So what about those FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings, then? Well, there have been some big changes in the European teams, with several huge shifts upwards or downwards. Most shockingly, Scotland – despite a draw and a win – have lost their position as the UK's second (and the British Isles' third) team. That place is now taken up by Northern Ireland, who managed a 14 place shift upwards to 45th, while Scotland drifted downwards to 47th.
The largest jump was from Montenegro, who are in group G with England, Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Their shock victory over a very poor Bulgaria (perhaps shaken over their 4-0 defeat by England) gave them a 33 place rise to 40th in the world! Bulgaria, however, have dropped 11 places to 54th, and also lost their coach, who resigned after the bad weekend.
Another notable improvements is Cyprus, thanks to their draw with Portugal. The Cyprians go up from 63 to 43 – 20 places! Portugal hold their position in 8th. Also, the defeaters of France – Belarus – went up 23 places to 55th, while France (despite beating Bosnia-Herzegovina) drop six places to 27th.
Finally, and just for amusement, Andorra and San Marino both dropped a place (Andorra have 2 points, San Marino have 0), thanks to the Central African Republic drawing with Morocco 0-0. This gave them 30 points, and I would not be surprised if it was treated like a victory.
17/09/2010
Mark Lawrenson Predictions: Episode 4
Prediction vs Reality
Predictions here
I am a horrendously late blogger this week. My excuse is that it's my first week of a new university term, so I've been busy.
Correct predictions are in bold.
Mark's winner prediction success rate: 5/10
Mark's score prediction success rate: 2/10
Mark Lawrenson didn't do as well predicting winners today, but he's doing okay. As the year progresses, I'm expecting that he'll improve too. He has a 48% winner success rate overall, and a 15% score success rate.
Predictions here
I am a horrendously late blogger this week. My excuse is that it's my first week of a new university term, so I've been busy.
Correct predictions are in bold.
| Home Team | Away Team | Predicted winner | Predicted score | Actual winner | Actual score |
| Everton | Man Utd | Draw | 1-1 | Draw | 3-3 |
| Arsenal | Bolton | Arsenal | 3-1 | Arsenal | 4-1 |
| Fulham | Wolverhampton | Fulham | 2-1 | Fulham | 2-1 |
| Man City | Blackburn | Man City | 2-0 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Newcastle | Blackpool | Newcastle | 2-1 | Blackpool | 0-2 |
| West Brom | Tottenham | Draw | 1-1 | Draw | 1-1 |
| West Ham | Chelsea | Draw | 1-1 | Chelsea | 2-0 |
| Wigan | Sunderland | Sunderland | 1-2 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Birmingham | Liverpool | Liverpool | 0-2 | Draw | 0-0 |
| Stoke | Aston Villa | Stoke | 2-0 | Stoke | 2-1 |
Mark's score prediction success rate: 2/10
Mark Lawrenson didn't do as well predicting winners today, but he's doing okay. As the year progresses, I'm expecting that he'll improve too. He has a 48% winner success rate overall, and a 15% score success rate.
13/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups G, H, I September
Before I forget, here's the last three groups:
Group G
England won both their games (hooray!), and Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland both lost their only games. Montenegro also won both their games.
So England's points were 1177.5 against Bulgaria, and 1372.5 against Switzerland.
Montenegro's were 870 against Wales, and 1177.5 against Bulgaria.
Obviously Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland have 0 points.
England lead the group on goal difference, with Bulgaria second. Again by goal difference, Wales are third, with Switzerland fourth and Bulgaria last.
Group H
Group H was full of surprises for one member: Portugal. They only managed a draw and a loss. Norway, however, beat Iceland and Portugal. Iceland also lost to Denmark. Cyprus drew with Portugal.
Portugal got a low 342.5 points from their draw.
Cyprus got 480 in the same game.
Norway had 907.5 points from beating Iceland, and 1440 from beating Portugal.
Denmark also got 907.5 points from their victory over Iceland.
So Norway lead the group with Denmark second, Cyprus third on goal difference, Portugal fourth, and Iceland last.
Group I
Scotland scraped a win over Liechtenstein after previously drawing with Lithuania. Cup holders Spain also beat Liechtenstein, and Lithuania beat the Czech Republic.
So Scotland had 370 points from their draw, and a low 442.5 for beating Liechtenstein.
