2025/26 - Co-Ord Round-up Part Two - The 'counters' tables

Here's the table if that was all that mattered in the game was positive 'counters'. It wouldn't be much of a game but it might be of interest.

1. The Wateringhole Society - 104 (four places higher than real table, 11 more than last year)
2. Cheese Makers - 96 (five places higher, one more)

3. The Fabulous Artisans - 94 (two places lower, 11 more)

4. Real Muppets - 93 (two places lower, three more)

=5. The Cow-Faced Juniors - 90 (one place lower, 20 fewer)

=5. Claymore Athletic FC - 90 (four places higher, 12 more)

7. Trusted By Millions - 89 (one place higher, 14 fewer)

=8. Aardvark Abacus - 87 (five places lower, three more)

=8. Stanley and Gracie United - 87 (two places lower, three more)

10. Markian United - 82 (two places higher, 18 more)

11. San Dimas High School - 69 (same place, nine fewer)

12. YTFIB - 68 (three places higher, seven more)

13. Mega Buck Bandits - 63 (same place, 16 more)

14. Garth Crooks' Team of the Week -  62 (four places lower, 17 fewer)

15. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum - 51 (one place lower, one more)

16. Wheel Madrid - 38 (same place, six fewer)

Average counters this year were around 79, a tiny bit higher than last year. You can judge your performance against that. The CFJs, Trusted and GC Totw took big hits on last year's numbers, Markian and Mega Bucks were big improvers.

Counters against certainly plays a part in deciding the league - how did that list shake out and can you feel hard done by?

=1. Real Muppets - 68

=1. The Cow-Faced Juniors - 68

3. The Fabulous Artisans - 69

=4. Aardvark Abacus - 72

=4. Garth Crooks' Team of the Week -  72

6. Wheel Madrid - 73

=7. Stanley and Gracie United - 76

=7. Trusted By Millions - 76

9. Mega Buck Bandits - 80

10. Cheese Makers - 81

11. Markian United - 82

12. San Dimas High School - 85

13. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum - 86

14. The Wateringhole Society - 89

15. Claymore Athletic FC - 92

16. YTFIB - 94

The Muppets top this list for the second year running. Clive concedes 92 counters for the second year running. Kiran's chances clearly damaged by the 89 in the against column.

WSFFL at the World Cup

It's the question on nobody's lips. Which of our teams has sent the most players to the 2026 tournament?

Aardvark Abacus (10) - Hickey (SCO), Robinson (USA), van de Ven (NED), Bergvall (SWE), Zubimendi (SPA), P.Sarr (SEN), Pickford, D. Henderson, Rogers, Watkins (ENG)

Cheese Makers (12) - Jimenez (MEX), Casemiro (BRA), Robertson (SCO), Reijnders (NED), Raya (SPA), Bobb (NOR), Mac Allister (ARG), Khusanov (UZB), Fatawu (GHA), O'Reilly, Gordon, Trafford (ENG)

Claymore Athletic (5) - Cunha, Thiago (BRA), Gomez (PAR), Munoz (COL), Sadiki (DRC)

Garth Crooks' TotW (10) - Martinelli (BRA), Kamada (JPN), Ayari (SWE), Salah (EGY), Konate (FRA), L. Martinez, Romero (ARG), Wan-Bissaka (DRC), Fernandes (POR), Mainoo (ENG)

Markian United (12) - Rayan (BRA), Kadioglu (TUR), Aaronsson (USA), Caicedo (ECU), Roefs (NED), Onana (BEL), Porro, Rodri (SPA), Cherki, Lacroix (FRA), I.Sarr (SEN), Nunes (POR)

Mega Buck Bandits (10) - Xhaka (SWI), Alisson, Guimaraes (BRA), Ake, Kluivert, Wieffer (NED), Ekdal (SWE), De Cuyper (BEL), Digne (FRA), Rice (ENG)

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum (6) - Ndoye, Okafor (SWI), Bellegarde (HAI), Patterson (SCO), Doku (BEL), Sa (POR)

Real Muppets (11) - Isidor (HAI), Talbi (MOR), Christie, Gannon-Doak (SCO), Diallo (CIV), Timber (NED), Lammens (BEL), Haaland (NOR), Ndiaye, Diarra (SEN) James (ENG)

