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Basil still couldn' t get to grips with the letter that George had handed him. He read it again and again, in fact he read it several times just to get his head around it. Since he didn't have an agent, Basil always hated them and preferred to do his own negotiations, he wondered who had shopped his name to the George Theopolous Sports Agency. The hotel staff wouldn't dare do that, would they? So he called home...

"Hi Mam."
"Hello son, how's Australia?"
"Great thanks, picking up a bit of a tan haha and I've been on the Neighbours set."
"Why does this not surprise me. Anyway what's up?"
"Mam, who else knows I'm in Australia?"
"Me and your sister. Why?"
"Just that some Australian sports agent approached me earlier. Neither of you been talking about me to strangers?"
"No, far from it. Who do we know down under?"
"Nobody."
"There's your answer then. Problem solved."
"Yeah, guess so Mam."
"Stop fretting then in the meantime, enjoy your holiday. You've earned it."

And with that, the click of the call ending sounded. We will just see what tonight brings, Basil thought. Perhaps it was just a joke anyway.

Basil enjoyed his trip to the Neighbours studios as he exited the black Toyota Kluger which the hotel had kindly arranged. He looked at his iPhone XS' camera roll and the selfies he managed whilst there. Pictures with Jackie Woodburne (Susan), Ryan Moloney (Toadie) and Rebekah Elmaloglou (Terese) to name just three. He was especially pleased with the one with Toadie as he is the one character Basil thought he can instantly relate to.

He put the mobile back in his pocket, and made his way back into the hotel via the revolving doors when he was halted by reception just before the lift arrived back on the ground floor.

"Mr Brush, Mr Brush..." came the beckoning call.
"Er, yes?" Basil replied with an inquisitive glance at the receptionist.
"There's someone waiting in the bar area for you. He said it was important."
"I'm not expecting anyone though, but OK. Did he say who he was and what was it about?"
"Sorry, no."
"No problems, thank you for letting me know. I'll go and see whoever it is."

As he walked into the bar area, Basil pondered and muttered to himself. "Nobody knows I'm here, bar the family, and I can't imagine they've flown in especially unless there's a sudden emergency back home.": he really was puzzled. Basil approached the table which had views of Melbourne and the Yarra from it, and as he neared a smartly dressed gentleman arose.

"Ah, Mr Brush.." he started to greet with.
"Yes, and you are?" Basil enquired.
"George Theopolous, sports agent."
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong man." Basil started to retreat but George was insistent that he was in the right.
"No, no. I've been asked to pass this message onto you Mr Brush today"

George handed Basil a piece of A4 paper. On that paper, it had George's company name Theopolous Sports Agency embossed as a letterhead and it all looked formal indeed. Basil read the contents:

"Dear Mr Brush.

First of all, welcome to Austraila.

A client of mine wishes to discuss a proposition with you tonight. Please attend the Rockpool Bar and Grill tonight, 1 July 2019 for 8:00pm and more information will follow.

Sincerely yours,

George Theopolous"

Basil was intrigued intensely, and George bade him farewell. "We will reconvene at 8 Mr Brush. I'm sure you will like the proposal that will be put forwards."

What was it going to be? It certainly sounded oh so mysterious indeed as Basil got up from the chair he was sat in, entered the lift and pressed 4 for the fourth floor suite which he was staying in. "Surely someone out there is not trying to coax me out of retirement?" Basil muttered, still none the wiser.

It was a sunny day in Melbourne and former professional footballer Basil Brush woke up from his bed in the Crown Towers Hotel. Brush, who had recently retired from playing at the end of 2018-19 with Stocksbridge Park Steels, hopped into the shower and shaved ahead of the day in front of him. The last thing that was on his mind was football. He was just relaxing in newer climes after quitting his paid job in the Civil Service to spend a year travelling around the world.

What will I do today? Brush asked himself as he tucked into a continental breakfast in the sumptious and elegant dining room.

As he was in Melbourne, he thought instantly of Neighbours which is set in the City. That will do providing they do trips around the set, problem solved. After munching that final warm croissant, with a nice cup of tea to wash it down, he headed towards the reception desk.

