MacRumors Fantasy Football League 2009/10 [Archive]

Jaffa Cake

Jul 8, 2009, 03:57 PM

Blimey – that Ronaldo is a silly sausage, isn't he? Granted, his move to Real Madrid is certainly a glamourous one and it certainly won't leave him poor, but what he failed to realise is that playing in Spain makes him ineligible to be selected in the MacRumors Fantasy League! I'm sure he'll go crawling back to Old Trafford once he realises.

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That's right - we're back for our third season, and everyone will be looking to prise the gleaming trophy from last year's champions Scouseland FC. The MFL is played using the official Barclays Premier League game, you can read up on the rules and register on their site here. (http://fantasy.premierleague.com/) Please do pay close attention to the rules, (http://fantasy.premierleague.com/M/rules.mc) as there are a couple of additional ones (http://fantasy.premierleague.com/M/new.mc) from last season.

This year though, things are slightly different in so far as there are two competitions you can take part in. You can join in with either or both, it's entirely your choice – although if you do enter both then you do so with the same team.

First up is the traditional MacRumors Fantasy League. You pick your players, your players earn (or lose) you points depending on their real-life performances. The Manager with the most points at the end of the season lifts the trophy. Nice and simple.

The second competition we're running is the new MacRumors Fantasy Cup. Those who played last year will remember that – as well as the various private leagues you could join – you were also put into a 'head-to-head' league with random folk. This year, you can actually set up your own head-to-head leagues with your chums.

It works like this – each week you're randomly picked against another MacRumormonger, and your two teams go head-to-head, as it were – essentially, you're trying to outscore your opponent that week. Whichever team scores the most fantasy points wins, and gets three league points – the loser gets no league points and if it's a draw you get one each. This happens every week – until Gameweek 36 (currently scheduled for 24th April 2010), when the knockout phase begins! The top eight teams in the MacRumors Fantasy Cup are drawn against each other in a knock out competition which takes place over the next three Gameweeks. The last team standing is declared the winner!

I thought it might be nice to try out this end of season knockout phase – for one thing, it helps make it a bit different from the traditional MacRumors League, and the fact that eight players are still in it at the death will keep it interesting until the end – even if you're a long way off the top of the league you still have a chance to sneak into the knockout phase and lift the Cup!

How do I sign up?
Simply visit the Official Premier League Fantasy Football Site (http://fantasy.premierleague.com/) and register – it's totally free to do so. Then, just drop me a PM and I'll send you back the codes you need to join the MacRumours Leagues – if you could tell me your team name in the PM that would be useful too! I'm planning on posting a few updates as the League progresses, and by posting usernames rather than real names we can protect folk's privacy a bit.

Why PM? Why not just post the codes here?
The reason why I'm asking you to PM me rather than just post it here is that I'm wanting to keep it a mini-league for actual MacRumors members as far as possible, not those folk who trawl forums looking for league codes to join. There were a couple who joined up last year who I'm not totally convinced were actually MacRumors members. No names mentioned, mind.

If I pick a team now, what happens if I change my mind and want a different player or two?
At this point, you're free to pick your team and change players as many times as you like without penalty before the August 15th deadline, so don't fret about not being able to change your side to take advantage of real-life transfers or pre-season injuries.

Ooo. Is there a prize?
Er, no. Just bragging rights but don't get too smug or owt. It's just a bit of fun. :)

So – dust off your sheepskin coats and get signed up! :cool:

Jaffa Cake

Jul 8, 2009, 04:03 PM

Not that I am remotely interested in futbol, as they say in Turkey, but I believe Ronaldo probably rendered himself "ineligible" rather than "illegible". Or maybe both. Who knows? :cool:Thanks ref. :o

swiftaw

Jul 8, 2009, 04:21 PM

I didn't realize how many points the Fulham defense racked up last season. Judging by the relatively cheap prices of them they are not expecting a repeat.

agkm800

Jul 8, 2009, 05:45 PM

I am not sure if I would join the fantasy league, but I sure did have a heck of fun playing PES 2008 on my PSP. I was so addicted to that game for a loooong time.
:D

dmr727

Jul 8, 2009, 05:50 PM

Jaffa, I just wanted to point out a small mistake you made in the title - you obviously meant a Fantasy Soccer League.

::stirs pot vigorously::

:p:p

Silencio

Jul 8, 2009, 06:33 PM

I am not sure if I would join the fantasy league, but I sure did have a heck of fun playing PES 2008 on my PSP. I was so addicted to that game for a loooong time.
:D

Real Soccer 2009 for the iPhone is my particular weakness...

agkm800

Jul 8, 2009, 06:39 PM

Real Soccer 2009 for the iPhone is my particular weakness...

