Pre-Season

Friendlies Round-Up – Monday

United end their tour of Asia with a comprehensive win as Jesse Lingard gets amongst the goals once again. Markus Rosenberg and Nicolas Anelka maintain their recent scoring form as West Brom pick up another victory, while Hull edge past Peterborough thanks to a long-range effort from Maynor Figueroa. Elsewhere, Steven Fletcher may miss the start of the season for Sunderland and Roberto Martinez talks up the prospects of Nikica Jelavic for the campaign ahead after the Croatian bagged a brace in a weekend win at Blackburn:

Kitchee 2 Man United 5
David Moyes rolled out a 4-3-3 formation for United’s final match in Asia yesterday afternoon. With Jonny Evans missing out due to an ankle injury, the likes of Chris Smalling, Michael Keane and Fabio were handed a starting berth in an experimental line-up at the back, while further up the field, Wilfried Zaha and Ashley Young took the flank roles on either side of Danny Welbeck. The latter opened the scoring with his third pre-season strike before Smalling and Fabio added a goal apiece before the break. Moyes made six changes over the course of the second period and saw two of his subs combine for the fourth after Alexander Buttner teed up Adnan Januzaj before Jesse Lingard grabbed the visitors’ final goal, taking his tally for the summer to four – more than any other United player.

Speaking to United TV after the match, Smalling revealed he was determined to nail down a regular role under the new manager after starting just 10 times in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final year in charge:

“Last season was a very frustrating one so it is nice to be involved with pre-season because I didn’t get that last time and I am feeling good. The more games, the better. It was nice to pop up with a goal too. But to be fair, I probably should have got a hat-trick. Hopefully, I will get more chances like that. I was waiting for it (the goal), I have been due one because I didn’t get too many last season. Hopefully, I will be able to get a few more this season and chip in a little more.”

Elsewhere, Moyes was given an injury boost after Nemanja Vidic, Nani and Antonio Valencia returned to action for a United XI against Crewe last night. The trio had failed to take part in the pre-season tour but are now stepping up their respective recoveries – Valencia played the full 90 minutes, while Vidic and Nani were afforded just over an hour apiece, with the latter notching both goals in a 2-0 win.

Peterborough 0 Hull 1
Steve Bruce’s side registered their first win in four attempts yesterday evening. The Tigers boss continued with a 3-5-2 and shifted Maynor Figueroa to the left of midfield, whilst drafting in his son, Alex, to join James Chester and Curtis Davies in the back-three – the former Wigan man vindicated his manager’s decision to move him to a more advanced berth by notching the only goal of the game with a spectacular 25-yeard strike. Danny Graham was partnered by Sone Aluko up top but failed to notch before making way in one of seven second-half changes by the visitors. From an offensive point of view, the Tigers are still struggling and have scored just twice in the last four games (with one coming from the spot), though Bruce’s side have registered three clean sheets across that quartet of fixtures.

West Brom 3 Atromitos 1
Steve Clarke made eight changes from the side that saw off Derby at the weekend. Yet again, the Baggies boss altered his starting formation and moved from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, with Saido Berahino, Markus Rosenberg and Shane Long leading the line as Nicolas Anelka dropped to the bench. With his side a goal down at the break, the Baggies boss made just two alterations, sending on James Morrison and Anelka, and the latter needed just 10 minutes to bring the hosts level with his third goal in as many matches. Rosenberg continued his strong summer form by teeing up Berahino to fire the Baggies in front before scoring his side’s third, taking his tally to four over five pre-season friendlies, the highest scoring West Brom player of the summer so far.

While Clarke has been linked with moves for Scott Sinclair, Salomon Kalou and Matej Vydra as he looks to bolster his frontline, Rosenberg is certainly staking a claim for consideration and prior to the match, the Swede spoke of his determination to atone for a debut season which saw him fail to find the net once in the Premier League:

“I didn’t score too many times last season so I have to score a lot in this campaign. I had a tough time last year so it’s good to have a start like this and to start to score goals. I always knew I could score because I scored in every other country, but it’s still nice to bag a goal and to have a pre-season. I missed the pre-season last year and I think it will be good for me in the campaign to come. It is always the same, it doesn’t matter how much experience you get. In the back of your head you know you can score but you have to prove it to the fans and to the people here.”

