Jul
10
The Scout’s FPL League
So have you joined 29 Fantasy Premier League private leagues yet? Here’s another for your collection the semi-official Fantasy Football Scout league.
We had an unofficial one kindly set up last season which went really well so this season, to put you out of your misery, here’s one that’s been set up under the official banner.
Register, pick your team and simply navigate to this page and use this code 20529-12043 where it asks for the code to join a new league.
Just promise me you’re still take me seriously when I’m in the bottom three.
Great..:) Thanks so much for creating the league. Looking forward to start of the season now. I won’t be in a position to play fantasy in a league without help of this site so for sure I will take you seriously irrespective of the position.
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Reply by colin murray on July 12, 2008 9:28 am:
Im in oz and need all the info i can get, cheers
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Reply by colin on July 12, 2008 9:30 am:
Im in oz but dedicated (hooked) fantasy manager and looking for a challenge,game on lads
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Now can we expect Mark to advise us to employ a Hull/wba defence and a stoke midfield?
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I’m all joined up and tinkering with my team like mad already ;o)
Any views on who will play at right back for UTD? Brown or Neville?
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Which two should I keep from:
Gerrard, Fabregas, Torres
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Reply by Goat on July 10, 2008 8:03 pm:
why not keep all 3 if you can, Fabs is always a points magnet and liverpool should start flying, gerrard with a point to prove (as ever) and Torres bursting with confidence after Euros.
But if you have to get rid prob best to keep one from each team to split the risk. maybe torres as he’s more expensive and doesn’t seem to fancy away games?!?!
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Reply by Ollie on July 10, 2008 8:45 pm:
I want to keep all three, but the rest of my team are not good enough.
With all 3:
Howard, Schwarzer
Bosingwa, Cichy, Cahill, Shawcross, Ricketts
Gerrard, Fabregas, Young, Little, Noble
Torres, Yakubu, Miller
Without Gerrard
Howard, Schwarzer
Bosingwa, Cichy, Cahill, SYoung, Ricketts
Downing, Fabregas, Young, Arteta, Nolan
Torres, Yakubu, Fuller
Which team is better?
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Reply by Goat on July 10, 2008 10:16 pm:
dunno, think 2nd team looks stronger in a 3-5-2 (maybe change nolan but then he’ll probably go and remember how to play again having said that) but with a bit of fiddling you can strengthen and keep all three. maybe?!?!
noble-parker (curbs loves him afterall and midfield dynamos are always good for bonus points, butt got loads last season)
young-arteta
clichy-baines (a lot of unrest a gooners, plus missing flamini protection)
then you can do little-downing or whoever.
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Reply by Bedknobs and Boomsticks on July 11, 2008 8:23 am:
I really like team 2. I was thinking of 3-5-2 could work well this year, lots of value around with the likes of Nolan, Noble and Sidwell.
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Reply by Phil on July 11, 2008 8:53 am:
Gerrard & Torres both look just a touch overpriced to me. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both great players, but I think you’re spot on when you say the rest of your squad suffers too much. Liverpool rarely deliver on the pre-season hype for the first few fixtures, and then rafatation looms.
Definately keep Fab though, he looks a bargain at 10m. Ballack also looks like excellent value at 9m if Lamps moves on.
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1st team better mate based on 4-3-3
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Signed up… roll on Aug.
I agree with CK - the first formation looks ok as 4-3-3. Give it, say, two gameweeks then check how Noble and Young are getting on relative to other similarly priced players, like Laurance (Stoke) and swap if necessary. But that lineup doesn’t look too bad for the first week.
Keep an eye on the headlines and adjust as necessary between now and then.
kj
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Gonna be a bloody big league!!!!!!!!!!
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Howard
Bosingwa, Clichy, Cahill, Ferdinand (Mc Shane)
Young, Fabregas, Gerrard, Taylor (De Riddier)
Yakabu, Carew (Ashton)
Not to sure about De Riddier? I just picked him as he sounds good lol
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Mark how about a shoutout from The Scout for the top team of the league each month? Not that it’ll ever be me of course
Thanks for setting up an official one, looking forward to it.
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Reply by Mark on July 11, 2008 7:26 am:
I think that can be arranged Al, unless I need to divert attention away from my standing in the league of course
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Reply by PakHawk on July 11, 2008 1:57 pm:
I can hear the snorts of derision now Mark. Fingers crossed you go well, otherwise the millions you get every year from your subscribers will be lost!!!
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yea wow there are alot of people who joined but im am so excited for it. i would defiantly agree with a honorary mention of whoever is top of the table threw each week
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Am I the only Aussie in your league Mark, or do you know of some others?
Should be interesting to see if everyone goes with your advice and weekly picks, everyone could just end up with the same teams and same scores.
The success could come from the managers that think outside the square, nothing like an aussie to do that LOL.
Will i get booted if i bring a little sledging Aussie vs Brits. LOL.
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Reply by Brad on July 11, 2008 5:07 am:
I’m an Australian (Go Cadel).
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Reply by PakHawk on July 11, 2008 1:57 pm:
Aussie too. Go Cadel.
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Reply by galvastron on August 7, 2008 3:04 pm:
-
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Reply by PakHawk on July 11, 2008 1:59 pm:
Make sure you use single-syllable taunts though mate.
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Hey Mark, is that you with 2 top 3k finishes? Very respectable!
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Reply by Mark on July 11, 2008 7:28 am:
Respectable is about right - can’t seem to break the top 2000 but then both seasons I’ve started horribly then had good runs over the Jan/Feb/March.
