July
21

Scout Report – Modibo Maiga

Filed under: Scout Reports - Posted by: Paul

Sam Allardyce continued his summer of first-team restructuring on Wednesday with the acquisition of Modibo Maiga from Ligue 1 side FC Sochaux. The highly-rated 24-year-old arrives on a four-year deal thought to be in the region of £4.7m and is the fifth player to make his way to Upton Park since the club’s promotion, following the transfers of Jussi Jaaskelainen, George McCartney, Stephen Henderson and Mohamed Diame:

The Mali international has already received Premier League interest this year – he failed a medical last January at Newcastle, with the Magpies turning instead to Papiss Cisse to boost their strikeforce. A versatile player, he is primarily a centre forward but can also play on the wing; at 6 foot 1, though, Big Sam is likely to play him through the middle as he goes about addressing his options up front. The new boy made all the right noises upon his arrival earlier in the week, going on to say:

I am really happy and excited about joining West Ham United. I know West Ham are a big club in England and I’m really looking forward to representing them. They have huge tradition and it is like joining part of a family and that is one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. I know some of the big names that have played for the club in the past and I am proud to be part of a new team back in the Premier League.

The Statistics

Maiga first start in professional football came in his native country for Stade Malien at the age of 15. He featured just three times there before making his way to Morocco to turn out for Raja Casablanca where, despite failing to score in 22 appearances over the course of a couple of seasons, he won the Arab Champions League and Moroccan League. As a 20-year-old, he was snapped up by French side Le Mans and flourished in a team that also featured the likes of Gervinho and Stephane Sessegnon – Maiga returned 15 goals and six assists over 88 appearances prior to signing for FS Sochaux in time for the 2010/11 campaign.

His first season at Sochaux was a spectacular success, with 15 goals and three assists from 36 appearances, though Maiga suffered in comparison last term. The club’s refusal to allow him to join Newcastle in August 2011 saw him go on strike in order to force a move through – eventually returning to the first-team, he found the net nine times and produced a pair of assists from 23 league matches as his side stuttered to a 14th place finish. Maiga has represented his country on 31 occasions and notched five times – no doubt we’ll be subjected to plenty of “the next Freddy Kanoute” headlines over his time at Upton Park.

The Prospects

A powerful striker, Maiga will also bring plenty pace to the Hammers’ up front options next season. His dynamic game is suited to the speed of the Premier League and will perhaps stand him in good stead in terms of game time next term, providing he can keep his temperament in check. Allardyce still seems undecided on Carlton Cole – 12 of the forward’s 43 appearances last term came from the bench and while Ricardo Vaz Te impressed with 12 goals in 18 appearances upon his January arrival from Barnsley, question marks remain over his ability to produce in the Premier League.

At present, plenty speculation surrounds the West Ham front line. Moves for Andy Carroll and Dimitar Berbatov have been mooted and, while neither may come to fruition, the intent is clear – Big Sam is looking to freshen things up in the forward positions. Looking at the stats, Maiga is clearly best utilised as part of a front two – those 15 goals in 36 appearances in 2010/11 saw him partnered up front in a 4-3-1-2 but Sochaux’s move to 4-2-3-1 last term clearly dented his potential.

If he can nail down a regular role under Allardyce, Maiga could earn interest as a cut-price option in our Fantasy squads. Similar to Cole and Vaz Te, he comes in at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) though intriguingly, the Sky Sports game has priced him as the cheapest of the trio at just 6.1 – many are likely to hold fire at the moment, however, with the Hammers certain to continue their summer spending.

Certainly, the opening set of fixtures have been kind to West Ham. Over the first five Gameweeks, Allardyce’s men play host to (AVL, FUL, SUN) and with trips to Swansea and Norwich also on the agenda, confidence in their budget and mid-price Fantasy assets will be relatively high. In terms of ownership, looking at the Sky Sports game, Maiga is the least popular of the Hammers forwards so far – while he’s likely to sneak under the radar of many, then, the new boy may well be quick out the blocks.

