Retirement

Hi FF Managers

With regret I am retiring my blog. To be absolutely honest, I always wanted to start a blog and being a FF addict, thought blogging on this game was the best route in. However there are a few factors that lead to my decision;

1) My wife and I are expecting our first child so I will take a year's break from FF in 10/11 season.
2) Although I have 300 followers, I'm not really adding any value over and above the fantastic advice you get on other FF blogs esp AM and J & N.
3) Work demands means I will be travelling overseas a lot over the coming weeks so I will not have time to carry on the blog for rest of the season.

I don't think there will be anyone really disappointed by this news. In fact apart from a couple to great friends esp VS, don't think I have any regulars on this site. Sorry I've pulled the plug before the end of season but hope you understand my reasons.

Thanks for your support over the last 3 months.

Over and out for the last time.
SK

Week 31 Player Picks

Its becoming a regular trend of reporting back on another poor week. 30th edition of this season turned out to be the latest disaster, returning a merger 47pts dropping 250 places to 856th in rankings and now I find myself behind in my private league! At least my wife had better luck as she picked the Grand National winner. Typical of late, my horse finished second lol! Back to FF, I need to take some gambles now and for this reason I'm not going to reveal my team until after midday.

Week 31 fixtures;

Sat, Apr 17

Fulham v Wolves

Blackburn v Everton
Tottenham v Chelsea
Sunderland v Burnley
Stoke v Bolton
Birmingham v Hull
Man City v Man Utd

Sun, Apr 18
Portsmouth v Aston Villa
Wigan v Arsenal

Mon, Apr 19
Liverpool v West Ham

Wed, Apr 21
Hull v Aston Villa

So we have another double week, with Aston Villa and Hull playing twice. From the single gamers, You have to fancy Liverpool (at home to the Hammers), Sunderland (home to Burnley) and Fulham (taking on Wolves @ home). I'd expect the majority of your team will come from these 5 clubs.

Goalkeepers:

Myhill
Gordon
Fridel

It's a difficult pick this week. If money was no object I'd take the villa keeper but I very rarely spend more than 5 units on a keeper so to stump up 10 units is hard to swallow. Call me mad but I'm being tempted to stick with Myhill with 2 games in week 31. From the single gamers, Gordon is the standout @ 6 units.

Defenders:

Dunne
Warnock
Collins
Cuellar
Mouyokolo
Sonko
Dawson
Hutton
Agger
Hangeland
Foley

So again, the double gamers stick out especially the Villa players but each one is very expensive @ over 10 units. The Hull defenders are more reasonably priced but you have to ask yourself will they keep one CS let alone two so is it a red herring? From the single gamers, I won't look beyond Hutton, Agger and Hangeland who all have very good home match ups. Only consider Foley if you have him on BD but if you do have him @ 6, you can do a lot worse than taking a box to box player lining up in midfield.

Midfielders:

Downing
Milner
Young
Petrov
Bullard
Mendy

For me you need to take the DGers in midfield. The popular choice will be Downing, Milner, Young and Bullard and certainly this is my preferred line up. If you can't afford  the fab 4, consider Petrov or even cheaper than chips Mendy as replacements. If you have Malouda on discount, you may decide to keep the in-form Frenchman but FloMo has a tough match away to Spurs.

Strikers:

Agbon
Carew
Van Persie
Bent
Torres
Campbell
Altidore

The obvious choices are Agbon and Carew. Certainly I expect both players will start against two teams with weak defences but the problem is most FF managers will have the pair. If you want to do something different, Van Persie was immense when he came on midweek and I expect Van the Man to make up for lost time away to Wigan. Torres should be fit and firing at home to West Ham but who know what Benitez will do. The ex Valencia manager knows he won't be at Liverpool next season. I feel he cares more about winning the Europa Cup than attempting to finish fourth (eg when he subbed Torres in the 65th minute @ 1-1 against Brum so the striker was fit for 2nd leg against Benfica). Bent has been fantastic this season returning 23 premiership goals and surely he will fancy his chances against Burnley.

In summary, your strategy should be to maximise on the DGers, especially the Villa players but there are a couple of single game gems out there to keep you honest.

My week 31 Team will be up @ midday.

Good luck.

SK

My Week 30 Team - Part 2

It appears Ivanovic will have a late fitness test before Chelsea's FA Cup Semi today so it's likely Ivanovic will be fit for Tuesday's game against Bolton which puts Ferreira's position in the team under risk so the Portugal defender is out. In his place, I could go with Mouyokolo or a defender that didn't make my initial shortlist in Foley. The Wolves man is the dark horse in wk 30 as he is playing in midfield and with a home game against Stoke it makes sense to bring Foley in especially as I am going with Myhill in goal so I don't want a Hull defender in case Burnley score. 

The reason I've gone with Myhill instead of Kirk is I needed the extra cash to trade JCole for Upson. At this stage in the season I can't risk falling at the first and feel the Chelsea middie is too much of a risk. The way my luck has run lately I bet Cole scores a brace against Bolton!

My 30 Team;

Myhill

Carra     Sylvinho     Upson     Foley

Malouda     Bullard     NZog

Bendtner     Torres     HRod

Week 31 shows double games for Hull (@Birmingam & Aston villa) and Aston Villa (@Pompey & @ Hull). So my barn door picks will be maximising the DGers. Look out for updates on who I bring in via chatroll.

Now I need to choose who to back for the Grand National!

Good luck in wk 30!

SK

My Week 30 Team

At the end of week 26, I was 141st in rankings and dreaming about a top 100 finish. 3 painful weeks later I am 603rd overall and struggling to beat my PB finish of 560ish. Just when I thought I had this game sussed oh how it bites you in the backside lol. OK moaning over (feel better now), lets get to week 30.

