FFL Blog

A big hello and welcome to the first in this years weekly FFL updates. I say weekly, but I secretly look forward to the little break that international football offers, when is the next one? Wishing the season away already, the rot sets in during the 1st paragraph and what follows here will also mainly be rot, or not…

How do you do then? That is to all the newcomers. Its great to have you here to read my drivel and lap up the competition. Don’t get sucked in too much, it could take over your life too. I shall dwell on the ball no longer except to say thanks to you all for signing up, gies yer cash early this year and best of luck….

The Games
The opening game is a time for all to test their mettle and none more so than our much maligned Men In Black (MIBs) -see what I did there I used a abbreviation to save me some letters, clever eh? I have now of course now used many more letters explaining that - long way for a short cut. Yes all those well educated, well paid professionals never-played-football -in-their-life-types but all looking to win the Graham Poll Award for Refereeing Incompetence - the race started here.

Sheff Utd 1 Liverpool 1
Our first contender was Rob Stiles who managed to award a penalty on the basis of intent without any contact taking place. New? well it might not be written in the rules, but when Chris Morgan dived in to challenge Gerrard ‘he put me off me shot’. A penalty anyway, and serial house-buyer Robbie Fowler slotted away the kick with aplomb. Rob Hulse had confounded his critics with a well placed header to put Neil Warnocks team one up and looking good for an opening win. Is it just me or does Neil Warnock look (and sound) like he’s taken some gender changing hormones? Bad news for Liverpool was injuries to Carragher and Riise.

Goals: Hulse. Fowler
Assists: Unsworth, Gerrard
YC: Morgan. Sissoko, Kromkamp
RC:
MoM: Armstrong

Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 1
Home sweet home it ain’t yet as the Arsenal opened up at their new ground. UNITED stood the Villa defence for the majority of the game against an Arsenal attack that was far from A RABid one. Arsenal’s pass and move routine was supplemented by SANDancers such as Adebayor but they looked unlikely to breakthrough after professional beard grower Olof Mellberg opened with a towering header. Boy wonder Walcott emerged from the creche in the 2nd half to set up Gilberto for a deserved equaliser, although it seems key contributions can only be served to those over 18 as the fresh faced youngster got no credit in the points. Shame, but he can run home and tell his mum all about it.

Goals: Gilberto. Mellberg
Assists: Davis
YC: Toure. Hendrie, Angel
RC:
MoM: Mellberg

Bolton 2 Tottenham 0
Sam is as bored with Bolton as the rest of us, that’s why he tried so hard to get the England job in the summer. For the first goal it was the usual recipe of high ball, wrestle in the box and header, with Davies the scorer. The second from nowhere and by nowhere I mean from 40 yards with Campo swerving one past an unsighted (as in completely blind) Paul Robinson. Tottenham looked shocked to have had to visit Bolton on the first day and paid the price.

Goals: Davies, Campo
Assists: Speed
YC: Lee
RC:
MoM: Campo

Everton 2 Watford 1
Our hapless adjudicator this time was Peter Walton (goodnight johnboy) who awards penalties for handball only when they hit players faces (Chris Powell) and not when they hit their hands (Alan Stubbs). Displaying a competence only usually seen at local authority level (political satire), he provided Everton with the boost they needed. The other boost they needed was a huge deflection on an awful Andy Johnson shot that flew into the top corner. Shamefully, he claimed it anyway and with Arteta putting away the penalty, Damien Francis’ goal meant little.

Goals: Johnson, Arteta. Francis
Assists: Beattie, Priskin
YC: Beattie, Anichebe. Shittu, Francis
RC:
MoM: Johnson

Newcastle 2 Wigan 1
Shola Ameobi is the next Alan Shearer or has he just scored in his first match and is in fact Newcastle’s only fit striker. He is perhaps the next Carl Cort but lets not get carried away. Okay Ameobi scored (from 2 yards) as did the much more inspirational Scott Parker, but anyone can score in the Premiership, see McCulloch, Lee who pulled one back. Except of course that is Heskey, Emile who continues to prove that it wasn’t just Birmingham who deserved to go down, it was him as well (cue Heskey goalfest!)

Goals: Ameobi, Parker. McCulloch
Assists: Ameobi, Nzogbia Heskey
YC: Luque, Heskey
RC:
MoM: Ameobi

Portsmouth 3 Blackburn 0
Reaping the rewards of staying up last year (and of course all that lovely fresh sea air, breathe it in), Pompey looked to be on a mission this season, a mission to avoid a repeat of last, except for the staying up bit of course. Todorov opened the scoring but it is another Bulgarian, Petrov that they really want. Kanu who everyone though no-one would want scored 2 despite his ungamely skelly-ness (is that a word?) but also missed a penalty and rebound. Blackburn missed everything apart from the man as Lucas Neill found the Premiership refs less tolerant than the WC refs - world cup refs that is, not toilet refs, the mind boggles- and Andy Todd also saw red for getting to the ball first. Some redemption for ref Wiley, he has now rescinded the red, but I’m still charging anyone with Todd 5 points.
Goals: Todorov, Kanu 2
Assists: O’Neil 2, Davis, Mwaruwari
YC: Taylor, Stefanovic
RC: Neill, Todd
MoM: Campbell

