Site Features

Welcome Scout’s New Writers!

A few weeks back we put out the idea of recruiting some new blood for the writing team here on Fantasy Football Scout. I’m pleased to say that we’ve had a superb response and, to be honest, we’re still working through the many applicants we’ve had.

Indeed, with the applications for writers still pouring in, it seems likely that we’ll recruit at least another name. We’re very keen to build up Sir Paulos’ team of writers this month, as I’m highly likely to be taking a backseat in a few weeks. I revealed in today’s podcast (for publish tomorrow) that my first child is on the way at the end of January. From what I hear, that could prove to be a bit of a time thief. The scallywag.

Luckily, very early on in the recruitment process, we received a couple of stand-out applicants who we were very keen to bring on board. Both Jonty and Stilicho will be known to many amongst the community, having been active members for quite a while on the comment boards. They join Sir Paulos’ editorial team this week and their very first articles are due for publish in the next couple of days.

I’m delighted to have two such renowned community members joining the team, so please extend a warm welcome to both Jonty and Stilicho!

In addition, we’ve brought in a regular guest writer – Chris Glover from the PL Fantasy blog – a body of work I’ve admired for a long time. Chris will be contributing fortnightly articles for both members and non-members alike, starting with his debut article this evening. Again, welcome aboard Chris!

Mark Mark created the beast. He's now looking to tame it.

340 Comments Post a Comment
  1. bobbydinho - Portland Irons
    • 13 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Congrats to the new writers and Congrats to Mark on becoming a father!

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  2. CatMac
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    fwiw, I came across this just now, posted 14 minutes ago. I've no idea on what their record of predictions is like though....

    http://www.fantasyleague.com/Pro/Articles/TeamNews.aspx?matchid=10956

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    1. isacki: full casual
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Interesting, 4-5-1 with Livermore - VDV - Modric in centre flanked by Lennon, Bale. I think they may well more specifically mean 4-2-3-1.

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    2. applebonkers
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      i listened to one of their podcasts once and one of the guys at least is very on the ball, both those line-ups look foreseeable, only issue is defoe complicates things a bit

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      1. CatMac
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        You're right about Defoe AB, maybe impact sub perhaps. Harry did say about rotating the squad to keep them fresh 🙂

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        1. isacki: full casual
          • 12 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          Bye VDV! ;D

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    3. Manamongst
      • 13 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Is there no one else they (Everton) can put at RB OTHER THAN Phil Neville!!

      Jeez!!!

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  3. HVT
    • 13 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    I feel we should invite sir cliff on here for his rendition of "congratulations " !

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  4. isacki: full casual
    • 12 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Update - this is for anyone wildcarding and thinking of rotating 4 cheap defenders - look away now if you're sick of hearing about this! Last night I used iamsuarez's defence rotator spreadsheet to find the best rotations (fewest games away) when picking 4 defenders from MUN (Evans) STO NEW FUL SWA and STO. This told us how to maximize games at home but not if the fixtures themselves were good. So I asked China Mag to rate the rotations by difficulty using data from the FFS ticker.

    Here are China Mag's difficulties for the rotations - HIGHER numbers are EASIER.
    MUN/NEW/STO/FUL = 483
    NEW/STO/SUN/FUL = 474
    MUN/NEW/STO/SUN = 467
    MUN/NEW/SWA/FUL = 466
    NEW/STO/SWA/FUL = 462
    NEW/SUN/SWA/FUL = 447
    MUN/NEW/SUN/SWA = 434

    Clearly MUN and STO are useful to have in your rotation. The cost is that the cheap defenders aren't nailed on (Evans and Shotton).

    The best combination without Evans and Shotton is NEW/SUN/SWA/FUL which I also preciously identified as having the most matches at home.

    Happy WCing!

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    1. Ginkapo FPL
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Was doubling up on SWA/STO a higher number?

      Cant remember myself.

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      1. isacki: full casual
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        I was kinda hoping no one would mention doubling up, throws a reet spanner in the works. Has. China done that before?

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        1. Ginkapo FPL
          • 12 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          Dont we just take his Goalie values and double them?

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          1. isacki: full casual
            • 12 Years
            12 years, 3 months ago

            I'm not sure about that, see the way he got these figures was GW-by-GW to find difficulty for all 4 teams and pick the best two scores (the two defenders you pick from the four available). Since this depends on the other defenders I don't think it's a trivial exercise... would have to do it again.

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            1. Ginkapo FPL
              • 12 Years
              12 years, 3 months ago

              Yeah but his goalie values were based upon a rotating pair. So he picked the best score for one player from the two teams available.

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              1. isacki: full casual
                • 12 Years
                12 years, 3 months ago

                Oh I see TWO STO and TWO SWA, yes that sounds valid, what do ya get?

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                1. Ginkapo FPL
                  • 12 Years
                  12 years, 3 months ago

                  No Idea, need to find ChinaMags posts from within the etha

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                  1. 6mboyjam
                    • 12 Years
                    12 years, 3 months ago

                    i can forward to you if you want

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    2. isacki: full casual
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      *typo - preciously = previously lol

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    3. Twelve years a slave
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      why opnly 4 defenders and not 5? good work by the way

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      1. isacki: full casual
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        You're a brave man if you're considering five...

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    4. CatMac
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Cheers Isacki

      I've already bookmarked your last article on this and have used that as the basis for my WC defence. Nice job.

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    5. In Tommy We Trust
      • 13 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Got a bit of money to throw around to add BAE. Can you do STK/TOT/FUL/NEW for me?

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    6. isacki: full casual
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Cheers all, just to say I can't do any rotation requests as China Mag has the spreadsheet and did the numbers at some obscene time in the morning... you'll have to wait til he's awake again lol.