Week 30 Fixtures;

Sat, Apr 10

West Ham v Sunderland
Hull v Burnley

Sun, Apr 11
Blackburn v Man Utd
Liverpool v Fulham
Man City v Birmingham
Wolves v Stoke

Tue, Apr 13
Chelsea v Bolton

Wed, Apr 14
Wigan v Portsmouth
Tottenham v Arsenal
Aston Villa v Everton

First point to note is the Fulham-Stoke game has been re-scheduled so week 30 is a single gamer for 20 clubs which is bad news for FF managers who stocked up on the DGers.
 
The standout teams for this week are Chelsea (home to Bolton), Hull (home to out of form Burnley), Wigan (home to basement club Pompey), Liverpool (home to tired Fulham) and Man City (home to nothing to play for Birmingham). I expect most of your team will be from these clubs.
 
Goalkeepers;
 
Myhill
Kirk
Given
 
For me its a choice of Myhill or Kirk. My preference is Kirk but may change to the Hull player if I need to re-jig my team. You will understand later in the post. If you have more money to spend, Given is a given.
 
Defenders;
 
Ferriera
Carra
Sylvinho
JT
Garrido
Jagielka
Upson
Mouyokolo
 
With the injuries Chelsea have at the back, I expect Ferriera will continue in the starting 11 and is a great buy @ 6. Liverpool found their form again midweek against Benfica and with a must win game against tired Fulham after the midweek game in Germany, Carra is a great pick up this week @ 8. Sylvinho is a dirt cheap buy @ 2, ok he may not start for Man City but at that price is not much of a gamble. If the Brazilian doesn't start, I expect Garrido will be the replacement so watch out for the team news. Jagielka is still under 8 but has a tricky fixture @ Villa. Upson usually scores well and has a decent chance of clean sheet home to Sunderland. West Ham's draw away to Everton last week could be the break the Hammers need and I expect Zola's team to maintain the momentum with a home win this week. Final recommendation is a curve ball in Mouyokolo. The Hull defender could/should get a CS against Burnley and is a shot blocking machine so a decent pick up @ 6.
 
Midfielders;
 
Lampard
Gerrard
Malouda
Bullard
NZogbia
JCole
Zhirkov
AJ
 
Lampard should be in line for a big points haul this week with a home game against Bolton but is too expensive for me. Gerrard must be heading for a massive week soon but I've been burnt by him too many times. Malouda is in great form and I have him @ 10, so he is staying in my team. NZog is Wigan's set-piece taker and is a must buy @ 10 with a home game against Pompey. Similarly Bullard is the must have player from Hull's team. At present I am holding JCole @ 7. I'm not sure he will stay as he is a rotation & injury risk with Chelsea playing in the FA Cup semi before the Premiership game. If Joe goes, I'm thinking about taking an extra defender with Upson which means I will need to change Kirk for Myhill. AJ is a great pick up if you have him on BD. I wouldn't pay full price of 11 units for a player not certain to start.
 
Strikers;
 
Drogba
Torres
HRod
Tevez
CCole
 
I have Bendtner @ 6 so he stays, leaving 2 from the 5 above. I can't afford both Torres and Tevez. So of the two, I'm leaning towards the Spaniard as he is 2 units cheaper and imo is the better bet for points. If you can have both, go for it! The final spot in my team goes to HRod. I know, I know, HRod has been a huge disappointment to many of you but the South American is a hit or miss type of player. He will score 20+ points or next to nothing but I have a hunch.
 
My Week 30 Team atm;
 

Kirk

Carra     Ferriera     Sylvinho

Malouda     Bullard     JCole     NZog

Bendtner     Torres     HRod

 
I will post my final team by 11am tomorrow.
 
Good luck!
SK

My Week 29 Team - Part 2

Ok it seems Arteta is a big doubt for Sunday's game against West Ham. Although I had the Spanish wizard @ under 9, at this stage in the season discounts count for very little so Everton midfielder is out & replaced by one of his team mates in Tim Cahill.

In order to find the extra cash for the Aussie, I had to sell one of my defenders. I decided to trade Fox as Sky Sports' predicted line up do not include the ex Coventry player. In his place I've taken Smalling. The Fulham defender is a doubt himself to make the S11 but @ 3 is not much of a gamble.

Final change sees Jagielka replaced by Garrido. David Moyes hinted Jag may be rested this weekend and even of he starts, its unlikely Jags will make the 75min threshold so playing it safe by taking Garrido who is a sure starter with Zabeleta out injured.
So my final Week 29 Team;

Jussi

Sol     Smalling     Garrido

Eth     Cahill     Malouda     Nasri

Bendtner     Saha     Torres

Week 30 includes double games for Fulham & Stoke so I'll be looking to maximse players from these teams on the Barn Door.

Good luck in week 29.

SK

My Week 29 Team

Hi Folks

Sorry but this will be a short post as I am not feeling very well. Arraagghh didums I hear you say!!

You are reading a depressed YFFScout. Week 28 proved to be another disasterous week as I picked around the points again. Ended the week on 87.5 pts which resulted in 110 places fall in rankings to 413th. I'm in real danger of finishing outside the top 500 unless I buckle up my ideas!

Week 29 fixtures;

Sat, Apr 3

Arsenal v Wolves

Bolton v Aston Villa
Burnley v Man City
Sunderland v Tottenham
Stoke v Hull
Portsmouth v Blackburn
Man Utd v Chelsea

Sun, Apr 4
Everton v West Ham
Birmingham v Liverpool
Fulham v Wigan


Week 29 is a single gamer for all teams. The standout fixture is Man U vs Chelsea but FF wise it's one to avoid. Arsenal at home to Wolves, Everton's match up against the Hammers and Stoke - Hull stick out as solid home wins and with the race for 4th spot getting to the business end both Man C and Spurs should & expected to win away.

