Accrington Web - 2021/22 Prediction League; Game 5 v MK Dons (away)

MK Dons

Accrington Stanley

2021/22 Prediction League Game 5; v The Concrete Cows (away)

After every flight, United Parcel Service pilots apparently fill out a "gripe sheet" to tell the mechanics about problems with the aircraft; the mechanics sort it out, and put down on the sheet what action they've taken in response............. but the mechanics aren't always for having it .............

Pilot; Left inside main tyre almost needs replacing
Mechanic; Almost replaced left inside main tyre

P; Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
M; Evidence removed

P; No 3 engine missing
M; No 3 engine found on right wing after a brief search

P; Mouse in cockpit
M; Cat installed

P; Noise from under instrument panel; sounds like a midget hitting something with a hammer
M; Took hammer away from midget

Tell you what; that was a bit of a hissy fit rant by Professor Coleman, n'est-ce pas?

And if you've missed it, Burly FC Women - sorry, Burnley FC Women (originally Burnley FC Girls and Ladies) - now play their home games at the Wham ......... they're in the FA Women's National League North (Tier 3), alongside such soccer luminaries as Brighouse Town, AFC Fylde, Sheffield FC and Loughborough Lightning .... they're known as the Clarettes (I'll swear I saw them at the Ardwick Apollo way back when). They opened their season with a 4-0 win at Sheffield, but then lost 4-1 to Notts Forest (presumably known as "The Maid Marians") at home on Sunday gone, and lost again 2-0 at Fylde on Tuesday ..... I'm sure they'd welcome your support one home game - and they're at Derby this Sunday, but at home to Huddersfield on Sunday 5th September, KO 2.00pm

Milton Keynes, eh? John Milton (the Poet) and Maynard Keynes (the Economist) ... well actually, no; the town was built around a village originally of that name which dates back several centuries, but which is now known as Middleton ............ "Mideltone" (which is Olde English for "middle farmstead"), was first referred to in the Domesday Book of 1067, and by the 13th Century became Mideltone Kaynes ............. so the village of Mideltone Kaynes is now Middleton (owned by the Duchess of Cambridge, possibly), and the New Town - now a relatively Old Town (1967) - is Milton Keynes ........ Seemples!

And for what, you might well ask, is MK famous? The Development Corporation planned the MK road layout using a grid pattern of approximately 1 km intervals, rather than on the more conventional radial pattern found in older established places. Major distributor roads run between communities, rather than through them: these distributor roads are known locally as grid roads and the spaces between them – the districts – are known as grid squares. This spacing was chosen so that people would always be within six minutes' walking distance of a grid-road bus-stop, and consequently each grid square is a semi-autonomous community, making a unique collective of 100 clearly identifiable neighbourhoods within the overall urban environment ........... And aren't I glad that I'm not a Town Planner!

Among the smaller villages and hamlets included in the overall catchment area are three – Broughton, Loughton and Woughton on the Green – that are of note; the reason for that is that in that their names each have the "ough" letters, but each has a different pronunciation of that letter sequence; Broughton is pronounced "Braw-tonne", Loughton is "Lauw-tun" (the "ou" as in "ouch" and the "gh" silent), and Woughton - on or off the Green - is "Wuuf-ton" ........... so now, if you're ever down that way, you can pretend to be a native!

MK is also famous for Concrete Cows ........... discuss .....!

There are three cows and three calves (half life-size) in the town; described as "an iconic work of sculpture", they were created in 1978 by the American artist Liz Leyh, and were constructed from scrap, skinned with fibre glass reinforced concrete donated by a local builder.

Liz Leyh was "artist-in-residence" in the early days of Milton Keynes and part of her role was to lead community participation in art. The Cows was one of a number of pieces she created; other examples include The Owl and The Pussy Cat at Netherfield and a concrete Muriel near the leisure centre at Stantonbury. The base figures were metal, with chicken wire used to create the general shape, then stuffed with newspaper. The original colouring of the cows was achieved using dyes - some cows were brown, but courtesy of the council later repainting the cows they all became a uniform black and white.

Of greater fun was what the locals did with and to their Cows; they've been vandalised and modified; sometimes they've simply been damaged, while at other times they've been painted pink, become zebras, become skeletal, had pyjama bottoms added, been beheaded in the style of Damien Hirst, have acquired BSE (mad cow disease) graffiti, and had one of the calves kidnapped (with ransom notes to the local papers). One of the Cows briefly enjoyed the services of a papier-mâché bull. When then-UK Culture Minister Kim Howells referred to modern art trends as "conceptual bull****", the Cows apparently acquired concrete cow-pats. Class!