Spain had their 442.5 over Liechtenstein as well.
Lithuania had 397.5 points from drawing with Scotland, and 1267.5 from beating the Czech Republic.
Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic both got no points.
So Scotland lead their group and Lithuania are second on goal difference. Third are Spain, and last are Liechtenstein and the Czech Rep.
Group G
England won both their games (hooray!), and Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland both lost their only games. Montenegro also won both their games.
So England's points were 1177.5 against Bulgaria, and 1372.5 against Switzerland.
Montenegro's were 870 against Wales, and 1177.5 against Bulgaria.
Obviously Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland have 0 points.
England lead the group on goal difference, with Bulgaria second. Again by goal difference, Wales are third, with Switzerland fourth and Bulgaria last.
Group H
Group H was full of surprises for one member: Portugal. They only managed a draw and a loss. Norway, however, beat Iceland and Portugal. Iceland also lost to Denmark. Cyprus drew with Portugal.
Portugal got a low 342.5 points from their draw.
Cyprus got 480 in the same game.
Norway had 907.5 points from beating Iceland, and 1440 from beating Portugal.
Denmark also got 907.5 points from their victory over Iceland.
So Norway lead the group with Denmark second, Cyprus third on goal difference, Portugal fourth, and Iceland last.
Group I
Scotland scraped a win over Liechtenstein after previously drawing with Lithuania. Cup holders Spain also beat Liechtenstein, and Lithuania beat the Czech Republic.
So Scotland had 370 points from their draw, and a low 442.5 for beating Liechtenstein.
Spain had their 442.5 over Liechtenstein as well.
Lithuania had 397.5 points from drawing with Scotland, and 1267.5 from beating the Czech Republic.
Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic both got no points.
So Scotland lead their group and Lithuania are second on goal difference. Third are Spain, and last are Liechtenstein and the Czech Rep.
12/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups E, F September
Group E
The Netherlands won both their games over the weekend, Moldova beat Finland, and Sweden beat Hungary and San Marino – who lost both theirs. Finland and Moldova both lost their second games.
So Netherlands got a low 375 points from beating San Marino, and 1117.5 for beating Finland.
Sweden also got 375 points for beating San Marino, and 1035 for beating Hungary.
Moldova's loss meant they only got 1117.5 points for beating Finland.
Similarly, Hungary got 832.5 points only, for beating Moldova.
San Marino and Finland both got 0 points.
Now, Sweden lead the group on goal difference, with Netherlands second. Moldova are then ahead of Hungary, followed by Finland and San Marino.
Group F
Georgia managed a surprising two draws against much better teams – Greece and Israel. Greece also managed a draw against Croatia, who beat Latvia, and Latvia beat Malta. Israel also beat Malta on the second of September.
Georgia got 470 and 405 points from their respective draws.
Croatia won 1132.5 points from their win, and 470 from their draw.
Israel had 375 points from their win, and 225 from their draw.
Greece's draws got them 225 and 465 points respectively.
Latvia's only points were 375 against Malta.
And Malta got 0 points.
So Croatia lead the group with Israel second, Latvia third, Greece and Georgia in fourth, and Malta last.
The Netherlands won both their games over the weekend, Moldova beat Finland, and Sweden beat Hungary and San Marino – who lost both theirs. Finland and Moldova both lost their second games.
So Netherlands got a low 375 points from beating San Marino, and 1117.5 for beating Finland.
Sweden also got 375 points for beating San Marino, and 1035 for beating Hungary.
Moldova's loss meant they only got 1117.5 points for beating Finland.
Similarly, Hungary got 832.5 points only, for beating Moldova.
San Marino and Finland both got 0 points.
Now, Sweden lead the group on goal difference, with Netherlands second. Moldova are then ahead of Hungary, followed by Finland and San Marino.
Group F
Georgia managed a surprising two draws against much better teams – Greece and Israel. Greece also managed a draw against Croatia, who beat Latvia, and Latvia beat Malta. Israel also beat Malta on the second of September.
Georgia got 470 and 405 points from their respective draws.
Croatia won 1132.5 points from their win, and 470 from their draw.
Israel had 375 points from their win, and 225 from their draw.
Greece's draws got them 225 and 465 points respectively.
Latvia's only points were 375 against Malta.
And Malta got 0 points.
So Croatia lead the group with Israel second, Latvia third, Greece and Georgia in fourth, and Malta last.
