Lockdown Imminent
15 mins left until Yahoo locks down the Fantasy EPL game for the week. Are you ready? Made your picks? Have we helped or just muddied the waters?
Good Ghaly
Tottenham sign midfielder Ghaly
Headline writers all over England are celebrating this transfer. How much easier does it make their jobs?
Though it is not like Tot were making their lives difficult before, and they'll still have Michael Brown in London to kick around as he moves to Fulham.
What can he do for them?
(man, that's lame)
Headline writers all over England are celebrating this transfer. How much easier does it make their jobs?
Though it is not like Tot were making their lives difficult before, and they'll still have Michael Brown in London to kick around as he moves to Fulham.
What can he do for them?
(man, that's lame)
Better Late Than Never...
I apologize again for the lateness of the post, the last week has been packed to the gills and today was no exception as I woke up at 5:00 AM for a flight to Chicago, spent the majority of a day in the Chicago airport for meetings, and then flew home and am now comfortably sitting back in my living room ready to talk about the mid-week games to come.
The first oddity of the week is Yahoo's apparent refusal to acknowledge that there is a match on Wednesday between Arsenal and West Ham. According to Arsenal.com, Soccernet.com, and BBC.com, this match is happening. I'm guessing that Yahoo will figure this out, but it's been a week and they haven't yet, so you might want to be a bit wary.
Before getting to the commentary, I'd also like to congratulate fellow blogger Jeremy on his elevated status in the ranking - nice work. And this is in no way meant to put a hex on his recent success...
With that said, and (hopefully) done, on to the commentary (I'll try to keep it brief because I'm freakin' wiped out).
Chelsea - So, do they react to their second run of mediocre play of the season (consecutive draws to Charlton and Everton) by breaking out? Or are they so focused on their match-up with Liverpool on Sunday that they fall prey to the trap that David O'Leary is no doubt praying for at Villa Park. I'm not sure exactly what is wrong since Chelsea are trotting out their first team. Maybe they're just bored now that they've built up such a lead in the league. I still refuse to bet against Lampard having a big match because he is almost always productive for fantasy managers but the defense must be questioned after giving up goals to the "other" Bent and James McFadden (who the Blog loves but who isn't exactly Henry either). For the money, Chelsea haven't pulled their collective fantasy weight. If you have someone (Del Horno or Crespo most likely) at a cheap price, it's worth keeping them. If you're shopping from scratch, this is probably not the match to look at. Villa is unlikely to score more than one and Chelsea hasn't shown much more than that. If I were betting, I'd say 1-0 Chelsea, but I wouldn't make the bet because there's too much recent history saying that 1-1 is as likely an outcome.
The Former "Big Two" - There are a number of things that are troubling about the Arsenal match. First, their form has been rotten. Not as much at home as on the road, but even at Highbury they've been less than dominating unless the opposition just rolled over (this means you Boro). Presuming Yahoo gets its act together and counts the points from this match, I'm not sure how excited I'd be about it. Henry is incredibly expensive and the Gunners don't get consistent production from anyone else - either on the field or in terms of fantasy points. Pires, Reyes, and van Persie have had hot stretches and Hleb has started contributing but none have done so week in and week out. Likewise, the Gunners defense has had some nice stretches but they've also had some unexpectedly bad outings as well featuring lots of cards and one or more goals.
On the West Ham side, new signing Dean Ashton has to be considered questionable after his new manager said "I blessed with luxury up there. Dean is definitely fit for Wednesday - so God knows what I'm going to do". Not exactly what fantasy managers want to hear although it doesn't matter much since Yahoo doesn't appear to have posted him yet (not their finest week so far). Ashton's possible inclusion decreases the value of Harewood (who will take penalties?) but increases the value of Etherington who will now have someone on the end of his crosses. It's probably wise to wait a week but if Ashton's impact at Upton Park is similar to the one he made at Carrow Road last year, look for good things all around once he's settled.
