The new broom sweeps majestically through Ewood Park and the Stadium of Light, as Rovers power past Stoke and an emphatic Sunderland hammer four past Hull at the KC. Five games served up some mid-price treats as the likes of Bullard, Taylor and Malbranque added some unlikely names to our list for Santa (not Cruz)…
The Lineups
Starting at Ewood and Big Sam proved reliable enough with his first team selection. Santa Cruz missed out with the calf injury sustained on Friday, so Roberts and McCarthy were paired up front. Derbyshire was benched so he is clearly down the pecking order. Dunn started in central midfield as expected. As for Stoke, Pulis gave Pericard a start up front in the absence of Sidibe. Cresswell moved to the left with Pugh dropping to the bench. Shawcross returned to the defence, replacing the injured Griffin. Given their performance in this one, I can’t imagine that the Stoke defence will remain untouched for next weekend’s clash with United.
There was an interesting change in Megson’s Bolton lineup at the Reebok with Muamba dropping to the bench and Gardner coming in. He shifted to the left with Taylor on the right ,as Bolton went with 4-4-2. This is worth monitoring again – classed as a defender, Gardner could offer value, although he’s yet to command a regular starting role despite threatening too on a couple of occasions this season.
Adams was again without Johnson at right-back due to his knee injury which could well be more serious than the Pompey boss is letting on. Pamarot started on the right of the defence then, with Hreidarsson coming in at left-back to replace Belhadj who missed out with a toe injury. Diarra was back on the bench and saw action just after the hour-mark. Pompey were another side guilty of calamitous defending. When fit, it looks as though Kaboul will have a strong chance of claiming starts given the form of Distin and Campbell right now.
Over at the Cottage, Hodgson left Zamora on the bench and went with a Dempsey/ Johnson frontline. Gera’s injury on 30 minutes changed that however and Zamora came on with Dempsey shifting out left. Expect the lively Zamora to start at his former club Spurs, next weekend.
Southgate left Wheater benched despite his return from suspension. McMahon kept his place at right-back then, while Taylor was also kept out with Pogatetz remaining at left-back. Digard missed out with a groin injury, so Shawky came into midfield. Johnson kept his place as Aliadiere again started up front with Alves benched. Southgate changed matters in the second half and brought on Mido for Arca, shifting Aliadire back to the right of midfield.
Phil Brown was without the ineligible McShane against Sunderland and with Dawson again missing with his Achilles injury, Mendy moved from the right-wing to right-back with Ricketts remaining on the left of the defence. Barmby again kept his place in midfield and Garcia came in on the right of midfield, with Marney again on the bench. He has fallen well and truly out of favour and Mendy and Garcia appear to be above him on the pecking order for the right midfield slot. There were no changes from Ricky Sbragia. Whitehead remained on the bench with Tainio keeping his place in midfield.
Both sides were unchanged from their last Premier League appearances at Upton Park with Zola again keeping Davenport in his defence with Collins still struggling after a calf injury. Mullins replaced Parker at half-time. As for Villa, O’Neill brought back his big names following the UEFA Cup tie in midweek.
The Form
It was day when an array of mid-price midfielders came to the fore. Matt Taylor got things started with the first goal of the day, accompanied by an assist for Gardner’s second. Taylor now has a credible 5 goals and 2 assists for the season. At just 5.7 in the FPL, he looks a strong option, however Bolton’s fixtures are pitched against him. Games against Liverpool, Arsenal and United over the next four make Taylor less appealing.
The Fulham duo of Murphy and Bullard were the next to blink madly on our radars. Bullard struck his second goal in 3 games to hand Fulham the lead against Boro. He also gathered more FPL bonus points – he has now scored bonus in his last 5 Premier League outings. Murphy meanwhile, struck his third goal of the season from the spot and again, brought in FPL bonus for the third game running.
Like Taylor, both look tempting, although personally, I’m still worried about Fulham in attacking terms. They’re getting results but way from home they continue to struggle for goals. Hodgson’s side have lost just 1 game in their last 8 but have averaged just a goal-a-game in that run. Investors in Bullard and Murphy will need to hope that FPL bonus keeps flowing and that will depend greatly on the opposition that comes their way.
Fulham’s fixtures don’t look easy over Christmas with a trip to White Hart Lane, which looks a tight encounter, and then a home encounter with neighbours Chelsea. After that, they go on a strong run of four games against Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland and Portsmouth. January could be a good month to take another look at the Hodgson’s midfield pair then.
Malbranque had an outstanding game for Sunderland at Hull – contributing two assists and a stunning goal. He now has 9 assists this term – the best total in the League. Sunderland have thrived under Ricky Sbragia and Malbranque has stepped up to hand Cisse and Jones the ammunition they need to forget their partnership.
All is looking rosy at the Stadium of Light and unlike Taylor and the Fulham pairing, Malbranque has two good fixtures over Christmas with which to kick-on. Sunderland face Blackburn at home next time out, followed by a trip to Goodison. Neither will be easy, but you would have to fancy Sunderland to notch goals against both. That makes both Jones and Cisse, who were both off the mark, worthy of consideration over Christmas.
