Wednesday 1 December 2010

Week 16 - Player Picks

Please note this edition ignores the current UK weather conditions. We will deal with any potential postponements closer to the deadline, but for now we have no accurate information on the risk to any particular fixture so I have written my player picks for a perceived full schedule.

First off this week, I was really pleased with the fantastic response to last night's post regarding "Goalkeepers - My Story So Far", with over 70 comments in just 12 hours helping us build an extremely interesting picture of methods for success. Thanks to everyone who was bored enough last night to get involved!

It (unsurprisingly) shows that I have one of the very worst records out of all blog readers, with only a couple of lower totals appearing in the replies. I was surprised however, to see Arsenal_Bergkamp (overall leader) has scored only marginally better than I have with his keepers...imagine how far ahead he'd be now with a bit more luck!?

Anyway, it appears pretty much everyone scoring highly in this department over the season settled on a reasonably solid keeper quite early on (Hart/Foster being most popular, but the key being a GK who generally makes a lot of saves, even in defeat) and stuck with him, no matter the fixture. It's something I have decided to do and see how it works out (it can't get any worse, can it?), so will be looking to settle on one over the next 2 weeks. It's likely to be Fabianski, Robbo or Jussi, apologies if you have any of them :)

Moving swiftly on to Week 16 (which is ROUND 4 of The Blog Cup!) and I'm determined to break 100 for only the 7th time this season after a number of frustrating "nearly" weeks in the 90s. One of the key points I (and many other managers) have to decide on is what to do about Van Der Vaart if you hold him at 6ish. I find it very odd that we've had absolutely no news from Tottenham about the extent of his hamstring injury, only that he was due to have scan on Monday.

Is no news a good or bad thing? Perhaps it's not as bad as first feared? Perhaps it's worse!? I'm not sure, but we should know more in the next 48 hours...anything more than two weeks out will mean I drop him (3-4 weeks out at this time of year means missing 5-6 games). It will be frustrating to lose the discount, but he would probably drop to 11ish as people sell him, quite an affordable price for set piece + penalty taker.

Right, I'm waffling - let's take a look at the Week 16 Fixtures...

Stand Outs
ARSENAL v Fulham
CHELSEA v Everton

Two big home wins in my opinion - Fulham are struggling to score goals, can't stop drawing/losing games and are in a relegation fight right now, so if Arsenal click in to gear (as they did against Villa) then I could see a 3 or 4 goal victory. Everton are just a point ahead of Fulham, without a win in five games and will also be without the influential Arteta through suspension. I get that feeling that Chelsea will hammer someone soon, and it could be this weekend.

Should Win
SUNDERLAND v West Ham
MAN UTD @ Blackpool
MAN CITY v Bolton
LIVERPOOL v Aston Villa
BLACKBURN v Wolves

Sunderland were one of the "stand outs" originally, but West Ham will be lifted by two great wins over Wigan & Man Utd respectively, so while I still see a win for the home side it may not be as simple as first assumed. Speaking of Man Utd, they should have too much for Blackpool, but you just don't know what Holloway's men may be capable of, so again it won't be a walkover.

Bolton have been excellent at home but showed signs of a slight drop against Blackpool, and a trip to Manchester City will be tough, so I reckon it'll be a first defeat for Coyle since October. Liverpool impressed at White Hart Lane and I'm fully expecting them to beat injury stricken Aston Villa, and Blackburn rested some of their better players at Old Trafford and are very decent at Ewood Park, so vs Wolves it's another home win for me.

Close/Draw
Birmingham v Tottenham
West Brom v Newcastle
Wigan v Stoke

Three games that could go either way, but I can see all draws here. I'm actually tempted to chuck a fiver on the three-draw treble at 44/1. I can't see any of them being particularly high scoring matches.

Now on to the players, and there are loads and loads of viable options this week...

KEEPERS
Fabianski

Gordon
Robinson

I've kept it down to just three keepers this week, and feel they represent the best value given the fixtures if you're buying at full price. Heading the list is Lukasz Fabianski, who has been pretty solid for Arsenal since he ousted Almunia (one mistake when he was out-jumped by Andy Carroll aside) and as mention Fulham are struggling, so he has a real chance of a clean sheet this weekend.

