February 22, 2004

Was EPL Fantasy League Week 26 (February) our worst week ever collectively? Consider that 42 was enough for Bayern Mucus to take the week. In a period when everyone scored except Liverpool -- even Brad Friedel -- you'd think that at least attacking players' scores would be higher, but the law of averages apparently got its revenge on the distribution of those goals. Low scores mean not much movement in table, and that the February competition is ripe for just about anybody... (more inside)

posted by taupe to navel gazing at 03:11 PM - 45 comments

Please note that this is the table as it stood immediately following the last results; it won't be current even by the time you read this, as I intend to soak an immediate four-point penalty for a double switch that I just can't pass up:

Overall
   Team   Manager   T   G   R   P 
 1  Bayern Mucus 03   Danny The Taupe   33   42   3,182   1,265 
 2  Kwacky's Kwitters   richard looker   28   25   4,064   1,255 
 3  bluebears   andy griffiths   17   31   6,267   1,236 
 4  Ardley Athletic   Squealy Neily   35   39   8,782   1,220 
 5  Crap City United   g s p m   13   26   13,108   1,198 
 6  Rings of Saturn   David Hansen   5   32   16,553   1,184 
 7  Mossy Athletic   Emad Mostaque   23   28   23,682   1,160 
 8  The Bog Bandits   Fat Buddha   30   35   25,051   1,156 
 9  Cottage Cheesers   worldcup 2002   35   25   29,046   1,144 
 10  last again   eckeric eckeric   7   19   29,172   1,143 
 11  Deadly Calm   Big Calm   24   21   39,505   1,116 
 12  FC Cacahuate   skronk _   37   27   41,913   1,110 
 13  37 Push Ups   Corpse R. Christ   1   14   48,657   1,092 
 14  Blammos!   Star Unsuitable   20   30   49,264   1,091 
 15  Terrapin Utd   Rick Scully   17   34   50,384   1,088 
 16  Finally   Mark D   13   29   55,280   1,076 
 17  BillSaysThisSCORES!!   Bill Lazar   23   30   57,433   1,071 
 18  Bosiak Bashers   joe bieda   27   30   60,298   1,064 
 19  fascist bully boys   Ufez Jones   15   19   63,466   1,056 
 20  Nemo's Dreamers   lil nemo   14   26   65,955   1,050 
 21  vagabonds   christopher f   20   18   74,920   1,028 
 22  SilentInTheMorning   pful ler   2   31   80,104   1,014 
 23  cutters   mbd1 mbd1   20   33   82,257   1,009 
 24  Salmacis FC   Huw Morris   14   27   82,987   1,007 
 25  Atlanta Untitled   Tim Truxell   20   36   92,601   981 
 26  Sporting Goats   Eliot Shepard   0   24   93,033   979 
 27  Generals F.C.   Noah Egorin   14   18   100,120   959 
 28  AVZ Bulls   usf bull   12   36   118,995   899 
 29  tallclay   Clay H   16   17   121,379   891 
 30  Trendelmaniacs   t trendel   0   26   152,197   775 
 31  The Phat Cats   garfield one bad SpoFo!   5   23   263,382   107 
 32  JasonSpaceman   Jason Wilder   4   20   265,345   85 
 
