Scouting the Doubles – Burnley
The upcoming double gameweek 29 should perhaps be termed the “Owen Coyle Double Week” as the Scotsman’s current and previous clubs, Bolton and Burnley, are the only teams with two league games on their agendas, with both looking for points to help ease their respective relegation worries.
First up in our analysis is Burnley, who take on Arsenal away and Stoke at home. Following a great start to the season, the Turf Moor men have rapidly fallen apart, and are now second bottom of the table, having won just twice in their last nineteen league games…
Opponents
Burnley travel to the Emirates to take on an Arsenal side now just three points off the top of the table, following their spirited fight back against Stoke last weekend. With Nicklas Bendtner now bedding in nicely up front, Cesc Fabregas back to his brilliant best, and Arsene Wenger promising the injury to Aaron Ramsey will spur his team on in the title race, the Gunners should easily run up a substantial victory.
Currently, Derby County have the worst away record in Premiership history; two seasons back they chalked up three points on the road all season, but with just a single point earned on the road from fourteen games, Burnley are on course to eclipse that.
Burnley then host Stoke City, in a match Brian Laws will surely have earmarked as a must-win. Despite having won just twice on their travels this season, Stoke are unbeaten in their last three away fixtures. Their defeat to Arsenal was Tony Pulis’ side’s first in eight games, having previously been unbeaten since the turn of the year.
Current Form
P7 W1 DO L6 F6 A17 PTS 3
Brian Laws record since taking over the managerial reigns mid-January hardly makes for promising reading. The club have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the games, though on a (slightly) positive note, they have managed to find the net in all three of their home games under the new boss.
As stated above, the club’s away performances have been appalling this season, with only a series of fantastic results at Turf Moor keeping them in the running for survival. Having previously been unbeaten in five home games prior to Laws’ arrival, Burnley have now lost two out of three, with bottom dogs Portsmouth the latest club to leave Lancashire victorious. But for Brian Jensen’s penalty save last weekend, their defeat would have been more severe.
Rotation Risk
As Mark mentioned in a recent “Knee Jerk” article, Brian Laws’ selection policy from game to game has chopped and changed to such an extent that previous favourites are now uncertainties.
Chris Eagles and Wade Elliott, mainstays of Owen Coyle’s midfield, are, perhaps surprisingly, not guaranteed starts. New boy Jack Cork, despite impressing in the away defeat to Aston Villa, was subsequently benched against Pompey and ended up with 28 mins playing time. Martin Paterson, scorer of the club’s goal against Portsmouth last weekend, was playing his first full 90 mins of the season.
If club captain Graham Alexander is fit to start this weekend, the likes of Andre Bikey or Kevin McDonald could make way in midfield. Bikey could then drop back to defence, thus threatening the starting positions of the likes of Clarke Carlisle or Leon Cort at centre half. In short, very few players are certain to be starters as the new boss wields the axe time and again in a desperate bid for points.
Potential Targets
In all honesty, it seems – given the form and uncertainty over playing time- that Burnley offer very little positives for this upcoming DGW. Investment, therefore, comes at a risk, but with so many teams on FA Cup duty and players subsequently missing from FPL line-ups, there will undoubtedly be many managers willing to take a chance.
Brian Jensen
The goalkeeper comes into the DGW on the back of a penalty save against Portsmouth, and is possibly the nearest thing to a nailed-on starter you could get under Brian Laws. Will be under siege in the Emirates game, though given that Paul Robinson picked up 5 FPL points when Blackburn conceded six at Arsenal (thanks to the number of saves), Jensen could come out of the first game not too badly.
Having failed to keep a clean sheet under Laws, Jensen’s luck seems unlikely to change in the home game with Stoke either, considering Portsmouth had 16 shots at goal last weekend.
Predicted Return: 15 saves
Danny Fox
Fox caught the eye and was subject of much talk on the FFS boards with 13 points on his debut, but has subsequently picked up 2 points from his last 3 games. The fact that he takes corners and free kicks is worth a gamble, though, giving Fox a better chance than most to grab an assist. Has missed a mere five minutes since joining the club at the end of the January transfer window, so is more likely than most to participate.
Predicted Return: 1 assist
Graham Alexander
Having turned out for the reserves midweek following a recent calf injury, the club captain will surely return to the starting line-up this weekend. Being the club’s penalty taker has helped boost his goals tally to five in the league this season, and despite missing the last five games, has only 5 less FPL points than Chris Eagles. Of his total of 72 points, 57 have been picked up at home.