Craig Gordon has returned from injury in really good form, and although Sunderland will be missing their usual centre backs I still can't see West Ham causing an upset, so he's another who makes saves & has a clean sheer opportunity. Finally, Paul Robinson is now below £4m after his -19 in the 7-1 defeat at Old Trafford and again as I stated earlier, Blackburn are a different proposition at home. Wolves also struggle to score goals, especially away, so he's definitely the value keeper pick of Week 16.

If you want to spend on Cech then do, and if you hold Foster, Hart or Jussi on a long term discount then obviously stick with them, but I would avoid Scott Carson. Newcastle are far more dangerous in an attacking sense than Wolves, so if you are looking to spend as little as possible then I would go for Robbo instead. But remember, I've been wrong before..

DEFENDERS
Bale
Kolarov
Koscielny/Squillaci* (*could be out with a knee problem)
Bosingwa/Zhirkov* (*could be back)
Rafael
P.Jones
Bardsley
Tamas
Skrtel
Alcaraz
Carr
Mensah
Konchesky
Jara
Mancienne
S.Caldwell

We're assuming VDV is out, so Bale becomes all that more valuable when on set pieces, and Kolarov (K-Rov?) is fast becoming a favourite, an attacking full back who loves to get forward, shoot, takes corners, with the added bonus possibility of a clean sheet. Both Koscielny & Squillaci are fantastic value (under £6m) at home to Fulham (although look out news for on Squil's knee injury), Bosingwa is also really tempting for Chelsea and we'll await news from Ancelotti on Zhirkov - he could be back & is still priced below £7m.

Rafael seems to have cemented his position as Man Utd's right back and loves to fly down the wing, Blackburn's Phil Jones has been solid all season and has a clean sheet chance, while Phil Bardsley continues to scores really well for Sunderland. West Brom's Tamas is extremely cheap if you fancy a clean sheet at the Hawthorns, Skrtel will have to be the rock for Liverpool with Carragher out, while Alcaraz is back from suspension for Wigan and has a very decent average this season.

Steve Carr is the most affordable Birmingham defender if you want to cover their possible clean sheet, John Mensah is a cheaper alternative to Bardsley to cover Sunderland,  Paul Konchesky has dropped below £7m after a bit of a horror show at Spurs and Jara is a slightly (very slightly) cheaper West Brom defender if you just don't like the look of Tamas. If you're looking for mega budget defenders then Mancienne & Stephen Caldwell are probably the best bet.

MIDFIELDERS
Nani
Nasri
Brunt
Arshavin
Malouda
Meireles
Pedersen
Wilshire
Rosicky
Silva
N'Zogbia
Larsson
Etherington
Adam
Barton
Kuyt
Henderson
Pennant
Hoilett

Nani has been consistent all season and is the top points scorer so far, so you really need to have him your team, and I assume most blog readers do (although I'm surprised to see only 25% of all teams have him). Nasri often steps up in Cesc's absence and has a great fixture, Brunt is back to fitness as we saw with his superb free-kick vs Everton & Arshavin will be on a high after a great performance in Week 15.

Malouda is showing signs of getting back to his early season form and I fancy him to grab a goal, Meireles is taking kicks and really impressing in Gerrard's absence, MGP is having his best season in years, Wilshire was surprisingly on corner duty ahead of Nasri last week, while Rosicky had a very good game slotting in just behind Chamakh, was rested in the League Cup so should play & costs just a shade of £6m - bargain alert!

David Silva is maybe a touch lucky to find himself in the lists each week because he rarely actually does that much, but it's the fact he's always affordable and has a chance of a big week because of his quality that means he makes it. N'Zogbia will be behind all Wigan's good work with Hugo missing, Larsson is having a fine season & is now on penalty duty too and Etherington is hitting some great form, although admittedly he's a bit pricey.

I'm still on the Adam Bandwagon because he's still outproducing his cost of 5.4 most weeks, and I just know he'll bang in a free kick or penalty as soon as I drop him, Barton returns from suspension, is around £9m and will be straight back on set piece duty for Newcastle, Kuyt is on pens for Liverpool & may be pushed upfront to replace N'Gog with Joe Cole returning. Henderson has a great fixture, Pennant will get his share of set pieces & Hoilett is a bargain filler option.

