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.

Neville Southall Championship Season 9 Awards

by Paul Price

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Golden Boot Award:

It was Greenwich FC's English striker Darren Bent with the most goals scored, netting a total of 22 goals in 26 appearances. Next up was Rodrigo Palacio of Watts Wanderers with 18 in 25. Thirdly comes Alvaro Vargas of champions FC Hotspur. Sources close to the club say that manager Shane Derby turned down a reported £3m offer for the striker, and after scoring a total of 13 goals this season, it is easy to see why.

Golden Glove Award:

Joint winners of this award are Inaki Ruiz Gomez and Kasper Jansen of Ashton Reds FC and Greenwich FC respectively. Both stoppers managed to keep 11 clean sheets helping their sides to a top 6 finish.

Most Fouls Made:

Tony Elliott of Ashton Gate FC took this award with 60 fouls committed in 24 games. Next up was Diego Santos of Athletico Wombwell with 57 in 23 and Bruno Colaco of FC Hotspur with 57 in 21. Yes, once again they were all fullbacks.

Most Bruised Player:

The most fouled player this season was creative midfielder Popo of Hasar United, being crunched 77 times over the season. After Popo three players came a joint second with 68 fouls against. These were Chukwuma Akabueze also of Hasar United, Moussa Kone from FC Hotspur and Watts Wanderers' winger Nicolas Cabrera.

The Un-social Award:

Only two players saw red twice this season in a somewhat sporting league. The two players were Diego Santos form Athletico Wombwell and The retiring Tulio who currently plays for Harold Hill fc.

MVP:

The top two most valuable players of the season both come from league runners up Watts Wanderers. In first place is winger Nicolas Cabrera with an average of 7.41, with team mate Brek Shea finishing second with 7.38.

LVP:
Spurs FC defender Albert Menendez was the leagues least valuable player with a shocking average of just 6.22. Second and not far behind was Harold Hill fc midfielder Jared Jeffrey with 6.29. It would not be surprising if both players were kicked out this pre season, especially with Menendez actually making an acceptance thank you speech :S.

Ivan Zamorano Championship Awards Season 9

by Paul Price

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Golden Boot Award:

Despite finishing in the bottom half of the table, it was CSKA Widnes striker Felipe Caicedo who walks home with the golden boot, scoring 22 of the teams 39 Championship goals. In second place was Anthony Modeste who currently plays for Old Boys Tolworth scoring 19 goals. Lastly was arguably the most accomplished striker around in Phillip Stamp. Stamp scored 16 goals for champions Samba FC and will be looking for much of the same in the Premiership next season.

Golden Glove Award:

This seasons winner of the golden glove surprisingly has no club, after Samba FC manager Zar decided - due to him about to turn 39 - not to renew his £16,000 contract. Despite his advancing years he still managed 18 clean sheets in 30 league appearances. In second place was Gooners FC keeper Roberto Junior Fernandez with 15 in 30 games.

Most Fouls Made:

The top fouler in this Championship this season was Mark Davies who currently plays for Ewerton FC. Secondly was Enrique Corrales from 1 for sorrow 2 for joy although he only picked up nine yellow cards for his sins.

Most Bruised Player:

The most fouled player of the season was Samba FC's excellent winger Ricardo Quaresma, being sinned against a total of 94 times over the course of the season. Gooners FC's £1.4m signing Adel Taarabt came in second place being fouled 89 times.

The Un-social Award:

Three players take this award this season with two reds each, although Pablo Bazan of Real FC manager the feat in just 19 games whereas the other two - Andres Mosquera of HotShot Rovers and Felipe Caicedo of CSKA Widnes - managed theirs in 25 and 29 games respectively.

MVP:

The top two player with the highest average rating this season both came from league winners Samba FC. First of all was left back Aleksandar Kolarov with 7.44 followed very closely by Esteban Granero with 7.40. They were followed by Gooners FC midfielder Adel Taarabt with an average of 7.37.

LVP:

The player at the front of the dole queue tomorrow morning is Younes Abidal who plays for HotShot Rovers, surely not for much longer. Next in the queue will be John Rozema from Ewerton FC just 0.01 behind Abidal with an average of 6.21.

Premiership Line-Up Decided!

by Paul Price

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The Neville Southall Championship saw pre season favourites FC Hotspur win the league and take that one automatic promotion spot. It was close though, with Andy Watts' Watts Wanderers pushing all the way to the finish, ending just three points behind the eventual winners. With superb striker Alvaro Vargas leading the attack, Hotspur are sure to be a force next season in the Premiership.Joining Watts Wanderers in the Neville Southall Playoffs were Greenwich FC, Huyton FC and Harwickster THFC.Greenwich FC made it into the final after beating Harwickster THFC 2-1 with devastating striker Darren Bent scoring a brace. The other Semi Final was a little closer however, with Huyton FC and Watts Wanderers needing penalties to decide the final outcome. After Moralez and Ramirez missed for Huyton, it was up to Dimitri Payet to score the winning penalty to send his side through to the Final.After an amazingly tight Final, it was Watts Wanderers who lifted the playoffs trophy, beating Greenwich FC 2-1. Two early goals from superb midfielder Igor Burzanovic proved a killer blow to Greenwich's ambitions and a 60th minute goal from Darren Bent was nothing other than a consolation.

