With Gameweek 28 finally coming to its conclusion yesterday afternoon, we take the chance to delve into the data over the 11 fixtures. City’s attackers, Liverpool’s playmaker, a pair of north London midfielders and the Hammers’ lone frontman are all amongst tonight’s topics.
Trevor Sinclair or Scott Sinclair?
Upton?
Scoty
In the immortal words of Bell Biv Devoe.....never trust a big butt and smile.
Is Zouma first choice over Cahill now or have i missed something?
I don't think it is clear for now due to all the fixtures upcoming. I wouldn't be surprised if by next year it is, however JM seems to really like Zouma.
It's tough. Cahill has played well the past few games, and Zouma has been playing well at DM.
Matic returning means he'll go straight back into the starting XI, so it's 50/50 between Cahill and Zouma imo
Matic is suspended so Zouma plays holding. Zouma has started ahead of Cahill with a full strength squad though. Tough to judge right now.
You didn't notice Cahill playing recently?
But Cahill was playing while Zouma was shifted into defensive mid position to cover for Matic suspension.
Yes whilst Matic is out! but Zouma has been playing in defence when Matic playing or did you miss that hehe
Zooms will play half the games.
Forget himHe may not play all of the games, but if you have five functional defenders in your squad, you can use him, and worst case, he rotates out for somebody else. He has picked up bonus when he's played and Mourinho seems to favor him.
That's cool. But with so many good players why do it? I my situation with so many players losing places it's not wise.
I understand your point, but at that price, if you already had Ivanovic or Terry, though, it could be a really profitable and cheap double down on Chelsea defense with a lot of upside. You need to have depth though, obviously, or won't be able to tolerate the potential blanks from when Cahill gets the start
Zouma plays at home, Cahill plays away. Ignore the whm fixture since he had to play holding midfielder to cover for no Matic or Mikel.
Can I have help selling Vertonghen and Bony .9ITB
Foster Myhill
Clyne Bert Ivan was VERT
Haz Sanchez eriksen punch Boyd
Aguero Kane BONY.
Do I go Costa/Rooney and cheap?
Or
Terry & Giroud (rotation involved)Of the options you provide, a is probabl
Oops. A is probably better but I'd consider Giroud who is on form and keep money in bank
I like this point. You have three stong defenders so you can consider saving money there that you can spend up front... but not many strikers are playing as well as Giroud.
Thanks guys. So maybe go Giroud and look to get Costa when a lack of form/double comes up?
Makes sense.
Costa and Naughton.
For the record, the player price changes for 9 March 2015 were:
None.So soon?
Still a bit early is it not?
D'oh. I forgot the clocks went forward in Canada last night. My bad. Sorry all. Delete or ignore this. :embarrassed:
I'm not going to delete or ignore..... just get back to us in 10 minutes or so. 😉
OK, deal.
Price changes 9 March 2015:
Risers: Berahino
Fallers: Lampard, Jarvis, Clichy, Fabregas, Cresswell, CuadradoGood stuff, this deserves it's own re-post.:)
See below. 😀
Hey guys.
Caz to Cout this week or save FT?Not the worst transfer idea ever. With Cazorla, he's one of those guys who has really hot streaks here and there. Maybe he's due for one? And, I'm not personally sure I think Cout will keep this up. But, he is looking like a decent bet these days. Plus, he is good for value on his price.....if he keeps it up...which, as I said.....oh, anyways. 🙂
Sadly I think Cazorla has had his time. Time to move him on.
One more week for Caz. Hasn't gone more than two weeks without scoring in a while.
Tricky next 3 fixtures.
Price changes 9 March 2015:
Risers: Berahino
Fallers: Lampard, Jarvis, Clichy, Fabregas, Cresswell, CuadradoCheers mate.
Cheers.
If only Fab could find his form again ...
Thank you.
Cuadrado absolutely destroyed by this system 😆 Fab might be an interesting prospect if he keeps dropping
This mids?
Coutinho Yaya Caz Oscar Di maria.Yaya too far back. .... Prefer Silva. ADM also looks lost lately, but not sure to whom. Eriksen good fixtures after next week. Just some thoughts.