In Other News
Reports yesterday suggest Steven Fletcher is losing the race to be ready in time for the start of the season. The Sunderland striker is still struggling from the ankle injury that forced him out towards the end of the previous campaign and may be sidelined until September – meaning he would miss a potentially prosperous opening run of three games against Fulham, Southampton and Palace. Fletcher’s absence would mean Paolo Di Canio is likely to retain a 4-4-1-1 formation for the kick-off, with Stephane Sessegnon tucked in behind Jozy Altidore, though the former Wolves man may struggle to pick up many investors upon his return, with the Black Cats’ schedule stiffening significantly from Gameweek 4 onwards.

Roberto Martinez has been singing the praises of Nikica Jelavic after the Croatian bagged a brace in Everton’s weekend win at Blackburn. Jelavic was named as a sub at Ewood Park as Martinez handed Arouna Kone the lone forward role in a 4-3-3 but he staked a claim for first-team inclusion after replacing the Ivorian at the break. Having notched just seven times in the season gone by, Jelavic appears to have slipped down the pecking order following Kone’s arrival but he may still have a significant role to play this term, judging by his manager’s comments:

“In modern football it’s a bit unfair to rely on a player to score you 20-25 goals if you don’t do the things well as a team, you’ll never get the striker in good positions. That’s what we’re starting to develop now; a team that can be strong enough off the ball and that can create enough chances for our strikers to take, but it’s not the moment to assess the players as yet. It’s the time to assess them in each individual exercise and see what sort of relationship we can put on the pitch. What we saw [on Saturday] was a Nikica Jelavic that has come back with a real intention of having a very strong season.”

Having reunited with Martinez following their time together at Wigan, Kone had initially appeared nailed-on for a starting berth for the Toffees. With 13% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Ivorian is the seventh most popular striker in the game at the moment but Jelavic’s form is certainly affording his new manager further options for the central forward role, suggesting wide men Kevin Mirallas and Steven Pienaar may be a little more secure as FPL out of position prospects in Martinez’s front three.

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1,815 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Podge
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 3 months ago

    Racing Post has a 72 page football guide today and it has some decent reading in it.

    One thing that jumped out at me was the WASTE OF MONEY article:
    "Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, scored 8-7-15 in Holland for Vitesse and Utrecht then 14 in each of two campaigns for Sporting in Lisbon. Not disastrous but far from prolific given the weakness and uncompetitive nature of the leagues. Van Wolfswinkel is not highly rated in Holland (2 caps) ,doesn't possess and all round game and often needs penalties to boost his tally with 5 for sporting in 2012 and 6 for Utrecht in 2011"

    Food for thought.

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    1. GreenWindmill
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      I was disappointed when Norwich signed Hooper as I was looking forward to being a spectator when the RvW bandwagon failed to leave the station.

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    2. King Nil Miss ✩
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      He also tends to wear a purple patch but in his defence I must say Sporting wasn´t the competitive team that is used to be for the last 2 seasons.

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      1. Podge
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Is that partly down to him though ?

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        1. King Nil Miss ✩
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          No, bad management in the past few years unfortunately...

          I think he has the potential to become a very good striker and he showed he has an eye for the goal, he needs to be well supplied though (Snoddy, Hoolahan, Pilkington and Redmond come in action here), wouldn´t be surprised if he flops in the first few games though, like I said he scores in patches... and he really likes to score in UEFA competitions(which is irrelevant for Norwich atm).

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    3. thetinkerman
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      Interesting. It's strange how he is so highly rated on these boards.

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      1. GreenWindmill
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Yep, I saw him featuring heavily in RMTs and was bewildered.

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      2. Podge
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Tha'ts what I thought, just wanted to offer a different view.

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      3. Just A Hat
        • 15 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        I think its just a case of one or two people saying he is good and then everybody joins its like a roll-on effect

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    4. mathmo
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      Good points there, he is prone to explosions and lean patches, hence his "hatricky" nickname.

      Must be noted that his appearances stats weren't that great, somewhere around 25 a season, so his goal ratio is actually pretty good.

