Predictions, Predictions!

by Paul Price

Season 13 could be an interesting one in the Social Primetime Premiership, as winners for the past two seasons, FC Tensixty have offloaded a number of their star performers over the past few years during pre season. In an attempt to cut the clubs wage bill and shave a few years off the average squad age, Daz Hargreaves sold defensive stars Björn Kopplin and Gary Medel before auctioning off Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite the winger turning 36 at the start of the season, Skolden FC picked up a bargain, signing him for just £1,000. Also leaving the club at the end of their respective contracts was Pablo Barrera and Edgar Barreto. With no new faces coming through the door as of yet, one would argue that Tensixty are a weaker side than the one that walked the Premiership last term, however they still posses class throughout their side and with attacking players such as Bojan, Sergio Agüero and Maxim Choupo-Moting still in the ranks, expect them to push for a third title in a row.

Rob Barker kept up with common tradition at The Tangerine Candyfloss by once again spending big in his attempt to close the gap between his side and FC Tensixty. Over £4m was spent this pre season, including the £2m signing of full back Gareth Bale and the £2.6m acquisition of attacking midfielder come striker Luis Hernández. Also joining the club was promising midfielder Zoran Jovanovic, signing from White Riots for £70,000. Heading out of Grant Thorold Park was golden oldie Lionel Messi, Vitorino Antunes and club legend Mauro Zárate, with Valon Behrami leaving on a free after his contract expired. With the vast array of stars now on the books at the Candyfloss, including the increasingly talented Ales Mracek, expect Barker and his trusty 4-6-0 to battle Tensixty all the way to the death.

As ever, completing the big three are Emerson Park F.C. The only transfer activity at the Duck Stadium this pre season was the £1.5m sale of Fonseca, with manager Josh Cornish deciding to stick with the squad that helped his side to a third place position in the Premiership last time out. One could argue however, that young striker Fábio is like a new signing as the Brazilian was farmed out on loan for most of last season. To accommodate both him and serial goalscorer Pato, Cornish has changed from his striker less formation to a customised 4-4-2.

Liverpool XI FC were rather active in the transfer market this off season, signing no fewer than six players totalling £7m. The bulk of which, was funded by the £4.5m sale of Vinícius da Silva. New recruits include Roberto Castillo for £2.2m, Anthony Messaoudi for £1.8m and Francisco Mérida, joining for £2m from. To quote manager Tan, "This could be our year."

Another side who have been busy in the transfer market building a strong side are Radoslaw Nowak's. Their two more notable acquisitions for Nowak's side were excellent striker Marco Terpin and midfielder Mamadou Coulibaly joining for a combined £3.6m. Expect Reisha to be closer to the top of the table this coming season.

Towards the bottom end of the table, a side set for a difficult season are Horsham Rangers AFC. Newly promoted, and without any new notable signings, one could be excused for predicting a swift return to Championship football next season. Add to this the fact that manager Stephen Westrip will be on holiday for the first two weeks of the new campaign and you have one recipe for failure.

After narrowly surviving relegation on a number of occasions in the past few years, White Riots is a name that will once again be banded around as favourites for the drop. Manager Kevin Morsley will be encouraged by new signings

The Wheatsheaf F.C. are another side tipped to struggle in their first season back in the Premiership after a three year absence. However, with excellent midfielder Vincenzo De Simone pulling the strings in the middle of the park, and Jozy Altidore consistently putting the ball in the back of the net, manager Jason Garwood will be hopeful of his sides chances.

Resident yoyo club Edible Flowers FC will be hoping that they can get the results to keep them in the Premiership for a second season in a row. New signings Vicente Suárez García, Djordje Mijovic and Marco Daniel could help them retain top flight status with Michael Johnson and Rodriguinho adding solidity and creativity to the midfield.

There's a First Time For Everything!

