2014/15 Co-Ord Round-up Part Last - Transfer dealings

As with previous years here's a bit about the fantasy dealings...

Income

Total received in 2014/15 was a new record of £473.3m. That was swelled by an individual team record. One of our number bringing in £103.65m. Four other teams bagged £44.5m plus.

Expenditure

Another record here too, a massive £613.5m! Some of that is recycled in the league but that's small potatoes compared to the rest. One team spent over £100m, three more over £65m. At the other end of the scale four teams didn't muster £15m in purchases.

Business

Overall losses fell for the fourth successive season - now to £140m, £20m less than last year. The biggest loss by one team was in excess of £40m, three more teams were over £20m down.

Four teams turned a profit on transfers but that only added up to just over £20m between them.

We have a nine season sample of these figures now, every team has lost between £70m and £130m in that period. Interestingly ten of our teams fall into a losses bracket of between £80m and £95m.

2014/15 Co-Ord Round-up Part Seven - Another VFM table

Because I've still got the calculation in the spreadsheet and well, why not, here's how many counters people got for their wage money...

	Team	Counters	Wage Bill (£m)	Counters per £m
1	YTFIB	48	1.5705	30.564
2	Final Fantasy XI	65	2.28075	28.499
3	The Fabulous Artisans	72	2.7645	26.044
4	Cheese Makers	77	3.64725	21.112
5	Nil Satis Nisi Optimum	85	4.635	18.339
6	Mega Buck Bandits	58	3.33375	17.398
7	Athletico Phoenix	75	4.359	17.206
8	FCK2	83	4.872	17.036
9	Claymore Athletic FC	113	6.70425	16.855
10	Trusted By Millions	98	5.89425	16.626
11	San Dimas High School	70	4.30515	16.260
12	Real Muppets	86	5.45925	15.753
13	Aardvark Abacus	75	5.4495	13.763
14	Fred West Landscape Gardening XI	106	7.884	13.445
15	The Dead Parrots	53	4.01475	13.201
16	The Cow-Faced Juniors	91	8.18075	11.124

2014/15 Co-Ord Round-up Part Six - 1st - 4th

1st Claymore Athletic FC (up one place on last season)
Now the team by which all others must be judged. This was Clive's second title in four seasons and those wins sandwich two runners-up spots. There have also been four straight Cup Final appearances although this one ended in defeat to Fred. Claymore have the best striker in the league in Sergio Aguero and this season had the best defender in Branislav Ivanovic. Any team finishing above them next season will be upset if they don't win the league.
Star Player: Sergio Aguero (23 goals)
Disappointment: That Cup Final defeat

2nd Fred West LG XI (up six places)
Fred's return to the upper reaches is complete after four seasons of struggle, re-building and consolidation. In that order. He also picked up the FA Cup for the first time despite fielding an ineligible player. Wilfried Bony and Leo Ulloa led the line but Fred's penchant for expensive midfielders paid off with an excellent season for Eden Hazard. There's a solid defence too so they should be thereabouts next year.
Star Player: Cesar Azpilicueta (14 cleans)
Disappointment: Is it unfair to single out February no counters signing Juan Cuadrado?

3rd Athletico Phoenix (up ten places)
Another team bouncing back were the Phoenix who were always at the sharp end without having a squad to sustain a real threat to Claymore. Brian stuck his faith, and transfer record, in Diego Costa and was repaid with 19 goals. A good return for someone with a dodgy hamstring. Will his striking partner inspire RvP to former glories or is he now on his way out of Kingham Park? It will be an interesting window for Athletico.
Star Player: Diego Costa (19 goals)
Disappointment: Were the squad players up to it when they got the chance?

