2021/22 Prediction League; Game 24 v Rotherham United (home)

[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley FC

v

Rotherham United FC

2021/22 Prediction League Game 24; v The Millers' Tales

I have some Good News and some Bad News

The Bad News is that owing to Festive Time Issues I haven't managed to write the thread opener for the Boxing Day game yet

The Good News (for some) is that owing to Festive Time Issues I haven't managed to write the thread opener for the Boxing Day game yet (and therefore you don't have to read reams of boring drivel)

BUT

I haven't forgotten the PL thread itself - so while I see if I can get an Opener done before kick-off time tomorrow, I thought I'd at least set the thread running so you can record your wild and inaccurate guesses (where's Wynonie when you want him?) for the Millers' Match unaffected by my meanderings

More when I've finished it; guesses - sorry, crafted predictions - any time you like, starting NOW!

COYR!

Happy Christmas - Happy Boxing Day

Keep the Faith!

[AccyMad]

I'll go for a very hopeful, 1 - 1 draw please

[Chimer]

I was starting to panic about the thread - now I can just panic about the result! Desmond will do it I think!

[DaveinGermany]

2-1 to the Stanley please D3N.

[choirboy]

Stanley 2-1 Rotherham for me please.

[Watchdog]

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Rotherham United

[VALAIRIAN]

Originally Posted by Div3North

Accrington Stanley FC

v

Rotherham United FC

2021/22 Prediction League Game 24; v The Millers' Tales

I have some Good News and some Bad News

The Bad News is that owing to Festive Time Issues I haven't managed to write the thread opener for the Boxing Day game yet

The Good News (for some) is that owing to Festive Time Issues I haven't managed to write the thread opener for the Boxing Day game yet (and therefore you don't have to read reams of boring drivel)

BUT

I haven't forgotten the PL thread itself - so while I see if I can get an Opener done before kick-off time tomorrow, I thought I'd at least set the thread running so you can record your wild and inaccurate guesses (where's Wynonie when you want him?) for the Millers' Match unaffected by my meanderings

More when I've finished it; guesses - sorry, crafted predictions - any time you like, starting NOW!

COYR!

Happy Christmas - Happy Boxing Day

Keep the Faith!

It is NOT drivel, it is funny, educating and always worthwhile to us - the readers

That being said, it is Christmas, so please do not feel obligated my good friend

[andyd]

Stanley 1-3 Rotherham.

[Tommy McQueen]

Stanley 1 Rotherham 1 please

[cashman]

stanley 1 rotherham 0 fer me.

[Kiwi John]

We've got this one..1-0 Stanley

[Stevie R]

2-1 to Stanley please

[mab]

Accrington Stanley 2 - 1 Rotherham United Please for me Its the season for giving Presents and 3pts would tick that box

[ossy kid]

Stanley 0 - 2 Rotherham

[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley FC

v

Rotherham United FC

2021/22 Prediction League Game 24; v The Mick The Millers


As you all know, I'm not much impressed by Prawn Sandwich footie, or over-paid international squads ......... I like the Roy Hartle / Tommy Banks type of football - foggy November evenings, dour defending, kicking the winger over the wall onto the cinders ........... and I have a soft spot for the not-very-good-but-try-their-best teams ........... which started me wondering who, currently, might be the worst of the Euro Top Table (First Tier) teams ......... Newcastle, perhaps? 10 points from 18 games? Derby? 4 points from 22 games - but that's not fair, since they've won 5 and drawn ten but had 21 points deducted, and anyway they're not in the Top Flight? Fort William? One point all season, but the Highland League is too far down the food chain .... St-Etienne have 12 points at the foot of Ligue Un (W2 D6) ........... Salernitana? Down at the foot of Seria A, with 8 points from 18 games (W2 D2) .......... But it's none of them

Say "Hello" to Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth, proudly lying 18th of 18 in the Bundesliga with 5 points from 17 games (with 3 of those points won a fortnight ago against Union Berlin 1-0, the goal from Havard Neilsen on 55 mns), a GD of -36 (13 scored, 49 conceded), and already written off in many quarters ..........The newly-promoted Bavarians, who won three German championships between 1914 and 1930, have the lowest points total of any team in Europe's top five leagues this season: their run of 14 matches without a win means they made the worst start to a season in the history of the Bundesliga .... They're called 'Kleeblatter', which I'm told means cloverleaves, but luck hasn't been on their side in just their second ever season in the Bundesliga.