Further Reference

Modibo Maiga Wikipedia
Modibo Maiga Statistics
Modibo Maiga YouTube

About The Author

paul

> See all posts by this author

2,484 Responses to “Scout Report – Modibo Maiga”

  1. July 22 at 6:46 am

    Red Devil says:

    A risky team but hoping all start..

    Cech – Jaaskelainen
    Jenkinson – Nelsen – Hangeland – Warnock – Clichy
    Kagawa – van der Vaart – Hazard – Silva – N’Zogbia
    Petric – Torres – Pogrebnyak

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 6:49 am

      ManofKent says:

      Strong midfield. Wouldn’t touch Clichy myself

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 6:57 am

        Jack(off) - Arsenal: The Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup winners of 2012. says:

        So you are avoiding City defense? or spending the $$$ on Kompany?

        • 2 replies
         
        1. July 22 at 7:01 am

          EX says:

          I’d love to pick Lescott over Clichy myself. But somehow that 0.5 just seems so very valuable to me for some reason.

          • 0 replies
           
        2. July 22 at 7:03 am

          ManofKent says:

          Lescott – much less risk of rotation than Clichy

          • 1 reply
           
          1. July 22 at 7:31 am

            Jack(off) - Arsenal: The Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup winners of 2012. says:

            2 more starts last season and 13 points isn’t really that much of a difference.

            • 0 replies
             
  2. July 22 at 6:46 am

    lfcserg says:

    Ok so now

    Vorm
    Clichy Vertonghen Shawcross
    Silva Kagawa Larsson Siggy
    Aguero Torres Pog

    Torres -> Suarez after gw6
    Vorm -> Reina after gw6

    RMT out of 10

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 6:50 am

      ManofKent says:

      and the other four important places?

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 6:52 am

        lfcserg says:

        Cerny, Clyne, Gunter and Frei

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 7:05 am

          ManofKent says:

          Clyne and Gunter look okay as 4m, but are you sure you want a non-starting second goalie? Frei definitely an interesting punt that may pay off.

          • 0 replies
           
  3. July 22 at 6:51 am

    Rick -- Founder of a new blog says:

    Was trying to teach a friend how to play FPL. Told him about captains, told him that captain’s score is doubled. He said, “I will keep Rooney captain throughout the season”. I gave up.

    • 2 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:00 am

      EX says:

      Lol. My friend had a dead team and kept VP captain all season and still didnt finish last in our ML.

      • 0 replies
       
    2. July 22 at 7:02 am

      Paul says:

      most ppl in the world are like that…. :-P

      • 0 replies
       
  4. July 22 at 6:53 am

    halnone says:

    yay up to 105 in MLS fantasy :)

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:18 am

      EpicFAIL - AVFC <3 says:

      Bloody ‘ell that’s still going. How long of the season left?

      • 0 replies
       
  5. July 22 at 6:56 am

    AusSpur says:

    De Gea (Cerny)

    Kaboul/Lescott/Heitinga (Simpson, Figueroa)

    Bale/Hazard/Kagawa/Taarabt (Frei)

    Torres/Tevez/Graham

    Thoughts?

    • 2 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:07 am

      ManofKent says:

      I’d want a second keeper that could play, otherwise pretty decent.

      • 0 replies
       
    2. July 22 at 7:16 am

      aflickering says:

      if you’re sticking with a 4.0 keeper, pick anyone but cerny. tons of people have him and his price is gonna plummet.

      • 0 replies
       
  6. July 22 at 6:58 am

    EX says:

    Does this time of the morning still qualify as the DZ. It’s almost noon in India here. lol

    Care for an RMT any of you?

    __________DeGea. Begovic
    ___Cole. Clichy. Kaboul. Pearce. Demel
    _Sinclair. Kagawa. Hazard. Noble. Maloney
    ______Aguero. Adebayor. Petric

    1.0 banked. Anything you would do different with this team? Cheers all you fellow DZers!