Samba FC finished top of the Ivan Zamorano Championship by an amazing 15 points. Over the 30 games that they played, they dropped just 15 points and scored 61 goals in the process. With the majority of goals coming from the wings, it's one thing for their opponents to know what's coming, but it's a completely different challenge to stop it. Again another promoted side that will be a major force in the Premiership and could even qualify for the Gold Cup in their first season.Finishing second - and one of the only teams to beat the rampant Samba - were last seasons relegated Gooners FC. They signalled their intent on a quick return with the signing of midfield playmaker Adel Taarabt and manager Coggins was rewarded with some excellent performances from his investment.The other sides to make the Playoffs were Hornstulls Eagles, England and China Red F.C. The Semi Finals saw England beat Hornstulls Eagles 2-1 after extra time with Michael Carrick scoring the opener and winning the man of the match award. Joining them in the Final was Gooners FC, after beating China Red F.C., the final score also 2-1.The Final ended with England being promoted into the Premiership after beating Gooners 2-0. Coggins will be disappointed with his sides finishing after having 10 shots in total and one particular clear cut chance. It was England's day though with Ishmael Miller opening the scoring in the 20th minute, with Kevin Nolan finishing the Gooners off shortly after.

Taking the John McDermott Championship crown was Dan Steven's Enterprise. After losing just three games they tipped 2nd place F.C. Phoenix by seven points. Pre season signing Samir Nasri proved to be a big hit, although it was striker Rachid Al Akchaoui who outshone his £1.6m colleague scoring 21 goals and assisting another 14.F.C. Phoenix entered the playoffs as favourites, although Aye Ready FC were not far behind. After some excellent early season form, they started to drop off a bit as the season wore on, although with a lot of quality throughout their squad, they entered the playoffs as serious contenders.Completing the John McDermott Championship line-up was Psycho All-Stars and Py United.The first Semi saw F.C. Phoenix come out on top against Psycho All-Stars in a tight game that could have gone either way. Despite having a total of twelve shots, the All-Stars could only manage one on target, which proved to be their downfall as striker Ched Evans scored the only goal in the 32nd minute. In the second Semi, Aye Ready FC seemed to be cruising when they went in 3-0 up at the break through goals from Aaron, Fernandinho and Naismith. The second half saw Py United grab two goals back and with nine minutes left they piled on the pressure, but Aye Ready held on for the win.The first half of the Final proved to be somewhat of a stalemate, with two equally matched teams cancelling each other out meaning not much goal action was to be seen. The breakthrough did finally come though when, in the 74th minute, Ched Evans headed the ball in, deflecting off the post. After the goal, Phoenix were in control of the match and added a second in the final minute of the game to send the fans into raptures. It was Raffaele Palladino who found himself unmarked in the six yard box to complete a 2-0 win and a Premiership spot for F.C. Phoenix.

Due to Dan Stevens leaving the SPFA for the CFA, he has therefore gave up his promotion spot. The next best placed team in the league will be taking his place. This would be F.C. Phoenix, but because they are already promoted due to winning the playoffs, the team they defeated - Aye Ready FC - have also gained promotion to the Premiership.

SPFA Premiership Awards - Season 9

by Paul Price

Golden Boot Award:

Once again it was Emerson Park F.C. striker Pato who takes home the golden boot with a quite amazing total of 38 goals in 37 games. Rumours suggest Pato has asked manager Josh Cornish for a pay rise just to pay for his new personal trophy cabinet. Second up and always thereabouts was FC Tensixty's Bojan with 27 in 38, with Viking Raiders' attacking midfielder Toni Kroos in third place with 21 in 38.

Golden Glove Award:

Although eventually getting relegated it was FC Ballghkeen's stopper Matteo Pini, along with Parkside Renegades' Joe Hart who take this award with 16 clean sheets a piece. The glove has been split into two due to the league not anticipating joint winners. Although not confirmed, sources close to the league say Pini requested the half with the thumb and index finger.

Most Fouls Made:

Inter Reisha's fullback Hugo took this rather unwanted award, committing eleven more fouls than second place Matias Perez of Viking Raiders - also a fullback - finishing the season with 98 and 87 fouls respectively. Thirdly - you guessed it, another fullback - was Tensixty's Diogo with 85 fouls, although he played in three games less than Hugo and Perez.

Most Bruised Player:

For the second season running it was Parkside Renegades' Andrea Carraciolo who finished up the most bruised and scarred player of the season. Being fouled a total of 115 times, he just keeps coming back for more. Second up was winger Andres Guardado of Emerson Park F.C. who was downed a total of 106 times.

The Un-social Award:

Braynner Garcia of Anfield Rovers picked up a record four red cards, despite only playing 15 games. That was because he was suspended for the rest. Once the award was announced, before his name could be read out he was seen sneaking out the back door and hasn't been since. A total of five players finished the season with two reds, including Jonathan Adami of Blue Brigade FC and another Anfield Rovers right back Mathias Corujo.

MVP:

No surprises who the most valuable player of the season was. After scoring more goals than games played and achieving an average rating of 7.47 it was the exceptional Brazilian striker Pato. Joint second was Adam Ljajic of Viking Raiders and Raul Albiol of Parkside Renegades with an average rating of 7.35.

LVP:

The 'award' that usually sees the winners out of the club through the back door. Mark Benson will be looking at midfielder Alex Maranhao and his shoddy average rating of 6.29 from 15 games and wondering if he really should be paying him £8,000 a day in wages. In second place was Gardar Gunlaugsson who used to ply his trade at Greenking FC. Manager Green obviously recognised that his average of 6.30 wasn't good enough for Premiership football and decided to release him. The third player who will be watching his back during pre season will be FC Ballaghkeen striker Robson Pereira after accumulating an average of 6.35.

Tensixty Walk It!

by Paul Price, SPFA Times Chief Football Reporter.

