FOUR MEN IN THIS WORLD
The top four teams in the league just keep on winning, and after this weekend’s fixtures they’ve now opened up a 4 point gap between themselves and the rest. Kylie Bumcheeks overcame a stubborn Short Straw Rovers by 2-1, with James Beattie continuing his recent scoring streak, to keep them 3 points clear at the top. Boston Rock FC crushed their old adversaries Elland Road Big Boys 4-0, with a debut goal by Gary Rowett and a welcome strike from born-again striker Alan Smith the highlights for the “Sky Heroes”. Champions Aardvark Abacus remain menacingly in 3rd, 2 points further back, after a Markus Babbel goal settled the Bevan Derby. And Trusted By Millions, 2 points further back again, are nevertheless well in the hunt after a Youri Djorkaeff goal saw off York’s Returning Glory.
Elsewhere, Claymore’s challenge took a serious hit, as Prettier Than You knocked 4 past Clive’s team, with Shola Ameobi and Aaron Hughes providing a black and white striped double for Rachel, to lift her into the top ten and earn her the POTW hundred grand. Well done Rachel. Fred West go up to 6th in the table, after a 3-1 win over out-of-sorts San Dimas. Nil Satis get on the winning trail again, seeing off the misfiring Groove Machine by 2-0. And Real Muppets climb up to 11th, albeit only after a 0-0 draw with bottom club Viola’s Pier.
And has anyone else noticed; apart from the top four teams and Fred (in 6th), everyone else has negative goal differences? Bizarre!
IT HAPPENED AGAIN, AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN
The previous weekend’s PCMT Quarter Finals only produced one definite result – Aardvark Abacus overcoming Short Straw Rovers thanks to a Nicolas Anelka goal, with the other 3 games drawn. San Dimas’ very creditable draw against Kylie Bumcheeks got last week’s POTW £100,000.
Anyway, they had to go at it again last weekend, and Fred and Trusted got through at the second time of asking. Fred completed a thoroughly miserable weekend for his da’, administering another 4-2 defeat on Clive’s ass, and Trusted eased out Mega Bucks by 2-0. Kylie Bumcheeks and San Dimas drew again; they replay again this weekend, doubling up with the league fixtures. As a consequence, I’ve had to postpone the semi finals – they’ll now take place on W/C 30 November. Hopefully!
CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
Trusted By Million’s recent league victory over Claymore Athletic, wherein Beef used the tactic which has become commonly known as the “Bevan Dodge” to secure victory via goals from his subs Owen and Okocha, has once again opened up the debate regarding the legality and ethical nature of this tactic.
To inform the uninitiated; this tactic involves a fantasy manager making a “team change” during the weekend, by substituting a playing player in his or her original starting line-up, who has yet to play so far that weekend (e.g. playing on Sunday or Monday) with a non-playing player from the same team or another team who has yet to play, to take advantage of a goal/ clean sheet scored by a substitute who obviously has already played. This has become known as the “Bevan Dodge” after the initiator of the tactic, a certain Mr. Ady Bevan, although it has since been used by a number of teams. It has also been refined insofar that managers who have key players playing early (e.g. in a Saturday 12 noon kick-off) deliberately name those players on their bench, to “keep their options open” with a view to bringing in non-playing players from later-playing teams to their starting line-up if those bench players score, or other playing players from later-playing teams if they don’t. In fact, more than one manager has recently spoken to me about the advantages of having non-playing players (e.g. youth or fringe players) in their squad, for just this situation.
The Fantasy League official ruling is that using this tactic is perfectly legal. My own view, for what it’s worth, is that it’s a clever and judicious use of your squad, taking advantage of the situation of staggered kick-off times throughout the weekend, where it is possible (and it’s often not possible, as you may not have non-starting players in your squad whose teams are playing on Sunday/Monday). It encourages you to get more involved in the game, by reviewing the Premiership results as they happen throughout the weekend and identifying where your team can benefit, and I’m all for managers getting more involved in the game. The more you put in, the more you get out. It’s also a risk however; the player you drop to accommodate a sub who's already scored may then go and score twice! As for the issue of “ethics” or “sportsmanship”; in my view this tactic is no more unethical than the substitute rule itself, which is now an accepted part of our game.
