Week 25 - Player Picks
While it's not a Blog Cup or AM Challenge round, it is the FA Cup Quarter Finals, hence some teams finding themselves without a league game. Let's look at the fixtures...
WEEK 25 FIXTURES
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Arsenal v Burnley, 15:00
West Ham v Bolton, 15:00
Wolverhampton v Man Utd, 17:30
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Everton v Hull, 16:00
Monday, 8 March 2010
Wigan v Liverpool, 20:00
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Portsmouth v Birmingham, 19:45
Sunderland v Bolton, 19:45
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Burnley v Stoke, 19:45
No games for Spurs, Man City, Villa, Chelsea, Blackburn or Fulham because of the disruption caused by the FA Cup games & only 2 teams with a double week.
When I said the double week wasn't exciting, I wasn't kidding. Burnley face Arsenal away & Stoke at home...Bolton have 2 away games as West Ham & Sunderland. I can't confidently see either double team winning a game given those fixtures & their current form.
It's the single games that really stand-out, in particular Arsenal at home to Burnley. As I wrote in my Monday post, if the Gunners get going early you could see a 5-0 or 6-0 hammering. Man United at Wolves, Everton home to Hull & Liverpool at Wigan look tempting too, while West Ham will fancy themselves at home to Bolton, as might Sunderland (despite their poor form). Pompey v Birmingham is hard to call, but you'd probably say the Brummies (even though I'd like Pompey to string a few wins together).
Usually in double weeks I'll try to fit in as many double gamers as I can & throw in 2 or 3 quality single gamers, but I won't be doing that on this occasion due to the lack of quality on offer at both Bolton & Burnley. There is the odd reliable pick that I'll fit in - a reasonably consistent Burnley or Bolton defender & midfielder, but I expect the ratio to be more like 3 doubles + 7 singles (and 1 zero gamer in Gareth Bale).
So with that in mind here are my Week 25 Player Picks.
KEEPERS
Howard
Alumunia
Gordon
James
You have a few choice this week, but you'll notice I'm not recommending either of the double game keepers, Jaaskalainen or Jensen. I feel both keepers could lose 2 games, possibly heavily at West Ham/Arsenal respectively, so it's not worth the risk.
Howard is probably the top pick - Everton are so solid at home that Hull should hold no fear for them & I see a 2 or 3 nil win. £8.2m is not that much to pay for a keeper if you're confident of a clean sheet. Almunia is also an option - he's pricey now but many of you will hold him at a discount & as I've mentioned, they'll surely trounce Burnley.
If you're short on cash then Bolton are short on goals, making Craig Gordon a decent shout for a clean sheet at home for just over £5m. Sunderland kept Fulham out & are starting to look a bit more solid at the back nowadays.
The final choice is David James. I grabbed him at under £2m & he's still under £4m. He's the choice that has risk but also benefit in allowing you to spend elsewhere. Birmingham don't score many goals & Portsmouth seem to have developed a siege mentality since administration which could see them scrap for a low scoring draw.
DEFENDERS
Fox/Alexander/Carlisle
Knight/Steinsson/Ricketts/Robinson
Vermaelen
Hutton
Campbell
Evans
Hreidarsson
A Ferdinand
Wilkinson
I'm set on keeping the same defence as last week: Bale, Hutton, Fox...but I wouldn't be doing my job unless I discussed the options!
You have the obvious candidates from the double teams. Fox is probably the pick of the Burnley bunch seeing he's on set pieces & is certain to start, while Alexander is set to return & would be on penalties. Carlisle is dirt cheap after his penalty horror show vs Pompey, but there's always a chance Laws drops him.
For Bolton, you'd only have Knight if you had him before last weekend's MWG. Ricketts has been scoring well, while Robinson & Steinsson are solid. All 4 should be guaranteed 2 games, but don't expect any clean sheet points.
Verm is Verm, I still curse the day I dropped him & I'm sure he'll pop up with a goal. If Gallas is still out then Sol C***bell becomes a great pick, while Alan Hutton is starting to find his feet at Sunderland & is still very good value.
Jonny Evans is affordable although keep an eye out as if Rio is back then he may not get a game. Speaking of the Ferdinands, Anton did well last week & has a chance of a clean sheet at home to Bolton. Pompey's Hreidarsson & Stoke's Wilkinson are both under £5m & have a decent chance of returning their value
MIDFIELDERS
Lee CY/Holden/Wilshere
Eagles/Elliot
Fabregas
Gerrard
Arteta
Nani
O'Hara
Rodwell
Nasri
Valencia
Pienaar
Walcott
Rosicky
Larsson
Maxi
Richardson
Again I'll begin with the double gamers...there aren't many appealing ones. Stuart Holden was a new name to me when I saw the Bolton team-sheet last weekend, but he appears to have picked up set pieces from the vanishing Matt Taylor so he's on my radar (NOTE: Holden is probably out injured after picking up an injury for the USA last night). Lee CY is pretty consistent & will play twice, while Jack Wilshere seems be cementing a first team place.
For Burnley it seems Eagles is no longer guaranteed to start, otherwise he'd be someone I'd seriously be considering...Wade Elliot is their only other who'll middie who should play twice.
The singles are far more exciting, namely Cesc Fabregas. I reckon he could turn it on at The Emirates so he'll be in my team with the hope of a 25 point week. Gerrard is the other premium choice @ Wigan but you may find it tough to fit them both in, and you may not want to.
If you don't, there are loads of excellent cheaper options, Arteta was back on set pieces, is cheap & has a great fixture for Everton, Nani is back from suspension at Wolves, Valencia should also cause them all sorts of problems, O'Hara rarely lets you down at home, while other Arsenal midfielders such as Nasri, Walcott & Rosicky are tempting if you can get decent team news prior to deadline.
If you're simply looking to fill a gap you also have a bunch of cheaper players with good fixtures such as Rodwell, Maxi & Richardson who could come in to save you some cash.
