Everything posted by StarkMallard
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 44 - Saturday 18 April
The results: Bristol City 2-4 Norwich City Watford 0-2 Sheffield United Exeter City 3-3 Stockport County Mansfield Town 2-2 Luton Town Fleetwood Town 1-1 Chesterfield Oldham Athletic 1-2 Salford City Solihull Moors 0-3 Boston United Sutton United 1-2 Altrincham Your predictions were great, but the real-life scores were stupid. Accordingly, poinbts are at a premium. But congrats to this round's winner @Fan of Big Tone! At the other end of the table, a couple of us are getting into the Eurovision spirit. Overall, @william1984 is looking almost nailed on for the title while there is a three-way tie for second... Keep your eyes peeled for Saturday's fixtures, which will appear here tomorrow. Thanks for playing!
-
What’s everyone listening to?
Good topic @Chris! I recently switched from Spotify to Tidal - the artists get more and the sound quality is better (not that I can actually tell with the Bluetooth speaker I normally use...). My listening habits vary a lot. Today I've been listening to some ska (The Specials) and some 90s indie music (Belle & Sebastian). I've also been listening to a Faroese singer called Eivør Pálsdóttir (she did the soundtrack to The Last Kingdom). For work one of my go-to albums is The Life and Times of Scrooge, an unofficial soundtrack to a graphic novel about Scrooge McDuck.
-
Who's your Man of the Match v Barnet?
I picked Palmer as well, although he feels almost like a default choice. He consistently does his thing. Yet I feel we lack a character next to him, a Bish type, somebody who steps forward when it counts and refuses to be beaten. Palmer is Mr Reliable, but we need more.
-
Match Discussion: League Two - Barnet FC (A)
I'm so fed up of us failing at the crucial moment and having to watch other teams' fans celebrate instead. We were scrappy, wasteful in possession and vulnerable at the back. "They wanted it more" is overused in football, but it certainly looked like Barnet did today. They weren't special, but they were a little bit sharper, a bit faster to claim loose balls, a bit more confident. Playoffs it is then. I've got zero expectations. Looking at the table, it's agonisingly close. If we had drawn against Cambridge (and let's not forget we were playing ten men for most of that one) and lost today, we would be third now. The bar isn't that high yet somehow we're managing to miss it.
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 44 - Saturday 18 April
Bristol City 2-1 Norwich City Watford 1-1 Sheffield United Exeter City 0-2 Stockport County (joker) Mansfield Town 0-2 Luton Town Fleetwood Town 1-2 Chesterfield Oldham Athletic 1-1 Salford City Solihull Moors 1-0 Boston United Sutton United 2-1 Altrincham
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 44 - Saturday 18 April
It's once again time to dust off your crystal balls and locate your ferrets (not a euphemism). These matches all kick off at 3pm on Saturday and you have a joker each. Good luck! Bristol City v Norwich City Watford v Sheffield United Exeter City v Stockport County Mansfield Town v Luton Town Fleetwood Town v Chesterfield Oldham Athletic v Salford City Solihull Moors v Boston United Sutton United v Altrincham
-
How has this been allowed?
What's the point in having players suspended if they can just bring in a replacement outside the window? Where's the punishment? They've got a reserve keeper, they should have had to use him. How is it fair that Cambridge are allowed to bring in an experienced replacement for their suspended player despite already having an alternative, while we have to do without our top scorer for three games?
-
Football finances : EFL2
I've scoffed at people calling the club's finances "sustainable" before, but this puts it into perspective. How on earth does a club as small as Port Vale lose 6 million in a single season? Were they paying Championship wages? Were fans getting in for free?
-
John Terry to buy Colchester United
Not a fan @Chris? I wouldn't want him owning Notts, but at least he's putting something back into the game (and let's be honest, the 14 million will be just the start with the money lower-league teams lose). I'm surprised more former PL players don't follow the same path, they could afford it easily enough.
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 43 - Saturday 11 April
The results: Charlton Athletic 1-2 Preston North End Southampton 2-1 Derby County Bradford City 0-1 Stevenage Huddersfield Town 3-3 Wycombe Wanderers Grimsby Town 3-2 Crewe Alexandra Newport County 2-1 Harrogate Town Aldershot Town 0-1 Gateshead Altrincham 1-0 Eastleigh @ARLukomski claims the honours this week, congrats! @william1984 is clear at the top now. Meanwhile, I surge into seventh place and it's only a matter of time till I claim top spot (shall I just keep adding rounds until I win?). Keep your eyes out for Saturday's fixtures, which will be posted on Wednesday as usual. Thanks for playing and have a good week!
-
Automatic Promotion: Is it still possible?
If this season has taught us anything so far, it's that things can change very quickly. Yesterday was a bad day and we're now once again hoping that others will slip up, but Cambridge now have a very tough trip to a Bromley side that needs a win to seal promotion. We could quite easily find ourselves in the top three again next weekend. All we can do is move on from yesterday, win our remaining games and hope for the best.