Reading 3 Middlesbrough 2
A right ‘royal’ rumble match at the Majedski Stadium (how humbly named) with newly promoted Reading edging out a McClaren-less Boro by the odd goal in 5. Two down though was not a good start, Downing and Yakubu but their top men from last season turned it round by half-time; Sidwell and Kitson before Lita lit a cigar scoring the third. What a win, what a start, 3 on the board only 37 to go. Oh yeh and the ref chopped off a perfectly good Viduka goal.
Goals: Kitson, Sidwell, Lita. Downing, Yakubu
Assists: Ingimarsson. Yakubu, Rochemback
YC: Sidwell. Riggott, Rochemback, Boateng
RC:
MoM: Doyle

West Ham 3 Charlton 1
Another penalty in this match, but rightly given after a Gabbidon handball - Darren Bent did the needful, but this match was noteworthy for the correct application of the rules by the ref (Howard Webb) - Traore proving that there was someone with less sense than Bellamy at Anfield by trying to stop a free kick being taken early having just been booked. Off ye go and away ye go Lee Bowyer. Redemption lay in a hat-trick of assists (2 for Zamora, 1 for Cole) as Bowyer began his hearts and minds campaign down West Ham way.
Goals: Zamora 2, Cole. Bent
Assists: Bowyer 3, Benayoun
YC: Konchesky, Harewood. Young
RC: Traore
MoM: Bowyer

Man Utd 5 Fulham 1
Utd’s last 2 starts to the season have been slooooow to say the least but with Rooney looking forward to 3 weeks off he set about accruing as many points as he could in this match - 18 after a man of the match, 2 goals and an assist. Also helping himself was Saha who’ll have to hold the fort, with Ronaldo celebrating his forgiveness at Old Trafford with a goal. Ferdinand and Pearce swapped own goals which was nice (-3 to go with their red faces). Fulham blown away as they underlined their credentials to be serious Championship contenders next season.

Goals: Rooney 2, Ronaldo, Saha, o.g’s (Pearce & Ferdinand)
Assists: Saha 2, Rooney, Neville, Brown, Giggs
YC: Giggs, Brown
RC:
MoM: Rooney

Chelsea 3 Man City 0
Don’t you just love seeing Chelsea win, particularly against a side sponsored by www.capitulation.com (please dont go to that website from your work PC you never know what you’ll find there). Goals from JT, a Lampard deflection and a Drogba diving (header) made me think about old times down the Kings Road. Think early 80s, think bottom 6 in division 2 (now called the championship) think house built on sand. Yes my Seville-based bitterness will never go away….you’ll just have to live with it. In all seriousness, simple and effective, Chelsea thoroughly deserved their win.

Goals: Terry, Lampard, Drogba
Assists: Robben 2, Bridge
YC: Essien, Dickov, Dabo
RC:
MoM: Essien

The Points
GK
6 James, Jaaskelainen, Cudicini

DEF
11 Terry
9 Campbell, Bridge, Mellberg

MID
14 Bowyer
10 Campo
8 O’Neil, Robben
7 Parker, Downing, Lampard, Arteta, Gilberto, Ronaldo

STR
18 Rooney
13 Saha, Ameobi
12 Zamora
10 Yakubu, Johnson

The Table
A cautionary note as its only week 1 but the table toppers in the 1st week are the Hot Potato Football Club with a pace-setting 73. A healthy gap of 7 to Finnport Rovers and then another 6 to what may be affectionately known as the pack of Golden Wonderers, Dude Where’s my Shoes, Greta’s Giants, West End FC, Dislexic Utd and Friendlies Don’t Count. At the foot Cheap as Chips have found their natural home with their manager probably getting more use from their fiver by setting fire to it, although Big Brydo’s Bombers and Cream of the Crop join the cheap ones in single figure land.

The Next Bit
Midweek matches and a full weekend card promise more movement than the morning after a ruby murray but there will be as much activity on the site as we bombard you with info, update players, add some extra bits and generally keep you all interested including in next weeks instalment:

• News of the FFL Cup
• Details of manager of the month prizes
• Some info on prize fund and how you can help increase it; and
• Details of how to pay before you lose all interest

Before I go, I promised a mention to someone who I forgot about in the World Cup time, grossly underestimating the enjoyment a ‘menshy’ brings, I neglected to mention one of the teams who finished joint fifth, having mentioned all of the other joint fifth place teams….So its a big hello to Macca’s Winning 11 and their manager Craig Mackintosh - Macca I hope you earn more mentions throughout the season.

Thats all for now
Simon