Predicted Return: Good chance he‘ll not score, but then again it‘s always worth having a club‘s penalty taker in the ranks, especially when he‘s priced at £4.7m.
Chris Eagles
Earlier in the season, it seemed the midfielder merely had to turn up on the pitch for FPL Bonus Points to come his way; so far Burnley have been awarded 62 Bonus Points this season, with 18 going Eagles’ way. However, it now depends if Brian Laws allows the winger time on the pitch. He has played just 28 minutes of the last two home games, and has failed to hit Bonus in Burnley’s last five games, but if anyone can give the team a much-needed creative spark, it’s him.
Predicted Return: 1 Bonus Point
Steven Fletcher
A steady return of two goals and an assist in his last five games is pretty much a reflection of the forward’s season. Having pulled out of Scotland’s midweek match with a broken hand, Fletcher’s availability is still anticipated this weekend, with Brian Laws hoping the hitman can take to the pitch with a protective cast. As mentioned earlier, Burnley have scored in all three home games under Laws, and Fletcher, as their top scorer, is their best bet to notch a goal.
Predicted Return: 1 goal.
About the Author
Sir Paulos is certain he won't make the same mistakes next season.
Blimey i’m actually tempted to get the little Russian in again instead of Lee after cursing his name a few months back. Burnley at home? back in his favoured position? No one will have him? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I was thinking about it until i heard the Diaby news. Seems to play better with Bendtner on the pitch for some reason
Diaby would be steady but Arshavin *could* be explosive.
what’s the diaby news?
hes fit for Burnley. there is a link posted somewhere above
great news! in that case, do you reckon it’s worth doing Bent to Bendtner for a 4pt hit?
I would wait until Arsenal confirm this. It was a Mirror article.
just thinking about the imminent price rise. i guess its only 0.1m!
I was tlakin about Diaby. Bendtner is due to play tomorrow for Denmark, so there is always a risk involved. Depends if you need to save 0.1m.
ya 100k isnt going to break ya, and theres always the chance of injuries in the international games
I put that so and so in as Captain GW20 and suffered, like many it seems.
I think that Arshavin is still carrying the explosive tag from those four goals against Liverpool. To me, he has looked (only) alright in the league this season. He definitely is lacking physically.
I think he’s done alright considering he was pushed around by defenders with his back to goal for a few months. 7 goals, 2 assists and 15 bonus. Lee has only got 1 assist in his last 6 games too. Guh, no need to think too hard about it yet eh.
I agree. When he is fully back from injury, he has gotta be considered at 10.2/10.3m
especially as he’s an Arsenal player
hes always played best when he plays off a big man up top, you look at him for russia hes incredible cause he has palychenko to play off. maybe the same could happen with bendtner. weather he can stop the ball bouncing off his shin and get it back to arsh is another matter.
he has been utterly frustrating fpl wise.
wish arsenal bought pav would have been quality. wtf was he doing going to spurs.
is kuyt worth keeping for GW30??? or shud i swap him for milner? (i also have valencia whom i can swap to get milner)
I am swapping Valencia for Milner in GW30, but I would swap with Kuyt instead given the choice. Valencia is a keep for the season imo.
And you’re getting rid of him? After next week, my midfield will be Fabregas, Valencia, Milner, Diaby and …. X. Have a budget of 8.3
Yeah, I know it is a contradiction, but by GW31 I will have Lamps, Fabs, Milner, N’Zog and Rodwell. I would have Valencia instead of Milner except Milner will have lots of DGW. Front line of Drogs, Rooney and Bendthner.
Good stuff, thats the same Midfield I’m planning and the attack I have now. I want to keep Valenica but as you say with Milners DGW its a perfect swap. Rodwell in for Masch this week.
Nice one! I am also swapping Evra for Collins for GW30 too (to get funds for the v expensive Lamps). It is noce to hea folk doing the same to install confidence in your picks. What do you think of Tomkins?
I have not had any W Ham all season! Arsenal and Chelsea away though??? Luckily I have stubbornly held on to Lamps most of the season, though many think its a waste I dont.
Just look at his scores, he will always give you good points. I have decided to get him back for GW31 till the end. Having him, Fabs, Drogs and Rooney will almost guarantee good points every week, especially if you get the right one as captain.
I agree, even with the Drogs I still think he scores often enough. I wish I could nail the captain choice more, so often my decision is awful! Drogs last time out.