"Good Morning sir." came the warm welcome from the receptionist on duty.
"Morning." Basil replied. "I don't know but do they do trips around the Neighbours set? It's just intrigued me."
"Let me check."
"Thanks."

A few minutes the receptionist re-appeared.

"Yes, they do sir. Would you like me to book you on a trip there today?"
"That'll be superb."
"Right then, shall I book it for 12 noon? We'll arrange for a car to take you there and back."
"Splendid."

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Brush relaxed in the hotel lobby blissfully unaware of the developments which would come later in the day.

England Head Coach Mark Duell has been forced into a change from his initial 23 man squad when Olympiacos goalkeeper Dean Henderson was ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury. The former Manchester United stopper picked up the injury in his side's 2-2 draw with PAOK and was forced to leave the pitch after just 12 minutes. It's a blow for the goalkeeper who made a more than creditable début last month in Croatia and was looking to establish himself in the England set up.

Duell commented:


Pickford, 32, has been capped 61 times for the Three Lions with his last cap coming in June when England defeated China 1-0 in their FIFA World Cup Group B encounter played in Dallas.

England Head Coach Mark Duell has announced his latest 23 man squad which will form the basis for the friendly against Uruguay as well as the potential UEFA Nations League decider against the Netherlands. Once more Duell has made a few changes from his previous squad and this squad sees a recall for Eric Dier who missed out with injury last month whilst both John Stones and Rob Holding are both dropped.

Duell commented:


The squad is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS:
Jack Butland (Tottenham Hotspur, 54 caps/0 goals)
Angus Gunn (Southampton, 14 caps/0 goals)
Dean Henderson (Olympiacos, 1 cap/0 goals)

DEFENDERS:
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, 95 caps/6 goals)
Joe Gomez (Liverpool, 74 caps/5 goals)
Ben Chilwell (Arsenal, 70 caps/3 goals)
Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur, 129 caps/14 goals)
Ethan Laird (Southampton, 1 cap/0 goals)
Craig Laycock (Southampton, 6 caps/0 goals)
Anthony Davles (Wolverhampton Wanderers, 3 caps/0 goals)
Declan Rice (Valencia CF, 41 caps/2 goals)
Richard Latham (Southampton, 0 caps/0 goals)

MIDFIELDERS:
Dominic Clark (Manchester United, 6 caps/0 goals)
Lewis Cook (Leicester City, 40 caps/3 goals)
Dylan Clayton (Leicester City, 0 caps/0 goals)
Delé Alli (Tottenham Hotspur, 121 caps/27 goals)
Ryan Sessegnon (Manchester City, 33 caps/1 goal)
Jadon Sancho (Chelsea, 55 caps/12 goals)
Emile Smith-Rowe (Arsenal, 12 caps/2 goals)

FORWARDS:
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, 137 caps/91 goals)
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United, 132 caps/58 caps)
Eddie Nketiah (Manchester United, 22 caps/7 goals)
Tammy Abraham (Cardiff City, 2 caps/0 goals)

2026-27: November Preview

A short three game span in November which again is truncated by yet another international football period.

We start the eleventh month of the year 2026 with a home game against London giants Chelsea. The Blues last won the league in 2017 under Antonio Conte before he departed after the following season despite a winning percentage of over 65%. Since his departure, Chelsea have been managed by Maurizio Sarri and French football legend Zinedine Zidane who lasted less than two years in the Blues hot seat. The current manager is Hungarian Pál Dárdai who has been in charge for almost five years. He's picked up three trophies in that time and at the moment doesn't seem to be becoming Roman Abramovich's 15th different full time manager since the oligarch took them over in 2003.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 4th
Player to Watch: Jagoba Alonso - a young Spanish striker who is now in his second season at Stamford Bridge after signing from Athletico Bilbao for £105 million last June. Alonso repaid a chunk of his large transfer fee with 17 goals in his first campaign as the Blues finished 3rd last season; an astonishing 21 points behind eventual winners Manchester United. With 4 goals in just 8 appearances for his nation so far, big things are expected from a player who is expected to lead their front line for years to come.

