FFL Week 29

Here's what I wrote last week:

In reality though, Vidic will be back and scoring heavily again within a fortnight. Carvalho will get injured again, letting Alex back in. Nasri will nip in with the odd assist and Villa will get back on track.

I'm sure Vidic will prove me right. Carvalho was indeed injured, with Alex coming back in, and Nasri nipped in with more than a mere assist. Okay, so Villa are nowhere near the railtracks yet, but with Leyton Baines, Luca Modric and Matt Taylor all nipping in with goals this week, Villa's derailment is a bearable one. And they will get back on track, you'll see.

No prizes for guessing whose team top scored this week: Neville xi-Neville, Sid now threatens to make a late charge with Gerrard's dead ball hat-trick and assist contributing more than half his total of 20. At the other end of the scoring spectrum Mike's topsy-turvy season once again turned turvy: he managed just 2 points.

Despite James' more-than-acceptable week, the fight is still very much on. Here's the table:

	FFL 2008/09 LEAGUE TABLE
Diff			Total Points
	1st	James	317
18	2nd	Nick PC	299
21	3rd	Stathi	296
25	4th	Don	292
36	5th	Sid	281
38	6th	Theo	279
40	7th	Mike	277
57	8th	Nick Ath	260

There were no transfers this week because O'Shea got a game.

Internationals are on this weekend. Yawn.

Your Chairman

FFL Week 28

Vidic banned for two games, his confidence shot. Carvalho returns, signalling the end of Alex's participation in any Chelsea games this season. For ever, actually. Arshavin's explosive impact at Arsenal means the end for Nasri. Ashley Young's been found out, as have Aston Villa as a team.

I can already see that silver medal gleaming in James's silver medal cabinet. In reality though, Vidic will be back and scoring heavily again within a fortnight. Carvalho will get injured again, letting Alex back in. Nasri will nip in with the odd assist and Villa will get back on track. But this week has offered us all some hope.

None more so than your heretofore humble chairman. Finally, finally, a squad that's more or less playing and scoring. 19 points in fact, giving me the manager of the week award for the first time this year. And as you already suspected, James was bottom with 4. Shame his nearest challenger, Nick PC, only managed 5 himself.

The table looks like this:

	FFL 2008/09 LEAGUE TABLE
Diff			Total Points
	1st	James	308
15	2nd	Stathi	293
16	3rd	Nick PC	292
26	4th	Don	282
33	5th	Mike	275
33	6th	Theo	275
47	7th	Sid	261
51	8th	Nick Ath	257

Sid's on-off love affair with Gary Neville continued this week. Now it's off again after Sid was caught in a motorway service station toilet with John O'Shea. He also drafted in Ryan Giggs for David Bentley. He's left with one transfer now - just enough to buy Neville again in April. And Donald kept up his habit of bidding for players he can't have: this time Fabregas was the target.

Watch me, here I come.

Maybe.

Your Chairman.

FFL Week 27

A big, big week for a big, big man launching his big, big challenge. Last week's calamity looks to have been an aberration, not a surrender. With 26 points, Stathi pulls to within twenty points of the lead - a mere one week's points, as he demonstrated this week. The points came from everywhere but no one outscored Rooney, with 2 goals and an assist for the week.

At the other end of the week's wheel of fortune were Sid and Theo, scoring 4 and 5 respectively. It's looking increasingly like a three-horse race.

Here are the scores:

	FFL 2008/09 LEAGUE TABLE
Diff			Total Points
	1st	James	304
17	2nd	Nick PC	287
20	3rd	Stathi	284
35	4th	Theo	269
36	5th	Don	268
37	6th	Mike	267
48	7th	Sid	256
66	8th	Nick Ath	238

For some, the dice were thrown for the last time this week. Nick PC bought the in-form Aaron Lennon for the crocked Arteta, and Mike bought the hirsute Fellaini for Wilson Palacios.

And we're into the final furlong...

Your Chairman

FFL Week 26

Opportunity knocked this week, with our leader managing a meagre one point. Did anyone answer? Did they fuck. Top score went to Donald with 12 points, but he's one off the bottom so no one really cares. He and Sid were the only managers to get into double figures, but no one cares about Sid's team either, apart from Sid.

Stathi's mounting challenge that began last week ended in ignominy this week - he made -2.

True, there were only 8 fixtures, but I'm sure most of us expected more.

Here's the table:

	FFL 2008/09 LEAGUE TABLE
Diff			Total Points
	1st	James	288
13	2nd	Nick PC	275
18	3rd	Theo	270
34	4th	Stathi	254
35	5th	Sid	253
40	6th	Mike	248
42	7th	Don	246
71	8th	Nick Ath	217

No more dithering on the transfer front this year for James. He makes his last two transfers, drafting in Leighton Baines and Emmanuel Adebayor for Glen Johnson and Daren't Bend. I don't know what why I just typed that; it felt right, but it makes no sense.

So long comrades,

Your Chairman

Rafa's cracking up part 1387538

What a genius!!!!

Rafa Benitez has become embroiled in a bizarre exchange with BBC football reporter Ian Dennis after refusing to reveal why he selected Javier Mascherano at right-back for the game with Sunderland on Tuesday.

Questioned over his team selection following the 2-0 win, Benitez was at his most elusive when interviewed by Dennis. While the interview has been cut from the BBC website, Radio Five Live has provided a full airing of the lengthy game of question and avoidance.

Benitez: "Mascherano had to play there so we needed to do it in this way."

Dennis: "Jamie [Carragher] has played there before so why didn't you use him?"

Benitez: "Mascherano had to play there."

Dennis: "But why?"

Benitez: "Because Mascherano had to play there."

Dennis: "Was it a tactical decision?"

Benitez: "No. He had to play there."

Dennis: "Ok. Any news on your contract?"

Benitez: "No news. We have to enjoy our victory tonight."

Dennis: "You're not helping me much, Rafa! Come on! No clues?"

Benitez: "As I said, the best thing to do is enjoy the victory. I think everyone will be happy tonight."

Dennis: "Enjoy your evening."

Benitez's reluctance to discuss his selection at right-back was mirrored before the game. The Liverpool website still carries the following exchange made between the Spaniard and an unidentified radio hack in the wake of Saturday's 2-0 defeat at the Riverside:

Journalist: "Your injury problems meant you had to put Martin Skrtel at right-back against Middlesbrough. Could you explain why you didn't use Jamie Carragher in that position, and did you feel Martin struggled?"

Benitez: "We had to do it for this game, so we did it."

Journalist: Do you think he maybe had a tough time in that position? Was it a bit unnatural for him?

Benitez: "I was really pleased with him because he wanted to play in this position. It was good for the team."