By Paul Price

The Neville Southall Championship sees Harold hill fc as the winners, gaining promotion to the Premiership for the first time. Finishing a full 11 points clear of second place is no easy feat in a difficult league, with six teams inside the game worlds top 100. Manager Mark Holloway will have his strike partnership of Tristan Plummer and Nathan Delfouneso - 28 and 16 league goals respectively - to thank for his excellent title win.

In second place came Greenking FC, with the ever prolific Shane Long finishing as the teams top goal scorer. Also on form for Greenking this season was experienced creative midfielder Jougle, creating 8 goals for the side from Harrow. Fans will be a little worried of their playoff chances however, after some mixed recent form.

Finishing third this season was Matt Payne's England, just one point behind Greenking in what was a tight league after the run away champions. Their outstanding performer of the season was centre Nicholas Knight, along with partner David Wheater, although they did concede the most goals out of the top five. Gaining a place in the playoffs, England have since left the SPFA, giving up their place to the next best positioned team. Greenwich FC therefore qualify after finishing in 6th position, and will join Aye Ready FC and Enugu Rangers in this seasons playoffs.

No surprises in the Ivan Zamorano Championship as the excellent Inter Reisha make a quick return to the Premiership after winning the league by seven points. As ever, it's striker Omar Koroma who produced the goals for Reisha, with Erick Flores running the show from midfield. Many were surprised when Reisha were relegated last season, but the side have shown they can bounce back and you can expect them to be a force in the Premiership next season.

Finishing in second place was Lundy Villa. Matt Jones' side had the best defensive record in the league, and led the way early on in the season, before Inter Reisha showed their quality and took over. After a couple of inactive seasons, Lundy decided to swap the XFF for the SPFA, and making the playoffs in their first season is an achievement worth celebrating.

Achieving their highest position yet in the SPFA in fifth spot was Steve Richards' XTRA_TIME. Deciding against signing any new faces during pre season, Richards has seen excellent performances from veteran Soloman Kalou and Ivan Temnikov in midfield and goals coming from striker Wallyson.

Joining Lundy Villa and XTRA_TIME in the playoffs will be Old Boys Tolworth and Horsham Rangers AFC, with many punters placing their money on Lundy Villa.

The John McDermott Championship saw an interesting battle at the top, with Yaktopian Yaks and CUJimmyFC exchanging places at the top a number of times towards the end of the season. Despite CUJimmy leading the way for the most part, it was the Yaks that ended up champions, four points clear of their rivals. Striker Claudio Amaya got the goals but it was Alessandro Rosina who was the outstanding performer, not just for the Yaks, but in the whole league. Manager Phil Cooling reluctantly released the ageing Rosina at the end of the season, but dedicated his title win to the Italian.

CUJimmyFC will have to make do with a playoff spot, although they will be entering as the favourites, with goals not only coming from the strikers, but also from the wings, proving that manager Jimmy Brown likes his team to attack in numbers. At the other end of the pitch, the two solid centre backs Gianni Zuiverloon and Olenxadr Chyzhov mean the team can afford to commit numbers in attack.

Finishing fourth was the Edible Flowers, the yoyo club managed by Phillip Anderson. Can Anderson's side make it back to the Premiership through another playoff, after achieving the same feat two seasons ago. With some excellent performances from new signings Ahmet Ari and full back Luis during the season, Anderson has once again proved himself as a shrewd operator on the transfer market. Striker Fabian Moreno - another pre season signing - finished as the clubs top goal scorer with 16 goals, making fans believe they can once again make the Premiership and maybe this time, survive.

Also in the playoffs are Lilywhite Army, and Badger's Creek FC sneak in due to FC Ballaghkeen leaving the SPFA.

The Champions Curse Strikes Again!

by Paul Price

So the eleventh season of Lineker football is now over with, and with it the tenth anniversary of the SPFA Premiership. A total of six different teams have won the illusive prize, but still not one team have managed to retain it. Last seasons winners The Tangerine Candyfloss could only manage a fourth place finish, despite doing extremely well in all other competitions.

