Heady European nights may be at the forefront of some our teams' minds but as John Terry said, it's the Premiership that counts.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea got their Champions League preparations off to a great start this weekend picking up full points away from home. Arsenal's 4-0 win away at Fulham gets them set for round two with Madrid, whilst Jose Mourinho seems to be taking centre stage on the back pages and not for his team's 2-1 win away at West Brom either. Was it that Jose is suffering a touch of the Barcelona blues as he had a touchline 'spat' with Brian Robson?
Liverpool's goal drought continued at the weekend with a 0-0 home draw against Charlton. Since putting three past a woeful Everton side on 28th December Benitez's boys have been on starvation rations when it comes to finding the net, therefore banging in a bucket load against Benfica looks about as likely right now as Brookside reappearing on our screens!
The race for fourth is getting increasingly frenetic, after Spurs and Blackburn battled it out in a five goal thriller at Whiteheart Lane, with Spurs taking all three points to maintain the momentum for a top four finish and a Champions League spot. However, Bolton and West Ham dropped points on the leading pack after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle and playing out a 2-2 draw at Everton respectively. Man City kept the pressure up after a 2-1 win over Sunderland, resulting in the sacking of Mick McCarthy.
In terms of the Pilkington Fantasy Football, there have been some fine individual performances in February but it's Mourinho's boys that are topping the February tables. Despite picking up a recent injury, which saw him miss this weekend's game, Frank Lampard has become the highest point-scoring player. He scored 154 points, followed by teammates, John Terry and Petr Cech, both rattling up 136 points. And despite being dropped from the Carling Cup final last weekend, Ruud van Nistelrooy came in with 127 points. Not surprisingly the cool Portuguese, Jose Mourinho, was this month's hottest manager.
Sunderland players continue their dubious record of being the worst players in the Premiership. This month, Stephen Caldwell vies for the top spot with minus 26, a spot he shares with his now ex manager, Mick McCarthy. Middlesbrough's Bradley Jones could only scrape minus 16, with teammate, Malcolm Christie, levelling at 0. And Sebastian Larsson brings up fourth with minus 2.
In terms of trends, it's quite interesting to see which players are being hired and fired from fantasy football teams across the land. Liverpool goalkeeper, Jose Reina, back from a kung fu hi-jinks ban, is back in favour. Spur's Ahmed Hossam Mido is also a popular choice along with Kevin Nolan, whose recent run of good form has resulted in some great goals for Bolton.
Those in the 'dumped' camp include Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen and two of Chelsea's finest, William Gallas and top scoring Frank Lampard.
With games coming thick and fast in March it means there's a new manager of the month to play for. Premier Allstars is still top dog overall but can still be caught and there's the prize for the manager who accumulates the most points until the end of the season. Also don't forget the Manager of the Season prize is open to non-Pilkington employees only!
Totally free, it’s an exclusive competition for those in the glass and glazing industry. Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball and pick a dream team and work out which players from the Premiership will fire you to glory. Take part in the overall event but have some mischief by beating the teams of your friends and colleagues in the mini leagues.
Playing
the game couldn't be easier. With a £100 million burning a hole in
your pocket, choose from the good and the bad of the Premiership. With the
stars of the Premiership to choose from, pick the right formation, get the
most points on the board and you will be heading off for a luxury break
as a manager of the month to a Marriott Hotel*.The manager who accumulates the most points over the course of the season will win a trip for two to any sporting event of their choice**, whether it's a massive football game, cricket series, golfing tournament, Wimbledon or crucial rugby match. The winner will be treated to a corporate hospitality package courtesy of Pilkington, enabling them to enjoy the occasion in style.
The road to Premiership will be fraught with triumphs and pitfalls. Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball and prove your managerial worth. Alternatively telephone the Pilkington fantasy football hotline on 01744 692000 for more details.
* Hotel vouchers are available for any Marriott Hotel in the UK or Ireland. Prize does not include cost of travel to reach hotel destination.
** The sporting event has to take place in the UK or Ireland in the calendar year 2006 and will be to a maximum value of £2,000 for two corporate hospitality packages. Tickets are on a best available basis. Includes travel and entry to the event and 1 night’s accommodation overnight for two if required.
Setting Sights On Europe
It may be Valentines but Chelsea won’t be reflecting on their visit to Middlesbrough with much cheer in their hearts. Will their thrashing from the previously inept Teesiders create a wobble, or will they simply regroup and continue to dominate all before them?
It’s still very much to play for as the manager of Crispy Deamons, Chris Jones, will testify. Unlike Sol Campbell, Chris stood firm in the face of fierce opposition and pipped the competition to take January’s Manager of the Month accolade.
