Scout Reports

Is Steve Bruce damned at Newcastle United?

Newcastle United’s recent change of manager has, for many, done little to boost the potential of their Fantasy Premier League assets.

The departure of Rafa Benitez was seen as the worst-case scenario for fans of the club and Fantasy managers alike, especially considering their challenging early fixtures.

Now that Steve Bruce has been handed the job, the stock of Newcastle assets is at an all-time low.

In this article, we discuss what impact he will have at St James’ Park and what this means for FPL.


When it was officially announced that Benitez was on the way out, there were wild rumours of Jose Mourinho being touted as a replacement as well as more grounded talk that it would be Manchester City assistant coach, Mikel Arteta.

All of that optimism around the club proved unsubstantial for the Toon Army faithful after it transpired that Sam Allardyce had turned down the chance to have another go and instead Bruce was the man that was ultimately chosen.

Bruce’s appointment as Newcastle manager was underwhelming, to say the least. In many quarters, the former Manchester United captain wasn’t even considered among the top 10 likely candidates, he was an unexpected left-field option.

Choosing him over a plethora of other highly rated names probably hints at the true ambition of owner Mike Ashley. 17th will do by the looks of it, nothing more, nothing less.



The Background

Steve Bruce’s stock is not particularly high as he arrives at Newcastle

To put things into context, Steve Bruce has finished in the top half of the Premier League only once since the 2003/04 season. Except for guiding teams to Premier League promotion on four occasions, he has won no meaningful silverware as a manager. His last stint in the top-flight was during the 2014/15 season with Hull which ended in relegation. The previous year had seen them just about survive with a 16th-place finish.

Crucially, in both of those campaigns, the Tigers failed to score more than one goal per game on average and conceded a combined total of 104 goals, at 1.4 per game.

Perhaps this is the yardstick to which we should judge Bruce by now? If we go further back to his time at Sunderland, he did guide them to a respectable 10th place finish in the 2010/11 season, but as that was eight years ago, it’s hard to glean too much from it.

Overall, Bruce boasts a win rate of less than 30% in the Premier League. Of course, we have to remember that, over the past two decades, when he has managed in the top-tier, his teams were more often than not expected to battle it out at the bottom anyway and therefore did not win many games.

However, it does still highlight his standard and should probably guide our expectation levels for the 2019/2020 season.

What style of football does Bruce use?

There is greater offensive thinking in Bruce’s game than some realise

It would be fair to say that Steve Bruce is not typically known for free-flowing ‘Champagne Football’.

Then again, he is more attack-minded than many of us would dare to imagine. According to Steve Harper, who played under him during his time at Hull, he remembers how they would often deploy an offensive 3-5-2 formation.

The former Newcastle goalkeeper also insisted in a recent interview that Bruce “is certainly not the dinosaur he has been labelled, that is incredibly unfair”.

Perhaps it’s not all doom or gloom then? Let’s not forget that it was during this time at Hull that he also helped develop some quality youth players too.

Bruce (left) celebrates promotion to the Premier League with Hull player Robertson (right) in 2016

After all, it was Bruce that handed out debuts to Andrew Robertson (£7.0m) and Harry Maguire (£5.5m). In a matter of just a few years, these to have become established internationals and have reached the latter stages of the Champions League final and World Cup respectively.

More importantly, they have also enjoyed their fair share of Fantasy appeal in recent seasons too.

The implications of this on the 2019/20 season should be considered. As Bruce is prepared to hand out chances to youth players, this could result in some budget £4.0m or £4.5m emerging at Newcastle, who might get more game time than otherwise expected.

Also, contemporary clues of his style can be found by examining his most recent managerial posting.

Sheffield Wednesday wing-back Adam Reach noticed during the early days of Bruce’s reign that they were playing with an increased injection of pace, which in his own words, gave them “more confidence and we are allowed to express ourselves in the final third, which is always good”.

From an FPL perspective, this bodes well for the attacking prowess of wing-backs under Bruce if he adopts a similar playing style to that of his time at Sheffield Wednesday and backing it up with the forward-thinking formation he used at Hull.

Bruce could be the manager to get the best out of Matt Ritchie

In my estimation, Matt Ritchie (£5.5m) could benefit the most if things clicked seamlessly into place.

What’s more telling is that voices of support have also emerged from Newcastle’s first-team squad.

