IT’S BEEN A GOOD YEAR FOR THE ROSES
History will be made on Easter Monday this year, when for the first time in WSFFL history, a husband and wife combination will do battle in the WSFFL FA Cup Final! Yes, the 2005/06 WSFFL FA Cup Final will be between You Know Your Boston Rock FC and Prettier Than You. Sheriff’s Boston Rock eased through to the final with a 3-0 win over Fred West Landscape Gardening XI, whilst Rachel’s Prettier Than You had some late nervy moments but still triumphed 3-1 over Aardvark Abacus, ending Ady’s double hopes in the process. Well done to both – loser does the washing up for a month!
A NEW FACE IN HELL
There’s a new team at the bottom of the table this weekend – as predicted (well, slightly) in last week’s newsletter, Thommo’s Titans’ poor run has culminated in them being dumped into last position in the league. Another defeat, this time by 3-0 against triumphant Cup Finalist Prettier Than You, saw Thommo’s sink to the bottom. Goals for Rachel from Richard Dunne, Craig Bellamy and Leighton Baines were Pete’s undoing. This was coupled with another win for York’s Returning Glory, as they stretched their unbeaten run to 4 games with another POTW-winning performance. This time Andy Todd and a spectacular Gary Speed effort secured a 2-1 win over Fred West Landscape Gardening XI, and the POTW £500,000 for Julian – again. Well done Jools!
At the top, You Know Your Boston Rock FC’s lead is again 7 points, as they won and their nearest pursuers lost. “The Sky Heroes” doubled up a Cup Semi-Final win with a 4-1 victory over Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, Darren Bent doing the damage with a double salvo. This was coupled with Trusted By Millions losing 2-0 to San Dimas High School, expensive recruit Michael Essien finally scoring his first goal for Peej to move him to 4th slot, and Ady’s Aardvark Abacus going down 2-1 to sister-in-law Ceri’s Final Fantasy XI. John Filan and Luis Garcia were on target for Final Fantasy XI; indeed, their win completed a double bitch-slap for Ady after his Cup defeat to Prettier Than You – losing to both girlies on the same weekend!
Elsewhere, Eleven Imaginary Boys continued their recent upwardly mobile move, winning 2-1 against Mega Buck Bandits with a double from recalled striker James Beattie, and moving up to 6th in the process. Up to 7th and still harbouring hopes of an improbable treble title go Claymore Athletic FC – they moved ahead of their weekend opponents Real Muppets in the table by beating them 4-1, Rooney and Henry both bagging braces. And The 22 Legged Groove Machine continue their recent upwards surge – they’re up to 10th after Stelios’ double secured a 2-1 win over the Dead Parrots.
IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER
So, 7 points ahead, 8 games to go – title’s as good as Boston Rock’s, right? Wrong! “Sky Heroes” fans (wherever they are) will recall the traumatic end to last season and not be counting any chickens yet. With 8 games left of the 2004/05 season, Boston Rock stood 7 points clear of Aardvark Abacus in 2nd, and 14 points ahead of the eventual champions Claymore Athletic FC. After going 18 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats in their first 22 games, the sky fell in on the “Sky Heroes” as they went W1 D2 L5 in their last 8 games. Claymore, however, won 7 of their last 8 games and snatched the title by 2 points!
So as they sit in 7th place this weekend, 15 points off the pace, there’s no reason why Claymore Athletic FC can’t dream of 3 titles in a row. In the meantime, like the Boston Red Sox, it appears You Know Your Boston Rock FC have a curse of their own that needs reversing!
I WANNA GIVE TO YOU, ON MY BIRTHDAY
Remember the newsletter question some time ago regarding Bobby Robson and Jermaine Jenas? When then-Newcastle United manager Robson signed young Jenas from Nottingham Forest, he subsequently discovered that they shared the same birthday, albeit 50 years apart!
Well, a similar thing happened with myself and one of my recent signings. I signed young Manchester City starlet Micah Richards for You Know Your Boston Rock FC, only to subsequently find out he and I share the same birthday of 24 June. However (and this makes me feel really old), young Richards was squeezed out on 24 June 1988, 23 years after me! Ouchie!!
TRANSFER NEWS
Player From To Fee
Stephen Carr (D) Pool Cooling Down sole bid Dead Parrots £500K
Lee Hendrie (M) YKY Boston Rock FC Pool £3m
Matt Holland (M) Pool YKY Boston Rock FC £500K
Don’t forget that the players highlighted are now subject to the pool “cooling off” period, Any managers interested in buying them can bid until close of play Saturday 18 March 2006, after which time they go into the pool proper and are readily available. All bids to me please.
THE FF£100,000 QUESTION
Last week’s question solicited some unexpected praise, so I thought I’d run with it and ask another one related to the Fantasy League. This one loosely relating to recats.
One current Premiership player has been categorised in our wonderful WSFFL game as a defender, a midfielder and also an attacker. Who?
I’ll give you a clue – he’s currently categorised as a midfielder.
Answers to me by close of play Saturday 18 March 2006. As usual, first correct one out of the metaphorical hat gets the dosh.
