Scout Notes

Scout Notes – Gameweek Thirty Three – Monday

Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa grab the goals as Newcastle see off Bolton at the Sports Direct Arena. Clint Dempsey keeps on scoring, Robert Huth notches again for Stoke, while Everton and Tottenham rest and rotate ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup Semi-Finals:

Papiss Cisse
The former SC Freiburg man showed there’s more to his game than outstanding finishes by netting a real poacher’s effort for Newcastle’s second against Bolton. Cisse has now scored or assisted nine of the Magpies last ten goals, with his price rising 0.9 on the back of three successive double figure returns – Demba Ba has dropped 0.8 since Gameweek 27, as Fantasy managers move from one Newcastle attacker to the other. Pre bonus, Cisse has averaged eight points per game since his January move and, with a home clash against Stoke and double Gameweek 36 to follow his upcoming blank, his consistency will continue to attract plenty once Alan Pardew’s side resume their league schedule with that match against the Potters.

Hatem Ben Arfa
A goal of the season contender broke the deadlock against a stubborn Bolton side and sent Newcastle on their way to a fifth straight win. Since establishing himself in Pardew’s first XI in Gameweek 28, Ben Arfa has picked up 49 points in six appearances – even surpassing Cisse’s average, with those extra points for goals and clean sheets helping boost his tally further. Priced at 5.8, the Frenchman has proven to be the top value player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) over the last few Gameweeks and, as the likes of Gareth Bale and David Silva continue to return blanks, he looks set for plenty investment over the season climax.

Newcastle Defence
Yesterday’s 2-0 win over Bolton maintained the Magpies’ recent outstanding defensive displays. With Fabricio Coloccini returning to the first-team fold and Davide Santon continuing at left-back, Pardew’s side picked up their fourth clean sheet in the last five Gameweeks, as the points continue to arrive from all angles. One man who continues to miss out, though, is Ryan Taylor. The most popular player in the game with over 30% ownership, he was afforded a six minute sub appearance and has picked up six points in the last nine Gameweeks as – unlike most of the Newcastle squad – his Fantasy campaign grinds to a halt.

Andreas Weimann
Back in the starting XI after an ankle problem forced him onto the bench at Liverpool, the youngster struck the opener against Stoke as Villa edged towards safety. Weimann’s eye for goal looks likely to afford him further first-team opportunities and, while a weekend trip to United is far from favourable, his double Gameweek 35, with home clashes against Sunderland and Bolton, may prove prosperous for the 5.0 priced forward.

Robert Huth
Stoke’s 1-1 draw at Villa was their sixth successive game without a clean sheet but the German maintained his eye for goal by bagging the equaliser against Alex McLeish’s side. Huth also notched in the weekend win over Wolves and is finally replicating the attacking displays of last season after a poor first three-quarters of the campaign. While the Potters now face a blank and a trip to Newcastle, they have a couple of home clashes against Arsenal and Everton in Gameweek 36 and finish with a pair of strong fixtures, too; Huth’s recent exploits will have many Fantasy managers contemplating a move for his services in a fortnight’s time.

Frank Lampard
The midfielder grabbed a disputed opener at the Cottage as Chelsea picked up a point against Martin Jol’s men. Lampard’s spot-kick took his points haul to 136 for the season – surprisingly, only eight points behind Juan Mata. While the Spaniard found himself the victim of rotation last night, with just a twenty minute second-half cameo off the bench, Lampard has now started eight of the last nine Gameweeks. With Chelsea now just two points off fourth, Roberto Di Matteo’s recent selection policy suggests Lampard could be a key figure over the last few weeks of the season, then. With a double Gameweek 36 against QPR and Newcastle, Fantasy managers are likely to load up on Blues players -there’s no doubt that the threat of rotation is still rife, however, with Champions League duties also to consider.

Clint Dempsey
There’s just no stopping the US international right now. Leading the line as a result of Pavel Pogrebnyak’s continued absence, Dempsey’s equaliser in the London derby means he has notched in three back-to-back Gameweeks – his most consistent run of an outstanding Fantasy season. With 16 goals to his name and 188 points on the board, his lead over the likes of Gareth Bale and David Silva in the midfield rankings continues to increase, as his incredible eye for goal shows no sign of abating. The Cottagers now face a blank this weekend but, with a home clash against Wigan to follow in addition to double Gameweek 36, the relentless scoring could yet continue.