Formula 1 Race Fourteen: Race
Alonso, Massa and Button: They started and finished in the same way. At the first corner of the first lap, Button got ahead of Alonso, and maintained that position for over forty laps. However, at the pit stops, Alonso managed to scrape ahead of the MacLaren to get a victory for Ferrari at their home track, in his first season for the team. Awesome! He and Button are now in close contention for the championship.
Vettel and Webber: The Red Bulls started badly, especially Webber. Vettel got held up by Hulkenberg for most of the race, including in an incident where Vettel believed that Hulkenberg got an unfair advantage on the first chicane (although the stewards didn't). Webber's poor start put him behind his teammate, but he eventually caught up. They raced together for a while, but then Vettel had engine trouble, and while he sorted it out, Webber got ahead – until the pit stops. Webber pitted, but Vettel stayed on the track. He eventually overtook Hulkenberg, to his team's delight, and ended up fourth after a pit stop at the very last opportunity. [Webber was sixth, which put him top of the championship]
Kobayashi, Hamilton, Senna and Trulli: All failed to finish. Kobayashi barely started, after a last minute problem that had him leaving from the pits. Neither Kobayashi or Hamilton made it past the first lap – Hamilton clashed with Massa, breaking his steering rods. That's how Webber is top of the championship, although Hamilton is still close to him. Senna was next to go out, and Trulli was close to the end of the race when he finished.
Yamamoto: He caused havoc in the pit lane by accidentally injuring his radio mechanic when he pulled away from his pit stop. An ambulance was required, so the pit lane was temporarily blocked. Eventually it was cleared, allowing more pit stops to take place, and the mechanic was not seriously injured.
Vettel and Webber: The Red Bulls started badly, especially Webber. Vettel got held up by Hulkenberg for most of the race, including in an incident where Vettel believed that Hulkenberg got an unfair advantage on the first chicane (although the stewards didn't). Webber's poor start put him behind his teammate, but he eventually caught up. They raced together for a while, but then Vettel had engine trouble, and while he sorted it out, Webber got ahead – until the pit stops. Webber pitted, but Vettel stayed on the track. He eventually overtook Hulkenberg, to his team's delight, and ended up fourth after a pit stop at the very last opportunity. [Webber was sixth, which put him top of the championship]
Kobayashi, Hamilton, Senna and Trulli: All failed to finish. Kobayashi barely started, after a last minute problem that had him leaving from the pits. Neither Kobayashi or Hamilton made it past the first lap – Hamilton clashed with Massa, breaking his steering rods. That's how Webber is top of the championship, although Hamilton is still close to him. Senna was next to go out, and Trulli was close to the end of the race when he finished.
Yamamoto: He caused havoc in the pit lane by accidentally injuring his radio mechanic when he pulled away from his pit stop. An ambulance was required, so the pit lane was temporarily blocked. Eventually it was cleared, allowing more pit stops to take place, and the mechanic was not seriously injured.
11/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups C, D September
Group C
Group C's five games (only two on the Tuesday) showed Italy hadn't been too crushed by the World Cup, as they won both their games. Estonia, having won against the Faroes, lost to Italy. The Faroes lost as well to the 2006 World Cup winners, and also to Serbia. Serbia only managed a draw for their second game against Slovenia, who shockingly lost to Northern Ireland on the Friday (Northern Ireland were the other team not playing on Tuesday).
Northern Ireland got a fantastic 1357.5 points for their win against Slovenia.
Slovenia, therefore, only managed 467.5 points in their draw.
Serbia got 615 points for beating the Faroe Islands, and 452.5 points in their draw.
Italy's earnings were 795 points against Estonia, and 615 against the Faroes.
Estonia and the Faroe Islands got no points from the weekend.
Now, Italy lead the group with Serbia in second, followed by Northern Ireland (who have only played one game), Estonia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands (lost 3 out of 3 games).
Group D
France started off with a dramatic loss against Belarus, leaving everyone wondering if their terrible World Cup performance was continuing, but managed a last-minute win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Luxembourg lost both their games: against B-H and Albania respectively. Romania and Albania drew on the Friday, then Romania went on to get a second draw against Belarus.
France got no points for their loss, but 1072.5 points from their win against B-H.
Belarus got a spectacular 1342.5 points for defeating France, and 395 from their draw.
