Archive for October, 2006

Week 7

Published by
simon
at October 25th 2006 17:46 in Weekly update. 0 Comments

Ah but this is week 8 - yes you are right and just like the buses its late and there will be another right along, so read on if you like or wait until week 8 appears - its all the same drivel anyway!

The Games

Newcastle 1 Bolton 2
Congratulations to Bolton they have managed to win the World’s Most Torn-Faced Strike Pairing Award for putting the huffmeister Anelka with opposition fans favourite Diouf. Two goals from El Hadji, yet was there a smile? No. There was some taunting, some histrionics, a booking, subbed to save himself getting sent or carried off and a tunnel incident. What a lovely guy he is. A role model, someone to look up to - but only if you are Jeffrey Dahmer, of course. Ameobi scored from the spot to give Newcastle a lead that they were never going to hold.

Goals: Ameobi. Diouf 2
Assists: Campo, Davies, Anelka, Meite
YC: Solano, Emre, Moore. Diouf, Nolan, Speed
RC:
MoM: Diouf
Fulham 2 Charlton 1
Must win game for both sides but pretty much a stick on banker home win. Charlton’s resilience seems to have dissipated at the same rate that their reliance on Darren Bent has increased. He scored again of course but Charlton went down to McBride and Jensen goals. Charlton manager Iain Dowie is used to managing a very ordinary basement team with a sharp striker (see Palace & Andy Johnson). It could very well be the same outcome too…..

Goals: McBride, Jensen. D Bent
Assists: Jensen, Rosenior. Thomas
YC: Queudrue. El Karkouri, Young, Reid
RC:
MoM: McBride


Reading 0 Chelsea 1
Quite simply there was nothing Hilario about the ugly fate that befell Chelsea’s 2 keepers. Cech’s collision with Stephen Hunt’s knee was the subject of much debate - I’ll sit on the fence but I’m sceptical as to why someone would slide in with their knee. Cudicini’s collision seemed to be exactly that, meeting the brick wall that is Sonko. Reading’s wall was anything but brick and the deflection king Lampard fired in a free kick that Ingimarsson stabbed over his own line - yet no assist for Frank? Final word must be to Petr Cech - get well soon.

Goals: o.g.
Assists:
YC: Ingimarsson, Sonko. Terry
RC: Bikey, Mikkel
MoM: Bouhlarouz

Middlesbrough 2 Everton 1
Boro forgot some of their recent troubles with a scrappy home win that could have been more emphatic had it not been for a Howard penalty save - Yakubu the sinner in question, and another good goal from Everton’s dynamo Tim Cahill. While still inclined to reach for the off button when the Teesiders come on the tv, this was still 3 points well earned.

Goals: Yakubu, Viduka. Cahill
Assists: Euell, Yakubu
YC: Cattermole
RC:
MoM: Pogatetz

Man City 0 Sheff Utd 0
City’s famous non scoring strikers continue their tour of duty and there is no doubt that Pearce has bought poorly throughout the team - Dabo, Trabelsi, DaBeasley and Corradi have hardly imposed themselves on the Premiership. Sheff Utd are hardly overflowing with top strikers either so you wouldn’t have found me surprised with this result.

Goals:
Assists:
YC: Jagielka
RC:
MoM: Davis

Liverpool 1 Blackburn 1
Domestically its not going to plan for Liverpool, they continue to struggle amidst their constant tinkering. There is nothing like a settled side and this is nothing like a settled side. Benni McCarthy took advantage of their hesitant defending and it took a goal from old boy Bellamy to steal a point for the home side. They’ll still manage uninspired 1-0 wins in Europe but don’t put your mortgage on a home win in the league.

Goals: Bellamy. McCarthy
Assists: Aurelio. Bentley
YC: Hyypia. Bentley, Neill, Savage
RC:
MoM: Khizanishvilli

Wigan 1 Man Utd 3
Man Utd dug themselves out of a hole with a first class second half performance that blew Wigan away. Leighton Baines had cajoled them into action by daring to score the opener, which was cancelled by a crashing Vidic header and trumped by Saha and Solskjaer. No goals for Rooney again, but he was involved in 2 goals, so its still a decent return for those who are keeping the faith.

Goals: Baines. Vidic, Saha, Solskjaer
Assists: Rooney 2, Giggs
YC: O’Shea, Ferdinand
RC:
MoM: Giggs

Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 1
Game plan this season for Villa is to score first and then hold on like a man on the edge of a cliff, they are not used to falling behind. Yet fall behind they did (as they did at Chelsea I might add) to a bullet finish from Angel - at the wrong end. He also managed to miss a penalty (5 missed out of last 6) and came away with a horrible -6. Gareth Barry restored parity with a nice finish that keeps Villa unbeaten and Spurs in the bottom half.

