#im not even that good of a player but he really had 0 defenses against a very simple trap I had

[eternal-necr0fear]

Had a guy ragequit on me in Master Duel because he couldn't go up against my zombie deck, no gameplan strategy whatsoever 😭😭😭

[jd-westan9]

I've been stewing over some thoughts since Fridays game. Putting a read more cause this might get a little long

I'll start by saying that I don't think Edmonton is a bad team. Objectively, they are good. I personally don't know much about the . I mean besides you're two obvious players(which many see as those two who make the up the whole team and honestly it's quite true), they have some other notable players that don't get enough recognition. Forever foreshadowed by mcjesus. Whatever. But I'm not saying by any means that they are a shitty team, no talent, etc etc.

Im a fan of the Florida Panthers. Before the post season I wasn't, I had no opinion on them, had never even watched a game of theirs except the ones that were against the penguins(I'm from Pittsburgh so they are, by all means my team)but they were held pretty high up in league standings most of the year so I had of course heard things over the season about them. The pens didn't make the playoffs so I just chose the panthers as the team I was gonna follow through the post season. Call me a bandwagoner if you want, I don't care. To each their own.

But ive watched every single one of their games this post season. I have grown so attached to this team. It wasn't really me choosing them, they sort of chose me and wormed their way in my heart. I'm keeping them.

But the league is making an absolute mockery out of the Florida Panthers. If you're one of the people who believe sports to be rigged/scripted, well, if that's what's occuring here, they are really writing the script to make them a joke.

Everyone round this post season (maybe not against Tampa but I can't remember anything that stood out like the others), it's been the broadcasters being completely biased to whatever team the panthers are playing. Against Boston and against the rangers, the coverage was all over them both. There was barely any coverage on the panthers. You could get whatever ridiculous statistic about either team but mainly what you would get about the panthers would be something negative; shitty power play, turnovers, etc etc. I don't know how other series faired in terms of their coverage but the games I did tune into, it seemed pretty even sided for the most part.

But this finals has been all Edmonton. You'd be lucky to ever hear a fucking thing about Florida. The cats were up 3-0 and in those three games, all that could be said was what Edmonton could do to get themselves a win, what they could do to get past bob, what they need to focus on, what not to do, you get the point. In those three games, obviously the cats were up 3 wins, they rarely had anything positive to say about what the Panthers were doing. How they were playing. They would just make it all about Edmonton. Panthers score, oh well let's talk about Edmonton. The cats penalty kill has been phenomenal but they can only seem to talk about edmontons pp or their pk. I remember in game 2, Niko Mikkola scored. Doesn't score very much. But during the intermission, they were talking about his goal and I can't remember exact words but they said they weren't gonna make fun of him but then proceeded to make fun of him. He scored a goal and they had nothing nice to say. All they did was laugh and make jokes.

The series has now been tied at 3, and the three games that Edmonton won, such praise. All they continue to talk about is Edmonton. Unlike how when they were down three in the series and the broadcasters and those during the intermission talked about what they could do to get a win, Florida drops three and they have nothing but negative things to report. All the things they did wrong, not being aggressive, defense lacking, sloppy passes, turnovers which lead to goals, their power play being utter shit. We get nothing. They wrote off the panthers back in the first round.

There are also people out there who believe that the league paid them off to drop games. The league wants their money so getting the series to a game 7 gets them a fuck ton of money. So maybe they paid off the panthers to drop three games. If anyone has watched a panthers game or has watched many, they would know that the way they played in those three games, that wasn't the Florida panthers. Yeah I get it, teams can go through a funk, shits not meshing. Whatever it may be. They haven't been perfect in every game in the post season. No team can be, far from it. But how they were playing was so unlike how they are known to play is what also got me thinking what if they were paid to drop these games. If you know the panthers, you know that's not how they play. I'm not gonna go into depth there .

Thats obviously all speculation, no one can obviously know for sure. It just doesn't add up.

The lack of calls, specifically in game 6 in my opinion was just absurd. There should have been a few more penalties against Edmonton. If they didn't take away barkovs first goal that was deemed offside, game 6 would have been a completely different game.

I can't even go in facebook without the nhls page posting something about edmonton. I don't know how it is on other social media with their pages but Facebook is all Edmonton. I only scrolled so far on it but their past 15 posts that were specifically about the cup finals, were related to Edmonton in some fashion. I get it, they came back from being down 3-0.

I'm just completely at a loss for words how the league has completely buried the Florida panthers. They've made them a joke at this point. We have broadcasters who are so obviously biased towards Edmonton(and who were biased towards Boston and the rangers), posts being made only about Edmonton. Us panthers fans get absolutely nothing for our team. We are being forced to listen to 60+ about the fucking o*lers and have hope to hear a little snippet of something about the panthers, even if it's not something positive. Then again they never say anything positive, it's few and far between.

And oh maybe you are thinking, 'you're just thinking this way cause you don't want to admit they are actually bad' etc etc etc. If you think any of what's going on right now is right, I don't know what to tell you. I just don't believe a team like this just falls off like this so hard.(I want to direct people to the very first thing I said after the cut) Not good enough to make a team completely lose themselves like this.

I've seen some posts about players/teams and how they shouldn't use 'deserve' for winning or being in the playoffs, or in the finals. Whatever it may be. No matter how far you got in the playoffs, whether that be only as far as the first round or if you made it all the way to the finals, I firmly believe that a player/team can deserve to be in that position. People can deserve to have things. You can use any other word that you want. But I stand by that and that's my opinion and I'm allowed to have said opinion, as are you.

To whoever stuck to read this through to the end, I'm sorry.

[junker-town]

Western Illinois, Year 40, 2046-2047

The final season of our sim dynasty with Western Illinois in College Hoops 2K8 is here.

Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April 2020 for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.

Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 40, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:

Western Illinois entered Year 39 trying to three-peat as national champions for the first time in program history. We lost two starters early to the NBA coming into the season, but still had enough talent to be ranked No. 10 overall in the preseason polls.

We ran through the regular season schedule, losing only one game to UCLA during the non-conference season and sweeping Summit League opponents once again. We entered the NCAA tournament at 29-1 on the year and earned a No. 4 seed to the big dance.

We beat Brown in round one, knocked off Georgia Tech in the round of 32, beat Indiana in the Sweet 16, and lost to Florida in the Elite Eight. We know enter the final season of my career tied with John Wooden with 10 national championships.

We added three players in our last ever recruiting class: five-star JUCO SF Jerald Obasohan, four-star SG Erwin Walls, and four-star PF Kenny Butler.

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 40:

It feels like only yesterday that a fresh-faced, 25-year-old came to the small town of Macomb, Illinois with big dreams. Coach Rick was hired by Western Illinois to do the impossible: win a national championship with arguably the worst team in college basketball. After 39 seasons at the helm, our tiny program has accomplished that and so much more. Now it’s time to hang it up.

Our journey at Western Illinois is finally coming to an end. In literal terms, College Hoops 2K8 forces mandatory retirement upon coaches in dynasty mode after 40 seasons. All good stories need closure either way. As we start our final season, we have some big stakes attached to our swan song.

Western Illinois has won 10 national championships in the Ricky Charisma era. That ties us with UCLA legend John Wooden for the most in history. What started as a mission to win a single national championship has now left us with a different goal: to become the undisputed greatest program in the history of the sport.

While we failed in our bid to three-peat last season — falling to Florida in the Elite Eight — we did bring back all four breakout juniors for this season. We only lost starting center DJ Foster to graduation. Yeah, it’s been a while since we last published Year 39 (thanks for your patience), so let’s go over the roster:

PG Christano Ngounou, junior, 89 overall: Ngounou made major strides after being forced into the starting lineup last season, and now looks like a rock solid contributor going into our final year. An international recruit out of Cameroon, Ngounou is a fast 6’3 guard with lockdown defensive ability and a slightly above average three-point shot. We have bigger names on this squad who will be expected to carry the scoring load, but Ngounou is going to play a huge role because he’s way better than every other point guard on the roster. We need quality minutes from him in the tournament. Former five-star international recruit with B potential.

SG Bernie Doyle, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Doyle is an incredible talent who enters his senior year looking to fully blossom into a superstar. The 6’9 shooting guard uses his immense size on both ends of the floor. He’s elite at getting into the passing lanes and forcing steals (a team-high 1.8 per game as a junior) on the defensive end, and has a sweet three-point stroke offensively. Doyle is such a smooth scorer and dominant defender that it feels like he has the natural talent to develop into an all-great in his senior year. Let’s hope he’s up to the challenge. Former No. 36 overall recruit from Detroit with C potential. Projected lottery pick.

SF Floyd Keller, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Keller checks every box for a small forward. He has good size at 6’7. He has a three-point rating in the mid-80s. He’s the best dunker on the team. He’s an elite offensive rebounder for a wing with a rating in the low 90s, which helps equip him to play minutes at the four. After a tough shooting night in our Elite Eight loss last season — he went 1-for-7 from three — we’ll need Keller to be consistently great if we want one more run through the bracket. Former No. 101 overall recruit out of Dallas with C+ potential. Projected second round pick.

PF Oscar Fray, redshirt senior, 88 overall: Fray enters his third year as a starter with a fascinating combination of size and skill that could set him up for a breakout senior year. The 7-foot power forward is a great three-point shooter for his position with a rating just below 80. Defensively, he’s the top-rated shot blocker on the team, and also does a pretty good job on the glass. Former No. 118 overall recruit out of Lynn, MA with C potential. Projected second round pick.

C Brody Munoz, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Munoz finally gets the spotlight as a senior after backing up DJ Foster — a one-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player — for his entire career up to this point. We’re expected big things, and not just because he’s tied for the highest rated player on the roster going into the regular season. What Munoz lacks in elite size at 6’11 he can make up for with strength, agility, and rebounding. We expect him to be really good at forcing turnovers, grabbing putbacks, and helping fortify the paint. Former No. 169 overall recruit (No. 6 center) out of Nashville with B potential. Projected lottery pick.

We have an incredibly deep bench for our final season. Center Logan Polk (85 overall) will be our sixth man, and should be able to form a three-man front court rotation with the two starters in the tournament. After that, we have a lot of options but not a lot of good options.

Here’s the rest of the bench: wing Jaycee Queen (80 overall), wing Jerald Obasohan (79 overall), guard Archie Howell (78 overall), wing/guard James Haranga (74 overall), guard Edwin Walls (74 overall), and power forward Kenny Butler (74 overall).

This is really it. Year 40. The last dance. What a ride it has been. We start the season at No. 4 in the polls.

How did the regular season go?

For our final regular season, we tried to schedule a good mix of local schools and historic big conference rivals with a couple in-season tournaments thrown in for good measure.

Here’s how the regular season went:

Win over Bradley

Win over Nebraska

Win over UTEP

Loss to Southern Illinois

Win over Florida

Loss to Northwestern

Win over New Mexico

Win over DePaul

That sets up a rivalry game against Illinois. We’ve played the Illini in almost every season, and we don’t want to end this dynasty without one more dub. The losses to Southern Illinois and Northwestern were a real bummer, and we need a palate cleanser. Let’s go!

Big win, 102-68. Look at Cristano Ngounou hanging 17 points and six assists on the Illini. Love seeing both starters in the front court — seniors Oscar Fray (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Brody Munoz (18 points, 11 rebounds) — each dropping a double-double, too. And how about our new five-star JUCO addition Obasohan chipping in 12 points off the bench? Really promising performance from the boys.

We get a big win over Kansas in our next game. That sets up another marquee game with a program we don’t like very much out of the state of North Carolina: Duke. We’ve battling with Duke on the court and on the recruiting trail for 40 freaking years. Can we end this rivalry with a dub?

Ugh, loss, 88-83. Nice games from Bernie Doyle (19 points, four assists) and Oscar Fray (14 points, 12 rebounds), but it isn’t enough. That’s our third loss of the season. Get bent, Duke.

We end the year with three more non-conference games.

Win over Illinois-Chicago

Win over American

Win over Arizona State

While we may have lost the final battle to Duke, I won the war over Coach K with a significantly better career by any measure (more on that in a minute). Now it’s time to jump into conference play in the Summit League.

Did we go undefeated in conference season?

Yes we did, another perfect 18-0 stretch.

Now we enter the conference tournament. Can we punch one more automatic bid to the NCAA tournament?

Win over UMKC

Win over Southern Utah

Win over UL-Calcutta

We’re going to the NCAA tournament for the last time, but that isn’t even the headliner after winning the Summit League. Im taking home the conference tournament championship, I won game No. 1,171 of my career. That currently puts me ahead of Coach K for the most wins all-time.

We have built a great legacy at Western Illinois. Before we enter the NCAA tournament, let’s take a look at our statistical leaders:

What a year for Munoz. Dude sat on the bench for four seasons before finally getting a starting spot, and all he did was lead our team in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Fray was awesome, too, averaging a hair under 15 points per game while chipping in nearly two blocks and six rebounds per game. It’s good to see Keller and Doyle both hit double-figures in scoring. I’m a bit surprised Cristano couldn’t even put up seven points a night after his big game against Illinois, but the assist and steals numbers are solid. We’re going to need him in March.

The Leathernecks are heading into the NCAA tournament at 32-3 on the year. I can’t wait to see what seed we get.

2047 NCAA tournament

Well, we couldn’t end this dynasty without getting swindled by the Selection Committee one more time. We’re a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. I thought we should have been a top-four seed without question.

We’ll open the tournament with a game against No. 11 seed Syracuse. Sheesh. Before we get to the game, let’s check in on our roster one more time:

I’m loving the way this group progressed through the year. We have two awesome wing scorers with an elite combination of size and shooting in Keller and Doyle. We have plenty of beef up front with Munoz, Fray, and Polk. Ngounou entered the program as a 77 overall and shot up to a 92 in three years without a redshirt. The bench also really improved during the season and should give us plenty of different lineup options in March.

This is going to be a tough run, starting with Syracuse. The Orange have knocked us out of the big dance before, and consistently put together really strong teams.

Our last dance starts now. As always, we’re simulating every game, I’m not controlling the ‘Necks.

Let’s go!

Win, 105-73! What an absolute beatdown. We’ve moving on to the round of 32.

Long-time followers of the series will know that our Leathernecks have always been known as a second half team. It happened in a big way in this game. Syracuse ended the first half strong to cut our lead to nine points, but we quickly turned it into a blowout out of the break.

I thought this was a tremendous all-around team effort. Six players hit double-figures in scoring with no one putting up more than Floyd Keller’s 15 points. Everyone who played recorded an assist. I loved this play from the first half when we set two screens for our five-star JUCO Obasohan that helped get him an easy layup.

Our bench is a big question mark coming into this tournament, mostly because it’s filled with a lot of fresh faces who haven’t played big minutes in clutch spots before. I have to say, the performance of our reserves in our tournament opener was super encouraging. Obasohan in particular looks like a keeper after scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and knocking down a three. We always need wing depth, and he should be able to provide that on this run.

The clear highlight of Obasohan’s night: this sick two-handed dunk in transition for an and-one.

We love to turn defense into offense, and Ngounou and Doyle’s ability to get into the passing lanes really helps us out there.

Speaking of Ngounou in transition: he had a beautiful finish on the break to put the game fully out of reach. That’s what you want out of your point guard.

The win sets up a second round game against Colorado State

The Rams have been a solid program throughout this sim dynasty, regularly making NCAA tournament appearances. We have a decisive edge in talent heading into this game.

We are one win away from going to the Sweet 16 and extended our run in the big dance. One time, ‘Necks. Let’s go!

Win, 109-79! We’re going to the Sweet 16!

We didn’t need to be a second half team in this one. Our ‘Necks blew the doors off Colorado State from the opening tip-off. I thought we played a great game offensively thanks to our inside-out ball movement.

We had five scorers in double-figures in this one, but it was senior starters Bernie Doyle and Oscar Fray leading the charge. We know Doyle is capable of taking over a game at his best, and he was awesome in this one: 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from three. The real story was Fray, though.

Fray was probably the least appealing long-term prospect of our recruiting class when he entered the program alongside Doyle, Keller, and Munoz. That was mostly because of his 74 rating and C potential grade. While he’s always been rated a few points lower than his classmates, Fray’s skill set on the court is so important to us. He’s a massive 7-foot power forward who can protect the rim and shoot threes. What more do you want?

Fray went off in this game: 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals on 9-of-11 shooting. I love watching the big man shoot from deep. This was from NBA range.

Here’s one more catch-and-shoot three for good measure.

Fray might get slept on a little on this team, but he’s absolutely critical to our success if we want to win it all.

I also want to shout-out the bench for another solid performance. I liked what I saw out of Obasohan (11 points) and Howell (10 points). Since we already have two Obasohan clips in this post, why not make it three? Love him hitting this triple in the first half to help us open up the lead.

We’re rollin’.

The win sets up a Sweet 16 game vs. Alabama

We’re now four wins away from ending this dynasty with a national championship. A Sweet 16 game against Bama is going to be an absolute battle.

In our simulated future, the Tide have become a basketball school. This program seems to make the tournament every year, and they’ve given us plenty of trouble in the past.

A trip to the Elite Eight is on the line. Let’s go!

Win, 112-69! We’re onto the Elite Eight!

Say it with me: SECOND. HALF. TEAM. After a tight first half left us with a six-point lead coming into the break, our ‘Necks absolutely torched the nets in the second half to come away with the blowout win. Seriously: we scored 66 points in the final 20 minutes. That was an offensive clinic at its best.

I had a good feeling about the second half when Cristano got this three hit the rim like 50 times before falling. Sometimes you need some good luck on your side.

A couple possessions later, Floyd Keller came down a ripped another three. We finally had a double-digit lead, and we’d never look back.

It was great to see Keller (15 points) get going from deep. He hit all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.

While we don’t have any clips of the front court from this game, they absolutely deserve credit for the win.

Fray turned in another incredible performance, this one somehow even better than his last. He ended the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks on 10-of015 shooting. He didn’t attempt a three (booooo) but he dominated the game on both ends. His front court mate Munoz was almost as good. The senior center finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. We kept going inside — Munoz and Fray combined for 35 (!) field goal attempts — and they were making the Bama defense pay.

Not the best Bernie Buckets game (9 points on 3-of-10 shooting), but I clipped this shot from the first half, so I might as well embed it here.

Elite Eight, here we come.

The win sets up an Elite Eight matchup against No. 1 seed Indiana

Our run in the NCAA tournament has been a breeze up to this point, but I fear things about to get a lot more difficult. Our plucky No. 6 seed is about to run into one of college basketball’s blue bloods: the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers.

The Elite Eight has been something of a bugaboo for us. We lost in this round last year. We’ve lost in this round many times before. I don’t want it to happen again.

A Final Four trip is on the line. As always, we’re watching a simulated version of this game; I am not controlling the Leathernecks. Let’s go!

***

***

***

***

***

***

Loss, 96-86. Oh my gosh. And just like that, our dream of ending this dynasty with a national title is over.

I am devastated. I really thought this team was good enough to send me out on top, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Hoosiers’ outside shooters did us in. Indiana’s guard-heavy lineup caught fire from deep (10-of-21 for 47.6 percent), and our perimeter attack couldn’t keep up. We only hit 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) attempts from three.

What happened to our second half team this time? We were only down two going into halftime, but we were outscored by eight over the final 20 minutes. Tough scene.

There were some solid individual performances. Munoz went out strong with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Bernie Doyle dropped 21 points and hit this three-pointer to keep us in it early.

Floyd Keller just didn’t give us enough on the wing. He shot 1-of-8 from three in the loss. He did give us a little juice in transition, at least.

Cristano played all 40 minutes, and had eight points and nine assists. I really wish I got another year with him as a senior next season.

Unfortunately there is no next season. After 40 years at Western Illinois, our sim dynasty is over. Here are some final numbers on the series:

Final record: 1,177-213

10 national championships (tied with John Wooden for the most in men’s college basketball history)

15 Final Four appearances

25 Sweet 16 appearances

Final NCAA tournament record: 113-27

38 Summit League regular season championships

35 Summit League tournament championships

38 seasons with 20+ wins

61 players drafted

The thing I’m most proud of? After we made the NCAA tournament for the first time in Year 3, we didn’t miss it again the rest of this dynasty.

Is Ricky Charisma the greatest men’s college basketball coach ever?

I think so. Here’s how we stack up to other top coaches in NCAA history in important categories.

Total wins

Ricky Charisma: 1,179

Mike Krzyzewski: 1,170

Jim Boeheim: 1,083

Roy Williams: 903

Bob Knight: 899

Dean Smith: 879

Jim Calhoun: 877

Adolph Rupp: 876

Bob Huggins: 828

Eddie Sutton: 806

Tournament wins

Ricky Charisma: 110

Mike Krzyzewski: 94

Roy Williams: 77

Dean Smith: 65

Jim Boeheim: 57

Tom Izzo: 52

Jim Calhoun: 49

John Wooden: 47

Final Four appearances

Ricky Charisma: 15

Mike Krzyzewski: 12

John Wooden: 12

Dean Smith: 11

Roy Williams: 9

Tom Izzo: 8

Rick Pitino: 7

Denny Crum, Adolph Rupp, John Calipari: 6

Consecutive tournament appearances

Western Illinois: 36

Kansas: 31

North Carolina: 27

Arizona: 25

Duke: 24

Michigan State: 23

Gonzaga: 22

Winning percentage

Ricky Charisma: 84.7

Mark Few: 83.44

Sam Burton: 83.33

Clair Bee: 82.444

Adolph Rupp: 82.1

John Wooden: 80.3

National championships

Ricky Charisma: 10

John Wooden: 10

Mike Krzyzewski: 5

Adolph Rupp: 4

Roy Williams: 3

Jim Calhoun: 3

Bobby Knight: 3

Who is the best player in Western Illinois history?