4th Trusted By Millions (down three places)
Beef's title defence was hardly a defence at all. The first half of the season was practically a write-off with the team in 13th after week 10. Things started to click after that and Trusted had cut the gap to five points with eight games to go but were never nearer and fell away again. The finger can be pointed at the forwards who failed to contribute anything like the number of 'counters' they needed to. The axe will fall on some of them before the new season.
Star Player: Gary Cahill (one goal, 14 cleans)
Disappointment: The front men

2014/15 Co-Ord Round-up Part Five - 5th-8th

5th San Dimas High School (up one place on last season)
Perhaps a bit lucky to finish so high San Dimas bumped along in mid-table without really threatening to go further. Highlight of the season was finally adding the PCMT to the trophy cabinet after three losing finals. Attacking-wise this looks a good team on paper but didn't match those expectations in the scoring department. The defence, so solid in 2013/14, now looks in need of a serious overhaul if the luck is to continue.
Star Player: Saido Berahino (ten goals)
Disappointment: Does the manager know his best team?

6th Real Muppets (down one place)
Another nearly season for Ryan who led the league early on but finished trophyless for the seventh straight season. An eight-game losing run in November and December did for his hopes this time. Goals were the problem for the Muppets who forked out £20m on Mario Balotelli who looked like a man who'd forgotten how to play at times. Daniel Sturridge could have been the saviour but spent more time on the treatment table than the pitch.
Star Players: Laurent Koscielny (two goals, eight cleans) and Alberto Moreno (ten cleans)
Disappointment: Balotelli or Sturridge's lack of game time? Take your pick.

7th FCK2 (up four places)
After two years languishing in the reserves Harry Kane got his chance and grabbed it with both hands scoring 14 times. Danny Ings and Diafra Sakho were also useful acquisitions making up for Andy Carroll's continued absence. John Terry continued to roll back the years in defence providing a solid base for Kevin's team to build on. If there is an area to address in this squad it could be the midfield although Wilshere and Grealish show promise.
Star Player: John Terry (three goals, 14 cleans)
Disappointment: Not turning enough draws into wins

8th Aardvark Abacus (down four)
How the mighty have fallen. And continue to fall. The team to have won most WSFFL trophies have gone five years without one. And this finish is the team's lowest since we went to a 16 team league. Ady's team did lead the league for eight weeks and were second after week 16 but came down with the Christmas lights losing 12 of their last 18 games. What next? Maybe a clear-out of the old guard and some young blood is what's needed to lift them back up.
Star Player: Phil Jagielka (three goals, ten cleans)
Disappointment: Adebayor, Jovetic, Nastasic, Coates. £63.5m spent, seven 'counters' between them.

2014/15 Co-Ord Round-up Part Four - 9th-12th

9th The Cow-Faced Juniors (down six places on last season)
What's that sound? Is it a chorus of "Where's the money gone?" from the CFJs fans? Chris has trousered almost £160m from the sales of Bale and Suarez over the last two summers but went trophyless and dropped into the bottom half. Alexis Sanchez does look a good signing, Graziano Pelle blew hot and cold but Radamel Falcao has looked a shadow of the player Chris hoped he might be. The manager will be reviewing his transfer policy before auction night.
Star Players: Graziano Pelle and Alexis Sanchez (12 goals)
Disappointment: I think it's got to be Falcao

10th Final Fantasy XI (same as last season)
No Cup for Ceri this season, nor a top half finish but it always had the look of a season of consolidation. The team made an excellent start and were fourth after week eleven but fell away. Perhaps that was understandable as there wasn't a lot of investment in either transfer window so the team were reliant on last season's performers. Yaya Toure wasn't at his imperious best for much of the season and his future needs to be straightened out.
Star Player: Gareth McAuley (on goal, eight cleans)
Disappointment: The lack of goals

11th The Fabulous Artisans (down two)
Surely Ben's luck must change soon. For the second season his position was a long way from reflecting the amount of 'counters' his team racked up. There was defeat in the PCMT Final too. The Artisans made a dreadful start, propping up the table after four weeks, and never really strung a winning sequence of any note together. A fit Christian Benteke and a playing Loic Remy would be two reasons to be cheerful next season.
Star Player: Leighton Baines (three goals, nine cleans)
Disappointment: Lady luck being such a fickle mistress

12th Nil Satis Nisi Optimum (up three)
Neither good nor terrible. Paul's team spent 24 weeks between eighth and 12th place. There were enough wins to keep the head above water but runs of defeats to remind Nil Satis just how far the shore was out of reach. The manager still belongs to the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' camp but also is the founder member of the 'oh! it's broke, it'll fix itself' society. That thought will continue to hold this team back if it persists.
Star Player: Seamus Coleman (two goals, nine cleans)
Disappointment: The team not changing from October keeping John Stones out of the team.

