WHEN THE LEAVES BURN, SUMMER ENDS
Yup, Summer’s over and it’s back to the serious business of WSFFL! Welcome back one and all; no new managers to welcome this year as all 16 of you are carrying on! Result! I hope you enjoyed the heat during the day, and endured it during the night, as much as I did, and also that you all enjoyed your hols, if you took any. I have to say, our visit to the fabled Fenway Park, the hallowed home of You Know Your Boston Rock FC’s “sister” club the Boston Red Sox (despite their thumping 15-3 loss to the Oakland A’s), has galvanised me into wanting to repeat “The Sky Heroes”’ successes of last season. So come on then, who’s up for the challenge?
AUSTRALIANS IN EUROPE
Thanks to all managers who attended the WSFFL AGM on Sunday 30th July; and following Ryan’s eventual arrival, that, historically, was all of you! Good to see Fred and Paul making the trip into town from parts unknown, but particularly good to see Dead Parrots boss Dean fly all the way over from Australia, just for the AGM! There’s dedication for you! Well, 6 years in Aus has done wonders for Dean’s waistline, the boy looking trimmer than ever, but the grey hair (“sun-bleached”, yeah right – very 80’s I’d say) and dodgy accent was a bit of a problem, mate!
Nevertheless, the salient points from the AGM were as follows;
- The subscription charge was voted in unanimously at £8 again for this season. Thanks to whoever proposed and seconded it – I didn’t make a note and I can’t remember!
- Thanks to all managers who settled up on the night and since then, by the way. According to my records, Prov, Beef and Pete still owe this year’s subs. No rush, boys, but perhaps you could settle up at the September Auction if you’re coming?
- A couple of rule change proposals were debated. Rachel’s proposal to completely cancel the substitute in a position where a starting player had been sent off was not voted in, 5 to 8 with 2 abstentions. However my proposal to award £2 million to the team with most POTWs was voted in, 7-6 with 2 abstentions. This rule was backdated to Season 2005/06, so Pete of Thommo’s Titans immediately found himself £2 million richer!
- As is customary, and only right and proper, we paused for a moment to remember our friends and former WSFFL managerial colleagues Paul Cartmell and Andy Ballard, and drank a toast in their memory.
· We then made the draw for the first round of the WSFFL Paul Cartmell Memorial Trophy, with Julian drawing the home teams and Dean the away teams (might as well make him do some work while he’s here, after all). The draw pitted the top 8 teams from last year against last year’s bottom 8 in random order, and came out as follows;
Trusted By Millions v York’s Returning Glory
Prettier Than You v Final Fantasy XI
You Know Your Boston Rock FC v Real Muppets
Aardvark Abacus v The Dead Parrots
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI v Thommo’s Titans
Eleven Imaginary Boys v Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Claymore Athletic FC v 22 Legged Groove Machine
San Dimas High School v Mega Buck Bandits
- Ties will be played on the weekend of August 26th. Yup, that’s next week. No hanging about here!
- Intermission grub, as ever, was shoo-perb. Thanks to Rachel for putting the buffet together single-handed as usual, while I faffed around with last-minute paperwork. The fan of melon went particularly well!
- The Auction saw a flurry of big cash early on, though not as big as expected. Andrei Shevchenko went to Trusted By Millions for “only” £19 million, for example, and I believe Boston Rock new boy Tomas Rosicky might just be a snip at £17 mill. Fred’s new recruit Dimitar Berbatov turned out to be the evening’s top buy, at £20 million.
- The “biggest ever” quiz ensued after the Auction, with the £1 million top prize going to Beef, 2nd prize to Peej and 3rd prize to Fred. My picture round was better received than I expected – as you all seemed to recognise New York Mets Second Baseman Jose Reyes, perhaps you’re all closet Mets fans! (well, better than following the “damn Yankees”…)
WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS
Talking of the September auction (which I did mention in passing in the previous article, honest!), we can now announce on a date for that, as we’ve sorted out our Evan access pattern. So, the WSFFL September 2006 Auction will take place on Sunday 3 September, round our place. Start 8 p.m. prompt. Plerase note the start time; if you’re not here on time, you might miss out on the bidding for Michael Carrick, Andreas Isakkson, Khalid Boulharouz et al!
I don’t anticipate this being a big shindig like the January Transfer Window auction, so if you just want to give it a miss and just proxy bid, that’s fine too. I’ll send out a full list of players to go “under the hammer” on Friday night September 1st, then you can all decide, and let me know if you want to bid in absentia!
YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN DISSATISFIED
Well, the Championship party didn’t last long, did it? Last seasons double winners You Know Your Boston Rock FC well and truly came a cropper on the opening day, losing 5-3 to one of their “bogey” teams, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. Goals from Arteta, Gilberto, a double from Bobby Zamora and a Rio Ferdinand own goal gave Paul the win and quite rightly won him the first 2006/07 POTW half a mill. Well done Paul, your magnanimous co-ordinator says (through gritted teeth…).
A couple of blues top the nascent table – the above result was bettered by Clive, whose Claymore Athletic FC beat Real Muppets 6-1, featuring a double from Rooney and a penno save “goal” from Brad Friedel. So Claymore top the table from Nil Satis. San Dimas High School are 3rd, after winning the first heavyweight clash of the season, with Trusted By Millions. Beef made a late change to bring in sub Leroy Lita’s goal, but it was in vain as goals from Yakubu, Todorov and Terry gave San Dimas the win.
