Season 5 - Week 10

 

Just like Xmas the last week was full of crackers and people being sick from over-indulging.  Top of the tree, with an angelic £10.73, was David Rosser, who wins money and more importantly promotion to the pinnacle of predicting, the Pele League.  Discarded with the wrapping paper and that horrible bit at the bottom of a trifle that no-one likes, was Nik Simms, whose only present is the unwanted record of worst season ever!

In an amazing last week all the other main contenders wanted to have their (Christmas) cake and eat it, Finch and Kelly asked Father Xmas for a winner and got a stocking full of nuts.... (okay enough with the rubbish Xmas puns, it's still 3 months away. Ed).......  In the fanfare that was Nick Kelly's charge for 9/9 we all missed Rob Noyce's charge up the blind side, a loss in week one, was offset by 9 back-to-back winners, and a new record, well done.  Nick Kelly's despair at missing out on the record was partly mitigated by coming second and the crowning as Pele champion, Rob's late charge sneaking him 3rd and the last prize payout.

Congrats to the 27 people finishing in positive figures, always an admirable effort.

The Pele League

Potential winnings: £110 each
Result: 6/10

Nick Kelly deserves all the plaudits for an 8/9 season and ended up winning the league by a considerable margin from a rejuvenated Jimmy Smith.  The Lines brothers, normally so dangerous, had to settle with 3rd and 5th, sandwiching Gibbons jr, who has been let down by his lack of knowledge of European football (and the other three losses. Ed.)

Matt Haywood must be truly apPaulled to find himself relegated, having picked the requisite banker to secure safety, not only did his banker fail to come in, but both the Pauls (Drury and Chadbourne) picked away winners to escape relegation in style.  Tony is also heading south, worthless picks early season, meant he was only playing for pride in week 10.

The Maradona League

Potential winnings: £50000 each
Result: 3/10

The payout would have been capped at £0.5m had this league come good, as a series of long-shots were backed as people sought miracles to avoid relegation and secure promotion.  Safe to say nothing above 2.25 came in!

David Rosser's record season was easily enough to secure him promotion and he finished it off, by casually picking another away winner.  Rob Noyce's season was equally sensational and record breaking and his 9/9 from week 2 onwards justified his second promotion spot.  These two will make welcome additions to the Pele league.

Pete Finch's season spectacularly exploded when greed overcame sense as he went for the top spot, his ambitious (and some would say naive) decision to bet against the rampant Scots has cost him promotion.  Nonetheless an impressive season and his total would have won three of the other leagues.

In hindsight a banker would have been enough for Dunk, but Cornwall's pick was clever (even though it didn't come in), as it forced Dunk to take a chance.  Holland needed a miracle and although his maths was good, his predicting sadly was poor.  A sad decline for two previous Pele players.

The Gary Lineker League

Potential winnings: £12000 each
Result: 4/10

Gary Lewis gets promoted with a 50% win ratio!  Two picks of 4.33+ formed the basis of his promotion charge (a bit like Blackburn winning the league just because of Shearer and Sutton I suppose!)  Paul Shakespeare secures promotion in more traditional style (like Arsenal at their 1-0 best) with 8/10 and solid picking.  High jinx on the last day of picking saw Shakespeare pick at list 4 different teams, but his pick and counter-pick strategy worked as Pilkington changed twice from winning selections (Ireland Germany draw and Armenia Serbia draw) both of which would have got him promoted.  But ultimately neither his draw, nor Ross Jones' came in and Darren Clare came from nowhere to steal third, but as all baseball players will telling you stealing third is not good enough, home plate eluded him.

Same old, same old at the bottom as none of the bottom three won.  As it was a 1.21 pick would have been enough for Gibbons sr, and surely seeing Rodgers going for a draw should have been enough for Gibbons sr to have played safe... as it is I suggest a quiet period of reflection in a dark room for both Gibbons and Simms, whose seasons were disastrous at best.

The Paul Dickov League

Potential winnings: £8092 each
Result: 4/10

The calculators must have been whirring in the Jones household, as Jake Jones' steals second place by a mere thruppence from Hughes (who fails to get promoted for the second season running despite being over £7.50 in credit over the two seasons).  Barnet have a lot to answer for letting down Andrew Jones (as well as relegating Haywood in the Pele league).  Plaudits to Andrew Wickett for a second promotion, predicting the eminently unpredictable Spain.

Away picks let down Craig Lowe and Paul Hickey, who must now look ahead to the new season, hoping for better luck, and dare I say better picking (yes I do).

Jake Jones should have maybe lent his calculator to Jamie Jones, whose pick of 4.33, was not (and never would have been) enough to escape relegation, at least he is going down in style, and he'll be looking to take his current form into his new league.  A sorry season for Ian Boooooooth, whose form has not pleased his fans.

The Jason Lee League

Potential winnings: £3179 each
Result: 5/8

Paul Kinsella's up and down season has ended with him going up, whilst on a downer...... he will need to recapture his early season form to succeed in the higher echelons of predicting.  Behind him Julia Ingham was one of many to be let down by Leeds, it wouldn't have been enough though as John Fields comes from mid-table anonymity to second with a stirling 2.8 away pick.  It wasn't Daniel Lewis' Day as his excellent 2.3 pick was not quite good enough. 

I can only presume the bottom two gave in, as their winning picks was never going to be enough.

Oh well, slate wiped clean, let's go again!

 

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