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So season 9 of the Lineker Gameworld comes to a close and it's Daz Hargreaves' FC Tensixty who take the honour of winning the extremely difficult SPFA Premiership. In a league that boasts four top ten sides, Tensixty won the league comfortably, with last seasons winners Emerson Park F.C. their closest challengers a full 15 points behind. The key to the great success Hargreaves has achieved this season is to be put down to the sides excellent team effort, with everyone from the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to the 40 goal partnership of Bojan and Maxim Choupo-Moting contributing consistently to the cause. Although finishing behind only one side, fans of Emerson Park will be blaming their sides lack of a title challenge on the sale of two of their stars. Erik Noorlander and Mamadou Sakho both departed the club in the first half of the season, and although the club received a total of £7m from the transfers, fans will be wondering why no replacements were signed. The final Gold Cup place goes to Atletico Beer Barrel, who actually won the competition this season after an agonisingly close game against Firefly Athletic. After missing out on the league title for two seasons running now Dan Taylor is said to be shaking up his squad during pre season and signing some fresh faces, which could mean an end to Philippe Mexes' six season stint at the club.

The Tangerine Candyfloss will be disappointed with their finishing position, their lowest ever in the Premiership since joining the SPFA. Despite pre season signings they struggled to keep up with the front runners. Beating Rob Barker's side to the three Silver Cup spots are Kev Kennedy's Mutt Ring Racers, Harry Woods' Parkside Renegades and Mark Benson's Viking Raiders.One of the stars of the Racers' campaign was striker Nilmar, who Kennedy has since placed on the transfer list. Although his best years are behind him, Nilmar will still be an excellent signing for most teams.

All the last day excitement this season was to be seen at the foot of the table, with no fewer than seven teams not knowing their fate at the start of play. The greatest achievement was to come from Kevin Morsley's White Riots, who at one point were deep in the relegation zone with just three games to play. They then went on to take seven points from those three games - all against fellow relegation rivals - and finish an unlikely tenth. With manager Matt Bennett on holiday, Blue Brigade FC were left in the hands of his assistant for their remaining eight games. Although only taking nine points from those fixtures, it was enough to see his side safe for another season in the top flight. With no remaining fixtures to play on the final day, Edible Flowers were forced to sit and watch everything unfold around them. Luckily for Phil Anderson FC Ballaghkeen went on an eight match losing streak and finished just one point behind the Flowers. Anderson will be looking for some new faces in pre season and has wasted no time in selling off some of his dead-weight.Also surviving on the final day was Steve Greens Greenking FC. Although looking fairly safe at the start of the day with three games to play, they finished up in 13th position after gaining just one point from those three games.After narrowly surviving the drop in the previous campaign, it was to be an unfortunately different ending this time around for Turnbullham Hotspurs. Many had them down as the favourites for survival, but it wasn't to be after gaining just six points from their final five games.

Promotion War

by Paul Price, Chief Football Reporter, SPFA.

In the Neville Southall championship you have to think of spfa new boys FC Hotspur as favourites for the title. They will be looking for prolific striker Alvaro Vargas to fire them into the premiership at their first attempt. As well as Vargas, manager Shane Darby has also spent £135,000 on Sam Vokes to make a rather explosive strike force. Along with FC Hotspur - transferring from eefa to the spfa - comes another three sides. One of those is Watts Wanderers who will also be considered as title contenders. Last seasons playoff final losers Enugu Rangers will be hoping to go one better this campaign although as of yet they haven't made any new signings of any note. With plenty of transfer activity, Harold Hill fc were the busiest spending just short of £400,000 on seven players. The highest fee paid was the £500,000 Hasar Utd spent on striker Mohsen Mosalman.

Many think the Ivan Zamorano championship will be a no contest with Zahid's Samba FC being made 2/1 odds on favourites to take the crown. Some bookies are offering as little as 5/1 for them to go all season without losing a league game. Looking beyond Samba FC is Matt Coggins' Gooners fc. After relegation on the final day of last season, Matt will be hoping he can bounce straight back up and has signalled his intent by spending the bulk of his budget on midfield playmaker Adel Taarabt. England are the ones to watch in this season. Back from a long absence due to problems at home, Matt Payne has bought no fewer than nine reinforcements spending a cool £1.6m. His 'all English' policy has made him a favourite with the neutrals therefore regularly packing out his current 13,200 seater stadium. Work is currently undergoing at Wembley to increase the capacity to 17,680. Another active team in the transfer market was Hornstulls Eagles who made a total of eleven new signings. A total of £6.28m was spent on transfers in pre season by Zamorano championship clubs!

Last but definitely not least is the John McDermott championship. This is by far the hardest league to predict. Looking at the title you could back any from F.C Phoenix, Py United, Aye Ready FC, Enterprise and I could carry on through the whole list. It would take a fool to bet against even Yaktopian Yaks and Rangers88. One of three big signings during pre season includes Aye Ready FC. Unwilling to risk a possible wage auction Steven Scott decided to make an offer that couldn't be refused, signing creative striker Aaron for £1m. Chris Schofield went a little bit younger in signing Daniel Cornejo also for £1m from the youth academy that is Real B.O.C.A. In a bid to cure his sides rather leaky defence, Rangers88 manager David Cooper signed experienced French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda for £1.2m.

It's going to be exciting at the top this season in the championships and I just want to wish all sides good luck in their bid for reaching the promised land!

The League Of Death

by Paul Price, Chief Football Reporter, SPFA

So, onto another new season, season 9, and the premier competition in the Lineker game world just seems to get harder and tighter as the seasons go on. You only have to look at the members to see how much quality there is in the league. Four of the five top teams in the world and only four teams out of the top 100.

