Welcome to (almost) the last prediction league before Christmas! Kick off is Saturday at 3, and remember your jokers!

 

Brentford v Reading

Rotherham United v Derby County

Peterborough United v Ipswich Town

Accrington Stanley v Blackpool

AFC Wimbledon v Crewe Alexandra

Bolton Wanderers v Tranmere Rovers

Colchester United v Morecambe

Leyton Orient v Crawley Town

Tomorrow we (well, the team) travel to Morpeth Town for which I assume will be the first time ever. Morpeth currently sit 16th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the same division as Basford United and Grantham Town, with nine points from seven games. One interesting aspect of this one is the reunion with one Liam Noble...

Morpeth are actually allowed to have fans in, but as the FA deems us an "elite" club (which we are in many respects, of course), this one will be behind closed doors. However, for those of you in the UK the club will be showing it on the live stream - check the official site if you fancy it.

Personally I can't say I'm too bothered about the FA Trophy this season. I was totally up for it last time round, but with empty stadia and a massive fixture pile-up this season it all feels a bit redundant. But it's a competitive match and a chance to give a few players on the fringes some proper match practice so they can get in the groove - perhaps full matches for Knowles, Wolfe and Pilling.

Will any of you be tuning in?

Pilling 4 For a debut, doesnt inspire confidence with his distribution but to his credit, wasnt phased by the Morpeth tactics of crowding him out in the 6 yd box

Brindley 6 Cool head, gave momentum down the right

Graham 4.5 Too many misplaced passes, should be standing out against teams like this. Took his goal well, losing his marker

Lacey 6 Goal saving header towards the end

Chicksen 4 Just not sure about him, got caught out defensively too

JOB 6 Experienced head

Rodrigues 5 Pitch a nightmare for a cultured footballer

Wolfe 5 One good run but midfield was bogged down today

Walker 4 Feeling disappointed, I expect far more class

Sam 6 Should have had a hat trick. Early goal, but missed header and shot towards the end. Positives, he has got a shot on him, negatives touch let him down 

Knowles 5 Goal but didnt really get into the game

Sub

DKE 6.5 MoTM from the subs bench

Enzio 4 Needed to influence more with his talent

 

A lot of praise for Brindley on social media for not giving up a seemingly lost cause, but that slide rule pass from Ruben 

slocombe 6.5 - kept largely not busy but reliable when needed
brindley 8 - good going forward and solid at the back
dke 7.5 - he put another good shift in and worked well with job and rodders
turner 7 - one of his better performances in notts colours 
rawlinson 8 - absolutely solid the best defender on the pitch for me
rodders 7 - did some neat touches and passes but was not a threat enough for me
reeves 8.5 - my man of the match because he ran the show and allowed doyle to have more time on the ball
doyle 7 - several great long passes and just focused on getting notts forward
job 5 - not much to say, he did not play great but he did not play poorly either just very average
enzio 6 - at times he looked useful and it was good to see him defend at times but not much else
wootton 6 - moved well and tried, not much he could do by himself but his pass to reeves was unselfish of him

subs:

walker 5 - he did okay, nothing much for him to impact the game as notts controlled it

Christmas is coming, Father Christmas is trimming his beard, his elves are hard at work and the reindeer are eating all the carrots they can in preparation for the big day. Erm... I've forgotten what that was supposed to have to do with football, so here are the latest fixtures. One joker each, kick-off is at 7.45pm on Tuesday, 15 December!

 

Barnsley v Preston North End

Nottingham Florist v Sheffield Wednesday

Oxford United v Northampton Town

Portsmouth v Fleetwood Town

Southend United v Grimsby Town

Tranmere Rovers v Stevenage

Solihull Moors v Halifax Town

Weymouth v Wrexham

This will be a tough game and for me could define the season, it is a real litmus test for the quality of our squad.

Stockport are 9th with 19 points having played only 9 games, a 2.1 ppg average. Notts on the other hand are 7th with 20 points, but have played 12 games with a 1.67 ppg average. With that points per game average so far, Stockport's projected finish would be 1st, with only Torquay having a better ppg thus far (2.46). Notts are really play-off contenders with our showing so far this season, and given the results and performances, nobody would really argue that. There are limitations on this though, a poor run of only 3 games (for example 2 losses and a draw), and Stockport's ppg would plummet to the same as ours.

Recently Stockport have beaten a 10-man Barnet 2-1, but it is hard to tell how much can be read from this, with Barnet blowing hot and cold, they've been smashed recently by Chesterfield, who, and while no offence is meant, are not exactly Barcelona. Prior to that they'd beaten Bromley 2-0 away from home, which is more impressive as Bromley have roughly the same ppg as us and are 3rd. 