So; this week's Starter for Ten; Izale Michael McLeod was a quality goal scorer during his career; 492 games, 158 goals ........ he played for MK Donuts from 2004 to 2007 (54 goals in 117) and again in 2013/14 (8 in 49) ..... but he finished his career in 2020 with The Walnut Boys? Who, then, are "The Walnut Boys", and where are they based?

MK Donuts were officially (if retrospectively) formed in 2004, and no longer claim the Line of Succession of the old Wombles / Crazy Gang; since 2004 they've had 16 managers, including 3 in 2004, 2016, 2018 and 2021; currently it's Liam Manning, who worked as youth coach at Ipswich Town before joining West Ham United in 2015, and has also worked as academy director of the US's MLS side New York City. In August 2020, he left one City Football Group club to join another as he was appointed manager of Belgian First Division B side Lommel, and on 11 August 2021, he resigned from his position with Lommel to pursue a career in England. On 13 August 2021, he was appointed head coach of the Donuts ....... other incumbents include Danny Wilson, Mad Dog, Incey (as in Wincy Spider), di Matteo and Paul Tisdale, after he left Exeter (which was mid-2018, would you believe?)

Their Honours Board comprises winning League Two and the FL Trophy in 2007/08, finishing Runners-Up in League one in 2014/15 (which UpPoled them to Le Championnat), and sneaking the third automatic promotion spot in League Two in 2018/19 (behind Bury and Lincoln) ......... last season they finished 13th (one place and one point behind us) with a record of P46 W18 D11 L17 GF64 GA62 and 65 points .... They parted company with 10 in the summer, including GK Lee Nicholls to Huddersfield, striker Kieran Agard (to the UBO), fellow striker Cameron Jerome to the Louts, AMF Scott Fraser to Ipswich (whose signings are now in three figures, I believe - and they're still 20th in the table, with two points from four games - one place and one point ahead of Charlton, who are in the DropZone having drawn one and lost three, with two goals scored) and CMF Ben Gladwin, now at Swindon who are 4th in Ligue Deux, behind Vegan Greenpeace with 12 points from 12, and Harrogate with nine points from nine

They've got four on loan - strikers Max Watters from Cardiff and Troy (Norwegian Blue) Parrott from Spurs, LW Josh Marton from Norwich, and CMF Ethan Robson from the Tangos ......... Five ProperSigned, including AMF Scott Twine from Swindon. striker Mo Eisa from the Posh (who signed on there for four years in 2019 but left after two), and Argentinian GK Franco Raviolli (no, hang on - Ravizzoli .... Now that's pasta joke)

Second Starter for Ten; why did the MK Donuts not have a Player of the Year Award at the end of Season 2017/18?)

Their season so far is P4 W1 D2 L1 GF8 GA8 Pts 5 for 13th place; only the Trotters (Del Boy and Rodders) have scored more (9), but nobody has conceded more (Ipswich also on 8) ........ The Owls and Pompey have yet to concede in the League, and the Long-Nosed Pointy Things (P4 L4 0pts) are the only EFL side without a goal scored (and they've shipped seven in those four) ..... two goal each for Eisa, Twine and the Parrott (there's a kids' book title in there somewhere) .......... and Bournemouth stuffed them 5-0 in the EFL Cup, and they've got Burton, Wycombe and Aston Villa u21s in the Troffy

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 27th August ............Head to head record favours them 5 wins to 2; while we've done them 2-1 twice (August 2019 and December 2020), both at home, they've done us, over the years, 4-3 and 1-0 at ours, and 3-1, 5-0 and 3-2 at theirs' ............ last time out was the 3-2, which they nicked in the 92nd minute (of 90) ........

And Izale McLeod finished his career with Kempston Rovers - known as The Walnut Boys - who play in the Southern League Division One Central and who are based in Bedford ........... and there was no MK Dons Player of the Year in 2017/18 because, due to the club's relegation to League Two at the conclusion of that season and their perceived overall poor performance, Chairman Pete Winkelman decided not to award one.

Good luck to everyone! ............. Keep the Faith! ............ And thanks for playing!

And here's to the next 500 .......

And RIP, Bernard

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