This Week’s Scout Picks
Refresh your screen for this week’s eleven. Not surprisingly it’s dominated by three of the teams with two fixtures - Chelsea, Spurs and United. It that respect the picks are probably one of the easiest and “play safe” lineups I’ve selected in months. If you’re after some long shots though, read on - there’s some decent alternatives about if you’re up for a gamble.
Defensively there are some decent looking opportunities for clean sheets - United at Derby, Everton at Fulham and Chelsea at Sunderland look pretty good bets for starters, as does Wigan at home to Bolton. That’s reflected in my picks, starting with Cudicini in goal.
With Cech sidelined for at least another week, Cudicini will be a popular short-term buy. Sunderland have gone three games without a goal and won’t get much help from a Chelsea defence marshalled by Terry and Carvalho. Cudicini also has the benefit of a second game, away at Spurs in midweek, and although that looks a dodgy one for Chelsea in terms of a clean sheet, there should be at least an extra point or two in that one for the keeper.
Ferdinand is the safest bet for United, with Vidic not far behind. United’s trip to Derby, followed by a home game with Bolton in midweek look like two clean sheets and neither of the centre-backs are likely to be rotated. The same can’t quite be said for Evra and Brown, with O’Shea and Neville alternatives full-back options should Ferguson look to rotate.
Lescott travels to a Fulham side who have scored just one goal in the last four. Everton meanwhile have conceded just one in six. Bullard will be a threat to another Everton clean sheet but on paper at least, this looks like a given. Lescott carries a goal threat to add to his appeal but if you need a cheaper option then Jagielka or Neville present good value.
Scharner is an excellent acquisition from a Wigan defence that has kept four clean sheets in the last five. The centre-back is another one who offers a goal threat and while Taylor is still fighting to get back into the side in midfield, he is the best option available from Bruce’s backline.
I’ve gone for Gallas to complete the defence. Certainly, this could be a dodgy one. Boro scoring at least one in seven of their last eight while Arsenal have drawn three in a row. There are alternatives to the Arsenal defence but I just feel that Reading could sneak one at Anfield, as could Villa at Portsmouth. Hutton of Spurs is a decent option but, limited to two players per team, I’ve gone for two attacking Spurs players instead. That left me falling back on the Arsenal defence and on Gallas, who at least offers a threat from set-pieces.
The midfield almost picks itself - Ronaldo and Lampard have two games this week, while Gerrard is on fire. All three should play at least one game this week and that’s all these guys need to deliver a decent return. Ronaldo could be rested against Derby but should certainly play the home game with Bolton. Lampard surely can’t be rested after his four goal haul in midweek and Grant will certainly want him for the visit to Spurs. That possibly makes him a better option for Captain but more on that later. Gerrard meanwhile is another must as Liverpool face Reading - I can see Liverpool needing at least a couple of goals to win that one.
Jenas completes the midfield - another player who has two games this week. The trip to City offers the best opportunity for returns given the injuries that Sven’s side has suffered. The home game with Chelsea is tougher but Jenas should play both games and offers good potential as a result.
Up front it’s almost impossible to ignore Torres given the run he is on. As I’ve already mentioned, I feel Liverpool will need a couple against Reading and with no Champions League to worry about for several weeks, Torres should get a full game and profit as a result.
Berbatov partners him up front with two games in a week and coming off the back of four goals in four games. He seems certain to play both at City and certainly at home to Chelsea, with Ramos seemingly more likely to rotate Keane with Bent.
Let’s look at some alternatives to this lot then, starting at the back. If you’re looking for a decent cheap option then Ridgewell offers a short-term solution. He’s at home to Newcastle who continue to struggle - the Birmingham centre-back is a danger from set-plays but is also sitting on the suspension tightrope on nine bookings, so he is a one-week deal. Samba is also worth considering - I keep saying he is due a goal and I stand by it. The trip to West Ham isn’t an easy one on paper, but their strikers are struggling for goals while Blackburn have conceded just two in five games.