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I’m another Aussie. Love this site. Ardent reader, but first time poster. Found it a bit late last year. Did crap at Fantasy Premier League last year, but achieved 17th overall in I Know the Score + 1st from Australia + 1st from Newcastle supporters. Looking to do much better (top 10,000 at least) at Fantasy Premier League this time. Mark, you are an incredible help to someone like me who is trying to learn a lot quickly.
Ingo, hopefully there will still be plenty of variations as people will always have there own opinions, albeit with heavy influence from such a knowledgeable site (Mark & other fantastic contributors).
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I’m a Brit living in Oz, so not sure if I should be sledging myself to be honest.
Top 60,000, looking to better that and beat my score of 2100 in my first ever season.
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Hi there, This is my first post, i only found this site last week and now have it in my favourites as it looks a very professional setup and a great source for the fan footy updates. I shall definetely return on a regular occurence. I have been doing the FPL for the last 3 seasons against family & friends so it will make a change to challenge all you professionals out there. Keep up the good work.
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Reply by Brad on July 11, 2008 8:27 am:
Don’t worry - we’re mostly professional know-it-alls and bullshit artists.
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Hi
I have just joined the league. Gotta love this site.
Quick two questions.
When do the preseason fixtures and reports start, and whats your team name Mark??
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Reply by Mark on July 11, 2008 9:15 am:
Hi Marc. The bigger pre-season games start this weekend I believe. I do plan to post full round-ups from the friendly matches. I’m in the US all next week with work, so my time on the site may vary from frenzied activity to complete communication blackout.
Sutherns Comfort is my team in the Scout League.
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Reply by CK on July 11, 2008 12:05 pm:
I have had awful starts past two seasons so determined to try and address that.
@ Mark - How accurate are the pre season games in your experience, in terms of likely line-ups and form?
I really need a good start this season!!
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Reply by alan on July 12, 2008 11:07 am:
After watching one pre-season friendly last year i took an early gamble on Albert Luque..
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OK I’m in. And temporarily top of the league. Woohoo!
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Mark,
It’s great to have the official league…
Looking forward to it. This is definitely the best site in the web for fantasy manager!
Keep up the good work! you have done such a great job in that i felt it will be injustice if i do not share this site even with my fellow fantasy rivals. hehe… the progress of the site has been reaaaaly great.
Hopefully this private league will be the strongest in FPL…. may our members rule the overall FPL!!!!
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I might join this league in the even numbered gameweeks and leave in the odd ones. I’m thinking purple and yellow striped shirts and purple shorts to begin with, assuming I can strike a favourable deal with Umbro.
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I will join in the odd weeks then and will choose an all white kit with black shorts, red socks and a yellow top. I hope there is a 40 inch tv for the winner messiah
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Which group would you pick?
A) Kirkland, Bentley, Torres
B) Green, Gerrard, Crouch
If you go on last seasons points haul, and estimate crouch should get about 150 points, I reckon this group is pretty even. Right now I’m leaning towards B though.
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Reply by jpw on July 11, 2008 3:40 pm:
I’d go to B to start with. West Ham have a decent start, Gerrard should be fresh from a summer of shopping and Crouch will be in the top 5 forwards this season for me.
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Reply by Phil Pino on July 11, 2008 3:49 pm:
Based on the opening fixtures i’d lean toward group A. Wigan, Blackburn (or Tottenham) & Liverpool’s 1st 5 games are quite good. Portsmouth’s (Crouch) are not. I doubt he’ll do much in those games.
T, i don’t think Nasri will walk straight into the team. He’s quite a small chap so i don’t think he’ll be up to the pace or physicality of the Premiership to start. Maybe mid-season you’ll see him start more.
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Reply by CK on July 11, 2008 6:14 pm:
Have to agree with Phil. I think Crouch will excel at Ports but 1st few matches are very tough. I intend to buy him but gonna wait till about 4 matches in.
Anyone up for Alves from the start?
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Reply by Sam (Team Sam) on July 12, 2008 1:20 am:
I’ve got Alves. He’s partnering Van Persie and Elmander
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how do you reckon nasri will do with arsenal? maybe a starting role?
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excellent… lots of numbers… hopefully all the Aussie Lads are top 50!
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Anyone got any idea when Arsenal and Liverpool play there CL qualifying games and which if any gameweek they miss?
I remember last season they both missed the second set of fixtures, is it the same this year? at the moment I’m siding towards Reina, Gerrard, RvP and Fabregas but if they all miss a game early on i’ll get rid of a couple of those.
As for Nasri I think he will probably be forced straight into the team since Rosicky is still injured and Hleb is almost definatly off, there only other left wing option would be Van Persie and i’d assume Wenger would prefer him upfront.
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Reply by Mark on July 11, 2008 9:45 pm:
hi Andy. The CL Qualifying Round is before week one of the season on 12-13 August. The second leg then follows after week two, on 26-27 August.
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Reply by Andy P on July 12, 2008 9:15 am:
Cheers for clearing that up, hopefully there wont be too many rotated players then.
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Me and my mates are playing a version of the game where by we dont make any transfers throughout the season. So I`m looking for a perfect combination for the long haul. ANY IDEAS????
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Hi all,
I reckon crouch will bang it hard straight out the the blocks, he’s got a point to make and an england team place to secure, agreed tough fixtures but could well be up for the challenge.
Advice please, is 3 5 2 foolish??
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I can’t agree with you mate. I think Coruch will be a serious hit this season but they play MU and Chelski first. He’ll come good later on though.
I reckon 3-5-2 is a decent move mate. It’s my plan. Served me well 2nd half of last season where there were less cleans. Although strkers all started quietly last season so if that happens 3-5-2 not so good. Winner of my mini league last season had 5 defenders the whole season!
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Lads, what are your views on the following?
