soccer – Page 3 – The Jeff Kenna League

Come fly with Jeff

Air hostess — Expecting to find a black box: It’s at this time of the season many Kenna managers struggle to explain exactly where their trophy chances have disappeared (photo courtesy of Susan Uyanguren)

ODDS on FC Testiculadew claiming their second Kenna League title dropped faster than a Malaysia Airlines flight this weekend as the club extended their lead at the top of the table.

Even though as they hurtled towards earth at terminal velocity passengers of MH370 would have seen FCT striker Edin Dzeko’s fluffed goalmouth effort going the other way, a masterful display from Mesut Ozil and assists from Kevin Mirallas and Juan Mata saw the chasing pack drop even further off the radar.

What everyone hoped would remain the most open Kenna season in recent times has veered dramatically off course. Managers can only pray it doesn’t turn into a repeat of this time two years ago, when FCT’s dominance left the rest of league bobbing around helpless in the dark ocean, watching the wreckage of their title challenge sink into the depths and wondering whether the pathetic light given off by their life jackets can be seen by Vietnamese search and rescue pilots in fake Ray Bans.

Down in Davey Jones’ locker, Somali-managed Spartak Mogadishu climbed one place simply because their performance was only slightly less dismal than Dulwich Red Sox.

His ongoing silent protest over changes to league rules spelt no comment from the DRS manager on his team’s steady decline from mid-table to the relegation zone. Analysts believe a sponsored silence would have been a sure fire way for the manager to raise much-needed transfer funds.

Looking ahead to the weekend’s Canesten Combi Cup last 16 fixtures, four goals shipped at home in the first leg for both Judean Peoples’ Front and Team Panda Rules OK mean it’ll take a lot more than a pair of fake passports for them to get into the quarter finals.

Kenna table

Weekly scores

		Manager	Points	Goals
1	Rapids De Cullons CF	Jorge	31	3
2	Team Panda Rules OK	George	30	3
3	FC Testiculadew	James N	29	1
4	KS West Green	Stix	29	1
5	Bala Rinas	Lewis	25	2
6	Just put Carles	Carles	23	1
7	Young Boys	Denney	23	1
8	Northern Monkeys	Hugo	21	1
9	St. Reatham FC	Mike	19	1
10	Judean Peoples Front	Sholto	18	1
11	This is Sparta…Prague	Rich	18	1
12	Dynamo Charlton	Alex	17	0
13	Sporting Lesbian	Ben M	16	0
14	Piedmonte	Phil	15	1
15	Lokomotiv Leeds	Ben S	14	0
16	Newington Reds	Dudley	12	0
17	Pikey Scum	Jack	11	0
18	Spartak Mogadishu	Abdi	11	0
19	Hairy Fadjeetas	Aiden	9	1
20	Still Don’t Know Yet	Pete	9	0
21	Headless Chickens	John N	7	0
22	Dulwich Red Sox	Luke	6	0
23	PSV Mornington	El Pons	5	0

		Points	Player
	Player of the week	12	Caulker, S – CAR – DEF
		Club	Rapids De Cullons CF

Kenna cellar soundproofed

THE cellar at Kenna HQ is being soundproofed ‘for footballing reasons’, it was claimed today.

The league chairman was forced to comment after leaked photos emerged of him insulating a confined, windowless crawlspace believed to lie directly underneath the boardroom of London’s leading pub-based fantasy football league.

Despite the appearance of something more sinister, the chairman was adamant the only motive was to reduce managers’ subscription costs by saving on Kenna HQ energy bills.

The groans having receded after it was pointed out there was already enough hot air in league committee meetings, sceptics were quick condemn the photos as further proof of the Kenna executive’s increasingly hard line measures.

Many believe the Kenna’s manager experiences department, a secretive arm of league apparatus responsible for policing members, is behind the move.

In August 2012, the manager experiences department were believed to be behind the abduction of defender James Collins from his team hotel. The incident led to one manager slamming the Kenna as ‘out of touch blazers’.