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:00 am

      halnone says:

      yep it’s still the deadzone.

      I’m about to go to bed in a few minutes :)

      I like the look of your team.
      If I were you I’d go 3 chelsea players for the first gwk.

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:05 am

        EX says:

        Torres for Adebyor. Yeah, I’m thinking of that if his Spurs move falls apart.

        Thanks again! Sleep well :P

        • 0 replies
         
  7. July 22 at 6:59 am

    Goonther says:

    last time Ill see Arsenal at the top of the table :/

    • 2 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:02 am

      Paul says:

      we’ll be back….don’t worry…

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:02 am

        kennethrhcp says:

        next season :) i know this comment is an hour later but im only up and scrolling through

        • 0 replies
         
    2. July 22 at 7:08 am

      ManofKent says:

      You’re lucky – us Baggies always start in relegation ;)

      • 0 replies
       
  8. July 22 at 7:02 am

    Paul says:

    Good Morning People…. :-)

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:09 am

      ManofKent says:

      Morning :)

      • 0 replies
       
  9. July 22 at 7:06 am

    EX says:

    I think all of you should use Isackis rotation planner for your team. What i love about it, is that it doesnt just stick to rotation for HOME and AWAY games. It factors in fixture difficulty and throws in the easy away fixturs too.

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:09 am

      Willis_Hide says:

      Link me up.

      • 1 reply
       
  10. July 22 at 7:11 am

    Clover says:

    Good morning mates… :-)

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:15 am

      Clover says:

      Updated my profile… :-D

      • 0 replies
       
  11. July 22 at 7:15 am

    Brian says:

    Morning. Mmm Tea, Toast and a cheeky RMT

    Jaasklelainen, Begovic,

    Coloccini, Cuellar, Wilson, Demel, Fonte,

    Hazard, McClean, Ben Arfa, Sinclair, Maloney,

    Rooney, Aguero, Torres

    If this Michu chap is 6.5 or less, ill switch him with Sinclair, downgrade Torres to Cisse (Newcastles one..) and upgrade Fonte to Williams (Swansea).

    Hazard to Bale after week 1 of course!

    • 2 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:17 am

      Clover says:

      I want Cuellar, also… Is he nailed on for sure…?

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:22 am

        Brian says:

        Not sure, so no is the answer I guess then :D

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 7:25 am

          Clover says:

          So you guess very good then :-) I won’t consider him anymore… :-D

          • 0 replies
           
    2. July 22 at 7:20 am

      ManofKent says:

      Not considering taking a punt on Tevez instead of aguero to balance the team a little more?

      • 2 replies
       
      1. July 22 at 7:22 am

        cag6117 says:

        If Tevez plays, will Aguero still be taking penalties?

        • 0 replies
         
      2. July 22 at 7:22 am

        Brian says:

        Plan on rotating captaincy between Rooney and Aguero, so Tevez too much of a gamble. Attackers pretty much mopped up the bonus points last season, so maybe balance is overrated.

        • 0 replies
         
  12. July 22 at 7:15 am

    bepreparedagain says:

    Morning people in Europe :)

    • 2 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:18 am

      Clover says:

      I am the one… :-) Morning… :-D

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:20 am

        ManofKent says:

        Morning both.

        • 0 replies
         
    2. July 22 at 7:19 am

      EpicFAIL - AVFC <3 says:

      Morning n ting.

      • 0 replies
       
  13. July 22 at 7:20 am

    cag6117 says:

    What do you think of this team?:

    DDG, Green
    Cole, Clichy, Simpson, Cuellar, McCartney
    Bale, Pienaar, McClean, Walters, Noble
    Aguero, Torres, Graham

    This would give me £2m in the bank

    Or should i go with Lampard instead of Pienaar and Pog instead of Graham?

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:24 am

      bepreparedagain says:

      Go with Lampared good be good for the first 3 game weeks

      • 0 replies
       
  14. July 22 at 7:23 am

    bepreparedagain says:

    Ok this is my team so far :) what do you think?