San Dimas High School (11) - Alderete (PAR), Havertz (GER), Sangare (CIV), Tanaka (JPN), Summerville, Hato (NED), Elanga (SWE), Merino (SPA), E. Martinez (ARG), Gvardiol (CRO), Burn (ENG)

Stanley and Gracie Utd (3) - van Dijk (NED), Fernandez (ARG), Neto (POR)

The Cow-Faced Juniors (12) - Soucek (CZE), Gabriel (BRA), Mazraoui (MOR), Gross (GER), Guessand (CIV), Gyokeres (SWE), Pino (SPA), Strand Larsen (NOR), Ait-Nouri (ALG), Wissa (DRC), Livramento, Eze (ENG)

The Fabulous Artisans (8) - Woltemade, Wirtz (GER), Verbruggen (NED), Marmoush (EGY), Odegaard (NOR), Diouf (SEN), Dalot (POR), Guehi (ENG)

The Wateringhole Society (10) - Hincapie (ECU), Thiaw (GER) van Hecke, Gakpo (NED), Cucurella (SPA), Gusto, Saliba (FRA), Dias (POR), Konsa, Saka (ENG)

Trusted By Millions (6) - Gudmundsson (SWE), Trossard (BEL), M.Sarr (SEN), Danso (AUT), Anderson, Madueke (ENG)

Wheel Madrid (7) - Diop (MOR), McGinn (SCO), Lindelof, Isak (SWE), Tielemans (BEL), Wood (NZ), Spence (ENG)

YTFIB (5) - Hwang (SKO), Richards (USA), Gravenberch, Brobbey (NED), Semenyo (GHA)

The pool (18)- Riad (MOR), Gunn, Fletcher (SCO) Bayindir (TUR), Adams (USA), Angulo (ECU), Endo (JPN), Castagne (BEL), Ugarte, Bentancur (URU),  Ajer, Berge (NOR), Gueye (SEN), Lerma (COL), Silva (POR), Kovacic (CRO), Stones, J.Henderson (ENG)

Leaving the pool out of this, the Cheese, Markian and the CFJs are all sending the most players (12) to the World Cup. Ady supplies the most England players (4), while the most cosmopolitan of our teams is the CFJs who supply players to eleven different nations.

2025/26 £500k Team of the Season

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

GK - Emi Martinez (San Dimas High School)*

DEF - Marc Guehi (The Fabulous Artisans), Trevoh Chalobah (Claymore Athletic FC), Nikola Milenkovic (Cheese Makers), Reece James (Real Muppets)

MID - Harvey Barnes (The Wateringhole Society), Bruno Guimaraes (Mega Buck Bandits), Emi Buendia (Wheel Madrid), Enzo Le Fee (Mega Bucks)*

ATT - Danny Welbeck (The Cow-Faced Juniors), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Nil Satis Nisi Optimum)

Subs: Jordan Pickford (Aardvark Abacus); Alex Jimenez (CFJs); Nico O'Reilly (Cheese); Raul Jimenez (Cheese)

Martinez, Pope, Guehi, Milenkovic, Barnes and Raul Jimenez were all in last year's 15. Cheap attacking options look like a thing of the past.

* Alphabetical order in play. 

2025/26 - English Team of the Season

(Same rules as before but England-qualified players only.)

GK - Jordan Pickford (Aardvark Abacus)*

DEF - Marc Guehi (The Fabulous Artisans), Trevoh Chalobah (Claymore Athletic FC), Lewis Dunk (Aardvarks), Reece James (Real Muppets)

MID - Morgan Gibbs-White (GC TotW), Morgan Rogers (Aardvarks), Harvey Barnes (The Wateringhole Society), Eberechi Eze (The Cow-Faced Juniors)

ATT - Ollie Watkins (Aardvarks), Danny Welbeck (The CFJs)

Subs: Nick Pope (YTFIB); Ryan Sessegnon (Markian United); Cole Palmer (Trusted By Millions); Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Nil Satis Nisi Optimum)

* Pickford and Pope had the same number of counters but as the Aardvarks keeper saved a penalty he gets the nod. It might be important.

Ten out of last year's 16** are back in this year's selection. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jamie Vardy moved abroad, Levi Colwill, James Maddison and Jarrad Branthwaite all missed long spells with injury while Jarrod Bowen just missed out (see below).