Faced with these latest allegations, the chairman maintained the league’s motives were honest.

“I know from the photos it looks like we’re building some sort of Fritzl Suite to help silence dissent from agitators, but that’s simply not the case. As an organisation committed to sustainability we’re simply making our HQ building more energy efficient.

“At the heart of everything we do is making the Kenna the ultimate fantasy, and these renovations are part of that fantasy,” he said over the muffled cries of Titus Bramble.

Cup fixtures announced

The first round of knockout games in the Canesten Combi Cup will take place this weekend.

A total of 16 teams made it out of the group stages in January. They will be drawn in head-to-head ties on tomorrow’s 1750 from Birmingham New Street to Euston.

“It’s the first time the last 16 draw will be made on a moving train, but I must assure managers that we will not be holding back on the traditional glamour associated with the Canesten,” said the chairman, charging up his briefcase with a couple of Jackie Chans.

In the pot

Group A – Judean Peoples’ Front, KS West Green, This is Sparta…Prague, Team Panda Rules OK

Group B – FC Testiculadew, Rapids De Cullons CF, Dynamo Charlton, St Reatham FC

Group C – Headless Chickens, Northern Monkeys, Spartak Mogadishu, Newington Reds

Group D – Hairy Fadjeetas, PSV Mornington, Bala Rinas, Lokomotiv Leeds

Last 16

First leg – Tuesday 5 March

Second leg – Tuesday 18 March

Quarter finals

First leg – Tuesday 25 March

Second leg – Tuesday 1 April

Semi finals

First leg – Tuesday 15 April

Second leg – Tuesday 22 April

Final

Tuesday 13 May

Kenna table

Kenna wk 25 - 26 February 2014 — Kenna wk 25 – 26 February 2014

Weekly scores

		Manager	Points	Goals
1	Pikey Scum	Jack	43	3
2	St. Reatham FC	Mike	39	3
3	Judean Peoples Front	Sholto	35	2
4	Just put Carles	Carles	35	2
5	FC Testiculadew	James N	34	1
6	Sporting Lesbian	Ben M	33	1
7	Newington Reds	Dudley	32	1
8	Young Boys	Denney	28	0
9	Northern Monkeys	Hugo	27	0
10	Team Panda Rules OK	George	26	2
11	Piedmonte	Phil	26	0
12	Rapids De Cullons CF	Jorge	24	1
13	Lokomotiv Leeds	Ben S	22	2
14	Still Don’t Know Yet	Pete	22	1
15	Headless Chickens	John N	21	1
16	Spartak Mogadishu	Abdi	20	0
17	Bala Rinas	Lewis	19	0
18	Dynamo Charlton	Alex	18	0
19	Hairy Fadjeetas	Aiden	15	1
20	This is Sparta…Prague	Rich	15	0
21	PSV Mornington	El Pons	14	0
22	KS West Green	Stix	8	0
23	Dulwich Red Sox	Luke	5	0

		Points	Player
	Player of the week	15	Giroud, O – ARS – STR
		Club	Team Panda Rules OK

Kenna League agrees lucrative Metro Bank sponsorship deal

Metro Bank deal — M-People: Soon after this photo was taken Metro Man was heard to invite the Kenna chairman for a ‘cheeky Tuesday livener’

METRO Bank will become the main sponsor of the Kenna League as part of a £120m deal, it was announced today.

The three-year agreement includes everything from titles sponsorship of the Kenna League and exclusive world-wide marketing rights to corporate match-day hospitality to providing the pub buffet at auctions and transfer windows.

Media were invited to a launch event this morning at Metro Bank’s flagship Holborn branch in central London.

“This sponsorship shows the Kenna is a serious player in world football. We look forward to what promises to be a mutually beneficial relationship,” said the Kenna chairman, his eyes glazed over with pound sterling currency symbols.

There were a few raised eyebrows in the press pack when it turned out that rather than the chief executive or commercial director, the bank had left affairs to their mascot – Metro Man.