    Friedel, Federici

    Cashly, lescott, Hangeland, Cuellar, Demel

    Bale, Song, Valencia, Cabaye, Noble

    Torres, Aguero, Pog

    I believe it’s a pretty good balanced team.

    • 3 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:28 am

      Clover says:

      As I heard, Cuellar is not nailed on, mate… And Song is playing deep I think…Rest looks ok…

      • 0 replies
       
    2. July 22 at 7:29 am

      cag6117 says:

      Will Demel actually start. I look on the West Ham website and McCartney seemed to play a lot more games last season than him.

      I am worried about Spurs defensively due to Villas Boas being in charge.

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:54 am

        Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

        Might be wrong but I thought Demel was a RB whilst McCartney plays either CB or LB. They were both in the WHU starting line up yesterday

        • 0 replies
         
    3. July 22 at 7:30 am

      bepreparedagain says:

      Ok will take that on :)

      • 0 replies
       
  15. July 22 at 7:26 am

    ChristIna says:

    Starting to like the look of Swans defenders at 5m.

    • 3 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:27 am

      Willis_Hide says:

      Who are your goalkeepers, Chris?

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:28 am

        ChristIna says:

        I’ve changed so many times. At the moment Jussi/Federici

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 7:31 am

          Willis_Hide says:

          How well do they rotate (in terms of difficulty)? Better than Begovic//Federici?

          • 1 reply
           
          1. July 22 at 7:34 am

            ChristIna says:

            Bego/Fed? They don’t rotate at all. :shock:

            You should know mr Estuary.

            • 1 reply
             
            1. July 22 at 7:35 am

              Willis_Hide says:

              I meant Begovic/Jussi.

              • 1 reply
               
              1. July 22 at 7:43 am

                ChristIna says:

                I know who you mean.

                I think the Fedrci/Jussi works better for me( early on anyway) Just looking at first 10 weeks, stoke has ARS/CITY/chel/pool/manu while wham has swans/nor/SUN/ARS/SOUTHin the corresponding games.

                • 1 reply
                 
                1. July 22 at 7:47 am

                  Willis_Hide says:

                  Ok then, I’ll go with Jussi/Federici. What about your 3 cheap defenders. Who have you gone with?

                  • 1 reply
                   
                  1. July 22 at 7:52 am

                    ChristIna says:

                    At the moment I have:

                    Jussi/Fedrici
                    Terry/Lescott/Fonte/Fabio/Cuellar
                    Hazard/Sinclair/Noble/Maloney/Guthrie
                    Torres/Ade/Aguero

                    2.5m cash for torres–>Rooney in week 2. Not sure what do do with remaining 500k. You are an Estuary…any idea?

                    BTW: Thinking behind my cheapies…

                    Fonte/Guthrie + Fabio rotate h/a
                    Cuellar + Maloney rotate h/a(people are looking at noble/maloney rotation but are missing others…)

                    • 0 replies
                     
    2. July 22 at 7:29 am

      EpicFAIL - AVFC <3 says:

      Swans for relegation.

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:29 am

        Clover says:

        +1

        • 0 replies
         
    3. July 22 at 7:30 am

      ManofKent says:

      I’ve pencilled in NTaylor

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:55 am

        Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

        Get your rubber out then. He’s with the Olympic team so possibly will be rested to start the year

        • 0 replies
         
  16. July 22 at 7:27 am

    Nopli-Unleashthedrog says:

    Morning Peeps :)
    A or B?

    A) Rangel or Hazard
    B) A. Cole or Kagawa

    • 2 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:29 am

      bepreparedagain says:

      B for me

      • 0 replies
       
    2. July 22 at 7:29 am

      Clover says:

      B

      • 0 replies
       
  17. July 22 at 7:32 am

    Nopli-Unleashthedrog says:

    Green
    Lescott Ivanovic Cole
    Bale Noble Kagawa Taraabt
    Torres(c) Aguero Graham

    Thoughts on improving my squad?
    Bench: Jussi Demel Kelly Song

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:41 am

      Clover says:

      This looks ok for me… I would only switch out Song for Maloney… Then you will have cash to do Aguero to Rooney for GW2 ;-)

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:13 am

        Nopli-Unleashthedrog says:

        Cheers :)

        • 0 replies
         
  18. July 22 at 7:34 am

    Cantona66 says:

    How about this team for week 1?