And a Gold Star to Paraguayan GK Jean Fernandes who, playing in a Cup Final for Cerro Porteno against Olympia, was red-carded before the game kicked off .... having put his rosary inside his left-hand post (as you do), he stood up and made a 'provocative' "cut-throat" gesture towards the rival fans ...... the Ref wasn't having any of his claim that it was "a Brazilian funk music gesture called a 'vapo', which in his homeland is used by footballers as a celebration". Not only did his team lose 3-1, but - he was on loan at Cerro Porteno with a view to them signing him - that prospect may now be sailing down the Amazon without a Satnav ................ (my satnav once instructed me, on the Isle of Man, "At the roundabout, take the first exit, then catch the ferry" ...............)

And congratulations this week to Man U coach Kieran McKenna (no, neither have I) who has just been appointed as Chief Tractor Mechanic of Suffolk, following the Departure of P Snake Esq - a decision which had three other ex Stanley Players "driving home for Christmas" ........ Bet they weren't singing it, though ..... wonder if they shared the petrol costs, what with being out of work ....

I came across a reference to Paris's Red Star Football Club recently, to discover that it's the fourth-oldest football club in France, founded in 1897 ...... being of a nosey disposition I wondered who the first three were, and it seems that they were the Standard Athletic Club (who I don't think still play), Le Havre AC and Girondins de Bordeaux. The Standard Athletic Club's history is fascinating; it was apparently a British Social Club, but with a twist or two .....

"The club was founded on 1 March 1890, in the back-room of the "Horse Shoe" bar at Rue Copernic in the 8th arrondissement. They won the first ever Football Championship of France in 1894, and supplied most of the French team that played the only cricket match ever to be held in an Olympiad, at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games. In its early days, the club was simply a loose association of young Britons who wanted to play sport together in the Bois de Boulogne, but gradually it grew to a size where playing fields were rented in 1906 at the Val d’Or in Suresnes.

In 1922, the historic decision to ensure a permanent home for the Club led to the purchase of the present grounds in Meudon. During World War II, the club was taken over and used as a radar jamming station. Just prior to the Liberation of Paris in 1944, the entire top storey was blown up.

The new clubhouse was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 and 1972."

But Red Star - the fourth-oldest, who play in the Championnat National (third tier) - have a claim to fame that none can match......... So; this week's Starter for Ten (or, en francais, "Hors-d'oeuvres pour Dix") is ....... Which French Soccer Luminary founded "Red Star Club Français" 125 years ago?

Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire. The River Rother (which the town takes its name from) merges with the River Don, and the River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham. Traditional industries included glass making and flour milling (maybe the source of their nickname, on which there is no information that I can find), and mostly around the time of the industrial revolution, it was also known as a coal mining town as well as a contributor to the steel industry.

It's a dump; I've been there. Trust me.

The town was once in't West Riding of Yarkshire, until sum pillock shifted it into South Yarkshire in 1974 ......You can't trust anyone, can you? It had a population of 109,691 in the 2011 census.

The Footie Club came into being in 1925 out of a merger between Rotherham County (1877) and Rotherham Town (1899). The club's roots go back to 1877, when the club was formed as Thornhill Football Club (later Thornhill United). For many years the leading team in the area was Rotherham Town, who spent three seasons in the Football League while Thornhill United were still playing in the Local Leagues. By 1900 the original "Town" had resigned from the Football League and gone out of business; a new club of the same name later joined the Midland League. In 1905 Thornhill laid claim to being the pre-eminent club in the town and changed their name to Rotherham County. who became members of the second division of the Football league in 1919 whilst Rotherham Town failed to be elected to the Third Division the following year. By 1925 it had become clear that two professional clubs in the town was not sustainable. Talks had begun in February 1925 and in early May the two clubs merged to form Rotherham United. Days later the reformed club was formally re-elected to the Football League under its new name.