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      1. mathmo
        • 11 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Also I'm cautious about what international call up stats indicate, sometimes good players are underrepresented because of competition for their position or not fitting into the system. Michu for example.

        And Juan Mata has surprisingly low appearance record for someone who was won the Champions League and scored a winner in the Euro's to boot, then again Xavi and Iniesta might have had something to do with that 😉

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    5. Rupert The Horse
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      I couldn't disagree more. How many times over the years have I read or heard the words 'he's been playing in a lower league so...' or 'he's unproven so...'. Pretty bored of it.mStrikers constantly come lower leagues in England over weaker premier league like the Belgian or even Dutch.
      His stats are out of context.This might make it clearer.
      http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/124932/ricky-van-wolfswinkel?cc=5739#

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      1. Rupert The Horse
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Couple of typos, apologies.

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  2. Razmataz
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 3 months ago

    Any news on Sturridges fitness?

    Is he likely to be fit for week 1?

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    1. In Tommy We Trust
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      I've heard he won't be. Makes Aspas an option. Waiting for the club to actually confirm though before doing anything

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    2. King Nil Miss ✩
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      "(...)Sturridge yet to return to pre-season training, Aspas could yet start the campaign as the Reds lone frontman as he looks to continue the form that has seen him already notched three times through the middle this pre-season."

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  3. The Mighty Slovenian
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    11 years, 3 months ago

    Clicking on the comment link in the sidebar doesn't take me to the comment, but rather opens the article without any comments loaded. Is this a common issue or just my problem?

    Running latest version of Chrome.

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    1. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      Clear your cache/cookies, restart browser then give it another go.

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  4. phunk
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 3 months ago

    Do I have the right balance in my team

    Mignolet Mannone

    Luiz Clyne Collins Garirdo Amorebieta

    Bale Hazard Mirallas Coutinho Collack

    Rodriguez Lukaku Giroud

    Luiz out for GW2
    Lukaku out for GW3

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    1. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      I don't know about balance, but it looks a decent team.

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    2. Van Dal
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      Needs more RVP

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      1. phunk
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        RVP in Bale goes or price drop

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  5. In Tommy We Trust
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 3 months ago

    Time for the daily FFS League post 😉

    Want to have a chance of joining a competitive league then click on the link. The idea is to have 5 classic leagues for FFS posters to test their skills

    against other FFS posters. The league spots will be determined by your previous best overall rank in FPL. To have a chance to join fill out the

    submission form embedded in the link.

    http://allthingsfpl.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/atfpl-leagues-for-ffs-posters/

    The cut off Overall Rank as of this post currently stands at 11925.

    Don't worry if your rank isn't high enough to enter the 5 classic leagues as you can still enter the catch all league where everyone who has said

    yes to the catch all league in their response will be offered entry.

    The closing date is the end of the 1st of August so hurry up if you want to be involved. So far 185 posters are playing.

    Cheers 🙂

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    1. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      I can't remember if I've entered already. Is there a list of entries? Or could you just tell me? Cheers. 😀

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      1. In Tommy We Trust
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        You've entered mate. 18th in the rank order

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        1. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Nice one, thanks.

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        2. PDM TOP 1,000 any Season Le…
          • 15 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          ITWT
          Pretty sure I entered ages ago
          Can this be confirmed please 🙂

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    2. Kings of Lyon ★
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      11925?? Jeez. This going to be tough.

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      1. In Tommy We Trust
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Competitive is the word i'm using 😉

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    3. iCon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      I fear I'm in line for the cull shortly 🙁

      Couldn't you have done it on overall average position? 😀

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      1. In Tommy We Trust
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        It's going to be tight. you can always enter the catch all league. So far 79% of responses have said yes to it so this will actually be the hardest league to win 🙂

        Couldn't do it by average as I would have prevented a fair wack of posters who are relatively new.

        Do you want me to change your response to the catch all league?

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        1. iCon
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Yeah, chuck me in the 'L' league 😉

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            will do

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        2. A.T
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          You can put me in the catch all league itwt, not sure if I asked at the time.