That’s the big question within the fanbase right now. Before we get to it, let’s look back at our greatest recruiting wins.

We landed five five-star recruits out of the domestic high school ranks during my time at Western Illinois. We also signed nine five-star JUCO recruits, and six five-star international recruits from places like New Zealand (shout-out Dave French), Montenegro (anti shout-out Vitor Andrisevic), France (what up, Kim Kone!), and Cameroon.

The highest-rated recruit in program history was Sammy Yan at No. 10 overall in 2032. He was pretty much a disappointment. The program’s all-time leading scorer was center Vinnie Harmon with 2,452 career points during his career. He was the No. 122 overall recruit and the No. 8 center (those that followed the series or played the game know that centers are always weirded underrated on the recruiting trail).

Here are some more numbers during tournament games only (aka, the games we streamed), from the amazing Leathernecks Database maintained by our fans:

The highest rated player in program history is a tie between small forward Nic Cummings and point guard Duncan Martinez, who are the only players to reach 97 overall. Cummings in particular is a great choice for the GOAT. He ended his career with three national titles, though only one as a starter. He’s top-10 for me, but not No. 1.

The people’s choice for the GOAT is Deke Van, the legendary center who helped carry us to our first national title in Year 8. Deke’s turn from from Year 7 goat to Year 8 GOAT is the most memorable we’ve ever had. We couldn’t have done any of this without you, Deke.

When Coach tell you youre guarding @deke_van https://t.co/RDhmDAPRA8 pic.twitter.com/fm2udgvMZT

— Ryan Thomas (@RTtheSID) May 10, 2020

As the series went on, other great players emerged who finished with gaudier stats and better resumes.

My personal favorite might be Bert Draughan, Mr. Basketball out of Chicago (No. 29 overall recruit), who went on to win a title with us in Year 13 and also starred for our Year 11 team that began the season 35-0 before losing to Michigan State in the Final Four. Harmon is another fine choice. Skip Clemmons helped us win three national titles in Year 23, Year 24, and Year 26. Albert Jagla, Clemmons’ former teammate, played a big role in our first back-to-back championship squad, and is arguably the greatest perimeter bucket-getter in program history.

All-time favorite moment? Impossible to say. The first one that comes to mind is Kim Kone’s go-ahead corner three in the 2024 tournament. Najeeb Goode’s steal vs. UCLA in the Final Four to help us win our second title in Year 13 also stands out. There was also the time superstar power forward Allen Cunningham took off his pants mid-game.

Thank you to everyone who read, watched, and interacted

I started this series on April 11, 2020, a few weeks after the pandemic had shut down all ‘real’ sports. At the time, I was gearing up to cover the 2020 NCAA tournament. That never happened. I had college basketball on my mind, and I always wanted to write something on ‘College Hoops 2K8’, probably my favorite video game ever. This project is what came of it.

I had no idea if anyone was going to read this. I definitely did not think I’d finish out all 40 years like a complete lunatic. I didn’t think I’d write the equivalent of multiple books in terms of total word count.

Just before I dropped the first post in the series, I tweeted this:

Got a real dumb blog post coming

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) April 11, 2020

I wrote around 70 posts in the series, counting the inaugural Hall of Fame induction (read a big Deke Van retrospective at that link) and two posts of my Deke Van x Seattle Supersonics spin-off. I’m estimating I wrote 200,000 words in this series. That’s about the length of “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

I still can’t believe everything that came from this series. The Washington Post wrote a profile on it. I went on WGN TV and did a few radio spots promoting it. We sold a Deke Van t-shirt with Homefield Apparel. Our series inspired a new friend in Japan named Thanh Nguyen to write a pair of e-books adding greater depth to our story. Friend of the program Mike Rutherford did an amazing hype video for our first championship run. When I moved the series to Substack for a few months, more than 7,000 people signed up for email updates and still remain. Our first Twitch stream for the Year 8 Final Four drew more than 7,000 total viewers, and had 2,500 concurrent viewers on it at as we were closing out the win. On SB Nation, the series has been viewed more than 500K times.

What really made the project special was always the community around it. Some quick shout-outs:

The Leathernecks Database is an amazing companion to this series. You can lost in there. Thank you to the diehards to helped maintain it, and reader Evan for starting it.

Thanks to my guy who started the Leathernecks Nation instagram fan page and whoever is behind the wondrous fake Deke Van twitter account.

Thanks to everyone in the Discord who maintained ‘Necks discussion always and forever.

Thank the diehards that came out for every Twitch stream. I don’t want to name names because I’ll forget someone, but you know who you are. I love you all. I also want to thank the readers for keeping up with the recaps, and everyone who emailed me feedback throughout the series. I also want to thank my buddy Scott for introducing me to the game and running through multiple 40-year dynasties with me way before I ever considered blogging through it like this. This series would not exist without him.

What a ride it’s been. As I sim through to the end of the calendar, I’m greeted with this message.

Thank you, everyone. Go ‘Necks.

[starkeysharky]

Batter Up

Summary: Where Scott Reed and his girlfriend swing bats, but can never go to each other's games.

Pairing: Scott Reed x fem!reader

Request: hiiii can u do an imagine where the reader plays softball and she’s dating scott but since he plays baseball he can’t really be at her games but he surprises her once and she does rlly well and yeah thank u!

Warning: Scott Reed, bc the boy came to steal hearts

Word Count: 1,154

A/N I don't now shit about baseball or softball other than homeruns and bases so im apologizing in advance.

Scott Reed and you were basically known as the "Baseball Couple".  He played baseball, you played softball and because of how similar the sports are, you two bonded over them.  It's actually how your relationship started. Now, 2 years later, your relationship is as strong as ever and you both have gotten so much better at your sport.  Because your sports were similar, so were your game schedules. If you had a game, so did he and it sucked because you couldn't be that couple that went to each other's games and cheered the loudest.  Instead, you were on different sides of town playing your own games.

There was one time, when you were like 12, where you went to a baseball game at the park and that was the first and last time you saw Scott play a game.  You only went because your uncle was babysitting you that day and your cousin was on the team. You and Scott didn't even know each other back then so you don't count that game.  Scott, unfortunately, never got the chance to see you play so he relied on what people said about you. To his knowledge, you were normally the one hitting home runs and leading the team to winning the game.  He admittedly felt bad because he’s never seen you play, but he was still your number one supporter.

On game days, you two had this tradition where you’d get each other little gifts and spend the whole day with only each other and not really your friends.  It sounds a little mean, but your friends, the ones that were asses like Bryce, actually thought it was adorable. He’d do little things like: walk you to class, carry all of your stuff (all of it) and even buy you lunch instead of the cafeteria food.  You weren't exactly sure how it started, but you loved it. It wasn't a one-sided tradition, of course. Though he insisted you didn't have to do anything, you felt bad the first time it happened. So now you just get him his favorite food for his bus trip or while he's waiting for the game to start.

“Okay, so your game is here and mine is at that school that's 20 miles away.”  Scott sighed. “I love that we both understand the sport, but it fucking sucks that we can never see each other play.”  

“I know, but hey.  When you make it to the MLB, I can see you play.”  You stated. Anyone who knew the Reed knew that he loved for baseball and wanted to pursue it professionally.

“I swear, if I can't see you play this year, I will call in sick and skip a game.”

You turned to him surprised.  Since you both were on varsity,scouts were all over the place and if he were to skip a game where scouts showed up, it could potentially ruin his chances of going straight into the MLB.

You both went through the day like you normally do and since he had to leave about an hour before you school ended, you said your goodbyes and wished each other “good luck”.

Once school ended, you went to the locker room to change with the rest of the team.  You had your uniform on so you just sat on the bench while texting Scott.

“Lover boy couldn't come?”  Your coach asked. Like anyone else in school, she knew about your relationship Scott and she knew how it sucked seeing your teammates run to their boyfriends or girlfriends after a game.  In response to her, you shook your head and she gave you a sympathetic smile.

“I don't blame him.  He’s going after his dream and I’m going after mine.”

The other team finally arrived as the Liberty softball team was practicing their swings, sprints and throws.  At the moment, the Tigers were undefeated and the opposing team was hoping that they could end their streak.

When the game started, the stands were filled with parents and friends and the sunset was starting.  The game was coming to a close and the opposing team was now playing defense. You were the last person to go up because, according to your coach, best hitter goes last.  

The 2 schools were currently tied so you needed a home run if you wanted to keep that undefeated streak. You went up to the home plate and tapped your bat against the dirt before raising your arms.  The crowd was silent and you were thankful because it made it easier to concentrate on hitting the ball. The pitcher stood across from you and you watched as she stared you down. As if it was in slow motion, the ball started hurtling towards you and as if it was on instinct, your arms swung across your body and made contact with the ball.  Right after the follow through, you dropped the bat and started sprinting to the bases. You watched as the defense players ran after the ball and by the time they started giving it to each other, you had just passed 2nd base. Third base came and because of how close the ball was to the home plate, you slid in and hoped you were safe.

When the word “safe” left the umpires mouth and the timer hit 0:00, you stood and your entire team ran out and shared a group hug.  After congratulating the other team for a good game, you all walked out the gate and on the other side were all the Liberty fans. You were still happy, but your mood slightly deflated when you saw your teammates run into the arms of their boyfriends or girlfriends.  

“You were amazing out there.”  A voice whispered into your ear as an arm wrapped around your waist from behind.  You whipped around and almost teared up at the sight of your boyfriend, Scott Reed, with a bouquet of flowers standing behind you.  “Surprised?”

“What are you doing here?  What happened to your game?”  You asked him, but you smiled as you threw your arms around him and pressed kisses all over his face.  

Scott looked down at you with a smile almost as big as yours and seeing how happy you were was making the long wait worth it.  “The other team had to forfeit because half their team got suspended for fighting with some track kids. I wanted to come see my favorite girl play for once.”

You were filled with happiness and because you couldn't help yourself, you kissed him, not really caring if anyone was against it.  Scott smiled into the kiss and pulled you closer to him and you couldn't be happier. Sure, it was only one game and there was a slim chance of it happening again, but you were happier than ever that Scott had finally gotten the chance to see you play.

[survivorreelsmagicwithin]

Episode 2 - “Y'all. Vote me out fr cause I'm inactive as fronk” - Joshua (through Autumn)

I hate flag-making challenges. I will not be helpful at all, and I hope that someone else can take the reigns and lead us to victory. I honestly feel safe going into a tribal council, but I do not want to test that theory.

Next morning

With Chips and Jules working on the crest designs, I feel confident that we will do well in the challenge. Maybe not the best, but definitely not the worst. I still have the same anxious feeling that my tribe is not active enough for my taste, but I will just have to live with it for now. Besides, at least this is not immunity because that we increase my anxiety by so much. But, I keep forgetting to search the idol hunt which is my bad, but it is just so hard and long that I do not really feel like searching all the time lol

ART CHALLENGE <333 i love these challenges. Jess made my picture 110% better and its super cute. The note that she wrote with it is also hella cute and I love the whole HP aesthetics bc i never got to go to real hogwarts ;-; but i'm sure most of yall can related. The boys weren't too helpful but nick was better than jacob who is sick. Nick was way more active aka jacob said 3 sentences the entire challenge sooooo…. if we lose idk I might just save jacob anyways bc pregame relations.

Won reward, but now we have to win immunity again. I really hope that this reward helps us continue to survive. I don't want to have to vote anyone out. We've been getting first, but I really just want to survive this challenge, its known to be hard.

I think I have been stuck with the second most challenge inept tribe in the history of my ORG career. I literally said so many answers in my version of the story and Jules just fucked it up. And then they got the girl's name wrong. And then they started mixing up characters. I know I did well, but fuck these people. God. Now we need a tribe to get 0 which is very unlikely. I will just resign myself to tribal. I hope and pray that these people have some common sense and do not want to vote me out

Listen. Listen. Listen. I dang knew this story was going to be Harry Potter based. I knew in my brain and in my heart that I shouldn’t have been the one to start that thing. What do I do? Start the dang thing. Oh well. We did alright. I would be shocked if we won tho but if we don’t I’ll be relieved. I def don’t feel confident enough but I really had a lot of fun with my tribe. I really miss this and really hope that my time isn’t cut short! I feel really good about my tribe mates sincerely. And that’s kind of scary! I would hate to see any of us to go and how it’s going to affect the bond we have if we vote someone out. In this moment with Max sitting out, it may be him who goes if we go to tribal. I hope that isn’t the case. I’ve got my fingers crossed for us. Huff Puff strong!

Honestly Jules dropped the ball sis!! But it’s okay, I love her. She’s really nice and I know she tried her best. Plus she’s in an alliance with me and Owen, so we should have the numbers against Joanna or Miguel if we go to tribal. Personally, I’d prefer Joanna to go. She’s kinda domineering, but she’s also an asset in challenges thus far. She is organized and direct. I’ve also talked to her a bit more than Miguel, so I guess I don’t really care who goes.

I’m happy I didn’t fuck up the reward comp and the shit that I drew got us a win!

I really hope I don't bomb that challenge, I answered everything that Kevin talked to me about.... I think!  The rest of them tried very hard but I am SOOO glad that I asked to do my part at the end because my memory of repeating things is horrendous but I'm usually pretty good at bullshitting test answers... too bad I got some of the multiple choice stuff wrong.

I think that if we do lose I am still in a good spot on this tribe and hopefully I won't be in danger.  I feel like I'm on everyone's good side and Max kind of just disappeared so maybe we could just vote him out this round? Idk.

Hopefully we don't have to worry about it.  I smell a swap coming up pretty soon and I just hope I'm either with Owen or with some of the people from my tribe.  I have no idea if they know anyone or are close with anyone in the other houses.

I'm still feeling the closest to Lily and Kevin but I have been talking to Landen a good bit too these days so hopefully we'll be safe or we can all just agree on Max.

16 minutes later

OOOOOH IS LANDEN PAVING THE WAY FOR A MOVE TO SEND MAX PACKING???

He just told me that me, lily and kevin are precious angels that must be protected and that he likes Max when he's around too so that sounds like something... HMMM...

I can't get cocky, I always go home when I get cocky. But I like this.

my host chat saw this first (shout-out to Drewie and Dennis): Y’all I’m an idiot. I thought I only knew 2 people in this game (Owen and chips). Then I remembered I also know Jess, Autumn, and dan. Literally love and respect each of you my brain just don’t got the strongest memory no more. I’m so sorry!!!! I literally just told landen I only know 2 ppl. I’m just gonna try to not remember it happened.

Ugh.....I need to get it together.

I love my tribe talking to each other now that we have to!! Everyday I'm like damn either I'm on the bottom or I'm not the only one with piss poor social game. Ok so... the moment the hosts said we got 1 point, I started getting ready for tribal lmaaaooo. No sense crying over it either because all the tribes basically just had to show up in order to beat that

Like how could we not go to tribal with a score of ONE? That shit's embarrassing hahaha. That's like when your teacher passes the test back to everyone sitting around you but not you so you KNOW it's bad. But you know what? It's all good cause I'd rather us take the L now and get it out the way and we can all laugh about it cause losing won't be funny after long. The real question is: will Gryffindor do this the easy way or the hard way caaauusse we all know who the weakest link is. I just wanna see if someone puts two and two together without my prodding. Chips already said we voting together right and I'm like yes sir. There's no better place than being on the same page

WE WON OMG!! Jules basically gave me nothing, which is fine, i understand, but i'm so impressed that we pulled that off. Absolutely killing these reward challenges really helps!

"Y'all. Vote me out fr cause I'm inactive as fronk."

Tonight we learned Joshua is a feminist selfless man that I stan because he's volunteering to go home without me having to put his name out, which I was going to do. Like imagine if every guy had that kind of self-awareness, to recognize why he should be the vote and then embrace it instead of wreaking havoc. And wanting to see others succeed more than yourself? King shit! He knew when to hang it up and did just that. Like the number of times I've seen a vote get complicated for no fucking reason because everyone wants a fight to the death. Enough- I'm old, tired, and cannot exert too much energy at once. We got a long game ahead of us, not to mention quarantine. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you Joshua. We need more players like you and I appreciate your service

im back back BACK AGAIN with another confessional! not much has changed but a few updates for the sake of these being required :) 1. max has become even more inactive, he's not reached out to me personally since the first day and any time i messaged him after that he's sent me nothing back that i can build a convo off of, so we just have stopped speaking. Luckily this challenge only required four people and everyone else SHOWED UP!! or at least spoke about their availability, while he did not. However in his defense he said he was having some issues at home and i feel for him but his inability to connect has been an issue before he spoke about anything in our tribe chat with us. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but this point my relationships with the other 3 are leaps and bounds ahead of where I am at with Max. Maybe he can pick up some speed if we continue winning challenges but, it's not looking too hot. SPEAKING OF CHALLENGES, well first we lost reward AGAIN, but we won immunity.. AGAIN! thank goodness for not being first or second boot, i always love being able to avoid these early tribals and if i can get to a swap without seeing one that would be ideal, but also if we do go and maybe vote out max? wouldn't be the worst thing. Moral of the story we won and thats exciting! however.. if we didn't.. the first big push of strategic talk came up with landen when he hinted at being frustrated with max's lack of presence which I also share. I do believe if we lost me and landen could have most definitely picked up ruthie and lily to form a four against him, if he even came to tribal. That would be my ideal situation and if we continue on this tribes hopefully it gives me a nice cushion to fall on if we do lose so i dont have to entirely blow up my social game within the first few rounds by voting out someone i've built a connection with. If max can go and the remaining four hufflepuffs can make a swap I would feel good about that, and maybe in the right circumstances we could work together on the swapped tribes because i genuinely like all of these people (yes max too but in this specific scenario he wouldn't be included bc... well..) anyways to close this off i still absolutely ADORE lily, she is fun and our conversations are really good, and same goes for ruthie, hopefully i dont have to see either of them or myself go home before we can really start playing because i think we could do some damage. :) ok anyways this was longer than i thought it would be goodbye

I'm still not over the fact that I was able to answer 7 of those questions right. I have the memory of a plastic fork.  I also love that we are SAFE!

I do kind of hope things get spicy and we swap this round and become two tribes of 9. That'd be cute. I don't want VI to get bored and crack on me. BUT ALSO I think I have solid enough relationships with almost everyone on this tribe... so who knows?!

Also... these hoes really out here trying to search for an idol in PUBLIC. IN PUBLIC. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?

Dear diary, seems like we keep winning challenges, which is great but tbh i feel like every time i give a disadvantage to my team because english is not my first Language, and so far its been a vocabulary test and a listening and speaking test. I mean I knew I signed up for school but damn. Give me some macarena  or drinking tequila challenge and I'll crush it

bippity boppity boo im back again with almost no content kdfasjhdskjfh

Ravenclaw working smarter and we keep winning, period!!! Thankful that y'all put Dan and I together....bc truly we will be unstoppable in these competitions. I kind of want to lose soon though to see how things would shake out, but I don't really have bad blood with anyone. Joanna seems passionate enough in the tribe chat and the challenges, even if she's dry in PMs. Miguel still won't give me anything other than a "how are you," but I hope the best for him in life lol

Still love Jules and Dan, and we made a three person alliance, but I haven't talked with either of them much one on one since it happened.... I really need to step the social game up eventually, but right now, I'm coasting, and maybe that's what I need before I find the time and resources in this game to strike!!

The idol hunt is hard but Dan seems onto something. Honestly he's gonna be a big threat sooner or later so he's sticking around as long as I can keep him! The last two games I've been in I've seen "goats" get dragged to the end and locked in final 3 positions, and then these perceived goats have ended up winning. so I want the big players in this game to rise to the top and fight it out in the end!

let’s say i am como we dice.. fed up with a lot :flushed: a lot meaning joshua starting to get on my nerves a bit! he’s genuinely sweet n all but.. the way he complained about us losing by putting down others work HHH pissed me off. which is why i will be voting him out hehe.. but so far my misting has worked because no one wants to vote me out! mwah

Slytherin killed the memory challenge. We thought we were all gonna flop bc all of us thought we sucked at memory stuff. um well we knocked it out of the park? Ravenclaw got 4 and huff/gryff got 1. We got 7 so oops. I do hope things turn out well for Gryffindor but no one I really know/care about is in that house so I'm not too worried. I hope they continue to lose or even hufflepuff since ravenclaw has 2 of my friends in it.