STRIKERS
Chamakh
Tevez
Bent/Wellbeck/Gyan (*waiting for team news on which 2 start)
Drogba
Rooney
Berbatov (pre-update price, obviously)
Balotelli
Kalou
Odemwingie
Torres
Carroll
K.Jones
Obinna
Di Santo

Chamakh will retain his place at the top of Arsenal's attack after a hugely impressive performance at Villa last Saturday, and even if you missed the barndoor he's still a very affordable option, while Tevez was a disaster last weekend with -4.5, but if he follows his pattern of good week/bad week he's due a cracker! Bent & Wellbeck both scored again last weekend so they're the most likely to continue, but we await team news incase Gyan has forced himself in to Bruce's plans.

As mentioned earlier, one day soon Chelsea are going to batter someone, and on that day it is very likely that Didier Drogba will score a hat-trick, 35 points+, and very few people will have him in their team. Essien is their heartbeat & him returning will make a big difference - if you can find £21m from somewhere then Drogs could make your week. I'm also expecting an open game and lots of goals at Blackpool v Man Utd, so Rooney or (a pre-update) Berbatov both come in to play.

Balotelli scored a brace in Europe last night and could be the perfect VDV replacement (albeit in a different position) seeing as he's priced below £6m. He was subbed with an injury last night, but Mancini said it was "only a little knock" so I'm sure he'll be fine. Kalou is a cheaper Chelsea option if you can't afford Malouda or Drogba, Odemwingie says he feels back to full match sharpness now so he's an option, and Torres faces depleted Aston Villa on a run of defeats.

I have a real hunch that Andy Carroll will do well at West Brom, which is one of the main reasons I'm not recommending Scott Carson - Barton's return will add to the threat as he's supplied assists for 4 of Carroll's league goals this season. Kenwyne Jones will get plenty of goalscoring opportunities at Wigan, Obinna is finally starting to live up to his potential (a goal and 5 assists in his last 2 games) & Di Santo will lead the line for Wigan at a budget price.

That's it for another week!

My team currently looks like this:

Robinson, Koscielny, Kolarov, Bale, Adam, Nasri, Brunt, Nani, Balotelli, Chamakh, Rooney

It's unsaved...Fabianski, VDV & Elmander are still held at discount, and while it's unlikely to be the finished product I actually quite like it. Admittedly I'm likely to have to let Rooney go as I will need funds and space for a Chelsea representatives (Bosingwa, Malouda & Kalou are possibilities) and may try to bring in one of the Sunderland strikers.

As always, please vote in the poll:
http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/510195

I'll be back on Friday to update you with all the important weather, team & injury news, plus I'll update you on how my team is looking.

How's your own team shaping up? Any hunches this week? Are you in the 4th Round of The Blog Cup?

Cheers,
AM

p.s. We've passed 1000 Facebook members, amazing! Please join us as we look to pass 1100 before the end of the year! :)

93 comments:

Anonymous said...

AM, maybe you would want to hold on to elmander if you got him at 9+, Bolton's next match is at home to Wigan, and most likely you want to pick him back.

Anonymous said...

I've been scoring really badly (havnt been online much in the last 2 weeks), and I've dropped to a terrible 6000+ rank (especially after this week's fiasco when i only scored 55.5 points).
but enough about my sob story.
I actually think Sunderland v West Ham will continue to be a standout, and I get the feeling West Brom v Newcastle will be a high-scoring draw-- but dont trust me on that ^^

--neoncoffee

Anonymous said...

week 16 is not a blog cup week?

Pop Thy Collar said...

I'm hunching on someone dishing out a spanking to someone else.

Just gotta figure out who..!!

Anonymous said...

Hey, just wondering if anyone knows if Boateng is playing this week?

Anonymous said...

Any word on Lamps?

Assistant Manager said...

Week 16 IS the 4th Round of The Blog Cup, thanks for reminding me, post updated :)

Assistant Manager said...

Don't know anything about Lamps yet but my guess would be the bench if he does make the squad. One to keep an eye on for sure!

Musteng said...