Manchester United travel to Ewood Park in an attempt to avenge the loss Blackburn and MGP inflicted on them at OT. Just their luck that MGP is starting to produce again after a rough November and December. Fortunately, the Neviller is back and should help shut down Pedersen on the left. The worry will be Bentley/Emerton vs. Evra on the right side of the Rovers attack. Helping United's cause will be the continued (likely) absence of Bellamy and Dickov up front. Rio should be able to hold Kuqi leaving the other central defender to help Evra with Bentley. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 2-0 away win in this one. On the offensive side of the ball, Ruud and Rooney continue to be points engines while the rest of the squad is sporadic at best and more likely injured. Despite his issues covering Premiership attackers, Evra is still a nice fantasy pick-up because he's still relatively cheap and he does make the occasional cross in. He's no Heinze but he'll do for now.
Against the Relegation Zone - Welcome back Birmingham, Pompey and Sunderland - you can tell it's getting later in the season when there isn't much change in the clubs in this section of the blog. Of the three, Birmingham has showed the most promise recently but they face the harsh reality of a trip to Anfield where I expect their momentum to come to a grinding halt. Go for Gerrard if you can afford him, Kewell, and Kromkamp if you need a cheap defender. Reina is also a great bet but he's pricey. Up front, Crouch seems to have cooled off but is still relatively cheap. On the Birmingham side, Pennant is always a good bet but he's less of a good bet this week than he usually is - keep him if you have him at a bargain but otherwise probably not the week to invest in him.
Sunderland v. Boro has all the makings of a nice background for a nap. I can only think of two people who I have any interest in endorsing in this match and they're Downing (who looked good in his first match back) and Yakubu who is always a threat to score, especially against a crap defense. Not much else here folks.
Pompey have signed yet another player (Routledge on loan) but they don't seem to be getting any better on the field despite the signings. Bolton on the other hand, are coming off where they picked up at least a draw in every match they played. Not a ringing endorsement but I expect them to get (yet another) professional, grind-it-out sort of win. 1-0 or 2-1 sounds about right. Not a lot to give me hope on the fantasy side of things. I was burned on Stelios earlier in the season so while he has been playing well, I'm going to stay away.
Random Notes - Charlton offensive players (both Bents and Murphy) have to be considered attractive again as they have uncharacteristically come back from the dead this January rather than taking the entire month off again, hosting WBA doesn't hurt either...Citeh hosting NUFC means that Joey Barton has to be considered as does Sun Jihai who produces for cheap in a defensive slot...Fulham v. Tottenham will pit a team who can't play defense against a team who can't score - not sure how that's going to work out but until Mido comes back from Africa, I'm staying away from Spurs offensive players - Carrick is always a decent bet but without Mido, you can probably do better...Wigan v. Everton is another hard one to pick - Wigan is playing well but Everton are starting to play clog-it-up defense again and seem likely to limit the production Wigan gets out of its offense this week. Thompson is still relatively cheap and might be worth a risk based on his first match for the Latics...Ditto Mellor...
That's about all from here...happy shopping...
The first oddity of the week is Yahoo's apparent refusal to acknowledge that there is a match on Wednesday between Arsenal and West Ham. According to Arsenal.com, Soccernet.com, and BBC.com, this match is happening. I'm guessing that Yahoo will figure this out, but it's been a week and they haven't yet, so you might want to be a bit wary.
Before getting to the commentary, I'd also like to congratulate fellow blogger Jeremy on his elevated status in the ranking - nice work. And this is in no way meant to put a hex on his recent success...
With that said, and (hopefully) done, on to the commentary (I'll try to keep it brief because I'm freakin' wiped out).
Chelsea - So, do they react to their second run of mediocre play of the season (consecutive draws to Charlton and Everton) by breaking out? Or are they so focused on their match-up with Liverpool on Sunday that they fall prey to the trap that David O'Leary is no doubt praying for at Villa Park. I'm not sure exactly what is wrong since Chelsea are trotting out their first team. Maybe they're just bored now that they've built up such a lead in the league. I still refuse to bet against Lampard having a big match because he is almost always productive for fantasy managers but the defense must be questioned after giving up goals to the "other" Bent and James McFadden (who the Blog loves but who isn't exactly Henry either). For the money, Chelsea haven't pulled their collective fantasy weight. If you have someone (Del Horno or Crespo most likely) at a cheap price, it's worth keeping them. If you're shopping from scratch, this is probably not the match to look at. Villa is unlikely to score more than one and Chelsea hasn't shown much more than that. If I were betting, I'd say 1-0 Chelsea, but I wouldn't make the bet because there's too much recent history saying that 1-1 is as likely an outcome.