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            You're already in 🙂

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            1. A.T
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Cheers

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    4. GreenWindmill
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      Rank 11925 - sure you want that poster in your league Tommy?

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      1. In Tommy We Trust
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Is 25 posters per league too many though GW?

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        1. GreenWindmill
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Sorry, I meant that specific poster...

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            confused.com

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            1. GreenWindmill
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 13 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Maybe I've misread it. I'll post on Basecamp.

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              1. In Tommy We Trust
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                It'll be me no doubt

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              2. In Tommy We Trust
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                got ya 😉

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    5. Baines on Toast...
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 3 months ago

      this sounds interesting 😀

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      1. In Tommy We Trust
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Should be Fun 😉

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    6. Mak_Gold
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Not going to make it with my best OR being 14.8K. 🙁

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        1. In Tommy We Trust
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          If there is an influx of posters in the next two days, then I will consider raising the entries to 30 per league to include as many as possible. The rank cutoff for this is 23442

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          1. Mak_Gold
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Cheers. Hopefully it will work out.

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        2. Pratik
          • 15 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Joined 😀

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Good luck

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          2. Pratik
            • 15 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            You wanted just the FPL Id, right? Not the link?

            Should qualify with a rank of 1524, 2-3 years back 🙂

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            1. In Tommy We Trust
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Either or. As long it sends me to your team when I check

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        3. Fizzy Mcgee
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Sorry, haven't done this fantasy premier league stuff in a long time, not sure how to find my overall rank?

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Under your GW history, the url will have your FPL ID in it. For example;

            http://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/12345/history/

            Your FPL ID is 12345. Copy and paste the who thing in if your worried about it.

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            1. Fizzy Mcgee
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I meant I didn't understand how the cut off point worked, more than finding the FPL ID?

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              1. In Tommy We Trust
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Ah sorry. The cut off point is there so the league remain competitive as that's the reason for them being setup. If I opened them up, the posters who are capable of finishing in the top 100 will not get this. The same could be said for a poster who finished 10k with a top 100 poster. The catch all is there for anyone whose rank doesn't qualify for a league.

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                1. In Tommy We Trust
                  • 14 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  So for example, The Baines league (third) will currently have posters who have finished 1070 to 2666 before so in theory have the same skill level etc making it a really competitive league for everyone involved.

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                  1. Fizzy Mcgee
                    • 14 Years
                    11 years, 3 months ago

                    Great, thanks for the help mate.

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          2. cassanata
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 15 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Click "view gameweek history"

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            1. Fizzy Mcgee
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Ah right, cheers. And is my best OR taken for this then?

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              1. In Tommy We Trust
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Yep. Couldn't go down the average route as it would stop 1 season posters from entering

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        4. cassanata
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 15 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Just signed up. Could be fun

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Good luck

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            1. cassanata
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 15 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              good site by the way, the gold dust/fools gold article is interesting.

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              1. In Tommy We Trust
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Thanks 🙂

                Doesn't compare to this place though 😉

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

          Is the FFS username that important Tommy?
          It's just I was thinking of changing mine when I come up with a better one 😕

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            It's there to check against false entries/ banned posters. It will also be used in the community round up. Of course, I will try and double check if it's still current at the time and will fire over an e-mail to confirm if I believe it is out of date so just wack your current name in 🙂

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

              Cheers 😀

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        6. Test Eagles
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Thanks Pal, looking forward and appreciate you setting it all up!

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          1. In Tommy We Trust
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            No problems 🙂

            Good luck

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      • SW6
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        I really don't know what I'm doing with my team 😕 Made a team without Bale and it just feels wrong.

        Foster - Boruc
        A.Cole - Clyne - Turner - Collins - Parr
        Walcott - Hazard - Coutinho - Mirallas - Snodgrass
        Aguero - Lukaku - Gayle

        0.5 banked, so after downgrading Lukaku to Berba and Cole to 4.5DEF I could get RVP if I wanted to. Not convinced though.

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      • Stykes
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Please help me with this one... (Already have Lamps + Hazard)

        A) Luiz + Aspas
        OR
        B) Lukaku + Zabaleta

        ???