I notice that there's a points and price adjustment on every Wednesday. It happened on 3 consecutive weeks

Anonymous said...

I am 20 points behind AM and at 804 overall ad he's in the top 500. Just shows a good or bad week can really move you.

Team so far assuming VDV is crocked for a while.

Robinson
Kolarov Koscienly Bosingwa
Nani Nasri Malouda Adam
ChamWow Berbs Ebanks

I may drop Berbs as many like me will be point chasing - looking at Welbeck/Gyan, Carroll, Odem, or Kalou to fill that spot

BCB

Birty said...

foster, bale, evra, bardsley, holden, brunt, adam, nani, *****was an unsaved cleverly but his price jumped today for some reason******, gyan, odemgoal.

not sure what to do with my spare 8 and a bit. i'll cogitate on it.

Anonymous said...

Agbonlahor?

Anonymous said...

joe cole is back..

Arsenal_Bergkamp said...

I did horrible in the previous 2 rounds with a score of low 70s(2 lowest scores this season). I was able to squeeze through at the cut off mark. I am going to ignore "Blog Cup" this week even my approach to select my lineup should be the same. Let see if I can make it through this round.

Emperor said...

my team
Kirk
bale koscielny & mancienne /squillaci & zhirkov
nani m.davies silva hoilett nasri/VdV
drogba kalou/rooney

koscielny,mancienne,VdV,rooney
or
squillaci,zhirkov,nasri,kalou what do you think ?

Anonymous said...

reina/ kolarov Koscielny hutton / nani brunt meireles dunn / elmander berbs chamakh

the price changes has left me with -0.28

i kinda liked the look of this team!
any suggestions?

Zee

Anonymous said...

AM CHATRROM REGULARS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE / EUROPA LEAGUE 2010-11 starts WEEK 17 !!!
TOP 64 FOR CL.
REST FOR EL.

Week 16 left to score big and join the elite.
http://www.ffchallenge.moonfruit.com

Hans_India

Martin said...

I've been pretty happy with this team since barndoor..

Robinson
Kolarov/ Chimbonda/ Heitinga
Nasri/ Nani/ Adam/ Brunt
Chamakh/ Berbatov/ Gyan

Miec said...

THX AM, now i know which 3 keepers i should avaid.

Anonymous said...

First time I go for a 4 3 3

Robinson

Kolarov Bale Bosingwa Alcaraz

Nani Nasri Brunt

Chamakh Balotelli Di Santo

Any tips ?

Shiv Morjaria said...

AM, RVP started last night. Might Chamakh drop to the bench for him this week do you think? I'm probably not going to take the risk and I'll go with Berbatov, Rooney and Bent. Bit of a risk to go with 2 man u strikers but I don't know which of them will score so I'll just take both :)

rwlwhite said...

currently sitting on:

foster
kolarov - koscielny - zhirkov
VDV - Nani - Nasri - Brunt
Elmander - Berb - Balotelli

I have a hunch that foster will either keep a clean sheet, or concede 1 with loads of saves against spurs.

I'm keeping VDV for the season @6.14

The only reservations i have are zhirkov (will he start?) and berbatov (i know he scored 5 last week and 11 overall and I BD'd him, but he's only scored in 5 league games so he either has to score a few at a time, or assist others. But at 11.xx against Blackpool, he may have a chance. If not, Chamakh will come in for him

FLScott said...

Going with Doyle as my upset forward... we'll see.

Anonymous said...

How about Lennon against a Birmingham team involved in the Carling Cup tonight. He's pricey but returned 14.50 last week and may be a good pick that not many will take if you want to gamble.

Gavin said...

Any word on whether Holden was just rested last weekend or if there's an injury concern? Will he be back this week?

kwyjibo said...

Yet another injury concern to watch for:

Balotelli scores a Europa League brace and then...

"Balotelli came off midway through the second half holding his side and appearing in some discomfort - the only sour note on an otherwise satisfying night for Roberto Mancini's side."

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/01122010/58/europa-league-balotelli-brace-puts-city-32.html

Anonymous said...

@Gavin: Holden was injured with a thigh strain, though I *think* he should be back this week. Look out for Bolton team news.

