Welcome to ‘Prediction of the Season’ - your chance to award a shiny piece of silverware to the person who came up with the best unique score prediction of the 2006-2007 season.

Either leave a reply to this post or e-mail The Nottingham Florist at www.mattwhite03@hotmail.com with your choice. The winner will be announced just as soon as you’ve all voted. Eyes down, here they come …

1. MARK YOUNG: SCOTLAND 6-0 FAROE ISLANDS (WEEK 2)
Scotland were strongly fancied to defeat the mighty Faroe Islanders in this Euro 2008 qualifier, but who’d have thought the goal-shy Scots would run riot? Mark Young, actually.

2. PATRICK BEVILACQUA: WIGAN ATHLETIC 3-2 CHARLTON ATHLETIC (WEEK 12)
You beauty! Before this fixture, Wigan had only hit the back of the net sporadically and Charlton had netted just once in three games. It was almost a miracle it ended 3-2.

3. HARESH MIRANI: WEST HAM UNITED 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED (WEEK 17)
The Hammers had lost their last three, with eight goals conceded and none scored; Manchester United had won their last three, scoring eight goals in the process. Football, as we all know, is a funny old game.

4. PAUL BENTLEY: BRISTOL CITY 2-2 MIDDLESBROUGH (WEEK 21)
Bingo! League 1 high-flyers host Premiership under-achievers, with a generous helping of Cup magic sprinkled on top. Paul’s four-goal thriller was the sign of a predictor on top of his game. Well sort of.

5. JODIE KEMP: BIRMINGHAM CITY 2-3 READING (WEEK 21)
Another magical Cup prediction – and one more goal thrown in for good measure. Jodie was the pride of West Bergholt when her five-goal feast bore fruit. It’s ripe, juicy and ready for you to pick as your favourite.

6. STEVEN DUNLOP: MIDDLESBROUGH 2-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (WEEK 27)
Manchester United were on a roll, Middlesbrough were stuck between a rock and a hard place in mid-table. However, this was the Cup. There were 52 correct score predictions in week 27; only Steven hit the nail on the head. The man’s a legend in Predictorship circles.

7. BRIAN DUNLOP: USA 3-1 ECUADOR (WEEK 29)
Like an England fan optimistically predicting an end to “41 years of hurt”, only an American could plump for a comfortable win against the might of Ecuador. Hat-trick hero Landon Donovan realised Brian’s dream.

8. HARESH MIRANI: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 MIDDLESBROUGH (WEEK 33)
It looked just plain silly on paper: champions elect failing to defeat Premiership also-rans – at Old Trafford. Maybe we should have seen it coming after ‘Boro’s Cup exploits in week 27 (see above). Only Haresh, this season’s correct score master, passed the test.

9. JOHN COLLINS: WEST HAM UNITED 3-1 BOLTON WANDERERS (WEEK 35)
Shorn of the Predictorship Cup title and languishing in mid-table after communication problems with India, from where he was predicting, John hopped on the “West Ham to escape relegation” bandwagon and enjoyed the bumpy ride all the way to the courtroom.

10. SANJIV SACHDEV: LIVERPOOL 2-2 CHARLTON ATHLETIC (WEEK 36)
Spanish property tycoon Sanjiv wisely remembered the unpredictability of final day matches in the Premiership when all around him were letting their Manchester Uniteds rule their Manchester Citys. Four goals at Anfield? Two of them to relegated Charlton? Ka-ching!

Janet Jones and Sheffield Wednesday have lifted The Predictorship Cup with a 1-0 win against Cathryn Harker’s Clapton F.C.

Janet makes history as the first predictor to win the League and Cup double following her League triumph in 2003-04.

In stark contrast to the endless tedium served up at the new Wembley, the Predictorship Cup final was full of glitz and glamour and mesmerising football, with Wednesday grabbing the all-important winner after 90 minutes thanks to Janet’s 1-1 prediction. Cathryn banked on a 1-0 win for Manchester United, but her Cup dream died when Ryan Giggs failed to convert Wayne Rooney’s inch-perfect cross (even though the ball DID cross the line - with Petr Cech attached).