The Former "Big Two" - There are a number of things that are troubling about the Arsenal match. First, their form has been rotten. Not as much at home as on the road, but even at Highbury they've been less than dominating unless the opposition just rolled over (this means you Boro). Presuming Yahoo gets its act together and counts the points from this match, I'm not sure how excited I'd be about it. Henry is incredibly expensive and the Gunners don't get consistent production from anyone else - either on the field or in terms of fantasy points. Pires, Reyes, and van Persie have had hot stretches and Hleb has started contributing but none have done so week in and week out. Likewise, the Gunners defense has had some nice stretches but they've also had some unexpectedly bad outings as well featuring lots of cards and one or more goals.
On the West Ham side, new signing Dean Ashton has to be considered questionable after his new manager said "I blessed with luxury up there. Dean is definitely fit for Wednesday - so God knows what I'm going to do". Not exactly what fantasy managers want to hear although it doesn't matter much since Yahoo doesn't appear to have posted him yet (not their finest week so far). Ashton's possible inclusion decreases the value of Harewood (who will take penalties?) but increases the value of Etherington who will now have someone on the end of his crosses. It's probably wise to wait a week but if Ashton's impact at Upton Park is similar to the one he made at Carrow Road last year, look for good things all around once he's settled.
Manchester United travel to Ewood Park in an attempt to avenge the loss Blackburn and MGP inflicted on them at OT. Just their luck that MGP is starting to produce again after a rough November and December. Fortunately, the Neviller is back and should help shut down Pedersen on the left. The worry will be Bentley/Emerton vs. Evra on the right side of the Rovers attack. Helping United's cause will be the continued (likely) absence of Bellamy and Dickov up front. Rio should be able to hold Kuqi leaving the other central defender to help Evra with Bentley. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 2-0 away win in this one. On the offensive side of the ball, Ruud and Rooney continue to be points engines while the rest of the squad is sporadic at best and more likely injured. Despite his issues covering Premiership attackers, Evra is still a nice fantasy pick-up because he's still relatively cheap and he does make the occasional cross in. He's no Heinze but he'll do for now.
Against the Relegation Zone - Welcome back Birmingham, Pompey and Sunderland - you can tell it's getting later in the season when there isn't much change in the clubs in this section of the blog. Of the three, Birmingham has showed the most promise recently but they face the harsh reality of a trip to Anfield where I expect their momentum to come to a grinding halt. Go for Gerrard if you can afford him, Kewell, and Kromkamp if you need a cheap defender. Reina is also a great bet but he's pricey. Up front, Crouch seems to have cooled off but is still relatively cheap. On the Birmingham side, Pennant is always a good bet but he's less of a good bet this week than he usually is - keep him if you have him at a bargain but otherwise probably not the week to invest in him.
Sunderland v. Boro has all the makings of a nice background for a nap. I can only think of two people who I have any interest in endorsing in this match and they're Downing (who looked good in his first match back) and Yakubu who is always a threat to score, especially against a crap defense. Not much else here folks.
Pompey have signed yet another player (Routledge on loan) but they don't seem to be getting any better on the field despite the signings. Bolton on the other hand, are coming off where they picked up at least a draw in every match they played. Not a ringing endorsement but I expect them to get (yet another) professional, grind-it-out sort of win. 1-0 or 2-1 sounds about right. Not a lot to give me hope on the fantasy side of things. I was burned on Stelios earlier in the season so while he has been playing well, I'm going to stay away.
Random Notes - Charlton offensive players (both Bents and Murphy) have to be considered attractive again as they have uncharacteristically come back from the dead this January rather than taking the entire month off again, hosting WBA doesn't hurt either...Citeh hosting NUFC means that Joey Barton has to be considered as does Sun Jihai who produces for cheap in a defensive slot...Fulham v. Tottenham will pit a team who can't play defense against a team who can't score - not sure how that's going to work out but until Mido comes back from Africa, I'm staying away from Spurs offensive players - Carrick is always a decent bet but without Mido, you can probably do better...Wigan v. Everton is another hard one to pick - Wigan is playing well but Everton are starting to play clog-it-up defense again and seem likely to limit the production Wigan gets out of its offense this week. Thompson is still relatively cheap and might be worth a risk based on his first match for the Latics...Ditto Mellor...
