Next up in this week’s series of articles focusing on goal threat are the forwards. Having analysed the midfielders yesterday, we turn our attentions to the men up front. First, we take a look at the potential hinted at by our very own ICT Index before digging deeper into the Opta statistics, highlighting a variety of crucial attacking indicators from the top 20 forwards in terms of goal attempts over the first seven Gameweeks of the new season…
hazard-> silva or caz ? leaning toward Caz atm.
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Cazorla
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Guys, Could someone please tell me if Santos would start for Gibbs this week? Also will Sagna come in for Jenkinson and if Mertesacker will start or Koscielny. Need a repalcement for Kieran gibbs.
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it's criminal that lallana is not even in the watchlist
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Differential 😎
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Nolan, Morisson, Lallana... choose one. Thanks 🙂 .. breaking my head here..
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I think Morrison is quite a good choice! But I'd say its just down to whoever has the better fixtures?
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Lallana if you will play him every game. Or Nolan if he fits into a rotation plan.
Open ControlsNolan'd prob play each of his next 5 for me. However mcanuff does rotate well with him so i may get him in later and play nolan @ home. Granted nolan's next 5 aint that bad.. SOT wigan MCY new STK .. .can see loads of goals there.
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hey fellas, any news regarding berbatov??
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You've asked this more than once now. What news do you think we'd have that you couldn't find anywhere else? Unless the Fulham physio is a regular on these boards, I suggest waiting until the Fulham press conference at the end of the week.
Open Controlsi havent gotten an answer, why else would i repeat the question?
Open ControlsI noticed that you didn't get an answer but I doubt you will get one just by repeating the question. The pages are moving slowly at this time of day and I would imagine everyone saw your post and decided they don't have anything new to add.
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I love this site but I've thought of a few improvements that could be made:
1. Notification system: I don't know how hard this would be but a notification system (like on Facebook) would be very useful. It would mean you didn't have to keep refreshing the page or check your email to check if anyone replied to your post. Also, there would be no replies that were lost on the previous page/post etc.
2. Posts dedicated to RMTs/transfers: I think it would be better if comments on posts were actually about the post or general football/FPL discussion instead of it being flooded with RMTs or "Is this a good transfer?" type questions. Then on this post for RMTs, there could be questions asked and advice given. I know this has worked on another fantasy site (Any Aussies know DT Talk?)
3. Like/Dislike system: This isn't much of a necessity but it would be cool if you could "Like/Dislike" posts. This might be a bit tacky but it would eliminate the need to comment "+1" and also shows appreciation for a good post. Also, the dislike could help find bad/offensive/inappropriate posts.
I know these suggestions could be hard to implement and may mean we have to wait until next pre-season or they may be too difficult to do but I think they will definitely improve this already awesome site.
What do you guys think of these suggestions? Any more improvements possible?Open Controlsit's a fantasy football site.. help with transfers and advice through RMT's is what most ppl come on here for. plus we all still get to have brilliant discussions. The only time it got irritating was the first few weeks and a week b4 the season began. now it's just fine
Open Controlsyeah, I guess it's manageable now that there are less RMTs
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1 would be quite nice, I have to say.
2 would just mean that no one would ever do any RMTs which may be not such a good thing. This is a fantasy football site after all.
3 is on the way with the new comments system.Open ControlsI agree that it would be nice to have some kind of separation between types of comments (e.g. RMTs/transfer advice, off topic posts)
Open ControlsAlso the +1/-1 function would allow people not only to rate individual posts but also posters, with their rating shown next to their posts. This tactic is common on other sites with comment facilities and would be a really helpful addition here IMO.
Open Controlsagree.. also the number of comments should be written next to the name and once you cross a certain number(10k for eg) you get 1 star etc. only ppl who contribut often can have more than 20k comments
Open ControlsContributing often isn't the same as offering good contributions though! 😉
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the thing about a seperate dedicated RMT thread is who in their right mind will hang about in order to give advice? the only folk present on such a thread will be those who've their own transfer queries in need of addressing. twud be a case of the blind leading the blind. likely heading off a cliff
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From the Midfielder Threat stats, which of these mid-priced midfielders would you guys rate better in the next few game weeks?
