Thursday 25 March 2010

Week 28 - Player Picks

I'm buzzing this morning. Last night was massive for Tottenham as they progressed past Fulham in to the FA Cup semi finals after a scintillating 2nd half fight back, with the added bonus of Man City & Villa dropping points in winnable home games in the Premier League.

On top of this, Week 27 has been the most successful week I've had since I started the blog last July.

A large proportion of the players I recommended did superbly (including all top 10 point scorers for the week, shown above) & for once I actually took my own advice, picked a fair few of them up & ended on 212.5 points as 6 goals last night moved me in to the Top 500 for the first time this season.

Dropping players on discount & picking purely on match-ups really worked for me & going by the chatroom/comments it seems the majority of readers did the same as plenty had 5 or 6 goals from the evening & around 200 points for the week - congratulations to all!

It's time to push on now - Week 28 is a single week for all teams after the Fulham v Wigan Friday game was rescheduled for the following Sunday. It's also the Quarter Finals of The Blog Cup...21 teams cut down to 10!!

The Week 28 fixtures...

Saturday, 27 March 2010
Birmingham v Arsenal, 15:00
Bolton v Man Utd, 17:30
Chelsea v Aston Villa, 15:00
Hull v Fulham, 15:00
Tottenham v Portsmouth, 15:00
West Ham v Stoke, 15:00
Wolverhampton v Everton, 15:00

Sunday, 28 March 2010
Burnley v Blackburn, 12:00
Liverpool v Sunderland, 16:00

Monday, 29 March 2010
Man City v Wigan, 20:00

Stand-out fixtures are Spurs at home to Portsmouth & Man City (despite last night) at home to Wigan, with Man Utd at Bolton & Liverpool at home to Sunderland also tempting (although Sunderland are improving).  

Chelsea should beat Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, but we know Villa are better away from home because of the pace of their counter attack. Everton & Wolves are both in great form but I fancy the Toffees to win that one, while Arsenal should beat a faltering Birmingham, despite their injury list.  

Burnley & Blackburn hate each other, it'll be a fiery derby & perhaps one to avoid. Hull v Fulham & West Ham v Stoke could both be scoring draws.

So we know the fixtures, now lets looks at the players...

KEEPERS
Given
Myhill
Green
Jensen

I've listed 4 keepers here but for me it'll come down to 2 choices - either pay the 7.5 for Given, hoping City sort themselves against Wigan, or go the bargain route with Myhill at 1.69 & hope Fulham are too tired to must much of a fight against Hull.

At the moment I'm not sure which direction to go...both have pros & cons but having the extra funds to spend elsewhere always tempts me when it comes to 'keepers.

If you want to do something different / take a risk then Rob Green is the cheapest he's been all season after his -15 Week 27 disaster & Stoke don't travel very well. Blackburn don't travel well either, so Jensen is a possibility as Burnley face their rivals in a game they simply must win.

DEFENDERS
Bale
Ferreira
Jagielka
Agger
Zabaleta
Bassong
Alexander
Campbell
Salgado
Hutton
Jordon
Elokobi

A huge variety of defenders to pick from this week, with quite a few new names thrown in to the mix. Bale is obviously the pick of the bunch at home to Pompey, but if you don't have him at discount & want to cover the Spurs clean sheet then Bassong is an affordable alternative.

Chelsea are running out of full backs meaning Paulo Ferreira will continue on the right hand side of defence, Zabaleta will either cover right back or defensive midfield for Man City, Jagielka is scoring well since his return & Daniel Agger has the chance of a clean sheet & likes the odd long shot..

An old favourite, penalty king Alexander, is an option at home to Blackburn, Sol Campbell is decent value, Hutton, Jordon & Salgado are sure starters at under £6m & Elokobi could act as a filler & should continue in the Wolves defence having played 90 mins in victory at Upton park.

MIDFIELDERS
Lampard
Fabregas
Gerrard
Bentley
Arteta
Bullard
Malouda
Jarvis
Modric
Dunn
Nani
Valencia
Maxi
A Johnson
Zhirkov

Masses of choice in midfield with plenty of in form set piece takers to choose from. Right at the top of the list are the big 3 - Lampard, Fabregas & Gerrard. All penalty takers, all free kick takers, all with winnable fixtures...but you'll pay the price.

Luckily, if (like me) you don't want to break the bank then there are loads of other great options. David Bentley was outstanding when coming on as substitute last night & should start vs Pompey, taking all set pieces. This is likely to mean a place on the bench for Kranjcar, so he's missing from my picks.

2 more set piece takers Arteta & Malouda are in undroppable form, while ANOTHER 2 set piece takers, Bullard & Jarvis, are at home & I expect both to have strong weeks.

Dunn was fantastic last night but we'll need to wait for injury news before deciding to pick him for the Burnley derby, Valencia & Nani will fancy their chances at Bolton & Modric is surely due a goal soon.

If you're looking for fillers then you have a choice of 3 in my opinion - Adam Johnson, Maxi or Zhirkov, who'll continue at left back for Chelsea.

