Archive for August, 2012|Monthly archive page
Kagawa, Rafael, Swansea, Tevez, Torres, van Persie, Vorm, Wildcard
In Sorted, Strategy on August 31, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Well, we’ve done it. Left alone with our laptop, our Twitter and a team that was decimated by injures, Chelsea players and the departure of Rafa Van der Vaart to Germany. So we’ve just one Fantasy Premier League Wildcard left and a new team to play with as we continue to build a table-topping side:
Before the injury to Ryan Taylor and the transfer of Van der Vaart to Hamburg we were prepared to use our transfer to bring in Michel Vorm from Swansea and send Cech out. However, the loss of Taylor and Rafa, coupled with Torres, Cech and Cole all missing through participation in the Supercup, meant that we would be unable to field a full squad. In examining the possible moves, we contemplated an eight point penalty but determine we would be better off making wholesale changes than attempting to piece in corrections. Instead, we’ve selected the following players to remain in our side: Read the rest of this entry »
Dempsey, LFC, MCFC, Sinclair, Sturridge, Swansea, THFC, van der Vaart
In News of the Day on August 31, 2012 at 12:51 pm
It is Deadline Day. We’re not going to keep an up-to-the-moment ticker. You can find them everywhere but frankly we stick close to the television on the hopes that a presenter finally shows up certifiably drunk and proceeds to lambast transfer fees while providing highly inappropriate, and tangential at best, social commentary. Good stuff.
This note from the Official Fantasy Premier League leads the day:
- Only transfers registered by 12 noon today will be eligible to play in this weekend’s matches. These players will be added to the game today. Other players will be added next week.
- Where players transfer between Premier League clubs, these will be updated. Please remember that if it means you then have four players from one team, the next time you try and make transfers, you will need to make your squad comply with the rules of three per team.
Bit of Official News first, then the more trustworthy, then the outright rumours. Onwards.
Ryan Talyor departed Thursday’s Europa qualifying match with an injury:
Newcastle United defender Ryan Taylor will have a scan on his knee at 2pm on Friday, after suffering an injury during Thursday’s Europa League qualifier against Atromitos. The 28-year-old landed awkwardly having hurdled a tackle in the early stages of the match and, being in clear pain, was immediately substituted. Read the rest of this entry »
Aguero, Kaboul, MCFC, MUFC, Rooney, Tevez, THFC, van Persie
In Squad Sheet, Strategy on August 30, 2012 at 7:20 pm
The biggest news impacting Fantasy Premier League this season have been injuries to Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney. Add to that the surgery completed Thursday that will rule out Younes Kaboul for four months and three of last seasons top four clubs have suffered key injuries to start the year.
We’ll take Kaboul first, since his injury necessitated surgery which effectively rules him out until the New Year. The defender started the season rated £5.5m and he is still owned by 3.1% of Fantasy Premier League managers. There is certainly no reason to own him, but the better question is where to look for a replacement. Within the Spurs squad there is one capable replacement: William Gallas.
Gallas, priced £5m, has already played 90′ in each of the opening two Barclay’s Premier League fixtures for Andre Villas-Boas. There new arrival, Jan Vertongher, has also recorded 90′ of BPL action, but his Fantasy Premier League price of £6.5m makes him a less attractive option. There is always the chance that Spurs make another move, with the surgery for Kaboul coming before the close of summer business a late swoop for a center back can not be ruled out. However, we believe that Gallas will remain the first choice pairing for Vertongher. In 1322′ last season, Gallas took part in 8 clean sheets. Considering that Tottenham kept only 14 clean sheets in the 2011-12 season, Gallas had a remarkable record. Additionally, he has played just 3661′ over the past two seasons. Read the rest of this entry »
Berbatov, FFC, Julio Cesar, Kaboul, MCFC, MUFC, QPR, SAFC, Sinclair, THFC
In News of the Day on August 30, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Modest names on the move include Scott Sinclair’s protracted move to Manchester City nearing a conclusion – Sky Sports:
It was thought City’s previous £6.2million offer was not enough to tempt Swansea to part ways with their star man, who has a year remaining on his contract in South Wales.
However, that obstacle appears to have been cleared to pave the way for the 23-year-old winger to link up with the big-spending club.
Sinclair may be replacing Adam Johnson - transferred to Sunderland earlier in the window – in the squad and take up his mantle of frustrating Fantasy Premier League winger who does not receive enough playing time to justify the investment. We loved Sinclair last year, but can not own him in Mancini’s start-studded side.
Replacing Sinclair will be winger Pablo Hernandez, late of Valencia – Beeb:
Swansea City have a agreed a fee in the region of £5.5m with Spanish side Valencia for winger Pablo Hernandez. The 27-year-old, who has won four caps for Spain, is set to fill the gap left by Scott Sinclair’s imminent departure to Manchester City.