        Thanks 😀

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        1. Podge
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          B for me, not sure about Aspas yet at all

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        2. SuperOsçarBaby
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          B

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      • Nani R U OK? R U OK ? R U O…
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Rank these Chelsea defenders by most minutes likely to be played in DGW

        Terry, Cahill, Luiz, Ivanovic, Cole, Azpi

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        1. iCon
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          C L I T A C

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          1. SuperOsçarBaby
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            +1

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        2. Louis
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Cole, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Terry, Azpi

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      • Mr Sarcastic
        • 14 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Just looked previous posts and what got my attention?
        Well I started to wonder why 'Daily Hot Topic' gets upvoted?

        Isn't it bit like those firemen wages, they get extra payment if there is actually fire alarm and they need to go there.. 😉

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        1. HuttonDressedasLahm
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Or like striker who gets a "goal bonus" for scoring goals....his job !

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      • JJO
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        RMT

        Mignolet(Davis)
        Luiz,Collins,Turner(Turner,Clyne)
        Bale,Hazard,Oscar,Nolan(Thomas)
        Anelka,Giroud,Aguero

        Thanks for every opinion not including RVP:)

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      • abboudig
        • 11 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Gone for a completely new team

        Boruc, Mannone

        Terry Baines Mertesacker Toure Chester

        Snodgrass Coutinho Hazard Walcott Thomas

        RVP Anelka Dobbie

        Subs are weak and a lot of people are against spending so much at the back but I think defenders are great value for money, I can see Baines outscoring forwards in a similar price bracket like Berbatov, Lambert, Aspas etc

        Is there any reason not to spend a lot on the backline, if your defenders average 140 a season and you have a few big hitters in your forward 6, i can't see any reason against 4 at the back, I also think the top teams will improve defensively with Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea all look more solid at the back towards the end of last season.

        Only changes I'm really thinking of are downgrading Snodgrass, Mertesacker and Mannone to Davis, Turner and Jedinak to free up cash for Lukaku.

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        1. Kylos
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Just means you are forced into playing anelka every week when I'm not sure he'll even start most of the time.

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          1. abboudig
            • 11 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            anelka's my punt, you need at least one, it is a risky one but West Brom have a gap to fill and I think he will fill it, can't see him starting under 25 games if he stays fit, if the worst comes to the worst, other options like Cornelius or upgrading Chester and going 5-4-1

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            1. Kylos
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I just think you are sacrificing your squad too much to have 9 good players in your team.

              Any injuries or teams missing gw's and you could struggle to field a decent team.

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      • Demelbrush
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Spurs say bale can leave - £85m + a player.

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        1. Podge
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Sauce ?

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        2. Demelbrush
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          I think they'll pay up.

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        3. iCon
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Source?

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          1. Funkyav
            • 15 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            any player?

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        4. Pratik
          • 15 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Saw it too ..... 85m pounds + Coentrao is quite a deal!

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      • MrJefferson
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Why is everyone posting their 'tactical' 1-6 week plans to deal with DGW and unexpected line-ups, ask yourself how often do you stick to them???
        Just roll into GW1 with Bentekkers and 3 of Luiz/Hazard/Mata/Oscar/Lukaku and get rid Chelsea players accordingly, bringing in who you please or any surprise packages(Negredo, I'm thinking will do well)

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        1. Podge
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Yeh my only concrete(ish) plan is Hazard out for Coutinho as I currently have no Pool and need to justify it.

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          1. MrJefferson
            • 13 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Anything can happen in GW1, no point worrying about no pool coverage, don't over-think it!

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        2. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Just something to talk about innit.

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          1. Van Dal
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            yes fam

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          2. Baines on Toast...
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 14 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Exactly, I think after last year's 'Torres + 2mil for Rooney' plans everyone's RMTs have to be done with a pinch of salt 😀

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

            That's true, but if i spent 6-8 weeks working on a team and it all went pete tong it would do my nut in, but hey, that's just me!

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        3. Jafalad
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          Goodness knows. No one knows their week 1 team yet because it's all going to change in the next 2 weeks or so. Pointless doing RMTs at present.

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      • Deano
        • 12 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        Evening all

        Is there a Figueroa bandwagon gaining momentum?