STRIKERS
Drogba
Torres
Rooney
Tevez
Pavlyuchenko
Bellamy
Doyle
Adebayor
Diamanti
Crouch/Gudjohnson
Bendtner (*possible injury)

As blog followers will know, I dropped Drogba last weekend to barndoor Fulham players for their scheduled double week. Obviously their 2nd game has since been rearranged & there is no way I can get Drogs back at his current price, so I'll have to go without. I'm very nervous that I'll have neither him nor Rooney, who should have fun at Bolton.

Next in line are Torres & Tevez, who both have home fixtures & who both seem to be hitting form at the right time for their clubs. I doubt I'll be able to afford both, but Tevez is definitely in my team. So will Pavluychenko, who scored another cracker last night & must be licking his lips at the prospect of facing the league's basement club. I'm delighted to have barndoored him at 9.5 last weekend.

Bellamy & the returning Adebayor are both options if you want to grab a City forward but can't stretch to Tevez, Doyle is under £10m, playing well & at home, while it's difficult to ignore Diamanti in any home game, despite the Hammers woeful result on Monday.

Finally, wait on team news if you want a Spurs striker other than Pav, as it's difficult to predict who will partner the Russian between Crouch & Gudjohnson. Bendtner remains on the list until 100% confirmed as out of the Birmingham game, but I have a feeling that's one big discount we'll need to let go.

That wraps up my player picks for Week 28, I hope you find them useful. Bale, Ferreira, Malouda, Arteta, Tevez & Pavlyuchenko will almost definitely make the cut for me, but that leaves 5 spaces still to be decided if Bendtner doesn't make it.

I haven't settled on my keeper, and seeing as the price gap between Given & Myhill is so large, the decision I make will affect the rest of my picks. Torres, Diamanti, Bentley, Modric, Bullard, Jarvis, Jagielka, Zabaleta & Agger are all under consideration, so I may go the cheap keeper route to get the outfield players I want.

Please let me know if you feel I've missed anyone from the lists above, how Week 27 went for you & how your Week 28 team is shaping up.

Good luck to everyone, especially if you're still in The Blog Cup!

Cheers,
AM

113 comments:

Bojan said...

http://www.imscouting.com/global-news-article/Wayne-Rooney-a-doubt-for-Bolton-Manchester-United/6724/

Bojan said...

# Bassong left the ground on crutches after twisting his ankle yesterday, Corluka to undergo a scan on his foot today. http://bit.ly/aIaa21 about 1 hours ago via web

Bojan said...

no love for Ass(dead to me), SWP and Micah? they are on my shortlist, even dead ones...

Ian Sanderson said...

It would seem my gamble of 6 discounted single-gamers did not pay off as I dropped 600 places yesterday and out of the top 2000. However I have the rest of the season with a stronger team before admitting I was wrong.

Stevie G is cheapest he's been for ages and must be due a good, productive week. I'm hanging on to Bullard despite 2 points against Portsmouth, sob, sob.

Bojan said...

i will go with 6 or 7 Tottenham players... Pompey are just bad and w/o O'Hara and Dindane and with all of thier problems i see result between 4:0 and 7:0... Kaboul(8,83) will most certainty start and he is fantastic FF player...

Assistant Manager said...

Bojan - Cheers for the news on Rooney. I've spoken to a mate who knows a few of the Spurs players & Bassong should be back & fit for the weekend. Kaboul is likely to replace Corluka.

Nope, no love for Arshavin, not sure Richards is likely to start after his performance last night (subbed after 70 mins)...SWP has a chance I guess.

Hinrik said...

Green
Bale Jagielka G.Alexander
Gerrard Arteta Modric Cahill
Torres Crouch Bendtner

Bojan said...

i will have bale,kaboul,bentley,modric,pav and crouch or eidur in my team... i really dont like others matches... Man Utd will loose w/o Rooney, Pool will have under 5 SOT against Sundeland, Dick is back for City so tevez will play wide(he might do good but 15M is a lot of money),i have covered Arsenal(Bender),Chelsea(malouda) and Everton(arteta)... On GK spot i will with green or given...

Only problem with Tott is who will start...

My guess is: Gomes/Kaboul,Dawson,Bassong,Bale/ Palacois,T Hudd,Modrić,Bentley/ Pav and Gudy/Crouch

Anonymous said...

no love for Fulham?

Birty said...

I had Darren Fletcher back in my team earlier in the week but I've dropped him. He's my security blanket - I hate going into a week without him. But I'm pretty set on my team now, just waiting for Rooney related team news to see if I keep him or not.

Man City have lost it now. I don't think they'll win anothr game this year.

And I'm still smarting from picking Aggy instead of Carew.

Afif said...

Will Goodjohnson play AM? He really look like an interesting pick

Shiv said...

AM. What about Duff or Dempsey? Surely they deserve SOME mention?

Assistant Manager said...

Fulham looked very tired, they have just lost at home to City & away to Spurs, they have nothing to play for in the league & have the UEFA Cup 4 days later. Zamora, their focal point, is likely to be out with a Stomach Bug, so I think they will probably lose. Therefore I don't feel their players are worth picking up against a Hull side who will be fighting for their lives in front of a packed stadium.

Jon said...

@ Shiv - if you like them, pick them!

I was thinking about Dempsey myself, but thought that Fulham looked tired in the second half against Spurs, added to which Fulham aren't great away from home this season, so it just seems there are better value picks this week.

