IF MAN IS FIVE, THEN THE DEVIL IS SIX
Thanks to those of you who braved the elements to join us at the Fantasy League Social Evening at the Savoy/ Riflemans last night. I must confess I was disappointed by the turnout – only 6 of us were there, with 5 apologies received. So what happened to the other 5 of you?
Anyway, nothing was really resolved but a few ideas were evolved, namely;
- Wingbacks should be categorised in defence, if there is an easily workable way to define some parameters and operate this change,
- The return of the defensive midfielder rule might be way to provide midfield value-add, but if so they shouldn’t be allowed to score goals, and
- Craig Hignett looks like Andrew Mercer.
I can foresee a couple of budding proposals to maybe debate/ vote on at the AGM, as a result of the above. But that’s a story for another day…
STALEMATE, STALEMATE, WHEN DO I JUMP OUT OF THE CAKE
The big game this weekend between the top 2 sides ended in a 2-2 stalemate; Claymore Athletic’s Graham Stuart scored from a late penalty rebound to tie the game with Trusted by Millions, and keep Cliwe top of the pile by 2 points. However, this gave the chasing pack the chance to close up, and they duly took it, with Aardvark and San Dimas both scoring wins to move them within 3 points of the top.
The congested midfield pack grew even closer together, with Prettier Than You, Fred West, Boston Rock and Kylie Bumcheeks all winning to move them up one place each at the expense of the 22 Legged Groove Machine. The Groovers’ 2-1 defeat by Kylie dropped them from 6th to 10th place in one fell swoop. Bummer! Also notable was Prettier Than You’s 4-0 thrashing of Real Muppets, which hoists them to their highest league position ever – 6th – and within a point of Muppets in 5th.
At the bottom, Nil Satis were the sole winners, with a rare 2-0 victory over Short Straw Rovers thanks to Robert Pires and Frank Sinclair. This win closes the gap at the bottom to 2 points, with Nil Satis eyeballing Yorks’ Returning Glory’s metaphorical coat-tails, and also wins Paul Saleh the POTW £100,000 this week into the bargain. Well done Paul!
IT’S BAD NEWS THAT I BRING; WE CANNOT WAKE UP THE KING
ARSE! (to paraphrase former Newsletter editor Rich Timms). My reign as King of the WSFFL FA Cup is over. In the Fantasy FA Cup First Round second replay, Boston Rock FC lost 3-1 to San Dimas High School, Peej’s luck holding out with a couple of spawny clean sheets to deprive me of my rightful place in the next round. Bitter, moi?
Anyway, on we go to the Quarters! The quarter-final draw was made over 97% fat-free biscuits and a crap Leeds-Arsenal game this weekend, and is as follows;
San Dimas High School v Viola’s Pier
Aardvark Abacus v 22 Legged Groove Machine
Real Muppets v Mega Buck Bandits
Kylie Bumcheeks v Claymore Athletic FC
A tasty draw, I’m sure you’ll agree, particularly the “Rosebery Bowl” derby between Ady and his tenant Rich Timms. Anyway, these games will be played on W/E 2 February 2002, and will be the only games played that weekend. There is no league fixture list that weekend.
TRANSFER NEWS
Our “Down Under” buddy has been busy in the transfer market again…
Player (Pos’n) From To Fee
Curtis Fleming (D) Crystal Palace Viola’s Pier (retained) £100,000
Augustin Delgado (A) Necaxa Elland Road Big Boys £3,000,000
(48 hour rule top bid)
Con Blatsis (D) Nil Satis Nisi Optimum Pool £250,000
Clive Mendonca (A) Nil Satis Nisi Optimum Pool £250,000
Christian Bassedas (M) Nil Satis Nisi Optimum Pool £2,050,000
Ben Thatcher (D) Elland Road Big Boys Pool £250,000
Colin Hendry (D) Elland Road Big Boys Pool £400,000
Anthony Gardner (D) Tottenham Hotspur Elland Road Big Boys £500,000
Vegard Heggem (D) Liverpool Elland Road Big Boys £500,000
Fredi Bobic (A) Bolton Wanderers Real Muppets £500,000
(G = goalkeeper, D = defender, M = midfielder, A = attacker)
Don’t forget that the players highlighted are subject to the pool “cooling off” period. Any managers interested in buying them can bid until 8 p.m. on Monday 28 January 2002, after which time they go into the pool proper and are readily available.
THE FF£100,000 QUESTION
If all the Premiership games this season, up to and including this weekend’s games, had ended with the same scores that they were at half-time, who would be top of the league?
One entry per person as usual please, to me by close of play on Saturday 26 January 2002.
Ah, the controversial Boston NASL team question. Well, the answer I was looking for was that Boston’s 1970’s (see, 1970’s, i.e. the decade, not 1970, Fred!!!) NASL football team were called the Minutemen, who took their name from the 1700’s Boston group of citizen volunteers who could be called into the military to fight the British at a minute’s notice (hence the name).
In 1974 the Boston Minutemen had none other than “Sua Majestade o Rei”, Eusebio, playing for them, and won the NASL Northern Division in 1974 and 1975. Unfortunately, they folded at the end of the 1976 season after finishing bottom of this division.
I got correct guesses from Dean, MC (again by proxy; looks like Ceri’s doing all his thinking these days!), Rachel (who should know, being, like myself, practically a native Bostonite!) and Fred (fresh from living out in the good ol’ USA). The draw was done at the Social Evening, and Fred West were the first name out of the bag, so the £100,000 goes to the questioning Mr. Jarvey.
A wrong guess from Beef (New England Tea Men – there’s more to New England than just Beantown!), and a more controversial one from Ryan, who claimed that a team called the Boston Astros shared the NASL title in 1975. However, I researched the full yearly standings on a couple of comprehensive NASL websites, and could only find the Minutemen from Boston; the only Astros I could find were the Houston baseball team. Sorry Ryan.
SHORTS
I was amazed to hear on Sky News last week that former Chelsea, Blackburn and Swindon forward Roy Wegerle has become a golf pro! If he couldn’t hit an 8”x24” target with the proverbial banjo, what chance has he got of getting a golf ball into one of those tiny holes???… Bolton’s splendidly named but totally crap Djibril Diawara (currently swimming in the pool) is now a defender, according to Peej. He hasn’t watched the bloke playing, obviously!…
WSFFL RESULTS; Week 19, W/E 19 January 2002
Kylie Bumcheeks 2-1 22 Legged Groove Machine
Hignett Whelan
Robbie Elliott 36,056
Elland Road Big Boys 1-3 Fred West Landscape Gardening XI
Fowler Van Nistelrooy
Silvestre
Given 29,658
Prettier Than You 4-0 Real Muppets
Peralta (1)
Roy Keane
Kevin Davies
Vassell 45,124
San Dimas High School 3-0 York’s Returning Glory
Reuser
Queudrue
Distin 40,143
Aardvark Abacus 4-1 Viola’s Pier
Hasselbaink 2 Les Ferdinand
Gudjonsson 2 43,710
Trusted By Millions 2-2 Claymore Athletic FC
Owen Malbranque
Phillips Stuart 67,552
You Know Your Boston Rock FC 1-0 Mega Buck Bandits
Christie 40,035
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum 2-0 Short Straw Rovers
Pires
Frank Sinclair 26,104
WSFFL FA Cup First Round 2nd Replay
You Know Your Boston Rock FC 1-3 San Dimas High School
Christie Reuser
Queudrue
Distin 25,681
Performance of the week: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
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