Ultimately it’s like the former defensive midfielder rule - if managers don’t like it they don’t have to use it (I didn’t, as I felt my midfield were capable of getting goals) , but they can’t blame other managers for using it. The only way to quash its’ use would be to propose a rule change for consideration and voting on at the AGM, to the effect that a manager has to name his or her team by the start of the first game during a given weekend, and that team to thereafter apply throughout that weekend, with no changes allowed. And judging by the managers who use the “Bevan Dodge” at the moment, that proposal would likely fall flat on its’ face.
TRANSFER NEWS
Fair amount of business done since the last newsletter…
Player From To Fee
Craig Hignett (M) Kylie Bumcheeks Pool £250,000
Steven Caldwell (D) Pool Kylie Bumcheeks £500,000
Jody Morris (M) Pool Viola’s Pier £650,000
Dean Windass (A) Viola’s Pier Pool £250,000
Stan Lazaridis (M) Pool Viola’s Pier £500,000
Egil Ostenstad (A) Pool Viola’s Pier £500,000
Mikkel Bischoff (D) Kylie Bumcheeks Pool £250,000
Gerard Wiekens (D) Pool Kylie Bumcheeks £500,000
John Miles (M) Short Straw Rovers Released (Prev. Retained) £0
John Otsemober (D) Pool Short Straw Rovers £500,000
Tony Vidmar (D) Pool Mega Buck Bandits £500,000
Derek McInnes (M) Mega Buck Bandits Pool £250,000
Michael Proctor (M) Pool York’s Returning Glory £500,000
Mark Bosnich (G) Trusted By Millions Pool £1,300,000
Gary Rowett (D) Viola’s Pier YKY Boston Rock FC £3,000,000
Shaun Wright-Phillips (M) YKY Boston Rock FC Viola’s Pier £3,000,000
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 25 November 2002, after which time they go into the pool proper and are readily available.
THE FF£100,000 QUESTION
Paul Gascoigne nearly joined which USFL club in the Summer?
One guess per person to me by close of play on Saturday 23 November 2002.
Middlesbrough fans were particularly pissed off about Dixie Dean’s league goalscoring record in 1927/28, as it broke ‘Boro’s George Camsell’s record of 59 goals in 37 league matches, set only the previous season.
Correct guesses from Paul Saleh and Clive, so I was right about this being a question for the old! The youthful Mr. Saleh gets the hundred grand this week. Well done Paul.
SHORTS
One recat – Short Straw’s Sean Gregan moves from midfield to defence…
PAUL CARTMELL MEMORIAL TROPHY
Quarter Finals, W/E 9 November 2002
Claymore Athletic FC 0-0 Fred West Landscape Gardening XI
(2) 40,024
San Dimas High School 1-1 Kylie Bumcheeks
Dobie Beattie 35,237
Short Straw Rovers 0-1 Aardvark Abacus
(1) Anelka 37,621
Mega Buck Bandits 2-2 Trusted By Millions
Goater 2 (1) Craddock
Andrew Cole 38,121
Performance of the Week: San Dimas High School
PAUL CARTMELL MEMORIAL TROPHY
Quarter Final Replays, W/E 16 November 2002
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI 4-2 Claymore Athletic FC
Babayaro 2 (1) Kevin Campbell
Van Nistelrooy Henry
Ljungberg 20,907
Kylie Bumcheeks 1-1 San Dimas High School
Beattie (2) Tebily 26,496
Trusted By Millions 2-0 Mega Buck Bandits
Djorkaeff (2)
Craddock 26,164
WSFFL RESULTS
Week 10, W/E 16 November 2002
Aardvark Abacus 1-0 Mega Buck Bandits
Babbel (2) 43,074
Claymore Athletic FC 2-4 Prettier Than You
Kevin Campbell (1) Melville
Henry Aaron Hughes
Ameobi
Bjorklund 39,064
Elland Road Big Boys 0-4 You Know Your Boston Rock FC
(2) Rowett
Defoe
Alan Smith
Kewell 51,812
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI 3-1 San Dimas High School
Babayaro (2) Tebily
Van Nistelrooy
Ljungberg 38,152
Real Muppets 0-0 Viola’s Pier
(2) 27,091
Short Straw Rovers 1-2 Kylie Bumcheeks
Bartlett (1) Hyypia
Beattie 36,627
22 Legged Groove Machine 0-2 Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
(3) Yobo
Wiltord 33,455
York’s Returning Glory 0-1 Trusted By Millions
(3) Djorkaeff 35,049
Performance of the Week: Prettier Than You
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