WORLD CUP PREDO FINAL and CLOSING CEREMONY

The party's over, the drinks are drunk, the predos made, and the champion is finally crowned.

WORLD CUP PREDO SEMI FINALS

Nearing the naked arse of the end of predoland for another two years, we consult the literary greats once more:

"The greatest mistake any man ever made is to suppose that the good things of the world are not worth the winning."

Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers (1857)

Apart from David "Manager" Wilson, we can certainly say this mistake has not been made by our crop of intrepid predoers this year. All have struggled, but only one may win. But who?

WORLD CUP PREDOS QUARTER FINAL

Today we mourn the predoers who gave battle and lost and cannot now win.

 I sought them far and found them,
         The sure, the straight, the brave,
     The hearts I lost my own to,
         The souls I could not save.
     They braced their belts about them,
         They crossed in ships the sea,
     They sought and found six feet of ground,
         And there they died for me. 

AE Housman, 'XXXII', from Last Poems (1922)

WORLD CUP PREDOS 2ND ROUND PART 2

Jokers to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle...with predos.

WORLD CUP PREDO 2ND ROUND PART ONE

A real quick predo blast without interviews as Predo has been out enjoying the heatwave. Let's get right into this, the final 25% of the tournament:

KNOCKOUT STAGE / SCORE UPDATE / PREDO PROFILES #22: BRYAN

A long post, for these long summer days, where we make our names on the vicissitudes of fortune, where we predo unceasingly, unyielding to the void, whereupon onc (that's enough - ed.)

KNOCKOUT STAGES ARE UPON US
a rules refresher

- EVERYONE HAS A FRESH JOKER TO PLAY
- UNPLAYED JOKERS ARE AUTOPLAYED ON THE WORLD CUP FINAL
- YOUR PREDO SHOULD INCLUDE EXTRA TIME (IF NEEDED) AND DISREGARD PENALTIES. A GAME THAT FINISHES 2-2 (4-3 PENS) IS A *DRAWN GAME*
- PREDO UP! 

WORLD CUP PREDO DAY 14

Was it I, Predo Thomas, or perhaps the Warwickshire romantic poet Walter Savage Landor, who said:

I strove with none, for none was worth my strife:

Nature I loved, and, next to Nature, Art:

I warm’d both hands before the fire of Life;

It sinks; and I am ready to depart.

 We cannot know - we must not know.

Also the predo competition completes its second week and I still definitely think I can win.

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 13

Another four game day. Can the tight situation at the top be decisively split apart?

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 11 and 12

The tournament arrives at the halfway mark and, miraculously, about half of the field still have a chance of winning the whole thing.

When Jude won Europredo in 2016, he did so with an average of 2.9 points per predo. At World Cup Predo that would barely slot you into the top 30. Make no mistake: this is high level predo played at an intensity rarely seen.

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 9 & 10

Sorry, I'm late. Spent all of day 9 in court. Had to get free of this stupid Dettol sponsorship. They were ruining the purity of the predo game and I don't care if the solicitor fees will keep me from retirement until I'm 82. Dettol, you're a terrible disinfectant, and I will rid all 168 bottles you sent me by way of a bonfire.

no I do NOT work at the court
this was my day outfit

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 8 SPONSORED BY DETTOL

Ever tried to clean something or disinfect a toilet bowl but found leading brands aren't doing the job? Maybe you need to try DETTOL.

A GREAT RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND SIZES

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 7

Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie,
Which we ascribe to heaven: the fated sky
Gives us free scope, only doth backward pull
Our slow designs when we ourselves are dull

That's Shakespeare, using All's Well That Ends Well to remind our intrepid predoers that it's their fault that they're doing rubbish.

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 6

After the storm of the day forever known as PREDOGEDDON, the calm comes.

PREDO PROFILES #21: SPEEDIE

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. This episode meets Europredo's silver medallist, the wideboy we all love...SPEEDIE.

PREDO: You came runner-up in Europredo, losing on the last day to your arch-nemesis Jude. How have you managed to come to terms with this?

SPEEDIE: To be honest I’ve not really accepted it. It's been two long years and not a day goes past when I don’t imagine Jude’s smug little face smugly waving at me from the deck of HMS Smug on route to Smugville (the capital of Smugland). The hour of reckoning is upon us.

WORLD CUP PREDO DAY 5

This entry needs no other introduction other than to say it is the day that WORLD CUP PREDO finally exploded.