And as it's a World Cup year, shall we get the squad up to 26 with these?

Jarrod Bowen (Artisans), Dan Burn (San Dimas High School), Michael Keane (Nil Satis), Tyrick Mitchell (San Dimas), Adam Smith (YTFIB), Callum Wilson (Wheel Madrid), Lewis Hall (Muppets), Myles Lewis- Skelly (GC TotW), James Tarkowski (Muppets), Djed Spence (Wheels), Anthony Gordon (Cheese Makers)

World beaters?

** I couldn't split the defensive subs.

2025/26 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 by lower transfer fee or likelihood of appearing on Celebrity Traitors. If you see two or more names in a position I still couldn't split them. And I always do these in 4-4-2. I'm a traditionalist like that.)

GK -  David Raya Martin (Cheese Makers)

DEF - Gabriel (The Cow-Faced Juniors), William Saliba (The Wateringhole Society), Riccardo Calafiori (The Fabulous Artisans), Jurrien Timber (Real Muppets)

MID - Morgan Gibbs-White (GC TotW), Harry Wilson (SGU), Morgan Rogers (Aardvark Abacus), Bryan Mbeumo (Cheese)

ATT - Erling Haaland (Muppets), Igor Thiago (Claymore Athletic FC) 

Subs: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Trusted); Marc Guehi (Artisans); Enzo Fernandez (SGU) ; Joao Pedro (Cheese)

Raya, Saliba, Mbeumo and Haaland were all in last year's team. Two defenders from the champions give an indication of how the title was won.

Haaland and Gabriel make the XI for the fourth time, it's a third appearance for Raya and Saliba. 

2025/26 Players of the Season

(Awards are made on basis of contributions, 'counters', in all WSFFL competitions. Where there is a tie, contributions in league matches take precedence.)

Player of the Season, Golden Boot, Attacker of the Season

Erling Haaland (Real Muppets) - 24 goals

For the fourth season running the Norwegian comes out on top. Slowed down a bit in the new year or might have threatened his 2022/23 record of 34.

Golden Gloves

David Raya Martin (Cheese Makers) - 21 clean sheets

It's three wins in a row for the Cheese keeper. This time with the best goalkeeping tally since 2008/9.

Defender of the Season

Gabriel (The Cow-Faced Juniors) - Three goals, 18 clean sheets

Surprisingly the first time the Brazilian has won this award. The most counters for a defender since 2021/22.

Midfielder of the Season

Morgan Gibbs-White (Garth Crooks' Team of the Week) - 12 goals

A low-scoring season for midfielders but that's not to take anything away from a brilliant campaign by Ollie's star man.

Young Player of the Season

Alex Jimenez (The Cow-Faced Juniors) - one goal, eight clean sheets

Look, I'm just here to report on this particular fantasy football league.

£500k Player of the season

Marc Guehi (The Fabulous Artisans) - Three goals, 12 clean sheets

A big part of Ben's title winning campaign and the first winner since 2014/15 without the surname Kane, Alexander-Arnold, Sterling or Foden.

Signing of the Season

Viktor Gyokeres (The Cow-Faced Juniors) - 14 goals

The most expensive player in the history of the game struggled to settle but started to prove his worth later in the season.

2025/26 Co-Ord Round-Up Part One - Transfer Dealings

Last year, for the second time, I confidently predicted that the 2025/26 season would be our first billion fantasy spend transfer spend year. This time I was right. Both transfer income and expenditure was up on the previous season.

(I'm less inclined to put team details on here as some of the numbers involved are eye-watering.)

Income

2023/24's record was broken - but only by £220,000 which is £150m up on last year.

Expenditure

The previous record was broken, not by a little but a by just short of half a billion fantasy pounds.

Overall

Collectively our teams lost getting on for £220m. A lot but nowhere the record of £452m.

Twelve teams made losses on their transfer business last season.

Total transfer income from the 2006/07 season is now through the £10bn barrier and heading towards £11bn. Expenditure now exceeds £13bn. 

Will we see a correction next season or a further emptying of the wallets?

(Bear in mind that these figures might be wrong. But they won't be wrong by much. Hardly at all in fact.)