Qatar Divison: Midseason Update / Betting Odds

We've just passed the midseason fixtures flip and this season in the Qatar Division is shaping up to be, by far, the most competitive in the history of the /sp/ League's top tier. With tie games dominating the landscape, overall point totals are relatively low and no one is mathematically out of the running just yet. Despite the relative parity, though, some teams are managing to separate themselves from the massive clusterfuck and look to be gaining momentum for the second half of the season. Meanwhile, the fight to escape relegation is looking like it's gonna' be a brutal no-holds-barred slugfest. Here's how things are shaping up, along with the the Gazzetta's odds for who has the best shot to take the title and who looks like they are destined for the drop...


The Title Contenders

Oranje (1st place, 16pts, +13 GD, odds for title - 3:1)

This team is starting to look like the real deal. Veterans Carlo Guarneri and Margrott Sidwell are teaming up with young studs Mark van Bommel and Ingi Sigfurson to absolutely devastating effect. Oranje doesn't just have the most points, they lead the division in goals scored and goal differential, too. Four of the top seven players on the points scored table are on Oranje; how's that for a dominant statistic? At this point, the team that won /sp/ League's first ever championship is in great shape to snag a second title.


Mild-Mannered Men (2nd place, 14pts, +6 GD, odds for title - 4:1)

As the only other undefeated team in Qatar, MMM is once again proving to be a legit title contender. All-time leading goal scorer Nikolai Nesmachny is once again having a stellar season with his [tied for] league-leading 6 goals and has been getting excellent service from midfielders Amado Villas, Joromir Adler, and Bernardo Ariza. Back-to-back wins against Oh The Lulz have helped this team find their form and it's looking like they've escaped their early-season sluggishness with a pair of convincing victories. When it comes time to pick a favorite to win it all, don't count these guys out.


Trollchester United (3rd place, 13pts, +11GD, odds for the title - 6:1)

The defending champs are still in the chase, but at times, things have looked a bit shaky. Fortunately for United, Dennis Gianasia is back to his outstanding form of a couple seasons ago and he's once again leading the league in scoring. An old and creaky roster is being boosted by the energy of younger players such as GK Benjamin Clark, M Rax Grissman, and F Joran van der Sloot, but how long can these young guns keep propping up the old vets? Right now, Trollchester has to be way more consistent in getting victories than they've shown in the first half of the season. If they can manage to string together wins instead of ties, then an unprecedented third title will be theirs.


On the Fence

Strong Island (4th place, 11pts, -5GD, odds for the title - 12:1)

What the fuck happenned to these guys? A couple weeks ago, it looked like they could win it all. Now, after back-to-back defeats at the hands of Bzzz AFC, they're in a free fall. If Strong Island is going to get themselves back into the thick of things, they have GOT to start scoring goals. Otherwise, they're going to be destined for a relegation battle. Star forward Kieran Clare needs to break out of his slump ASAP if the Guidos are going to have a chance. In the meantime, half a season of scraping out close results finally seems to have caught up with them.


Battle at the Bottom: The Fight to Avoid Relegation

Bzzz AFC (5th place, 9pts, -1GD, odds to be relegated - 3:1)

Thanks to Strong Island, this team is out of the cellar and into the safety zone for now. Can they actually string some results together and manage to stay in Qatar? That's yet to be determined. What's interesting, though, is that on the list of the Top 10 players with the most x11 selections this season, 5 of them play for Bzzz. Clearly, the team has some guys who are playing on a high level, they just need a few more people to step up. With a boost in form from winning their last two games, just maybe, that could be enough to get them over the hump.


Aussie Basements FC (6th place, 8pts, -7GD, odds to be relegated - 4:1

Aside from the stellar play of goalkeeper Thomas Fischer, not much has gone well on the pitch for the Bogans. The team has yet to really gel and play it's best this season. Despite their poor form, manager Joselol just might have a few tricks up his sleeves to keep his side out of relegation.


Oh the Lulz (7th place, 6pts, -6GD, odds to be relegated - 3:2)

This side has done little since their opening game win against Aussie Basements. A win in their upcoming match can pull them off the floor, but with Bzzz AFC in great form and all OtL's momentum headed downward, another loss seems to be in the cards. At this point, relegation looks highly likely.


DOUK City FC (8th place, 5pts, -11GD, odds to be relegated - 2:5)

What is there really to say about this one? As long as manager IggyStar remains AWOL, this team doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell at staying up in a highly competitive Qatar Divison.

