Captains

Captain Poll Contenders – Gameweek 9

Today, we’re rolling out a new weekly regular which looks at the Captain Poll contenders in the Gameweek so far. Analysing form, fixtures and upcoming opponents of each of the main protagonists, we run through your favourites, with Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla the runaway leader ahead of Arsenal’s home clash with basement-dwellers QPR:

Over the eight Gameweeks to date, the Captain Poll leaders have averaged 7.3 points per appearance – just shy of 15 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points per Gameweek if you handed them the armband. You’ve selected three lots of double figures – Michu (10 in Gameweek 2), Carlos Tevez (15 in Gameweek 3) and Robin Van Persie last weekend, with an 11 point haul against Stoke.

Intriguingly, the last five Gameweeks have seen Van Persie and Eden Hazard monopolise the Captain Poll. Since the start of Gameweek 4, the Dutchman has earned top spot three times, while the Belgian has been the favourite twice but with Chelsea and United squaring up at the Bridge on Sunday, neither are anywhere near the summit.

Santi Cazorla

The Spaniard currently leads the way in the Captain Poll, with 23% of the votes cast ahead of a home showdown with QPR. Cazorla was handed the armband by many last time round but provided his owners with a four point captaincy return after Arsenal unexpectedly stumbled to defeat at Norwich. The former Malaga man has mainly excelled on the road – both his goals, two of his three assists and all five of his Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points have been accrued away from the Emirates.

With just a single assist over his three home games – in the 6-1 Gameweek 4 mauling of Southampton – Cazorla has produced blanks against Sunderland and Chelsea in front of his own fans but with QPR conceding two or more goals in three of their four road trips, his owners will be confident of picking up the points after the Carrow Road disappointment last Saturday evening.

Gareth Bale

The Welshman sits in second place with 13% and heads off to former club Southampton this weekend. In terms of attacking output, Bale is similar to Cazorla, producing just one assist in four matches at the Lane this term but playing away clearly seems to suit him right now. The 9.5 priced FPL midfielder has produced double figures in each of his last two road trips; a goal and maximum bonus points harvested 11 points at Reading in Gameweek 4, whilst a 16 point haul at Old Trafford came courtesy of a goal, two assists and the maximum bonus.

Nigel Adkins’s side have been dire defensively, though have conceded half the number of goals at St Mary’s than they have on their travels (eight versus 16) but with Spurs scoring two or more in each of their last five, the odds are heavily against a home clean sheet. Let’s just hope Bale is available this time; he missed out against Chelsea, of course, with his partner due to give birth.

Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero

Tevez may have failed to score since Gameweek 3 but his stats have still been strong – he has either scored, assisted or picked up FPL bonus in all his seven starts this season. He has featured in the first XI in three of City’s four home matches, producing two goals, three assists and three bonus points over that quartet of fixtures – an average of 8.6 points per Etihad start or 6.75 per home appearance. The problem, then, is whether Roberto Mancini will hand him a first-team place – the one time Tevez has climbed off the bench this season (at home to Arsenal in Gameweek 5), he returned a single point.

Aguero, on the other hand, has mainly picked up the points regardless. With Champions League duties a clear factor in Mancini’s thinking, the former Atletico Madrid man has been handed a sub role in each of City’s last two – yet still managed to produce attacking returns in both those fixtures. Since returning from injury in Gameweek 5, Aguero has outscored Tevez in FPL by 18 to 17, despite featuring for a total of 62 minutes in the previous two matches. Many Fantasy managers’ decision could be swayed by Mancini’s Champions League line-up this evening but with Gameweek 9 opponents Swansea travelling to the Etihad on the back of a run of games which has seen them ship two or more goals in five of their last six, Tevez and Aguero – with 11% and 10% of votes cast respectively – could be primed for points.

Demba Ba

Another armband contender, with 9% of votes, though it’s worth noting that Newcastle have scored a total of four goals in four home games so far. Ba has notched two of those strikes and has had a hand in seven of his side’s nine goals thus far – both his double figure returns have arrived away from St James’ Park. Nevertheless, Ba has accrued 22 FPL points over those four home games (9,2,9,2) with maximum bonus against Spurs and Norwich in Gameweeks 1 and 5. West Brom roll up to Tyneside having conceded in all of their three away trips and have a single clean sheet in their last five – if Alan Pardew’s side are to get the better of the Baggies, Ba looks a good bet to play a significant part, with spot-kick duties also likely to come his way.

Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney

Despite playing the full 90 minutes for United last night, Van Persie now has five-day break before Sunday’s trip to Chelsea. The Dutchman has lived up to the “Robin Reliant” tag since moving to Old Trafford – he has scored or assisted in all of his six league starts this term. He has averaged over eight points per away start, scoring (15,6,4) when fielded in Sir Alex Ferguson’s XI on the road and looks certain to begin the game at the Bridge. Chelsea have conceded just once in the last three in front of their own fans, though, and could provide a real test for Van Persie’s incredible consistency; he currently sits as low as fifth, with just 7% votes cast perhaps an indication of the Blues’ defensive resolve.