This.
Downing after this week.
Puncheon this week.
Eriksen after this week.
Very bad. Fpl wise only coutinho is on form.
Its good to have smart differentials like ozil coutinho etc but the likes of adm n yaya are just not worth it
Best Phil Jones replacement for GW30 onwards?
Have: Terry Bertrand Jones Wollscheid Wasi
Was going to WC GW34 so maybe even just for the next 4 GWs.West Brom have good fixtures outside of city in 2 was. Dawson or Lescott nailed
Is it stupid not to get Bellerin?
That's a good call. I worry about some goofy rotation with Chambers, but Bellerin has looked good. (I've got Kosc already or I'd consider him)
What part of Chi-Town you from? I worked at Assessor's Office for about 3 1/2 years about a decade ago.
Northsider. Technically a block north of the Chicago border. Love everything about Chicago except the weather.
I am from Cleveland area of Ohio. Have moved around a lot and such. Back in Ohio for now. I enjoyed a lot of things about living there. Like the food, the Polish gals, the lakefront parks, architecture....etc, etc.
Good to know. Lincoln park, Michigan Avenue, the Loop, great bars .. We got a lot to offer.
Pk to the Sounderz
Well taken Dempsey
One of these days I will learn to understand American football. If I was to give it a shot roughly how many days does a match last for and is it worth it?
How exactly do you mean?
Well we don't really have it here. It always looks kind of fun but also seems to involves lots of stopping and starting. Does it take a very long time to watch a match. That is American football or gridiron not soccer
Gotcha. Games last about 3 hours. Lots of starts and stops for sure. I grew up a Steelers fan, so the sport is in me blood. Fantasy is fun as he'll.
And you each team is effectively split into 3 which play at different times attack, defence and kickers is this correct?
Yep. That's basically it. Some guys from offense and defense will get in on kicking plays.
Its not a particularly difficult game to understand I don't think. I've hardly watched it but I know its all set pieces and you simply have to get the ball to the other end of the field.
Basically rugby with forward passing and a break to rejig things a lot. But is it entertaining enough to make it a useful use of my time to understand?
Yeah pretty much as you said. I would suggest it isn't entertaining enough but then again, if you have 10mins to kill you'll pick it up soon enough. Sometimes its interesting to learn a new sport simply out of curiosity.
Knowing my luck I would see 10 minutes of stoppage!
Yeah, thats why I don't believe its a sport worth following. Far too many breaks, far too much advertising and simply not enough action to compensate.
It's crap.
Thought you would be a fan
I was growing up but it's a really a joke of a sport. For umpteen reasons.
A Saints fan? Exactly how many is umpteen?
Yip. Many.
I feel it should be a specific number
Why aren't you a muppet anymore?
I preferred the muppet
Same, far more entertaining
I've lost that loving feeling.
Are you a man or are you a muppet?
Muppet of a man. Or is it a very manly muppet?
I'm so confused.The muppet just needed a hug.
I think as with all these things a group of mates into it and a few beers would make it more entertaining.
Very true. I'm a cricket fan so that does make absolute sense
I like cricket too. The best day I ever spent at a sporting event was at an Ashes game.
Or prevent the other team of doing so, by any means necessary, and trying to get possession back.
You'll have to forget everything about English football, as it is so different.
1. Only punter kicker puts a foot on the ball ... Otherwise all hands.
2. Game is 60 minutes long with many breaks,
3. Most players don't touch the ball at all.
4. Players run for about 10-15 minutes a game at most.I know nothing about football anyway. Haven't you seen my advice 😉
I'm only 3 points ahead of you ... What does that say about me? 🙂
You got lucky to the value of 3 points!
Look it could even be said football is crap.
1. time which is crucial is arbitrary, e.g. SAF's United always got more time when the team is behind by a goal. Start stop clocks are better.
2. No real coaching. In American Football, each player's position and tactic is planned for every play.
3. No video replay means most games are won and lost by referees not players.
Maybe football is an art with all the unpredictability that comes with it. American football is a science. Science is boring to a casual observer, perhaps not to an enthusiast.
