This slipped my mind in my week of relocation but I’ve belatedly updated the poll this morning to canvas opinion on the best candidate over the next 24-hours.
Again, this could be an interesting one. Ronaldo’s returns have stalled and, casting an eye over the fixtures, there’s certainly some tasty pretenders to his throne. Over to you…
Loading ...| For Premiership Matches May 11 |
| Last Updated May 9 |
 |
| Team | Next 5 Premiership Games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARS | sun | ||||
| AVL | whm | ||||
| BIR | BLA | ||||
| BLA | bir | ||||
| BOL | che | ||||
| CHE | new | BOL | |||
| DER | RDG | ||||
| EVE | NEW | ||||
| FUL | por | ||||
| LIV | tot | ||||
| MCY | mid | ||||
| MUN | wig | ||||
| MID | MCY | ||||
| NEW | CHE | eve | |||
| POR | FUL | ||||
| RDG | der | ||||
| SUN | ARS | ||||
| TOT | LIV | ||||
| WHM | AVL | ||||
| WIG | MUN | ||||
| UPPERCASE = Home Game | |||||
| lowercase = Away Game | |||||
| A, B, C | Current Form | ||
| Vs | Favourable Fixtures | ||
| £ | Potential Bargain | ||
| Inj | Injury doubt | ||
| Oop | Being played out of position | ||
| Rest | Could be rested | ||
| Mor | High Club Morale | ||
| What's this? | |||
| Player | Club | Factors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James | POR | B | Vs | |
| Reina | LIV | B | Vs | |
| Cech | CHE | A | ||
| Van der Sar | MUN | B | Rest | |
| Howard | EVE | B | ||
| Schwarzer | MID | B | Vs | Inj |
| Friedal | BLA | A | ||
| Harper | NEW | A | ||
| Gordon | SUN | B | Vs | £ |
| Green | WHM | B | Vs | |
| Hart | MCY | C | £ | What's this? |
| Player | Club | Factors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry | CHE | A | Rest | |
| Gallas | ARS | B | Vs | |
| Ferdinand | MUN | A | ||
| Wheater | MID | B | Vs | |
| Distin | POR | B | Vs | |
| Geremi | NEW | A | Oop | |
| Carragher | LIV | B | Vs | Rest |
| Lescott | EVE | B | ||
| Laursen | AVL | B | Vs | |
| Hutton | TOT | B | ||
| Taylor | WIG | B | Oop | |
| Scharner | WIG | B | What's this? | |
| Player | Club | Factors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo | MUN | B | Rest | |
| Fabregas | ARS | B | Vs | |
| Barry | AVL | A | Vs | |
| Bentley | BLA | B | ||
| Reid | SUN | A | Vs | £ |
| Downing | MID | B | Vs | |
| Petrov | MCY | B | ||
| Bullard | FUL | B | ||
| Lampard | CHE | C | Rest | |
| Gerrard | LIV | B | Rest | |
| J Cole | CHE | C | Rest | |
| Huddlestone | TOT | B | Vs | Rest |
| Petrov | AVL | A | Vs | |
| Larsson | BIR | B | £ | |
| Osman | EVE | B | £ | Inj |
| Jenas | TOT | C | Vs | |
| Taylor | BOL | C | What's this? | |
| Player | Club | Factors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berbatov | TOT | B | Vs | |
| Santa Cruz | BLA | A | ||
| Defoe | POR | B | ||
| Adebayor | ARS | B | Vs | Rest |
| Owen | NEW | A | ||
| Young | AVL | A | Vs | |
| Torres | LIV | B | Rest | |
| Agbonlahor | AVL | B | Vs | |
| Jones | SUN | A | £ | |
| Rooney | MUN | B | Rest | |
| Carew | AVL | A | Vs | |
| Yakubu | EVE | C | ||
| Viduka | NEW | B | Vs | |
| Keane | TOT | B | Vs | Rest |
| Alves | MID | B | Vs | |
| Crouch | LIV | A | Rest | |
| Drogba | CHE | B | Rest | |
| Zarate | BIR | A | Rest | What's this? |
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Ted
Thanks Mark.
Like I say, I’m favouring Santa Cruz at this stage. It worries me slightly that B’burn have nothing to play for - but hopefully the last home game for the season will be motivation enough to deliver a few goals?
Considering the ‘talk’ of Santa’s potential move to either Manchester Utd or Liverpool next season, I’d suggest that, even if B/Burn as a team might not be 100% motivated, he would be looking to finish the season on a high in order to mamimise his value and potential for a big club to put something on the table.
As Reds supporter, I for one would love to see him at Anfield come August.
Yep, good point.
