Rooney To Return For United
The team news has been updated with the lastest creeping out of the Premiership clubs. That includes the news that Wayne Rooney could well start against Newcastle, while Andy Johnson will miss out on his Fulham debut at Hull.
Rooney has apparently been putting in double training sessions this week and is set to be in the sqaud against Newcastle at Old Trafford. Johnson meanwhile, is still suffering from a thigh injury and will not make the trip to Hull. Seol is set to play up front with Zamora then and could offer a good, cheap midfield option for the gameweek.
Elsewhere, Wenger has confirmed that Toure and Nasri could make returns against West Brom and also stated that Fabregas could make a return against FC Twente. So rather than miss two matches as previously indicated, Cesc is now due to sit out games against West Brom and Fulham.
Luke Young didn’t start tonight with Villa. Does this mean that he won’t play at the weekend? Has O’Neill bought him as a reserve?
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Reply by paul on August 14, 2008 11:33 pm:
he and cuellar were not registered in time to play in that euro game
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Reply by CK on August 15, 2008 8:52 am:
Ah right mate, cheers. So looks like Young should be a starter in Premiership matches then?
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Hi guys!
Walcott and Modric, which one would you choice?
Walcott seems to have chances to be arsenal midfield starter
any advisement? THX!!
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Reply by Newbie on August 15, 2008 8:00 am:
Are you doing FPL - if so,why not put Walcott in to start with to see how Modric fairs and then swap if needs be.
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Reply by hiw on August 15, 2008 8:12 am:
I play yahoo fantasy football~
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Should Berbatov’s move to United go through would he get the nod ahead of Tevez to partner Rooney?
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Hmm that puts a dampener on the whole Tevez as captain jobby…time for a rethink…
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I’d choose Walcott for the opening Arsenal games, Modric has more competition in midfield and may need to settle in.
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When will the striker guide be up I wonder! Getting impatient now! Its a big big day for team selection. I have a long road trip this evening and I have my laptop with me so that I might be able to find a wi fi spot en route.
I can see my whole team being revamped! But maybe not. Current strikeforce consists of Tevez (will transfer out after a few gameweeks), RVP and Bent (looks like Berba heading out the door for definite now).
Bent’s form is so good atm and i dont think ramos has much options up top elsewhere. with Bentley, Modric, Lennon, Jenas etc supplying ammo, it looks good. They have been blasting in goals pre season.
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Reply by TheMac on August 15, 2008 9:16 am:
Doesn’t look like it will be up - its a bit late in the day for that now. Disappointing when you consider the whole site is geared towards this type of content. Oh well - use your own nous!
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Does anyone rate Nolan from Bolton for this weekend? maybe captain material??
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Reply by CK on August 15, 2008 8:55 am:
At best Bolton will win a tight game. Bolton never score en mass so while Nolan is a decent pick I don’t think he is captain material
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Reply by Munk on August 15, 2008 9:38 am:
I’d Rather pick Matty Taylor…set pieces, playing further up front and only 1% have got him… as for captain…its a tough one, i’m toying between RVP,Adebayor and Elmander… sensible choice is Adebayor but might go with a cheeky Elmander and hope he starts off on fire lol
And the pro’s of having RVP and Adebayor is if Arsenal score one of the 2 should be involved, but they’ll take points off each other in a sense, i’ve done it cuz i can’t work out who will do better, RVP should get more assists and chances from set pieces but Adebayor has that knack of just getting the ball in the back of the net…
So i’ve picked both, with a view of getting in Anelka/Drogba when i’ve worked out which to keep…
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does anyone see the value on both ade and RVP in the team?
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Reply by CK on August 15, 2008 8:56 am:
Personally I don’t. All eggs in one basket. They will win and score but without Fabregas I dont think they will have the same supply.
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Interesting to look at the Monthly Scout Picks at the moment!
There’s not a single player from ManU in the Top 10 Keepers, Def’s, M/f’s or Forwards!
Does kind of confirm my thinking that a combination of their injuries, first few fixtures (and week 3 gap), uncertainty about starters, form makes them difficult to pick at the moment.
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 9:18 am:
Tevez is listed (although it says he is a TOT player, but thats just because he’s replaced Berbatov in the picks).
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would rooneys return affect tevez’ value?
i have tevez and zamora (with ade) but could swap them from yak and bent or zaki and berbatov.