Their friendly win over West Ham in the Premier League Asia Trophy, saw Bruce implement a change of formation to that Hull-style 3-5-2, resulting in a much-improved performance compared to the opening defeat to Wolves.

“The fans need to give him a chance because I think, if they do that, if we play like we did on Saturday, we will do well week-in, week-out and they won’t have any reason for complaint.” – Jonjo Shelvey

Jonjo Shelvey‘s (£5.0m) positive sentiment bodes well from a cohesion perspective. Then again, I would not have expected the player to say any different to impress the new manager, especially after featuring in just 16 league games last season.

While such an approach could benefit Fantasy managers somewhere down the line after Newcastle’s tricky fixtures ease up, it does seem as if Bruce could surprise a few with his team selections.

He was quite prone to rotation during his Premier League time at Hull. Across the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons, 22 of his squad players appeared in at least 12 competitive games (FA Cup and Europe included).

Crucially, only five players featured in a minimum of 30 league games in the first of those two campaigns, dropping to just three in the latter.

Hull’s line-ups became increasingly unsettled as they hurtled towards relegation from the top flight.

By comparison, Wolves’ impressive seventh-placed finished in 2018/19 campaign was achieved with at least nine players starting in a minimum of 30 league games,

Given the disparity between the two clubs at present, it is perhaps an unfair comparison to make, but it certainly highlights the strengths of a settled side and the drawbacks of an unsettled one.

So could a poor start and a basement battle for Newcastle in 2019/20 cause Bruce to shuffle his pack more often in an attempt to find a new combination? We will have to see, but if this situation realises itself, it could certainly frustrate Fantasy managers looking to invest.

How busy will Bruce be in the transfer window?

Joelinton was unveiled by Newcastle on Tuesday

Speaking of investment, there is no doubt that Bruce’s success, or lack of it, will be dependent on whether he is allowed to bolster the squad with quality signings.

As a reference point, if Benitez’s tenure is defined by anything it is the paucity of activity in the transfer market and despite that, he was able to defy meagre expectations.

As a side note, Miguel Almiron’s (£6.0m) transfer last season may have broken the club’s transfer record but in the short-term but he still needs some more time to adapt to the Premier League.

One of the areas Bruce will need to get the board’s backing on will be to address their notable vacancies in the attack. The loss of the 2018/19’s top-scorers Ayoze Perez (£6.5m) and Salomón Rondón to Leicester and Dalian Yifang respectively was followed with Joselu’s move to Alaves.

Still at the club is last season’s forgotten man Yoshinori Muto (£5.5m) and it remains to be seen if Dwight Gayle will maintain his place as a player for Newcastle.

However, there is some encouragement from the signing of Hoffenheim forward Joelinton. There’s no doubt that he is an interesting prospect and played a significant part in Hoffenheim achieving a top-half finish in the Bundesliga last season.

However, Newcastle United need a proven out-and-out goal scorer to fill the void and, unfortunately, Joelinton’s goal-scoring abilities are still at a nascent stage.

Even though he is still 22 and offers lots of promise, the fact he hasn’t scored more than eight league goals in a season should be somewhat of a concern.

The Brazilian shouldn’t be seen as the sole solution to Newcastle’s problems and the club’s fans, as well as FPL managers, should not be overly excited by his arrival.

It’s safe to say that Joelinton is too much of an unknown quantity to even be considered as a Gameweek 1 prospect for seasoned FPL managers and they would be better off considering players from the current squad that have proven Premier League experience, who might potentially be improved by his presence.

Conclusion

The 2019/20 season is make or break for Bruce as a top-flight manager

To sum up, as a Newcastle United fan myself, I want to be pessimistic and say that it would be no surprise if Mike Ashley, as opposed to head coach, was on the cusp on condemning the club to a third relegation under his ownership.

Like many others, I am still unconvinced by Bruce’s managerial record but when I hear the opinions of his former players, as well as gauging the morale of his current squad members, it is clear that both Newcastle fans and FPL managers need to give him a chance.

Right now, Bruce is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. The bar couldn’t be set any lower for him. But to avoid being the literal ‘Damned United’ in the first instance, he will need to somehow unite the fans behind him and that can only be done with success on the pitch.

I will be shocked if he surpasses what Benitez did for the Toon Army, as many accept his achievements were nothing short of miraculous.

I think Bruce’s early run of games will prove to be more than challenging and could even play a part in his inevitable downfall.