February
   Team   Manager   T   G   R   P 
 1  Mossy Athletic   Emad Mostaque   2   28   5,513   164 
 2  Bayern Mucus 03   Danny The Taupe   2   42   11,836   158 
 3  Rings of Saturn   David Hansen   0   32   12,184   157 
 4  The Bog Bandits   Fat Buddha   1   35   24,256   151 
 5  bluebears   andy griffiths   2   31   27,139   150 
 6  Kwacky's Kwitters   richard looker   2   25   32,273   148 
 6  BillSaysThisSCORES!!   Bill Lazar   3   30   32,646   148 
 8  Terrapin Utd   Rick Scully   0   34   35,771   146 
 9  Finally   Mark D   0   29   41,875   144 
 9  last again   eckeric eckeric   0   19   41,875   144 
 11  Nemo's Dreamers   lil nemo   0   26   52,012   141 
 11  Cottage Cheesers   worldcup 2002   4   25   55,553   141 
 13  SilentInTheMorning   pful ler   0   31   67,172   137 
 13  FC Cacahuate   skronk _   2   27   70,316   137 
 15  Atlanta Untitled   Tim Truxell   2   36   74,242   136 
 16  Ardley Athletic   Squealy Neily   3   39   91,361   132 
 17  Sporting Goats   Eliot Shepard   0   24   126,103   123 
 17  Crap City United   g s p m   1   26   129,287   123 
 19  Deadly Calm   Big Calm   4   21   138,407   121 
 20  Bosiak Bashers   joe bieda   0   30   146,751   118 
 21  AVZ Bulls   usf bull   5   36   169,639   113 
 22  Salmacis FC   Huw Morris   0   27   169,771   112 
 23  Blammos!   Star Unsuitable   3   30   183,411   109 
 24  The Phat Cats   garfield one bad SpoFo!   5   23   190,195   107 
 25  37 Push Ups   Corpse R. Christ   0   14   193,482   105 
 26  Generals F.C.   Noah Egorin   0   18   205,420   101 
 26  fascist bully boys   Ufez Jones   1   19   207,850   101 
 28  vagabonds   christopher f   0   18   210,918   99 
 28  tallclay   Clay H   0   17   210,918   99 
 30  cutters   mbd1 mbd1   2   33   222,875   95 
 31  Trendelmaniacs   t trendel   0   26   243,705   83 
 32  JasonSpaceman   Jason Wilder   4   20   257,606   72 
A lot of people lost points from just yesterday, due to a goal assist (I think) for Thierry Henry being rescinded. Defenders, and keepers who weren't Friedel, obviously got killed. Saha didn't play, and now Solskjaer wants to come back, so scratch what I said last week about Saha. And of course LFC's game was postponed. The next update, the last one for the February competition, may or may not come as soon as 9 March (!). That's when the last game of "Week 27" (Boro-Spurs) is scheduled, and I'll be out of town then, and at a concert the evening of the 9th.

posted by taupe at 03:22 PM on February 22, 2004

Liverpool plays one of their makeup games next weekend, against Leeds. So they will have 26 games like everyone else before the next round... Now someone has to explain to me how the Reds did not manage a single score in over 180 minutes of playing time against a bottom of the table team like Pompey. I got to watch today's match and the result was inexeplicable. Okay no Kewell but Owen is healthy, Heskey had chances, Baros played a whole half, Le Tallec had nearly two whole games and has shown he doesn't have what it takes to play at this level yet. Maybe we're missing Diouf more than I would have thought and WHY WHY WHY didn't Riise get a chance to go back to midfield today--he did really well there two years ago before being switched to fullback.

posted by billsaysthis at 07:37 PM on February 22, 2004

Little pressie for Big Calm.

posted by Fat Buddha at 07:31 AM on February 23, 2004

Dear Bloated Meditator, squelchy and Kwacky - Sod off you lucky lucky lucky bastards.

posted by BigCalm at 08:39 AM on February 23, 2004

Hahaha. Big Calm, old chap, we are lucky lucky lucky bastards it's true, and that's what makes it so chuffin hilarious!

posted by Fat Buddha at 09:09 AM on February 23, 2004

I think it's fair to say we were a tad fortunate, yes. With regard to my FFL team I stumbled haplessly from mistake to mistake - this week selling 9 point Shearer and replacing him with not even playing at all Saha. It's enough to make a grown man cry, rather like the Viler fans at the end of the game yesterday. :P

posted by squealy at 11:19 AM on February 23, 2004

It was a shite weekend, what with my lousy fantasy scores and the Liverpool loss to Portsmouth. Graaargh.

posted by worldcup2002 at 02:57 PM on February 23, 2004

Gerard Houllier...sticking with the best up front again...

posted by StarFucker at 06:05 PM on February 23, 2004

BlogFC is calling today for the immediate dismissal of GH, naming Thompson as interim and luring a big name in the summer. Hard to argue with that logic.

posted by billsaysthis at 06:25 PM on February 23, 2004

Don't you just Liverpool fans, spoilt brats the lot of them. The vast majority of supporters would give their eye teeth to be in Liverpools position. It's about time the berks grew up and realised the world doesn't revolve them, that they cannot win every game , that the game has moved on since the bloody seventies and to be competing for 4th spot is a pretty good effort with a massive reward if they achieve it. Did they not win some kind of a treble a couple of years ago? What's the matter with these people? Who do they think they are? Excuse me while I throw up.

posted by Fat Buddha at 06:39 AM on February 24, 2004

Word. ;-)

posted by squealy at 10:17 AM on February 24, 2004

FB, are you suggesting that you don't want your boys to win every time out? That you don't vent over bad streaks of play?

