Aug
16
Ashton Scan On Monday
Dean Ashton’s brace against Wigan today may have made him a top fantasy target but caution is required before drafting him in - the Hammers striker has sustained a calf injury.
Ashton was withdrawn on 73 minutes after appearing to pick up a strain following a wayward effort from a free-kick. The injury is in his calf and West Ham are hoping that it’s just a case of severe cramp but the striker has been removed from Capello’s England squad and is due to have a scan on Monday.
In the Fantasy Premier League game over 3000 managers have already transferred the Hammers striker into their sides as a result of today’s goals.
Idiots.
I knew Ashton wouldnt last long… but one game?! Even RVP did better than that :p
[Reply]
Thats because Wenger has rocks in his head and didnt even start him!
As a spurs fan this has just strengthened my intense hate of arsenal..
but i take comfort in the 5-1 flogging we handed to them last game we played
[Reply]
Reply by Guy Incognito on August 17, 2008 8:15 pm:
Get over it. It was only against a bunch of kids anyway.
[Reply]
Yeah, just a shame the hot-spurs lost the first game of the season, ah… Knobhead spurs fan.
[Reply]
hey guys only found this website now ….. i did really really bad this week , wait for …… 17 point only so far please help me with my squad next week … in my team now i have. Kirkland ,Clichy, Richards , Bosingwa , Modric, Lampard, Dempsey, Fabregas, Van Persie, Berbatov, Defoe ….. this is my team for game week 2 . please help if i need to change anything
[Reply]
Reply by themoz on August 17, 2008 9:45 am:
Hi, Johann,
You have a good team on paper but some of your stars who are costing a lot of money are either injured or not settled.
I’d swap Fab for Nasri. Dempsey for Dunn, Berbatov for Sanat Cruz, Richards for perhapsa Portsmouth player once they get past gw3. And you need cech or Reina in goal. And FAubert for Dempsey - West Hams fixtures are good.
hope this helps….
[Reply]
Hi all, this is my first year in the FPL and I have a question for all of you who have had previous experience. I noticed that you can make trades during the game week before all the games have been played. I want to know how this works, e.g. will the trades only take effect after all games are played? What happens in regards to player values as they haven’t changed at this stage. I would really appreciate some insight, thanks.
[Reply]
Reply by Marc on August 17, 2008 3:23 am:
Your transfers will only come into effect for the next gameweek. The lineup that you have now for GW1 cannot be changed.
There are generally two schools of thought when it comes ‘when to make transfers’:
1) Early.
Meaning: Transfer during the current gameweek or immediately after.
-Pro: You transfer before the players value rises, therefore saving on funds.
-Con: You risk bring in a player that picks up a knock in a subsequent game, or one that wasn’t obvious in the first place.
2) Late.
Meaning, you transfer at the end of the week, immediately prior to the next GW.
Essentially the pro and cons are flipped.
Oh, and as a heads up.
You only gain half of the actual rise in value of the player. For example, if Fabregas value rises to 10.1, he’ll still be 10.0 on your roster. Only once his value rises to 10.2 will it rise to 10.1 for you.
Doesn’t work this way for value decreases.. As you feel the immediate effect on any drop.
[Reply]
Reply by Shilo on August 17, 2008 4:53 am:
Another “hint” is to sort the transfer list by Transfers In and Out. The value of the players will rise and fall based on transfer activity…not necessarily performance.
If you see a big move up or down in transfers for either the player you plan to drop or add, then it’ll help you decide if you can wait or might get priced out.
[Reply]
Reply by luis on August 17, 2008 8:35 am:
hmm, so from what time will the player values start changing?
Sun night? Mon afternoon?
Think I need to draft in Arteta and/or Geovanni but may have to sell Ashton.
[Reply]
Reply by Shilo on August 17, 2008 10:58 am:
From the Help Section:
How do player values change?
After the season starts player values may change by 0.1 a day based on activity in the transfer market. Both the formula used to calculate this change and the time of the change include variable factors and won’t be revealed to game players.
[Reply]
Reply by Andy on August 17, 2008 12:07 pm:
Bonus updates get processed about 1-2 hours after the last game of the day. A player value update is done at the same time as the league table update, roughly 1/2-1 hour after the bonus update. There is also a player value update around 3am every morning, but this rarely produces a change after a match day, unless there were high volume transfer movements after the previous update following the games.