Taking the title for the second time in three seasons, was FC Tensixty, finishing up an impressive ten points clear of their nearest rivals. The pre season signing of Sergio Aguero proved an excellent one as he repaid the £2,750,000 fee by scoring a total of 20 league goals, forming a formidable front line also consisting of league top scorer Bojan and Maxim Choupo-Moting. Daz Hargreaves’ side also held the best defensive record in league, conceding just 43 goals. The experienced trio at the back of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and centre backs Federico Fazio and Gary Medel are largely to thank for the sides solidity.Finishing up in second place was the Viking Raiders, their highest finish yet, since the merge between the PFA and the SFA. The Raiders have creative midfielder Toni Kroos to largely thank for their excellent finishing position, having his best season yet after eleven seasons at the club. With veterans Daniele Vantaggiato and John Heitinga still producing the goods at either end of the pitch, it goes to show that sometimes experience comes up better than youth and pace. At 35 and 34 respectively however, how long can the two players last?Finishing in fourth was last seasons winners The Tangerine Candyfloss. After spending more than £4,500,000 on new talent, Rob Barker will be disappointed with the sides Premiership performances. Especially given the long list of honours that The Candyfloss managed in other competitions. They managed to win no fewer than six trophies, including an SPFA cup treble - League Cup, SPFA Cup and the Memorial Cup - and the most prestigious competition in the gameworld, the Lineker Gold Cup, beating Carrazeda Ansiaes 1-0 in a tight final.

On the last day of the season all but one relegation spot had been taken up. It was between White Riots and Woodstock FC as to who would take that last spot, with the only game remaining being White Riots against the already relegated Hornstulls Eagles. With a worse off goal difference nothing but a win would suffice for Riots. In a surprisingly open game - 25 shots on goal between the two teams and it was 2-2 after 25 minutes - the White Riots deservedly came out on top winning the game 3-2 with two goals from Brazilian striker Jair Miranda. Not for the first time White Riots managed to survive relegation on the final day of play.Not so lucky were the Mutt Ring Racers, finishing just two points away from safety. Fans have blamed a lack of signings for the sides poor form, with nothing but youngsters signing for the club during pre season. Manager Kev Kennedy has faith in his squad however, and will be looking to the same players to help them gain promotion back to the Premiership next season.Recently promoted Gooners FC will be playing Championship football once again next season after failing to survive. Having started extremely badly - the side went the first 16 games of the season without a win - Gooners were always up against it. Manager Matt Coggins managed to turn his teams fortunes around as the season grew older, but it was too late as too much ground had already been lost. Expect them to back playing in the Premiership in the not too distant future, especially if they can keep hold of prolific striker James Vaughan.The other teams suffering relegation to the Championships were Wessex Wyverns, Psycho All-Stars and Hornstulls Eagles.

NFA Collapse Means Changes to the Premiership!

by Paul Price

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Season 10 in the Lineker game world looms, and with yet more quality joining the SPFA, the Premiership really does get harder by the season. With the collapse of the NFA, teams who were in the football association have had to relocate, with an agreement with the moderaters suggesting that ex-NFA teams must be entered into a tier that is equal to the one they were in previously. This means that excellent teams Liverpool XI FC and CUJimmyFC have entered the SPFA Premiership without any need for promotion battles in any of the Championships. With nine teams inside the top 20 in the game world, it once again goes to show the quality of sides in the SPFA.

At the top of the league it's going to take an amazing effort to knock FC Tensixty off their perch. The excellent achievement of winning the Premiership by 15 points last term is no mean feat and with no changes in personnel you can understand why they are 3/1 favourites to retain their crown.After signing an - albeit cheap - replacement for superb centre back Mamadou Sakho, Emerson Park F.C. will be there or thereabouts in the forthcoming season. Although fans will be asking for replacements for the departed Marcelo and Javi Martinez, manager Cornish has come out and expressed his confidence in current youth team players Parra and Beltran, insisting they will be able to make the step up to the senior team.