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAYS 3 and 4

As predo philosopher king Steve Archibald once said, "a great game of football usually makes for poor predos." Let us now hail the Bard of Rutherglen anew.

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 2

Like a Tour de France route that drops a mountain stage early in week one comes a day of predos with the potential to rip the field apart. Once hasty checks on the goals per game record of every Iranian and Moroccan player in the squad has been performed, our intrepid predo gang let rip with an assault of varying goalscorers that could not all possibly score in a best of 9 series between all the teams (probably).

WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PREDO MOUNTAINS?
WHO WILL TAKE THE HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE OF SUCCESS?

Stevie dropped out of the race owing to work commitments. He will be replaced by local prediction magnate Jonathan. Also, the World Cup Predo group welcomed the mysterious RAD BOB to the group. Who is this? Will they predo? Time will tell.

Egypt-Uruguay was a largely dull affair, but electric from a predo standpoint. Simpo & Randy scored highest with 6 point predos. Most of the favourites did the classic move of champions, registering 3 or 4 points on a difficult tie, powering them forward to challenge later. Only Mark failed to register points on this tie.

Morocco-Iran began in a lively manner until both sides forgot how to attack, leading the game to draw out into a petty, disconnected Worst Of Football non-spectacle, separated by a single own goal. The late goal saw OCHOS become 1s, and solid scoring guesses becoming ZEROES.

A goalfeast ensured that people picked up predo points and were royally entertained by Spain and Portugal, the first match to really see a spread of points.

As yet, nobody has hit OCHO.

DICE Man is beating Mark.

WORLD CUP PREDO LEADERBOARD AFTER DAY 2

15 Liam, Raven
14 Brendan, Speedie
13 Randy, Bryan, Tom H
12 Rob, Cotty Jr
11 Neil O, Simpo, D Fox, Jude
10 Sam
9 Neil Twitter, Manager, Andrew H, Cotty Sr., Day, Alexx, Mystery Predictor
8 Predo, Ando, Zaireeka
7 ML, Ollu, Jonathan, Benno
6 Rosie, DICE MAN
3 Andrew S
1 Mark

WORLD CUP PREDOS DAY 1

The first day's play has completed and we can all agree with something...

"Do I suck?"

...Fedor Smolov is not a great pick.

The field is still bunched after round one, with no OCHO maximums and a reasonably easy game to predict the winner of with a scoreline nobody predicted. However, with ten games over the next three days, this picture is sure to change rapidly.

32 players started the competition, though the facility exists to allow later entrants to join (or existing players to drop out).

LEADERBOARD DAY ONE

6pts
Liam R, Manager

5pts
Brendan, Predo, D Fox

4pts
Bryan, Neil O, Rob, Andrew H, Cotty the Elder, Ando, Sam, Tom H, Cotty the Younger, Speedie, Dice Man, Randy


3pts
Neil Twitter, Mystery Predictor, Stevie, Raven, Alexx, Jude

1pt
Day, Zaireeka

0pt
ML, Mark, Ollu, Simpo, Benno, Rosie, Andrew S

PREDO PROFILES #20: JUDE

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the winner of Europredo 2016, Jude, who speaks openly about his contract issues and form going into the tournament.

PREDO: After months of contract talks you've decided to defend your Predo crown and not jump ship to Allan Stanford's Predo Series. Was there really any doubt that you'd be back?

JUDE: I can't deny it there were a lot of offers: all the big Spanish predos, the Italians were sniffing about, Predo Saint Germain, but I told my agent I wanted to stay and to get the deal done. I wanna build a legacy, I'm not saying statues but maybe a Predo named after me and statues. That kind of thing.

PREDO PROFILES #19: TOM H

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the matinee idol's matinee idol, the pride of the North East, the man they called Todd Heiney, TOM H...

PREDO: Tom, a fine finish at Europredo after a slow start. What's World Cup Predo got in store for Tom fans?

TOM H: More of the same. Leaving everything to the last minute, waiting to see what Speedie predicts then copying whatever he’s put down.

PREDO PROFILES #18: RAVEN

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to a qualifier from the North American sectional tournament, the enigmatic shamanic entity known only as RAVEN MACK.

PREDO: Raven, you qualified for the Predo World Cup through the North American tournament, shocking the continent with some daring prediction styles. Can we expect more of the same during the World Cup?

RAVEN: yes, & hopefully we make the quarterfinals if we are blessed 

PREDO PROFILES #17: SAM

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the contestant leading the way for the early stages of Europredo, SAM.