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 9:16 am:
Nah. Tevez will play upfront guaranteed, whereas Rooney could be pushed to the wing with Nani and Ronaldo missing.
Van Der Sar
Neville Vidic Rio Evra
Carrick Scholes Fletcher
Rooney Giggs
Tevez
With Giggs and Rooney rotating.
Also, if Rooney doesn’t make it, then Campbell WON’T play I’m sure.
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Is Laursen worth 6mln, in your opinion?
Last year: 6 goals, 2 assists, 27(!) bonus points and some clean sheets.
This year: 2 goals in pre season, goal threat should be similar to last year and clean sheet potential is far greater now with young, shorey, friedal and cuellar helping him out.
Reasons to not pick him:
Do top 4 defenders like Bosingwa/Brown/Neville offer better value/more consistent points/clean sheets or an ‘OOP’ defender like Bale/Jags for goalscoring threat?
Will he live up to last seasons reputation? W
ith nearly 30% of FPL players picking him - are you entering into a crowded trade?
Thoughts welcomed.
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Reply by Munk on August 15, 2008 9:43 am:
With Ashley Young whipping in corners and free-kicks and Laursen being one of the best headers of the ball in the league, plus a better defence around him, i’m in the 30% (usually i’ll restrain from popular picks) the only thing he may lose out on is some bonus points, but if he is to be our new captain then that should counter-act any threat of rotation, leaving Cuellar and Davies to fight it out…
As for Bale - Spurs starting line up isn’t easy to read…
As for Jags - Well i’ve him aswell lol…but i’d stick with Laursen…2 goals in pre-season…but its a close call…
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 9:52 am:
all of these players have been in my starting XI but then tinkered out of the equation. Bale because of uncertainties over starting place and im doubtful he’ll get that much free kick/set piece action with modric and bentley around. Jags is out because he could end up playing LB or mid or whatever and i dont see everton scoring freely even against the promoted sides, even so - baines in 1mln cheaper so jags makes no sense to me.
my conumdrum is fitting g.neville (just for newc game), gallas, laursen & bosingwa (wk 2) into 2 places.
at the moment im either going with gallas + lausen or laursen + g.neville, with bosingwa to replace Laursens partner first up…
any thoughts?
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 11:26 am:
he played all 38 games last season. a.young, barry, agbonlahor & laursen are dead certs on the team sheet
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 9:47 am:
Well, if he scores early in the season his value will rise, especially if none of the 6.0m defenders from the big 4 look appealing. I can’t see villa keeping that many more clean sheets, maybe a couple more. Bonus points is anyone’s guess, but you’d think he’d get about 1/3 less.
He seems to have the knack of scoring, but i expect he’ll be marked more closely this season. I reckon 150 points for him. Still pretty good for the money…maybe he’s a better bet than Jagielka? I rate O’Neill and Villa set-pieces & delivery into the box are something they pride themselves on, and their main source of goals.
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Any news on whether Bolton’s Cahill is suspended?
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 9:37 am:
Yes, we need to know…soon.
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 11:22 am:
There is a link to the offical FA suspension pages, it’s right at the bottom of every page on this site, scroll right down now and look in the featured links section at the bottom of this page, see there it is…. Mark thinks of everything. He’s very busy with work at the mo so can’t update as much as he would like, but all the info can be found if you just look around the site a bit.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:31 pm:
oh yeah. thanks.
No, he’s not on there. Will check again later though, to make sure.
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Hey everyone
First season in FPL - would REALLY appreciate some comments/ideas about the team I’m putting in:
Reina
L Young, Laursen, Ferdinand (Figueroa, Meite)
Gerrard, Downing, A Young, Bentley (De Ridder)
Tevez, Bent, Walcott
Cheers!
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Tevez or Rooney? If Ron is that eager to play, surely he’ll make an impact. I’ve got a good feeling about rooney this season, especially with ronaldo out. Think he’ll be a massive threat, and most attacking moves will go through him. I realise that tevez has had a good pre season but im just not sure. Anyone remember the start rooney had last season, he was amazing for the first three games then he got injured. Any thoughts?
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 9:51 am:
Shrek is too injury prone. Good in spells and worth considering once fixtures get easier, and you have more money in the bank. Adebayor looks far steadier for such a large sum, and Arsenal’s fixtures are very kind for the first 2 months.
