Sunday 8 August 2010

Week 1 - Player Picks

Readers from last season will know my Weekly Player Picks posts normally appear a couple days before the weekend, Wednesday or Thursday, but with this being the first week I thought it would be nice to get them up early!

I'll start by saying that this will be the most difficult post I write this season. We have no real idea of starting XI's, we have no true indication of the form or fitness of individual players (pre-season tells us very little), we have no way of knowing if new signings will adapt to the rigours of the Premier League, so it's very difficult to produce a list I feel 100% confident with.

However, having analysed the Week 1 Fixtures in a previous post, I've identified the sides with favourable matches (Chelsea, Man Utd, Wigan & Aston Villa in particular), and put together my recommendations based on that. There's likely to be some players here who don't end up making the line-up come next weekend, but hopefully this will become apparent towards the end of the week as team news starts filtering through from the manager's press conferences (in Ancelotti's case, his actual starting team for the West Brom game - gotta love him!) and I can update accordingly.

So, for the first time this season here goes...

KEEPERS
Kirkland
Hilario

No mucking about here, Chris Kirkland is currently fit and Wigan face Blackpool at home, so at a cost of under 4.00 he's the keeper pick of the week by a country mile. Blackpool have not been able to bring in any quality over the summer, they will struggle to score goals and I fear for them - I see a repeat of the Derby County scenario from three seasons ago.

Van Der Sar & Friedel both have good chances of clean sheets at home to Newcastle and West Ham respectively, but are too pricey in my opinion, so the only other viable option for Week 1 would be Hilario. With Cech injured, the Portuguese keeper  looks set to start the season ahead of Turnbull and Chelsea have the best fixture of the opening weekend, but if you do go with him you must be aware that he is capable of almighty rickets as we saw with his -9.5 points vs Man City last season.

DEFENDERS
Bale
Kolarov
Evans
Terry
Dunne
Vermaelen
Boateng
Figueroa
Koscielny
Ferreira
O'Shea/Rafael/Fabio
Foley
Berra
Steinsson
Bardsley
Jacobson

I'm really torn on Gareth Bale; 13+ is a hell of lot to spend on a defensive spot, and it will mean I need to scrimp elsewhere, but he's likely to continue on the left wing, was consistently putting up 15-20 points per week towards the end of last season, and he's been outstanding in the 3 pre-season games I've seen him in. I really need to make a decision on Bale before I start constructing my midfield/forwards because of the swing in available funds that decision will produce.

I have no doubt that Kolarov will be in my team when the deadline passes on Saturday, he'll get forward and take plenty of set pieces, so there's every chance he could become this year's defensive "season-keeper" (previously Vermalen, Bosingwa, Paintsil, Bale). If you're spending money then Evans (in Rio's absence), Terry & Dunne all have great chances of clean sheets and are proven to score fantastic fantasy points, while Vermaelen's goal threat is always worth considering. However, I think I'll either be spending big on Bale or going with some of the cheaper defensive options.

These cheaper options include the other new City signing Jerome Boateng, Arsenal's new boy Koscielny and Man Utd's fullbacks - two from O'Shea, Rafael & Fabio should start (with Evra not ready to start the season). Paulo Ferreira could start at right back for Chelsea and is very reasonably priced if that's the case, while Figueroa will bomb forward for Wigan and pick up plenty of decent attacking points, along with a possible clean sheet.

Some outside bets to save cash include Wolves duo Christophe Berra & Kevin Foley, Bolton's Gregor Steinsson, Phil Bardsley at a cost of under 5.00, who could start due to Sunderland's injuries and suspensions carried over from last season, and the similarly priced Lars Jacobson, who's been getting plenty of pre-season minutes for Blackburn.

MIDFIELDERS
Lampard
M.Petrov
Malouda
Nani
Valencia * (added)
Adam
N'Zogbia
Nasri
A.Young
Hitzlsperger
J.Cole
Kuyt
Dunn
Etherington
Jarvis
Silva
Rodwell

There's a reason you'll pay over 20 for Frank Lampard - he's a fantasy football points machine, on set pieces, on penalties, and he faces West Brom, at home. Much like Bale, it's very difficult to argue against his inclusion...it all comes down to price, and whether you can include Lampard in your side without causing too much unbalance. If you can't find the funds then Malouda is a fantastic alternative, as he now operates as a left sided forward, a move made by Ancelotti which has revived FloMo's Chelsea career.

Martin Petrov's move to Bolton is an exciting one for fantasy managers, as he's another who is capable of producing fantastic points as a goal threat from midfield. At under 10 he's a must have for Week 1, with my only concern being his injury record, although it will be interesting to see if he can wrestle set piece duties from Matt Taylor. Nani is also right up there in my thoughts for the first week, he's back from injury and if he starts he'll take most corners/free-kicks at home to Newcastle. (* Valencia has been added after his Community Shield performance.)

Charlie Adam will be a new name for many who don't follow the Championship, but he was instrumental in Blackpool's promotion last season and will be at the heart of everything good they do. He'll take all kicks and as a new player he's available at the bargain price of 5.43 - jump on the bandwagon! Charles N'Zogbia has been angling for a move away from Wigan, but he should still be there on the first day of the season and will be looking to impress potential buyers, Nasri has had an outstanding pre-season for Arsenal and is an option at Liverpool, while Ashley Young is another set piece taker whose stock rises if Milner completes his move to Man City this week. He'll also be boosted by his inclusion in Capello's new-look England Squad.

Joe Cole will want to make an instant impact at Anfield, and there would be no better way then a strong performance in front of the Kop vs old foes Arsenal. We'll have to wait to see how he settles in, but at a shade over 7.00 he could be worth a look. West Ham's new boy Thomas Hitzlsperger has been in the Premier League before, and I remember him as the player with hardest shot I've ever seen. Aston Villa away is tough, but he'll have his chances to shoot from distance and he never turns those opportunities down. Plus, he's dead cheap!

David Dunn, Matt Etherington and Matt Jarvis are three favourites from last season who will take set pieces (noticing a pattern here?) and all are nicely priced between £8m-£10m, Kuyt is now listed as a midfielder, while David Silva is sure to become a favourite at City and is very tempting at 5.43. However, I'm not sure he'll be ready to face Spurs having only joined up with the squad a few days ago, so wait for team news before making that leap (barndoor!). The final player on the list is Everton's Jack Rodwell - this will be his real breakthrough season, I see him as a future England star, and he should be given more match time by David Moyes this season. He costs under 5 and I'm considering him as my first hunch pick of the season if team news suggests he could start at Blackburn.