With Chelsea’s lead stripped to a mere 12 points, the real battle lies for the European qualifying places. The race for fourth spot promises to be an intriguing one with Spurs and Arsenal currently vying for the final elusive Champions League place, not to mention West Ham sneaking up on the side. The race for the UEFA cup positions promises to be just as frenetic with a possible eight teams in contention to qualify. The season’s finale promises to be an exciting one.
How does that relate to the serious business of the Pilkington fantasy football? Alan Pardew has done a magnificent job with West Ham and four of their players are in the top ten of current form players. Nigel Reo-Corker, Anton Ferdinand, Paul Konchesky and Matthew Etherington are all stacking up the points. But the current top two performers are Manchester United’s show pony, Cristiano Ronaldo and Everton stalwart, David Weir. Both have racked up 28 points each in February, although it has to be said, with completely contrasting styles. Ruud van Nistelrooy and teenage Aston Villa hotshot, Luke Moore, have both scored 25 points follow closely behind.
The Premiership bad boy list is headed by Andy Griffin of Portsmouth, he has accumulated -15 points. Liverpool shot-stopper Jose Manuel Reina follows with -11, clearly paying with a red card and minus points for his fiercesome right hook that felled Arjen Robben so theatrically. The top three wouldn’t be complete without a Sunderland player and this time the dubious honour is bestowed upon Stephen Wright who is on -9.
Don’t forget the transfer window has now shut with some interesting ‘coming and goings’. ‘God’ is back at Liverpool in the form of Robbie Fowler, Man United have bought two new defenders to shore up a leaky defence. Exciting Brazilian striker, D’Alessandro arrives at Portsmouth to add some much needed firepower, Danny Murphy went to Spurs, 18 months after turning them down and Wayne Bridge made the switch across the Kings Road to Fulham.
Weekend Winners (And Losers)
The weekend threw up some surprises. Would you believe Chelsea dropped points to leave the gap between them and second, just a mere 14 points. Perhaps even more shocking was that Sunderland won a game.
More revelations on Merseyside with Everton continuing their revival with a fine victory over Arsenal and beleaguered Birmingham enjoyed a 5-goal romp over equally desperate Pompey. Middlesbrough’s decline continues and Gary Neville seemed quite pleased with Man United’s last-ditch winner to halt Liverpool’s recent resurgence.
Despite Arsenal’s defeat at the weekend, Thierry Henry has amassed the most points over the last 30 days, scoring 33 points in just five games, while his goalkeeping team mate, Jens Lehmann, is just behind with 32. Chelsea hot shot, Hernan Crespo and Brad Friedel of Blackburn have both recorded an impressive haul of 28 points. These are the current in form players.
On the flip side, Bradley Jones managed to score -16 points in just two appearances for Middlesbrough, which could be some sort of record. Ben Thatcher of Man City has done marginally “better” with -10 and bringing up the rear in the rogues gallery is Japanese superstar, Nakata of Bolton, Andy Griffin of Portsmouth and Stephen Caldwell of Sunderland. All three have succeeded in recording -7 points each.
While the Premiership takes a breather this coming weekend for some more FA Cup fun, four matches are due to be played on the 31st January so it’s not quite done and dusted for January’s manager of the month. Leading the chase however, are 11 Pot Luck Losers and FireFireFireFireFireFire.
Don’t forget to check on all the wheeling and dealing in the January transfer window and the African Nations Cup is currently taking place, so players may be missing. Also monthly prizes are still up for grabs and there is the special prize for the manager who accumulates the most points from now until the end of the season. Anybody can be winner!
Flying Start to New Year!
The FA Cup may have thrown up a few upsets, and the fans of Fulham, Man United and Spurs have had weekends they would rather forget, but the Premiership resumes this coming weekend after a frenetic period of games in the holiday season.
With the New Year and half of the season to go, Pilkington is offering a special prize for the manager who accumulates the most points between January 14th and the end of the season on May 7th. This is open to all current players and new ones. The top dog with the most points will be a rewarded with a relaxing trip for two to a super smart Marriott Hotel.
Taking advantage of such a great prize, is the manager of December's winning team, Mr Paul Hardy, an engineer from Pilkington's Cowley Hill factory in St Helens. His team, Premier Allstars, had a cracking December, aided and abetted by Liverpool's fine form and Chelsea's all-conquering stars.
Paul has built a team around a solid defence and regularly checks the 'in-form' player facility on the Pilkington fantasy football website. He's kept a steady team after an initial flurry of transfer activity and remained loyal to players who just keep on scoring him points. He's also strongly positioned overall as well...he's first. John Terry and Frank Lampard of Chelsea are by far the best point accumulators having scored 121 and 127 points respectively. Ruud van Nistelrooy is the deadliest striker with 97 points and Peter Cech currently has the safest hands in soccer. He has 114 points and has kept an impressive 14 clean sheets.
