This Weekend’s Scout Picks
The Scout Picks for this weekend’s games have been updated so refresh your screen to get an eyeful. With “Grand Slam Sunday” looming, there are some new names amongst the eleven as I rest the big guns and give some mid-price options a go. Read on for the method of my madness.
I’m going on the premise that the clashes between United and Liverpool and Chelsea and Arsenal will be tight affairs. I can’t see a clean sheet at Old Trafford. United are strong in attack but equally they could perhaps be hampered by Ferdinand’s absence and with Torres about, they may well struggle to keep their 19th clean sheet. I’m going for a 2-1 win in this one.
The Chelsea vs Arsenal game looks even tighter. This could easily be a 0-0 with both sides flooding the midfield areas but I’m not confident enough to back defenders in this game either. Cole and Lampard are in a purple patch and Fabregas is a proven big-game player. They could all offer good returns and should certainly be kept in your lineup, but I see bigger returns elsewhere with the threat of relegation providing the motivation for some of the bottom sides to go on the attack.
Lets start at the back though. Here I’m going for a good few players who offer good points potential at both ends. Laursen and Wheater are goalscoring centre-backs who don’t necessarily guarantee clean sheets against Sunderland and Derby, but certainly offer a goal threat. Both are also strong candidates for FPL bonus should their sides gain wins.
Similarly I’ve opted for Reading’s Shorey who faces a Birmingham side in decent scoring form but offers enough in attacking terms to make up for the possible lack of a clean sheet. Shorey has 9 assists to his name and is a central figure around Reading’s set-pieces in a game that they just have to win.
Lescott completes the back four, offering perhaps the best potential for a clean sheet, plus of course the hope of a goal at the other end. Jagileka, as always, presents a cheaper option as Everton face West Ham at home.
In goal it’s a tough choice without doubling up on someone like Howard. Instead I’ve opted for Friedel who faces a Wigan side who will defend like lions but may not present a major goal threat. I can see this game being low scoring and even without a clean sheet, Friedal often registers points from a decent save count and the odd penalty save in the FPL game.
In midfield I couldn’t bring myself to drop Ronaldo so he holds his spot but around him there are some new faces. Downing should be central to Boro’s attacking ploys at home to Derby and that should bring some points profit. Equally, I fancy Taylor to come good at last for Bolton as they face a crunch home game with City. The City defence is a little war-torn with injuries and Bolton have to win this game to stop the rot and give themselves a fighting chance. Taylor is somehow yet to register his first Bolton goal despite peppering opposing keepers with shots. A goal will come soon and I’m giving him another chance this week.
Bullard keeps his place for Fulham as they travel to Newcastle for a game that appears to promise goals. I can see Fulham putting up a decent performance on the back of their win over Everton and equally, Newcastle have hinted at an upturn in fortunes in the last few games. The biggest goals return of the weekend could well come at St James’ Park.
Up front the choice is a difficult one. There are several fairly decent options but none that leap out. I’ve opted for the in-form Berbatov against a Pompey side weakened by Campbell’s absence. Despite that, I can’t see Spurs notching too many goals with Redknapp likely to flood the midfield, but Berbatov should be amongst the points regardless, particularly in the FPL via bonus points.
I’ve partnered the Spurs man with Villa’s Young who should also be in for a decent weekend with Sunderland at Villa Park. O’Neill’s men should get the result with Young, Agbonlahor and Carew all likely to be in with a chance of decent returns.
There are some pretty good alternatives to the lineup, particularly up front. Yakubu on paper, looks strong against West Ham but then Everton clearly struggled against Fulham without Johnson and Cahill. Neither look set to return tomorrow, so while I can see Moyes’ men nicking a win, I can’t see many goals.
Aliadiere isn’t mentioned in my picks very often but does look a decent outside bet with Derby in town. He showed good form before sustaining an injury and did of course grab the goal at the Emirates last weekend. I’ve also got an inkling for McBride and Viduka in the St James’ Park encounter, while McFadden is in fine form for Birmingham but I see Reading keeping him quiet this week.
In midfield I was close to recalling Reading’s Hunt to the midfield. I reckon he’ll feature heavily in a Reading win against Birmingham. Pienaar is always a good bet at his price in an Everton midfield against West Ham while Barry could also be amongst the points for Villa at home to Sunderland. Finally Petrov returns from suspension for City at Bolton - I can see this game being tight though with Bolton edging a 1-0.