In midfield, Birmingham’s Larsson offers his usual value with a decent looking home game against Newcastle and some pretty good fixtures to come. Bullard will be key to Fulham’s hopes of a result but is up against a rock solid Everton defence. Their midfield has some interesting options though, with Pienaar particularly attractive at a budget price. Arteta is another good option after his goal in midweek and Cahill is always worth a look but is a doubt with a hip injury.
Up front I really like the look of McFadden against the Newcastle defence - he almost convinced me to ignore Torres again but I just couldn’t risk it. If you need the unexpected to help you make up some ground though, McFadden offers potential. He’ll certainly be hungry to make an impression after being rested at Portsmouth on Wednesday. Then there is Yakubu who should find the Fulham defence accommodating as he looks to continue his impressive run of form. Finally, if I had the luxury of another United pick, then the Rooney/Tevez looks good given their fixtures. Saha is a factor here though with Tevez likely to miss one of the two games.
Finally, lets look at the FPL captain situation. On paper it’s a no brainer. Ronaldo looks a cert for decent returns against Derby and Bolton, although there is of course, a chance he’ll be rested, particularly for the Derby game. Lampard could also be subject of rotation but it looks less likely. These two are the big contenders then and which you go for will depend on your situation. Ronaldo is certainly the safe option.
If you’re looking outside these two then Berbatov, Gerrard and Torres have to come next - beyond that Vidic/Ferdinand offer a solid alternative and if you’re after a real gamble then Everton’s Yakubu at Fulham looks the best bet.
Mark, any thoughts on Rooney and Tevez
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Lamps and Gerrard are too rich for my blood.
Which of the following would be the best choice:
Huddlestone
Joe Cole
Bollocks
or use the money to buy Lescott?
Salute,
TheNecromancer
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Hi TheNecromancer
Listen i would go for nani, because i think he will play the 2 games and cristiano won’t.
If cristiano play won’t be 90 mim and max 30mim of derby and 60mim for bolton due to champions league game against Roma.
This is my thought.
Good Luck mate
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Reply by TheNecromancer on March 15, 2008 12:50 am:
huh
mark appears to think nani will not play much.
why do you think differently?
cheers’
TheN
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LARSSON OR PIENAAR???? Would appreciate your views lads!
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Reply by Dave on March 14, 2008 11:27 pm:
Another lovely one:
Larsson or Forssell?
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I too am not convinced about Tevez. Out of the two, which do you guys prefer, him or J. Cole?
I could also get neither and upgrade Brown to Ferdinand, but I´m too tempted to get Cole alongside Lampard, Ron, Larsson and Gerrard.
Though if I got Tevez I´d have him, Torres and Berbatov.
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Reply by theMoz on March 14, 2008 11:29 pm:
I’d go with J Cole (I have!)
Tevez is Ok but Barbitov is a lot better.
Looks like Brown will play at least 1 game, so stick with him for now.
Have you got any money left for a defense?????!!!
And CK I’d get in Pienaar - a better bet long term, I reckon.
Shall I swap Fab and Benjani
for Flamini and Barbitov??
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Reply by Alex on March 14, 2008 11:40 pm:
Yeah, my defence is a little shaky.
Currently looking at the same as Dave´s, Brown Hutton Boyce. But he´s got me thinking about his other option now.
Berbatov will be in my team for sure, so will Torres. Question is do I also get Tevez or do I get Cole…but like you said and what I was already leaning towards…Cole. It will only be for one week though, as I need the cash next week to bolster my defence.
And yes, you should do that swap.
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ck
tough one. but i reckon larsson since he playing at home and now takes direct free kicks. another goal and bonus on its way.
ronnie skipper, too risky not picking him, he may outperform all others in 30 min vs derby and 60 vs bolton! plus roma only in a while, why rest him??
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What defence to go for?