After finishing a disappointing - by their standards - seventh, The Tangerine Candyfloss have dipped into the contract wage auctions to sign 23 year old Brazilian midfielder Anderson Andrade. Rob Barker's only signing is clinical in front of goal and excellent on the ball, making him a good acquisition for the new season.Dan Taylor however, has made some serious changes during pre season, spending just over £5m on new signings whilst bringing in £4m in selling players. Their biggest signing was left back Emerson, joining for £1.6m from Atletico Beer Barrel's feeder club Yaktopian Yaks. The Yaks have become an integral part of the Beer Barrel's success, supplying no fewer than five of their current first team squad, including another pre season acquisition in Andrea Inserra, who joined for £700k.

With two NFA members joining the SPFA Premiership, there is now 22 teams in the league, meaning eight sides will be relegated this season compared to the usual six.Although defying the odds last season, once again The 22 Legged Groove Machine are one of the favourites to be playing Championship football next year. After failing in his attempt to sign a new centre back and right winger, manager Price had not made a single signing and fans are said to be concerned about their chances for survival. John McDermott's promoted sides F.C. Phoenix and Aye Ready FC are also among the favourites for the drop, despite both spending money in a bid to keep their sides up. F.C. Phoenix spent close to £400k on centre back Pietro Accardi - one of the victims of Atletico Beer Barrel's pre season exodus - and full back Vasilis Torosidis, whereas Aye Ready spent £500k on four new signings including another ex-Yak in winger Leandro. Manager Steven Scott was angry with the loss of goalkeeper Ben Amos after he joined Smithy FC at the end of his contract wage auction, meaning he had to delve into the market for a replacement. Although signing Jorge Machado for £100k, fans are concerned that he isn't a worthy replacement. Another team set to struggle is Greenking FC. After narrowly surviving last year, and without any major transfer activity - the club are reportedly in debt - many believe they are heading out of the top tier. Steve Green did pull of a transfer coup though, signing midfielder Baris Ozbek for just £1 when his value is said to be around the £200k mark. They have also signed centre back Xandao for a fee thought to be in the region of £70k after his contract with Chugsford Hotspur expired.

The Quest For Season 10 Promotion

by Paul Price

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As ever in the SPFA Championships, there is a lot of quality and competition for promotion is always high. The Neville Southall Championship sees Greenwich FC as the side many believe will gain promotion this season. After narrowly missing out in last seasons playoff final, they will be looking to go one better this term and get themselves into the big time for the first time. Although not making any changes whatsoever during the off season, keeping prolific striker Darren Bent is a good deal in itself. Despite wanting to leave for the Premiership, manager Chris Bishop has convinced him to stay, insisting that they have a great chance of getting there themselves this year.Next up is Huyton FC. Another side who lost in last seasons playoffs hoping for that little bit extra this season. Manager 'Old Griswold' has improved his attacking options by signing winger come forward Issia Dia from fellow SPFA team Mutt Ring Racers. The fee being £1.1mAnother side expected to do well is F.C. United of Elliot. This being their first season in the SPFA - transferring from the now collapsed NFA - they have decided to spend big in their quest for glory. After signing free agent goalkeeper Mariusz Piotrowski for £184,000, they then broke the bank to sign centre back Bastian Da Costa for a fee thought to be in the region of £3.5m.It would however, take a fool to bet against recently relegated sides Flexford FC and Turnbullham Hotspurs after both sides dipped into the transfer market over the last week. The most notable signing being versatile Tomas Costa, joining Flexford for £220,000.