    DDG/4mil

    A.Cole / Williams / Lescott (Wilson / Barnett)

    Dembele / Hazard (C) / Noble / Kagawa (Maloney)

    Bent / Tevez / Rooney

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:38 am

      Clover says:

      Why Dembele ?

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 7:41 am

        Cantona66 says:

        If Dempsey ends up moving I can see him getting a lot of points.

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 7:43 am

          Clover says:

          Yeah, if it happens ok…But that’s a big one if…

          • 2 replies
           
          1. July 22 at 7:45 am

            Cantona66 says:

            True, still early days though, possibly Taarabt if no move.

            • 0 replies
             
          2. July 22 at 7:45 am

            Jack(off) - Arsenal: The Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup winners of 2012. says:

            Hardly.

            • 0 replies
             
  19. July 22 at 7:41 am

    queons says:

    FUTBOL ES VIDA!

    26190-9285

    • 0 replies
     
  20. July 22 at 7:45 am

    Manatee says:

    Hi there,

    Could you please RMT?

    De Gea, federici

    Lescott, fabio, cole, Jenkinson, obrien

    Noble, hazard, bale, pienaar, maloney

    Torres, aguero, cisse (qpr)

    Thanks!

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 7:59 am

      Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

      I like all but Noble & O’Brien. Not sure the latter will ever play so if you have to add a £4.0m ‘filler’ go for someone from Reading or Soton. Noble’s only redeeming quality is that he takes pens. If he didn’t he’d be nailed on for a max of 2 pts each week.

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:24 am

        Gwaihir says:

        He takes corners too. Should attract his fair share of BPs.

        • 0 replies
         
  21. July 22 at 7:46 am

    Nopli-Unleashthedrog says:

    Hey Guys :)
    I had been thinking for quite a few days now that selecting a Team for the first few game-weeks of the season is the most difficult. As the season gains momentum and the players gain some form and match fitness then we can easily select a team. Last season i had a turbulent start to the season but it didn’t last long. In the first 4 weeks i scored 144 points and in the next 4 weeks i scored a staggering 268 points. Thoughts guys :)

    • 5 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 7:47 am

      Willis_Hide says:

      Thoughts on what?

      • 0 replies
       
    2. July 22 at 7:55 am

      ChristIna says:

      Stop thinking.

      • 0 replies
       
    3. July 22 at 7:57 am

      Billy Ketsu says:

      I’d like some lemon meringue pie.

      • 0 replies
       
    4. July 22 at 8:10 am

      kennethrhcp says:

      thoughts, last season was messed up due to gmwk 1 feck up & then having a wildcard in gmwk 2

      • 0 replies
       
    5. July 22 at 8:16 am

      Jonty says:

      If what you’re saying is the first few weeks are a lottery as team sheets are up in the air and form is hard to judge then yes I agree. Last season I just tried to follow the money in the first few weeks, ended up being a good policy .

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:20 am

        ChristIna says:

        id69

        My hero.

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 8:28 am

          Jonty says:

          Not planned… Although I am a fan of bill and ted’s excellent adventure, so was pretty chuffed to get it.

