REMEMBER the mid noughties?
The London bombings.
A German pope elected.
Mart Poom going to Arsenal on a six-month loan.
And English teams regularly meeting each other in the latter stages of the Champions League.
With the exception of Poom, it was a time built on strong defence. In fantasy football it was the epoch of clean sheets.
The inaugural winner of the Kenna League boasted John Terry, Steve Finnan, Wes Brown, Kolo Toure and Paul Robinson. At the height of their careers.
Goals were scarce. Clean sheets the norm. The chairman, for it was he, won the title with Darius Vassell in attack and Jermaine Pennant in midfield.
By the end of decade the tide had turned.
Andre Villas Boas crouched on the touchline to watch the once sturdy defence of west London ship them like a online bookshop with an aggressive diversification strategy.
In London pub-based fantasy football it was the time to buy false nines, the trequartistas and Clint ‘Deuce’ Dempsey.
And so it remained. Until now.
Heading into the first transfer window of the season this Friday, more than half of the top 14 performing players in the Kenna are defensive.
Ben Davies aside, all ply their trade in Manchester.
Several managers have already released players ahead of tomorrow’s midday deadline.
Are they looking for defenders?
With Nathaniel Clyne ‘out for some time’, the chairman certainly is.
| Player | Position | Points | Club | Position | Paid |
| Lukaku | STR | 49 | Brambler | 15th | £41m |
| Kane | STR | 48 | Pikey Scum | 1st | £40m |
| Valencia, A | DEF | 46 | Piss Poor | 11th | £9m |
| Ben Davies | DEF | 44 | Iniesta | 10th | £4m |
| Phil Jones | DEF | 43 | Breivik | 14th | £0.5m |
| De Gea | GK | 43 | WNS | 16th | £8m |
| Kyle Walker | DEF | 43 | Sporting | 2nd | £8m |
| Otamendi | DEF | 41 | Don’t Know Yet | 5th | £0.5m |
| Azpilicueta | DEF | 41 | Pikey Scum | 1st | £18m |
| de Bruyne | MID | 40 | Lokomotiv | 3rd | £32m |
| Bailly | DEF | 39 | Young Boys | 8th | £5m |
| Salah | MID | 39 | Sporting | 2nd | £32m |
| Stones | DEF | 38 | Cowley | 4th | £0.5m |
| Jesus | STR | 37 | Young Boys | 8th | £31m |
Kenna League table – week 7
Full scores available from The Rub.