posted by billsaysthis at 10:36 AM on February 24, 2004

bill, perversely, given our record I fully expect Blues to win every game, but they don't and it comes as no surprise. I don't go into fits of apoplexy or rage or depression every time we drop a point. No rational football fan does. Most fans accept that defeat is part of the game and are well adjusted enough to accept that. What grates is the fact that Liverpool fans think they have a divine right to win every competition, every year. It is childish. There is a page of quotes in todays Guardian from various ex players fans and gawd knows who else and the common theme is that they expect better and will not accept less, it is unthinkable. Well, here's the news: it is acceptable and it is thinkable and these buggers should start appreciating what they have got, rather than what they had, it is still better than what about 95% of the rest of us have to put up with. I'm all for football fans suffering angst; it is good for the soul; Liverpool fans however are clearly too precious to cope. They should take up an emotionally neutral pastime, like knitting. Ye chuffin Gods!

posted by Fat Buddha at 11:30 AM on February 24, 2004

Or to put it simply - Liverpool fans should learn to STFU and get on with it.

posted by kWaCkY at 12:22 PM on February 24, 2004

Exackerly, Fazackerly.

posted by Fat Buddha at 12:38 PM on February 24, 2004

Foshizzle.

posted by worldcup2002 at 03:36 PM on February 24, 2004

Guys, the only LFC fans I associate and communicate with are here on this board, so I sure hope you're not including us in that shizznit.

posted by billsaysthis at 06:14 PM on February 24, 2004

Shit no bill, you lot are excused. It's the others!

posted by Fat Buddha at 06:25 PM on February 24, 2004

(forgive me, I was trying to hunt for the Liverpool FC/Scousers/Harry Enfield pic and found this instead) A Liverpool fan, an Arsenal fan and a Man Utd. were all in Saudi Arabia, sharing a smuggled crate of booze. All of a sudden Saudi police rushed in and arrested them. The mere possession of alcohol is a severe offence in Saudi Arabia, so for the terrible crime of actually being caught consuming the booze, they were sentenced to death! However, after many months and with the help of very good lawyers, they were able to successfully appeal their sentence down to life imprisonment. By a stroke of luck, it was a Saudi national holiday the day their trial finished, and the extremely benevolent Sheikh decided they could be released after receiving just 20 lashes each of the whip. As they were preparing for their punishment, the Sheikh suddenly said: "It's my first wife's birthday today, and she has asked me to allow each of you one wish before your whipping." The Arsenal fan was first in line (he had drunk the least), so he thought about this for a while and then said: Please tie a pillow to my back." This was done, but the pillow only lasted 10 lashes before the whip went through. The Arsenal fan had to be carried away bleeding and crying with pain when the punishment was done. The Man Utd. fan was next up (he almost finished a half-can), and after watching the scene, said: "Choice! Please fix two pillows on my back." But even two pillows could only take 15 lashes before the whip went through again. The Liverpool fan was the last one up (he had finished off the crate), but before he could say anything, the Sheikh turned to him and said: "You are from a most beautiful part of the world, your city has some of the best and most loyal football fans in the world. For this, you may have two wishes!" "Cheers mate, your Most Royal and Merciful highness", The Liverpool fan replies. "In recognition of your kindness, my first wish is that you give me not 20, but 100 lashes." "Not only are you an honourable, handsome and powerful man, you are also very brave. "The Sheik says with an admiring look on his face. "If 100 lashes is what you desire, then so be it. And your second wish? What is it to be?" the Sheik asks. "Please tie the Man Utd. fan to my back." more from laughfc

posted by BigCalm at 06:56 PM on February 24, 2004

HA!! Stupid Man Utd...

posted by StarFucker at 07:48 PM on February 24, 2004

Oh, I'm so going to turn that into a Kings/Spurs/Mavericks joke, BC. Like it a lot. BTW, I'm lazy and uninformed....is Saha going to be back next game or not so much?

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:21 PM on February 24, 2004

Excellent BC!

posted by billsaysthis at 09:35 PM on February 24, 2004

BC, that is brilliant! Hahahahahahahahahaha. I'm ... Hahahahahahahaha!

posted by worldcup2002 at 11:47 PM on February 24, 2004

Strange, it was Villa fan last time I heard it. Ufez, expect Saha to start the next game, unfortunately that's against Porto tonight so it doesn't count for much. I hear he picked up a slight knock playing for France and was rested against Leeds as a precaution. I mean, it's not like ManU need their first team squad to be able to beat a shit team like Leeds now is it?

posted by squealy at 08:01 AM on February 25, 2004

Ok, this is gonna sound like a really dumb question, but how did I lose points last night? I had 23 lst night. This morining I have 20. I'm still figuring out the stats columns, and I'm assuming Goals Conceded is a type of +/-, but how do you get points for conceding goals? I'm at a loss. FB & BC, I don't yet understand the Liverpool expectancy, but I think your joke helped.