Goals: Barry, o.g.
Assists: Defoe
YC: Ghaly
RC: Davenport
MoM: Murphy

Portsmouth 2 West Ham 0
The Hammers visited the South Coast looking for a favour, perhaps like the one they paid Portsmouth last year when they were so much in need, yet they found Harry’s mob in unwelcoming mood. Harry doesn’t do favours, although he doesn’t mind receiving them …..see the BBC investigation and his world cup tickets (allegedly). Old boys Kanu and Andy Cole scored the goals against a starting XI that was Argentinian-free yet had old bones himself Sheringham upfront. Another blow for West Ham is that they’ve now lost assistant manager Peter Grant - looks all over for them!! Norwich for promotion.

Goals: Kanu, Cole
Assists: Johnson
YC: Campbell, O’Neil, Mendes, Johnson. Konchesky, Etherington, Reo-Coker, Sheringham
RC:
MoM: Fernandes

Arsenal 3 Watford 0
Now the Emirates feels like home, a nice easy stroll in the park aided and abetted by some abject Watford defending. An own goal from Jordan Stewart started it off, big DeMerits for Jay for letting Henry stroll through for the second and Adebayor easily tucked away the third.

Goals: o.g., Henry, Adebayor
Assists: Fabregas 2, Adebayor, Henry
YC: Smith
RC:
MoM: Fabregas

The Points

GK
6 Lehmann, Kenny, James

DEF
9 Bouhlarouz, C Davis
7 Johnson

MID
11 Fabregas
9 C Jensen
7 Giggs, Barry, Cahill

STR
13 Diouf
10 McBride, Henry, Adebayor
8 Rooney

The Table
Normal service with Dude Where’s My Shoes heading back to the top with a 20 point advantage. Brahms & Liszt tucked in 2nd ahead of A Team Less Ordinary and Athletico Pathetico. Top scorers in wk7 were Sexism has no Place in Football with 55. Other teams on the up include The Off Cider Rule, Wayne Loves Coleen’s Nan, Zizou’s Headbangers, Auchenshuggle Revolution and Hat Trick Heroes.

The Cup
In the final throes of working out the format (how long does it take man?!). Be with you soon.

Cheers

Simon

Week 6

Published by
simon
at October 5th 2006 11:41 in Weekly update. 0 Comments

What happened to Week 5 then? Well I can explain. It was done (kind of) but it was so late that it had become meaningless and since it’s the same chat every week to ensure we got back on an even keel we dropped it. Call it a casualty of war….

The Games
Bolton 2 Liverpool 0
You must wonder about a keeper to dives the wrong way at a free kick, but that’s exactly what Jose Reina did continuing his run of erratic form. Speed profited, which was added to Campo’s header. Liverpool contributed very little and deserved to lose comfortably.

Goals: Speed, Campo
Assists: Davies
YC: Faye. Crouch, Speed
RC:
MoM: Speed

Charlton 1 Arsenal 2
You have an under-performing player who is in fact losing points due to petulant behaviour, sub appearances and no goals. What do you do? You bin him unceremoniously and bring in an on-form player. Step forward Robin Van Persie. You then watch the highlights on MOTD. You see Van Persie taking a violent off the ball swipe at an opponent. Red card and vindication awaits surely! Mystifyingly yellow only. Then RVP displays a clinical touch not previously seen this season to equalise Bent’s goal and scores an outrageous flying volley for his 2nd. Despair! No wait, maybe his ‘into the crowd’ celebration will earn him the red card he so richly deserves. Another let off - boo!!

Goals: Bent. Van Persie 2
Assists: Hasselbaink, Hreidarsson, Hleb 2, Eboue
YC: Hreidarsson, Hasselbaink, Lisbie, Kishishev. Van Persie, Toure, Fabregas, Hoyte
RC:
MoM: Hleb

Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 1
When after 3 minutes Mellberg scrambled the ball into his own net - Drogba credited with the goal for being nearby, you feared the worst for a team built to defend what it has. Agbonlahor equalised with a free header to give Villa to hold onto something and hold on they did. O’Neill and Mourinho seemed too close post match for my liking - seemed more civil than seville.

Goals: Agbonlahor
Assists: Davis, Ridgewell. Robben, Terry
YC: McCann, Mellberg
RC:
MoM: Agbonlahor

Everton 1 Man City 1
A barrage from Everton vindicates Nicky Weaver’s choice as MoM, and their luck held when Richards scored in the very last minute to pinch an ill-deserved point. Andy Johnson had earlier scored before succumbing to a mild hamstring injury - only 2 weeks out, don’t panic. Pure bare faced cheek from Joey Barton earned him only a slap on the cheek, I mean wrist. Quite right, he was only @rsing about…

Goals: Johnson. Richards
Assists: Neville. Distin, Corrasi
YC: Cahill, Valente. Barton, Sinclair
RC:
MoM: Weaver

Sheff Utd 2 Middlesbrough 1
The first Premiership victory so craved by t’ Blades is now theirs following a last minute Jagielka screamer. Hulse and Yakubu exchanged goals previously and although Woodgate racked up another man of the match - unbelievably his 3rd in a row, for a team yet to win since he arrived. With all the money they have spent, Boro should be better than this.

