Mick Gabony Tribute

After the events of yesterday, it seemed like a good time for me to write this. For a long time we have been meaning to pay a tribute to an old friend and colleague Mick Gabony. Mick died a year ago and although never an N&R FL manager, he always paid an interest mainly because his love of football and sport in general showed no bounds.

When I began work at Leslie & Godwin in the 80’s, Mick was there and in my early months of my insurance career Mick took me under his wing, I remember once him running through one of the larger casualty accounts at that time, BICC, and explaining how all the layers worked and what the different slips meant. He then let me loose in the market, asking me to meet him later in a pub to get my next lesson in the business!

Mick was one of his generation’s best liability brokers, his knowledge of the markets, their boundaries, characteristics, products and appetite’s was incredible. He also knew and was respected by every other broker in his class. To be held in such esteem by your peer group means as much now as it did then.

In our minds, Mick was one of the real characters of the London market, stories were in abundance of hilarious ‘Gabbo’ moments. I would like to recollect a few here.

I worked with Mick when you could smoke in the office, and if you ever worked with him, you’d remember that a ‘clear desk policy’ was not very near the top of his agenda. Mick was rarely without a lit Marlboro and usually his insurance company branded ashtrays (they were the days) were hidden under a pile of slips, files, and NTU’s. But the wooden desk provided a stop gap and Mick would rest his cigarette on the desk. One afternoon Mick was away from his seat and I sat in the next bank of desks directly opposite him on the phone. Something started to waft over my way and sure enough Gabbo’s desk was on fire. We couldn’t find a fire extinguisher anywhere.

On another afternoon Mick returned to the office from ‘the market’ slightly worse for wear, which was actually quite rare for him because he knew his limitations. However he was sat in that same seat, at least for a few minutes until he leant back and fell off his chair. Me, again sat opposite him in absolute stitches as I watched his feet waggle in the air. Ann Foss, who some of you might remember was a school teacher-ish Professional Indemnity expert who was well into her 60’s rushed to his help and tried picking him up. It was a comedy work moment I will never forget.

Finally I remember Aon having a party to celebrate something or other up on the executive floor, it had recently been refurbished at I am sure great expense. Mick was up there with his red wine, a drink he would always defer to after he couldn’t possibly swallow any more Guinness. He had this terrible habit of holding his glass at a 90 degree angle, maybe one shoulder was lower than the other I never knew, but a few of us kept telling him to watch it as red wine swilled around the top of his glass. The warnings were to no avail as he left a nice trail of scarlet merlot following his every move.

The next day we all got a collective bollocking as we were told the new luxurious carpet had to be replaced. The CEO was not impressed but Mick wasn’t pinpointed as the source, but we made him buy all the beers that day down in The Elephant on Fenchurch St. The Jumbo, Mick’s 2nd home.

I actually went to his house once, invited to his 50th birthday party thrown by his lovely wife Karen, a local councillor. We were all sat around with Mick on his birthday sat in 'his chair,' with the remote, and his son sat next to him. Mick had four kids if I remember correctly, and his son, Chris was looking up at his Dad with his coca-cola in his hand. Mick knew the sketch and poured a little beer into another glass and gave it to Chris to sip on, but would quickly grab it back at any sign of Karen.

Mick was a huge Chelsea fan, way before they were any good and a stanch Surrey cricket follower. He also was rarely without a Sporting Life in his slipcase and was a fervent but tactical speculator on the horses. He was simply a wonderful man, husband and Dad, but also a brilliant bloke to work with, to drink with and spend some time with. A wiz at quiz nights, what he didn’t know about sport, politics, and current affairs you could write on post-it, that’s if you could find one on his desk.

Keith and I would like to tribute the last season’s N&R FL to Mick Gabony. Missed by many friends. RIP Gabbo.

End of season drinks - save the date

I am 99% certain I will be in London on the night of Tuesday 4th of August (put it this way I have booked my flights) and that will be the night we will be having the end of season disco, barn dance and prize giving. Ready and I will be doing the dose-doh, and drinking copious amounts of the Lamb's finest Fosters.

I hope as many of you as possible will join us for an after work pint or three. We will be in or outside of the Lamb from 5pm. Any questions then email either Ready or I.

Michael Jackson RIP

His maker will decide on what he did or did not do, but Michael Jackson should be remembered as he was in this photo. Whatever happened to that beautiful boy with a voice of an angel?

Times Obituary.

Farrah Fawcett RIP

Overshadowed by the death of Michael Jackson yesterday actress and incandescent beauty Farrah Fawcett, 62, died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California after a long battle with cancer.
Chicago Sun Times obituary.