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Reply by tommyg on August 15, 2008 10:10 am:
Yeah you have a point, i already have rvp though and wanted a united attacker in my line up as there gonna be clear front runner. Think ill stick with tevez.
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nasri or arteta for fab? will the new zidane be a points magnet with fab out?
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 9:53 am:
er, no he won’t.
Arteta - last season (he limped around for most of it) was a blip if you look at his career stats.
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Reply by tommyg on August 15, 2008 10:03 am:
Gotta agree with stevie b on this one. Good player and all that but not guite the finished article yet. Im always a little cautious over new comers to the prem anyway. Need to prove themselves for me. Arteta is proven and when not injured is always key to an everton win…
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Which West Ham midfielder is a better bet: Noble or Parker?
West Ham’s fixtures are good but I can’t decide between the two.
Noble costs 0.5 more but sometimes takes set pieces, although Faubert may take them too… any ideas?
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IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE ONLY (FOR THE WHOLE SEASON) WOULD IT BE ANELKA OR LAMPARD???????
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Reply by Tom on August 15, 2008 10:32 am:
Look! Someone has written in caps! He must be really important to do that! Quick everyone, form an orderly queue so we can all reply to his most important question.
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Reply by Tim on August 15, 2008 11:24 am:
writing in capitals was a sign of desperation! What if Chelsea play with two up front this year, as suggested? Then wouldn’t Anelka play along side Drogba and get a hatful of goals?
sorry Tim for stealing your name……
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:27 pm:
for the whole season? what is this? the sun ff? Lampard, no question.
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Reply by tommyg on August 15, 2008 10:33 am:
Is this a trick question? Lamps every time and twice on a sunday… Lamps is proven points scorer and given his huge new contract he’s just signed committed to the cause. He’ll be key for them i promise ya…
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Who’s stealing my name?!
Anyway i expect Anelka will only get a limited number of games when Drogba is fit, so Lampard for me
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Reply by Tiny Tim on August 15, 2008 10:38 am:
Maybe he’s called “Tim.” Did you not realise that Tim is a common name?
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Reply by Tim on August 15, 2008 11:06 am:
i wasn’t really being too serious about that
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How long will Ronaldo be out for
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:26 pm:
depends on exactly how many sleeping pills he took.
oh really?
I’d say 12 hours then.
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he came out the closet last week… usually lasts a lifetime
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Here’s one for you. I need a midfielder for 5 mil in fpl and I’m thinking:
Geovanni, Brunt or Seol.
Oh, one other thing, I wont be able to transfer this player out for at least two weeks. Any suggestions?
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Reply by Dudee on August 15, 2008 10:44 am:
Well Andy Johnson’s Injured and Seol will be starting up front along side Zamora.
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Reply by You on August 15, 2008 10:48 am:
Ahh, excellent. I do so like it when someone has a question for me.
A nice Windass is the only one for me.
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Jagielka or Laursen for 6m?
Zamora or Cole for 5.5m?
Petrov or Arteta for 7.5m?
Anelka or Berbatov or RVP for 9.5m?
So many questions….
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 10:53 am:
lauren
zamora
arteta
rvp
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 11:02 am:
Jagielka or Laursen? Laursen
Zamora or Cole? Pass
Petrov or Arteta? Arteta or Downing
Anelka or Berb or RVP? RVP
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Reply by CK on August 15, 2008 2:54 pm:
Jagielka or Laursen? Jagielka (He will play midfield 2moro!!!!)
Zamora or Cole? Easy - Zamora!
Petrov or Arteta? Arteta
Anelka or Berb or RVP? Neither!
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anyone know why bale isnt starting? im thinking he’ll have a great season if he gets in the first 11.
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 10:56 am:
competition with dos santos & lennon in left mid
funny thing is i thought they signed him as a LB, for me they will start him over assou ekoto -
i think he will start as a LB but not have much action on set pieces & free kicks
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 11:00 am:
Yeah Bale will start at LB.
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Reply by Raf on August 15, 2008 11:00 am:
whats life without a gamble……….he’s in.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 12:04 pm:
i’d hold fire. you can always get him in later if things look favourable. It’s 6.0m afterall, not a 4.0m bench warmer. It’s not like you’re going to be missing out on that much from one away game.