They've been up and down the Leagues; the best they ever did was season 1954/55, when the top of League two showed Birmingham, Luton and Rotherham all on 54 points (2 for a win) ....... in those days it was Goal Average (Goals scored divided by Goals conceded), and Brum's was 1.957 (scored 92, conceded 47), Luton's was 1.660 (88/53) and poor old Rotherham were on 1.469 (94/64) .. so they missed out on the First Division by 0.191 goals .. and if you're interested, they've made the 5th Round of the FA Cup in 1953 (beaten 3-1 at home by Villa) and 1968 (losing 2-0 at Leicester in a replay after a half-Desmond at Millmoor ...... they did, though, play in the first Football League Cup Final in 1961, beating Villa 2-0 in the first leg but losing the return game 3-0 aet - the winner scored by Peter McParland (remember him?) on 109 mins ..........

Biggest win ever was 8-0 against Oldham in 1947 (Div 3 North); biggest hammering was 11-1 by Bratfud City, also in D3N, in 1928 ... most league appearances was Danny Wilson (459) and most League goals was by Gladstone Guest (130)

They Greasypoled out of le Championnat at the end of last season with 26 defeats from 46 - the most in the Division ......... Nine left, including the (now) much-travelled Matty Crooks to Middlesbrough and Kyle Vassell (related to Darius) to Cheltenham ..... Five Arrived - GK Josh Chapman from the Blades, LMF Shane (Massey) Ferguson from no-one (ie free agent), CMF Hakeen Odoffin from Hamilton Accies, another CMF in Oliver Rathbone from Rochdale, and Arsenal LB Tolaji Bola (I think he had a cousin called E Bola) ... two also in on loan, including Will Grigg (who's not on fire that I can see) from Slumberland

They lost three of their first six - 1-0 at Wigan, 2-0 at home to the Snowy Owls, and 4-2 at home to Fleetwoof ....... they were then 13th ......... at the same time they lost 2-1 at home to us in the EFL Cup Round One, our goals by the Bishop of Wham and Cashie's Bestie (Dion Where's'egone) .... after that, they've gone 16 undefeated in the League (11 wins, 5 draws) - so Cashie's right - but plus two wins in the FA Cup and four in the Troffy .... undefeated since 11th September ....... home League record is W8 D2 L2 GF30 GA12; away, it's W6 D3 L1 GF13 GA3 (yes, you did read that right - goals conceded on the road is three - Wigan, Lincoln and Charlton) giving them overall, P22 W14 D5 L3 GF43 GA15 for 47 points and Top Spot ......... they're at Crewe in Round 3 of the Troffy on 4th January, and at QPR in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup on 8th January ............ leading scorers are Michael Smith (13 in total, Freddie Ladapo (9), Ben Wiles (7), and Daniel Barlaser (5) .... Willy Grogg has 3 (now watch him get a piggin' hat trick!)

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm this afternoon (ooops!) .... they're breaking pots on a weekly basis, it seems, but The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall On You, so we've got a chance (somewhere between slim and nil) .......... and those are the games you win if you're The Stanley ..... Which we are ..... And Red Star was founded (save this one up for a Pub Quiz) by Jules Rimet, whose World Cup, you'll remember was nicked in England and found by Pickles (the Dog - not Wilfred or Eric)

Red Star was one of the founding member clubs of Ligue 1 and has spent 19 seasons in the first division; the club's last top tier stint being in 1974–75. In cup competitions, the club has won five Coupe de France titles, which is tied for fifth-best among all French clubs. While the club have enjoyed only modest success on the field recently, it's widely recognised for its distinctive social culture (apparently)...... Red Star supporters are strongly identified with their support of left-wing politics, social activism and a party atmosphere they create at the club's matches. Which means, I suspect, that they throw things

Good luck to everyone! ............ Keep the Faith! ,,,,,,,,,, And thanks for playing! ....... And a Happy 2022 to One and All!

COYR!