Thanks

It’s that’s time of year when Keith and I want to thank you all for taking part. If you won some dosh, then congratulations, if you didn’t then you only have yourselves to blame! Seriously the N&R FL would have long been consigned to the dustbin marked ‘things that we used to do but got bored with,’ if it wasn’t for you guys. We take great pleasure in the fact that we have some of you taking part in this since the late 90’s and also that each year we get interest from new players. One of whom this season swept up winning the first ever N&R double. Well done Neil.

At one time in the history of the N&R FL, both Ready and I lived abroad, Keith is now back (mostly) in London but we have found this a great way to stay connected with old mates and also to meet new people in the market. I am not bullshitting when I say that every time I receive an email or a text from an N&R FL manager, it makes all this worthwhile.

Thanks also to those that take part from the US, I know you all think this is American Football, which probably explains a lot, but again it means a lot to me that you continue to take part alongside all of us Brits with bad teeth.

And finally huge thanks to Mark Simmons for providing the weekly scores and storing all the information that keeps the N&R FL nicely ticking over. Mark lost his laptop in Poland a few weeks ago and we didn’t miss a beat.

Thanks again and I hope to see as many of you as possible on August 4th at the end of season drinks.

Nobby & Ready xx

Bermuda Triangle

Just back from a short break in Santa Fe in New Mexico in what my other half called a 'Baby Moon,' yep that means she's in the club and I am to be a Dad again, if you had not heard. We are due in October and yes, I am very tired, showing nicely, eating everything put in front of me and got a real craving for very good red wine!

Santa Fe was very nice, lots of history with a laid back gait. We ate in some excellent restaurants and had a nice break together for probably the last time in a decade or so. Gulp. We stopped off on the way back in Atlanta - sorry James, I would of - but we were too busy shopping for cots, strollers, nappies, bottles and clothes as you can buy bugger all in Bermuda.

Bermuda is good, we've had a lot of rain recently, as the island naturally catches up from a water shortage after it being dry for over a month. Paul Long, a N&R FL manager from Chicago was in for the weekend recently and that was fun, plus my parents were here for 3 (THREE) weeks before that. I am pleased to say that I avoided killing them. And my son comes here for a fortnight at the end of July, which I am very excited about. He lives with his Mum in Kent, for those that didn't know.

Work has been manic, but it dramatically slows after July 1st. The market ain't what it was supposed to be but after almost a year in the job, we are doing pretty well and I can only be pleased.

It is amazing how much more time we have on our hands now, our life in Chicago was pretty full on and I used to travel like a bastard. In fact last week at the airport, I'd completely forgot what to do and walked through security with my belt on, and loose change, wallet, keys and Blackberry in my pocket! I have become the bloke I used to hate!

I do and don't miss the travelling but believe me one needs to get off this lilliputian island often as it can strangle you. I suspect I will be away a few more times before the baby comes, including a trip back home to London.

I trust you are enjoying the half decent London weather, and you lot up there in Chi Town - has it stopped being cold yet?

Take care all, happy summer.

Gooner do win league

Breaking News 8888888 Grand Final Results
As expected Neil’s Gooner win league became the 13th N&R FL Champion securing top spot after a suitably MoW performance in week 42. 30 points for Neil meant that he won the title by a margin of 42 points from runner up Pete’s Bollocks to insurance. Neil truly deserved the title after never leaving the top 10, and first hitting top spot in week 8. As for Peter after a so-so start, once the N&R Group Stages got underway Pete was always in contention, leading the table most recently at week 36. This was Godders best finish since the 2001/02 season when he also came 2nd.

5 points behind in 3rd was Glasgow Kiss which ended a superb season for Kirsty after finishing 44th last season. Next was Loads of Roubles and John McGowan coming 4th and proving that the Aon Re man is one of the all time most consistent N&R performers after his 3rd place in 2008 and 7th in 2007.

In 6th was Boys on Tour. Greg dropped out of contention about the same time as swine flu hit his home town of Mexico City, but after last season’s 7th finish, this was another excellent season for Greg.

Soozie is also becoming one of the best ever N&R FL managers. Winner in 2006, Soozie’s Succulent Sizzlers finished 6th just overtaking Al’s Towels on the bench in the final week. 7th for Al was easily his best ever season (he collected the wooden spoon last year) – well done Oakers.

Another previous N&R FL champion Barry Plummer won himself an extra tenner in the final week with a 28-point score. 2Infinity & beyond jumped two places to 8th (Barry was 4th last season) relegating Tim & Frank’s Hot Pink Center to 9th and Steve’s Guinness & Black to 10th.

