Tottenham spring to life at the Madejski to bring the weekend’s action to a close. That gives us the opportunity to delve deeper, plunder the members area data and pick out the points of interest from the nine Premier League encounters so far…
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Looking for a one week punt, tottenham midfielder probably. Thougt Siggy played well today, but Bale scored. Siggy played better though imo. Which would you prefer?
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EJ, you live in the states? It'll be on Fox Soccer I believe at 9pm Eastern.
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Thanks, but no, I live in the UK (migrant). I'll find it. Will be in the state in October, fortuitously in time for the baseball playoffs, which I hope will feature my Cards.
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need a keeper that rotates well with jaskalainen? need to drop de gea to free some cash
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Begovic H/A.
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Really need some advice here thanks. Would you wild card this team?
DDG*, FEDERICI*
ZAB*, JENKINSON*, Hangeland, FABIO*, CLYNE*
Hazard, Cazorla, Pienaar, Michu, NOBLE*
Rvp, Tevez, GRAHAM*
My defence is a mess. Apart from Hangeland I need to get rid of all of them. I could also do with ridding myself of Noble and Graham. Should I WC?Open Controls-
C'mon guys don't leave me out in the cold here. Sure my attack is fine but when the defence is that bad are drastic measures needed? I'd hate to take a bunch of hits for defensive players.
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I think you are on the borderline. Federici could play next week as could Zab. Nobel and Graham do not NEED to go. So you could muddle through, maybe speeding up your transition with 4-pointers. You have a front that can continue to socre points, so you do not have to give up. Personally I would soldier on, but you might not care as much about having the WC in your back pocket.
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Your in the top $50k so can afford to take a hit or two if your WC is precious.
If it were me I'd definitely WC, but it's not so how precious is that WC?
Last year I took care to preserve mine but when the time came to play them found I didn't want to make many changes. So I WC'd in the break just gone.Open Controls
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3 from 5
Demel
Fonte
Vermaelen
Williams
HangelandOpen Controls-
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Cant really see Verm getting a cleansheet
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If you have goal scoring defenders you've got to play them regardless of fixtures because they can score from a corner in any game. They won't score many so you need to make sure you get those points when they do or else why spend 7m on a defender? Those that tend to assist rather than score are easier to bench but it's best not to have too much money on the bench I reckon
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I have mentioned it already tonight on here that I'm worried about my overall Team Value. Mine is pretty poor at the moment, doing about average in terms of points. But the thing that's irking me right now is that these players with massive TV's are going to have a huge advantage down the line. And it could be hard to catch up on that sort of value any time soon. I think all these bandwagons tend to be at the start of the season when people actually care and havent used their WCs. But now that everyone HAS used their WC, there will probably be less chances to catch these rises.
If your team value is pathetic do you think you are doomed ultimately even if things are looking ok for the time being?
My main worry is that I'll have to make huge compromises with my team once I do hit that Wildcard button. RVP makes it difficult really...whether to risk going without him going forward...Open Controls-
Easy, now ... Just come in off the ledge and we can talk about it ... 😛
Worry about points, ignore team value - it'll take care of itself.
Just keep playing your game.Open Controls-
Thanks dude, I like to play the game that way, I've never been too concerned with value until I came to this site and learnt more about the methods of playing FPL. I know what you're saying about 'it'll take care of itself', I'm just looking at say the top values are at 105+, that's 5m more than I have! And of course that doesn't translate into points but it's a bit worrying long term is all.
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Remember, 105 is likely a 102.5 actual value (less the sell-on fees). So the advantage looks/feels bigger than it actually is.
Also, if everything remains static: your team could skyrocket in value and theirs plummet, depending on events.
Your WC can be used later to give you an advantage in points - the real deal.
Lastly, if you couldn't have afforded RVP or Hazard this week and could only have got in Berbatov and Kacaniklic ... you'd have done quite well.
The people on here get absolutely nutty about value ... try not to let it infect you.Open Controls-
Thanks, they're some reassuring words! I'd ideally prefer not to focus on value as I think you can easily get carried away obsessing over it. I suppose I, like everyone else, is hoping for a bit of luck either way. I'm looking at the fixtures for the next 3 weeks and thinking that most of these bandwagons are not taking the fixtures into consideration, but they're still players I'd love to have down the line, e.g Cazorla...but the longer I wait the more likely he'll be close to 10m...it's sometimes good to have a bit of caution but that caution can cost you too. Thanks and good luck to you mate!
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Cheers and remember: the game is supposed to be fun. What good is it to be top 1000 in the world if you get an ulcer, lose a girlfriend, and fall behind at work to do it?
Play the game so that it's fun for you and feck the rest. You can't lose that way.Open Controls
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This too.
