The YCC sponsor has made the draw for the 2018/2019 YCC draw:
Category Archives: Yellow Cat Cup
YCC – North update
With one week to go the second Yellow Cat Cup has lived up to the illustrious inaugural event. There have been shocks, draws and once again it has proved that this competition really is one of the most unpredictable on the planet. Neither division has a guaranteed winner and so it will be squeaky bum time all the way through the boxing day festivities. Starting with the North let’s review how each team has faired.
Deeney’s Donkeys [44/1]
“The silver lining for manager Jonny Wild is the performance of Jonny Breeze in last years YCC and the hope that the fans get excited about a cup run and cease their baying for the manager’s head.” Once again the form book has been turned on its head. Manager Jonny Wild went in to the start of the YCC routed to the bottom of the table, a fan base that had given up on life and a chairman who continued to mysteriously back the flailing manager. However, from their first game in the competition it was clear that the bad smell had been lifted and hope is returning to the Donkeys. Jonny‘s head to head before the competition had one win against his sibling and two against the much lauded Gurj. After doing the double over Wild the Younger, beating Col and, crucially, drawing against Gurj in their most recent outing he has surged to the top of the North. Importantly Jonny has had timed his run well and his cumulative score is 31 points higher than Gurj.
His final game is against a Vardy-less Barker’s Bertrands and is red hot favourite to progress to the final. This is the first time manager Wild senior has gone into anything favourite and there is a big question over his ability to perform with the eyes of the world watching on.
Baines on Toast [4/1]
Losing your best player on the eve of a major tournament is never easy, however Manager Singh acted fast to snap up the services of Ross Barkley. This has proved to be an inspired choice as Barkley has accrued 45 points in the weeks to date and kept Gurj in with his dream of completing the set of trophies. Gurj went into the competition 3rd in the league, with a decent head to head; dominant over Ben (4 victories in 4) and a victory over Col. There was some nervousness in the camp that he had not beaten Jonny Wild in either of the previous meetings, but the form books suggested that this should change and change it did. With one game to go Gurj now stands at 1.5 wins against Jonny Wild, 2 victories against Col and Ben Wild must be sick of the sight of Gurj as his domination continues.
His game this week against Jonny was crucial as he knew he would likely have to beat him as his cumulative points were so inferior. A hard fought draw, whilst rewarding for the neutral, was devastating for his dreams of holding the little Cat aloft. His final game is against Ben and even the most pessimistic fan must have that down for three points. He therefore has to hope for either a shock result from Col against Jonny, or go all out attack and try to make up the 31 point deficit.
Barker’s Bertrands [3/1]
A topsy-turvy tournament for manager Barker. The competition started with a flourish, easily beating Baines on Toast but this was followed with a string of defeats finally broken with a victory against AFC Hold the Front Page in the most recent game. Manager Barker went into the competition with the best head to head across the north, 2 wins against Ben, Jonny and Gurj and leaves with 3 against Ben and Gurj and no change on Jonny. A team riddled with injuries or non-starters is no doubt to blame and with further injuries announced this week, combined with the loss of Vardy back to the loan pool, it’s clear why Deeney’s Donkeys are red hot favourite for the final match.
AFC Hold the Front Page [2/1]
In a strange quirk of fortune (or perhaps an error in the algorithm), the bookies predictions for the north currently stand in reverse. AFC went in to the tournament with a lot of fanfare and excitement. The decision of the club to produce an array of half-half scarves to cash in on the expected glorious run was perhaps overly bullish (who can forget the infamous scarf with Wild – Wild one side and a well endowed Donkey spread-eagled on the front of a newspaper on the other). A solitary victory against Barker’s Bertrands is all the fans have had to celebrate and so can be forgiven for a lack of Christmas cheer. This is of course down to their depleted squad. AFC HtFP have played the least amount of minutes during the YCC, a full 870 minutes less than Deeney’s Donkeys at the top of the Northern chart.
