Week 40: Congratulations to...

No damage whatsoever to the credibility of the administration of the OFFL.

Last Year's OFFL Cup Runners Up become this year's League Runners Up, Dave Clayton loses out on the title by just 6 points as Inter Milandrover limp home to their second consecutive OFFL Championship.  Congratulations Smasher, I'm sure you've done no damage whatsoever to the credibility of the administration of the OFFL.

Meanwhile, magnanimous mention must go to Malcolm [Pratt] for his FC Maalcoma's 23-week unbroken reign at the top of the table from Week 6 onwards.  For a moment there, the Mally Factor looked indestructible.  Highest lady, reminding her friends of her old college days, is Sarah Bingbong who put on a very good show indeed [headpat, headpat].  Even the failed transfer request to swap Suarez for Tevez wasez entertainingez.

Highest Scoring Players this season

Highest pensioner Smears somehow managed a top ten finish along with Bad Boy Beecroft who, in spite of an early Point Fine, managed to mend his ways to squeak into ninth.  Good to see former Double Winner Steve Tierney regain some managerial kudos by finishing sixth, 20 points behind fourth placer [manager of the 2008 League Champions and last year's OFFL Cup Winners] Neil McConaghy.

Fine efforts, one and all.  But what of the cup?

OFFL Cup Final

Result

Olympilimps FC  20 v  13  Real Mcdrid 
Gavin Ward                Craig McHugh

Congratulations Gavin Ward for winning the Match of the Day Annual 2013.  A victory by 7 points thanks mainly to final day goals from G Bale TOT and T Walcott ARS.  Ward's Manager of the Week certificate winning 20 point haul by his Olympilimps FC guaranteed cup victory over the 2011 OFFL Cup Winners Real Mcdrid.

On learning of his victory, Gavin Ward released this press statement:

---

"I'm not going to say it was fate that led this victory to me, more that my worthy opponent let it slip through his buttery fingers. The minutes of intense concentration that went into the weekly review of the premier league have paid dividends that are far greater than I could have dreamed. 

"I'd like to thank Google search, the BBC website and the mouse wheel of luck for supporting me through this tough season. It is only fitting that I retire from the league with immediate effect with this unprecedented success still fresh in everyone's mind..... in order to plan a dramatic comeback in time for the new season. 

"Thank you to the Studmarks crew for running such a tight ship and getting results out on time almost every week.... 

"ahh - success has such a good taste, don't you think?"

--- Gavin Ward

On learning of his defeat Craig McHugh's Real Madrid PR Machine went spinning into action culminating in this statement:

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"The lads played well ‘arry’ but on the day were beaten by the better team… Pele is the greatest footballer in the world but unfortunately we didn’t have him!!

"Congratulations go to OLYMPILIMPS FC and Mr Ward on a great game – I thought on the day we were going to witness another one of those Wigan / Man City stories, with 'las minnows' (our new nickname!!) taking the crown - alas we were eaten by the kingfisher of life.

"As no substitutions were made, ultimately the responsibility for the defeat falls to me, I’ll therefore be resigning with immediate effect and moving to Italy taking up a higher paid (although less rewarding) vacancy in the sun, (Not!!)

"Congratulations also to Inter Milandrover on a great campaign and winning the league + next season’s key signing of Matilda in goal?? Until the next kick-off.. Adiós Real Mcdrid.

"All the very best, take care and i'm off weep in my orange juice..."

---Craig McHugh

How benevolent.

And with that we, here at Studmarks, bid you all a fond farewell. It's been comforting to see the League bottom being scraped by the 'experimental' team of musicians that Tom Vamos constructed. Though 96 points adrift is something special, isn't it? The Bookies slept well over that one. It has also been lovely to share the banterous nonsense with the usual suspects so thank you all for taking part.