Try X2 Football 2009, you will become weaker. :D

Jaffa Cake

Jul 9, 2009, 02:30 AM

Jaffa, I just wanted to point out a small mistake you made in the title - you obviously meant a Fantasy Soccer League.

::stirs pot vigorously::

:p:pRight, that's one hour and fifty three minutes, everyone - one hour and fifty three minutes. Check your tickets and see if you've got that time down. :p

pachyderm

Jul 10, 2009, 05:11 PM

In!

I mean I'm in the game! I will be competing with you other fellows here on Macforums, that is as long as it is within the forum rules.

Reason for editing: So I don't get another "frivolous post" warning...

pjlander

Jul 20, 2009, 12:31 AM

How do I do this? I have a team and I would like to join your league.

swiftaw

Jul 20, 2009, 12:40 AM

How do I sign up?
Simply visit the Official Premier League Fantasy Football Site (http://fantasy.premierleague.com/) and register – it's totally free to do so. Then, just drop me a PM and I'll send you back the codes you need to join the MacRumours Leagues – if you could tell me your team name in the PM that would be useful too! I'm planning on posting a few updates as the League progresses, and by posting usernames rather than real names we can protect folk's privacy a bit.

How do I do this? I have a team and I would like to join your league.

I believe newbies have to wait awhile to get PM privileges

pjlander

Jul 20, 2009, 12:41 AM

See JC's post

How do I PM? What does PM stand for?

Jaffa Cake

Jul 20, 2009, 03:14 AM

How do I PM? What does PM stand for?A PM is a Private Message, a system used on the forum to convey messages of high importance - such as fantasy football league codes - privately between members. In the past some unscrupulous types have used it for spamming purposes, as a result it's been disabled for new members until they've made a certain number of posts.

But fret not - I'll email you the codes you need to join the League. :)

swiftaw

Jul 29, 2009, 10:11 AM

So, it turns out that as well as fantasy football, the premierleague website has another game, called I Know The Score. Essentially it is a game where you have to predict the results of Premier League games.

If anyone is interested I have created a private league for Macrumors so PM me if you'd like the code to join.

Jaffa Cake

Aug 13, 2009, 04:11 PM

gauchogolfer

Aug 13, 2009, 04:23 PM

Don't forget – the Premier League season kicks off this Saturday lunchtime, so if you don't want to miss out on valuable points for the MacRumors Fantasy Premier League game or swiftaw's Prediction League, drop us a PM for the codes you need to sign up.

You'll be happy to know that your league logo is now the background on my iPhone. Color me ready for the season!

Jaffa Cake

Aug 18, 2009, 04:07 PM

You'll be happy to know that your league logo is now the background on my iPhone. Color me ready for the season!I'm quite touched. :D

mouchoir

Aug 18, 2009, 06:00 PM

Just thought I'd take this chance to say 'woohoo!' for taking the lead after GW1, before the points are added after tonights games, and I find myself slipping down the table... :)

Jaffa Cake

Aug 20, 2009, 03:26 PM

Just thought I'd take this chance to say 'woohoo!' for taking the lead after GW1, before the points are added after tonights games, and I find myself slipping down the table... :)I'd normally frown on such behaviour and issue an immediate points deduction as punishment, but seeing as how I'm now joint top I'll instead just say 'woohoo!' myself. :D

Anyway, if you're anything like me you're probably wondering what was going through our collective heads when we selected our teams – who were the most popular players, which teams were the richest pickings found from, that sort of thing. Er, what do you mean it hadn't even crossed your mind? :confused:

Well, here's the first in an irregular series – Jaffa's Spurious Stats™ – which in this instance takes a look at our selections for the opening Gameweek of the season...

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One of the key things we see (and perhaps one of the most surprising) is that the club we've harvested most for players isn't one of the 'big four', but rather little old Fulham. It would seem that given their good defensive record last season coupled with relatively cheap players, quite a few of us have opted to include Cottagers in our teams this time around. Indeed, goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and defender Brede Hangeland proved to be the most popular players in their positions, being chosen by six and seven out of 13 managers respectively.

For what it's worth, the most picked midfielder and striker are names one would expect to be more popular. Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Liverpool's Fernando Torres led the way with six and five picks out of 13 respectively.