If we win with a good performance, it stands us in good stead that we have the quality to challenge for automatic promotion. Even a draw with a good performance would be OK. However, a poor performance where we are clearly second best and a draw or a loss, then for me we can kiss goodbye any hopes for automatic and settle for play-offs as the best case scenario. A negative line-up (JOB, Reeves, Doyle starting, Rodrigues benched) and 'respecting the point' would be a massive negative for me. If we do that, it indicates to  me that the manager doesn't think the squad are good enough to beat Stockport on our own turf, which would be a startling admission given that top spot should have been the goal for this season.



 

 

http://m.gulfnews.com/xpress/news/trillion-dollar-conman-strikes-dubai-1.2173677

King "Fraudster" extraordinaire

 

Could this be the worst managerial record in history?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49277193

It's a bit morbid, however, I have always enjoyed true crime.

When I first heard of the legend of "Jack the Ripper", I became obsessed with learning more and trying to figure out who I felt was the most likeliest to be the Victorian serial killer.

I am aware of all the current theories from Jack dying in prison, absconding to the US [with two strong candidates believe to have continued murdering whilst there], to Jack actually being a female midwife. I have never really had much belief in the latter myself, I don't think it's likely that one of the first known serial killers would be a female. It's highly uncommon now, most would poison their husbands and re-marry.

Not commit gruesome murders which the police believed must have been committed by someone insane.

It's always been believed that Jack committed the murders because he had a desire to do it, with speculation of him being a butcher, doctor or hairdresser.

What I never believed was that the killer could be someone like Prince Albert Victor, yes it's possible but I think him keeping it a secret would've been incredibly difficult even in those days. I do not believe he had people assist him either, as this seems unlikely that someone wouldn't point the finger later on in life.

Something which has always made me curious is to potential motives which seem quite few if we believe what the police thought back then.

Was Jack the Ripper hell bent on grotesque simply for the thrill and, desire of killing an incident women? That has always seemed very bizarre to me, as a lot of suspects were considered gentleman - with a string of usual thugs/lowlifes.

Likewise, it has always seemed quite far fetched that the killer was Walter Sickert which has become more of a popular theory within the last 10-20 years. A London painter who became obsessed himself with Jack, going as far to painting pictures inspired by the crime spree.

This doesn't seem likely to me, yet has proven to be an interesting rabbit-hole to explore as it's always interesting to read into other potential suspects. There's supposed clues within his artwork, such as letters and, unknown details that only the killer would've know supposedly within Sickert's work. People have even suggested he used his victims blood as paint if you're inclined to believe he was the killer, which has never been actually proven as fact.

What makes "Jack the Ripper" something which fascinates people is largely down to it being unsolved.

People have always enjoyed a good mystery and, there's no larger unknown story out there [well not if you don't buy into America's claim to everything going].

Here's some little known facts of the case.

• Five murders are believed to have been committed by the serial killer [9/11 murders are suspected/considered however but remain unlinked]
• His victims were known for being 'Lady's of the Night'
• The crime was believed to have been committed by a Jew
• All murders happened in London’s East End district of Whitechapel
• It's believed the killer was familiar with the area and knew it well [including having known the polices plans/foot steps]
• Jack took the streets only during the early hours of the morning
• He left quite a few clues and witnesses [something which in this day and age would have lead to him being caught most likely]
• It's believed he had some form of medical training, with a butcher being his likeliest profession
• Killed twice within an hour of each victim
• The Murders abruptly ended after the night that Mary Jane Kelly was grossly mutilated 

What I have always believe is that Jack the Ripper wasn't of a low IQ as the police believed in the beginning, he had some form of understanding of the human anatomy and, that it wasn't done just for the thrill of killing [or a deprived fetish of sorts].

Commonly serial killers kill for multiple reasons and it's far more complexed that saying it was sexual or that he had a hatred of prostitutes. 

The simple fact is nobody will ever know for sure, as much as it's a 'real crime' it's now becoming a myth too.

Some people have taken to the search and, have ruined it - it's vastly polluted in opinion.

Evidence which still remains has become tainted because of poor handling, name throwing in the hope that DNA testing could reveal answers. This is a crime within itself, as how damage to cloth, throws, clothing can occur by professionals in this day and age is beyond me. I do accept, that in the 1880's evidence was most likely to have been a second thought, but it still doesn't take away from the damage occurred by ruining potential leads that could be found with DNA.

The handwriting of the known 'true' letter from Jack the Ripper, sent with a piece of human of organ is the only evidence which is unlikely to disappear.

However, getting good samples for comparison from the suspects in this day and, age has always proven to be difficult.

And yet, I believe this theory has a lot going for it. A lot more than any of the ones I have mentioned in this post, which has taken me quite some time to write - which I am hoping some others of our community will discuss. Otherwise, can I get the last two hours of my life back?  

Why? It's believable that an educated person could hide from being a potential suspect.

Willy Clarkson fits the criteria of knowing about the human body due to his grandfather as explained within the video.

The wig does tie a connection which for some reason has always been overlooked, I mean, until I watched this video last night I wasn't aware of who Willy Clarkson was but it does all make sense.