Hutton Brown Boyce
or
Ridgewell Brown Scharner
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Dave,you have to go for Hutton and Brown,I would go with Scharner then,I am having last minute thoughts on team selection,question for everyone,anyone taking 4 point hits to get in Spurs/Utd/Chelsea players?with two games 4 point hit can be justified but only if they do well,just went 4 points clear in my league,wonder is it worth bringing:
Hutton in for Laursen
Tevez in for Adebayor
Joe Cole for Gerrard
Cant afford Lampard!
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Reply by Alex on March 14, 2008 11:56 pm:
That´s just it, I can´t afford Scharner if I have both Brown and Hutton…
I wouldn´t get rid of Gerrard and Hutton doesn´t have the best fixtures, so not sure if that would be worth a points hit…but Tevez for Adebayor sounds like a plan. Can´t you afford Berbatov?
(Sorry for butting in, but have the exact same problem Dave has. Other Dave that is…)
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Nope cant afford The Berb either,Tevez is unlikely to play both though id say with Saha looking to get games,but then maybe Rooney will be rested in one of the games,thinking of doing nothing at the minute but could easly t/f Tevez in for Adebayor if I felt he would play the two games,then worth the 4 point hit…but then again Adebayor could get back to his scoring best against Middlesborough!
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Reply by Alex on March 15, 2008 1:00 am:
I know, it sucks…
Am now contemplating bringing Rooney in, but also still undecided between Tevez, Berbatov and J. Cole.
And Berbs is gonna rise any sec now, so need to decide.
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but then again when you do find yourself worrying about whether to Keep Adebayor or bring in Tevez at 1:00am on a Saturday morning its time to think,its just a game,isn’t it?
You taking a 4 point hit or is it your free t/f?
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Reply by Alex on March 15, 2008 1:12 am:
I´ve activated my wildcard,so I´ve been fiddling with my team all week.
Was pretty sure about Berbs, but now I´m thinking he might not do much, as Spurs have nothing left to fight for really, so what would be the incentive?
And I would go to bed if it weren´t for the fact Berbs´ price is gonna go up tonight.
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A very expensive lineup Mark. Hehe.
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Reply by gwaipor on March 15, 2008 6:40 am:
haha tell me about it
It’s RONALDO OR LAMPARD AS CAPTAIN?
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Who should be my captain?
Ronaldo, Berbatov, Joe Cole, Torres?
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i cost myself 12points to get this team so i need some support guys.
GK: James, Gordon,
DF: Brown, Sagna, Jagielka, Taylor and Bikey
MF: Gerrard, Ronaldo, Ballack, J O’Brien, Noble
ST: Torres, Rooney, Young
i did brown for oijer, bikey for laursen (to free up money for rooney)rooney for adebayor and ballack for fabregas.
Im still not sure after the 12point hit, i must be crazy but something tells me lamps will have a quiet weekend
Im even leaning towards rooney captain as i think ronaldo is unlikely to play more than a game here. Park, nani have been used quite a bit recently and I would expect this to continue. Not to mention fletcher deserves a start out on the right possibly?
hmmm id be careful with the ronaldo captaincy.
so will my team carry me through this weekend????
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hye everyone..i look this site is very good and alot of information….but if you want more info you all can log on http://www.fantasyfootballroom.com ………….we also provide you more info for your strategies for your fantasy team….
ok, lets try it (^-^)
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what??
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Just joined Mark’s Scout Picks, went into second place, thought I’d be a bit lower than that! I overestimated you guys!
Hey ‘yer Dad’ thanks for the advice but I’ve already got Vidic in, reckon he’s due a goal.
I’m an ex-pat and I think Jimmy gave himself a footballing lesson and twisted his ankle after the cricket. All I can say is what’s the score?
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Reply by yer dad on March 15, 2008 10:57 am:
Luke: If your 2nd, you should not be asking advice from a bunch of muppets like us but seen as I am yer dad, I am the exception, I will check later and see if you still have Santa.