Goals: Hulse, Jagielka. Yakubu
Assists: Kazim-Richards. Pogatetz
YC: Bromby. Woodgate, Cattermole, Rochemback
RC:
MoM: Woodgate

Blackburn 2 Wigan 1
Not much to say about this one really, fairly non-inspiring fixture and one thankfully that was not shown live. Bentley & McCarthy for Blackburn and Heskey (becoming a habit Emile) for Wigan.

Goals: Bentley, McCarthy. Heskey
Assists: Jeffers, Roberts. Boyce
YC: Jeffers, Ooijer, Mokoena. Scharner, Landzaat, Kilbane
RC:
MoM: Brown

Man Utd 2 Newcastle 0
The baby faced assassin continued his rehabilitation following three years out, with a neat double. Keeping Saha on the bench is no mean feat, but in the absence of Rooney being dropped it is the one way that Solskjaer will play.

Goals: Solksjaer 2
Assists: Ronaldo, Vidic
YC: Scholes. Parker, Carr, Taylor
RC:
MoM: Ronaldo

Tottenham 2 Portsmouth 1
To see such a strong lad throw himself on the deck was pitiful Mr Zokora. Reminded me of a certain Mr Drogba or even Mr Eboue (last year CL final). Now this is not a witch hunt against Cote d’Ivoire but a common trait may have emerged. Mendes shaped to make a challenge and down went Didier - he got an assist, and man of the match disturbingly. Defoe tucked away the penalty and Murphy also scored. Kanu kept us his good form to deny Spurs a clean sheet.

Goals: Murphy, Defoe. Kanu
Assists: Zokora. O’Neil
YC:
RC:
MoM: Zokora

West Ham 0 Reading 1
Having held a grudge against ‘Pards’ for the best part of 5 years, Reading finally got some top flight revenge against their former manager. No doubt they were helped by the Hammers current state of turmoil, both on field and off field. The Argentinians have not blended in or maybe they haven’t been given a chance. Whatever its all gone a bit Pete Tong as they say in the east end. Seol Ki Hyon with the only goal.

Goals: Seol
Assists:
YC: Cole, Carroll, Konchesky, Sheringham. Seol, Long
RC:
MoM: Sidwell

Watford 3 Fulham 3
A games that most would be unlikely to watch but a thriller nonetheless. Not a high quality match but six goals ain’t bad going. Having taken a 2-0 lead (King & Young), Watford panicked and promptly shot themselves in the foot to allow Fulham back to 3-2 (Helguson. McBride & Francis o.g.). Bright Young thing Ashley scored his 2nd of the match to give them a gutsy yet insufficient point.

Goals: Young 2, King. Helguson, McBride, o.g.
Assists: Young, Mahon, Bouazza. Helguson 2, Diop, Radzinski, McBride
YC: Mahon, Helguson, Pearce, Radzinski
RC:
MoM: Bouazza

The Points



GK
6 Van der Sar, Jaaskelainen, Hahnemann

DEF
9 Vidic
6 Richards, G Neville, Ferdinand, Ben Haim, Hunt, Meite, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Sonko, De La Cruz

MID
11 Hleb
8 Ronaldo, Speed, Zokora
7 Campo, Bentley, Jagielka, Murphy

STR
15 Young
12 Solskjaer
11 Helguson
10 Agbonlahor, Van Persie
9 McBride
8 Bouazza

The Table
We have a new leader, long time FFL favourite, Greta’s Giants have hit the peak, albeit with the slimmest of margins from Due Wheres my Shoes?. Brahms & Liszt look poised in 3rd with Athletico Pathetico and Oh for an Aston Martin completing the top 5. Ken Dodd’s Dad’d Dog’s Dead appears in the top 10. Top scorers this week were The Bjays with 37 with good scores also from Window Cleaners Union, Milk was a Bad Choice and Who wants to Swim in the Aquarium with Niall.

The Manager of the Month
The winner of the coveted simonsffl.com mug is none other than New Comer, Vinodh Raju with 171 points - congratulations Vinodh, the mug will be on the way to you. Close but no cigar this month were Jane’s Buddies, The Sons of the Rock, Ruel Fox and His All Star Men and Bayern Bru.

The Rest

We’re working on the cup dates now, hoping to announce format and fixtures soon and also how you can pay your subs for the privilege of reading this dirge every week.

Cheers

Simon