Well, perhaps not so hidden after the brace for Peter Crouch this weekend but the pun/reference was still worth making. Crouch and his play-making partner Kranjcar, have been buried in my monthly picks for a couple of weeks now. Both need to prepare themselves for significant climbs when these are updated, as their form and fixtures fall into place.
Indeed, Fratton Park has been a barren wasteland of fantasy talent for the majority of the season, give or take a brief dalliance with Traore, a ill-advised flirt with Belhadj and an a three-week affair with Glenn Johnson. Time’s are a changing though and thanks to a Paul Hart transplant and a gift from the fixture computer, fantasy managers could do worse than to cuddle up to Pompey for the season run-in…
Paul Hart’s side have lost just one of their last five league games, scoring seven goals in the process. More significantly, they have the fixtures to come to provide a platform to build on that form (hul WBA BOL mun new ARS bla SUN wig).
The home games against West Brom, Bolton and Sunderland will surely provide more goals and perhaps even defensive returns. Then there are the away games at Hull, Newcastle, Blackburn and Wigan – all of which appear to offer opportunities for profits at both ends of the field. Arsenal’s visit to Fratton Park appears to be their only obstacle to a strong season finish and Premier League safety, aside from the trip to Old Trafford that is. But then that game against United, is a “free fixture” providing a double for Portsmouth in gameweek 33.
Crouch and Kranjcar are the pillars on which Pompey’s attacking ploys are built. The England striker’s goals this weekend were his second and third in two games, taking him to double figures for the season. Before the goal at Boro a fortnight ago, Crouch had gone nine league games without notching. With form and fixtures though, there’s every reason to think that he’ll now settle down to his familiar scoring pattern of a goal every other game. At an attractive 7.6 in the FPL – he presents value at a time when fantasy managers are furiously seeking funds for the Gerrard move.
Kranjcar meanwhile, is being played just behind Crouch in a creative role that he has long craved during his career at the club. His fantasy returns have been modest thus far, with just two goals and three assists. As a set-piece hogger and at just 6.1 in the FPL game however, he looks a strong low-to-mid price option as a differential for the season run-in.
There are options aside from these two. Nugent’s career is back on track thanks to the faith put in him by Adams and now Hart. He is holding down a role out on the right-wing but at just 5.4 in the FPL, he still offers a decent budget striker option as an alternative to the likes of Zamora, Bendtner and Hull’s Fagan.
Defensively Portsmouth are a long-shot. Just one clean sheet in the last sixteen league games tells you all you need to know about their rearguard credentials. Things will surely improve with their forthcoming fixtures however and in Glenn Johnson they have a defender who can also contribute up the field to supplement the lack of pure defensive points. He notched his fourth assist of the season to go with his three goals so far this term. There’s every chance that both those totals should swell further over the final eight fixtures.