For all three American’s it was a proud moment. Both teams finishing in the Top 10. Tim & Frank are certainly not used to this exposure and they were N&R Cup runners up as well. Meanwhile Steve has threatened this kind of season in patches, well done to all three.

Missing out on the prize money in 11th was Rob Munden’s Elland (Glad) Back – see you in Division 3 in August mate. Torres Rosso and Aaron just didn’t have enough to break the top 10 like they did last season (5th), although 12th placed Mark did. Bent it like Bentley was 7th just 7 weeks ago but ended up in 13th.

In 14th was father and son team of Brighton Blues. Paul and Christian had their best ever season. Shay Reddy was always in contention without setting the world alight but improved on last year as The Pohutakawas finished 15th ahead of Chris Wright's Student Ninjas. Chris will disappointed after a top 6 place last time.

16th was a wonderful virgin season for Sarah. I first met her last summer at the end of season drinks and she proved to be an attractive and very able fantasy expert, Sheron's ready to fac are one to watch next season we’d say. We often put sis Soozie’s success down to big brother Jason, but it was proved wide of the mark as Jason’s Gunners Bandits finished 12 places behind his little sister. It might have been different if he’d not suffered a big dip in form after week 35.

In Tatters 30th last season finished 19th this time around. Nobby showed some of his best fantasy form in many a year, I even made all of my transfers, but my Nobby's Bermuda Shorts came up (way) short of my top 10 target by 10 places. And finally Preston nut Martin suffered another play off defeat and Preston Pie Munchers finished in last place of the Grand Final table. It is interesting to note that neither Nobby nor Martin would have finished in the top 3 of the Plate.

Razor sharp

Breaking News 8888888 Losers Plate Final Results
What a wonderful last week for Razor’s Gerrardinho who collected 23 points in the final week and surged to the Losers Plate title winning by 4 points over Danny’s Arsene Knows. Danny scored 10 in week 42, but last week’s joint leader and top dog for 7 weeks Sizzling Saveloy’s Bangers collapsed dramatically after just 4 points and finished 3rd.

Last season’s champion Pk and his Tallywacker’s Bukkake Marathon stayed 4th as 11 points wasn’t enough to break into the top 3. Panzo finished 5th in one of his best ever finishes whilst in 6th came Ready’s Hannoi Utd, a disappointment I am sure. Bingo FC in his first N&R experience was 7th.

Making a final run into the top 10 after the final week was Dangleberry Rovers as Ben scored 16. Leigh’s Shinawatras Dream finished a credible 9th and we hope Leigh has another crack next season. Alex’s Lovejoy was 10th, another manager who couldn’t put any real form together.

Outside of the top 10 came the Ace boys Tom and Wayne and their Dynamo Kebab joint venture. In 12th finished Mark Wenman’s Team GB, a disappointing season for Mark but a final push did see him climb 8 places in the final month.

13th was unlucky for Pure Irish. Hilary never really got out of the blocks unfortunately. Below Hilary was Ian’s Who are you calling Big Nose? Another poor return for the fantasy old timer. Team Chong improved on previous showings by finishing 36th overall – yes that is an improvement!

Rutts’ Goonersmoan will be disappointed with his midtable finish in the Losers Plate, Mono’s Cunning Plan ended up in 17th, an overall improvement of 1 place from last season, previous champion Ginger Rabbit was another who struggled to make a real impact this season. This year’s incarnation Ginger Rapids came 18th.

In 19th was Mark Simmons whose World Champions was entirely made up of Man Utd players. Mark’s clever tactics won him some good spot awards but he was sorely frustrated to finish below Brian Rutter’s team because that consisted solely of Arsenal players!

Lower down the table was Francey, however without the help of caretaker manager Ben, a worse finish would surely had happened. Unfortunately Keep the faith could not continue the inspired early form when Ian put Ben in the hot seat, but we hope that Ben returns with his own team next season and leaves Francey to struggle on his own. Last three seasons: 31st, 50th and 41st!

Meghan and Hannah’s Bears were 21st and Beaver Ruin with James probably suffering from the lack of football news media in Atlanta came 22nd, 43rd overall aand a big dip from last season's 2nd. Old fantasy pro Chris Waterman and his Californication were 23rd but at least he misses out on buying the team curry this summer, that honour goes to Barry Paull.

In 24th came were Pot Noodle Miners FC ran by Australian based Huw Thomas, 25th was Pam Ross and her cleverly named St Mirnoff FC. We never saw the best of Pam, better luck next season luv. Like Huw, Barry Paull was another who moved countries during the season, which is a fair excuse to a poor placing. Paris Eagle had their lowest ever N&R finish – 47th overall.

