msc

I could explain it, but likely I just completely forgot about him at the time.

Regardless of any deadpool points, that's a shame about Patrick Cryne. By all accounts, one of the good guy football owners and we don't have many of those.

My first ever DDP unique was... Mary Wilson! I know, you're shocked, right? Though I'm still pissed off at 2013, when I picked Derek Martinus (highly respected British TV director). I had off the record info that he was seriously ill with vascular dementia and not expected to last much longer. Made it into 2014, by which point I had second guessed my own info and dropped him... which is why Martinus was a unique success for one of those Diana Rot style teams in 2014.

There seems to be more Weinstein inspired theme teams than even expenses teams from back in the day.

No, beyond those 2, I don't think Rev Billy G, Redstone, Francis or Alcock are certs to go either and could all be alive in 2019.

Oh incidentally, thanks for subbing in Pete Stokes to my main team, Spade. Amusingly I take the unique away from myself in the process, but that's fair given circumstances.

Hah, didn't even notice that. (The real name for Prozac, Flu-etcetc, apparently blocked by the board)

There was after the fall.

Then she'll want to see the World Cup, and so on...

The obits bit is the best bit. The totting up all the points is the least fun, but mostly is consigned to December alone. As luck would have it, December is usually my busiest work month by far!

Seems about normal for The Guardian tbh. PS Prozac is still called SPAM. Can't even fact check... I was about to say Michelle Magorian wrote a good (kids) novel, then on Googling I found out she's 71 this year.

Don't worry, I was a tetchy bastard too (or Glaswegian as you might call it!).

Beyond the stats, lots of little things can decide you on a deadpool candidate (how grim Tessa Jowell looked in December, for example), but in the case of Miller, what might have shifted a lot of people, imo, was Martin O'Neill's interview about the diagnosis. MON looked like he was nearly in tears after seeing Miller, would have made you think you think we were talking weeks instead of months.

Spoiler alert - she'll be dead after 2 years, too.

There's no need to be a twat about it, but anyhow, don't worry, there will be considerably less "Wall Street Journal" posts.

Oh that? That's just lists. Lists are fun!

On the subject of "reasonable definition of a celebrity", one of the great sensible minds of the forum said this once: And it's stuck with me as a crucial point. Indeed, it was a view point I used to help shape my various teams this year. But then, 8 years on this forum has told me one thing, it's that no two forum members have the same view on fame thresholds. There isn't a statistical level, it's very much a subjective thing. tbf to Gcreptile here, as much as I really hated the Shameless team, I am led to believe he was doing it deliberately to make the same point you are, only in a somewhat less subtle way.

Does anyone NOT play it for fun? It's not like there's a big cheque for the winner, it's just a bit of a distraction from life.

If Joey wants to take over for 2019, cool. Providing no one else jumps at the job to challenge him (heheh), luck and all that.

Good post, Deathray. Although of course, no one is cheating, by the rules. And neither of us have ever picked a 16 year old kid, of course...

Glancing over other teams, I see Doddie Weir is a unique for Dave's Dead. Likely to be the last time he's a unique pick in his lifetime, imo. Despite a few mentions on here, Alain Delon is also unique. No one took a gamble on Mazie Hirono.

Here you go. Good luck with this! 1. Paul Gascoigne 2. Donald Trump 3. Olivia Newton John 4. Simon Ricketts 5. Val Kilmer 6. Linda Nlan 7. Stephen Hawking 8. Betty White 9. Dick van Dyke 10. Jimmy Carter 11. Queen Elizabeth II 12. Prince Philip 13. Pope Emeritus BenedictXVI 14. Olivia de Havilland 15. Bob Barker 16. Denis Norden 17. Jimmy Greaves 18. Angela Lansbury 19. Terry Jones 20. Robert Mugabe 21. Little Richard 22. Henry Kissinger 23. Doris Day 24. Aretha Franklin 25. Fernando Ricksen Sub – Vera Lynn

Yes, well done, Spade, herculian effort. Also, that Recoba comment! And well done TMIB, I hope he's putting his feet up somewhere and relaxing. I wish you luck with Basset. He lingered in my final few names for so long, but while his type of cancer is usually quite grim, I just couldn't find out what stage it was at. I thought he seemed a Spade pick at the time, then remembered he wasn't playing, so glad at least someone went for him!

I watched her Christmas stuff when the BBC put it up on Iplayer in December. She was so wonderfully severe! Also, born saleswoman - never missed an opportunity to flog her Christmas cook book within.

That's legit 2 of the greatest to never win the title gone this year. I guess that makes you the out right "best never to win" now.