who is doing golden cue .. if you are using eri's system do not involve me in it .. as i will be stopping whenever i get to 5 in matches i won't be playing all 8 frames .. no need if it doesn't interfere with the end result of the fixture .. sorry eri.

FBL Season 11 - Fixture Set 2

Team lists required for the following games due out on Sunday night...

The Professionals v Pocket Dynamos
Monkey Business v Baize Burners
Wolf Pack v Uprising
Black Scorpions v Phoenix Storm
The Professionals v Wolf Pack
Monkey Business v Pocket Dynamos
Black Scorpions v Uprising
Unbeatables v Phoenix Storm
Baize Burners v Unbeatables

Team lists by Sunday afternoon please.

Just been thinking about the way that the FBL is scored, and wondered if for next season there could be a completely different way of scoring.

I have only thought about this quickly, so there will probably be many loop holes, but I trust the keen eyed ones of you will be able to help me out.

The format stays the same,

2 x 8us
2 x 9us
2 x 8uk
2 x str

stick to having 8 racks, and bonus points for GB's and runouts, but the main difference would be that you add the scores of the game types up, for exmaple;

i play my 8uk, win 6-2, connor plays his loses 5-3, add the scores together, 9-7 win between us both, we get the 9 points.

The first downside that I can see to this is, if I had have beaten the first player 8-0 with a runout, therefore 9-0, it makes it almost impossible for the opposing to catch back up, but that could happen either way.

There would be no bonus points awarded for the winning of fixtures, i personally think its a crazy idea anyways to award bonus points anyways.

Please discuss and tell me where the glaring errors are

The main reason I think could be a bit of success, is that I feel this will benefit the smaller teams, have teams on a bit more a level playing field.

If a smaller team has a few top players in it, they can still battle it out, rather than losing the fixtures every time because the players around them are not as good.

Unfortunately there are only four ways you can benefit smaller teams and they are:

1) Base results solely around individual clan v clan games, whether you do that by just having points for an overall fixture win like last season or by having bonus points for a fixture win like it is in the FCL.

2) Very short game formats ie best of 3 or no more than best of 5.

3) Small sided clans/games with short formats as per 2) above.

4) Totally remove subs and swaps. Whatever games are released remain the games to be played no matter what.

With 1) it allows a small group of good players, or other players with an unexpectedly good run of results, to beat any opponent in any given fixture. That fixture is then in isolation and not unduly negated if the same team was to suffer a heavy defeat in the next fixture (possibly due to one or two of their good players going absent).

With 2) it allows anybody a better chance of beating any opponent, just like you see in tournaments where often you get 'shock' winners even where 'top' players were taking part.

With 3) we are half way there in the SL with the clan sizes of 8 and 4-a-side and the next step could possibly be to reduce the games back to the original SL format of 6 racks (2 of each).

With 4) a smaller clan with active players could easily cause problems for a much better clan where one or two of their players are inactive. Would very much put the onus on Captains to get their team lists right before submitting them - as well as totally doing away with the constant arguing seen over subs and swaps!!

This season, the FBL format is set to reward the team with the best overall individual record. That will favour the best overall clan with the best players there is no doubt of that. However the important difference between doing it for the FBL as opposed to the FCL is that it still means clans do not have pick all their best players in all of their games to give themselves the best chance of being successful.

In the FCL to do that you would always pick your best players in every single game as obviously you would want to win as many racks as you can possibly get. Within the FBL now you can select players that you believe are capable of beating individual opponents at any given time because that is all they need to do. The actual score is irrelevant. That allows for legitimate squad rotation. Any format that does not promote squad rotation is a huge negative as far as clans are concerned.

Sounds like you are clutching at straws to justify the difference between the FCL and FBL. If anything the format last season suited the ideology of squad rotation better because you just had to win the fixture overall.

There is nothing wrong with this system but it really is just a more concise FCL with no bonus points. The only difference is that now the points are standardised which will just minimise any disparity in the league table.

I don't really see what difference this current format makes to a captains selection, especially given the fact that team sheets are hidden so are picked based on assumptions.

I agree with you completely. However this change was to give an alternative approach to those that prefer clan leagues to be a set of individual results as opposed to team results.

That approach works better wihin the current FBL than it ever does/did in the FCL for the reasons given.

As always it is open to change for something that is better or to revert to a team based scoring system.