STRIKERS
Drogba
Rooney
Anelka
Agbonlahor
Bent
Chamakh
Boselli 
Rodallega
Biram Diouf
N'Gog

Not too many strikers interest me for Week 1, which explains why the list is a lot shorter than other positions. The uncertainty of fitness levels combined with high prices and tough fixtures means players like Torres & Van Persie are excluded, but the big question we're all asking is - will Drogba start? And if he does start, how fit will he be? We'll have to see if he comes off the bench in the Community Shield today, but luckily for us (as mentioned earlier in this post), Ancelotti will probably name his team to face West Brom in his Friday press conference. If he's playing, I will almost certainly pick him. If not, I'll go with Anelka.

I also really want Wayne Rooney, who will be looking to bounce back from his shocking World Cup, and has a great scoring record vs Newcastle, but fitting both him and Drogba in one team will be very difficult to achieve. For that reason I'm almost hoping Drogba doesn't make it, as Anelka will leave me an extra £6m to spend.

Gabby Agbonlahor is a strange player when it comes to fantasy football - he never seems to score many points when I pick him, even when he scores goals, but his pace will stretch West Ham at Villa Park, so there are far worse options and he's a good alternative if you don't want to follow the crowd by going with Drogba/Rooney. I'll throw Darren Bent in for the same reason, a great goal scorer, on penalties, and playing at home vs Birmingham.

We then come to two new strikers, Chamakh for Arsenal, who has looked really sharp in pre-season and Boselli of Wigan, who as we know face Blackpool. It's always a risk picking new strikers, because (1) They might not start, and (2) I think it's the hardest position to settle in to in the Premier League. However, they offer the chance of goals at bargain prices, so I will probably go for one of the newbies. If Hernandez impresses vs Chelsea today then I'll be adding him to the list above.

Hugo Rodallega was dead to many of us last year after constantly disappointing when selected, but I can't completely ignore him given his fixture. Biram Diouf, on loan from Man Utd, is a player I like, he'll start for Blackburn and scored on his debut last night, while David N'gog seems to have improved dramatically and could be be a good choice for someone looking to do something a bit different.

That completes my Week 1 Player Picks, and desite the fact it's taken me almost 4 hours to construct, it's good to be back! This is what sits on team page at the moment...
Kirkland

Koscielny  Kolarov  Bardsley

Malouda  Petrov  Adam  Nani

Boselli  Rooney  Anelka

...but a lot will change before the deadline, with Drogba and Bale still possibilities (among others).

How's your team shaping up for Week 1? Anyone you feel I've missed?

Cheers,
AM

p.s. Blog League 8 (the final one) details now up: http://yahoofantasyfootballuk.blogspot.com/2010/07/join-blog-leagues.html

133 comments:

Assistant Manager said...

Chelsea v Manchester United Community Shield line-ups:

Chelsea: Hilario, Paulo Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Essien, Lampard, Mikel, Kalou, Anelka, Malouda.
Subs: Turnbull, Benayoun, Drogba, Zhirkov, Sturridge, Van Aanholt, Bruma.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Jonathan Evans, Vidic, Fabio Da Silva, Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Park, Owen, Rooney.
Subs: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Giggs, Smalling, Hernandez, Nani, Fletcher.

Anonymous said...

What are everyone's thoughts on Valencia for week 1? Any chance he scores well against Newcastle? And is it foolish to pick both him and Nani for week 1?

Anonymous said...

Valencia just score against Chelsea!

donut said...

great post for a very tough week AM

looking forward to getting started...

I think you missed Kalou as an option if Drogba is out - likely to start and very cheap.

Loving the Kuyt change to midfielder...

I am never sure about ManU midfielders - you never know who SAF is going to pick - even though Valencia is playing today and has scored that doesn't mean that he won't go with completely different 4 against Newcastle!!

Also I am with you - I think Hitz will be a good FFball player, I also remember him shooting a lot..

Kirk
Bale Boateng Kolarov
Hitzl Malouda MPet Kuyt
Kalou Ngog Rooney

NH said...

I think it'd be wise to hold off on Silva this week. Not only did he just join up with the team, but he's already left again for Spain's midweek friendly.

Anonymous said...

Hi AM. Have you considered Graham Dorrans?

BigRon

Anonymous said...

Chicharito scored for United; Drogba came off the bench.

-- Neon Coffee

Assistant Manager said...

Thanks guys.

An enjoyable game. Valencia has been added to the lists above after today...but I'm sightly concerned that Man United v Newcastle is on the Monday night, as it means we'll have very little team news for that game before the first deadline (Nani or Park? O'Shea or Rafael? Owen, Berbatov or Hernandez? etc.)

Graham Dorran's may be one to look at in future but not for me away to Chelsea.

I think Drogba will start on Saturday, he looked OK today.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post AM

My team at the moment

Kirk
Kolarov Koscielny Bardsley
Nani Petrov Adam Lampard
Rooney Boselli Chamakh

1.16 left

I'm thinking to stay with Rooney and Lampard through out the season as both will accumulate big points

Don't sure about Chamakh though as Liv is tough fixture. Thinking to swap him with either Chicarito or N'gog.

Anonymous said...

Jussi
Terry Boateng Evans
Nani Silva Petrov Malouda AYoung
Chamakh Agbonlahor

I'm still not completely happy with this team. I'm not sure if Young and Gabby together are a bet that is too big on Villa, as West-Ham look like a better team compare to last year. And that awful 2-0 loss to Wigan on the opening day of last season... I might get rid of Young because I want to keep Gabby, but I'll probably save both.
I'm not sure about your Kirkland pick, Nik. I thought he was doubtful and Wigan did loan Al-Habsi, so I'm not so sure he'll start. I rather have Jussi as a sure starter. Evans, Terry, Petrov, Malouda and Chamakh should all stay. I'm still waiting to decide Boateng and Kolarov, so I'll appriciate any advice about it. I think Nani should start instead of Park, but I'll look for reports about it, and I was sure Silva was about to stay until Nik mentioned that he'd just returned to training. Still looking for replacements, unless someone reports he's starting anyway.

SF

Kellz said...

Kirk
Bale, Kolarov, Boateng
Malouda, MPET, N'Zog ( or Joe Cole), Adam
Drogba, Hernandez, Boselli

Basically settled on this squad. I think Kirk is the man between the posts this week no doubt, Bale has been fantastic and theres no reseason he couldn't lift Spurs to a win here.

Kolarov takes freekicks and had atleast 2 FK's on target against Valencia, Boateng is crossing and making forward runs so both Citeh defenders for 5.43mil should easily repay their cost even with no CS.

Boselli has scored yet again in pre-seaon for Wigan and N'Zog looks a great bet to whip in some corners or pump some shots in from the left.

I want Joe Cole in however, I don't think Arsenal game 1 is the right time to do it. Plus I need to find out if hes going to play in the free slot like he has been excelling in.

MPET should take kicks, I am thinking MTAy could go back to LB as he can play in the defense, and MPET stays on the right, Lee on the left. Good home matchup to Fulham who might find this first game difficult.