It's hard to predict winners and losers but for the title you can't really look beyond Emerson Park fc, The Tangerine Candyfloss, Atletico Beer Barrel and Tensixty. All four teams will be right up there challenging for the title but the current favourites have to be champions Emerson Park. With possibly the best strike partnership around in Pato and Noorlander, they have the ability of terrorising any defence. Unlike Emerson Park, The Candyfloss have strengthened their side with three new signings, including fullback Jerome Boateng - a £1.2m signing from Fulham fc. Tensixty have so far decided against any real changes - although the season is still a couple of days away - with the philosophy of "if it aint broke, don't fix it." Talk of "Atletico Agers" has been laughed of by manager Dan Taylor. The squad still posses speed throughout and as long as Jovetic is supplied the ball, he will supply the net. Add to that the new signing of Ismail Aissati for £1.5m and you've got one excellent attacking force.

Moving to the other end of the league, it is again hard to predict. Some say Paul Price doesn't have the tactical know-how to keep his Groove Machine in the top division and it looks like it will be a long hard season for them, even after the £1.6m signing of goalscorer Jozy Altidore. The tactical assistant all clubs receive once the season starts cannot come quick enough. Other favourites for the drop are The Wheatsheaf fc and newly promoted Anfield Rovers who have the youngest manager in the league at just 13. Jac will be hoping his two new signings N'Gossan and Dialiba will produce the goods to keep them above the bottom six.

Another side worth noting is FC Ballaghkeen. Manager Michael O’Connor has recruited no fewer than five new players, spending just over £2m in the hope of breaking into that top 7. Looking around it is difficult to find any major changes in personnel, with many deciding to stick with what they already have. Mark Benson deserves a note though with his £1.4m signing of goalkeeper Rene Adler. With an already quality and well disciplined side, they could well emerge as dark horses in the title race.

It's going to be hard to better last season's last day heroics at both ends of the table, but it will be an exciting year where every lost point could cost a team dearly.

Let battle commence!

Ivan Zamorano Championship Awards Season 8

The awards for the Ivan Zamorano Championship Season 8 are as follows:

Most Valuable Player (MVP):
Inter Reisha's Omar Koroma scores the highest season average rating with 7.49 from his 28 games. Enugu Ranger's Brian Sarmiento was next with 7.40 from 30.

Least Valuable Player (LVP):
Of the players that played in the majority of games, Bjarni Vidarsson of West Woodland Wanderers played 27 games achieving a poor rating of 6.42.

Golden Boot:
Inter Reisha's Omar Koroma netted 26 goals in his 28 games to win the Golden Boot, while Insideout FC's Vladimir Yurchenko was runner up with 25 from 30 games.

Man of the Match :
Omar Koroma had 11 MOM's from his 28 games, followed by 10 from Enugu Rangers' Bojan Malinic.


Playmaker:
Enugu Rangers' Hayden Sheridan finished with 16 assists during the season while Anfield Rovers' Faton Toski was next setting up 15.

Scum Award:
Joint winners, or joint hated players are Hugo of Inter Reisha & Emeghara of Enugu Rangers who both committed 67 fouls in their 30 matches! City Rangers' Spillane was the only player to see 2 red cards this season, not very social!


Sympathy Award:
Francesco Lodi of City Rangers was fouled 90 times in his 30 games! John Pantsil of Cydonian Knights was next with 78 fouls from 28 games.

Most optimistic:
FC Phoenix's Ched Evans was waved offside the most times (80 in total) with Beto of Perth FC 19 behind on 60! I must sort him out!


Good luck to Novy in the Prem next season, and whoever joins him out of Jac & Ed

Primetime Premiership Awards Season 7

Many thanks go to our FAO Rob Barker who took time to compile these awards.

MVP (Most Valuable Player)
Viking Raiders' John Heitinga was the primetime's clear winner in this particular field. Playing almost every game and finishing with a senior average rating of 7.40, he proved to all that he's well worth that 23k wage!

LVP (Least Valuable Player)
Miguel Angel Torres of Sergiy Protsiv's Insideout FC is the unfortunate recipient of this somewhat dubious honour! Having started every game, a senior rating of 6.47 is pretty disappointing. Better luck next time Miguel! I don't know what you're laughing at Marius Irimia - ! You only managed a 6.48 for Hotshot Rovers!

Golden Boot
Better news for Sergiy Protsiv this time! Vladimir Yurchenko managed to grab the prestigious Golden Boot award, banging away 21 goals over the course of his 29 appearances. Aram Khilli's 19 was enough to place him second.

Man of the Match of the Season
A second award for not one but TWO players. Both Vladimir Yurchenko and John Heitinga each took home 7 bottles of champagne this season, an achievement which will no doubt have their managers clamouring to sign contract extensions!

Primo Playmaker
Guilherme Siqueira of Aaron Shang's Shanghi FC is the outright winner of this award with an impressive 14 assists. It's a shame he couldn't 'assist' his manager with obtaining a better AI%, but hopefully Aaron will endeavour to follow Guilherme's sterling example next season :D

Dribbling Dynamo Award
With an astonishing 7.97 dribbles per match, Woodstock FC's Omar Arellano surely needs his manager to fork out for a bib! Get saving, Antony! :P

Scum Award
With a gargantuan 73 fouls from 29 games (that's nearly 3 per match folks) Romildo of Insideout FC will need to visit the confessional pretty sharpish to have his sins forgiven, as will his teammate Ariel Zarza!! What a dirty team Insideout have shown themselves to be. Watch those ankles lads!

Sympathy Vote
Poor little Sergio Peter. All he wanted was to play football with his friends. Those 85 fouls against him will teach him, and others, that white boots are NEVER a good idea.

Most Optimistic
Luke Moore of Woodstock FC managed to get himself caught offside a whopping 65 times in 30 games. I hope he's not as quick on the draw with everything in life or Mrs Moore will be spending a bit of time round at Chez Barker soon ;)

Highest Attendance
The biggest crowd (30,877) watched Woodstock FC get taught a footballing lesson by Helen Lancaster's Flexford FC in their 2-0 home loss back on the 19th of May, nice work Helen (y)

Lowest Attendance
While most of the 8,233 supporters who came to watch Spurs FC versus Ewerton FC probably left happy after Spurs FC won 2-1, they were probably still left wondering when Martin Leinaas is going to get around to adding some extra seating!