Goalkeepers:

Howard
Almunia
Given
Jussi
Brown
Myhill

If money was no object, I'd say the list above is in order of preference. Unfortunately I can't afford the top 3 so I'm going with Jussi. Bolton on paper have a tough match up against Villa but the Midlands club is going through a bad run of form and I'm hoping it will continue tomorrow. In addition Coyle has shored up Bolton's defence and their home record under the Scotsman is very impressive.

Defenders:

Verm
Sol
Jagielka
Smalling
Bale
Fox

Obviously Arsenal and Everton are favourites to keep a clean sheet this week. Verm is the standout buy at 9.5. If that's too dear, Sol is a great pick up @ under 6 as with Gallas' injury the ex England international should get a run out. Jagielka has been a consistent points scorer averaging 8 points per game and with his price under 8 units, is a must pick for me up against free falling West Ham. I'm going left field with my final pick in Fox. OK he didn't pay off last week with -1.5 return but I've decided to give the Burnley defender one more chance as I have him @ 6.

Midfielders:

Nasri
Arteta
Etherington
O'Hara
Bullard
Dunn
AJ

With Fabregas injured, I expect Nasri to fill in & take over on set pieces so is a great pick up @ 10. Arteta is still a doubt for the game on Sunday but is a no brainer if fit. Etherington has a great match up against Hull and has done well for me in the past so he will get a spot in my team. My final pick is tricky as I have Malouda @ 10 but doesn't have a great match up this week.  I'm tempted to sell and take O'Hara but with the Frenchman on fire lately and Pompey focussing on FA Cup semi, I will stick rather than twist.

Strikers:

Bendtner
Saha
Torres
Tevez
Fuller
Roberts
Kalinic

So I have finally sold an injured Roo. It's official now that I am 2 weeks too late in doing so but freakily it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders as if I am free again haha. I expect both Bendtner and Saha to have productive weeks and are the star buys up front.  I BD Torres @ 19 last week and although Pool have a tough match away to Brum, I will find it very hard to sell the Spaniard in his current form.

My Week 29 Team;

Jussi

Fox     Sol    Jag

Nasri     Arteta     Eth     Malouda

Bendtner    Saha    Torres

I will be looking out for the latest on Arteta's fitness tomorrow and if the news is negative, I will change my S11 before the deadline. If it does, I will let you know via a post or on Chatroll.

Being unwell, I haven't done as much research as I would like this week so I'd like to get your views on my team please? Any picks you like/dislike?

Good luck in week 29

SK signing out

My Week 28 Team - Update

As much as I wanted the Tottenham set-piece taker in my team, I just couldn't work out if Bentley or Kranjcar will start so in the end stayed away from both. So in comes S Gerrard in place of Bentley.

I like the idea of taking a gamble on Fox who was a consistent points scorer before his injury. Fox is back fit and I am assuming will re-take his place in Burnley's S11. Certainly Burnley's form han't been great whilst Fox was out so don't see why Fox wouldn't reclaim a starting slot. So out goes Maxi, formation changed from 343 to 433 to make room for Fox.

Finally the upgrades of Gerrard & Fox meant I had to downgrade either Jags -> Agger or Crouch -> Eidur. It's a 50/50 cal but in the end decided to go with Agger as

1) Wolves are in good form so I don't think the Toffess will keep a CS.
2) I have a hunch about Crouch up against his former employers.


So my final Week 28 Team;

Myhill

Agger     Bale     Ferreira     Fox

Malouda    Arteta     Gerrard

Roo     Bendtner     Crouch

Barn Door Options for week 29:

2 fixtures standout for me in week 29, Arsenal at home to Wolves and Everton vs West Ham. So I will take Jags on BD and will monitor the likes of Howard, Campbell, Cahill, Fabs, Arshavin and Anichebe. Look out for posts on chatroll as I will post my BD moves in real time.

So what are your thoughts for week 28? How does your team compare to mine?

Thanks

SK

My Week 28 Team

Week 27 is one I'd like to forget fast. I missed out on the likes of AYoung, Arteta and Carew  resulting in a poor return of 128 pts meaning I dropped 160+ places to 305th overall. No point crying over spilt milk so looking forward to week 28.

Week 28 fixtures:

Sat, Mar 27

Chelsea v Aston Villa

Birmingham v Arsenal
Bolton v Man Utd
Hull v Fulham
Wolves v Everton
West Ham v Stoke
Tottenham v Portsmouth

Sun, Mar 28
Liverpool v Sunderland
Burnley v Blackburn

Mon, Mar 29
Man City v Wigan


I'm sure you've noticed the Fulham-Wigan fixture which was scheduled for Apr 2 has been moved due to the Cottagers run in Europe. So week 28 turns into a single gamer for all clubs. The standout fixtures for me are Spurs at home to Pompey, Liverpool vs Sunderland, Man U away to Bolton and NW derby in Man C & Wigan.


Player Picks:

Goalkeeper:

Myhill
Given
Jensen

After Howard's injury, it's down to a choice from 3 imo. It really depends on how much you have to spend. If you need bargain basement, Myhill @ under 2 is a great pick up as I feel Fulham are on the start of a bad run so it's a good time to be playing them. If you have more to spend look at Jensen but if money was no object Given is the safest pick.

Defenders:

Bale
Jagielka
Ferreira
Bassong
Agger
Kaboul
Fox
Vidic


How jealous am I of the people with Bale @ 2.75? Answer = Damn jealous (insert crying noise)! Even at 11, Bale is the pick of the defenders. Injuries mean Bale may well start at left back rather than in midfield but I feel he plays better coming from deep so I still expect big points @ home to Pompey.  Jageilka has scored well since returning from injury and with Everton on a hot streak, I expect another good FF day for the ex Bolton player.  Ferreira is nailed on for a start due to Chelsea's injuries at the back. Home match against Villa isn't a straight forward fixture but one which Chelsea should come through if they are serious title contenders.