I have been TERRIBLE with confessionals but only because there's really not been much going on? I have an alliance with Dan and Owen, and even though I wrote off Joanna I was DEFINITELY wrong in doing that. Miguel is sort of the outlier. Our team is kinda iconic though? We've done so well on all the challenges. I might be the weakest link? More to come.

it's pretty sad but the whole tribe has agreed to vote max if we lose, basically he's just never around because of what's going on at home and like thats sad but... we gotta do what we gotta do *shrug*. I'm really feeling good about Hufflepuff moving forward, i've never bonded this much this easily with EVERYONE on a tribe and i just feel like if we keep winning or even if we lose and have to vote out max, we could be a great group for the future. especially i feel great about working with kevin, we dominated eve's game after eve came between us in 2020 that dastardly witch... :P (juuust kiddin. love ya!) but now we could totally do well in this game too i think.....

lily and ruthie are just so sweet and we really bond talking about pretty much anything,, especially lily is a great conversationalist and i just find it so natural to talk to them both. i'd love to work with any combination of people from hufflepuff in the future, hopefully i start sucking a little less at all these challenges. i think i did pretty great on memory :D

So here is the summary of what has happened since last time

We had a reward challenge that was drawing. Mine sucked. Apparently 3/4 so no reward.

We played Telephone. My team didnt realize that details are the most important parts of that and didnt share then with Autumn so Autumn didnt share them with me. Then I didnt know them when asked about them.

We scored 1 point and lost. Since I still have no alliance I'm scared that it could be me. So I kind of got an idea how everyone was feeling.

Juls let me know she wanted to vote Joshua and- it's not me so that's fine!

Then I was talking to Autumn about it and - OOP! Josh asked to be voted out. So unless he plays an idol I'm supposing he is leaving after asking to go.

woo my tribe won immunity!! we are safe! i’m glad bc i’m forming good relationships with ppl on my tribe. i think we all get along rly well so i hope we keep winning. the challenge was fun and i slayed bc i’m skinny mwah

Ya know what’s refreshing? Being on a tribe that actually wins!!! The last three games I’ve played I’ve been on flop ass starting tribes.

Now we’ll lose every challenge

10 minutes later

This sickening bitch just found a hidden immunity idol!!!! Good until f6 L A D I E S!!!!!!

HI BARBS SO I WAS GROUNDED SO I MISSED THE CHALLENGE BUT MY HUFFLEPUFF BABS SLAYED SM SO IM LIVING

CONFESSIONAL 2.1 —

Not much strategy has happened this episode, just simply tribal bonding! We are SlytherWINNING, getting reward and immunity this time! How wonderful.

Regarding my tribe mates, I love all three. I pray, pray, pray we make swap, i do Noh want to be a dirty bad guy and have to vote one out.. yet. Haha.

I was drunk during immunity, one full glass of rum & coke, so I am shocked that we won immunity. Honestly, I feel silly admitting I was drunk to my tribe because... if I can do that when drunk, imagine if I was sober. Competition Beast, duh.

I also gave up my run this round for the tribe to use. Was partially social, partially I just do not understand how to do the Hunt, so I might as well help the greater good. Either way, it comes off positively.

Hoping for a smooth journey for a little longer!

x nick

Joshue has basically quit at this point so I have no fear going into tribal

[gaysols]

last night i accidentally sent @xukns 78 texts talking about the olympics

i have decided to put my thoughts here so i can spam them and put them out into the universe without spamming her phone bc i need to talk hockey with someone and everyone is asleep

everyone is free to read my bullshit

pls enjoy me watching japan vs sweden womens hockey

any time an athlete is canadian born im on their team @ japan u have a fan make me proud

japan hasnt ever won an olympic hockey game i rlly hope this is their time tbh i love a good underdog

ive played on the olympic ice surface in calgary and let me tell u the ice surfaces are so big they looks like little ants

team japan is so cute they give their goalie hugs and pats on the head whenever she does something

yikes 1-0 sweden it was a good shot tho like that took some skill i dont know how anyone could save that rough deal for japan

my dog is sitting on my foot and i can feel her heart beating on said foot and its a weird feeling

lmao a japanese player almost took out the ref yikes but they get a power play now fuk u sweden ur not supposed to trip people

they keep playing kpop between plays i dig this

yikes some of these japanese players need to work on their stride bc theyre fast but their technical skill is sloppy they need to extend and they could be so much faster

ooh the swedish centerman just blocked a shot that looked like it hurt but it was a good block

sweden is literally standing still behind the net go fuckign get her 

yeah sweden has some good speed too frick this is a fast game

oh shit japan has some good passing skills 

sweden is a lot more experienced and the better team, but japan has so much passing skill their passing game is so impressive

awe team canada is in the audience

i wonder if team canada had to buy tickets or if theyre allowed in to watch because theyre competitors

oooh great save by the japanese goalie

tHERE WAS ALMOST A FIGHT IN FRONT OF THE NET

lmao japan was totally offside but thats okay ill forgive them

tHEYRE PLAYING TONIGHT BY BIGBANG im boppin

this is supposed to be a no hit game but there is some chippy shit happening against the boards

oh shit japan almost scored that was close

im crying the canadian member of japan’s team is by far their best player shes from alberta too coincidence i think not

sweden’s goalie is on fire

japan has had possession for most of this period, they just can generate anything and id ont know if thats because their forwards are bad or swedens defense are too good

lmao the refs are american thats why theyre not calling any body contact shit 

okay again; why the fuck is wayne gretzky in this ad he played in one olympics and lost

this is a well matched game tbh japan has had so many really good scoring chances

oh shit osawa had a nice breakaway 

japan needs to shoot harder tbh bc those’ll go through

JAPAN JUST MADE ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING SAVES IVE EVER SEEN FUCK

that was a great first period frick

lmaoooo the graphics are so shady its talking about canada’s schedule and theres an asterix beside USA and its like (canada has won four straight games against USA in the olympics) i am in tears im laughing so hard im sorry

team canada cuddling on the ice during n giving each other support? i support this gay shit

I DIDNT KNOW CASSIE CAMPBELL WAS COMMENTATING I LOVE HER SHES A LEGEND

Osawa is such a good player

if japan is going to score theyre going to need to get in close because they dont have the power to score from the point

Kubo has a great shot shes the exception to the above comment

oh my god Kubo goft a penalty and she gave the biggest eyeroll you would have been proud

japan’s defense need to work on their skating technique like they’re shuffling awkwardly but if they could do c-cuts and lateral movemnts they’d be so much more dynamic

literally sweden is one of the top four women’s hockey superpowers and japan is toe to toe with them im really impressed

theyre playing tonight again i mean i dont mind i love bigbang but fam they have so many songs u can pick another one too

japan hAS HAVE SO MANY GOOD CHANCES theyre overdue for a goal

heyyyy THEY SCORED its 1-1

now theyre playing view by shinee im emo

an even better second period

sweden scored again frick 2-1 Sweden

okay so the refs are yelling at them in english but like....how many of them speak english thats the question

lmao sweden cant stay out of the box

hey now they playin excuse me by aoa

fujimoto is an amazing goalie

JAPAN IS PULLING THEIR GOALIE LITERALLY WHAT THE FUCK HOW DARE THEY

chungha is playing but i cant even be happy because THEY PULLED THEIR GOALIE

sweden got a penalty but tbh i thought japan would she kicked at the girl

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo i hate empty netssssssss

fucking japan is so lucky that puck missed the net

oh well sweden wins 2-1 anyone who pulls their goalie deserves to lose

[gadgetsrevv]

Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool LIVE: Score, Roberto Firmino doubles lead after VAR disallows goal | Football | Sport

CHELSEA 0-2 LIVERPOOL – TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (14), FIRMINO (29)

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Tomori, Azpilicueta, Emerson, Jorginho, Kovacic, Kante, Willian, Mount, Abraham

Liverpool XI: Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Mane, Firmino

Trent Alexander-Anrold opens the scoring with powerful free-kick

Cesar Azpilicueta goal disallowed for offside – VAR ruling

Firmino doubles Liverpool’s lead three minutes later with header

CHELSEA 0-2 LIVERPOOL

57: Some nice stuff from Chelsea going forward. Willian switches play to the left flank where Marcos Alonso opts to prod it to Jorginho. He spots Willian’s run down the right but the pass is overcooked.

54: Chaos inside the Chelsea penalty area. Trent’s low cross from the byline is turned towards his own goal by Azpilicueta, and Kepa claws it away. Everyone’s expecting the referee to look at his watch to check the goal line technology but the linesman’s flag is raised.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

51: It’s been all Liverpool since the resumption. Jurgen Klopp’s side want a third to put this to bed. And y’know what? I suspect they’ll get it.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

48: Save! Could and probably should be 3-0. Trent loops a cross over to the unmarked Firmino at the back post. The Brazilian volleys it towards goal and Kepa manages to palm it wide of the target. Brilliant left-handed save.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

CHELSEA 0-2 LIVERPOOL

45: And we’re back underway. Graeme Souness thinks Mason Mount was clearly offside and came out with an odd analogy. “You can’t be a little bit pregnant, you’re either onside or you’re offside,” he told Sky Sports.

Always a pleasure to hear your thoughts, Graeme…

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Twitter round-up

Hasan: I just can’t describe how much I love Vigil Van Dijk.. Colossus. Bargain of the century.

Alan: I’ve been saying it since April; VAR is the death of football as we know it. ‘Clear and Obvious’ has been replaced by microscopes and an almost perverse enjoyment in destroying teams’ hopes.

Nate: That high Liverpool press is even giving me anxiety and I’m sat in the pub.

I’m sure there’s a remedy for that in the pub, Nate…

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

CHELSEA 0-2 LIVERPOOL

HT: Well an action-packed first 45 minutes comes to a close with Liverpool boasting a two-goal lead. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s powerful free-kick gave the visitors the perfect start and Roberto Firmino punished Chelsea, who were still reeling from the disallowed goal.

47: Spillage! Marcos Alonso sweeps a cross in from the left and Adrian spills it. Willian and Tammy Abraham look to convert the rebound but the Liverpool goalkeeper recovers.

45: Three minutes added time.

43: Things go from bad to worse for Arsenal, who are trailing Aston Villa at home, are now down to ten with Ainsley Maitland-Niles sent off for a second bookable offence.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

41: Yep, Andreas Christensen off and Kurt Zouma replaces him. That’s two enforced changes that Frank Lampard has made now. Just one substitution left at his disposal.

38: Not good news for Chelsea as Christensen stays down injured after that block. Looks to have done something to his shoulder. Kurt Zouma starts warming up on the sidelines.

36: Mohamed Salah goes past Tomori like he’s not there and cuts inside onto his left. He tries to curl it into the far corner but Christensen makes a decent block.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

34: Quick update from the Emirates… Arsenal are losing. John McGinn gave Aston Villa the lead in the 20th-minute.

31: Tough one for Chelsea to swallow that. It’s clearly rattled Frank Lampard’s side, who are struggling to rebuild. Another blow sees Tammy Abraham on the deck after some no-nonsense goalkeeping from Adrian.

CHELSEA 0-2 LIVERPOOL – FIRMINO

29: GOAL! The ultimate sucker-punch! Two minutes after Chelsea think they’ve equalised – Liverpool double their advantage!

It’s poor defending from the hosts as Andrew Robertson drifts a free-kick into the penalty area, where Roberto Firmino rises highest to head home.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

27: Disallowed! Chelsea are celebrating… but it doesn’t last long because VAR has ruled it out.

Mason Mount collects the ball and drives down the left before clipping it into the penalty area. Adrian makes a terrific reflex save to prevent an own goal before Cesar Azpilicueta prods home the rebound. VAR shows Mount was fractionally offside in the build up.

24: Huge chance. Massive chance. Big miss. Tammy Abraham peels off Joel Matip and finds himself one-on-one with Adrian. Everyone’s expecting the net to ripple but the Liverpool goalkeeper makes the stop from a fairly tame effort. Frank Lampard swipes the air in frustration.

21: Booked! Fikayo Tomori goes in the book for sliding in on Jordan Henderson for no real reason. The centre-back now has 70 minutes to last against the most potent front three in world football.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

24: Huge chance. Massive chance. Big miss. Tammy Abraham peels off Joel Matip and finds himself one-on-one with Adrian. Everyone’s expecting the net to ripple but the Liverpool goalkeeper makes the stop from a fairly tame effort. Frank Lampard swipes the air in frustration.

21: Booked! Fikayo Tomori goes in the book for sliding in on Jordan Henderson for no real reason. The centre-back now has 70 minutes to last against the most potent front three in world football.

18: Alonso wastes no time getting involved when flying down the left and drilling another dangerous ball in. Liverpool clear.

17: Frank Lampard does indeed send on Marcos Alonso, who replaces the injured Emerson. Not a change Frank Lampard wanted to make this early in the afternoon.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

CHELSEA 0-1 LIVERPOOL – TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD

14: GOAL! Bang! When Trent Alexander-Arnold hits them – they stay hit!

Sadio Mane draws the foul from Andreas Christensen just outside the penalty area and the writing is on the wall. Mohamed Salah rolls the ball to the full-back, who absolutely leathers it past the driving Kepa. Thunderbolt.

11: Close! Mason Mount drives down the left channel and sweeps a lovely cross into the middle, but neither Tammy Abraham or Willian could connected Liverpool hack it away.

I spy Marcos Alonso being readied on the the sidelines… not quite sure who he’s going to replace.

8: As you’d expect, Liverpool have started the stronger. Jurgen Klopp’s side look more assured and relaxed as they probe from left to right trying to stretch this young Chelsea side.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

5: The Steven Gerrard song is getting an early run out at Stamford Bridge. What else did you expect?

For matter on the field, nothing much has happened in these early stages. In fact, nothing has happened aside from Willian hitting the deck clutching his back after a strong challenge from Virgil Van Dijk.

3: Apparently that Eden Hazard banner is a show of support from Chelsea fans after his 2/10 rating in L’Équipe for the PSG game. Bizarre considering his comments about the Blues last week.

CHELSEA 0-0 LIVERPOOL

1: And we’re underway at Stamford Bridge. Any predictions you’d like to share? I’m going for a 3-1 Liverpool win. Really strange to see the Chelsea fans passing around a massive banner of Eden Hazard. Gone but not forgotten clearly…

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Here they come!

16:27: The players are just emerging now to a packed Stamford Bridge. There’s a real sense of excitement that Chelsea’s youngsters can get a result today. But with Chelsea’s leaky defence – they’ll probably have to score more than once.

Ten-minute warning

16:25: Just under five minutes until we’re underway at Stamford Bridge. Any thought that Manchester City would crumble this season was truly put to bed after their emphatic 8-0 win over Watford. Must-win for Liverpool today.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Improvements required

16:20: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits they have to improve the defensive side of their game but says a lack of clean sheets is not down to a more attacking approach.

In five matches this season they have scored 15 goals and conceded five in the Premier League, with just one clean sheet – at Burnley last month – in eight matches in all competitions this season.

At the same stage last season the Reds had scored 11 and conceded just two, having opened the league campaign with three successive clean sheets.

“There is no difference. We didn’t focus more on defensive or offensive things,” he said. “The goals have been strange. There would have been a second clean sheet at Southampton if we didn’t concede that goal would have been a clean sheet, there could have been clean sheets in other games.

“It is still early in the season, we have to improve and develop. But it’s not because we have a different approach to last year.”

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Ouch…

16:15: Sky Sports pundits Graeme Souness, Roy Keane and Jose Mourinho are currently taking chunks out of Manchester United after their lacklustre defeat to West Ham.

Mourinho: ���Any positives? No. We were bad last season, but I don’t see any improvements this season. I like the three (signings), they bring some good quality to the team. The team as a team, I don’t like at all. I’m not surprised by the result.”

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Team news – Chelsea

16:10: Fantasy football managers and Chelsea fans rejoice – Mason Mount starts.

N’Golo Kante makes his first start in four games after an ankle problem. Frank Lampard reverts to a traditional back four.

There is also a start for Emerson after the full-back recovered from injury. He replaces Marcos Alonso.

Team news – Liverpool

16:05: Jurgen Klopp makes two changes with Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino returning to the starting XI.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

Starting XI’s…

16:00: Mason Mount overcomes his ankle injury to start for Chelsea. There’s also room for N’Golo Kante. It’s a very familiar looking Liverpool side.

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Tomori, Azpilicueta, Emerson, Jorginho, Kovacic, Kante, Willian, Mount, Abraham.

Subs: Caballero, Alonso, Barkley, Pedro, Zouma, Pulisic, Batshuayi.

Liverpool XI: Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Mane, Firmino.

Subs: Kelleher, Milner, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Shaqiri, Brewster.

Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League score, goals, highlights and updates (Image: GETTY)

CHELSEA vs LIVERPOOL – EARLY TEAM NEWS

Mason Mount could feature for Chelsea against Liverpool on Sunday.

Mount limped out of the Champions League defeat by Valencia on Tuesday with a nasty-looking ankle injury after he was caught by a late challenge from Francis Coquelin, but boss Frank Lampard has not ruled out the young midfielder.

N’Golo Kante has recovered from an ankle injury and his general fitness will be assessed. Callum Hudson-Odoi should return from his Achilles injury next week.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Naby Keita have returned to training but are not yet in contention.

Alisson has been absent since sustaining a calf injury 39 minutes into the Reds’ opening league match but has started individual sessions with goalkeeping coach John Achterberg.

Keita, who has not played since the Community Shield because of a groin injury, has rejoined team training but striker Divock Origi (ankle) is unlikely to feature at Stamford Bridge.

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[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 63 - PHI - Brandon Montour

The Flyers tonight are a really tough pill to swallow. Ugly mascots that end up changing the game aside, overly optimistic Sabres fans such as myself have been looking up in the standings at who these guys can catch, rather frustratingly so as of late. With a Flyers win tonight they surprise the Sabres from behind and hop ahead of them in the standings. Can you imagine that violent, orange cookie monster impersonator surprising you from behind? Want to hear another surprise from behind, no this isn’t a sex joke: Marco Scandella paired with Brandon Montour. OH VETERAN, MY VETERAN! WHATSOEVER WOULD COACH HOUSLEY DO WITHOUT YOU! Housley’s prioritization of veteran minutes is going to be a whole paragraph in the Season Retrospective isn’t it? Yea, THE SEASON RETROSPECTIVE THAT WILL HAPPEN IN APRIL IF HE CAN’T PROPERLY UTILIZE THIS ROSTER! Ok, stop, Andrew. Optimism; remember the optimism with which you started this blog. Ugh, what different days those were. Speaking of not making the playoffs, let’s talk trash about the last team the Sabres played in the playoffs! Philadelphia, the past of this match up it that old ballad about working class cities just smashing their blue-collar lunch pals at each other as hard as possible. The world and the NHL has changed and now a playoff matchup between these two teams looks more like it would be a speed-skill bonanza then any kind of grit-for-grit hockey men party. The Sabres are building something new while the Flyers are copying the Penguins model: yeah, I said Penguins! Sabretooth wasn’t wearing pants when Gritty wasn’t even a sparkle in Jakub Voracek’s eye yet! 2011’s rematch is a going to go for the Sabres in 6, you sloppy copycats. That was fun; too bad it’s going to make this next part harder. This was the night the playoffs died. But no, you’re New Look Sabres, you preach taking a New Look at this team time and time again! How can you say its over!? Well, eight points with twenty games left will do that to you. Luckily, we’re not focusing on that tonight.

New Flyer Ryan Hartman set the tone of this game leveling Rasmus Dahlin along the boards early. Zach Bogosian and the old-time hockey alliance came crashing in like you know and instigator penalty, other penalty, whatever-whatever it panned out to nothing. Want to know why contemporary hockey fans don’t give a shit about keeping fighting in the game old boys club? It doesn’t help. At best it gives your team a moderate morale boost at worst it chops years off dudes’ lives. Whatever, it didn’t help the Sabres win this game. If the Sabres weren’t outshot each period they were certainly outplayed. By eight minutes in the Flyers were already up 2-0 on the backs of Oskar Lindblom and Jakub Voracek. Let’s get something out of the way: this loss wasn’t because of Carter Hutton. He was left out to dry and when we look back on this season their will be poetry in that. More and more every year this club is Jack Eichel and friends. Our favorite Patriots fan put this team on his back and made us believe again like Tom Brady! Ok, that was gross to write. I’m sorry you had to read that. I’m going to collect myself now. Jack Eichel did get the puck from Skinner and did toe drag a fucking bullet in there, but the period ended 2-1 and even the grossly optimistic types like me still kind of felt this crap wasn’t going to get much better. Like the cold, cruel march of time closer to death the Sabres would get scored on once they began to give us hope. 15 minutes into the second period James van Riemsdyk redirects a puck in front and gets the orange boys up 3-1. What is that? This is one of those game Casey Mittelstadt flashes the kind of brilliance we’ll get from him on the regular in a year and a half or so? Awesome, New Sabre Brandon Montour gets the play going in the defensive zone that would eventually end in Casey Mittelstadt tapping in a goal via Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary. 3-2 Flyers would be the high-water mark of this game for the Sabres as the only positive highlight of the third period would be Travis Sandheim doing his Sabres ten game winning streak impression and crashing the net less then a minute in to get the Flyers their two-goal lead back. Whatever whatever, Claude Giroux, whatever whatever, can you believe they eliminated Caelynn on the Bachelor, whatever whatever; Sabres lose 5-2 in regulation and give up another spot in the standings falling to a full eight points back. The Panthers might still win their game at the posting of this and they can hop over the Blue and Gold too because irony has no bounds in the season of the ten-game winning streak that saw no playoffs.

