Matchday Open Thread

Here's your pre-match look in, blog roundtable style:

[11:21] JSpitzberg: so what does 20 million get you these days?
[11:21] JSpitzberg: a back up attacking middie, if you're LIV
[11:21] JSpitzberg: Gerrard fine and dandy, so Aquaman back on the bench
[11:22] buttonmoulder: working on Rooney +0 as my team this week
[11:22] JSpitzberg: i'm on Elk/Drogs/Tevez + no one over $4
[11:24] JSpitzberg: it's surprisingly easy
[11:29] JSpitzberg: i think barmby is a better choice than Aquilani
[11:29] JSpitzberg: what a world
[11:30] buttonmoulder: i hope leeds gets promoted just so i can buy a guy names snodgress
[11:30] JSpitzberg: ;-)  i'm in
[11:30] JSpitzberg: all name team always looking for good players
[11:30] buttonmoulder: felt so empty since windass left
[11:39] JSpitzberg: taylor makes the starting XI!
[11:39] JSpitzberg: unless it's another taylor
[11:40] JSpitzberg: bfdb for spurs.  kranc not on the bench
[11:40] JSpitzberg: but o'hara is
[11:40] JSpitzberg: with seabass
[11:40] buttonmoulder: kranc hurt?
[11:41] JSpitzberg: to the google!
[11:41] buttonmoulder: he's been all of their width when lennon's out
[11:41] JSpitzberg: no word
[11:41] JSpitzberg: but there is this...
[11:41] JSpitzberg: "The Tottenham manager conceded that it is time to hand over the responsibility and named Tom Huddlestone and Niko Kranjcar as prime candidates. "
[11:42] JSpitzberg: i guess defoe missed v. leeds
[11:42] buttonmoulder: responsibility for what?
[11:42] JSpitzberg: PKs
[11:42] JSpitzberg: uh oh...
[11:42] JSpitzberg: bair at right back?
[11:42] JSpitzberg: baird
[11:42] buttonmoulder: can't be.  i have him in my team
[11:42] buttonmoulder: he must be on the bench
[11:43] JSpitzberg: well, he's a good central middie
[11:43] JSpitzberg: but a lousy right back
[11:44] JSpitzberg: actually...
[11:44] JSpitzberg: ful in 3-5-2
[11:44] JSpitzberg: from their line-up at least
[11:44] JSpitzberg: sorry... 3-6-1
[11:45] JSpitzberg: 3 center backs - hang, hughes, smalling (who manu just bought)
[11:45] JSpitzberg: gera and duff wide
[11:45] JSpitzberg: murphy, dikgacoi and baird holding the middle
[11:45] JSpitzberg: and zamora up top
[11:45] JSpitzberg: murphy, dikgacoi, riise and baird holding the middle
[11:46] JSpitzberg: maybe it is a 4-4-2 in an alternate universe
[11:46] buttonmoulder: ha

OK, kick-off in the early matches. Consider this your matchday open thread.

Update: For the rest of the conversation, follow the link to read more.

