Season 7 - Week 7

What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster, is it a monster? Hell yeah it is two monster picks from the most derided of players. Pilkington and Bailey move from 50th and 51st respectively to 1st and 3rd. This has shook up what was previously a battle between the usual suspects. Pilkington is now leading and aiming to be only the second player to win two overall titles, whereas Bailey could foreseeably gain promotion with only 1 winner in 10!!!

They picked a result as strange as an estranged Curtis Strange having a strange day at Strangeways. They both picked the blue half Manchester to win at Old Trafford for the first time in 34 years and complete the first double since 1969/70. If indeed stranger things happen at sea (as the saying goes), then presumably right now someone in the middle of the great blue yonder Atlantis is rising to reveal a slightly bedraggled Elvis Presley in an intimate embrace with Lord Lucan and Amelia Earhart.

Elsewhere Simon Gurd's away pick of Pompey has been somewhat overshadowed, but it remains enough for him to secure second place in the overall league. All the perennial losers gained their first win of the season, to deposit a somewhat perplexed David Lloyd on the bottom of the overall league.

Pele League

Simon Gurd's bid to become the Pele league champion for the first time (and the 6th different winner in 7 years) is set fair, as his main rivals falter approaching the crucial end of season phase. A bold away win has pulled him £2.40 clear of Tim Lines, who found out, to his cost, that Birmingham are surprisingly resilient under the new management regime. David Rosser's alarming slide continues unabated, and were it not for the appalling form of the bottom three, he would now be in relegation mire.

Talking of the bottom three (do we have to?) Drury, Gibbons and Lloyd are all £2.50+ away from safety and the days of playing it safe to get out of trouble are long gone, results are needed and big results at that, if their stay (and for Lloyd his ever-present record) in the top flight is not to come to an abrubt end.

Maradona League

Losses for Ingham and Smith pull them back towards the back, and although an admirable cushion remains, further slips would be inadvisable. With Ross County dispatching Alloa, Darren Clare could soon be saying Alloa to the Pele league, his win taking him above +£3.20 and within grasp of a remarkable surge to the top flight, predicated almost entirely on his in depth knowledge of the Scottish leagues.

With no truly terrible players, the relegation battle starts in 4th with Southworth only £1.41 clear of Holland in 8th. A cracking win for Gould (Stoke away at Wolves) pulls him out of the bottom three, leaving Holland, Lines (twice previously winner of the Pele title) and Jake Jones most emperilled.

Lineker League

Pilkington's 12.00 pick has taken him from bottom to top in one short sharp sweet week, and not just top, but £4.27 clear of second, the Maradona league beckons. Winners for Dunk and Britcliffe (picking the Dons Rotherham draw at 3.40 - probably getting a more prominent mention in any other week) lift them in to the promotion zone. Finch and Haywood lurk in the wings, awaiting the slip.

Gibbons sr completes a poor week for the Gibbons household by backing the hapless Sheffield Utd, and consequently dropping out of the promotion zone. He (and Virdi) must be relieved that the bottom three are all below -£3.00, although winners for Rodgers and Wrigley suggest that the season is far from played out.

Dickov League

Bailey's first win of the season takes him from bottom to top and but unlike Pilkington, there are many others within shooting distance, so he may yet need another miracle pick. The form of Lowe (+£3.23), Willshire (+£3.23) and Kinsella (+£3.05) has been impressive and more consistent than that of Bailey, an exciting promotion battle awaits.

The relegation battle also promises many twists and turns as Steve Reeve in 5th is only £1.10 clear of Ross Jones in 8th. Hanvey and Andrew Jones are also in dire danger. The bottom two are currently Wickett and Hughes (who not that long ago ended 4th and 5th with seasons of £4+ (in the cruellest promotion race to date), but they remain within a sensible pick of safety, so all is not lost.

Lee League

A nicely spread league with no gap bigger than £2 (in my opinion an easy one week shift). Ian Booth leads the way and more sensible home winners will see him up. John Fields slips at the most inconvenient time, and one more loss may jeopardise his promotion push, with Jones J, Callan, Stapleton and Firth all within £1.10. Nik Simms pulls away from relegation within another fine winner (Birmingham West Ham draw), leaving the bottom five to battle it out. Ingham's winner leaves her well placed to escape relegation, but with Drury, Hickey and Lewis separated by only 18p (9th to 11th) the competition between them may yet pull Ingham back. Roberts, although not doomed, needs to hit his strides quickly to escape the dreaded relegation.

Holding League

Tom Bradley's impressive picking in the Holding league is a warning to those overly complacent in the leagues above , his spot of the QPR away win was inspired and moves him to an impressive £3.87.

Subscribe to Weekend Predictor Analysis

Invite your friends to play Weekend Predictor