[Dude]

Skip,

Great write-up. I'll comment on two: LUFC & Whalley.

LUFC just sort of keeps on rolling. They've had numbers problems to start the campaign with a few vets stepping down, but somehow keep coming up w/ results. You can attribute this to many factors- strong core, superior fitness, superiors management- but I think more than anything now is that the boys simply expect it. Winning breeds confidence, and when these guys step on the pitch, they expect to leave it w/ 3 points. I think over the second half there will be some depth added, so if anyone is going to challenge Chlli, Langley will.

Whalley...very disappointing so far, and yes, I think you nailed it. Injury bug early, but now- in contrast to Langley- losing has become habitual. It doesn't help that Mario left the team. On a skill level he is average, but his strength and ball winning ability made he and brother Peter possibly the most dominating and frightening stopper / sweeper pair in the league. I've heard that turn outs to training have been poor at best, so one has to wonder how much, as a group, do these guys really want to stay in Premier? They finally have Sandro back, and Train (Mike Wagstaff) is coming back from a late summer injury. If these two can find their form, they will make life difficult for full backs here on in. Doesn't hurt that these two guys are capable of giving the team an emotional lift, too.