1. Who is top 3 budget defenders in FPL?
2. Top 3 budget mids?
3. Top 3 budget strikers?
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Reply by Sam (Team Sam) on July 12, 2008 1:18 am:
1. Lescott, Bosingwa, R.Ferdinand (although i’m a big fan of G.Johnson)
2. Geovanni, Greening, Pienaar
3. L.Moore,… and if 7mil is considered budget, Martins, Elmander
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Reply by Phil Pino on July 12, 2008 8:05 am:
Hmm, i think Sam and my definitions of “budget” differ slightly… I’ll restrict my budgetted players to the bottom two price brackets
1. (£4-£4.5) Any Bolton def (Steinsson, Cahill, O’Brien), Melchiot, Young
2. (£4.5-£5) Geovanni, Reo-Coker, Parker (Smith [NU] & Little if they play)
3. (£5-£5.5) Zamora (FUL), Bednar, Fagan
Strikers are tougher cos they are either unlikely to play or score well. Better spending bigger up front then using bargain-buys in midfield (where’s there’s plenty more than i listed)
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Reply by Andy P on July 12, 2008 9:18 am:
Noble (5.5), Cahil (4.5) and R. Taylor (4.5).
If you want real budget players as in cheapest possible then just follow the WBA, Hull and Stoke pre season games and pick who ever is starting from there.
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Reply by CK on July 12, 2008 10:58 am:
Nice one Andy and interesting reading Phil! (Sam, I wouldnt like to be going shopping on a ‘budget’ with you mate!) lol
I’m finding it difficult to get the quality I want, the long term players and getting in the budget players to balance it out. Will keep watching this site for your tips lads!
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Reply by Sam (Team Sam) on July 12, 2008 2:21 pm:
oops, missed the word “budget” from the first one, thought you were looking for the best 3 defenders!
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Back the gunners early on they have got clean sheets & goals guaranteed in the 1st three games . Get on Ballack if Lamps goes to Italy too ! Hesky & Ashton look bargins up front .
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How is this for a team and could it be improved, also what is the best formation to play:
James (Schwarzer)
G.Neville Bale Clichy Bosingwa (Meite)
Young Fabregas(c) Modric Downing (Lawrence)
Yakubu Defoe (Ashton)
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Reply by Ollie on July 12, 2008 3:44 pm:
Don’t know if Neville or Bale will play from the start, so could change them. Also I woud sub in Defoe after 5 weeks because I can’t see him getting many points until then.
I would get a Bolton defender, and maybe Ferdinand. That leaves 9.5 for a forward (Santa Cruz, van Persie, Berbatov, Keane).
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As a foreigner I’m not that much into the championship. Last year for example the difference between Derby and Sunderland was very big. Can anybody tell me something about the three new teams in the premier league. And does anybody have some tips?
Thanks!
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Reply by Andy P on July 12, 2008 6:33 pm:
West Brom are probably the best of the lot and have a chance of staying up, they’re very similar to Reading.
Stoke and Hull are just long ball merchants like Derby who will be found out and relegated.
Players to watch from the three sides: Ishmael Miller, Roman Bednar, Greening, Lawrence, Campbell (if he goes back to Hull) and Shawcross.
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Reply by Dutchy on July 13, 2008 3:30 pm:
Thanks!
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It only leaves 8.5 million for a forward then. Why would you want a bolton defender.
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Their fixtures are Stoke, Newcastle, West Brom then Fulham. Also they are al cheap.
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Congrats on such a fantastic site.
This is by far the biggest Fantasy league I’ve ever entered. I’ll be very happy if I can finish somewhere on the 1st page!
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Rate my team
Almunia (Schwarzer)
Bosingwa, Rio, Clichy, O’Brien, Meite
Cesc, Gerrard, Young, Pienaar, Hamann
Yak, Agbo, Fagan
I’m concerned about my forwards - tossing up maybe on Berbs. Will run 5-3-2 week one and then either 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 after that. I like the Gunners early run - which explains Almunia. Any suggestions from anyone for improvement??
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Reply by CK on July 14, 2008 12:46 pm:
Looks pretty good mate. I agree, gunners early on is a good bet but also look at Evertons fixtures!! Worth having an Everton defender at very least.
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Mark, this is such a great site! (Even before the new look.) Not only does it offer excellent help but it makes entertaining reading as well. Keep it up!
One question, how do you play Rooney, Tevez, and Berbatov? (If indeed Berb goes to ManU)
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Pak I’m glad to hear you are tossing up maybe on berbs.
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Reply by PakHawk on July 13, 2008 6:12 am:
Thought you’d be pleased Al.
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he had very slow starts in the last two seasons…
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Its a shame that you don’t have the option to organise your own head-to-head league. You could even, if you had enough teams, have more than one league from which you could get promoted/relegated. Maybe they could develope this for next season?
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Seem’s to be a few people playing with 2 up front, is this the best tactic?
Me personally at present have Crouch, Keane & Torres up front and intend to play all 3. Wise or daft as a brush?
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Reply by Pop Ooh Yeah F.C. on July 13, 2008 3:20 pm:
I’ve tended to play 2 up front in previous seasons - I prefer the option of either having 3/4 at the back or 4/5 in the middle more than 3 up front - plus this season it appears to be very difficult to pick 3 decent strikers with the inflated prices.
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Reply by CK on July 14, 2008 12:49 pm:
Last season the strikers all started very slowly. Mids did all the scoring. I’m basing my picks on that and going heavy on mids early on before slowly miving for strikers. I want Crouch too but not at the start, theyhave really tough fixtures so I think he will start quietly.