“I can assure you that I speak of behalf of the bank’s leadership team when I say we’re delighted to be entering this exciting partnership with the Kenna League,” enthused Metro Man a little too loudly, having emerged from the bank’s executive lavatory after an inordinate amount of time.

The M-shaped mascot tried to engage security staff in an arm wrestle and offered several of the branch’s nonplussed female employees a peek at his ‘love letter’, before posing for pictures with the Kenna chairman.

Metro Man demanded: “Get a wriggle on with these snaps will you? I want to get down to Coq d’Argent to toast this deal with a few bottles of Krug, sharpish. I’m doing a primary school at two.”

City analysts have questioned the legitimacy of the agreement.

In the league this week, Young Boys climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time in 10 weeks.

The feat was attributed to new signing Emmanuel Adebayor enjoying one of his three good weeks of the season. Months of underperformance lie ahead.

Kenna table

Weekly scores

		Manager	Points	Goals
1	Pikey Scum	Jack	48	1
2	Young Boys	Denney	42	3
3	Sporting Lesbian	Ben M	39	3
4	Newington Reds	Dudley	38	1
5	Northern Monkeys	Hugo	38	0
6	Piedmonte	Phil	37	2
7	Bala Rinas	Lewis	36	3
8	Judean Peoples Front	Sholto	36	1
9	Rapids De Cullons CF	Jorge	32	2
10	Team Panda Rules OK	George	28	1
11	St. Reatham FC	Mike	28	0
12	Headless Chickens	John N	26	2
13	FC Testiculadew	James N	26	0
14	Dynamo Charlton	Alex	24	0
15	Still Don’t Know Yet	Pete	24	0
16	Lokomotiv Leeds	Ben S	22	1
17	KS West Green	Stix	22	1
18	Just put Carles	Carles	21	0
19	Spartak Mogadishu	Abdi	21	0
20	Hairy Fadjeetas	Aiden	20	0
21	PSV Mornington	El Pons	19	0
22	This is Sparta…Prague	Rich	18	0
23	Dulwich Red Sox	Luke	8	0

		Points	Player
	Player of the week	15	Sturridge, D – LIV – STR
		Club	Pikey Scum

Busy pubs and bad jokes

Bramble jersey Feb14 anon — Chin, chin: Having been awarded the Bramble Jersey by the Kenna chairman, the former PSV Mornington manager (right) hit the bar and made no signings. He stands accused of ‘presenteeism’

A SOMALI, a Jew, two Catalans, three Welshmen and nine blokes who once considered it their capital city walk into a London pub.

It’s not the start of an inappropriate joke, but what happened last Friday night when Kenna League managers gathered for the season’s second transfer window.

Over three hours in the busy bar of The Enterprise in Holborn, nearly 40 football players went under the hammer as managers shouted above the din of brisk trade.

For those that turned out there was plenty to whet the appetite.

Sporting Lesbian laid £15m on Wilfred Zaha, the most expensive player of the evening.

Bala Rinas, in the mix for a first league title, splashed just £1m less on the formerly unfashionable Marouane Chamakh, and were immediately rewarded with a goal this week.

Despite grumblings afterwards about connectivity, the Headless Chickens manager was able to Whatsapp in from an Austrian skiing chalet to scoop Kostantinos Mitroglu for £14m, and keep the team’s title hopes alive.

At the other end of the table, Young Boys were ringing the changes in a bid to escape relegation. Among seven new players was another £14m signing of the evening in the shape of Emmanuel Adebayor.

It was a typically haphazard night for fellow relegation strugglers Spartak Mogadishu.

Much to everyone’s amusement, the Pirates manager signed Danny Graham in earnest, but then realised the striker was ineligible to score points while languishing on the banks of the River Tees.

Graham was quickly tossed overboard under the new wildcard ruling, which allows any manager to dispense of one player at random during the window.