2014/15 Co-Ord Round-up Part Three - 13th-16th

I start my usual annual team review with the bottom four...

13th Cheese Makers (down six places on last season)
After a top half finish last season Matthew's team fell back into the bottom four. Two poor runs did the damage, the stretch from late November to February without a win particularly painful. The return to form of Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini ensured the season finished on a high and the 'counters' table showed that the Cheesers were a bit unlucky. They'll be in the top half mix again next season if the strikers click.
Star Player: Jose Fonte (13 cleans)
Disappointment: The strikers - Just ten goals between Long, Mirallas, Ideye and Nugent

14th The Dead Parrots (same as last season)
Ah! The season of two halves! After week 13 the Parrots were seventh and everything in the outback looked rosy. Then the other 17 league matches garnered only 11 points and Dean's team finished with one point from the last nine and scored in just two of their last twelve matches. Last season's star man Rickie Lambert didn't get much playing time and the gamble don Didier Drogba didn't pay off. Much work ahead for the manager next term.
Star Player: Joe Hart (14 cleans)
Disappointment: The second half of the season

15th Mega Buck Bandits (down three)
Dave broke his transfer record to bring in the ex-Swindon striker Charlie Austin and spent £6m on Fraser Forster and while those moves were a success not much else was. A five game unbeaten run saw the Bandits hand their boss the October MOTM award but a spectacular run of one in 20 games in all competitions propelled the team into familiar territory. Dave will hope he picks up another couple of good 'uns next season.
Star Player: Charlie Austin (16 goals)
Disappointment: The Bandits old timers (maybe Charlie Adam excepted)

16th YTFIB (same as last season)
Julian propped up the table for the eighth time but it was a miracle he came so close to dodging that bullet. Halfway through the season the team had accumulated a mere five points and looked on for all sorts of unwanted records. Wins in weeks 16 and 17 hinted at a renaissance before order was restored with seven straight losses and then, something happened. April MOTM! One defeat in the last seven! Can YTFIB carry this on to next season?
Star Player: Mame Diouf (10 goals)
Disappointment The first half of the season

2014/15 Co-Ord Roundup part two - the Value For Money table

Who got most for their wage money* in 2014/15...

	Team	P	Pts	Wage Bill (£m)	Pts per £m
1	Final Fantasy XI	30	41	2.28075	17.977
2	YTFIB	30	25	1.5705	15.918
3	The Fabulous Artisans	30	39	2.7645	14.107
4	Athletico Phoenix	30	49	4.359	11.241
5	San Dimas High School	30	47	4.30515	10.917
6	Cheese Makers	30	38	3.64725	10.419
7	FCK2	30	46	4.872	9.442
8	Claymore Athletic FC	30	61	6.70425	9.099
9	Real Muppets	30	46	5.45925	8.426
10	Nil Satis Nisi Optimum	30	39	4.635	8.414
11	Trusted By Millions	30	49	5.89425	8.313
12	Aardvark Abacus	30	44	5.4495	8.074
13	Mega Buck Bandits	30	26	3.33375	7.799
14	The Dead Parrots	30	29	4.01475	7.223
15	Fred West Landscape Gardening XI	30	52	7.884	6.596
16	The Cow-Faced Juniors	30	42	8.18075	5.134

The top three are the same as last season but Final Fantasy take over at the top. The Phoenix also high in this table as well as in the real thing.

The CFJs will want more for their money next season while Fred's FA Cup and second place proved quite costly.

*If my sums are right - they'll be close anyway.

2014/15 Co-Ord Roundup part one - The 'Counters' Table

Here's the table if that was all that mattered in the game was 'counters'. Don't worry it won't be. (Well, not on my watch!)

