Week 18: The beginning of a busy prediction week

I'll keep this brief as I know many of you won't have access to your email over Xmas. Back to a decent scoring week (always is when the big 4 win!) and 18 of you score 200+. Well done to our Weekly Winner, Sam "Knocker" Knowles whose 261 pts was a great score, albeit bonus assisted. Hard Luck to Chris Thorpe would have won but for an unexpected Derby goal! Meanwhile, there's no Xmas Number One for Nick Scraggs as he finally loses top spot. It's up to new leader, Matt Foote, to fend everyone off now!

Bonus Team: Derby County, 6 mins v Newcastle. Well, it had to happen I suppose, and 10 canny players scored the maximum 60 extra points for bravely choosing a team which had only scored once away from home prior to this! Wigan were the most popular choice with 71.

XMAS WEEKS: If you are reading this, don't forget the Week 19 is due by Midday on Boxing Day! Still quite a few of you yet to return it, as well as weeks 20/21! Have a good one! Ciro

Week 17: Grand Slam Thank You Mam

Well, I said it would be a tough week and to prove the point I went and got all 10 results wrong! But I wasn't the only one and the dubious honour of this week's lowest score went jointly to Simon Rogers, Amit Chakraborti and Nick Yeung, who all scored minus 69. But before you guys call an emergency board meeting, bear in mind that Peter Beardsley and Mark Lawrenson also had hefty minus weeks! As expected, there has been some movement towards the top of the table. Ian Evans, Matthew Jenns, Mick Delaney and Paul Barnard all move within striking distance, though our leader Nick Scraggs stubbornly refuses to yield that top spot - and has now been there longer than anyone else this season. Well done to Yau Yung, who wins this week's £50 thanks to an excellent score of 193.

Bonus Team: Birmingham, 4 minutes v Reading. 36 extra points to 22 players -A good choice there. Aston Villa were actually the most popular choice with 66

The Predictions Cup: It's back! The first round of the Cup will take place after the Xmas games. The draw will take place LIVE from my living room in January. The postman and the Philipino cleaner from next door will do the honours - Will they draw you a plum tie? At this stage, all I can tell you is that the bottom 8 players in the table (see below) will not be included in the first round draw - so if you're down there (or in the group just above), make sure you get all the Xmas fixtures back to me!

PREV	POS	NAME	WEEK	BONUS	TOTAL	SUPPORTS
513	513	PAUL BAYLY	7	0	669	SWINDON TOWN
515	514	AMANDA ILSLEY	32	0	666	READING
508	515	PETER DOWELL	-28	0	664	MAN UTD
516	516	JAMIE SAVAGE	0	0	619	MOTHERWELL
517	517	JAMES DONALDSON	-31	0	553	FULCHESTER UTD
521	518	SIMON AGER	78	0	550	LIVERPOOL
518	519	DANIEL RAWLINGS	0	0	545	ARSENAL
519	520	JAMES STILL	0	0	508	EVERTON
520	521	ANDREW THOMSON	0	0	473	LIVERPOOL
523	522	CRAIG ASHALL	22	0	424	LEEDS
522	523	DANIEL LANDE	0	0	411	MAN UTD
524	524	JAMES FISCHELIS	0	0	385	ARSENAL
525	525	CHANCELLE BLOE	0	0	290	MAN UTD
526	526	JULIE ARNOTT	0	0	234	RANGERS
527	527	TOMAS HUMPHREYS	0	0	209	BOURNEMOUTH
528	528	KEN RAYNER	0	0	90	PORTSMOUTH

Week 16: Unbeaten records broken - and so is Ciro's leg

Well, 2 shock results the last 2 unbeaten records are gone, so it's no surprise that this was a particularly low scoring week. For the record 5 of you had Reading to beat Liverpool, and only 4 had Boro to beat Arsenal. With only 15 players managing 100+, there isn't much change at the top, although Matt Phillips' score of 108 was good enough to move him into the top 10. The best score was 143 pts from Louis Goodey. £50 and Well done to you mate. And hard luck to Paul Savage who lost out by a single point.

Bonus Team: Bolton, 3 minutes v Wigan. This is the 2nd time in 3 weeks that Bolton have scored first. Last time no-one had them, this time 8 people got wise and scored 24 bonus pts each. It's also the 2nd week running that Wigan have conceded the fastest goal - could it be 3 times next week? Most popular choice? You've guessed it - Man Utd - 129 of you had them v Derby!

I've been Outdone: Well, I asked if any of you had pix you wanted to put up here and was inundated...with one. Player 48 (aka Crabbers - who every Sunderland fan will know from his legendary match commentaries for Metro FM) is pictured below with one of the greatest players of all time, taken at the Erectile Dsfunctional Conference 2006 in Gateshead (did you want that included Crabbers?)

Apparently Ciro broke his leg yesterday - but he still sent me the files on time. That's dedication! - David R

Week 15: Ciro and Crouchy get cuddly

Not much change at the top of the table, though just about every one of his pursuers have taken a bite out of Nick's lead. Best of those is Matt Crole-Rees, whose 233 pts lift him into the top 10. 14 people managed 200+ this week - the best of those was Robin Bullock, whose 271 pts was not bonus assisted - so a very well deserved £50 to you Sir. Then again, but for him, 9 year old Matthew Taylor would have won. Apparently he'll be really upset...It's his dream to win a week - he'll go to bed tonight without eating - a few tears no doubt - I hope you're happy!

Bonus Team: Man City, 56 seconds v Wigan. Not much doubt this week and I have to take my hat off to a lot of you this week. City were the most popular choice this week and 73 of you got the 52 bonus pts available (Man Utd were next popular with 48). I think those of you who got these pts owe a debt of thanks to the unfortunate Titus Bramble. If you would like to thank him in person, you can drop him an email at titusbramble@howthef*ckdidieverbecomeapremiershipfootballer.com

No, I wasn't standing on a box: As you can see, I met Crouchy last week and I have to say that, whoever you support, you will never meet a nicer footballer (apart from the ex-pros who play this game of course!) I really hope he gets a regular game soon. If any of you have got some football related pix, feel free to send them to me - this is your blog after all! atb, Ciro