COMPETITION for marauding full backs at next month’s Kenna League auction is set to be stiff after changes were announced to points scoring.
Defenders and goalkeepers will collect an additional point (now +5 in total) if their side keeps a clean sheet.
The change means those defenders getting goals, assists and clean sheets are likely to attract big bids from managers.
Last season’s top-scoring defender Branislav Ivanovic can expect his value to skyrocket. Just under a year ago the Serb was snapped up by KS West Green for £9m.
Under the new system Ivanovic would have scored an additional 17 points, making him fourth highest scorer behind Sergio Aguero, Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard.
Kenna HQ has also extended the key contribution of +3 points to players winning a penalty. Joining Fat Ladies for £5m before being released in October to spend the remainder of the season unsigned, Ashley Young is likely to enjoy more Kenna kudos this campaign.
In a lunchtime press conference at the upcoming auction venue, the Hoop and Grapes on Farringdon Road, the chairman explained why the scoring had changed.
“I don’t know where I got the idea from really. It must have come to me in a flash of inspiration,” he said over the remains of a gimlet and a chilli chicken burger.
Aside from a sketchy Talksport article in 2012 – featuring Ashley Young at number two – there is no more recent data on number of penalties awarded to certain players.
Counting the number of clean sheets last term, the following defenders would have benefitted most from the new scoring system:
Terry and Ivanovic +17
Mignolet, Fonte and Lescott +16
Cahill and Azpilicueta +15
Joe Hart, Mertesacker, John O’Shea and Gareth McAuley +14
Koscielny, Neil Taylor, Fabianski, Ashley Williams and Craig Dawson +13
In detail – points changes
Clean sheets – goalkeepers and defenders
In order to earn +5 clean sheet bonus points, your player must complete at least 60 minutes of the match and his team must keep a clean sheet for the entire match (excluding penalty shoot-outs).
If a player is on the pitch for less than 60 minutes and his team keeps a clean sheet for the full match, he’ll score +2 clean sheet points.
While the player is on the pitch, he will not be penalised for the first goal conceded but will lose one point for every goal conceded after that – same as last season.
All players still earn +2 points for being in the starting XI of a match and +1 for coming on as a substitute.
So, for example, if your player starts the match, plays an hour or more and his team finishes the match with a clean sheet – then your goalkeeper / defender will score +7 points.
Key Contributions
There will be some small alterations to the Key Contribution rules. A goalkeeper judged to be punching the ball away will now cancel out a key contribution as opposed to a keeper making a save or parry which may still result in a KC.
A player being fouled for a penalty will now be awarded a KC – we are dropping the requirement that he is in control of the ball when that foul occurs.
