2020/21 Prediction League; Game 37 v Peterborough United (away)

Div3North · 25-03-2021, 22:44

The Posh

v

Accrington Stanley

2020/21 Prediction League Game 37; v The Commoners

It actually gets more weird by the week ...... the hiring and firing of Football Managers, I mean ................ Graham Alexander gets the push from SalfordMoneybags, and Swindon Boss Richie Wellens is lured away to his doom by the Promises of the Class of 92 (of which I think he was a member); Graham A becomes the manager of Motherwell (known as "The Well", "The Steelmen" or - my favourite - "The Dossers" ) instead ......Wellens wins Salford the Papa John's "Pizza All On and a Pint" Cup, gets five months and thirty games (W12 D9 L9) ....... they're six points off the Playoffs but they haven't won but one in eight ........... so he falls on his sword (really?) and becomes the 41st Managerial Casualty of the season ....

He's replaced by Gary Bowyer, who holds the post of u23 Manager at Derby; Bowyer gets 11 matches to put it all right again (his contract is to the end of this season) ..... and then he goes back to Derby, apparently; well, one article I read said he did, although Nicky Butt (having waltzed out of the Theatre of Dreams apparently in a hissy fit) is supposedly going to replace him at Le Ground de Baseball)! What are they going to do if Gazzer O'Bowyer gets them promoted?

And then there's Neal Ardley at Notts County; well, he was at Notts County (in the playoff places in the Bananarama, albeit 14 points behind Sutton United), but despite that he got heave-hoed yesterday, the owners saying;

"We consider many factors which far outweigh our results in the last few matches and these deliberations have ultimately led us to conclude that we can be better, and that a change is needed to take us to the next level."

They don't appear to have said a public 'thank you', but the clue was in the announcement that they "weren't seeking applications for the managerial vacancy", because today he's been replaced by Ian Burchnall (who?) ...Happily the club came to my aid in that regard, indicating they were "tremendously excited" by the appointment after "extensive research" (so Ardley and Greg Abbott have been for the chop for a while, me' thinks). Burchnall, if you're interested, joins having "coached in the top tiers of Scandinavian football for the past eight years" .... the club added,

"Despite his young age, he has tremendous experience of working in top-flight football and has been linked with several international and club roles since his departure from Ostersund. It's our hope that Ian will be able to continue our push for promotion this season but we understand it will take him time to fully implement our philosophy. He is a long-term appointment and his performance in the role will be judged on that basis. We feel very lucky to have him and have every confidence that he is the right man to complement our model."

And with a build-up like that he'll be toast by Christmas!

And Alex Neil left Deepdabble on Sunday ........... and Danny Cowley duly got Fratton Park FC as predicted ............ and your Starter for Ten; what's the current name - it used to be Moor Lane - of Salford City's ground?

When we went a-Trossaching around the north-east of Scotland a few months back, looking at the Highland League (Fort William, you may remember), we alighted the bus for a brief instant at Brora, which is a village in Sutherland. It has a footba' team - "The Cattachs", aka Brora Rangers FC, current champions of the said Highland League. Further south (Edinburgh) live Heart of Midlothian; current leaders of the Scottish Championship by 16 points from Raith, Dunfermline and Dundee, and finalists in the last two Scottish League Cup competitions .......... the sides were drawn against each other in Round Two of this season's Scottish (obviously) League Cup, playing at Dudgeon Park (which is a doom-laden name if ever I heard one) .......... and Brora beat Hearts 2-1 (Respect!) ......... Long Live the Highland League! #RoyoftheRovers #CharlieBuchan'sFootballMonthly #Showusyourhaggis

It wasn't many weeks ago that everything the Posh did turned to gold .... but they've won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five. It's actually been that sort of season so far; we did them 2-0 on Opening Day, you'll recall - Dion Charles (hope you make the team for the next NI game Dion!) and Tariq Uwakwe with the goals - and they lost two of their first three; after that they won 7 and drew 1, then they lost four of five, then they won four and drew one, lost one, won 6 and drew one (which, if you're counting, means one lost in 15, and 34 points); then Burton, Hull and The Tangorines did them, Rochdale clawed back a Desmond-and-a-Half, and the only team they beat was Pompey (and Blackpool have done the double over them) ..... But they're still second, P36 W20 D6 L10 GF58 (second only to Hull) GA37 for 66 points - 3 points and some goals behind the Tigers

They got something between £5 and £7 million from Brentford for Ivan Toney (still rising, with add-ons) when they sold him last summer, and nowt for George Cooper, George Boyd, Jason Naismith and the retired Bobby Copping; their only signing during the season was ex-Colchester AMF Sammie Szmodics from one of the Bristols (City) ..... Leading goal-poachers are Jonson Clarke-Harris (who they signed from the other of the Bristols (Rovers)) who's scored 22, Toney has 10, Siriki Dembele has 8, and Jack "Two Pens" Taylor (who refereed the World Cup Final in 1974, awarding the first WC Final penalty after one minute - well, if you're going to make your mark you might as well do it proper) has 6

They joined the League in 1960 at the expense of Gateshead and promptly won Division Four, scoring 134 goals, but only beating us once (3-0), losing at Ours (3-2) ...... since 2006 we've played them 9 times, and won 3 (although they've beaten us 4-2, 4-0 twice and 8-2 in that period, so we owe them a Damned Good Thrashing) ........ And second Starter for Ten; including Caretaker roles, Barry Fry and Darren Ferguson have managed Posh five times betwen them; but how many games altogether have they been in charge of during that time?

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 27th March ............... and my admiration and compliments to Long Lost Son for the successful thrill-seeking effort of posting his prediction bang on 15.00 hours last week .............. brilliant if you get it right (like winning an eBay auction with a last-second bid), but a pain (as in "pain", not as in "bread") dans le derriere if your finger stutters and the clock hits 3.01 ........... I wouldn't recommend it! .... and Salford's ground is the Peninsula Stadium, and Fry and Ferguson were in the Poshdugout for a combined 914 games! No idea who was in the Plebs dugout ............

Good luck to everyone! .......... Stay safe and keep well! ............ And thanks for playing!