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my side
cech
clichy, laureson, bale
lampard, downing, ashley young,bullard
darren bent,adebayor(c),zamora
bench - schwarzer, geovanni, A O’brien, fuegerro
this seems a stable side for up n coming weeks and maybe long term..
any last minute pointers n tips from the savvy bunch here, plz
Thanks
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 11:06 am:
I think thats pretty decent. I’d start with A O’Brien instead of Laursen, and Giovanni instead of Bullard tho, but theres not alot in it.
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Guys, was hoping for a little advice on my team selection (im new to this and dont want to look the fool in the office league). Any comments/advice on the below would be great.
Jaaskelainen (Schwarzer)
Carvalho, Evra, L Young, Clichy (Figueroa)
Bentley, A Young, Lampard (De Ridder, A Johnson)
Adebayor, Bent, Ashton
£2m left in the bank.
Appreciate your advice guys. Fantastic site.
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Reply by Raf on August 15, 2008 11:11 am:
shorey instead of young? otherwise pretty solid.
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 11:15 am:
Seems fairly well-balanced to me. Although I can’t say I’ve seen anything of Adam Johnson.
My two thoughts are;
1) If you are having Jaaskelainen I would upgrade Schwarzer to Kirkland.
2) I would spend all you remaining money on upgrading De Ridder or Johnson to a 6Mill midfielder. Maybe Valencia or Matt Taylor or Osman or even Alonso with Liverpool missing men.
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 11:26 am:
top team, very similar to mine
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Any opinions on Denilson guys? Easy enough few games, Fabs out so he’s garaunteed a runaound the park
my team for this week looks like this:
Reina
Clichy, Jagielka, Evra
Lamps, Young, Arteta, Denilson
Bent, Tevez, Elmander
Any suggestions?!?!?
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 11:20 am:
does my team make me look fat? is my bum big in this?
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 11:27 am:
of course it does, Frank’s in it ;o)
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 11:28 am:
he is as well - have you stolen my password Steve?
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Reply by TheRichmeister on August 15, 2008 11:57 am:
Ok, thanks for that……
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Hello there. I’m new to the website and hoping it will be the weapon needed to turn me from a fourth-placed also-ran to an all-conquering Lord Ferg. Many thanks for setting it up.
A question for regulars: Martin Laursen or Joseph Yobo?
I’m leaning towards Laursen because of the goals, but Everton have quite an easy start.
And another question: How much will Arbeloa play this season? Is he worth a punt over Laursen or Yobo?
Cheers.
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Reply by Raf on August 15, 2008 11:24 am:
not sure about the liverpool defence after weds nights performance. id go yobo…….or even jags…..as he may well play in the midfield.
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 11:26 am:
Laursen no question.
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Thanks.
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what do you think of this for a starting X1 in the telegraph comp?
Goalkeeper T Howard Everton
Defender P Evra Manchester United
Defender G Clichy Arsenal
Defender G Johnson Portsmouth
Defender J Bosingwa Chelsea
Midfielder A Young Aston Villa
Midfielder M Petrov Manchester City
Midfielder J Bullard Fulham
Striker R Van Persie Arsenal
Striker R Keane Liverpool
Striker J Defoe Portsmouth
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 11:32 am:
too many footballers - try putting in a cyclist or two
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to start first gameweek: Osman or Geovanni?
leaning towards the former but i dont know…
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 11:38 am:
yeah, osman, i reckon blackburn are going to be rubbish this year
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 11:57 am:
See I’d go with Giovanni. I’d imagine Hull would go all out for a win.
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Captain for the weekend? Who are people going for? I have Adebyaor, Tevez or Lampard lined up but can’t decide. Think I’ll go with Ades or Tevez. What do people think? We really could do with that captain poll.
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 11:54 am:
I have RVP or Tevez as Capt. Think I’m going for Tevez. I’m pretty sure he’ll play 90 mins as even if United are 3 or 4 up, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney, Neville will be the first to be rested. Whereas Arsenal would probably rest Van Persie or Adebayor to give Bendtner some minutes.
I am also considering Vidic, because Newcastle can’t really defend corners.
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I’m settled on a Green/Schwartzer combo in goal, but who should I bench for gameweek 1? Green at home to Wigan or Schwartzer away at Hull?