And that, i think, is what AM is trying to do - highlight the best value picks, rather than mention all who might have a good week.

Anonymous said...

No love for THudd? He played the 2nd half against Fulham yesterday.

Carbon

Jon said...

At the moment it is a straight pick for me - Stevie G (who surely has to have a bumper week soon!!) or Bentley.

Can't even believe that, as a Gooner, I am even contemplating hoping that Bentley does well!! Is this the start of a slippery slope, where i find myself picking Adebaywhore?

God help me ...

L'Orange Noir said...

I'm with AM as regards Fulham, I think Hull will win that.
Although I think Arsenal will still beat Brum, I think it might be worth looking at their forwards/attacking middies as the Gunners will be missing Verm and Gallas in defence.
Having said that my team is currently;
Given
Bale, Hutton, Jags
Arteta, AJ, Malouda, Dunn
Rooney, Drogba, Bendtner

Depending on injury news to Rooney, Dunn and Bendtner I think I'm fairly settled.
Despite Wolves being in good form I think Everton will shut them out.
The only thing I am missing is someone from Spurs, but Modric may well come in for Dunn.

Ban said...

With confusing between Roman Pavlyuchenko or Carlos Tévez.
No barndoor for Pavlyuchenko, that was a big mistake for me now! But having Carlos Tévez at 15.19 (now priced 17.54), so for this week fixture,
Tottenham v Portsmouth
Man City v Wigan

So, which are good fix for this week between Roman Pavlyuchenko or Carlos Tévez?
Thanks for replying^^

frilbee1 said...

Hi AM I got 235.5 pts last week!
Up to place 446.
Been ahead of you most of the season but you overtook me a few back- now I am back in front! (Frilbees Furies)
Only 2nd year of playing so really pleased.
Thanks for all the advice this year its been a great help - and that from a Gooner

Anonymous said...

hey guys, had a poor week, aston villa to blame, had like four players, wasen't nice to pay 13' something for friedel.
Anyway, what to you guys think about carlton cole, should be good?

STM said...

Fulham have played 3 consecutive midweek games, some 6 games in 18 days. They will most certainly rotate and likely to start some fringe players, e.g. Greening, Riise, Okaka. So Hull will give it a go and have every chance of getting a result.

Some thoughts regarding the possible Spurs lineup against Portsmouth...

- Huddlestone, Bentley and Super Pav will most likely start after coming on in the 2nd half vs Fulham to make a difference.

- Bale will definitely start but revert to LB. If Huddlestone is back in CM, Modric/Kranjcar/Bentley will play in wide positions, so no Bale on the LW anymore.

- Who will start upfront with Super Pav? Difficult to call between Gudjohnsen and Crouch, but I just have a funny feeling it will be Crouch as he will be up against his old club.

- Corluka was injured, not sure how serious. Kaboul may come in for him or BAE may switch to RB instead of dropping to the bench. Kaboul has played there a couple of times.

- With Bentley, Palacios and Huddlestone starting in MF, who will play at LW, Modric or Kranjcar? AM seems to think it will be Modric, no doubt a fantastic and very clever player. But Kranjcar isn't bad at all, equally competent technically and can score goals. Again, difficult to call, but I am leaning towards Kranjcar (by just a tiny wee bit) as he only played 45 minutes vs Fulham and just because he will be up against his old club. Modric has worked very hard, playing the full 90 minutes in 2 games in 4 days, so I think Harry may want to give him some rest and avoid any injuries.

I wouldn't really mind one single bit if either of them starts and did the job! :-D

My stab at the starting lineup: Gomes / Bale, Bassong, Dawson, Kaboul / Kranjcar, Huddlestone, Palacios, Bentley / Crouch, Pavlyuchenko

Anonymous said...

greets y'all.

myhill
bale/jaggs/ferreira
malouda/arteta/Ajohnson/zhirkov
drogba/tevez/crouch



considering pav for tevez...
or gudjohnsen for crouch?
any spurs middies apart from bentley you'd recommend?
song or eboue as fillers maybe?

oh the pain of it all... great stuff!

AM and everybody else, thanks for all your advice. righteous.

Nuno

Saul said...

Guys I need help, I'm having trouble getting a team I'm happy with...thing is I want Torres/Tevez/Pavlyuchenko(all at current price). I must have them and will make sacrifices elsewhere to get them, I just don't know if I'm getting the right players...

Myhill
Bale/Jagielka/Bassong
Bullard/THudd/Benayoun/N'Zonzi
Torres/Tevez/Pavlyuchenko

If they all start I'll be happy with my team, only problem is THudd coming back from injury(and likeliness of playing) and Benayoun starting his match. N'Zonzi is a filler but who knows, he may pop up with a goal vs. Burnley.

Kellz/AM - Help?

gman26 said...

My team is a serious mess. I usually don't ask for help, but am soliciting opinions now.

Howard
Verm/Bale/Alex
O'Hara/Arteta/Malouda/Kovac
Rooney/Eidur/Tevez

I need to replace Verm, O'Hara, Kovac and maybe Rooney as well. Not sure about Malouda. He looked great yesterday but how long can he keep it up? I guess at 10, he's worth holding onto. I have 7.73 to work with as I dump O'Hara(8.21) and Verm(6.02) Any suggestions?

drybeazy05 said...