Anonymous said...

Hey guys, any update on Boateng, really would love to keep him at his 4.4 discount but cant keep taking these 0s

jfk0124 said...

my team so far ...
robinson,
kolarov,boateng,bardsley,
vdv(bd),nani,nasri,barton,
elmander,berbatov,caroll
i'm quite worry with my team please help on which plyr i should change

Anonymous said...

yeah.. any news about Boateng starting at the weekend, he was playing in the europa league last night! i've been taking 0's for 2 weeks. dropped brunt last week and he score 20+ after holding him and taking 0 for the earlier week. same goes with tevez a fortnight ago!

my current unsaved team:

robinson
kolarov, boateng, koscielny
adam, nani, nasri, malouda
rooney, chamakh, balotelli

still holding berb, vdv at discount

cheers,
MRA

Arsenal_Bergkamp said...

@jfk0124

any news on Boateng? You should switch him to another defender if there are no report confirm he will be a starter this week.

There are lots of ZERO to takes if you plan to keep VDV. Meireles is a good pick imo if you think of replacing Carrol/vdv.

Anonymous said...

I highly recommended
GK Robinson
DF Koscielny
MF Meireles
F Odemwingie + Drogba

or if u want,richardson is good bet and taking set pieces..

Anonymous said...

Alcaraz is finally on your radar AM... :)
His price was 6.58 after he got the red card. He did not play last weekend and his price is up to 7.45??? These yahoo guys are nonsense...

Another question.. Is Joe Cole back and due a start?

Anonymous said...

to Arsenal_Bergkamp and AM.. HOW ABOUT PARK?? i think he will perform this week..

Alex said...

AM, why you not list Clark at your defend List? he's play in mid and be able to score like last week?

lovely end said...

to Arsenal_Bergkamp and AM.. HOW ABOUT PARK?? i think he will perform this week.

Juelz said...

my team

P.Robinson
Kolarov tamas (zhirkov or squillaci)
nani nasri lennon(BD) Miereles
welbeck rooney elmander

ANY THOUGHTS EVERYBODY AT A DISCOUNT EXCEPT MIERELES, ZHIRK, AND TAMAS

Juelz said...

AM you should include and not forget lennon he has crazy pace against a slower birmingham back as does bale of course but lennon a lot cheaper both wings will definetly have a go.

Anonymous said...

My team line ups atm:
Green
Carr Kolarov Koscielny
VdV Jarvis Nani Brunt
Obinna Rooney Balotelli

Can't drop Green, Jarvis and Obinna because off big discount.What do you guys think?Should i replace my GK?TQVM...

TJ

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Anonymous said...

Hi A.M just a question, Do you think J. Roberts from blackburn will play this weekend? any comment about him?

Anonymous said...

why is ELMANDER not on the list?

J0J0

Mell fantasyonthego said...

Blackpool claimed the Man U game will go ahead amid all the uncertainties . Sunderland home could be a threat too I believe due to its location. Just a caution though

Anonymous said...

My team :

Robinson
Kolarov /Koscielny/M. Mancienne
Nani /Brunt/ Adam/ Nasri
Elmader/ Berbatov/ Balotelli
With this team i think that i will have about 120 points week 16
Please comment?

Anonymous said...

Chelsea news as of 2 dec:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ancelotti-expects-terry-to-be-fit-to-face-everton-2148614.html

Lampard out for another 2 weeks or so

Terry and Essien should play this weekend.

Eva

Anonymous said...

hi AM,

iam considering taking DEFOE as my striker..
what other option i have if i want to replace him ( price at 10.5 )
wht risk involve it take balotelli ( injured? card? )
any chance chamakh not starting?

my team look like this.

----robbo---
k-rov--koncesny-zhirkov
park-nsri-meireles-brunt
defoe-ROONEY-camakh.

=zck=

Anonymous said...

i promise to go on an ad clicking frenzy if you dont choose robinson as your gk this week, nik.

all robinson holders should pledge to do the same

Anonymous said...

Cech
K-Rov Rafael Bosingwa Bale
C.Adam Meireles Pennant
Balotelli Torres Elmander

Im buying Peter Cech this week and keeping him for the rest of the season. no more goalie headache for me.