Lampard also featured as our most popular choice of captain, being picked by four managers for the opening week – a decision that may have been influenced as much by what seemed to be a soft opening match against Hull City as for his past goalscoring record.

Shamefully, we can see from the figures that the majority of managers have neglected to choose the maximum possible number of Hull City players – an appalling oversight which I'm sure will be corrected over the next few weeks. ;)

Finally, the team who had the highest number of individual players selected were defending Premier League Champions Manchester United – perhaps not surprising given their traditional strength in depth. All in all, we selected 13 different players from their ranks – van der Sar, Foster, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra, Carrick, Valencia, Anderson, Rooney, Fletcher, Park, Owen and Berbatov.

As you were.

oscillatewildly

Aug 20, 2009, 06:24 PM

I see I was the only mug to select a Burnley player, part-time at that. So far the strategy of 'Principle - anyone but Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester City' has been given a pounding. The strategy can work, it's just the implementation of it in this instance - the idiot on the Selection Committee opting for a number of players who keep the bench warm. Do I sell my soul for Fabregas, Lampard and Gerrard?

Is the statistical aberration, Hull, down to good marketing in the Forum? :)

Cheers,
OW

swiftaw

Aug 20, 2009, 06:46 PM

Hey JC, Me vs You in the Macrumors Cup this weekend.

Jaffa Cake

Aug 20, 2009, 07:35 PM

Is the statistical aberration, Hull, down to good marketing in the Forum? :)Possibly. :D

I'd actually put it down to the fact that people maybe think that City players are useful for cheaply filling gaps in their side after they've splashed out on big name players from other clubs. Michael Turner was a popular choice for our managers this time around (with five of the 13 starting managers choosing him), unsurprising given that the centre back was one of the real bargains of last season. At only 4.5 million, a player who picked up 122 points in 2008/09 doesn't look like a bad option to cheaply fill a bench space.

The figures will also have been affected by the fact that I also picked my maximum three City players. My thinking was that – as well as being cheap fringe players as mentioned – I'm not going to have any problems knowing if these players are actually getting games, or if they're doing any good when they do. If I choose a low-cost player from a club such as Stoke City or Wolves then it's a bit more work for me to keep an eye on their progress. ;)

Hey JC, Me vs You in the Macrumors Cup this weekend.Rest assured that my players have been given extra star jumps to do in training to ensure that they're ready for you. :cool:

Jaffa Cake

Aug 25, 2009, 03:18 AM

Excellent – swiftaw and his Latics were soundly vanquished. It's the star jumps, I tell you. :cool:

A tough away tie at pivo6's Brainerd FC awaits me this weekend, however...

pivo6

Aug 25, 2009, 08:15 AM

Excellent – swiftaw and his Latics were soundly vanquished. It's the star jumps, I tell you. :cool:

A tough away tie at pivo6's Brainerd FC awaits me this weekend, however...

Yes, and my team will be wearing red hoops, just for you. ;)

Jaffa Cake

Sep 6, 2009, 06:12 PM

Yes, and my team will be wearing red hoops, just for you. ;)Aye, well – less said about that the better. :o :p

Anyway, we've settled nicely into the International Break so it's a good chance to do two things – first, the League table as it stands after our first month of play...

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...and secondly, time to announce our first MacRumors Manager of the Month – namely, the player who landed the most points in the previous calendar month. A cursory look at the above table should make it pretty obvious who has scooped the honour for August – it's none other than andrewstephenso who has led his ffmiphone.com side to an impressive opening haul of 235 points in the first four Gameweeks.

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Well done, andrewstephenso. We sent Trevor Brooking around to present your trophy but unfortunately you weren't in. :)

pachyderm

Sep 7, 2009, 10:06 AM

i'm not last!! :p

Jaffa Cake

Sep 8, 2009, 02:43 AM

Don't worry, it's early days yet - still plenty of time for you to finish bottom. ;)

pachyderm

Sep 8, 2009, 06:41 AM

Don't worry, it's early days yet - still plenty of time for you to finish bottom. ;)

That's the spirit!

Jaffa Cake

Sep 20, 2009, 02:32 PM

This week has been a disaster. I knew keeping the Cores on the pitch for that half-time team talk would come back to haunt me. :o

swiftaw

Sep 26, 2009, 10:27 AM

Great, my subs bench has scored two goals already today.

Jaffa Cake

Sep 26, 2009, 10:55 AM

I've been cunning this week, and selected three Liverpool midfielders. Obviously, this means they'll have a shocker against the mighty Tigers. Ace. :)

EDIT: Bugger. :o

CarlisleUnited

Sep 26, 2009, 05:30 PM

I was seconds away from signing Keane but went for Defoe instead :o regrets!