A bad start could see him almost certainly lose the hot seat well before the Christmas fixture rush.

Deep down, I hope that his use of the 3-5-2 formation works a treat and as an FPL manager, I hope to be among the first to jump onto the much-discussed ‘out-of-position’ Matt Ritchie bandwagon.

The original Fantasy League game is back for the 2019/20 season – PLAY HERE!

1,293 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Bucket Man
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    What are people’s thoughts on Zaha? Was nailed in my team till I’ve seen no pre season minutes, and persistent rumours.

    Also what’s the ideal bench? Is it worth having two players with guaranteed minutes or one to allow Digne instead of Coleman. I’m not really sold on either but can’t find better value in midfield or attack.

    1. Toblerone52 - Zlatan Ibra-H…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Great player, need to know which team he's on before I put him in my side though... everton would be a nice landing spot for him, could link well with Digne as well

      1. Bucket Man
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yes. Hopefully a solution is found and he gets some minutes to be ready for the season.

    2. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Lightweight.

    3. Camino Aleatorio
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      He’s good. At his position and price point, very interesting

      But he gets hurt a lot and is basically Milivojevic’s designated diver. Zaha is basically 1/2 a footballer and 1/2 an actor.

      Tielemans could be a new Fraser

      Pérez could be a new Firmino

      King has great fixtures and takes Penalties

      Jota is a shooting machine

      I could go on

  2. shirtless
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Is a double Pool / double Everton defence too much? In a 4-3-3.

    Ryan
    TAA Coleman Digne Robbo
    Salah(c) KdB 6.0
    Kane King Jota

    Button Dendoncker 4.5 4.0

    1.0m left for tweaking. Would like City representation at the back but am short of Ederson.

    1. Toblerone52 - Zlatan Ibra-H…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I think that tweaking should be spent on getting a 6.5m mid as there are better options there and then getting walker for Coleman. Everton double up seems very brave to me, losing Gueye and Zouma will hurt clean sheet chances

      1. shirtless
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yes agreed my initial set-up was a 3-4-3 with two 6.0m mids and Laporte at the back. However I'm getting increasingly sold on Everton full backs!

    2. RUUD!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Everton sold Gueye, people think this will be a problem for Everton clean sheets

      1. thepuntmaster
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yeah I agree with this, so wouldn't double on them. We've got great fixtures at the start though so can see a few clean sheets even without Gueye.

    3. The Overthinker
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      My first draft had both the full backs of Everton and Liverpool.

      But as of today, I dropped one of Everton's fullback

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Can understand the reasoning. Watch to see if Alonso nails a spot and is told to be the Alonso of old.

        1. The Overthinker
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Fwiw, I haven't watched any Chelsea game to make a decision on Alonso.

          But personally, I prefer Luiz as Chelsea defender. Just love him

    4. gaurava1216
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      6/10

      No flexibility
      ryan not best 4.5
      Double Everton def too much
      Not enough city
      Jota- wolves games not great

      1. shirtless
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yeah I'm not sold either. Think I'll stay with my 3-4-3 team.

    5. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Coleman to Zinc but keep an eye on his pre-season minutes. Probably whoever starts charity shield between him and Angelino will be first choice LB at City at least until Mendy is back in the frame and possibly beyong, would be very surprised if not Zinc.

  3. Gooner97
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Ryan Button
    TAA VVD Coleman KWP Kelly
    Salah Sterling Fraser ____ Dendonkey
    ____ Jota Greenwood

    A) Brooks & Norwood / Auba/Kane
    B) Fraser & Perez / Vardy/Laca/Wilson

    1. The Overthinker
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Fraser and Vardy/wilson

    2. Toblerone52 - Zlatan Ibra-H…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Too many /s I'm confused

  4. RUUD!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    I don't suppose there are any Sun Dream Team players on here, if so care to share your team?

    1. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      But there's ten of them.

    2. Twisted Saltergater
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      *waits for a Scouser to comment*

    3. The 5% Team
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      stopped playing halfway through last season

      too much hassle for me to play multiple fantasy games

      what's your team then?

      1. RUUD!
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        I only play it because it's easy money off mates, first draft is

        Pickford, Robbo, Shaw, Digne, Zinchenko, Sterling, KDB, James, Salah, Kane, Auba

  5. Felix Navidad
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Do you think that Sané and mahrez will get limited minutes this season as well?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      yes

    2. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      All Citeh players will, it's conjecture to what degree.