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This is a tough question. Cards on the table: I have had a lot of the rising players so my TV is pretty good w/out WC. I have been thinking that using WC to GET TV is a mistake because if you can get good TV before you WC then your WC is much better (ie, you can afford a better team). I have been buying (sometimes for hits) players that I know will rise (and also that I hope will score, like Hazard and Berb). So, to answer your question, (a) I don;t think anything close to everybody has WCed, (b) it is a problem that you are not gaining TV, but (c) I think you still can without using your WC, and (d) do not use your WC now to get TV because this is not as good a time as, say, before GW3 was to earn value. I hope that makes sense.
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Cheers dude, I'm pondering hitting that WC button around GW7 (another international break) Not merely to gain value but to revamp my defence and possibly get in the likes of RVP/Cazorla etc. I'm confident my team will get on okay for the next 3 weeks at least with a bit of luck! My team doesn't look too bad and will be strategically playing some transfers in the meantime. My main gripe is that my team value is teetering too close to the 100m mark which looks terrible (even if it is not reflected in a terrible overall score) I'm doing average but I'm concerned about feeling compromised by missing the boat on value, thanks for your thoughts!
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Managing team value.
The Way I've played it this year:
Get rid of players looking likely to drop in value from your team early in the week and get players who you want in your team and who is rising (or at least aren't dropping) in value in their place. Team Value should then rise at a reasonable rate (i.e take care of itself) without too many headaches.
Also I've gone with the idea of not being afraid to take hits to get rid of those pesky price fallers.
Last Year (or why I've gone that way this year):
I was reluctant to take price hits on player dropping in value, saying to myself they've got good fixtures they'll come good, etc. This really didn't work out they dropped my team value majorly and it was difficult to play catch up later on in the season when everyone else had and extra 6-7m whilst I had 3-4, so basically everyone elses teams where loaded with players from better team than what I could afford.
Also I tended to wait till the end of the week to make my transfers in case of injuries to other players in my team that may occur and I'd want to make a different transfer and not take a hit to make another transfer. This lead to losing out on the rises earlier in the week and having to pay that little bit more for said player than many other people did... happening over many weeks this is losing out on a lot of value and leads to you not being able to get the players you want that many other have in their team, in particular later on in the season.
Well that's my take on it anyway.Open Controls-
Wow, excellent reply, thank you. I totally get what you're saying, it's something I would have suffered from too last season and a little bit this season also. I wasn't totally familiar with things being a bit of a noob to taking this FPL thing seriously. You make some excellent points and compound my concerns equally. I can see what could happen if I don't act quickly on rectifying some of these issues with my team.
I can understand that focusing on points should ultimately be your main priority but when the power of Team Value is wielded it can really get on your nerves and frustrate you later on. Sometimes you just can't help being sensible but it can hurt you when these bandwagons are paid off with surprise returns. E.g Michu or anyone else like that.
Thanks for giving me some food for thought, I'm doing my best to wise up on everything FPL!Open Controls-
Martin--- well everyone's experience differs. I have seen top 100 teams with modest value at the end of the year. roughly 105 versus 110-111.
Those teams at 105 or more already (NOW) are normally playing JUST for value, they make dozens of trades and don't care about rank. A couple years ago there was a whole ranking just by value- you could rank all (or at least several hundred) teams by value-- so there was competition even for that.
That said, you might want to get going once a week on trading out a dropping player for a fast riser. this week it's Berbatov. ( and we are both late)... if he scores once next weekend the bandwagon continues, scores twice and you've seen Michu and Hazard.
Value does give you great flexibility and a better team. Most of us would like two or three 7.0 defenders and a very solid 5th mid or 3rd FWD, that's much easier with an extra 3.0.
Your team is different and doing OK, one week your team is going to score huge compared with all the "template" teams. It did fine this week. Save your WC for a DGW, or when one or two hits aren't going to solve the problem ...... you'll see it all unfold...Open Controls-
Those few teams playing just for value with roughly three or more weekly trades end up around 125 in total value, if I remember right and most all finish above 500000 to about 1.5 million. A good number of players just quit or never make a single transfer..
The high value teams sometimes start to do well toward the last third of the season to get down to 500000 because they really do have the best team money can buy.Open Controls-
Thanks Jack, appreciate your take on things, some very insightful points too. I think I'm just being overly neurotic about this stuff early on. It's born out of anxiety and an eagerness to be successful at this game! Thanks for taking the time to reply, excellent work my friend!
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Id rather lose money then pay for transfers if a player gets injured midweek. Tbh if you go with the players likely to score, everything else will work out. E.g Bale this week. Had the chances. Now he has converted that to points and the masses will come back.
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It doesn't always work out like your example of Bale here, also it's worth noting that many players will have transferred out for whatever other player they've gone for and want to keep them instead thus the value increase might take longer than you think to go back up.
