[themaclad]

The jewels of the sporting summer have all come and gone Le Tour, Wimbledon, The Open and the World Cup, life is dull there is nothing to look forward too apart from the nights drawing in and the temperature dropping below 70, how wrong could you be Friday night the English football season begins as Frankie boy takes his Direby side to Reading.
Another season of high hopes which can be dashed early on seemed to remember Chesterfield scoring within 90 seconds on the opening day as they stuffed us 4-1 at Deepdale. Endless optimism throughout the land as your team prepares to sweep all aside and win whichever league it is.
First up are Queens Park Rangers who have just been hit with a transfer ban for the next transfer window after apparently breaking the rules for buying their way into the Premiership, surprised to realise they are still getting a parachute payment(the joys of being rewarded for being crap.
Holloway left at the end of the season they have appointed Dutch speaking manager Steve McLaren, his last job was as a consulting consultant to Maccabi Tel Aviv obvious has bank balance has been improved he's back for another crack at the English game.
His last English job was at Pride Park Derby, good news for Steve is weather forecast is decent.


This is a picture of Steve realising last time he managed against North End he got potted within days.




Rangers have signed Toni Leister from Union Berlin but have lost Robinson to Forest and Smithies to Cardiff.

North End personal view staring line up will be basically the same 11 that started at Oldham only doubt appears to be be Johnson and Bodin misses this match after getting a red card for falling over against Burton on the last day of the season and the fact he's now done his ACL means he will miss six months. Maguire also now out for three months so my reliable source indicated we are looking at possibly two replacements one familiar and one who does tend to go out on loan a few times to clubs in our area.

Neil is still hoping to bolster the side with yet another striker but knowing how it works this is the squad which will take us until the transfer window in January
Big season coming up fully expect promotion party at Brentford in May

T'other games

Read v Der
Brum v Nor
Brent  v Royh
Brizzle v Forest
Ips v Black
Mill v Midd
Sheff U v Swan
WBA v Trotters
Pies v Owls
Sky Utd v Stoke
Hull v Villa


Ref Watch: Queens Park Rangers
Taking charge of our first Championship game of the new 2018/19 season will be match official Darren England.

Last season, his first on the Select Group Two list, saw Darren take charge of three North End games, our draw at Middlesbrough in August, the 2-2 clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage and the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in February, so this is his first visit to Deepdale.

Last season he was the referee for just one Queens Park Rangers game, their final match of the season in May, when they lost 2-0 away at Leeds United.

In total in 2017/18 he officiated in 39 games, issuing 149 cautions and just two red cards, his last game being the League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley between Coventry City and Exeter City.

This weekend – like at Aston Villa last season - he will be assisted by Nick Greenhalgh and James Mainwaring, whilst the fourth official will be Tom Nield.

Changes to the ground are the television gantry is now in the Finney we have epileptic electronic adverts and season ticket cards what could go possibly wrong.

Televisual highlights are now on Quest Channel 144 if you have Sky.

It's time bring it on