STRIKERS
Fletcher/Nugent/Paterson
K Davies/Klasnic
Torres
Rooney
Bendtner
Yakubu
Diamanti
C Cole
Berbatov
McFadden
Jerome
I was set on picking Burnley's Steven Fletcher as my 3rd striker, but news that he broke a bone in his hand, combined with Paterson scoring 2 goals in 2 games AND Nugent returning after being unavailable vs his loan club Portsmouth makes it very difficult to settle on a striker who'll play both games. Lets face it, if they don't play twice they'll almost certainly be a waste of time & money, so we'll need to wait on team news.
For Bolton, Kevin Davies will play twice but is always a card/foul risk, especially away from home, while Klasnic is the more likely to score but may sit out one game if Coyle decides to play 5 in midfield in either fixture. Neither are players I'm really interested in, but I thought I'd give my opinion as other will be looking at a 2 game striker.
Moving on - like many of you I grabbed Torres at £15m last week with a view to keep him for the season, starting with a winnable game at Wigan, but he's off with Spain now so we'll need to keep a close watch of the minutes he gets. If he plays 60+ then he's a candidate for a place on the bench for Week 25, but it'll be something to look at nearer the weekend.
I'd love to have Rooney at Wolves; he's bound to grab a goal or 2 in his current form, but finding almost £23m is proving tough. Luckily, I feel Bentnder (a great pick even at full price vs Burnley, but holding at £5.5m he's a season keeper) + Yakubu (with Saha out), Diamanti, Carlton Cole or Berbatov offer me some decent alternatives given their fixtures. McFadden (if he recovers from injury) or Jerome also have a chance at Portsmouth, but if I go with James in goal I'm unlikely to pick either!
So that sums up my Week 25 Player Picks - it'll be a really interesting week as we get a big variation in fantasy managers backing double or single gamers. As I stated earlier, I believe I'll end with 3 or 4 double gamers which is probably the most you'd really want (in my opinion) given the excellent fixtures for Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool & Everton.
Please let me know what you think of the lists above - have I missed anyone? What are your views on going heavy/light on double gamers? And most importantly, how are your teams shaping up for Week 25?
Cheers,
AM
108 comments:
hilario/james
bale, hutton, mouyokolo, fox
fabs, stevie g, diao
shrek, nando, bent/berbs
any thoughts? let me know
I read eariler on Jamie O'Hara's twitter feed that he has a bad back and is going to see a specialist. He said he was unsure wether he would recover sufficiently for the game.
my current team for next week is:
Jussi;
Bale, Hutton, Fox;
Fabregas, Walcott, Holden, McDonald (Burnley);
Bendtner, Rooney, Torres
my current team for next week is:
Jussi;
Bale, Hutton, Fox;
Fabregas, Walcott, Holden, McDonald (Burnley);
Bendtner, Rooney, Torres
I think a lot of how my team shapes out will depend on the team news of Bolton (it scares me to type that) If it looks as if Holden will again get the start and the set pieces he will be in for sure and i may even have both Holden and Lee CY. The other major decision ive got to make is whether to have both Fabs and Gerrard, what do you guys think about it?
CP
no abdoulaye faye AM?? surely a decent pick vs burnley, i bd'ed him at 5.95 and his price is still only 6.37...
Cescy
p.s. my team atm:
howard
hutton faye hreidarsson
LeeCY gerrard nasri wilshere/maxi/richardson
kevin.davies bendtner(5.xx) rooney (full price)
James
Verm, Bale, Hutton
O'Hara, Gerrard, Fabregas, Arteta, LCY
Rooney, Donovan
I still have 3.13 left. Looking to swap out either Lee, Donovan or O'Hara if he is not fit. Any suggestions? Swapping out Lee would give me 12.
@teletico: James over Hilario as Chelsea do not have a game in week 25. Bent over Berbs because you already have Rooney, no need to grab another Utd striker. With Torres already in your team, you can drop Gerrard to someone like Arteta (good match up and finally played in the slot behind the strikers), upgrade Diao to someone from Bolton mid, I suggest Lee CY, and drop Mouyloko for another midfielder, KRich is a very cheap option on FK duty.
@CP: If you have Torres at discount, I don't think its necessary to have Gerrard. Even with a goal last weekend he still underperformed with 13.5pts. Its more likely Fabregas will explode on Burnley, and Torres to score on Wigan. I'd use the 16.98mil for Gerrard on working a good midfield and defense from AM's great player pick lists.
@rwlwhite: you didn't ask for advice, but you team looks really good and well balanced, I really like it. Contrary to AM, I think Bolton might actually seize a CS draw in one match, Jussi should atleast make enough saves to keep himself positive in points.
@Anonymous: A good rule to follow, "If a player is in doubt, leave him out" So if you wanted O'Hara and he looks a risk, use another option, its the worst feeling seeing that big fat 0 for a player you paid more than 10mil on.
My Current Line-Up:
Almunia (8.5mil)
Fox, Knight (BD), Robinson (BD), Bale
Fabregas, KRich, Arteta
Rooney, Torres, Bendtner
The only reason I have 2 Bolton defenders is because I can't decide which one to keep or any at all. I have a feeling atleast one game Bolton will grind out a 0-0 draw, but I hate my midfield with only 3 players and theres not alot to choose from at the 6-7mil price. For me its going to be a tough decision, but I might just go and drop them both for Hutton at 5mil and upgrade a midfielder for 8+ mil, but i'd still fall short of Lee CY, who would be my player pick off Bolotn. I love Almunia for the next string of games, but man Almunia can be really shaky at points, I don't want to go for James and BHam could nick atleast one goal away.
Hope it helps and good luck!
A bit of interesting reading on Jeremy/Neal's blog site, as Spurs reportedly did not recall O'Hara and Bale is suggested as playing on the left wing (mid) while Modric pushes center. Theres no doubt everyone should keep Bale at 2.84, even at 5mil discount.
AM any comments?
Sorry heres the link:
http://fantasyepl.blogspot.com/
agree about the dg's. i'll probably have none, and actually going against the dg teams. good pt about torres game time for spain. holden game time for usa might be useful also. lee cy has also played for s korea, so the rested matt taylor might well come back. that arsenal conundrum of walcott/nasri/'sicky is really annoying every week. S.P.