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 11:53 am:
Green for me. It’s a BIG day for Hull, so i expect them to have a go at Fulham.
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Reply by Dr. Rog on August 15, 2008 12:19 pm:
im going for jussi / turnball
turnball will hardly ever play and i think he will pcik up some value as 37% of players look to switch out schwarzer and into another 4mln GK over the season
james is coming in for jussi after 5 games. you cant beat his saves and bonus points…
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 1:12 pm:
i’d going uber budget on my keepers…schwarzer and turnbull. I think turnbull will be first choice at boro (the fans can’t stand Jones), so i’ll just pick one depending on fixtures. i
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 1:14 pm:
i’d going uber budget on my keepers again this year…schwarzer and turnbull. I think turnbull will be first choice at boro (the fans can’t stand Jones), so i’ll just pick one depending on fixtures. I don’t like to think about keepers too much, it’s a bit pot-luck as to whether they make 3 saves, not 2, save a penalty, etc, etc.
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Just how risky is Jagielka to have? Sure does look good if he starts in midfield…
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 12:10 pm:
Not that risky. It’s just Everton don’t look too convincing to me. They may struggle to achieve the clean sheets they got last season and going forward look a little one dimensional…but, you never know…
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Reply by Alexi on August 15, 2008 12:36 pm:
thanks Stevie b…yeah tough to say how they will do but i feel the same as you about them
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Just wondered what defensive 5 looks better;
Laursen, Gallas, L.Young, Steinsson, Figueroa
OR
Laursen, Wheater, L.Young, Steinsson, Scharner (0.5 cheaper)
the first should provide more clean sheets, but the second could provide more points from the other stuff, and is cheaper….
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 12:01 pm:
Neither are as good as mine. Bale, Vidic, Cahill, Sagna, P. Neville.
I’d go with the 1st, because the 2nd 5 doesn’t have any defenders from United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton or Man City. And look at who got the most clean sheets last year.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 12:12 pm:
That’s what i’m thinking. I’m only going to play 3 most of the time anyway.
Expensive defence you’ve got there. I take it you’re going to play 4 most weeks?
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 12:56 pm:
Yeah, my theory this year is the have one bargain defender, one mid and one forward. So this year I have Cahill/Figeroa, Giovanni and Zaki.
I will get rid of Neville tho after Evetons early fixtures and get Wheater.
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This is my team on Fantasy Premier League, Can anyone give me help where to change if needed.
Cech
R. Ferdinand
Carvalho
Clichy
Bently
A. Young
Faubert
M. Petrov
Anelka
Adebayor (c)
Bent
Schwarzer
Meite
Mcshane
De Ridder
i was thinkin changin Faubert but need someone cheap with he rest of the team.
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Reply by Akers on August 15, 2008 12:59 pm:
I save money by getting rid of Anelka. I’d have Alves or Defoe after his difficult few fixtures, then get Downing or Arteta or Cahill.
Oh and I’d have Figeroa instead of Meite, as I can’t see West Brom keeping any clean sheets.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 1:04 pm:
Change R.Ferdinand for Laursen? and then get M.Taylor in for Faubert? And upgrade one of your sub-defenders?
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Tevez….No Ade. No Tevez. Ade. Kinda have the same problem, but think im gonna go with tevez just on the basis that Newcastle look ripe for a thrashing!
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Steinsson or Cahill? The signing of Shittu has put me up Shittu creek without a paddle. Can’t believe Megson will play O’Brien RB, although he may be thinking of using Steinsson as a winger to bring on inplace of Davies. I guess he thinks if things aren’t going well with O’Brien he can always bring on Steisson to play at RB. If the ginger mourinho decides to play Steinsson he could get loads of assists which Cahill won’t. Any Bolton fans with insider knowledge out there…?
yes, i know, it’s a long shot.
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Chec. Only 6mil looks like good value, anyone else think though that chelsea will be a tad more attacking this season especially with there full backs and so won’t have as many clean sheets due to counter attacks? Want a good mid price keeper and am stuck. Or should i just stick with bargains and spend elsewhere?
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Playing the premierleague.com- have a final team and would appreciate comments:
Cech (Turnbull)
—Cahill–Baines—L Young—Evra—Clichy—
Downing Lampard A Young (Osman & Kim Do-Heon)
Adebayor (c) Anelka (Miller)
with ronaldo not around there is no obvious choice for captain, but to me the rest of the team looks solid. thoughts?