Cricketers playing football in the cool down, even Puffinboy wouldn’t make that one up. Any tips today our resident penguin tipster?? It has to be Flintoff at Uttoxeter.
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The above website is - in the words of the great Bill Hicks a ‘piece of s#*t’
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Reply by Damon on March 15, 2008 2:14 pm:
That website just wasted 10 seconds of my life…
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Fellas, this is how my lineup is looking for the double gw. Any suggestions on who to captain? Need to recoup some ground on the league leaders who are probably now struggling to squeeze Ronaldo back in so he’s my choice at the minute but if he doesn’t play both games being rested or doesn’t do a lot I’m in trouble is there any decent alterantives d’you think in there that I’m missing. Gerrard or Torres? Thanks in advance.
Hart
Carvalho, Hutton, Jagielka
Huddlestone, Ronaldo (C), Gerrard, Ballack, J Cole
Torres, Berbatov
Subs: Van Der Sar, Forssell, Wheater, A Ferdinand
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Reply by sam on March 15, 2008 11:19 am:
van der sar bench?????
he will play against bolton and thats a 6 pointer!
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Reply by Jono on March 15, 2008 11:27 am:
Thought he was gonna be out for both games with his injury, cheers Sam worth a gamble and Hart will likely concede to Spurs, done.
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Reply by sam on March 15, 2008 11:56 am:
even if v.d.s doesn’t play then hart comes on so its a win win
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Who the hell do I bench out of Larsson and Forssell???
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I would bench larsson… I have 12 mins to decide lamp gerard berb or ronaldo capt . I also have to decide peinaar or forsell on bench. I might change to forsell starting since newcastle dont have defenders
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Reply by Dave on March 15, 2008 11:25 am:
But Forssell has competition from McFadden, whereas Larsson could just score from free kicks…
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by the way i noticed there is another nigel in ‘marks scout picks’ (i not doing too badly 11th is all what ifs and maybes) to distingush myself I am the irish nigel gormdubhgorm. I have to decide how much to put on a treble of man u to beat derby. chelsea to beat sunderland and liverpool to beat reading. I was thinking putting on a big bet cos its paddies weekend. plus only maybe result there is sunderland… I actually find this site excellent for guiding me in the right direction for placing bets. I dont know how many others youse it 4 that? Oh and this will mean nothing to the rest of use but st vincents will beat nemo rangers. google them teams if your not irish….
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Reply by yer dad on March 15, 2008 11:52 am:
That will be me Nigel. Good luck Nigel on your treble.
It is also good for racing tips as well, as a little devil has told me to back Flintoff at Uttoxeter
Nigel G aka yer dad
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well dave i went for forsell….probably another bad decison on my part.. who did u decide on in the end?
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Reply by Dave on March 15, 2008 11:46 am:
Forssell as well.
It was a toughie, as a lot of people will be playing Larsson, so any points he gets will be their gain and my loss. But I can see Forssell getting more than one goal (when he’s on a roll he’s on a roll) whereas Larsson never seems to score more than once and that’s usually from set pieces…
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I have took a gamble this week and I thought I would share it with you. I sold Ronny last week and kept the money to buy him back for his double whammy but the little devil on my right shoulder kept saying ‘don’t buy him back, get Rooney instead’so I did what it asked and it is the same little f##ke# that told me to give Fabregas one more chance. Too late now. Now it is telling me to go shopping with the missus instead of watching the vidiprinter. Does anyone else have one of these on their shoulder???
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Reply by Alex on March 15, 2008 11:50 am:
No…but I do have a bird following me around crapping on my head.
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Reply by yer dad on March 15, 2008 12:05 pm:
Ah ah. Could be a sign. Bird in Hungarian means ‘eges’ and shit means ‘fabr’ in Kaszistanian, I think. Put them together and make egesfabr your captain.
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Reply by Alex on March 15, 2008 12:32 pm:
I’m pretty sure some Hungarians would disagree.
However, I believe crap is Lithuanian for fake. So that’s the path I chose.