I really dont think there is a system that will take you through the whole season. It will change as per fixtures
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deppy: depends how they do
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@ deppy35: i think keane & torres will provide a healthy return over the course (unless keane ends up at l’pool, in which case it’d be wise to spread your attack over different strike forces). i’d also look to draft in crouch after first few games (can’t see much return vs chelsea / man utd / everton) - maybe start with YAK instead (given everton’s first x5 fixtures)… but it’s only a suggestion!
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Hey guys. What do u think about this for the first gameweek team. Am not sure about my foward line to be honest.I like RVP but am in two minds.Would have to off load Alves and Zamora and bring in Windass with RVP to finance that move.
As it stands…….
Schwarzer
Turner Bosingwa A O’Brian
Davies Fab Gerrard(C) Young Lawerence
Torres Alves
subs: Scharner.Zamora.Griffin. Howard (GK)
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Reply by Evan on July 13, 2008 10:45 pm:
i would start Howard because of his forunate schedule of playing the 3 newly relagated teams within the first 5 game.. and the other two are home game. so he shold e solid for the first 5 weeks. Schwarzer plays Arsenal second week and has no 3rd gameweek.
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Reply by CK on July 14, 2008 12:53 pm:
Start Schwarzer in 1st game. Bring in Howard after that!
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hi, wich of these two different combinations would you prefer?
A: Reina, Lescott and Young (Middlesbrough)
or
B: Howard, Carvalho, Woodgate
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So the new season;
Any thoughts on these players as potential bargins:
GK
Kirland WI 4.5
DF
Baines EVE 5.0
Cahill BW 4.5
Pamarot PO 4.5
Tomkins WH 4.0
MF
Scholes MU 7.0
Siberski WI 5.0
Parker WH 5.0
Gera FUL 5.5
AT
Martins NU 7.0
Bendtner ARS 5.5
Derbyshire BR 5.5
Vaughan EVE 5.5
Miller WBA 5.0
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Reply by Jonathon on July 14, 2008 3:45 pm:
nah best to stick with players u know are going to be good
tell me if u think my teams good
GK-HOWARD
DF-CLICHY
DF-FERDINAND
DF-BOUMA
DF-BOSINGWA
MF-GERRARD
MF-FABREGAS
MF-ASHLEY YOUNG
MF-PIENAAR
FW-VAN PERSIE
FW-ALVES/JOHNSON
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I’d add Scharner (5m) and Bosingwa (6m) to DF, and Luke Moore (5m) and Zamora (5.5) to AT.
Wigan had a fantastic finish to the prem last season and I’d expect that to continue as Bruce is a great manager, so agree Kirkland should improve on his points haul of 132 last season and looks a bargain.
I’m keeping a close eye on Bentley. If he moves to spurs I think he will be in amongst the points on a regular basis. I will be swapping Green for Kirkland to fund a bentley and torres double swoop. Just hope they can hang on to keane as berba looks like he’s on his way to united if spurs accept their 25m bid.
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Well, it’s that time again. With Ron out for the first month and a weird fixture set-up early on it should be interesting. I’m thinking of playing it safe with my FPL squad selection, which currently looks like this (0.5M under budget);
K: Howard, Turnball.
D: Lescott, Laursen, A O’Brien, Scharner, Wheater.
M: Fabregas, A Young, Bentley, Arteta, M Taylor.
F: Van Persie, Ashton, Diouf.
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Well seeing as everyone else appears to be doing this, who fancies a comment on choosing a better option for me?
Baines, Pienaar, Torres
(or)
Bale, Arteta, Keane
Answers on a postcard to the usual address please…
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Reply by Brad on July 14, 2008 12:29 pm:
Just a general comment that i think you should be very wary of players who are either new to a team (Keane if he goes) or coming back from serious injury / layoff (Baines, Arteta). For me, these kinds of players are total no-go’s for the start of the season. I would keep an eye on their form and if they are showing promise / good returns after 4-5 rounds then i might think of picking them up.
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Reply by Al on July 15, 2008 1:39 am:
Phil both those groups look pretty good, but I don’t think Baines is guaranteed to start every match? Pienaar I think is massively overrated. He had a few good gameweeks last season, everyone bought up and then he went quiet until season end. Sure he’s good value but the points in the Everton mid are coming from Cahill and Arteta, with the latter being better value I reckon at only 7.5
Although Torres is awesome I reckon option B is better all rounder, hopefuly Bale will get all the starts he deserves as a quality player under Ramos.
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Hey lads, I’d appreciate your thoughts on this lot!
Poss won’t start with Crouch cos of fixtures… but not sure who to go for.
Howard (Jaskelinan)
Lescott, Clichy, Wheater, Meite, (Hughes)
Fabregas, Gerard, Young, Pienaar, Bullard
Alves, Crouch, (Zamora)
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Reply by Jonathon on July 14, 2008 4:53 pm:
YHH that team is decent very similar to mine same midfield. The only thing i would improve meite cause bolton aint goign to get many clean sheets how much money do u have left?
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Reply by CK on July 15, 2008 3:31 pm:
No money left mate. Yeah I was thinking same as you, Meite possibly being weak but they have favourable opening fixture hence why I picked him.
Who would you suggest I swap him with given he has low value
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With Ronaldo out injured, does anyone think Hargreaves might get pushed into a more advanced role, like he was in some of the Champions League matches last season.
Could offer fantastic value for £7m if he starts regularly, though Man Utd’s awful starting fixtures have to be taken into account.
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Site’s better all the time. I’m going 3-5-2 (with a flexibility to a 4-5-1) and relying on Bolton and Arsenal players early with the fixtures list.
Almunia (Schwat… sitting)
Clichy, Scharner, Boswinga, Jagielka (seems to move up a lot), Meite on Bench for sure
Modric, Fabregas, Petrov, Nolan, Sidwell
Torres, with bench of either Luke Moore or Martins.