Jaffa Cake

Oct 4, 2009, 07:10 PM

Hmm. Things aren't going well at all for the Cores at the moment. Still, at least there's something positive I can cheer myself up with and that's the announcement of September's MacRumors Manager of the Month. First though, the table as it stands for the end of the month...

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Bah. :mad:

Anyway, the award – September's recipient is none other than Brainerd FC's inspirational gaffer pivo6, who led his be-hooped charges to a points total of 196 for the international break affected month.

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Well done, pivo6. We sent famous mixed martial arts fighting chap (and son of Brainerd) Brock Larson around to present your trophy but unfortunately you weren't in. :o

Jaffa Cake

Nov 7, 2009, 02:53 PM

pivo6

Nov 7, 2009, 05:47 PM

......Anyway, the award – September's recipient is none other than Brainerd FC's inspirational gaffer pivo6, who led his be-hooped charges to a points total of 196 for the international break affected month.

197529

Well done, pivo6. We sent famous mixed martial arts fighting chap (and son of Brainerd) Brock Larson around to present your trophy but unfortunately you weren't in. :o

I belatedly accept my gong for September. I didn't see the thread until now. :(

Today saw two of my players miss penalties.:mad: Hopefully, tomorrow will see some better results.

BTW Jaffa. Well done on the shirt design. Looks like you got the city logo as the crest, and a Minneapolis sports radio station as a sponsor.

Jaffa Cake

Nov 8, 2009, 05:21 AM

BTW Jaffa. Well done on the shirt design. Looks like you got the city logo as the crest, and a Minneapolis sports radio station as a sponsor.Heh, ta. All MRFL shirts are lovingly fashioned by the high class tailors of Jaffile Row.

As for the Cores, players I'm getting shut of are developing a distressing tendency for scoring lots of goals, while those I'm bringing into the side are generally doing absolutely bugger all, apart from picking up bookings and injuries. Still, at least the fans are behind me - chants of 'Cake out' clearly indicate that they want to be presented with a nicely iced sponge to form the centrepiece of a lavish party in my honour. Oh yes. :)

chstr

Nov 8, 2009, 11:35 AM

start mcnabb against dallas or cutler against az???? also how do you feel about hines ward vs. Randy Moss or ryan grant vs. ryan moats this week???

Fizzoid

Nov 8, 2009, 11:55 AM

start mcnabb against dallas or cutler against az???? also how do you feel about hines ward vs. Randy Moss or ryan grant vs. ryan moats this week???
http://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/images/Accrington_Master_08.jpg

Jaffa Cake

Nov 8, 2009, 12:11 PM

If you're going to play Randy Moss, I'd recommend deploying him as a holding midfielder ahead of the back four.

Fizzoid

Nov 8, 2009, 01:03 PM

Hmm, he could be Liverpool's answer to loosing Alonso! I'll give Rafa a call and see what he says

chstr

Nov 8, 2009, 02:15 PM

ok so this is actually a soccer thread?

Jaffa Cake

Nov 8, 2009, 02:29 PM

ok so this is actually a soccer thread?Yes. Yes, it is.

For those who prefer their balls oval and handled by burly men – rather than being round and repeatedly kicked – might I point you in the direction of the MacRumors Fantasy NFL League. (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=745049&highlight=nfl) I'm sure they'll be able to advise you on your selection headaches. :)

If you see any of our lot over there (they'll be easy to spot – they'll be wearing numbers no higher than 11 and shorts rather than tight-fitting pants) be a kindly chap and send them back over here. Ta muchly. ;)

chstr

Nov 8, 2009, 04:29 PM

Yes. Yes, it is.

For those who prefer their balls oval and handled by burly men – rather than being round and repeatedly kicked – might I point you in the direction of the MacRumors Fantasy NFL League. (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=745049&highlight=nfl) I'm sure they'll be able to advise you on your selection headaches. :)

If you see any of our lot over there (they'll be easy to spot – they'll be wearing numbers no higher than 11 and shorts rather than tight-fitting pants) be a kindly chap and send them back over here. Ta muchly. ;)

ok if I see calcio players over in the football thread will send em straight away :p

timsutcliffe

Nov 22, 2009, 06:07 PM

Today would have been a good day to have Defoe as the captain.