Tottenham Rotation
With the FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea on the horizon, the decision to make five alterations to the Tottenham XI backfired on Harry Redknapp. The Spurs boss also changed formation; the recent 4-3-3 was ditched for a 4-4-2, a move that Redknapp admitted was a mistake as the hosts, without Scott Parker who was rested with a knock, were too often open to Norwich attacks. Fantasy owners of Emmanuel Adebayor were left frustrated, with the on-loan forward afforded just a 45 minute sub appearance. Rafael Van der Vaart was another who also suffered as a result of the tinkering – the Dutchman was given just 20 minutes, as Jermain Defoe notched the only goal in the 2-1 defeat. While Spurs upcoming fixtures are arguably the best of any side, a run of one win in the last eight is a major concern for those Fantasy managers looking to invest.

Anthony Pilkington
Returning to the Canaries lineup after a recent hamstring problem, the 5.2 priced midfielder grabbed the opener in a superb 2-1 win for Paul Lambert’s side. Pilkington has now scored eight goals this season – a tally beaten by only four other midfielders thus far. His Fantasy potential is obvious but Lambert’s rotation policy will always make Pilkington a risky buy; those eight goals came from 21 starts over the first 33 Gameweeks – while this indicates a superb goals per game ratio, it also highlights his uncertain role in the Norwich first XI.

Everton Rotation
David Moyes also served notice of his intentions ahead of Everton’s FA Cup Semi-Final with Liverpool, making five changes to the Toffees first XI. The biggest surprise was the omission of Leighton Baines; the left-back had started every game for more than two seasons prior to yesterday. Nikica Jelavic’s Fantasy owners were left reeling as the Croatian – along with Tim Cahill – was also given the day off. Despite the number of alterations, Moyes’ side recorded their most emphatic win of the season, hammering Sunderland 4-0.

Steven Pienaar
The South African is, of course, cup-tied for the FA Cup clash and, with no fear of being rested, Pienaar maintained his recent upturn in form against the Black Cats. A goal and assist at Goodison yesterday means he has provided an assist in each of the last three Gameweeks and, as Moyes’ side continue to flourish, the 7.0 priced midfielder is proving to be a key figure. While a blank Gameweek and trip to Old Trafford are far from appetising, a double Gameweek with Fulham and Stoke, followed by a clash against Wolves, could see Pienaar continue to prosper as the season draws to a close.

Everton Defence
With Baines missing out, Tim Howard become Everton’s only ever-present this season – the keeper clearly offers a solid route into their back-line for that upcoming double Gameweek. Yesterday’s 4-0 win saw Moyes’ side pick up their fifth clean sheet in the last six at Goodison, with Theo Walcott the only away player to score since Gameweek 22. The Toffees only have two more home games left, though, and, with just a single clean sheet in their last seven on the road, will need to improve on their away displays at the back for investment to prove profitable.

Stephane Sessegnon
A back injury kept Nicklas Bendtner out of the Sunderland side and, significantly, afforded Sessegnon the chance to lead the line. Although the Black Cats were swept aside yesterday, the move to lone forward will be of interest to Fantasy managers – if Bendtner continues to be sidelined, the Benin international looks set for a further stint up front ahead of home clashes with Wolves and Bolton.

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899 Comments Post a Comment
  1. big oak
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    couple of weeks ago i brought in gerrrard and suarez to my team since they were both fit.

    for old the old school guys in here, remember when 80% of pools goals used to come form torres and gerrard with either assist or goal or both?

    one thing i just ddnt count for. liverpool not scoring enough so it only served me in the dgw, where i went and captained suarez instead of hatrick gerrard

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    1. HVT
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      I bought in gerra, school boy error, he now lives on his reputation.

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    2. Manani
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      i remember there's a stat somewhere showed that messi or ronaldo score just as much as the whole liverpool team 🙂

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      1. Phaze 1
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 11 months ago

        Pretty sure they both have scored more than LOLpool this season and by a big margin.