I plan on Wheater (for Jag) and Crouch (for Martins) and Kranjcar (for someone in midfield), but not for the first few games.
To me at least West Ham is absolutely awful and better thank their lucky stars that Stoke and Hull are about as automatic for relegation as you get. I see points with Pompey, Spurs, and City (as do many of you) and dispersed points at ManU and Liverpool. Bolton just starts the season too fortunately to let their players sit in the free agent pool.
Who’s starting up front for the Baggies and a better option? Moore or Bednar?
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Hi guys, first post could i please have your opinions on my team so far:
Schwarzer (Kirkland)
Clichy, Boswinga, Cahill, (Jakielka and Scharner)
Cesc, Young, Bullard, Downing, Modric
Berbatov, Yakubu, (Miller)
Considering bentley if he goes to spurs and maybe nasri with arsenal’s good fixtures early on, what are anyones thoughts on him, also maybe work in Adebayor if he stays????
Cheers
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Reply by the Moz on July 14, 2008 8:26 pm:
Looking good, captainm.
But I’m worried you have neither Torres nor Gerrard in there.
Berbatov is off to Man U for sure and as they miss gameweek 3 you may need to swap Berba for Santa Cruz if he stays or RVP or Defoe/ Crouch after GW3.
Bullard also misses GW 3 so think about Pienaar/Osman
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Reply by Bedknobs and Boomsticks on July 14, 2008 9:01 pm:
Agreed with moz about Torr-ard and RVP. I’d also say that your defence is a bit hefty for a 3-5-2 and your keepers weak. Maybe drop Jagielka for a cheapo and put Howard in goal?
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missed that, is adabayor on his way????????
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There’s some serious team tinkering going on for me already..So far we look like this…
Jaaskelainen, Kirkland
Cahill, Baines, Taylor, Huth, N’Zogbia
Gerrard, Fabregas, Arteta, Taylor, Young
Alves, Ashton, Van Persie
Jaaskelainen and Kirkland - Both will see their fair share of goalmouth action but both will also get a fair few clean sheets..Megson and Bruce both like teams to be strong defensively and both keepers are cheap as chips
Huth - Wil be Wheater’s partner and was outstanding the end of last season.
Taylor - If he plays it will be in midfield and will chip in with goals from penalties and free kicks and the odd assist..A snip at 4.5
Baines - bought on the cheap hoping he’ll get more action this season. If he does he’ll be better value than Lescott
N’Zogbia - look for Keegan to revert back to 442 with the signing of Gutierrez. The zog will fit in left midfield and as he is classified as a defender will get his fair share of assists and goals..
Cahill - Favourable opening games and Bolton will be tighter at the back this year
Arteta - hampered by injury last year he’ll bounce right back this season..Hungry and look for him to revert back to 06-07 form.
Gerrard - Is a must if he continus playing just off Gerrard up front
Young - Now classified as a midfielder and if Barry leaves more chance he will take penalties…Effectively having another forward
Fabregas - captain Fab- nuff said!
Taylor - Again favourable schedule early and will get a full season starting with Bolton…Points tally will increase from last year
Alves - Should get excellent service from Downing and Digard/Emnes…Cheap at 7.5 mill
Ashton - Bought to sell on as if he stays injury free he will score goals early and his price will rise
Van Persie - very favourable early schedule and IF he stays fit will make a mockery of his 9.5 million tag. Better value than Torres in my opinion at 12 mill.
After GW5 looking at Ashton out Crouch in, Huth out Johnson in and Arteta out Diarra in. Comments/suggestions/advice???
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Reply by Ollie on July 14, 2008 10:21 pm:
I don’t think N’Zogbia will play. Keegan will play 4-3-3 because he wont drop Owen, Martins or Viduka unless one leaves.
Who is better at 6.5m Heskey or Ashton?
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Reply by the Moz on July 15, 2008 7:05 am:
A killer midfield, Richard. I have overlooked Taylor in midfield for Bolton - a good one to start with.
I take it you’re playing 3-5-2. I’m worried about your defence. Baines, N’Zogbia and Taylor (Wigan) are not guaranteed starters and only Cahill at home looks like a clean sheet. I feel you need a Chelsea (?Bosingwa - I’m taking a chance he’ll start right off) /Man U defender. A clichy would be good.
Perhaps downgrade Alves or Ashton to Bednar to upgrade your back line.
I totally agree with the Ashton > Crouch etc. I have Portsmouth down to finish 5th this year.
Good luck.
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So where does Gutierrez fit in?? I’m pretty sure he’ll start but he’s a winger and not best suited to 4-3-3. For me Ashton is better value. I think he’s underpriced and has more upside than Heskey…Both can be injury prone though so could depend on who stays fittest. i can see Wigan being tight at the back again but not offering a great deal upfront.
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Reply by Phil Pino on July 15, 2008 8:31 am:
Tim Vickery (BBC South American correspondent) wrote a response to a Toon fan’s questions about Gutierrez, here’s some snippets:
“In recent matches between the two Brazil have got at Argentina left back Gabriel Heinze - so Gutierrez came in to play in front of him, work up and down the flank and take care of Brazil right back Maicon. He’s not a tricky winger, the type who can beat three men in five metres, because his stride is too long for that. He’s tall, powerful, has terrific engine and is naturally right-footed, but more often he plays on the left. Unlikely to be a star, likely to put in solid service.”
So i expect he’ll play left wing and cover for N’Zogbia’s runs forward.
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Reply by Ollie on July 15, 2008 9:26 am:
He can play anywhere in midfield.
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Hi Guys,
Any thoughts on my line-up?