Next up was Nancy Lollygaggers, with Megan at least beating her English other half Michael. In 28th was Paul’s Real Ale Madrid, better luck next season Paul. In 29th was Wizzo and Curbishley is sh!t. Dave is probably right as Curbs is still not working after getting the boot from the Hammers. Dave, meanwhile had a tricky start and never recovered.

In 30th, the lowest American was John Littig and his Philly 2k8. John is now back in Chicago. Perennial N&R struggler Sweaty Palms was 4th from bottom. Too busy decorating will I expect be Lee’s excuse.

Surprisingly as low as 53rd overall was Glenn’s Lamb to the slaughter, with Michael Stout’s No-hopers in 54th but Michael did win the Penultimate place prize. Well done sir. Then last and certainly least is our very own Rochdale cowboy, Neil Cryer, the second most famous person born in Rochdale behind Cyril Smith. Commiserations Squire.

Week 42 Reminder

It was the FA Cup Final of course. Lampard scored the winner with a stunning strike after Louis Saha had put Everton in front. Chelsea came back strongly and equalised through Didier Drogba's header before Lampard fired home the winner from 25 yards with 18 minutes left.

Manager's of the Week

A fiver for each of the winners of the weekly prize where the top 7-day scorer collects. If managers tie, then the prize is split equally.

Once again Godders will take some consolation on missing out on the ultimate prize by winning the weekly prize 4 times. Soozie collected three times as did Greg Foulger.

Richard Nathan, Sarah Sheron, Paul & Christian Long, Steve Black and Barry Paull each doubled whilst Barry Plummer, Johnny McGowan, Nobby, Ben Graves, Nigel Tatlock, Simon Ward, Paul Kelleher, Danny Rose, Hilary Ryan, Ryan Saveall, Danny Matthews, Peter Doyle, Huw Thomas, James Down, Alex Boswell, Rutts, Sweaty and incredibly Neil Cryer all shared or won outright one MoW.

Congratulations all.

Gooner wins week too!

Breaking News 8888888 Week 42 News
It was pretty apt that Neil's Gooner win league would sweep the last MoW. 30 points from one game ending 2-1 was pretty remarkable, but that summed up Neil's season well.

2Infinity & beyond moved up two places on the back of his 28 points, two more than Torres Rosso. Bent it like Bentley scored 25 pts and Team GB, runner-up Bollocks to insurance, Loads of Roubles plus Plate winner Gerradinho, all hit 23. This undoubtably gave Richard the edge over his rivals Arsene Knows (10 pts) and Sizzling Saveloys Bangers (4 pts).

Glasgow kiss scored 22, and Nobby's Bermuda shorts and Sheron's ready to fac scored a sweet 21 each.

22 managers all scored over 10, which was bloody good effort.

Remember the Groups?

Between the weeks of 13 and 30 we split you all into groups (all named after pubs) pairing friendships, colleagues, nationalities, lovers and families. It was a little break from the 55-team league and introduced a bit of local competition and also separated the wheat from the chaff.

Each N&R Group winner was guaranteed a £25 prize and more importantly the top two plus the 7 best runners up qualified for the N&R Grand Finals and a chance for the shot at the big bucks. The losers entered the Plate for, well sad losers.

This is how the N&R Group Stage finished:

The Lamb
W. Neil Reynolds - Gooner Win League
Q. John McGowan - Loads of Roubles FC
3. Paul Kelleher - Tallywacker's Bukkake Marathon
4. Ben Graves - Dangleberry Rovers
5. Brian Rutter - Goonersmoan
6. Alex Byatt - Lovejoy's Lovelies
7. Paul Hargis - Real Ale Madrid
8. Glenn Francis - The Lamb to the Slaughter

East India
W. Chris Wright - Student Ninjas
Q. Mark Dewberry - Bent it like Bentley
Q. Aaron Barden - Torres Rosso
4. Chris Waterman - Californication
5. Alex Boswell - Megan & Hannah's Bears
6. Ian France - Keep The Faith
7. Hilary Ryan - Pure Irish
8. Barry Paull - Paris Eagles

New Moon
W. Simon Newport - Nobby's Bermuda Shorts
Q. Soozie Sausage - Soozies Succulent Sizzlers
Q. Jason Syrett - Gunners Bandits
4. Ryan Saveall - Sizzling Saveloys Bangers
5. Keith Read - Hannoi Utd
6. Richard Nathan - Gerrardinho
7. Huw Thomas - Pot Noodle Miners FC
8. Lee Baughan - Sweaty Palms

