Late Fitness Test


DJ please... pick up your phone. I'm on the request line.

Just feel the need for a quick post. Spent the whole day going down every conceivable 2-match rabbit hole I could find. Really the worst of all possible Friday trading. I had been leaning towards getting the "sure" 2-gamers on my team. Cech. Ivanovic. Lampard. I even had Baird and Barmby for that reason. But I started trading... Lamps to Elk. Baird to Garcia. Baird to Fagan to move Barmby to O'Hara. Back and forth. Forth and back. But in the end it was deck chairs, as we like to call it. Just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

So I've canceled all those possible trades and I'm back to a saner place. Cech. Ivanovic. Lampard. Baird. They'll get two matches. Hopefully they'll give me a steady points return for the week.

But.

So tonight... so tonight I'm deciding that there's no upside to Barmby. I'm in a 4-4-2. The least I can do is fail upwards. So I'm switching to a 4-3-3 and trading Barmby for Kamara. I don't know if Kamara starts. He's just coming back from injury and Gera is more likely to take the second/support striker role, playing off Zamora. But I can't afford Gera. So maybe Kamara gets 50 minutes over the course of two games. Maybe he gets a start. But how much am I going to miss from Barmby? On average, 4 points over 2 matches. I'm clearly willing to leave points on the table if I'm not selling Vermaelen this week. So maybe, just maybe Kamara comes up with a goal. Hey, it worked for everyone who took a gamble on Kalinic last week. (And yes, I'm looking at you, Y!AM!)

So my line-up for this week:

Cech

Vermaelen Bale Baird Ivanovic

Malouda Utaka Lampard

Kamara Tevez Donovan

I still don't like the team, but I think I can live with it.  At least, I'm not sure I can significantly improve it at this point without running the risk - even the likelihood - of making some really stupid decisions.  I mean, I already have Utaka and Kamara... how much dumber do I need to be?

Good luck to all of you.  See you on the Barn Door Live chat... daughters permitting.

16 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:32 AM

    Haha, jesus christ jeremy! I'm much more confident in my team now :-)

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  2. goodness lord.
    so many swings. but you know what, I was in the same position 6 hours ago.
    I've settled on

    Keeper:
    Given (keeping cheap)

    Defenders:
    Vermaelen (keeping faith) RJ (cheap) Bale (cheap) Baird

    Middies:
    Hunt (cheap) MBrown (filler) Duffman Lamps

    Forward:
    Rooney (v.cheap) Fagan (fingers crossed)

    My last dilemma was whether to ditch Drogba and go for Lamps as he is a sure starter for both games. I did it and had to get a striker, so pulled in Fagan.

    God, it's proved to be a mind-wracking week, i totally understand your plight, Jeremy.

    Anyway, hope it all bears fruits.

    Good luck,
    Chet

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  3. Oh no Saturday trades... Switched to 3-5-2 and ditched Fagan (Zaki will get a run out today and possibly start next week, maybe affecting the double-gamer of Fagan, but then again maybe not and he is just above 2 aaaahhhhh)...
    Schwarzer
    Verm - Bale - Baird
    Lamps - Modric (cheap) - Utaka - Geovanni - Gera
    Anelka - Zamora

    Nice spread, but still hesitating. With 4-3-3 it's fagan up front and Hunt in the middle or Fagan up front, gera in the middle and a switch to Cech.
    Too many doubts. Hope Fagan doesn't start now.

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  4. Anonymous6:00 AM

    this week has been a conoundrum wrapped in a riddle ive given myself a headache trying to calculate all the permiatations........who knows the best laid plans can be scuppered by a choosy manager resting your whole midfield so im lookin at the averages and sticking with them good luck

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  5. Anonymous7:15 AM

    110 pts last week. i'm loving these DG weeks!
    ~Newbie

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  6. Anonymous7:16 AM

    OMG!!! 3 gamers next week!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!! when will this end?

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  7. Anonymous7:17 AM

    anyway Ohara was transferred over to the pompey midfield in YFF already.

    ~Newbie

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  8. Anonymous7:23 AM

    I'm in the same confusion boat as everyone else it seems - which gives me some comfort! Here's my final team:
    Gordon (Hoping Stoke don't add to their "fewest away goals in the premiership" stat)
    Verm, Bale, Ivanovic
    Modric, Ballack, Hunt, Deco
    Rooney, Donovan, Zamora

    I couldn't get Lamps or Anelka (too expensive) if I wanted any other half-decent double gamers, and I was left choosing between Deco and JCole - hope I chose the right one!

    One question, I'm interested to see all these people with 4 defenders in their team (including Jeremy), I thought the points were in midfield and up front - and a quick look at the overall points hauls of the players in the game bears me out. So, my question is, what's the benefit of having 4 defenders, surely the only formations of value are 3-4-3 and 3-5-2?


    I'm off to get Drogs and Arteta (Arty?) on the BD before they go and pile on the points this week (though I hope Arty doesn't, as I dropped him for a double-gamer (hopefully).

    Cheers & Good Luck all!
    Malrog

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  9. Anonymous7:44 AM

    guys, careful with arteta?

    http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/30012010/58/premier-league-team-news-arteta-miss.html

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  10. Anonymous7:48 AM

    I had the same thing - Cech and Cole vs Schwarzer and Tevez....was too afraid that Tevez would have a massive week to drop him in the end, even though the other pairing is a safer bet for decent points.

    JT

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  11. Der Kaiser7:53 AM

    3 Gamers Next Week = Bolton, ManCiteh, Stoke, Wigan

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  12. Anonymous8:01 AM

    Of the 3 gamers, Citeh have by FAR the best match-ups of any team (including the double-gamers) @Hull, Bolton, @Stoke. However, since they are playing Portsmouth this weekend, a lot of their player's are probably going to go up in value, so now's the time to get them on the BD - Tevez, SWP, Given etc.

    I'm actually questioning the value of Drogs for Week 22 as Chelsea play Arsenal then @Everton, and on that note, Everton have a tough week aswell, @Liverpool then home to Chelsea, maybe worth avoiding Arty for a further week?

    Malrog

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  13. Anonymous8:04 AM

    is Wayne Bridge coming back for the 3 gamers? table on our right showing 2 more days before he comes back...

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  14. Anonymous8:06 AM

    Yikes, just realised that Arsenal and Liverpool are also in tough matchups:
    Sat, Feb 6 Liverpool v Everton
    Sun, Feb 7 Chelsea v Arsenal
    Wed, Feb 10 Everton v Chelsea
    Wed, Feb 10 Arsenal v Liverpool

    Maybe worth avoiding all players from these teams (including Drogs), what do people think?

    Malrog

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  15. Anonymous8:08 AM

    not bad for wigan's 3 gamers i.e. @sunderland, stoke, bolton, if u still trust them

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  16. Stoke: Rovers(H), Wigan(A), City(H)
    Wigan: Sunderland(A), Stoke(H), Bolton(H)
    Man City: Hull(A), Bolton(H), Stoke(A)
    Bolton: Fulham(H), City(A), Wigan(A)

    - I have a feeling those that this week will probably change as it ALWAYS seems to do.
    - Tevez seems like a must.
    - Like Etherington then also on the BD. and Hugo aswell. Matty taylor perhaps?!

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