So yes, it’s not over until the fat lady sings. There is a ridiculous scenario where the Sabres win 65-75% of their remaining games to sneak into the playoffs. As I began saying last night, start cushioning the blow now, fam. Enjoy what’s left of the ride but start thinking about what’s for dinner. I’m letting my soccer side out starting now. Hell, I just posted on my politics blog for the first time in like a month. Let loose, Spring is officially 21 days away even if playoffs aren’t. However, this is not how I’m ending the blog today. No sir: we have a new player to celebrate. Brandon Montour had about as decent a game as you can have in a loosing effort on the road when your new coach insists on putting you with a negative player that is really only in because he’s been in the league for a while. I mentioned Montour being the catalyst of the Mittelstadt goal play earlier, but Montour made some good moves in this game. He broke up a lot of opposition passes in the defensive zone, more than you expected before with this Sabres defense. For all you suburban hockey dads he also laid out a decent hit or two in the third period that feels right in a game against the Flyers. He made his mistakes too, struggling in the offensive zone shortly before the JVR goal. Nonetheless Montour is a clear addition to this team and if shit ever gets better here for a Sabres fan I have a feeling #62 will be a part of it. This one just hurt, and I very much look forward to turning my attention to the Rochester Americans for tomorrow’s Amerks Angle update. I’ll be discussing banners in that one so if you need a palette cleanser check back tomorrow.

In fact, cross-promotion city here because how long can we talk about this dreadful team, if you got an eye for Soccer, I have a whole soccer blog at Rochester Rhinos Outsider if you want to check in on that. I also have a politics blog but let’s keep it in the sports family for right now. Right now: I just want you to like, share and drop a comment on this post. Let’s commiserate together because now, with the deadline past this is the bed we’re sleeping in from now until April 6th, fam. I’d love to hear from you. If you’ve read this far you probably won’t mind a conversation with me either. Reply or @ me on twitter or DM on twitter or Tumblr. If you’re only on this blog because I posted that neat little graph last night, stick around, there’s another one of those coming Saturday! No matter what you’re here for, it’s the Sabres that brought us all together and no matter how ass they maybe they can’t take that from us! Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. In all the busy-ness of the last few days I forgot to mention Kyle Okposo is back already. Evidently his concussion was only slightly worse than Jeff Skinner’s ankle injury and he’s already back! I like to think fan support helped that along.

[fan-of-mulligan]

FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS REPORT (PART TWO)

At the start of the season, and after Fifteen League Games Of The Season, I asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s Player Recruitment, Where Do Gillingham Need To Strengthen The Squad In The January Transfer Window, And Questions About Gillingham’s Home Form, If you want to check out those blogs in full, then here are a few links to those respective blogs - http://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/176599990077/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-season-preview-for AND http://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/179698794922/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-report-part-one

This blog is a follow up blog to the two previous blogs that Several Gillingham Supporters have participated in, the first blog was a question and answer session before the start of the season, and the second blog saw Gillingham Supporters answer questions after Fifteen League Games, After this third blog for The 2018 / 2019 Season, there will be one more Gillingham Supporters Blog for the end of The 2018 / 2019 Season,  Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,, Richard, Luke, Emlyn, ForzaGills, We_Need_Eaves, Dave, BQGillsFan, Mac, Colin, Rob, Smithy, Marc, Stocky, Loonpotter, Louis, Matthew, Gills Debate, and Lewis.

I want to thank every Gillingham Supporter for contributing to the blog, not only the supporters who participated in the first blog, but also the newcomers who have given there thoughts and opinion’s on the first fifteen league games of The 2018 / 2019 Season For The Gills, Now on to the questions and answers.

1, AFTER THIRTY LEAGUE GAMES, GILLINGHAM ARE NINETEENTH IN THE LEAGUE ONE TABLE WITH THIRTY THREE POINTS, HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP GILLINGHAM’S PERFORMANCE IN LEAGUE ONE SO FAR THIS SEASON, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL NEED TO DO IF GILLINGHAM ARE TO START CLIMBING THE TABLE AND HEAD IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ???

Richard - Inconsistent. Yes the home form is a concern but I'm more concerned by the number of pathetic goals we concede. Don't mind being beaten by a stunner but 9 of 10 we concede is due to poor defending.

Luke - My feelings haven't changed an awful lot since the last round of these questions after Bradford. Still average to poor in the league. Having an FA Cup run however has been bit of a nice change and the scenes when Elliott List scored against Cardiff I will remember for a long time. A lot of inconsistencies need to be ironed out but the new signings will hopefully add some fresh impetus into the team.

Emlyn - It’s disappointing to be in the position we are in at the moment, to climb out of it Im not too sure, maybe a different formation like the one used in the last few games, stick with this one for a while and see how the results go, we were unlucky against Accrington(wasn’t at Coventry), we were creating chances and looked more dangerous going forward, so I’d prob give that a go for the foreseeable.

ForzaGills - I think our current league position is lower than most would've hoped, but about right in terms of what we'd have realistically expected at the start of the season. With little opportunity to invest in the squad Steve Lovell’s done an ok job of getting a young squad together capable of competing at this level, but we’re a long way off a playoff push or even mid-table at this stage. If we’re going to start climbing the table, we need to stop conceding so many soft goals, particularly at home.

We_Need_Eaves - one dimensional. Have a plan b for when plan a doesn’t work IE: use wingers.

Dave -  There have been some positive results so far for the gills. However, inconsistency has been our biggest issue again. We haven’t had a run of results where we have won 4 or 5 games with a couple of draws in a row. If we can do that we should be fine since we are essentially 6 wins away from the magic 50.

BQGillsFan - Gillingham's season is getting more and more infuriating as it goes on. We have a team capable of putting in big performances but we don't do it in the games we need to. Dropping too many points in winnable games and not showing any consistency on a week to week basis. At this point I'm not sure what Gills can do, it's going to be a nervy end to the season.

Mac - It’s been pretty poor so far but I think we could climb the league if we carry on playing wingers.

Colin - The squad lacks creativity in midfield. We have too many agricultural players. The defensive unit of Fuller, Ehmer, Zakuani and Ogilvie can't deal with pace. Maybe the new loan players can give us a better blend. The upside is that Eaves and Hanlan look likely to get more goals.

Rob - I think Gillingham have been poor this season. We're just above the relegation zone for another season and results continue to be unimpressive. However, that is not particularly unexpected as this level of performance was predicted by many before the season began. To improve results and move up the table, Gillingham had to do two things in the winter: keep Eaves and sign more players. We have done both.

Smithy - Looking at the stats and how we've been on the pitch, it's plain to see it's been a mixed bag so far. Performance-wise I don't think we've seen the best from this squad this season. It seems to be very stop-start. At the start of this campaign I was really hopeful that we could do well. However not to be. I feel slightly let down to be honest, we have the ability to be doing so much better than we are, and it's such a shame.

Going forward we need to remain positive, I think the boys need to be more confident and just fight more. Some players need to realise what they're capable of, and show us.

Marc - Underwhelming and inconsistent. I fully expected us to be comfortably in the middle of the table and pushing for the top half. The home form needs to improve drastically as we’ve already seen this season that our away form isn’t as good as last season. Get the home form right and we’ll be pushing up the table.

Stocky - I think we are consistently inconsistent. We Go on a run and look as if we have no relegation worries then we go through a bad patch and are sucked right in it again. I think the home form is a massive area of concern; it used to be a fortress and now we make it easy for teams to pick up points.

Loonpotter - The problem for me is the inconsistency so if we just performed we probably wouldn't be in this position.

Louis - It’s been massively inconsistent really, one step forward, 2 steps back. We need to start winning games and being better defensively.

Matthew - I think after thirty league games we are not doing very well but now with the new signings we can now improve. I think we need to sort out the defending side of our game tho.

Gills Debate -  Frustratingly inconsistent for me. This group of players have shown that they can put in good performances and pick up good results at this level, but in order to properly climb up the table we need to put together a good run of results over a decent number of games, which unfortunately we haven’t really been able to do. At the end of October/beginning of November we beat Bradford 4-0 and Fleetwood 3-0, but then lost the next 3 in the league. At the beginning of January, we got back to back wins against Cardiff and Burton (albeit the Burton one was a bit fortuitous), but then in the next game we put in a really disappointing performance against Walsall. The inconsistency in results is frustrating, but Southend in 12th are only 5 points ahead of us, so if we can get a good run together then we should pull away from those places just above the bottom 4.

Lewis - I think the best word to describe it is inconsistency. We started well, then we fell flat, like, really flat, then we picked up again, and ever since it’s been up and down. We have a good squad, one that shouldn’t be in this situation, and it’s obvious home form needs to change to help us progress. We need to defend better, but it’s all about results now.

2. WHO DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN GILLINGHAM’S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER THIS SEASON ???

Richard - Elliott List. Wasn't convinced when we signed him to a 2 year deal, thought 1 would be appropriate, but he goes to show the difference some game time and confidence can make.

Luke - My answer also still remains Elliott List. 7 goals this season is more than double his best tally so far in a Gills shirt and he's now starting to show the confidence to run at people, keep going and creating things. He's not looked quite as effective in the last couple of games playing wide left for me, but Lovell has confidence in him and hopefully that will help spur Listy on. Also shout-out to DJ Oldaker who looks a lot more of a complete midfielder this season but I think he's still got a lot further to go before he's at his best.

Emlyn - Ogilvie has improved a lot  on last season, Rees looks to now be showing what he is capable off, the last 4 games he has deserved his place!, Oldaker obviously and Eaves has almost beaten his goal tally of last year already, There are improvements to more than just  one player!

ForzaGills - Elliott List for me. You could argue that his progression started at the back end of last season but it’s the last few months in which he’s really kicked on. When the team looks flat and void of ideas and creativity, as has often been the case this season, he seems to be the one player than constantly looks to get on the ball, run and people, and try and make things happen.

We_Need_Eaves -  Until recently I’d of said Ogilvie however now it’s List.

Dave -  For me it has been Connor Ogilvie. He was obviously a much better player defensively last season than he was going forward. This season he seems to have grown in confidence going forward and it has shown at times. His defensive performances have also been improved at times with a standout being Cardiff. Hopefully we can continue to see this and we can get him on a permanent at the end of the season.

BQGillsFan - Easily Elliott List. He's gone from a few bench appearances to being arguably our most important player other than Eaves.

Mac - Elliot List.

Colin - Barry Fuller has surprised me given where he was when he left us for Wimbledon.

Rob - The most improved player this season is either List or Oldaker. List has had a regular run in the side for a number of months, both scoring and creating chances. However, he still drifts out of the game too often for my liking and now has some serious competition on the wings. Oldaker has also massively improved. He barely featured last season but I'm glad he was offered a deal. This season has been a break through for him – he's both playing in rotation and has contributed on the field, especially his fantastic FA Cup goal. However, he still needs to perform consistently to play regularly and there are still questions about his attitude in training.

Smithy - Personally for me I think I have to say List. He's been around a while now and ever since that goal down at Bristol at the end of last season I think something clicked and he's moved on this season. He's one of the names we almost expect to see start now and I've no doubt there's much more to come from him.

Marc - Elliot List for me. Showed glimpses last season of what he could do and he’s taken his chance this season and scored some good goals. He’s forced his way into the starting 11 this time round and is impressing.

Stocky - Based on my expectation, I am going to go with List and Fuller. I wasn't sure of List being offered a new deal but he's proved me wrong and has grabbed the bull by the horns. Fuller I expected to be a squad player only but is now out first choice right back and his effort is outstanding.

Loonpotter - I’m not sure anyone has really improved on last season.

Louis - Elliott List for me.

Matthew -  Elliot List has definitely been our most improved and some time important with his work rate.

Gills Debate - During the course of the season, I think I’d possibly go with Josh Rees. I think it’s taken him a while to adapt to playing at a higher level, but over the last month or so I think he’s improved a lot. The big thing for me is that I think he looks a lot more confident as a player, and that’s probably been helped by the goals that he’s scored against Burton Albion and Swansea City. If he can score goals on a consistent basis, then he’ll be a big asset to the side. In comparison to last season, I think I’d go with Elliott List. For me he’s often looked like a player with potential, but he’s been able to turn that potential into performances this season.

Lewis -  For me there’s no doubt it’s Elliott List. There was huge relief when he got his goal against Bristol Rovers, and this season he’s really kicked on from that. He can play out wide or through the middle, and he’s scoring goals. Let’s not forget he’s only 21 as well. We’ve got a very solid League One player on our hands, one that I think could go further.

3. AND WHO DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN GILLINGHAM’S MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER THIS SEASON ???

Richard - Tomas Holy. Particularly since the "announcement" he wouldn't be signing.

Luke - Could choose anyone of the three players that left us in January. Wilkinson had a real opportunity to nail a first team place down this season but didn't. Parker has looked less interested and lazier to me this season although I do appreciate he has been played out of position for a number of games, his goal stats however don't look anywhere near as good as last season. Finally poor old Navid Nasseri. Probably didn't get enough of a chance this season especially when we've been chasing games but Loves saw him day in and day out so if he wasn't the right option, perhaps his future is best elsewhere.

Emlyn - Don’t Know.

ForzaGills - Luke O’Neil. Started well with a great free kick against Burton but was dislodged by Barry Fuller pretty early on and has struggled to get back into the squad on a regular basis. When he has played recently, I think he’s been poor more often than not. Maybe I’ve come to expect too much from him after last season, but I personally thought he’d be more important to us than he has been.

We_Need_Eaves - Bradley Garmston.

Dave - N/A

BQGillsFan - It's hard to look beyond Mark Bryne as being a complete let down this season. I've sung this guys praises for so long and he was my player of the year last season, but this campaign has been one bad performance after another and I'm shocked he's still starting every week.

Mac -  Bradley Garmston.

Colin - Luke O'Neill has really suffered a big drop in confidence and form. As a result we are playing Ogilvie as a Left Back. Byrne is also a shadow of what he was.

Rob - The most disappointing player is, for me, a choice between either Parker, O'Neill, or Reilly. Josh Parker scored 12 goals last season and I was expecting a similar return this year. This has not happened. He was sent home by Lovell during the winter and, although he returned to play, hasn't been the same player this year. A continuing legal battle with his former employers in Serbia cannot be helping. I was surprised to see him leave for Charlton in the transfer window but perhaps this a good move for all parties.

Luke O'Neill has not hit the height of last season – that is not to say he has been playing bad this term. However, he has often lost his place to the ancient Barry Fuller and has not been quite as effective in his deliveries from the wing back position. One of our most creative players in the 2017-18 season, a bit of consistency and improved performance would definitely increase our attacking output.

Callum Reilly is perhaps a harsh choice here. He looked fantastic on loan last season and I fully expected him to continue with that level this year. Unfortunately, this seems not to have happened. He's often been paired with Byrne and this creates a midfield full of effort and endeavour but little creativity.

Smithy - The most disappointing player for me was a hard one. There are a couple of players who in my opinion haven't shown the same ability, If I have to pick one, it's Callum Reilly. I liked him when we had him on loan, very much. I thought he had something about him. I spoke to him at the end of last season and asked his thoughts on a permanent move and he seemed like that would be a good move. It was the name I wanted to hear we'd signed in the summer and I was delighted when we did. I think he's got talent, I like him a lot and I would love to see him excel however I just don't feel he's been at it more often than he's not sadly.

Marc - Sadly I’d say Luke O’Neil. Last season he was my favourite player in the squad but he’s struggled this time round and has only shown glimpses of what he can do. It’s not all his fault though. Barry Fuller has come in and has been better than expected which has meant Luke’s been in and out of the side  and when he has played its often been out of position. I think he can certainly turn it around and I’d offer him a new deal it it was down to me.

Stocky -  For me it has to be Parrett. He undoubtedly has quality but it hasn't been seen often enough partly.due to injury. For me it's similar to when we had Wagstaff; a good name on paper but not on the pitch often enough.

Loonpotter - Most disappointing possibly Josh Parker.

Louis - Mark Byrne for me, just don’t feel he’s hit the heights and has played the best he can like we saw last season.

Matthew - I think Parker has been very disappointing but now he has left it gives others a chance.

Gills Debate - I had been a bit disappointed with Parker’s performances this season. I often thought that he was a quite a clever player with a decent ‘football brain’, and 12 goals in all competitions last season was a decent return for a side that finished in the bottom half of the table, but I don’t think he had been as good this season – Perhaps the ongoing case with Red Star Belgrade has had a part to play with that. That being said, I was still slightly disappointed to see that he had left for Charlton, because when he’s played well, he’s been an important part of the side in my opinion.

Lewis - I’ll chose 2 - Luke O’Neill & Tomas Holy. Both were absolutely brilliant last year, and I think both have struggled quite a lot this season. It’s got to the point where Holy is making a mistake most games now (whether it leads to a goal or not), and I think he’d be lucky to get that Championship offer at this point. As for Luke O’Neill, he’s been dropped a few times this season for Mr 100% Barry Fuller, who I think was only supposed to be a back up when he was bought back. We could really do with both O’Neill and Holy picking up their form from last season.    

4. TRANSFER WINDOW QUESTION NUMBER ONE: GILLINGHAM HAVE EXTENDED CONNOR OGILVIE’S LOAN SPELL UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON, AND GILLINGHAM HAVE SIGNED BILLY KING, RICKY HOLMES, GRAHAM BURKE, TAHVON CAMPBELL AND LEONARDO DA SILVA LOPEZ ON LOAN UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON, HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP GILLINGHAM’S TRANSFER BUSINESS IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Richard - Promising. Some greater strength in depth. The Holmes one is entirely dependent on his fitness. Could be a season changed, could be a waste. Time will tell.

Luke - Well it looked pretty dire until the last two days of the window but what a thrilling deadline day we had. Very pleased with the players we have brought in and actually gives us more options to vary the shape with Holmes, King & Campbell all able to play out wide. Very happy with the caliber we have brought in also as they have either played at a higher level or on the International stage. Ogilvie can be hit and miss but we have had much worse. I for am very excited to see Ricky Holmes in a Gills shirt (when he is fit of course).

Emlyn - Pleased with Ogilvie he’s played very well at times this season, and personally preferred it if he stayed!, The new signings should definitely add something different to the team in a positive way, really looking forward to watching Holmes though, He’s always been brilliant when I’ve seen him play against us, If him alone was the only  signing in January I would have been happy with just that!

With the other additions it looks to have been a really good window - Time will tell of course.

ForzaGills - The January window was brilliant, deadline day especially. Of course, we can’t judge these new lads until we see them play, they could all turn out to be a disaster, but they all look promising and like they have something to offer the squad. New faces will no doubt shake up the squad and add a bit of life to the dressing room. I’m particularly excited by Leonardo Da Silva Lopez and Ricky Holmes.

We_Need_Eaves - Very active to remedy the issue of not having a plan B.

Dave -  I am overall very happy with the club’s transfer business. They brought in a couple of players with some evident league one pedigree in Da Silva Lopez and Holmes and they will be great additions. I am also happy with the others and I believe they will make a positive impact. On first glance at Graham Burke, I think he offers something different to what we had. On Saturday he looked comfortable on the ball and tried to make things happen. Maybe should have scored, but some very positive signs.

BQGillsFan - In the context of the remainder of the season, it's a cracking set of signings to get in to the team. Ogilvie has massively stepped up from 17/18 season and glad to see him back. Holmes is a top drawer signing for League One as well. My fear is that they are all loan deals and if they play well enough to keep us up, they will be gone come summer time and we're straight back to square one.

Mac - Very good.

Colin - So many loanees looks like panic and an admission that the squad was way off the mark despite all the "we have cover in every position" hogwash. Hopefully a couple of them can get in the starting eleven and make a difference.

Rob -  Our transfer window business has been very surprising. Extending Ogilvie's loan was a no-brainer and hardly surprising - I would also be surprised if we do not sign him permanently in the summer. However, our deadline day spending spree was unprecedented and a delight for fans. We needed players in and we have signed some! A deluge of wingers should hopefully end Lovell's "we don't play with wingers" though process and allow us to have good wing play to fully utilise Eaves's aerial ability. Burke looked promising on his debut, finding pockets of space and willing to have the ball. If I'm being super critical he may have spent a little too much time dwelling in possession but that will surely be rectified with training sessions with his new teammates. The additions of King and Holmes (when fit) will also add width and quality on the ball and this can only be a good thing. Campbell is a surprising signing given he's on loan from a team in a league below us, but I am intrigued to see how he does. Leo Da Silva Lopes is a name that I have heard many good things about and Wigan were willing to spend big money on him. Peterborough fans seems less enthused about his performances at the club, but he is still young and could add some real quality to our midfield.

Smithy - Generally I think we done quite well from the January transfer window. Although all the deals are loans I still think it's good business as on paper strengthened in areas where we may have been a bit weak. I'm very hopeful of at least 2-3 of them being very useful indeed between now and May.

Marc - I’d say it’s been positive. Ogilvie for me has improved this season. He’s a decent defender but lacks a bit going forward. I think he gets a lot of unfair stick from our fans who think that because he’s come from Spurs he should be a superstar. We had to wait a while for most of our business but in Ricky Holmes and Graham Burke I think we’ve got a couple of quality players. I’m interested to see how Lopes gets on too. Was highly rated at Peterborough and hasn’t played much at Wigan. Campbell and king are low risk moves but could both prove to be good business.