The WSFFL Manager currently with the highest value squad is Ady Bevan of Aardvark Abacus, who paid a total of £142 million for his players. Next up is Neil Jarvey’s Fred West Landscape Gardening XI squad (which would have been my guess, given Drogba, Van Nist et al) with £126.35m, then Ryan Moore’s Real Muppets, valued at £113.7m.
The lowest valued squad, ironically enough, is Dave Bevan’s inaccurately named Mega Buck Bandits, costing a mere £42.15m to assemble. As for overall, the total paid out for all the players in the league is a shade under £1¼ billion, with an average of just under £78 million per squad. Fascinating stuff, huh? Hello? Wake up….!
Correct replies from Clive (a guess which allowed me bizarrely to pontificate on the relative weight of a lorry full of bricks and a lorry full of owls. Don’t ask – or if you do need to ask, ask Ady), Ceri and Ryan. Final Fantasy XI were first out of the metaphorical hat, so Ceri wins the £100,000. Well done Ceri, and hard luck chaps.
Wrong guesses from Peej, who went for himself (7th highest) and Dean who went for Fred (2nd). Thanks for guessing, guys.
SHORTS
· Has anyone else noticed that ITV pundit David Pleat, when he co-commentates on a match, always says “Good Evening”? Isn’t that polite of him!!?? Don’t know of any other pundit who does this – they normally launch into their “expert” analysis without a “by your leave”…
· They Should Really Stop To Think First Dept.: Liverpool and Real Muppets striker (it says here) and (as we all of course know) the Lord of Frodsham Manor, Djibril Cisse became a dad last weekend, his wife presenting him with a son. Altogether now, aaaah! The happy couple have however decided to saddle the poor kid with the name of Cassius. I mean, Cassius Cisse. Let’s hope the poor blighter doesn’t have a lisp…!
WSFFL RESULTS;
Week 22, W/E 11 March 2006
Aardvark Abacus 1-2 Final Fantasy XI
Gallas Filan
Garcia 42,243
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI 1-2 York’s Returning Glory
Wes Brown (1) Speed
Todd 31,194
Mega Buck Bandits 1-2 Eleven Imaginary Boys
Chimbonda Beattie 2 24,830
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum 1-4 You Know Your Boston Rock FC
McFadden (1) Rio Ferdinand
Michael Gray
Darren Bent 2 36,515
Real Muppets 1-4 Claymore Athletic FC
Viduka (2) Rooney 2
Henry 2 38,221
San Dimas High School 2-0 Trusted By Millions
Essien
Scharner 67,858
Thommo’s Titans 0-3 Prettier Than You
Dunne
Bellamy
Baines 24,461
22 Legged Groove Machine 2-1 The Dead Parrots
Giannakopoulos 2 De Zeeuw 28,041
Performance of the Week: York’s Returning Glory
WSFFL RESULTS;
WSFFL FA Cup Semi-Finals; W/E 11 March 2006
Aardvark Abacus 1-3 Prettier Than You
Gallas Dunne
Bellamy
Baines 19,556
You Know Your Boston Rock FC 3-0 Fred West Landscape Gardening XI
Rio Ferdinand
Darren Bent 2 21,932
THE WSFFL LEAGUE TABLE, Season 2005/06
| ||||||||||
As at 12 March 2006
| ||||||||||
Team
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Diff
|
Pts
| ||
1
|
You Know Your Boston Rock FC
|
22
|
15
|
2
|
5
|
64
|
26
|
38
|
47
| |
2
|
Aardvark Abacus
|
22
|
12
|
4
|
6
|
59
|
33
|
26
|
40
| |
3
|
Trusted By Millions
|
22
|
12
|
4
|
6
|
49
|
33
|
16
|
40
| |
4
|
San Dimas High School
|
22
|
10
|
5
|
7
|
45
|
34
|
11
|
35
| |
5
|
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI
|
22
|
10
|
4
|
8
|
52
|
40
|
12
|
34
| |
6
|
Eleven Imaginary Boys
|
22
|
10
|
3
|
9
|
30
|
36
|
-6
|
33
| |
7
|
Claymore Athletic FC
|
22
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
42
|
33
|
9
|
32
| |
8
|
Real Muppets
|
22
|
10
|
2
|
10
|
42
|
41
|
1
|
32
| |
9
|
The Dead Parrots
|
22
|
8
|
6
|
8
|
41
|
33
|
8
|
30
| |
10
|
22 Legged Groove Machine
|
22
|
9
|
3
|
10
|
25
|
48
|
-23
|
30
| |
11
|
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
|
22
|
9
|
2
|
11
|
31
|
44
|
-13
|
29
| |
12
|
Final Fantasy XI
|
22
|
6
|
9
|
7
|
33
|
36
|
-3
|
27
| |
13
|
Mega Buck Bandits
|
22
|
7
|
6
|
9
|
27
|
33
|
-6
|
27
| |
14
|
Prettier Than You
|
22
|
7
|
5
|
10
|
30
|
41
|
-11
|
26
| |
15
|
York's Returning Glory
|
22
|
3
|
7
|
12
|
20
|
45
|
-25
|
16
| |
16
|
Thommo's Titans
|
22
|
4
|
2
|
16
|
14
|
48
|
-34
|
14
| |
TOTAL
|
352
|
140
|
72
|
140
|
604
|
604
|
0
|
492
| ||
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