@jeffkennaleague as requested 😀 tricampeao included. Enjoy the premium lager pic.twitter.com/GqRJpyGcHA

— Carles Duz Palau (@cduzpalau) February 7, 2014

As an intermediary battled the miserable London winter to make five signings for Just Put Carles, the manager tweeted a photo of himself on the beach in Antigua.

When the Catalan returns from the Caribbean imagine just how much colder and wetter the runway at Heathrow will be when he discovers his new striker is Shola Ameobi.

The concerning trend of absenteeism, so prevalent at – or not at – October’s window, gave way to new far more dangerous practice on Friday: presenteeism.

Just a little prick: Harold Shipman was one of the notorious criminals revealed as part of the Titus Bramble Pub XI

The former PSV Mornington manager turned up to the window, collected the Bramble Jersey for being bottom of the league and proceeded to make no signings all night. He preferred to consume pints and cigarettes at an alarming rate until midnight.

It just goes to show the pressure of propping up the Kenna table can never be underestimated.

With the window closing at around 10.30pm to end transfer business for the season, managers were left to open the envelopes containing the mystery forfeit Titus Bramble players.

Made up of some of the most high-profile deviants of the last 20 years, the inappropriate jokes could finally begin.

Kenna table

Weekly scores

		Manager	Points	Goals
1	Judean Peoples Front	Sholto	49	3
2	St. Reatham FC	Mike	40	3
3	Newington Reds	Dudley	40	2
4	Still Don’t Know Yet	Pete	38	2
5	Piedmonte	Phil	36	2
6	Pikey Scum	Jack	34	2
7	Dynamo Charlton	Alex	32	2
8	FC Testiculadew	James N	31	0
9	KS West Green	Stix	31	0
10	Young Boys	Denney	30	1
11	Hairy Fadjeetas	Aiden	25	3
12	Just put Carles	Carles	25	0
13	Sporting Lesbian	Ben M	24	0
14	Rapids De Cullons CF	Jorge	23	2
15	Lokomotiv Leeds	Ben S	22	1
16	This is Sparta…Prague	Rich	22	0
17	Dulwich Red Sox	Luke	21	2
18	Northern Monkeys	Hugo	19	0
19	Bala Rinas	Lewis	16	1
20	Spartak Mogadishu	Abdi	14	0
21	Headless Chickens	John N	11	0
22	Team Panda Rules OK	George	11	0
23	PSV Mornington	El Pons	7	0

		Points	Player
	Player of the week	17	Hazard, E – CHE – MID
		Club	Hairy Fadjeetas

Fadges boss ‘does a Kinnear’

Joe Kinnear Kenna word cloud1 — Saxon the beach: A word cloud from the Hairy Fadjeetas manager’s press conference today (courtesy of CiaranJ75)

THE Hairy Fadjeetas manager has launched an expletive-ridden tirade in response to criticism of his approach to tomorrow’s Kenna League transfer window.

Labelling several Kenna figures as a rude word associated with a lady’s part, criticising league rivals and getting several of his players’ names wrong, the Hairy Fadjeetas manager held a press conference the likes of which football has never seen before*.

The pressure of his first genuine Kenna title challenge appeared to have rattled the Fadges manager, whose team was was knocked off the top spot this week by FC Testiculadew.

Despite an underperforming strikeforce of Roberto Soldado and Javier Hernandez, the manager has come under fire from fans and the club for choosing not to release any players ahead of tomorrow’s last chance to make changes before the end of the season in May.

Speaking while on holiday in the Austrian Alps as to how he planned to push for his maiden Kenna title without freshening up his team, the Fadges manager spat out this furious tirade earlier today:

“Don’t you f*ck!ng start. Which one’s the Chairman? You’re a c*nt. And which one’s from Mogadoodoo? You’re out of order. I don’t have to stand for it. Trying to f*cking undermine my position are you? It’s going to my lawyers.