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        1. Jafalad
          • 14 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          No. He averaged less than 3ppg at Wigan and will do well to beat that at Hull.

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        2. SW6
          • 12 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          The Figuerowing boat is drifting slowly 😉

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      • King H
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 3 months ago

        can I get some feedback on this team pls

        mignolet
        luiz coleman mertezaker
        bale snodgrass hazard walcott
        lukaku bony hooper

        I had lukaku benteke and anelka but thought bony and hooper will b a bit different ??

        Thanks

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        1. King H
          • 13 Years
          11 years, 3 months ago

          boruc clyne Thomas chester

          that's my subs ?

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          1. Dogba
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Don't ask me.

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      • Mak_Gold
          11 years, 3 months ago

          I don't remember if I said yes or no to the catch all league? Does it matter or can I just enter by entering the league code?

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          1. Mak_Gold
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Reply fail to ITWT's post.

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          2. Brutus619
            • 13 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Repost:

            Trying out a new type of post discussing the attributes of certain players using Youtube clips. Hoping to put an end to the stick Youtube gets as a source to find out what a player is like and his skill level. Let me know what you think!

            Michael Carrick.

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeOV9G00fTI

            A. 00:30 to 00:50 (Slide Tackling)
            B. 4:00 to 4:20 (Interceptions)
            C. 5:50 to 6:30 (Playmaking)
            D. 10:30 onwards (World class pass to Chicarito)

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOePbJgnjQo

            E. Brilliant pass to Welbeck that few players would be able to do

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P3JiSguaYk

            F. Beginning to 0:40 (Exquisite passing)
            G. 01:00 to 01:13 (Continued)
            H. 01:23 to 01:38 (Continued)
            I. 01:57 to 02:16 (Great vision)

            So from those clips we can understand Carrick to be a CDM/CM who protects the back four and helps to defend from opposition attacks whilst also being in a space that allows him to start up attacks for the United team himself. He has strong passing skills at a variety of ranges and angles too.

            I hope this will be considered a fair and accurate depiction of Carrick as a player and help highlight why he is considered by some to be a hugely underrated talent.

            Any suggestions for my next player?

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            1. Baines on Toast...
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I think the problem with this, and the reason it doesn't redeem youtube is a source, is that with someone like carrick you already know what his attributes are, you know what to look for and so you can look for videos that prove the things you already know.

              Where youtube is a problem is when it's the only source of info on a player people don't already know everything about. So for your next post I recommend a forecast of a Premier League newbie's potential success based on clips of them in other leagues, might be interesting...

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              1. Funkyav
                • 15 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                exactly Baines.

                Carrick is not a FPL player.

                He is a DM

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                1. Brutus619
                  • 13 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  To be fair mate everyone also knows the type of player Baines is and his major attributes.

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                  1. Brutus619
                    • 13 Years
                    11 years, 3 months ago

                    OH wow. Wish there was a delete comment button! I clearly got the wrong end of the stick 😀

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              2. Brutus619
                • 13 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Fair point. Was doing it more from a general discussion point of view rather than FPL but am willing to try that out too! The next one I wanted to do was actually Hooper to show his attributes as a striker.

                I chose Carrick as yesterday had a heated discussion with somebody on here who thought Carrick was a "slightly better Scott Parker"!

                Somebody just suggested Van Ginkel, think him and Bony could be interesting for this type of thing.

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            2. Kylos
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Someone that is interesting FPL wise.

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            3. A.T
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I e never seen a vid yet that shows how crap a player is!

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            4. mathmo
              • 11 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Great post!

              How about one for Van Ginkel?

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              1. mathmo
                • 11 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                In academic fashion, I must declare a competing interest. I am a huge fan of Van Ginkel and the request above was extremely biased; he was a spectacular player to watch last season. Hopefully youtube does have some good videos of him.

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                1. Brutus619
                  • 13 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  Cheers.

                  Good shout! Will try to do Van Ginkel some justice 😀

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          3. Make United Great Again
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Luiz or Ivanoivc? Both great attacking defenders lots of potential for points.