What about Heitinga? He takes some set pieces, has a good chance for a CS and gets many phantom points anyway. AM, I'm really surprised to see you didn't recommend anyone from the Everton defence - they look to me like the best bet besides Arsenal for a clean-sheet.
SF
Great selection in the player picks AM, top stuff!
This week is gonna be so hard to pick from, i'm so unsure about many of the players from the double game teams.
The Burnley and Bolton midfielders seem to consist of ever rotating players, rotating due to the fact that none of them are in any kind of form. This makes picking them in the first place an unpleasent task, and making it worse as the player picked may not even play.
There are far too many juicy looking games this weekend for me to be messing around picking up Kevin Davies et al, and hoping for the best.
Strong, sure starting single gamers are what it will be for me this week, with maybe Holden tempting me to take a gamble.
Cheers!
thanks for the feedback Kellz
I see everyone's point with not going specifically for double gamers, but i feel that even by going for some cheap ones, (McDonald especially) i am not shelling out much money, but i'm expecting him to get at least his value back over 2 games, and with not everyone playing, people will have some zeros on their team this week, so i'd rather get a handful of points from them than nothing
also, i agree, i think fabregas and the rest of the arsenal team will absolutely explode v burnley. they have all been calling for an extra push to try to win the league for aaron ramsey and i think this is their chance to back that up with some action. i'm just annoyed that by having fab, rooney and torres i cant afford to buy vermaelen back at the moment
Great Post as usual A_M
currently my team is
Howard
Fox/Hutton/Bale
Arteta/Gerard/Fabregas/lee
Bentdner/Fletcher/Davies
very interested with nani pick
might swap Arteta/Fletcher to Darrent Bent/Nani
any opinions will be appreciated....
about DG-ers, there are not many popular choices, besides Fox, Lee CY due to their bad fixtures...
anyway most of us will dcide our team after the international friendlies...coz it might result injuries : ) or fatigue to the players..
Hope rooney wont have a bang since he has injury n fatigues from games?lols..
i am tipping diamanti to have a bang again =)
I'm holding N. Shorey at 6.34. He has a blank week. Should I keep him? Konchesky is set to return soon. Will Shorey keep his place?
SF - Reason for no Everton defenders....
Baines - too expensive at over 13,
Distin - too expensive at over 9 when he only averages 5,
Heitinga - doubt he'll get any set pieces now Arteta is back (along with Baines, Pienaar, Donovan, Bily etc), costs almost 8.5, I feel there are better places to spend money (Steinsson & Fox cheaper, average only 1 point less but have 2 games)
P Neville - Listed as a midfielder so irrelevant
Jagielka - Unlikely to be back
I think Fox will not return points, Arsenal will see to that.
No mention of Everton defencers. jags is cheap and back.
Utaka starting, listed as a mid, starts up top, less than 4.5m, a filler.
Rooney alert, injured knee but forced to come on last week, stll sore but forced to play tonight, will he play Saturday from the start if at all, when is the Milan game? if its next week then I see him getting some rest.
@Alex: AM wrote a great explanation above you, basically all EVE defense are too expensive and Jags is not a sure starter yet. Regarding Utaka, many have taken that filler and been disappointed with little to no production, not even SOT, theres a reason he has stayed 4.5 all year long. Stay away. Regarding Rooney, he declared himself fit and was not forced into playing any game. Utd will push to over take Chelsea this week, I don't see Rooney benched.
Good luck!
I think Holden just limped off for the US vs Netherlands.
CP
Spot on Kellz
I'll add to Alex's comments
Fox is a set piece taker - Arsenal don't defend set pieces great so some sucessful crosses are likely, but if they do stop him then Burnley have a 2nd game at home to Stoke. He scored 12 points without a clean sheet in a defeat vs Pompey last week & costs £7m...he's the best value defensive pick of the week.
I've picked Utaka twice this season, he's been a waste of time.
I'll add regarding Jagielka, he's back after a long long time out I very much doubt he gets 90 mins.
Rooney will play, the League is there for the taking, Fergie would never risk not playing him away from home.
I disagree, the averages for everton are just that, one half an awful season, but the averages over the last few games are much more encouraging. I would rather spend 8 on Heiti or Jags than 5 or 6 on Fox who will let 3, 4 or 5 goals past.
My mid is Fab, Gez, Pienaar and Arteta so no need for a filler, but I think Pompey will do this weekend so throwing the name in.
As for Rooney, I maintain he is not 100% fit and there is a certain amount of pressure regarding him playing tonight.
I don't exactly agree with the AM about Jaaskalainen. I have him from last week at 4.04 and I don't really seem him scoring negative points in each of the games. Sunderland and West Ham are not offensive that great at home. It is likely that he can get through one game with a CS, but also equally likely to make a lot of saves to compensate for each loss.
- SK
With Alexander back does he not take some set pieces?
Am you make a great point on Heitinga, which is my last spot up for grabs. I want to fit in Fab but I just cant find a way without gutting my midfield or defence. Here's what im rolling with right now.
Howard
Fox, Hutton, **Heitinga**
Arteta,**Bullard**, Arshavin, Diaby
Drogba, Bendtner, Torres
I cant help feeling Fab wont outscore diaby and arshavin which the costs are basically the same as I have to buy fabs at full price. Bullard and Heitinga are up for debate, but Bullard is in only barring team news.
AM, why haven't you included any Everton DFs?
Baines is GREAT if you have enough money, he takes a lot of set pieces;
Heitinga is cheap, almost sure for a CS and could add some more pts for TW, FW and stuff;
Jagielka is returning for 7.07 !
The only DG I'm using this week(so far) is Fletcher, who is my 3rd striker and I'm wondering about Donovan/Yakubu/Anichebe , whoever is most sure to start. But the problem is that I don't know whom to get rid of. I have Torres and Bendtner apart from Fletcher. And yeah, I bought Arteta.
Suggestions?