Wenger is going to play Bendtner

http://justarsenal.com/wenger-to-risk-both-campbell-and-bendtner-against-birmingham/3368

Saul said...

Carvalho out for a month...who's gonna cover right back with Ivanovic, Bosingwa and Carvalho out???

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25032010/58/premier-league-carvalho-blow-chelsea.html

Cescy said...

hi everyone...

AM...no love for howard? vidic/ferdinand? and also even though i think hull have a good chance-gera is well priced and normally does a good job? also nasri as an outside shout?

Cescy

Raul said...

Hi,

I had really successful week. I ended up with 233 points. I had gone up 700 places to 2050, best position ever. After new year i was in 9000 place. Really this blog has given me another dimension in fantasy football. So big thanks to AM and all the contriboters.
Last week i had:
Howard
Bale, Hutton, Jagielka
Malouda, AJ, Arteta, Milner
Bendtner, Drogba, Carew

Next week i am going with
Howard,
Bale, Hutton, Jagielka
Malouda, Arteta, Bentley, Nani
Bendtner, Tevez, Crouch

or swap Crouch and Howard for Diamanti and Myhill.

Firstly, I think i have covered all the games, but i am worried about leaving Drogba out at 22. Secondly, Crouch might not start and i didn't get cheap Pavlyuchenko. Leaving out Tottenham striker against Portsmouth seems very risky.
Finally, now reading that Bendtner might be out and Tevez might play wide right. So it makes hard to decide.

Any thoughts?
Good luck to everyone.

Ali said...

No one has talked about Vidic , he is well cheap. Am I missing something?

Cescy said...

lol Ali i did 2 posts above (Cescy), i was wondering about him aswell...

Cescy

Saul said...

Okay I finally have a team that I'm pretty happy about.

Myhill
Bale/Jagielka/Bassong
Bullard/Bentley/Bowyer/Modric
Torres/Bendtner/Pavlyuchenko

I have 0 left in the bank to spend and for some reason I feel obligated in keeping these team...don't know if it's a good thing. Would love to have Tevez instead of Bendtner but cash is a big issue...will have to wait on Bendtner's injury in which case I'll be forced to make changes. What do you guys think? Do you think L. Bowyer is a good player to gamble against an Arsenal team with a depleted defence? Thanks for your feedback.

FLScott said...

@ Ban - I have them both. I think Tevez is due for a good weekend at home + I've got a good feeling Tots gonna run all over Pompey!

Anonymous said...

166 points, not great for the double week but at least I didn't lose much ground and my scores have been higher for four weeks in a row. Not expecting to continue the string on a normal week but you never know.

Here's the lineup I'm playing with at the moment:

Myhill
Bale / Bassong / Elokobi
Arteta / Gerrard / A. Johnson / Mokoena
Drogba / Diamanti / Pavlyuchenko

A little too much filler in there for my liking so I'll need to make a decision. Diamanti will probably lob his way into double digits again but he hasn't lived up to his price lately.

On the other hand, like the anonymous poster earlier I had a hunch about Carlton Cole. After his confrontation with a fan maybe he's fired up and will pot one or two. In fact the whole side should have something to prove, and the way Zola handled himself by taking all the blame for last week's disaster could inspire the Hammers.

But being so emotional is probably why I'm 38th in my blog league. :-)

Anonymous said...

torres/campbell
gerrard/jarvis
gerrard/modric
pav/modric

which one better? all at current prices.. really annoyed for missing pav at BD..

Anonymous said...

My team lineup:

Myhill
Dunne,Hutton,Jags
Arteta,AJ,Jarvis,Bullard
Bendt,Tevez,Pav

What do you guys think?I'm not very confident with my MF.Please help me out......

TJ

Anonymous said...

TJ

Dunne is a doubt, so keep an eye on that.

Gooner

sonx said...

given
Mouyokolo(@1.77) Carr Elokobi(filler)
malouda arteta modric AJ/Carric/don't know yet
Drogba RONNEY (Y) Crouch

Anonymous said...

Last week was the best week for me with 221 pts.
Thanks to AM.

My team :
Myhill
Bassong, Salgado, S.Jordan
Arteta, Malouda, Bullard, Bentley
Bendtner, Torres, Saha

I am not quiet confident with my 3 DF.
And how do u think about Saha???
Thanks
Iceberg

Raul said...

@ Iceberg

Saha is a great pick actually. Everton is in a relly good form and they are playing against wolves. However, wait for the team news, it is possible that Saha may start on the bench.

Anonymous said...

My team so far:

Given
Bale Zabaleta Bassong
Malouda Gerrard Modric SWP
Bendtner Tevez Crouch

Well, I'm a bit scared about the prospect of having 4 Spurs and 4 ManC players in the same team, while counting on these 2 teams only for CSs. Malouda seems like a solid pick, Gerrard SHOULD do well against Sunderland (can Liverpool win this fixture? It seems like a classic loss to me). Bendtner is a huge injury risk, so I might drop him for Carlton Cole and downgrade SWP, who is also a risk with ManC's rotation, but I guessed that after AJohnson started last time, he should get the starting spot on Monday. In that case, I will hav NO Arsenal player, which hasn't happened since the opening week of the season!
This morning I dropped AJ, Almunia, Agger, and Krancjar. AJ and Krancjar are not sure starters, while SWP and Modrcic seem like lighter risks. I liked the Almunia pick and it payed off last week, but frankly he seems very risky on an away game, and without Vermaelen, even when I had a huge discount on him. About Agger it's simple - Sunderland are on a great scoring streak, while Liverpool's defence is awful (best defence in the league, my *** - how can they let such a short guy score against them with a HEADER? And Bent, Campbell and Jones are much much taller).