---

OFFL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 2012/2013

Inter Milandrover, Smasher [474 points]

OFFL LEAGUE RUNNERS UP

Pyeators, Dave Clayton [468 points]

2013 OFFL CUP WINNERS

Olympilimps, Gavin Ward

2013 Cup Runners Up

Real Mcdrid, Craig McHugh

AND FINALLY...

As with any season-end the boffins at OFFL HQ like to attempt the construction of a 'Team of the Year'.  A team that, imagining that no transfers were made during the season, would have been unbeatable in the League this season.  So far the highest scoring total is 630 points.  Studmarks reckons you might be able to beat that because, as with anything the OFFL seems to do, it's largely based on educated guesswork and very little Quality Thinking Time.  Have a look at this [http://j.mp/SelectYourTeam] and see if you can outpuzzle the Umpa-Lumpa boffins.  If you manage a total greater than 630, OFFL'll shoot three of them.

Here's their effort...

Team 22:  Team of the Year?           Lge Pos:   1
Manager:  OFFL                                Points
                                      Value Final 
     PIN  Pos  Name            Team    (M)  Week  Total
   1 115   GK  J Hart            MC    4.6     1   40
   2 155   FB  L Baines          EVE   4.5    -1   47
   3 208   FB  J O'Brien         WH    3.1    -1   28
   4 261   CB  G Cameron         STO   3.5     2   15
   5 222   CB  D Luiz            CHE   4.7     0   45
   6 565   MF  Michu             SWA   3.9     0   58
   7 453   MF  G Bale            TOT   5.4     3   79
   8 297   MF  S Cazorla         ARS   4.4     8   60
   9 322   MF  J Mata            CHE   5.3     3   67
  10 505   ST  L Suarez          LIV   7.1     0   89
  11 486   ST  R van Persie      ARS   8.5     3  102
  
                              Totals  55.0    18  630
                             
Can you beat it?

Yeah, right.

Next season then?

Yeah, right.

T h e   T a b l e

                                            Value Points

   Team                  Manager            (GBPm)Wk Tot

 --------------------------------------------------------

 1 Inter Milandrover      Smasher             54.1 13 474

 2 Pyeators               Dave Clayton        54.0 14 468

 3 FC Maalcoma            Malcolm Pratt       54.0 11 452

 4 Neil's Diamonds        Neil McConaghy      55.0 12 444

 5 Multiple Scorgasms     Sarah Bingham       54.6 12 439

 6 WWMC                   Steve Tierney       54.7 15 424

 7 Olympilimps FC         Gavin Ward          54.2 20 416

 8 Irishpool              Mike Smears         54.4  9 393

 9 RST-BOY                Rick Beecroft       54.6 15 382

10 Moobchester United     John King           53.5 11 372

Week 39: The OFFL Final and the Last Week of the Season

Time to retire after a highly successful career

Is it too late for this week's Manager of the Week, Dave Clayton, to finally take the top spot in the table on the last day of the season?  Probably, but let's not crush his spirit just yet.  His Pyeators took 16 points this week, 13 more than leaders Inter Milandrover leaving themselves just 7 points adrift from the title.

So, far from over then.

Maybe.

Otherwise it looks like this could be the first season that the OFFL Championship has been retained by the current Champions.  Manager Smasher must think it's time to retire.  Or something.

In the meantime, there's another title to be won...

The OFFL Cup Final

To be played over Week 40

OLYMPILIMPS FC [£54.2m]  v   REAL MCDRID [£54.1m]
Gavin Ward                   Craig McHugh

In the event of a draw, Real Mcdrid would win on Points per Pound difference. 

So let's have a look at their teams.

Firstly, it's not very interesting to note that Olympilimps FC is registered as Team 15 and is lying in Seventh whereas Real Mcdrid is Team 7 lying in Fifteenth.  Spooky, huh?  Here are the players that count in this fixture.