The aim of the game is get the ball to the other teams 'endzone' , similar to where the goal would be in soccer.
It's a bit similar to rugby league's phases but I'm they call it 'downs' you get 4 downs to progress 10 yards , if you don't make the 10 yards after 3 downs , 99 % of the time the team will punt ( kick) the ball down field for the other team to catch it and take over possession , or if the 4th down is in range of the other teams goal , they can attempt a field goal ( worth 3 points)
They can gamble and attempt to try to progress on a 4th down , but if it fails , the other team will take over possession from that spotOnce the original 10 yard mark is breached , they get a new fresh set of downs from scratch , if they make it all the way to other teams endzone , that's called a touchdown, you get 6 points for that and like rugby a conversion for a extra 1 point ( not 2)
I see what you mean with the rugby league comparison. I get the impression that a lot more off the ball stuff is allowed in it than most sports.
After each down there is a gap for the team offences/ defences to get ready , it's like a massive game of chess , the team that has possession of the ball will basically give it to the quarterback, who is a bit like a scrum half in rugby , and the quarter back will be protected by his heavies in his team against the opposition heavies trying to get to him , the quarterback usually will look to pass as far down field as possible , to his wife receivers , but the other teams defence will be covering or 'marking them , the other option is to pass to the running back , who will basically look to run through everyone with the ball
It's a game that reflects the Adam smith Capitalist model that Americans created their empire from. Each player is a cog in the machine specifically designed for a specific purpose, for some it's simply a case of being as wide as possible, in others it's kicking the ball really far, others are good at running fast and swerving whilst holding a ball. Meanwhile the 1% quarterbacks gets to call all the shots and take all the glory.
Not for me 😉Does America have an empire?
Haven't you noticed?
I don't think it does officially
I think its called the United States 😉
And here I was thinking that was a country
I suppose when you have several states with all their own laws and you join them all up as one super country it can be likened to an empire.
Maybe, I think he was referring to the influence America places on the rest of the world to be honest which is significant
Not for me and if this sport didn't exist there would be no need for the use of the hideous word "soccer" 🙂
I needed to clarify what I was meaning for potential Americans. I would not have resorted to it otherwise
tbf. Rugby Union, Rugby League, AFL, and probably a few other codes are also often called football or footie
True but there is only one real football 🙂
And we all know rugby was just a game invented by a guy who cheated at football 😉How he didn't get sent off for that I will never know
The refs match report probably included the incident so the fa couldn't punish retrospectively 😉
Sounds about right
I remember playing soccer in school and the game got far more interesting when someone picked up the ball and ran with it 😉 . I was often the goalie and thats when I learnt how to become a fullback. That guy who first picked up the ball should be revered for all time
William Webbe Ellis I think. Pretty well remembered in this country
Of course, not much of a historian but the WC trophy rings a bell. Should stay in the the NZRU trophy cabined for another 4 years I'd say.
Not much of a rugby fan. Like it when I watch it but do not follow closely. England don't look like winning the 6 nations though so not likely to be challenging at the sharp end.
I can understand people from northern hemisphere countries not liking rugby. The 6 Nations are ruining rugby every year with their negative tactics and focus on defensive play. Its like a football league where Pulis is the manager of every team.
Wales won their first (of the recent set that is) Grand Slam a decade ago playing fantastic rugby. Those days are gone thanks to Gatland.
Its a shame he has had to adjust his tactics to fit the culture of northern hemisphere rugby. He wasn't like that when he was coach of the Chiefs. I guess thats a blight on his ability to change things.
Actually I think he adjusted to compete with the southern hemisphere rather than the northern. Wales were easily the best team in the northern but kept coming up short against the southern hemi (and still do) so he wanted a more solid, safe and physical game.
I think he was on the right road but travelled too far. Picking Priestland at #10 over a more creative and skilful player like Hook.
He's not too fondly remembered by the Irish. And was he at the Chiefs very long? He's got plenty of success but like I said I think he took some of his ideas too far.He did very well at the Chiefs and was touted as a possible All Blacks coach. He is very highly regarded in NZ and I am of the belief he'd have a good chance of getting the role after Hansen.