128 points this week and I dropped 500 places. This week must be an improvement. Right?

SF

Anonymous said...

what about Alex (CHE). He should see 90min every week over the next few weeks.... any comments?

Anonymous said...

Team 1:

Myhill
Bale Jagielka Bassong
Arteta Malouda Modric Bentley
Tevez Torres Moreno (filler)

Team 2:
Myhill
Bale Jagielka Toure
Arteta Malouda AJ Modric
Tevez Torres Crouch

Suggestions please, guys? Which one is better? And are there any better fillers than Moreno for 4.58? Fagan or JVw maybe?

bengoh91

Anonymous said...

@bengoh91:i think u should pick Team 2.It look more solid than Team 1.At least Crouch will give u more points compared to Moreno.Well that is just my opinion.

TJ

Anonymous said...

Will torres and gerrard play? they have 5 yellow cards each.

Anonymous said...

Hi all

Is Bassong going to play or will King be back?

Anonymous said...

@Anon 9:25
Yes, they will. A player will be banned after 10 yellow cards.

Bojan said...

# SAF confirms Wayne Rooney is fit with no injury problem regarding his knee. Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in contention. http://bit.ly/cEKjtl about 1 hours ago via web

so no bolton defenders for me...

alex(chelsea) will play all game next month but he is @10M now...

Anonymous said...

Should I go for Mokoena Tevez Bentley, or Bentley Nani Gudjohnsen

Anonymous said...

how many match vermalaen will be ban? should i keep him at 6?

gkinz

Anonymous said...

Who is a better pick this week?
Tevez or Pavy?
Unfortunately I have to pay full rice for Pav as I missed him on the barndoor.

bengoh91

Anonymous said...

not sure gudjohnsen will start, and i think tevez will have a big week, so i'd recommend mok, tevez and bentley

STM said...

Hmm... haven't been able to confirm this yet (i.e. don't see any other reports yet or anything from the official site) but some Spurs related injury news...

- Palacios played vs Fulham with a groin injury. He torn a groin in training the day before and the scan showed a tear, but he said he was okay before the match and played. So there is a possibility he might be rested vs Portsmouth?

- Corluka is not available. Kyle Walker the other RB picked up an ankle injury in training. So Kaboul or BAE may be in line to start at RB.

- Bassong has an ankle injury and given until tomorrow. In other words, late fitness test.

- Most importantly, Super Pav's hamstring is tight and he probably doesn't feel ready to start (may be used as substitute?). So Crouch and Gudjohnsen up front?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/portsmouth/7527363/Spurs-Harry-Redknapp-backs-Portsmouth-to-bounce-back-after-relegation.html

Assistant Manager said...

Thanks for all the comments guys. Some things that seem to be happening today...

- Pavlyuchenko could be on the bench after his hamstring felt tight in training (mentioned by STM)
- Tim Howard is doubtful for Everton (thing strain)
- Bendtner could be fit after all...if so I'm glad I hadn't sold him yet.
- Carvalho is also out for a month, meaning a likely back 4 of Ferreira, Terry, Alex, Zhirkov.

I'll update as we go today...

Anonymous said...

Is Pav actually certain to start?? Not sure I'd risk that kind of dosh on a possible bencher when there are so many other good options this week. Also, what about Aquilani as a filler?

Anonymous said...

Currently with the team:
Myhill
Bale Jagielka Ferreira
Malouda Arteta A.Young Bullard
Drogba Bendtner Gudjohnsen

Might switch A.Young to Modric.

Rgds.
Ajani

Saul said...

What about Adebayor, Isn't he back from suspension? Would anyone else, aside from me, consider him or is he a risk?

Saul said...

This is driving me crazy, I must've changed my team about 10 times in the last couple of days...and I was complaining about Double Game weeks being a headache.

Anyways I guess you guys can help me to glory. Which one of the following would you go for...

1)
Myhill
Bale/Jagielka/Bassong
Bullard/Bentley/Modric/L.Bowyer
Torress/Bendtner/Pavlyuchenko

or

2)
Myhill
Bale/Jagielka/Fox
Bullard/Bentley/Modric/Valencia
Torres/Bendtner/Adebayor

I hear Fox is back in contention and Adebayor from his suspension. Now reason for choosing Valencia is because I want to have at least one United player, he I'm a United fan so why not.

Which option is best?

Ban said...

BY AM's posting:
- Pavlyuchenko could be on the bench after his hamstring felt tight in training (mentioned by STM)

- Bendtner could be fit after all...if so I'm glad I hadn't sold him yet.

2 good news from AM! Thanks god!
Me din't bd super's pav last week, so it is good news for me (sorry for the others bd pav)
Lucky din't put away Bendtner!

Bassong will be back for team? And Bullard is a good fix for this week? I very likely he is on my team! Molouda should be go (Having him at 10++)?