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  2. King James
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Got stuck in the bottom of last page :-

    So I now trail my main opponent by 1 point, yes 1 point!

    My team is:

    Bogdan/Mignolet

    Vermaelen/Evans/Wilkinson/Caulker/Kaboul

    Valencia/Ben Arfa/Mata/Sigurdsson/Sessengon

    Rooney/RVP/Cisse

    His is the exact same, except Baines for Kaboul/Bale for Mata/Krul for Mignolet

    I have 2 FTs, so I’m thinking that I’ll use them both this week then do nothing and have a great gameweek 36. So I was wondering what transfers I could make to make this team better than my opponents. (I don’t mind using other strategies including taking a hit as long as its sound)

    Sorry for the lengthy post, but someone advice would be lovely.

    5.9 Million in the bank btw

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    1. ★FC Borecelona★
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Mata ➡ Walcott
      Wilko ➡ Ridgewell

      Nice team btw 🙂

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    2. HVT
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Nice team, nice money in the bank. As fgth says-"relax" no knee jerks needed here, stay calm stay focused wait for hom to make a mistake, your capt choice alone could swing it. Not telling you anything you don't know but kaboul/barfa could be your 2ft because of injury/no game , would you consider Walcott and lescott/ komp. For short term..?

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  3. anish10
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    anyone taking gary cahill out?

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    1. big oak
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      yep for verms
      it sounded like a no brainer
      and that was last week
      and initial plan was koscielny until i noticed i can afford verms (and kosc is banned)
      chelsea rotation will be a nightmare
      oh!! and he mata also was shown the door last week for valencia

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    2. ChippyT
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      yes, possibly for kompany/verm or cheaper alternatives, been considering sagna

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  4. Dom Salahnke
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    New post guys, move out! 🙂

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  5. Brian (Not the Messiah)
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Lampard for dbl gw?

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    1. Kirby
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Considering it but Chelsea feel such a risk to me...I'm considering Mata too.

      Will really depend on how things look just the week before and whether I need to play safe or a differential in my ML.

      Nice rank, btw 🙂

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  6. China Mag
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Is Cabbage still on? Sorry, my computer died on me! Does your spreadsheet just follow the form of the players you have selected as potential signings (like a watchlist), or does it give you stats on EVERY PLAYER?

    I only have two simple spreadsheets. One is for my planned squad for the next few game weeks, the other looks at potential defensive and attacking rotation. It basically just looks at fixtures.

    I am probably going to make an improved version over the summer, and bring in other variables such as the defensive strength of my (potential) player, rather than just the opposition. Maybe also price too.

    I can bring in team form (defence/ attack) by updating these values on a regular basis (monthly?) but I just can't get my head round how you would bring in form for individual players!!

    Is it easy enough to do? Or do you have to be an excel expert, with LOADS of time on your hands?

    I will understand if you want to keep this info secret!!

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  7. @Team Shark FC
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    who is the bestplayer to bring in gw34

    striker:?? i got rvp and rooney
    mid:?? i got siggy valencia walcott

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    1. Kirby
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Striker, may as well keep the third one that isn't playing and not waste transfer getting rid for just one week.

      Good mids, Walcott and Sess/McClean are the best other options.

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  8. Screaming Midget
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    So the top 5(6) midfielders for GW34...

    Valencia, Walcott, Young, McClean/Sess, Sigurdsson

    What do you think?

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    1. Kirby
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Pretty much them, with Sess over McClean considering he's more likely for the big hauls.

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  9. Brada_wba
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Team for GW 34 - 9 players

    Min
    Evans Sagna
    Siggi Valencia Sess Walcott
    RVp Rooney

    Sorensen Demps BAE Williamson Kelly Ade

    Worth a -4pt hit?

    Not bothered about loosing ade as transfering to pappy to cover rival next week.

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  10. Phaze 1
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    GW34 Team

    Mignolet

    Caulker, Evans, Vermaelen, Rodgwell/McAuley/Kompany

    Valencia, Walcott, Siggy, Sessegnon

    Rooney, RVP

    How does this look and which defender would you pick for the last spot? Thanks in advance.