Walters (Stoke) – Best upcoming run of fixtures and most number of touches in the penalty area (playing as a Forward) but worst accuracy and chances/min. Penalty taker
Morrison (West Brom) – Best shot accuracy of the 3 and playing in the ‘hole’ but upcoming fixtures are harder and has lowest opportunities in penalty box
Nolan (West Ham) – Most numbers chances/min, goal attempts and shots within the box of the 3 but upcoming fixtures are harder and poor shot accuracy
Cheers!Open ControlsSOT wig MCY new STK
SOT, MCY, STK - all home games and he should get a goal or two.. (though i admit MCY is the toughest of the next 5)
wigan - dire
new - Carroll and his ex-club. can see them doin pretty well
All in all i'd have no problem playin Nolan next 5 weeks.
Even if Walters played QPR @ home 5 games in a row i would'nt own him. It's like supportin a goal scorin defender @ set pieces. Horrible threat from open playOpen Controlswalters is the worst footballer on this or any planet. so not him. alls he has are pens. and stoke are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. likely because they rely on that big galoot to score em
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TW. You were right on the previous page. I will be setting up my rotation as if I only have 14 players (+ kolarov). That way if he doesn't play, I will always have quality back up. However, the problem with this is that when he does play, I will have a decent option on the bench.
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okay. that's what i figured and that's how i'm doing it. yeahh that is a problem but a good problem to have i guess. honestly kept fiddling with my rotation and am a bit stumped haha... i think that a man city or manchester united mid would be best as they seem to have good fixtures in most/all of the weeks i need my 5th mf. though i'm tempted to just go for whichever mf looks like the best bet and just deal with a slightly poor rotation, hopefully helped out a bit by kolorov
Open ControlsYeah. You might have spot for another rotation risk. Just hope that rafael, kolarov don't get benched the same week you have some injuries!
Open Controlsno not another rotation risk, i mean just go for which mid i like the best and not worry how their fixtures fit in with my rotation
also people on the last page were saying i should get mata which could work out well and i am kinda tempted but the only problem is he has a blank same gw as lambert and i think my defense doesn't have great fixtures that week so unless kolorov plays i wouldn't wanna play 4 at the back...
rafa + kolorov are enough potential rotation risk players for me atmOpen ControlsOur balanced squad approach allows us to pick high rotation risk, high potential reward players (rafael and kolarov), but maybe 3 might be pushing it. I guess it depends whether you see rafael as a rotation risk once smalling and jones are back. I'm still not sure
Open Controlsvery true. i see rafa as a slight risk. so 1.5 rotation risk players. 2.5-3 i think is a bit too much imo
but what i was saying before is i might just get whichever mid i fancy and not worry how they fit in with rotation with the rest of my squad. make sense?Open ControlsIf you don't want to worry about the rotation, then It should be someone with a nice run of fixtures. Can you stretch to silva? Then to a man utd mid when the fixtures switch difficulty?
Open Controlsnope. not unless i downgrade hba or one of my attacking defenders. 9.1 is as much as i can stretch (gorkss as the 5th defender) with the 4 attacking fullbacks and still keeping bale, cazorla, hba, pienaar and the 3 forwards
but yeahh like i said city and united mids have good fixtures for the weeks i'll need them most! just not sure which one i should go for since i can't get silva...Open ControlsUnder no circumstances should you get rid of HBA before a sweet run of fixtures! Bringing in gorks is a no no for me too. Especially if you go for kolarov.
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cant see this endin well
Open ControlsI'm in the mood for experimenting this season!
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Morning guys! Please help me rip apart my team!
Foster Fed
Baines Ivan Demel Cuellar Clyne
Yaya Kagawa Michu Hazard guthrie
Torres Tevez Fletcher
Have 2 frees,0.6 in the bank
a)Torres + Kagawa + Yaya ----> Berba + Cazorla + Bale(4 pointer, tempting me a lot!)
b)kagawa + yaya---> Cazorla + Nolan
c)Kagawa + torres----> berba + cazorla
cheers!Open Controlsi hate hits.. hate them, but even i like A)
Open ControlsI'm in the same boat mate..generally try not to take hits but this one is tempting me big time!