      What I can say is Tottenham don't rotate particularly well with other cheap teams - best are MUN, STO, SUN (7th, 8th, 9th best). Worst are FUL (15th). I can't tell you how good the fixtures are though. Spurs do keep more CS at home of course ...

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      1. In Tommy We Trust
        • 13 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        Cheers anyway.

        Done some digging on TOT/STK and they rotate as follows;

        WOL,WBA,WIG,SUN,NEW,SWA,NOR,eve,STK,MCY,SWA,WOL,NOR,EVE,qpr,BLA,avl,BOL

        3 away in 17 and 1 top 6 side @ home. It'll do me

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        1. isacki: full casual
          • 12 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          That's pretty good!

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  5. Infinite Sheldon
    • 12 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Thoughts on this

    Ruddy, krul
    Enrique, Richards, Cahill, Kelly, Clark
    Silva, Nani, Dempsey, Ben arfa, McLean
    Aguero, Carroll, Adebayor

    I know Carroll is a riskmbutnhe has good fixtures and is likely to start most games. Don't know who else to get

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    1. Back to Back Ballacks
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Aren't you the guy that called me a moron for saying the Kompany red card would not be rescinded?

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      1. Somalion
        • 14 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        You were damn right to say so good sir!

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      2. Infinite Sheldon
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        It wasn't was it?

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        1. Back to Back Ballacks
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          Of course it wasn't!

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      3. Infinite Sheldon
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        I think I called you a moron for saying the kompany red card will be rescinded. It obviously wasn't going to be rescinded but I don't think that's why I called you a moron. Can't remember tbh

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    2. Parm
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Ruddy no go zone
      Clark is a bit risky as is Ben Arfa but Carroll c'mon.

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      1. Infinite Sheldon
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        Ruddys price just rose though anD anyway I'm not going to use him. Who else instead of Carroll?

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        1. Parm
          • 12 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          Sturridge,Yakubu,Odemwingie,Gabby,Crouch & Fletcher.

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          1. Infinite Sheldon
            • 12 Years
            12 years, 3 months ago

            Got sturridge. Thought about gabby and Zamora but for some reason I have a good feeling about Carroll. Scored a decent goal in fa cup

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  6. Somalion
    • 14 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    A word of warning to Mark. If you have plans in the future to build some sort of giant, spherical, planet destroying space station, perhaps named the Murder Moon, make sure that the kid is 100% on your side. My little runt ruined it all....twice.

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    1. Infinite Sheldon
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Spacestation?

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      1. Somalion
        • 14 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        Think about it. Who is in my gravatar?

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        1. Infinite Sheldon
          • 12 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          Ok. A bit slow there. It's your fault for leaving a hole in it. Couldn't you have just covered it with plywood or something?

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          1. Somalion
            • 14 Years
            12 years, 3 months ago

            Thinking about resale value! Plywood would destroy the beauty!

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            1. Infinite Sheldon
              • 12 Years
              12 years, 3 months ago

              Ah family guy.

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              1. Somalion
                • 14 Years
                12 years, 3 months ago

                Never fails 😀

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                1. Infinite Sheldon
                  • 12 Years
                  12 years, 3 months ago

                  Prepare the boob nipple gun

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            2. Namtab Nomolos
              • 13 Years
              12 years, 3 months ago

              I know the perfect forest moon if you do want some wood, friendly locals.

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              1. Somalion
                • 14 Years
                12 years, 3 months ago

                Oh really? Would they be against me testing my laser on them too? Not that I'm building a new one or anything...

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                1. Infinite Sheldon
                  • 12 Years
                  12 years, 3 months ago

                  I did a darth doody

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      2. Parm
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        Do you know films exist????

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        1. Infinite Sheldon
          • 12 Years
          12 years, 3 months ago

          Didn't notice the picture calm down

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    2. Back to Back Ballacks
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      😆

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  7. Jimjam
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Bought Kompany for 6.3. My defence will be ok until he returns, but MCI coverage is always a plus.

    Is Richards nailed-on enough long-term (i.e. rest of the season ideally) to bring him in now? Or do I just hold tight and wait for Kompany's return? Thanks.

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  8. gtf
    • 14 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    whos gunna get the armband this week then?

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    1. Namtab Nomolos
      • 13 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Might just leave it on Bale

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    2. Parm
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Taking a punt on Mr Luis Nani I think.

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      1. Infinite Sheldon
        • 12 Years
        12 years, 3 months ago

        Same Nani performs when you least expect it. Tempted also by aguero and silva though

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  9. Parm
    • 12 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Give me a quick Yes or No as to getting Ba back after ACON.

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    1. Infinite Sheldon
      • 12 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Ye y not?

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  10. Back on the horse
    • 13 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    'a bit of a time thief'

    my adivce is instead of trying to guess how much time they will absorb assume they take up ALL the time and then work out how you can steal some back for yourself. Iphone on the toilet is a godsend, you jsut have to invent some 'stomach problems' that mean you have to take 30min shits...

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  11. beslowbowler
    • 12 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    A bit late to the party, but congrats to Mark, Jonty and Stilicho on their new jobs...

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    1. chinmusic
      • 14 Years
      12 years, 3 months ago

      Me too, just woken up from a night shift. Two very worthy scouts.

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  12. CarelessGenius©
    • 12 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Just hearod the good news about the writers - Many Congrats to Jonty & Stilicho, Chris and, of course, Mark. Well done chaps.

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  13. fanofippo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    12 years, 3 months ago

    Congrats and look forward to the new articles! Glad to see the community being tapped on

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