If you can't aford Bale but want to cover off  potential Spurs CS points, Bassong or Kaboul are bargain buys but be wary the former faces the dreaded late fitness test so would take Kaboul over SeaBass. Agger and Vidic are ridiculously cheap at under 8 and under 9 respectively. Finally a curve ball pick in Burnley's Fox who was on FF fire before getting injured. Reports suggest Fox is in line for a recall this weekend. Fox is the set-piece taker for Burnley and has an attractive home game against Blackburn so I am seriously tempted.

Midfielders:

Bentley
Arteta
Malouda
Gerrard
Fabs
Lampard
Bullard
Maxi

MF pick of the week is Bentley..... well I did think so until I read he may be struggling with an injury. It's still unclear as to whether Bentley is available for today's game. My feeling is if he is fit to play, Bentley will start. If not, Kranjcar will take his spot in team & take over set-piece duties. I am glad to have BD Arteta  as his price increased from under 9 to over 17. The Spaniard has been a FF gem in past seasons so may well keep him for rest of the season as his form is getting better game by game. Malouda is in the best form of his Chelsea career, getting more set-pieces and now finding the net on a regular basis. It's a tough decision on whether to keep him in week 29 where Chelsea are away to Man United but in week 28,  the Frenchman stays in my S11. My final spot goes to Maxi whom I expect to start as he is cup-ted in Europe and with a Europa match midweek, I expect Rafa will make most of Maxi in the Premiership.

So I have ignored the big 3 of Fabs, Lamps and Gerrard. Quite simply I couldn't afford any of them. If I had to take one, its SG @ 15 with a home game against Sunderland. Finally Bullard is back for Hull, if you BD him @ under 8, it's a great pick up, but even at full price, he is decent value.


Strikers:

Rooney
Drogba
Torres
Tevez
Crouch
Gudjohnsen
Bendtner

So when the season finishes and I analyse the mistakes, its likely to show the optimum week to sell Rooney was last week as I wanted Arteta & Carew but didn't want to lose the discount with Roo so went with him & Mikel instead. Off course keeping Roo may turn out to be the right decision if boy wonder goes on a scoring spree over the coming games. However keeping Roo cost me over 60 pts last week so expecting loyality bonus payment from England's best player to make amends haha. Bendtner was an injury doubt but Wenger confirmed in Friday's press conference that Bendtner should start against Birmigham and as I have him @ 5.8, he stays. Finally I really wanted a Spurs striker in my team and spent most of  the week cursing myself for not taking Pav on the DB @ below 10 but as it turns out the Russian is likely to start on the bench whilst recovering from a hamstring injury and with Defoe still out, Crouch and Gudjohnsen should start. Either one is worthy of  a place in the team but I've gone with Crouch as he is up against his old team and as you know strikers always score against their former clubs.

I may live to regret selling Drogs @ 22 but he has 2 tough fixures (Aston Villa & @ Man United) so decided to spread the money across the team rather than on one player.  Torres is on form again but is too expensive for my liking. In my opinion Tevez is a better option for week 28 but I am staying with Roo.


My Week 28 Team:

Myhill

Ferreira     Jagielka     Bale

Malouda     Arteta     Bentley     Maxi

Roo     Bendtner     Crouch

However I am still not decided on my team. For example, I will monitor the Bentley/Kranjcar situation and still not sure whether to take Maxi out & change formation to fit Fox in. I will confirm my final team by 11am.

At this stage in the season you don't want to be eating any bagels so please let me know if you have latest team news & how does my team compare to yours?

Danke
SK aka The Worst Fantasy Football Blogger Ever lol!

Barn Door for Week 28 Part 2

So Week 27 comes to a close with a 5-0 beating for Pompey at the hands of Chelsea, an impressive 2-0 away win for Everton against Man City, disappointing home draw for Villa and Blackburn grinding out a home win vs Brum. FF wise, Malouda and Drogs came good for me but boy do I regret not taking Arteta and Carew. Oh well can't win em all!

So the big BD decision for me was do I keep Drog or not. In the end, I couldn't justify 22% of my budget on the beast. My aim each week is to get point per unit return and I just can't see Drogs scoring 22 points against Villa. Famous last words lol!

My Week 28 Team atm (I have 3.9units left so the team is likely to change);

Myhill

Ferreira     Jagielka     Bale

Malouda     Arteta     Kranjar     Dunn

Roo     Bendtner     Kalinic

So how did you do in week 27 and what are your thoughts on week 28?

Barn Door for Week 28

The big news for Week 28 is Fulham's Europa League fixture scheduled for 1st Apr means the Fulham-Wigan game on 2nd April has to be re-scheduled. This means week 28 is a single gamer for all 20 clubs.

Week 28 Fixtures;

Sat, Mar 27

Birmingham v Arsenal

Bolton v Man Utd
Chelsea v Aston Villa
Hull v Fulham
Tottenham v Portsmouth
West Ham v Stoke
Wolves v Everton

Sun, Mar 28
Liverpool v Sunderland
Burnley v Blackburn

Mon, Mar 29
Man City v Wigan



The standout fixtures involve teams fighting for the 4th placed finish. Spurs at home to basement club Pompey, Liverpool vs Sunderland and Man City's game at the Eastlands against Wigan.