The Ship
W. Peter Godfrey Bollo*ks to Insurance
Q. Alan Oakley - Towels on the Bench
Q. Martin Singleton - Preston Pie Munchers
4. Danny Rose - Arsene Knows
5. Mark Simmons - World Champions
6. Leigh Langton - Shinawatras Dream
7. Ian Kennett - Who are you calling Big Nose
8. Neil Cryer - Cyril Smith First 11

Cheshire Cheese
W. Kirstie Baillie - Glasgow Kiss
Q. Sarah Sheron - Sheron's ready to fac
Q. Rob Munden - Elland (Glad) Back
Q. Akshay Reddy - The Pohutukawas
5. Harrington/Hillier - Dynamo Kebab
6. Simon Ward Bingo - FC
7. Pam Ross - St Mirnoff FC
8. Peter Doyle - Ginger Rapids

The Elephant
W. Barry Plummer - 2 Infinity & Beyond
Q. Nigel Tatlock - In Tatters
3. Colin Panzetta - Panzos Projectiles
4. James Down - Beaver Ruin FC
5. Ian Monahan - Mono's Cunning Plan A
6. Danny Matthews - Team Chong
7. Mark Wenman - Team GB
8. Dave Wisdom - Curbishley is s**t

The Kerryman
W Greg Foulger - Boys on Tour
Q. Feldbruegge/Malloy - Hot Pink Center
Q. Steve Black - Guinness & Eggs
Q. Paul & Christian Long - Brighton Blues
5 Megan McLeod - Nancy Lollygaggers
6 John Littig - Philly Feet 2k8
7 Michael Stout - The No-Hopers

W - group winner and a £25 prize.
Q - qualifier.

The N&R FL Hall of Fame

Another new name to add to the list of Champions, and for only the 2nd time a rookie too. Neil Reynolds works in Aon Re's Fac team, a group of people that have been avid supporters of the N&R FL since it's early days, and it's 2nd consective champion. Well done Neil and Gooner win league.

This is the list of N&R Champions, with Neil proudly the newest edition etched onto a famous list that goes back until 1996.

League Champions
2008/09 Gooner win league - Neil Reynolds
2007/08 Tally.Wacker.co.uk - Paul Kelleher
2006/07 Savchenko Spurs - Ryan Saveall
2005/06 Ping Pong Yo-Yo - Suzie Syrett
2004/05 Ginger (not so) Athletic - Peter Doyle
2003/04 Chang Noi's Ham Yai - Keith Read
2002/03 2Infinity & Beyond - Barry Plummer
2001/02 Read 'em & weep - Keith Read
2000/01 Brighton Revenge - Jonathan Poole
1999/00 Cowboys Ride Again - Brett Davey
1998/99 Millennium Buggers - Richard Taylor
1997/98 Flo's Champs - Godfrey, Rose
1996/97 Flo's Army - Godfrey, Rose

In the Team event, Willis became the 3rd successive broker to win the title as Kirsty and Sarah from their Fac team joined Ian from Willis' M&A Group to finish Team Challenge Champions. Less than 10 points behind was RSA's joint Mexican and British bid with previous winners Bluefin (nee Layton Blackham) in 3rd. Congratulations to the Willis team.

Team Challenge Winners
2008/09 Willis - Baillie, Sheron, Kennett
2007/08 BMS - Wenman, Reddy
2006/07 Layton Blackham - Read, Saveall, Thomas
2005/06 AIG - Waterman, France, Dewberry, Barwick, Higgs, Ryan.
2004/05 Marsh - Simmons, Doyle
2003/04 Marsh - Simmons, Doyle
2002/03 Allianz - Jenkins, Day
2001/02 Avon - Godfrey, Rose
2000/01 HSBC - Waters, Murrell, Ready

Where did the Prizes go?

This how the money was won last season. Ready and I will automatically take £25 or $40 from any prize money for next season's entry unless you advise us otherwise.

The N&R Grand Finale
Champion - 220 and the famous N&R FL trophy NEIL REYNOLDS
Runner Up - 150 PETER GODFREY
3rd place - 110 KIRSTY BAILLIE
4th place - 85 JOHN McGOWAN
5th place - 60 GREG FOULGER
6th place - 50 SOOZIE SYRETT
7th place - 30 ALAN OAKLEY
8th place - 20 BARRY PLUMMER
9th place - 15 TIM FELDBRUEGGE/FRANK MALLOY
10th place - 10 STEVE BLACK

The N&R FL Losers Plate
Winner - 60 RICHARD NATHAN
2nd Place - 40 DANNY ROSE
3rd place - 30 RYAN SAVEALL
54th place - 10 MICHAEL STOUT