“Transfers? Why do I need to make transfers? Are you trying to say my squad isn’t f*cking good enough or that I can’t get anyone in? We’ve got a great side with that Aaron Ramsden and Gethin Bazzard holding things together. I spend my whole life picking up the phone, talking to Alex Ferguson, week in, week out, what would you do, what would you do? I can pick the phone up at any time of day and speak to Arsene Wenger.

“And you can tell that Tactical Brambler… I’ve kept really quiet, but I’ll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he did that – we have not resorted to that. But I’ll tell ya – you can tell him now if you’re watching it – we’re still fighting for this title, and he’s got to go to keep Dzeko scoring, and… and I tell you honestly, I will love it if we beat them, love it!”

The list of available players for tomorrow’s Kenna transfer window has been published in The Rub.

Managers attending the window will be surprised to see some big names released this week. In particular, the Piedmonte manger, another pushing for his first Kenna title, jettisoned Samir Nasri – who returns from injury in a couple of weeks.

Defending Kenna champions Sporting Lesbian waved toodle pip to Stephen Jovetic.

The Young Boys of Vauxhall manager, looking to escape a relegation first, released six players, including Operation Yewtree’s Rolf Harris.

*Disclaimer: football may have seen a press conference like this before

Manager to Skype in from Alpine hideout

Road to perdition: The St Reatham FC manager has been wanted by police since Natalie Sawyer’s bloodied corpse was found on Chobham Common in April (photo courtesy of GanMed 64)

SUSPECTED murderer the St Reatham FC manager has admitted he will not be able to attend Friday’s Kenna transfer window in person for fear of being apprehended by authorities.

Speaking from his hideout in Switzerland, the manager said he would have to bid over Skype in the Kenna transfer auction while the heinous crime committed in south east England last year remains unsolved.

Surrey Police have wanted to question the current St Reatham manager since last April when the battered corpse of Sky Sports News presenter Natalie Sawyer was found by a dog walker on Chobham Common.

Then in charge of Kenna club Woking, the manager was the last person seen with Ms Sawyer after a taking a punditry screen test for Sky Sports News.

A huge fan of Brentford Football Club, it is thought Sawyer was lured by the Surrey man into his car with the promise of showing her some Bees memorabilia.

Many thought the pressure of poor performances in the league, which saw the Woking manager take the Bramble jersey at the transfer window this time last year, had led to him savagely beating the sports anchor to death.

Their manager on the run, Woking finished bottom of the table in May.

Police later retrieved a tire iron and a Phil Collins CD – both smeared with the manager’s DNA and forensically linked to the crime scene – hidden behind some old training cones at the Woking practice ground.

The St Reatham FC manager said yesterday: “Due to my enforced stay in the non-EU safe haven of Switzerland, I have been unable to send a postcard [with players to be released].

“Until I can prove my innocence I’m confined to Basel. Therefore I will need to Skype in.”

Kenna managers had until today to submit their unwanted players to the league – by post for a transfer bonus of £10m or by any other communication for £5m.

Gathered in The Enterprise in Holborn on Friday evening, managers will fill the gaps in their teams at auction.

FCT go top ahead of transfer window

Hugo Drax — Moonraking them dry: Once again the FC Testiculadew manager had been caught red handed watching unauthorised films using club equipment (photo courtesy of lucy_sarson)

PANTOMIME villain the FC Testiculadew manager is wringing his hands in sinister fashion after leading his side to the top of the Kenna League.

Goals from Edin Dzeko, Christian Benteke, Jonjo Shelvey and Kevin Mirallas saw FC Testiculadew cruise past a dismal performance from Hairy Fadjeetas.

The FCT manager is hunting for his second league title in just three years of competing in the Kenna.

Despite winning the league on debut by a record 129 points in the 2011/12 season, the manager is most well known for inventing the pernicious act of tactical Brambling – an underhand ploy to subvert the league’s forfeit procedure, the Titus Bramble ruling.

In the 2012 Emmanuel Olisadebe Euros auction, the FCT manager calculated that by deliberately springing the Titus Bramble ruling late in the auction under previous Kenna laws, he could free up funds and gain a financial advantage.