My Week 28 atm (although its likely to change);

Kirk

Verm      Hutton      Corluka

AJ      Malouda     Arteta     Bullard

Roo     Bendtner     Drogs

My Week 27 Team

Week 27 Fixtures:

Sat, Mar 20
Aston Villa v Wolves
Arsenal v West Ham
Everton v Bolton
Wigan v Burnley
Sunderland v Birmingham
Stoke v Tottenham
Portsmouth v Hull

Sun, Mar 21
Man Utd v Liverpool
Fulham v Man City
Blackburn v Chelsea

Tue, Mar 23
West Ham v Wolves

Wed, Mar 24
Blackburn v Birmingham
Aston Villa v Sunderland
Man City v Everton
Portsmouth v Chelsea


As you can see, 10 teams (Aston Villa, Birmingham, Blackburn, Chelsea, Everton, Man City, Pompey, Sunderland, West Ham and Wolves) have Double Games in  week 27. So my strategy for the week is clearly to maximise DG players.

From the single gamers, Arsenal at home to West Ham and Wigan hosting woeful Burnley standout. Fixture of the week has to be Man U-Liverpool but in FF - stay away unless you have huge dicounts.

My Week 27 Team;

Kirk

Verm     Hutton     Warnock

Milner      Malouda     AJ     Mikel

Roo     Bendtner     Drogs

Goalkeeper:

For me it was a choice of Kirk or Turnbull. Chelsea team news suggests Cech could be back for Blackburn game so at most Turnbull will play just once and maybe not at all so Kirk is the safer bet. If you have more money to spend, Fridel must be considered with two home games but I think you are better off saving money on Kirk and spend elsewhere.

Defenders:

Verm - I have @ 6 & season keeper. Hutton is a DGer, good getting forward and @ 3, is a no brainer. My final spot goes to Villa's Warnock. I wnated to get a Villa defender in my team, ideally I'd choose Dunne but I was just short of cash so went with the Ex Pool player. Others I considered were Ivanovic, JT and Jageilka.

Midfielders:

I think many of us will have the combo of AJ, Malouda and Milner. Ideally I wanted Arteta to finish the quartet but couldn't find the cash. So in the end, I've gone with a water carrier in Mikel. DGer, should start both games and @ 3 is a good filler who should return is value in pts. Others I considered were Ballack (will he start?), Zhirkov (will he score enough pts from left back without CS pts?) and AYoung (out of form) but discounted in the end.

Strikers:

Roo is a season keeper for me. Tough match up this week but I still expect a goal & 15pts from boy wonder. Bendtner is another fixture in my team. Strong match up at home to West Ham should see his recent scoring run continue. The final spot goes to the beast! Sick of betting against the Drogs so I have splashed 22% of my budget on the DGer. The only other striker I considered was Carew but to be honest I was never going to change by forward line up.

So in summary, I have 7 DGers (3 Chelsea, 2 Aston Villa, 1 from Man City and Sunderland), Sunderland with the singletons made up from 2 Arsenal, 1 Man U and 1 Wigan.

So how does my team compare to yours?

Thanks

SK

Barn Door for Week 27

Rooney!! Boy wonder has saved my week which has yielded 82.5pts so far, leaving me on 2997.5pts up 35 places to 142nd in rankings.

My Week 27 team atm

Turnbull

Verm     Hutton     Jagielka

Milner     AJ     Malouda    Henry

Roo     Bendtner     Drogs

Week 26 Team

My wife is waiting for me to take her out for dinner so I'm going to make this a short post.

Week 26 Fixtures;

Sat, Mar 13

Hull v Arsenal

Stoke v Aston Villa
Chelsea v West Ham
Burnley v Wolves
Bolton v Wigan
Birmingham v Everton
Tottenham v Blackburn

Sun, Mar 14
Sunderland v Man City
Man Utd v Fulham
Liverpool v Portsmouth

Tue, Mar 16
Wigan v Aston Villa

So as you can see Aston Villa and Wigan have 2 games in week 26 with the remaining 18 teams playing just once so my team is loaded up with players from these 2 teams.
 
My Week 26 Team
 

Kirk

Verm     Hutton     Dunne

Downing     Young     Milner     NZog

Roo     Bendtner     Carew

 

Goalkeepers:

 

For me DGer Fridel was too expensive, so the decision was Kirk or Hilario. In the end, there wasn't  a decsion to make as Hilario is ruled out for Chelsea's home game with West Ham.

 

Defenders:

 

Regular readers of my blog know Verm and Hutton are permanent fixtures in my S11 and probably season keepers. I did have Fox @ 6 for the last few weeks but decided to sell as Dunne was too good a buy to turn down. Fox has been fantastic but his price is only 1.2 above what I had him for and with Burnley only playing once in week 27 where 8 teams have DGs, I thought it's the right time to sell. If Fox does well tomorrow, which is probable with a home match up against Wolves, I'll more than likely BD him.

 

Midfielders:

 

I was plesantly surprised by the price drop of the Villa middies on Tuesday so decided to take advantage by buying Downing, Milner and Young for a combined price of 35units. The big decision I had was whether to hang onto Arteta @ 7.9. In the end, I decided to go with DGer NZog as it's getting to the point in the season where discounts don't really mater. You need to play for the week ahead.

 

Strikers:

 

Roo is a season keeper for me and has a great match up home to Fulham who travelled to Turin mid-week. Bendtner is probably another season keeper. Hat-trick midweek means he must be on cloud nine and will surely spearhead Arsenal's title charge to the end of the season.  The final spot goes to Carew who will surely start after scoring a hat-trick in last weekend's FA cup.

 

OK, can't delay my wife any longer!

What do you think of my team & how does it compare to yours?

 

Thanks

SK

 

Barn Door for week 26

So yesterday turned out to be a nightmare for my ff team. Bolton being on the end of a 4-0 beating by Sunderland meant minus 6 pts for Jussi, a merger 1.5 pts for yellow carded Lee and the silver lining was Wilshere with 7 pts. Moving onto my single Sunderland player, Hutton, returned a decent 7 pts. So overall, I am on 115.5 pts for week 25 with Fox to come tonight. Overall I am 177th.

