Sanchez buyout clause confounds Pirate

ALEXIS Sanchez could be snapped up for as little as £10m at the October transfer window after having a buyout clause put in his contract.

Kenna League blazers took the unprecedented step having found the £32m Chilean forward was illegally signed by Islington Sports Islam & Leisure at the auction on Friday evening (4 August).

The decision will pile yet more woe on the ISIL manager.

Known as the Pirate, he became the highlight of the 13th annual Kenna auction by losing Alvaro Morata under the Titus Bramble ruling and trying to resign.

The ISIL manager finished the night with a strike force of Sanchez, Glenn Murray, Andre Gray and Bramble player Dr Cliff Huxtable.

Overlooked at the time by the Kenna charts and graphs department, the team was found afterwards to have more than the limit of three strikers.

In a press conference outside the Holborn Whippet on Monday, the chairman explained: “Hold onto your tactics whiteboard pens, this will divide opinion.

“We’ve deliberated this at Kenna HQ. Charts and graphs feel they should take some of the blame for not spotting this on Friday.

“Therefore a decision has been taken.

“ISIL lose Gray, who goes on a silent bid to Puncheon The Bony Kante.

“Sanchez remains an ISIL striker but has a £10m buyout clause inserted into his contract.

“Effective at the October window, bidding will start at £10m for the Chilean striker.

“The Pirate cannot bid and will not receive any monies paid.”

The Burqini Pool Party manager summed up the feeling among managers: “What a time to be alive.”

The outcome was not well received at ISIL’s Spyglass Hill training facility.

Trying to threaten Kenna HQ with a photo of his proposed resignation letter, the Pirate sent an unrelated photo from his camera roll.

“That’s twice he’s tried to resign in less than a week,” quipped the chairman.

Pirate resignation
Everything but the resignation: The Pirate’s second attempt to quit in a week
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Thieving Magpies 2017/18

Phil profile pic
England till he dies: ‘Pies manager

Manager: Phil (Wolverhampton)

Twitter name@PhillyD55

Since: 2005 (co founder)

Home ground: Tinfoil Street

Training facility: The Wheelbarrow

Trophy cabinet: 2016/17 league winner

Form
2005/06 – 3rd
2006/07 – 2nd
2007/08 – 11th
2008/09 – 5th
2009/10 – 11th
2010/11 – 7th
2011/12 – 18th (relegated)
2012/13 – 4th
2013/14 – 2nd
2014/15 – 14th
2015/16 – 9th
2016/17 – 1st

Sympathies: Notts County

Darts musicThe Great Escape – the England Band

What the chalkstripes in Kenna HQ speculations department are saying: If the ‘Pies boss is the first manager to successfully defend the Kenna he’ll be relying heavily on injury-free seasons from physio table regulars Vincent Kompany, Chris Smalling and Daniel Sturridge – 12/1

Second transfer window – Friday 4 February 2018
Remaining budget: £20.5m

No changes.

First transfer window – Friday 6 October 2017
Remaining budget: £10.5m

Gomes, H WAT  £1.00
Kompany, V MCY  £10.00
Smalling, C MUN  £0.50
Cresswell, A WHM  £0.50
Sigurdsson, G SWA  £18.00
Mahrez, R LEI  £16.00
Knockaert, A BTN  £9.00
Hayden, I (TW1) NEW  £0.50
Sturridge, D LIV  £21.00
Wilson, C BOU  £6.00
Giroud, O ARS  £15.00
     £97.5m

Auction XI – 3-4-3
Remaining budget: £1m

Gomes, H WAT  £1.00
Kompany, V MCY  £10.00
Smalling, C MUN  £0.50
Cresswell, A WHM  £0.50
Sigurdsson, G SWA  £18.00
Mahrez, R LEI  £16.00
Knockaert, A BTN  £9.00
Mirallas, K EVE  £2.00
Sturridge, D LIV  £21.00
Wilson, C BOU  £6.00
Giroud, O ARS  £15.00
     £99.00
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Kenna manager tells judge ‘you’re picking on me because I’m a Brambler’ during subs dodge grilling

A KENNA League manager told a judge he was being picked on because he can’t grasp basics of the Titus Bramble forfeit rules during a grilling on claims he dodged £85 of league subs.

