SPL Tournament Preview Group B

Group B

Tyke

Team: St Mirren

Odds to win tournament: 2 – 1

Previous Tournament Performances: Final, semi-final, group stages, group stages, quarter-final, semi-final, group stages, group stages, semi-final, Group-Stages, Group-Stages, Quarter-Final, Semi-Final, Quarter-Final, Final, semi-final, final, group-stages, group-stages

Ranked: 5th

Not one of my best tournaments last time round finishing second bottom and making a minimal impact on the group. I seem to go in patterns where I qualify consecutively and then slump into consecutive group-stage exits, tis annoying. However I’m happy with this group and I much prefer the knock-outs to group-stage football so I’m going to go out on a whim here and predict myself to finish runner-up just like I did in the last SPL Tournament we had.

Verdict: Runner-up



Saggy

Team: Inverness

Odds to win tournament: 5 – 1

Previous Tournament Performances: Quarter-Finals

Ranked: 29th

I managed to coax Saggy back tournament football and I’m glad he has come back because he is one of the few players who can challenge for the title. You may remember he was unlucky to face Kent in his debut tournament the EPL where he narrowly went out in the Quarter-Finals. He should navigate this group with minimal fuss, but I think history may repeat and he comes unstuck against a plucky opponent in the quarter-finals again. One of the few dark-horses in this tournament.

Verdict: Quarter-Finals



1man

Team: Aberdeen

Odds to win tournament: 9 – 1

Previous Tournament Performances: Group-Stages, Group-Stages, Group-Stages, Group-Stages, Group-Stages, Group-Stages

Ranked: 27th

1man started off well with his win against Trebs last tournament but then reverted back to type and ended up going out of the group stages in an unspectacular fashion. I’m not sure what happens with 1man because he is a decent player when I’ve faced him on H2H. This tournament represents a unique chance for him to get the knock-out stages. With Tyke, Saggy and Kanga got the top three places wrapped up, 1man has to beat off Trebs and Obers to that 4th spot. He’s proven he can beat Trebs, beat Obers and he will most likely get it. I’ll tip 1man to qualify.

Verdict: Quarter-Finals



Obers

Team: Partick Thistle

Odds to win tournament: 11 – 1

Previous Tournament Performances: N/A

Ranked: N/A

Nice to see new players sign up though I could’ve swore that Obers has entered before but I can’t find any record of him doing so. He doesn’t seem to have the best confidence in himself but this group is ideal for players who wouldn’t usually qualify and so if he duke it out with 1man, Trebs and maybe Kanga and come out the victor in most occasions, he could well be in the quarter-finals. Though I’m not backing him to be.

Verdict: Group-Stages


Trebs

Team: Kilmarnock

Odds to win tournament: 12 – 1

Previous Tournament Performances: Group-Stages, Group-Stages

Ranked: 36th

Well it’s just not happened for Trebs in the two tournaments he has entered thus far, finishing bottom of both the groups he has been drawn in and also been on the end of some unsavoury results, including a total of 8 matches without a win. He is also the lone warrior at the bottom of the rankings. However his 1 – 1 draw with JAG shows he has some fight in him and he needs to find that on a more consistent basis and he might just overhaul Obers and 1man to take fourth place which will make him look a more respectable tournament player than current stats suggest. Though I am sticking with 1man.

Verdict: Group-Stages


Kanga

Team: Motherwell

Odds to win tournament: 7 – 1

Previous Tournament Performances: Semi-finals, Group-Stages

Ranked: 21st

You have to go back many tournaments, two years even to see Kanga in one of the tournaments. Kindly replacing Wenger for me I am looking forward to seeing how he does in this tournament. My personal opinion is he will finish third in this group and should have enough to see off 1man, Obers and Trebs and he also has the added bonus of Motherwell which should help him in the knock-outs. Won’t go as far as calling him a dark-horse, but a quarter-final finish should represent a solid tournament return for Kanga.

Verdict: Quarter-Finals


1. Tyke
2. Saggy
3. Kanga
4. 1man
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5. Obers
6. Trebs