    3. The 5% Team
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Mahrez yes
      Think Sane will get enough minutes to be a fantasy option...just try to own him at the right times 🙂

    4. Camino Aleatorio
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Yep, Mahrez is dead money and Sane will probably only play 1800 minutes or so. If there is a FA Cup fantasy, get Mahrez

      But if people get hurt... like Sterling or Bernardo...Then Sane is a Gold

  6. Areid13
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Which is the better trio?

    a) Ake, Sterling, Vardy
    b) Digne, Siggy, Aguero

    I like the idea of having Sterling but I fancy Everton’s fixtures

    1. Camino Aleatorio
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      A because Sterling is a champ and Everton is still Everton

    2. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Sterling likely to be striker for first game or two, that makes him essential for me as probably was anyway. How about

      C) Digne, Sterling, Wilson

  7. Andy_Social
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Right, who's ready? I guarantee my draft will leave you gob-smacked. The most un-templatey squad you'll ever see.
    "Not nailed!", I hear you scream. "Too much bench!", you cry. I don't expect you to understand, but I will explain.

    First, this:

    Pickford (4m)
    TAA, VVD, Azpili, Stones, Zinkers
    Sterling, Pogba, Fraser, Mount, Norwood
    Aubameyang, Origi, Greenwood

    Now then, many are rotation risks, hence my superbench to ensure 11 good players start, even if I don't know who they are and formation they will create.
    Get this: I am going to use 1FT most weeks to alternate Aubameyang with Kane. One at a time, easy flat-track bully job, armband.
    On the rare occasions neither has a jammy fixture, Sterling does.

    Sorted.
    If you wish to comment, please think of something clever.

    1. The Overthinker
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I like it.

      This dilemma is what I would love to have.

      One drawback of the hokey kokey upfront is those 2 have the quality to score against any opponent and can also blank against easier opponent ( remember Kane?)

    2. el polako
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      ehh... ?

    3. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Hmmmm. It sure about constant use of transfers in Auba Kane honey cokey, there’ll be many more pressing issues such as injuries and bandwagons and such. Player picks except stones are good

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        The thing about the hokey-cokey is if it works, with the captaincy, any 4-point hit won't hurt.
        Obvs like a poxy 4.5 goalie rotation, it can go painfully wrong some weeks.
        But Stones - no, everyone is missing a diamond here. Pep only has 2 options to partner Laporte in CD given the kid's just gone out on loan. There's Ota who does seem to be out of favour, and Stones.

    4. HamezMace
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I applaud anyone being different.
      But Greenwood and Origi isn't a super bench, as neither will be starters after GW1 in my opinion.
      So you're basically looking at playing a 5-4-1 with Norwood coming in when/if Mount doesn't play.

      I mean even then the 11 isn't bad, even with Norwood, so why not give it shot.

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Origi is short term, prob until Mane is ready. I kind of expect to lose him for whoever emerges as the right 6.5 striker at the same time as a cheaper defender steps up. There are the odd weeks when Auba or Kane have 2 easy fixtures in a row where I can make changes elsewhere.

        1. HamezMace
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          That's what confused me, if you're already using your transfers for Kane/Auba rotation, where are the two transfers coming from to do Origi and someone else to 6.5, striker and budget defender.

          ...and therefore is it not better to just start with them, rather than planning multiple early transfers?

          1. Andy_Social
            • 11 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            If it turns out that Kane is scoring every week and Auba's dry then of course my plan changes. But as this stage we don't have form to go on, but we do have an intriguing rotation of fixtures.

    5. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Sounds of Hollywood.

    6. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Very good team. I find it hard to pick Sterling over Salah from the start of the season though.

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yeah, that bites. But no way can I do this with both of them and an 11m striker. It's possible Sterling and Origi go for Salah if for some reason Sterling disappoints.

    7. Bonus magnet
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      OK then Mr socialite

      so your hockey cokey assumes no price rises and falls for Kane and Auba right?

      pretty interesting

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        It assumes no such thing. I think that's highly unlikely that Auba and Kane's prices would drop if they're scoring as I expect. But I'll be monitoring sales and if there were a danger of that I'd adjust tactics accordingly.

    8. Offside
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I think Zinchenko could become Zappacosta quickly.

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Unlikely, but could, in which case it's an easy swap.

  8. el polako
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Question for the wise and expierienced players round here.