Stocky -  I think it's been good, we haven't seen a deadline day like that! I haven't seen any negativity about any of the signings despite some coming from the lower leagues so hopefully that indicates some potential. The signing of 2 wingers is interesting and hints at either a plan to change the formation or a plan b.

Loonpotter - Done some good business.. if fit, Ricky Holmes is probably one of the best players in this division.

Louis -  Very good. We have signed wingers and positions we needed and have brought in some real talent.

Matthew - I think it has been very positive. All the new signings will be useful. I am not a big fan of Ogilvie and I feel he is the week link at the moment.

Gills Debate - I thought that extending Ogilvie’s loan was a sensible piece of business, and it was good to see that Lovell was backed to add players to the squad, and I’m excited to see what the new additions can offer the team. Burke obviously got to play the full 90 minutes on his debut for the club last Saturday, and I thought that there were some good signs – He looked like he had a good touch and I thought that he was confident when he was on the ball. There were perhaps a couple of occasions where he shot when maybe passing the ball on would have been a better option, but on the flip side that does show that he is confident. The only real disappointment for me was that we weren’t able to add an ‘enforcer’ style midfielder to the squad, as I do feel that we lack that kind of player in the middle of the park.

Lewis -  It was brilliant, wasn’t it? We needed wingers, we got wingers, and that’s the main thing. Ricky Holmes will be a brilliant signing if he can get fit - we know all about him from his time tormenting us at Charlton. Graham Burke looks very good on the ball, and early signs of Lopes & King are positive too. It would’ve been nice if we’d have got some permanent ones in, but this is risk free, which is another positive.

5. TRANSFER WINDOW QUESTION NUMBER TWO: JOSH PARKER, NAVID NASSERI, LEROY HLABI AND CONOR WILKINSON HAVE ALL LEFT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB DURING THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON THESE FOUR PLAYERS MOVING ON ??? AND WHICH PLAYER FROM THESE FOUR LISTED ARE YOU MOST SURPRISED ABOUT LEAVING GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB ???

Richard - Surprised by Parker but not disappointed. Yes he contributed some goals but never rated his passing or creativity, personal opinion. Otherwise no major players left. Think we have, again potentially, strengthened what's left.

Luke - Mainly covered this in question 3 tbf. I was surprised to see Parker get a move to Charlton as they're meant to be a side chasing promotion and he's perhaps not the 15-20 goal a season striker they've lost in Karlan Grant. Hope they all do well in their careers, unless they're coming up against us of course.

Emlyn - I have no problems with any of them leaving, obviously more surprised with Parker going!

ForzaGills - I was shocked that Josh Parker left, that seemed to come out of nowhere. Although not always consistent he was certainly versatile and scored some important goals. Conor Wilkinson was destined to leave, bar the goal at Fratton Park last season he’s been pretty dreadful. Navid Nasseri left for personal reasons so wish him well, I would’ve liked to see him get more game time. Never seen Leroy Hlabi play so couldn’t comment on him.

We_Need_Eaves - Great business by the club as 3 of them didn’t play for us and Parker was a real shock, didn’t see it coming. What about Nash? No surprise though as he had no future with us.

Dave -  I am disappointed that it didn’t work out for the four that did leave. You always want players to succeed and it is a shame. Wilkinson showed glimpses of brilliance at times and will be remembered for his beauty at Pompey. However, he seems settled at Dagenham and I am happy he is scoring goals. I am most surprised about Josh Parker, was something I didn’t see coming at all.

BQGillsFan - I'm surprised that Parker left but I'm not going to say I'm disappointed. This season he's barely played and when he has, he's quite simply been awful. Centrally he's been outshone by List and even O'Neill has done better as a winger than Parker. The other three I'm not so surprised by and getting them off the wage bill can only help the feint dream of some investment in other players down the line.

Mac - It’s good because it frees up wages and they weren’t starting 11 players. I’m most surprised by Parker.

Colin - No surprise. It will be interesting to see whether Bowyer can make something of Parker.

Rob - As stated earlier, I was surprised to see Josh Parker leave. While he has been less effective this year than last, he was still getting regular games in the side. However, a move to Charlton may rejuvenate the Antiguan and boost his career further. Not a great loss considering our replacements, and a good move for all concerned. I fully expected Connor Wilkinson to depart having been loaned to Dagenham days after being sent home by the manager. Navid Nasseri is a player that barely featured last season or this. While he looked good on his goal-scoring debut, he also was very lightweight in the hustle-and-bustle of a League 1 relegation battle. A player that is better suited to a more technical game, I wonder if his career would be better suited to somewhere like Scandinavia. I don't think I've ever seen Hlabi play and his contract was simply because he missed a good chunk of this third year as a scholar. I expect to see him ply his trade across the Ryman League for years to come.

Smithy - Without doubt I was most surprised to see Josh Parker leave us in this window. I didn't see that coming to be honest. He's not been his best this season, that's not to say I didn't like him. He was great last year, chipping in with the goals, however if he feels this is the right move for him then I wish him all the best.

Navid I liked, I think he's got potential. He's only young so hopefully he'll find his feet and progress somewhere that he's happy. Having not been in/around the squad for some time I wasn't particularly surprised to hear he'd left, Mr Wilkinson, what can I say. He's got talent, when he wants to apply it. I wish him the best of luck but I'm sorry I'm not overly sad to see him go, As for Leroy Hlabi, whatever suits the lad for his future. I hope he does well but I can't comment on him personally as I've never seen him play.

Marc - Josh Parker I was most surprised about. Surprised but not gutted. He’s done a job for us over the last 2 years, alright not been as consistent this season as last but he’s been involved in most match day squads and he probably suffered from Elliot List’s development. Connor Wilkinson moving on was probably best for all concerned. Rarely got a run of games and when he did some fans slated him because maybe they expected him to be another Tom Eaves. He’s gone down to the national league now and maybe if he hits a bit of good form he’ll get back in the league. Good luck to him. Nasseri seemed to be treated as just another number in this squad. An unused sub for the first months of the season but was soon cast off when the likes of Oldaker got his chance. I don’t know why this didn’t happen sooner. It wasn’t doing him any good not playing and he now has a bit of time to get himself fixed up for next season. Hlabi was a no risk move. Sadly it didn’t work out for him but good luck to him.

Stocky - Most surprised is Josh Parker, I don't think anyone saw that one coming. I felt frustrated for Nasseri as he looked a good player in the brief times he played but didn't get enough game time.

Loonpotter - Quite surprised that Josh left despite performances dropping and was delighted to see Conor Wilkinson leave.

Louis -  I’m not too bothered by any of them leaving really, I think Parker going to Charlton surprised me. Didn’t see it coming.

Matthew - Navid Nasseri because I feel he did not get the chance to play that often.

Gills Debate - The only real disappointment for me was perhaps Josh Parker leaving as I mentioned in question 3, and his departure was the only real one that surprised me. We’d spent the final few days of the window wondering if Eaves was going to leave, but I didn’t expect Parker to go anywhere! I think that Wilkinson going was the best decision for all concerned and it sounds like he’s done well at Dagenham & Redbridge, whilst Nasseri showed a bit of promise last season but he hasn’t been able to secure a spot in the 1st team this time around.

Lewis -  Before the window I wouldn’t have said any of them got in our ‘best XI’ and I didn’t think any of them had a long term future at Gillingham, so I don’t mind too much. Wilkinson clearly has a few problems so I’ve no sadness about him leaving. Hlabi and Nasseri I liked but I don’t think Leroy was ever going to break through & it seems Nav has some personal problems, which I hope he sorts ASAP. Josh Parker was the one I didn’t see coming, especially to Charlton. He was a frustrating player but on his day he knew where the goal was, and certain aspects of his game, such as his hold up play and passing ability were solid. It seemed like he was in favour so it was a weird one, but I’m not gutted by it.  

6. DARREN OLDAKER HAS SIGNED A TWO AND A HALF YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON DARREN OLDAKER SIGNING A NEW CONTRACT EXTENSION, AND ALSO, WHICH PLAYER CURRENTLY IN THE SQUAD WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GILLINGHAM OFFER A NEW CONTRACT TO ???

Richard - Pleased to see he's committed, he's got a lot of pressure to be Dack 2.0 so mentally he needs to be ready. Eaves will be the one but can't blame him for wanting to try at a bigger club.

Luke - Very excited to see Oldaker progress further with the Gills. I hope he can earn himself a foothold in the side permanently at some point and that he just continues to progress. Eaves would be the obvious choice for a new deal but it's unlikely he will stay so I will go with Barry Fuller. Has been very consistent this season and was only awarded a one year deal last summer and I thoroughly hope he stays onto next year. Keeping hold of O'Neill & Lacey would be good business if they can both stay fit. Bingham for me is a lost cause sadly due to his injuries.

Emlyn - Very happy that Oldaker has signed a new contract, I think he will be an important player for us and sooner rather than later, I rate him highly already!

And obviously we would all love Eaves to sign a new contract!!

ForzaGills - Really pleased that DJ signed a new deal, he’s an exciting player who will only get better. I think he’s one of those players that will either fade away into mediocrity or get snapped up by a bigger club. He’s got all the ability, it’s whether he knows how to use it. Elliott List and Bradley Garmston deserve new deals.

We_Need_Eaves - Oldaker is good business as he has potential. Obvious but it has to be Eaves. If not Eaves then List.

Dave - I am delighted that DJ has signed a new deal. He has shown great promise in the games he has played in and is a fantastic dead ball specialist. He is definitely one for the future and has shown great maturity since getting back into the team. The one player I want to sign a new deal is obviously Tom Eaves.

BQGillsFan - I'm very happy to see Oldaker sign a new deal as I think he should be starting for us. Most of Gills best midfield performances have been with DJ in the starting line up.

Obviously I'd love to see us offer Eaves a new contract but it seems like that won't be happening, so next would be List. I know he signed one recently but I've been hearing a few clubs have got their eye on him so we need to lock him down to a bigger contract in order to either keep him or get more money for him should clubs come in for him.

Mac - I love Oldaker and think it’s a good move and Eaves.

Colin - I hope Oldaker can make the playmaker role his own. There isn't much competition. I would like Eaves to sign another deal but that looks unlikely.

Rob - Darren Oldaker has had a break-through season at the club. From going to an untested but promising youngster, the midfielder has matured enough to deserve a place in the senior squad. Several good performances (including a spectacular FA Cup goal) have seen him maintain his place in the 18 for most games. He adds much needed creativity to the base of midfield and is rapidly learning the discipline required for such a role. If he keeps his head down and works hard – suggestions of attitude issues in training seem to remain - he can become a great and profitable player for the club.

The one player I would like to see sign a new contract: Tom Eaves. Who else?

Smithy - I was very pleased to see Darren Oldaker had signed an extension. I think he genuinely could be a very valuable asset if he keeps working hard and pushing for a spot in the team. Very pleased with this news, There are two players that I would love to see sign new deals, however it's been made public that they probably won’t.(Tom Eaves and Tomas Holy), Regarding a new contract being offered the one for me is Barry Fuller. I'd love to see him stay on past the summer.

Marc - DJ has taken the chance he’s been given this season. He’s finally starting to show his potential and offers us something different in midfield. Could be a cracking piece of business. The obvious one who I’d like us to offer a new contract to us Tom Eaves. Whether he signs or not is another matter but he’s looking good for 20 goals this season and the club should make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Stocky - I think it's a brilliant signing; he's got a bright future in the game and hasn't looked out of place when he's played. It would be good to see him get an extended run in the team. I would offer the biggest contract ever to Mr Eaves but whether he would accept it or not is another matter.

Loonpotter - Darren has a bright future.. so good on his day.

Louis - I think he’s an extremely talent player with bags of potential. One of the best midfielders ability wise at the club. I’d love to see us renew Tom Eaves contract although can see it will be difficult to keep him at Gillingham.

Matthew - I would love Tom Eaves needs to sign because he is our top scorer and a big influence in the striking department.

Gills Debate -  I was very pleased to see Oldaker sign a new deal. He’s clearly made an impression on Lovell this season, because he was quite critical of him at the fan’s forum back in the summer, and it’s been good to see him getting some minutes in League 1 games this season. Eaves to me is the obvious one that I’d like to see sign a new deal, but I’m not sure that we’ll be able to keep him beyond the end of this season, and it does sound like we have already been in talks with him for a while. List isn’t out of contract at the end of the season, but I’d perhaps look at offering him an extra year on his current deal, as I think there is a lot of promise there.

Lewis -  Oldaker has matured a lot, and he’s still working on that I’m sure, and he’s a player that does a role no one else does as well as him in the team. He gets on the ball and makes us tick, and you can really tell how important he actually is when he’s playing. Its great to get him tied down because he’s vital to the team and, if he gets anywhere near his clear potential in the time period of the contract, we’ll be in the money. In terms of a new deal, obviously I’d say Eaves but it doesn’t look like he’ll stay, so I’ll go with Barry Fuller, who I think deserves another year.  

7. GILLINGHAM ONLY WON FIVE LEAGUE GAMES AT HOME LAST SEASON, AND GILLINGHAM HAVE ONLY WON FOUR HOME LEAGUE GAMES THIS SEASON, WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO CHANGE FOR GILLINGHAM TO MAKE PRIESTFIELD STADIUM A FORTRESS AGAIN ???

Richard - The players mentality. If attendances are dropping the fans can't be on their back that much! We need to play like we did against Burton at the start of the season. Knock it around and take control. Play like the supposed home team rather than try & counter.

Luke - I normally get shot down for answering this one so to avoid getting myself in trouble with the boo boys (who should stay away) I won't delve too much.

Emlyn - I think the new players coming in will bring a change, let’s see what happens with that.

ForzaGills - We seem to have this problem every year now. There’s no wonder the attendances are down when we’ve only won 22 of 72 home games in the last 3 seasons. Scally needs to reduce the ticket prices for a start. £22 for an adult is unreasonable for any League One club, let alone the club with one of the worst home records in the EFL, I don’t blame people for staying away. Drop the ticket prices, get a few thousand more in the door and hopefully it’ll create a better atmosphere for the players to play in.

We_Need_Eaves - If we start on the front foot this will get us singing and chanting from the 1st minute and this creates the atmosphere, The players need to give us something to start with.

Dave - I think the fans just need to stay behind the team and they will feed off that confidence. We saw it against Cardiff everyone was behind them and they got a great result.

BQGillsFan - I think it's the same as I've always said, the responsibility is 50/50. Gills obviously need to deliver on the pitch to get the Priestfield crowd on their feet, but the fans also need to stick with the team when the going gets tough. Too much negativity before the game even gets going sometimes. I understand performances have left with little to cheer for, but it's amazing how much a good atmosphere can change a teams fortunes around.

Mac - More people to come to games.

Colin - Poor home form comes down to our lack of midfield quality. We can't break teams down. Away from home we get more space to play the long ball into.

Rob -  I really don't know what can be done to make Priestfield a fortress again. It is almost 10 years since we seemed unbeatable at home and hopeless away under Mark Stimson. Declining attendances - unfortunately a self-fulfilling prophecy – will not help to create an atmosphere. The fans are, understandably, very weary of both a perennial relegation battle and a lack of investment (either internal or external). The club always seems to remain one disaster from sinking and the back-room organisation is, at times, laughable. Be exciting, be successful and people will return.

Smithy -  I remember the days of Fortress Priestfield and I would love to see it like that again. I'd love for teams to hate coming here because they know they'd be in for a tough match.

How do we get there, I'm not sure at this moment.. Ticket prices I think are beginning to become a problem for some. I know a lot of people that have stopped going because it's too expensive. Maybe a few clever ticket reductions/deals for certain games would entice people through the door, Higher attendance could have an effect on the players, which in turn makes for a better atmosphere and therefore better for us and harder for the opposition.

Marc - The whole mood around the place is very negative at the moment. The fans know it, the players know it and the staff know it. That changes when you win your home games. Maybe the emphasis is on the fans to encourage rather than criticise the players? At the same time the players need to give the fans a reason to be positive and to cheer them on. Too many times this season at home we’ve sat back and let the opposition go 2 or 3 goals up. We need to start games better and get on the front foot. That would be a start.

Stocky - This is a tough question and a real chicken or the egg situation. The crowd is generally quiet unless we are playing a local team or a 'bigger' club such as Sunderland or Pompey.  The action on the pitch isn't enough for the crowd to be 'up for it' the majority of the time but the players could argue that fans could play their part by being vocal. I think if safe standing was an option, that would be productive to get the singer's in one place. As the crowds are dwindling, I think more offers would help raise the attendance. The Coventry fans we spoke to Saturday said they get 11-12k average ly but 28k for the community day shows what a good incentive it could be for our club if planned right. Even tickets for a tenner for one game would be a step in the right direction.

Loonpotter - I can't think of a single reason why being at home should be affecting them... the pitch was the excuse last year ...  but this year has been as bad or worse.

Louis - Supporters attitude.

Matthew - I feel we need to start games at home a bit brighter and keep teams out for at least 45 minutes.

Gills Debate -  One thing that I think I’d like us to work on is being able to pick up more points when we concede the first goal in games. We’ve gone behind first in 10 games at home in League 1 this season, and have only managed to pick up 5 points from these matches, with 4 of those coming in the 1st month of the season (against Burton Albion and Coventry City). Obviously ideally, we’d want to be the side getting on the scoresheet first, but if we could get more points after falling behind then that would help us. I think we also need to generally concede less goals, as we have the 6th worst record at home in the league in that respect, and if we could keep things tighter at the back, then Priestfield would be more of a fortress.

Lewis - First of all, the pitch is rubbish. We’ve spent around half a million on a new one and it’s not been looked after properly. I know it doesn’t cut up and stuff, but, in regards to the surface, we’re back to square one. The atmosphere is also poor - Lovell said the players felt the pressure against Walsall, and, although I don’t think you can blame the fans, I doubt that helps. We just need to find a way to have some confidence and make teams fear coming to Priestfield.  

8. GILLINGHAM MANAGED TO KEEP HOLD OF TOM EAVES ON TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY, GILLINGHAM MADE FIVE VERY GOOD SIGNINGS BEFORE THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSED ON THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT FOR GILLINGHAM’S SEASON THAT TOM EAVES REMAINED WITH GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB UNTIL THE END OF THE 2018 / 2019 SEASON ???

Richard - Very. Had he wanted to have gone it could have been an awkward few months but he's potentially playing for the right to get a chance to play at a higher team. Top goalscorer will only help his chances of that.

Luke - Very much a Dack moment circa January 2016. I'm sure there will be people moaning that he will go for free in the summer but he is so influential to our side that its very pleasing we didn't take the money from Sunderland and kept the big guy. Real chance for him to get 20+ this season so lets hope he keeps up his pre Christmas form and keeps us moving up the table.

Emlyn -  It’s extremely important to keep him this season and beyond that if possible, he has been nothing short of brilliant since he joined, his attitude, work rate etc has been unquestionable!, He will be vital to us trying to stay in this division.

ForzaGills - A couple of months ago, I’d have been torn between taking the money in January and keeping him until the end of the season, but given how we’ve slid down the table and back into the thick of the relegation battle, I’m pretty relieved he’s stayed. He could be the difference between League One and League Two next season.

We_Need_Eaves - Vital. It also motivated the rest of the team as we’ve kept our best player.

Dave - I think keeping hold of Eaves was vital. He’s our top scorer and has won us many games this season. He has the potential to score anytime. His penalty on Saturday was vital in our quest for safety.

BQGillsFan - Whatever money we could have got for Eaves is nothing compared to what his contributions in our bid to stay up are worth. If we had lost Eaves we would be down, no doubt.

Mac - Very important because otherwise I feel like we would struggle to score goals.

Colin - Without Eaves or an adequate replacement we would be heading for League Two.

Rob - Vitally important. I'm certain the club had offers but clearly decided that Eaves was more important than a few hundred thousand pounds. Once it got to deadline day, it was unlikely he was going anyway – we would have had no time to sign a replacement, and I think both Lovell and Scally know how important he is. He's scored the majority of our goals and is a player who occupies defences and can score from anything in the air. With our new wingers hopefully putting balls into the box, he's only going to score more.

Smithy -  I tweeted after hearing Paul Scally on Radio Kent saying he'd had two bids come in for Tom Eaves but had turned them down because he wanted to keep the player over cashing in. Some people may well say that's very unlike Scally, and to a point I agree. He's done the right thing, no question. By all accounts Tom wants to stay until the end of season and that's great to hear. He's going to be very important right up until the final whistle up at Blackpool in May. I don't believe in one man teams, but he's certainly a huge part of ours.

Marc - Eaves staying is massive. It’s the difference between us staying up or potentially going down. I hate to think where we would be without his goals this season. Whether he stays or goes in the summer is another story but for the next few months he’s our player and will hopefully score the goals to keep us up.

Stocky - Massively important. As I've previously alluded too, I didn't know too much about some of the signings and that's an instant pressure on them if they were signed and suddenly had to replace Eaves - each game they didn't score, it would just get worse. His goals that will hopefully keep us up are more important than the fee; it was too late to get an adequate replacement and if we went down, I think we would struggle.