Hernandez has been scoring like a machine in pre-seaon. I am thinking Rooney paired with either Own or Berbs will start at Newcastle, but if by half time either have failed to score, i think Hernandez will get subbed in and at 5.43mil he doesn't need to do much to get his cost back.

Drogba comin in and played 35min, good sign. Really not a great indicator game, but with West Brom on the slate first, I don't see any reason to not have him in.

Good luck guys!

Anonymous said...

what are everyone's thoughts on this team?

boateng, kolarov, bardsley
m. petrov, nani, malouda, hitzlsperger
anelka, bent, agbonlahor

I'm just debating between keeping Bent and Agbonlahor or switching them for Rooney and Boselli. Also, debating between Adams and Hitz.

Anonymous said...

But isnt Bale classified as a midfielder this year? If you check on Fantasy he is, so i wonder why everyone classifies him as a defender...?

SK said...

Bale is listed as a Defender in YFF.

Anonymous said...

@greghino

No worries. I guess it looks like I've been picking on Arsenal CB too much so sorry about that.

I'll try to be more sensitive with my writing next time, as much as I can be.

And i'll try to make sure I'm clear about what the fantasy aspects are that I have in mind when I write stuff like that, since that's my only concern and not to insult anything about any football team.

Well, good luck to Arsenal and your players, greghino.

Peace,

-JJOKBOB

Birty said...

Kirk,
Bale, dunne, evans
NZog, Fletcher, Petrov, Young
Aggy, Hernandez, Boselli

May change Boselli and Young. Depends on if Milner is staying and playing at Villa.

I'll have Walcott in next week but not away to Liverpool as he's gonna have a good year.

bean said...

i had lamps + drogba for a while but it just ate up too much of the budget. while chelsea have a great run of fixtures to start, their pre-season form has me a bit worried. I know you can't take much from pre-season, but they really don't seem themselves. It also seems like Drogba won't be starting, which is fine since he'll come on as a sub and probably score, but for 21.07 I'd rather spread the cash around.

I'm kind of avoiding the new arrivals and trying to focus on good matchups. currently have:

kirk
o'shea,ferreira,vandamme
valencia,mpet,mccarthy,malouda
rooney,hrod,davies

David said...

@ anon 6:50 pm

I don't like doubling up on defenders from the same team, even though Kolarov and Boateng are both great picks individually. I'd drop Boateng for a Chelsea or Man U defender.

Otherwise your team looks very balanced.

Anonymous said...

Having a hard time deciding between a combination of Kolarov, Boateng and Koscielny

Any insight?

Anonymous said...

Kirk
Boateng Koscielny Bale
M.Petrov Adam Dunn Malouda
Boselli Drogba F.Campbell

pretty happy with it overall, thinking i might have one or two picks different than most...hopefully that will help and not hurt

Munsoned

mehicoradio said...

right now, i'm looking at:

Kirk
Bale, Figueroa, Kolarov
MPet, C. Adam, Floma, Eth
Boselli, Campbell, Rooney

Been trying to decide if Campbell is worth having, been in great preseason form (from what i've read anyways). O'Connor (can't find him in the game though :/) and Zigic supposedly been playing well for Birmingham. according to FFS, O'Connor scored 1 goal each of Bham friendlies (except the last one).

Kellz said...

@Anon 11:59pm: Of the 3, definately go with Kolarov as he is taking some set pieces, even with no CS, he could still benefit from those deliveries with SOT or SC.

Next on is a toss up because I feel the Koscielny - Verm pariing hasn't shown any promise, yea its early, but Arsenal have a tough fixture away to Liverpool. Plus I am not sure Arsne ever wants to start Kos in the center and is looking for another more experienced CB to bring in.

Conversely Boateng is a sure starter and will get forward for SC and Assists. I currently have both Man City new defenders because at this price (5.43mil) both need very little to repay their value AND both show a lot of attacking promise, which Kos does not.

Hope that helps :D

Anonymous said...

Kirkland

Ivanovic - Kolarov - J. Evans - Bardsley

J. Cole - Malouda - Hitzlsperger

Rooney - Chamakh - Tevez

mags said...

mixed feelings about my team but here it is at the mo
Kirk
verm/boateng/kola
cole/adam/mpet/lamps
rooney/boselli/chamakh

KiwiPete said...

hey there,

Kirkland
Kolarov, Bale, Bardsley
Lampard, Petrov, Adam, Hitz
Rooney, Boselli, Carroll

I'm pertty sure i'm going to keep Lampard and Rooney most of the season, but not too sure about rest of my front line is that good and if Bale is worth 13.22 at the back or not.

Any tips would be great...

Anonymous said...

If I were a manager, and I had my first game against West Brom, and I had a relatively strong team of players to fill Drogba's place, then certainly I would not risk Drogba, and rather wait til a more important game to play him.

Anonymous said...

hi all guys, just want to make sure will dilva start for first game? nobody mention him so far..

gkinz

Anonymous said...

hi all guys, just want to make sure will silva start for first game? nobody mention him so far..

gkinz

kwyjibo said...

Currently Have:
Kirk
Bale-Kolarov-Kos
Malouda-Adam-MPet-N'Zogbia
Boselli-Drogba-Chamakh

Thinking about Boateng for Koz, and I'm really wary about picking Drogba since he may not play too much in the opening match. But against West Brom? He can score 2 in even a short time against them. Then again, it's A LOT to spend on a risk. But I think picking him up before his price skyrockets will be important. Maybe barndoor? Tough decision.

I'm also surprised there has been no mention yet of Arteta. He looked impressive at the end of last season, averaging almost 12 per game in the last 13 matches. But, he does seem a bit overpriced at 16.90.

I could drop Bale and beef up other positions, but I missed out on a cheap Bale last season and paid the heavy price...I don't want a repeat of last season.

Anonymous said...

hi AM, how about brunt from west brom?

DeviLxDeviL said...

@AM, get Bale :D


How about this squad.

Kirk

Kolarov Bale Foley

M. Petrov Hitz Adam Malouda

Rooney Boselli Agbonlahor

Anonymous said...

Kirk

Kolarov Bale Bardsley
M. Petrov Hitz Nani Malouda
Chamakh Anelka Berbs

Fellow bloggers & Nik Please criticize my line up for this week.

Cheers!!!
Keshari

Anonymous said...

kirkland
figueroa kolarov fabio
J.Cole Malouda valencia M.Petrov
Rooney Boselli Keane

I'm new to YFF, hoping to learn from AM
any comments? =)

Naning said...

A whole lot of same line ups, more or less. It's sad, but understandable. I myself are looking at more or less the same as everyone else.

However, I have 2 hunches, one in defence and one in the midfield... But I just can't motivate myself on picking them. Simply because there's no real point. I am 100% sure that the players I would have to drop will both return their value. They're dirt cheap.