[12:26] JSpitzberg: taylor cw, and sc
[12:26] JSpitzberg: i couldn't be happier
[12:26] JSpitzberg: blech
[12:29] buttonmoulder: love midweek matches
[12:29] buttonmoulder: we'll go two days with zero goals
[12:30] JSpitzberg: no goals and no clean sheets, somehow
[12:30] buttonmoulder: yep
[12:30] JSpitzberg: and on cue...
[12:31] JSpitzberg: there goes baird's CS
[12:31] JSpitzberg: crouch from modric
[12:31] buttonmoulder: ha
[12:31] JSpitzberg: neal gets the assist
[12:31] buttonmoulder: i was 50/50 on kranc and modric
[12:32] buttonmoulder: absolutely shocked i chose wrong in a 50/50 guess
[12:32] buttonmoulder: shocked!
[12:32] JSpitzberg: SLOPPI
[12:37] buttonmoulder: kranc, valencia, aquaman
[12:37] buttonmoulder: oy
[12:37] JSpitzberg: great week to have matched you almost to a player
[12:38] JSpitzberg: kranc v. malouda
[12:38] JSpitzberg: bolton goal
[12:39] JSpitzberg: please please please please....
[12:39] JSpitzberg: shit
[12:39] JSpitzberg: lee
[12:40] JSpitzberg: from davies
[12:40] JSpitzberg: big nothing
[13:16] buttonmoulder: yep
[13:17] JSpitzberg: mtay sot
[13:17] JSpitzberg: pts is...
[13:17] buttonmoulder: peanuts
[13:17] JSpitzberg: but peanuts is points
[13:18] JSpitzberg: may have even won a corner
[13:18] JSpitzberg: glad to have spent 17 on him!
[13:22] buttonmoulder: at least he's playing
[13:22] JSpitzberg: true
[13:22] buttonmoulder: that's better than 60% of my midfield
[13:23] buttonmoulder: and if you count the eagles zero, 80%
[13:24] JSpitzberg: bfdb scores to further add to no one's fantasy totals
[13:24] buttonmoulder: ha
[13:24] buttonmoulder: but that may sucker a couple people into buying him
[13:24] JSpitzberg: POR goal
[13:24] JSpitzberg: wonder if it's KPB whom I had in my team until it was reported he had an ankle injury
[13:24] JSpitzberg: that would be great
[13:25] buttonmoulder: you just know it is
[13:25] JSpitzberg: nope... webber
[13:25] JSpitzberg: fire up the grill!
[13:25] buttonmoulder: ha
[13:25] buttonmoulder: nearing the point where fulham score
[13:26] JSpitzberg: duff's classic consolation effort
[13:27] JSpitzberg: or gera
[13:32] JSpitzberg: Frederic Nimani N'galou is brought on as a substitute for Chris Eagles.
[13:32] JSpitzberg: crap topping on a shit sandwich
[13:33] JSpitzberg: chasing a 0-1 game, lets take off your most creative midfielder and set piece taker
[13:33] JSpitzberg: let's leave it in the hands of nugent and mears
[13:33] JSpitzberg: blech
[13:37] JSpitzberg: kevin davies YC
[13:37] JSpitzberg: so you can cross that off today's to-do list
[13:38] JSpitzberg: last minute of regular time...
[13:38] JSpitzberg: liv goalless against relegation fodder
[13:38] JSpitzberg: do you bring on your 20million dollar attacking middie?
[13:38] JSpitzberg: that's clearly a rhetorical question
[13:39] JSpitzberg: Shot from 35 yards by Jamie Carragher missed to the left of goal.
[13:39] JSpitzberg: LOL
[13:39] JSpitzberg: that's what they're reduced to
[13:39] JSpitzberg: pot shots from carragher
[13:42] JSpitzberg: can't wait to hear rafa expounding on how this was a good result away to a tough team
[13:50] buttonmoulder: i really don't get the aquaman thing either
[13:50] JSpitzberg: how can cesc pull his hammy then come back and play 3 games in a week
[13:51] buttonmoulder: he is essentially that new geico character. just a pile of money sitting there watching
[13:51] JSpitzberg: LOL
[13:51] buttonmoulder: i dunno, but gerrard likely knows the answer
[13:51] JSpitzberg: hell, even ledley king can play more often
[13:52] JSpitzberg: 2150: Brilliantly, Gareth Bale is about to win the first ever Premier League game in which he has started. The Welshman joined Tottenham on 27 May, 2007.
[13:52] JSpitzberg: our long national nightmare...
[13:55] buttonmoulder: ha
[13:55] JSpitzberg: bale cs
[13:56] buttonmoulder: eagles, clean sheet
[13:56] buttonmoulder: valencia, aquilani and krank also clean sheets
[13:57] JSpitzberg: no, that's a goose egg
[13:57] buttonmoulder: if it wasn't for rooney, my week would be robbo and donovan
[13:57] buttonmoulder: good heavens
[13:57] JSpitzberg: that's not even good in mls fantasy
[13:57] buttonmoulder: could i really be any worse at this game?
[13:57] buttonmoulder: ;)
[13:58] JSpitzberg: if you weren't winning you'd be losing
[13:58] buttonmoulder: i am trying my hardest
[14:00] JSpitzberg: That's Bolton first clean sheet in the league since May.
[14:00] JSpitzberg: so 10 between mtay and eagles
[14:00] JSpitzberg: maybe
[14:00] JSpitzberg: little under for bale
[14:01] JSpitzberg: go BRM!
[14:02] JSpitzberg: so liv drop 2 points to spurs
[14:02] JSpitzberg: having played 2 more than citeh, villa and brm
[14:03] JSpitzberg: citeh already even on pts; villa 2 back