Loonpotter - Very important that Eaves stayed... The main player and goalscorer for this team.. probably would have been dead certs for relegation without him.

Louis - Very important, has contributed a lot to our season with scoring many goals.

Matthew - It is massive and we need that big striker to score goals.

Gills Debate -  I think that it was very important that we kept hold of Eaves. We have shown in games against the likes of Accrington Stanley (on the opening day of the season), and Portsmouth (in December) that we can win games without Eaves in the side, but there’s no doubt for me that losing him would have been a blow – He’s the club’s top scorer, and also the joint 3rd top scorer in the league, with a better minutes per goal ratio than a lot of the other contenders. I’m delighted that he’s still with us, and the fact that he did stay, made a good deadline day even better!

Lewis -  Very, very important. His goals are huge - 16 already this season is top stuff. I know we’ve not seen Campbell yet, but, with Parker gone too, we don’t really have another striker that can hold up the ball, so Eaves is important on that front as well. It shouldn’t have got to the point where we’re going to lose him for free, but I’d rather do that and stay up than cash in and effectively guarantee relegation.    

9. WHICH YOUNG PLAYERS (CAN BE MORE THAN ONE) WHO ARE ON THE FRINGES OF GILLINGHAM’S FIRST TEAM OR ARE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THE YOUTH TEAM, DO YOU THINK CAN BE PUSHING FOR A SPOT IN GILLINGHAM’S FIRST TEAM WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO ???

Richard - Potentially Hadler with Holy going and Stevenson. Not really sure who else will be given a chance. There doesn't appear to be any stand outs at the moment.

Luke - All of them if they push themselves. Oldaker is already a lot further ahead with the amount of game time he has had this season with both Simpson, Stevenson & Mbo warming the bench regularly. In terms of some of the younger boys, i think Henry Woods sounds like an exciting attack minded midfield player, Ryan Huckle is a very good height for a Centre Back which gives him every chance of having a future in the game and Charles Noyelle sounds lethal in front of goal. Exciting times ahead if they can push on.

Emlyn - I think Noel Mbo would be my best prediction for someone breaking into the first 11 in the not too distant future!

ForzaGills - Noel Mbo has looked promising the few times he’s made a first team appearance, he really needs to go out on loan to get game time though, given the number of forward players we now have. I’d also love to see Bradley Stevenson and Jack Tucker get some game time in the next year or so. I would’ve also said Liam Nash, but Lovell seems to have made his mind up on him.

We_Need_Eaves - Darren Oldaker.

Dave - I think Roman Campbell is one player for the future alongside Henry Woods. Both have impressed at youth level. Another which is highly rated within the club is Miquel Scarlett.

BQGillsFan - I still hold out hope for Bradley Stevenson but it seems less and less likely he's going to get a chance. Noel Mbo seems to be quite popular amongst Gills fans but I personally don't see much in him. Unfortunately I don't see any of our current youth set up getting into the squad any time soon, but I hope to be proven wrong on that one.

Mac - Oldaker, Stevenson, Campbell and Simpson.

Colin -  Oldaker obviously. Other than that maybe Stevenson.

Rob - It's difficult to say as I don't know too much about our youngsters. Obviously Oldaker is the big graduate this season, but Stevenson did play a few games back in the autumn. An attacking midfielder, he looked promising in the few cameo appearances he made and I would be intrigued to see him develop at the club. Aaron Simpson is another youngster who has been on the bench a few times, but this may be due to a lack of other viable left back options. A similar situation has applied to Noel Mbo.

Smithy - I have to admit I don't really follow the youths in terms of individual players, perhaps I should.

Marc - Obviously Oldaker. He’s been in and around for a while now and he’s starting to show how good he can be. Bradley Stevenson has shown glimpses of what he can do and I think he’ll feature more next season. Roman Campbell maybe not next season but the season after could be knocking on the door too. Iv only seen him a couple of times but he’s a handful for defenders and had scored all sorts of goals for the youth team this season.

Stocky - Well Darren Oldaker still comes into that category so it'll be nice to see him push on next season. Other than Darren, I would like to see what Noel can do at professional level and I also thought Stevenson equipped himself well in the first team in the autumn.

Loonpotter - I'd like to have already seen more of Mbo.

Louis - Darren Oldaker can really solidify a place in the first team in the coming years.

Matthew - I think Oldaker is a good player on his day and should be in that midfield but other are just that little bit better.

Gills Debate - Out of the 2nd year pros, I think it’s tricky to say who I think may be able to push on for a spot in the 1st team. Stevenson seemed to do OK when he had a couple of opportunities earlier on this season, but hasn’t been involved in the matchday squads for 3 or 4 months now. I’ve always had hopes that Mbo may be one that will really come into the 1st team picture, due to his impressive scoring record in the youth side, but he is now on trial in Sweden with Helsingborgs. In terms of those who are slightly younger, I’ve often been impressed when I’ve seen Jack Tucker play, and it sounds like Roman Campbell has done well in the youth team and is doing well now while he’s at Sittingbourne, so hopefully those two can perhaps stake their claim in the next year or two.

Lewis - I don’t want to sound biased because he is a friend of mine, but I think Aaron Simpson deserves a chance as left back. He’s been on the bench so often but is yet to play in the league, and, with neither Ogilvie or Garmston excelling, Aaron should get a chance for me. Honourable shoutouts to TJ Bramble and Miquel Scarlett, too.    

10. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON STEVE LOVELL AS GILLINGHAM MANAGER ???

Richard - I still think he's a coach rather than a manager. Needs help/assistance on coming up with a plan b or c etc. Becoming too dependent on poor first half > half time rocket > better second half.

Luke - Still has my backing. Still makes frustrating decisions, including making substitutions too late (Accrington at home) but I have faith in the Welsh Wizard. If he can get us to beat a Premier League team, he can't be all bad.

Emlyn - At this moment in time I am happy for Steve Lovell to be the clubs manager.

ForzaGills - I think Steve Lovell’s done ok. There’s not a great deal of quality in the squad and he hasn’t had the chance to spend any money so we can’t be expecting miracles. That said I don’t agree with his public battering of some players earlier in the season, I don’t think that helped the players or himself. I’d be surprised if he’s still here at the end of next season given how volatile the manager market is nowadays.

We_Need_Eaves - Too one dimensional and more often than not he isn’t decisive enough with his substitutions.

Dave - I am a big fan of Steve Lovell. He has great respect from the players and they are willing to play for him, which to me is vey important. He received a lot of criticism at the beginning of the season, but managed to turn things around. I just want him to succeed and be here for a few seasons. This club needs stability at the manager position.

BQGillsFan - I still stand by Lovell. I think he gets a lot of unwarranted abuse from fans, especially online, but he saved us from certain relegation last season and is working witha budget closer to actual peanuts that decent money. I agree there are times I question his starting XI and/or the subs he makes in game, but when he's got a team that hasn't paid for a player since Brennan Dickenson in 2014, it's like trying to sew with one hand behind your back. Not impossible but so much harder than it needs to be.

Mac - I think he’s an average manager and he cares about the club. Won’t get us anywhere in League 1 but will most likely keep us up.

Colin - Lovell has done well with a threadbare squad but has relied on long ball counter attacking. For us to be a team that can win at home he needs to show he can do more with the players technically.

Rob - I like Lovell. Until now, he hasn't has much to work with and I don't think he could have done all that much better with our squad. He still has some problems such as not signing wingers in the summer and making substitutions too late, but that's the reason he's a League 1 manager and not in the Premier League. He's still learning as well. It's very difficult to judge a manager with such a poor squad, but now that he has been backed, there's no real excuse. His comments to the media should always be taken with a pinch of salt; the comments that some fans are after would alienate most of the players.

Smithy - I really like Steve Lovell. As a manager he does frustrate me, however not to the point where I've wanted him gone. I think he's doing well with what he's got.

Marc - I want him to succeed. He comes across as a nice guy who genuinely wants the best for the club. Sometimes we see some naivety with him in regards to the timings of substitutions and some of the things he says in the press. We have to remember that he’s very inexperienced in terms of management. He’s trying and I think he’ll be here next season regardless of what division we’re in. Is he the right man for the job? I’m still not 100% convinced.

Stocky - I like Steve Lovell and think he's doing an ok job in the circumstances.  This may seem controversial but I think he's an average manager of an average squad therefore it's a good fit however I personally think we as a club should be aiming higher. Whether it would be different if there was more money to be spent, I don't know, but I personally think a change is needed in the summer as I can't visualise a promotion push. Again, a lot of this also comes down to the chairman. To summarise, I'm not Lovell out but think we could be doing better.

Loonpotter - I must admit I was a massive fan but I'm starting to lose the faith.

Louis - I think there’s better managers out there, makes some interesting decisions. Still question his tactics when chasing a game.

Matthew - I love him as a manager and seems like most fans do. But my only criticism is he needs to not leave it 10 minutes before the end of the game to bring on players.

Gills Debate -  I like Lovell, and I think that he did a great job when he took over control of the side last season. We haven’t pushed on like I was hoping that we may do this season, but I still think that he’s doing a fair job, and I think that it would be great to have a long term managerial appointment at the club that would offer some stability. Of course that shouldn’t come at the expense of the team, if Lovell’s not doing a good enough job then Scally should act, but I think that he’s doing OK at the moment.

Lewis -  It’s so hard, because he had such an impact when he came in, but our form has dipped massively since the turn of 2018. He does some stuff where I just think ‘what the hell are you doing?’, and I find his press conferences very tedious and confusing at times. His tactics are sometimes stale, but sometimes we are great. It could be worse, but it could be better.

11. GILLINGHAM HAVE SCORED SOME REMARKABLE GOALS THIS SEASON, IF YOU WERE TO SELECT YOUR TOP THREE GILLINGHAM GOALS OF THE 2018 / 2019 SEASON, WHICH GOALS WILL YOU SELECT AND WHY ???

Richard - Eaves v pompey, O'Neill v hartlepool, oldaker v slough

Luke - Best has to be Eaves vs Portsmouth Away, Unbelievable goal and if it was in the Premier League, people would still be going on about it now. 2nd goes to Elliott List at home vs Coventry at home. The tenacity he showed to run the whole half down the wing, beat two players run off the pitch and then back on to score from a ridiculous angle. Very good. 3rd for me is Luke O'Neill at home vs Burton. Lovely free-kick. Enough said.

Emlyn - Both of Eaves’ goals v Bradford/Fleetwood where Oldaker assisted with the two long passes! Two great passes with two brilliant(and difficult) finishes!

Elliott List V Cardiff...because of the occasion, beating premier league opposition and making the 4th round of the cup.

ForzaGills - 3rd Luke O’Neil vs Burton – one the best free kicks I’ve seen at Priestfield for a while.

2nd Elliott List vs Coventry – this goal just sums him up, pace, trickery, battling for everything, and dragging us out of a tough spot when we weren’t playing well.

1st Tom Eaves vs Pompey – you don’t need me to tell you why it’s number 1.

We_Need_Eaves - 1st Eaves vs Pompey away 2nd List Vs Burton away 3rd Fuller vs Doncaster.

Dave - Goals of the season so far for me: Eaves away to Pompey at number one, Barry Fuller away to Doncaster number 2, Elliott Lists solo run away at Burton number 3. Oldaker’s goal away to Slough is also up there.

BQGillsFan - Number One has to be Tom Eaves at Fratton Park. A stunning flick and volley to score a goal Messi or Ronaldo would be proud of. Simply stunning.

Number Two has to go to Elliott List for his winner against Cardiff. I've never seen Priestfield as loud all season and I nearly jumped out my skin as my phone pinged for the goal notification (I was in London and missed the game sadly).

One and two was easy to pick, I'm struggling a bit more for three. In the end I've gone with Barry Fuller's strike at Doncaster. Long way out for a striker to shoot, let alone a 34 year old right back.

Mac - Oldaker vs slough because the technique was unreal and it was an important goal to get us through to the next round, eaves vs Pompey because we hadn’t won in a while and it was a class goal and we went on to win, Fuller vs Doncaster because he never scores and it was a great strike and we went on to get a point away at a class team. Honourable mentions: list vs Burton away, parrett vs Scunthorpe away and list vs Coventry at home.

Colin -  Eaves at Pompey is our best by a country mile. Oldaker at Slough and Rees at Swansea also stick in the mind.

Rob -  Three best goals have to be: Oldaker in the Cup, Barry Fuller (just for scoring!) and I'm sure Eaves has scored a blinder at some point.

Smithy - This was the one I took the most time over, Without doubt THAT Tom Eaves goal at Portsmouth is my number one. Incredible skill against a team that were flying. Enough said. There have been lots of good goals scored so far for many different reasons. I think my 2nd and 3rd place goals would go to Listy at home to Coventry. The way he handled the ball, took it all that way, nearly lost it, got it back under control and from such a tight angle netted was incredible. Superb one man goal, And perhaps a slightly controversial one, I quite like a poacher and Max Ehmer at Donny is up there for me. Appears at the back, chests it down and hits it. Infact he did the same at Hartlepool in the FA Cup replay so perhaps his trademark!

Marc - Tom Eaves away at Portsmouth - Elliot List away to Coventry - Barry Fuller away to Shrewsbury I think?

Stocky - Luke o Neill free kick, Eaves wonder goal against Pompey and the rarity that is a Barry Fuller goal vs Donny.

Loonpotter -  Eaves chip over the head and volley wins it.

Louis - Tom Eaves vs Portsmouth, Darren Oldaker v Slough, Barry Fuller v Doncaster.

Matthew - Elliot List goal against Cardiff because he placed it perfectly. Tom Eaves goal against Portsmouth. To read it from the air was amazing. Oldakers goal in the fa cup against Slough. To score from that far out is amazing.

Gills Debate -  The number one pick for me would be Eaves’ strike against Portsmouth back in October. I thought that the technique to control the ball, flick it up and swivel, and then finish powerfully past the goalkeeper was superb. There have been a few other contenders so far this season, but I’ll go with Oldaker’s goal against Slough Town and Fuller’s goal against Doncaster Rovers as my other two to make up the top 3.

Lewis -  Tom Eaves’ first at Portsmouth gets number one for sure. What’s the saying? Great feet for a big man? Elliott List takes number two with his incredible solo effort at home to Coventry, and number 3 is Barry Fuller’s screamer at Doncaster, for who it was as well as the strike.

12. IF YOU WERE TO GIVE GILLINGHAM A MARK OUT OF TEN, TEN BEING THE HIGHEST AND ZERO BEING THE LOWEST, WHAT MARK OUT OF TEN WOULD YOU GIVE GILLINGHAM AT THIS STAGE OF THE SEASON ???

Richard - FOUR

Luke - 6 out of 10

Emlyn - I would have to give a 5.5...purely because of our current league position!

ForzaGills - 5/10 – as I’ve said we can’t be expecting playoffs given our budget and squad but there have been some shocking performances this season. On the flipside we’ve played well on occasions and deserved more from some games. We’ve been rather inconsistent though, hence the 5.

We_Need_Eaves - FOUR

Dave - I will give it 6.5. Nothing is perfect so that is one thing. Our league one form needs to be better, we need to climb up the league and stay away from relegation trouble. The FA Cup run helps boost this. The win over Cardiff will live long in the memory, regardless of how the season pans out.

BQGillsFan - Only a 3. We are flirting with relegation again and whilst the Cardiff result was a nice distraction, we look woeful in the league and I genuinely fear we may be dancing with death one too many times and League Two is calling.

Mac - 3.5/10.

Colin - Four out of Ten. Must do better.

Rob - Probably a 6. We're doing as well as expected. Most fans anticipated another season of struggling to stay up and that is what has happened. Perhaps the second half will be more fruitful.

Smithy -  Marks out of 10, I think a 6-7 personally. We've done ok, it's not been great in parts but we've had some good results and I think we can start pushing on now.

Marc -  5 - we’re consistently inconsistent. We’ve had chances to pull away from the bottom 4 but seem to fall short a lot of the time, for every good result two or three bad ones seem to follow.

Stocky -  I would give it a 6 which is about standard for an inconsistent side. There's times we've looked like a good side yet other times where we've  been frustratingly bad.

Loonpotter -  4 out of 10.

Louis - 3/10.

Matthew - I would give is a 3 because we need to start wining more games to get us out of the relegation battle.

Gills Debate -  I’ll stick with what I believe I went for last time and go for a 5.5 At the beginning of the season I had hopes that we could have a campaign where we spent the majority of the time in mid table, and not in or around the relegation places, but unfortunately that hasn’t really turned out to be the case. There have certainly been some good performances this season and some enjoyable games, but there have also been too many poor showings.

Lewis -  Probably a 3, that sort of area. I had high hopes after the first 3 games (including Millwall), but now we’re in another relegation fight and I can’t help but feel we shouldn’t be, because we have potential to be good - we just haven’t been too often this season. I find myself at another point where I can’t wait for the season to end yet again. 

 13. AT THE START OF THE SEASON, I ASKED GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS FOR THERE PREDICTIONS ON WHERE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL FINISH IN LEAGUE ONE THIS SEASON, SO AFTER THIRTY LEAGUE GAMES, WHERE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL FINISH IN LEAGUE ONE THIS SEASON ???

Richard - Heart says 20th or higher...maybe 19th if we push.

Luke - I shall stick with my prediction earlier in the year and say somewhere in the top 24.

Emlyn - I think we will finish 14th.

ForzaGills - I’d like to think we’ll finish lower mid-table, maybe 15th. At this stage though I’d probably take anything above the dotted line, there are some big teams in and around the relegation zone who have started picking up points and its getting tighter and tighter down there.

We_Need_Eaves -  19th

Dave - I think Gills will avoid relegation and come in the bottom half of mid table. So anything from 14th-18th.

BQGillsFan - I can never bet on the boys going down so I'll say we will finish 20th, just narrowly avoiding the drop.

Mac - 19th.

Colin - I think we will just about survive avoiding the drop by a couple of points. Let's say 18th.

Rob - I think we'll finish in a similar position to where we are now. I would hope that we are safe with a few weeks of the season remaining, but this is Gillingham and we never do it the easy way. I'd love for us to have a good run of 6-7 games and just pull away to mid table, but I can't see it happening unless the new signings all make a big impact.

Smithy -  At the start of the campaign I didn't predict a finish, however I did think we could end the season relatively comfortable. I genuinely believe we'll avoid relegation, I think we could pull up a few places. I think an optimistic 15th would be an okay finish to an up and down season.

Marc -  I think we’ll finish where we are now. Hopefully I’m wrong and now we have some new players in we can go on a run and pull away from that dotted line.

Stocky - I think we have enough about us to stay up and believe there are 4 teams worse than us. I think it'll be hit and miss throughout the season but we will end up staying up by about 5+ points. I predict an 18th-19th placed finish.

Loonpotter -  20th.

Louis - 17th.

Matthew - Still think mid table hopefully with games in hand.

Gills Debate - My hope is that the new signings will give us something extra that will ensure we don’t spend the final couple of games of the season battling to stay in the division. I’ll go with 15th.

Lewis - These last few weeks is the first time I’ve been seriously worried about relegation this season. We slipped in there against Coventry, but the Eaves penalty bailed us out. I’m not sure if I’m kidding myself because I think we have a lot of talent, but I think we’re too good to go down (touch wood). I think we’ll end up where we are now - 19th.

14. HOW WOULD YOU RATE GILLINGHAM’S PERFORMANCES IN THE DOMESTIC CUP COMPETITIONS THIS SEASON ???

Richard - Let's face it, only really 1 good game out of 4 in FA Cup. Struggled past Hartlepool in 1st round, just past Slough then a great result v Cardiff. A good cup run should hopefully give them confidence though.

Luke - Checkatrade Trophy: Pants but who cares?

Carabao Cup: Unlucky with the penalty shootout with Millwall but it is what it is.

FA Cup: Good effort, nice to get to the 4th Round for the first time in 15 years.

Kent Senior Cup: Still in it at the Semi-Final stage, could we actually win something ???

Emlyn - Pleased with the cups - We drew with a championship side and unfortunately went out on penalties in Carbao cup, that could have gone the other way!, And The FA Cup was great, it was nice to make the 4th round, the best one for quite some time.

ForzaGills - The FA Cup run was great fun and well overdue. The League Cup campaign was over in August and the Checkatrade trophy was non-existent. But we surpassed all expectations in beating Cardiff and getting to the fourth round in the FA Cup, I just hope it can become more of a regular occurrence.

We_Need_Eaves - Poor. Rode our luck vs Cardiff.

Dave - I think in the League Cup and EFL Trophy we were underwhelming because we got knocked out at the first hurdle. However, I think they were competitions that we were not totally fussed about progressing in. As nice as a wembley trip would have been, even if it is the EFL Trophy. The FA Cup as I stated above was a great campaign, we managed to get over two tough hurdles in the opening two rounds, then overcome premier league opposition. We even got to visit a new ground because of it with the Liberty. Hopefully we have something similar next year.

BQGillsFan - The FA Cup run was nice,  especially the Cardiff win. The other cups I've genuinely forgotten how they went and can't be bothered to Google it.

Mac - Quality.