Players to avoid? Well it's those who ply their trade for Sunderland of course. Kelvin Davis, Nyron Nosworthy and Martin Woods are all in the minus, whereas if you've got their manager, Mick McCarthy, at the helm of your team, the chances are you won't be celebrating success at the end of the season.
This coming weekend brings some intriguing ties, the Manchester derby, the Lancashire derby of Bolton/Blackburn, Liverpool entertain Tottenham and how many will Chelsea smash past Sunderland? It's all to play for especially with the introduction of a new prize.
Season’s Greetings!
As Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho reignite their spat, the battle to take December’s manager of the month crown is just as intense.
As we approach a frantic festive fixture period, just eight points separate the leading five teams with Donson’s Devils leading the way with 216. However with most Premiership teams facing three games in five days it could all change by the time the nation collectively nurses a giant hangover on New Years Day.
The weekend’s results didn’t throw up too many surprises as Chelsea continue to steam roll the Premiership and Manchester United just about hanging onto their coat tails. Liverpool will be back from their intercontinental travels and hope to continue their impressive form, but is all over for Arsenal before Christmas? At the other end of the table Sunderland and Birmingham look in perilous form but can Harry Redknapp bring a golden touch and save Pompey from relegation?
The best of the Premiership is still dominated by Chelsea. John Terry combines mean defensive displays with a head for scoring and has already accrued a massive 100 points for the season. Terry’s midfield team mate, Frank Lampard has hauled a fantastic 109 points and the self-proclaimed ‘special one’ himself, Jose Mourinho, is the Premiership’s premier manager with 75 points. Jose Manuel Reina of Liverpool is the Premiership’s most miserly goal custodian, whereas the boy wonder himself, Wayne Rooney is the deadliest striker with 80 points.
On the flip side if you want to win anything, stay away from Sunderland’s Kelvin Delvis, Nyron Nosworthy and manager Mick McCarthy. All of whom, currently have minus points.
With some more exciting prizes up for grabs in the New Year it is worth submitting a team at any stage of the season because anybody can be a winner. It offers a chance to win a prize on a monthly basis, so it doesn’t really matter when you join in. Totally free, it’s an exclusive competition for those in the glass and glazing industry. Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball and pick a dream team and work out which players from the Premiership will fire you to glory. Take part in the overall event but have some mischief by beating the teams of your friends and colleagues in the mini leagues.
New Player Wins November's Manager of the Month!
Would you believe it? The manager of the month award for November goes to someone who has only been playing for a month.
Being new to the competition clearly has its advantages. As the season takes shape and players find a rhythm, the manager of the month has built a new team and has second-guessed which players will score him points in certain games.
Alan CS Red and White Army maybe new to the game but has managed to rack 176 points in his first month. Taking full advantage of Liverpool's return to form, the manager has packed a team stacked with players from the red half of Merseyside.
The Reds haven't conceded a goal in November so it is hardly surprising that a team consisting of Jose Manual Reina, John Arne Riise, Jamie Carragher and Sami Hypia should set the month alight. Bolstered by Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Boudwjn Zenden in he middle and the Tottenham twosome, Mido and Defoe up front, the more defence-minded 5-3-2 formation has certainly paid dividends for Alan CS Red and White Army.
Overall, We're Not From London You are taking control and are sitting on a mighty haul of 654 points. Barca 99 is second with 627 points followed by Premier Allstars on 626.
The pattern for this month shows that it is worth submitting a team at any stage of the season because anybody can be a winner. It offers a chance to win a prize on a monthly basis, so it doesn't really matter when you join in. Totally free, it's an exclusive competition for those in the glass and glazing industry. Go to http://www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball and pick a dream team and work out which players from the Premiership will fire you to glory. Take part in the overall event but have some mischief by beating the teams of your friends and colleagues in the mini leagues.
October's Manager of The Month Revealed
October was a very close contest but emerging victorious was Darenth Reds, managed by Pilkington employee, Aidan Cox. Darenth Reds scored a mightily impressive 185 points in October, narrowly pipping 11 Pot Luck Losers and The Wednesday to the top spot.
The secret behind Aidan's winning formula was simple really. Pack the team with Chelsea players. With John Terry and Asier Del Horno rocks at the back and Frank Lampard continuing his phenomenal scoring record from midfield, Aidan's cause has been helped by solid performances from Steve Finnan of Liverpool, Damien Francis of Wigan and Charles N'Zogbia of Newcastle. Not something that was expected at the start of the season. Cisse of Liverpool and Ayegbeni of Middlesbrough have capped a fine month for Aidan with the goals up front.