That's about all from here...happy shopping...
Just So You Know...
I'll be landing back at home around 9:00 PM Eastern Time. I'll post my preview as soon as I can after I land. My apologies for the late post but I was out of town for the weekend and straight to an all-day, out-of-town meeting. The quick review is that Charlton is attractive vs. West Brom; Liverpool is very attractive against Birmingham and Man City should rebound vs. Newcastle. More later...
Monday Morning Manager
Greetings, fellow fantasy managers. Glad to have you here this morning. And I would like to welcome David O'Leary who has finally gotten around to reading the Manager. How else do you explain this:
Aston Villa manager David O'Leary wants striker Kevin Phillips to model his game on Teddy Sheringham.Now why does all that sound familiar? Because the Manager said the same thing 6 months ago!
O'Leary is keen to transform the former Sunderland star from an out-and-out striker into a playmaker who sits behind the frontrunner, in the manner which has made Sheringham such a success.
The Villa boss believes Phillips is not as effective as a goalscorer without a tall partner, but he feels he still has the attributes to play alongside Milan Baros in a revised role.
Kevin Phillips and Milan Baros kicked off their new partnership in fine style, beating Rovers and combining well through-out the game, but mostly on Baros' 13th minute goal. It will be interesting to watch these two play together as they both made their names playing off a larger target forward. Niall Quinn for Phillips at Sunderland, and Jan Koller for Baros on the Czech Republic national team. My guess is that Phillips becomes more of the set-up man as he seems to have a better sense of the game. He plays with his head up and looks for the right pass whereas Baros puts his head down and runs at the defense.
Broken foot woe for Campo
Bolton midfielder Ivan Campo is facing a spell out of action after breaking a foot in the FA Cup defeat of Arsenal.
The 31-year-old Campo suffered the injury following a challenge from Abou Diaby that saw the 19-year-old booked.
So let me get this straight... Diaby is the next Viera? Sounds like he's off to a good start. Though maybe he's the new Essien. Or is it Mokoena?
Neal, as our resident Gunner, I put the question to you (or any of our good readers): Did Viera ever go Cobra Kai on anyone?
Stop the Presses!
Do they say that in England?
Manchester City's Robbie Fowler has sensationally re-signed for Liverpool.I'm sure this had nothing to do with the decision:
Skysports.com reported earlier on Friday that Fowler was being strongly linked with a return to Anfield - and now the move has been completed.
Fowler has joined The Reds until the end of the season, with his City contract due to expire in the summer.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have confirmed that Cisse was arrested earlier this week for an alleged assault on his wife Jude.
Beat the mid-week blues
"Filled roster slots will lock down and be uneditable from 31 Jan 11:00AM PST"
So enjoy your weekend, and we'll stress on Tuesday morning.
Weekend previews
Here is team news for the EPL sides' FA Cup games at the weekend. Probably your best published guide as to who will be healthy and available for Tuesday's and Wednesday's games.
When is a Friday not a Friday?
When all the games are mid-week.
Neal, do we still get the benefit of your wisdom before the week's "transfer window" closes?
| Home | Away | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Athletic | - | Everton | 31 January 2006 |
| Sunderland | - | Middlesbrough | 31 January 2006 |
| Fulham | - | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 January 2006 |
| Charlton Athletic | - | West Bromwich Albion | 31 January 2006 |
| Liverpool | - | Birmingham City | 01 February 2006 |
| Portsmouth | - | Bolton Wanderers | 01 February 2006 |
| Aston Villa | - | Chelsea | 01 February 2006 |
| Blackburn Rovers | - | Manchester United | 01 February 2006 |
| Manchester City | - | Newcastle United | 01 February 2006 |
| Arsenal | - | West Ham United | 01 February 2006 |
Neal, do we still get the benefit of your wisdom before the week's "transfer window" closes?
Nobody Beats Nobok
Needless to say, I'm thrilled! Thank you, Jack!