Colin - Anything would have been an improvement but to beat Cardiff's reserves was a fantastic achievement. The way we got to round three wasn't much to shout about. We didn't do anything in the other competitions. Maybe we can win the Kent Senior Cup.

Rob - Unexpected. When we were draw to a non-league side (twice!), I fully expected us to have another humiliating cup exit, especially when going to a reply. Luckily, a last minute goal saved us against Hartlepool and an inspirational performance against Cardiff sent us through to the 4th round for the first time in ages. I wasn't overly surprised to see Swansea away was just a step too far.

Smithy - Cup competitions have seemed fairly unimportant in my opinion. Other than the FA Cup.

Caraboa Cup, poor. Simple as. Going out in the first round is never great in any competition.

Checkatrade, the fan favourite! Again it was awful,  I don't really have anything to say about it. I'm not for it personally.

As for the FA Cup, yeah I'm happy. I think we did ourselves proud. Going out in the manner we did was unjust in my opinion but we took a lot of support to South Wales, we got behind the boys and we did manage to knock a Premier League side out on the way. I'd have loved nothing more than to see us progress of course, but for a team in our position we focus on the league now.

Marc - Obviously the FA cup run was an enjoyable one but the other two competitions aren’t too memorable. The checkatrade competition needs a major revamp to get fans interested in the competition again.

Stocky - I think it's been good overall. On paper, we wasn't expected to beat millwall and took them to penalties in the league cup. The check a trade is much maligned and although I don't like the club losing any game, it's the least important of the competitions. The fa cup has been the obvious highlight although we made a pigs ear of it drawing to Hartlepool at home, salvaging extra time in the replay and perhaps riding our luck at times against Slough. That home Game against Cardiff however was something else; one of the best atmospheres in a long time. Unfortunately Swansea was a step too far.

Loonpotter -  I thought they performed well against Cardiff but no other performances to note,  excited me.

Louis - The FA Cup run has been fantastic, I waited all my life for Gillingham to beat a premier league side and it was fantastic to beat Cardiff. Didn’t get the result we wanted against Swansea but was still a class day out.

Matthew - The fa cup run was amazing and to get to the fourth round is great for the club. The game against Cardiff was the best to win the way we did.

Gills Debate -  I’m pretty happy with what we’ve done in the domestic cups this season. It was disappointing to go out in the group stage of the Checkatrade Trophy, as while I don’t agree with the changes that have happened to the format of the competition, I’d have preferred for us to get through a few rounds but it’s clearly not that important in the grand scheme of things! It was also disappointing to go out of the Carabao Cup in the 1st round, but the performance at the time was quite encouraging. The big success though has been our run in the FA Cup, to get through to the 4th round via a victory over a Premier League side in the 3rd round was great, even if we didn’t do things the easy way against Hartlepool United and Slough Town!

Lewis -  We’ll forget the Checkatrade Trophy - that was awful. The Millwall game in the Carabao Cup was impressive, it was just a shame we couldn’t take the penalties to save our lives. The FA Cup was a bit overrated because, apart from the Cardiff game, I think we were poor. We had to go to a replay against non league Hartlepool, and we scraped past an even lower ranked Slough, after they dominated a lot of the game. The Cardiff game was great, and I had a lot of fun, but at Swansea we were poor again. I enjoyed the run, but it was very up and down emotionally!  

15. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE FOURTEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Richard - Lot of criticism about Scally and he's given the team backing this window. If we do go down, the players, manager and coaches will have to take the blame.

Luke - Paella. If i sit in the Rainham End, I always get the Paella before a game and I have to say, its been a hit and miss this season so up the effort please caterers. It used to be very good so lets get back to those levels. Anyways Up the Gills!

Emlyn -  Nothing to add!

ForzaGills - Nothing To Add!

We_Need_Eaves - Really concerned that as our home attendances dwindle due to poor home form how will we finance better signings next season? Have we done enough ‘kid a quid’ offers to boost future potential fans?

Dave -  Nothing To Add.

BQGillsFan - The main thing now is going into these final games of the season, I'd urge all Gillingham fans to get behind the team 110%. We need to show all our love for the boys between now and the final game of the season and hopefully will them on to survival.

Mac - Nothing To Add.

Colin - I do think that Mr.Scally after a long and eventful tenure with many highs as well as the more recent lows should pass on the baton to someone who can rebuild trust with the fans.

Rob - Not particularly. I said before the season that I was hoping for stability and no nonsense comments from the Chairman – that was broken within days. His dream of a stadium is continuing and a leaked investment brochure created much excitement and amusement on the forums. I still think that a new stadium that generates revenue 365 days a year is the way to go. Ultimately, I know that our Chairman has neither the resources nor the aptitude to create such a scheme. Accepted planning permission on a site where the land is secure would be a massive boost for any future new owner. We can all dream.

Smithy - Nothing To Add.

Marc - Nothing To Add.

Stocky -  I think everything's been covered but all I would say whatever your view on scally/Lovell and whether you want them in or out, let's get behind the team and try to make a difference to their performance to pull us away from trouble.

Loonpotter -  Nothing To Add.

Louis - Nothing To Add.

Matthew - Nothing To Add.

Gills Debate - Nothing more to add.

Lewis - The only thing to say is I wish we’d stop letting players’ contracts run down. We’re going to lose our most valuable asset, Tom Eaves, for nothing in the summer, and that shouldn’t happen. Apart from that, thanks to Lee for asking me to participate, and up the Gills!

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this who wishes to participate in the end of season blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Gillingham Supporters Blog for the end of The 2018 / 2019 Season, Let’s Hope Gillingham can pick up enough points between now and the end of the season to retain Gillingham’s League One Status and avoid relegation (or potentially achieve something higher then avoid the drop) - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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On the EVO donation drive

If you’re reading this on Tumblr and still following me you probably know that I pretty much only come around to post about EVO and then peace out a few days later. I’m not sure how many of you that is because Im not 100% on how the new dashboard works but if you are here then you know I’m around a little early. But I’m posting *about* EVO anyway so there ya go.

If you’re reading this on Facebook then I know a lot of you guys probably only have at best a passing knowledge of what EVO is but you’ve seen me post about it, particularly Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 a lot, so I’m just gonna ask if you guys have any spare money please consider donating here:

https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/evo-2017-player-vote-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3

Your money goes to the Make-a-Wish foundation, and you make a guy you know personally really happy as well.

And as a final pretense before I really get into this I’m just gonna be honest this is gonna be pretty rant-y, so it might not be a super focused read and will probably contain a few expletives so just be pre-warned.

Originally I was gonna come here and I was going to break down the poll game by game, essentially breaking down why I felt like each game shouldn’t be voted for and why Marvel should. But as it stands right now the winner is going to be either Marvel or Pokken, so this is mostly going to be centered around why I think Marvel is the most deserving game, and why I feel Pokken just might be the least deserving, or at least one of the least deserving.

And every time I look at that generosity page my stomach does flips because it’s literally like a best/worst case scenario. But the funny part about this entire situation is I feel like Marvel shouldn’t even be on this poll. Marvel absolutely *should* already have its spot. Regardless of how you the individual might feel about Marvel 3 in particular, Marvel vs. Capcom has been practically synonymous with EVO. Up until only last year Marvel, be it 2, 3, or Ultimate 3, has always been sort of the penultimate game for EVO, only behind whatever Street Fighter was out at the time. I don’t know if I agree with IFC Yipes in that Marvel made EVO (mostly because I haven’t been around *that* long), but I do agree that without it EVO never would have reached the point that it has. And you look at Marvel 3 specifically, and that game has been a staple of EVO through damn near every iteration of Street Fighter 4, even lasting long enough to share the stage with Street Fighter 5, outlived who knows how many Netherrealms games, Soul Caliburs, Tekkens, Personas, you name it. And that’s not to knock (most) of those games but to make a point that not even taking into account 2, Marvel 3 specifically has been a prefixture of this event for a long ass time

And never mind the countless moments that the game has given us. Back in 2013 what was one of the top things people talked about when EVO was over? Justin’s absolutely incredible run, beating odds on favorite Chris G and going on to nearly defeat Floker to win his first Marvel 3 EVO. Then there was the following year when he clutched it out against F Champ and beat Chris G once more to finally actually do it.

Hell even last year, Chris G, despite being the odds on favorite to win several years in a row, *finally* went ahead and took the one tournament that had alluded him for years. And the year before that when KBR (even though I dont much care for him) became the first non-American to win Marvel at EVO.

People have known for a minute with MvCI on the horizon that this was probably going to be Marvel 3′s last year at EVO, and so people were gearing up for it’s proper final sendoff and now you’re telling me that Marvel might not even be *at* EVO?

And I know there’s a lot of people who agree with me on this because every where I go, even from people who voted for different games, even for people who voted for Pokken, I keep hearing the same thing: “I’m voting for Pokken, but Marvel absolutely deserves to be there”

“Marvel shouldn’t even be a part of the poll”

“There shouldn’t even be a poll, Marvel should take that 9th slot”

And don’t even get me started on how tight I am that there are not one but TWO Smash games, games that barely even qualify as fighting games, games that a good chunk of the FGC never wanted around in the first place, at EVO, but Marvel might not. Especially since y’all are a good chunk of the people pushing for Pokken (which we’ll get to trust me). If I hear one more Melee player complain about Melee being on Saturday and not Sunday while Marvel might not even *be* at EVO I honestly might lose my shit.

And I mean no disrespect to my Smash 4 community, particularly the local Nebraska scene cuz y’all know I have nothing but respect for you guys. My problem really mostly is with Melee, that relic of a game that people just cant seem to let go of. But it’s so funny to me at how often the Smash crowd, particularly Melee, talks about how much they don’t need the FGC and yet they won’t leave.

But it isn’t even really about that. I could sit here and talk shit about Melee all day long but you know whatever. They have there spot and that’s fine. But suffice to say that if it were up to me, Melee would get booted in favor of Marvel in a heartbeat.

But let’s talk about this poll for an honest minute though. If you remember the donation drive they did a while ago and compare it to this one, the last one blows this one way out of the water. Every single game on that list was at least, you know, a fighting game, with actual communities that would absolutely show up to play. I mean there was Melee and Brawl of course but again shit, at least those two games are closer to fighting games than shit like Windjammers, and Nidhogg. There wasn’t goofy meme-y shit like those two, and ARMS. And dont get me wrong I’m excited to play ARMS but THAT GAMES NOT EVEN OUT YET (and before anyone brings up “Injustice 2 isn’t out either” just know that in my book that game can go fuck itself for about the same reason. BUT EVEN THEN, that game at least has a known community that will come out and play it). We don’t even know what community, if any, is gonna come out for ARMS, by that point, since it’ll be coming out 1-3 months before EVO (I’d remind you that ARMS doesn’t even have a set release date. Just “Spring 2017″), that game isn’t even gonna have any real advanced tech discovered yet, if there even is any to discover. Not that any of those stand a chance at winning at this point but the fact that they were included kinda pisses me off. I can kind of see Windjammers since a lot of the FGC likes that game but Nidhogg? Do most of yall even remember that game? And ARMS? REally?

I know someone’s gonna be like, “Well the last donation drive had Divekick, and Fighting is Magic”. And I was one of the first people to say that FiM was probably the weakest, meme-ist option put up there but you know, that was happened because the FGC is filled with trolls. If you remember, the only games that made the donation drive were games that got at least 500 votes on the Facebook poll and I’m pretty confident that 490 of FiM’s votes were trolls being trolls. And at least in Divekick’s defense, that game was made by a dude from that community, for the community. Divekick is basically one massive FGC in joke anyway so if Divekick had made it, it basically would’ve been a big thank you to one of the FGC’s own.

But I think what makes me the most upset about the whole situation isn’t even just that Marvel might not get the proper sendoff that it deserves, but that it’s Swan Song stands a strong chance of being snatched away by Pokken. And just, let’s review Pokken for a sec.

First off, this was the game that was being removed from Japanese arcades in droves because nobody gave enough of a shit to play it. And we’re talking about a culture that loves both Pokemon AND fighting games, and they wanted absolutely nothing to do with that game.

And then, when it came stateside, those of yall that watched tournaments saw that pretty much ever ad breakthere was a little vingette for Pokken. They tried their hardest to get people to actually care about this game, and yet... you pratically had to dig through the Twitch trenches just to find Pokken tournaments. People weren’t watching, and people weren’t entering. Then it got to EVO because Nintendo money, and it had one of the lowest entrants and viewer rates of any of the games there.

Then post EVO, a lot of majors didn’t even run the game because people weren’t entering or watching. And speaking of Nintendo, I would remind you that Nintendo themselves have since dropped Pokken from their Pokemon Championship Series. So not even the parent company gives a fuck about the game at this point.

So with all that being said, never in a million years did I think that Marvel would be neck and neck with Pokken. KI, maybe. MKX, maybe. Shit I figured even Windjammers had a better shot than Pokken and yet here we are.

And you might wonder where the fuck the money is coming from if nobody gives a shit about Pokken. Simple, its coming from Smashers (and you can go check smash websites, most of them are advocating super hard for Pokken), and people who are just fans of Pokemon and will throw money at anything Pokemon. And look I love Pokemon too. It’s top 3 favorite Nintendo franchise and might be top 5 favorite franchises of all time. But I have no doubt in my mind that a lot of the people throwing money at this, barely know what EVO is, probably don’t even know the dates of EVO, and have 0 intentions of watching that game at EVO much less showing up to play the game. Case in point, Shofu is out here on Twitter advocating and donating to this game, and you would think that Shofu, who runs one of the biggest Pokemon related YouTube channels, would probably have a lot of Pokken content right? Well guess when the last time he even posted a video about the game was. I’ll save you the search, it was 6 months ago. One of these videos were, ironically enough, entitled “time to come back”. And then there were two more videos within the same time span, and he hasn’t touched the game since.

And this is kind of the additude that I’m talking about. I read a tweet earlier that summed it up perfectly. About how people never want to watch or come out to support Pokken, and then want to wonder why there aren’t any Pokken tournaments. That game died forever ago. You might even argue that that game was dead on arrival but even if you don’t, then you have to agree that there hasn’t been a game that died out quicker than Pokken did. For all the shit people gave SFxT at least that game lasted a couple of years as opposed to about 3 months. And at least that game had some potential at release, instead of being booted from Japanese arcades Y’all are throwing money at this game and I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to once again have abyssmal turnout/viewership.

And that’s to me, is the most upsetting thing. That Marvel stands a shot of being robbed by a game that people don’t actually care about, but has a fanbase that will throw money at anything with Pikachu’s face on it. If it were KI, I wouldn’t be super happy, but it would be ok. MKX, kinda upset because I hate that game but you know what, fine. Or even Skullgirls which to me would be best case scenario, if your top two games were SG and Marvel because easily and measurably those two deserve it. Skullgirls is a fantastic game with an ultra dedicated community that only got treated like shit by EVO. I have no doubt in my mind that had SG’s won the last donation drive that game would be one of the biggest in the FGC right now and might even still to this day be a mainstay at EVO. And so if *any* game was gonna be Marvel, I’d wish it to be Skullgirls. But at least I can say of any of the games I mentioned above, people would come out to play it, and support it. In the example of MKX, it would be the exact same people that would be playing Injustice but fuck, at least it’s *someone*.

And I know someone’s gonna be like “well what did you ever do for Marvel?” and yeah, I’ve never been to a major, because I don’t have money like that. But at least every time there is something local for the game, I go out and play. I took time off of work and drove an hour out one time just to get 0-2′d in Marvel on a couple of occasions, but at least I went out there. And I’m out here watching the streams, watching the VoDs; 90% of my “watch later” playlist is Marvel shit that I didn’t get to watch live.

And with that said, yeah I’ll admit that a bit of it is personal for me. Marvel is absolutely my favorite game out there right now. Without Marvel 3 I probably would not care about EVO and the FGC as a whole. But that’s why I don’t want to see it get robbed of a proper sendoff by a game that’s just gonna die out again the minute EVO is over.

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Stanley Cup playoffs roundtable: our writers forecast the postseason

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Stanley Cup playoffs roundtable: our writers forecast the postseason

The puck drops Wednesday as 16 teams kick off their quest for the Cup. Our writers predicts the winner, key players and dark horses

Most entertaining team that didnt make it

From 3 November to 27 December, the Buffalo Sabres lost only one game. But after that, they dropped off horribly. Through their final 19 games of the year, the Sabres won only four, and on Sunday, the team fired head coach Phil Housley. It was fun while it lasted, and its a shame it didnt last longer. CH

Most entertaining team that didnt make it: Entertainment can come in sardonic forms, and in that respect Ive been constantly entertained by the many missteps the Ottawa Senators have made as an organization this year. From embarrassingly humorous Uber videos, to an owner that went after well-respected local media, to trading away the teams best players and then finishing dead last, the Senators are in the pole position to win the NHL draft lottery. And that would probably be the sign of a team turning the corner … until you remember theyd already traded away the pick. JK

Its Montreal, who thrilled hockey fans by going 7-2-1 in their final 10 games in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the postseason. The Habs 96 points tied an NHL record for the most points by a team that didnt quality for the postseason and they improved 25 points over last year. CR

High-seed most at risk of going out early

Calgary had a terrific season, and have been one of the most interesting (and often entertaining) teams to watch. They Flames score a lot (288 total goals this year) and frequently when short-handed but they also concede a ton (220 this year), and though goaltenders Mike Smith and David Rittich have each, at times, been solid, there is still a question of whether either can be clutch in the playoffs. CH

The Jets feel like the obvious choice here. Theyve gone 3-5-1 in their last nine and havent really looked dominant for two months now. Still, as many points as the Calgary Flames accumulated this season in topping the Western Conference, theyve been past the first round just once in the last 13 seasons. Im not bullish on their chances. JK

Tampa Bay are the second round against the Boston Bruins. Although the Lightning tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings with a record 62-win season, the Atlantic Division is the strongest in the NHL. Tampa and Boston finished Nos 1 and 2 (tied with Calgary) in the entire league for points. The Bolts are the strong Stanley Cup favorite, but Boston should not be counted out. CR

Dark horse to win

The Boston Bruins. They finished the season strong, grabbing 13 wins in their last 20 games, peaking at the right time of the year. The Bruins lost two of their three games against Tampa Bay this year (including their last game of the season), but if they somehow manage to topple them in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Bruins could emerge well positioned to take the whole thing. CH

The St Louis Blues. The excellent Justin Bourne laid out his bargument on why it will be a weird-ass team that wins the Stanley Cup this season, and if theres any team outside of Tampa Bay, Boston or Washington that qualifies, its the Blues. On 2 January, the Blues were dead last in the NHL. Since then, theyve put together a crazy good run, going 30-10-0, good for first in the league in points during that span. Twenty-five-year old rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington has been a ton of fun to watch with his .930 save percentage over that stretch. JK

The St Louis Blues were 15-18-14 at the end of the calendar year in last place in the entire NHL. Nobody gave them a chance to make the postseason then, and few believe they can knock off the Winnipeg Jets now. But after 1 January, the Blues went 30-10-5 to post the best record of any team and the Blues may surprise some people. Although the Jets were dominant in the season series (3-1-1), the teams havent played each other since December, so throw that record out the window. CR

Most important player in the postseason

Nikita Kucherov. Every other team in the East and whichever emerges victorious in the West had better hope Kucherov comes down with a bad case of Rick Nash syndrome and completely ghosts in the playoffs to hold out any hope of finding a way to beat the high-flying Tampa Bay Lightning. CH

Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning forwards 128 points were the most in the regular season since 1995-96. All eyes will be on the 25-year old, as he seeks to continue the artistry hes portrayed night in and night out in the playoffs, when things generally tighten up on the ice. JK

Boston center Brad Marchand, a 5ft 9in agitator who can beat you with both defense and offense. Marchand has won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward four times in seven years, and this year he finished in the top five in scoring, accumulating 100 points for the first time in his career. Marchand centers Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, considered the best line in hockey. CR

The Boston trio including Brad Marchand (63), Patrice Bergeron (37) and David Pastrnak (88) is considered the best line in hockey. Photograph: Winslow Townson/USA Today Sports

Can anything top the Knights story last season?