The Islington Sports Islam & Leisure manager was quizzed by magistrates in north London for 90 minutes at a pre-trial hearing.

The session was behind closed doors, but it’s emerged the ISIL manager rowed with the judge saying: ‘If I hadn’t once resigned halfway through an auction because I kept Brambling myself and threw my toys out the pram, I wouldn’t be here’.

The judge at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court replied: ‘Everyone has to pay their subs to enter the Kenna. The fact is you haven’t.’

The court is likely to pursue a payment plan with the ISIL manager, particularly since his entry to the Kenna auction this week means the monies owed rise to £110.

Authorities are also targeting the Dulwich Red Sox manager, who has owed £30 to the Kenna League in subs since last year.

The prosecution lawyer said this morning: ‘The DRS manager is as evasive as Cristiano Ronaldo’s taxes.’

Around 20 managers are expected to gather in a City of London pub from 6.30pm on Friday (4 August) for the 13th Kenna League auction.

Download this season’s Kenna player list.

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Fantasy league begins disciplinary proceedings against manager’s profane rant

THE Kenna League has started a disciplinary process against a manager after footage emerged of him calling rival managers ‘fucking shit’ while drunk in a bar.

The Judean Peoples’ Front manager, known as ‘Breivik’ for his resemblance to the infamous Norwegian mass murderer, was captured on video apparently criticising the managers of Piss Poor and Just Put Carles.

All three clubs finished in the relegation zone last season. JPF was just above the other two in 20th place.

The pressure appears to have got to Breivik, who under league rules now has to come up with a new team name if he wants to enter this Friday’s Kenna League auction.

Reports claim his drinking bouts have become more violent over the summer, often cornering strangers in pub smoking areas and repeatedly shouting ‘Judean Peoples’ Front’ in their faces, mostly with the apostrophe in the wrong place.

Kenna HQ said in a statement: “Breivik has conducted himself in a manner unbefitting of the Kenna League. The apostrophe comes after the ‘s’ in ‘Peoples”.”

Up to 20 managers are expected to gather in a City of London pub this Friday for the 13th Kenna League auction.

Download the player list.

 

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Who will be deadliest from close range?

HARRY Kane could be the deadliest Englishman from close range since Harold Shipman.

So how will that affect his value in a fantasy football auction?

Next Friday around 20 managers will be battling it out for the signatures of Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Sergio Aguero and the like at the 13th annual Kenna League auction.

With a team budget of £100m, the most desirable strikers in the land can expect to fetch anything between £30 and £50m.

Kenna rules mean managers can only buy one player from each Premier League club.

What does that do the signing fees of second tier strikers?

The return of Javier ‘El Chicharito’ Hernandez to England will be watched with interest.

‘The Little Pea’ has Kenna League experience, which is a big advantage over a newcomer like Alexandre ‘The Casette’ Lacazette.

The Mexican is also likely to get plenty of game time considering his competition for a place comes from Andy Carroll, a man so prone to injury his season will have more interruptions than a Kensington and Chelsea council meeting.

Wayne Rooney’s return to Merseyside is another move to raise an eyebrow.

Formally an outstanding performer at this level, enthusiasm from Kenna managers in recent times has…ahem…waned.

Two years ago Rooney was signed at auction for £31m. Last year it was £20m before he was sold in the February transfer window for a miserable £0.5m.

Rooney’s summer move will see his value increase, although many managers will consider him a gamble for anything more than £10m.

Saying that, players are randomly generated to be picked for auction so if Rooney comes out in the first half hour he’ll probably pick up a bigger signing fee.

If he comes out once managers have had a few beers and a couple of shots of the chairman’s homemade quince vodka, who knows what will happen?