The Ivan Zamorano Championship is a little less difficult to predict, with Gooners FC the clear runaway favourites. Despite already having an excellent side capable of a promotion charge, they have recently signed strong striker Marcos Silva for a rather cheap £250,000. Mixing pace with strength, their partnership of Silva and James Vaughan is likely to be a deadly one.Not too far behind Gooners is Anfield Rovers. After getting relegated last season manager Jac Wileman will be hoping his side can bounce straight back up, although worries of money troubles have lead them to bringing in only one player, winger Matthieu Camara. Wileman will also be disappointed with losing young striker Papi Sibeko in the wage auctions, although fans believe they can mount a title challenge despite having a possible weak link in 40 year old goalkeeper Federico Villar.Other contenders in this Championship are Hornstulls Eagles, XTRA_TIME and the side that always seem to be there or thereabouts China Red F.C.

Finally the ever difficult John McDermott Championship, proving to be harder to predict by the season. You could back any team from around ten challengers, including the ever improving Yaktopian Yaks or the solid WGC Athletic.Among the strong favourites though, you have to look at another of SPFA newcomers Lilywhite Army FC. After a fairly successful season in the NFA, Lilywhite Army have decided against making any real changes, concentrating more on youth than signing senior players. After losing their last eight games and being confirmed as relegated on the final day of last season, FC Ballaghkeen will be wanting to put all that behind them as they bid for a quick return. Manger Michael O'Connor has showed his intent with the £2m signing of excellent striker Ranchid El Akchaoui, coupled with two wingers in Kim Heung-Keun and Antonello Rizzo who joined for just over £300,000 combined.Thought to be up around the top once again come the end of the season is Adam Pycroft's Py United. After spending just over £1m on seven new signings they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Championship. The two most notable signings were wingers Christian Ruiz Diaz and Reimond Manco who join United for around £250,000 each.Other contenders here are Wessex Wyverns, Surreal Rangers and Psycho All-Stars.

Financial Special

by Paul Price & Dan Taylor

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In addition to the SPFA Times, here's a short piece from our financial sister paper about the state of Lineker's economy, a few frugal tips, and the upcoming SPFA season odds!

Seasons of complaining that the 'market' is dead seem to have been ended with a number of high profile, high cost acquisitions with Mariscal being just one example. Some scoffed at the price, but more were shocked that any team outside the known financial juggernauts had around 5m to spend on just one player. It's also been a hectic wage auction week too with a few high cost players going for well above asking wage - Pjanic anyone? Market Value for a number of players have shot up in the past few weeks, whilst others have stayed down and in some cases are still less than Acquisition Fee.

The Financial Times headed to BBC Headquarters to pick the brains of respected Economist Andrew Marr, who's response was: "Who the hell are you and how did you get into my dressing room?!" Hmm... so another avenue was explored...common sense. A bit of SI based research shows that average bank balances have risen nearly 100% in the past 4 seasons, suggesting clubs are 25% richer each year. But why? Well, most teams now have stadiums ample for catering to their supporter needs so spare cash is being spent purely on players, and perhaps most significantly, people are now getting commercial level 4. For a 4 star club this is around 25k a DAY extra! It's no longer a luxury skill to learn, but one that's necessary for long term survival.

And the effect on the transfer market? Well, MVs have only shot up for the most desirable players - those of perceived high quality, low(ish) wage and most importantly for seniors usually somewhere between the ages of 22 and 26. But is it worth paying over the odds for that special player? Financially speaking it may surprise you that it is...

Let's say your dream player is coming up in a wage auction...he's 24, has a 400k AF and asking wages of 5k. Do you offer to buy him privately for over MV at 1.4m or wait to snaffle him at wage auctions time for the less princely AF of 350k, but maybe on wages as high as 20k? Either way if you kept them for the full 2 seasons the combined cost in terms of fees and wages is virtually the same. BUT come time to sell after those 2 years and that 26 year old player still only on wages of 5k and hopefully now world class and world famous suddenly looks a much more appetising transfer prospect (even with an expected wage rise), so the real value comes in knowing that you will make much more profit from the sell on, justifying the initial outlay. If you do decide to keep him then the wage difference matters even more the longer you keep.