A Chelsea win at 90 minutes was the only factor that would have brought the “tie-breaker” (predictions for the time of the first goal) into play. For the record, Janet (23 minutes) and Cathryn (73 minutes) were both way off anticipating Didier Drogba’s 116th-minute clincher.

Janet Jones’ name will appear alongside John Collins - who led Millwall to glory in last season’s inaugural competition - on a shiny piece of silverware which will be rushed into production for the eagerly-anticipated Predictorship awards ceremony, the most prestigious event in the Predictorship calendar.

“I’m not sure how that happened!,” said a stunned Janet from her soon-to-be trophy-laden home in Church Langley, Harlow. “I was lucky to avoid all the ‘big girls and boys’ on route to the final and even managed to beat David (Roberts, husband-to-be) on the way. I was a bit worried about playing Cathryn in the final but my luck held out.”

Congratulations Janet! Enjoy your reign as Predictorship Cup champion.

The Predictorship - Roll of Honour 2000-2007 …

The Predictorship - Winners (2000-07)

1999-2000 - Stewart Newport (Queens Park Rangers)
2000-01 - Gabe Bevilacqua (Philadelphia Eagles)
2001-02 - David Roberts (Watford)
2002-03 - Steven Dunlop (Sporting Charleroi)
2003-04 - Janet Jones (Sheffield Wednesday)
2004-05 - Steven Dunlop (Sporting Charleroi)
2005-06 - Mike Dufficy (Jersey United)
2006-07 - Christine Butters (Manchester City)

The Predictorship Cup - Winners (2006-07)

2005-06 - John Collins (Millwall)
2006-07 - Janet Jones (Sheffield Wednesday)

Still to Come …

Vote for your ‘Prediction of the Season’. There are 10 beauties to choose from …

Quote of the Week …

Anonymous BBC match commentator: “That’s asking too much of Robben”. Mark Lawrenson (in reply, and NOT acknowledged): “That’s asking too much of Batman, let alone Robben” …

It’s been the mightiest title tussle in living memory, but when push finally came to shove, Christine Butters (Manchester City) had the nerve to edge out Dave Taylor (Chelsea) on “correct scores difference” and become the second female winner of The Predictorship. Congratulations Christine! The entire Predictorship community salutes you.

Christine was just nine minutes plus injury time away from chucking in the towel when Luke Moore rifled in a peach of an 81st-minute volley at Bolton to salvage a point for the Villa and secure the second point Christine (with a 1-1 prediction) needed to see off Dave. One-nil master Dave also bagged two points, but came horribly unstuck when no less than SIX of the 10 matches ended all square.

Here’s how close it was …

Pos. - Team - (Predictor) - Week 36 Points - Correct Results - Correct Scores - Total Points

1. MANCHESTER CITY (Christine Butters) - 2 - 187 - 48 - 235
2. CHELSEA (Dave Taylor) - 2 - 189 - 46 - 235

And here’s the rest of the Top 10 …

Pos. - Team - (Predictor) - Week 36 Points - Correct Results - Correct Scores - Total Points

3. MANCHESTER UNITED (Hope Arnold) - 1 - 185 - 42 - 227
4. LIVERPOOL RESERVES (Saleel Sathe) - 2 - 174 - 48 - 222
5. JERSEY UNITED (Mike Dufficy) - 3 - 179 - 42 - 221
6. WEST BROMWICH ALBION (Mark Young) - 5 - 180 - 40 - 220
7. PETERBOROUGH UNITED (Steve McHugh) - 5 - 176 - 43 - 219
8. BENFICA (Steven Dunlop) - 2 - 176 - 41 - 217
9. ANKARAGÜCÜ (Matthew White) - 9 - 184 - 33 - 217
10. IPSWICH TOWN (Nick Watson) - 3 - 169 - 47 - 216

Christine Butters - The Tribute …

Christine, an ever-present predictor this season, claimed the title after 17 consecutive weeks at No.1. That’s some achievement. In week 20, she had amassed 130 points to relieve erstwhile leader Nick Watson (Ipswich Town) of his table-topping duties. In the 16 weeks that followed, she rattled up 105 points at a weekly average of 6.56.

Although Haresh Mirani (Bengal Mumbai F.C.) ended up with the highest weekly return of the season (13 points), Christine netted three scores of 12 - in weeks eight, 23 and 25 - to lay claim to 60% of the five scores of 12 or more during the 2006-2007 campaign. That’s impressive.