At the back, Scharner is certainly worth a look for an in-form Wigan at Blackburn. Rovers have struggled for goals at home and defensively, Bruce’s side is the form outfit. I can also see Bolton having a decent chance of a clean sheet. As I’ve mentioned, I can see Megson’s side sneaking this one - Cahill would normally be worth a punt, although there is a slight injury doubt hanging over him. Andy O’Brien offers a decent alternative if you look for a cheap option though.
As for the FPL Captain question, as this week’s poll indicates, it will take balls to look beyond Ronaldo even with Liverpool at Old Trafford. If you fancy a flutter then Berbatov, second in the poll, looks a good bet with Villa’s Young not far behind. Outside of these two there’s always the option to go with a defender - Wheater and Laursen look the best value with some promise of additional points from set-piece goals.
It’s Friedel not Friedal!
Go on Dimitar and Jimmy!
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Guys, here’s my team for this week:
Harper
Beye
Faye
Taylor
Jose Enrique
Barton
Geremi
Butt
Martins
Owen
Viduka
Wish me luck! I’m gonna need it.
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Mark, this is my current line-up:
Brown Hutton Boyce (Nosworthy Anderson)
Ronaldo Lampard Gerrard Cole (Larsson)
Berbatov Torres (Forssell)
As you can see my defence is pretty weakened due to my money being…well, in the obvious places.
Yet I’m considering bringing in Shorey for Brown. Is this crazy? I just don’t see too many clean sheets in ManU’s upcoming fixtures and although he should now play the next few games due to Vidic’ injury, there is still the Neville situation.
I just don’t wanna get rid of any of my big players yet…not until I’m sure about who to ditch anyway.
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 10:38 pm:
As I’ve mentioned, I fancy Shorey to be one of those players that has a little flurry at the end of the season. The next four certainly look good for him. Brown seems likely to hold his place for United though - down to the Ferdinand injury rather than Vidic who should play on Sunday. Ferdinand’s absence could make United a little shaky at the back - certainly they could have easily conceded to Derby and Bolton without him.
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Reply by Dave on March 21, 2008 10:51 pm:
Yeah, I meant Ferdinand, but couldn’t edit my post anymore.
So Shorey in for Brown is not too dodgy a move? Don’t know how else to free up cash to bring in James next week. Bullard for Cole just makes me too nervous.
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 10:57 pm:
Mmm..dunno on the Bullard vs Cole thing. Unlikely, but with Champions League, Cole could be rested and if you have no bench that could hurt.
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Reply by Dave on March 21, 2008 11:09 pm:
Yeah, my bench is a problem. I was all set on getting rid of Cole this week when he got me 20 points. How can I get rid of him now?
The thing is I want to bring in James for Howard next week, coz that would be the perfect time to have no Everton defenders (them playing Liverpool and all). Then I could get Yobo or Jagielka the week after. But in order to do that I need to free up 0.6 this week. So bringing in Shorey for Hutton wouldn’t free up enough cash unless I do a double transfer next week.
That’s why I’m contemplating getting rid of Brown for the time being.
I just think I should hang on to Cole for as long as possible.
But having both him and Lampard…both at risk of being rested what with Grant being the new Benitez and all…I’m nervous.
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 11:21 pm:
It’s asking a lot of Shorey to outscore Brown in the best defence in the league - the next four give him a shout though.
Cole looks untouchable to be honest but Grant just has too many options. Much will depend on how Sunday goes. If Chelsea win and are firmly in the race, then it’s unlikely Cole will get a rest. If Chelsea slip then the CL will be the only priority and Grant might be tempted to cope without him for a couple of games to keep him fresh.
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Reply by Dave on March 21, 2008 11:43 pm:
Ok, thanks Mark. I’ll give Cole another week and will bring Shorey in for Brown. Unless I just let go of my whole James idea so I can bring in Shorey for Hutton.
But I’d rather have James than Howard for the remainder of the season.
Do you think I should let go of the James idea altogether in order to hang onto Brown?
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Reply by Alex on March 22, 2008 1:43 am:
Brown was benched for the Bolton game. Don’t know if he was rested or if it was a tactical thing, but he only came on because Vidic got injured.
Either way I’d be wary of Sir Alex’ tactics…especially with Champions League around the corner. Man U players become a liability then.
So yeah, Shorey for Brown, go for it.