I've already explained my views on Everton defenders, but i'll add that you don't lose points for conceding goals. Fox takes set pieces & scored 12 points without a clean sheet vs Portsmouth. He has 2 games. Heitinga has played 23 games & scored over 12 on just one occasion.
If Rooney wasn't fit he would not play tonight - it's in England's interests just as much as Man Utd's, so he'd never be pressured in to playing when injured.
Alexander takes penalties only
No doubting Jaask is a good keeper but I think Bolton lose twice this week, and could get a bit of kicking at West Ham. The Hammers have beaten Hull & Birmingham 3-0 & 2-0 at home in the past 2 home games.
Good to see loads of healthy debate this week ;)
god AM, why dont u just include everyplayer in the world LOL!!! :o))
I appreicte your views, seem sensible too me. great work always
Fox is not the value pick this week however Verm @ 6 is ;-) I think the trickery of arsenal will put him in negative points, and I also don't think he will get 80 minutes, hello cork, alexander, carlisle, mears amongst many other burnley defenders fresh on their worst result of the season.
See what time Rooney comes off, I didnt say he wasnt fit, I said he isnt 100% fit.
Verm was the value pick for the week when you picked him for £6m in Week 1. This is Week 25.
Good news for Torres holders...he's on the bench for Spain ;)
no more Holden. Shin contusion against KNVB.
Well done, Maestro!!! Great POST
My team:
Jussi/
Bale,Hutton,Fox/
Gerrard,Fabs,Eagles,Walcott/
Bender,Fletcher,Torres
Bale,Hutton,Fox,Fabs and Bender are safe... I will drop Torres or Gerrard, and i think i will go with 4 DG-ers... I will colect some news i next few days and choose my team on saturday...
roon plays 85 minutes and sprints off 50 yards to be subbed. looks 100% fit to me alex
Good news indeed, AM.
James
Bale / Vidic / Hutton / Carlisle
Fabregas / Walcott / Maxi / Arteta
Torres / Diamanti
Carlisle now qualifies as filler and I think he'll return value over 2 games.
@Alex: Heitinga's average points over the last 3 games is 3.88pts and over the season is 5.33pts, all I am saying is that Fox has 2 games, taking set pieces, and can score without a CS. Vermealen cannot be the value pick only playing 1 game. Arsenal could shut down Fox, but he will still score points, leave him out at your own risk.
Good luck deciding your team!
i am on my fourth week in a row with 4.5+ to spend. i can't be convinced to upgrade when there is not someone to pick. i have had weeks of 148, 118, 169.5 and now 77 so i have not been losing any ground, mostly gaining. my team
robinson
vermaelen, nelsen, bale
cesc, gerrard, valencia, lee
bendtner, paterson, davies
i have 3 double gamers. i dropped landon donovan for kevin davies. this is a great matchup for everton, but donovan's performance has been lagging, so i made the switch to the double game player.
ATTENTION! ACHTUNG!: there is another consolation tourney for losers from the 1st week of the CL, those mangers who didnt get a chance to join the CL , and any other new managers to join our group, "AM CHAT ROOM REGULARS".
Please join the group, no later than March 5th, 20:00 GMT, as Friday night a format for the new tourney will be created once the final number of managers participating is decided.
the group ID is: 24673
and password is: yahooff
Again you MUST join the group to be in the tourney! Otherwise we will have no way to include your team!
DON"T FORGET!
deadline to join March 5th, 20:00 GMT
we hope to see you there!
I'm pretty sure Rooney will play, the guy is like a bulldozer. Every game in this title race is as important as the last, and Fergie will get every last goal out of him.
At 23.xx he's too much for me though.
Those considering Holden might want to look elsewhere, as he went off injured tonight. Keep and eye on team news, but i believe my plans have just been scuppered.
Damn that Bolton midfield is upredictable. I'm even considering taking a shot on Taylor! You can't keep a good man down forever, and will Coyle play the inexperienced youngsters in 2 of the most important games that will be played in the second part of this season? I'm not so sure.
Totally agree on the subject of Everton defenders, i am probably taking Howard as i can see points in him, but the others i will avoid.
Fox is a great pick, it was a shock to see 12 points come from a Burnley defender in a defeat, i'll have a bit more of that please!
My team right now is odd, and will change as i have a few there that may not even start...
Howard
Hutton, Fox, Bale
Nani, Fabregas, Arteta, Taylor
Bendtner, Torres, Yakubu
I'll wait for news on Nani, Taylor and Yak. If i get none they will go for surer starters.
Possibly Walcott, Gerrard and Nugent.
I love fantasy football XD
So I must say...Bolton and Burnley do not give me blood flow south of the waist. I am not going to go out of my way to fit in any DGers...I would have played Eagles and Fletcher for sure but the unpredictability (fine, some may call it stupidity) of Mr. Laws puts Eagles' starting status in doubt and I just can't see myself playing a striker with a broken hand. The fall from grace of Matty Taylor is spellbinding...I respect Coyle a lot for putting an underperforming "star" in his place and making him earn his spot in the line-up.
Still tinkering with my team but it will almost definitely include Fabs, Rooney, Torres, Bendtner and Arteta. From the DGers, I will probably play Fox and Wilshere (man oh man does Coyle have a hard on for this kid...the likelihood of his playing both games is only boosted by Holden's injury) but I will not cry myself to sleep if one/both of them miss out. I have provisionally had Jussi as my GK this week but I echo AM's trepidation over featuring him with two away games to play...that could be messy.
Despite a solid 102 this past week, I have stumbled in my private league in 2010 and what once looked to be an insurmountable lead has been assailed by my two closest competitors (both of whom picked Tevez last weekend - ugh). Time to turn on the afterburners!!!
Kellz: what up. I respect you as a fellow pool supporter, but how could you tell me to drop capt g...might have to keep him...wigan will drown in the pool.
Oh, and thanks for the comments...always appreciated.