Get your own copy of Sir Bobby's Farewell But Not Goodbye: My Autobiography here.
Timing is everything in life
Promoted from the comments:
At 9:44 AM, mullet said...
Having Nigel Reo-Coker in week 1 was a masterstroke. However, I kept him in the team too long (ie, more than 1 week).
Buying Pennant last week was a HUGE bonus.
Geting Reina at $9 was a blessing. Doing it the week he posted -4 wasn't a great start.
Misses: jumping around in the eary season and missing big games from Murphy, MGP, and Robert.
Neal, wanna brag about Giggs and Milner? Or Collins "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy" John?
At 9:44 AM, mullet said...
Does anyone have any top 10 worst or best signings tales. i Remember getting riggott on a steal before he delivered a cool minus five -and dropping Chimbonda when he hit form.Well, I'd say that I've had good luck with Mido this year. Bought him from week 1, but sold him before the Chelsea match when he got sent off. Then bought him again when TOT had that run of easy games and he put on a goal-a-game show.
Having Nigel Reo-Coker in week 1 was a masterstroke. However, I kept him in the team too long (ie, more than 1 week).
Buying Pennant last week was a HUGE bonus.
Geting Reina at $9 was a blessing. Doing it the week he posted -4 wasn't a great start.
Misses: jumping around in the eary season and missing big games from Murphy, MGP, and Robert.
Neal, wanna brag about Giggs and Milner? Or Collins "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy" John?
When it rains it pours.
And that isn't a reference to the number of ManU-related posts in the last few days.
United also revealed today that John O'Shea will be out for up to six weeks with fractured ribs.Guess we'll see more of the Giggs as a central middie experiment in the next few weeks. And Richardson's run in the team will continue even after CRonaldo returns from suspension (depending on the extent of Park's injury).
If at first you don't succeed...
Portsmouth defender Gregory Vignal has urged Newcastle United to tie up a move for him this month.Let's see.. former Rangers player? Check. Fairly crap at actually defending? Check. Sure to cost more on reputation than results? Check.
The former Liverpool ace has had contact with Marseille and Monaco but would prefer to link up with Graeme Souness on Tyneside.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have Souness' and Newcastle's newest defender!
One in, one out
Reports emanating from Spain insist that Thierry Henry has made his mind up to join Barcelona at the end of the season.Spare a thought for Neal. Just as one favorite signs for West Ham, another departs (maybe) his beloved Gunners. Does this mean that Arsenal haven't "matched his ambition"? I don't understand that because how can they do that when signing him is the best way to bring success to the club?
This would be a huge blow to Arsenal, to the EPL, and to fantasy managers everywhere who are willing to blow 1/4 of their budget on one player. What are we going to do next year, buy Scholes?
Scholes out for rest of season
Eye condition rules Scholes out for rest of season
Fantasy manager the world over can breathe a sigh of relief. They won't have Paul Scholes to kill their fantasy teams any more this year. Best wishes for a speedy recovery... and here's hoping for some CONSISTENCY in his future playing career.
Fantasy manager the world over can breathe a sigh of relief. They won't have Paul Scholes to kill their fantasy teams any more this year. Best wishes for a speedy recovery... and here's hoping for some CONSISTENCY in his future playing career.
When Sir Alex does speaks to the press...
... he has a nice turn of phrase:
"Hopefully that does give him [Rio Ferdinand] the confidence to attack the ball in the penalty box. It was a marvellous leap and a great header. He's 6ft 4in with a big enough head."
Too little, too late?
Here's our analysis of the weekend from Friday. Turned out we were almost right on some things and totally wrong on others. Of course since it's now Monday and of no use to anyone (I know, you're welcome) I'm only posting what we got right. ;-)
[09:09] buttonmoulder: sky thinks NUFC/Blackburn will go 1-1
[09:09] buttonmoulder: that's optimistic
[09:10] JSpitzberg: not for blackburn
[09:10] buttonmoulder: man to watch: beer guy
[09:25] JSpitzberg: pennant AND sutton too much BRM?
[09:25] JSpitzberg: and speaking of which, is dunn in that $ range?