Division I Update/Power Rankings

In honor of FIFA's recent decision to award the 2022 World Cup to some shithole desert country the size of Connecticut that has expected gametime temperatures of 105 degrees and NO GODDAMN INFRASTRUCTURE, it seems that Division I has been renamed the Qatar Division instead of BZZZZZZ, which is now assigned to Cruceh's branch of Division II, allowing him to imagine that he never got relegated. Whatever. We have better things to focus our attention on, like the MASSIVE CLUSTERFUCK at the top of /sp/ League three games into the season. Except for Bzzz AFC, which has lost every game it has played so far, each team in Qatar Division has only one win, with just one point separating 1st from 7th place in the standings. Let's see if we can shed some light on who, at this point, really is the strongest. Remember, these are not the standings, they are POWER RANKINGS, a subjective asessment of what teams are stronger. Just because the 1st place team isn't ranked #1 is no reason to bitch and moan and get all butthurt. That being said, here we go...

QATAR DIVISION POWER RANKINGS

1. Mild-Mannered Men - At this point, even though they sit at second place in the standings, Stroyent's squad has got to be considered the favorites until proven otherwise. Their starting eleven is a formidable group of veterans and the manager has what it takes to win it all, because he's done it before. Until they lose a game, there's only one place for MMM to sit, and that's the top.
   
   
2. Strong Island - With a win in their previous match against two-time defending champ Trollchester United, the Guidos are proving that they will be a force to be reckoned with. With ties against MMM and Aussie Basements FC, Strong Island has gone up against three solid teams led by three of the most distinguished managers in /sp/ League and not lost a single game. Strong Island is in it to win it.
   
   
3. Trollchester United - Despite a bit of a hiccup in their narrow loss to Strong Island in the last match, United has proven that they have what it takes to be a dominant team, notably in their 4-0 pounding of an Oh The Lulz side that had simliarly destroyed Aussie Basements the week before. Speaking of proving themselves, Trollchester has done all that and more with their two titles and unmatched five seasons in Division I. D1V3GRA55 has shown himself to be a winner year in and year out, never finishing below 3rd place in any season. On top of that, his team is so fucking old, that this is probably his last shot at glory before a third of the squad retires. Never count out a championship team that's making it's last stand.
   
   
4. Oranje - Yes, this team is still in first place, but they still have a bit to prove before they can be considered worthy of a Top 3 ranking. Their victory came against a Bzzz AFC team that everyone seems to be beating up on this season, so what does that prove? Having had one tie against Trollchester, their other draw is against Oh The Lulz, a team that Troll United beat in dominating fashion. Advantage, Trollchester. Oranje will have to settle for 4th for now, with a great chance to prove their worth in their next match against Mild-Mannered Men.
   
   
5. Aussie Basements FC - After an embarrasing loss to Oh The Lulz made for a disastrous start to the season, the Bogans have steadily improved and re-established themselves as a solid team. Yesterday's shoutout win over DOUK City FC showed that, just maybe, the opening match was an anomaly. Manager Joselol has distingushed himself with titles at the lower divisions and regular selections to the Xpert Eleven team. With momentum in their favor and a strong managerial pedigree, the Aussies are poised to be a contender.
   
   
6. DOUK City FC - Despite the same record as Aussie Basements, City's form seems to be heading in the wrong direction. With the Aussies getting the nod due to their head to head victory over DOUK, City is going to have to shake themselves out of a streak that saw them win their first game, but then tie, and then lose. With their next game away at Trollchester, things might get worse for IggyStar before they get better.
   
   
7. Oh The Lulz - Consistency is the key for this team to improve its ranking. Good teams just don't win easily one week, and then get blown out the next. A tie against Oranje was a good start at finding some stability, but to earn some respect in a tough division, Oh The Lulz will really need to establish a good run of form before anyone can expect them to be for real.
   
   
8. Bzzz AFC - The only team not to get a single point from the first three matches, is Bzzz AFC this season's >Dynosty? Right now, it looks like this side will be nothing more than cannon fodder. How long before Lazy_Student ragequits? Two weeks? Three weeks? Tomorrow?

Qatar Divison Standings

1. Oranje (5p, +4GD)
2. Mild-Mannered Men (5p, +1GD)
3. Strong Island (5p, +1GD)
4. Trollchester United (4p, +3GD)
5. Oh The Lulz (4p, 0GD)
6. DOUK City FC (4p, 0GD)
7. Aussie Basements FC (4p, -3GD)
8. Bzzz AFC (0p, -6GD)