    Is it worth using RMT tool in members area when building your initial squad ? Or is it just better to go with your own eye test and gut feeling ?

    Wonder is there are users here who in the past used RMT and how it worked out for them ?

    1. Twisted Saltergater
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      You had me at wise.

      No.

      1. el polako
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        No as in... ?

        1. Twisted Saltergater
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          No, as in it’s not worth using the RMT tool.

          Put it this way, how can it be useful? The scores are a projection. The model can only ever be reliable as the data used and a ball hasn’t been kicked yet.

          Maybe for teams that haven’t changed much such as City or Wolves but we should know who the better picks are from those teams already.

          1. el polako
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Thank you, kind of what I was thinking myself but always worth to ask others opinion.

    2. Annie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I don’t think it’s very useful at all

      1. el polako
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Should have send my 15.00£ back to Poland then...

        1. Annie
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Members area is easily worth it, was just referring to RMT 🙂

          1. el polako
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Cool.

    3. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      No. Its only useful if you have very little independent thought or you are very new at the game. I find myself disagreeing with most of the scores, especially when I start comparing close decisions.

      1. el polako
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Thanks

  9. Ask Yourself
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Tell me how clever I am. Team for first two I want to feel proud of what I have achieved here. RMT babes. In week 2 Moura gets transferred for a Chelsea mid, Aarons (NEW) comes on for KWP. Norwood (CRY) can fill in for Origi if he has to. Then my WC takes me to Rank 1.

    Leno
    TAA Coleman KWP
    Salah Moura Fraser Brooks
    Auba Laca Origi

    Woodman Norwood Rico Aarons

    1. The Overthinker
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      You sure about kwp starting and not aurier ?

      1. Ask Yourself
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        KWP is the one getting the pre season. Aurier will be late back from AFCON antics so as i’ll Only need him for the one game it’s cool. If the unbelievable happens then hopefully i’ll Have Rico to come on and pick up the pieces with an assist

        1. The Overthinker
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          It's good to have a back up.

          2 weeks and we'll know more and will be clear on certain question marks

          1. Ask Yourself
            • 7 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Oh yes and i’ll Be WCing all over it x

    2. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Interesting. For the first 2 I'd expect to see a BOU forward, King I guess.
      KWP and Moura are good for GW1 but GW2 is City away.

      1. Ask Yourself
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        My inspiration for abandoning the BB was my lack of faith in King. The idea of Laca appealed much more. I still have double Bournemouth in Fraser and brooks who I like much more. As I say above Moura becomes a Chelsea mid and Aarons replaces KWP in GW2

        1. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Gotcha. That's cool.

          1. Ask Yourself
            • 7 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Thanks man I like yours too

    3. Twisted Saltergater
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I want to like it, I really doooo, but an extra mil on Auba gets you Sterling.

      Are you not bench boosting any more?

      1. Ask Yourself
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        The BB options have become limited and a bit poo. I’d have Pereyra (no ore season so far), AMN, Pope and Kiko as my bench boost. None of these are exciting at all. Also I hated seeing king in my team. After watching arsenal game last night I wanted Laca so went for the double up there over a BB.
        Yeah I know I just think Auba will outscored sterling first two then i’m right with you on sterling he is the first name on my GW3 WC x

        1. Twisted Saltergater
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          I really like the Laca pick. He’s in my team for now. Fraser and Brooks could pay off but it feels a little like you’re compensating for not having Wilson. Why not do Auba to Wilson giving you 3m to do Brooks to KdB?

          1. Ask Yourself
            • 7 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            Thing is I don’t want to be without the arsenal striker that demolishes whilst the other one gets an assist. Both look extremely dangerous in their own ways. Not wild about tripling Bournemouth attack, also not KDB’s biggest fan FPL wise. Brooks is on it this year he is pretty special

            1. Twisted Saltergater
              • 14 Years
              4 years, 8 months ago

              Don’t get me wrong, I like Brooks. Feel that he’s 0.5m over priced though.

    4. Toblerone52 - Zlatan Ibra-H…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Damn son

  10. Yip Jaap Stam
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    King and Singurdson or Delafeou and Sigurdsson?