Taking hits for a player injured midweek I'd have take into account a number of things before I'd take the hit, how likely they're to drop, how long are they out for, who is my bench player i'm now going to play if I don't make the transfer, how much they cost to begin with, even what position they play.Open Controls-
Another goal next week, and you watch the Bale bandwagon take off (saying that, I brought him in last GW, so no major losses for me)
Generally speaking, if players are creating chances, sooner or later the points will follow. So get the players who you think will do well (form, fixtures, chance creation) and back them. Value is of some important consideration, for example points per million spent. But this whole business of team value, nah don't buy into it really.Open Controls
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First lesson I learned in this game is you have to maintain value in the early part of the season or you can't make the transfers you want later on. I think lots of players learnt this lesson so it generally pays to get your injured / benched / useless players out for those who are about to rise before too many of them have hit the button. There is a 0.2 or more shift in value per transfer this way and you get better scoring prospects.
You also get insurance against having to make transfers you don't want to make. If most of your players are up 0.1 or more they have a week or two to make a score and keep the knee jerkers at bayOpen Controls-
I get you, the insurance part is very true. It gives you that extra lee-way. I'm slowly learning the trade but I'll get there hopefully! Best of luck and thanks for the reply!
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You are most welcome. Just remember that anything can happen in this game. The best advice can be wrong in some circumstances and luck often kicks you in the butt. You've got to get a feel for when to make a value play, take a hit, take a punt or whatever. But it's fascinating grappling with it, which is half the fun. Enjoy!
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adebayor seems not in avb plan, who actually brought him, is it levy? which one should i transfer out, adebayor or graham? i dont mind to transfer out both for a hit but there is not a better option since i dont have enough money for rvp
my thought now,
graham-->fletcher/berba/lambert/ba
ade-->podolski/jelavic/chicaritoOpen Controls-
I'd rid yourself of the more expensive option Ade first. Jelavic would be the best option IMO
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but already have fellaini, it is not overkill?
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Hi people, 2 questions !
should i keep bale ? (if no who to replace him with)
any news on cuellar ?Open Controls -
when's the first CL game? need to figure out how long i have to sort out my ucl team....
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Right, my minibar is getting down to the wierd local liqueurs so I need to call it a night. Pleasure chattin'. Good night!
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Night, thanks for your two cents!
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team linked...
how do i look???
just did vidic>gibbs, zab>Demel, petric>berba
4.5 in bank for Ade>RVP next weekOpen Controls -
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everton newcastle game- newcastle/draw double chance at 2:1 looks good value no?
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Pure guess but i'd say just the 0.1. People don't tend to spend a lot of transfers on keepers. Mind you all the DDG owners will be swapping surely.
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Agree... GK rise slowly. Vorm was a huge exception last year because he was a 4.0 goalie who was first or second in points almost all year. IIRC He was kind of amazing and started out on fire, too.
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This made my day. Good stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFrwFSPceZMOpen Controls -
Strikers to bring in for the next 3 GW's:
Fletcher - whm WIG mci
Ba - NOR rdg MUN
Lambert - AV eve FUL
Jelavic - swa SOT wig
Berbatov - wig MCI sot
Long - RDG av QPR
Who has the best run and why?Open Controls -
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Yes mate
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Oh dear. 19 points, with only Baines left to play. And I took an 8 point hit.
Silver lining is that bar a minor keeper problem (Krul and Fed), and upgrading Tierney and Fabio, I have the squad I want.
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How did bale get 3 BAPS ??? not complainin really but shocked
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Defoe had too many shots off-target, which based on the EA Sports Index is the BAPS death-sentence.
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Howdie DeadZoners. What a weekend. Here's to hoping that Baines and Ben Arfa will salvage the blushes.
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Such a week....
Bale -> Cazorla ... The first got 11pts and -0.2m in value and the latter got 5pts and 0.1m rise (profit only). Was it a good move? I think it was.. We didn't know how good/bad Spurs would be and quite sure on Arsenal to beat Southampton in a good margin.
Noble -> Sterling ... Noble suddenly got bonus and -0.1m in value. Sterling got assist. They equal in point at 5pts. West Ham have better fixtures to come while Sterling has price rise potential. This might be good move or turn out bad if Sterling get rested sometimes in the span of 3-4 games.Open Controls -
Hey guys, I normally WC early but I am trying to talk myself out of this one...
Current team...
DDG/Fed
Baines/Hang/Santon/Cuellar/Clyne
Hazard/Cazorla/Pienaar/Kags/Guthrie
Torres/Graham/Tevez
The new team would be something like...
Foster/Begovic
Baines/Raf/Gibbs/Hughs/Demel
Hazard/Cazorla/Pienaar/BAfra/Streling
Berbs/Fletcher/Tevez
This leaves 2.9 in the bank for futures tinkering.... Should I do it? Or try and stay a float as is..?Open Controls-
I think you are fine....try and hold on until the next interantional break.