Manager of the Season
I was torn when deciding how to attribute this award, but in a season where a large number of the highest finishers unfortunately did so with very high AI%, I've decided to declare both Michael O'Connor and Kjetil Andersen our joint managers of the season for playing EVERY one of their matches in person. Bravo gentlemen!

To everyone, a very well done on season 7 and we look forward to season 8 in the SPFA!

Social Premiership Awards Season 7

A huge THANKYOU and full credit goes to Daz Hargreaves for being good enough to take time out to contribute to the SPFA Community by writing up these awards. Nice one Daz

Most Valuable Player (MVP):
Beer Barrel's Philippe Mexes scores the highest season average rating with 7.45 from his 34 games. Tensixty's Bojan was next with 7.40 from 35, while Greenking's Joe Cole was the highest rated player to play all 36 matches with 7.33.

Least Valuable Player (LVP):
Kevin Vandenbergh played 23 times in the prem for Edible Flowers achieving a poor rating of 6.28, Thankfully Phil's sold him on and he now plays in the XFA!

Golden Boot:
FC Tensixty's goal machine Bojan netted 30 goals in his 35 games to win the Golden Boot, while Emerson Park's Pato was runner up with 23 from 36 games. Last years winner Mauro Zarate came third (21 from 36).

Man of the Match :
Both 1060's Bojan and BeerBarrel's Mexes both collected 8 MOTM awards each this season.

Playmaker:
Parkside Renegades' Birkir Bjarnason finished with 28 assists during the season while Atletico Beer Barrel's Novica Radojicic was next setting up 23. Putting it on a plate for their team mates!

Dribbler Award:
Emerson Parks new signing Gokhan Gonul only played 19 games but had an average of 9.53 dribbles per game (181 runs). Fabio Coentrao of City Rangers went on 316 mazy runs in his 36 games (8.78 per match). Last year's winner Jonathan Biabiany came third and had an average of 7.61 this time around.

Scum Award:
Hugo of Inter Reisha committed 91 fouls in his 36 matches and was shown the yellow card the most times with 17 - sort him out Novy. Last years scum Bruno Colaco was repeat offending again 81 fouls, 16 yellows - Lock him up! City Rangers' Edson saw the most reds and had 3 early baths.

Sympathy Award:
Andrea Caracciolo of Parkside Renegades was fouled 102 times in his 36 games! 3 times past winner of this award Bojan was next with 91, thanks for easing up!

Most optimistic:
Bojan was waved offside the most times (70 in total) with Yaser Yildiz of Edible Flowers just one behind on 69. We are all guessing that past winner Ebanks-Blake of Blue Brigade found his rule book this season!

Attendance:
Highest Attendance: An army of 31,362 went the 'Grant Thorold Park' to see the Tangerine Candyfloss' 2-0 victory over City Rangers.
Lowest Attendance: Only 11,165 were at 'The Sheaf' to witness FC Tensixty 5-1 win over Emerson Park. Something good must have been on the telly that night.

Manager of the Season:
Its been a very close season with many good performace, Daz'1060'Hargreaves, Kev 'KK' Kennedy and Rob Barker names all in the hat after good seasons, but surely the champers go to himself..... Dan Taylor

The SFA Premiership Awards Season 6

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Mauro Zarate of The Tangerine Candfloss finished the season with an average of 7.60 over 36 games. He beat fellow team mate, Freddy Adu, who averaged 7.41 over 34 games.

Least Valuable Player (LVP):

Rory Loy, AM/FC for Aye Ready FC, had a shocking 6.32 rating in 29 games.

Man of the Golden Boot:

Mauro Zarate of The Tangerine Candfloss scored an amazing 31 goals in 36 appearances, with The Scuttleton Knights Falcao in 2nd (25 in 30), and Blue Brigade FC's Ebanks-Blake in 3rd (22 in 36).

Man of the Match :

The Scuttleton Knights Falcao wins this one, with 9 bottles of champagne to drink in 30 appearances.

Playmaker:

Sebastián Rusculleda of Inter Reisha wins this one with 18 assists, followed closely by Parkside Renegade's 17, both playing 36 games.

Dribbler Award:

Jonathan Biabiany finishes with an outstanding 9.70 dribbles a match, 1.76 more than his nearest rival, Leonel Rios of Blue Brigade FC.

Scum Award:

Bruno Colaco of Mutt Ring Racers committed a massive 96 fouls throughout the season!

Sympathy Award:

FC Tensixty's Bojan got fouled 97 times... Aww poor bloke.

Most optimistic:

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake of Blue's Brigade FC takes this season's honours (again!!!), offside 87 times, and only playing 36 games. He has won this award every season!!.

Manager of the season:

Surely this needs to go to Rob Barker's The Tangerine Candyfloss for his Premiership winning team.

The SFA Premiership Awards Season 4

Now the SFA Premiership now completed, here are the awards:

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Glauber of LJFC finished the season with an average of 7.35. He beat fellow left winger, Fabio Coentrao of City Rangers, who averaged 7.34. Both played 37 games.

Least Valuable Player (LVP): Everton, striker for Mutt Ring Racers, had an abysmal 6.42 rating in 22 games. D'oh.

Man of the Golden Boot: Fabio Quagliarella of champions Bondstreet Rovers retained his award, with 30 goals in 38 appearances.

Playmaker: LJ FC's Glauber and City Rangers' Fabio Coentrao share this award with 38 apiece. Interestingly, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th placed players all played on the left wing.

