Sleep – dontcha just love it!

The Big Apple was sweet – I have calf muscles made of steel and big bags full of shopping and under my eyes – anyway… Week 4 will conclude tonight as Gretna v Dundee Utd was moved(?) from Saturday for some reason which is just as well as it’s a very close week at the top!

A Gretna win will see the weekly prize shared, a draw will give it to Will O and an away win will sway it Dave N’s way. Oh, Mr 2-0 is having a mare btw so if you didn’t submit any scores, then you is a fool…

The Week 5 scoresheet is also the PAS Cup Quarter Finals – attention now kids – EVERYONE has to fill this in and send it back (got that Greg?!)

The Cup draw has been made – “home” boys don’t forget your “joker” (it can be any of the 30 games) and please be double aware, these scores count towards the league as well but any bonus “joker” points do not.

Now for the light entertainment…

NYC – the facts

1. When it’s cold, it’s cold. Northface never made more sense…
2. Homefries and eggs for breakfast is the bomb!
3. The streets of Manhattan are really clean – looks like that “real rain” finally came Travis..
4. US telly should be renamed US ads with bits of programmes in between
5. Saks is the best dept store if you like expensive things served by gay people.
6. Schezuan International the best Chinese in town has gone! I shed a tear…
7. Lombardi’s the best pizza in the world has changed from a homely little restaurant in 2001 to a full on “chain” style eaterie 5 times the size. I wept, but the food is still gorgeous.
8. The “Soup Nazi” is real.
9. The “Top of the Rock” (Rockafeller Centre) is officially better than the Empire State – don’t go up when it’s really windy and cold though cos the very top bit is “open” – whoo, scary!
10. There’s hardly any fat annoying loud people in NYC but they’re really rude to make up for it
11. The food is fab – from any hotdog stand to the top notch eateries
12. If Duane Reade isn’t one of the richest peole in NY I’ll be amazed – don’t ever arrange to meet “by Duane Reade’s on the corner” – there’s about 15 million of them.
13. Mr Starbuck is running close second..
14. If you’re going to buy electrical stuff from the numerous discount stores do your RRP homework first – I didn’t and I’m sure I’ve been done over even though he gave me “like, a 50% discount…”
15. You cannot get the football scores off the telly
16. Virgin is still called Virgin
17. If you have been clubbing for a while and want to see what the (NYC) kids are into, go into Abercrombie & Fitch – it’s dark (the shutters are all down – it looks closed from the outside), loud (I’m talking house at “club” volume!) and full of the young & beautiful (about 5 sales people per customer all chatting to each other, posing and not really working). It’s really disorientating and you can’t really see the clothes, which is just as well cos the latest “distressed” line is a bit rubbish..
18. You could really eat and drink like a king in the deli’s
19. Flying business class (we got upgraded on the way out!) makes premium economy seem like standing on one leg in economy. I may quit flying now while I’m ahead..
20. If you haven’t been, go!

The Dignified Croatian:

In a week that saw my team possible blow up in all competitions for the secod time in two seasons, a welcome restbite was winning the £20 weekly prize – my fellow Gooner may well be feeling like the world is against him as he lost out by one point (I’ll buy you a pint at the Boro game Anders!) $40 for me to spend in NYC then, more of which later…

Wenger & Gallas:

He will claim to care less, but Anthony Yearwood 12 (0) put in an old skool Spurs-like performance

Correct Score of the Week:

Seven of us got Plymouth’s 3-1 mauling of Burnley and that was it really! CSotW goes to Martin S for his Dundee Utd 0 Falkirk 0

Bet of the Week:

We stand at £15 thanks to a dodgy penalty and the Championship throwing up yet another freak result at the Hawthorns – me next!

Table News:

Mark Fawke tops the table from the two Jon’s, I get the highest climber award and land in 10th – Anders H, Howard T and Greg E make significant moves whilst Wayne C goes the wrong way the most followed by Gareth M, Andy C, Dave N and Tim B. Anthony Yearwood goes bottom and I can only laugh while he’s still Carling Cup giddy…

Cheers,
Pab.

“…best team in the land and all the world”:

It went to the wire but Jon Tofeili 41 (7) will be the only person smiling on Tyneside this week as he just shaded Mark J B by a point. Well done JT, I promise your £20 winnings won’t be as late as your payment ; )

Joey:

More misery in Geordieland as Ben McKeown 17 (1) notched up another black n white striped nightmare…

Correct Score of the Week:

Nine of you got Spurs’ canter at Derby, Anthony Y/Stephen P/Mark G got the stalemate at Sheff Utd and Jon A & Danny A earnt 9 points each with QPR’s 2-3 win at St Mary’s. However, correct score of the week goes to Julian F for his “yep, with hindsight it was sooooo obvious” Chelsea 0 Liverpool 0.

Bet of the Week:

Mark F was first up and eventually sent his Forest/Egypt/Arsenal treble through (to the wrong e-dress!!!) so we’ll, ahem, scrap my selections and say we’re £20 to the good, which is typical as no one got a chance to lump on…

Table News:

You’ll see from the table you can now see if you went up or down each week and it saves me typing out an elaborate, witty, well thought out email every week that no one reads (lucky you eh?!)… Our man in Dubai is top and our man from Wigan is bottom…

Cheers,
Pab.

“…give him the ball, and he will score!”:

In a truly horrendous week getting 20 or over was some achievement (I mean, even Mr. 2-0 managed it… Yeah, that bad) so lets doff our caps to Mark Fawke 41 (6) who managed to guess his way to the first £20 of the new season. Well done Drazic, £20 towards a League Cup Final ticket? Ooops, sorry, my mistake – you haven’t even been to White Hart Lane let alone Wemberlee…

Rugby:

Organising this can sometimes be a chore especially when you don’t win every week or get 10 (0) – fortunately my misery wasn’t fully compounded as Neil Templeton 9 (0)managed to predict even worserer (yessssss, I know that’s not a word but it sounds better doesn’t it – it’ll make him feel really bad ha ha ha…)

Correct Score of the Week:

Half a dozen of you got the City’s first home defeat of the season, a magnifique seven got the Scousers annoying 3-0 win, Neil M & Mark McD got Colchester 2 Sheff U 2 and, you can see how he won now, Mark Fawke got QPR 3-0 v Bristol City and Watford’s 3-0 against Wolves – who cares what’s the best, it’s not gonna last is it…

Bet of the Week:

Mr Fawke is first up with his selections – we’ll make it a bit easier(realistic?) this season – give us a treble to bet a fiver on Mark!

FYI:

You’ll see from the table you’ll need to finish in the Top 16 to qualify for Euro 08 – it’ll be a fiver in (there’s some prize money already there!) and you’ll be “allocated“ a team each that may earn you more points – all fun, and even the “outsiders” can get a piece of the action for a mere tenner…

Cheers,
Pab.