Download the Kenna League 2017-18 player list

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Kenna mourns loss of Cheick Tiote

FORMER Kenna League player Cheick Tiote has died aged 30 after collapsing in training in China.

Tiote appeared for three Kenna clubs during his spell in England, but his tough-tackling defensive style saw him quickly moved on by managers.

The Ivory Coast midfielder’s first season in the Kenna with The Dan Terry Seduction was the only one he saw out with a club, albeit getting relegated.

The DTS manager snapped up Tiote for £0.5m at the October transfer window. He scored just 25 points in 29 weeks.

Later that summer Tiote was signed, again for £0.5m, by Judean Peoples’ Front.

Tiote only lasted two months before being released alongside Scott Parker in a midfield clear out by the JPF manager, in favour of Jean Beausejour and Abu Diaby.

JPF went on to finish the season in third place, the manager’s best league performance.

Tiote wouldn’t feature again in the Kenna for two years.

When the Young Boys manager signed him for £0.5m in October 2014 it unfortunately coincided with two months of miserable form for the club.

The midfielder was released in February as part of a five-player clear out.

“We’re very sorry to learn of the death of Cheick Tiote,” said the chairman outside Kenna HQ this week.

“He didn’t enjoy the most auspicious Kenna career, but he was a good panic buy for managers struggling late on in an auction or transfer night, and he did make an excellent fall guy when things weren’t going well.

“Our thoughts are with the family.”

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‘Pies finally get to eat cake

TWELVE long seasons have passed for the Thieving Magpies manager.

He’s watched everyone from the chairman to the Fat Ladies manager, Young Boys to the Tactical Brambler lift the Kenna League title.

All the while the ‘Pies boss toiled away trying to find success with English footballers.

Three years ago he changed tack, went foreign and almost cracked it.

But it was only to revert to type at the second transfer window, selling Samir Nasri in favour of Andros Townsend.

It was a cruel booby prize: runner up to the Tactical Brambler.

This season was different. Yaya Toure, Alexis Sanchez and Dimitri Payet snapped up at the August auction.

Cakes, toys and prams.

The ‘Pies manager had gone diva.

It paid off. And Sanchez topped a superb, if moody, season with 12 points on Saturday.

What four weeks ago was being hailed as one of the closest Kenna title races ever ended this week with ‘Pies holding a 59-point gap over his nearest rival.

What’s more, it’s the same manager who beat him by a 61-point margin three years ago.

Prize money – total pot £400

Thieving Magpies – league winners (£150), MOTM x3 (£5 each) = £165

FC Testiculadew – runners up (£75), MOTM x2 (£5 each) = £85

Burqini Pool Party – third (£50) = £50

So Good They Named Him Twice – Wenger Trophy (£25), MOTM x1 (£5) = £30

Adam Johnson Fan Club – Narcozep Cup winners (£50) = £50

MOTMs (£5 each) – ISIL, Sporting Lesbian, Dynamo Charlton, Northern Monkeys

Kenna table – 30 May 2017 – final standings

Kenna table - 30 May 2017 - final standings
Kenna table – 30 May 2017 – final standings
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Pies all but champions, chairman wins cup

IT’S been a week to remember for two founding fathers of the Kenna, and one to forget for another.

The Thieving Magpies manager put 52 points between his side and FC Testiculadew.

The gap turns Saturday’s final game of the season into a procession for the ‘Pies boss, who should lift his maiden piece of silverware in 12 seasons.

Meanwhile the chairman, no stranger to glory although someone less charitable may say it’s been a while, won his third knockout cup in 12 seasons.

Cowley Casuals midfielders Kevin De Bruyne (18 points) and Son Heung-Min (20) put in creditable performances but it wasn’t enough to win the Narcozep Cup final.

The chairman’s team Adam Johnson Fan Club were inspired to the win by Sergio Aguero (26) and Victor Wanyama (18).

Success for two managers who helped to found the Kenna League in August 2005 will surely bring particular consternation for one man.