Other first day winners were Fred, Didier Drogba getting the winner in a tight 2-1 win over Yorks; Mega Bucks, 1-0 winner over Eleven Imaginary Boys thanks to a Lee McCulloch strike; and Prettier Than You, thanks to a Shola Ameobi goal against Thommo’s Titans.
The other 2 games ended in 3-3 draws. The Groove Machine judiciously recalled Kanu, and he rewarded Rich with 2 goals in their stalemate against the Dead Parrots. And Aardvark Abacus needed a late Carvalho equaliser to peg back sister-in-law Ceri’s Final Fantasy XI, goals from Francis, Kitson and Johnson having given Ceri the lead. Hmmm, 3 goals for Ceri – with Michael Ballack to come as well, I’m going to stick my neck out and predict a top 5 finish for Final Fantasy XI this year. Top Bevan as well? Who knows?
But don’t worry all, it’s very verrrry early days. Well, you’ve got to think that when you’re 15th…!
TRANSFER NEWS
Transfers done since the AGM are as follows;
Player From To Fee
Radhi Jaidi (D) Claymore Athletic FC Birmingham City £2m
Antonio Barragan (D) Thommo’s Titans Deportivo La Coruna £680K
Nicky Weaver (G) Pool Dead Parrots £500K
Paul Ifill (M) Pool Real Muppets £500K
Jared Borgetti (A) Claymore Athletic FC Pool £4m
Steven Bywater (G) Pool 22 Legged Groove Machine £500K
Nwankwo Kanu (A) Summer Dump 22 Legged Groove Machine £250K
(signed for Portsmouth therefore returned to Rich’s squad at his request)
Jay Bothroyd (A) Thommo’s Titans Wolverhampton Wanderers £0
TRANSFER NEWS (continued)
Player From To Fee
Tomas Kuszczak (G) Summer Dump Mega Buck Bandits £250K
(signed for Manchester United on loan therefore returned to Dave’s squad at his request)
Jean-Alain Boumsong (D) San Dimas High School Pool £2.5m
Leigh Bromby (D) Pool San Dimas High School £250K
Ivan Campo (M) Pool Mega Buck Bandits £500K
Derek Geary (D) Pool Final Fantasy XI £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 26 August 2006, after which time they go into the pool proper and are readily available. All bids to me please.
THE FF£100,000 QUESTION
We’ve just had a World Cup! Yup, I know we had 3 Quiz rounds on it at the AGM, but we’re also going to have a slew of World Cup related questions to start off this year. So I hope you were paying attention in the Summer! Here’s the first…
So why exactly did Graham Poll actually give the Croatian left-back Josep Simunic 3 yellow cards before sending him off, in the Croatia-Australia World Cup Group F decider?
He did actually give a reason for it, and it wasn’t just, “because I’m a dick”. Honestly.
Answers to me by close of play Saturday 26 August 2006. As usual, first correct one out of the metaphorical hat gets the dosh.
WSFFL RESULTS;
Week 1, W/E 19 August 2006
Aardvark Abacus 3-3 Final Fantasy XI
Campbell Francis
Carvalho Andrew Johnson
Riise Kitson 39,691
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI 2-1 York’s Returning Glory
Matt Taylor (1) Hulse
Drogba 51,569
Mega Buck Bandits 1-0 Eleven Imaginary Boys
McCulloch 41,953
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum 5-3 You Know Your Boston Rock FC
Zamora 2 (1) Darren Bent
Gilberto Lampard
Arteta Ferreira
Rio Ferdinand (OG) 60,023
Real Muppets 1-6 Claymore Athletic FC
Ronaldo Downing
Mellberg
Friedel
Rooney 2
Valente 31,726
San Dimas High School 3-2 Trusted By Millions
Yakubu (2) Sidwell
Todorov Lita
Terry 75,115
Thommo’s Titans 0-1 Prettier Than You
(1) Ameobi 23,855
22 Legged Groove Machine 3-3 The Dead Parrots
Kanu 2 Parker
Saha Kevin Davies
James 34,937
Performance of the Week: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
THE 2006/07 WSFFL LEAGUE TABLE
| ||||||||||
As at Sunday 20 August 2006
| ||||||||||
Team
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Diff
|
Pts
| ||
1
|
Claymore Athletic FC
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
1
|
5
|
3
| |
2
|
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
3
|
2
|
3
| |
3
|
San Dimas High School
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
3
| |
4
|
Fred West Landscape Gardening XI
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
| |
5
|
Mega Buck Bandits
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
3
| |
6
|
Prettier Than You
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
3
| |
7
|
Aardvark Abacus
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
| |
8
|
The Dead Parrots
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
| |
9
|
Final Fantasy XI
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
| |
10
|
22 Legged Groove Machine
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
| |
11
|
Trusted By Millions
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
-1
|
0
| |
12
|
York's Returning Glory
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
-1
|
0
| |
13
|
Eleven Imaginary Boys
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
0
| |
14
|
Thommo's Titans
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
0
| |
15
|
You Know Your Boston Rock FC
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
-2
|
0
| |
16
|
Real Muppets
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
-5
|
0
| |
TOTAL
|
16
|
6
|
4
|
6
|
37
|
37
|
0
|
22
| ||
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