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think a is the way to go mate!
rest of the team looks good. though you'll need to shift michu next week. have a plan for that? maybe michu + ivan > pienaar + gibbs/rafa/kolorov?Open ControlsCheers mate!
I have to remove hazard,michu next week..but I dont want to keep taking hits!
Maybe just hazard ---> silva!Open Controls
a) Torres & Ivanovic
or
b) Aguero & Rafael
and
a) Torres & Berbatov & Sterling
or
b) Aguero & Lamber & Puncheon
Please explain your decision.Open Controlsa)
and
b)
lol.. make that work :). post your question as torres + ivanovic + Berb + Sterlin.. simply complicates things. either way i would'nt wanna double up with Torres + ivan or Lamb + PuncheonOpen Controls
i know the stats are bad.. but sunderland's fixtures are awesome.. Mclean/Larsson/Johnson anyone? all 3 totally off the radar
Open ControlsStick to Fletcher. Thats enough imo
Open Controlsthat's a valuable striker spot though.. replacin fellaini and my list now stands at
Nolan/Morrison/Walters(meh)/Lallana/Sterling/Mclean/Tarrabt.. that's a lot of options, but none really stand outOpen ControlsThat's a nightmare decision.
Open Controlsnigtmare cause i gotta choose between the devil and the deep blue sea? or nightmare because one or two of them will perform and there's every chance that i'll pick the wrong one?
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lol.. so chelsea got a run of 8 bad games and the week their fixtures improve they have a missing gameweek.. lol i'm gonna be without chelsea players till GW 18
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They have a run of 8 bad games? Time for Spurs to catch up!!!
Open Controlstot MUN swa LIV wba MCY FUL whm sun BLANK
just 1-2 ok fixtures in thereOpen ControlsUrgh, that's awful. That explains why they're top so far.
Open ControlsHey, this is looking at things the way you want it to......Manipulating yourself basically 🙂
That's like 5 good fixtures in there if you are unbiased.Open Controls
injury questions:
1) when do we think ramirez will be back?
2) will gibbbs be back for the next game?
3) will saylor be back for the next game?Open ControlsRamirez - Highly unlikely
Saylor - Yes. Almost 100% sure(forums, tweets etc). Full trainin tomorrow
Gibbs - with his injury history you never knowOpen Controlsramirez - when do we think he'll be back? more wondering if he'll be back for gw 9 perhaps
saylor - okay great
gibbs - hmm... no reports? what do you think though?
thanks mateOpen Controls
Probably GW10-12
No idea
Should beOpen Controls
china mag, these are my options for my 5th def and 5th mf:
a) 8.0 mf + saylor
b) 8.5 mf + cueller
c) 8.8 mf + demel
d) 9.0 mf + fonte/clyne/davies/other 4.0 defOpen ControlsHave you checked out how Michu fits in with your rotation? It might even be worth keeping him if you got him early.
Open Controlshmmm not a bad idea. i'll have to check that later.
honestly it's looking to me like my options are
1) valencia + demel
2) kags + cueller
3) cheaper mf (michu, lallana, ramirez, walters or nolan) + saylor
leaning towards the 3rd one atm though a united mid is really tempting. what do you think?Open ControlsYeah, 3 imo until we have a better idea of the Utd midfield.
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A) but id get a stoke defender if possible. Not a fan of Newcastle defense this year. And this is coming from a person who watches them week in week out.
Open ControlsYou could get Valencia and Wilson(stoke)
Or you could get HBA and a 5m stoke def
that's what i think you should do.Open ControlsI would mention i have gambled on kolorov too 🙂
Open Controlsmf is already bale, cazorla, hba and pienaar btw
valencia and wilson is .1 short. and sounds like valencia isn't nailed on if fergie sticks to teh diamond so kags could be better maybe?
also getting a stoke defender would take an extra transfer. atm i've got cueller + saylor and need to ship one for kolorov.
welcome aboard then! 😀Open Controlsvalencia was injured hence didnt get to play. Why Valencia i believe is nailed, i would wait till he gets his consistency that he showed last season going. The good thing about Valencia is he doesnt normally score big so once he gets going consistent it is not really considered a knee jerk.
