WSFFL at the World Cup

Which of our teams is providing most players in South Africa? Which team is your money on?

Aardvark Abacus (6) - Gallas, Diaby (FRA) Kyrgiakos (GRE) Upson (ENG) Kuyt (NED) Carvalho (POR)
Athletico Phoenix (4) - Dos Santos (MEX) Carrick (ENG) van Persie (NED) Bendtner (DEN)
Bassett Allsorts (5) - Guzan (USA) Assou-Ekotto, Bassong (CAM) Kalou (CIV) Palacios (HON)
Claymore Athletic (8) - Pienaar (SAF) Sagna, Clichy (FRA) Rooney (ENG) Howard (USA) Ivanovic (SER) Mensah (GHA) Deco (POR)
Final Fantasy XI (1) - Mokoena* (SAF)
Fred West LG XI (7) - Evra (FRA) Etuhu (NGR) Vidic (SER) Babel (NED) Drogba, Eboue (CIV) Ferreira (POR)
Megabuck Bandits (3) - Heskey (ENG) Nelsen (NZL) Fabregas (SPA)
Nil Satis (8) - Vela (MEX) Yobo (NGR) Green (ENG) Donovan** (USA) Cahill (AUS) Heitinga (NED) Jacobsen (DEN) Gomes (BRA)
Real Muppets (8) - Malouda (FRA) Tevez, Mascherano (ARG) A.Cole, J.Cole (ENG) Agger (DEN) Da Silva (PAR) Reina (SPA)
San Dimas (4) - Yakubu (NGR) Milijas (SER) Santa Cruz (PAR) Figueroa (HON)
The CFJ's (7) - Anelka (FRA) Utaka (NGR) Lennon (ENG) Dempsey, Hahnemann (USA) Pantsil (GHA) Song (CAM)
The Dead Parrots (9) - James, Warnock, Barry, Hart (ENG) Spector (USA) De Jong (NED) Weiss (SVK) Toure (CIV) Behrami (SWI)
The Fabulous Artisans (6) - Franco (MEX) Rodriguez (ARG) CY Lee (SKO) Sorensen (DEN) Skrtel (SVK) Robinho (BRA)
Trusted By Millions (8) - JS Park (SKO) Gerrard, Dawson, Carragher (ENG) Belhadj (ALG) Schwarzer (AUS) Boateng (GHA) Torres (SPA)
York's Returning Glory (2) - Crouch (ENG) Senderos (SWI)
You Know Your Boston Rock FC (7)- Johnson, Terry, Lampard, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Defoe, King (ENG)
'The Pool' (10) - Dikgacoi (SAF) Shittu (NGR) Holden (USA) Guedioura (ALG) Emerton, Grella (AUS) Stojkovic (SER) Kingson (GHA) Gohouri (CIV) Thomas (HON)

So, leaving the pool out of it, a surprise win for the Parrots. Good on you cobber!

* released under 'first refusal' rule
** retained player not in Premier League

You Know Your Boston Rock FC, Treble-Winning Season Review 2009/2010

The view on WSFFL's first treble season from the man who plotted it and pulled it off...

I really didn't think I could improve on last season's second place and double cup win, although going into this season retooled with both the addition of John Terry for the Da Silva twins, and Darren Bent's move from Spurs reserves to the Sunderland first team, I expected to have a good season. Didn't expect this though...

I went into this season with concerns about the status quo at the top of the WSFFL, the amount of cash pumped into one team in particular this close season, and the increasing foreign influence in the Premiership. These led me to fully adopt a policy I'd been moving towards for a good few years anyway, which was to go with a squad of 100% English players, and also keep my squad at my preferred shape of 3 goalies, 9 defenders, 9 midfielders and 6 forwards throughout the season (I'm not particularly a fan of any Premiership team; if anything I'm a fan of the English national team, so my 100% English policy was a logical follow-on from that).

I thought that this would keep me competitive, but the boys really did me proud. Fat Frank, Defoe and Bent all had goal-tastic seasons, but I was really pleased and proud of 2 other players in my team, namely Milner and Dunn. Young James really came on in leaps and bounds this season, proving himself the nearest young player we've got to Lampard, and an undoubted fixture in the England team for years to come. Future England captain? As for Dunny, he had a splendid rebound season and scored the probably the most crucial goal of the season for me, namely his tap-in against Arsenal which turned the tide both in that game and in my game that weekend against The Phoenix.

Can I sustain this? Who cares? All I know is that my team's performance has reignited my interest in the league this season (at one point I was seriously considering following the Big Man's lead) and with a clutch of promising young players (Wilshere, Smalling, Rose to name 3) you can bet that a full English Boston Rock team will be competing for some time to come.

Now, if only Fabio can follow my lead and win stuff with a 100% English team...!

Co-ordinator Awards - £500k Team of the Season

Last one! More of the same but the players on this list were all bought for the knockdown price of 500,000 Fantasy Pounds. They're out there if you buy early enough, look hard enough or just get lucky.

GK: Thomas Sorensen (Artisans)

DEF: Jamie Carragher (Trusted), Ashley Cole, (Muppets), Richard Dunne (Artisans), Gael Givet (Artisans)

MID: Matt Etherington (CFJs), Cesc Fabregas (Mega Bucks), Steven Gerrard (Trusted), Antonio Valencia (Mega Bucks)

ATT: Jermain Defoe (Boston Rock), Wayne Rooney (Claymore)

Subs: Paul Robinson (Boston Rock), Leighton Baines (Artisans), Darren Fletcher (Muppets)/Abou Diaby (Phoenix)/Clint Dempsey (CFJs) , Gabriel Agbonlahor (Muppets)

2008/09
Sorensen (Given)
Terry, Carragher, Corluka, O'Shea (P.Neville)

Gerrard, Osman, Ireland, Brunt (D.Murphy)
Agbonlahor, K.Davies (Defoe)

2007/08
Howard (Keller, Robinson)
A.Cole, Carragher, Barry, Johnson (Terry)
Gerrard, Downing, Bentley, Hunt (J.Cole)
Rooney, Defoe (Kitson, Owen)

Co-ordinator Awards - English Team of the Season

Same rules as before but for the England-qualified WSFFL stars. Before you read on did you want to guess how many Boston Rockers appear...?