I think you make a valid point AB about the motivation of certain teams at the end of the season but Derby’s motivation since they were relegated hs been rock-bottom and they have been leaking goals for fun. I’m just slightly worried about Blackburn’s “lack” of goals at home and Santa Cruz’s tendency to perform at his best away from home. Coupled with the fact that everybody is going to stick Blackburn players in I might look elsewhere.
The Fulham v Birmingham promises goals as both teams have to really go for it and recently both teams have not found difficulty finding the net.
Aston Villa have the motivation of the UEFA Cup and will fancy themselves to put a couple past Wigan, but who out of Carew, Agbonlahor and Young should I pick?
I’ll get my thinking cap on…
I agree that Villa players are the other obvious option but, like you say, the difficult job is pinpointing exactly which one (…and I would add Barry to the three that you have already mentioned)
Has everyone forgotten about Ronaldo? ManU will be on fire after Tuesday night and could easily hit 4+ goals. True, Derby take some hammerings but they often also only concede 1 or 2 and Blackburn are hardly a goal scoring machine. If you look at their last few games they’ve scored very few. I’m transfering Rocky in for the week, but not as captain.
On the Villa front, Young is my absolute favourite player of the year. Just be aware that Wigan’s defence is pretty solid at the mo’ though.
I’m in a quandary over who to pick as captain too. I’m top of my league, but not by much and really need to play it safe to consolidate my lead rather than gamble.
I usually pick Ronaldo, but I’m concerned he may be rested again. My other realistic options are Fabregas, Santa Cruz, Bentley, Adebayor or Barry. Any advice?
Ronaldo isn’t getting rested… Man U need to win their last 2 games.
I agree with the good doctors view on the wigan defence, it’s pretty good. In fact I’m banking on it helping chelsea win the league on the last game of the season!
My advice on captain would be go Ronaldo to consolidate your league position, go Barry, bentley or santa if you need to gain points.
Sorry…had to get the stats out…
Just to illustrate how good Wigan’s defence has been, since the turn of the year they have conceded 13 goals in 16 games and have produced 8 cleansheets (v Derby twice, West Ham, Man City, Arsenal, Bolton, Birmingham and Reading). There are admittedly some poor teams in there.
In the 8 games they have conceded in 2008 only once have they let in 3 (v Blackburn) and three times 2 goals (v Sunderland, Everton and Portsmouth - 3 out of 4 were away games). Add on the fact that they have away draws with Chelsea and Liverpool and there is suddenly some doubt on the likelihood of Villa scoring a couple of goals. Nevertheless, they are banging them in at the moment, so it could end up 0-0 or 3-1.
Your forgetting even though they have a solid defence, they are going up against one of the best attacking forces in the EPL at the moment…away from home.
3 - 1 Villa
Barry, Young, Carew
After all the huff and puff, 2-1 to Villa. Villa’s last four games have had at least 4 goals in them, whilst Wigan’s last 4 games have not had more than 2 goals in them, so something has to give!
lol
ok Barry and Young then!
Hey, i’ve been using this site for quite a while now, just wanted to say thanks for all the great tips and stuff your doing… It’s passed a lot of time at work reading all the comments and looking at your advice.
As for this week, i’m going with Bentley for captain. I’m thinking a 3 - 0 win for Blackburn, with a goal and two assists for Bentley, plus a nice big bonus. I’ve also *Finally* got rid of Almuina. He’s had no points for weeks, and its been the brave Craig Gordon whos been jumping in… and frankly my points have suffered. So its Friedel this week.
Any of you guys worried bout the Arsenal Everton game? Will Arsenal concede a goal you reckon?
Well Arsenal conceded 2 against Derby which is about 20% of the goals Derby have scored all season. Undoubtedly Gallas will act like an arrogant tosser for most of the game before fly kicking a clearance in the box straight to Yak who will put his big toe through it and break the back of the net.
So yeah I think Arsenal will concede…….
I’m going with Ronaldo this week. After failing twice before, I swapped the captaincy over to Fab last week. It’s unlikely Rooney will start so Ronaldo is a must to play (anyone know if Ronny does worse when playing without Rooney?)
I feel Derby will score a goal. 4-1 Blackburn. I have Santa and Bentley
Elsewhere I think Bolton have a chance of a clean sheet, a do Villa and Everton are hardly scoring at all.
The Moz, you’re in luck (I have to get a life!)- this took 1 minute to do on another website.
Ronaldo starting, Rooney not starting:
P7 W4 D1 L2
Both Ronaldo & Rooney starting
P22 W17 D5 L0
Thing is Mark Hughes got Santa for peanuts we would be paying out 3x or more of his original transfer cost.. winds me up no end our scouting system it really does, why were we not monitoring a club dropping out of CL and looking to sell on the cheap. Santa has been buy of the season. Still love Torres mind, they’d make a decent partnership but we should be looking at what we have.. Babel for one!
^ that post was meant as reply to Brad’s btw