PBS said...

how about adam johnson? he was great last night against salzburg

south of europe said...

AM is there any problem about weather in England?
I have information that all games of Scotland premier league are delayed! Is there a possibility that some games for this week in England also could be delayed'
Which are "risky" games ?

Anonymous said...

Hi AM, great blog as usual. I just wanted to check where you got 44-1 from on the treble - the best I can find is 36.47 with Stan James?

Also, and this isn't a criticism but do you have to tease us with you're player choices? :-) You give us the list but the text you supply is brilliant, I find myself midweek starting to think of players when this list goes up but it's your critique that sways me one way or another.

I wonder if you could speculate a little more on your selection process? Normally you tell us your first thoughts but then you make some serious changes? What makes you change?

Assistant Manager said...

Hi guys - all analysis is now complete, check the post!

There's too many questions to answer them all, but just to pick a few

Agbonlahor - I think Villa will find it really tough at Anfield so think they're are better options, despite his price.

Elmander - City are are tough, if you have him at discount feel free to keep him, but I don't think he'll have good week

Chamakh - He'll start, no doubt, he was rested midweek.

Boateng - May have lost his place to Micah Richards, too much uncertainty, I'd avoid him.

Joe Cole - May be back but he never does anything, he averages 2 points per game!

Weather - The weather here is appalling today, 8 inches of snow in my town, but as stated in the opening paragraph of the post above we have no news on specific fixture cancellations. I'll know more tomorrow.

Cheers

Assistant Manager said...

Anon - I found 44/1 on Bet365 yesterday morning, maybe the odds have slipped since?

Sorry I've been putting the lists up before the analysis, I prefer doing it all at once but at the moment the post is taking me 2 days to complete due to other commitments. This way allows me to get the players up on Wednesday & finish everything on Thursday! :)

My selection process is mostly down to picking as many players playing at home as possible, as many set piece/penalty takers as possible, and then fill in the gaps with a couple of hunches. My changes later in the week are usually a result of team news and just my own gut-feelings once I get a proper chance to evaluate everything on Friday night.

Hope this helps! :)

south of europe said...

Anyone about weather ?

Anonymous said...

AM, any HOLDEN news?
still injured? Cannot find any news about him

-JACK-

Anonymous said...

@PBS- If Yaya Touré is fit, A.Johnson will very likely be on the bench. Tevez Balotelli Silva, plus 3 holding midfielders.

Ebi

Anonymous said...

Plenty of unofficial news, most are just speculations, nothing is cast in stone.

Here's one...
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6548174,00.html

but again, better wait for official Bolton team news before deciding.

Arsenal_Bergkamp said...

Nasri has got a knock from Tuesday night,” Wenger told Arsenal TV Online on Thursday morning. “It is a knee problem but he should be alright. Apart from that, we do not have any fresh players injured.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/nasri-expected-to-shake-off-knee-injury

Wenger doesn't expect RVP to start this weekend.

kwyjibo said...

I am having the hardest time hitting save on dropping VdV. I know I have to do it, but he's been the steal of the season, in my opinion. Losing that 5m discount is a HUGE disappointment. Especially with only 2.23m left in the bank, no one in the 8m range is going to even come close to his scoring.

Currently:
Hart
Kolarov-Koscielny-Rafael
Adam-(VdV)-Nani-Nasri
Berbs(BD price)-Chamakh-Balotelli

Still not sure about Balotelli. He has flashes of brilliance in the Europa League, but still doesn't do much in the EPL...or hardly ever even plays.

And, yes, for those of us who don't live in Europe...the weather updates will be much appreciated! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I got the feeling that peter odemwingie will score..because he loves the weather..and Drogba will bounce back and he will score..

Rooney too..he's hungering for goals and want to beat his striker partner 5 goals,Berbatov.

Meireles will take set pieces,so probably an assist..

Don't take Gordon.I believe West Ham wants to win to prevent relegation.

Giggsy11 said...

AM,
Please drop Fab21. :)

My team :
Fab21,
KRov, SCaldwell, Bosingwa,
Brunt, Nasri, FloMal, Nani,
Berbatov, Balotelli, Chamwow.