Everyone (except for my mate and rival captaining Lamps) did Drogba. It was the obvious choice that went wrong. You could even see in the first half vs Man City that he could score a few. Just one of those things.
Tomkins – home to Bolton this week. Will be benched vs Chelsea GW30, and Wolves home as part of a DGW31, although with som many choices for that week, I might still bench him.
I will also say it gives me confidence too when I discover someone with such high rank as yourself having the same plan!
Hehe, thanks. I had a slow start, then I discovered this site, and I haven’t looked back. Now I tend to give more advise than ask, not that I think I am right, but I know they way I wanna go now.
I discovered this site last autumn. lurked until recently. Ironically, despite the great tips and the advantages the site gives I started to drop like a stone! So many red arrows. Started to turn it round lately though.
I think you can join bandwagons easily, and sometime you gotta go with your own instinct. I think the Pienaar bandwagon is the current one that I am not to sure of.
i know what you mean about pienaar, i was set on duff out pienaar in, but pienaar is a hothead who can get sent off at any minute, i’d prefer to get diaby if he’s fit
Yeah, I’m licking my lips over Villa’s DGWs. Always a team I’ve rated highly. I’m basically centering my plans around getting in Milner, Collins and Agbonlahor/A.Young/Cuellar/Dunne
Milner for Valencia and Collins for Faye for me next week. Cant afford any of the others.
Don’t get the excitement about Villa’s DGW myself. Away in both games and hardly big scorers on the road. A defender’s enough for me for now.
They play effectively on the break in away games.
And having lost the CC final will give it everything, might be more determined not to fall away like last year?
their away record is decent and wigan are not up to much, i can see villa getting at least 1 clean sheet, i will try to get collins & milner in if i can
Milner’s not exactly prodigious on the road. One big score against Sunderland apart, he’s been solid not spectacular. I’m not convinced he’ll score more than 4-6 points. I prefer him at home to Wolves the week after.
If you don’t want to double on Villa defenders, and I’m not sure I do, who else do you bring in? Agbonlahor? No chance.
I know what you are saying chinmusic, althoug looking at your side, it maybe is not so easy to bring in. I am keeping a lcose eye on Valencia to see if is worth keepinh him instead, or wait for Milber to have a better DGW.
I just worry about player fatigue with all the games they will play, and they never rotate players. Milner is even playing tomorrow.
Yeah Philman, Arshavin bandwagon in GW 20 springs to mind. Ouch!
Yeah, I kept him for too long. he needs to play on the left to be most effective.
Right, this site and FF is just too addictive. Off for shut eye, nice chatting to you philman, lets hope our joint plan works out. Bye for now!
Cheers, me too, I am knackered.
Bentdner or Eduardo?
No arguement. Bentdner is highly rated as a complete centre forward by Wenger, and the solution taget man in Van Persie’s absence. Eduardo has never been the same, and cannot play up front in a 4-5-1 formation.
tomkins or ricketts for this week until week 32,
im leaning towards ricketts now.
Spooky. I am changing Baird for one of the same too. Was originally thinking Ricketts, but going more towards Tomkins now. Think he could keep a cleany at home vs Bolton this GW, and the a DGW in GW31.
Bendy up to 6.1m
ya same thinking,
but prob i have with tomkins is wait for it that with his great fixtures i cant fit him in without dropping somebodyi want to play,
if i get tomkins for this week il have him for week 31 dgw and will have to play him somehow……..my squad that week looks like about 14 players who id like to play give dgw’s and fixtures.
may just get ricketts and spare myself the stress. hopefully he will pay me back in 29 and 30 and il bench him week 31
maybe distin might be a better long term transfer than tomkins or ricketts
you just pointed out definate transfer this week
im selling 2 fulham defenders for distin and ?
tomkins could be beter but may cause some annoyance week 31
jus watched sky sports new and tey said Ricketts will miss this weeks friendly due to injury….
is this a “real” injury?
aii Bentner’s just gone up. i am now Rooney & Bentnerless
Picking one for this week only (using my wilcard next week):
N’Zogbia to
Valencia (Wolves away)
or
Pienaar (Hull home)
I have the money for either, would have gone with Valencia easily, but I believe Nani is back which complicates things.
i would go valencia. i would bring him in but i got other problems (7players out). i dont think his place is under threat AT ALL tbh hes been on fire, the best form actually since joinin utd. and nani jus back from suspension i doubt he will stroll back into the team. furthermore fergie has played started with both before. if nani does get a game hel prob get played on the left as valencia is more effective playin on the right which he has proven to devastating effect last few games.
richards, shawx, tevez OUT for
A) tomkins, ridgewell/dann, torres
B) tomkins, ridgewell/dann, bendtner
which option?