Cisse moved on to 8 goals for the season with his fifth goal in his last 7 Premier League outings. Jones meanwhile, headed home his fourth goal in his 5 starts since his return from injury. It’s a very tight choice between the two, with Cisse the more natural goalscorer; Jones more likely to earn assists and bonus points in the FPL based on last season’s form. Price-wise there is just 0.1 between them in that game and right now Cisse appears to have the edge, given that Jones is yet to catch the eye of the FPL bonus panel.
Staying with strikers and the Rovers pairing of Roberts and McCarthy were the big scorers on the day, with Blackburn immediately boosted by the arrival of Allardyce. Both are worth a look, with McCarthy certainly possessing the potential to contribute regular goals He is a proven goal-every-two-games man in the Premier League when he gets starts. That’s been the problem though, he had made just 2 stats before yesterday’s match.
Things should look up from him under Allardyce. McCarthy should be able to keep his place with Santa Cruz’s return, with Roberts likely to be the one to drop to the bench. At 7.2 in the FPL he looks a decent differential signing and certainly has the fixtures to kick-on from his returns against Stoke. Roberts looks a good low-to-mid price option should the Santa Cruz freeze himself out of the starting lineup with more transfers talk.
If you’re looking for strikers in form, then Crouch is your man. His goal at Bolton took him to 4 goals in last 5 Premier League outings and he is beginning to dwarf his strike partner Defoe in more ways than one. Defoe has just 2 goals in his last 9 Premier League starts and showed further signs of petulance when he was booked for the fourth time this season against Stoke. He is just one yellow away from a ban then, and should he draw a blank at home to his former club West Ham next week, it would seem likely that he’ll be shipped out by an awful lot of fantasy managers, with team-mate Crouch a likely replacement.
Moving on to defensive form and Fulham are the unlikely name that keeps cropping up here. They successfully navigated the unpredictable Boro to earn another shut-out at the Cottage, taking them onto 7 clean sheets for the season. They have now conceded just 4 goals in their last 8 games and have the best home record in the Premier League. Hangeland and Paintsil have consistently been popular defensive buys and, while as I’ve mentioned, Fulham’s fixtures are tricky over the next pair of games, the opposition gets a little kinder for them in January.
Villa also moved onto 7 cleanies with their 1-0 win at Upton Park. This was their fourth clean sheet in the last 6 Premier League matches. Laursen continues to offer excellent potential with consistent FPL bonus earnings and goalscoring potential. Luke Young appears to offer good value as a cheap alternative if you can afford to forfeit those supplementary points. Friedel in goal meanwhile, outstanding against the Hammers, looks a strong alternative to the keepers from the big 3 defences. Once the Boxing day clash with Arsenal is out of the way, Villa look to have a fairly decent run of games to continue their defensive resurgence.
Blackburn was the other clean sheet on the day, with Big Sam immediately tightening things up with his “two banks of four”. True enough, the first test of the Rovers defence came against the Stoke attack which has struggled on the road this season, however, I’d expect the Rovers defence to pick up under Allardyce. The likes of Emerton (with assists from midfield), Samba (with goals from set-plays) and Nelsen (with FPL bonus), are all worthy of consideration in a period where Blackburn’s fixtures appear to be in their favour.
Finally, some names that caught the eye with lively performances without necessarily notching big points. Zamora came on a showed glimpses of determination and form in Fulham’s win over Boro. He has struggled for confidence and one goal could lead to a spurt of points – Fulham’s attacking potential is a worry but Zamora is priced at just 5.2 in the FPL and looks as good a budget option as any right now.
Sunderland’s Richardson looked composed and full of silky touches against Hull, along with Malbranque and Reid, he looks a good differential as a mid-price midfield option. I’m also keeping an eye on the Allardyce effect with regards to Dunn and Gamst-Pedersen.
If you’re looking to free up cash with a budget purchase in midfield meanwhile, Hull’s Barmby appears to be holding down a starting role right now. His goal against Sunderland will have put him firmly on the radar – I’m not so sure just how long he can hold down a start however, given Hull’s current run of results which have been disappointing (one win in the last 8 games).
Injuries and Bans
Stoke’s Delap was again subbed just before the hour mark and looks woefully short of fitness. Fulham’s Gera suffered an injury and was replaced after 30 minutes. Behrami limped off just before the hour-mark for West Ham.
Ricketts saw red for Hull against Sunderland and will now face a one match ban. He will miss the trip to Man City on Boxing Day. West Ham’s Bellamy looked bright again without notching points and highlighted my concerns with his temperament by earning another yellow card and he now faces a one match ban. He will be eligible for the Boxing Day clash with Portsmouth but will miss the home game with Stoke.
Sunderland’s Arca and Portsmouth’s Defoe were new additions to the suspension tightrope and are just one yellow card away from a one match ban.