Rooney & Aguero should be back and there will be lots to consider.Open Controls -
Drop DDG, take a hit to possibly drop Graham, but I wouldn't WC
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team looks fine to me, obviously a couple of tweaks needed but that's what free transfers are for 😉
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On WC, is Bertarand worth including to free funds for Berba + 0.3 mill in Bank?
Jass/Bego
Demel Ivan Rafael Bertrand Gunter
HBA Hazard YaYa Michu kasniklic
Berba Teves RVPOpen Controls -
Okay deadzone.....i told myself at the begining of the year "avoid wasting needless transfers on GK's". Well week 4 in the books and i looks like i am forced to making a change.
I am not prepared to WC and have no forseable plans to use it.
My current GK are DDG and FED.
I am considering 4 options.
1. Howard
2. Foster
3. Jaask
4. Czczseny
I am not generally one to double up on defensive players, which is why this makes the decision all the more difficult.
Who are all the cool kids dumping DDG for?Open Controls-
Foster or Howard for DDG, or you could leave him be and do Federici to Jaask. No idea about the rotation tho'.
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forced to WC to dump DDG & Cerny, as well as others. 0 points from GK in last 2 weeks.. 🙂
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Get Foster or Jussi, they're both about to rise...Foster probably has the better fixtures, Howard is too expensive imo, if you're going to get Everton defence it has to be Baines (with all the added bonuses he brings)
Szczesny's fixtures aren't great short term and he's that bit more expensive. Plus he looked dodgy against Southampton...so he's not looking solid right now.Open Controls-
Not one to take hits especially for defenders/GK's....but would you take one for
DDG>Foster
Zaba>Baines
Consider that my other defenders are Ivan/Hughes/Cuellar/BennettOpen Controls
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Anyone here with Vorm/Federici pairing? What's your take on that? Although Vorm would play most of games even if Federici's fit.
Still in the defence department, would you:
A. Play Clyne (AVL)
B. Play Hangeland (wig)
C. Do a free transfer of Zabaleta > Olsson/Ridgewell/Saylor and play him.
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I am strongly considering Zaba>Olsson
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Thanks, mate. Why Olsson out of the 3? 😀
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he is more nailed on than ridgewell
Saylors defensive partners and GK are mostly injured.
THe only downside to Olsson is his aggressive nature....will get his share of cards.Open Controls-
personally i went mcauley before his price rise, the extra 0.1 seemed worthwhile for his goal threat so far. or is he not nailed on either? 🙁
yea i don't know about newcastle atm, staying well clear!Open Controls -
Sounds like Olsson it is :D, thanks folks! 🙂
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Shld i do michu > kac & lambert > defoe for a hit?seems like michu bdwgn has come to an end now, and spurs has started spur well?
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I'm also keen to cash in on Michu, but I'd generally wait until GW9 (mci) with the next 4 GWs (5-8) are EVE sto RDG WIG, ain't half bad.
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a team that's notoriously good at home, unbeaten at home this season, in the top half of the table after four games and with great home fixtures to come. a player that's the top scoring mid in the league. i'm not even considering cashing in for the next few weeks!
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defoe is not gonna play 90 minutes every game, and lambert has pretty good fixtures coming up. michu plays three times at home in the next four games, none against top sides.
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The worst goalkeeper combo for the season is
DDG/ FEDERECHI...Open Controls-
and the best is jussi/davis 😉
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as I said of my worst move... to pick ddg/fed.... nuclear winter. How could so many of us get that choice wrong? I do think DDG will recover but without me.
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what tweaks need to be made to my team?
Vorm Fed
Ridgewell Saylor Cuellar CLyne Hughes
Bale Hazard Pienaar Johnson Maloney
RVP Tevez Graham
+1,1 bankOpen Controls-
maybe graham, give him a week though(it;s what i'm doing(
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Nothing pressing, prolly Graham, but considering he is a Swansea attacking cover, so that's decent.
Probably Johnson depending on his injury status, could be worth it to wait on him.Open Controls -
i'd strongly consider graham ---> berba
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but yeah actually i'd wait given swansea's fixtures...
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ddg and fed are my keepers. which should i dump for jaask? thinking ddg so i can do graham to berb/fletcher next week or later in this week for a hit...
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definitely ddg!
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ddg, extra cash can be used elsewhere I'm sure
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DDG. You could end up staying with 2 4.5m gks so you would then be able to use the extra cash elsewhere.
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ideal scenario tomorrow:
pienaar gets a hatrick in a 3-2 everton win with no assists for baines, who then proceeds to stick at his price or even fall...Open Controls-
Or! 1-1 scoreline with Cabaye from a free kick and Osman from a cock up inside the box. 😀
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