I'm struggling with injuries at the moment. I thought A. Cole was injured so he was on my bench, but he ended up playing and keeping a clean sheet. I had Drogba and he was injured, and Van Persie, and he was injured but I replaced him with Rooney, who scored 0 goals.

There's always next week though eh?

Disappointed also not to be picking up any of these prestigious Manager of the Month awards. I don't think November has been a great month for me either.

pjlander

Nov 24, 2009, 09:55 PM

Not a good weekend for the Shrooms. Played their rival in the cup match and is getting destroyed. Dropped major points in the league table as well. The manager will get this turned around quickly. He made to many quick-minded adjustments with Van Persie out and really over-reacted. All is not lost. Plenty of time left.

C-mon you Shrooms!

pjlander

Nov 24, 2009, 09:59 PM

It looks like our managers are suffering mixed fortunes at the moment, with some certainly doing a lot better than others – including October's MacRumors Manager of the Month, none other than The Fightin' Shroom's boss pjlander.

The mould-loving manager has steered his side to second place in the table with an impressive total haul of 244 points for the month.

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However, opponents take note – while his players regard pjlander as being a fun guy to work for, they certainly won't be leaving mushroom for complacency over the upcoming months.

Well done, pjlander.

Holy crap, I just saw this. It's been awhile since I logged in. This is totally cool and thanks for the props! I work with the owner of the Fabulous Royals and he was giving me my props as i was making some good transactions and moves.

Love the graphic and the nod! Thanks!

C'mon you Shrooms!

Jaffa Cake

Nov 25, 2009, 03:13 AM

Today would have been a good day to have Defoe as the captain.As it happens, only one of us - CarlisleUnited - had Defoe in his team, and luckily for the rest of us that wasn't as captain!

As for the MRMotM - if memory serves you've been close the last few months, but on each occasion you've been pipped to the post. There's always next month - unless that month is June, of course. ;)

And as for the shirts, I'm glad that you're all liking them. I actually have one lined up for everyone taking part, so if you want to see yours you know what you need to do - pick a winning team and win that award! :p

Jaffa Cake

Dec 1, 2009, 04:53 PM

Time again to announce the MacRumors Manager of the Month, this time for November. Leading the way with a tally of 201 points is none other than ffmiphone.com's gaffer andrewstephenso.

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This month's award is especially significant as it's the first time it has has gone to a manager who has already been recognised as Manager of the Month previously. Of course, the MRMotM has only been going four months, but anyway. :p

Congratulations, andrewstephenso.

pjlander

Dec 18, 2009, 09:37 AM

It's getting ugly...i think its time to use the wild card and rebuild.

C'mon you Shrooms!

pjlander

Dec 18, 2009, 09:54 AM

It's getting ugly...i think its time to use the wild card and rebuild.

C'mon you Shrooms!

Overhaul complete. The new look Shrooms are ready to rise again.

oscillatewildly

Dec 21, 2009, 09:04 AM

Sabotaged by referee assistants and bad weather, at least the referees were perfect.

timsutcliffe

Dec 26, 2009, 06:00 PM

Terrible news for me, i've slipped in to second place for the time being. It's been coming, i've not been doing very well for a while now.

I took a gamble on Aquilani, hopefully he'll start to do something useful in the coming weeks.

Jaffa Cake

Dec 26, 2009, 06:39 PM

I took a gamble on Aquilani, hopefully he'll start to do something useful in the coming weeks.You are Rafa Benitez, and I claim my bowl of paella.

Jaffa Cake

Jan 10, 2010, 05:08 PM

Time to announce December's MacRumors Manager of the Month – and for the second month running it's a previous recipient who has picked up the honour. With a tally of 364 points for the month, please step forward pivo6 of Brainerd FC.

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Congratulations, pivo6.

This week's fixtures have been severely hit by the wintery weather that has Englandshire in its grip, with our managers struggling to field full starting elevens. We'll be taking a closer look at that over the next day or two...

Jaffa Cake

Jan 12, 2010, 11:37 AM

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Well, as mentioned in my previous post the 'Big Freeze' (as the press have breathlessly dubbed it) has caused havoc with sporting fixtures the length and breadth of Englandshire. In the Premier League only three matches avoided the frosty axe, and needless to say this has had a huge impact on our Manager's fortunes in the first week of the New Year.

But who's suffered the most in the MRFL?

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As we can see, the League's Mr Frosties were swiftaw and Pachyderm, who could only field two players apiece out of their fifteen strong squad, while the League's little rays of sunshine were myself and andrewstephenso who were able to get eight players each out onto the tundra-like turf.

