Matchday 2 results and Matchday 3 predos: Overshadowed by the Transfer window

Arsene Wenger, amongst others, is a strong proponent of the transfer window closing prior to the start of the new season. His reasoning is that it makes for a fairer league if the team you potentially play in August as the same you could play in October. I think that point's a fair one, however, there is another darned annoying side effect of the transfer window overlapping the football season - the back pages, news broadcasts and internet ignores the actual football - you know, the thing that makes it all tick - to focus on the transfer stories. The carriage is very much driving the horse for this portion of the season and it's rather annoying. Writing this blog, I should have filled my head with Cardiff stunning City, with Moyes' first real test, with Arsenal shrugging off the crisis headlines, or with Liverpool's continued inability to finish off minnows efficiently.

Instead, I've just spent an hour listening to AVB say essentially nothing about a story that has hardly progressed in 2 months. I'm so incredibly bored of the constant need to have a saga or 3 in the papers, year in year out. This summer, we've had Rooney, Suarez and Bale. In previous years, Van Persie, Tevez, Gerrard, Fabregas and many more have had their columns in the sun (mixed-metaphor pun semi-intended). The silly season gets going from April, runs through to September, then goes again from November through to February. Ceaseless prattle, and I've just added to the babbling by writing 2 paragraphs about nothing.

In short, I no longer care whether Bale stays or goes (even though it would be clearly beneficial to my own team were he to start having tortilla espanola regularly for breakfast) or if Rooney kisses the backside of Moyes or Mourinho next week - frankly, I would just like to wake up next week and have the discussion dominated by events on the pitch, not this summer's most tedious of transfers.

*gets off soapbox*

Cardiff eh? That screwed us all. Let's get statty:

This week, 29 people played
Most popular predicted result: Everton WIN (28/29)
Most disputed result: Man Utd vs Chelsea (9-13-7 split)

Highest odds: Jonathan Chernick 8403/1
Lowest odds: Sam Ruback again, 760/1
Average odds: 4395/1

Best predictor: Chernick with a cracking 8/10! Unlucky!
Worst predictors: Yanik Joshi & Joe Miller (1/10)
Average score: 4.07/10

Best predicted result: Arsenal WIN (24/29)
Worst predicted result: Cardiff WIN (0/29)

Everyone's results:

Leaderboard to follow after the weekend.

This week's predictions:

Man City vs Hull - MAN CITY

Cardiff vs Everton - EVERTON

Newcastle vs Fulham - DRAW

Norwich vs Southampton - DRAW

West Ham vs Stoke - WEST HAM

Crystal Palace vs Sunderland - SUNDERLAND

Liverpool vs Man Utd - DRAW

WBA vs Swansea - DRAW

Arsenal vs Spurs - ARSENAL

Total odds: 3775/1 (PaddyPower)

Only the 9 matches this week as Cheslea played Villa last week.

So just 2 orders of business before I let you get on with your day:

The first is that there is still time to enter for the pay game - either use paypal (£10 to ccdaniels65@gmail.com)  or contact me and I'll sort out a different method of payment.

The second is that I'm looking to give the site a bit of an overhaul and so, if you are a website designery type, or know someone who is, please get in touch!

Have a good week guys, and the first leaderboard of the new season will be published in next week's blog!