Reina, Kirland
Johnson, Ferdinand, Laursen, Wheater, Corluka
Downing, Bullard, Kranjcar, Young, Sidwell
Berbatov, Defoe, Alves
Regards,
Thomas
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Reply by the Moz on July 15, 2008 7:39 am:
Too reliant on Portsmouth early on.
Ferdinand, Bullard and Berba (Man U) will all miss GW3
You need a chelsea defender
No Arsenal Players!
You need 2 of Captain Fab/Gerrard/Torres/RVP.
I think you need a very cheap player who will sit on the bench almost all the time.
I think having Downing and Alves together is a risk.
Sorry, a bit negative there! Your team needs some heavy weight players in
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Thanks Moz,
I appreciate your comments.
I’ll try and re-jig things to include Gerrard, Clichy and maybe Bosingwa?
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Wow .. new looks .. official scout’s league .. what’s more to come?
I love the new colored fixtures list, makes it a lot easier to find easy schedules.
Will be waiting for your “Weekly Scout Picks” 
1 question, Mark, how did Reina and Kirkland get a “B” form?
Anyway, just great .. fantastic, Mark!
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Reply by Al (Make me a sandwich) on July 15, 2008 12:39 pm:
Mark gets to go to the closed doors practice 5 aside games at all premiership clubs
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I need some convincing about my goalkeeping position please!
I keep on slotting Kirkland in my team, but feel as if I need to spend the extra 1M-1.5M on one of the big boys, such as Van Der Sar, Cech, Reina.
The problem is, the extra dough required to buy one of the bigger teams keepers will cause a complete re-working of my team.
Should I trust my initial instinct with Kirkland, or play safe? Or maybe consider Hart at Man City which may be a compromise of sorts?
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Reply by Phil Pino on July 15, 2008 1:19 pm:
Pop, Kirkland is certainly not a bad choice given Wigan’s opening fixtures. Don’t be swayed to buy an expensive keeper just because of the club - i feel FF should always be picked on fixtures, irrespective of the club. However, Wigan will inevitably come up to a tough run of fixtures and you need to ensure you can re-jig your team to include someone pricier. Plan ahead and you’ll be fine…
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Reply by Pop Ooh Yeah F.C. on July 15, 2008 2:01 pm:
Cheers Phil - I’m going to stick with my original choice Kirkland for the opening fixtures, and keep an eye on their tougher games.
Basically I’m trying to avoid the past 2 seasons where my wildcard has bitten the dust before October!
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Great site- just found it- joined the league- my team:
1.Reina
2: Lescott
3: Brown
4: Ferdinand
5: O’Brien A
6: Laursen
7: Fabregas (C)
8: Young
9: Nasri
10: Bentley
11: Van Persie
With a view to the three opening games. Arsenal have West Brom, Fulham, and Newcastle so Nasri and Van persie get a punt.
Bolton have Stoke, Newcastle, West Brom so probably the easiest opening so O’Brien comes in for Distin as pompey have a mare with Man Utd. Chelsea and Everton.
God- I’m wasting too much time on this.
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The problem as i can see it is with Chelsea defenders only 1 or 2 mustered just over the hundred mark last season due to injuries or rotation…6.0M is a lot to spend on those defenders when you could get the same points elsewhere choosing a less pricey less flashy player..as for Man U defenders Brown and Neville will rotate Vidic and Ferdinand are too pricey for me and they have no match in GW3…Arsenal last year were just not good keeping clean sheets…Decisions decisions!!
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Alright lads!
Good job mark, loving the website!
Been following the site since last season and have to say it helped me loads in my struggle for a midseason spot (As i joined my friends league 5 weeks in!) Now i’m a FF addict and even tho the season is a month away i’m constantly reading football news, this site and FPL tinkering my team for the new season.
Anyway I would like to ask a few of you seasoned veterans a question,
Who would be a worthwile 5.0 defender, I have my eyes on Bouma and was just after your feedback
Currently my back 3 is
Howard
Cahill | Clichy | Bouma
I feel Scharner would be more worthwhile in the long run but I was just looking for the first 5 fixtures and was going to change accordingly hence I wanted a cheap Villa player.
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gents, very inportant question for those of us at 3-5-2…BEDNAR?? any opinions, advice? he’s cheap, and im bang on the 100mil with him in. any better options? does he have what it takes?
thanks,
Joe
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Reply by the Moz on July 15, 2008 6:06 pm:
Yes, He’s worth a look. Philips has gone.
Bednar scored more than 1 goal every 2 games and was well established by the end of the season.
He’s perfect for you.
I’m also keeping an eye on Luke Moore, Fagan (Hull) and Cresswell (Stoke) all £5 miilion
Basically you need someone who starts 80% games+ and scores goals = Bednar
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yeah, thought that mate, just didnt know too much about his record. I reckon ill leave my side as it is right now, too much messin about with it!
thanks 4 the stats
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I bought in Bendtner for 5.5 instead for my bench!
Go Nicklas!