STM said...

@Saul: Option 2 for now, unless you change Pav for someone else in Option 1.

IMHO, it is very risky to spend that amount for Pav due to his latest discomfort when it is equally likely that Harry may save him for another day.

@Ban: Bassong picked up an injury and will be given a late fitness test before knowing if he can play.

Ban said...

Thanks for replying, STM

How about Jimmy Bullard from Hull City?

Ban said...

Putting Malouda away and putting Spurs's player or Bullard in, is a good option?

Anonymous said...

I have malouda and thinking of getting rid of him to get someone else, maybe modric as others in my mimi league have him and i need the differential

drybeazy05 said...

Rooney is fit

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=761815&sec=england&cc=5901

Anonymous said...

could you please tell me if assou ekotto have the chance to play? i haven't seen that he's injured or suspended but i can't see him in many of your Tott'ham starting 11 predictions.

Saul said...

Wooohoho, great news for us who want to go all in on Tottenham...

"The former Chelsea boss admits he will have to use players from Pompey's youth and reserve ranks and fears a hiding from high-flying Spurs, who are managed by former Pompey boss Harry Redknapp."

"We have 13 or 14 players for Saturday and that is not good for us or for the Premier League as a whole. We are paying the price for what they did to us before January and it's wrong," said Grant.

If this turns out to be true by tonight or Saturday morning, I might just get Gudjohnsen and Crouch as my 2 Tottenham forwards and maybe 3 or 4 middies. What would you say to the following...

Gomes
Bale/Jagielka/Kaboul
Bendtley/Modric/Huddlestone/Gerrard
Bendtner/Crouch/Gudjohnsen

I think Pompey have nothing to fight for and Grant is tired of all the bull$h!t.

Anonymous said...

The Pav and Howard injury news makes my line up decision a lot tougher but here is what a got so far.

Given
Jag Bale Fereira
Arteta Malouda Dunn Bentley
Bendtner Tevez Gudjohnson

Im also considering Modric/Bullard in Dunns place. Not sure if I want Gudjohnson in my line-up since he isnt a sure starter but id really like a Tot forward. Another option is to downgrade my GK and switch Gudjohnson to Modric.

What do you guys think?

C-Hawk

Anonymous said...

I see David Bentley is now a doubt(hip injury) according to Barclays FF.

Would any Spurs supporters out there kindly let me know the Spurs starting XI today?

C'mon AM I need you!, No!, everyone needs you!

Blinding post BTW

Anonymous said...

@ anon 9pm

see : http://www.starting11.com/index.php?showtopic=13758&pid=182248&st=0&#entry182248

Poss starting 11 for Spurs, which seems very well thought out to me

Pauly

FLScott said...

PAV's a Sub -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/26/tottenham-hotspur-portsmouth-squad-sheets

Anonymous said...

@ anon 9 pm

Bentley does not appear in the starting line-up on the Guardian website either for Spurs.

See : http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/26/tottenham-hotspur-portsmouth-squad-sheets

Have a great w-end AM and all

Pauly

Anonymous said...

Hi All AM fans (& AM)

I feel quite shabby for only 167 last week when looking at some of the posts...jeez you guys are good (or I'm cr@p)..desperately need last minute advice...

Myhill
Bale/Hutton/Bassong
AJ/Mikel/Bentley/Cahill
Dogbark/Tevez/Crouchy

I know am gambling with Myhill and my midfield is half filler but am skint, any advice please ??

thanks in advance... Sputnik

Saul said...

Since Bentley's doubtfull I guess Krankjar comes back to the picture right? Crap all these uncertainties are driving me crazy...anyone have an idea what's going on with Spurs?

init said...

225 this week for me and ridiculously disappointed cos had FCampbell instead of AdJo until Sat morning but changed, the danger of last minute changes and this stupid game!!

Sputnik I would do something about the fillers. Bassong and Bentley both doubts so gives you a chance to balance that out a bit...
Myhill is a decent gamble for the price IMO..

C-Hawk I really like your team except Bentley. Maybe you could downgrade a bit to upgrade Bender who is also a doubt.

Saul - I wouldn't go so mad on Spurs players, better to balance I think!!

I don't like my team this week

Myhill
Hutton/Jag/Garrido
Arteta/Lampard/Gerrard/Mikel
Tevez/Diamanti/Carew

I want to change Garrido/Mikel/Diamanti for Elokobi/Giggs/Eidur...

Thoughts anyone?

FLScott said...

@Saul - Kranjcar is set to start Right-Mid

Anonymous said...

@init

thanks...am on the case

Sputnik

Anonymous said...

Week 28 - Bargain basement - top tips

GK:
Myhill* (Hull) 1.69

DF:
Kilgalton (Sund) 5.93
Elokobi* (Wolves) 3.43
Garrido* (MCity) 6.10
Daprela (W Ham) 5.63

MF :
Mikel (Chels) 3.66
Song (Ars) 5.56
Marney* (Hull) 4.78
Aquilani* (LPool) 6.39
Andrews* (BB) 4.15
Elliott (Burnl) 6.66!
Mokoena (Ports) 1.06

FW :
Mido (WHam) 5.70
Kalinic* (BB) 2.71
Gudjohnsen** (Tott) 7.19

* = top picks IMO

Pauly

init said...

been playing and now I got Ferreira/Modric/Duff/Eidur FOR Garrido/Gerrard/Mikel/Diamanti...