So don't despair at all these inflated prices, if you can afford it it's worth thinking about for some players, but if you can't afford it then there are plenty of bargains available for any player approaching 30 who you can likely keep for 5 seasons and have the bonus of probably not needing to use a lock. Certainly some of the most successful teams seem to have a combination of prime transfer targets and 'golden oldies'.

With the season up and running here's some of the odds available from Lineker's own bookie PiddlePower.com.

Last years runaway Prem title holders are the bookies favourite at 3-1, but with no-one ever retaining the title can Tensixty buck the trend? The usual suspects of Viking, Emerson Park, Tangerine and ABB are all thought of as challengers and are priced at 4-1, but with shrewd money being thrown on newcomers Samba their price has shortened to 10/3 second favourites. Of the dark horses Parkside, Hotspur, Watts, Mutt Ring and Liverpool are all getting some interest and look to be worth a flutter at 5-1. At the other end of the table perennial yo-yo club Aye Ready may have a tough season ahead, but with Fernandinho there is always a hope. White Riots are another name lauded around and despite some astute pre-season rebuilding Edible Flowers would want to be safe before the last day this time round.

The Championships look as tight as ever and the odds reflect that. Greenwich and Huyton can't be split in their league with both short 9/4s for promotion and Eliot coming in third favourite at 4-1. In Zamorano it's expected that Gooners can put last season drama out of their mind and go one better. Will the experience help? Odds on 7/4 says yes though Hornstull and Anfield Rovers may take umbrage at that! The McDermott champs could be the toughest yet with no clear favourite and bookies hedging their bets with Lilywhite, Ballaghkeen, Surreal, Wessex and Py all good shouts at 10/3. WGC may be the highest ranked, but the smart money says that inactivity could be a promotion problem.

John McDermott Championship Season 9 Awards

by Paul Price

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Golden Boot Award:

The golden boot award for the most prolific player goes to Enrico Casu who managed an excellent tally of 26 goals in 30 games for his side WGC Athletic. In second place was the impressive Rachid El AkChaoui of Enterprise who managed 21 goals in his 30 games. In third place was Py United's former striker Nicolas Bendtner, who scored an amazing 20 times in the 24 games he played in before making a £1.75m move to SAC United.

Golden Glove Award:

Two goalkeepers managed clean sheets in half of their games, with Josh Lambo from Surreal Rangers and F.C. Phoenix's Ben Foster both keeping 15 clean sheets in the 30 games that they played.

Most Fouls Made:

There seems to be a trend setting here, as the top three foulers of the season are all... yes, fullbacks. First up is Filip Lacroix of WGC Athletic with 63 fouls, then Alex Sandro Vieira of Red Devils United and Thiago Carleto from Psycho All-Stars both having been whistled against 60 times during the season.

Most Bruised Player:

The most wounded award here goes to winger Matthieu Camara who unsurprisingly is currently injured. The WGC Athletic winger was fouled 86 times. Second up is Red Devils United player Henry Gimenez with 81 fouls against followed by team mate Keith Brady with 75.

The Un-social Award:

The player with the most reds was Matias Fritzler who plays for Red Devils United. A typical defensive midfielder some may say, with a total of three red cards. Second place goes to Thiago Carleto who plys his trade at the aptly named Psycho All-Stars.

MVP:

Aye Ready FC's stunning midfield maestro Fernandinho wins this award with an average rating of 7.35 from a total of 26 league games. Second place goes to Enterprise fullback Luiz who managed 7.31. Close behind with 7.30 was Nicolas Bendtner. One can only imagine what he would have achieved if he hadn't have been transferred midway through the season.

LVP:

Kelrick Elite had a particularly bad time in this award with Giorgos Dimas coming second with an average of 6.27 and Patrick Kooistra not far behind with 6.28. They were both beaten to the top by Andres Lira of FC Hyborian who had an average of 6.26.