[Nogrod]

As the leading commercial football-forum in Arda The Arda Kicker Magazine is proud to release it’s special awards for the Arda Cup 2009 tournament. As always the AKM encourages the readers to disagree but our editors have really worked with these and the decisions are argued for.


Best Keeper: Tar Atanamir (Armenelos)
Gave away only 4 goals in 7 games (0,57 goals per game) with saving ratio of 84,6%. 30 phantasy points (shared winner) and AKM stars winner. Led the team into victory. What can one say?

Best Defender: Tar Telperion (Armenelos)
Solid leader of the victorious defence in this tournament, aided three shut-outs & least goals allowed + a goal and an assist. 29 phantasy points, shared third place in the AKM star-awards. No competition at the field for her.

Best Midfielder: Melkor (Valimar)
Excellent leader of the team, astonishing 5,8 phantasy points / game –ratio (second best in the whole tournament). 30 phantasy points, shared second place in the AKM star-awards. Impressive.

Best Forward: Míriel (Túna)
Shared the most goals scored award with 5 goals, playing only 4 games. The best overall point-ratio of 6,5 per game in the whole tournament. 26 phantasy points. Flashing performance! Just flashing!



The tournament MVP: Fëanor (Hithlum)
The soul of his team, shared total phantasy point-winner & most goals scored winner. 30 phantasy points.

The play-offs MVP: Maeglin (Angband)
Four goals and one assist in the last three games. The Architect of Angband’s bronze-medal in the play-offs.

The Finals MVP: Ar Pharazôn (Armenelos)
Two goals in the final giving Armenelos the title, 29 phantasy points total of which 8 in the final.


Outstanding Defensive Performance: team Edoras keeper & defenders (Theoden, Frealaf, Elfwine, Shadowfax, Felarof)
Not a single goal allowed in the group-phase + Theoden’s saving ratio in 4 games amazing 87% + excellent scoring from the defenders.

Outstanding Offensive Performance: team Túna forwards (Nerdanel, Finwë, Miriel)
Scored 11 goals in the group-phase, on the point-averages they are the three best forwards in the whole tournament: Miriel 6,5 pts./game, Finwë 5,25 and Nerdanel 5.


The AKM Dream Team for Arda Cup 09:

For the dream team we have decided not to pick any AKM awarded players (all the above rewarded – also those awarded as part of a particular “defence” or “offence”) so as to give room for a wider number of players to be able to be rewarded – and surely the official AFA Dream Team will have the super stars in the line-up. Sadly even in this way many great players will be left un-awarded.

As only Melkor was awarded from the midfielders by the AKM and quite a many forwards were awarded, the AKM has decided to go for 4-4-2 formation

GK – Carcaroth (Angband)

DF – Tar Ciryatan (Armenelos)
DF – Turgon (Gondolin)
DF – Alatar (Valimar)
DF – Curufin (Nargothrond)

MF – Eldacar (Osgiliath)
MF – Húrin (Angband)
MF – Nazgul #6 (Mirkwood)
MF – Eärendil (Eregion)

FW – Túrin (Dor Lomin)
FW – Sauron (Armenelos)


Some words to gronud our decisions:

GK – It was a tight match choosing between Theoden and Carcaroth. Theoden had an incredible saving percentage of 87% but in the end he was shot at only 15 times in the whole tournament – and not by the best forwards of the games – whereas Carcaroth faced 36 shots (shared the highest bombardment with Oropher) against many of the best in the whole games, and still had one of the best saving percentages (72,2%).

DF – After Tar Telperion, Tar Ciryatan was the most solid defender on the astonishing Armenelos backline (and scored second best phantasy points for a defender ie. 18 points). Had Turgon had better support downstairs he could have done marvels – sadly for him the other defences didn’t hold. In a better team he would have been on the top of defender points. Alatar is there to remimd people of Valimar’s solid defence – in point averages they outplayed even some Armenelos defenders! But the AKM will not put all the Valimar defenders here, so Alatar was chosen just because he’s a sympathetic guy – and one with his name dwells in the BD. Curufin then, well he was just flashy! 4,25 points per game is just an incredible ratio for a defender (even Tar Telperion had less, well not much but still)!

MF – There was quite a host of great players from whom to choose there in the midfield! Finally the AKM decided to stress both the point averages and a solid performance. Eldacar was the most efficient midfielder in this tournament after Melkor, Eärendil following him. Both players were the souls of their teams scoring – and with Eldacar one could say the only star in the team. With Húrin and Nazgul #6 the story is partly the same – but they were also really making the difference in the long run and especially in the last games with their performances. No other midfielder (except Melkor) came near their total phantasy points scored.

FW – With a bunch of forwards already awarded the AKM turned its gaze to smashing performances outside the AKM awarded players. And it was easy to spot two above others. Túrin sure was one of the greatest forwards in the tournament. If he and Beleg would have had as solid team behind them that team would have been plain unstoppable! And what would have team Armenelos been without Sauron, the great Annatar, the joint phantasy point winner and the winner of the scores assisted award? Surely he deserves his place in here!


Stay tuned! The AKM star-awards still to come... in our next issue!