November promises to throw up more surprises now that Chelsea have lost their air of invincibility, Wigan astounding everyone with their assault on the Premiership title and Arsenal and Newcastle seemingly back to winning ways. Can Manchester United and Liverpool capitalise on excellent wins? Can Everton sustain their mini-revival? Is Charlton in free fall? Will Steve Bruce be the first for the sack and will Sunderland ever escape bottom spot?
Points to ponder as you ponder those points.
One of the key things about this game is that it offers the chance to win a prize on a monthly basis, so it doesn't really matter when you join in. Totally free, it's an exclusive competition for those in the glass and glazing industry. Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball and pick a dream team and work out which players from the Premiership will fire you to glory. Take part in the overall event but have some mischief by beating the teams of your friends and colleagues in the mini leagues.
September’s
Manager Of The Month Revealed!
With temperatures dropping but the football season warming up nicely,
we can reveal the first manager of the month for the Pilkington Fantasy
Football competition.
Remarkably, it’s a tie and we have two winners! Paul Bourke from
Pallot Windows in Jersey and Nita Hogg who works for Pilkington. Both
performed impressively and have won a weekend at a Marriott Hotel for
displaying such tactical tenacity.
The battle to be the Pilkington Fantasy Football Manager of the Month
for September has been fierce. The accolades go to Mr Paul Bourke with
the self-depreciating, Pallot’s Plonkers, and Mrs Nita Hogg, with
the Hogsters. Both used their managerial and football acumen to accrue
a mighty 163 points. Hearty congratulations to Paul and Nita and enjoy
the break away.
So what’s the secret of their success? How did they manage such an
impressive haul of points? Some shrewd dealings in the transfer market
and a healthy smattering of Chelsea players were crucial. So was Charlton’s
excellent early season form as both have Alan Curbishley at the helm of
their teams.
It’s still all to play for and it’s never too late to enter
a team. October’s manager of the month is now up for grabs. Simply
score more points than your rivals in October and the glory is yours.
Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball
to register a team and play.
Still
Time To Enter The Pilkington Fantasy Football
The
football season is now in full swing and already it is shaping up quite
nicely. Who would have thought Charlton and Manchester City would be vying
with Chelsea for that top spot?
More importantly the real action starts now. The first manager of the
month will be awarded for September so there is still time to enter a
team to put yourself in the frame to win a great prize.
Currently riding high is team ‘Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire’,
which has amassed a colossal 224 points and is just edging out ‘Farcam
Hall’, which has 220. And it’ll come as no surprise to find
that Chelsea’s millionaires are topping the points charts. But can
you afford them?
However, you could still pip them to the post for September’s manager
of the month by entering a team of your own.
Totally
free to play, the game is an exclusive and fun competition for those who
work in the glass and glazing industry. Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball
to enter and play.
There are two elements to the game to maximise the enjoyment. You can
compete for individual glory in the main competition. There are monthly
prizes to play for and a fantastic overall Manager of the Season prize.
Then there’s the serious part. Set up your own mini league and challenge
your colleagues, customers and suppliers to a game. Invite them into your
league and ask them to submit a team. It should stir things up at work.
Simply pick a dream Premiership XI and manager from a budget of £100million,
based on the cash values given. It sounds a lot but it will soon go. The
scoring system is based on actual Premiership games and is straightforward,
rewarding the things you would expect – like goals, clean sheets
and good performances. Beware though because it punishes leaky defences,
bookings and red cards.
The triumphant manager who has accumulated the most points over the course
of the season will win a trip for two to any sporting event of their choice*,
whether it’s a massive football game, cricket series, golfing tournament,
Wimbledon or crucial rugby match. The winner will be treated to a corporate
hospitality package courtesy of Pilkington, enabling them to enjoy the
occasion in style.
There are also monthly prizes on offer so there is something to aim for
throughout the course of the season. The successful contestant who has
been canny enough to amass the most points during a month will win Marriott
Hotel vouchers to the value of £300**. Relax in luxury with a trip
to the country, head to the city for an action-packed weekend, or maybe
treat your partner to a London theatre break.
Every week we will be keeping you updated with the winners and losers
from the weekend’s action. It is a great opportunity to pit your
tactical wits against colleagues in the industry. Go to www.pilkington.com/fantasyfootball
for full details. Register to play, make your team selection then look
forward to claiming bragging rights.
* The sporting event has to take place in the UK or Ireland in the calendar
year 2006 and will be to a maximum value of £2,000 for two corporate
hospitality packages. Tickets are on a best available basis. Includes
travel and entry to the event and 1 night’s accommodation overnight
for two if required.
** Hotel vouchers are available for any Marriott Hotel in the UK or Ireland.
Prize does not include cost of travel to reach hotel destination.