Apart from that. HBA and Shawcross with stokes fixtures will do very well. IN fact i play to leave bego in goals for the next 8 or so Gw's.Open ControlsOpps. Just read that you had Cuellar and Saylor.
I would then keep Cuellar. But yeah stoke look very appetizing.Open Controls
I would definitely look to keep saylor, or at least cuellar, if you are going for kolarov
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Hey Mr Mag,
Nice to see you back.
Kolarov seems to be best if he starts playing regularly or else if he comes on as sub and doesnt score u might score just 1 pt which seems will happen most of times with rotation
My plan is Next GW : Lambert to Crouch
GW 10 : Nolan to Morrison
Gw 11 : Davids to Begovic
My current team is
Baines, Ivan, Clark, Demel, Ridg
Santi, Pien, Nolan, Bale, HBA
Lamb, Fletcher, Ba
Thinking to bench Lamb this GW. Benching HBA doesnt justify as the derby could have plenty of goals.
Also thinking to get Mata, Rooney/ Kun ( if flether doesnt perform). But thats after GW 12.
Kindly advice on the same.Open ControlsKolarov only came on for 3 x 5min cameos last year. I can live with that.
Team looks good. Forget mata (see discussion above).
How about Wilson in for Clark. Stk/WBA/wh is a great 3 way rotation.Open ControlsHave u already got Kolarov in yr team Mr Mag. I am still not convinced with 1 game where he did exceptionly well.
Should i play Lambert or HBA this GW.
How do i get Kun/ Rooney soon is another thing to ponder as i dont have Mcity or Manu coverageOpen Controls
Gorkss (liv)
Kaca (AVL)
Who will score more points next GW?
Refuse to WC!!!!Open Controlsseems kinda obvious that kaca wud be the way to go there. i don't know how likely he is to start these days but 5 minutes shud give him a chance of outscoring gorkks. and if he don't feature then there was never a decision to be made
Open ControlsKaca by 10000000 miles.
Open Controlssorted... THANKS!
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Regarding the Chelsea/Southampton blank in GW17 and the yet to be rescheduled Sunderland/Reading game - they will probably be rescheduled at the same time as long as none of the 4 teams have cup commitments in the week in question.
Would be nice to know when that 😀Open ControlsUnder YOUR PROFILE above and in the COMMENT PROFILE section there are 2 new features added. just seen em. YOUR REPUTATION and YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS. Not workin atm but a sign of things to come!! yay!
Open ControlsSorry to burst your bubble, but that's been there for months.
Open Controlsthey've been there for a while now actually, but havent worked.
Open ControlsTotal comments: 358
Total replies: 2757
Open Controlsreplies 5800.. comments 3000 🙂
Open ControlsI would imagine a lot of people will outnumber me to be honest. I was more interested in my ratio of comments:replies!
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I must say that I am rather excited at the volume of players who are transfering out RVP and/or Hazard. I think they are both guns who can score highly against anyone.
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I would agree. Hazard seems to be a serious goal threat for Chelsea as well. RVP always has a big performance or two waiting around the next corner and when he isn't doing much he is always getting the odd goal or assist.
Open ControlsI disagree that he is a serious goal threat. The way he has been played over the last few weeks gives him a role with little more than a gap filler. to link to forward or mata.
The reason he scored vs Norwich is 4 norwich defenders played as if they were in league 2 and let him in with a critical error. It was terrible terrible defending.