Rate my team, please...

Juelz said...

I have welbeck at 7.41 and elmander at 10.65 Keep em or drop em??? tough week more for elmander but he has been golden on the road but city plays so defensive i can see a 0-0 draw or 1-1 tops. unless they come out with 2 forwards again. Decisions decisions.

Anonymous said...

City will not score and i'll be happy if nobody picks Tevez and Balotelli. It has 0-0 written all over it, Balotelli doesn't even play and does nothing when he does play.

Anonymous said...

Hart
Kolarov, Bale, Zhirkov (might change if not confirmed to play)
Adam, FloMa, Nasri, VdV (I have him at 5.53 so I'm holding on)
Carroll, Balotelli, Chamwow

J0J0

Anonymous said...

Balotelli's record since joining Manchester City:-

6 Appearances
5 Goals

That would suggest he does something when he plays. He's only missed games due to injury & suspension. If he's fit, he'll start, Mancini loves him.

Anonymous said...

Is Balotelli a risk for rotation? Or if healthy will he always start?

Ossington Mental Youth said...

dreadful season for me thus far, cant seem to pick a winner until theyve left, basically this is the final (i mean it!) weekend for drogba before i make use of his hefty wages. This season has been a write off within the last month in my private league. blech. usually im top 3. currently residing in 7th :(

donut said...

lol giggsy11. This is a game of lots of luck and I think AM's horrible GK year will end soon...

I for one am fed up of GK and I am going to stick with Cech at 11ish for the rest of the season injury barring. Meant I had to drop Nasri for Wilshere but that's ok...there are always so many great bargains around I think it will be ok...

Cech
Bale Jara Kolarov
Nani Wilshere Lennon MTay
Elmander Balotelli Gyan (or 7.24 mf.fw)

Looks like a very odd team but I am oddly happy with it...

By the way, the weather in some parts of the UK is bad but other parts is absolutely fine - very bizarre - as our AM says we will have to wait...

Anonymous said...

is van der vaart actually out, he wasnt on the injury report(not that thats ever right) and van persie questionable???? and on this is says agbonlahor is out too??

Staffer said...

Another fantastic article! Thank you for all your efforts Nik! My name is Stefan and I'm from Bulgaria. Favourite player - Berbatov. Team name DIMITAR BERBATOV FC [AM.Blog] and I'm 1332 points and it's my second year in YFF. I got addicted cause I came upon your blog but I've been a real Man United fan for quite a while. Currently on 1331st place (1332 points and 1331 place - LOL). Anyway, I wanted to write a post on the keepers so I'll start with it cause it was extremely interesting for me. I hit 93pts with 3 zeros and I almost always go for a keeper that went negative the previous week and price went down. It works quite well and I can invest up front. I have one season keeper obviously - Berbatov. So my team for next week pending on weather forecasts.

Robinson
Rafael, Kolarov, Bosingwa
Nani,Nasri,Meireiles,Barton
Berbatov,Elmander,Chamakh

I would probably switch Barton if I see any indication of weather issues before the deadline.

Excuse me for the long post and if I bored you, I wish you all massive weeks and all the best to you AM! Your work is extremely appreciated!

Staffer

Glen said...

Regarding the weather -- keep an eye on this page, as it will be updated with any games that are postponed:

This weekend's sporting postponements - Yahoo! Eurosport

Anonymous said...

Balotelli & Nani

OR

Tevez & Wilshere

Any tips? Much appreciated....!!

juelz said...

Nani all the way he's been consistent all year holds the most points also he will have plenty of attacking against a gutsy blackpool. Man city has tie all over it in my books

Anonymous said...

GK
P. Robinson
DEFENDERS
A. Kolarov
L. Koscielny
P. Robinson
MIDFIELDERS
Nani
F. Malouda
J. Mikel
C. Brunt
FORWARDS
W. Rooney
Man Utd
M. Chamakh
Victor Obinna

I need some advice about my team, waiting your opinion.

Zapatistan

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous: Baloteli and Nani is better choice ;)

Anonymous said...

@Juelz- last week you felt Arsenal will play a 1-1 draw and they scored 4, so this week i'm expecting Man City to score at leapt 4 too.

Saul said...

