And yet here I am again, with all that lay ahead now resolutely in the past. I feel a detachment from this football season that I haven't felt since 2006/2007, when I last spent a significant chunk of the season away from the UK. Maybe that's why I don't feel this was a classic - a solid, functional Man Utd team set a pace that the brittle contenders could not follow. That's a reference, primarily, I feel to psychological brittleness. It says so much about the professionalism and character of Man Utd (and let's face it, when I say that, I mean their former manager) that they just kept grinding out results even when it became clear that the league title would be theirs and no-one else's. I assume that last season's pain provided sufficient motivation.
Arsenal came out with the North London bragging rights (again), and will be looking to spend their new commercial jackpot to exploit the managerial uncertainty at those above them. For Spurs, this summer's most crucial task will be to keep a hold of their no.11, and only genuine match-winner.
Mid-table has those who had a good half-a-season then coasted a little, and those who it's become rather par for. The incredible bunching, as seen by Norwich's 5 place jump with a final day win shows that none of these teams can afford to stand still less they be dragged down into the relegation mire. I'd argue that was the true drama of this season - a month before the end of the season 7 or 8 teams were theoretically still in danger. Amongst them were the godawful QPR replete with 'Arry's excuses and a Reading team who were entertaining, and if in truth, a team I'm sorry to see go. Wigan's bittersweet conclusion was, I think, the right type of bittersweet.
As for us - well this season saw plenty of new faces, and some excellent performances. I'm planning to write a blog at some point about the year-on-year changes, but as this is long enough, it'll have to wait. The excitement, however, over who has added their name to the cherished Impossibilitee trophy is nearly over.
As a reminder of where we stand, Lawro leads the table by 0.01 from Nick, who is in turn 0.01 ahead of WhoScored.com - it's all very much up for grabs.
For the final time this season, let's get statty:
This week, 20 people played
The most popular predicted results were: Chelsea & Liverpool WINS (20/20)
The most disputed result was: Wigan vs Aston Villa (8-6-6 split)
Highest odds: Josh Daniels 12,724/1
Lowest odds: Me & my copycat father (making a family treble) 240/1
Average odds: 2,373/1
Best predictor: Lawro (7/10)
Worst predictor: Josh Daniels (further proof that the bookies are mainly right) 3/10
Average score: 5/10
Best predicted result: Liverpool WIN (20/20)
Worst predicted results: Norwich & Fulham WINS & WBA vs Man Utd DRAW (0/20)
Everyone's results
As mentioned above, Lawro went into this weekend with a slender lead, and like the champion that he is (bleurgh, threw up in my mouth), top-scored to consolidate his position. Rivals Whoscored.com and Nick Collins just couldn't perform at the end when the pressure was on, and will have all summer to reflect on a great opportunity missed. Nick, and my dad deserve special mention though for being the only ones to beat/come close to the professional models. Sam Ruback also gets the Clubman award for being ever-present. A true professional amateur. Will O'Doherty makes his leaderboard debut for the season at the death with a respectable mid-table score though there is plenty of flak on the Impossibilitee fan blogs and forums for his half-hearted commitment this season. Must try harder in future. Down at the bottom, Josh Daniels and Doron Salomon show why it's not the best idea to consistently have odds over 10,000/1, although that only makes it worse for Tarek Najm & Jonny Chernick who'll have the close-season cancelled and extra practice scheduled to avoid a repeat of this embarassment next year. All 4 of those players scored below last season's worst score - a new PB (or PW?) for the game.
As before (last season), I've also done a best of the rest table for all those who didn't participate enough to qualify for the main leaderboard.
Danny Hakimian can be proud of a spectacular score, though the challenge of course, is to sustain that form over the course of a season. David Dinkin joined us for the run in and did pretty well - he's an early tip for next season's title. Eli Daniels was the most frequent player of the rest with a very respectable 4.93, and I'd like to highlight Ryan Wain (who seems to have folded under the pressure) who has managed to do worse than last season, although, in fairness, over very few games.
So, the congratulations go to Mark Lawrenson, who also drew much praise this week in an article which was deeply flawed in terms of it's scientific methodology. Nevertheless, he's done better than all of us, and as he gets much abuse for it, credit where credit is due. It does mean that both champions work for the BBC, which is an interesting quirk. Let's see whether it's something they put in the water next year...
To the FA Cup game now,
For the final round, only 12 people played. Boooo
The predictions were split 6-6 for Man City and Wigan
The 6 who got it right: Gaj, Feneley, Tarek, Josh Gaon, Josh Daniels and Nick
Here's a graph showing that:
So to the overall leaderboard - Gaj's success combined with mine and Charlie's failings have given him some extra cash, with Charlie finishing 3rd and me empty handed. Double boo.
If Josh, Gaj and Charlie contact me (ccdaniels65@gmail.com), I'll arrange for their winnings to be transferred to them. Congrats all round
All that remains is for me to thank everyone who took part in the second season of the Premier league game, and in the inaugural FA Cup game. Next season, I hope you all return, bring friends with and be a part of the planned expansion!
Check back next week to see year-on-year reports, and congratulations once again to Manchester United, Wigan Athletic, Swansea City, Mark Lawrenson and Josh Gaon. Have a great summer.
*Fade out to stirring montage with emotion-pulling soundtrack*