He wont be up against Norwich everyweek. Mata is by far the better option.Open Controls
speaking for myself, and i imagine, many others, RVP is gone for only a short spell. when fixtures get sweet again -gw 11 i thinks- he'll be straight back. as i didn't fancy cappin him in any of the games tween last week and then i saw no reason to hang on
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what fixtures though? the two tough ones are chelsea away (he scored a hatrick there last season) and arsenal at home (utd put 8 past them last season and would u bet against him not scoring against his old club??)
if anything the tougher fixtures are better as hes gauranteed 90mins and utd will create chances against anyoneOpen Controlsyeah the fixtures really ain't so bad. the fact that i didn't fancy him as a captain while other strikers faced more favourable match ups, coupled with the cash freed up to invest in a proper defence swung me towards bidding him adieu. the fact that he played the team i support last week was just a wee push towards the exit. my defence is horrible and in dire need of a makeover
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RVP cares not for fixtures. In fact, I'd argue elite players are best held for rough patches as at least you know they will play and give 100%
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This. Yes, we all know United and Chelsea don't have the greatest of fixtures but these guys are fixture proof IMO.
Open ControlsI think they are being transferred out for different reasons.
Hazard is still relatively new to the league and we don't know what his FPL consistency is like. His blanks could just be anomalies or they could be a sign of things to come.
RVP on the other hand is a proven FPL god who finds himself being rotated/rested and no longer being the main man at his club.
Of the two, I'm more worried about not having RVP!Open Controls
Yes.
To all of my competitors, go on ship him out. You know you want to.Open Controls
anyone care to shed any light on rafaels situation at utd with smalling and jones returning?
is he nailed on? likely to play 90% 80% etc?
ie should i be looking to get rid soon?Open ControlsHis form has been reasonable so as long as that remains he will start. The other thing is if SAF persists with the diamond in midfield Rafa is the player I would want patrolling the flanks. Jones and Smalling would be better at RB in tandem with a natural winger such as Valencia.
Open Controlsthis... with a diamond formation they need width from their defenders. however rafael does perform his best when he has valencia ahead of him(lettin him bomb forward and coverin up defensive holes)
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More than 60% chance of him starting with Smalling also around imo
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I'd say he's not nailed on, but is likely to play most games.
But, as he's the best RB, there's a chance he could be rested in the easier home games, just when you want him, now they're coming back.Open Controls
reading the stats...think there a bit misleading...imo its just giving evidence of how bad suarez is a finisher...:/
Open ControlsYes, but the laws of averages suggest that if he plays and continues shooting at goal at such a high rate, he will keep scoring goals!
Open ControlsShots on target is a key stat. He is the same as many other strikers. Even then his conversion rate of shots on target is not as good as many other strikers. So basically he needs to maintain a very high percentage of shots to get the same amount of goals as other strikers.
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Fixture proof players.. let's take chelsea as an example. Sure they'll end up top 3 in the league with a lot of CS's and a lot of goals.. but they'll obviously get less of both in tough games like in their upcomin run. While a Lallana/Nolan etc will outperform and prob give a similar output to hazard/mata etc when they have an easy run(eg their upcomin fixtures). I'd rather remove the fixture proof player for tough games and get cheaper players for an easy run and spend the difference in cash elsewhere.
Open ControlsThe problem here though is how many tough fixtures are there for the likes of ManU, Citeh and Chelsea? they never have more than a 3 or 4 game patch of tough fixtures. The vast majority of their games are good fixtures making it reasonable to stick with them during a relatively short tough spell. Chances are also good that the likes of RVP and co will do well even in the tough games.
Open Controlstalking about chelsea in particular.. their next 10 is
tot MUN swa LIV wba MCY FUL whm sun BLANK
Which is pretty bad. I'd wager HBA etc will outscore hazard/mataOpen Controls
HBA is one of the most gifted players in the League, but totally too unpredictable to be considered as a good FPL prospect. he can be a wizard this week, and go completely dissapear the following week.. he can dribble past 3,4 defenders today, and injures himslef in training and go missing for 2,3 weeks.. damn, thank god i'm no Pardew.
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hi valar!
how can you be so sure that "they'll get less of both in tough games"? chelsea won 2-1 at Emirates with 2 scrappy goals, but still Mata had 13 points! ivan also has been playing like a madman this year (getting into the opposition box like a forward)..he already bagged 3 goals this year (last year he had 4 goals & 5 assists for a whopping 144 points!).. my ML league has Cech in goal.. see his record/History since 2007/08, you'd find it amazing.. and he's certain to get save points against the big boys... so why would you get rid of Chelsea players when you know they will give you big numbers and safe points almost every week (forget Torres in this discussion..haha).Open Controlshey no association..