On James…I’m debating that one myself. Mark says yes, so the oracle has spoken.
Oh, not goalie-less by the way; Howard in goal.
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Just out of curiosity, how many FPL points are people on? Be honest…
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Reply by Jono on March 21, 2008 11:33 pm:
1487 points with a value of 108.4
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Reply by iAero on March 22, 2008 12:31 am:
1697 points
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Reply by CK on March 22, 2008 3:39 pm:
1698
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Mark. First I will start with saying that I love your work on this site. I’m also glad to see I have a very likely team as you this weekend.
But Mark, which team are you supporting in the Premier League? It’s more a personal question and I don’t know if I should ask, but it would have been a bit funny to know..
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 10:33 pm:
I’m a Forest fan Maddy, which is very handy as there’s little chance of heart ruling head in fantasy football terms for at least another 20 years I would say.
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Alright lads, happy hunting this weekend. Any advice on captain this week? I know the majority say Ronaldo, but I just have that little niggle he’s not going to perform this weekend… Alternatives? My frontrunner is Lescott? but i’m really unsure! Lampard? Maybe even Laursen…. aaaaaa help!
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Im going for Bentley as captain over Ronaldo this week. Its risky.
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Good shout that one. Im still tempted by the possible goal scoring defender over Ronaldo…or is that just greed kicking in?! :/
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Bullard or Lescott imo
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cheers mate
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As you say, Lescott could score, get all the bonus points, and a clean sheet… Although, I think it is risky to pick a defender from Everton this gw. They have many doubts to this match, and Zamora and Ashton makes a good couple on top for West Ham. A match with little goals I think, i’m guessing 1-0 or 2-1. What other choises do you have?
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Why Bullard, Edwardo?
Newcastle got to win a match soon, I think it will happen tomorrow.
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 10:43 pm:
Bullard is going back to the ground where he sustained the injury two seasons back. If this was Roy of the Rovers, he’d score the winner no danger. No guarantees of a decent Bullard return and I do see a decent performance from Newcastle but it’s funny how these stories sometimes unfold. Bullard will certainly be up for laying the ghost to rest.
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Reply by NMc on March 21, 2008 10:46 pm:
Hi Mark, great site really is the best for FF advice! whats your gut feeling on captain alternatives? Who would you punt for out of Ronaldo, Lampard and Lescott? Suggestions gratefully received..
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I think Bullard is a good idea if you’re looking to chase in a mini-league. My options are Adebayor, Berb, Bentley, Lamps, Ronaldo, Lescott or a random Villa defender like Bouma! I missed out on Laursen sadly. I just dont think Adebayor away to Chelsea is going to come out with a hatful…. Of those choices what you think is best, should I stick with Ronaldo or vary?
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Mark, in your own personal opinion, who is your first, second and third choice captain? Great site and thanks for the advice! Stressing over captaincy though…
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 10:59 pm:
Hi Ben. I think the poll is actually pretty accurate. Ronaldo aside, Berbatov and Young appear to be the best attacking options. As I mentioned in my notes - Wheater and Laursen look decent if you can afford to be more conservative.
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Reply by Jackie on March 21, 2008 11:07 pm:
Hi Mark! Got a say what a brilliant site this is, making life in fantasy football world a whole lot more interesting!
I’ve got a choice between Young and Ronaldo for skipper. Who would you choose?
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 11:11 pm:
Hi Jackie. Ouch - tough one. Would depend on your league situation. I would say, if you’re top or thereabouts - play safe with Ronaldo and let others below you take the risks at this point. If you’re chasing a sizeable gap and without your wildcard, then you might need to take risks and Young looks decent.
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wheater for captin mates?
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Reply by Mark on March 21, 2008 11:25 pm:
What Wheater has in his favour apart from the clean sheet and goal potential vs Derby is that he’s flavour of the week after the England call up. If Boro keep a cleanie and nobody stands out in attacking terms, then he’s a good bet for bonus because he’s been in the spotlight.
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Reply by PakHawk on March 22, 2008 4:09 am:
This is a crazy week! Have dropped James, Brown, & Adebayor to bench for Wheater, Bikey and Kirkland!!!! Whatthe?? I can’t my boys scoring against Dinamo Chelski, and hopefully Berbs goes nuts against James’ lot. Also have made Wheater el capitan? Fortune favours the brain-dead i always say.