Rooney has just 2% of votes so far, despite returning double figures in each of his last two appearances. Since returning from injury in the second-half of the Gameweek 6 home defeat at Spurs, he has grabbed two goals, four assists and six bonus points; in spite of his new deep-lying role, Rooney has bettered Van Persie’s tally in each of the last two matches, though whether Ferguson continues with the diamond against Chelsea’s width on the flanks is perhaps debatable.

Other Contenders

Dimitar Berbatov travels to the Madejski to face a Reading side that have yet to register a clean sheet all season. He has only started one away game for Fulham this term and returned eight FPL points in the Gameweek 5 trip to Wigan; the Bulgarian has 4% of the votes. Juan Mata’s phenomenal form makes him the most popular Chelsea contender. Since returning from a rest in Gameweek 5, he has produced three goals, five assists and six FPL bonus points, though Eden Hazard has averaged nine points per home game and should be on spot-kicks if Frank Lampard misses out with a calf problem; incredibly, he has just 1% of the votes so far.

Elsewhere, Peter Crouch has scored all three of Stoke’s home goals this season and welcomes Sunderland to the Britannia – the Potters man has just 2% of the votes, double that of Arouna Kone. The Ivorian is an intriguing option – he has had a hand in four of Wigan’s five home goals this season (two goals, two assists) and plays host to a West Ham side that have conceded in each of their last four matches.

Grant Holt has scored in each of his last three, against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, and travels to Villa Park to face former Norwich boss Paul Lambert – Villa have one clean sheet all season, while Rickie Lambert is another to consider. He has averaged 6.5 points per home game this season and squares up to Spurs at St Mary’s; although he has started all four home matches, he was subbed off after the hour mark against Fulham in Gameweek 7.

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1,522 Comments Post a Comment
  1. mikey
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    im bringing in Santi and Ba this week with my 2 FT's. Would you take out:-

    A - Gerrard + Tevez
    B - YaYa + Torres

    Thanks

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    1. Hurricane H
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Option B for sure..

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  2. GREENDREAMS11
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Ouch arsenal

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    1. Tommy Tynans Left Shin Pad
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      0-2

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  3. Soccer Brah
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    City playing all 4 strikers. Nice balance.

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    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Tevez not on

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      1. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        Yip, he is

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        1. Soccer Brah
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 5 months ago

          The classic 3-4-4 for formation.

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      2. Malcolm Tucker for England …
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        Who's the mutant up top then?

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  4. Kostja
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Owning up to my third big mistake of the season- getting Cazorla

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    1. JK - Cønt ⭐
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      right now owning ANY Arsenal player looks a mistake. Caz to Mata or Bale could be on the cards

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    2. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      I got him in last weekned, for the second f ing time

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  5. alsybach
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    The most overrated, over paid, under performing league in the world - THE PREMIERE LEAGUE!!.............why do we think we are so great - like our national side - we a BANG ORDINARY.

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    1. Lateriser 12
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      An english team has made it to majority of the finals/semi's in the last few years.

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    2. GlasgowFF
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      what is the PREMIERE league? Is it French?

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      1. COMH
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        🙂

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      2. Malcolm Tucker for England …
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        It's to make it look more continental, like the stars on City's shirts

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    3. Kostja
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      You miss the point, like the Arsenal vs Shalke score just tells us that Shalke are not better than Norwich

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      1. alsybach
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        Shalke are a darn sight better than Norwich my friend.....................

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        1. Kostja
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 5 months ago

          beat Arsenal with the same score, this is what you get when you make claims based on 1 game. Looking at it like that we could say City better than Real too as they did not lose to Dortmund.

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    4. Malcolm Tucker for England …
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      This X 1,000 ^^^^^

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    5. Krionos
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Talk about overreacting. Chelsea won it last year and you had 3 out of 4 teams topping their grps before this round...

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      1. Piggs Boson
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        Wasn't there like 2 English clubs in the semis for about 3 years running recently? They are always there or thereabouts!!

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    6. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Lol... we'll see what league wins the cup again shall we? 😀

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    7. Doolittle
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      I think it's the most entertaining league, the best to watch. In terms of quality, it can't compete with La Liga.

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  6. Reed_Rothchild
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Ya Ya looks like Idris Elba

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    1. Derm
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Stringer?

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  7. blue cheese
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Jackson Martinez scores. Porto 3-2.

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    1. JK - Cønt ⭐
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      YYEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH My favourite Jackson. Captain Jackson

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    2. Soccer Brah
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      A FIFA 13 beast.