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            1. Piggs Boson
              • 13 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I've been on Ivanovic for a while until this morning: http://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2013/07/29/fantasy-premier-league-player-list-analysis-mid-price-forwards/?hc_page=15#hc_comment_5130190

              Put enough doubt in my mind to get Luiz.

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              1. Baines on Toast...
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                no possibility of Ivan at CB?

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                1. Piggs Boson
                  • 13 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  I don't think so tbh, Mourinho sees him as a RB, and he has Terry,Luiz, Cahill and maybe Essien for that position.

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              2. Make United Great Again
                • 12 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Hmmmmm..

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              3. Make United Great Again
                • 12 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                My minds been changed too 😀

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              4. Wheato182
                • 12 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Damn you, i've been adamant about Ivan for a while, may just switch to the safe option (Cole)

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          4. Piggs Boson
            • 13 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Only two uncertainities in my team at the moment:

            Toure: Skrtel leaving is a blow to Toure I think, as a new defender is likely to challenge his spot long-term. Because he is already bedded in the team however, he must surely start the season.

            Alcaraz: I fancy him to take the CB spot from 35 year old Distin, but hopefully Martinez uses the 343 to relieve any doubt. One to watch.

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            1. Pratik
              • 15 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Give me your team now, and we will compare it to the one at the gw1 deadline. Bet there will be at least 4-5 changes by then, if not more 🙂

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              1. Piggs Boson
                • 13 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Depends on signings, particularly at Tottenham. I enjoy tinkering so no harm done 🙂

                Ruddy - Marshall
                Luiz - Toure - Collins - Alcaraz - Chester
                Hazard - Lampard - Coutinho - Walcott - Thomas
                Aguero - Benteke - Anelka

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                1. FantaCity
                  • 11 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  that's a nice team - Do ruddy and Marshall rotate, or will you just play Ruddy?

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                  1. Piggs Boson
                    • 13 Years
                    11 years, 3 months ago

                    They rotate, and Ruddy is used a lot in the rotation, Marshall covers nearly all of his bad fixtures. Should be rich in save points.

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              2. Funkyav
                • 15 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                is skrtel leaving?

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                1. Kings of Lyon ★
                  • 14 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  Away to Napoli

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                  1. Funkyav
                    • 15 Years
                    11 years, 3 months ago

                    seems strange as that will leave them light in central defence but Im sure Brenton knows what he is doing... 😉

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            2. Baines on Toast...
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I think, especially with Alcaraz, it's worth waiting as it's easy to jump on if he is a regular but there's other 4.5s who are nailed on with decent opening fixtures, and his value could go south if he isn't playing.

              Toure, however, may be worth the early punt, because his value could go up quickly even just by starting the first few weeks, and he could get a few points in the first couple of games.

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          5. Keane There Dunne That
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Mignolet. Boruc

            Luiz. Coleman. Clyne. B Turner. Turner.

            Walcott. Hazard. Snodgrass. Mirallas. Thomas

            Lukaku. RVP. Rodriguez.

            Anyone have any suggestions for this team ❓

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            1. The Sarjeant
              • 11 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Pretty decent

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            2. Dogba
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I like it a lot. Could consider Mig -> Schneezezezey and Coleman -> Toure if it seems like both are nailed on.

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            3. Frank Spankhard
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              no mci for their opening....are you mad?

              seeing a lot of this......

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          6. Mini Mahouse
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Having trouble with my team. Unsure if I want RVP or not.
            This is what I got so far:

            Keepers: Mannone/Boruc - Cheap and rotate nicely

            Defenders: Luiz/Toure/Coleman/Ward/Chester - First 3 to start regularly and the other 2 both cheap backups that rotate nicely

            Midfielders: Hazard/Bale/Ramirez/Snodgrass/Thomas. - Not really sure about my midfield. Dont know about snodgrass and Ramirez. I have some strange faith in Ramirez tho. Thomas backup.

            Strikers: RVP - Lukaku - J. Rodriguez. - Not really sure about my strikers either. Lukaku is a risk and so is J. Rodriguez.

            Any advice would be great.

            * So its basicly

            Mannone
            Toure Coleman Luiz
            Hazard(C) Bale Snodgrass Ramirez
            RVP Lukaku J. Rodiguez

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            1. Elly88 > KTR (Kevin The …
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Ramirez and rodriguez for the flair not that bad.. team looks composed too..