Don’t sell Tevez!… double gameweek for Man City in gw31 and Adebayor is out for 3 more weeks.
Other two transfers are OK… Dann is cheaper than Ridgewell (I have him myself)
Sorry, just checked transfer list, they have the same price… anyway, go for Dann.
If you can afford Torres, Torres. I’m in the Ridgewell camp.
Hello folks.
I have Saha, Etherington and Tuncay in my team. Don’t ask.
planning Saha to Bendtner, and Etherington & Tuncay to Diaby & Pienaar, but I’m not sure whether it might be worth sticking with one of my Stokies, which one, who to bring in if I only do one, when to do so to minimise the hits…
I’m considering Etherington & Saha to Bendtner & Pienaar this gw for a 4 pt hit, and maybe holding Tuncay another week.
Tuncay’s never been locked on for minutes though. If you wish to keep one at all, I’d rather keep faith that Etherington will heal in time for this week after failing a late fitness test for the Arsenal match.
u up for taking a 8pt hit? if so can u do saha, ethring, ivan > bendtner, valencia, tomkins? those 3 will do u good for the rest of the season bar maybe tomkins, but u can always bench him and will allow u to free up funds.
Anyone fancy giving me a few transfer tips? Got 2 free to make this week.
Hart/Sorenson
Craddock Evra Dawson Carr Shawcross
Lampard Fabregas Nzogbia O’Hara Lee
Rooney Drogba Zamora
Thanks!
Shawx=> Baines
Zamora=> Bendtner
10 playing
maybe 9!!
How much cash do you have?
0.3 in the bank
hi guys…can anyone comment on distin or heitinga’s chance of staying in the starting 11? obv with jags coming back a spanner has been thrown in…
will heitinga go to dm?
Moyes evidently saw in the Spurs match, that when Jags played CB alongside Distin and Heitinga slotted up to DM, Everton became far more competitive.
IMO, with Senderos still injured, unless Yobo makes an unlikely push for a starting place. Jags & Distin fill the CB places, with Heitinga & Neville switching between RB and DM. Whether this will happen immediately or not is another question as Jags is only approaching match fitness. Either way I don’t see either of those 2 going out of the starting 11.
Keep in mind however, these are observations only from their last few matches and I’m not an Everton supporter.
Burnley Vs Arsenal : 0-4
Stoke Vs Burnley : 2-0
…
I think..
Not a wise decision to take chance with burnley players.
Im not humiliating the capability of burnley but the current form is not tht much promising
is valencia a good buy? i can do Duff to Valencia this week rather than get pienaar.. then next week i could do Carragher to Warnock/Collins and Etherington to Milner?? givin me
Gomes Hart
Ivanovic Warnock Baines Ridgewell Hughes
Fabregas Diaby Valencia Milner Nzogbia
Rooney Drogba Bent
Good or Bad?
just remove ivanovic and get cuellar for net wik & for this wik ricketts ..as 2 game …
get bendtner instaed of Bent…
Valencia is worthy enf don worry bro..
no risk involved with valencia right? suddenly realised i dont want carragher long term due to his lack of attackin ability.. bent is a season keeper for me he owes me
i had bent ..but see the upcoming fixture of SUN:
BOL MCY BIR liv TOT…
& for Arsenal:
BUR hul WHM bir WLV …
& bendtner will cost u less thn bent..
But the choise is all urz…
in GW30 Agbonlahor & Rodallega hz 2 game..
in GW31 Jerome,C.Cole hz 2 game…
can count on them too..
the thing is bent has 4 home games too.. plus he’s got a good run after these 5 games so i’d prob want to swap bendtner back to him.. so not sure if a 4 point hit is worth it considerin i got other areas to worry about..
That is it , i am removing Mears from my Team [ YES < ON HIS DOUBLE GW !!! ]
Hope you already have 11 playing or else you will need a hit.
hart or jensen?
hart obviously..
Jensen is a bit risk..
1 clean sheet u can xpect from hart..
and i can bet Jensen will conceed @least 6 goals in this GW..
Jensen will get a few save points but its a tough one.
yes u r rite..but risky choise…
cheers boys, i think i’ll go with hart!!
guys…who to play..sorenson or hart?both r playing away..helpp