2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 41; v Northampton (home)

Cobblers’ MF Darren Carter, before the game at Sixfields last week;

• "Bury is massive for us. If results go our way and we win we could be out of the bottom two. We've got to stay positive,"

They lost at home, 3-0 :rolleyes: – the same score they lost to Rochdale by, also at home, 11 days earlier ….. :o:o

The thing you need above all else when the Gods aren’t smiling on you, and your chalice marked “Staying in the League” isn’t exactly overflowing, is a settled squad and a settled team; you can always tell the teams who think they’re going down – they’re the ones who sign loads of players :) – either free transfer released, or on loan, or people who are picked up “on a contract till the end of the season” – from the turn of the year to the end of March …………… Step forward, then, Northampton Town, who’ve signed, in one way or another – loan etc – no less than 10 :eek: ; some “oldsters” - striker Alan Connell, 30, ex Grimsby, Swindon and Bantams; former Notts Forest, Snakefield and Crewe LB Gregor Robertson; Ricky Ravenhill – Donnie, among others; Zander Diamond :D, 28 and out of favour at Burton after a career which began at Aberdeen, and got to the Potteries via Oldham; LB Evan Horwood (28) on loan from Tranmere (Sheff Utd, Carlisle and Hartlepool) …………… Some New Kids on the Block, including Millwall’s striker John Marquis (21), who must have been very wicked, because he’s already been out on loan this season to Torquay and Pompey :p:p, striker Christian Lopez (24) a Spanish player who arrived via Huddersfield from Atletico Baleares :confused:; and Brighton winger Brendan Dixon (20) ……Big Clive Platt (670+ appearances, 125 + goals :p:p and previously a stalwart of MK Dons, Colchester and Coventry) left at the age of 36 to sign up for Bury ………… Oh, and GK coach Tim Flowers left following the arrival of ex Oxford Boss Chris Wilder; and I still don’t know why he made that swap; can’t have been for long term security, since there is none in the Football world ……….. Maybe it was for the money? ;)

One real “truism” in football is that if you don’t score, you won’t win; Northampton’s plight might just, then, be created or contributed to by the fact that in 19 of the season’s 44 games they’ve failed to score :eek::eek:, in 15 more they’ve managed a single goal :o:o, 9 times they’ve hit 2 (and over half the times they did that they won), and once they’ve managed 3 :cool: (3-1 v Newport back on 10th August) ……..add that up, and you’ll see that in 44 games they’ve scored 36 goals :(; 33 of those came in the League (the worst by any League Two team :confused:), and the others in the Cups, which they departed without even a whimper; 1-2 at home to MK Dons in the Capital One; 2-0 at MK Dons in the Paintball Trophy; a magnificent :D 2-1 win at Bishops Stortford in the FA Cup Round 1, followed by the 2-0 exit in Round Two at Grimsby, which cost Aidy Boothroyd his job ….

Their 9 wins in the League have been evenly spread – 4 away (Wombles 2-0, 2-1 at Newport and again at Torquay, and 1-0 at Exeter) and 5 at home (Fleetwood 1-0, Us 1-0 :mad::mad:, Newport 3-1 (their only double to date), Southend 2-1 and Hartlepool 2-0); they don’t record/retain goals by loan players once they’ve left, so their leading scorer is Darren Carter (30) – once of Brum, the Baggies (who paid £1.5 million for him :)), PNE and Cheltenham – with 5; loan striker Emile Sinclair (26) – who had it all at his feet when, having started out with Bradford City, Notts Forest and Macclesfield, he then moved to the Posh, and from them to Crawley for £100,000, only to see the cookie crumble where he didn’t want it to; he has 2, as do MF Ian Morris (27, Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Torquay) and34-year old French def Mathias Kuou-Doumbe – Hibs, Plymouth and MK Dons

They have 6 left to play; I don’t think they’ll fancy us ;), and I’m even more surerer that they won’t fancy Burton (5th), in-form (!) Pompey (21st) :D:D or Oxford (7th) :D….. , which leaves them with it all to do away at Wycombe (22nd) and at the Daggers (10th) …..Head to head against them isn’t good; after our 1-0 loss there at the end of November, it’s W2 D2 L5….. in 09/10 they thumped us 3-0 at our place and 4-0 at theirs; 10/11 saw a goalless draw away, and a 3-1 win at our place; 2011/12 saw another goalless draw at Sixfields and a 2-1 win at home; last season they did us 4-2 at ours and 2-0 at theirs; note we haven’t scored in five visits to Sixfields – maybe, if they survive, next season will be sixth(fields) time lucky! :p:p