Therefore even though the help section mentions only 0.1 a day, a player could lose 0.1 on the league table update and lose 0.1 on the 3am update the following morning, giving the impression the player has lost 0.2 in one day. This will only usually happen with a high profile player that thousands of people sell due to an injury, or when a player gets a hat-trick and there is manic buying.
[Reply]
Reply by Guy Incognito on August 17, 2008 8:28 pm:
Very interesting but I think it’s worth mentioning that price changes of £0.2M in a day can pretty much be discounted (I can’t recall any happening). Price changes of as little as £0.3M in a single gamesweek are also unheard of (at least I don’t remember seeing any). I think newbies need to be aware of this… they shouldn’t get too worried, price fluctuations are fairly small.
[Reply]
Anyone know why Agger didn’t play? No big deal really as my sub was Ashton. Just curious.
[Reply]
Looks like typical Liverpool squad rotation.
Only 2 players are safe from this, Reina and Gerrard.
[Reply]
Reply by Andrew on August 17, 2008 12:14 pm:
He actually picked up a dead leg in the CL qualifier on wednesday, so with Hyypia at his disposal, rafa decided not to risk Agger. He should get back in the side for next weekend, if that is, Skrtel isn’t given a game after being injured.
[Reply]
How many transfers result in price increase/decrease?
I see Nasri has over 6000 transfers in, and want to get him in before his value goes up.
[Reply]
Reply by Shilo on August 17, 2008 10:59 am:
See above….
[Reply]
Marc C, i suppose 1-0 win over a newly promoted team at HOME, in their first game of the season isnt to bad!
Its a good sign on how well they are going to cope when they actually verse a good, experienced team..
looks like it could be another year of disappiontment followed by another empty trophey cabnit for arsenal!
[Reply]
True, at least you’ve got the league cup.
[Reply]
Any ideas why Shittu didn’t play? (Or is this a pointless question given his name….?)
[Reply]
4798 have transferred Ashton in already on FPL - more fool them. Can’t believe so many are that psychic to anticipate the results of his scan!
[Reply]
guys,
who would you go for? Nasri or Downing? wanted to see how they both performed yesterday and both look conssitenet, nasri may be less consistenet once fab comes back whereas downing will be at centre of everything.
what y’all reckon.
The Dog
[Reply]
Reply by I reckon.... on August 17, 2008 11:35 am:
that you’ve got a really crap name.
[Reply]
Reply by Andrew on August 17, 2008 12:16 pm:
I reckon that you need to work on your spelling of “consistent”.
If you are wanting to bring in a player this week, go for Downing as he is settled and is also Boro’s main creative influence.
But you could wait to see how Nasri fits into an Arsenal side that includes Fabregas, as his potential for big points would be higher than Downing’s.
[Reply]
in my head to head league, i’m up against a guy who still has ronaldo in his team… AS CAPTAIN!
[Reply]
Reply by Akers on August 17, 2008 12:01 pm:
Lucky you. I got third top score in the entire league with Vidic, Scholes, A Young and Tevez(c) to play. However I’m up against the one guy that has got Nasri, Giovanni, and Ashton (C)! Still could be in with a shout tho as I’m only 21 points behind and he only has A Young left to play.
[Reply]
Bosingwa starts, no other surprises in either line-up.
[Reply]
Was it just me or did Julien Faubert play a blinder? He was at the centre of everything. May draft him in for next week as had some midfield flops yesterday.
[Reply]
Reply by themoz on August 17, 2008 12:51 pm:
Yeah, good idea! I had in on the bench. West Ham’s fixtures are good so at 5.5 mil is worth it
[Reply]
Might bring in Anelka and Arteta for Van Persie and Bentley being shown the exit door, good idea, I think Spurs didn’t look too good yesterday. Thoughts?
[Reply]
Reply by themoz on August 17, 2008 1:10 pm:
I’d keep Bentley for another week. They are at home to Sunderland next week. I have RVP - probably give him another few matches as long as he is fit
[Reply]
My first year playing FPL and as a die hard Man U supporter, and with Lampard in my team, I’m having a major issue with cheering Lampard on!
I’m guessing I’m in for a looong season.
[Reply]
Nasri, downing or faubert? Faubert cheap, downing solid, and nasri may do better or worse depending on fabregas. Man, it gets tougher even after the season has started!!!!!
The Dog
[Reply]
For those at the Utd game, could you put a voodoo hex on Evra or Ferdinand? I foolishly have Arteta as my 1st sub, everyone else in my side started.
Poor first week, but happy with the team. Not sure about strikers mind you, Ade looked rubbish on MOTD. Will watch Rooney with great interest today
[Reply]
I had ashton as my first sub, sucks doesn’t it.
Still not convinced about arsenal, just thought that west brom were rubbish. Am definatley avoiding ade and rvp, however I might look at some of their defenders a little closer.
[Reply]
If I take Van Persie out who should I bring in?
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 1:59 pm:
anelka, berbatov for same money
or trade down to yak, alves, carew
[Reply]
Nathan: Torres, Tevez or Anelka. Have a gut feeling about Rooney but will wait & see for him to score in 2 consecutive matches.
Anelka is a bit of a donkey but like Ade, will score because he’s in a team that creates chances. Tevez will get bonus points & assists. Torres will score the odd hat-trick.
Personally I don’t rate the Yak, esp. in a team that looks likely to struggle early doors.
[Reply]
Glad I have Cech and Lampard in my Team 7 and 8 Points so far and I wouldn’t mind a punt on Agbonlahor considering price of Rooney and Torres!
[Reply]
Reply by themoz on August 17, 2008 2:10 pm:
Dude, never count yor points, especially defenders before 90+ minutes are up and when a team is 3-0 up!
[Reply]
Reply by Bomber on August 17, 2008 2:13 pm:
Agreed, i’m dreading a late portsmouth goal.
[Reply]
p.s. How good is Boswinga? I didn’t see any of the Euro’s (due to my work hours) but BBC are bigging him up today. How does he rate in terms of assists, goal threat, bonus V Evra or others?
[Reply]
Bosingwa*
[Reply]
Pop quiz:
Arteta or Downing?
I thought Downing was the better option before but now i’m not so sure.
Dont want to be caught jumping on the bandwagon…
What do you think?
[Reply]
UPDATE - Tevez doesn’t start due to family bereavement.
[Reply]
Ooooh dear no Tevez at Man u…Gone back home due to a family bereavement…Frazier Campbell starts…Should be interesting to see how they do..Chelsea setting the standard so far
[Reply]
Downing for me Dr Rog. He’ll be consistent no matter what. Everton look like they will struggle and they did play blackburn after all!
[Reply]
Reply by themoz on August 17, 2008 2:31 pm:
Yeah, I think Downing should be in your team long term. Especially now Middlesborough have Alves.
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 2:34 pm:
thanks. i thought so too
tempted to jump on bandwagon though - his price will surely go up now but will stick with downing…
[Reply]
Reply by Bomber on August 17, 2008 2:38 pm:
I’ve got arteta and personally I think he’s the better option at the moment.
Boro’s next few fixtures are pretty tough compared with Evertons. Also their will be a bigger onus on arteta to provide, hence more possibly of assists, goals and bonus points.
[Reply]
Tevez flown back to Argie-Bargie for family bereavement. And just yesterday I was doing fist-pumps after choosing Tevez over Ade for captain this week.
[Reply]
You must be shitting me :|.
[Reply]
No it’s true Frazier Campbell up front with Rooney today. Deco looks fantastic is it worth having Deco and Lampard in same team though? I think so because if you think about it Chelsea could run riot against most Teams this season as this Portsmouth Team that just got beat 4-0 held Manu 0-0 after 90 mins in the community shield.
P.S if I do get Deco in will have to be very soon as his price will no doubt go up!
[Reply]
Lads, if tevez was your captain this week, is your captain bonus completely gone? not to be insensitive, my sypathies are with mr. tevez.
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 3:01 pm:
basic algebra dictates that two times zero is still zero
[Reply]
Reply by Guy Incognito on August 17, 2008 8:33 pm:
Don’t think that has anything to do with algebra Doc.
[Reply]
i had neville in my team, fergie opted for brown. I’m staying well clear of both of them as i’ll never be confident who fergie will pick week in week out now. Have to dig up an extra 0.5 for evra who is guaranteed now.
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 3:09 pm:
i feel that my team needs major surgery and its only week one!
[Reply]
Glad Bosingwa is back, he’s gone straight into the side for next week.
Gonna give Adebayor and Van Persie another week before I prepare to sacrifice one for the return of Fabregas.
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 3:40 pm:
Agbonlahor hat trick, two assists for barry…
villa look good this season
[Reply]
Was Gabby’s third set-up by Ashley? FPL gave it to Davies I think
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 3:49 pm:
According to BBC:
Goals: Agbon 3, Carew 1
Assists: Barry 2, Davies 1, Ashley 1
[Reply]
1st mistake this year.
Transfered Bosingwa in and 7 mins later Agbonlahor scores a hatrick with a visit to Stoke up next, ouch, that’s stinging!!!!
[Reply]
So who to bring in then. I would say either Agbonlahor (Stoke next up they will run riot) Deco class player will be one of the top scoring players this year thats a fact! So it looks like Bentley and Van Persie out and these 2 in, good idea before prices inevitably rise?
[Reply]
Reply by Rex Everything on August 17, 2008 4:21 pm:
That’s pretty much exactly what I was thinking today. Wish I’d never taken Deco out. I knew he was going to be excellent today. I had him in my team all pre-season and then I got the fear and stuck in Lampard instead. I’m lucky Fat Frank got that jammy penalty or I’d have shot myself.
Anyhow, there’s something to be said for sticking in a striker from whoever plays Stoke each week. That’s actually going to be my tactic for the next few weeks, see how it works out. Carew or Agbonlahor next gameweek. Alves the week after. Why not? I did it against Derby in the second half of last season and I won the league. Give yourself a little bit of spend by cutting back on any players over £10m (they aren’t worth it) and it shouldn’t even cost you points if you use the single free transfer each gameweek.
Seriously, can’t believe I took out Steinsson and Deco on friday. The stuff of nightmares. I’m still looking at over sixty points but what a start that would have been.
[Reply]
Reply by waggy on August 17, 2008 4:21 pm:
I did that shit last season. I ended up with a team worth 110 but had bugger all points due to transfers. I seem to remember last season Agbonlahor would have a high scoring game and score bugger all the next few games. Ive just transfered Bosingwa in for Jagielka (had him in my team for ages but dropped him as thought he wasn’t match fit).
[Reply]
Reply by CK on August 17, 2008 4:37 pm:
Calm down mate. It’s only ONE match. Don’t just buy anyone who scores! Keep the faith
[Reply]
You are going to waste points already?
[Reply]
I always think it wise to keep a player if their next game is at home.
[Reply]
No not going to waste points but will Van Persie definitly start the next match? Arsenal didn’t look to clever against a poor West Brom side and Aston Villa have Stoke next which I would expect Agbonlahor to get double figures in if his very recent form is anything to go by. Bolton put 3 past them that will Villa do considering they just scored 4 past Man City!!!
[Reply]
This is my first time dong the FPL. Just transfered Tevez and Bullard for Arteta and Yak, keeping in mind the fixtures ahead. Wise or stupid to use points like that ? Cheers.
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 4:40 pm:
makes sense i guess - you cant be sure of Tevez coming back next week (although you should’ve waited till next friday to do this) and bullard doesnt look like hes going to get many points (Arsenal next and no fixture in wk3)
everton have friendly fixtures so it makes sense - just stay away from their defenders!
[Reply]
Reply by Rob on August 17, 2008 4:49 pm:
Nice one cheers.
[Reply]
In my head to head matchup i thought i had lost this week as my oppenent has outscored me but it seems he got zero and his team is called “Duplicate Team” - does this mean this chap has been disqualified?
[Reply]
I wouldn’t panic buy and waste points on players, it’s a long season and you would expect Stoke at home to be a lot tougher to break down after getting whooped this week.
[Reply]
Now that the first gameweek is over, when do the prices changes come into play? With everyone bound to transfer in the likes of agbonlahor etc is it best to get in now or wait and make a more educated decision in a few days(for the FPL)?
[Reply]
Okay, looking ahead to next week it looks certain that Ashton is out (tell me if I’m wrong?) and I’m jumping straight onto the Agbon goal train.
Thinking he’s now a year older (and hence better), villa play attacking footy (lots of opportunities) and villa are a lot stonger than last season. And he’s obviously in form. Hence a must buy.
So that’s my logic, am I wrong?
[Reply]
Damnations…I can’t put agbonlahor in because I already have three Villa players. Is it worth losing 4 points for the transfer?
[Reply]
Reply by Adam on August 17, 2008 5:27 pm:
Am in the same situation too, i either have to lose friedel or L.Young?
Whats recommended?
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 5:32 pm:
dont waste your points jumping on a bandwagon and re making your team… if you already have three players then its likely you will have young already - he outscored agbon and was classified as a striker last year.
if he continues to perform then get him in… i wouldnt spend extra points at this stage on the basis of one game
[Reply]
I was thinking of taking out Van Persie and Taylor and bringing in Agbonlahor and either Nasri or Arteta is this a good idea because Van Persie could be good this season so thoughts?
[Reply]
Anyone got any players theyre gonna stick with for 38 weeks ??? I’m thinking of Adebayor,Clichy,Arteta and Lampard
[Reply]
Jack - who’ve you got as your other villa players? I think Young is definately someone to keep hold off and I still think their defence will be good (although not the best). As I said I’m thinking he might be a must have…hence worth 4 points.
[Reply]
I’m keeping Lampard in and want Deco but would have 2 Chelsea midfield players is this a good idea? Out: Van Persie and Bentley. In: Agbonlahor and Deco?
[Reply]
Bentley : Next Game. Sunderland Home . Is it worth taking bentley out ?
[Reply]
Reply by Sam (Team Sam) on August 17, 2008 5:58 pm:
Keep Bentley!! I’m actually thinking of captaining him next week. Give Bentley another week, and maybe just replace RVP. Just because Agbonlahor scored 3 today doesn’t mean he’ll do it every week. Stoke will be at home, and probably tougher to break down than they were yesterday.
I didn’t score amazingly this week, but I was happy with my squad the other day, and I’m not letting one weekend change that. I’m simply using my one transfer to bring Geovanni in for De Ridder
[Reply]
Reply by Dudee on August 17, 2008 6:03 pm:
Who should i Transfer ???
jasskelinan
cahill figueroa carrager clichy laursen
lamps taylor young de ridder bentley
ashton bent adebayor
I dont know who to transfer
[Reply]
Right people i think its really important to resist knee jerk reactions after GW1..All players, no matter how good they are, have peaks and troughs during the season…The key is to grab them before they hit a purple patch - not after the stable door has bolted…Last year Adebayor had a very quiet start to the season and then hit a remarkable patch of form…What i’m trying to say is yes Ashton got a brace, yes Agbonlahor got a hat trick and Nasri scored but this doesn’t mean they’ll perform any better in the next couple of weeks than players already in your squad. Most people on here have spent weeks tinkering with squads to get it just right…A good squad doesn’t become a bad one overnight…Don’t waste points transferring in others because they had a good GW1 have patience…As the lads in dad’s army used to say
“Don’t panic Captain Mannering!!”
[Reply]
Reply by Al on August 17, 2008 7:00 pm:
Ah some sensible advice from Richard. This is my fourth year playing the FPL and I have really learnt the value of being patient and not chasing points every week only to see those you transfered out get them!
If you have an injury, if someone played less than 90 mins, or if you have any bench-fillers (low value but no potential) then I would consider a transfer. But presuming you picked your squad with some insight, I would at the very least give someone a chance to play home and away before transfering them.
As such I will be leaving Bentley and Bent in for Spurs to see how they fare at home, Adebayor needs more time to be 100% sharp (he only narrowly missed a goal), and the rest of the squad likewise.
Only other factor that might casue you to trasnfer is if you’re playing a money game. It’s fairly certain Nasri, Deco, Agbonlahor will all rise in price this week, so a straight swap immediately to start building value in your team is also a valid strategy.
But I finished with the most valuable squad in my league last year but only in 4th place. It’s a delicate balance!
[Reply]
Beware Deco. Looking at his previous stats he really doesn’t score that many goals and I think that’s unlikely to change.
If I remember rightly Malouda started well for Chelski last season but then look what happened. Deco still needs to do more to prove to me he can be a consistent high scorer.
[Reply]
yeah, but with tevez gone, ive had to take the hit of offloading two this week. scored 50 though, so no big loss i reckon
[Reply]
This week was a good example of luck and going with your own picks rather than relying on Mark. Obviously this website is a good research tool, but beware the phoney advice that gets posted here, especially with Marks predicted line-ups, they are guesses like everyone else!
My advice - if you are really keen, do your own research, it does pay off
[Reply]
Reply by Mark on August 17, 2008 7:00 pm:
That’s partly true Luke - never rely on my picks. I shudder when I see some of the credence they are given. Like I’ve always said - they are just my opinion and I’ve never put myself forward as an “expert” fantasy manager, just an enthusiastic and fairly well researched one.
I must pick you up on one thing though - I certainly don’t give “phoney advice” - that suggests I’m deliberately attempting to fool the reader. All the stories here are based on the news that’s out there - I don’t make things up. The picks are of course just an opinion but again, they are based on some logic. I’m not randomly picking players with no information to guide me.
The predicted lineups which are of course “predicted” just like all the lineups on every site and newspaper you see before a game. I imagine very few of them thought RVP was on the bench or could foresee that Tevez was flying home to Argentina. All the research in the world - short of having access to BA’s ticket booking system, wouldn’t have helped us there.
[Reply]
Reply by puffinboy on August 17, 2008 7:06 pm:
I have a feeling Luke meant other people’s ‘phoney advice’ posted on the forum.
Is anyone else finding FPL page refreshes really really slow this season? It’s taking about 20 seconds for me, most of the time, while all other sites are working normally.
[Reply]
Reply by Mark on August 17, 2008 7:11 pm:
Lol, forgive me puffin - having an official league is going to play tricks with me. I’m touchy on this as I don’t want folk thinking I’m trying to promote myself up the scout league by throwing out some curveball advice. Might be tempting in the last few weeks if I’m struggling but I’ll fight it
[Reply]
Reply by Al on August 17, 2008 7:09 pm:
Mark this site works. Full stop. As a research tool to play better FPL. I have been following it for weeks in the build up, and literally everyone who did well this weekend, Nasri, Elmander, Zaki, Deco, Geovanni etc has been discussed, highlighted and vouched for through the discussions that take place.
Well done on a great site.
[Reply]
Wanting to transfer Richards (man city) for Djourou (any good?)is Cahill a better bet? and Hamann for who? Not sure will feature regularly for man city & has to be a cheapy but worthy transfer on FPL worth 5.0. Cheers Guys
[Reply]
Reply by Dr. Rog on August 17, 2008 6:32 pm:
Djourou wont play when Toure comes back.
[Reply]
Don’t know but while I admire Mark for putting all this work into this site, look at where he finishes in the League on the Premierleague Game. Is it really worth being sheep and getting worried if Mark posts his team up and it is totally different to ours? Although nevertheless I appreciate the overall site! Mistake of the week by me has to be making Van Persie Captain what a howler!
[Reply]
Reply by Steve on August 17, 2008 6:34 pm:
it could have been worse, i took torres out for tevez and didn’t choose deco as my replacement for fab because of his injury scare!
[Reply]
Reply by Mark on August 17, 2008 7:06 pm:
Spot on Nathan. My picks are just another opinion which is as valid as any other here/down the pub/in the office. I do my research but that can fall down like Drogba in the box on plenty of occasions. Use them as a point of discussion and another opinion to consider or dismiss - not as the team sheet bible for any given gameweek.
[Reply]
Reply by Leighton on August 18, 2008 7:09 am:
Mark, I don’t think you have to justify yourself: to be honest, however right or wrong your scout picks are, it just gives everbody else something to think about and adds to the wonderful debates that this fantasy game produces.
My work mates simply use the FPL site for information on injuries etc. - this site gives it to you up-to-date and accurately (suffice to say I don’t think they have come across this website yet.).
The other thing your site is excellent at doing is indicating the likely team line-ups; it would be impossible for you to get them all right unless your are a collective premiership manager mind-reader, but it does point people in the right direction, particularly for people like me who don’t know too much about the formations of the lesser teams, e.g. those teams who were promoted this season.
I have been only doing this thing a year or so and I was astounded by the amount of pre-season debate on this site.
Anyway, I notice one or two people are already thinking about getting Adebayor out of their team or Bentley - don’t - I made the same mistake last season when I made knee-jerk decisions. Get rid when the player goes 4 or 5 games without contributing substantially. On the flip side I am sure that Agbonlahor will be rushed in to many teams this week and with Stoke on the horizon that’s plausible, but Aston Villa generate and produce goals from a variety of sources: Carew, Young, Barry (or to a less er extent Laursen) - it could be one of them with two or three goals next week. I suppose again you have to wait for a patch of form to materialise: e.g. Tim Cahill at Everton last season went through a massive purple patch before Christmas. This is probably one case when the fixtures don’t matter - if a player is in form he could nick a goal or an assist against anybody. The fly-in-the-ointment comes when then player’s value goes up so hanging on too long will be literally costly.
[Reply]
Reply by Julie Bell on August 19, 2008 1:00 pm:
It is so so hard not to make knee jerk reactions, especially when you see others flying. I’m gonna stick to my game plan which actually this week was to transfer Adebayor out anyway!!! I’m waiting a few weeks to assess player’s performances before panicking & shipping out. A couple in my team didn’t perform as well as expected (!), but I’ll see how the dust settles.
[Reply]
Reply by brooklyn on August 18, 2008 12:35 am:
Mark has never claimed to be the ultimate authority on fantasy picks — the only difference between him and you or me is that he has spent considerable time, effort, and money to give us all a wonderful place to congregate and compare notes.
Cheers to you, Mark!
[Reply]
Is Hamann a mistake?
[Reply]
Reply by Will on August 17, 2008 6:53 pm:
Geovanni looks a better option than Hamann and only 0.5 mil more
[Reply]
Reply by Brad on August 18, 2008 1:09 am:
Ask his parents
[Reply]
Does anyone know where I can find player stats for each game? I used the Sky Sports Live Score Center last year but they don’t seem to have it anymore…
edit: oh wait, yes they do. Duh.
[Reply]
I think this site is a great at making you aware of what options you have- i’ve been using it for a yr or so now and will continue to use it due to the info always being more or less up to date regarding injuries etc. I normally just compare my weekly selections to what Mark has….I do agree with Nathan though-Marks selections shouldn’t be taken as gospel as he’s not always right-and I think he would agree with me too!
[Reply]
Why are people on marks case? This site is fantastic, the advice mark gives is just….. Suprisingly just advice, nathan, you are the only one that clicks on the submit team button, not mark! Use your own knowledge and form your own opinions. Perhaps all you need nathan is c ron to come back then you don’t need to use your loaf, just like the other sheep!
[Reply]
Dr. Rog, there was a duplicate team in my league too that got 0 points, I’m guessing its a computer generated team used to make up the numbers in the league and as such gets 0 points each week.
Unless there was just some error with that teams points calculation this week and by some freakish coincidence we’re in the same head to head league! (My team name is Crapulent Utd just in case!! :))
[Reply]
I expect it is people disqualified for multiple entries.
Good site Mark. Your guides are spot on. Failing to predict line ups, mishaps and form is simply not acceptable though!
This is my first season, but surely swapping out your players now is madness. I am assuming most people who find a site like this have looked at fixtures and what happened last season to find a team that looks decent for the first few weeks. I have not done my research to ditch it based on one, two or even three games. It is a long season and you can`t predict anyone to do well next weekend anymore than the one just gone!
Yet …
[Reply]
Anyone heard anything about ashton? Can’t decide whether to transfer him out for gabby.
[Reply]
Supposed to be a scan today but not sure when, I think I will wait until I hear something, if it’s minor I might leave him in on the bench for this week, with all these people bringing him in it probably means his value wont drop too much as all those and a lot more would have to bin him
[Reply]
Ashton back in training, just on SSN.
[Reply]
Reply by puffinboy on August 18, 2008 2:50 pm:
Hammers site says his scan was clear and he’s hoping to play on Sunday. I think he’s just got a phobia about playing for England, personally.
[Reply]
i need some news on ballacks injury?
anyone know?
[Reply]
I’m glad ashtons ok, surley he cant be that unlucky to have abother injury ravaged season?? I blame kieran dyer, the guys jinxing the west ham squad! ha
[Reply]