The Walthamstow Reds manager is now the only person to compete in every season of the Kenna without winning a trophy.

Elsewhere in the league, debutants So Good They Named Him Twice will likely have to settle for the coveted Wenger Trophy.

Burqini Pool Party should finish just above in third, unless So Good They Named Him Twice defender Marcus Alonso overturns the Kenna League Fake Sheikh’s 12-point lead on Saturday.

With four teams facing relegation this term, Pikey Scum have a slim five-point cushion over Northern Monkeys.

Neither team have anyone left to play, so Scum’s safety could be under threat from some penalty shootout heroics from Judean Peoples’ Front goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Kenna table week 37

Full scores available from The Rub.

Kenna table week 37 - 23 May 2017
Kenna table week 37 – 23 May 2017

Narcozep Cup Final result

Adam Johnson Fan Club 62 – Cowley Casuals 48

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Pies eye fairytale ending

ALEXIS Sanchez notched two goals and two assists to send Thieving Magpies 18 points clear at the top of the Kenna League.

It’s difficult to see how FC Testiculadew can mount a challenge from here. Zlatan is on the physio table, Eden Hazard is metaphorically on holiday (pictured) and only one weekend of full fixtures left of the season.

But if there’s one thing the Kenna has taught, it’s don’t rule out the man they call the Tactical Brambler.

One matter Kenna managers can rule out is everyone will be able to attend August’s auction.

Kenna HQ has been agonising over a date for the 13th edition of the world’s leading London pub-based fantasy football league.

“The usual venue isn’t available for Saturday 12 August,” said the chairman in a press conference today.

“Charts and graphs are also unavailable for that date, so we’re looking at ‘going retro’ with an auction on the evening of Friday 4 August.”

An evening auction would signify a return to the roots of the Kenna.

Short on time, high on octane and loaded with the potential for Titus Bramble forfeits many would welcome the return of a Friday night bash, even if the adult playing cards went missing in the back of a taxi three years ago.

Kenna table week 36

Kenna table week 36 - 16 May 2017
Kenna table week 36 – 16 May 2017

Narcozep Cup Final – this weekend

Cowley Casuals v Adam Johnson Fan Club

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Title race tighter than a teen behind a Teeside takeaway

THE closest Kenna League title race in history is going right down to the wire.

After 35 weeks of competitive London pub-based fantasy football just a point separates FC Testiculadew and Thieving Magpies.

FCT had retaken the top spot this time last week and opened an 11-point gap.

But a brace from Sam Vokes, a goal from Salomon Rondon and assists from Pedro and Yaya Toure saw Thieving Magpies go within one point of the leaders.

The title could come down to a single match in three weeks time where the chalkstripes in Kenna HQ’s speculations department are backing Pies (Pedro and Sanchez) over FCT (Hazard and Iwobi).

In the Narcozep Cup, the Kenna League chairman is in with a chance of winning a knockout tournament for a record third time after progressing past Burqini Pool Party.

The chairman’s side, Adam Johnson Fan Club, is facing Team Panda in the final in two weeks time in what’s being billed as the Rumble In Steve Ward’s Jumble.

Top three closest Kenna title races

  1. 2007/08 – 17 points: Fat Ladies over Recreativo Brockley – Ronaldo and Drogba win their second successive Kenna campaign at a different club
  2. 2014/15 – 22 points: Sporting Lesbian over Cowley Casuals – At the time the proximity of first and second in the table was of less concern than the Adam Johnson football chants
  3. 2008/09 – 28 points: Dynamo Temple over Nasmanian Devils – Dynamo won the league spending less than £9m per player in August and without turning up to a single window.

Kenna table week 35

Full scores available from The Rub.

Kenna table week 35 - 9 May 2017
Kenna table week 35 – 9 May 2017

Narcozep Cup semi final second leg results

Cowley 38 (72) v Panda 34 (76)

AJFC 37 (81) v Burqini 26 (71)

Narcozep Cup Final – 23 May 2017

Adam Johnson Fan Club v Team Panda

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