Deadline for entries is scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm this Saturday, 5th April ………. After putting together a decent run at the start of Wilder’s reign, they’re back to being p***-poor; their last 8 show 1 win, 5 draws and 2 defeats ………….a point a game, which – when you’re three – effectively four – points behind the team lying 22nd – isn’t going to do it for you :(. Being frank, their games at Wycombe, and at home to Pompey, are the season-deciders; Torquay are dead in the water :eek::eek: …… It’s one from, maybe, four for the 2nd drop place, but Northampton have it all to do :cool: ……………… If they can! P40 W9 D13 L18 F33 A54 Pts 40 …………..the numbers don’t lie, and they’re down there for a reason!

Good luck to everyone …………..remember; passion overcomes logic ;) ……………. Keep the Faith :D ………………and thanks for playing!

:alright::alright::alright:

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

3 nil to Stanley please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2-1 Stanley fer me.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

A 2-0 Accy win, please!

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Accrington Stanley 2 - 0 Northampton Town, please.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 2 Cobblers 0 please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

1-1 please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

One hopes not, on this occasion, as head and heart agree for once :eek:: 3-0 Stanley.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 4 - 0 Northampton...Please...

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 2 Cobblers 1 please.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

A good, solid win would very satisfying but not really bothered how we achieve it, as long as we end up with 3 points - Stanley Boys 2 Northampton 0

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 2-1 to almost seal our survival in league 2 for me please.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

not sure which way it will go tommorrow

go with stanley 2 - 3 northampton

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

3-2 To Cobblers.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

3 - 1 to Stanley to zero our goal diff

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2-1 to the stanley

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

:) Accrington Stanley 2 - 1Northampton Town :) Please for me

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2 1 stanley please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2 - 0 to the Stanley please D3N. :)

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2 0 to the Stanley please and then a huge sigh of relief!

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

4-1 to Stanley please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

3-1 to The Stanley, please chaps.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

& also followed by a few drinks in the Crown - it'd be rude not to :rolleyes:

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Two nil to the stanley for me please!

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2-0 to stanley please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 3 Cobblers 1

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

A hard earned 2-2 draw.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 1 - 0 N/Hants

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

The b******s will pee us off ..1-1

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

I am just unsure on this one, would normally say Stanley to win easily [and I hope they do], but Cobblers are a bit of a bogey side, so 1-0 to Northampton please and for goodness sake, Stanley, I do NOT want any points other than right score, wrong way round.

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 3 Northants 0 please

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

2 - 2 plesae

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Ange B has kindly gone away for the weekend however she has texted in a 1-1 please chaps!

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Stanley 5 Northampton 1 please:)

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Accy tom101...accy 2-0 Nothampton

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Cobblers Overcome Logic

I told CrownGrounder he needed to make a prediction every week now - he's got to be the one to blame :mad:. We had no doubts at all :)- just 4 pessimists, 5 drawmongers and a big 31 smilingly confident that after the game we could relax .........:confused:

Ozzy was the only one of the pessimists to get 5 points. The others - Valairian, Dav007 and PMIG (by default again - is he still with us?) had to be content with 3. A few bonuses for predicting their goal amid the drawmongers and optimists. No significant changes at the top of our table.

With a max 25 points still available, possible winners are now down to 14. I confidently forecast that if Valairian, now 24 points behind Teach in 12th, wins the Prediction League, Stanley will be relegated :(

Roll on the Kit-e-Kats. We always play better against top half teams, don't we? Please?? :eek:

On Stanley On!!

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

Chimer,
This is something I have suggested too. But, according to these stats Stanley have an average of 0.92 points per game against the 'top half', and 1.42 pts / game against the 'bottom half'.:eek:
Football365 - Football Stats - Football News, Views, Gossip and much more...

Actually, what I think we both mean is that Stanley play well against 'good' teams, whichever half of the table they may be in.;)

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

With a max 25 points still available, possible winners are now down to 14. I confidently forecast that if Valairian, now 24 points behind Teach in 12th, wins the Prediction League, Stanley will be relegated :(

Roll on the Kit-e-Kats. We always play better against top half teams, don't we? Please?? :eek:

On Stanley On!!

Thanks.... ;)

Re: 2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)
 

:) :) :)