The big news for FF managers was the price drop of Aston Villa players with the combination of Agbon, Downing, Milner and Young being 10+ units cheaper. The price drops has completedly changed my strategy for week 26 as the previous prices, imo, were too much so initially I wasn't planning on buyingVilla's DGers.

I fear their prices will go up after today's Burnley game as managers must be loading up on these chaps. Therefore I have bought the lot!

My Week 26 Team atm;

Kirk

Verm     Hutton     Fox

Arteta     Downing     Milner     Young

Roo     Bendtner     Agbon

If you want any of the Aston Villa players mentioned above, I strongly recommend you to buy them before today's points update. There is a doubt about Agbon as he sat out the FA Cup game due to flu. If Friday's team news confirms Agbon is still a doubt, I'll more than likely switch to HRod.

What are your thoughts on my team above? How does it compare to your week 26 team?

Finally, I realised my comments settings was making it difficult for people to leave feedback. This has been changed which means its much easier to leave feedback.

Regards

SK

Week 25 progress

Week 25 has been a good one for me so far with 106 pts leaving me on 2898pts overall and up 73 places to 181st in rankings. The big points scorers for me were Arteta (28), Bendtner (15 - although should have been a lot more!) and Wilshere (14.5). I have 5 players to come - Fox, Hutton, Jussi, Lee and Wilshere so with a bit of luck, I can approach 150pts for week 25.

An injured Roo resulted in a 2nd bagel in a row. The big consolation for me is I haven't lost ground in my private leagues so I should be in good shape once Roo returns to S11.

Torres has to go down as disapointment of the week. There were 3 gilt edged chances which you'd expect the Spaniard to take on a normal day. A yellow card meant minus 1.5 return on a player taking 1/6 of my budget! However I am seriously considering sticking with Torres for wk 26. Liverpool must be smarting after the Wigan loss so a home game against the league's basement club is ideal to get the club back on winning ways and back on track for the coverted 4th place finish. So I can see Pool putting on a show & Torres to be in the goals.

With Aston Villa winning in the FA cup @ the weekend, it confirms double fixture for Villa and Wigan in week 26. I already sense next week is going to be one of the trickiest of the season in terms of how many DGers you take i.e. do you forget about discounts and maximise on DGers or is it too soon to do that?

At present the only DGer I have is Kirk. Others I am looking to bring in are Milner, NZog and possibly Carew.

My Week 26 atm;

Kirk

Verm     Fox     Hutton

Fabs     Arteta     Walcott     Wilshere

Roo     Torres     Bendtner

So how are you doing in week 25 and are you gambling on the DGers for week 26?

Laters

SK

P.S. If you like my blog please follow me (YFF Scout) on Facebook via the Facebook box on left hand side of my homepage.

Week 25 Team

Week 25 Fixtures;

Sat, Mar 6

Arsenal v Burnley

Wolves v Man Utd
West Ham v Bolton

Sun, Mar 7
Everton v Hull

Mon, Mar 8
Wigan v Liverpool

Tue, Mar 9
Portsmouth v Birmingham
Sunderland v Bolton

Wed, Mar 10
Burnley v Stoke


As you can see, Bolton and Burnley have Double Games with Aston Villa, Blackburn, Chelsea, Fulham, Man City and Tottenham without a game in week 25. So unless you have huge discounts, I'd avoid players from the 6 teams with a Premiership week off!

So what is a huge discount? At this stage in the season, I'd say the discount needs to be 4+ units. For example, if you have Bale @ 2.75 keep him but A Johnson @ 4ish should be sold.


After feedback I've added Predicted Line Ups:

Arsenal vs Burnley:

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Silvestre, Clichy, Denilson, Eboue, Fabregas, Nasri, Bendtner, Walcott.
Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Carlisle, Cort, Fox, Bikey, Elliott, Alexander, Blake, Fletcher, Paterson.


West Ham vs Bolton:

West Ham: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Spector, Behrami, Parker, Kovac, Diamanti, Franco, Cole.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Ricketts, Knight, Robinson, Muamba, Lee, Wilshere, Taylor, Elmander, Kevin Davies.


Wolves vs Man United:

Wolves: Hahnemann, Craddock, Foley, Berra, Zubar, Guedioura, Henry, Jones, Jarvis, Doyle, Ward.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Rafael, Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia, Nani, Scholes, Berbatov.

Everton vs Hull:

Everton: Howard, Baines, Distin, Heitinga, Neville, Rodwell, Arteta, Pienaar, Bilyaletdinov, Donovan, Anichebe.
Hull: Myhill, Zayatte, McShane, Mouyokolo, Dawson, Boateng, Hunt, Kilbane, Cairney, Zaki, Altidore.

The other games are too far ahead for accurate line up predictions.

My Week 25 Team:

Jussi

Verm     Hutton     Fox

Fabs     Lee     Wilshere     Arteta

Roo     Bendtner     Torres

Goalkeepers:

I've gone with Jussi (pictured above). It's a huge gamble as its feasible to get minus double digit return but equally I'm hoping it will pay off big. Jussi is a DGer but both games are away. However both games (@ West Ham and @ Sunderland) are against teams in and around Bolton in the league so it's likely to be tight cagey games. Now I've said that what are the odds on two 4-0 beatings lol!?!

If you don't fancy the gamble, the other standouts this week are Howard @ 8, Gordon @ 6 or James below 4. I also have to mention DGer Jenson @ 5.5 but I'd stay clear as I think @ Arsenal is a huge risk.

Defenders:

My 3 picked itself again this week. I have Verm @ 6 and will be a season keeper, Hutton has a home game against Bolton and Fox is a DGer & set piece taker for Burnley.

Others to consider are DGers Carlisle who is super cheap @ 4.5 after his -9 in week 24, Steinsson and a credit crunched R Ferdinand @ 7.

