, especially to the players for believing in our plan and remaining committed at all times.

"I sincerely wish Reading FC and the new manager all the very best of success in the future and I can tell you that, as of today, the club has itself another fan. Come on URZ!"

Jose Gomes' appointment last December underwhelmed many fans, all of whom had to Google his name to find out where he had previously worked.

Questions were immediately asked and eyebrows raised. He appeared not to have any previous relevant experience.

A charming, personable and stylish man, he quickly made friends in Reading and six wins secured safety in the Championship last season, but hardly set the Madejski Stadium alight.

He was able to spend mega-bucks in August and, for one week only, everything seemed hunky dory.

With seven points in seven days after wins against Cardiff and Huddersfield and a draw at West Brom, surely this was what the fans had been waiting for?

But one point from the past six games and a complete collapse in form means Reading are now looking for a ninth manager in 10 years, which just about sums up the shambolic last decade.