After yet another international break, the third one this season so far, we resume our domestic campaign with the first of two successive away games. This first one takes us to the home of the 2015-16 Premier League Champions, the Foxes of Leicester City. Jamie Vardy is no more leading the line, and the club themselves have an unknown manager in charge. That man is 40 year old Swede Joakim Rydberg, who arrived at the King Power Stadium in March after 14 months in charge at Crystal Palace. Other than a couple of Manager of the Year awards in Sweden with AIK, little is known about him as he has not won any trophies since his managerial début with Norrby in 2019. A proper unknown quantity.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 8th
Player to Watch: Dylan Clayton; a promising winger who that has done well since his joining the Foxes in the summer from Sheffield United for a fee that could reach £43.5 million inclusive of add ons. The 20 year old has already made an international impression with 4 goals in just 8 Under 21 appearances and is one to keep an eye on for the future. Quick and direct, Clayton has many admirers and is also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland as his grandfather comes from Limerick.

We conclude the month of November with a game that some are already calling Mission Impossible for us as we make the trip down the East Lancs Road to take on league leaders and four time Premier League Champions, Manchester City. Still backed by Sheikh Mansour's billions, City are now managed by former Dortmund, PSG, Bayern and Milan Head Coach Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel arrived at the end of May after Massimilano Allegri was sacked just 14 days after winning the FA Cup Final. City will be hoping that the German's arrival will bring them a fifth Premier League crown, the last arriving as far back as 2020 when they also won the Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA World Cup and Champions League too.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 2nd
Player to Watch: Leroy Sané; the German winger has played in over 400 games for the Citizens since arriving in 2016 and has picked up silverware in abundance. He's still a regular on the international stage for Die Mannschaft and always is a potent threat to any opponent. Capable of playing on either wing, left side preferred, or occasionally behind the front man: Sané is a world class player that teams need to be at their best to stop.

And we have our third different winner of the Manager of the Month award, but it's not me. The winner this month Arsenal's Swedish Head Coach Mats Gren, so as they say "Grattis Mats" in his home nation. Gren took the award in a tight battle with Red Devils boss Diego Simeone, both having identical 100% records. The difference, Gren won his in one less game.

Winning the Player of the Month award is Chelsea's French midfield maestro, Cusiance is in his third season at the Bridge and is having a bit of a breakout season, scoring virtually every other game. Guess who's gonna be man marked when we play Chelsea? Second and third place went to the Manchester United duo of Leon Bailey and Mario Ricci, yeah the latter who cost United £104 million in the summer..

The winner of the Young Player of the Month is City's highly rated Belgian central defender. The press have him down as a wonderkid so you can also imagine they're drawing comparisons with a certain Vincent Kompany. Last month's winner Wladimir of Arsenal finished runner-up and third placed was none other than our own Corrado Pantanelli. Considering Corrado only played twice, he is making a bit of an impression already.

So the winner of October's Goal of the Month is Manchester United's Leon Bailey for a stunning solo strike where he scythed his way through the Cardiff City defender like a knife through hot butter before netting. No place though for Vincent Morel's stunner against Derby then or Ongjen Stijepovic's howitzer against Fulham? Guess if either these players played for a bigger club than us then they might have been included.

2026-27: End of October Summary

A four game spell played in another truncated month because of yet another international week. Could we pick up a much needed win?



MATCHDAY 9 - Saturday 3 October 2026


The last game in September had seen us, with our new formation, gain a superb draw at St James Park but would the momentum continue when we hosted a Leeds United that have had a great return back to the Premier League. Our situation was not helped by the fact that the disciplinary chiefs had increased Cristiàn Cuevas' suspension from one game to three which meant that with Thomas Eaton still not match fit, young Peter Brown stayed in the left wing back role. After soaking up plenty of opening pressure, we took the lead in the 14th minute thanks to a deft header from Brijan Ibrahimi after a superb cross from Connor Roberts. It was Albanian Brian's second of the season.