Midfielders:

Fabs is a must pick for me. I can see him causing havoc against Burnley! Lee is a DGer, joint set piece taker and has been the Bolton player of the season imo. Arteta is returning from injury and has been quiet so far but he is a quality player and with Fellani out & Cahill doubtful, I can see Arteta having a more advanced role against Hull. My final pick was tricky. I went with DGer Wilshere as I think Coyle will stick with a winning line up (other than replacing an injured Holden).

The big alternative to Wilshere was Burnley's Elliott. In my opinion Elliott is the safer pick with likely 6-8pts from his 2 games. Others to consider from the DGers are MTaylor and Eagles but both not sure starters so I stayed away. Gerrard ran Fabs close to pick of the week. If you can find the money to have both - go for it! Finally Nani must be considered as he is fresh, the most likely starter out of Man U's midfield & was on fire before the 3 game ban.

Strikers:

The big news is Rooney is doubtful for the Wolves game & not in Sky Sports' predicted line up above. The last time Roo was doubtful, he bagged 4 goals and 45 pts but I'd stay away @ full price but keep him if on discount. Bendtner is a no-brainer as he has scored in last 2 games and up against a woeful on the road Burnley. My last spot goes to Torres who I BD last week @ 16ish.

Alernatives include DGers Davies and Fletcher but I don't see these guys getting big points. Diamanti is a good shout alongside The Yak.

So overall, I am going with 4 DGers (3 Bolton and 1 Burnley) with the rest made up of 3 Arsenal and singles from Everton, Liverpool, Man U and Sunderland.

Barn Door for Week 26:

BBC Fixtures shows 2 games for Aston Villa (@ Stoke and @ Wigan) and Wigan (@ Bolton and Aston Villa). From the single gamers, look no further than the big 4 who all have attractive fixtures;

Hull vs Arsenal
Chelsea vs West Ham
Liverpool vs Portsmouth
Man U vs Fulham

Players I am looking to BD include DGers Agbon, Downing, Kirkland, Milner,  Nzogbia and Rod.

Moving forward, (again after feedback) I will make a commitment that every player I buy/sell will be immediately posted on this site via a blog post or a message on Chatroll so you can see exactly what I'm doing in real time.

What do you think of my week 25 team? How does it compare to yours?

Good luck to all in week 25!

Over and out
SK

PS Can I ask the one person that has clicked 30+ times into the Google ads to STOP please? I appreciate you had good intention but in reality it has cost me as 1) genuine hits earn less money and 2) I've had a warning from Google as they seen the 30+ hits from the same IP address. For the others, you've seen the ads on my site. If you see a Google ad that interests you, please click it or if you want to buy from Amazon, please go through my site. I hope you feel that's a FAIR deal for my blog lol?!

Barn Door for Week 25

With the late Sunday games still be to be registered, I have a poor 44pts for the week and seen my ranking fall to 275th. The big loser for me and many of you was Hilario's -9.5pts which is the worst individual score I've had this season!

I have Gerrard, Maxi, Richardson and Hutton outstanding so I calculate about 35ish pts in total although yellow cards for the Sunderland pair was annoying. This will take me to about 80pts for the week which I would have shaken hands on after the Hilario debarcle.

Update Mon 1st March: I finished the week on 78pts leaving me on 2792 pts and 254th overall.

Barn Door for Week 25:

Torres is back an scored today. Current price of 16ish is a bargain so get in there before his price goes up!

Week 25 has DGs for Bolton and Burnley so I have the likes of Jussi, Fox, Lee and Wilshere in my S11. Arsenal and Everton have strong home games with Burley and Hull respectively so I have Fabs and Arteta alongside Verm and Bendtner who were already in my team.

My Week 25 Team atm;

Jussi

Verm     Hutton     Fox

Lee     Fabs     Wilshere     Arteta

Roo     Bendtner    Torres

How are you doing in week 24 and what are your thoughts for week 25?

Please leave feedback if you find this blog useful?

SK

My Week 24 Team

Week 24 Fixutes:

Saturday, 27 February 2010

Birmingham v Wigan, 15:00
Bolton v Wolverhampton, 15:00
Burnley v Portsmouth, 15:00
Chelsea v Man City, 12:45
Stoke v Arsenal, 17:30

Sunday, 28 February 2010
Liverpool v Blackburn, 15:00
Sunderland v Fulham, 15:00
Tottenham v Everton, 13:00

My Wk 24 Team;

Hilario (Pictured)

Verm     Hutton     D Fox

AJ     Gerrard     Richardson     Maxi Rod

Rooney     Bendtner     Drogs

GK:

Hilario -  with Cech out, Hilario should start and @ 6 is the standout buy for me. Consider Jussi and Jenson as other decent options and finally if you need a bargain basement buy, can't go wrong with D James for just a buck.

Def:

Verm and Hutton were always in the team. I took Fox after Srktel was injured midweek. Fox is a set-piece taker and up against Pompey! Other options include Bale (wish I took this kid @ 2ish), RJohnson and any fit Liverpool defender.

Mid:

AJ has a tough match up but I have feeling he could turn out to be a bargain. Gerrard is a no brainer up against Blackburn who generally don't travel well and have Nelson (their best def) out! Richardson is a deent pick up @ 4.5 & will be the set-peice taker in Reid's abence. Finally I'm gambling on Maxi. OK he hasn't be great so far but I think he will start as he was cup-tied in Europe @ 5 is not really a gamble - rather a very good filler. Others I considered were Larrson, Eagles, Lee and Walcott (in that order of preference).

Fwd:

I couldn't do it - had to keep Rooney so taking the big fat 0! Also in my team is Drogs. As per my previous post, I'm not betting against this man any longer. Final spot goes to Bendtner who has a tough match @ Stoke but is a good pick up @ 5. The big decison this week (other than keeping Roo) was whether to take Torres. You can interpret the non start in midweek in 2 ways either he is being rested for Blackburn or he is not quite up to full fitness. I decided to keep away for now.