Christine, who had no time to celebrate victory before news came through that her beloved City had sacked malfunctioning boss Stuart Pearce, said: “To say I’m happy is an understatement … I’m ecstatic!

“How my poor husband has put up with me these last few weeks I don’t know. (He deserves the trophy.) It’s been so incredibly close with Dave neck-and-neck and Hope not far behind. It could have been any one of us.

“I’ve been in the Predictorship for four years,” added Christine. “Every year I’ve had a bet with Dave R(oberts) and Dave T(aylor) and most years I’ve ended up out of pocket. This year, I didn’t bother to bet with them - sod’s law - but I’m not complaining”.

Rarely do I get the chance to talk about myself, so I must just add that I, Matthew White (Ankaragücü), aka The Nottingham Florist, was the top scorer in week 36 with nine points, which secured my third consecutive top 10 finish in The Predictorship and the hastily-arranged “GWR London Office Championship” (see below). My secret? Predicting six draws and getting five of them correct. Another few weeks of predicting and I’d have won the title.

Roll of Honour/Shame …

* Predictorship Champion: Christine Butters (235 points)
* Runner-up: Dave Taylor (235 points)
* Third Place: Hope Arnold (227 points)
* “Champions League” Qualification (4th): Saleel Sathe (222 points)
* “UEFA Cup” Qualification: Mike Dufficy (5th, 221 points); Mark Young (6th, 220 points); Steve McHugh (7th, 219 points)
* “Relegation” (not really): Stuart Claxton (47th, 135 points); Della Torra (48th, 132 points); Norman No Mates (49th, 122 points)
* Top Rookie: Saleel Sathe (4th)
* Highest Score of Season: Haresh Mirani (13)
* Most Correct Scores: Haresh Mirani (49)
* Most Correct Results: Dave Taylor (189)
* Most Weeks at Top: Christine Butters (17)
* Most Weeks at Bottom: Stuart Claxton (18)
* Most Weeks in Top 5: Dave Taylor (33)
* Most Weeks in Bottom 5: Stuart Claxton (36)
* Most Consecutive Weeks Without Submitting Scores: Paul Dolan (24)
* Predictorship Cup Winner: TBC
* Prediction of the Week: TBC
* “GWR London Office Championship”: 1. Matthew White (9th); 2. Nick Watson (10th); 3. Michael Whitty (19th); 4. Nicola Savage (20th); 5. Simon Gold (22nd); 6. Rob Molloy (29th); 7. Scott Christie (31st); 8. Paul Bentley (39th); 9. Rob Dimery (40th).
* “Stateside Championship”: 1. Hope Arnold (3rd); 2. Mike Dufficy (5th); 3. Mark Young (6th); 4. Gabe Bevilacqua (11th); 5. Pete Yoder (15th); 6. Brian Dunlop (28th); 7. Patrick Bevilacqua (32nd); 8. Paul Dolan (46th); 9. Stuart Claxton (47th). Apologies to anyone I’ve omitted!

Week 36 Stats…

Players: 35 out of 49. Points scored: 139. Highest score: 9 (Matthew White). Average score: 3.97. Total correct scores: 23. Prediction of the Week: Sanjiv Sachdev (Liverpool 2-2 Charlton Athletic). Seasonal High: Michael Whitty (19th).

Results: Blackburn Rovers 3-3 Reading (0); Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Aston Villa (1); Chelsea 1-1 Everton (4); Liverpool 2-2 Charlton Athletic (1); Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United (0); Middlesbrough 3-1 Fulham (0); Portsmouth 0-0 Arsenal (2); Sheffield United 1-2 Wigan Athletic (2); Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Manchester City (7); Watford 1-1 Newcastle United (6).

Next Week …

The Predictorship Cup final: Clapton F.C. (Cathryn Harker) v Sheffield Wednesday (Janet Jones). Have you got your ticket?

Still to Come …

Your chance to vote for the ‘Prediction of the Season’. Stay tuned!