Kenna HQ has since brought in heavier penalties to discourage against tactical Brambling.

New regulations have not stopped the Olisdebe auction becoming known as the graveyard of the Kenna’s spirit.

The FCT manager has continued to be marked by his ruthlessness towards the Kenna and his unscrupulousness interpreting league regulations.

Speaking to media this morning outside the club’s Itchyballs Park training facility, the FCT manager said: “First there was the dream, now the reality. Here in the untainted cradle of the heavens will be created a new super race, a race of perfect physical specimens.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rrPB2BER0c]

Kenna table

Weekly scores

		Manager	Points	Goals
1	FC Testiculadew	James N	77	4
2	Pikey Scum	Jack	59	4
3	Newington Reds	Dudley	58	1
4	Piedmonte	Phil	57	3
5	KS West Green	Stix	53	3
6	Northern Monkeys	Hugo	49	3
7	Sporting Lesbian	Ben M	47	2
8	Rapids De Cullons CF	Jorge	46	1
9	Bala Rinas	Lewis	45	1
10	Lokomotiv Leeds	Ben S	44	3
11	Judean Peoples Front	Sholto	44	2
12	Team Panda Rules OK	George	43	2
13	Just put Carles	Carles	41	0
14	Still Don’t Know Yet	Pete	39	4
15	St. Reatham FC	Mike	38	1
16	This is Sparta…Prague	Rich	36	1
17	Young Boys	Denney	36	0
18	Spartak Mogadishu	Abdi	32	2
19	Headless Chickens	John N	31	1
20	Hairy Fadjeetas	Aiden	29	0
21	Dynamo Charlton	Alex	26	0
22	Dulwich Red Sox	Luke	23	0
23	PSV Mornington	El Pons	21	1

		Points	Player
	Player of the week	17	Sturridge, D – LIV – STR
		Club	Pikey Scum

Like Rat from a sinking rat

Life in the gutter: Razvan Rat looks likely to be released from the Kenna League ahead of this Friday’s transfer window (photo courtesy of gynti_46)

RAZVAN Rat is one of eleven players likely to be jettisoned by his club tomorrow as Kenna League managers prepare for this Friday’s transfer window.

The Romanian defender was signed by Dynamo Charlton in August for £3m, but will surely be given the heave ho having been told to scurry away from the Premier League last week.

Another disappointed rat will be the Dulwich Red Sox manager, who sees his £24m striker Dimitar Berbatov slouch off to the French Riviera.

The Still Don’t Know Yet manager was also given plenty more to complain about as the £20m pair of Yohan Cabaye and Danny Graham went their separate ways.

Floundering at 16th in the Kenna table, the under-pressure manager is the subject of an investigation from the league’s manager experiences department after being caught up in a vicious Twitter rant at the chairman.

@jeffkennaleague pic.twitter.com/vtsViE1jOs

— Peter Ball (@peterball01) January 31, 2014

Samurai’s Danny Osvaldo is set to leave Newington Reds for Italy, Philipe Senderos will depart from Pikey Scum for Spain and the decision to ‘release Bryan’ is an expensive one for KS West Green.

Meanwhile, four managers find themselves Titus Bramble tied – they now have two players from the same Premier League club and must release one tomorrow.

FC Testiculadew will surely keep Juan Mata over Rafael, but three other managers find some pretty tough choices to make.

As well as a rat, or lack of a rat, problem, the Dynamo manager has the humdinger of picking between striker Peter Odemwingie and defender Erik Pieters, now both plying their trade in the potteries.

Anders Brievik lookalike the Judean Peoples’ Front manager must choose between goalkeeper Allan McGregor or striker Nikica Jelavic. McGregor’s red card makes it likely the Croat will stay.

Bottom-of-the-table PSV Mornington, now being managed by a cardboard cut out of Pep Guardiola since the former boss was sacked just before Christmas, will probably keep regular starter Leroy ‘The Bouncer’ Fer over a crocked Jonas Gutierrez.