          • 0 replies
           
  22. July 22 at 7:53 am

    lfcserg says:

    RMT out of 10

    Vorm
    Clichy Williams Vertonghen
    Kagawa Holman Silva Hazard
    Torres Aguero Pogrenbyak

    Tossing up between Torres and Aguero as (c) but I may go with Aguero as the safer bet with a home game against newly promoted team its got aguero writteln all over it

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 8:06 am

      EpicFAIL - AVFC <3 says:

      6

      • 0 replies
       
  23. July 22 at 7:56 am

    mottttaaaa says:

    first draft RMT
    jaas | bego
    a cole | kaboul | cuellar | hange | fonte
    VDV | sinclair | demp | noble | maloney
    Kun | torres | pog
    3.5 left i want 2.0 left to upgrade torres to roo in gw2 which is the thing most people are doing

    • 0 replies
     
  24. July 22 at 8:01 am

    itsjustme says:

    Morning! Here’s my new Draft any thoughts welcome:

    Friedel
    Ivanovic Rafael A Hughes
    Hazard Pienaar Taabrat McLean
    Rooney Tevez Torres

    Green McLean Cuellar Wilson

    GK: Friedel and Green rotate. Can’t seem to find a good rotation with QPR that doesn’t double up on my defenders.
    DEF: 2 Expensive defenders with a 3 man rotation for the last spot.
    MID: Hazard could swap to Bale later. Pienaar needs to move to EVE
    FWD: Big up top with a bit of a risk on Tevez but it is third striker

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 8:06 am

      kennethrhcp says:

      morning, friedel wont be no.1 when spurs sign a new gk, a.hughes not nailed on, mcclean in there twice, team looks good though

      • 2 replies
       
      1. July 22 at 8:12 am

        Gwaihir says:

        Eagle eyes!

        • 0 replies
         
      2. July 22 at 8:19 am

        itsjustme says:

        Good spot! McLean should be Noble on the bench.

        Didn’t realise they were in the market for a new keeper. I am a bit stuck on keeper rotation as I already have FUL, SUN & STO. So that only leaves QPR, AVL & WBA as the other cheapies I would want as I’m discounting promoted teams for now. I guess it’s Given and Foster?

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 8:28 am

          kennethrhcp says:

          ya they are meant to in for lloris (french no.1), gks are causing me probs aswell, i was on given & jussi, now fed & jussi…. will change alot :)

          • 1 reply
           
          1. July 22 at 8:37 am

            itsjustme says:

            Just changed to Al Habsi and Green for 34/38 rotation and 0.5 in the bank. I’m sure it will change, just can’t bring myself to choose a promoted keeper for some reason. WHM conceded a bit in championship so maybe Fed is an option

            • 0 replies
             
  25. July 22 at 8:01 am

    royals forever says:

    Who is more nailed on

    Bardsley or Cuellar

    • 3 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 8:04 am

      kennethrhcp says:

      neither imo with all the defenders mon has now

      • 0 replies
       
    2. July 22 at 8:07 am

      sukrut23 says:

      I think both. Bardsley can play lb or rb if o’shea gets the rb position Bardsley will switch over at lb. Brown and Cuellar at cb. Hope this helps.

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:08 am

        kennethrhcp says:

        warnock & james collins signed yesterday… add that to the mix

        • 3 replies
         
        1. July 22 at 8:11 am

          Gwaihir says:

          Done deal it is?

          • 0 replies
           
        2. July 22 at 8:12 am

          sukrut23 says:

          not official as yet

          • 1 reply
           
          1. July 22 at 8:28 am

            kennethrhcp says:

            o right, i thought i read it was done, my bad lads :)

            • 0 replies
             
        3. July 22 at 8:16 am

          Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

          Don’t know how. They were both busy playing for Villa in Chicago…

          • 0 replies
           
    3. July 22 at 8:09 am

      Gwaihir says:

      Rumour this morning that MON is going for Warnock & Collins too. Sunderland will have loads of defence cover, so both would not be nailed on.

      I have Cuellar too at the mo. Tide on here this AM seems to be turning against him.

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:16 am

        Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

        Saw on a Villa website this morning a twitter message from Warnock’s missus saying she knows nothing about going to Sunderland.

        I think Collins will go so Lambert can move Cieran Clark in at CB but they don’t have as much cover at LB so Warnock is no certainty to leave

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 8:18 am

          Gwaihir says:

          Villa have a favourable early set of fixtures. Who do you see as the likely starting back 4. I am seriously thinking of taking a dip!