So most of week one will be depending on Nani/Valencia/Malouda, Lampard or no Lampard, MPet or Cole, Rooney or Drogba. There's 2-3 spots in the team that will distinguish if you score 80 or 120. The first week is always the most scary one.

Assistant Manager said...

Yep, the same thing happened in Week 1 last season Naning, but everything changed from Week 2 onwards - mainly thanks to different barndoor picks leaving people with a different selection pool.

Jon said...

Great post, AM - was wondering if you or others might share your opinions on

Bale and Adam

or

Nani (or Valencia) and Evans

thanks in advance

joshtottenham said...

I'm not completely convinced about the newcomers to the league. These teams ALWAYS give 100% on their first day in the premiership, sure Man utd and Chelsea should still beat them, but I think it will be closer than some think. I'd be staying away from the wigan game if I hadn't been reliably informed that Blackpool are this years Derby.

Anonymous said...

AM,i mean are you miss brunt in your list?

Anonymous said...

does anybody know if zhirkovs starting, he seems like a decent pick

Anonymous said...

why no people pick man city d.silva?
pls advice

GTR34 said...

Right,

Hi everyone. My team is set pending any last minute changes due to injury etc.

Had Lamps, Malouda and Rooney in the line up, but cash was too thin to balance the rest of the team out, so Lampard had to go.

Silva was also let go with more than a 50% chance he might not get a game. Once he starts though, he might be a season keeper for me.

Kirkland
Boateng, Kolarov, Bale
Malouda, M.Pet, Valencia, Hitz
Chamakh, Rooney, Boselli

Feel free to comment if you like.

Wish you all great look this season.

Thanks AM for a great job.

Doctor Teeth said...

Finally...a true indication that we are on the cusp of the start of Premier League action. Great picks/thoughts as usual, AM.

A couple of random points:

-Mame Biram Diouf is actually listed as a MF this year...I see him playing quite a bit for Big Sam and it is always beneficial to play a legitimate striker on your team without taking up one of your coveted 3 forward positions.

-I would add Kalinic to AM's forward picks...perhaps not for this weekend's match against the Toffees but keep an eye on him given his price and the dirth of bona fide stiker options at Ewood Park.

-I favor Ivanovic to Terry...more of an offensive-minded player than Terry (although JT did score more goals last year and is better aerially).

And let me also reiterate (from a previous post) that in considering the Bale decision, I think you have to look at it this way: would you buy him as a MF priced at 13?

Let's look at the MFs that are priced similarly to Bale:

Arsh
MTay
FloMal
Giggs
Milner
Lennon
BFAY

I would say that Bale certainly stacks up favorably with half of those players...and that's when not taking into account the fact that Bale will rack up clean sheet points from time to time. Spurs had 10 clean sheets last season so put Bale down for ~60 points that all of the other players listed above will never accrue.

It's tough to calculate now that YFF has taken down last season's weekly stats (the bar graph is still active but it is cumbersome to view) but I would guess that from Week 20 on, Bale was one of the top 4 fantasy points players in the league last season (along with Lamps, Drogs and Tevez). For me, it's a no brainer to have him on your side from day one.

Doctor Teeth said...

UGH - there is nothing more disappointing than mistaking El Hadji Diouf (MF) for Mame Biram Diouf (F). UGH.

Anonymous said...

Kirkland
Kolarov Koscielny Evans
Adam Malouda Silva MPetrov
Drogba Berbatov Rodallega

Anonymous said...

I would think twice about picking any Villa players following Martin O'neill's shock(?) resignation this afternoon...

apart from that, txs again AM for a great post as usual. hoping to improve on last years' top 2K position so your help in this matter will be as valuable as ever.

currently going with:

kirk
kolscieny/kolarov/bale
adam/nasri/lampard/mpetrov
chamakh/boselli/anelka

but all this could change until next week...
you'all have a great season now!

righteous

Nuno

Rozza said...

@ DT

I like your thinking on Bale you always seem to talk sense and use good critical thinking!

For me, I will be staying away from the likes of Adam (despite what I hear about his performances last year) and some of the newly imported foreigners, such as Silva as it is too unpredictible whether he will start. The barndoor is a good option with these types of players. I will however go with the a couple of the imports that are nailed on to start as they are always a good bet to play well on their competitve debuts in a bid to impress.

Happy that YFF is back, and thanks AM for a quality post!

Anonymous said...

MO'N just resigned from Aston Villa...

DeviLxDeviL said...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=813068&sec=england&cc=4716

LOL

Anonymous said...

Martin O'Neill is gone.. Thoughts on how this affects week 1 selections?
I for one had Ashley Young in my midfield,losing your manager a week before the season kicks off doesn't bode well for Villa,so he's out of my team and I'm throwing a 10er on west ham to stuff them in week 1.

Assistant Manager said...

Appears Darren Bent will miss Sunderland's opener with a back injury, so Fraizer Campbell now becomes a great choice at just 5.31.

I'll probably be avoiding Villa players given the O'Neil news, the club will be in turmoil with this happening so close to the start of the season.

Saul said...

Well looks like for the first week we are gonna have similar line-ups. Here is my team at the moment, with tough decisions still to be made...

Kirk
Bale-Kolarov-Ferreira
Malouda-NZog-Adam-Petrov
Chicharito-Drogba-Boselli or Campbell

Hardest week ever for me, so many posibilities. How about Tevez? I know he has a tough match-up but that didn't affect his fantasy value last season.

Saul said...

...oh and I'd recommend that everyone get on the C.Adam bandwagon right now because his price is gonna shoot up like a boner. What's not to like about the kid, takes free-kicks, penalties, corners, goals, assists, and better yet...his price(5.43)!!! There are not many nicer match-ups than Wigan so he's sure to have a few SOT and who knows, maybe a goal.

Anonymous said...

I guess I might stay away from AVL, and I had such high hopes for Dunne! If there's been a sale or sales in AVL MF then Albrighton might be worth a pickup (5.43). I might go with a back 3 instead of 4 as I had originally planned.

@Saul
I agree Adam can be good value, and Wigan had poor clean sheet record last year. The only thing I fear is Adam's penchant for getting booked.
Also, I'm not sure about having Chicharito just yet. Rather have Boselli/Campbell/Drogba than Chich/Campbell/Drogba.

I like the above posters who had Jussi in goal. Although Kirkland is dirt cheap and could provide a boost to other parts, I like Jussi's save points potential, and a clean sheet is not out of the cards if pre-season form is anything to go by for a defense.

Week 1 is indeed hard. Too much uncertainty and unknowns.

-JJOKBOB

macgill said...

For week 1 I am looking at possibly either Lampard/Koscielny or Malouda/Bale. I agree with everyone's assessment of Bale over the course of the season but I don't know how I feel about him against Man City in the first game. I might be tempted to bring him in on the barn door after the game instead. Any thoughts?