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My team after doing my weekly transfers:
James
Lescott Shorey Laursen Wheater
Downing Bullard Ronaldo(C) Gerrard
Torres Yakubu
Though considering I have Lampard, Forssell, Boyce in my subs have I made the right choice?
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Berbatov seems the best bet for Captain. He has 13 goals, 10 assists and 15 bonus points, Tottenham scored 18 goals in their last 6 home games and although Portsmouth have proven a strong team defensively, they took 5 goals in their last 3 games and they’ll be without Campbell or the much needed defensive cover provided by Muntari and Bouba Diop.
Thank me later.
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brilliant site for sure, but all ur picks change each week, do u have a more permanent 11 over a season, im in the mail ff and u only can make 15 subs,r there any players u would keep in until the end of the season without changing(apart from ronaldo) to me thats the real skill
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Reply by Mark on March 22, 2008 12:08 am:
Well I wrote some guides (under tips and guides) which featured player picks at the start of the season and I’m sure I’ll update these for next season. As for longer term picks for the remainder of this season, that’s covered to some extent, by the player rankings in the right-hand menu (click the headings to expand the tables) which list players according to the next five fixtures. They are effectively monthly picks.
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If fulham do anything good, it is likely Bullard will be part of it. And against newcastle defence that seems likely. I don’t really see any reason why Newcastle have to win sometime.
I dont actually have Lescott of Bullard in my team! I have Ronaldo and Berb (Lamps, Jagielka, Dunne) as potentials but will probably choose Bentley.
I can’t see Ronaldo doing the biz vs liverpool, since he is a ghost usually vs Liverpool (but you can’t go too far wrong picking him since a lot of other people will). I cant see portsmouth shipping that many goals either, 2 DMs down or not. Having said that Blackburn aren’t exactly free flowing at the moment, and wigan are on quite a defensive run.
I def. think this is probably the hardest week so far for captain choices.
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Mark any thoughts on if i’m putting the best team i can?
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Reply by Mark on March 22, 2008 12:26 am:
Well Lampard is the real worry - very tough call on whether he’ll fair better than Gerrard or Bullard. If Chelsea get a result, Lampard is likely to get at least bonus. It depends on how you feel about Liverpool scoring at Old Trafford.
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Reply by Alex on March 22, 2008 12:33 am:
Yeah, benching Lampard is scary.
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:11 am:
Cheers for the reply Mark
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Mark,
Which combination would you prefer:
James/Lescott or Howard/Hreidarsson
The first looks much more appealing, but costs 12.5 whereas the second only costs 9.9…
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Reply by Mark on March 22, 2008 12:31 am:
The first option certainly has the better bonus potential - plus James will get plenty of saves out of the visit to Spurs whereas Howard could be in for a quiet game.
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Reply by Alex on March 22, 2008 12:39 am:
Oh, I didn’t mean this gameweek…I meant looking ahead from now till the end of the season.
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Reply by Mark on March 22, 2008 1:09 am:
In that case still the first option. Hreidarsson is only safe while Pamarot is out and he could return before the end of the season.
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Reply by Alex on March 22, 2008 1:18 am:
Yeah…I also considered Distin which would give me a total of 10.6 in combination with Howard, so still a lot cheaper, but I think Lescott and James would be worth the extra money given their points returns, no?
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thanks for ur response mark
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Hey Mark,
Got a little problem, which I hope you can help me solve.
I see Blackburn getting a clean sheet against Wigan, but I can’t decide whether to pick with Khizanishvili or Samba. I see Samba as the biggest goal threat, but also I could see him get a yellow card, as I find him a dirtier player than Khizanishvili.
Who would you go with?
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Forgot something.
If I choose Khizanishvili he will be paired up with Yakubu, while Samba will be paired with Young.
So it’s:
Khizanishvili/Yakubu
or
Samba/Young
Both Yakubu and Young will be transfered out next week, so looking in the future one could be as good as the other. I just want the lad, who can give me most points
You say, Mark?
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I wouldn’t worry about Blackburn defence personally..
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getting over tevez a bit.. with .5 left in the bank.. Berbatov, Keane, Yakubu, or anyone else?
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Reply by Arul on March 22, 2008 5:18 am:
Santa Cruz, Defoe(next week), Young, McFadden..
McBride, Owen/Martins if you’re feeling lucky.