Question for you AM - Do you think the Tottenham fans were correct in dismissing Wilson Palacios during the first half of the Liverpool game?

My opinion on the subject is that they were wrong, he does not deserve that kind of treatment after he was a key player last season and helped the Spurs get to the Champs League spot. To dismiss someone who worked so hard for the team, and to discourage him when he needs to gain confidence is just wrong imo. They should support him because I believe he's lacking in confidence right now, he needs the fans to be on his side and not against him. What do you think?

Saul said...

Let me just point out that he did have a terrible game. The first half it seemed every ball he touched, he gave away...but booing him did not help his confidence.

Anonymous said...

AM AM....any news on the weather condition update?

Anonymous said...

I saw BLACKBURN as a Should Win Match but why am I only seeing P.Jones name listed? Where are the others? Will MGP features? What abt Emerton, Samba and J.Roberts?

Saul said...

@Anon 4:11 - AM listed both P.Jones and MGP(Pedersen). But yeah, I do feel Roberts is a good gamble @ just below 6. What do you think AM?

Saul said...

PRobbo is there as well.

But it's really not recommended to go all in on Blackburn. Best possible candidates would be P.Robinson, Salgado, P.Jones, Dunn, MGP, Roberts imo. But I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak ;). Right now I have P.Robbo, Salgado, Roberts(hunch :))

Anonymous said...

Anyone can help on weather news & the possible matches that would be affected?

Anonymous said...

TQ Saul. I have Robbo and Can't seems to find a slot for Roberts as i have Rooney, Obinna And Chamakh. I do fancy MGP and Samba but they're all out of my reach


Current Team are:

Robbo
Kloarov, Koscielny,Bosingwa
Nani, Nasri Essien, Etuhu
Obinna, Rooney, Chamakh

and with 2.04 in bank

My fear now would be UK's weather.

Can anyone here mind listing out and assist AM on the weather? It will be a great help for all of us. Especially us from the asian region.


Mizol

AdmiraLord Nelson said...

HALO LADS, it's the Admiral!

anyone on Onuoha this week????

i think i might be...

carson/ bale kolarov onuoha/ adam nani brunt meireles/ tevez roberts balotelli

Anonymous said...

read news that vdv could be return earlier than 4 weeks. he's definitely out of the birmingham and chelsea match. but could return to action against blackpool??.. if this news is true, is it wise to drop vdv 2 6-ish??... i was so excited i accidentally click on save and dropped vdv @ 6-ish!!... some food for thought

cheers,
MRA

Anonymous said...

From BBC Sport:
Blackpool are hopeful their Premier League game with Manchester United on Saturday will go ahead despite Bloomfield Road not having undersoil heating.

The pitch is being covered overnight and they are using hot air blowers, with manager Ian Holloway admitting it would be "embarrassing" if the televised match had to be postponed.
Pauly

Ali said...

AM - What are your thoughts on Defoe? You are a spurs fan.... I got him last week, would have been good had he not missed the pena. Anyways do you think he will start?

Thanks very much, I heart this blog!

Ali

Anonymous said...

Excellent blog - makes the previously arduous selection process so much easier. Pretty much the only place I come now rather than trawling the web...

Any advice on the following:

Bosingwa & Silva

OR

Squillaci & Adam

Any tips much appreciated...

Anonymous said...

i m the lucky guy who got davies frm bolton @1.47 million:)

Arjen_Robben 11 said...

p.robinson (gk),kolarov,hoilett,nasri/kalou

or

kirkland(gk),squillaci,bent,modric ?

Emperor said...

bent/modric

or

kalou/lennon ?

Anonymous said...

109 pts. this past weekend, not spectacular but it's my best since Week 2, and I feel like I'm on a roll. Last 6 weeks: 32.5, 61, 65, 74, 87, 109. Doctor adjusted my meds and I'm thinking more clearly.

Seriously, I've changed my approach and making better picks (more sensible, less sentimental). Built a good platform last weekend with Odemwingie, Balotelli and Cleverley (picked him up 2 weeks ago when no one was talking about him - he's my new Charlie Adam). Now I just need to pick some big scorers and I'll be back in the top half of the blog league in no time.

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