Archive for October, 2007
Weekend Scout Notes
Lampard sparkles like we know he can. Rooney and Tevez develop a telepathic understanding to devastating effect. Fabregas just keeps being Fabregas. How can you afford all these Fantasy crown jewells? You could always sell Ronaldo - just as you shuffle the pack to squeeze him in, he goes and has a stinker. Seek a possible solution in my notes from the weekend…
ContinuedScholes hit by three month layoff
Man United have been rocked by the news that Paul Scholes will need to go under the knife as a result of his recent training injury to his knee - a measure that will see him sidelined for three months. Scholes sustained the injury whilst preparing for United’s Champions League game with Dynamo Kiev last week and although a first scan on the injury shed little light on the severity, today’s scan has confirmed ligament damage.
The absence of Scholes will open the door for Anderson to make an increased number of appearances over the coming months. Anderson started alongside Hargreaves against Boro on Saturday are they seem likely to be first choice with Fletcher perhaps figuring away from Old Trafford. Carrick is also currently sidelined until late November with an elbow injury.
ContinuedAnfield injury update
Just a quick update from the Anfield physio room. It appears that Fernando Torres will be out for three weeks with the groin injury suffered in yesterday’s draw with Arsenal. That would see him return after the International break for the trip to Newcastle on November 25. The extent of Xabi Alonso’s injury is still cloudy however. The midfielder has suffered a recurrence of a metatarsal injury and according to the club’s medical staff, we’ll know more in a day or so. Rumour has it we can expect another lengthy spell of absence.
â€Xabi will be seen by a consultant tomorrow after which we will have a much better idea of the timescales involved,†remarked club officials.
Javier Mascherano meanwhile has suffered severe bruising in his foot. All three are out of the Carling Cup tie with Cardiff this week but Mascherano could be in with a shout of making the Blackburn game at the weekend. With the Champions League beckoning next week however, that looks unlikely.
ContinuedThe Suspension Tightrope returns
I’ve added the “Suspension Tightrope” to the “Technical Area” in the right menu. This table lists those players who are on the brink of a suspension as a result of being awarded 5 yellow cards before the end of February. It also lists those who are working their way towards the next target of 10 yellow cards. Any player earning this target by the second Sunday in April (April 13th) will get a 2-match ban. There’s also an additional ban for 15 yellows before the end of the season, but then you shouldn’t need to worry about that unless you have Nigel Reo-Coker in your team. So much for new club, new leaf eh Nigel?
It’s worth keeping an eye on this with this week’s Carling Cup ties in mind. Bookings received in the competition, along with the FA Cup, are added to the Premiership bookings.
ContinuedRafa’s risks backfire as injuries pile up
Rafa Benitez’s decision to throw both Alonso and Torres back into the firing line against Arsenal today could have backfired spectacularly as both players broke down. Torres appeared to be the shadow of the player we’ve seen early this season and was eventually replaced at half-time after limping off with more leg muscle problems. Alonso meanwhile also hobbled off and has suffered further damage to his metatarsal, an injury that has already seen him miss over a month of action. To compound matters, Mascherano was also struggling with ten minutes remaining after suffering a knock to his ankle.
These latest setbacks follow the news on Friday that Jermaine Pennant will be sidelined for around 10-weeks after suffering a stress fracture in his leg. Benitez is hopeful that the injuries are minor but it seems likely that all three will be missing from Liverpool’s next Premiership fixture against Blackburn with the crucial Champions League trip to Besiktas following three days later. This is likely to hand both Benayoun and Crouch the opportunity to start at Ewood.
ContinuedBellamy bounces out again
West Ham are facing another spell without striker Craig Bellamy after he suffered a recurrence of his abdominal injury. Bellamy, who seemed intent on picking a fight with significantly larger Hreidarsson from the first minute against Portsmouth, came out worst and was subbed at half-time. According to reports today, Bellamy has once again strained his abdominal area.
“He [Bellamy] has an abdominal strain and it’s just getting worse as he is carrying on and it’s obviously something that we have to sort out,†remarked Curbishley after the game.
“He could be weeks out or it could be something that can be sorted out quickly but we have two more games now and then have to worry about the international break again,” he added.
Bellamy is defintely out of the Hammers clash with Coventry in the Carling Cup on Tuesday and seems likely to sit out of their Premiership game with Bolton next weekend. It could be that Bellamy is now rested until after the International break when West Ham entertain Spurs on November 25. With Ashton and Zamora also sidelined, it would appear that Curbishley will have to field a Cole/Camara pairing for their next two matches.
ContinuedMegson in. Jol out.
Today saw the appointment of Gary Megson at Bolton while just a few hours ago it was announced that Martin Jol had departed company with Spurs - moves that could have a significant impact on Fantasy Managers in the months to come.
Megson emerged as the front runner for the Bolton job after Souness withdrew from the race and today’s appointment came as no surprise. Just how Megson will get on with the likes of Anelka remains to be seen by this will doubtless be a situation that will have to be monitored carefully by Fantasy Managers. My bet is we’ll see Anelka departing come the January window. I’d also expect Megson, a manager renowned for a more *cough* conservative approach to the game, to shut up shop and improve Bolton’s defensive record. Bolton have three of the next four at the Reebok and play Villa, West Ham and Boro before taking on United at the end of November.
Jol’s departure was always on the cards, compounded by tonights 2-1 UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe. Sevilla’s Juande Ramos is rumoured to be lined up to takeover. His arrival could certainly shake things up, particularly with regards to Spurs’ much-vaunted frontline. Ramos will have his own ideas and likes of Spurs old boy, Frédéric Kanouté, a big hit at Sevilla, could be on his shopping list. Defoe and Bent could find themselves shipped out come January and Ramos could even look to cash in on Berbatov with United lying in wait.
ContinuedCahill returns to inspire Everton win
Tim Cahill made his first appearance in an Everton shirt this season and scored the first of three Everton goals in their UEFA Cup victory over Larissa. Cahill was a driving force and constant menace, bombing forward form midfield to support McFadden as Moyes opted for a 4-5-1 formation.
Cahill was eventually subbed on 65-minutes but he now seems likely to lineup once more as Everton visit Derby at the weekend. He undoubtedly represents a major temptation for Fantasy Managers, having hit 5 goals in his 17 appearances last season - another season broken up by injuries. If he can stay fit, Cahill seems likely to improve on that tally, particularly if Moyes persists in playing him behind a lone striker. Cahill is currently priced at 7.3 million in the Fantasy Premier League Game having dropped from 7.5 million whilst sidelined. In the Fantasy League Ltd games meanwhile he is priced at 4.4 million, a less appealing price given that Fabregas is available for 4.5 million.
ContinuedAnelka makes Bolton return
Nicolas Anelka is fit and will return to the Bolton lineup to face Braga in tomorrow night’s UEFA cup tie. Anelka missed Bolton’s trip to the Emirates with an injury picked up whilst on International duty with France. He has however, trained earlier this week and is expected to start on Thursday. He’s therefore likely to lineup against Villa at the weekend.
ContinuedWeekend Scout Notes
Red cards flying, Ronaldo rested, Gerrard subbed in a Merseyside Derby. The Premiership is back to it’s unpredictable best. The Scout notes return to make some sense of it.
Continued