Yeah agree that he'll probably be the next All Black coach. Funny that Henry, Hansen and Gatland might all go Wales > New Zealand.
Ultimately its the rugby culture thats different. Henry and Hansen were despised by everyone in the northern hemesphere because the players didn't adjust well to playing a different style. As a result all of the kiwi coaches had to haul back their ideas in line with northern rugby culture to the detriment of those nations. I'm not sure why its like this, perhaps its the class thing over there that limits the potential of exciting rugby, I'm not sure.
Not all northern hemisphere rugby is the same. Welsh is very different to English is very different to French etc. Wales have started playing a bit more like classic England in recent years but that's not because of Welsh culture, as I said that's Gatland's choice.
And I wouldn't say Hansen and Henry were despised. They both helped laid the groundwork for Wales' successful decade. Before Henry, Wales were a complete joke. Hansen wasn't as successful, though he did well during the 03 WC.I guess I just remember Henry as the Lions coach, those were interesting time.
Henry wasn't that popular as Lions coach but the majority of the criticism came from English based media. Just as Gatland was heavily criticised by the English media for picking so many Welsh players in the last test and overlooking O'Driscoll's retirement. Lions thumped the Aussies but to this day there are people who think he made mistakes and acted dishonourably.
What you might think of as a northern thing is more probably an English thing, but that's quite understandable as you'll only hear the London-based journos from where you are.Yes thats probably true. Mostly though its as a result of Hansens latest comments on the state of the game having seen a few 6 nations games a few days back.
Wales and Ireland are both on a downward trend, England looked like they were picking up but it may be another false start, France have been abysmal. Scotland and Italy are business as usual. So he's probably fairly close to the mark.
And of course my own experience observing northern hemesphere sides. I think France are the only team which trys to play with genuine flare but I do remember the days when Wales were good and played fearless rugby.
Those days are missed in Wales, believe me!
In the last world cup we all believed Warburton would be the next big thing and could even surpass McCaw as the best flanker in the world. Not sure what happened since.
I wonder why American football and not american rugby. It bears more similarity to rugby surely?
No they are completely different sports. In a rugby country like NZ we always called American football 'gridiron'
According to Wikipedia it evolved from Rugby too
Good grief really? just shows how soft Americans are, all they added were padding, helmets and the ability to pass forward because they don't like being tackled.
Actually it's the converse, padding and helmet allow them to tackle harder, e.g. spearing.
They spear people? Are there any other weapons allowed?
LOL.
"Spearing or spear tackling is a method of tackling in American and Canadian football in which a player uses their body as a spear (head out, arms by their side), whether it be in attack or defence. It is considered legal as long as players do not make initial contact with their head. Illegal use of a spear in gridiron results in either a 15-yard penalty if the offensive player commits the foul or an automatic first down if it is the defensive player.
It is a common cause of catastrophic cervical spinal cord injuries, which result from axial loading. Recognition of such injuries resulted in rule changes in 1976, after which incidence of these injuries dropped significantly. For example, incidence of quadriplegia decreased from 2.24 and 10.66 per 100,000 participants in high school and college football in 1976, to 1.30 and 2.66 per 100,000 participants in 1977."Sounds a bit unnecessary if you ask me
Soft? Lol, I'd like to see you say that after taking a hit.
No comparison between footy and NFL, I'll take Ray Lewis over Arjen Robben any dayTaken many hits before mate, playing rugby. I also know what its like having 10 guys on top of me whilst play continues.
And that was without unnecessary protective gear 😉
Not even an extra thick johnny?
See having hard helmets results in even more protective gear. Get rid of hard helmets altogether and you wouldn't need so much protection and the sport would become a lot less hazardous. Makes sense to me.
It's all about the hits, football is similar to NFL in that the purists are all about their local teams and the physicality
Panti (AVL)
PvA (AVL) - Kolarov (bur) - Rose (mun)
Sanchez (WHU) - Cazorla (WHU) - Eriksen (mun) - Hazard (SOU)
Aguero (bur) - Austin (cry) - Kane (mun)
Sub: Walters (wba), Clyne (che), Hutton (susp)
Which move should I do first for this week?