    1. Yip Jaap Stam
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Delafeou and Fraser?****

    2. gaurava1216
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      King Siggy

      1. Camino Aleatorio
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Yeah, probably better

  11. Wild Rover
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Greenwood on a lot of benches. You don’t bench a starting Man U striker and if you don’t think he starts why own him? Better having a starting 4.5m mid on your bench

    1. Annie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      He’s the best 4.5m striker option arguably and most aren’t playing with 3 up top

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        I realise that but a starting 4.5 mid is a better sub than a non starting 4.5 striker

        1. Brosstan
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          You need a 4.5 striker if you go with anything less than 3 up top.

          1. Wild Rover
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            You don’t need a non starting sub and if he is starting then benching him for a fifth mid is bonkers

        2. Annie
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          You mean 1st on bench? Who is the best 3rd striker at 4.5?

          1. Wild Rover
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 8 months ago

            I’m glad there is a new article

            1. Annie
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 11 Years
              4 years, 8 months ago

              No idea what you’re talking about, sorry

            2. Wild Rover
              • 13 Years
              4 years, 8 months ago

              But I still wouldn’t have a non starting sub

              1. Annie
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 11 Years
                4 years, 8 months ago

                I haven’t looked at which 4.5s are guaranteed starters, can’t be many?

            3. Andy_Social
              • 11 Years
              4 years, 8 months ago

              Auction schmauction. Not for me.

        3. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          If you don't have a 4.5 striker, it must be that you're starting 3 up top. I think most of us don't see that as the best value this year. So if you have 1 or 2 up top, he's the best choice for compulsory 3rd striker.

    2. RUUD!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      well what about those who aren't playing 3 strikers?

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        As above

        1. as33
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          I chose Norwood instead 🙂

    3. Beeson123
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      No 4.5m mids will be anywhere near as productive as him so it’s worth getting him and investing in a better mid

    4. Camino Aleatorio
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      If Tosun sold for his true worth 3.0M, Tosun would be on 95% of teams

      Greenwood is a cheap punt and you can’t spend less on a strike

  12. New Post
  13. Too_Many_Hits
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    A) Fabianski, Zinchenko, KDB, Siggy, Tielemans, Greenwood

    B) Ryan, Gibson, Pogba, Fraser, Hughes, Jimenez

    Only benching one of these first week

  14. Differential C (Mark)
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Is Coleman less of an option with Gueye otw out of Everton?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      There are of course two schools of thought on that. For me, he's off my watchlist now.

    2. Yip Jaap Stam
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I would imagine so

  15. Beeson123
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Who’s more likely to play,

    Barkley (£6m) or Mount (£6m)?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      That's the million-dollar question we're waiting to find out. Well, I am.

  16. Swills
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Opinions/ Suggestions on my team...

    Ryan (Button)
    Coleman VVD Laporte Robbo (Kelly)
    Sterling Mane Richarlison Fraser (Neves)
    King Jota (Greenwood)

    -If Mane won’t play I’ll downgrade Neves and Put Salah In

  17. Beeson123
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Is Gomez(£5.5m) likely to be a regular starter or are there better alternatives at that price?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      He could well be and if so he'd be a great price. Same goes for Stones and Zinchenko. Waiting to see who does get nailed. Of course if it's Matip he's also 5.5.

      1. Beeson123
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Cheers

  18. Mufc202020
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Thoughts???

    Beg
    VVD AURIER LAPORTE
    SALAH KDB ZAHA TIELES FRASER
    KANE JOTA

    SUBS: button dunk jelly greenwood

    Thanks,

    1. Funny Face
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Not Aurier. Otherwise Dunk is going to get a lot of games

  19. Funny Face
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    I'd appreciate any thoughts on the following:

    Lloris (Norris)

    Digne, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, LaPorte (Gibson)

    Sigurdsson, Salah, Perez, Tielemans (Dendoncker)

    Kane, King (Greenwood)

    Thanks in advance.

  20. Arsenal97
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Thoughts on this team ?

    Ryan
    TAA Robertson Digne Zinchenko
    Salah B.Silva Zaha Fraser
    King Vardy

    Subs: Button Abraham Dendoncker Kelly

    1. Funny Face
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Abraham seems like a lot on the bench. Otherwise I quite like it.

  21. Beinahruga
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    RMT

    Loris
    VVD - Robbo- Zinc - coleman
    fraser - gylfi - salah - B.Silva - Eriksen
    Wilson

    Fodder

    1. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Not bad, Eriksen and Bilva break it up.

  22. TorresMagic™
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Pool quite rusty in defence.

  23. Klein
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    So if origi keeps on scoring who will stay out?