[09:26] buttonmoulder: no help on the chelsea site
[09:26] JSpitzberg: might not be the worst pick ever
[09:26] JSpitzberg: you figure BRM have to come out to try and kill POR
[11:07] buttonmoulder: on the other hand, i am playing with luque, so basically a 3-4-2
[11:12] JSpitzberg: ;-)
[11:12] buttonmoulder: he's $5. and can't suck forever
[11:12] buttonmoulder: right?
[11:12] buttonmoulder: right?
[11:13] JSpitzberg: he starts
[11:13] buttonmoulder: yeah. that's basically why i have him
[11:13] buttonmoulder: and he shoots constantly
[11:13] JSpitzberg: more than you can say for john
[11:13] buttonmoulder: kind of where kewell was three weeks ago
[11:13] buttonmoulder: shooting, but into row zed
[11:13] JSpitzberg: can't suck forever
[11:47] JSpitzberg: just got the feeling that BRM are going to try and out-tall POR
[11:47] JSpitzberg: jarosik in close support of heskey and sutton
[11:48] JSpitzberg: early crosses
[11:48] JSpitzberg: from pennant and dunn
[11:48] JSpitzberg: win some corners
[11:48] JSpitzberg: send up upson
[11:48] buttonmoulder: makes sense
[11:49] JSpitzberg: one of those games where jose would play Huth
[11:49] buttonmoulder: that's a major reason why pennant went in the squad first thing last weekend
[11:49] buttonmoulder: ha
[11:49] buttonmoulder: i don't seriously think that birm will actually score
[11:49] buttonmoulder: but i do think they will be tossing crosses in all afternoon
[09:09] buttonmoulder: sky thinks NUFC/Blackburn will go 1-1
[09:09] buttonmoulder: that's optimistic
[09:10] JSpitzberg: not for blackburn
[09:10] buttonmoulder: man to watch: beer guy
[09:25] JSpitzberg: pennant AND sutton too much BRM?
[09:25] JSpitzberg: and speaking of which, is dunn in that $ range?
[09:26] buttonmoulder: no help on the chelsea site
[09:26] JSpitzberg: might not be the worst pick ever
[09:26] JSpitzberg: you figure BRM have to come out to try and kill POR
[11:07] buttonmoulder: on the other hand, i am playing with luque, so basically a 3-4-2
[11:12] JSpitzberg: ;-)
[11:12] buttonmoulder: he's $5. and can't suck forever
[11:12] buttonmoulder: right?
[11:12] buttonmoulder: right?
[11:13] JSpitzberg: he starts
[11:13] buttonmoulder: yeah. that's basically why i have him
[11:13] buttonmoulder: and he shoots constantly
[11:13] JSpitzberg: more than you can say for john
[11:13] buttonmoulder: kind of where kewell was three weeks ago
[11:13] buttonmoulder: shooting, but into row zed
[11:13] JSpitzberg: can't suck forever
[11:47] JSpitzberg: just got the feeling that BRM are going to try and out-tall POR
[11:47] JSpitzberg: jarosik in close support of heskey and sutton
[11:48] JSpitzberg: early crosses
[11:48] JSpitzberg: from pennant and dunn
[11:48] JSpitzberg: win some corners
[11:48] JSpitzberg: send up upson
[11:48] buttonmoulder: makes sense
[11:49] JSpitzberg: one of those games where jose would play Huth
[11:49] buttonmoulder: that's a major reason why pennant went in the squad first thing last weekend
[11:49] buttonmoulder: ha
[11:49] buttonmoulder: i don't seriously think that birm will actually score
[11:49] buttonmoulder: but i do think they will be tossing crosses in all afternoon
Jewell busy in the market: UPDATE
Fantasy EPL: Jewell busy in the market
So the moves pay off immediately! Mellor with an assist and the game-winning goal, Thompson with Wigan's second goal of their three. And Thompson taking kicks. Did you sell Bullard ($7) for Thompson ($4) before his value rose to $7? If not, do you get Thompson at $7?
So the moves pay off immediately! Mellor with an assist and the game-winning goal, Thompson with Wigan's second goal of their three. And Thompson taking kicks. Did you sell Bullard ($7) for Thompson ($4) before his value rose to $7? If not, do you get Thompson at $7?
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