A: Hutton -> Ivan … bench both Rose and Clyne
B: Caz -> Silva
C: Take -4 hit for A+B
D: Save FTprefer a over b only because Kolarov is such a guess if he'll play. If you want to punt and don't mind a hit, C
Kolorov to Ivan for me
With the FA replay and tricky next 3 fixtures, is it still worth considering Pool assets?
If so, Coots or £?Seems to moving nice and slow this morning!
Little stumped on where to go here-
Foster/Myhill
Terry/PVA/ Hutton/ Wollo/ Haidria
Hazard/ Silva/ Boyd/ Sanchez/ Eriksen
Aguero/ Austin/Kane
1FT 3.3M ITB
The defence needs work!
A. Hadria to Alderweild
B Hutton or PVA to Ivan
Long term plan was A.
Means i would later go
Erik to Siggy priced player
and
Austin to Costa (ban dependent)
Any thoughts at all welcome, feeling a little stagnant at the moment.
Haidara to Bertie.
Thanks, had not thought of that
I prefer b but agree you need a plan for Costa wk 34. Would you be able to downgrade terry, along with the Erik downgrade and afford him after that?
Cheers Zan, let me look
Would be
Ivan, Aldewield, Costa and 5.6 mid
vs
Terry, Alderwield, Costa and SiggyAldy hasn't played for 5 games, what has changed there?
Bertrand offers the best value from Soton for me.He was injured. Back now
2nd one looks better though I note you have alder in both where as I was suggesting going without. Looking at it though keeping a cheap defender over alder won't create enough funds for siggy / mane who are really the mid price options so maybe you have to go without ivan
Cheers Zan, think it will be the case that ivan is just out reach price wise for me
If youcant afford Costa fro GW34 go A, if you can go B
Just seen you have Terry already so maybe A is better as it might save you an unnecessary transfer for a third chelsea spot
Thanks Badger
Panti Krul
Naughton Hutton Wollscheid Bellerin Bertrand
Coutinho Ozil Sanchez Hazard Eriksen
Aguero Kane Barnes
1 FT 2.0 ITB
A)Hutton > Zouma
B)Hutton > Azpi
C) Save FT
D) Something elseJust the way i like to play but D
Barnes needs to go imo. The 3 forward spots are vital.
One of Ozil/ Erik right down and Barnes upgrade.
Save it unless you need a captain.
Save
Will save it, thanks all
Dempsey from Martin's. 3-0
I've decided on 3-5-2 because I don't see two must have big forwards while there are a million good midfielders.
Shame there's no 3-million-2.
Fair enough, i can totally see this logic right now.
reply fail but you found me anyway
I think I would take Giroud over an Arsenal mid at this stage. Costa for the DGW and Kane is Kane. If Aguero comes back to his best too. Things can change fairly quickly.
Really? I think austin giroud will outscore similar priced midfielder
Which 5 mids? I'm looking at Sanchez Hazard Mane Siggy Silva
Any news from wollschied?
"Ouch, guys, my groin hurts!"
sorry, no, nothing else, at least as of twelve hours or so ago when I looked.
Thanks for all the help above. Just one more question
Foster/Myhill
Terry/Wollo/ PVA/ Hutton/ Haidria
Is it worth doing
A Hadria to Alderwield this week ( small question over start and Chelsea away)
or
B save, cross my fingers on the gash defenders i have and have more info next week?For free i should add
Save the FT. Dont think he'll get points at Chelsea and you never know what might happen over the weekend.
Thanks badger, makes sense
Watch an unlikely southampton cleanie unfold now 😆
True. If i hear Wollo is out though i will do it. Could end up with just Terry playing and Hutton, PVA, Haidria and Wollo all not playing.
1-4-3 is not my formation of choice!No not at all 😆 Imagine Terry getting an unexpected rest too lol
Ouch, dont put that in my mind!
Lol I wouldnt worry about it mate 😆
Liverpool defenders, talk to me.
Moreno? Skrtl?
...Lovren?
whos nailed on, who aintHow many Eriksens to Silva do we have this week (here) ?