          • 1 reply
           
          1. July 22 at 8:32 am

            Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

            Think it will be Warnock/Lichaj, Clark, Dunne and Lowton. The latter is in my team. Lambert didn’t pay £3m for him to have him sit on the bench

            • 1 reply
             
            1. July 22 at 8:36 am

              Gwaihir says:

              Your talk of Lowton interests me, Sir. I shall devote good jogging time to muse this more.

              • 1 reply
               
              1. July 22 at 8:39 am

                Gwaihir says:

                Nuts. He’s £4.5m. I was hoping for a £4m bargin!

                Still, time may tell….

                • 0 replies
                 
  26. July 22 at 8:06 am

    Sreehari says:

    What’s the code for this site’s official league?

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 8:06 am

      kennethrhcp says:

      on the home page

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:09 am

        kennethrhcp says:

        40184-13425

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 8:11 am

          Sreehari says:

          Thanks.. I’ve been reading comments on this site for over a year now, But didn’t join the league last year. :P

          • 1 reply
           
          1. July 22 at 8:20 am

            Champ says:

            Welcome sreehari. I think most of us spent a good while lurking without getting involved at first. Good luck

            • 0 replies
             
  27. July 22 at 8:10 am

    sukrut23 says:

    who in gods name is Stoke’s no 1??

    • 4 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 8:12 am

      Willis_Hide says:

      I’ll tell you if you Beg.

      • 2 replies
       
      1. July 22 at 8:16 am

        sukrut23 says:

        lol :) i have heard about you a lot, mate. Btw nice grav, fine ass

        • 0 replies
         
      2. July 22 at 8:18 am

        ChristIna says:

        BTW big Willy, I’m just taking the Bego/Jussi vs Jussi/Fedrici h/a rotation up to gw 13 and a luck would have it the jussi/ferci combo goes pear shape and at that stage.

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 8:19 am

          ChristIna says:

          …hey wolfman…Big_Willy is spoken for.

          • 0 replies
           
    2. July 22 at 8:12 am

      Nopli-Unleashthedrog says:

      Begovic NO 1..
      ! Sorenson had a few games at the end of last season because his coach wanted to improve his chances of getting a berth for his national team.

      • 0 replies
       
    3. July 22 at 8:13 am

      Billy Gilmore says:

      Begovic

      • 0 replies
       
    4. July 22 at 8:13 am

      Gwaihir says:

      Begovic I believe.

      • 2 replies
       
      1. July 22 at 8:15 am

        royals forever says:

        Begovic

        • 0 replies
         
      2. July 22 at 8:17 am

        sukrut23 says:

        well in that case Asmir Begovic it is. Thankyou lads.

        • 0 replies
         
  28. July 22 at 8:15 am

    royals forever says:

    Hi Guys

    In your opinion which Swansea DFs would you go for

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 8:25 am

      Gwaihir says:

      Rangel.

      • 0 replies
       
  29. July 22 at 8:15 am

    "The Special One" says:

    GW 1 – RMT,

    De Gea, Jaaskelainen
    A.Cole, Lescott, Hangeland, Jenkinson, Clyne
    Dembele, Valencia, Marin, Lennon, Noble
    Torres, Aguero, Ba

    Thoughts??

    • 1 reply
     
    1. July 22 at 8:30 am

      sukrut23 says:

      midfield needs some real improvement, except Valencia and Noble.

      • 0 replies
       
  30. July 22 at 8:16 am

    Willis_Hide says:

    Who’s the best 4.5m midfielder?

    • 3 replies
     
    1. July 22 at 8:22 am

      isacki - rotation makes my head spin. says:

      Guthrie. If you want to take a risk, Frei/Kacaniklic

      • 1 reply
       
      1. July 22 at 8:24 am

        Nitin Nagaraja: PS3 or Xbox? Need some opinions. says:

        But Frei didn’t play yesterday also!