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Anyone got the inside on Seol for Fulham. On here it looks like he’ll start up front. Fulham fans aren’t even considering him.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/M.....icID=52842
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anybody have any idea how the player value fluctuations work? i’m interested in whether ferdinand’s value may rise as a result of being picked by 33% of people playing. defenders don’t usually go above his current value of 7.0, with one exception, john terry at 7.5. any information is greatly appreciated.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:04 pm:
why is john terry valued at 7.5m? ridiculous.
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I think the predicted Arsenal team may be wrong…
Arsene often gives his team away in the order of players in his squad announcements.
From BBC:
Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Nasri, Ramsey, Denilson, Walcott, Adebayor, Van Persie, Fabianski, Eboue, Djourou, Bendtner, Vela, Wilshere, Gibbs.
From this, I would expect Nasri to replace Eboue, not Ramsey as originally predicted; and Toure to start if fit
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I know posting teams is a bit dull, but I am a FF virgin. After much tinkering, any thoughts on …
Jaaskelainen (Kirkland)
Evra, Young L, Jagielka (Bosingwa, Figueroa)
Lampard, Bentley, Taylor ,Young A (De Ridder)
Tevez, Van Persie(C), Ashton
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Surely Andy van der Mayde definitely out injured for Everton = Baines definitely starting at left back for Everton? Jagielka holding midfield with Neville at right back?? Can anyone confirm my assumptions?!
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:02 pm:
i’m shying away from Baines until it’s proven that he’s going to play 70+ minutes every week (the amount of times he was subbed at half-time or on 50-60 minutes wasn’t funny (also, don’t forget Valente). He’ll play for now, but when others come back from injury he may not play. Depends whether you think the risk and short term nature of the signing is worth it. I’m not so sure it is, a couple of clean sheets early on..maybe. It’s unlikely he’s going to set the world alight, although having said that, there’s not much better in the 5.0m bracket (Wheater? West Ham boys, Scharner when fit?).
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 3:17 pm:
I’m banking on baines starting, think they don’t have enough players to do anything else. His place may be under threat when they get some midfielders back and drop jags or neville back into deffence
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I’m really feeling the pressure of the new season. With injuries, rotation and transfers looming over my team i’m tempted to start again from scratch.. This is all down to that fabregas injury. My team was all set and ready for the big KO, then he gets injured. Following this news, a chain reaction of mindless tinkering and re-tinkering and now i’m left with a team half as good as the one with Fab in it.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 2:56 pm:
I went through that stage too, but i’m reasonably happy with what i’m left with after hours of fiddling around.
It’s just a case of trying to get a good player in each of the 15 slots, for what you want out of each player. I’ve gone for Lampard instead of Fabregas. Of course there is no way of knowing how he’ll do, but looking at his career stats of a goal every 3.7 games for Chelsea he fits the bill.
I’ve gone for 2 expensive defenders with a goal threat, two bargain buys who will contribute something, and a 4.0m filler, with 2 cheap keepers. In midfield - a main scorer, and the rest are proven points collectors with good fixtures coming up. Up front - again, a main striker, along with two mid-price strikers with good goal records and some kind fixtures in the 1st month-2 months.
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Any thoughts or obvious flaws with the following line-up? (It’s for FPL).
Schwarzer *
Turnbull
Sagna *
Laursen *
Mendy *
G Johnson
Figueroa
Lampard (to be replaced with Fab when fit) *
Gera *
A Young *
M Taylor *
Richardson
Van Persie (cap) *
Alves *
Torres *
* - starting first game.
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 3:19 pm:
Do you still have cash in the bank? Your team looks light of big players. I’d look at beefing up mendy and Richardson
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:41 pm:
no, look, he’s got Torres. it’s aaaaaaall gone.
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Reply by Stion - (Strathcarnage) on August 15, 2008 6:12 pm:
Either this is a genius formation/line up or it is far too experimental. You have a weak midfield a half decent defence and a strong/chancy forward line. Of course you could be laughing at me come five o’clock tomorrow but compare it with my team:
Reina
Laursen, Carvalho, Ferdinand,
A.Young, Geovanni, Lampard, Bentley, Downing,
Tevez, Bent.