Cool kids have both
but I want to keep Mane too (in three year olds tantrum style)
Haz Sanchez Mane Eriksen Boyd
Mane > Silva I can do, but leaves me little cash to upgrade Aguero/Kane/Austin front line. Although I do still have a WCThem I would do Eriksen out for silva if I were u
people saying that Silva's ownership can kill them....more own Eriksen still
Not within 10K though
Just checked the dream team in FPL.
Have 9 of them.
Yawn
I assume most people will captain aguero this week?
Wrong assumption.
Kun game time could be limited. Plenty will captain hazard, Gru, Costa, sanchez even rooney and KaneAh. Champs league?
Yip, Barca game is live or die for Pelle.
Costa
Been sticking with Aguero but for the first time my faith in him is beginning to waver. I'll still go with him and just hope Bony keeps out of his bloody way. In the last game there was an attack where Aguero just gave up in disgust and put his hands on his hips. NOT good early signs. He needs to be up top making the runs in behind, not bone head
Why not buy Bony?
Any Yaya owners thinking of giving him one more game? Drafted him in for Silva after ACON thinking he would crush Silva's form as usual and have lost about 30 points because of it.. I hear from some that he (Yaya) is playing too deep but others say he is still getting a fair few shots off. Wish the beast would return the days of screamers and prolific freekicks.
I don't think many on here own Yaya. If I were you I'd make the switch to Silva asap, he's in some great form atm and Yaya just isn't producing.
Southampton NEED to keep scoring goals, and were lucky late on to grab those 3 points. Hazard could be a brilliant captain option this week..especially after scoring last match.
Yeah I said yesterday that Haz is a great differential captain for this week. Being seriously overlooked on here.
He haz not been explosive lately. Still providing returns though.
Chelsea are also due a penalty 😉
Yeah. I like captaining midfielders though as they get an extra point for a goal and also have the possibility of a clean sheet point. Even just one goal from Hazard and we could be looking at 2+1+5+3 x 2 = 22 points as captain. I'd take that every week if I'm honest.
Exactly why I'm leaning towards him.
What to do with this lot?
Foster, Panti
Terry, Bertrand, Monreal, Naughton, PvA
Hazard, Sanchez, Eriksen, Mane, Moses
Aguero, Kane, Austin
1 FT, 3.5 ITB
A) Monreal/PvA ----> Ivanovic
B) Monreal/PvA ----> Alderweirald
C) Eriksen/Mane ----> Silva
D) Save FT
Cheers 🙂No point deciding now before FA Cup and CL games have been played.
Guess your right. But assuming no injuries/suspensions which would you pick?
A or C
A if you are not planning on Costa for Austin later.
Save if you are and look B with Monreal later with a Moses downgrade to fund itI still have my WC.
Nice. Then i would be 80% in favour of A and 20% for C
what are people folks with eriksen...keep for next week vs Leicester?
Yup, wouldn't be surprised to see him score well against United also.
Makes sense to hold i think unless you dont have Silva.
Anyone else think the Liverpool bubble has burst?
Because of a draw against a defensive Blackburn side?
Nah. Quite a few warning signs of late. Today was just confirmation.
Really? I thought they have been excellent recently. Shades of the Liverpool from last year.
No way. They've been getting away with it. Play some good stuff, don't get me wrong. But their football hasn't deserved the run they're on. And the past couple weeks have proved that Brenton is indeed throwing sh!t against the wall and hoping it sticks. I reckon they're on for a rough patch.
Not sure if burst but, and probably wrongly, but im still not interested in them.
Defence has been picking up points for sure, Moreno could be an option.
Sterling? Playing too far back
Coutinio? Playing well but total unfounded feeling it wont last.
Henderson? Fair enough, could be a good shout.
With Sanchez, Hazard, Silva set for me plus Boyd it leaves one spot open in mid. A liv mid would mean difficult to get Costa.Agreed. Not worth the investment. Some seriously jammy points to date. Coutinho is brill but won't keep up his goalscoring form.
Start Mane (che) or Moses (wba)?
Leaning towards Moses at this stage, Stoke are 8th in the league 😯Moses for sure.
Moses certainly. Southampton are really struggling to put them away at the moment