Anonymous said...

kirkland
Bale Koralov Boateng
Malouda Lamp Adam Hitzl
Carroll Campbell Anelka


what do you think? - to much Chelsea Attack?

Hancoach

Saul said...

JJOKBOB - Thanks for the feedback on Chicharito. I know there's a chance he won't start but the kid has been too good to ignore, I see him playing 15-20 minutes and getting a goal vs. Newcastle. I am also taking into consideration the 3 easy match-ups for Mancherster United, Chelsea and Wigan so I want to have 1 forward from each team...unfortunately I can't have both Rooney and Drogba without screwing up my team elsewhere.

GTR34 said...

@Saul - I agree that Chicharito will get some playing time, and has to do so little to earn his value. He's proven his ability in scoring in every game so far, even if one ws off his face lol:)

He will get a lot of goals this year feeding off the passes of Berbs, Valencia, Scholes and Carrick, and with Owen being pushed to the back, will start to see more playing time. His price is as low as it will ever be, and you could do a lot worse.

@Anonymous, you can never have too much Chelsea against WB. However, IF it doesn't go according to the script (look at pre season form), then you don't have many opportunities to gain from the other matches.

It's all hit and miss during week one with uncertainty on starters, and people settling into the new season. The path will get a lot clearer in week 2 and beyond.

Anonymous said...

macgill......

I'm thinking along the same lines as you,my mind has been made up about bale from the previous posts,but i'm just not feeling him for week one against city. So I'll be picking him up on the barndoor

Anonymous said...

There goes my plan of having Young and Gabby in my team. I guess Nik is right and I shouldn't have any Villa player, but it's still tempting. So what now, going with everyone else and buy Rooney? That wasn't the plan at all...

SF

Anonymous said...

Hei,

After i watched the community shiled, i thought Chelseas best player was Essien. He got lot of shots in, his passing to strikers was great. Essien took over Lampard roll as attacking midfielder or i was only one to notice that?
Malouda was in the shadow all the time and that left more space for Kalou, who was the real attacking threat.

Lasel

Pop Thy Collar said...

It's so tempting to stick in 3 or 4 of the big guns and then load up on newbies.

Good shout on Adam of Blackpool - he could be an early 09/10 season Milijas.

Anonymous said...

how bout a.cole?
is he worth it for this 1st fixture?

maxi

Unknown said...

Am I the only one gambling on Zigic from BHam for a forward?
Any comments?

Ttyl, Gary

Anonymous said...

@Lasel I like Essien at 10+, but Nani/Valencia are also similarly priced. But I will assume Essien is more likely to play more minutes than the 2.

Reviewing last year's match MCY vs TOT, I'm not sure about Bale's fantasy points justifying 13+ price tag for this game vs MCY.

1) Mancini does not NEED to win this away game unlike last year, and could play more defensively than last time. Last game, Zabaleta/AJ were generally keeping Bale in check until Mancini decided to attack more, thus AJ was more forward and did not track back as much to help cover the wing. This is when Bale shined. But there is no intense pressure for Mancini to win this time, hence perhaps a more defensive, counter-attack approach at White Heart Lane?

2) Mancini will not make the same mistake twice will he, giving Bale so much space?

Here's a scenario that is great for Bale's points: 1 assist, 1 CS, 2 corner won, 3 crosses = 15 points
Here's a worse scenario, with no CS: 1 assist, 2 corners, 3 cross = 9 points
Even worse, no assist, no CS: 2 corners, 3 cross = 5 points

Basically, you have to be optimistic about Bale getting a CS or assist, to justify a 13 price. Or, he either swings in 7+ successful crosses.

Since a lot of elite strikers are injured and unsure about playing 90 mins, I think what people are going for are cheap forwards, and value MF with good matches like Nzog, Petrov, etc...and with some cheap options in GK and Def (Evra/Rio out, Ferreira likely starting) they have all this money left over so why not get Bale?

-JJOKBOB

Anonymous said...

Would wigan new guy Ron Stam be a good DF option this Wk , Home to Bk/pool, and with caldwell carded from last season , he,s pretty cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 not seen him mentioned anywhere so dunno???????

Anonymous said...

No mention of Yaya Toure?

J0J0

greginho said...

JJOKBOB,
good luck to your fantasy, team, as well, plus the team you support. i hope it is not tottenham or manure or chelsea.

looking at the long list of players chosen. two midfielders, i feel, should be avoided.

first off, an incredibly inconsistent, nzogbia. he is just not worth picking. the mathchup is there, but he seemed to do better against better teams, last year. also, he cost 9.84 and only got above 10 points 10 times, last year, several, of those i am sure where double games. i think petrov is a much better pick at that price.
secondly, hitlsperger, will score 4-5 goals, will not have any assists, and will not have many crosses, corners won or many shots. he is a 4-5 point a game, type, of player. he fouls a lot. if you want to get someone who might average close to their cost of 5.40, then do it, but charlie adam and david silva are incredibly better picks. if silva gets no assists or goals, he will still get more than 5 points a game, through crosses and corners won. charlie adam, i can only go off of what the stats say, but he still seems a better choice. i don't think people realize that hitlsperger is a defensive mid. would you rather pick ya ya toure over david silva, it is the same thing?

Anonymous said...

JOJO

Personally i dont see Yaya Toure providing any fantasy value, yes he is cheap but at the same price i think there are way better options.

C-HAWK

Anonymous said...

How certain is Adam Johnson to start in City's midfield given the new additions to the squad? He was on such good form at the end of last year.

Anonymous said...

We are losers yet you took the time to post something on a website that you are not interested in whatsoever, that seems a bit ironic.

C-Hawk

Kellz said...

@DocTeeth: Interesting break down, have to agree with many points.

However Mame Biram Diouf is listed as a Forward and El Hadji Diouf is the Midfielder listed. Just a correction for anyone out there thinking of the move to make sure your getting the player you actually want.

I feel like Bale's consistent production on the field is worthy of his 13mil price tag. I agree its a really tough call and there could be other options for the money. I guess the best thing week 1 is to play it 95% safe with all sure starters and throw in that one hunch :D

Good reading though, thanks

Good luck sir

Yankee said...

@Greginho, I've never seen Hitzlberger play, but in 25 games last year he had 63 shots and 15 SOTs. The prior year in 58 games: 140 shots, 47 SOTs. Do you think the Premiership cools his jets?

greginho said...

hitzlsperger had 25 games, 15 SOT's and 58 games with 47 SOT's that is less than 1 a game. that is not a good way to get fantasy points, if you do not have another outlet to get fantasy points it is not worth it. he was a very influential player for villa, back in the day. he had some great matches against arsenal. when he comes in late to a play, everyone is waiting for the cannon shot.

Anonymous said...

Hi AM,

I have three changes , drop Malouda, pick valencia.

Instead of Koscielny and Bardsley, Berra and Alcaraz.