Even a substantial gash to Wayne Rooney won’t keep Berbatov at United. Following the lovely outburst from Fiorentina it has been confirmed that Berba is not headed to Italy, but rather the sunny south that is London – some additional Beeb: Read the rest of this entry »
AVFC, Bent, Everton, Figueroa, Gomez, Hoolahan, Mirallas, N'Z, NCFC, Wigan
In Strategy on August 29, 2012 at 10:10 pm
It may be early in the season to be looking for outside signs that a player can turn it around, but this week’s Carling Cup matches have allowed a few marquee Fantasy Premier League players to regain a bit of form after struggling through two weeks of Premier League fixtures.
Aston Villa 3-0 Tranmere
Delph 38′
Herd 66′
Bent 81′
We typically don’t think much of National Team strikers scoring goals against League One sides, but we’ll make an exception for Darren Bent. As we’ve previously noted, Bent does nothing for Fantasy Premier League managers but score goals. Over the last five season he has scored a goal every 172′ in the Barclays Premier League. That, rather obviously, amounts to one goal every other game. 19 goal seasons are nothing to scoff at, and managers investing in Bent know that 19 goals could be just the begining. His goal on Tuesday was just his first February. If this opens the floodgates, it would be a prime buying opportunity not only for Bent, but for the men who will provide the assists – Barry Bannan, Charles N’Zogbia and Stephen Ireland.
Aston Villa lineup
22 Guzan
29 Stevens (Holman – 67′)
30 Lichaj
32 Baker
34 Lowton
07 Ireland
16 Delph [yc]
25 Bannan [yc]
31 Herd (Burke – 76′)
09 Bent
26 Weimann (N’Zogbia – 71′)
Norwich 2-1 Scunthorpe
Lappin 32′
Hoolahan 56′ (pen) Read the rest of this entry »
Dembélé, Dempsey, Downing, FFC, LFC, MCFC, Walcott, WHU
In News of the Day on August 29, 2012 at 11:59 am
With the window still open for a few days, there is no shortage of news that will impact your Fantasy Premier League side.
Fulham have reportedly made an inquiry about West Ham’s Mark Noble – Sky Sports:
The 25-year-old midfielder has entered the final year of his contract at Upton Park and is yet to sign an extension.
The Hammers will be keen to put fresh terms to a product of their famed academy system, but as yet no agreement has been put in place.
Better news for Hammer’s fans – Maiga gets off the mark in the Carling Cup – Sky Sports:
Maiga is understandably delighted to be off the mark for his new employers and believes he is now ready to make his mark on the Premier League, having been eased into English life by Sam Allardyce.
Fulham have one out – BBC.co.uk:
Tottenham have been given permission to speak to Fulham’s Moussa Dembele after the two clubs agreed a fee. Fulham boss Martin Jol said the 25-year-old Belgium international was having a medical at Tottenham.
And one in:
Meanwhile, Fulham are in talks with Kieran Richardson after agreeing a fee for the winger with Sunderland. Black Cats boss Martin O’Neill confirmed the Wearsiders have accepted an offer for the 27-year-old former Manchester United man. Read the rest of this entry »
Aguero, Fellaini, Hazard, Michu, Rooney, van Persie, Wildcard
In Squad Sheet, Strategy on August 26, 2012 at 7:56 pm
It seems an absurd statement to make, but after 151,952 players used their wildcard between gameweek one and two, with a total transfer set of 3,339,715, for the 2,231,364 managers in the game, we’ve decided to start this feature early this season.
There are a number of valid reasons to play the wildcard early this season. Fantasy premier league managers who’ve built their early season squads around the schedule of Chelsea may well find themselves look at a number of players without a fixture gameweek three. With Reading and Chelsea both set to miss out, the injuries to Aguero and Rooney causing panic buys, and the emergence of some very impressive new talent, we are turning our eyes to a the WC as we rebuild from the foundation up.
The summer Buying Guides remain valuable reading – two or three matches of statistics do not outweigh the data we’ve compiled there. Players like David Silva, Rafael Van der Vaart and Darren Bent may have been slow off the mark, but they have proved themselves capable at this level.
The only other rule is that we operate within the constraints of a £100m budget at the current prices (as of writing, 12 Aug.)