-
Match Discussion: League Two - Cambridge United (A)
What a demoralising and humiliating day yesterday was. Cambridge were very good and started with high intensity just like @theAnticlough warned us they would. MP's game plan was clearly to hang in there and unleash our more creative players at the end. Jones, Hall and Dennis pose more of a goal threat than the side we fielded but offer nothing defensively. I would maybe have replaced Grant for this game. But the performance was unprofessional irrespective of who was starting and IMO you can't blame such a collapse in performance levels on the head coach. The players have to take responsibility. By the time of the sending off we were already out of the game and we were a distant second best against ten men too. The game was gone by the time he came on, but Enoru can't possibly be as bad as he's looked so far. The referee only left him on the pitch out of pity.
-
Who's your Man of the Match v Cambridge?
I'm sure he doesn't take it personally that we're still upset about yesterday. Might have been a good idea to add "the fans" as an option though!
-
Match Discussion: League Two - Cambridge United (A)
Browne and Enoru on. MP has evidently decided there's no point risking Hall and Jones for a complete lost cause and is trying to get minutes in legs instead. As well as losing a game we couldn't afford to, we're getting humiliated by ten men and we've completely shot our goal difference, which was almost the same as Cambridge's at the start of play. Well done Notts.
-
Match Discussion: League Two - Cambridge United (A)
I did that and a goalkeeper disappeared. Not that they needed a goalkeeper anyway.
-
Match Discussion: League Two - Cambridge United (A)
PiesPlayer is broken, I appear to be watching a replay from 2019. How do I fix it?
-
League 2 Updates 2025/26 Season.
Good point @Robbie. In that case maybe we should cross our fingers for a draw, as I'd prefer Bromley to be fully motivated when they play Cambridge!
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 43 - Saturday 11 April
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Preston North End Southampton 2-1 Derby County (joker) Bradford City 2-0 Stevenage Huddersfield Town 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers Grimsby Town 1-0 Crewe Alexandra Newport County 1-0 Harrogate Town Aldershot 0-2 Gateshead Altrincham 1-1 Eastleigh
-
League 2 Updates 2025/26 Season.
Fantastic result for us, if we win tomorrow it'll be difficult for them to catch us. Big if though! It's also shaping up to be a big matchday for Salford, with at least three of the teams above them guaranteed to drop points and possibly all five. As for who I'd like to go up, Bromley are probably done now, plus us and Cambridge automatically and Grimsby via the playoffs. If we don't make it, I'd like Salford to go up so that we're rid of them.
-
League 2 Updates 2025/26 Season.
Bromley beating Shrewsbury on Tuesday night probably puts paid to our chances of us catching them, they're now seven points clear with just four games to go. They've lost only five times this season, so I really can't see them losing three of their next four. It's probably in our interests now for Bromley to sail into League One, beating our rivals as they go - they've got the franchise away on Saturday, followed by possible promotion deciders at home to Cambridge next Thursday and then Salford away.
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 43 - Saturday 11 April
You've only got a few chances left to gaze into your crystal ball now - why not end the season on a high? As always, our painstakingly curated fixtures kick off at 3pm on Saturday and you get a joker each! Charlton Athletic v Preston North End Southampton v Derby County Bradford City v Stevenage Huddersfield Town v Wycombe Wanderers Grimsby Town v Crewe Alexandra Newport County v Harrogate Town Aldershot v Gateshead Altrincham v Eastleigh
-
Colchester (A) tickets now on general sale
Good tip @Sheffield Pie! Every game from now is huge.
-
Prediction league 25/26 round 42 - Easter Monday 6 April
The results: Blackburn Rovers 0-0 West Bromwich Albion Bristol City 1-0 Sheffield United Barnsley 0-3 Plymouth Argyle Mansfield Town 0-0 Burton Albion Gillingham 2-0 Accrington Stanley Swindon Town 2-1 Walsall Eastleigh 2-1 Yeovil Town Hartlepool United 0-0 Rochdale @Fan of Big Tone claims the honours this week - congrats! Overall, @william1984 now has a sixteen-point lead ahead of @magpiejue. I think I need to start to Get Serious™ if I want to win this year! We have a full batch of fixtures coming up on Saturday, so I'll post on Wednesday (tomorrow) as usual. Thanks for playing all!
-
National League 2025/26
Another win for York, taking them over 100 points, while Rochdale were held by Hartlepool. They’re definitely in the driving seat now, although they visit Rochdale on the final day. Is there more drama to come? I’ve been crossing my fingers for York - I think Stuart Maynard deserves it and York belong in the league. If they do, I hope justice is done and Dale come up in the playoffs. Only one team going up automatically out of 24 can be incredibly cruel on whoever comes second. It’s about time the National League was given a third promotion spot.
-
Who's your Man of the Match v Newport?
Ness decisively turned the game in our favour with his two goals and generally played well, although I think he switched off for Newport’s goal. Norburn and Iorpenda were their consistent selves too. Kouhyar was industrious and hard working, but didn’t have the beating of his man the same way as Bennetts did on the other side.