Others Prizes
N&R Cup Winner - Trophy NEIL REYNOLDS
Benfleet Bet Winner - 25 IAN FRANCE
Team Challenge winner - Team trophy WILLIS
Best weekly score - 40 PETER GODFREY
Worst weekly score - 40 MICHAEL STOUT
7 x N&R Qualifying Group Winners - 25 each as follows:

40 x Manager of the week - 5 each, shared equally if tied and listed below:
PETER GODFREY (4 WINS), GREG FOULGER (3 WINS), MARK SIMMONS (3 WINS),SOOZIE SYRETT (2.5 WINS), NEIL REYNOLDS (2 WINS), RICHARD NATHAN (2 WINS), STEVE BLACK (2 WINS), SARAH SHERON (1.33 WINS), PAUL & CHRISTIAN LONG (1.3 WINS), BARRY PLUMMER (1 WIN), JOHN McGOWAN (1 WIN), NOBBY (1 WIN), NIGEL TATLOCK (1 WIN), SIMON WARD (1 WIN), PAUL KELLEHER (1 WIN), DANNY ROSE (1 WIN), HILARY RYAN (1 WIN), RYAN SAVEALL (1 WIN), PETER DOYLE (1 WIN), NEIL CRYER (1 WIN), HUW THOMAS (1 WIN), JAMES DOWN (1 WIN), ALEX BOSWELL (1 WIN), BRIAN RUTTER (1 WIN), LEE BAUGHAN (0.5 WINS), BARRY PAULL (0.5 WINS), DANNY MATTHEWS (0.5 WINS), BEN GRAVES (0.33 WINS).

*All denominations in GBP
**Nobby and Ready will retain GBP 25 or USD 40 for next season's entry fee unless you state otherwise.

The season's best fan chants

"He's fast, he's red, he talks like Father Ted, Robbie Keane." Liverpool salute their short-stay striker.

"John Carew, Carew. He likes a lap-dance or two. He might even pay for you. John Carew, Carew." Villa fans to their striker after he was caught visiting a gentlemen's club.

"Chu-rch, whoah-oh-oh, Chu-rch, whoah-oh-oh, His name suggests he's holy, he's gonna beat your goalie!" On-loan striker Simon Church is heralded by the Leyton Orient faithful.

"Leighton Baines - I bet you think this song is about you." Everton fans, to the tune of You're So Vain by Carly Simon.

"There's only one Vince Grella, ella, ella, hey, hey, hey." Heard at Blackburn-Wigan to the tune of Umbrella by Rihanna.

"Don't you wish your midfield had Kompany?" Man City fans serenade Vincent Kompany, to the tune of the Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha.

"Dimi, Dimi, Dimi, Dimi, Konstantopoulos - he swam away, to Cardiff bay." Cardiff fans salute their on-loan goalkeeper, to the tune of Karma Chameleon.

"Viva Da Silva, Viva Da Silva, when they're on the pitch, we don't know which is which, Viva da Silva!" Man Utd supporters on the debut of Fabio da Silva, twin brother of Rafael.

"Get your mascot off the pitch!" AFC Hornchurch fans to Peterborough's pint-sized midfielder Dean Keates.

"Shall we poach an egg for you?" Aberdeen supporters to Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot, injured when an egg exploded in his microwave.

"Tom Davis whoah-oh-oh,Tom Davis whoah-oh-oh,He's better than Zidane, He's got a perma-tan."S ung by AFC Wimbledon fans to the bronzed Tom Davis.

"When the ball hits your head and you sit in row Z, that's Zamora!" Heard at Bolton v Fulham to the tune of 'That's Amore'. An oldie, but I still like it.

"Speroni, whoah-oh-oh,Speroni, whoah-oh-ohHe's got a ponytail,His name is like an ale." Crystal Palace fans to keeper Julian Speroni.

"He's going green in a minute!" Sang at Arsenal v Porto whenever Porto's Hulk touched the ball.
"We love our Itsy Bitsy, Teeny Weeny,Baldy Headed Warren Feeney." Northern Ireland fans, to the tune of Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

"Where's your hair at?" Basement Jaxx adaptation for Djibril Cisse, heard at Man City v Sunderland.

"Whoh-oh Theo Walcott, Theo, Theo Walcott. He's an Englishman at Arsenal." Arsenal fans to the tune of Sting's Englishman In New York.

"Allan, Allan McGregor, he couldn't handle his Stella!" To the tune of Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band. Sung by Scotland supporters in the pub after the Iceland game, when MacGregor was banned for drinking.