Brr.

swiftaw

Jan 12, 2010, 12:23 PM

Jaffa Cake

Jan 12, 2010, 12:54 PM

Ahh, but one of my two players was Carlos Tevez and he was my captain.Indeed - I haven't got around to making the Jammy Swines Of The Week chart yet. :p

pjlander

Feb 2, 2010, 03:23 PM

Commish

What about a Fantasy Cup graph or table of some sort? - to update how well our MRFL teams are performing in that competition.

Depending on Fulham's performance tomorrow, I might still be in it. I'd be interested in seeing the other teams that still have a shot as well. Hopefully we will have a few teams that can make it pretty far...

I mean, you dont have anything else to do, right? :)

Go Shrooms!

Jaffa Cake

Feb 4, 2010, 03:06 PM

I mean, you dont have anything else to do, right? :)I'll have you know I've been polishing the trophies – they don't get all shiny by themselves, you know.

As it stands, with a potential 33 points available until the Knockout Phase begins every team still has a chance of making the top eight. Don't forget that it doesn't matter who's topping the table at the end of Week 35, it's how you perform from then on that decides who will lift the silverware come the end of the season.

At present, no team is guaranteed a top eight placing in the MR Cup Group Stage – even runaway leaders Brainerd FC can potentially fail to qualify, although it would require a drop in form the like of which has never been seen before. Oh, okay then – it would require a drop in form like Hull City's since Christmas. :o

Over the next few weeks teams will start to qualify however, and I'll let you know when that happens.

pjlander

Feb 4, 2010, 03:21 PM

I'll have you know I've been polishing the trophies – they don't get all shiny by themselves, you know.

As it stands, with a potential 33 points available until the Knockout Phase begins every team still has a chance of making the top eight. Don't forget that it doesn't matter who's topping the table in Week 36, it's how you perform from then on that decides who will lift the silverware come the end of the season.

At present, no team is guaranteed a top eight placing in the MR Cup Group Stage – even runaway leaders Brainerd FC can potentially fail to qualify, although it would require a drop in form the like of which has never been seen before. Oh, okay then – it would require a drop in form like Hull City's since Christmas. :o

Over the next few weeks teams will start to qualify however, and I'll let you know when that happens.

Well, that actually answers a question I had, but didn't ask. I did not know we had a knockout phase in our League Cup. Good to know. That will be exciting.

But my original request was for the "Fantasy Cup" matches that some of us are still playing in. Its different from the MacRumors league and cup. It puts you in a knockout match with a random team in another league and its been ongoing for 5 or 6 weeks now. I was wondering if you had a chart or table that showed us which of our MR teams are still playing in it. Like myself. :)

I mean, I guess I could go to each of the MR team pages and look. But maybe our commish has a table graphic he'd like to post.

Oh, and yes, your Hull team has been dropping like crazy, but they had a good showing on Tuesday!

Jaffa Cake

Feb 4, 2010, 03:30 PM

But my original request was for the "Fantasy Cup" matches that some of us are still playing in. Its different from the MacRumors league and cup. It puts you in a knockout match with a random team in another league and its been ongoing for 5 or 6 weeks now. I was wondering if you had a chart or table that showed us which of our MR teams are still playing in it. Like myself. :)Ah – with you now! I was of course confusing the Premier League's Fantasy Cup with our own vastly superior MR Cup. :p

I might look into doing something, in that case...

Jaffa Cake

Feb 4, 2010, 05:16 PM

Well, I have had a look and it's plain to see why pjlander was so keen for me to take a closer look at the Fantasy Cup – he's the only one of our 14 managers still in it! :D

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As we can see, many of us fell early with only six teams making it beyond the Second Round. And although pjlander's plucky Shrooms have made it further than any of our other mangers can boast, it very nearly wasn't the case – he nearly came a cropper in the Second Round himself after finishing level on points and goals scored with his opponents, and only scraping through by conceding the fewer goals that week. Had that tally been level too it'd have gone to a virtual coin toss!

pjlander

Feb 4, 2010, 05:38 PM

Well, I have had a look and it's plain to see why pjlander was so keen for me to take a closer look at the Fantasy Cup – he's the only one of our 14 managers still in it! :D

:) LOL. I wasn't trying to brag, I really did not know I was the only one left. I figured we had a few still in it with the strong teams that are in our league.

Oh well. No need to follow it then...unless you want to root for your fellow MR team to win it all and bring publicity to our vastly superior league.

Let me hear ya! All together! "C'mon you Shrooms!"