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  8. JK - Cønt ⭐
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Olympiakos equalise in Montpellier

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  9. Lao Tzu
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    repost:

    is it worth taking a 4pt hit to do

    Lambert————>Berbatov

    before the latter’s price rises and becomes unaffordable without freeing up cash

    Thanks for the advice!

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    1. worm_tongue
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      I don't think so

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    2. Reed_Rothchild
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Yesssssssssss

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  10. Parm
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    @MalcomTucker: http://goo.gl/J5Mrn

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    1. Malcolm Tucker for England …
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Diamond. Thanks fella.
      What a c*nt 🙂

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  11. Bøwstring The Carp
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    With Arsenal playing terrible the last 2 games and showing a lack of goals, does anyone think Gervinho will be put back up central? Seems the logical thing to do even if he'splayed bad tonight. Thoughts?

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  12. COMH
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    I need Arsenal to score for £625

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    1. Lateriser 12
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      I remembered you when Schalke scored. Gnabry to Giroud would be flair.

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      1. COMH
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        Big time mate

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        1. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 5 months ago

          I hope for your sake they do but it would be their first shot on target

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      2. PINKFISH (SANCTIONED AND GA…
        • 11 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        GL with that!

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    2. The Dom-Bastic scale
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      COME ON ARSENAL!!

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  13. Le Gooner
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Someone on here captained Martinez from Porto. Well played!

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    1. JK - Cønt ⭐
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      *raises hand*

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  14. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Commentator on Setanta Ireland just said before the goal, "Giroud, for me, can win this game for Arsenal". What are these some of these guys gettin paid? After the goal he says "it's all that Schalke deserve, they've been much the better side".

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    1. Kostja
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      The two claims actually don't contradict each other I don't get what the issue is here.

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      1. Krionos
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        Lol me neither. Clutch at straws much...

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      2. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        You know what you are completely right, I better pull the handbrake on the cans of heineken. Just frustrated watchin how shit Arsenal are 🙂

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        1. Krionos
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 5 months ago

          lol

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    1. JK - Cønt ⭐
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      non-starter this one

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    2. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Wants to go to a more one-sided league eh? Wuss...

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  15. Mr Sarcastic
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    My defence is
    Fed, Jussi
    Baines, Hughes, Cuellar, Williams, Demel

    Looking at fixtures I need to do something there, maybe even for a hit.
    What do you think of this

    gw9 Jussi + Williams => Bego + Wilson -4
    gw10 Santi => Mata
    gw11 Berba => Ba

    Taking a hit for defender is always against the rules so maybe I'll cheat like this 🙂
    gw9 Jussi + Berba => Bego + Ba -4
    gw10 Santi => Mata
    gw11 Williams => Wilson

    ANYONE OUT THERE?

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  16. Pinatta
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    As an Ajax en United fan this is some good stuff 😀

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  17. AP
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    This is the problem City have, none of their players actually care about the club. Pick up the pay check, move on.

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    1. the axolotl
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      think this is probably at least partly correct. there's some questionable characters there

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    2. denial
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      They also don't like being set up in stupid formations they clearly can't perform in.

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    3. Malcolm Tucker for England …
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      Touch simplistic. How many one club players by choice are there really?
      Stevie-me, Matt le tiss, scholes, giggs

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    4. Doolittle
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      I think that's a bit reductive. I genuinely don't think Mancini has a clue in Europe.

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      1. Doosra - ☭DeclanMyGenius…
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 5 months ago

        I have always just thought that he doesn't have a clue ...

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  18. Optimus.
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    so unnerstall(3.5) might get me a clean sheet? 😯

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    1. JK - Cønt ⭐
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      +1, major shock here.

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  19. Wild Rover
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Neville is a real pro.... hasn't laughed once. 🙂

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    1. JK - Cønt ⭐
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      at least not outwardly

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  20. Leaf
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Arsenal playing like its a pre season friendly 🙁

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    1. Captain Dilemna
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      hahaha

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  21. Ginkapo FPL
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Ajax-City Draw
    Arsenal
    Real Madrid

    Well at least I was close on the Ajax-City score...

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  22. Le Gooner
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Santos is a shocking full back.

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  23. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Wow arsenal have been absolutely dreadful

    Against Norwich it was the worst performance from an arsenal side I have seen for years but this is worse

    No threat, no desire. Just awful

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  24. Revival
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Might be wake up call Arsenal need. Surely Wenger won't let them lose
    3 in a row.

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  25. Chris_Fàbregas #DOOS…
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    I hope this dire performance from Arsenal means that they will obliterate QPR this weekend.

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    1. asap
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 5 months ago

      wel no clue abt tha but surely those 00"s are obliterating everyone's mind

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  26. Coldplay
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Ok so today Arsenal, City, Madrid all lost and PSG won. Well I guess we are nearing the end of the world.

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  27. BigFatFrank
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 5 months ago

    Yaya for captain?.... madness... Or

    Teves,
    RVP
    Haz
    Crouchy
    Michu
    Kompany?

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