        • 1 reply
         
        1. July 22 at 8:28 am

          isacki - rotation makes my head spin. says:

          Yep, was only a friendly though so who knows how’s it gonna go. Kacaniklic did though didn’t he.

          • 0 replies
           
    2. July 22 at 8:27 am

      sukrut23 says:

      I like Karim El Ahmadi, Dean Whitehead should be in the starting 11 same goes for Neville. Cork is good with long shots.

      • 0 replies
       
    3. July 22 at 8:35 am

      Eng-er-land expects...nothing says:

      Gary O’Neill or Samba Diakite.

      • 0 replies
       

Commenting is now closed for this post.

Scout Picks

For Gameweek 38

  • Boruc
  • Zabaleta
  • Vertonghen
  • Johnson
  • Walcott
  • Michu
  • Coutinho
  • Bale
  • van Persie
  • Carroll
  • Sturridge
  • Rangel
  • Nolan
  • Rodriguez

Recent Comments

Next Six Ticker

The Watchlist

Goalkeepers

Player Club Factors
No Change Hart MCI B, Vs
Up Cech CHE B, Vs
Up Robles WIG C, Vs, £
No Change Lloris TOT C, Vs
No Change Foster WBA C, Vs
No Change Vorm SWA C, Vs
No Change Mignolet SUN B, Vs
No Change De Gea MUN A
Up Boruc SOT B, Vs, £
No Change Jääskeläinen WHM A
No Change Begovic STO C
No Change Howard EVE A

Defenders

Player Club Factors
No Change Kompany MCI B, Vs, Rest
No Change Vertonghen TOT A, Vs, Rest
Up Luiz CHE A, Vs, Rest
No Change Baines EVE A
Up Boyce WIG C, Vs, OoP
Down Bassong NOR B, Vs
Up McAuley WBA C, Vs
Down Johnson LIV B
Up Jones MUN A
No Change Sagna ARS B
Up Huth STO C
No Change Cuéllar SUN B, Vs, £
No Change Rangel SWA C, Vs
Up Clyne SOT B, Vs, £

Midfielders

Player Club Factors
Up Bale TOT A, Vs
No Change Mata CHE C, Vs, Rest
Up Walcott ARS C, OoP
Up Hazard CHE B, Vs, Rest, Inj
Up Maloney WIG B, Vs, £
No Change Y Touré MCI B, Vs
No Change Silva MCI B, Vs, Inj
No Change Fellaini EVE C
No Change Coutinho LIV B
Up Morrison WBA C, Vs
Down Cazorla ARS C
No Change Snodgrass NOR B
Up Kagawa MUN B, Rest
Up Walters STO B
Down Lallana SOT C, Vs
Down Sissoko NEW C

Forwards

Player Club Factors
Up Tevez MCI A, Vs, Rest
Up Koné WIG B, Vs, £
Down van Persie MUN A, Vs
Up Sturridge LIV B
Up Lukaku WBA B, Vs, Rest
Up Benteke AVL A
Down Aguero MCI B, Vs, Inj
Up Rodriguez SOT A, Vs, £
Up Defoe TOT B, Vs, Rest
Down Lambert SOT C, Vs
Down Rooney MUN C
Up Carroll WHM A, VsX
Up Ba CHE C, Vs, Rest
Down Berbatov FUL C
Up Cissé NEW B
Down Remy QPR B

Selection Factors

A, B, C Current Form
Vs Favourable Fixtures
VsX Unfavourable Fixtures
Rest Rotation Risk
Inj Injured/Returning from Injury
OoP Out of Position
£ Potential Bargain
Sus Suspended/Near Suspension

“I love to attack and I love to go up front...It is a little more difficult than when you are playing centre-back. If you play the way that I want to play, I think my influence is better as a left-back. For the team, it is best that I play as a centre-back. I like to bring the ball out. You need to move the game quickly, and that is one of my qualities as well.”

Jan Vertonghen outlines what he feels is his best position for Andre Villas-Boas