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just in the door from holidays now and checked wednesday night´s results (try getting on the internet in andalucia… ) - what??? brown AND evra AND ballack on the bench??? thanks SAF. git.
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thinking bullard skipper. gotta catch up in my mini league and no1 else has bullard just yet. either than or berbatov, pompey are weakened in midfield and seemed concede quite a few during african cup of nations when without muntari etc. what do people think? is bullard to much of a risk???
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I have to say that Bullard is one I have largely ignored so far but against Newcastle and with Fulham playing their best football for a long time it may be worth a shout.
I have one dilemma - goalkeepers - Hart or James? If my instincts are correct Pompey will concede a couple whereas Man City could conceivably keep a clean sheet against Bolton.
Overall I think with the big guns playing each other this week it is very much a gamble with a few players - I have decided to bench Wes Brown and Carvalho on the feeling that both United and Chelsea will concede.
I have a back three of Zak Knight/Laursen/Phil Neville so I am bankng on Villa and Everton cleansheets.
The big scoring midfielders - Joe Cole and Ronaldo - I have left in (!) as they can make the difference on the day. I have kept faith with Huddlestone and I am going to chance Man City’s Ireland over Arsenal’s Flamini.
My front line is Berbatov (c), Young and Torres.
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Someone please pick me a best starting 11 out of this lot:
Hahnemann / Taylor (Maik)
Hutton / Distin / Vidic / Terry / Knight
Lampard / Ronaldo / Ballack / Taylor (Matt) / Fabregas
Yakubu / McFadden / Kitson
I’m thinking about benching Taylor (Maik), Distin, Vidic, and Mcfadden. Really hard to bring myself to bench two of the best defenders in the league, but they’re up against the two best forwards in the league (on current form).
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:09 am:
Havers i would personally play a 3-4-3 with your squad
Hahnemann as keeper
Hutton, Vidic, Terry as I reckon Tottenham have a good chance of keeping a clean sheet with Portsmouth not able to use Defoe, though with Vidic & Terry the ‘Big 4′ games will either be high scoring or nil-nil
For midfield Fabregas, Ronaldo, Lampard, Taylor since Fabregas is a proven big game player and considering your players either team that will win Ronaldo, Lampard and Fab are bound to get FPL bonus points, and Taylor as I reckon he’s due a goal
And I would play all you strikers
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Reply by Havers on March 22, 2008 11:17 am:
You don’t fancy Knight for a clean sheet at home to Sunderland then?
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:22 am:
I can see Sunderland sneaking in a goal and Villa haven’t kept a clean sheet in 15 games, that being said I have Laursen selected due to his goal-scoring prowess
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Reply by Havers on March 22, 2008 11:24 am:
Knight can also pose an aerial threat from set pieces.
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:28 am:
Well as I said the ‘Big 4′ games are unpredictable and as the Villa v Sunderland match on paper has a better chance of a clean sheet you could swap Vidic or Terry out for Knight
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it’s all about EV
If you got VDS, he concedes, you get 2.
If you take a point hit to change, and GK gets clean sheet, you get -4 + 6 = 2
it’s still 2 points
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This is my current team:
Hart
Samba Wheater Jagielka Vidic
Ronaldo Gerrard Lampard
McFadden Berbatov(c) Young
Bench:James,Shorey,Pienaar, De Ridder
But is this the right 11? Is Berbs right for the captaincy? And will Reading keep out Birmingham, making Shorey a better bet than McFadden?
Help would be much appreciated. Thanks
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Reply by Havers on March 22, 2008 11:14 am:
Shorey vs McFadden is a tough call. As you can see from my previous comment regarding my own selection dilemnas, I’m leaning towards favouring Reading over Birmingham by selecting Hahnemann & Kitson ahead of Taylor & Mcfadden. I’m tempted to play Hahnemann & McFadden to hedge my bets, but I’ll probably gamble on the home team advantage and hope that Kitson plays out of his skin to try to cement his starting place.
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Should i pick Young, Ronaldo or Bouma as captain? My place in my league is second, and it’s 6 points up to the top. The third place has one point less then me. It’s 30 points or something down to the fourth place.
So Mark, should I go safely with Ronaldo or Bouma (Must be 12 points)as captain, or Young more risky?
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:24 am:
Maddy I would play it safe considering where you are in the league, chances are the top position player will choose Ronaldo as captain and if Ronaldo decides to prove himself as a big game player tomorrow and you didn’t captain him you would regret it, but its all about taking risks.