Dribbler Award: Fabio Coentrao puts forward another reason as to why he should have been MVP, with an astonishing 8.78 dribbles a match, 1.3 more than his nearest rival, Feinduono, of Portland Rangers.

Scum Award: Zephaniah Ngodzo of Portland Rangers committed a whopping great 92 fouls throughout the season. He needs to go back to school.

Sympathy Award: FC Tensixty's Bojan got fouled 103 times, 8 times more than the next closest. Poor guy.

Most optimistic: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake of Blue's Brigade takes this season's honours, offside 80 times, and only playing 29 games. Matt, get working on your "off the ball" and "positioning" coaching skills.

Manager of the season: Mattias Olsson - who else?!


Cheers,
Luke, manager LJFC

Teams fly the flag for the SFA

The Lineker Gold Cup, Group Stages have seen the representatives of the Social Football Association show the rest of the GameWorld what a force to be reckoned with they are. With each entrant successfully qualifying for the knockout round.

Luke Johnson's outstanding LJFC have won group C by one point with three wins, three draws and no losses. Radoslaw "novy" Nowak's flamboyant Inter Reisha kept thier fans on the edge of thier seat and managed to come second on goal difference in group D. Finally, Dan Taylor's exciting Atletico Beer Barrel dominated group F and won comfortably with a two point lead.

In the first leg of the last 16 LJ FC go on to meet Shevez Jamil's high-flying Raving Rabbids at home, Inter Reisha face James Tedder's Firefly Athletic, notorious for thier strong defensive back line, away . And finally Atletico Beer Barrel are up against Ricardo Samorinha's outstanding Carrazeda Ansiaes at home.

Tickets for all these matches are available at the SFA Social Club as usual. Demand is expected to be high with the current influx of glory hunters attracted to any fixture involving the Social Football Association. So book early to avoid dissapointment.

Matt "All-English" Payne

The SFA is getting an update (and you decide)

The SFA is getting a face lift and its you the members choice so there are 4 options......


The first is novy's who said he can change the colours depending on what people like.



The second is Daz Hargreaves effort



The third option is to keep it as is but Gris said "slaps will be dished out to whoever suggests this"...

The fourth option is to get out your photoshop and make your own and everyday you log on to FML you and everyone else will see you handy work, nice.

So there it is these are your options so come on into the sfa chat room and let us know what you decide

The SFA Premiership Awards SEASON 3

Now the SFA Premiership now completed, here are the awards:
Most Valuable Player (MVP): Atletico Beer Barrel's Tony Stevenson, with 7.35 over 37 games.
Least Valuable Player (LVP): Gustavo of Leighton Hotspur had an appalling season, averaging 6.33 over 33 games. Simon, sell him now!!!
Man of the Season - Fabio Quagliarella of Bondstreet Rovers, with 9 MotM awards, also netting the...
Golden Boot: Fabio Quagliarella with 28 goals in 38 apps!
Playmaker: Inter Reisha's Lukasz Gargula with 17 assists, 0.5 per match; and 89 assists across 183 matches overall.
Dribbler Award: Huyton FC's Nani, with 263 dribbles (the most of all players) and 7.11 dribbles per game (the most per game)
Scum Award: BFCFan4Life XI's Roberto Vargas, with 99 fouls or 2.6 per game. Dirty git.
Sympathy Award: City Rangers' Francesco Lodi, on the receiving end of 100 fouls, the most for an active manager's player.
Most optimistic: Parkside Renegades's Andrea Caracciolo has been caught offside 89 times. He needs to learn how to beat the offside trap.
Serious Fouler: GoonerwooG F.c's Marc Pfertzel, 17 yellows and 1 red in 34 appearances. Nice.
Team Awards:
Free Kick Master: Horsham Rangers AFC scored 4 goals from direct free kicks, which is a shame as Stephen Westrip's side could well be relegated.
Free Kick Assister: Atletico Beer Barrel scored 10 goals from Indirect Free Kicks
Free Shooter: LJ FC had a massive 556 shots this season, of which 265 were on target (48%). Although not the most efficient, the Keirrison led-attack tested goalkeepers frequently and drew 8 MotM performances from opposition goalkeepers
Top Gun: Nik Naks manager Nik Matthews will be pleased to know his team shot at 54% accuracy, but at much fewer shots (~420). Once Nik gets a decent playmaker, he'll surely be a force next season.
Corner Specialist: Atletico Beer Barrel Premiership winning team scored a whopping 22 goals from corners, almost 30% of all goals scored.
Dirty Gits: Kevin Morsley's White Riots committed 586 fouls, an average of 15.5 per game. Kevin, you need to kick them into shape!
Victimised of active teams, City Rangers were victims of 513 fouls, 13.5 per game. Ouch.
And last but not least:
Manager of the season award: Dan "Himself" Taylor of course, winning the league and scoring the most goals. Although not defensively sound (5 teams conceded fewer goals), Dan's side scored 15 more than his closest rival, lead by Stevan Jovetic who pushed Quagliarella for the top scorer all season.
Special mentions: Harry Woods's lifted his side Parkside Renegades to a comfortable 7th place finish, an impressive feat given he was runner up in the Championship A last season. He finished highest of the newly promoted sides and will be looking to break into the Silver Cup qualifying positions next season.
Other points of interest...
Serdar Tasçi and Melli scored 13 goals apiece and tied 15th in the scoring charts, quite impressive given they are centre-backs!
The top two rated players were both defenders, with MVP Tony Stevenson closely chased by Serdar Tasçi. Inter Reisha's Igor Burzanovic was the highest rated outfield player, averaging 7.28.
That's all folks!
LukeLJ FC

SFA Championship Awards Season 3

Season 3 awards are in!