PREDO: Sam, your challenge at Europredo started excellently but faded badly later on. What can we expect to see in the World Cup?

SAM: It’s a hard life trying to juggle a job and the predos. This year I’ve got to make sure I find the right work/predo balance.

ONE WEEK TO GO!

Greetings Predo fans! That's fans of the art of prediction, and not fans of me. Though if you're here just for me, then hello to you too!

World Cup Predo ran a practice round on June 7th to test out some of the new rules, but mainly to act as a form guide ahead of the tournament. With new competitors coming from leagues all around the globe, it turned out to be an interesting insight into the general parity of predoers around the world despite the radically different styles!

PREDO PROFILES #16: MYSTERY PREDICTOR

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the Mystery Predictor, whose identity is a mystery to all.

PREDO: You've been entered into this year's tournament under a shroud of secrecy. What can we expect from your prediction style?

MYSTERY PREDICTOR: My philosophy is to never predict a tie as it's demoralising, so God willing I'm hoping for a 33% accuracy rate.

PREDO PROFILES #15: COTTY THE YOUNGER

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. This episode meets Cotty The Younger, previously known as Cotty. 

PREDO: World Cup Predos are around the corner. Are you ready to perform on the world stage?

COTTY THE YOUNGER: Good evening Predo. The stats are in and I'm ready and willing as ever.

PREDO PROFILES #14: DAY

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. This episode features a sit down with the keeper of the spreadsheet, and a formidable predo competitor in their own right: DAY.

PREDO: I'd like to speak to you in your capacity as Predo Player rather than Predo Panellist. Who is your main rival in this competition?

DAY: My main rival is Mark. He humiliated himself at the Euros and it's important that I humiliate him this time.

PREDO PROFILES #13: LIAM

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the second of the family Riley, Liam.

PREDO: You finished last of the Siblings Riley in Europredo. How do you aim to change this around for World Cup Predo?

LIAM: I leave my performance to the gods. However, I do plan to bring down my fellow Rileys with sledging at key moments of the competition.

PREDO PROFILES #12: ML

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to billionaire local playboy and underground Predo League entrepreneur ML.

PREDO: Predo here. You made the last 16 of Europredo. You must be hoping for better at the World Cup?

ML: I don’t know Predo. I’m just happy to be here with the big boys. I hope to make exciting, vibrant predictions and make sure my fans have something to cheer about. I’m just gonna give it all I’ve got. I’m a honest man and I play fair. I think this will come across in the preds I make. It’s an honour to be representing myself at the World Cup along with, say, Benno or something. 

Who for top scorer do you ask? Well I think Janko for Austria is going to hit quite a hot streak. I know he’s barely played for 18 months but class never fades. Like rust. See you in Russia #Gulag

THE OFFICIAL WORLD CUP PREDO 2018 RULES AND REGULATIONS POST

WORLD CUP PREDO 2018
RULES & REGULATIONS

June 7 update: FAQ added

If you are participating in World Cup Predo 2018 then please take a look at, and refer to, this post to understand fully the rules and regulations.

DOWNLOAD THE PREDICTION SHEET HERE
https://we.tl/Qu6kYIxz0b

when completed SAVE AS (yournamepredo) and send to either PREDO THOMAS or DAY RILEY (or both) on FB group.


Rules after the cut

PREDO PROFILES #11: SIMPO

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to Simpo, founder of Football+, who brings a refreshing perspective to the Predo world.

PREDO: As Football + head honcho you carry a weight of responsibility for curating quality football content. How will you find the time to make world class predos?

SIMPO:  Hi Predo, yeah I'm doing great thanks. I'm proud to say that all the good work at Football+ comes from within, and makes the rewarding task of administrating this godforsaken website's finest football discussion group a simple one. However, these predos are are tough nut/skill to crack/master, so I make no promises of class, world or otherwise.

PREDO PROFILES #10: ANDO

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to a qualifier from the lower league play-offs, Ando Robertsy.

PREDO: Ando, you've qualified for World Cup Predo through the lower league play-offs. Do you think you can make an impact on the big stage?

ANDO: I've been working hard on my predo game in the lower leagues for a number of years... It was a big decision to drop down a few divisions but it has helped me grow as a predictor, I've learned not to rely too heavily on home wins, and I'm less averse to predicting draws. I really feel like I'm ready to take that step back up to the big time now.

