There was plenty logic behind the move to draft in Yakubu this week. Having been rested for the FA Cup defeat at Newcastle, the Nigerian looked primed to play a significant part in the gameweek as Blackburn went looking for a win that would take them off the bottom of the table.
The first week of the winter wildcard bore fruit to that idea. Yakubu rose by 0.3, up to 6.1 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) pricings, as over 220,000 Fantasy managers clambered to get a piece of the action ahead of the Fulham showdown.
It seemed a sensible acquisition. Yakubu had been instrumental in Rovers’ 3 wins so far this season, grabbing braces against Arsenal and Man United, in addition to a 4 goal haul at home to Swansea. If Steve Kean’s side were to grab all three points, you’d have thought he would surely play a part.
A red card within twenty-two minutes quickly put an end to those best-laid plans. Dismissed for a reckless, studs-up challenge on Danny Murphy, Yakubu ended the gameweek on the princely score of -2 and is now set for an enforced leave of absence. He begins a three-match that puts him out of the picture until the gameweek 25 home clash with QPR and leaves Kean facing (eve, NEW, ars) with a strike force that have scored 6 goals between them all season.
With Demba Ba off on international duties and Emmanuel Adebayor unavailable for Spurs’ game against his parent club Man City, Fantasy forward lines look set for a significant shake-up over the upcoming couple of gameweeks. The irony here is that Yakubu was the main beneficiary from Ba’s trip to the African Cup of Nations- with Nigeria having failed to qualify, he offered an in-form cut-price option as a replacement for the Newcastle man.
This afternoon’s moment of folly, though, means the chance afforded was no more than a fleeting one, as schedules are once again scanned and budgets readjusted to accommodate further alternatives.