I just wanted to remind you what I said about the boy roda...what I REALLY wanted to say was that hed get 1 pt for the trip week...but I didnt want to sound too silly....I did call that though...and my dumbass kept him. ha
go pool
my current team by the way:
howard
bale hutton verm
fabregas arteta lee wilshere
bendtner rooney vaughan
this will definitely change i know you are wondering, why Vaughan? as Yakubu is back, and Saha is on form...but against lowly Hull and at home, I have a feeling that Vaughan may come on earlier than usual and get at least his value back!
but this is all subject to change....
Klasnic or Berbs? I can't afford Rooney
Here is my team, comments appreciated!
James
Verm/Bale/Hutton
Fab/LeeYC/Gerrard/Arteta
Torres/Bendtner/Klasnic or Berbs
I had Holden but when he limped off I sold him for Arteta.
my current team is
fulop
verm, hutton, insua, z.knight
fab, lee, diop
drogba, bentdner, k.davies
as u can see i'm going for 3 '0' this week in fulop, drogba and probably diop.. fulop and drogba is in for the discount (bought fulop @1 and drogba @18).. while diop is filler..
tempting to get mutd players but the only one i'm considering is rooney which is too pricey at the moment..
verm, hutton & insua are my last week df.. they'll stay in my team this week.. sold bale, and will rebuy him for next week (not much diffrence since i got him at 10).. and i got a feeling insua will bounce back and get his usual 10th points this week..
z.knight & lee are my fav bolton players.. they never let me down whenever i pick them up.. and i'm trying k.davies for the first time..
any thoughts?.. i'm still open for changes..
Maxer..
Nelsen i love the faith in everton youth, but I dont think he'll make the bench lol
@mags
I'd say Berbs, as you've already covered Bolton's games with Lee.
Carlisle of Burnley received his 5th yellow card last weekend, is he eligible to play this week?
AM, you haven't listed Donovan in your striker list. What is your opinion for his chance? You didn't listed him because he missed a sitter on Sat? LOL
Regarding to Rooney, I am sure he will start as O**n is injured.
Why do people keep asking about 5 yellow cards??
It's 10 cards for suspension demmit...
Ok so far i've got:
Howard(?)
Bale Vermaelen Hutton
Maxi Fab Arteta Utaka (?)
Rooney Bendtner Torres
With only 0.19m in the bank to play with. My only worry in there is Utaka, especially after the majority of you think he's a waste of time as a filler - i'm with you there. But Howard is just too tempting!
I'll probably keep the team bar Howard/Utaka until the deadline. The other possible combos i've looked at are:
Jussi (@4.04) / Rosicky or Walcott <--- too many arsenal?
Gordon / Walcott or Rodwell
Any suggestions guys?
Hi AM,
I'm not too sure on Fox because Jordan is back in contention for the LB spot. (played for the reserves a few days ago)
IMHO he is a better defensive player and BUR sure gonna need that against ARS ;-)
Cheers, Bigwest
do you guys think now is the time to buy season keeper? Based on the fixture, surely Arsenal players will be the best choice..
MBasil
would u recommend me buy jagielka in defence?
That's an old arsenal picture by the way! at least two years.
Great post again AM!
My team
Howard
Dann (@7.63, Hutton, Bale
Fabs, Maxi, Eagles, Lee, Arteta
Bendt, Torres
I'm still unsure about Lee, Eagles and Bale. If I downgrade Eagles or Lee I have enough money for Yak or somenone in Arsenal def. What do you guys think? Should I hold Bale (@5.xx)? What about Eagles? To me he has been one of the best Burnley players all year but I fear Laws will put out a "fortress" formation against my gunners.
Admiral - Of course it is, Adebayor is in the background! But it's the only photo that came up when I typed "Fabregas AND Bendtner" in to GoogleImages ;P
Do you think Jagielka will start? He's really cheap now.
Jaaskelainen
Vermaelen Bale Fox Jagielka
Fabregas Elliot Lee
Bendtner Torres Fletcher.
I still have 8.98 left for this team, so I might do some upgrading. Jagielka and Fletcher(if he doesnt recover) are most likely to be swopped at the moment.
I'm playing 3-4-3 with Fletcher as one of my strikers, but I just got the sudden urge to go 4-4-2 and swap him for Alexander... decent chance of a penalty over 2 games, and the possibility of a clean sheet at home to Stoke... somebody please convince me this is a good idea!!
holden out injured. more kicks to lee & taylor now. S.P.
Holden out injured. more kicks to Lee & Taylor now. S.P.
sorry, the first one didn't come up..even after 2 refreshes S.P.
holden out for 6 weeks... =(
There is nothing wrong with the fact that it is an old picture. I fancied that season, until Martin Taylor's late tackle, then it all just fell apart after that....
Drogba @ 18.5 should I drop him for Rooney 23.5 ?
With Holden injured.. I also replaced Jussi to get in bullie.. so no double gamers at all for me. Bullie and Jag at really low prices.. but agreed.. bit of a risk.. oh well, why not ;) Too bad maybe that I had dropped Lee at nice discount for Holden...but then again what's wrong with a midfield of Arteta, Bullie, Gerry and Fabs huh :)
my strategy of the week, using 2 DG's fillers to fit in big names, hope it works....
Almunia
Bale Hutton Carlisle(1st filler)
Fab Nani Gerrard Arteta Muamba(2nd filler)
Bendtner Torres
hence, i've only got 9 players who are going to earn points from me, huge risk!!!
niway i have a Plan B, GET ALL THE GUNNERS!!! (if u believe a 5-0 scoreline)
FUNG
Haveta disagree on Jask aswell, got him on the barndoor and expect 10 points at least between the 2 games, west ham and sunderland hardly send shivers down your spine do they? and bolton have kept 3 clean sheets in last 5.
Damn holden gettin injured had him on the bdoor aswell!
"west ham and sunderland hardly send shivers down your spine do they?"
Not usually Thomas, but neither do Blackburn, yet they dismissed Bolton 3-0 just 10 days ago.
The Trotters have conceded 15 goals in their last 6 away games in all competitions, keeping just 1 clean sheet vs Wigan (scorers of just 2 goals in their last 6 games).