1. Claymore Athletic FC - 113 (same place as real table, four more counters than last season)
2. Fred West LG XI - 106 (same place, nine more)
3. Athletico Phoenix - 98 (same place, 23 more)
4. The Cow-Faced Juniors - 91 (five places higher, 13 lower)
5. FCK2 - 86 (two places higher, 11 more)
6. The Fabulous Artisans - 85 (five places higher, 24 fewer)
7. Real Muppets - 83 (one place lower, three fewer)
8. Cheese Makers - 77 (five places higher, eight fewer)
=9. Trusted By Millions - 75 (five places lower, 29 fewer)
=9. Aardvark Abacus - 75 (one place lower, 14 fewer)
11. Nil Satis - 72 (one place lower, 2 more)
12. San Dimas - 70 (seven places lower, 19 fewer)
13. Final Fantasy - 65 (one place lower, five fewer)
14. Mega Buck Bandits - 58 (one place higher, 11 fewer)
15. Dead Parrots - 53 (one place lower, 13 fewer)
16. YTFIB - 48 (same place, four fewer)

What can we learn. The top three were thoroughly deserving of those spots, Chris, Ben and Matthew were slightly unfortunate with their finishing positions while Beef and I may have ridden our luck a little.

Also - only five teams scored more counters than last season. Overall we were almost 100 down on last term.

2014/15 Awards - £500k Team of the Season

(More of the same but this time with the players from the bargain basement.)

GK: Joe Hart (The Dead Parrots)

DEF: Gary Cahill (Trusted By Millions), Jose Fonte (Cheese Makers), Leighton Baines (The Fabulous Artisans), Craig Dawson (Fred West Landscape Gardening XI)

MID: Stewart Downing (Athletico Phoenix), Jason Puncheon (YTFIB), Gylfi Sigurdsson (The Cow-Faced Juniors), Raheem Sterling (The Real Muppets)

ATT: Harry Kane (FCK2), Papiss Cisse (The Dead Parrots)

Subs: Simon Mignolet (San Dimas); Ben Mee (Cheese); Steven Gerrard (Trusted); Mame Diouf (YTFIB)

Previous selection

2014/15 Awards - English Team of the Season

(Same rules as before but for the England-qualified players)

GK: Joe Hart (Dead Parrots)

DEF: John Terry (FCK2), Gary Cahill (Trusted By Millions), Phil Jagielka (Aardvark Abacus), Joleon Lescott (Trusted)

MID: Stewart Downing (Athletico Phoenix), Jason Puncheon (YTFIB), Raheem Sterling (Real Muppets), Steven Gerrard (Trusted)

ATT: Charlie Austin (Mega Buck Bandits), Harry Kane (FCK2)

Subs: Ben Foster (FCK2) ; Leighton Baines (The Fabulous Artisans), Ben Mee (Cheese Makers); James Milner (San Dimas); Saido Berahino (San Dimas High School)

Joe Hart makes his fifth straight appearance but only Terry, Cahill, Gerrard, Foster and Baines survive from last year's selection.

2014/15 Awards - Team of the Season

(All awards are made on basis of contributions in all WSFFL competitions. Where there is a tie, contributions in league matches take precedence. Then I'll try to separate them by goals scored. Then perhaps by number of tattoos. If you see two or more names as subs in a position I still couldn't split them.)

GK: Joe Hart (The Dead Parrots)

DEF: Branislav Ivanovic (Claymore Athletic FC), John Terry (FCK2), Gary Cahill (Trusted By Millions), Per Mertersacker (Athletico Phoenix)

MID: Eden Hazard, Nacer Chadli (both Fred West Landscape Gardening XI), Christian Eriksen (The Fabulous Artisans), David Silva (San Dimas High School)

ATT: Sergio Aguero (Claymore), Diego Costa (Phoenix)

Subs: David de Gea (Trusted); Cesar Azpilicueta (FWLG XI); Juan Mata (Cheese Makers); Charlie Austin (Mega Buck Bandits)

Only Mertersacker, Terry and Hazard survive from last year's starting XI while Juan Mata makes the bench again. Artisans, MegaBucks and Cheese Makers all represented despite indifferent seasons.

Last year's selection