Most Valuable Player (MVP, best average rating) -
Champ A: Bojan ( Toon Army) 7.73 over 32 games
Champ B: Leonel Rios ( Blue Brigade FC) 7.41 over 37 games
Champ C: Tim Matavz (The Scuttleton Knights) 7.56 over 38 games

Least Valuable Player (LVP) -
Champ A: Zuela (Croato) & Della Rocca (Py United) 6.33 over 19 & 20 games
Champ B: Brad Magookin (5 Stars) 6.29 over 34 games
Champ C: Lee Kersey (Huntingdon Town FC) 5.70 over 31 games

Man of the Season -
Champ A: Bojan ( Toon Army) 14 MOMs over 32 games
Champ B: Ruud Van Nistelrooy (The Danimal's FC) 10 MOMs over 38 games
Champ C: Tim Matavz (The Scuttleton Knights) 11 MOMs over 38 games

Golden Boot -
Champ A: Bojan (Toon Army) 40 goals over 32 games
Champ B: Ruud Van Nistelrooy (The Danimal's FC) 34 goals over 38 games
Champ C: Tim Matavz (The Scuttleton Knights) 38 goals over 38 games

Playmaker -
Champ A: Choi Sung-Kook (Sheen FC) 18 Assists over 32 games
Champ B: Mark-Jan Fledderus (FC Brighton) 19 Assists over 38 games
Champ C: Pedro Antonio Vega (Proper Team Selecta) 28 Assists over 38 games

Dribbler Award -
Champ A: Pascal Feindouno (Portland Rangers) 314 dribbles over 32 games
Champ B: Leonel Rios ( Blue Brigade FC) 373 dribbles over 37 games
Champ C: Yaniv Katan ( The Scuttleton Knights) 276 dribbles over 37 games

Scum Award -
Champ A: Marco Malago (Gregors FC) 76 Fouls committed over 32 games
Champ B: Roberto Biserni (Yorkshire Celtic) 108 fouls commited over 36 games
Champ C: Jean-Hugues Ateba (Locomotive Lindeborg) 99 fouls committed in 36 games

Sympathy Award -
Champ A: Bojan (Toon Army) was fouled 96 times in 32 games
Champ B: Kamil Oziemczuk (FC Macc) was fouled 104 times in 37 games
Champ C: Roman Wallner (Inferiority Complex) was fouled 102 times in 32 games

Most Optimistic -
Champ A: Kris Boyd (Gregors FC) was caught offside 132 times in 30 games
Champ B: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Blue Brigade FC) was caught offside 92 times in 31 games
Champ C: Dimitris Salinities (Proper Team Selecta) was caught offside 107 times in 34 games

Team Awards:

Free Kick Master (goals from direct free kicks) -
Champ A: tie between Cronostar & Gnosall Spurs with 5 goals
Champ B: FC Phoenix scored 5 goals
Champ C: Locomotive Lindeborg scored 6 goals (100% AI, boo!)

Free Kick Assister (goals from indirect free kicks) -
Champ A: XTRA_TIME scored 9
Champ B: The Danimal's FC scored 12
Champ C: tie between Wise Wanderers & Dundalk Town with 8 goals

Free Shooter (total number of shots in the seaon) -
Champ A: Toon Army with 459
Champ B: FC Brighton with 685
Champ C: Ashton Gate FC with 611

Top Gun (% of shots on target)-
Champ A: Sheen FC with 56%
Champ B: 5 Stars with 54%
Champ C: Branns with 53%

Corner Specialist (Goals from Corners)-
Champ A: Toon Army with 14
Champ B: tie between Blue Brigade FC & FC Brighton with 14
Champ C: Dundalk Town with 18

Dirty Gits (Most fouls Committed) -
Champ A: malkys 11 with 490
Champ B: FC Brighton with 536
Champ C: Inferiority Complex with 570

Victimised (The most fouled team) -
Champ A: Toon Army with 470
Champ B: The Danimal's FC with 543
Champ C: Inferiority Complex with 576

Qualifying rate is 19 games (50% of total league games)

Matt 'All English' Payne Profile

You may be wondering who our new head mod is. Well, here is a short summary.

Matt is 38, from Norwich and supports the Canaries (I wonder if he applied for the recent vacancy at Carrow Road?)

In Lineker, he manages England in the Extreme Evening Premiership. No doubt the lure of the Social FA will prove too much soon!

Some people may ask "Why All-English?" well, in his own words:

"Partly as a protest against the Premiership teams' lack of support and encouragement for up and coming English players and thier tendency to sign foreign players instead.
Partly to show that a team consisting solely of English players can be competitive.
And partly for the challenge."

Check-out his team! English players aren't so bad after all.

New Head Mod at the SFA

Today, Matt "All-English" Payne has been appointed as new head mod of our FA.

No doubt he will continue to improve the interactivity and social aspect of our beloved association.

On his appointment he had this to say "I will strive not to totally mess up the carefully organised league structure put in place by the esteemed Mr Acourt".

SFA League B Playoffs Season 2

Final - GoonerwooG F.c 2 - 1 FC Brighton
Woolgar comes out on top in tactical battle

This match proves that it isn't how much possession you have that counts, it's what you do with it. Despite having only 41% of the ball, the counter-attacking style of GoonerwooG proved too much for FC Brighton, in a battle at The Den.

In a tight start to the game, it was Brighton who had the first opportunity as Ki-Hyeon Seol was bundled to the floor by Marcinho Guerreiro in the box. Referee Petrovic had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Zdenek Pospech stepped up and tucked the ball in the left hand corner of the net. First blood to Brighton.

GoonerwooG should really have levelled things up on 20 minutes as Theo Janssen fed Angelos Charisteas who shot past Toni Doblas, but also the wrong side of the right hand upright. Lee Chun-Soo almost doubled Brighton's lead on 42 minutes after a long range effort was heading for the top corner, before David James tipped it over. Half time score 1-0 Brighton.