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right, think my tinkering is nearly done. although there could still be a couple of transfers that change everything! i’ve given a little description as to each of my selections if anyone cares. the squad so far:
1. Reina (6m) - with the increase in value of James, the mid-priced goalkeeping options seem very reduced. if you’re gonna spend 6mil on anyone, it might as well be Reina. never injured, always in the top 3 for keeper points
2. Schwarzer (4m) - if you’re gonna have an expensive keeper, you have to have a cheap one with him… and so far, 35.4% of players agree that Schwarzer is that man
3. Bosingwa (6m) - with Scolari now in charge, he’ll surely pick his favourite Portuguese right back nearly every game
4. Johnson (5.5m) - bad fixtures to start, but he’s one of my favourite defenders in the league. gets forward well even in big games. that said, he’s starting on my bench
5. Knight (5m) - with Davies still injured, he’ll start every game. his height makes him a great goal threat and is 1m cheaper than Laursen
6. Cahill (4.5m) - i expect Bolton to be more solid at the back this year, and with their early fixtures, a starting defender is a must
7. Lescott (7m) - expensive, but good fixtures and the biggest goal threat from a defender i’ve seen in a while, proved last season he’s worth the money
8. Young (8.5m) - now classed as a midfielder he has the potential to smash his last season total, which was nothing to be sniffed at. might be made easier if he’s handed penalties when/if Barry leaves
9. Arteta (7.5m) - if he stays fit and with his opening fixtures, could well reach the kind of form he did the season before last
10. Fabregas (10m) - with Ronaldo injured and Arsenal’s fixtures, who else?
11. Gamst Pedersen (7m) - the person i’m most likely to change before the start. i just have a feeling he’ll deliver this season. may be helped if Bentley leaves and he’s handed more set-piece responsibility
12. Geovanni (5m) - overlooked mostly by Man City last year, he already has 2 goals and an assist in Hull’s first two pre-season games. could be the bargain of the year at 5m
13. Van Persie (9.5m) - not too expensive, should be fully fit at start of season for Arsenal’s easy fixtures
14. Alves (7.5m) - now fully settled in Middlesbrough I expect a lot from Alves this season. maybe even of the scale Darren Bent delivered back when he was at Charlton
15. Elmander (7m) - always slightly risky having a new signing, especially a striker, but this guy is just class. big, strong, good finish. could be the perfect ‘target man’ for Bolton’s style of play. the new Kevin Davies, only better
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Reply by CK on July 16, 2008 8:39 am:
Interesting reading Sam!
Agree on the keeper situation (10m total) but I have gone for Howard for the long term and Jaaskelienan for opening match.
I like the sound of Bosingwa in theory but not convinced. Will he play consistantly? Chelsea have so many good defenders so someone will have to be benched and that could be Bosingwa?
I think you need Gerard in there if you dont go for Torres.
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Reply by puffinboy on July 16, 2008 10:55 am:
Why are all you lot picking your teams with a month to go? By the time mid-August rolls around Reina may have gone to Venezuela to become a priest, Ashley Young might have made a lucrative move to a top Andorran side, Bosingwa could have been stabbed to death by a Frenchman dressed as a punk on the King’s Road and Bullard is likely to have been offered a small fortune to give up football for life as a Margaret Thatcher impersonator.
Then you’d have to start all over again.
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Reply by Bedknobs and Boomsticks on July 16, 2008 10:58 am:
As it seems to be all the rage (as of today):
Howard (Schwazer)
Bosingwa, Laurson, Cahill, (Melchiot, Ricketts)
Elano, Fabregas, Cahill, Modric (Routledge)
Carew, Torres, Alves
Goal:
Howard has a big points potential for saves, and is great value compared to the other Everton defenders
Defence:
Two big hitters in defence and two decent cheap defenders who can be rotated.
Midfield:
Everyone sems to have forgotten about Tim Cahill in Midfield. A decent spurs midfielder could be a real bargin this season. Elano wil probably get altered once some transfers come through.
Forwards:
I want RVP up front, but the front line feels nicely balanced as it is.
Still plenty of time for changes, Bentley if he goes to Tottenham and Ballack if Lampard goes are two that spring to mind. Other possibles include Taylor (good point about the pens), Bullard / Davies, Petrov, Sidwell, RVP, Crouch (after the bad fixtures), Woodgate, Dunne. Ahh, the options are endless.
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Reina , Gallas Cahill Bosingwa G.Neville , Modric Gerrard Fabregas Arteta , Van Persie Alves.
Any thoughts?
gerrard and Van Persie or…. Young and Torres ???
decisions decisions!
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Reply by themoz on July 16, 2008 2:53 pm:
Why not have Van Persie, Young AND Torres!
I have
We pick our teams early Master Puffin as we cannot help ourselves and there is a little voice in our head telling us to do so! Not t listen to it would be madness!!!!
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What about Rosicky.
Is he fit? When he plays he’s usually amongst the points more often than not. Quite good price as well.
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well sam depends if you have fabregas?
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Reply by Sam.. on July 16, 2008 9:58 pm:
i feel i must have Fabregas as the fixtures arsenal have to start with and hopefully Fabregas will have the free role like he had at the start of last season when he scored loads of goals early on in the season.
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The fantasy.premierleague.com rules state:
—
Player values
“Player prices vary during the season dependent on the popularity of the player in the transfer market. Player values will not change until the season starts.
If you sell a player for a higher price than you paid, then a sell-on fee of 50% (rounded up to the nearest 0.1 million) will be applied on the profits. For example, if you buy a player for 4.2 million and when you transfer him his value is 4.5 million then you will only receive 4.3 million.”
—-
Therefore, does this not mean that a smart approach for the first game round would be to pick the most popular (i.e. players who are high on the “Teams selected by %”) as these will be the players most likely to see large value increases early on in the season? … or am i overly simplifying the factors affecting the calculations that are to be made here?
Case in point is a player such as Meite who, while not being a prospect for team of the season, seems to be very popular at just 4.0 with 21% of the fantasy players having him in their side.
Of course, paragraph 2’s sale penalties mean that would have to hold on to them for a reasonable amount of time before sale to get full benefit.