What if Barry Trotz, the man who coached the Washington Capitals to a Stanley Cup victory last year, does the same this year with the homeless New York Islanders? CH

Like, probably not, right? I mean, maybe if the Carolina Hurricanes bright back the Storm Surge that they officially put to bed towards the end of the regular season, win the Stanley Cup and then NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presents the Stanley Cup to a Bunch of Jerks, then we might be onto something. JK

Maybe this years Golden Knights. Like last year, there are doubters. But theres still an aura about them and the players seem to respond to coach Gerard Gallant because he creates a positive atmosphere within the team. They also still have Marc-Andre Fleury in goal, and leading scorers like William Karlsson and Jonathon Marchessault are having great years again. The Knights sputtered going down the stretch, going 3-5-2 in their last 10. But is a team that, when it catches fire: watch out. CR

One bold prediction

The Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup and Gary Bettman is forced to present the Cup by playing a game of duck-duck-goose with the entire team, and then doing a running jump off a trampoline and slam-dunking a basketball into it. Bettman still gets mercilessly booed. Somewhere, Don Cherrys head explodes. CH

For just the third time in Stanley Cup playoffs history, well see a goaltender score. Theres data to suggest that teams facing a deficit should be pulling their goalie far earlier, and were starting to see that happen more and more. Goalies are better all-around players than they ever have been, so I wouldnt be surprised to see a goalie look to ice a game late with something that looks like a breakout pass but actually finds its way into the back of the net. Ron Hextall style. JK

The Colorado Avalanche, the lowest-seeded playoff team with 90 points, will knock off the 107-point Calgary Flames in the first round and get all the way to the Western Conference finals. Its kind of crazy to think they could even get past Calgary, who are the only NHL team to have five players with 70 points or more. And Colorado missed one of their scoring stars down the stretch as Mikko Rantanen missed the last eight games with an injury. CR

Eastern Conference final

Washington Capitals over Tampa Bay Lightning, four games to three. CH

Tampa Bay Lightning over Washington Capitals, four games to two. JK

Boston Bruins over Washington Capitals, four games to one. CR

Western Conference final

Calgary Flames over St Louis Blues, four games to two. CH

St Louis Blues over San Jose Sharks, four games to three. JK

Vegas Golden Knights over Winnipeg Jets, four games to two. CR

Stanley Cup final

Washington Capitals over Calgary Flames, four games to two. Only one other team has managed 62 wins in a single season, as the Tampa Bay Lightning did this year: the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, who, as it happens, also featured a high-powered Russian scorer atop the teams point-getters, followed by a Canadian guy named Steve. But despite their regular season success, the Wings failed to win the Cup in the spring of 96, falling in seven games in the Western Conference finals to the Quebec Nordi er, Colorado Avalanche (who went on to sweep the Florida Panthers to take the Cup). Call me crazy, but history is in danger of repeating itself. Tampa Bay played Washington three times in March. Tampa Bay took the first game, 6-3. They won the second by a 5-4 score, but needed overtime. The third time, on 30 March, they lost 6-3. Three games dont make a trend, but if the East comes down to a contest between the Caps and Lightning, as it did last year, my money is still on Washington. CH

Tampa Bay Lightning over St Louis Blues, four games to two. I predicted the Lightning would win it all before the season began and I see no reason to stray from that prediction now. This juggernaut of a team had the fourth-most points in NHL single season history (128) and their incredible regular-season success feels like its sustainable over the next few months. Whoever they draw in the second round will likely be a bit beaten down after a hard-fought opening series and I dont believe any team in the Western Conference can measure up, talent-wise. Itll be the Eastern Conference finals, likely against hardened and tested sides like Washington or Pittsburgh, that present the sternest challenge, but that should be the teams only real threat. This is a historically good group that is playing a different brand of hockey than the rest of the league right now. JK

Boston Bruins over Vegas Golden Knights, four games to two. Even with Marc-Andre Fleury doing his magic act in goal for Vegas, the Bruins are just too strong offensively, led by their top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Both scrappy and skilled, Marchand hit 100 points for the first time in his career. But the Bruins have depth beyond the one big line. They had five 20-goalscorers and eight Bruins matched or passed career highs. Once this team gets on a roll, its hard to stop them. After the All-Star break, Boston strung together a 19-game point streak. CR

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us

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How the Heat got hot: the secrets to Miami’s incredible turnaround

With 23 wins in 28 games, Miami has surged back into playoff contention after sitting 11-30. Chris Smith reports on a remarkable NBA turnaround

We just wanted our games to matter, said Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra before last weeks thrashing of the Toronto Raptors, which earned his team a 21st victory in 25 games.

Ultimately you want your games to be significant. Whether you win or lose you want to feel that emotion.

At one point, that significance looked like protecting a top-five draft pick. Now the Heat sits at 34-35. After Friday nights 123-105 win over Minnesota it is in possession of the eighth seed in the East.

Spoelstra, of course, is no stranger to late-season surges. His 2013 Heat squad won 27 straight en route to retaining the NBA title. But that team didnt start 11-30. It didnt lose 10 of 11 prior to streaking and wasnt 10 games back of the play-offs.

From its lowest ebb in January, Miami would somehow reel off 13 wins on the spin. That has moved on to 23-5 in mid-March (15-16 at home), comfortably the NBAs best record over that period.

But how? The reality is, despite loss upon loss early on, Miami has been slowly gelling all along. In each month of the season, total points, FG and 3PT percentages have risen.

Even though we were losing we were trending. Our offense and defence were trending in a great way, said forward James Johnson, who has lost almost 40lbs since signing with Miami this summer, to reignite his playing career.

Our belief was in player development sticking to detail and preparing to do everything in the right way. Now when we get beat teams celebrate. That stands out. You deserve to celebrate. We worked hard to get ourselves out of this hole and we keep on trending the right way, sharing the ball and making winning shots.

Although Miami is far healthier and has rediscovered its defensive identity, ball sharing and finding the hot hand on offense has been key. The 27th-ranked three-point offense on January 14, rose to 1st at one point during the run. It has averaged 109.5 points per game in the last two months, a feat the Big Three era teams never accomplished.

Miami has also learned how to close. At 11-30 it had been involved in the most games decided by single digits (tied with Boston). Without Dwyane Wade, its departed closer of over a decade, and 11-time all-star Chris Bosh side-lined (perhaps permanently) with blood clots, the bigger moments were too big.

We had a lot of tough losses down the stretch and we didnt know how to win games as a basketball team, Spoelstra added. Weve gained the maturity to understand it could be different guys on different nights.

On Wednesday against the Pelicans, the about-face was at its most evident. Late in the fourth quarter, Miami made three straight threes, and nullified DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis on the defensive end.

Now we understand how we need to win, said point guard Goran Dragic after an irrepressible 33-point point display that had fans chanting MVP.

We would shy away from our game when we didnt get good open shots, we didnt run the offense well. Now, even if they make a run and you dont hit a couple, we know those shots were open so it was a good shot for us. We keep our composure, stick to our game plan and try to execute.

Dragic is one of many Heat players to find his groove. No longer deferential to Wade, he has averaged 20 points and 42% from beyond the arc. Persistent trade talk has subsided for good.

Shot-blocking centre Hassan Whiteside (averaging 16pts and an NBA-high 14 boards) is finding consistency to match the explosiveness on both ends of the floor, justifying a $98m commitment last summer.

Dion Waiters, crowded out by All-Star talent in Cleveland and OKC, has evoked Wades knack for clutch shooting in multiple Heat wins. He has found a home. Journeyman Wayne Ellington is shooting 45% from downtown since the All-Star break. Overall, five heat players are enjoying career years in multiple categories.

So, the question is: should the Heat make it, whod relish a first round match-up against arguably the leagues form team?

Since the turnaround, Miami has beaten Cleveland (twice), Golden State and Houston (twice) as well as higher-ranked Eastern Conference teams in Toronto, Detroit, Atlanta and Indiana.

Perhaps not the Cavaliers, whove lost 12 straight in Miami, including an 0-5 run since LeBron returned to The Land. Miamis win in Cleveland earlier this month was heading towards a blowout until a late rally spared the reigning champs blushes. A potential date with the Heat seems unlikely to be the first round stroll the Cavs are accustomed to.

We feel like we can play with anyone, says Tyler Johnson, the Heats tenacious back-up guard who ranks second in the NBA for points without a start. He and James Johnson (3rd) stand alone with over 500pts, 200 rebounds and 150 assists off the bench and must be contenders for the NBAs 6th Man Award.

Tyler added: Weve had a couple of victories against the top teams in the East, but we know what were capable of. We know what we started, coming from 11-30 to play-off contention, so were not looking for confidence at this stage.

Of course, play-off LeBron is an entirely different proposition. Just ask Steph Curry, who may need surgery to remove his tail from between his legs at this point. Bay Area authorities have completely abandoned the search for his swagger.

A potential match-up with likely second seed Boston (3-0 vs Miami this season) may be less favourable for the Heat. The teams havent met since December 30 and both are 24-11 since. Next weekend the Celtics take on a Heat team relishing the challenge of potential play-off ball, rather than a basement dweller.

Whiteside said: Just keep winning, keep rebounding, keep blocking shots, keep playing Miami Heat Basketball. Were not getting complacent. Were not comfortable. Were getting hungrier.

Recently Coach Spoelstra has perhaps received more plaudits than in any of his nine-years as head coach. Often his achievements were belittled by the assumption winning with Wade, Bosh and James was a formality.

No team has ever come from 19 below .500 to finish with a winning record. Miami is primed to do it. Is this run more satisfying than when a No1 seed wasnt expected, but demanded?

I try not to compare one season to another, he says. Some years are different in personnel, but Im able to look back on it and see that Ive grown and gotten better.

With 11 wins in its first 41 games few thought his team would be in control of its own play-off destiny. In that respect Spoelstra has achieved his mission to ensure it all has meaning.

I think games have been devalued for whatever reason, he said, speaking of a broader trend across the league. Theres a perception that the season doesnt start until the postseason. Thats not why all this was created years ago.

Ive told the guys many times in the last couple of weeks its a privilege to feel the emotions of every game really mattering, Coach Spoelstra said. You earn that privilege, but it doesnt guarantee you anything.

We had the opportunity to reveal persistence, but were very focused on finishing the job.

After 23 wins in 28 games, finishing the job could now entail more than just making the play-offs.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2nkGu4U

from How the Heat got hot: the secrets to Miami’s incredible turnaround

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World Cup 2018: Guardian writers give their predictions for the tournament

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World Cup 2018: Guardian writers give their predictions for the tournament

Who will triumph in Russia? Which player will be top scorer? Who will be the breakthrough star? How far will England go?

Which two teams will reach the final – and who will win?

My time of selecting Spain to win every tournament is now officially over probably four years too late and Im reverting back to Germany, in a penalty shootout against France. Daniel Taylor

Brazil and Argentina, with Lionel Messi to illuminate the grandest stage, then retire from international football clutching its ultimate prize. Maybe. Dominic Fifield

Notoriously hard to call before a round of games has been played. Brazil beating Germany would be my preference. Barney Ronay

Brazil against Germany – the ultimate test of Brazils temperament and a tale of vengeance in result if not in scoreline. Amy Lawrence

Brazil to beat Germany. Brazil have got everything but, most importantly, balance and a hardier mentality under Tite. Germany remain intimidating and even greater than the sum of their parts. David Hytner

Brazil and Germany, and Brazil will ultimately be champions. Stuart James

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France and Germany would not be a massive surprise but a lot depends on which Paul Pogba shows up; the player who dictated a 100m move or the one which has struggled for consistency at Manchester United. Martha Kelner

Brazil and Spain, and Brazil will win. Tites side have been impressive in the build-up to the tournament, have solidity and have rested Neymar. Sid Lowe

The dream final would be France versus Brazil – a repeat of the final from 20 years ago, and hopefully with the same result. Marcel Desailly

Germany against Brazil, and Germany will win. Thomas Hitzlsperger

Im certain Brazil will be in the final. Who will join them is a hard choice to make but it would certainly be interesting, and make for a great match, if Argentina joined them. Marta

Neymar is well rested, in form and ready for revenge on Germany. Photograph: APA-PictureDesk GmbH/REX/Shutterstock

Who will be leading individual scorer?

Neymar is a decent shout and should be particularly fired up bearing in mind the way his last World Cup finished. DT

Neymar, whose goals will propel Tites side to the final and presumably then earn him a long mooted move to Real Madrid. DF

Romelu Lukaku. Or someone else. Ideally a surprise from a minor nation who gets four in one game then goes home. BR

Gabriel Jesus, supplied by Neymar and Roberto Firmino, could fill his golden boots. AL

Luis Surez. Uruguays draw is a dream and they will make the quarter-finals, at least, giving Surez plenty of game-time to do damage. DH

Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has a good scoring record at international level and is the spearhead of a team that should go far. SJ

Antoine Griezmann could light up this tournament, arriving in Russia on the back of inspiring Atletico Madrid to a Europa League title. His record for France isnt bad, though, with 20 goals in 53 games. MK

Neymar.The Brazilian arrives in Russia with fresh legs and a desire to take his nation all the way. Frances Kylian Mbapp is also a decent shout. SL

Romelu Lukaku. Hes on great form, has everybody playing for him and some great passers to provide him with the ammunition he needs. MD

Gabriel Jesus. I watched him quite a lot last season and really liked his movement, not to mention his scoring rate. Hell get plenty of service playing in the same team as the likes of Neymar and Philippe Coutinho and, given Ive predicted Brazil will get to the final, he should play plenty of games, also. TH

Neymar. He was hurt, played two games and scored in both I cant wait to see him in action. M

Frances Kylian Mbapp and Antoine Griezmann are contenders for the World Cup golden boot. Photograph: Gerard Julien/AFP/Getty Images

Who will be the surprise team of the tournament?

Switzerland. The Fifa world rankings are not the best way to judge a team, perhaps, but there must be some valid reasons why they are currently sixth (ahead of France and Spain). DT

Serbia. Mladen Krstajics team are unfancied, but boast strength and quality. The key will be ensuring players perform to the same levels they invariably achieve at their clubs. DF

This question contains an internal contradiction. Colombia for the semis, maybe. BR

Uruguay, a mix of renewed confidence and wily old know-how. AL

I see Croatia going deep into the tournament maybe even the semi-finals. Any team with Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic deserves respect. DH

Denmark. Theyre 15 matches unbeaten and this could be the stage for Christian Eriksen to shine. Mind you, their opening game, against Peru, wont be easy. SJ

Peru return to the World Cup after a 36 year absence but they are full of hope, galvanised in part by their captain, centre forward and all time top scorer Paolo Guerrero managing to overturn a 14-month drugs ban just weeks before the world cup. MK

Would it count as a surprise for Egypt and Uruguay to do well? The two sides from group A certainly could do so. Uruguay have their usual qualities, have Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield and a quiet, competitive confidence. SL

Belgium. Technically they are so good, they have so many talented players. I truly think they can bring a new name to the nations that have won the World Cup. MD

England. There is little expectations around the squad but I think they will get to the quarter-finals. TH

Sweden. It is a country that I have a lot of affection for and I want them to do well in this World Cup. M

Denmark are unbeaten in 15 matches and Christian Eriksen makes them tick. Photograph: Lars Ronbog/FrontzoneSport via Getty Images

Who will be breakthrough player of the tournament?

Hirving Lozano of Mexico sounds good fun: talented, fiery and nicknamed Chucky because of his apparent resemblance to the Childs Play doll. Lozano scored 19 goals as a winger for PSV Eindhoven last season and is likened to Luis Suarez, though hopefully he will manage not to bite anyone. DT

Samuel Umtiti. That may sound odd given the French centre-half plays at Barcelona, but he was rushed into the team at Euro 2016, making a senior debut in the quarter-final, and is a far better player now. DF

Hes already at Barcelona and cost 90m but I think Ousmane Dembl could remind everyone exactly why. BR

Kylian Mbapp, who has achieved so much already but in his teens this will be his first major tournament. AL

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The 23-year-old Serbia and Lazio midfielder is tall, dynamic and has an eye for goal. Im looking forward to watching him, together with Moroccos creative midfielder, Hakim Ziyech, who plays for Ajax. DH

Polands Piotr Zielinski. The 24-year-old was a key member of the Napoli team that pushed Juventus all the way in Serie A last season. SJ

Karol Linetty. The Polish midfielders inventive play has seen him glitter for Sampdoria and catch the eye of one or two Premier League clubs. More could take interest if he has a good World Cup. MK

Marco Asensio and Kylian Mbapp. This could be the tournament when they underline just how brilliant theyre going to be. SL

Its difficult to say, but, if pushed, Kylian Mbapp. He has the potential to be a big World Cup star. But will it be at this World Cup? He is still very young. MD

Benjamin Pavard, a young defender I work with at Stuttgart and part of Frances squad. He can play right-back but, for me, is much better suited to being a centre-back. He is calm and composed, good in the air and aggressive when he needs to be. A real talent. TH

Hes still only 19 and there were ups and downs in his first season at Paris Saint-Germain but I feel Kylian Mbapp could make a really big impact for France. M

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

How far will England get?

There is a potential quarter-final against Brazil or Germany looming. Even with the new wave of optimism, surrounding Gareth Southgates team its difficult to see them getting past that stage. DT

The quarter-finals, playing some encouragingly enterprising football along the way. DF

Respectable/brave 2-0 quarter-final loss after narrow squeak to that stage based on discipline and a couple of flukey clean sheets. BR

The usual in all probability, maybe a quarter-final this time. AL

The quarter-finals, where we will lose on penalties to Germany. DH

They will get out of the group but its hard to see them progressing any further than the last 16. SJ

Quarter-finals. This is the minimum target the FA has set and is eminently achievable for a team which seems to have had the shackles removed. MK

Quarter-finals. Am I alone in thinking that England are actually quite good? I like the look of them offensively. SL

It is hard to say as England are short of experience. I feel they will need this tournament to grow as a group of players. MD

The quarter-finals. With a bit of good fortune and good play, they could even make the semi-finals. TH

They will definitely get out of their group and possibly go beyond that. M

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Who will be Englands best/most important player?

Harry Kane. People forget how poor he was in the European Championship, booed by the England fans, but if Kane is on form the team have a striker who can trouble any defence. DT

Harry Kane, making his mark at a major finals. The one player of real pedigree in English ranks. DF

Raheem Sterling. Will bring a dash of Manchester City to things and finally score a couple of goals – hopefully with his gun foot, before suggestively unfurling his sock for the cameras. BR

Harry Kane. Has to be. AL

Kyle Walker. He has a pivotal role on the right of Gareth Southgates back three, where he brings defensive cover and, crucially, pace on the transitions. Confidence is high after his superb debut season at Manchester City. DH

Harry Kane.Englands captain, principal goalscorer and, its fair to say, best player. SJ

Harry Kane is vital to Englands success as one of our few genuine world-class players. The captain has no shortage of motivation, claiming a World Cup victory would be trump winning the Champions League with Tottenham. MK

Marcus Rashford. On the basis he is given continuity, confidence and a certain level of freedom. SL

The guy who has really confirmed his talent on the big stage is Harry Kane and if he gets good service he could be one of the top scorers in Russia. MD

Harry Kane. He needs to score goals and Im sure he will. TH

Harry Kane. He had a great season with Tottenham Hotspur and his goals will make a difference for England. M

Harry Kane

Harry Kane

What are you most looking forward to, on or off the pitch?

The final. Its a World Cup final. For a journalist, theres no better moment when it comes to covering the sport. DT

Off the pitch, seeing The Motherland Calls in Volgograd. On it, that jaw dropping contest to match the drama of Belo Horizonte in 2014. DF

Discovering that, in fact, everyday Russians arent all Putin-mad dopes or gumshield-clad football hooligans. Also vodka. BR

Exploring Ekaterinburg and watching football in an unexpected place. Japan versus Senegal in a city known as the gateway to Siberia is what its all about. AL

The best thing about the previous World Cups Ive covered has been the carnival vibe. I hope its the same this time. DH

Seeing Colombia play. I had the pleasure of watching them in Brazil and they were a joy. I also havent forgotten how a few of their fans felt sorry for me when I ordered a table for one in a Brazilian steakhouse four years later and were still in touch. SJ

Im genuinely intrigued to see what sort of World Cup-host Russia will be and if they can succeed in reversing opinions of some visitors that the country is cold and unwelcoming. MK

The same thing you always look forward to at the World Cup loads of fans from loads of places making loads of noise and discovering players and teams..Some random player being brilliant. SL

Im excited to see which teams are going to surprise us AND which teams are going to show from the very outset that they are here to win it. MD

Although I think Germany will win the World Cup this looks like a really open tournament, with quite a few genuine major contenders as well as teams would could cause a major surprise. It should be fascinating. TH

Talking about soccer, watching beautiful and clean games, with sportsmanship, fair plays and no dirty plays. Thats what I hope to see, anyway. M

The Colombia fans were already out in force to cheer on their team at Kazan airport. Photograph: Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images

What are you most concerned about, on or off the pitch?

This might be the worst prediction of them all, but I dont think there will be the racism or riots that people fear. We heard similar before Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland, plus other scare stories before the World Cups in South Africa and Brazil, but it tends to be different in the big tournaments. DT

The inevitable shambles and confusion which will be VAR. DF

The only thing any football hack ever really worries about is the wi-fi. Will it be good? Will it come and go? Will it fade at kick-off? Im worrying about it right now. BR

Having been in Marseille for England versus Russia, digging out the old Italia 90 No All Violenza T-shirt and hoping for a peaceful tournament. AL

VAR leading to confusion inside the stadiums and, potentially, killing the emotion of big moments. DH

The battery life on my new mobile phone. Any incomplete answers in here are down to the fact my phone died while trying to file. SJ

That we will spend the next five weeks talking exhaustively about decisions made by Video Assistant Referees. MK

Connection issues and late goals. Long distances. Cyrillic script. On the pitch: teams turning defensive when it gets decisive. SL

That all the talk about security and organisation will overshadow the football. As a Fifa ambassador l have visited many stadiums, met many Russians, and l am confident in the capacity of Russia to run a great tournament. MD

Vladimir Putin and Gianni Infantino appearing on our television screens more often than the actual players. TH

Ugly incidents between supporters. Sport is not a tool for spreading hatred and disagreement but rather love, passion, and unity. M

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