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          7. Elly88 > KTR (Kevin The …
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            1. Coutinho+anelka or 2. Aspas+mirallas

            Currently on Coutinho+anelka
            The advantage of 2 is that both players should be nailed on. Plus I want mirallas, the main man for everton ATM.
            The demerit is that I miss Coutinho. He is so rated that I have fully boarded the bandwagon. I feel I migt be burnt by his potential double figure hauls week in week out like when Siggy's first three point hauls
            Thoughts....

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          8. Stykes
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Sorry if it's too similar to my earlier question, but sort of stumped now:
            A) Baines + JRod
            B) Zabaleta + Lambert

            ???

            Leaning towards A for the Baines-thrill

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            1. Frank Spankhard
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              b for the opening. hands down.

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          9. Elly88 > KTR (Kevin The …
            • 12 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            Baines is a boss. If the funds are there why not?? Plus I dought if man City will be really tight at the back..

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            1. saata
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 11 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              It's no matter if they are not that tight this season. This won't stop them from having a nice run of clean sheets. Look their first 15 fixtures -
              NEW, car, HUL, sto, MUN, avl, EVE, whm, che, NOR, sun, TOT, SWA, wba, sot

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          10. chris_webs23
            • 13 Years
            11 years, 3 months ago

            starting to settle down with this...

            Mannone
            A.Cole-M.Dawson-Toure
            Walcott-Mirallas-Coutinho-Hazard(c)
            Negredo-Giroud-Lukaku

            Davis-Coleman-Thomas-Chester

            Negredo is a risk that im willing to take.

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            1. King H
              • 13 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              I really this team .. apart from negredo it looks really reliable and decent..

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              1. chris_webs23
                • 13 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                thanks, i know what you mean about negredo, i have managed to convince myself which has to be the most important thing.

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

            If Bale leaves what spurs player would we get?

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

              Soldado.

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              1. Thomass
                • 12 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                That's who I'm thinking

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            2. HVT
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              When IMO.

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            3. HuttonDressedasLahm
              • 14 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Di Maria. 😉

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            4. chris_webs23
              • 13 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              considering defoe, but not from the off...

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            5. Wheato182
              • 12 Years
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Dempsey?

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          12. Mak_Gold
              11 years, 3 months ago

              Put me in the catch all league as well.

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              1. Mak_Gold
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  Wow, another reply fail to ITWT. I really need to change my phone. 🙁

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              2. HuttonDressedasLahm
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                Hot topic!!

                If you we're a defender, would you rather play against Bale and Ronaldo or Messi and Neymar??

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                1. SW6
                  • 12 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  Messi and Neymar

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              3. tangtastic
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                I'd call in sick

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                1. HuttonDressedasLahm
                  • 14 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  Ha!

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              4. Baines on Toast...
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 14 Years
                11 years, 3 months ago

                This season's GW1 red herring has to be Newcastle. Most (including myself) steering well clear because of starting away to city - theoretically they could get a drubbing that sets a bad tone for the season. But if they get through that relatively unscathed, their next 4 are better than anyone's.

                Who would you go for from their squad? I've had luck with HBA before but he'll always be a gamble. I don't know what to make of Sissoko having had him briefly last season. A Krul/Mannone rotation could be brilliant or awful. Despite last season they still have all the makings of a great value FPL team - cheap players who are pretty much nailed on in every position.

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                1. Piggs Boson
                  • 13 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  When Colocinni is back I reckon their defence could be decent if they hang onto Cabaye. Mbiwa 4.5 could be decent.

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                2. @Bryan
                  • 15 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  HBA if fit, is a very useful player for 7m. Has that selfish streak as well, which is good for fpl!

                  On paper, they have a very good team. But ill be approaching with caution as well.

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                3. Frank Spankhard
                  • 12 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  never a truer word.....but it's covered in ifs

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                4. Baines on Toast...
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 14 Years
                  11 years, 3 months ago

                  My main consideration is actually Papiss. Now all the wonga shite is done with, he could be a natural swap in for Lukaku if he hits form.

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