That is it.

Cheers

SL

AdmiraLord Nelson said...

Kirkland
Kolarov Bale Cole Koscielny
Moses Yaya Essien Benayoun
Rooney Berbatov

AdmiraLord Nelson said...

or

Kirkland
Kolarov Bale Cole Koscielny
Yaya Cole Adam Benayoun
Rooney Berbs

Anonymous said...

has everyone forgot about scholesey? he's a bargain at 4.96, plus we could tell he's on top form given his performance last sunday.

matt

Assistant Manager said...

Great posts from everyone, it's good to have everyone back here having discussions, it really does make the bog what it is.

Scholes is a good shout!

Anonymous said...

kirk
kolarov,bale,ferreira
malouda,adam,valencia,petrov
boselli/chicharito,drogba,campbell


any comment guys? who will be better pick, boselli or chicharito? and, still not sure whether nani or valencia will start.. i'm hoping on valencia to start..

Keon said...

Hi All, the below are my lineup, im concern about Silva not starting the game, any good suggestions?? please comment thank you!!

C. Kirkland
A. Kolarov G. Bale J. O'Shea P. Ferreira
C. Adam F. Lampard D. Silva
W. Rooney M. Boselli J. Hernández

balance:0.63

Anonymous said...

kirkland
figueroa kolarov fabio
J.Cole Malouda valencia M.Petrov
Rooney Boselli Keane

I'm new to YFF, hoping to learn from AM
any comments? =)

New Rising Manager

Keon said...

Hi New Rising Manager, Your mid looks pretty solid, but im abit concern about Keane and fabio... i afraid they might not being starting the game...im not sure why u pick keane thou..

Anonymous said...

Hi Keon
thx for replying
fabio might probably start as evra is not yet back in the team yet
keane had a vry nice pre-season friendly i thought
who will u suggest instead of keane?

New Rising Manager

Anonymous said...

There are so many bargain strikers at the start of the season. Eg: Chamakh, Beckford, Campbell, Ngog, Diouf.. Might as well pick them rather than take the risk on Keane.

JT

donut said...

Scholes is on fire and cheap but SAF has a bad habit (in FF terms) of rotating his midfield and I don't think he is worth a risk...

Scholes, Giggs, Nani, Valencia, Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Anderson (back), Obertan (rubbish) and Gibson. Pick 4 or 5 of those 10.

Could just as easily be Giggs, Carrick, Fletcher, Nani as it could be Valencia, Scholes, Park, Anderson...

BIG QUESTION this week for me (obvious one)

Drogba or Rooney (can't fit both...)

Anonymous said...

food for thought for those who have kirkland, including u AM.

''Ali Al Habsi played the entire game, looked solid and made a fantastic instinctive save in the second-half from a point-blank header - the Omani goalkeeper giving an excellent account of himself.''

there goes kirkland for me

JT

Anonymous said...

I see your point about Yaya Toure. With Barcelona he got forward a few times and scored the odd goal. But I guess when you play with Barcelona you don't really need to defend that much.

Anonymous said...

My provisional team for week 1:

Jussi
Kolarov Evans Koscielny
Malouda Petrov Cole Adam
Drogba Agbonlahor Boselli

I got rid of Dunne upon hearing the news about MON. But haven't pulled the trigger on Agbon yet.

Please advise.

bengoh91

Anonymous said...

Not sure if I want to gamble on Chris Brunt (West Brom) as he plays against Chelsea. So far this pre-season it seems as if anybody can score against anyone Chelski has in goal. This guy takes FKs and CKs so he might rack up the points to cover his 6.70 price tag. And unlike Hitz, he is not keen on taking yellows.

kwyjibo said...

Yes, this first week has been tough making choices.

Currently I still have 4.87 to spend, and am considering switching Drogba-Chamakh for Anelka-Tevez. Which duo do you think will score more?

Jon said...

@ kwyjibo

Of the four, i think that the one who will have the hardest time returning his value is Drogba - i really doubt that he will start, and he certainly wouldn't play a full match, if for no other reason than Chelski should have far too much in the tank for West Brom so why take the risk ...

BCB said...

Rooney and Boselli
or
Tevez and Zamora

kwyjibo said...

@Jon

Thanks for the reply and advice. You are probably right. I have a feeling Drogba won't play too much on Sunday. Of course, I don't know how much Tevez will score in the tough opening match-up, but I think overall, he's in for a good year.

Who knows...this is my first season following AM from the beginning. I am hoping for my best season yet! Last year I jumped 12,000+ places in a little over 2 months after discovering this blog. So, thanks for everyone's great advice!

Anxiously awaiting Saturday...

Current line-up (1.46 left):
Kirk
Bale-Kolarov-Kos
Malouda-Adam-MPet-DSilva
Boselli-Tevez-Anelka

Anonymous said...

So O'Neill pretty much ruined my plans for week 1. I wanted to be a bit different from most of the players and pick Agbonlahor and Young, but it's too risky now and we can't know how Villa will react against West-Ham. Plus, I'm not quite sure Kirkland will start for Wigan as it seems like Al-Habsi is getting most of the minutes in the pre-season.
So I'm stuck with that:

Jussi
Terry Evans Kolarov
Petrov Malouda Silva JCole Etherington
Chamakh Rooney

I hate this team. Silva might not start and I really want to replace Cole - I have no faith in him, and he gets almost no points without scoring a goal. Etherington is just what's left after all the others were bought. I've just realized that there are very few players to choose from this week.

SF

Anonymous said...

Am i right in thinking new players values won't go up for a few weeks. Can someone please confirm . Thanks
kingsview possums.

Anonymous said...

My Team atm is

Kirkland
Kolorov, Bale, Smalling (I know smalling wont play because Vidic and Evans will pair in centre)
Petrov, Adam, J.Cole, Rodwell
Boselli, Rooney, Drogba

Let me know what you think.

Thanks
LC

Manc Blue said...

What are everyone's thoughts on Berbatov this week? Seems like he could provide a goal or two and at 11.xx seems a decent value if you don't want to pay big for Rooney. Is there too big a concern that he won't start?

Anonymous said...

what about kalou,saha,carew ? dont u all think they have a good chance of scoring?

Assistant Manager said...

Kingsview Possums - Player values vary massively dependent on performance in individual games...we've seen players jump by £10m after 1 good game.

However - the barndoor is your friend! If a player performs well you can bring him in to your team for the following week before the points are updated, and only pay current price.

e.g. Boselli is priced @ 6.39 at the moment - if he scores twice vs Blackpool his value will likely jump to around £10m-£12m, but if you see he's scored during/just after the game and don't have him in your team you can quickly buy him for Week 2 at 6.39. You usually have a 2 hour window depending on how quickly Yahoo update the points/values. You don't get his Week 1 points but you save a huge amount on buying him at full price for Week 2.