Players: 39 out of 49. Points scored: 188. Highest score: 8 (Gabe Bevilacqua, Scott Christie, John Collins and Cathryn Harker). Average score: 4.82. Total correct scores: 25. Prediction of the Week: John Collins (West Ham United 3-1 Bolton Wanderers). Seasonal Highs: Simon Gold (20th) and Trevor Morris (37th).

Results: Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United (2); Everton 3-0 Portsmouth (0); Fulham 1-0 Liverpool (1); Newcastle United 0-2 Blackburn Rovers (1); Reading 0-2 Watford (0); West Ham United 3-1 Bolton Wanderers (1); Wigan Athletic 0-1 Middlesbrough (6); Aston Villa 3-0 Sheffield United (1); Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (5); Charlton Athletic 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (8).

Current Top 10 …

Pos. - Team - (Predictor) - Week 35 Points - Correct Results - Correct Scores - Total Points

1. MANCHESTER CITY (Christine Butters) - 4 - 185 - 48 - 233
2. CHELSEA (Dave Taylor) - 7 - 187 - 46 - 233
3. MANCHESTER UNITED (Hope Arnold) - 5 - 184 - 42 - 226
4. LIVERPOOL RESERVES (Saleel Sathe) - 5 - 172 - 48 - 220
5. JERSEY UNITED (Mike Dufficy) - 7 - 177 - 41 - 218
6. BENFICA (Steven Dunlop) - 6 - 174 - 41 - 215
7. WEST BROMWICH ALBION (Mark Young) - 5 - 176 - 39 - 215
8. PETERBOROUGH UNITED (Steve McHugh) - 5 - 172 - 42 - 214
9. IPSWICH TOWN (Nick Watson) - 6 - 166 - 47 - 213
10. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (Gabe Bevilacqua) - 6 - 175 - 37 - 212

Thirty-five weeks of predicting and it all comes down to a one-week shoot-out.

As we hurtle headlong into the final week of the 2006-2007 season, a rattled Christine Butters extends her stay at the top of the Predictorship table to 16 consecutive weeks, but a superior correct scores tally is all that now keeps the wolf from the door. Dave Taylor’s forward momentum and unwavering loyalty to the 1-0 prediction has him primed to snatch the title at the death.

The permutations are as follows:
1. If Christine scores more points than Dave next week, she wins the title (obviously).
2. If Dave scores more points than Christine, he wins the title (keep up at the back).
3. If Christine and Dave score the same number of points, Christine wins the title unless Dave bags two more correct scores, in which case we all panic, flood league chairman David Roberts with e-mails containing very tricky, unanswerable questions and try to devise a more scientific way to separate contenders with the same number of correct results and correct scores than
the dreaded alphabetical order method.

There has to be a way (even though I can’t think of one right now). Rest assured, if Predictorship glory slips through Dave’s hands due to a surname that begins with the letter ‘T’, we’ll be seeing him in court, warming the benches alongside Carlos Tevez, representatives of Sheffield United and Wigan and the good-for-nothing monkeys who run the FA.

After a tumultuous final third of the season, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for soon-to-be-deposed Predictorship Cup holder John Collins, who claims not one but two unique correct scores: ‘Prediction of the Week’ winner West Ham 3-1 Bolton and an extremely rare Villa goal-fest, Aston Villa 3-0 Sheffield United. Scott Christie (Newcastle 0-2 Blackburn) and Cathryn Harker (Fulham 1-0 Liverpool) complete the roll of honour for unique correct score predictions in week 35.

Still to come this season …

The Predictorship Cup final, your chance to vote for the ‘Prediction of the Season’ and more stats than you can shake a very large stick at. Don’t move a muscle …

Pointless task of the week …

Go immediately to http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/get_involved/4466770.stm and make
your very own Peter Crouch mask for the Champions League final. If old gangly-legs is not your cup of tea, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney and Ruud Van Nistelrooy are enticing alternatives. Or, if you’re feeling really brave, become Pierluigi Collina or Sven-Goran Eriksson and watch the women come flocking. Don’t miss out, download your mask now!

Players: 40 out of 49. Points scored: 224. Highest score: 9 (Dave Taylor). Average score: 5.60. Total correct scores: 27. Prediction of the Week: Scott Christie, Mike Dufficy, Ronan L’Heveder and Steve McHugh (Arsenal 3-1 Fulham).