Cheerio

Dimitar Berbatov (£24m) – Dulwich Red Sox

Yohan Cabaye (£11), Danny Graham (£9m) – Still Don’t Know Yet

Bryan Ruiz (£14m) – KS West Green

Razvan Rat (£3m) – Dynamo Charlton

Philipe Senderos (£2m) – Pikey Scum

Danny Osvaldo (£1.5m) – Newington Green

Bramble tied

FC Testiculadew – Juan Mata or Rafael

PSV Mornington – Jonas Gutierrez or Leroy Fer

Dynamo Charlton – Peter Odemwingie or Erik Pieters

Judean Peoples’ Front – Allan McGregor or Nikica Jelavic

Red Arrows snub the Kenna

Red Arrows colours — ‘Aerobatic joyriders’: The chairman was heavily critical of the Red Arrows today when they turned down a Kenna flypast request (photo courtesy of Crustyfur)

THE Kenna League chairman launched an astonishing attack on the Red Arrows today after they turned down a flypast request for this summer’s 10th anniversary auction.

The Kenna announced on Tuesday the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team would be part of the league’s landmark celebrations on Saturday 9 August this year, when they would perform a flypast over the City of London pub where the auction is to be held.

The chairman was forced into an embarrassing u-turn today when a leaked email from the Ministry of Defence revealed 25 blokes on an all-dayer did not meet the strict event criteria demanded for Red Arrows flypasts.

“Red Arrows? Don’t talk to me about the Red f***ing Arrows!” roared the chairman at a press conference called to discuss next Wednesday’s Kenna transfer window deadline.

“Football and pubs. That’s what British society is and that’s exactly what the Kenna stands for: football and pubs. Those aerobatic joyriders wouldn’t know a cornerstone of the British institution if it pinched one off in their cockpit.

“They say flypasts over London by military aircraft are restricted to Royal, state or exceptionally high-profile events. What do those showboaters think the Kenna is? We’ve got nearly 200 followers on Twitter.”

With flypast plans scrapped, the chairman admitted the league was thin on the ground for ideas of how best to mark the 10th anniversary of London’s leading pub-based fantasy football league.

“If Sepp Blatter turns down his invite, it’s squeaky bum time,” he said.

Newington Reds suspend Dani Osvaldo after ‘training-ground incident’

Samurai: Dani Osvaldo in a Newington Reds training session last week

NEWINGTON Reds have suspended their striker Dani Osvaldo for two weeks following an unspecified training-ground incident, the Kenna League club have announced.

Newington Reds have said that the striker’s behaviour fell below the standards they expect of their players but have said that they will make no further comment on the matter.

“Newington Reds Football Club has today suspended striker Dani Osvaldo for two weeks, following an incident at the club’s Mildmay Grove training ground,” read a statement.

“The club has taken swift and proper action for what it considers a breach of the conduct expected of its players. Southampton will be making no further comment on this matter.”

Osvaldo was suspended for three matches in January and hit with a £40,000 fine for his part in a touchline confrontation in December during Newington Reds’ Canesten Combi Cup match with Sporting Lesbian.

The striker has a reputation for causing trouble and has twice been in trouble for punching team-mates. At Bologna he hit Nicola Mingazzini in a pre-season training session and, three years ago, he was fined and suspended for punching his then Roma colleague Erik Lamela, now at Pikey Scum, reportedly for refusing to pass to him.

“He has a reputation, a beard and a samurai topknot so I think these rumours about bringing a sword to training are true, or I at least I hope they are,” speculated the Kenna League chairman.

With just two goals since being signed by the Reds manager for £1.5m in the Kenna October transfer window, Osvaldo looks likely to be released by the club at the season’s second and final window on 7 February.

Finding a replacement may be tricky for the Reds. The record number of teams in the Kenna this season means a shortage of striking talent – Gary Hooper, Marouane Chamakh and Jozy Altidore head the list of available front men.