Romania's draws earned them 325 points and 305 points for Albania and Belarus respectively.
Albania's draw earned them 395 points, and their win against Luxembourg got 622.5 points.
Boznia-Herzegovina got 622.5 points from beating Luxembourg, and none from their loss against France.
Luxembourg earned no points at all.
Albania and Belarus lead the group, with B-H and France in third, Romania in fifth, and Luxembourg last.
Group C's five games (only two on the Tuesday) showed Italy hadn't been too crushed by the World Cup, as they won both their games. Estonia, having won against the Faroes, lost to Italy. The Faroes lost as well to the 2006 World Cup winners, and also to Serbia. Serbia only managed a draw for their second game against Slovenia, who shockingly lost to Northern Ireland on the Friday (Northern Ireland were the other team not playing on Tuesday).
Northern Ireland got a fantastic 1357.5 points for their win against Slovenia.
Slovenia, therefore, only managed 467.5 points in their draw.
Serbia got 615 points for beating the Faroe Islands, and 452.5 points in their draw.
Italy's earnings were 795 points against Estonia, and 615 against the Faroes.
Estonia and the Faroe Islands got no points from the weekend.
Now, Italy lead the group with Serbia in second, followed by Northern Ireland (who have only played one game), Estonia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands (lost 3 out of 3 games).
Group D
France started off with a dramatic loss against Belarus, leaving everyone wondering if their terrible World Cup performance was continuing, but managed a last-minute win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Luxembourg lost both their games: against B-H and Albania respectively. Romania and Albania drew on the Friday, then Romania went on to get a second draw against Belarus.
France got no points for their loss, but 1072.5 points from their win against B-H.
Belarus got a spectacular 1342.5 points for defeating France, and 395 from their draw.
Romania's draws earned them 325 points and 305 points for Albania and Belarus respectively.
Albania's draw earned them 395 points, and their win against Luxembourg got 622.5 points.
Boznia-Herzegovina got 622.5 points from beating Luxembourg, and none from their loss against France.
Luxembourg earned no points at all.
Albania and Belarus lead the group, with B-H and France in third, Romania in fifth, and Luxembourg last.
Formula 1 Race Fourteen: Qualifying
Before I go into the qualifying round-up, just to reiterate that there will be no new teams next year in F1, although India will hopefully have a track to add to the season. This means it'll be a 20 track season, taking place over more than 7 months! So even more F1 than before, with a shorter winter, but the same amount of teams and drivers (assuming they all make it through the winter).
There were only two real points of interest in Q1. First, as Glock was beginning his flying lap, Petrov emerged from the pits in his Renault and – intentionally or not – blocked the driver. This may well result in taking away his fastest qualifying time. Second, after reliability problems, Liuzzi was the man to go out with the six new team drivers in the first round of qualifying. Just afterwards, Glock needed to change his gearbox, so received a 5 place grid penalty.
In the second round, Michael Schumacher went out, as did last year's pole winner Sutil. Neither did Renault's Petrov. Barrichello, however, scraped through. The Red Bulls didn't do brilliantly, but Ferrari and MacLaren shone.
After the third round, Alonso roused the spirits of the many Italian Ferrari fans by taking pole, with Jenson Button next to him. Massa was third, and despite a bad practice Webber showed that Red Bull haven't completely lost it by going fourth. Hamilton was fifth and Vettel sixth. So it should be an interesting race tomorrow.
There were only two real points of interest in Q1. First, as Glock was beginning his flying lap, Petrov emerged from the pits in his Renault and – intentionally or not – blocked the driver. This may well result in taking away his fastest qualifying time. Second, after reliability problems, Liuzzi was the man to go out with the six new team drivers in the first round of qualifying. Just afterwards, Glock needed to change his gearbox, so received a 5 place grid penalty.
In the second round, Michael Schumacher went out, as did last year's pole winner Sutil. Neither did Renault's Petrov. Barrichello, however, scraped through. The Red Bulls didn't do brilliantly, but Ferrari and MacLaren shone.
After the third round, Alonso roused the spirits of the many Italian Ferrari fans by taking pole, with Jenson Button next to him. Massa was third, and despite a bad practice Webber showed that Red Bull haven't completely lost it by going fourth. Hamilton was fifth and Vettel sixth. So it should be an interesting race tomorrow.
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