I just feel it's a big risk having the Bolton keeper when they have 2 away games, given their current form , but I respect your opinion & hope he comes through for you!
AM
My team:
James
Verm/Bale/Fox
Fab/Walcott?/Gerrard/Arteta
Bendtner/Fletcher?/Torres
I'm already pretty happy about this team but as i have EVERY player on discount (some of them huge disocunt) i still have 3.39 left. I'm keeping everyone in my team but have doubts about Walcott (sell him for LeeCY?) and Fletcher (sell him for the Yak?).
Please advice.
my pick
j hart
johnson/hutton/carr
benayoun/elliot/faubert/d.fletcher/valencia
torres/r.blake
im very weak in this, pls tell me if me teams ok? anyone?? tq
will y are u asking answers ?? yes lee for walcott and yak for fletcher
Any news re: Fletcher. I've heard that he picked up an injury but can't find any info about the nature or severity of the injury. Any info you guys have would be greatly appreciated. Also any thoughts on Bily?
Right now I'm running:
almunia
bale Hutton fox
o'hara fab4 bily lee
Rooney lando fletcher
with 0.92 left
Almunia- at a discount and like his upcoming schedule
Bale- I'll take the 0 this week, he stays on my squad
Thinking about Bendtner if fletch is out or possibly to replace lando since he's inconsistent. Maybe Arteta for Bily? O'hara doesn't put up huge numbers but he's been pretty consistent for me.
Oh, God . . . is there anyway for me to get an Everton striker? I have Torres, Bendtner and Fletcher.
I read that Fletcher is a slight doubt with the hand injury, but most probably will play(2?) And I'm not even thinking about selling Torres or Bendtner.
Currently with 4-3-3(?):
Howard
Hutton Jagielka Clichy Fox
Arteta Valencia Nasri
Torres Bendtner Fletcher
You, people, really convinced me for Fox, although I don't think he would make even 1 CS :) I'll still try Jagielka in the back and I'd like to hear an opinion or two about Clichy and eventually a MF, who I could buy just before the deadline(Lee CY, Nani, Pienaar/Osman, O'Hara. . .)
Gerrard/Nani or Rooney/Maxi
Regarding to Everton MF, I'm pretty sure about Arteta, Billy and Pienaar starting, so I'll probably stick to one or two of them and avoid Osman, Rodwell and even Donovan, in case Saha and/or Yakubu play. They also have Distin, Baines, Heitinga, Neville, Jagielka fighting for a place in the back and so Neville could be moved to a MF again, of course, if D.Moyes is keen on all of those to play.
And for my prev. post I'd also add that I have 2.41 in the bank which even makes it harder for me not to make changes :)
AM - I think going for Jaaskelainen as your keeper this week is not a bad decision, goalkeepers are always the worst to predict when it comes to clean sheets and seeing as Jask plays for Bolton, he'll definitely make lots of saves over 2 games as opposed to, lets say, Almunia, who might just put the ball behind his own net...kidding!
My team for week 25, and to change, is...
Jaaskelainen
Bale/Hutton/Fox (everybody has the kid)
Nani/Lee CY/Wilshire/Pienaar
Torres/Diamanti/Bendtner
I like my Goalkeeper, Defence and Forward...now the middle, I will fiddle around with them but I'm definitely keeping Nani/Lee CY. Great picks for the week AM and as always your suggestions, comments and recommendations are welcome.
Kellz - Where are you man, I got 107.5 last week and it was your comments that made me decide for that team...we all appreciate your feedback when AM is not available, good to have you here man.
Steven Fletcher news: http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/page/LatestHeadlines/0,,10413~1983993,00.html
Doesn't tell much, except that "Laws is optimistic..." which is really just being hopeful. :-P
@SLASH: Heitinga will be the one pushed into midfield. When available, Neville has almost always been used exclusively as RB despite being listed as a midfielder.
IMHO, I think Moyes will employ a formation similar to the one that played well in the 2nd half of the last match against Spurs, with Jagielka in central defense and Heitinga pushed into midfield. Well, just a guess on my part.
Really need some help on my team here. Currently...
Almunia (5.39)
Verm (6.02) Bale (2.65) Hutton (3.76)
Arteta (7.56) Gerrard (16.74) LCY (8.93)
Rooney (16.37) Torres (5.80) Torres (15.91)
Left: 10.87
I have 10.87 left for one last spot in MF or DF. Would like to squeeze in Nani but just a few units short. Appreciate if somebody could suggest some alternatives...
Some possible candidates I am thinking of...Pienaar, Fox, Eagles
D2D
Oops...wish Torres was that cheap
I was supposed to be Bendtner (5.80)
D2D
Tough week again, to Double game or not to Double game? Here we go:
@Teletico: YES! The likeliest source of a Liverpool goal is going to come from Torres, the money from selling Gerrard will allow you to build a more balanced team. All I am saying is even with a goal, he still managed to produce lower than his value last week, thats not good. Away to Wigan Liverpool should win but they haven't been dominating, but for the high prices of both, you can afford to drop one. Cheers to you 110% on HRod :D
@Mags: Thats a bit of a tough call, but I think Klasnic is the way to go. Berbs just isn't getting much especially with Rooney hitting the amazing form he is in, and Klasnic has a possible two games to score.
@Maxer: I am not sold on Insua, great pick if it works out, but for the price, you could sell him pick up Carlisle and upgrade Fulop and Diop, this late in the season there is no reason to have 3 zero's in your squad, it will only hurt you and put pressure on your top picks to perform, and in the event they don't, your left with a terrible week. Your choice, but I would work your team around to a more balanced one, good luck!
@Golova: In the event that Utaka is allowing you to have the keeper you want then keep him. Walcott didn't start last week after his solid performance, and didn't look all that fantastic for England, it would be a gamble considering Bolton will lose atleast one game. I say keep what you have :D
@Gasper: I think Laws will play Eagles from the start against one of the two teams, if he gets that, hes worth his value this week. As for Bale, another blog site (Jeremy and Neal) speculate that Bale could be pushed up into the left midfield position with Modric going center to cover for THudd's injury. Therefore barring news hes going to be benched next week, keep him.
