Accrington Web - 2020/21 Prediction League; Game 24 v Blackpool FC (away)

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2020/21 Prediction League; Game 24 v Blackpool FC (away)

Blackpuddle FC

Accrington Stanley

2020/21 Prediction League Game 24; v The Brown Water Orangemen (away)

I've often wondered how players feel when the 4th official's board goes up and they see that they're about to be pulled off by the manager (if you'll pardon the expression) ..... spare a thought then for 16-year old Lauri Suup who, last September, was in the starting line-up for Nomme Kalju FC for their game at FCI Levadia in the Estonian First Division......The Ref blew for the game to start, the ball was passed back to the Kalju GK, and he booted it out of play at the half way line ...... and the board went up, Suup was subbed off, and Ukrainian Vladislav Homutov came on in his place ..... and Lauri's appearance had lasted 13 seconds!

Rules in Estonia's top-flight apparently say that each side must include two 'homegrown' players in their starting lineup, and many of Kalju's first team were self-isolating - so the manager, as required, started the game with a 'homegrown' player; the rules don't, I think, say how long that player has to play for, but if this example isn't a case of complying with the letter but not the spirit of the law, I don't know what is ...... It's apparently also an unofficial World Record for Brevity, beating a substitution by Dan Petrescu (manager of Romanian side Cluj) after 24 seconds for similar reasons in March this year into second place ...... there are UK precedents, though; in 1998, in a game between Lincoln and Swansea, Lincoln's captain Grant Brown was hooked off inside two minutes by manager John Beck, and replaced by Steve Brown (no relation), when Swansea "sprang a tactical surprise" ....... but even so; 13 seconds? I hope he gets another game, otherwise he will look like a Silly Billy when his career stats are published!

And you'll remember "The Battle of Bramall Lane"; well, back in 2013 there was an Italian "Lega Pro Group B" (Third Division) game between Salernitana and ASG Nocerina; 30 away fans (Italian Ultras) were banned from attending for ill-behaviour, and didn't like it a lot, so - allegedly - there were death threats made (which the fans denied) against their own team, the argument being that if the fans couldn't go, the players shouldn't go either ....

The Nocerina players didn't want to play in those circumstances, and had to be persuaded to go onto the pitch; the crowd is reported as 9,000; inside the first two minutes Nocerina made three substitutions because of "injuries caused by not warming up"; by 17 minutes two more of their players went off injured, and two more got themselves sent off (there is another report that after the three substitutions, five more went off injured) leaving them with six players and forcing the Ref to abandon the game after 21 minutes - job done! Except that, according to a note I read, Nocerina were later thrown out of the League!

"A subsequent investigation by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) into the events surrounding the match was conducted. The investigation resulted in Nocerina being found guilty of sporting fraud, as the injuries allegedly suffered by the eight Nocerina players were actually faked, due to the players' unwillingness to participate in the Salernitana match."

By 2015, ASG Nocerina had quit the League (at the level they're been relegated to) altogether.... what happened to the 30 fans, GOK .....

And RIP this week to former Bolton winger Albert Douglas (Doug) Holden who passed away on Wednesday last aged 90 .... Holden played for Bolton between 1951 and 1962, making 463 appearances and scoring 44 goals, and earned five England caps .... He was the last surviving player to have played in the Matthews' Final in 1953, won a Cup Winner's Medal in the 1958 Bolton v Man U Final (the one where Nat Loftyhouse launched the ball and Harry Gregg into the back of the net), and later he appeared in a third Final, scoring but losing; Starter for Ten; which team did Holden play his third FA Cup Final for?

Since they lost 2-1 at Brizzle on 2nd January, Los Tangerinos have been on a bit of a roll .... actually, a lot of a roll ...... P18 W10 D7 L1 (2-0 at Ipswich) GF32 GA12 Pts37 (9 clean sheets!) ..... and they've jumped from 13th to 4th - in reality, too far behind (12 points) to make automatic, but a strong shout at the Playoffs and maybe beyond ...... overall home record is W9 D6 L3 GF26 GA17, and away is W9 D4 L7 GF26 GA18 for an overall P38 W18 D10 L10 GF52 GA35 and 64 points. We shared, you'll remember, a goalless Desmond at ours in December

Two ProperSignings and three Loans since we last met - they now own the rights to CMF Kevin Stewart (lately of Hull, but also on the books at Spurs and Liverpool at one time) and GK Stuart Moore, who's been around the lower reaches (but what he does on his days off is a matter for him), who they acquired from Wealdstone via Barrow, Swindon and the MK Donuts ....Loans are Reading GK Sam Walker, Everton striker Ellis Simms, and BlackCats' CMF Elliot Embleton .... Those leaving town on the last tram consist of MF Jamie Devitt (now at Barrow), Scots striker Ryan Hardie to Plymouth (whose season seems to have imploded), Welsh MF MJ Williams (why do so many Welsh sportsmen have initials, not names - JPR Williams, JJ Williams et al?) and Scottish defender Calum McDonald, now at Tranmere

Little known fact; the French Football news magazine ("France Football", but with a French accent) first awarded it's Ballon d'Or - which honours the male player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists - in 1956; Starter for Ten number Deux; who was the inaugural recipient?

And apparently (although I missed this earth-shattering announcement), as of the 2019–20 League One season, the club decided not to have any goal-celebration music (after a consultation with fans.) For the opening game of the season, against Bristol Rovers, new owner Simon Sadler chose what music was to be played before the match, which included "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, "Swords of a Thousand Men" by Tenpole Tudor, "True Faith" by New Order, "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" by Duran Duran and "Heroes" by David Bowie - what was wrong with Vera Lynn and Dean Martin, may I ask?. We don't appear at the moment to have any goal celebration music either, but that's because we aren't scoring any (many) goals ..... suggestions for AccieStanleyGoalAgainstYou celebration music (which would get played a flippin' lot) on a postcard to the Wham ......

The Tangos have never won the Premiership/Division One title (but nor have we) - their best shot being 1955/56, when they finished Runners-Up, eleven points behind Man U, and ahead of Wolves by virtue of Goal Average (1.387 to 1.369), but they have won the FA Cup - just the once ............

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is currently 7.00pm on Tuesday 13th April. Against their last 18, we've won 4, drawn 5 and lost 8 since we did Brizzle 6-1, conceding four (Brizzle), five (Wombles) and seven (Posh) in three of our games over the last month alone .... you can't really fancy us on Tuesday, so of course - unless Kiwi Takes Another One For The Team and starts the match thread (ands if he does I will for sure Set Mrs Mad on him Big Style) - we're a racing cert for 3 points!!!

And Doug Holden moved from Bolton to play for PNE, scoring their first goal in the 1964 Cup Final defeat by the Hammers after 10 mins (their second was by ex Man U striker Alex Dawson) ..... and the first Winner of the Ballon d'Or - not awarded to the highest goal scorer, as you see, was - being as we're playing Blackpool - Sir Stanley Matthews; or, as he was then, Stan ......

Good luck to everyone! .... Stay safe and keep well! ..... And thanks for playing!

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