Considering we were on home turf, Leeds absolutely battered us. They had 35 shots on our net (we had 18 on theirs) but they were wasteful otherwise we could have been on the end of a mauling. They thought they had equalised just before the half hour when Lucas Romero blasted in from range but good old VAR saved us with an offside decision against the Whites Nicolàs Gonzalez. Yet they did equalise three minutes before half time when Nedim Barjami lashed in a shot that had Jasper Schendelaar watching the ball whizz past him like a rocket. Neither side could breakthrough after that and we secured a backs to the wall point against an opponent who should have won convincingly.

MATCHDAY 10 - Monday 19 October 2026
LIVE ON


Another backs to the wall performance gained us another point on a rainy Monday night on the South Coast. Just like Leeds in the previous game, Bournemouth should have won but failed to take their chances when presented. Our back three had to work hard but they came through this latest examination with a pass. We could have even shocked all and sundry with a winner in the final throes of the game, substitute Ronaldo Vieira heading over the bar from a Jack Harrison corner. But have we used up our luck now?

The game also saw a début for Eaton, despite not being 100 per cent fit, as I opted to take young Brown out of the firing line even though he had done a good job deputising. It will certain help the youngster's development now he knows how much a step up it is from Under 23's football to that in the first team and in the Premier League too.

MATCHDAY 11 - Saturday 24 October 2026


Our penultimate game of October saw us take on Fulham at Deepdale. We certainly owed our visitors one after they had dumped us out of the Carabao Cup last month, and I made sure that the team were reminded about it in the dressing room pre-game. Cuevas had completed his three game suspension whilst Nikola Vukcevic was given a rest after playing a heck of a lot of football recently. In fact it was his Montegrin international colleague Ongjen Stijepovic who put us ahead with a stupendous strike from the edge of the area in the 24th minute. As soon as it left his boot; you just knew where it was going..top bins! I think Fulham keeper Rubén Blanco is still looking for it now. Unstoppable from Ongjen.

Yet we couldn't hold on as the Cottagers took home, in fairness, a deserved point from an end to end game. That came in the 72nd minute when Nahuel Leiva directed a header into the bottom corner. Yet like at Bournemouth, we could have taken the points late on. First of all, Ollie Watkins shot wide when it looked easier to score then with the last chance of the game, Stijepovic clipped the bar with a header from a Cuevas corner kick.

MATCHDAY 12 - Saturday 31 October 2026


We held a team meeting to try and pick up team morale in the week before the game at Pride Park, and Derby manager James Beattie stoked the fires further prior to kick off by claiming I don't rely on home grown players and we're overrated. Well that was just the motivation we needed to gain our first win in eight and extend our unbeaten run to five. Kasey Palmer was given the chance to re-establish himself after a spell out injured whilst on loan Frenchman Vincent Morel led the line once more as we looked to find the perfect blend.

In fact it was Morel who opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a low shot inside the D that zipped off the wet turf and in. We were then awarded a penalty in the 32nd minute when Watkins was fouled by Lewis Baker but Palmer's effort from 12 yards was saved by Pigliacelli low to his right. Derby were making Beattie angry as they failed to convert chance after chance, and you just knew we would make them pay for that. Our second of the afternoon came in the 62nd minute, some fancy work from an inspired Morel saw him tee up the returning Palmer who blasted a shot into Pigliacelli's top corner leaving the former AS Roma keeper no chance at all.

The icing on the cake came seven minutes from time when we were awarded a second penalty in the game for a foul on Stijepovic by Hakan Çalhanoglu, Cuevas stepped up and hammered the spot kick home. 3000 North End fans started doing the conga, a number of Rams fans headed for the exits. The new formation seems to be working a dream...well, for now at least!