They will score points.. of that i'm certain. but over a run of consistently tough fixtures(next 10 for chelsea) their average per game will fall to 4 ppg or so.. the same as a mid price midfielder. so why pay the premium is all i ask? course if there was a SOT, QPR or WIG in that run as a reprieve things would be different..Open ControlsYou may not pay a premium, ie buy them now but if you've already got them yo'u keep them.
Open Controlsyou'd
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imo, it depends on how you play this game.. some players will have these so-called 'season keepers' firmly in their teams & rotate a few fillers, while there are others who consistently change their line up in order to avoid premiums and get the best profit out of their players. follow your guts, if i were you.. i'd say keep the likes of Bale, Baines & Santi regardless of their fixtures (as long as they're not injured or dip in form), but for me, Mata is close to becming 'essential' if Chelsea can keep their performance against the tougher teams. just my 2cents, mate.
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*ML Leader
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see above
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only 5 days to go 🙂
Open Controlsjust curious.. but how many RVP owners here are manu fans? i'm a chelsea fan and i know for a fact that if rvp played for chelsea i'd own him purely for the entertainment and excitement factor. are we seeing the heart over head syndrome on here? btw.. i do own rvp and i do find him a tad overpriced considerin rotation and fixtures(but let's not discuss this last statement now.. been done to death)
Open ControlsNo room for it in FPL.
Open ControlsWhen it come to the EPL im a neutral which is pretty adventageous.
Open Controlsgood to see some rvp owners actually ownin him with his points potential in mind.. he's potentially got average fixtures, a risk of rotation, a hefty price tag and horrid stats.. yet he still sits on top of the watchlist and is treated as a must have on here. Me on the other hand, i own him out of the fear factor of him becomin a mist have and me havin to break my team to get him back in
Open Controlsthe massive percentage of Manu fans over other fans may have a slight bias on this site is what i mean
Open ControlsUnited fixtures are somewhat average but they are doing pretty well in the CL and VP will play all of the PL games imo. I think he's s great captain shout and you seen what he done away to chelsea last year.
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*puts hand up* Guilty as charged. Although even if he was playing for Arsenal alongside Giroud I would have him in my team. The reason I believe this comparison is fare is because as a United fan I am certain he is nailed on ahead of the likes of Welbeck and Hernandez. He is as nailed on at United as he was at Arsenal. The only negative however is that he is still settling in and United are still learning how to best use him. In time RVP will be a near essential pick.
Open ControlsI'm an RVP owner and a City fan. I don't let personal preferences affect who I own on FPL. There's no room for sentiment in this game!
That said, I do not rate Rooney as a consistent FPL prospect compared to other elite options even though he's been a consistent source of points over the last few seasonsOpen Controlsan Arsenal fan since the days of Wrighty, but still build my team around RVP. yes, i agree with him being 'near essential' in weeks to come.
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Desperate to get Berbatov in, have RVP, Fletcher and Ba up front. Really considering RVP--> Berba and strengthening throughout with the £6m+
Open ControlsFletcher>Berba is way enough.
Open ControlsAlso Berba is capable of scoring multiple goals. Fletcher seems like a very average striker TBH. Physical and skill wise that is.
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You will probably use that 6m+ to get RVP back after he scores a hat trick.
Open Controlsand some by then.
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TW? Yes. Despite, or perhaps because of, what is often said on here, Yaya to me is the most reliable way of catching Citeh's fixtures. Until he gets benched, I will continue to believe that. Also, he is not just a home bunny.
Open ControlsOk i have finalised my lineup for next week:
-------Jussi(Begovic)------
Baines-Gibbs-Kolorov-(Davies,Nelsen)
HBA-Cazorla-Pienaar-Bale-(Frei)
Tevez-RVP-Berbatov.
Thoughts
And Yes i know kolorov is a risk, but i cant see him not playing after his performance against sunderland, particularly against relatively easy teams. Also His attacking potential far outweighs a potential 2 pointer from one of my subs.Open ControlsAnd who to captain from above for next week. Leaning toward Cazorla/Berba
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