WWW.FISHINGMATCH.NET FOOTBALL DREAM TEAM 2009/10

Ok...as requested by a few managers as always...here's the odds for the upcoming football dream team season. Just remember though that it is just a bit of fun......don't take the odds too seriously....anyone can win.....and you need lots of luck as well as some skill to become the champion.....a 50/1 rag could just as easily win as the 5/1 favourite.....but it creates a bit more interest...so I've been told....GOOD LUCK TO ALL MANAGERS !!!!!!

2009/10 PREVIEW

Well what a season it should be!  First of all a very warm welcome to many new managers who have come aboard for the season long ride, in the biggest non transfer competition in Cornwall....possibly the South West?!  

The league is unique in the fact that transfers are not allowed at any time.....making it a tough comp to win due to the fact if you lose players to other countries, or to injury, then you have no choice but to sit it out and pray they will return as soon as possible....or in most cases in the past...smack your head up against a solid brick wall. Plenty of former managers [ including champions] have also returned to stake their claim to the throne.

Only 4 different managers have won in the 7 years of the competition so far, and this year is the biggest it has ever been with a record 43 entries and the biggest prize kitty ever of £1500....with the winner taking home £500...in cash......in June 2010. Everything is run for you...you will receive email updates regularly through the season...as well as plenty of witty and piss taking reports, as teams rise and drop up and down the league. Also note that the top 10 get prize money this season.

See below on how to win the spot prizes...which also adds a bit of interest if your team is not doing so well. If your team has a bad year...no need to get disheartened, we hope to see you back next year for another go.

Which brings me onto the question..... Who will win this years 2009/10 dream team? 

It's a difficult question to even start to unravel. Ok start with your tried and tested managers. Lee Slaughter....he's a revelation in this competition. 3 times a winner...and that's even when he looks soundly beaten off [ 2005/6] he comes from the clouds and wins by the slightest of margins. That's a true champion.

Only Ben Harris from St Austell, Cornwall [ now no longer taking part ] managed to stop Lee's run of success in the comp during the end of the 2006/7 season. Lee had an off year last time, but he apparently took a whole week of work prior to the start of this seasons deadline to study his teams until he was seeing stars. He's that keen to recapture this crown.

Newly crowned dream team champion Ricko Barker is another who has been highly placed in all of the years of the dream team. Last season he peaked at long last....but winning back to back titles with the strength of the field this time around, will take something extraordinary.

Double champ from the early days Joff Walkey, has been in fine form in the 2 previous years after some weak efforts, after his 2 wins finished in 2003/4.

Jess and James Slaughter should go well, while former runners up Derek Slaughter [2006] and Neil Slaughter [ 2007] are respected, despite having struggled to last the pace in the past couple of seasons. Runner up Ian Dunn [ 2003, 2004 ] has not been seen since 2 lacklustre efforts in 2005 and 2006.

Simons Higgins is the only other manager with good form to his name after a great debut season last year, which saw him lead the pack for many weeks. Better things surely await him.

Dennis Mark, Del Ferguson, Leigh Farrar, Scott Walkey and  Ray Barlow are all dream team regulars who have underperformed until now, and so they will be hoping to really test the former champions this season, but know they face a huge challenge from the new managers.

The May family could be the ones to watch from the newbie's. Matt May could be the one to cause the top boys most problems but Roger has plenty of knowledge of football, and he will be in the mix. All the William Hill staff from The St Austell shop are aboard for the new season, and they stand a good chance of making their mark on the contest. Don't dismiss any of them.

Others to consider could be Daley Turner and his girlfriend Georgi, while Chris Robins looks to improve on his 15th place from last season, along with Greg Plummer from King's Lynn, who got bogged down outside of the top 20 last season with the likes of Welsh Dragon Lee Thomas [ that's one guy you never write off ].

There are interesting returns from James Triggs and kick boxing expert Kyle Prophet, who have decided after 3 years, to re-enter the contest. Will be interesting to see if they make an impact after such a long break. Richard West from Plymouth will hope he can improve, while new manager Malcolm Brown will be going mental if his team wins....but like the unknown Stig team, he faces a stiff task ahead.

So I hope that clears that up ........easy to pick the winner isn't it?  Check further down the page for all the history of the comp and click the links to see more details and photos.

HOW TO WIN THE SPOT PRIZES

BEST DEBUT MANAGER = £15   Self explanatory. The highest points scoring manager who is in their first year of the dream team can win this prize. Managers highlighted in bold type in your season booklet on the list of teams and managers clearly states who is valid for this prize.

TEAM CONTAINING WORST PLAYER  = £15   All football players in the dream team game accrue points during the season. At the end of the season, the manager containing the worst scoring points footballer in their team wins the prize. If 2 managers have this player then the prize will be split [ £7.50 / £7.50]. If 3 managers have this player the prize will be split [ £5 / £5 / £5 ] . If more than 3 managers contain this player, then this prize will be void and the £15 will be awarded to the team that finishes 11th overall in the table. PLEASE NOTE: Football players on 0 points at the end of the game don't count for this prize even if they have played. The player must have plus or minus points to count for the prize. [ LAST SEASON: Joff Walkey won the £15 as Dickinson of Stoke finished the game on -2 points and no one else had him in their team or had a worse scoring player ]

TEAM FINISHING IN 21ST POSITION = £15  This is a new random prize given to the team that finishes in 21st place overall. This should keep the mid table managers interested as the season draws to a close if they are too far behind the top positions.

LEADING TEAM AT NEW YEAR = £15  The table released during the weekend of January 2nd and 3rd 2010 will decide who wins this prize. It will include all points scored up to + including 11.59pm on December 31st 2009.  The team leading the table at this stage will win the prize [ WON by Simon Higgins last year who went on to finish 3rd ] . This is the only prize that will be paid out during the season, all others will be paid out at the end, during the 2nd week of June 2010.

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