@Anonymous: I am not so sure on jags to start, you can take the risk, or simply BD him if he does. Either way I never pick players "in doubt" as I want my points :D, with 9mil left in the bank you have quite a lot of options, the big question here is do you think FLetcher can score on Arsenal or Stoke? I am not so sure, one suggestion I will make is that you look at Arteta who finally played benhind the strikers and is home to Hull for 7.8mil, otherwise your team is shaping nicely, remember you don't always have to use all your bank cash :D
@Anonymous: I don't think Alexander will get a penalty in this week, nor do I think Burnley is a shoe-in to beat Stoke even at home. Stoke have shown to be very resilient as of late, just look at their FA cup run against Citeh and their first half performance against Arsenal. Therefore I believe Fletcher will outscore Alexander.
@Will: I would sell Walcott for Lee CY because he plays twice, takes free kicks and corners. Otherwise your team looks great and balanced!
@Anonymous: I think your too heavy on BHam especially away from home. Drop Carr, as you already have RJ and Hart. Use that money to buy Fox or Carisle (bad match ups but should produce atleast their value over 2 games). Blake, Faubert, and DFletch all need to go, they are not great fantasy scorers. I suggest adding in Arteta and Lee CY and upgrade Blake to Fletcher.
@Carbon: Arteta over Bily, I am sure Arteta will start.
Hope that helps everyone! Good luck guys!
here's another self styled expert who knows it all!
c****khoor
AM, is G.Bale really injured or its some masochistic joke by PhysioRoom?
I have him @ 2.80 and therese obviously no replacement for that...
BR efka
@D2D - Let me add to Kellz's comment "The likeliest source of a Liverpool goal is going to come from Torres". You have a well balanced team, I'm actually jealous, but the one change I would make is drop Gerrard for Fabregas...you have enough cash in the bank to afford him and I can see Fab getting 2 goals agains Burnley. On the other hand, Gerrard's away from home and Wigan are no pushovers at home. I can easily see a 2-1 score line with Torres scoring both goals. Hope this helps...
@Kellz/AM - Can you help me with my midfield...
Jaaskelainen
Bale/Hutton/Fox or Neville
Pienaar/Wilshire/Nani/Lee CY
Torres/Diamanti/Bendtner
Fox or Neville? I've noticed on the Yahoo! injury list that Rafael is out so Neville is a nice replacement. Wilshire/Pienaar have to go, I have 20.21 to spend for 2 midfielders...any suggestions? Thanks guys.
suggestion seekers : u guys are all knocking at the wrong door.
best way out is to join the experts at AM CHAT ROOM on friday evening-night/saturday morning (GMT). You have some real experts there who maintains low profile and are not self-styled.
To name a few...SteveBOB / Bojan / Mudwalkerz / Rukkie / Freddie / MikeB / Nanning / Doc.teeth / HansIndia et el.
The guy above is a known joker within the experts community.
C****khoor
@anon, we all know who the joker is.
Nobody going for bolton defenders?
What do you guys think of steinsson vs. knight (disc.) and wtf is going on with mtaylor?? Had him last week and got a big fat zero but still menaged to get 101 points:)
With Holden out there's more chance mtay will play so my other dilemma is arshavin/mtay vs. gerrard/nani
currently on:
jussi
hutton-knight-fox
fab-gerrard-nani-lee
davies-bendtner-fletcher
Cheers
Mrljo
I currently have
Jaas
Hutton/Abdoulaye Faye/Evans
Arteta/Billy/18.32 2 players
Drogba(10.76)/Bendtner(5.80)/Rooney (full price)
please help me with those two midfielders. Thanks!
Let me take a whack at that Anon 7:56 -
Okay Hitler, I do believe in this century we are all entitled to our opinion and we can choose which advice to accept! If you don't like it I respect that but my opinion will always be heard!!!(No hurt intended)
As to my knowledge Fantasy footie wise, I am in the next round of the Blog Cup "STILL" and placed 8th with 107.5 points...8th out of 20! So that being said I'm not doint too bad (and also, credit to my blog buddies here, many many thanks) Knowledge is all over this place and those guys you mentioned come here to give and take advice as well.
As for the "joke" comment you threw at me, spot on!!! Check my profile picture and you might just be smart enough to get the joke, although I dont think your use of the word was so thoroughly analized in that context so I'll just humor you!!!
Got 8.16 to spend on a midfielder now that Holden is injured. Got Fab4 and Arteta already, so going with Bullard despite tough match-up, rather than Rosicky or Wilshere.
Anyone got any other options, or is Bullard worth a punt?
Thanks
@Saul: I'd say Fox over Neville, atleast Fox has 2 chances to play and taking corners/FK. As for 20mil for 2 middies, if you still want in on EVE go for Arteta (7.99mil) who pushed up behind the strikers, also a pick not many will chance on is Bullard (7.4mil) who will take most if not all FK against an EVE side who is bound to produce some fouls. Another option could be MTAY (13mil) who should rotate back into the lineup, and maybe another gamble on Eagles (9.71mil) if you think Brian Laws figured out his error in not playing him from the start @Pompey. Otherwise theres not too many good options considering the amount of teams that don't play. Gerrard and Fabs are probably out of your price range. Good luck Saul!
@drybeazy05: For 18mil you can add in Lee CY (9mil) who is taking corners and should be safe from rotation. For the other 8mil theres not too many great choices, but like I said above Bullard (7.3mil) will take most if not all of Hull's FK's and seems to score points in any match up. Otherwise I would suggest an Arsenal midfielder, Nasri, Walcott, Rosicky, all who are under 8mil heading into a game which should produce a lot of goals so points should be spread around (think back to the Villa vs Burnley game in which all the Villa midfielders scored 20+ pts each). Hope that helps!
@Jon: Bullard is definately worth a punt, I have heard some of the top managers from this blog site discussing his inclusion into their side. I myself would love to have him, but will wait on the BD.