PREDO PROFILES #9: BREN

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the man who finished 6th at Europredo, Bren, aka The Money Factor.

PREDO: Bren, you were expected to win Europredo but your challenge fell short. What happened?

BREN: When it comes to the crunch, you have to hold your nerve. I went with the heart when I should have gone with the gut. I've put that behind me now and I know this time I just have to pummel throats to reach the top. 

PREDO: What have you changed about your game going into World Cup Predo?

PREDO PROFILES #8: ALEXX

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to Alexx, our first qualifier from the Asian region.

PREDO: Alexx, you qualified for World Cup Predo through the Asian tournament. How do you think you'll make the step up to the global game?

ALEXX: Well, actually I'm just happy to have made it through. Really my main goal is to wow some clubs scouts and secure a 10-year contract with someone like Tranmere Rovers so me and family can escape the oppressive regime of my homeland and get a new telly.

 
PREDO: Top level predo competitors are known for their vicious hazing of new qualifiers. Do you think you can handle this?

PREDO PROFILES #7: OLLU

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to Birmingham's most obdurate public sector drone, the man known only as OLLU.

PREDO: Predo Thomas here. Care to offer your thoughts on the upcoming Predo tournament?

OLLU: Why yes, Predo, I would love to.

PREDO: Go on then.

OLLU: Hard to say really until we see what the new format and rules are. But I'm just happy to be taking part, the joy of predos is not getting them right, it's the pure act of predoing itself. 

PREDO PROFILES #6: BENNO

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to Benno, who collapsed in sight of the rostrum at Europredo. 

PREDO: Predo Thomas here, what are your thoughts going into this year's predo tournament?

BENNO: Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my life and many of the life choices I’ve made over the years and wondering if, coming to my 35th birthday, my course in life is now pretty set or whether there are any surprises or big changes around the corner. And I guess, when you think about it, that sort of thing is hard to predict. So I am grateful to be concentrating on calling the outcome of Russia v Saudi Arabia instead.

PREDO PROFILES #5: DICE MAN

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. This episode features the mysterious DICE MAN character. Who are they? What are they about?

PREDO: Hello DICE MAN

DICE MAN: Hello. For sake of clarity it should be known I am not a MAN, nor am I DICE (I am a die and I have no gender, for I am a die).

PREDO: Care to explain more?

PREDO PROFILES #4: DAVID W aka MANAGER

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. This episode meets David W, who dropped out of Europredo when in a strong position...

PREDO: They call you Manager. Do you think you will manage to win World Cup Predo?

MANAGER: I haven't seen it, so I don't know.

PREDO: That's a cryptic response, David. Care to elaborate? 

MANAGER: At the end of the day I can only hope my boys do what I ask. If they do that then there's belief we can go a long way. But I can't comment further as I haven't seen it yet. 

PREDO PROFILES #3: NEIL O

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. This episode features enigmatic Lancastrian playboy Neil Oted, known to those in law enforcement as Richard Q Smalls.

PREDO: What are your thoughts going into World Cup Predo?

NEIL: Well Predo, I’m expecting it to be a World Cup of two halves. Each of those halves will itself be split in two. What that means for the lads is anyone’s guess but as far as I’m concerned, I predict VAR will be the winner. Do we have VAR for predos? If not, I predict prob Benno will win.

PREDO: What do you make of rumours that World Cup Predo is to be taken over by Big Prediction? 

NEIL: All for it tbh. If I can get a £5 discount on my acca through a canny tie in with Sky Bet then I don’t see a downside really. 

PREDO PROFILES #2: MARK H

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. In this episode we speak to the last place finisher at Europredo, Mark H.


PREDO: You finished last in Europredo. How do you intend to bounce back for the World Cup?

MARK: By continuing my heavily -researched, labour-intensive, last-minute random guessing.

PREDO PROFILES #1: PREDO THOMAS

For the month leading up to World Cup Predos, we will profile the runners and riders in a series of intimate interviews. Here, Predo Thomas interviews the co-founder of the Predo Panel, Predo Thomas.

PREDO: Thanks for talking to us Predo, we know you're a very busy man.

PREDO: I'd do anything for predos, you know this.

PREDO: You're on the predo panel and yet you're also a feared competitor in the predo game. How do you find the time?

PREDO: I live and breathe predictions. I predicted this question. When you love predictions like I do, it's not a case of finding the time for predos. It's about finding the time for other things, such as sleeping, love, or taxes.