Any thoughts?! this is a hard week for me...

init

Sulldaddy said...

Dunn looks fit for Rovers if you are thinking about him or have him on the BD

http://www.rovers.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10303~2006816,00.html

Saul said...

Okay I think I got my team together, here it goes...

Myhill
Bale/Jagielka/Fox
Bullard/Modric/Gerrard/Dunn
Torres/Bendtner/Gudjohnsen

Decided to go with Dunn instead of another Spurs midfield, too much doubt...but then again there's plenty of time for me to change my mind, and seeing how I've changed my team just today I wouldn't be surpriced. Anyways Good luck to all and hope you're not having as much trouble as I am getting your team together. Later

Anonymous said...

Pauly!! thanks for that mate.

Do you reckon it would be wise to have both Modric and Kranjcar in midfield? Seems a bit excessive to me. No! bollocks I'll have both!

Spurs' record league victory:
9-0 vs Bristol Rovers in 1977

Today that record may well be broken.
I'll go for 8-0
scorers:
Crouch 3
Kranjcar 2
Bale 1
Modric 1
Kaboul 1

Anymore forecasts? Pauly, what's the score man?

Saul said...

I just want to know one thing, are Kranjcar & Huddlestone sure to play?

Please respond, my team relies on it. Thanks.

FLScott said...

Kranjcar Yes. Don't know about THUD

Anonymous said...

I think Bentley could play over Krancjar, cant read anywhere that he is a doubt.

Anonymous said...

gerrard/bentley or torres/dunn ?

Saul said...

Thanks FLScott.

BerbaOwnsj00 said...

Got 212 points last week, pretty satisfied with that :)

OK I'm in a real headache. What I got so far:

Myhill

Bale Elokobi Bassong

Arteta Malouda AJ Gerrard

Bendtner Drogba Tevez

I'm happy with the strikers but I seriously need an attacking player from tottenham... And what I am reading here confuses me even more. Half of the people think Kranjcar will play and the other half Bentley... Yahoo has Bale playing left back and Sky says he'll play left wing with Asou Ekotto @ left back. Seriously, what the f*ck is going on??

FLScott said...

According to the Guardian:

Tottenham:
SUBS from Alnwick, K Walker, Palacios, Bentley, Pavlyuchenko, Rose, Livermore, Townsend DOUBTFUL Palacios (groin), K Walker (ankle), Pavlyuchenko (h'tring), Bassong (ankle) Injured Defoe (hamstring, 11 Apr), Corluka (ankle, 11 Apr), King (knee, 11 Apr), Jenas (ankle, 11 Apr), Lennon (groin, 11 Apr), Woodgate (groin, unknown), Cudicini (wrists, unknown)

This leaves the midfield at:
Kranjcar, Modric, Thud (hope this helps @Saul), and Bale.

FLScott

Saul said...

It helps very much, thanks FLSCott.

I'm seriously considering going with Kranjcar/Modric/Huddlestone in midfield but have to make a careful decision. Thanks alot for your help.

FLScott said...

Final note on this mix and match - Thud is seemingly the most likely to be subbed first - BUT, if anyone is playing crappily I suspect Bentley will see some pitch time. How early (or late) I couldn't tell you.

@Saul - Anytime

Dave said...

To all of you looking at the Guardian "gamesheet" - don't trust it 100%. It is often known to be wrong, it is just like any other site (like Skysports) that tries to predict the starting line-ups - they are giving their best guess and there is always a chance to be incorrect. So take it with a grain of salt, just because they call it a "gamesheet" does not necessarily mean they have any better information.

roonaldo said...

please help me.....

tim cahill wil play or not ???
i m in confusion

Saul said...

Many thanks to all who helped me with my team selection.

@FLScott - Thanks for the info regarding Tottenham players, I took that into consideration.

My team is as follows and I guess you could say I'm putting half my eggs in a basket, the other half is scattered lol.

Myhill
Bale/Jagielka/Fox
Bullard/Huddlestone/Modric/Kranjcar
Torres/Adebayor/Crouch

Finally got rid of Bendtner as I figured that Birmingham's not gonna be a walk in the park, as well as other options in Adebayor and Crouch were too tempting to ignore, with better matchups and all. Well that ends the day for me, Good luck and happy morning to all in the UK and all around the world.

STM said...

Guys, always consider the source of the news, and when there is doubt, do your own research! When there is only ONE single source that reports this and that, there should always be doubts. Always look through reliable sources, e.g. other Fantasy Manager sites, official club sites and so on.

1. I am not sure about the updates to Premier League Fantasy Football, but I went in and did some checks. Pretty sure that the information there is not exactly up to date. I see Ballack, who has been passed fit, as being listed with an injury and Klasnic, who is a doubt with a calf problem, with no information. Bentley's hip injury is the same as the one he suffered in early March, which leads me to point 2.