GK: Paul Robinson (Boston Rock)

DEF: Leighton Baines (Artisans), Jamie Carragher (Trusted), Ashley Cole (Muppets). John Terry (Boston Rock)

MID: David Dunn (Boston Rock), Steven Gerrard (Trusted), Frank Lampard (Boston Rock), James Milner (Boston Rock)

ATT: Darren Bent (Boston Rock), Wayne Rooney (Claymore)

Subs: Joe Hart (Dead Parrots), Glen Johnson (Boston Rock), Matt Etherington (CFJs), Jermain Defoe (Boston Rock)

2008/09
Robinson (James)
Lescott, Terry, Carragher, P.Neville (R.Ferdinand)
Gerrard, Lampard, Osman, M.Taylor (A.Young)
Bent, Agbonlahor (K.Davies)

2007/08
James (Green)
R.Ferdinand, Lescott, Brown, A.Cole (Carragher)
Lampard, Gerrard, Downing, Bentley (J.Cole)
Rooney, Defoe (Kitson and Owen)

Co-ordinator 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 and separate them by goals scored. Then perhaps alphabetical order or most interesting Wikipedia entry. Where you see two or more names as subs I still couldn't split them.)
 
GK: Peter Cech (Aardvark)

DEF: John Terry (Boston Rock), Chris Samba (CFJs), Richard Dunne (Artisans), Thomas Vermaelen (Muppets)

MID: Frank Lampard (Boston Rock), Cesc Fabregas (Mega Bucks), Florent Malouda (Muppets), Steven Gerrard (Trusted)

ATT: Carlos Tevez (Muppets), Didier Drogba (Fred West)

Subs: Thomas Sorensen (Artisans), Carlos Cuellar (Aardvark), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Trusted), Darren Bent (Boston Rock)

2008/09
Van der Sar (Reina)
Vidic, Lescott, Terry, Arbeloa (Carragher)
Gerrard, Lampard, Ronaldo, Fellaini (Geovanni)
Anelka, Bent (Agbonlahor)

2007/08
Reina (van der Sar)
R.Ferdinand, Lescott, Evra, Vidic (Brown)
Ronaldo, Lampard, Gerrard, Downing (Bentley)
Torres, Yakubu (Berbatov)

Co-ordinator Awards - Players of the Season

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

Player of the Season: Frank Lampard - You Know Your Boston Rock FC (21 goals)
2008/9: Nemanja Vidic
2007/8: Cristiano Ronaldo

Golden Boot: Frank Lampard - You Know Your Boston Rock FC (21 goals)
2008/9: Nicolas Anelka
2007/8: Cristiano Ronaldo

Golden Gloves: Petr Cech - Aardvark Abacus (15 cleans)
2008/9: Edwin van der Sar
2007/8: Jose Reina

Golden Shinpads: John Terry - You Know Your Boston Rock FC (two goals, 19 cleans)
2008/9: Nemanja Vidic
2007/8: Rio Ferdinand

Golden Box to Box: Frank Lampard - You Know Your Boston Rock FC (21 goals)
2008/9: Steven Gerrard
2007/8: Cristiano Ronaldo

Young Player of the Season: Thomas Vermaelen - Real Muppets (six goals, ten cleans)
2008/9: Gael Clichy and Vedran Corluka
2007/8: Cristiano Ronaldo

The WSFFL England Squad

My end of season Player Awards will be along over the next week or so but I thought I'd give Fabio Capello a hand and pick an England squad based on WSFFL performances. If he's stuck for a selection he could do worse than to check this list out...

Goalkeepers: Rob Green (Nil Satis), Joe Hart (Dead Parrots), Paul Robinson (Boston Rock)

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Fabulous Artisans), Jamie Carragher (Trusted), Ashley Cole (Real Muppets), Jody Craddock (Mega Bucks), Michael Dawson (Trusted), Danny Higginbotham (Fred West), Ryan Shawcross (Trusted), John Terry (Boston Rock), Stephen Warnock (Dead Parrots)

Midfielders: Matthew Etherington (CFJs), Steven Gerrard (Trusted), Frank Lampard (Boston Rock), James Milner (Boston Rock), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Boston Rock), Ashley Young (Fabulous Artisans)

Attackers: Darren Bent (Boston Rock), Carlton Cole (Final Fantasy), Peter Crouch (York's), Jermain Defoe (Boston Rock), Wayne Rooney (Claymore Ath)

One more defender and one fewer midfielder than I might have liked but that's the way the numbers have shaken out.

No place for David James who played second fiddle to Joe Hart at the Parrots this season and who did Paul Robinson offend to get overlooked? The much-injured Rio Ferdinand and Glen Johnson are passed over for surprise selections Higginbotham and Craddock.

The nature of our game means no defensive midfielders make the cut so a forward-looking midfield group with an emphasis on getting the ball wide. Up front, there's no place for Emile Heskey who had a ropey season at Mega Bucks. Okus rivals Final Fantasy get Carlton Cole in as a sole selection from that club.