Injuries to Wayne Rooney – leg gash – and Sergio Aguero – knee – will keep the two mercurial forwards on the sidelines until the end of September, at best. They need to be sold to preserve their purchase price in your side and both run the risk of losing their place in their respective starting sides. Robin van Persie’s arrival at Old Trafford has given Sir Alex Ferguson the easiest of solutions and we expect United to continue to fire on all cylinders up front. Read the rest of this entry »
Gylfi, LFC, MCFC, Podolski, Santi Cazorla, Tevez, Tinkers, van der Vaart, Walcott
In Squad Sheet, Strategy on August 24, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Southampton vs. Wigan
The Saints put in a good performance against Manchester City but were simply over-matched. Of note were the six chances (and two goals) they created against the Champions. Two goals when they held only 35.9% of the possession, and against one of the most staunch defenses in the Premier league a season ago, points to their ability to find the goal. It was Lallana and Puncheon with two chances created apiece who were the most active in probing the Citizens defenses. Rickie Lambert was not given the start last weekend. He, and fellow substitute Steven Davis, scored a goal only 3′ after entering the fray. We’re expecting that he will get the nod in this game and we’re expecting more of the same. A year ago Wigan was awful away from home, allowing 35 goals on their travels while scoring 20. Lambert was last season’s top scorer in the Championship and we trust in him to find the back of the net over any of the other options Nigel Adkins has at his disposal. Wigan, eesssh, what? That’s a real word. It’s an expression meant to convey – Why? Why do we have to write a preview of the Latics? In one day we’ve gone from:
Moses, 21, has been heavily linked with a move for to Stamford Bridge, but Wigan want £9 million for their main asset, a price Chelsea are not willing to pay.
To:
Wigan Athletic have announced that they have accepted a bid from Chelsea for Victor Moses.
So, we’re not certain what to expect but we’re not planning on seeing Victor Moses play for either Wigan or Chelsea this weekend – and frankly we’re not expecting to see him play for Chelsea much ever. Those left behind in Martinez’s squad will certainly have to play up the best of their ability to carry the squad through another potential relegation battle. Read the rest of this entry »
Ben Arfa, CFC, Fellaini, Hazard, Michu, MUFC, Rooney, Tinkers, van Persie, WHU
In Squad Sheet, Strategy on August 24, 2012 at 5:56 pm
Chelsea vs. Newcastle
Chelsea have an abundance of talent in the midfield. It has reached a point where we’re hoping for something, anything, to happen. And then, it happened. Eden Hazard posted five assists over two games in a single game week. It was the midfield equivalent of Berbatov’s 2010-11 performance. Hazard has been added in 134752, as of 23 Aug., and his price has already increased o.1m. The underlying benefit of having been heavily owned heading into the game week is that, at 20.3% selected, his price is stuck at £9.6m. If you want him this season, you better buy quickly.
We would buy Hazard if we didn’t already own him. The Chelsea team looks like it will run through the flanks and Hazard is playing well, pressing up the attack at all times. He may not be the focal point, pulling the strings in the same way that Luka Modric does for Spurs, but he is finding the lethal final pass that is so important for fantasy premier league success. We would not recommend being in the 92679 owners who added Ivanovic.
He has already scored two goals and, being perfectly honest, we’re not expecting more than 3-5 goals from Ivan the rest of the way. If you already owned him, he’s worth holding, but we’re not paying £6.6m for him on the back of what will be his most impressive gameweek of the season. In fact, we would sell him if he hits £6.7m in advance of GW3. Read the rest of this entry »
Ben Arfa, Bonus Points, Collins, Crouch, Dyer, Michu, Petric, Tevez
In Buying Guide, Strategy, Team of the Week on August 22, 2012 at 3:18 am
We will not do this every week, but we will periodically look at the trends in assigning bonus points for the Official Fantasy Premier League. For those who are unaware, FPL bonus points are assigned to the Top 3 performers as judged by the EA Sports Player Performance Index. The EAS PPI is a proprietary formula that looks at a players whole performance, not simply their goals, assists and clean sheets. Last season, the EAS PPI was skewed towards attacking players, with those players who had high pass success completion rates and high chances-to-goal conversion rates — as well as good shot-to-shot on target ratios. For this reason, players like Clint Dempsey were punished. Despite his phenomenal season, Dempsey earned only 22 bonus points last season. A portion of this was down to Dempsey’s poor, relatively speaking, passing numbers and the volume of shots he required to net his 17 goals.
Each of the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs have now played one competitive fixture in the league this season. While the gameweek will not end until after the Chelsea v. Reading fixture, we wanted to look at this if there were a regular gameweek. Two quick points before we get into the positions. First, goalkeepers again earned no bonus points for the game week. Second, there were a disproportionate number of lopsided scorelines this season and, as a result, all bonus points were awarded to players for the winning sides.
Defenders. The three players with three bonus points came from an interesting set of fixtures. The game score for James Collins was 25, while the game score for Winston Reid and Kevin Nolan was just 20. Read the rest of this entry »