2. When in doubt, look for news on the THFC website. Bentley suffered the hip injury in early March. He has since recovered from it (for more than a week now), and he only missed last weekend's game against Stoke because of a VIRUS.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/instant-impact-250310.html

3. And surely, if Bentley has suffered a setback to the injury, you would find his name on the latest team news. Yet, there is no mention at all.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/team-news-260310.html

Okay, enough of rants. ;-)

My predicted starting lineup as a Spurs fan. I am sure other Spurs fan, including AM, may have other ideas, but this is to the best to my knowledge, educated guesses (which could be wrong nonetheless) based on injury news and match ups.

Gomes
Bale, Bassong/Kaboul, Dawson, Kaboul/BAE
Kranjcar, Modric, Huddlestone, Bentley
Crouch, Cudjohnsen

Interesting that I am not the only one thinking of such a lineup, the Starting 11 Spurs reviewer (Spurs Crew) seems to think along the same line. :-D
http://www.starting11.com/index.php?showtopic=13754

Good luck!

@roonaldo: Why wouldn't Cahill play? Didn't see any news that he is injured, and Moyes would probably stick the same team that won the last match...

Anonymous said...

what do you think about my team

hill
ferdinand/jagielka/jordan
a.young/arteta/bullard/modric
drogba/rooney/crouch

Anonymous said...

12.39 am chicago time and i'm buzzed. AVOID TOTTINGHAM. Pompey are playing loose with nothing to lose. It's a short trip to the capital and you can never be sure who "arry is going to start.

My team
MyHill
Gardner Jags Jordan
Malouda Arteta Kompany Richardson
Drogs Tevez Bendtner

roonaldo said...

to MR.STM,

http://www.premierleague.com/page/MatchPreviews/0,,12306~48815,00.html

-Moyes has striker Victor Anichebe back in the squad after a rib injury, while midfielders Tim Cahill and Jack Rodwell have slight hamstring problems.

this is wat i got frm above barclays official website..and also in yahoo team news....

* wat is your opinion ?

STM said...

@roonaldo: Thanks for the link. I just did a google and it seems that some other sources are reporting it. As I have mentioned, when in doubt, do your research. ;-)

My guess is Moyes will give a late fitness test to him, so it could be 50/50. I don't know if it is worth the gamble, but go with your own gut feeling.

Personally, since it may be 50/50, I would drop him knowing that there are other picks out there.

Anonymous said...

HELP/PANIC!

Should I bring in Barry-Benayoun in place of Gerrard-Mokoena(filler)?

Please help- last minute conundrum!

-cvb

Anonymous said...

Well, last night I saw the reports about Bassong having to pass a late fitness test. And there's no way I'm getting another zero - the last time I bet on a late fitness test gave me 0 from Gabby in a double-week, so while many got above 200, I got the dreadful 128. So with a bit of extra cash and a generous report about Danny Fox being back in contention, I dropped Bassong.
My guess is that Laws will use his best players in this derby, and Fox seemed one of them before his injury. Of course, there's always a chance in a derby for many fouls or even cards, but Fox looked like a phantom-points machine even without CSs or goals (the only goal he has scored so far was scored before he was added to the YFF system). Bassong doesn't score many phantom points, and against Pompey there's a real risk he will concede if he plays - they are playing for fun right now.

Anyway, my team for the weekend is:

Given
Bale Zabaleta Fox
Malouda Gerrard Modric SWP
Bendtner Tevez Crouch

Advices?

SF

Anonymous said...

cvb, gerrard must have

Anonymous said...

my team for this week:

given
bale/hutton/ferreira
malouda/arteta/gerrard/a.johnson/modric
bendtner/crouch

im hoping bendtner and gerrard to score this week..huhu

-ayOb encem-

Anonymous said...

Myhill

Bale/Jagielka/Alexander
Malouda/Arteta/Bentley/Gerrard
Eduardo/Diamanti/Gudjohnsen

Any comments ?

-Simon-

Anonymous said...

my team:

myhill
hutton/jagielka/fox
malouda/arteta/a.johnson/modric
bendtner/torres/drogba

should i switch:
malouda (10.90) --> bullard (10.98) OR
modric (10.04) --> bullard (10.98) OR
a.johnson (5.55) --> kompany (6.91) OR
stay as it is

thanks in advance if got any advice. good luck!

cheers,
The Kop

Ban said...

same question as The Kop,
malouda (10.90) --> bullard (10.98)
modric (10.04) --> bullard (10.98)
???

sonx said...

myhill

mouyokolo / mancienne / foley

malouda / arteta / modric / bullard

drogba / RooneY / adebayor

Anonymous said...

keep malouda

Anonymous said...

myhill
bale, salgado, hutton
arteta, gerrard, modric, a.johnson,
drigba, benther, rooney

comments???

Anonymous said...

@sonx

I think you should drop either drogba or rooney and go for Torres, it's making ur defence really poor.

Anonymous said...

What does averyone think of:
Myhill/bale hutton elokobi/Arteta gerrard Piennar bullard/ Crouch Gudjohson Tevez???

Anonymous said...

hutton and elokobi won't get a cleansheet

roonaldo said...

To Mr STM

Thx for advice.

Hinrik said...

I thought it was time to do something a little bit different:
Given
Bale Jagielka S.Campell Salgado
Gerrard Modric Arteta
Torres Saha Bendtner

Mèo Ko Ăn Cá said...

with 26.9m, should i choose 3 defends?

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