Kenna season two: Enter Ronaldo

Rooney sent off 2006
The day English World Cup delusion died

FOR MANY Englishmen the Germany 2006 World Cup was a rude awakening.

In the build up to the tournament expectancy filled the air, and the airwaves. Everyone was telling us that this was England’s chance. The Golden Generation.

“Look at our players. Just look! They’re all playing for top clubs reaching the latter stages of the Champions League.”

“They’ve knighted Geoff Hurst! This must be an omen, because he beat the Germans in an era we can’t remember and from which we’ve never watched a full game, just the same clips over and over again.”

“All the World Cup winners since 1966 form a mathematical sequence that is completed only if England win in Germany. I’m not saying it’s in the bag, but by thunder it’s our best chance for years!”

Such were the sentiments fanning the flames of hope.

As with any tournament it all ended with tears for the English, and that was the moment most Kenna managers should have realised that no matter how many ‘years of hurt’ they’d undergone mediocrity should just be accepted.

Looking back now, the 90s – two semi-final finishes and a roller coaster of a game against Argentina in Massif Central – were the pinnacle of England’s international endeavour since lifting the Jules Rimet, but as managers assembled in the One Tun near Goodge Street tube station for the 2006-07 season’s auction in early August, the memory of that Madeirense eyelid movement on a field in the Ruhr still cut deep.

Most expensive summer signings

1 T Henry £36.5m Tourette’s Allstars
2 A Shevchenko £35.5m Tourette’s Allstars
3 W Rooney £34m Fat Ladies
4 S Gerrard £29m Thieving Magpies
5 J Terry £28.5m Fat Ladies

The auction became a morality play. Footballers were merited on their performance in Germany rather than their week-in, week-out trade at club level.

Widely vilified for failing to find the net in the World Cup, Frank Lampard went for a paltry £18m to Thieving Magpies despite being one of the domestic game’s top performers the season previous.

On his Kenna debut the FC Gun Show manager, noted for his pragmatism, loose morals and Hackett socks, cleaned up.

As he bought diving Drogba for £5m, Berbatov for £18m and the anti-christ himself Cristiano Ronaldo for £22m, the rest of the league guffawed at the folly.

Story of the season – (see the Rub for the season)

Manager of the Month 2006-07
Green: Manager of the Month, Red: Turkey of the Month

The Portuguese went on to enjoy a three-season reign of majestic dominance in the Kenna, and helped FC Gun Show become the second ever manager to win the league.

His three star players aside, only one other of the FC Gun Show manager’s original eleven chalked up over 100 points – Stewart Downing.

Thieving Magpies came second, although at the time their inability to do better was touted as further evidence that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can’t ‘dovetail’ in midfield.

Defending champions Vasco De Beauvoir could only muster third place, but were consoled by winning the inaugural Canesten Combi Cup competition, beating 120 Checkout in the final by 34 points to 19.

The Kenna’s first ever female manager bumped right into the glass ceiling. Building a team around Ricardo Vaz Te was held at fault, rather than gender issues.

Every manager learnt two important lessons that August night in Fitzrovia: no one wins the Kenna buying players they like and the One Tun is not a good auction venue.

They also discovered that the Kidderminster Harriers squad possessed more Premier League winners medals (one) than the Liverpool squad. And so the Stuart Watkiss League was renamed to become the Jeff Kenna.

Final league table

Kenna League - final standings 2006-07
Kenna League – final standings 2006-07

Highest scorers

1 C Ronaldo 247 £22m FC Gun Show
2 W Rooney 236 £34m Fat Ladies
3 F Lampard 215 £18m Thieving Magpies
4 D Berbatov 211 £18m FC Gun Show
5 D Drogba 199 £5m FC Gun Show
Share Button

Euro 2012 country guides – Group B

Immediately identify which Olisadebe players are taking part in Poland and Ukraine, with these useful country guides.

The guides do not include players not travelling to the tournament.

‘TB’ denotes forfeit player awarded under the Titus Bramble Ruling.

Netherlands

Stekelenburg, M GK Just FEMEN £13m
Heitinga, J DF Bunga Bunga Euro Tour £8.5m
Mathijsen, J DF Testiculadewland £0.5m
van der Wiel, G DF Every Pole’s a Goal £15m
de Jong, N MF The Horn of Africa £0.5m
van der Vaart, R MF The Eurosceptics £7m
Sneijder, W MF Make Party £30m
Robben, A MF Don’t Know Yet £33m
van Bommel, M MF Just Put Warsaw £4.5m
van Persie, R ST Hoodyanika Bolokov £38m
Huntelaar, KJ ST Cherbnobyl Forlov £22m
Kuyt, D ST Bwing on the Euwos £8m

Germany

Neuer, M GK Bunga Bunga Euro Tour £15m
Mertesacker, P DF Utoya Island XI £0.5m
Boateng, J DF Make Party £0.5m
Lahm, P DF Hoodyanika Bolokov £11m
Badstuber, H DF Don’t Know Yet £9m
Hummels, M DF Everybody Gdansk Now £18m
Schweinsteiger, B MF Just FEMEN £17m
Khedira, S MF The Horn of Africa £13m
Gotze, M MF Bwing on the Euwos £0.5m
Ozil, M MF Testiculadewland £11m
Klose, M ST Every Pole’s a Goal £15m
Gomez, M ST Chernobyl Forlov £32m
Muller, T ST Just Put Warsaw £8m
Podolski, L ST The Eurosceptics £7m

Denmark

Jacobson, L DF Don’t Know Yet £0.5m
Agger, D DF Just FEMEN £3m
Eriksen, C MF The Horn of Africa £12m
Lovenkrands, P ST Utoya Island XI £0.5m
Bendtner, N ST Everybody Gdansk Now £10m

Portugal

Pepe DF The Horn of Africa £5m
Rolando DF Don’t Know Yet £0.5m
Alves, B DF The Eurosceptics £5m
Contrao, F DF Testiculadewland £2.5m
Miereles, R MF Everybody Gdansk Now £4.5m
Moutinho, J MF Just Put Warsaw £11m
Veloso, M MF Every Pole’s a Goal £0.5m
Quaresma, R MF Just FEMEN £4m
Nani MF Make Party £15m
Ronaldo, C ST Utoya Island XI £28m
Postiga, H ST Bunga Bunga Euro Tour £7.5m

Group A

Group C

Group D

Share Button