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The thing is, McFadden has a good chance of scoring but Shorey has a decent chance of a clean sheet, as well as the obvious possibility of assists and bonus points. I think I’ll go with Shorey then.
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Ok, I’ll go for Viva Ronaldo.. Since I’m supporting Man United, it would be more lovely if he scores or get an assist.
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:31 am:
Yeah I’m a United supoorter myself thats why i’ve opted benching Gerrard and playing Lampard
‘GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED’
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time up. i went with ronaldo. thanks for the advice mark!
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I gambled on Yakubu for skipper ahead of C.Ron. Sweating already….
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Reply by Havers on March 23, 2008 11:30 am:
……….well, the first part of the gamble has worked, Yak bagged a goal (should’ve had two tho) and a couple of BP. And most of my competitors went for the obvious captain. Now I just have to wait for Casperiano to bag an out of character two points this afternoon.
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Benching lampard and gerrard was a risky move. I can see them possibly nicking some bonus points if they get a result or maybe even a goal or an assist.
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mind you for my choice of captain I am thinking outside the box so I have gone for Tim Howard. Was this a silly move
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Reply by Ichigo on March 22, 2008 11:44 am:
Personally I don’t see West Ham pressuring the Everton goal too much and if Howard only keeps a clean sheet maybe making a few saves that about 12-14 points as captain, i would lean over to the silly move side
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Nice to hear you’re a fellow Forest fan Mark. I can’t see Ronaldo getting too many points against Liverpool so i have opted for Yakubu as my captain as well, lets hope it pays off. Great work on the website by the way.
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Nobody going for Lampard or Cole?
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Well i’m happy I didn’t pick a portsmouth defender as my skipper. Damn I should have transferred bent in for this game week and made him my captain. I didn’t expect spurs to keep a clean sheet but woodgate has certainly strengthened their weak defence.
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As has Hutton. Hutton has been fantastic and is bagging me nice FPL points these days!
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Mark I think you misspelt Bikey as Shorey
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Reply by Mark on March 22, 2008 5:33 pm:
If only. Hats off to any Bikey owners. Shorey got his tenth assist though - his first in 10 games.
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Reply by Dave on March 22, 2008 7:23 pm:
Shucks.
I was SO close to bringing in Bikey, but went for Shorey in the end.
Then Santa went and scored loads of points one GW after I got rid if his non-scoring ass.
Life sucks etc etc etc.
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Reply by yer dad on March 22, 2008 7:33 pm:
Dave, go to your fridge get yourself a tinny and then look at everyones scores for today(apart from Martin’s). Repeat this prescription 8 times tonight and trust me, life will not suck and will get a whole lot better.
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Reply by Dave on March 22, 2008 7:40 pm:
Done.
Felt a little better when I saw my main rival had McFadden and Pienaar.
But he captained Lampard whereas I banded the Ron brother.
All up to tomorrow then. Would have been nice to still have Cruz…and Bikey..
Oh yes, tinny!
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Reply by puffinboy on March 22, 2008 7:41 pm:
I’ll be miffed if Santa-Bentley doesn’t get me another five points in half an hour’s time. Ah well, another glass of Cab Sauv while I wait… (drums fingers)
Edit: they sure did. And the clown Jagielka even got one. Alfred, break out the slim panatellas, my good man!
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Reply by PakHawk on March 23, 2008 4:27 am:
Woke up this morning…saw Reading had conceded, thought, idiot, fancy putting a Reading defender in….particularly bloody Bikey - that soon changed. Bit disappointed Wheater didn’t get any BP’s, seeing as i threw him in as skipper. Does anyone know if Pienaar was rested??? I thought he would go well against the Hammers. Oh well - consolation is that i’ve got Adebayor on the bench.
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Reply by Mark on March 23, 2008 11:32 am:
Pienaar had flu apparently. He’s a doubt for South Africa’s game in midweek and presumably the Liverpool game next week.
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Made Bentley my captain pretty good return.
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only 1 clean sheet and no goals in the scout picks so far. My team is doing no better. I’m hoping for big points tomorrow
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Reply by CK on March 22, 2008 8:16 pm:
Yeah pretty quiet return for me too. Its a low scoring weekend, and cant see that changing tomorrow!