Berbatov - could be great BUT will he start ahead of Hernandez/Owen? Man Utd play on Monday so team news before the deadline will be sparse.

Kalou,Saha,Carew - Kalou may not start if Drogba does (they may go Drogs, Anelka, Malouda as a front 3), Saha is always a huge risk due to injuries (almost always in the warm up), plus a tough fixture, Carew is playing for a side who have just lost their manager, so I'd avoid in Week 1.

Cheers,
AM

Wow - 100 comments already, great start to the season! :)

donut said...

MB - for me the Berb risk is the same as any Manu player - he has Berb, Hernandez, Rooney, Macheda (who is meant to be first team now) and Owen, and he often plays with only 1 striker!!

Kalou I like this week but you never know if he will play.

Can anyone cast light on why Drogba is unlikely to start? He looked fine on Sun?

I am going to pick Drogba, Lamps or Rooney and can't decide which - the rest I have reasonably settled...

LC why Smalling if you know he won't play? Change him, you want to try and get 11 chances to score points... team looks really good though!!

kingsview - yes, it normally takes a few weeks for new players to really change in value, but they will go up if they score good points...

SF I like Etherington's match up and at under 10 looks like good value to me. Has he been starting?

kwy - normally going for one of the "premium" players is a good idea. Sometimes they let you down but I would always try and have one in there. For the past few years these have been Rooney, Drogba, Fabregas, Van Persie, Torres, Gerrard, Lampard...

I think this is likely to be the case this year too. These are the players who always start, and tend to score 10+ just by getting on the pitch, mostly because they take free kicks, corners, and just shoot as soon as they can...

I don't know who they will be this year but I can't really see any new additions to this group. Anyone have any thoughts on the premium player thing? Any ideas if there will be some new ones? Arteta at Everton. Anyone at Spurs?

Anonymous said...

@Donut - The only other player i an get in other than smalling would be J Lloyd Samuel...

Im gonna have to lose a big gun i think... :-(

Thanks
LC

Mike B said...

Some excellent comments, for an excellent player picks post!

I have changed my mind so many times about my team in the last week, but i think i have finally arrived at something i like the look of.

My initial thought's were to go all out on Chelsea and Wigan. But after watching a few lack lustre Chelsea displays, i have changed my mind (again).

A suprise for me is that i want a liverpool player, i hadn't bargained for wanted one of them, but after seeing Joe Cole put in a spritely performance, i am going to pick him up (after all, Gerrard said he's better than Messi haha).

So here is where i am at right now...

Kirkland
O'Shea - Alcaraz - Kolarov
N'Zogbia - Lampard - Cole - Petrov
Campbell - Rooney - Boselli

One thing is bothering me. A distinct lack of Gareth Bale. I could get him by downgrading Lampard to Malouda, but i think there are penalties to be had.

Assistant Manager said...

Cheers Mike, I'm going round in circle too but funnily enough we currently have the same strikeforce ;)

So much has changed since I wrote this post, injuries all over the place, managers leaving, possible transfers, so I'll be writing an update on Thursday. I'd forgotten how much hard work this blog writing was!

BTW - 30 spaces left in the FINAL blog league

John B said...

What do you guys think...

Nani and Anelka

or

Rooney and F. Campbell

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

am & others what do u think about my squad?

hilario
koscienly,bale,a.cole
c.adam,malouda,arshavin,j.cole,valencia
boselli,kalou(i think he will plays since the game will be easy for them).

super coach.

Anonymous said...

i will go for Valencia instead of Nani ,valencia had a good game against chelsea n ferguson will start him.

bean said...

First and foremost, thank you AM for the work you do keeping up this blog.

in regards to Chelsea's lineup, I don't think we have to worry since our old friend Ancelotti will most likely announce his lineups before the match. I don't expect Drogba to start since he sat out international duty with Ivory Coast tonight, but I would expect him to come off the bench. I don't think Ancelotti will risk him so soon after his groin surgery with an easy match at home against West Brom, but the newly promoted teams always seem to start out the season well, so who knows.
http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2116708,00.html

I'm keeping an eye on all the international friendlies this week which will throw another wrench into our squad selections with the inevitable knocks/injuries/traveling fatigue..

right now i have:

Kirk
O'Shea Ferreira Faubert
Valencia Lampard McCarthy Petrov
F.Camp Rooney Boselli

re: Bale - i'm hoping Spurs have trouble with the rich firepower on Saturday and he doesn't score so well so I can pick him up on a bit lower price.. Although if he can keep up his 10.xx avg points per game from last year, he'll quickly become a "premium" pick. His average was slightly above Gerrard's if that gives you any indication.

Also very tempted by Chicharito. I doubt he will start, but with all the talk about him and his pre-season form, I think SAF will want to give him his debut at Old Trafford. Even coming on for 20 minutes I think his incredible speed will tear up Newcastle's defense no problem. A shot and a goal and he's already exceeded his value..

Anonymous said...

Bean, are u sure kirkland will start? Al Habsi kept a clean sheet in the last friendly and made a couple of good saves. Unless of course u're willing to take a 0 for 3m..

JT

Anonymous said...

@john b
Rooney/Campbell is slightly better for me since they will probably play more minutes than Anelka/Nani. I just don't know what Man Utd MF will look like.

@super coach
I don't like Hilario, since i'm not sure if it'll be him or Turnbull...or maybe even Cech might be back?

-JJOKBOB

Anonymous said...

does anyone know if david dunn is injured?

Anonymous said...

i see that onuoha might join sunderland on a season long loan, could be good pick for game 1 if they sign him in time.

Anonymous said...

@jjokbob i had kirkland before and i red here everyone talking about him not starting so am not sure which cheap goal keeper to go with all i have is 6mil to spend.

supercoach

Anonymous said...

pls comment my current team

kirk
koscielny, kolarov, alcarez, bardsley
lampard, adam, petrov, malouda
rooney, boselli

would love to play 3-4-3 but funds are limited. am focusing my player selection from mu, chelsea and wigan.

suggestions are gladly welcome?

cheers,
MRA

Maxer said...

hated the aston villa news.. i was hoping they can go all out and win big against west ham.. i'm keeping dunne and my hunch gabby in.. because i can see them still doing good and will get decent points..

my team..
kirk
bale, dunne, konsielny, kolarov
adam, silva, m.petrov
chamakh, gabby, drogba

uploading bale and trying a 4-3-3 formation because bale & kolarov as we know it are playing like an mf.. therefore looks like we're paying once for two players each.. :)

but silva might go for other mf.. any recomendations?..

Maxer

Anonymous said...

any comments about K. Jones? Since Foster is out =)

Cheers,
DarkZero

Anonymous said...

risk to pick drogba at 21 ?

Anonymous said...

I think i have found really well balanced team.