Going in to the final game, manager Ben has hopes that two of his players, Kompany and Milner, will return. Wild junior is expected to go all out to help Wild senior achieve the unthinkable, but with a raging Cesc hell bent on bringing his manager’s downfall, few fans harbour any hope of stopping the Baines on Toast juggernaut.
Yellow Cat Cup – odds and preview
After the huge success of the Yellow Cat Cup, it returns for its second year. Will the holder Jonny Breeze’s Dirty Rent Boys be able to retain his title? We’ve asked a local bookmaker for the odds of each competitor.
AFC Hold the Front Page – 2/1
AFC HtFP started the season well but have drifted a little since. Injuries have not helped the team, but with the squad almost at full fitness we expect them to regain some of their early season form. 3rd in the points per minutes table, despite their injury issues, and having topped the northern points league 3 times, we expect them to have a strong Cup run and have them as favourite to win their group.
Barker’s Bertrands – 3/1
Barker’s Bertrands were one of the surprise packages in last season’s YCC, defying their outsider odds and narrowly losing out to Jonny Breeze. This current season we have them ranked 2nd of the northern entries largely as they are in great form with a surge up the table in recent Gameweeks. Their injury list is high, however with in form loanee Jamie Vardy shooting freely and the manager’s love for a cup run we feel they will again be the surprise package of the North.
Baines on Toast – 4/1
Manager Singh has made it clear from the start of the season that he only has eyes for this illusive trophy. Working his players hard in training to get them in position for this competition has cost them dearly as they have lost their key player, Dimitri Payet, to injury. The manager has gambled on replacing him with Ross Barkley, however losing the lynch pin of their team on the eve of the competition has no doubt hurt their manager’s chances of getting his hands on that little yellow cat.
AFC Hold the Front Page – 44/1
Deeney’s Donkeys face an uphill battle having only topped the Northern points chart once in the first 12 gameweeks. A team that features the dynamic duo of Aguero and Deeney will always offer hope, however a seemingly unstoppable run of propping up the league table has left a terrible sense of doom around the manager and team. The silver lining for manager Jonny Wild is the performance of Jonny Breeze in last years YCC and the hope that the fans get excited about a cup run and cease their baying for the manager’s head.
(Don’t) Blame it on the Wijis – Evens
Top of both the league and points per minute table and having topped the southern points chart 5 times, it is clear that the Wiji’s are in strong form going in to this cup competition. This, combined with the imminent return of David Silva, has the Wiji’s as this years favourite to be lifting the little yellow cat this year. The one concern will be whether the manager can cope with the pressure as favourites, especially having disappointed so spectacularly in the European Cup final earlier this season.
LWC – 2/1
Blessed with a largely clean injury record (2nd in the total minutes played table), LWC have had a solid start to the season. The exciting combination of Ayew, Mane and Kane is supported by the solid due of Toby Toby Alderweireld and Craig Dawson. LWC would have been considered favourites but for the long term injuries to Jagielka and Henderson. If either are able to return early in the cup competition then there is real hope for manage Whitham.
Dirty Rent Boys – 6/1
The holder goes into the competition in a similar manner to last year. Going in to the first game without a recognised goal keeper is a brave stance, however they are blessed with gifted players who could score well on a given day. Last seasons we learned to our cost about writing off this manager based on the performances to date, however we feel it would be hard for manager Breeze to retain the little yellow cat.
We all fist the Ozil – 7/1
Injuries and omissions have cost the team heavily so far this season, having played 2,840 minutes less than Baines on Toast. Arguably the most creative of midfields (Mata and Ozil) are let down by underperforming strikers (Costa and Diouf). Whilst the injury list has largely cleared up, manager Bingham will feel himself unlucky to be in such a competitive division – which may be why rumours of the team relocating further north won’t go away.
