Archive for Big Dunc
If you're going to get sent off, make sure its for something worthwhile...
The “Breakouts”
Every year it seems just that little bit harder to make a team from the £100 million budget. Last season’s bargain basement players are this year’s mid-priced options, while the emerging talents are now fully fledged superstars in the eyes of the Fantasy Game pricing gurus.
Any Tom, Dick or Jon Reeson will tell you that the key to succeeding in this game then, is spotting those up and coming young talents just as they break into the first team, or those foreign players bought last year who have now settled and are ready to burst onto the scene in a big way.
Most top Fantasy managers will have ended up with Branislav Ivanovic in their team at some point last year, and Leighton Baines and Jose Bosingwa were the gems from the previous season. Who will be this year’s “Breakout” players? Here’s our take on some possible candidates…
Read more...Scout Report – Philippe Senderos to Fulham
Before leaving for Anfield, Roy Hodgson did squeeze in one purchase for Fulham by securing the services of Swiss International Philippe Senderos on a free transfer from Arsenal. After becoming a bit of a forgotten man at the Emirates over the last couple of years, the towering centre-back will be hoping for a fresh start at the Cottage and will be seeking to prove his doubters wrong.
At times his Premier League showings have been calamitous, but ex-Arsenal man has plenty of talent to offer his new employers. He reads the game well and is regarded as one of the more intelligent defenders around – after all Wenger doesn’t often sign players without something between their ears.
If he’s handed a solid run of games, Senderos could prove to be great value pick as he rarely gets booked, offers a reasonable goal threat at set pieces, and would profit from Fulham’s canny knack of keeping clean sheets in home games. Hodgson certainly rated him highly….
Read more...Playing The McFIFA Money Market
As we move into the final round of the group stages, it is time to start thinking about planning our teams and squads for the knockout phase. If you’re playing the McFIFA game, there is an extra twist involved here; in addtition to deciding who represents the best value for the rest of tournament, we also have the added variable of player values to consider.
As confirmed earlier, we are now able to make unlimited transfers in the McFIFA game until 15:45 South Africa time (14:45 UK time) on 26th June. To the conscientious Fantasy Manager then, this represents an opportunity to gain a significant advantage over rivals by buying popular players that are rising in price, and then later selling them at a profit, thereby increasing the overall team value.
First of all, let’s explain how this is all possible. There are three main factors at work here…
Read more...World Cup Preview – Group G
Dubbed this tournaments ‘Group of Death’, Group G sees Brazil, Portugal, The Ivory Coast and North Korea battling it out for a place in the second round. While Brazil are strong favorites to win the group, Portugal and The Ivory Coast will also fancy their chances and much will rest on the shoulders of top Fantasy targets like Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Luis Fabiano.
Neutrals will be hoping for lots of goals from the wealth of attacking talent on display, but if recent form in the qualifying rounds is anything to go by, it is the defenders who could prove to be the best Fantasy selections from this group. In 56 qualifying games, the four teams only conceded 21 goals between them and of these, eight were let in by Brazil.
While many people have already labeled North Korea as the whipping boys of the group, 10 clean sheets out of 14 in qualifying, and an impressive 2-2 draw against Greece in a warm up game suggest they are a much better team than their FIFA world ranking would have you believe. With the lowest average player cost of all the teams in the FIFA game, and a settled and predictable starting XI, they could be a good source of budget picks to fill those last few gaps in your squad…
Read more...The End of Season XI – Forwards
Looking back over this season, it is clear that forwards have been far more influential than in previous years, and we’ve seen a major shift in tactics from the top fantasy managers. Before we announce our dream team lineup then, it is worth taking a look into some statistics and considering how this may impact our team lineups as a whole for next season.
Read more...Scouting the Doubles – Fulham
Next up in our double gameweek write-ups is Fulham, who have two very tasty looking home fixtures against West Ham and Stoke. On paper Fulham look like the pick of the doubles, but unfortunately these things are never that straightforward.
Last night’s incredible victory over Hamburg was the first of five games they have to play in the space of just 13 days, including the all-important Europa League final scheduled for May 12th. Roy Hodgson made it perfectly clear where Fulham’s priorities lie when he made nine changes at Everton, so with the league now reduced to a mere sideshow, can we look past Hodgson’s Roy’tation antics and pick out any Fulham players worthy of investment?
Read more...
