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As an experiment, I thought I’d try out a Premier League prediction game that I ran at work for a while. The amount of football knowledge required is close to zero so anyone can join in.

 

It is all about the time when goals are scored. For each match, you need to predict the time of the first goal and the last significant goal. What is the last significant goal? It is the goal which decides who wins the match or whether it is a draw. For example, if the match finishes 3-1, the last significant goal is the winning team’s second goal.

 

Just as an extra twist, own goals do not count. So, in the above example, if the second goal was an own goal, the winning team’s third goal is the one that counts. For the purposes of the game, the score was 2-1 not 3-1.

 

The times of the goals and the identity of the scorer (i.e. whether or not it was an own goal) will be taken from the BBC website the day after the match. If the dubious goals committee later change the scorer, that will not affect this game.

 

Scoring is simple. For each match, you score the difference between your prediction and the actual result. For example, assume you predict that the first goal will be scored in the 17th minute and the last significant goal will be in the 56th minute. The match finishes 1-0 with the goal (which will also be the last significant goal) in the 40th minute. Your score would be 23 + 16 = 39.

 

If a match finishes 0-0, the correct prediction would be 0 for the first goal and 90 for the last significant goal.

 

You cannot simply enter the same numbers for each match.

 

There will be a winner each week with an overall winner at the end of the season (as long as it lasts that long). The winner will be decided by the player’s average score so it doesn’t matter if you miss the odd week. However, to be included in the overall competition you must enter at least ten times, including at least three times in the last five rounds of matches.

 

Entries should be made in this thread. That may change for the last few rounds of matches.

 

If you change your user name, please remind me of your previous name the first time you use it so that I can keep your entries together.

 

The deadline for weekend matches (including Monday night games) is noon on the Saturday.

 

The deadline for midweek games (assuming at least eight games are scheduled) will be 7 pm on the Tuesday.

 

These deadlines may be slightly different over Christmas / New Year.

 

Postponed games will not count. All predictions for these games will be ignored.

 

Any questions, please ask.

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So, the first set of fixtures for the weekend

 

Saturday

 

Arsenal v Blackpool

Birmingham v Blackburn

Everton v Wolves

Stoke v Tottenham

West Brom v Sunderland

West Ham v Bolton

Wigan v Chelsea

 

Sunday

 

Newcastle v Aston Villa

Fulham v Man Utd

 

Monday

 

Man City v Liverpool

 

Just add your predictions for the first goal and the last significant goal before Saturday 21 August at noon.

First goal, last significant

 

Saturday

 

Arsenal v Blackpool 14, 14

Birmingham v Blackburn 0, 90

Everton v Wolves 42, 42

Stoke v Tottenham 33, 89

West Brom v Sunderland 0, 90

West Ham v Bolton 57, 57

Wigan v Chelsea 9, 9

 

Sunday

 

Newcastle v Aston Villa 67, 92

Fulham v Man Utd 34, 34

 

Monday

 

Man City v Liverpool 51, 63

 

 

I'm assuming that injury time goals count as such?

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First goal, last significant

 

Saturday

 

Arsenal v Blackpool 14, 14

Birmingham v Blackburn 0, 90

Everton v Wolves 42, 42

Stoke v Tottenham 33, 89

West Brom v Sunderland 0, 90

West Ham v Bolton 57, 57

Wigan v Chelsea 9, 9

 

Sunday

 

Newcastle v Aston Villa 67, 92

Fulham v Man Utd 34, 34

 

Monday

 

Man City v Liverpool 51, 63

I'm assuming that injury time goals count as such?

No, anything in stoppage time is 45 or 90 so I'll take your 92 to mean 90 unless you change your mind.