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Reply by Johno on July 16, 2008 4:37 pm:
I play in a private league with a bunch of our own rules to make things more interesting/competitive and part of this is that player values become very important as the season goes on. I paid close attention to them at the start of the season so I can tell you from experience that a player picked by a high percentage of managers will more likely see his value DROP as the season goes on. I think the FPL site only tracks transfers in AFTER gw1. Case in point: last year Niemi was the highest percentage keeper in preseason, but as managers started to drop him his value plummeted. Meanwhile, Laursen at AV was picked by almost nobody in preseason, but we all know what happened as managers flocked to him.
So the trick is to find the players nobody else knows about, get them in your squad early, then watch their value rise.
My tactic in recent seasons has been to find less glamorous defenders who will benefit from starting for a solid team. I’m a bit leery of players like Laursen who were cheap last year but aren’t any more. Maybe give a couple gameweeks, monitor the minutes played category, snatch regular starters in the lower price bracket.
That said, if you’re free to buy whoever you want, there’s not much advantage to playing the value market anyway — 50% of profits are “taxed” away anyway and the site always rounds down, so typically you lose more than that amount anyway. At best you gain only a few tenths.
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you are oversimplifiying the criteria for price rises (they’re a secret). I’ve seen loads of players who were transfered in by loads of people, but whose price stayed the same. I suppose if you picked several ‘most picked’ players it might work out well. Better off just picking players you think will start well, then you can’t fail to make some quick wedge.
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Reply by Bedknobs and Boomsticks on July 16, 2008 1:50 pm:
Values rise when a set number of NET transfers in are made (15 thousand ish). Values fall when a set percentage of the people who own the player sell him (9% ish I think). Thresholds double if the player’s price has already changed in a game week.
So, if 20k players trasfer in Meite once the game starts, and 5k transfer him out, then his price will go up as there will have been 15k net transfers in. However, if say, 100k players own him at the start, and 90k transfer him out his price will fall by 0.1. However, for his price to fall another 0.1, 18% of the remainig people would then have to sell, which is why two price increases / falls in a gameweek are uncommon.
I’m pasting links explaining how I know all this crazy crazy sh1t below:
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I’ll put my current team here and see what you all think, i’ll probably make a few changes before the season starts but I think it’s pretty close to the final XI.
GK: Howard (Schwarzer)
DF: Cahil, Laursen, Clichy (Rickkets, Hoefkens)
MF: Arteta, Fabregas, Gerrard, Noble, Young
SC: Van Persie, Yakubu (Miller)
My obvious weakness is the budget subs, I’d like to raise 0.5m from somewhere so I can put someone like Ryan Taylor into defence. I might have to sacrafice Arteta or Yakubu to get the extra 0.5m though, not really sure who to bring in. If Arteta gets back to his 06/08 form then he’s a bargain and Yak was great last season.
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Andy, your squads pretty much the same as mine, I decided to sacrifice Laursen for his partner in Crime Z Knight (Which will free up 1mil for you invest somewhere else)
I believe with Davies injured Knight will be key for the opening games, and looking at Evertons opening fixtures you definately want to try keep Arteta (If he’s fit) and Yaks atleast for the first 5 games anyway!
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Reply by Andy P on July 16, 2008 8:33 pm:
That’s a good idea about Laursen, I might put Bouma in instead and then i’ll have another million to play around with.
My main reason for taking Arteta out was his lack of fitness, he will definatly get 150+ pts if he stays fit.
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Some questions for you all about midfielders…
Both Arteta and Cahill look like great value this year, but I can’t find any news about the health of either one. Anybody know anything?
And two Pompey players: I know they have a rough few gameweeks but in the long haul, why isn’t anybody looking at Diarra? Redknapp loves him, he’s established now, gets forward, and at 5.5 he seems hard to beat. Am I missing something?
Finally while I agree that Crouch will improve Pompey’s attack, I’ve been looking more at Defoe to take the points rather than Crouch… he’s the clinical finisher and I see Crouch creating lots of opportunities for him.
Am I alone in this thinking?
Oh and finally — anybody know (or care) enough about Bolton to identify defenders who might be a goal threat either from set pieces or from attacking up the wings?
God, how slow the summer is moving… maybe I’ll just try to hibernate until Aug 15…
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Reply by Luke on July 16, 2008 8:14 pm:
Not many people going for Vidic or Ferdinand?
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Mark has posted his views on Cahil & Arteta on the injury section of this site. You can also look here
http://www.physioroom.com/news....._table.php
for info. This site suggest they’ll be back in training at the end of the month so should be good for the first game.
If you were going to pick one of them which would it be?
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@ Johno..
Think you’re spot on with Diarra!! I was trying to keep him flying under the radar but seems the secret may well be out!! He may even play in a more advanced role this year…The other hidden gem could be Armand Traore at 4.5 who word has it Wenger wants to use as a winger this season…As a defender for Arsenal at 4.5 that could be music to my ears and is worth the risk he’ll sit a lot of matches if he’s your 5th defender in a 3-5-2 formation
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Diarra while being a great player doesn’t take and set pieces, wont get into the box for corners (he’s about four foot tall) and he’s a holding midfielder.
He will probably get 100 odd points over the course of the season but I think Noble might be better value over all.
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He is a holding midfielder essentially but in the cup final Harry played him in a more advanced role behind the forwards…He should score a shed load of bonus points and if Harry does play him in a more advanced role he will make 5.5M look cheap as chips…I agree with the 100 points plus mark - 110 to 120 for me which is a good return if like in my side he’s your 4th/5th midfielder
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I’m considering a 3-4-3 but it seems as thought the 3-5-2 is more popular. Am I way off base?
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Not necessarily..i would look at the fixtures each week and see which formation best suits the matches that weekend…I’m sure throughout the season i’ll use everything from a 4-5-1 to 3-5-2 to 3-4-3…i think you need to be flexible and open to differing formations and positions (the bishop said to the actress :o) )
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