As for the possibility of him killing due to him being Jewish and, gay - a mere act to cover up this does make more sense than someone getting a thrill from gutting a person. Ties with blackmailing does also aid as to why someone would need shutting up.

Reliable witnesses always described Jack and, potential sightings of being someone smartly dressed.

The appearances given to police also vastly changed which each persons sightings, which does make me curious as to if a known person with the ability to mask his own appearance could go under the radar.

It's like like Jack was hellbent on killing just anyone, the victims seem to have been chosen - otherwise I do believe there would've been more.

In addition, when witnesses saw some of the victims talking to potential suspects it was often alluded that the women looked familiar with the person - as if she knew them. It's unknown if some were the last person to see some of them, but it's highly likely this was the case especially after the first murder as the other 4 victims probably thought it was being carried out by a psycho.

Who knows, but to me it seems unlikely Jack died in prison or took to continuing in American.

Killers who usually get away with their crimes usually continue and, then eventually get caught. Most don't just randomly stop in cases where the police aren't making any actual progress. Could it be that Jack teased the police solely to hide? I don't think so, if strong suspects existed I believe it would've been solved.

Most likely it was someone able to get away with it due to having finished their business/motivations.

Thoughts? What do you make of this theory? Lastly, who has always been your number 1 suspect?

How do you feel this season is going? Would you say promotion is required or would you be okay to see the club finish as high as possible?

Under the ownership of Notts, the club has adapted well to life in the Non League. I get the frustration from time to time, but when I ask myself if I expect promotion I would say that I don't. If we ignore the performances which will be impacted for various reasons, I feel we are making good enough progress under Neal Ardley right now.

Some supporters clearly want promotion at any cost.

There's no guarantee of this. What are your thoughts?

 

Mine would be Arthur Mann, a cracking player for Notts.

Hard to pick a Woking player from a well drilled defensive team performance, but I thought Lofthouse, on loan from Oxford, stood out with his speed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyran_Lofthouse

It's prediction league time again! Get your predictions in by 3pm on Saturday, and remember those jokers

 

Luton Town v Preston North End

Wycombe Wanderers v Coventry City

Doncaster Rovers v Gillingham

Charlton Athletic v AFC Wimbledon

Forest Green Rovers v Cambridge United

Port Vale v Colchester United

Chesterfield v Barnet

Stockport County v Sutton United

Game 15 - The Glovers (A)

Team: Yeovil Town

Date: 12/12/2020

Where: Huish Park

What line-up should Neal Ardley opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Slocombe 7 One good save, one mis communication.

Brindley 5 One good shot but sloppy passes feature again

Rawlinson 6 solid defence

Turner 5.5 Positioning for marking suspect

DKE 6.5 Some good forward positions and crosses

Doyle 6 Tried to make things happen

Reeves 6.5. A goal scoring cross but Wootton failed

JOB 4 Found it difficult to find space

Walker 4 Lightweight, seemingly going missing for long periods

Enzio 5.5 Should have scored...just couldnt beat his marker for long periods

Wootton 4 Golden chance missed in 1st minute. Well marked out of the game

Subs

Rodrigues 7 Tries to be the creative force

Sam 4 Unable to make headway, some poor touches

game management as to how to score in injury time! Booking unjustifiable?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Walker_(footballer)

 

I've listened to the 2nd one first..... again a really good insightful interview by @TheMagpieCircle

Here is my take, reading between the lines:

1) Recruitment: Brano's appointment an absolute disaster waiting to happen ( had he been a head of recruitment elsewhere?..no, I think is the answer)

2) Recruitment : Derry seemingly signed players on "other peoples" recommendations, without ever seeing them play. Jimmy Sirrel did the leg work, travelling up to Scotland midweek to see games... I never got that impression that Shaun put in the miles? he mentioned Greg Abbotts in depth knowledge of L1, L2, Conference...so why did we end up signing the likes of Hayhurst, Wroe, Santos on loan....  It just doesn't hang well together. Bajner being a case on point, signed up on the basis of a call from his agent

3) Budget cuts.... I think people are missing the flip side to this equation. The Trews, probably still had the financial legacy of the Munto fiasco to continually to sort out. Also, maybe, writing without any knowledge...did the Trews have the necessary "dosh" coming in to finance the budgets...hence the cuts being made. I recall Chris Kiwomya saying his budget had been cut by a third...so this was ongoing...

Game 14 - The Wood (H)

Team: Boreham Wood

Date: 08/12/2020

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Neal Ardley opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Another day, another prediction league round. You know the drill by now - get your predictions in by 3pm on Saturday and remember your jokers! The crown is still anyone's...

 

Coventry City v Rotherham United

Huddersfield Town v QPR

Northampton Town v Doncaster Rovers

Portsmouth v Peterborough United

Cheltenham Town v Exeter City

Stevenage v Southend United

Eastleigh v Maidenhead United

Bromley v Stockport County