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first time this season my whole defence got clean sheets!!! woo hoo thank you especially to little richard dunne with the bonus points! waitin on evra ron, lamps and gerrard tomorrow.
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I benched Gerrard in hopes Bullard would pull something off, heres hoping Gerrard being rested
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Reply by puffinboy on March 22, 2008 10:40 pm:
Dream on, dude. Here’s to a Stevie treble…
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downing didn’t do very much. I expected wheater to be among the bonus points. Everton couldn’t keep a clean sheet so its a crap week for me so far scoring wise. On top of that I got rid of Santa Cruz and brought in mcfadden who didnt play and now he racks up big points. Typical.
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24 points so far…not good
Captain Berbatov didn’t fare too well either
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As the average is only 19 i think this is one of the lowest game scoring weeks so far this season. I myself have suffered this week but I still have my captain to play tomorrow so maybe all is not lost yet.
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Reply by puffinboy on March 23, 2008 1:36 am:
19? Mwahahahaha…
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Reply by yer dad on March 23, 2008 10:08 am:
99
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Reply by yer dad on March 23, 2008 10:09 am:
100 thread. 2-1.I like this game. Old Gregg used to play this game. Where are you OG? Where are you?(Delia Smith style)Where are you OG??
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Reply by yer dad on March 23, 2008 11:07 am:
Were you the original winner of the 100th thread competition in the now legendary ‘Fergie Shoreys up his defence’ thread Puffinboy??
All my team need to score a goal each today, including you Alumnia if I am going to catch Nigel, who has overtaken me in the ‘BATTLE OF THE NIGEL’S’. This is bigger than Grand Slum Sanday. I curse you Jenas and I will be sending you a plague of locusts around to your mansion very soon and don’t get me started on you Alliaderrrrrrr.
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Reply by puffinboy on March 23, 2008 1:26 pm:
The 100th post, yes. Don’t mix up your posts and your threads or you’ll do damage to your needle. Enjoy the match.
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Reply by yer dad on March 23, 2008 9:35 pm:
Post, thread, Toomato, Tomato, Potato. Potatoe. A spoon full of sugar and all that. Happy creme egg.
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hoping for a hat trick from brown!
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What are the odds of Ronaldo scoring two hatricks, Torres scoring a hatrick, Lampard scoring a hatrick all through no assists
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Great…I benched Brown
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Reply by Dave on March 23, 2008 4:54 pm:
I sold Brown and opted against buying Bikey.
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only 43 points this week
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Reply by Jono on March 23, 2008 8:00 pm:
same
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Reply by gwaipor on March 23, 2008 8:32 pm:
same. serves me right.
been getting 88, 95, 109, then 43
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Reply by NMc on March 23, 2008 9:06 pm:
Captained Lescott, not Ronaldo. Bikey on the bench. Rest of the team scoring 1s and 2s. *Dent* I feel your pain
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Made Berbatov my captain at the last minute…..serves me right for not trusting Ronaldo…..does lampard get the assist for Drogba’s first goal or not? Couldn’t see the match, but all the match reports say he had an assist.
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Reply by puffinboy on March 23, 2008 10:47 pm:
A defender touched the ball before it reached Drogba.
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How does the price rise and fall work in the FPL? It is not just done on transfers in.
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As a Man Utd supporter I should have trusted my instincts and benched Torres like I did Gerrard and put in Forssell, though 68 points I didn’t do too badly.
And Ollie theres no exact science to how many transfers it takes for a player to rise in value but when a player you own rises by 0.2 in value 0.1 is added to your players value. So if a player you bought for 4.5 rose to 6.5 on the transfer market you would be able to sell him off for 5.5.
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How the hell did Ronaldo get 2 bonus points. He had a crap game.
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On a similar note, Barry got 2 bonus points even though Villa lost 1-0. Madness.
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I’m going to add my membership to the “Bench Wes Brown and lose 12 points” club - I never saw a Wes Brown goal coming…it’s the first time I have left him out this season.
True to form, if you’ve got a lot of the “best” players in your team and they play each other you can expect a lean scoring week - every gamble I made this weekend went pear-shaped, including sticking in two Villa defenders..
Roll on next weekend…
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Reply by Dave on March 24, 2008 2:29 pm:
At least you didn’t sell him…
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Thankflly Brown was in my starting eleven. I also played safe with ronaldo as captain. Just crept over the 50 point mark this week.
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Kate Spade Handbag…
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you….