Olympilimps FC             7th    Real Mcdrid               15th
Gavin Ward                        Craig McHugh
----------------------------------------------------------------
Pos Name           Team Total     Pos Name           Team Total
----------------------------------------------------------------
 GK P Cech         CHE      29     GK T Howard       EVE      13
 FB J O'Brien       WH      19     FB K Gibbs        ARS      11
 FB G Clichy        MC      28     FB J Riise        FUL       5
 CB J Vertonghen   TOT       5     CB D Luiz         CHE      36
 CB R Shawcross    STO      17     CB W Reid          WH       4
 MF T Walcott      ARS      15     MF G Sigurdsson   TOT      14
 MF G Bale         TOT      79     MF Nani            MU       9
 ST R Lambert      SOT       0     ST D Berbatov      MU      37

                  Totals   192                      Totals   129
                  
The winning manager will be awarded the 2013 Match of the Day Annual.  Yes, 'awarded'.

Good luck all.

T h e   T a b l e
                                            Value Points
   Team                  Manager            (GBPm)Wk Tot
 --------------------------------------------------------
 1 Inter Milandrover      Smasher             54.1  3 461
 2 Pyeators               Dave Clayton        54.0 16 454
 3 FC Maalcoma            Malcolm Pratt       54.0  7 441
 4 Neil's Diamonds        Neil McConaghy      55.0 11 432
 5 Multiple Scorgasms     Sarah Bingham       54.6  1 427
 6 WWMC                   Steve Tierney       54.7  9 409
 7 Olympilimps FC         Gavin Ward          54.2  0 396
 8 Irishpool              Mike Smears         54.4  6 384
 9 RST-BOY                Rick Beecroft       54.6  4 367
10 Double's United        Rachel Jones        53.9  5 366

Week 38: Clayton's Clawback

Dave Clayton Claws Back [6 points]

Dave Clayton's second place Pyeators claw back 6 points from the current OFFL leaders, and OFFL Champions, Inter Milandrover while third placers FC Maalcoma win their manager - Twitter's very own @MallyFactor - yet another Manager of the Week certificate.  That makes it 5 Manager of the Week certificates so far for Malcolm Pratt this season.

It's all 'Go' here.

Meanwhile, having leapfrogged his colleague in the table last week, Chris Walsh suffers the indignity of being immediately leapfrogged back by the previously leapfrogged colleague Russ Bielby. Leapfrogged Livercoolio leapfrog Lashings of Cheese and go up into seventeenth while Mrs Bielby's week, on the other hand, hasn't been so wonderful.  Her Johnny's Heroes fall two places after notching up the worst score of the week.

And as if you were interested, the other Real-Sense manager, Lord Rick Beecroft, bounced his infamous RST-BOY up a place into ninth.

So, no change in the top eight places overall this week, though Steve Tierney's WWMC have just reached the 400 point mark.  We thought that worthy of note, at least.

We were wrong.

Mr Tierney joins Mr Smears and Lady Colquhoun in making transfers this week.  Look at the fools they're drafting in these days, oof.

THE OFFL Cup

The Final

To be played over Week 40

Olympilimps FC [£54.2m]  v   Real Mcdrid [£54.1m]
Gavin Ward                   Craig McHugh

In the event of a draw, Real Mcdrid would win on Points per Pound difference.





T h e   T a b l e
                                            Value Points
   Team                  Manager            (GBPm)Wk Tot
 --------------------------------------------------------
 1 Inter Milandrover      Smasher             54.1 15 458
 2 Pyeators               Dave Clayton        54.0 21 438
 3 FC Maalcoma            Malcolm Pratt       54.0 22 434
 4 Multiple Scorgasms     Sarah Bingham       54.6 17 426
 5 Neil's Diamonds        Neil McConaghy      55.0 15 421
 6 WWMC                   Steve Tierney       54.8 15 400
 7 Olympilimps FC         Gavin Ward          54.2 20 396
 8 Irishpool              Mike Smears         54.6 20 378
 9 RST-BOY                Rick Beecroft       54.6 17 363
10 Double's United        Rachel Jones        53.9 14 361