I choose Hilario for goalkeeper, because he has just the best change for clean sheet. Kirkland was good option as well, but Wigan doesn't have most reliable defense and Blackpool might surprise in their opening game in the top flight.
I had enough money to go for Bale, actually he was my first choice, when i started picking. Bale was excellent in preseason and will be the key man for Tottenham.
Next defender was Koralov. Cheap and i am pretty sure that he will return to his value, even without CS.
The third defender in the line up is Ivanovic, who impressed me in the Community Shield game, when he got two excellent headers in and almost scored. I guess he is a sure starter as well.

In midfield i have M.Petrov. He will play the attacking midfielder roll for Bolton according to Jeremy and Neal. That roll will give him really good fantasy value. He also takes some kicks as well.
Next up is Adam, who will take all the kicks for Blackpool. I guess Blackpool want to impress that they will belong to Premier League. So they will relay on Adam, who is their best man.
I guess that Nani will be in SAF starting line up and i expect that he will get many crosses in and even get the assist. So 12 points isn't impossible for him.
The last midfielder is Joe Cole, who is better than Messi. He costs only 7 and he will play as a attacking midfielder. After i saw Arsenal defense in their last friendly, when they conceded 5 goals, then Joe Cole will be the best pick.

In front i have N'gog for same reasons as Joe Cole. Cheap and against Arsenal holy defense. In addition he has improved in the summer and looks dangerous.
Next up i have gone with Rooney. The alternative Drogba hasn't been impressive, he costs more than Rooney and might even start. However, Rooney hasn't been impressive to, but i can't afford to left out form my team, when he might score 2 and more goals.
Last one isn't certain yet, but i consider Kalou and Boselli. I wait with until i saw starting line up and see their Kalou's name.

I hope this team score over 100. Under 100 would be great disappointment. What do you think guys? Have i got it right?

Chitza

Ban said...

My Week 1 Team:
C. Kirkland
J. O'Shea A. Kolarov J. Boateng
F. Malouda M. Petrov Nani C. N'Zogbia Adam Johnson
W. Rooney M. Boselli

How is it? I hope I can help more Chelsea players^^

Anonymous said...

hi to all,

followed the blog last season, always interesting and useful, cheers AM...

team so far:
jussi
kolarov-ferreira-bale
flomal-adam-nasri-mpet
boselli-roo-chamakh

seems everyone's going pretty similarish. i can see arsenal pasting liverpool personally, still a little unsure on chamakh and nasri tho, tho both have looked good in preseason.

ferreira/boateng/kos? not sure on the minutes for boateng, plus man city keeping a clean sheet is pretty unlikely...

also, mainly, to rooney or not to rooney... slightly more interested in a lampard/chicharito over rooney/nasri, will await team news, any thoughts though?

good luck to all for the season...

bastu

Anonymous said...

My 1st Week Line-up

R.Green
Bale, Kolarov, Boateng, R.Johnson
J.Cole, Larsson, Essien
Rooney, Boselli, C.Jerome

Might include M.Pet by Friday



Project Ikan Tahai

donut said...

Last year I thought why don't we try and pick a team by consensus as a blog...

Start from scratch EVERY week and vote on a team to pick...

Not sure exactly how to go about it, but I guess if AM starts a thread and lists the major contenders and price we can vote on Friday and select the team for the Saturday?

Might be complex but might be fun?

broharvey said...

Kirkland
Kolarov, Koscielny, Faubert
Adam, Gerrard, Lampard, Silva
Rooney, Boselli, Chamakh

What do you think?

Anonymous said...

Could AM or anybody else be kind enough to enlighten me on the whole 'barndoor' thing, a bit more?

AM explained the gist of it somewhere up there, so I'm just going to add on to that:

If a player performs well you can bring him in to your team for the following week before the points are updated, and only pay current price.

e.g. Boselli is priced @ 6.39 at the moment - if he scores twice vs Blackpool his value will likely jump to around £10m-£12m, but if you see he's scored during/just after the game and don't have him in your team you can quickly buy him for Week 2 at 6.39. You usually have a 2 hour window depending on how quickly Yahoo update the points/values. You don't get his Week 1 points but you save a huge amount on buying him at full price for Week 2.

^^^
I need to know when I draft in a player (for instance - in this case Boselli, by selling Kalou) on the barndoor, should I also 'confirm team changes', or leave it there just as it is?
And if I do confirm team changes, doesn't it then affect the fluctuations in my other players' market prices?
Say, I had Lampard, Kalou and Bale, amongst others, in my team for Week 1. Upon bringing in Boselli for Kalou on the barndoor, and confirming team changes, will it have no impact on the points earned by Lampard and Bale, or even changes in the market prices of these players? Will it not affect my 'Available Funds' situation?

Sorry if I've confused you guys, but I'd just started playing YFF late last season. Any help would be appreciated.

-BT

Anonymous said...

Re:Barndoor...
Yes you must confirm team changes,otherwise they're not in your team. No,buying players in on the barndoor doesn't affect the points earned by your current team,and no it won't affect your available funds. Once the 12pm deadline has passed,your week one team is locked down. So at 12:01pm you can sell whoever you like and start building your week 2 team,whatever players you buy,you're buying at week 1 prices(because week 2 points are not in yet). And whoever you buy,it will have no bearing on your week 1 prices or points. Remember,if there's an early kick off,the points from that game will normally update earlier than all the games that kick off at say 3pm. Hope this helps.

Tim Nice But Dim.

Assistant Manager said...

Thanks for replying to BT, Tim - couldn't have put it better myself!

Anonymous said...

Anyone have any thoughts on Charlie Adam vs. Joe Cole?

Dan said...

charlie adams vs joe cole ?
definitely joe cole..adams is a card magnet

Skip said...

BT.. i believe brand new players to EPL take about 5 games before their price will shoot up ALOT(first season).. if they play well, it may go up abit but not really huge.. then after those games.. they price can REALLY go up to where it should be long.. i think Arshavin is a good example.. his first season in..

or is this just in Jan/Transfers.. i don't rememeber know.. LOL

if i am wrong, please correct me..

skip

Will said...

Seems that Gareth Bale picked up a knock in training for the Wales match. Doubt for this weekend. He is also on the physioroom list

http://www.teamtalk.com/news/2483/6306406/Wales-duo-forced-to-sit-out-friendly

Anonymous said...

My Week 1 Line-up

Hilario
Kolorov, Alcaraz, Evans
Adam, Lampard, M Petrov, Valencia
Rooney, Anelka, Boselli

Bit worried I rely too much on Man U/Chelski, but they both have easy starts to the season, so I think it's worth a gamble!!

Any feedback?
Cheers
Lestefer

Anonymous said...

hi guys. anyone know about Fulop?

Assistant Manager said...

Avoid Fulop, he's moved to Ipswich!

Anonymous said...

wat do ppl think of this team
kirkland
bale boatang kolarov
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