Subs: Schwarzer, Figueroa, Miller, Meite.
I would try to swap in a few of the more “dependable” players. There is always the wild card after all. I could be completely wrong but imho add at least one solid center back in defence.
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Reply by Bedknobs and Boomsticks (Naboombu Utd) on August 15, 2008 6:17 pm:
Yeah, there seems to be some budget missing there.
Stion, I castigate you for your inclusion of Meite, but all is forgiven by that team name. Partridge, what a legend. Why didn’t I think of that.
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Reply by Nick - Half Arse(nal)ed on August 17, 2008 8:32 pm:
Thanks guys
I didn’t get the chance to review your comments prior to the games starting. I think you (Stion) are right though. Maybe a bit over experimental. I did OK(ish) but there is room for a fair bit of tinkering.
I’m thinking Denilson for Richardson as he’ll play at least until Fab is back and probably beyond (barring Mr Wenger dipping into his oh so frugal pockets).
I still hold out some hope for Mendy but only if he is going to get games…
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Ok a question that I am struggling with. With Mendes on his way to Rangers, I am a man down.
I am caught between minds about a budget 4.5m buy.
Any thoughts between: De Ridder vs Johnson (Boro) vs Hamann vs Stoke / Hull / Brom players?
I have not seen much of De Ridder but decent is the word. Played a bit in pre season but I would not be sure about the reality of him being a regular in bruceys team?
Johnson of Boro was apparently v good in pre season. However, he plays in Downing’s spot. I also have Downing so if injured Johnson wud come in for me. But will this be Johnson’s only time to play?
Hamann - will he be used sparingly??
I dont know enough re Stoke and Hull players as I dont follow the Championship regularly enough. Barmby caught my eye but he only played about 18 games last year?
Any ideas folks??
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 2:48 pm:
De Ridder, i reckon.
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 3:20 pm:
me too
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Reply by Shiloh on August 15, 2008 5:49 pm:
De Ridder is a better bet than Johnson. His main competition is Kapo but there has been some rumour of him being a transfer target (already!).
De Ridder is very good at set pieces though so that should give him the edge. Plus if Bruce decides to play 5 across the middle and drop Heskey he should be guaranteed a place.
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Looks like a good solid team Andy. Maybe wait until Bosingwa is fully fit before you bring him in though? Or is it that you expect him to be back for the second game?
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Reply by Andy on August 15, 2008 3:21 pm:
I belive he is probably in for the Wigan game, so will just stick him on the bench until week 2 and go 3 4 3 this week.
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anyone think that kaboul might get a start in midfield now that mendes has left? also, is coloccini worth a look? he scored a few last season
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:18 pm:
newcastle defenders? avoid!
no, don’t think kaboul will play midfield. I think the midfield 4 could be kranjar, diop, diarra, utaka although harry has plenty of choice with davis, mvuemba and hughes all knocking on the door.
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Come on you Nigels someone must have a scoop re: SEOUL for FULHAM. Will the gook play?
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Had a squint at the skysports website re the game preview.It suggests that A O’Brian won’t start.As he is currently in my team draft 47,this isn’t ideal.Any Bolton fans better informed than me about the liklihood of him playing? Or should I go with that Shittu fella?
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Reply by Steve on August 15, 2008 3:21 pm:
what about Cahill, same price and a guaranteed starter i reckon.
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Reply by Dan on August 15, 2008 3:25 pm:
i thought cahill might be suspended after he was sent off in a friendly the other week
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:43 pm:
no sign of any suspension on the FA site.
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Reply by stevie b on August 15, 2008 3:34 pm:
hmmm…slightly suprising. Clearly Megson thinks Shittu’s extra 1 inch height, and massive upper body will help against Stoke. O’Brien is a bit slow on the turn these days anyway.
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Comments on this team? New to FPL this year - any help would be appreciated!
Jaaskelainen (Schwarzer)
Clichy, Evra, Young L, Jagielka (Shawcross)
Lampard, Bentley, Downing ,Young A (De Ridder)
Adebayor(C), Alves (Kitson)
Questions: Jags or Laursen? Alves or Bent? Kitson or Zamora? Ade worth the ££?
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Reply by Gav on August 15, 2008 3:57 pm:
any help guys? need to make any changes within th