posted by garfield at 09:18 AM on February 25, 2004

Garfy, I seem to recall Nalis having 5 points earlier in the week, but now he only has 2, which must mean he'd been credited with an assist which has been rescinded. With regard to Goals conceded, here's the relevant rules: For your goalkeeper / defender conceding 0 goals and playing at least 60 minutes 4 points For your midfielders conceding 0 goals and playing at least 60 minutes 2 points. For every 2 goals conceded by your goalkeeper or defender -1 point For playing at least 60 minutes in a game 2 points So for example if a defender plays 60 minutes and concedes 0 goals he'll get 6 points (4 for clean sheet and 2 for playing 60 minutes). If his team loses 2-0 however, he would lose his 4 point bonus for the clean sheet and another point for conceding 2 goals. Therefore he'd score 1 point made up of 2 for playing 90 minutes minus 1 for conceding 2 goals. (I think)

posted by squealy at 11:40 AM on February 25, 2004

Squealy, much appreciated! That makes sense, like bonus points for a shut out.

posted by garfield at 12:30 PM on February 25, 2004

I need to score 100 pts this weekend. Seeing that I have a better chance of moving up here than in the yahoo league, I'm hoping to at least match my #6 rank in yahoo. To do that, I will really really really need to score 100 pts.

posted by worldcup2002 at 01:05 PM on February 27, 2004

100 points would be helpful for me too. Perhaps RVN, Saha and Hasselbaink will all put three in the net while Howard pitches a shutout. That would be my best shot.

posted by billsaysthis at 04:27 PM on February 27, 2004

Man U? A shutout? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

posted by BigCalm at 06:52 PM on February 27, 2004

BC, I was just figuring how my particulat fantasy team could get to 100 this week, you big (damn, what was that insult WC used to fling around all the time?)

posted by billsaysthis at 07:40 PM on February 27, 2004

Brummy bog bandit.

posted by worldcup2002 at 09:58 PM on February 27, 2004

OK, which of you bastards told me Saha was injured last night when I was too drunk to think?

posted by squealy at 09:00 AM on February 28, 2004

It's the 2nd half and RVN's on the bench, Saha scored (yay!) and it is Man U 1-0 against Fulham. But Howard isn't playing. Thank God I switched Van Der Sar out for Maik Taylor (now I need two shutouts from him). I'm already at 32 with just five of my players playing today. C'mon boys! Also, Henry got an assist and (right now) the winning goal. Arsenal leads 2-1 vs Charlton. Go, mon capitan!

posted by worldcup2002 at 10:29 AM on February 28, 2004

ohmigosh! RVN came on as a substitute, but before that he got yellow-carded for running on to the pitch to protest a no-call on a penalty when Saha was fouled. So he actually lost points for some of us without even being on the team! But he's on now. So maybe he'll make up by scoring a hattrick. Hah!

posted by worldcup2002 at 10:40 AM on February 28, 2004

Let's just say after today's results no matter what happens tomorrow I will not be reaching the century mark this weekend. Those damn brummy bog bandits, and I mean you Sir Alex and your wanton way with RVN and Howard.

posted by billsaysthis at 01:00 PM on February 28, 2004

Okay, so that sucked. I look at the schedule and see that there are a couple of teams that have more than one game, so I use my weekly sub to pick up someone random from one of those teams, thinking it'll get me a couple of extra points. So I poke around a bit and settle on Zenden. Who got a red card today. Total score for weekend from him: -1. Tosser.

posted by Ufez Jones at 04:12 PM on March 03, 2004

HA! I had him for a while now, thought i might get some points today too. What a loser.

posted by StarFucker at 04:22 PM on March 03, 2004

If I could count on my fingers the ways I fucked up this week, I'd be from Wolverhampton.

posted by squealy at 05:53 PM on March 03, 2004

You mean you would have 12 fingers?

posted by Fat Buddha at 09:37 AM on March 04, 2004

Bill, I have to say this to be kind, a Brummy is a person who hails from Birmingham and is not, in itself, an insult. You cannot keep calling Alex Ferguson a Brummy bog bandit; it makes no sense. You will have to make do with Scotch Chunt.

posted by Fat Buddha at 09:40 AM on March 04, 2004

Yes FB, that's exactly what I mean.

posted by squealy at 11:21 AM on March 04, 2004

FB, thanks for the lesson in cursing! So are you personally a brummy bog bandit?

posted by billsaysthis at 04:42 PM on March 04, 2004

Chunt?

posted by garfield at 08:59 AM on March 05, 2004

I'm moving up! Looks like Birmingham will have a clean sheet today. Go Maik Taylor and Cunningham!

posted by worldcup2002 at 10:47 AM on March 06, 2004

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