"Dee-dum, dee-dum, dee-dum, dee-dum, Car-los Cueller, Dee-dum, dee-dum, dee-dum, deed-dum, Car-los Cueller, He's 6ft 3 with curly hair, and goofy teeth but we don't care, He's Carlos Cueller, the Villa centre-half!" To the tune of the animals went in two-by-two.

RIP Tony Kempster

No national heroes here in Bermuda but football lost one of it's true unsung heroes on Sunday evening when Tony Kempster lost his battle against cancer. Tony's attention to detail was incredible and his website was an essential place for fans that loved football facts and stats, particularly on a Saturday night when he would race to post all of the day's non-league results and attendances.

I wrote about Tony here in May and one hopes that following his sad passing his legion of followers can continue his wonderful legacy. RIP Tony.

Tributes: BBC; Supporters Direct; Two Hundred Percent; Non League Daily.

Team Challenge - What you talkin' about Willis

Willis just beat RSA in the home straight after Greg and Leigh led with just a couple of weeks to go. However RSA's Mexican and English flavoured team could not beat off the Anglo-Scottish power of Willis. Kirsty and Sarah, in her first ever N&R FL season together with Ian Kennett powered over the line to claim the shiny Team Challenge Trophy, to be presented at the end of season drinks.

In 3rd place were previous winners Bluefin, a point ahead of Bingo and Wrighty from QBE. 5th was the Aon Re powerhouse before a large gap down to 6th and the Lloyds boys.

AIG, who got through many off the field problems to complete another season of N&R action were 7th. Nobby and Huw Thomas sailed in at a disappointing 8th as Aon International but ahead of the Aon US offering.

Aspen finished down in 10th with Price Forbes in 11th with the wooden spoon going to Tom, Wayne and Pam at Ace.

The Final Team Challenge Trophy will be included in the Final Results email.

Ready's Benfleet Bet Final Table

Starting at the 3rd Round of the FA Cup we asked our managers to predict the correct scores using Ready's point system that frankly makes Duckworth/Lewis look easy peasy.

28 of you had a crack, probably encouraged by the £25 prize on offer. Not all of you got your scores to us every round, but most did and we ended up with a Final Points Table that looked like this:

Ready's Benfleet Bet Final Points Table:
Francey 103
Danny Rose 88
Keith Read 81
Paul Long 81
Brian Rutter 80
Barry Plummer 78
Ian Monahan 75
Sooz 73
Ben Graves 70
John McGowan 70
Simon Ward 70
Huw Thomas 69
Barry Paull 69
Dave Wisdom 67
Martin Singleton 65
Paul Kelleher 65
Ryan Saveall 65
Ian Kennett 65
Chris Waterman 63
Peter Godfrey 58
Rob Munden 58
Simon Newport 57
Steve Black 53
Neil Reynolds 53
Alan Oakley 51
Greg Foulger 50
Aaron Barden 42
Nigel Tatlock 39

So, Francey who we are sure was ably convinced by cohort Ben picks up the Benfleet Bet prize. Congratulations gents.

The season's best weekly score

Godders may have missed out on the big prize but he would have been proud to have won the season's best wekly score award of £40. Week 20 was a big scoring week but no one got near Pete as he cleared 120 points. Commiserations to Greg Foulger who featured three times in the Top 10. Here is the list:

Top 10 best weekly scores:
1. Peter Godfrey, 120 pts, week 20
2. Mark Simmons, 107 pts, week 25
3. Neil Reynolds, 99 pts, week 20
4. Martin Singleton, 93 pts, week 20
5. Greg Foulger, 92 pts, week 12
6= Greg Foulger, 91 pts, week 20
6= Simon Newport, 91 pts, week 25
8. Danny Rose, 90 pts, week 25
9. John McGowan, 87 pts, week 25
10= Paul & Christian Long, 86 pts, week 20
10= Greg Foulger, 86 pts, week 25
10= Aaron Barden, 86 pts, week 25

The season's worse weekly score

For some unknown reason we have a £40 prize to the winner of the season's worse weekly score. This season it was one by Michael Stout, who managed the feat of -3 points in week 31.