GoonerwooG needed something special, and it came from Janssen in the 56th minute. The Dutch midfielder picked the ball up 30 yards from goal, skipped past the 2 central defenders and fired low past Doblas into the bottom right hand corner. A brilliant piece of individual skill.

The defining moment of the game came in the 63rd minute as Murilo picked out Charisteas in the box, only for Maurizio Peccarisi to try and swap shirts early with the big target man. Penalty given, and penalty converted by Francisco Mendoza. 2-1 to GoonerwooG. Janssen and Charisteas had chances to put the game beyond Brighton but neither took them. The GoonerwooG defense, however, didn't look like conceeding and they held on comfortably to take them to the promised land of the Premier League, and all the riches that it entails.

Good luck to GoonerwooG next season, do the SFA League B proud!

SFA League B Playoffs Season 2

Semi Final 2 - Huyton FC 0 - 2 GoonerwooG F.c
Theo Janssen provides the cutting edge

In a slightly 1 sided semi-final, it was GoonerwooG who dominated from start to finish, with their solid defense allowing only 2 chances at David James' goal. The first clear chance came in the 12th minute when the cultured Theo Janssen picked out Greek striker Angelos Charisteas, who shot over the bar from the edge of the box. The same duo then combined again in the 15th minute, this time for Charisteas to bring out a fine save from Federico Serriaocco. The roles were then reversed in the 43rd minute as Charisteas fed Janssen, who slotted the ball wide of Serriacco into the bottom left hand corner of the net. 1-0 GoonerwooG at the half-time whistle.


The second half began as the first finished, and Charisteas should really have made it 2-0 as he raced on to meet a Murilo through ball, only to blaze over. GoonerwooG made sure of their place in the final against FC Brighton in the 86th minute. Marcinho Guerreiro found substitute Natalio on the edge of the box, who played a lovely flick to Mao Jianqing. The Chinese forward made no mistake with the finish.

A very efficient performance for GoonerwooG, as we have come to expect from their tactically excellent manager Toby Woolgar.

SFA League B Playoffs Season 2

Semi Final 1 - FC Brighton 5 - 4 F.C. Phoenix
Fabinho's 4 goals in vain

This classic match saw goals galore at The Den. After a tense opening, it was FC Brighton who took control of the tie. Firstly, Brazilian Centre Half Kaka rose high to meet a Fledderus corner and powered a header into the back of the net. Then, on 22 minutes, with the ball bobbling round the Phoenix penalty box, Lee Chun-Soo pounced to make it 2-0. A few minutes later the game was as good as over when a defense splitting pass from Modubi sent Manucharyan through on goal, and the young Armenian finished clinicaly to make it 3-0.

With nothing to lose, Phoenix manager Banks brought on young Brazilian striker Fabinho, who seemed to cause panic in the Brighton backline. On 62 minutes, a fine through ball from Bozic found Fabinho, who, from the corner of the box, beat Toni Doblas with a low drive. 2 minutes later, a defensive header from Phoenix's Gonzalez looped over Brighton's centre halves, and again there was Fabinho to finish from the edge of the box, the tie was now alive. However, Brighton seemed to have held on and booked their place in the final, until, in the 92nd minute, the creative Garcia played a wonderful ball through to Fabinho to complete his hattrick from 12 yards. Brighton complained that the goal was offside, but replays have shown the officials made the correct decision. Extra time was to be played.

Brighton came out in the first period, and started to dominate, just has they had done at the start of the match. This possesion was rewarded when Chun-Soo unlocked the Phoenix defense with a wonderful pass to Manucharyan who rounded Magnus Bahne and slotted home. 4-3 to Brighton, surely game over now. However, 2 minutes later Garcia picked up his 2nd assist of the game with a ball down the inside right for, you've guessed it, Fabinho to run onto, round Toni Doblas and score his, and Phoenix's 4th. With penalties looming, a sloppy pass by Garcia was intercepted by Anton Bober, and the Russian drove into the opposition area, only to be stopped by a clumsy tackle from Paul McShane. The nerveless Kaka stepped up to slot the penalty into the back of the net, make it 5-4, and that surely gave Brighton a place in the final.

There was 1 final twist however. In the 120th minute, Correa slipped a ball through to Fabinho, who ran clear of the defence and finished clinicaly, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Again, the officials got the decision spot-on. A truly great game, which would have graced any final.

Season 2 Final Standings

Below is the Premiership final standings. Noble FC won the Prem in style. LJFC was 9 points behind.



Below is the Championship A final standings. Cobra and Parkside were out in front by the end. Cobra won auto-promotion.



Below is the Championship B final standings. BFCFanforlife got the auto promotion slot closely followed by GoonerwooG.



Below is the Championship C final standings. Real Madrid and Rednazzz did really well but Real Madrid got the auto-promotion.



Below is the SFA Cup final standings. Well done Nik.



Below is the U21 League final standings.

New Online Member

Dan Taylor is in. :)

End of Season 2... Season 3 around the corner

Welcome to everyone new to this blog.

You have already seen that Terry and Novy are running the show when it comes to SFA. Behind the scenes you now have Rob, Shane and myself. We'll be keeping everyone posted on interesting going ons within the SFA, league table screenshots etc.

If you want to join the online team let me (Rik) know on the game.

Season 2 screenshots are saved. I'll look to upload these shortly. Sorry for the delays.

In the meantime if you have anything that you want that would make the SFA better for you please let any of us know :)

Rik

FML Trailer

FML Trailer - worth a look.

Last Seasons League Tables

Last seasons (Season 1) league tables below... Season 2 coming soon.

Qual League 1

Qual League 2

Qual League 3

Qual League 4