Week 27 Update!

Nobody seems to want to make a break for it at this tense stage of the season......the Skillers had a rather slow week of it all told. Darren with 2, Penny with 4 and Ronan with 3. Needless to say, none of them could have forseen the collapse of Dortmund against those beefy Hamburgers. They seem to be placing too much faith in A!F!C! too.....it's time to let the heads rule the hearts from now on in. Only the toughest shall survive! Surely we're also due a Whaley Bee week very soon.....that may shake things up a bit!

In other news this week, we're sad to report that Otto Skillhagen (pictured above) has left the techno/folk/madrigal superstars Egg Plant in a fit of petulance over the band's refusal to include the blue packets of Hunky Dorys on their tour rider. He is reported to have already signed a solo deal with Universal with a view to recording a quadruple debut album , to be only made available on shellac, in the near future. Egg Plant themselves were unavailable for comment, and one must now fear that their upcoming US Tour could be thrown into jeopardy. Not only was Otto the frontman and main focal point for the band on stage, but he's also taken the keys of the tour van with him on his way out.

Week 27 Table

Darren 145
Penny 140
Ronan 138

Weeks 25 & 26 Update!

The past two weeks have seen consolidation rather than revolution in the Egg Plant Totally Skill League. Darren still holds the lead with a handy 11 point haul over the fortnight, with Ronan gathering some momentum and ending this week just one point behind Penny. It seems the Skillers have settled into a groove, with nobody willing to make take risks at this delicate point of the season. It's nail-biting, it's teeth-clenching, it's heart pounding, and we're certainly entering the 'squeaky bum' time over the next few weeks.
Above is a totally random picture of Brora Rangers playing the mighty Clachnacuddin at some point over the past month or two. Just because........

Week 26 Table

Darren 143
Penny 136
Ronan 135

Weeks 16-24 Bumper Round-Up!!!

Okay, so you all enjoyed Christmas and then made it through the long, long January....all the while our intrepid Skillers have been pitting their predictive wits against each other in an attempt to gain a vital advantage at this crucial point of the season. It becomes even more crucial with the news that this seasons competition ends at the end of March owing to Penny's upcoming move to the lucrative UK leagues. So over the next few weeks, there is litte margin for error as we enter the final few furlongs. But what happened over the past few weeks I hear you ask? Weeellllllllllll..........

Weeks 16, 17 and 18 brought no major change in the standings as all three garnered some respectable points totals, but Ronan maintained the top spot without too much rancour.
Week 19 changed all that as Penny and Ronan scraped a couple of points but Darren scored a remarkabe 11 points to move within one point of Ronan. The week after brought a measure of respite for Ronan as he stretched out again to a three point lead, but Darren leveled in Week 21 as both he and Ronan moved onto 120 points, Penny bringing up the rear with 111.

It was at this point that Darren decided to put his foot to the pedal big time, a Lorient-Guincamp 3 pointer helping him to a five point haul in Week 22 as Ronan scraped 2 and Penny managed 1.
Darren was now tasting the dizzy heights of top slot, and the pressure immediately showed as in Week 23 he only scored a single point, which was enough to hold on to the lead as Ronan stumbled with his attempted comeback with an unsatisfactory 3 points. Penny, meanwhile, stormed up behind the two lads with a rather handsome 7 points that week to make it unbearably close between all three.

Week 24 has thrown everything into the proverbial mixer once again! Penny got two 3 pointers on her way to 8 points, leapfrogging her into 2nd above Ronan, who scrambled pathetically to a miserable 2. Darren is clearly enjoying his stint above both and notched up 6 points to stay in front.
Wowzer! There are surely more twists and turns to come in this wildly exciting season. Can Darren ride out the next couple of months, holding off the challenges of Penny, who has found her second wind at just the right time, and Ronan, who must respond to his recent poor form and fight to retain the title?
It will all be answered here over the coming weeks Skill fans.................

Week 24 Table

Darren  132 pts
Penny   128 pts
Ronan   126 pts

Lukas McPodolski And Santi O' Cazorla

How we missed this photo last year remains a mystery. Podolski and Cazorla showing their support for the Clare senior hurling team ahead of the All Ireland final. We're not sure where they got the hurleys from, but it would be great to see these two line out in Croke Park at some point in the future.
Anyway, hope all our Totally Skill fans had a wonderful Christmas and onwards we march into 2014 (World Cup Year! Yaaaay!) and what better way to start than with this bizarre yet somehow endearing picture!!!

Weeks 14 and 15 Round Ups

THAT'S how you do a Cruyff turn, Artur, you plank...
So, a double round up this week due to circumstances outside our control. There was a minor hiccough in Week 14 when one of our fixture panel failed to realise that there would be no European fixtures as it was the International break. They have been duly reprimanded, fret not.
Week 14 turned into a good week for Penny who made up a bit of ground with 7 points, Port Vale doing the business for her. Helping her out was Darren managing only 3 whilst Ronan continued his steady progress with a 5.
Week 15 saw Penny score 3 points in Germany to go with a couple of singles so that she didn't waste the good performance of the week before. It's not officially a come back yet but, she has to hope that she has picked up a bit of momentum at last. Darren upped his game after the poor performance in Week 14 and scored an improved 5, cleaning up in the Skrill at Hyde. Ronan was back in fine form on 7, with a brace at FC Luzern and in Germany. He really is the Manchester United of the Egg Plant Totally Skill League. Well, not the CURRENT Man Utd, of course, or he'd be crap...


Week 15 Table

Ronan 89 pts
Darren 80pts
Penny  77 pts

Totally Round Up Week 13

Belated greetings from Totally Skill Central; in recompense, here's a nice picture of Totally Skill hero John Parr.
Right, so where were we?
Week 13 and Penny continues her terrible form as Darren gets into his stride and outs a bit more distance between himself and last place, as well as eating into Ronan's lead. Both Ronan and Darren scored three pointers, getting 7 and 4 respectively, whilst Penny could only rustle up 3 in total which leaves her languishing in third.

Week 13 Table

Ronan  77 pts
Darren  72 pts
Penny   65 pts

Totally Round Up Week 12

Clearly goal of the week was Asmir Begovic's against Southampton, although he did have the grace to look a bit sheepish afterwards. That it makes him joint top goalscorer for Stoke this season has to be a bit of a worry for Sparky though!
Back to matters Totally Skill and everyone had a quiet week this week, much to Penny's relief. She could only muster 3 again, for the second week running but fortunately, neither Ronan nor Darren could score more than 5. Darren topped the week with Ronan close behind on 4. So no change in the placings, but Penny is going to have to work hard over the next few weeks to make sure the boys don't pull out of sight.

Week 12 Table

Ronan    73 pts
Darren    66 pts
Penny     62 pts