Cup winners
After six hard fought weeks we had an exciting climax to the inaugural Yellow Cat Cup. In the end Consistently Stale had the edge, helped with a goal from John Terry in the opening match. Barker’s Bertrands were worthy finalists, with Bertrand himself giving everything he had, however the injuries were just too much and they succumbed.
Congratulations to Consistently Stale
Yellow Cat Cup preview
After five weeks of highs (the Southern division) and lows (the North). We have our two finalists for the inaugural Yellow Cat Cup. So let’s have a look at our finalists.
Barker’s Bertrands
Team Kit
Manager: Colin Barker
Defying the odds
Barker’s Bertrands went into the Cup with odds of 25/1, however the wily Competitor will have seen through the generous odds and realised what BB are, a phenomenal cup team.
Form pre cup
Form during cup
Before the Cup started, BB’s weekly points against the other teams saw them placed either 3rd or last place. Compare this to their form during the cup, when they either placed first or second. The outcome of this was the only team coming out of the league heats with maximum points.
Team selection
Colin will be pleased that there will be no new injuries to his team going into the final, however will be rueful that is still without his leading striker. With his squad spread over 7 teams his eyes will be on several matches, however with three Everton defenders/midfielders he will be hoping a clean sheet is on the cards against Stoke. Elsewhere he will also have an eye on Palace vs Southampton, as his most valuable player will be playing along with his remaining striker.
Consistently Stale
Team Kit
Manager: Jonny Breeze
Fighting spirit
Going into the Cup as the ranked outsider, Jonny used this status to galvanise the squad and fought his way through a competitive league. Unlike Barker’s Bertrands, Consistently Stale did not have it their own way:
Achieving the most points three times, CS also received the least amount of weekly points twice in the Southern division. With a squad spread over 6 teams, manager Breeze will have a slightly easier task on keeping tabs on his men however his focus will undoubtedly be on Chelsea (3 squad members) and Man Unitied (3 squad members) to ensure they don’t let him down.
Game on
Both teams have defied the odds and are deservedly in the final. There is not much to choose between them, however the bookies slightly favour Consistently Stale (Odds 3/2) as they have shown the testicular fortitude to conquer the Southern division and have the edge in the Weekly Points tally:
This will no doubt be music to Barker’s Bertrand (odds 2/1) who have proven themselves as a cup team. With both teams having an Arsenal player a piece, it is expected to go right down to the final whistle of the late game on Boxing day.
May the best team win.
Yellow Cat Cup initial odds
Prior to the start of the Yellow Cat Cup, we obtained the odds for each of the teams. These were:
Gary Jones FC – Evens
Strong average points across the season and in particular in the last month has dropped his odds down. The bookies also consider the fact he is in the weaker division as a factor for his strong position.
Wickham Wanders – 2/1
Hurt a little by a number of short term injuries and the tricky Northern division. The odds for the champion of the average points for the past month has been knocked into a tempting bet.
Team Left Back – 4/1
Surprising many with their recent run of form, the bookies rank TLB has third favourites, this despite some serious injury concerns.
The Fairies – 5/1
Benefiting from being in the southern division has bolstered The Fairies’s chance of making the final. A relatively clean bill of health for his team may see a number of punters going each way on them.
Clowne FC – 5/1
An unexpected fall from grace for this power house. Rumours of disharmony in the camp have quietened in recent weeks and many will consider these odds as generous.
Dirty Pint – 10/1
The joint lowest average points for the past month have left team Dirty Pint in the doldrums. Bony’s recent contract extension will give them some hope.
Barker’s Bertrands – 25/1
Barker’s Bertrands are Team Consistent with average points for the season and the past month being comparative. Suffering from fighting in the tough Northern division, but has the best injury position of all competitors.
Consistently Stale – 40/1
With all three of his injuries expected to be mid to long term and with an awful run of firm, the only benefit Consistently Stale have is they are fighting in the southern division. Suggestions are his odds would have been in three figures had he been based further north.