Bert Trautmann

Well done MiB and thank you. Pleased to see I have six unique picks, here's to a bumper year hopefully!

My 2nd pick Koto Okubo has died, was sort of relying on Kimura dying first so that she'd become the oldest living person but since she's gone first the obituary is in doubt (hopefully she'll get one for being the oldest living woman).

Where you from Bert? My missus' mates daughter goes to college/6th form with one of his sons. From Manchester, they've moved to a pastures new but used to live in Didsbury near to me...not really in contact with his eldest son that much anymore (said it for comic effect! har har...). Your mate's daughter will go to the same college as the middle son I think. Is that yon Scouse commedian? Aye

Where you from Bert? My missus' mates daughter goes to college/6th form with one of his sons. From Manchester, they've moved to a pastures new but used to live in Didsbury near to me...not really in contact with his eldest son that much anymore (said it for comic effect! har har...). Your mate's daughter will go to the same college as the middle son I think.

I'm mates with the son of John Bishop... So I reckon I'm a shoo-in for the Mail.

Of course there is another singer born in 1959, whose sexual proclivities have long been the source of speculation and has over the years displayed an unhealthy interest in Glam Rock, child murderers and the Royal family... I was looking for a child, and then I found a child...and heaven knows I'm miserable now

I'd happily get rid of guests, it doesn't take long at all to sign up anyway

I agree. If one of your current picks dies on New Years Eve it is unlikely any death announcement will be until the next year. I think the previous years final points count should not be officially announced until at least 3rd/4th Jan. But then who or what dictates whether it should be on the 3rd or the 4th or the 5th? Any cut-off point other than the turn of the year would be completely arbitrary...you'd just be moving the problem a few days forward if someone ended up getting the obituary on the 6th for example No, sorry, Bert - I don't agree. As things stand, there is virtually no chance of scoring points from a perfectly legitimate pick if said pick expires on 31 December. This surely is not fair. I think there's a case for giving a day's grace - possibly two, but I wouldn't extend it further than that as a line must be drawn, as you say. I suppose you're right, deaths are usually only reported the following day...I wouldn't have a problem with a day's grace but I do worry that people would then argue for the line to be pushed further and further out. The only reason I'd want the deadline to remain as it is would be to prevent arguments about the point at which a pick does or does not count. Failing to score points on a pick who died on the 31st may have to be an unlucky, unfair but necessary sacrifice in that scenario.

I agree. If one of your current picks dies on New Years Eve it is unlikely any death announcement will be until the next year. I think the previous years final points count should not be officially announced until at least 3rd/4th Jan. But then who or what dictates whether it should be on the 3rd or the 4th or the 5th? Any cut-off point other than the turn of the year would be completely arbitrary...you'd just be moving the problem a few days forward if someone ended up getting the obituary on the 6th for example

I think if someone doesn't die in 2013, then they shouldn't count in 2013. It's unlucky in cases which happen on the 31st but any other cut-off point would be arbitrary.

I'll second that, and chuck in Wayne Mardle for good measure

Really unlucky but I don't think you will get an alternative for David James, the timing's done you I'm afraid.

Nearly put Derby-Lewis on the list but still can't be sure of how bad his health actually is... Beginning to regret Buell as joker, but still think there's a decent chance he'll go

I cut Grainger in the final draft... she's still wandering around wards blithely helping others, plus she's not guaranteed an obit. The fact she was potentially unique and terminally ill was enough to sway me, but she's definitely not a banker...fairly confident on the obit-front because of her articles for the Guardian but could be proved wrong...

Another one I thought might be a unique pick, Kate Granger, gone...clinging on to the others

Wasn't even aware of this one...is it time to panic yet? 13 hours and no hits? I've failed!

I dropped Sheree Murphy's mother who is suffering with a 'rare' type of cancer, but I couldn't find her name. Peter Harvey, Australian journalist, who had a stint at the Guardian in the 60's...he has pancreatic cancer but I bottled him at the last minute because I felt I had enough borderline obituary picks. Sandy Jardine..."ooh and that's a bad miss" Candye Kane - Treatment seems to be going alright and her obituary chances aren't certain Mesrob II - Nearly nicked him from OoO but decided dementia is too unreliable

Was hoping Rubin Carter would be a unique pick, damn it all...

Regretting not having Jardine now, looking at the amount of joker picks...anyway here's mine: Golden Slumbers Ryan Buell (J) Bonnie Franklin Anne Williams Dr. Kate Granger Lisa Lynch Rubin Carter Jack Pardee Henry Cecil Van Cliburn Damon Harris Katherine Crowe Hugo Chavez Jack Selebi Stefano Borgonovo Chick Willis Bashar al-Assad (got to chuck a wildcard in there!) Chen Xitong T-Model Ford Dennis James (Lord Mayor of Swansea) Margaret Mackintosh (ex-wife of Peter Tobin) ...and by the way, Clive James' cancer is in remission...pleased I caught that one with a day to spare!

Took a punt on al-Assad at the last minute, I was too tempted by the potential 13 points! Decided against Jardine and Metsu in the end, I think I may come to regret excluding Jardine but the fact they operated on him suggests they've caught his cancer early.

Much poorer than my debut year, weak choice of joker (Andrew Walker) should have played it safe on James or Gibb and I would have been top 50...hoping to be top 10 again with this year's effort though.

Still haven't had confirmation for my theme team? Not fussed about that, just worried might my main team won't go through when I send it tomorrow... EDIT: Nevermind, my fault, fixed it and main team and theme team sent off....cautiously optimistic about next year!

I dropped him on the basis that I couldn't work out how serious his lung cancer was, I don't think he was a banker...and to be fair, it wasn't even the cancer that directly killed him. RIP Greig.

I'll be damned if I fall for the 'Lee Evans gambit' again but this seems to be legitimate...but you wouldn't reveal it if he was one of your picks surely...

Is there a way of checking sent mail on this windows live submission form thingy? Makes me nervous as to whether my team's got through (not sent my main team yet, just my theme team)