@mrljo: Bolton is tricky, as AM stated above, Bolton have conceeded 15 goals in 6 away games, and considering Bolton have 2 away games, it is a risk to have their defense. However, i do believe Bolton can get atleast 1 CS 0-0 draw and Knight could pop up with another goal if not phantoms. So its a risk that can fail, or be a real hit. Good luck!
P.S. Saul keep on trucking mate!
Good luck guys
When I see it laid down like that AM Im not so confident I can tell you. But Blackurn have been good at home all season..
Sometimes though I dismiss the home and away thing too much, probbaly my biggest weakness in this game, as I dont agree it should affect teams as much as it sometimes should in even match ups eg west ham bolton.
About Bale appearing on PhysioRoom...
Bale was playing in the midweek international friendly for Wales against Sweden. He was substituted in the 67th minute.
According to various reports, he was using an icepack on his leg and picked up a knee injury. It was mentioned in another report that the icepack was merely a precaution and Bale is fine really.
Now, these are reports without any quotes or confirmation from the managers or players, so believe what you will of it. For all you know, it could really just be a minor knock to the knee, hence requiring an icepack to keep the swell down.
In any case, Spurs are playing in the FA Cup this weekend and no EPL games. You were planning on taking a 0 from him this week anyway, right? Therefore, just keep him, look out for more news about his injury and decide next week if it is serious enough to drop him.
I have scanned the news, but there have been no further reports on the injury, so I will be optimistic and don't think it is actually serious.
My final team for the weekend:
James
Steinsson R.Ferdinand Hutton Bale
Fabregas Gerrad Lee Arteta
Torres Bendtner
This week 25 my team would be
James
Bale/Hutton/Fox
Lee/Fabs/Maxi (f'ler) /Muamba (f'ler)/ Whitehead (f'ler)
Torres/Roo
Not really comfortable with 3 fillers, any thought? Trying to fit in Roo and in exchange need to welcome 3 fillers to my team =(
Any feedback would really be appreciated.
Great work AM & Kellz. Those who don't like you guys are just some pathetic people who have not enough knowledge to give comments, that's why they don't like your posts. They are just dumb.
Cheers!
DarkZero
Jussi
Verm | Bale | Hutton | Fox
Fabs | LCY | Maxi
Rooney | Bendtner | Torres
Fox seemed preferable to any of the other Burnley or Bolton MF options I was considering, so I just went with 4 defenders,. He's scoring phantoms, and there's the off chance of free CS points against Stoke if I get lucky too. I really like that forward line this week, and possibly for the rest of the season. They're all at big discount. I'll see how Torres does though, since Drogba is always lurking there waiting to go off and be a must-own. I'm afraid my MF is a bit weak, but hopefully a huge week out of Fabs carries it.
who would you pick if you are to choose 1 from Arsenal and 1 from ManU?
Ars
a. Nasri b. Rosicky c. Walcott
ManU
a. Berbatov b. Valencia c. Nani
walcott with nani
will nani get rest dis weekend bcoz on wednesday there will be 2nd leg of CL..?? any thought of it??
areg
@DarkZero: Appreciate the kind words! As for your team looks like your buying either Fabs, Torres, Rooney at full price or a combo of the three. In most cases I would strongly advise to drop one of the 3 to balance your team. But Muamba and Maxi are actually 2 great fillers as both start regularly, and this week Torres/Fabs/Rooney should all score great points. My only concern for you is James, BHam don't score a lot away from home, but Pompey can't keep a CS. I think given the circumstaces of this week and the matchups, your team is actually quite good.
My team for week 25:
Jaas 4.04 (6.38)
Hutton 3.82(5.71)/S.Campbell 6.98/Jagielka 7.07
Gerrard 16.74(17.89)/ Fab4 18.62(21.85)/ Arteta 7.59(7.99)/ Wilshere 5.58
Bendtner 5.80(9.04)/ K.Davies 7.91/ Yakubu 9.36
With 6.49 fund available.
Possible swap:
Jagielka --> D.Fox
Yakubu --> Saha (if he's fit)
Gerrard, Yakubu --> Lee, Rooney
Arteta --> Nani
Any suggestion please?
SephirothFC
im settles with:
James
bale hutton vermaelen
fabregas arteta lee wilshere bullard
rooney bendtner
good luck to you all and farewell in the Europa draw tonight!!!
AM/Kellz...
Lets say if youre left with very little budget - only 4.3m to fill one spot, is it advisable to take a chance on subs like ebanks or babel?? what would you suggest?
my def is rjohnson/fox/hutton
my mid field benayoun/valencia/elliot/arteta
fwd torres/fletcher/???
i was thinking of trading off benayoun or valancia to spare out some cash for a better player, but just pretty lost cos i think liverpool n mutd will win...
pls help?? thanks!
Hun (3rd weeks in the game, challenging with some friends)
i'm a bit a newbie but i know you all can learn me things! i'm thinking about this:
jussi
fox huttton a.ferdinand
arteta ohara maxirodriguez elliot fabregas
kevindavies torres
i watn change kevindavies but got 1.13 left 7.91 is his price
blade
my team this week:
howard-may be the best choice for this week
bale(5m) hutton fox
arteta pienaar lee nasri
torres nicolas ben cole
i've got 3,86 and i still look for some changes may be cole for verm and change to 4-4-2 or pienaar or lee out for valencia or arshavin give me some advice greetings from bulgaria ;)
Sitting on :
James
Verm,Bale,Hutton
Cesc,Lee CY,Maxi,Wilshere
Drogba,Bendtner,Torres
Dilemma is should I go (3-4-3)Bendtner or (4-4-2)Fox or (3-5-2)Arteta
Thanks kellz!
Heard that Roo is in doubt for the week, and looking on MU fixtures, there is a possibility he will be rested. But since it seems like all in my group will have him. I might want to take the risk of having him (though I still consider berbs if there's any latest updates on Roo).
For the rest of my players, I think they'll stay. Though I'm not too sure about james, but I think muamba might be a good filler as they have DG this week.
Hope everyone doin good with their teams. Good luck folks!
Cheers,
DarkZero
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