I like that it scores by indiv match wins, something different.
The Cup and the SL have team match wins well covered.
The FCL just needs to drop the bonus points, and we'll have all of the 3 most popular methods covered.

I wish the bonus points would be dropped too

I would say the three methods are pretty well covered now.

SL is outright team results
FBL is outright individual results

and

FCL is a combination of the two, as...

...it is still possible to lose more team games than another team but still finish above them by individual scores. That was proved last season when The Pros could have picked up another 22 points across their season's 11 matches and won the League despite Uprising losing one less team game. However it also rewards clans that win the team games.

Yes possible, but unlikely. It's because of that combination/compromise with team match wins, that I don't think the frame counting method is being properly covered.

True, I'd forgotten about the SL.

Maybe that perfect balance could be found if the SL switches to a full league contest? With the overarching cup now is there any value in the SL switching to a cup format halfway through? Regardless don't change it back too six frames, the format is perfect at the moment as I see it

I won't promote a system for which each clan is required to select their best eight players in every single game in order to achieve the best possible overall outcome, unless that is the number of individual games was to equal the clan size which I doubt would happen. I dont believe that is what clans are about and I dont believe it's how clans approach it either.

The SL is back to a full league contest this season. The team that wins the Regular Season wins the trophy. The SL is two competitions in one and the Play-Offs keep it different from the other leagues.

Again, I think that reasoning is a little contrived. Surely any league system requires a team to select their best players to achieve the best possible outcome? Bar the system that was scrapped of overall match points that is.

It's not two competitions in one though is it? Because the Super League winners are the ones who win the final of the knockouts. At least I suppose this season with one group the "league leaders shield" has some integrity which can only be a good thing.

Does it? Name me a few that you think do.

FCL - Point per frame. Every frame translates to the table. If a team wants to achieve the best possible outcome they have to select their strongest team to play because every frame counts.

FBL - Points per individual game. Points translate directly to the table. If a team wants to achieve the best possible outcome they have to select their strongest team to play because every match counts.

Old FBL - Points per match. Once the match is won, barring game difference points do not directly translate. Therefore a team doesn't necessarily have to have their strongest team selected, just a team strong enough to win the fixture to theoretically achieve the best possible outcome.

Or am I missing something? :S

Well you missed answering my question!!

In the current FBL, no you don't have to select the best possible team in every single match. You only need to select players that you think are capable of beating the direct opponents. So for example against Uprising or Pros then yes you would have to go with your best eight probably. But against a lesser clan you would almost certainly not have to. Remember that it does not matter how many you win by in the current FBL, just that you win.

I personally still prefer the team v team system such as the previous FBL and always will. For me clans are a team competition. However for anyone wanting a League that is based on individual results above all else then the current FBL is the only one that vaguely works properly and sensibly.

You're right there. In FBL, a clan's best 8 isn't necessary for the best possible score if...
1) playing a lesser clan, and
2) making a few swaps and subs to protect yourself,
but the rest of the time it is.

Steve's right about the FCL though. For the best possible score, you have to play your best 8 in every match, and that's with or without the bonus points.
That makes it possible for captains to make players mad, maybe lose them if they don't play them enough. Kind of brings another aspect into how to successfully run a clan (you can't play your best 8 all the time, or you'll end up with only 8),
but it's simply because the method is that accurate,
because every frame counts,
I don't consider that a bad thing.

Against the tougher teams you have no choice but to play those who you feel could not necessarily win but reduce the amount of frames against. Playing the same 8 is not the process anyone likes to use nor will but when the TOP sides are getting even STRONGER season by season then the status QUO will be to do exactly that.

I try to play all players and even keep myself back now as a sub as i can rely on myself to sub in IF necessary. Cannot 100% guarantee anyone else can and will.

The FBL were better when the frames accumulated actually went to the Overall Score, doesn't negate the actual importance of playing 'every frame to win'. I think the 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw works best in the CUP but NOT the FBL fixture upon fixture.

Reducing clan size limits will NOT be the answer neither as even though may create more sides/teams but will only make the TOP sides that even more stronger and pretty much invincible.

FBL - Fixture Set 2

Please find games as follows...

http://funkypoolclanleagues.weebly.com/fbl-fixture-set-2.html

Deadline for these games is Midnight UK on Sunday 31st August 2014.