Jaffa Cake

Feb 4, 2010, 05:49 PM

Silly pjlander – everyone knows that the Fantasy Cup is a mere distraction from the far more prestigious MacRumors League Title and the MacRumors Cup. Why, even the MacRumors Manager of the Month award carries more weight than the Fantasy Cup! :p

Which brings me onto, er, the MacRumors Manager of the Month award for January. This month, the gong once again goes to pivo6 whose formidable Brainerd FC amassed more points than any other team during the month with a more than respectable tally of 256 points.

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Congratulations, pivo6 – and unless I'm very much mistaken that's your hat trick of awards which means you get to take home the match ball. :)

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The Adidas Tango – Official Match Ball of the MRFL

pivo6

Feb 4, 2010, 09:46 PM

Hurray for me! The lads have done well, but it's still a long season. They've been training hard and the results on the pitch speak for themselves.

Jaffa Cake

Feb 5, 2010, 03:19 AM

Hurray for me!You are Phil Brown, and I claim my free sunbed session.

pjlander

Feb 5, 2010, 10:33 AM

Although I am no fan of Rooney in real life, fantasy wise, he does look good in his Fightin' Shroom kit.

Jaffa Cake

Feb 5, 2010, 10:48 AM

Heh – splendid work. There certainly wouldn't be mushroom in any shirt Rooney wears. :D

Jaffa Cake

Feb 13, 2010, 02:30 PM

Blimey. I was quietly pleased with myself for taking advantage of the double game week for Manchester City and Stoke City by bringing in Etherington and giving Tevez the armband. Sure enough, ahead of the midweek fixture Etherington has been stretchered off with what appears to be a medial knee ligament injury, while Tevez has been granted compassionate leave to return to Argentina to be with Mrs Tevez who has just given birth. Superb.

The Cores are doing poorly in the League this season, my management is more Rafa than Jaffa. Pah. Best target the Cup.

And speaking of which, a quick update. Or 'cupdate', if you would.

Firstly, as we know pjlander's Fightin' Shrooms were heroically flying the MacRumors flag as the League's sole remaining representatives in the Fantasy Cup. I say were, as immediately after their grand achievment being recognised they were promptly knocked out in Week 25. Honestly, pjlander... :rolleyes: :p

Anyway, onto more important matters – the MacRumors Cup...

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Ladies and gentlemen – we have our first qualifier for the final eight. pivo6's all-conquering Brainerd FC aren't just satisfied with opening up a massive lead in the League itself, they're also the first team to be guaranteed a place in the Knockout Stage – so congratulations to him.

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Don't forget though – the MR Cup operates on a league system until the end of Week 35, after which the top eight are drawn against each other in a knockout cup competition. So – no matter where you currently stand in the Cup – every team is currently in with a chance of winning it. :cool:

pjlander

Feb 17, 2010, 02:47 AM

I knew I would jinx myself. :(

Ok, focusing on the MacRumors Cup now.

I want that hardware, I need that hardware, it's mine.

Jaffa Cake

Mar 14, 2010, 04:27 AM

How remiss of me! We're well into March, and I've neglected to announce the MacRumors Manager of the Month for February. Shame on me. :o

And it's quite an exciting announcement too – as for the first time in ages it isn't pivo6, pjlander or andrewstephenso who have won the award! So step forward Parma Hammers manager mouchoir.

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The Hammers may have had a slow start to the season, but their gaffer has cured their problems and got them bacon track with a string of good performances – including an unsurpassed tally of 273 points for February.

Congatulations mouchoir. :)

Jaffa Cake

Mar 31, 2010, 05:29 PM

Gentlemen, if I may – a MacRumors Cup update...

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The past couple of weeks have seen a flurry of teams join Brainerd FC in qualifying for the Knockout Phase – indeed, of the eight places seven have been filled. This leaves a fight between Kofi's Fabulous Royals, oscillatewildly's Buchaneers and outsiders AFC Average to clinch the coveted final place over the next three weeks. As it stands, their four point lead gives the Royals the edge but it really is still all to play for.

But that's for the upcoming weeks, now is the time to congratulate our latest qualifiers...

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...namely pjlander's plucky Fightin' Shrooms, andrewstephenso's ffmiphone.com outfit, swiftaw's Swiftaw Latics, my own Sporting Dual-Cores, Parma Hammers led by our most recent MotM mouchoir, and last but by no means least Lord Blackadder's Cleveland F.C. Well done one and all.