So this is how the Premier League stands at the end of October:



An unbeaten month and whilst we are still in the bottom half of table, we can see a bit of daylight appearing. There's an astonishing nine points gap between us and 18th placed Cardiff. Plus the goal difference factor is well in our favour too, and to me that's crucial especially at this level indeed. The team seem to have adapted to the new tactic and I'm now more hopeful we can start to climb the table a bit further. However, we need to keep our feet firmly on terra firma and not get too carried away. Three bad results and we could be where we don't want to be, it's all about picking up the points no matter how.

If we can hit 20 points by the end of the first half of the season then perhaps we can still start to believe in survival. Oh as for the takeover, still talking....

England's hopes of making the semi-final stage of the UEFA Nations League are hanging by a thread after the Three Lions could only muster one point from their away double header against the Netherlands and Croatia. The results mean that only a win for Croatia in Eindhoven and a home win at Wembley will guarantee England a spot in the final four in the tournament which they won in 2025 thanks to a Harry Kane penalty.

Now the holders face elimination after two less than impressive showings.

On a balmy evening in Amsterdam, an error by Southampton goalkeeper Angus Gunn gave the host nation the driving seat in Group A3 with a second successive group win. Gunn spilled a curling free kick from Liverpool's Frenkie de Jong straight into the path of defensive midfielder Diego van de Kreeke and the Wolfsburg man couldn't miss the simple chance presented to him. England's matters were not improved when star striker Kane walked off injured with suspected rib damage after just 54 minutes, putting his participation for the Croatia game in doubt.

The Dutch could have had more with Dave Heatubun of Manchester United wasting the best of the opportunities, whilst England's best chance came late on when Delé curled one wide in the closing stages.

England lined up in Amsterdam as follows:

Gunn; Alexander-Arnold ©, Gomez, Laycock, Chilwell; Armstrong, Clark; Byers, Foden, Rashford; Kane. Substitiutes: Nketiah (for Kane 54), Delé (for Clark 70), Smith-Rowe (for Byers 70)

A late, late equaliser denied the Three Lions three points in the Makisimir Stadium and left England Head Coach Mark Duell ruing his team's lack of concentration in the final seconds.

In front of a partisan home crowd, Croatia took the lead in the 13th minute when Mateo Kovacic cut open the England on his own to place an effort beyond debutant goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The Olympiacos custodian was one of four changes Duell opted to make after the Netherlands loss and produced a series of good saves to keep his nation in the contest. Also coming into the side were John Stones (for Craig Laycock), Reiss Nelson (for Steveroy Byers) and Jadon Sancho (for Harry Kane). Kane had been deemed not fully recovered from his rib injury sustained in Amsterdam and this allowed Marcus Rashford to push forward.

Needing a much improved second half showing, Duell's men lifted their performance but it was still a long way from what the nation expected. The equaliser came in the 57th minute when half time substitute Delé placed the ball over the top and Nelson's first time cross was headed home by Sancho on his recall to the national side. Delé also had a hand in the goal that gave England the lead in the 69th minute, another weighted pass caught out Croatia and whilst they dawdled and looked for an offside that was never coming; Rashford was left one on one with Josip Posavec.

The Manchester United star showed incredible composure to side step the keeper and then lift the ball over him into the far corner. Surely England would have enough time to see this out? Well, you would have thought so but Croatia had other ideas. The home support increased their raucous vocal level and were rewarded in the second of five minutes added on. England came unstuck at a corner and after a spot of pinball, full back Borna Sosa drilled home his first international goal from eight yards out. The home nation erupted, England crestfallen. It was the fitting end to a very entertaining international.

England's team in Croatia was as follows:

Henderson; Alexander-Arnold ©, Gomez, Stones, Chilwell; Armstrong, Clark; Nelson, Foden, Sancho, Rashford. Substitutes: Delé (for Armstrong HT), Smith-Rowe (for Foden 56), Sessegnon (for Chilwell 77)

England Head Coach Mark Duell has announced his 23 man squad which will form the basis for the away UEFA Nations League double header games against the Netherlands and Croatia. Duell has made a few changes from his first squad but is insistent that the door is not closed for anyone.

Duell commented:


The squad is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS:
Jack Butland (Tottenham Hotspur, 54 caps/0 goals)
Angus Gunn (Southampton, 13 caps/0 goals)
Dean Henderson (Olympiacos, 0 caps/0 goals)

DEFENDERS:
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, 93 caps/6 goals)
Joe Gomez (Liverpool, 72 caps/5 goals)
Ben Chilwell (Arsenal, 68 caps/3 goals)
John Stones (Manchester City, 123 caps/6 goals)
Ikechukwu Nwankwo (Tottenham Hotspur, 0 caps/0 goals)
Craig Laycock (Southampton, 5 caps/0 goals)
Rob Holding (Arsenal, 42 caps/0 goals)

MIDFIELDERS:
Dominic Clark (Manchester United, 4 caps/0 goals)
Ricky Armstrong (Tottenham Hotspur, 57 caps/3 goals)
Reiss Nelson (Liverpool, 4 caps/1 goal)
Phil Foden (RB Leipzig, 21 caps/1 goal)
Ryan Sessegnon (Manchester City, 32 caps/1 goal)
Steveroy Byers (AFC Bournemouth, 23 caps/6 goals)
Jadon Sancho (Chelsea, 52 caps/11 goals)
Emile Smith-Rowe (Arsenal, 10 caps/2 goals)

FORWARDS:
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, 136 caps/91 goals)
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United, 130 caps/57 caps)
Eddie Nketiah (Manchester United, 21 caps/7 goals)
Rhian Brewster (Wolverhampton Wanderers, 0 caps/0 goals)

The former Barnsley and Hamilton Academical midfielder has come a long way in management since taking his initial steps at New Douglas Park in 2013. Spells include time at Preston, Leeds and Wolves as well as a year at Parkhead. He was the only manager to win every game in September; nice achievement.

And there's a second award going it's way to the London Stadium as attacking midfielder Martin Murray caps a great month for himself by taking the Player of the Month gong. If he continues to impress then he could get a call up for the national team, I'll be watching with very keen interest indeed.

The winner of this is Arsenal's impressive Brazilian youngster Wladimir, who was in third place for the Player of the Month award. Whilst he did not find the net against us, his movement was something else. Team-mates José Andrés Razo and Flamel helped complete a clean sweep in this category by scooping second and third place respectively.

The winner for this month is another promising English talent, Alistair Skewes of Arsenal for a delightful free-kick against the league leaders. I tried to once acquire him on loan whilst at Tranmere but the Gooners wouldn't let him go. Can start to see why they said that now. Another who could get an international call up if he continues to impress.

2026-27: October Preview

Four more league games in October, and hopefully we can pick up some points to propel us towards mid-table security. That said, anyone can beat anyone on a given day.

We start October with a home game against Leeds United. The Whites came up with us last season, via the play offs mind, and have had a very good start in their top flight return. They lie 5th and that's on the back of results such as a 4-0 hammering of Liverpool as well as a 3-2 win at the Emirates thanks to a late, late winner. We know how they play but they have splashed the cash in the summer, forking out £57 million on ten new faces: something we can only but wish for at the moment. Winning this one could be huge.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 16th
Player to Watch: Lucas Romero; the experienced Argentine was recruited from recently relegated Burnley for an initial £27 million in the summer. That will rise to £34 million with add-ons. Alongside Frenchman Maxime Lopez, he pulls the strings for the West Yorkshire side in central midfield. If we can keep him quiet indeed then we might have a chance of taking all three points.

After another international break, we're back in league action with a long trip to the South Coast to face AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries have been a stable member of the Premier League since reaching it in 2015. Dean Court is no more, as the team now play in the new Bournemouth Stadium which has not been sold for naming rights to anyone. Under Paul Lambert, they will be hoping to consolidate and break into a European spot this season.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 8th
Player to Watch: Steveroy Byers; a name that I am used to as he is in my England squad and is battling with Jadon Sancho and our own Jack Harrison for the right wing position. Came through the ranks at Sunderland but didn't make a league appearance for the Black Cats before joining local rivals Middlesbrough under freedom of contract. The Cherries paid a whopping £42.5 million for him in the summer of 2024, and he could really put our new formation to the test.

After AFC Bournemouth, we're back on home turf for the third league game of the month. Our visitors are our Carabao Cup conquerors, Fulham so we will have a good idea on what to expect from the Cottagers. Their manager is a familiar face to me too, Chris Higgins. Chris, a Scot, was the guy I appointed as Director of Football after Jim Jefferies had left for Northampton Town. Chris took charge at the Citizens on a temporary basis after I left for Finland, a role he fulfilled twice. He's since become a highly rated manager in his own right following a spell at Kilmarnock before joining Fulham in January 2016.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 15th
Player to Watch: Martino Derlu; an Italian attacking midfielder that came from semi-professional football in the USA on a free transfer way back in 2019. He started to really establish himself as a permanent fixture in the Fulham side in the 2021-22 season but had a real breakout season two seasons later when he scored an astonishing 21 goals in all competitions. As well as playing behind the sole striker, he can be adapted to play as the front man as well. We will have to silence him.

We finish October with a game on the manager's birthday, and a trip across to Pride Park to face Derby County. Like Leeds, Derby came up with us and also spent a fair bit of cash on new players. However, that's where the similarities end as the Rams find themselves in the bottom three as we start October. Perhaps, like us, they're finding it hard to adjust but then again they have not been in the top division since being relegated at the end of the 2007-08 season with an unwanted record of just 11 points in their 38 games. This is the type of match most will expect us to win.

Opponent Expected Finishing Position: 20th
Player to Watch: Scott Hirons; the 22 year old club captain burst onto the scene in the 2022-23 season as a 17 year old sensation: scoring 12 goals in 33 games. He has continued to find the net regularly since then but has not had the main striker's role this season, losing his place up front to new signing Jᴓren Klein from Rosenborg BK. Hirons is still capable of doing damage to anyone given the chance to do so, we just have to be very wary indeed.

2026-27: End of September Summary

Three games played in a truncated month because of an international week. How did we fare?



MATCHDAY 6 - Saturday 12 September 2026
LIVE ON


After the international break we headed to Anfield to face a Liverpool side that hadn't made a great start to the new season although they were picking up. I named the same side that beat Manchester United in the previous league game bar the keeper, Alireza Beiranvand replacing the injured Jasper Schendelaar. Predictably the Reds battered us with chance after chance, they racked up 33 shots in those 90 minutes, although we had almost the same amount possession. That was the pleasing part as well as that it took them 25 minutes to open the scoring when Firmino's header was brilliantly pushed onto the bar by the big Iranian keeper but the rebound landed at the feet of Romelu Lukaku who tucked it away.

Lukaku added a second a minute before half time, this time with a header into the far corner from a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross to the back post. We did have a couple of chances but couldn't make neither count which might have made things more interesting. They wrapped the points up with a third four minutes from the end, Thomas Lemar's cross and Fernando Almeida with the header into the bottom corner.

MATCHDAY 7 - Saturday 20 September 2026


We entertained Arsenal on a Sunday afternoon and once more Deepdale was sold out for yet another home game. Both teams turned in a spectacle full of chances, 50 in total, which the TV cameras would have loved if they had come to screen it. The 4-2-3-1 formation was given another chance to impress but in the end we drew another blank in terms of points and goals. However, one huge positive was that we lasted this time until 57 minutes before our defensive line was breached. Yet we should have been leading after the officials controversially ruled Charly Musonda offside as he netted in the 37th minute from a beautifully weighted from through ball Jack Harrison.

That first goal for the Gunners came when Murigen played in Smith-Rowe and his shot thundered into the corner, leaving Beiranvand with no chance whatsoever. He had no chance as well with the clincher which arrived a minute from time when Slater collected a long goal kick, advanced forward before placing a wonderful effort into the same bottom corner which the first goal went into.

MATCHDAY 8 - Saturday 26 September 2026


No many people gave us much of a chance when we made the trip to SJP to face a Newcastle side that had won their last four games. The home support barracked me from the first whistle to the last, they obviously knew the manager in opposition was a diehard Sunderland supporter. Nothing like a bit of rivalry eh? We persisted with the same formation that we had used for the first time in midweek to see if we could arrest our slide of results in the league, and to be honest it started terribly as we conceded in just seven minutes when Franks' corner was headed in at the near post by Ochoa. A very sloppy goal from our part to let in.

But we dug in and started to pose a few problems of the Magpies and deservedly levelled in the 32nd minute when they came unstuck themselves at a corner kick routine, skipper Jules Koundé heading in from six yards. The captain was magnificent all game, and fully merited his Man of the Match award. However, we finished a second successive game with ten men (bus syndrome: that is you wait ages for one then two come at once) as our other Italian Maurizio Casarini was dismissed for a lunge on Franks in the 80th minute which looked harsh but referee David Coote produced a straight red. We've subsequently appealed by the way (decision pending), and not because Maurizio had only been on the pitch just the small matter of four minutes.

Yet again the team worked their collective socks off to ensure we would leave with a point although Vincent Morel could have, and should have, won it for us when he shot straight at the keeper when put clean through. The game also saw the début of 19 year old Peter Brown in the left wing back role due to the suspension of Cuevas and the fact his immediate replacement Thomas Eaton was still on the injury list.

So this is how the Premier League stands at the end of September:



That was a tough month especially considering we had to play both Liverpool and Arsenal, so I half expected that we would slide down the table. Finding a tactic for a team that is an underdog like us in the top flight is the biggest challenge but the last result has given us confidence that we can avoid the drop. Hopefully October's fixture list will be a bit more kinder and we can start to pick up some points and head towards much calmer waters.

Oh, and the takeover saga is still ongoing...


THIRD ROUND - Wednesday 23 September 2026


Our reward for disposing of Colchester in Round Two saw us head to SW6 to face Fulham at a less than half full Craven Cottage; perhaps the fans had thought both sides would be putting out reserves. Not us as we don't have the strength in depth to do so. Anyway after the two league losses against the giants of Liverpool and Arsenal, we changed our formation to a back three of Koundé, Ezri Konsa and Julio Pleguezuelo with wing back roles for Connor Roberts and Cristiàn Cuevas. Corrado Pantanelli and Nikola Vukcevic anchored central midfield with Harrison and Ollie Watkins provided the attacking thrust that the wing backs supplemented; Brijan Ibrahimi (aka Albanian Brian) led the line as the sole striker.

The game was only four minutes old when we opened the scoring, Ibrahimi glancing in a header for his first of the season following from a quality delivery from Roberts. However Fulham were only behind for just four minutes when Bernardo headed in a Nahuel Leiva corner from six yards out. 90 seconds after this, we found ourselves behind when Harvey Johnson's shot from just inside the area clipped the heel of Pleguezuelo to wrongfoot Beiranvand and nestle in the corner. The goals didn't end there as we would go into the interval locked at 2-2 because of a 37th minute equaliser from Pantanelli; his third of the season. The on loan Juventus man heading in off the post after another superb cross from Roberts. The header crossed the line before it also hit the Cottagers keeper on the back of the head before sitting in the net.

We were up against it three minutes after the restart when Cuevas was shown a straight red (the first sending off at Preston under my tutelage) for a late lunge on Bernardo. It has to be said, referee Anthony Taylor got that decision spot on even though it left us one man short and cause a reshuffle of our plans. We held out until five minutes from time when they got the winner to break our hearts. Another Leiva corner, this time headed in by Martinez Quarta, This caused us to go for broke but we couldn't get level again, and one Cup campaign ends here.

That said the fourth round draw would have seen us take on Ipswich Town at Deepdale, now that would have been a winnable game indeed!

Thank you for your comments as usual Sie, I am always thinking on how to freshen up the story from time to time hence the small graphical adjustments. We shall see if your prediction rings true..

Best of luck with your latest story too.