Results: Blackburn Rovers 4-1 Charlton Athletic (0); Chelsea 2-2 Bolton Wanderers (0); Everton 2-4 Manchester United (0); Manchester City 0-2 Aston Villa (0); Middlesbrough 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (0); Portsmouth 2-1 Liverpool (2); Sheffield United 1-0 Watford (10); Wigan Athletic 0-3 West Ham United (0); Arsenal 3-1 Fulham (4); Reading 1-0 Newcastle United (11).

Current Top 10 …

Pos. - Team - (Predictor) - Week 34 Points - Correct Results - Correct Scores - Total Points

1. MANCHESTER CITY (Christine Butters) - 8 - 181 - 48 - 229
2. CHELSEA (Dave Taylor) - 9 - 181 - 45 - 226
3. MANCHESTER UNITED (Hope Arnold) - 5 - 179 - 42 - 221
4. LIVERPOOL RESERVES (Saleel Sathe) - 8 - 167 - 48 - 215
5. JERSEY UNITED (Mike Dufficy) - 8 - 171 - 40 - 211
6. WEST BROMWICH ALBION (Mark Young) - 7 - 171 - 39 - 210
7. PETERBOROUGH UNITED (Steve McHugh) - 7 - 167 - 42 - 209
8. BENFICA (Steven Dunlop) - 6 - 169 - 40 - 209
9. IPSWICH TOWN (Nick Watson) - 4 - 162 - 45 - 207
10. BENGAL MUMBAI F.C. (Haresh Mirani) - 7 - 156 - 48 - 204

Dynamic Dave Taylor ups the ante with a perfectly-timed nine-point salvo. The Chelsea man shrugs off Champions League heartbreak and now lurks just three points behind Manchester City’s Christine Butters, who has now topped the Predictorship for 15 consecutive weeks. To all intents and purposes, it’s developed into a two-horse race for the title.

The leaders will sleep comfortably tonight knowing it’s mathematically impossible for them to finish lower than eighth (Christine) and ninth (Dave) - but they have much bigger fish to fry.

Hope Arnold is left marooned in third after a disappointing return and Saleel Sathe can now smell a podium finish, an eight-point week taking him to within striking distance of Hope. Last season’s victorious predictor, Mike Dufficy, is once again in the end-of-season shake-up, coming up on the rails quicker than a riderless horse at Aintree.

With just two weeks to go, brace yourselves for more twists and turns than a never-ending rollercoaster. Glory and pride are on offer, but only to those who hold on tight and are able to prevent the contents of their stomachs from making an impromptu appearance as the finish line looms large. The best of luck to you all.

Quote of the Week …

“I have always been able to do this job (presumably football management). I have never heard a bad word during six years of travelling around the country” - Sven-Goran Eriksson. Well Sven, if you’re reading this, here’s a few bad words for you: “You were rubbish as England manager. Now go away”.

Where Are They Now? (Part 5) …

Tomas Brolin, chubby Swede who single-handedly wrecked England’s chances of progressing to the latter stages of Euro ‘92. Brolin became the youngest ever Premiership manager when, at the tender age of 28, he took charge of Crystal Palace with Italian “legend” Attilio Lombardo. His tenure lasted all of six months, after which “Brolle” retired from football and returned to Sweden, where, obviously short of a bob or two, he ended up selling shoes and vacuum cleaner mouthpieces on the internet. And it doesn’t end there. He took part-ownership in a property firm with his father, opened an Italian-Swedish restaurant in Stockholm called Undici (Italian for 11, the number shirt he wore in Parma), (dis)graced Swedish non-league football as a goalkeeper, made a record with Europap supremo Doctor Alban (which required him to lie in a bath with a bevvy of busty blondes), starred in a jacuzzi advert and grabbed the headlines when his car collided with an elk. Only God knows what he’s up to now, but it’s our duty to have a cheap laugh at his expense.

John Chiedozie, “swift, nimble and injury-prone” former Nigeria, Leyton Orient, Notts County, Tottenham and Derby midfielder who was as “quick as a hare”, according to Kenny Dalglish. John, who seemed to turn up in virtually every packet of Panini stickers I collected as a child, is now running his own bouncy castle business, renting out inflatables and animals for children’s parties in Hampshire. Insert your own joke here.