It is pretty difficult to score less than 0, although 5 managers managed it. A word to for Mark Simmons, who appears in the Top 10 three times. Here are the worst 10 scores of the season:

Top 10 worst weekly scores:
1. Michael Stout, -3 points, week 31
2. Ben Graves, -2 points, week 32
3= Mark Simmons, -1 point, week 31
3= Alex Byatt, -1 point, week 27
3= Pam Ross, -1 point, week 38
6= Mark Simmons, 0 points, week 29
6= Michael Stout, 0 points, week 29
8= Mark Simmons, 1 point, week 5
8= Mark Wenman, 1 point, week 15
10= Ian Monahan, 2 points, week 22
10= Neil Cryer, 2 points, week 18
10= Danny Matthews, 2 points, week 5
10= Mark Dewberry, 2 points, week 19
10= Jason Syrett, 2 points, week 27
10= Huw Thomas, 2 points, week 27
10= Peter Doyle, 2 points, week 30
10= Neil Cryer, 2 points, week 31
10= Glenn Francis, 2 points, week 38

Aon to sponsor Manchester United

In the next few hours Aon are set to announce that they will become Manchester United's new shirt sponsor from the beginning of the 2010/11 season in a deal worth £80million over four years, the biggest shirt deal in football history, eclipsing AIG's annual contract by £6m!

How do I feel about that? A little pissed off to be honest. When a successful company freezes pay, severely cuts it's bonus pools, reduces it's staff pension contributions and makes people redundant citing the global economic downturn just a few months back, one has to accept that there are many people worse off than you. But then out of the blue when they hand the world's richest football club $132m something doesn't quite add up. "An astonishing revenue generation opportunity," blurts one suit from our London office, hmmmm if I was a Chelsea or an Arsenal fan working in our London office today after not getting a pay increase for two years, I would understandably be asking a lot of questions.

Aon is not a recognisable global brand, but by having their name emblazoned across one of the most famous walking billboards in world sport, then it will surely become one, and putting a price on that is highly subjective. Certainly the firm is not looking for the great and the good of Salford to be ringing up looking for car insurance, but expanding it's reach into Asia, Europe and Africa is something they are.

I understand that Nike have already produced United's kit for next season and despite pressure from the American Federal Government for AIG to cancel the last year of their deal, pulping the replica jerseys is not an option, so my company will take up the sponsorship in August 2010.

The analysts like Aon, as does Wall Street and I am sure they will like it even more when trading opens later today. But blinkered Man U fans aside, will the employees like and respect the firm more today? Very unlikely.

Carlo Ancelotti

From James Down:

I saw Ancelotti had been appointed, and was sure I'd heard the quotes somewhere before. Just made me chuckle.

2008 - Scolari is appointed by Chelsea
"He is one of the world's top coaches with a record of success at country and club level," read a Chelsea statement. Scolari gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours. He was the outstanding choice.

2009 - Ancelotti is appointed by Chelsea
"Carlo was the outstanding candidate for the job," read a statement on the Chelsea website. "He has proved over a long period his ability to build teams that challenged for, and have been successful in, major domestic and European competitions. He also had a highly successful playing career in those competitions and therefore brings unparalleled all round experience to the job."

Lets not forget also that Carlo was considered for the job in 2008, but didn't get it because Scolari was the "outstanding choice". 3rd place in Serie A, the last 16 of the Coppa Italia and the last 32 of the Uefa Cup - he really brushed up his CV in the last year there!!!

Save the Date - End of Season drinks & prize giving

The end of season drinks and prize giving will be held in The Lamb, Leadenhall Market on Tuesday 4th August from 5pm.

Please mark your calendars and more information will follow shortly.

Thanks
Nobby & Ready

N&R Cup Final Result

Neil Reynolds 27-16 Tim Feldbruegge & Frank Malloy

Neil moved a step nearer to claiming an unprecedented N&R League and Cup double in week 41 after defeating the Chicago threat of Tim & Frank 27-16 in the N&R Cup Final.

Tim & Frank have had their best ever season and a trophy would have been just rewards. However there will be at least one trophy presented to Neil at the end of season drinks. Will it be two? Find our next week.

Photograph of the week

No not a picture of Barcelona or Chelsea but one Paulo Maldini, who retired from professional football yesterday after a 24-year career with AC Milan. Maldini played in 901 games for his only club and Milan yesterday retired his famous No. 3 shirt.

Neil almost there

Breaking News 8888888 Week 41 Grand Final Update
Just 7 days now until it seems almost a certainty that Neil Reynolds' Gooner win league will lift the N&R FL title in his first season. Godders' Bollocks to insurance did close Neil's lead in week 41 but I'm not sure it was enough with just one week, and in fact, one game left in the season.

Glasgow kiss remain 3 points behind Pete and there is a 40 difference between 3rd and 2nd, so both managers will be looking to make the points count in week 42.

Back in 4th remain Loads of Roubles, 5th Boys on tour and then 6th Towels on the bench are two ahead of Soozies Succulent Sausages. Hot Pink Center stay 8th, with Guinness & eggs 9th with 2Infinity & beyond in 10th.

Behind Barry Elland (Glad) Back still have a chance of grabbing some prize money but I think it is beyond the others.