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Posts Tagged ‘Young’

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Last Minute Tinkers | Fantasy Premier League tips

In Sorted, Squad Sheet, Strategy on November 10, 2012 at 4:22 am

We’ve returned with our signature fantasy premier league tips production – Last Minute Tinkers. All 10 Barclays Premier League fixtures chatted-up, brought home and kicked out before breakfast. Enjoy.

Arsenal v Fulham

The top defense in the Premier League will face Martin Jol’s high-powered offense in gameweek 11. Long-time readers will know how frequently we tout the cost-effective defensive options and both sides here are deep in the defensive ranks with several inexpensive selections on either side. For that reason we have split this match differently and we’re looking at the players by position.

Defensively, we’re not trusting anyone. With Arsenal having been blanked only once at home in the League and Fulham sitting on 21 goals to day, both sets of defenders are likely to concede at least one. Only 3.3% of fantasy premier league managers own Gunners’ ‘keeper Mannone and 4.9% of managers own Mark Schwarzer. Read the rest of this entry »

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Manchester United Buying Guide | Fantasy Premier League

In Buying Guide, Pre-Season, Strategy on August 8, 2012 at 6:33 pm

We have in no way been waiting for news on the transfer of Lucas Moura but that is a convenient excuse. With news that Moura has reached an agreement with Paris St. Germain to join in January going public this evening, Manchester United’s reported top target will not join Shinji Kagawa at Old Trafford. However this team does have quality and depth at each position and remains one of the favourites for the EPL crown.  However, for fantasy premier league purposes we must greet this non-transfers as a good bit of new as it means less competition for playing time.

This season at United there will even be competition between the sticks with David de Gea and Anders Lindegaard both showing class a year ago. De Gea kept 13 clean sheets in his matches while Lindegaard managed 6 of his own. Owning both players may appear to be an attractive option, certainly ensuring you that you always have United’s keeper in your starting XI, but the cost £6.0m for DdG and an additional £5.5m for AL isn’t enticing. We’ve previous touted this strategy last term, when their prices were a touch lower, and we’ve touted spending big on two ‘keepers out of the gate, but in this case there is too much potential for lost value. Pick one of the two and find another goalkeeper elsewhere.

At the back United remain a bit of shambles. Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans remain injured with Smalling not due back for more than a month. Patrice Evra has also been showing signs of age as has Rio. With Vidic back, and ideally helpful, it will be interesting to see what four backs become first choice. We’re ok with scouting United in the first five matches, and waiting until GW 11 to invest in the back four. GW 5-10 see’s Ferguson’s men play Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle, Chelsea and Arsenal. Read the rest of this entry »

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Weekend Recap – GW 3 Hamstrings & Goals

In Squad Sheet on August 29, 2011 at 11:27 pm

We were just cuing up to say “it’s about time for the levees to open” when the Manchester City match turned Edin Dzeko (4 goals, 3 bonus) and Samir Nasri (3 assists, 2 bonus) into the fantasy must have players du jour.  And then Ash Young (2 goals, 3 assists, 3 bonus) and Rooney (3 goals, 1 assist, 2 bonus) had to go an turn that on it’s ear.

Leaving aside the two highest scoring matches for the moment, we’ve heard and seen enough of it to last a few paragraphs here, it wasn’t an particularly high scoring weekend. Liverpool took their 3 goals well against Bolton, and Chelsea did similarly against Norwich but while those two sides scored six, the other 10 teams managed just 5 between them.  The story was the same on Sunday. While Manchester United and City combined for 13 goals, the other 6 teams managed 7 and 8 teams on the weekend failed to score at all.  This season, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, is turning into the haves and have nots with respect to goals.  In the bottom 10 only one team (Norwich, 3) has scored more than 2 goals. 5 teams have just a single goal to their credit and Swansea has managed to do the incredible, namly earn two points in their first three fixtures without scoring an EPL goal (or having an og scored for them).  While it is still early, three fixtures are never enough of a sample to make accurate ‘on pace’ type predictions, unless of course you’re taking a punt on Dreko as Top Scorer with 76 goals, this is the way the league typically plays out, though not with sure dramatic skewing.

A quick note: last season Wigan scored just 40 goals. Champions Manchester United had the top goals for at 78.  The season prior it was the most comperable to what we’re witnessing this season.  In 2009-10 Chelsea scored 103 EPL goals while allowing just 32.   Read the rest of this entry »

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Nani v. Kuyt (v. VdV v. Young)

In Head-to-Head, Player Projection, Pre-Season on August 4, 2011 at 2:09 pm

For Fantasy Premier League managers there are difficult decisions to be made across the board.  Perhaps the most difficult decision is made at the top.  These are the decisions that you sweat, that you feel invested in.  If a £4.5m defender for QRP doesn’t get the clean sheets we turn the other cheek, but when we’ve invested £10m in a marquee midfielder we’re expecting no less than an assist, and 60′ played, and don’t get a yellow card, and that’s f&$%W*@# SH#%$*#! He WASN’T OFFSIDE! THAT’S A F#$(#*#$MOT!!#%^&ING#* Goal.  Sorry, got a bit distracted.  Point being – these decisions feel like they matter more because of the £ involved.  For that reason we’ve decided to tackle four of the most expensive options in fantasy, all four marquee names, with proven track records and a hefty £10m price tag.  If you can only choose one for opening day – which should you choose: Nani, Luís Almeida da Cunha; Kuyt, Dirk; Van der Vaart, Rafael or Young, Ashley.

Now, these aren’t the definative underlying statistics that provide the projections built on insight where others see only darknesss.  These are the 2010-111 statistics that directly contributed to the fantasy value of a player in your gameweek squad.  Every once in while there is value in taking a long step back and looking at the raw numbers that have contributed to your squads success, or lack there of, and curse the fact that Rafa VdV was, on average, withdrawn in the 80′.  This is important when you consider that in a given gameweek he is only providing you with 8/9th’s of a match.  In a week when he has a penalty scored, converts a free kick or unleashes a 30yrd stunner you overlook his being withdrawn in the 75′ for Jermaine Jenas.  But this pattern of early withdrawal points to his managers tactics and the clubs desire to protect their star.  This is clearly Rafa’s red flag.  For each of these players there is a red flag – but each also posseses the skill and track record that mandate careful consideration for inclusion in on your squad sheet. Read the rest of this entry »