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    1. Kylos
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Keeping a bit of money would help switching things about for 36. and Mcauley/Ridgewell is a 50/50 shout so go for cheapest

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  11. Kevin Twine
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Worth taking a 4 point hit on getting in Caulker for R.Taylor?

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    1. Kylos
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      risking 4 points for at most a 6 point haul?

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      1. KrisP
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 11 months ago

        And that's assuming he starts.

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    2. Schwarzer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      I rarely take hits for defenders, I wouldn't for that.

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  12. Kylos
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Vorm

    Mcauley Evans Caulker

    Valencia Siggy Sessy Walcott

    RVP Roon (c) Holt

    [Bogdan Demps BAE Simpson

    Not bad, no idea how to change up for 36 now with 3.5mil in bank, any ideas?

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  13. apolk27
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    In the past 38days Aguero has played 406 minutes of a possible 810 and with Balotelli out for the season there's even less chance of rotation...Aguero might grab a few goals in GW34 & GW35?
    NOR(a)
    WOL(a)

    anyone else have a better idea (forward who plays GW34, have rvp+rooney)...thanks

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    1. Grounderz
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      He might but I can't see him getting any hat-trick anymore. A brace, maybe. Papiss Cisse is your best in-form striker at the moment, priced at only just £7.7m, and spend the rest of the funds upgrading other areas.

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      1. Grounderz
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 11 months ago

        Since Papiss Cisse is out of gameweek 34, personally, I'd play my 5 midfielders, assuming you have all best in-form 5 midfielders.

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  14. TheJayMan
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    cv

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  15. TheJayMan
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Howzit guys

    I am bamboozled in what to do with my FT.

    I have 2 FT with 3.9Mil in the bank.

    What should I do?

    Vorm/Ruddy

    Evans Kompany Enrique Caulker Simpson

    Walcott Siggy Valencia Bale Ferguson

    Rvp Cisse Rooney

    Was thinking of Enrique -> Verm and then Cisse -> Adebayor to prep for the DGW

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    1. apolk27
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      atm cisse is more likely to light it up than Ade...why not get rid of Ferguson for McClean/Ben Arfa/Sessegnon depending on budget.

      can't go wrong with verm though

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    2. Grounderz
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Take that out that damn Ferguson and bring in someone else in-form within that budget.

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  16. Karmanya
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Is Bendtner likely to play in GW 34????

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    1. Grounderz
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Yes.

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    2. TheJayMan
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      Should I do Ferguson -> Sess and Vorm -> Friedel or Enrique -> Verm and Ferguson -> Ben Arfa

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  17. Schwarzer
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Surman > McClean, 2 FTs but can't afford Sessegnon. Stick or twist?

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    1. Grounderz
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      You have 2 transfers so might as well just use one since the maximum we're allowed to save is 2. Surman to McClean is decent and he most likely will do well against Wolves.

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      1. Schwarzer
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 11 months ago

        That was my logic too, thanks Grounderz.

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  18. little_wizard123
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    I beat Pork Pie Sausage Roll iff:

    Vermaelen < 6.

    What do you think? If he doesn't play, Simpson gets him 6 automatically...

    He has Cisse BPs, I have Dempsey's. Thinking 3 each here. Everything else is equal. I go out as he is a couple of 1000 places higher.

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  19. Will - Fantasy Football Hub
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    lamps or mata for the dw?

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  20. piers
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Looking for a 1-week-punt striker for GW34 to replace Ba. Had been thinking Bendy bus but not sure he'll play.

    Have RVP and Roonpig.

    Can go up to 7.6.

    Thoughts on a postcard please....

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  21. David Davros
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    Bale to Sess?

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  22. OneTwo
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 11 months ago

    In need of some Wild Card advice:

    Vorm (boddan)
    Turnern Evans Sagna (simpson, shotton)
    Walcott Mclean Valencia Sig (dempsey)
    RVP Roo Kun

    .2 in the bank

    GW 35-Walcott to Bale

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    1. OneTwo
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 11 months ago

      excuse spelling errors- typing in the dark.

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