Don't forget, from Gameweek 36 onwards the top eight will be drawn against each other as the competition enters the Knock Out phase - no matter where you currently are in that top eight you're still in with a chance of reaching the Final in Gameweek 58 and hoisting this much coveted piece of silverware. Naturally, such an auspicious occasion deserves a worthy venue, and suffice to say we've got Wembley booked for that weekend. :cool:

mouchoir

Mar 31, 2010, 05:53 PM

timsutcliffe

Apr 8, 2010, 08:13 AM

I've really let things slip i'm afraid, and I can see i'm now languishing in 10th position.

There's always next season I guess.

Jaffa Cake

Apr 23, 2010, 02:55 PM

Time for an update, and the belated announcement of March's Manager of the Month. This time it's pjlander who once again is worthy of a round or two of applause, as he steered his Fightin' Shrooms to a very respectable tally of 289 points for the month.

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Well done, pjlander. :)

And while we're at it, time for a cupdate. Two pieces of news – firstly, we have our eighth and final qualifier for the knock out phases, and it's none other than the Fabulous Royals.

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Under their manager Kofi the Royals have marched majestically into the last eight, and will no doubt be looking to crown this achievement with a good performance from now on in – although it has to be said their late qualification led some of their more pessimistic supporters to believe they'd throne the opportunity away. Well done, Kofi.

All this means of course that we're now into the knock out phase of the MacRumors Cup, and the draw for the Quarter Finals – to be held in Gameweek 36 – has been made. From now on in it's sudden death, with the winners of each tie going through to next week's Semi Finals. Rest assured that any concerns regarding the state of the Wembley pitch will be sorted out by the time the Final is due to be played in Gameweek 38. :cool:

The full draw is as follows...

Brainerd FC vs Fabulous Royals
Swiftaw Latics vs Parma Hammers
The Fightin' Shrooms vs Cleveland F.C.
ffmiphone.com vs Sporting Dual-Cores

Jaffa Cake

May 5, 2010, 02:16 PM

Everyone's are getting very excited about tonight's matches, what with the Manchester City vs Spurs match essentially deciding who'll get fourth place.

However, Sky and the national press have criminally neglected to give the MacRumors Fantasy Cup the coverage it deserves, opting instead to devote their coverage to an Italian tit in a scarf. Shocking.

As we go into the last couple of matches of the Gameweek, here are how our semi-finalists are doing...

Brainerd FC 55 : 42 Swiftaw Latics
Cleveland F.C. 46 : 71 ffmiphone.com

It's still all to play for. :cool:

Jaffa Cake

May 7, 2010, 04:34 PM

267 Points. That's Brainerd FC's tally for the month of April, more than any other team – and as a result it'll come as no surprise that the behooped colossus' gaffer pivo6 has won himself April's Manager of the Month award.

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With a commanding lead at the top of the League as we enter the final week, it looks unlikely that anyone's going to catch Minnesota's finest – and he has the opportunity to do the double as he's made it into the final of the MacRumors Fantasy Cup, where his boys will take on andrewstephenso's ffmiphone.com in the showpiece match at Wembley.

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That's Wembley as in Vale Farm, by the way – home of Combined Counties League outfit Wembley FC. :cool:

Good luck to our finalists – may the best team win!

oscillatewildly

May 9, 2010, 05:50 PM

Congratulations to Brainerd FC on the title. If the table is final, it looks like Buchaneers have secured mid-table mediocrity; thrashing Cleveland FC by 2 points over the season.:)

Cheers,
OW

Jaffa Cake

May 10, 2010, 06:21 PM

Congratulations to Brainerd FC on the title.Indeed, congratulations to pivo6 and his behooped behemoths!

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Brainerd FC racked up a grand total of 2,312 points to clinch this year's title, 125 clear of their closest rivals. A fine achievement, as I'm sure we can all agree, and no surprise given pivo6's strong showing in the Manager of the Month awards.

For posterity, here's the final table...

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But of course, it's not just the League title we've been battling it out for – the inaugural MacRumors Fantasy Cup was also up for grabs. pivo6 had the opportunity to secure a famous League and Cup double, but his efforts to do so were thwarted by andrewstephenso's ffmiphone.com who clinched the cup in a thrilling 94-78 point victory. There'll be dancing on the streets of Ffmiphone tonight, of that you can be sure. :)

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Congratulations, andrewstephenso.

And indeed, well done and thanks to all the managers who took part in this year's competitions. Enjoy the summer, perfect your pre-season training routines and we'll reconvene in time for the start of the 2010-11 campaign. :cool: