The Watchlist – Leighton Baines
Everton’s superb 3-1 win over the Champions at Goodison has rightly raised the profile of David Moyes’ side. The Everton boss has been toiling away, somehow managing to eek out performances from a team constantly riddled by injuries and upheaval.
Despite the recent upturn in fortunes, attention from fantasy managers has been understandably sporadic. Louis Saha’s goals have put him forward for consideration, there have been brief flirtations with Tim Cahill, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and even Landon Donovan, but with England’s left-back situation thrown into flux by the injury to Ashley Cole, it’s Leighton Baines who could now emerge as Everton’s most effective player and prime fantasy target for the last quarter of the season…
In many ways Baines has suffered from a reputation built on an outstanding 2008/09 season which saw him notch seven assists and a goal, along with a haul of 14 clean sheets. Those returns resulted in a price hike (6.5 in the Fantasy Premier League game) for this season which, with Everton struggling for form, saw him dismissed as an option by most. A run of three consecutive assists in gameweeks 4-6 demonstrated Baines’ potential but Everton’s defence, lacking the presence of Jagielka, struggled to just two clean sheets in their first 18 Premier League games.
Everton’s defence has shown signs of recovery. Four clean sheets in a run of five fixtures from gameweeks 20-24 brought some returns for Baines and his defensive colleagues, but that then took them into a run of games which saw them face Liverpool, Chelsea and on Saturday, Manchester United. Predictably Everton and Baines have failed to keep shut-outs in those games.
We shouldn’t be fooled by this blip however. Everton’s fixtures improve radically in the coming weeks. The trip to Spurs in gameweek 28 is followed by a run which surely promises strong returns at both end of the field. Trips to Birmingham, Villa and an un-scheduled fixture at Man City, look to be their toughest opponents right up until the end of the season.
Baines should bring in the defensive points in this run, particularly with Jagielka nearing fitness. With six clean sheets to his name at this point, I could well double that figure over the remaining 12 fixtures. More significantly Baines will surely go on adding to his tally of five assists so far this term. His supply from the left has become a key component of Everton’s attacking play. One look at the Premier League’s crossing statistics highlight that Baines is the only full-back who can get anywhere near matching the top suppliers from midfield.
| Name | Club | Crosses | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Reid | SUN | 189 | 6 |
| Antonio Valencia | MUN | 171 | 7 |
| Ashley Young | AVL | 172 | 7 |
| Leighton Baines | EVE | 157 | 5 |
| Jamie O’Hara | POR | 147 | 3 |
| Steven Gerrard | LIV | 147 | 6 |
| Stephen Hunt | HUL | 140 | 5 |
| Francesc Fabregas | ARS | 126 | 13 |
| James Milner | AVL | 130 | 11 |
Mikel Arteta’s return to the Everton lineup will reduce Baines’ potential from the dead-ball but his regular forays down the flank threaten to return at least another five assists if Everton can exploit their apparently easy run-in. With his price dropping to a more palatable 5.9 in the Fantasy Premier League game, I’d expect to see Baines’ 4% ownership stat rise considerably in the month ahead and early investors repaid for their foresight.
Cheryl Cole is back on the market – looks like I’d better get a plane ticket then….
http://www.foxsports.com.au/st.....public_rss
a hughes > bikey
jerome > bendtner
worth a 4 point hit?
Hello all,
My team for the coming gameweek.
Hart
Ridgewell ShawX Hughes Ivaovic
Eagles Fabregas Nzogbia Duff
Drogba(C) Rodallega
Subs: Sorenson, Valencia, Rooney, Brown
As you can see i dont make any transfers this week to field a playing eleven.
But i am tempted to do the following transfers.
Brown –> Carragher / Insua
Roadallega –> Donovan/Bent/??
I know that wigan have a double game week coming up but am sick of having rodallega and he can get me a maximum of 2 points per game. With fixtures like away to birmingham, home to liverpool followed by Away to bolton I dont see any hope.
Is it ok for me to take a four 4 hit when i shouldnt be doing any.
Suggestion please.
You are in the same boat as me. I can field XI without making any changes and I too am saddled with Rodallega, who isn’t doing it for me or anyone else right now.
I am going to wait until after the cup replays tomorrow night before I even think about making any changes.
The way I see it at the moment is that you and I may well have other more important priorities to address for GW29, especially if we have to make several changes to field a team for that week.
Rodallega is guaranteed to play every game, so at least he is a body you can throw out there to make up the numbers and just collect 2 points. Plus he still is a goal threat, hard though that is to believe at the moment.
Changing Roda now for another player, at the moment, has to therefore be considered an unnecessary and frivolous waste of an inevitable points hit.
you have Nzogbia his the one who can really score and get bonuses,
I think you should go with Bent/ saha
you can keep him this week
You have Duff, Hughes, Ivanovic & Drogba going awol in gw29, so those would be my priorities. I guess Brown and Eagles might be benched too though.
How about Hughes to Insua?
The biggest week of the season is coming up and its feeling good.
The leader in my league has 6 players available, if Diaby comes back I have 11, he may cut his own lead as he will have to take some hits so if my triple Birmingham defenders shut out pathetic Wigan then some serious ground could be made up.
I’m confidant that Birmingham will have a clean-sheet this week!
So am I, that could be 18 valuable points in what could be a low scoring week.
I’ll be cheering against it even with Hart in goal because rival has the extra Birm defender.
Seconded. i will have Hart in goal too nxt gw.
Wigan have proved that they need more then your cheers TM, fill your boots.
At least they won’t be playing on their home goat track so anything is possible. 1 goal by Wigan & 12 points disappear for you.
AV scored 5 goals after 5 games average 1 and same will be with wigan, they will score minimum one goal in birmingam u will see
Morning CP, ANy inside knowledge in regards to the fitness of Diaby. I am very reluctant to move on given his potential over the remainer of the season…….
Only what has been already said on Arsenal.com mate in that Wenger has said he is back, we will find out for sure by Friday I guess.
TM it is a risk worth taking as I expect most teams to score in the 30′s this week.
Plus Wigan are crap home and away so I’m fairly confident.
I agree CP, I think they will keep the CS & its pretty hard to have a decent 11 on the field in these next 2 weeks anyway.
We’re all in the same boat with Man u players sitting on the bench this week.
These are the 2 weeks that will shape most of our seasons TM, Wed night will make it all clearer, taking points hits this week will be suicidal if you can field at least 10.
Some in my league have 6 players, they may have to take 3 or 4 hits just to get a team out, if you can manage to outscore them by say 10 then you could chip away a large chunk.
The people who will really suffer over the next couple of weeks are those with 1 or 2 dirt cheap defenders/mids so that they can afford lots of Man U & Chelsea players. Those with 15 decent players will reap the rewards.
I take it you are one of those that will be “reaping the rewards” Teddy? only 4 out for GW29
Johnny, good morning sir. Film update this week.
Prophet – 4 stars
Moon – 1 star (I think I missed the point on this one)
seen them?
Prophet – reviews have been fantastic, want to see
Moon – LOVED IT, I really really enjoyed it, kind of film I didn’t know what to expect, thought Sam Rockwell, rockwelled!
Saw Funny People (4 from 5 – I do not like Adam Sandler and all his stupid voices but if you get over this it is a really well written and funny film with an understated performance from Sandler, gets a bit silly in one of the final scenes but well worth a watch), Finding Eric (4 from 5) and Harry Brown (3.5 from 5) at the weekend, god Harry Brown really paints a grim picture of inner city life in the UK! Michael Caine is brilliant in it but I am always sceptical that a so called “vigilante” can get away with that stuff these days with all the forensic science around, fingerprinting, fibres etc at crime scences
The reviews for Moon were incredible. I will need to watch again without the missus reading an argos catalogue next to me.
Re-construction of my ankle yesterday has meant I have a few days of just watching films! (and playing football again)
La Haine, District 9 and Downfall are up next.
Am I right in saying that Wenger said “he is coming back” in relation to Arshavin and Diaby, so we don’t actually know when? Also, any news on Gallas, I think it was 10 days last week does that mean this weekend do we think/have we heard? cheers
Indeed he did Johnny. Wenger never said he was actually back yet. Or Arshavin. Was quite a bizarre message actually, surely all injured players are coming back. I am sure the fact he said this means they are close to fitness though.
ya cheers si, couldn’t see that link, I wasn’t being pedantic. I am looking at Diaby but am waiting for something concrete and main rival has Gallas, so more concerned about Gallas!!
Wenger would not say they are coming back if they were going to be unavailable, if he says they are coming back then you would be right to be confident of them making the weekend.
cheers CP, our most trusted Arsenal officianado along with MFaulkner on these boards!
Dear Sirs,
Advice is needed for the following team:
Hart (boaz)
Baird Dann Caldwell Scharner (Collins)
Duff Cesc (Hunt) (Valencia) McCarthy(WA)
Tevez Drogs (Roon)
I have 10 players who got GW but 5 of them from same fixture (Bir-Wigan)
I also have 6.8 in Bank, No transfers yet made
thinking of transfering Hunt out along with Tevez and taking a 4 point hit.
ANy suggestions ? is it too early for Torres?
is it advisable to take another 4 point hit and limit my exposure from Bir-Wig game and transfer out 1/2 wigan defenders?
Will SAF fit both Valencia and Nani in the same team?
Cheers
I’d be tempted to boot Scharner with Wigan in freefall for someone like Ridgewell/Ricketts. This cheapens the defence I know, but the defenders can be rotated around.
I’d wait on Torres and see how he plays.
I’d wouldn’t take the 4pt hit, not worth it.
Valencia/Nani? Both a rotation risk. If he is back in the first team, Benayoun might be worth chancing.
Even when Benayoun was playing well he wasn’t getting starts. Think Rafa might be an anti-semite
Got this feeling that L’pool are going to finish 4th with a strong finish particularly with Torres coming back, World Cuppy places at stake, etc.
Benayoun is a huge risk. He is effectively in competition with Maxi, Riera, Babel and Aurelio for the left sided spot when Kuyt, Gerrard and Torres are all fit.
That scuppers that idea then!
Donovan and Skertl OR Saha and Carragher???
WHO WOULD U GET???
2nd one by lengths.
Seconded.
Donovan and Carragher OR Saha and Skertl????
Donovan is goin’ to California soon – the hippies are having a love-in
And get on the decaff
Saha and Ricketts then Benayoun.
One of the papers this morn says Jamie O’Hara knocked out Michael Brown in training after a ‘minor disagreement’.. Hope the club don’t take any internal action otherwise I am screwed, ha!
Brown deserved it by all accounts. Good to see some passion still there, though!
Bown has always been in need of a slap!
Brown is a horrible little runt (where r = c).
Speaking of ‘orrible runts. Javier Mascherano. Totally runs his foot down Barry’s achilles and avoids a booking. A few minutes later, Barry accidentally handles whilst protecting his face and that horrible little chipmunk is right in the ref’s face gesticulating with an invisible yellow card.
Top 5 Premier League ‘Orrible Runts:
1. Javier Mascherano
2. Michael Brown
3. Andy Wilkinson
4. Craig Fagan
5. Lee Bowyer
Feel free to amend, chaps.
Essien doesn’t make the list?!
Drogba, by all means.
Essien and Drogba make the top 5 “Lovely chaps I would invite round my mother’s for afternoon tea” (along with Cashley, JT and Lamps)
Make sure you keep an eye on your girlfriend then if they’re all coming!
Anyone think that Rooney will fire blank again tonight?
Personally i am confident that he will start against West Ham and i do want him to score a brace as i am captaining him this week. Just hope that he hasnt burn-out so quickly!
“Come ON, Mr. Wayne! Get me at least 1 goal and 3bps tonight!!”…haha
I would be surprised if there are many managers in the top 25,000 that have not captained Rooney, Danny. Or any challengers at the top of your private leagues so it should have little impact either way?
Will piss me off as I put him in just to cover the potential point haul having been ruined by him for weeks now.
out of the 5 which should i pick
a) cahill>Song
b)cahill>Bale(already have dawson)
c)Cahill>Steinsson
d)Cahill>rickets
e)Cahill>distin
Did I miss something? What happened the Watch list?!
I’m trying to bring this back as a sidebar feature. I’ve taken it down to do so but I’m now looking to update this today in it’s old single page format. Pop back later.
Excellent! Good stuff mark.
Being updated by the fine scouts on this site.
i have been seriously considering my transfer options over the next two gameweeks, trying to keep in mind missing fixtures, potentially missing fixtures due to cup interference, and (maybe most importantly), getting myself a decent team out for gw29 so i get into the ffs cup.
for some reason i’m drawn to eagles of burnley, to come in for the horribly injured etherington. am i mad?
See latest tweet on Etherington.
out of the 5 which should i pick
a) cahill>Song
b)cahill>Bale(already have dawson)
c)Cahill>Steinsson
d)Cahill>rickets
e)Cahill>distin.
c,d,or e
can you not afford Baines? I like Distin myself but not sure what’s going to happen to him once Jags back
i can afford baines but if i do that, i cannot swap over rodallega to saha. who would be betetr in the long term? baines or saha?
I find it quite bizarre how the French FA are allowed to postpone Lyon’s weekend “Ligue” game in advance of a Champions League week. Surely UEFA should control this and not allow unfair advantages? Is this common practice?
I remember the frenchies doing it in the past too. Should be rules against that kind of thing.
No one forbids English clubs to seek postponement. The problem is that English FA has a League with 20 clubs and two cups(one pretty pointless) and a rule of replaying games if their drawn. Such replays don’t exist nowhere in Europe for at least 20 years, because they are a waste of time. They should go for penalties if the games are drawn after 90 minutes ans save strength of the players for more important games. The FA just wants more games and more cash and don’t care about health of the players.
I assumed that would be the case, thanks Milan.
Morning Chaps,
Wanted to get a rough idea on what on earth im going to do this week!?
Sorensen (Jensen)
Dawson, Dann, Wilkinson (suspended?) [Evra, Collins]
Fabregas, Gera, McCarthy [Milner, Valencia]
Drogba, Bent [Rooney]
so currently i’ve got 5/6 out! are lots of people taking points hits?
Was initially thinking Evra and Valencia out for maybe Baines and Kuyt!!? yuck
I don’t think Wilkinson is suspended. How many have you got out of GW29?
I think xabi’s right. Wilkinson is suspended for the FA Cup tie this week (I think) and then will be available for the Arsenal game.
According to the FA (http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/Dis.....sionLists/) it looks like it’s only a one game ban. Which is a relief for me though I’ll probably transfer Wilkinson out sharpish anyway.
Depends on FA cup but potentially:
Milner, Collins, Gera, Drogba, Dawson,
Yikes. Spose AV might be the priority but i do want both Collins and Milner long term….
Oh dear
im changing stearman to insua this week, is it worth my while turnin andy reid to pinnear for a 4 point hit so 11 players are playin?
May be the english FA should be put some rules the amount of debts a club can accumulate because something tells me that is a slighlty bigger advantage that postponing a game.
Guys, it is just all skewed. Get on with it. I can’t believe there are no common european rules. Shame !
Fair point but a totally separate issue.
posted at the wrong place – apologies
Ryan Nelson’s injury will likely mean Givet continues at CB and Olsson at LB? With a terrible run of games and despite a DGW and his great value, it may be time to swap Olsson.
Indeed it might… Any thoughts on Chelsea boy Jack Cork? Played Midfield for Burnley the other day. Involved in both goals. Dunno if he’s a guaranteed starter though… 4.0. They’ve nice fixtures too.
I am going to take a punt on Jack Cork, doctor. Very good player and will likely keep his place in midfield now. It seems Fox will not be OOP and Bikey may lose his place to Alexander.
Cork was captain of the Chelsea reserves for a while. He won’t get many goals but is creative and may pick up some bonus along the way.
If Alexander is fit, he is probably a better value OOP Burnley defender as he is on pens, although we are not sure if Laws will play him as much as Coyle did yet.
Any ideas on a good transfer this week. I do want Baines but might wait until after the Spurs game to get him. Wilshire is unlikely to start and Diaby is currently injured to looks like im going to have to take a hit.
Any ideas?
1: Hart
2: Ivanovic
3: Craddock
4: Dann
5: Diaby
6: N’Zogbia
7: Fabregas(C)
8: Modric
9: Wilshere
10: Saha
11: Drogba
Subs
12: Sorensen
13: Dunne
14: Evra
15: Rooney
im thinking evra -> song as a start
in fact what do you think of this….
evra –> song
wilshere –> pienaar