Must be youthful naivete.
No wait….I’m not young.
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That site looks like it’s been written by an idiot.
Don’t take this the wrong way but, you need to work on your spelling and grammar before anyone will take you seriously.
I think I’ll pass.
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I shipped out fabregas a few weeks ago and brought in gerrard and took a four point hit. Turned out to be a smart move has I had him as captain as well for the double game week.
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Am I missing something? How do you join “Mark’s scout picks”?
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My money is on Fabregas scoring for fun….
…as after weeks of turmoil and sleepless nights, I have finally transferred Fabreletdown out for Frank the tank. As a general rule of thumb, if Ally P transfers someone out, they tend to do amazing things… you’ve all been warned!!
xxx
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Ronaldo starts. Booyah!
Ferdinand injured..?
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Reply by Mark on March 15, 2008 3:10 pm:
Back problems Bob apparently. I’d wager it’s the same injury he had at Xmas. That’s it for Rio - I’m going back to Vidic for my picks again. Never should have changed but was tempted by Rio’s better bonus potential and goal count. Obvious now that his back is an ongoing issue. Apologies to anyone who went with Rio on the back (pardon the pun) of this week’s picks.
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I agree, I think Fabregas will be back with bang! My entire league has got rid. I’m banking on me holding on to him to get back top
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the most unlikely Man Utd defender is injured, Ferdinand has a back problem apparently
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Mark’s Scout Picks is an FPL league I set up, anyone can join, and offer their views, just enter this code:
454611-285018
Although I haven’t seen a team entered by Mark………
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It begins already, I took Santa out for McFadden as well….
…Woe is me
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Reply by Luke on March 15, 2008 4:09 pm:
I did better than that. Took Santa out for Tevez on the 4 point hit! Tevez better get a hatty against Bolton
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Reply by Alex on March 15, 2008 9:20 pm:
I’m sorry, I should have warned you guys. Hung onto Santa for months thinking he’d score again soon enough, then finally got rid this week. In my case that meant he would score. It’s the stupid crapping bird again.
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Was Ferdinand injured today?!
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Reply by Milet on March 15, 2008 9:15 pm:
read!
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Reply by CK on March 16, 2008 10:28 am:
Yeah mate, read it. Ferdinand was my big purchase this week. What a disaster! Was gonna opt for Vidic but decided Ferdinand would be a better option.
Anyone know how long he is out for?
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Going to hang on to Laursen, he’s got sunderland at home next weekend.
Anyone think it’s worth getting rid of adebayor for defoe for the next weekend even if it’s for a 4 point hit? I notice adeb value has gone down already in the FPL.
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I think Ron has earned himself a start against Bolton. Fergie was effusive in his praise and Utd would probably have drawn a must-win match without him.
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will ferdinand start the match against bolton? fuck everyone has brown or evra in my league and i got burned. no fair
and when will petr cech return? have carvalho as well and realised cech is the only guaranteed starter!!!!
what a kak week so far. tevez, carvalho and ferdinand…
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Defoe and Diarra on the bench
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Reply by CK on March 16, 2008 12:57 pm:
You had Defoe on the bench mate?! He is on a serious roll
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ALright Al,was just thinking the exact same thing and getting Defoe in for return to Spurs,im going to see how they do defensively against Man City,If City can score without Petrov supplying Benjani Portsmouth should have joy.Its tough at the top and Adebayor has been consistent until the last couple of games but with 9.1 price tag he needs something every week.Defoe or Young in next week id say….
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I reckon Forsell is gonna be a must buy as he’s cheap, got a good set of games coming up, and the points you’ll free up can be used in midfield where the majority of points are to be had
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Hi guys taking anelka out,adebayor or yakubu in?
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Adebayor has lost form mate, beware
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Everton got a good run of games and the Yak is on form, Adebayor ain’t scored since he got a haircut
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get defoe!!! he’s resonably cheap, decent fixtures really and on hot form!
c’mon its obvious
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