 

And thanks for being the first to enter :D

 

 

Saturday

 

Arsenal v Blackpool 3, 13

Birmingham v Blackburn 64, 87

Everton v Wolves 13, 45

Stoke v Tottenham 7, 90

West Brom v Sunderland 0, 90

West Ham v Bolton 16, 63

Wigan v Chelsea 3, 33

 

Sunday

 

Newcastle v Aston Villa 40, 68

Fulham v Man Utd 30, 90

 

Monday

 

Man City v Liverpool 18, 81

Saturday

 

Arsenal v Blackpool 21, 21

Birmingham v Blackburn 39, 65

Everton v Wolves 77, 77

Stoke v Tottenham 56, 84

West Brom v Sunderland 19, 82

West Ham v Bolton 14, 67

Wigan v Chelsea 9, 9

 

Sunday

 

Newcastle v Aston Villa 18, 18

Fulham v Man Utd 62, 62

 

Monday

 

Man City v Liverpool 0, 90

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Thanks Mark and Damon. Here's my own entry

 

Saturday

 

Arsenal v Blackpool 11, 16

Birmingham v Blackburn 34, 48

Everton v Wolves 20, 69

Stoke v Tottenham 14, 71

West Brom v Sunderland 22, 73

West Ham v Bolton 31, 66

Wigan v Chelsea 12, 18

 

Sunday

 

Newcastle v Aston Villa 49, 57

Fulham v Man Utd 19, 58

 

Monday

 

Man City v Liverpool 41, 77

  • Author

Saturday Half-time Update

 

Just counting the six 3.00 kick-offs the situation at half time is as follows

 

1 Mike Shinoda 168 pts

2 Rabbit Fur Coat 225 pts

3 Suedehead 271 pts

4 Damon 304 pts

 

Mike Shinoda is currently scoring just 4 points for Arsenal v Blackpool and a mere 2 points for Everton v Wolves.

  • Author

Saturday Full-time Update

 

After the first six games of the weekend the scores are as follows

 

1 Suedehead 245 pts

2 Damon 300 pts

3 Mike Shinoda 310 pts

4 Pabbit Fur Coat 331 pts

 

With four games still to play, it's still wide open.

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End of Saturday update

 

After adding Wigan v Chelsea, the scores at the end of Saturday are

 

1 Suedehead 283 pts

2 Damon 350 pts

3 Mike Shinoda 360 pts

4 Rabbit Fur Coat 363 pts

 

Still all to play for

  • Author

Sunday update number one (of two)

 

Just to show how quickly things can change in this game, this is how things stand after the Newcastle v Villa game

 

1 Damon 362 pts

2 Suedehead 365 pts

3 Rabbit Fur Coat 447 pts

4 Mike Shinoda 493 pts

 

Two more matches to go

  • Author

Sunday update number two (of two)

 

It's all change again after the drama at Craven Cottage

 

1 Suedehead 404 pts

2 Damon 440 pts

3 Rabbit Fur Coat 467 pts

4 Mike Shinoda 571 pts

  • Author

The final result

 

It's a bit embarrassing but the final result is as follows

 

1 Suedehead 496 pts

2 Damon 530 pts

3 Rabbit Fur Coat 540 pts

4 Mike Shinoda 659 pts

 

I'll try and get a few more players for next week. Otherwise, I might have to abandon it as a bad idea :(

 

At work we used to play for money. It cost £1 per week to enter and the winner took the lot. However, as there were only a few of us playing, there was a threshold which started at 300 pts. If nobody got under that the money rolled over ands the threshold went up by 50 minutes. That made sure that the prize fund would be reasonably high and that someone would win eventually. Under those rules nobody would have won this week. However, as it is just for fun and not for money, we don't need to add that extra complication.

Hopefully more people join so you don't have to abandon it, it's a nice, easy and fun game that doesn't take much effort. I'll happily play every weekend, just hope you keep running it! :D
  • Author
Hopefully more people join so you don't have to abandon it, it's a nice, easy and fun game that doesn't take much effort. I'll happily play every weekend, just hope you keep running it! :D

Thanks :D Now that I've got the spreadsheet sorted it should be fairly easy to run as well.

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