BD options for Week 25;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/fixtures/default.stm

BBC fixures shows 8 fixtures for wk 25 with Bolton and Burnley playing twice. Of the single gamers, I like Arsenal, Man U and Everton.

So my BD options will be made up largely from these teams. Nearly 11am so better post this now!

SK

Week 23 over...Roll on week 24

So a crushing 3-0 victory for Man U gainst West Ham brings a close to week 23. Last night proved a successful one for me with 71 pts from Rooney, Valencia, Evra, Park, C Cole and Upson. I also had Fletcher and Parker who didn't play. I finished week 23 with 169.5 pts, overall I am on 2713 pts which leaves me 208th overall.

I feel for the FF managers with VDS in their team. Minus 7 @ Eve and then benched last night. One of my golden rules is GK position should be cheap. It's very rare for me to spend more than 8 units on a GK.

My 10 Golden Rules;

1. GK position should be cheap as possible and usually a home match.
2. Maximise set peice & penalty takers.
3. I never play 4-4-2. This is the season of the srikers so I have played 3-4-3 all season but I have played 3-5-2 in past seasons.
4. Check your players are not injured via the Physio Room link on left hand side of this site.
5. Check your players are not suspended via the FA suspension list.
6. Check Sky Sports for predicted line ups on Friday evenings.
7. Check Starting 11 Rate My Team to see what other players are doing.
8. Always pick players for the week ahead only unless you have huge discounts such as Bale @ 2.75.
9. Make sure you check the following week's fixtures before 12pm GMT deadline and have an idea of players you want on BD.
10. Buy your BD players immediately after the 12pm deadline as player prices will go up if there are lots of managers buying the same players so get in there first!

Moving onto week 24:

The fixtures list is

Saturday, 27 February 2010Birmingham v Wigan, 15:00Bolton v Wolverhampton, 15:00Burnley v Portsmouth, 15:00Chelsea v Man City, 12:45Stoke v Arsenal, 17:30

Sunday, 28 February 2010Liverpool v Blackburn, 15:00Sunderland v Fulham, 15:00Tottenham v Everton, 13:00

As you can see Aston Villa, Hull, Man U and West Ham don't play in week 24 so avoid players from these clubs unless you have them on huge discounts such as Rooney @ 16.

The standout fixture for me is Liverpool at home against Blackburn. I read a stat that approx 75% of goals scored against Blackburn this season are from strikers which is the highest in the league. Couple this with the fact Torres is back, I'm seriously tempted to get the Spaniard in my team. However my problem is I have Roo @ 16 and BD Drogs @ 22 so by taking Torres as well, 54% of my budget would be taken by 3 players!

Options to get Torres (assuming he is fit and predicted to start);

• 
  
  My gut is telling me to drop Drogs but I've said that for the last 2 weeks and I've missed out on 4 goals and 40+ points (Ars and @ Wolves). Drogs is against a tough Man C team and Chelsea don't play in wk 25 so there are compelling reasons to sell but for now Drogs stays.
• 
  
  Option 2 is to sell Rooney - yes you heard right I'M THINKING ABOUT SELLING ROONEY!!!! My golden rule 8 is pick players for the week ahead only but I do say "unless you have huge discount" and I guess this applies with Rooney.
• 
  
  Currently 3rd Striker spot is Bendtner @ 5ish. Arsenal are away to Stoke where they have lost in the last 2 visits (last season in the Prem and this season's FA Cup) and Eduardo is back so Bendtner's place in S11 is not assured. However as I said above having Torres + Roo + Drogs takes 54% of my budget.

Other Liverpool players I like are Skrtel, Yossi and Stevie G. I currently have Stevie G in my team but will need to swap SG to Yossi to fit in Torres.

Other teams I like for week 24 are Birmingham, Bolton, Burnley and Sunderland. Players to consider from these teams;

GK:

Jussi, Jenson and Gordon

DF:

Hutton, R Johnson and Cahill (if fit).

MD:

Larsson, Eagles, M Taylor and Lee.

STR:

Flecther, Nugent, Davies, Elm and Bent.

Out of the list above, I have Hutton and Larsson in my team atm.

My Week 24 Team;

James

Verm Hutton Skrtel

Stevie G A Johnson Larsson Zhirkov

Roo Drogs Bendtner

How did you do in week 23? What are your thoughts for wk 24? Do you find my posts useful? Please leave feedback.

That's all for now. I'll post further thoughts closer to the Sat dealine and remeber my final team will be posted on this website at least 1hr before the dealine.

SK

Barn Door for Week 24

Its been a good week for me for me so far with 98.5pts thanks largely to Robbo's CS today. Overall I'm up to 190th although I expect to fall outside top 200 thanks to Downing's brace Vs Burnley.

I have 8 DGers to come (5 Man u & 3 WH) so here's hoping for more points midweek.

Early thoughts for week 24;

I can't continue getting burnt by Drogs so I've shelled out 22% of my budget on 1 player! Home game against Man C is not a favourable fixture but I'm NOT going to bet against Drogs anymore. Sod's law means probable minus points next week!

Week 24 has 8 fixtures so Man U, Aston Villa, Hull and West Ham don't have games. The big decision for me is whether to hang onto Rooney @ 16. For now he stays in my team but I will assess after the midweek game. If Rooney has a poor game and his value drops below 20, I'll seriously consider selling as

1) Torres is back
2) There are several weeks coming up where teams have DGs.

The standout fixure is Liverpool home to Blackburn. Stevie G has been poor this season but I have a hunch SG will go big soon. I also like Srktel @ 6.

Other teams with favourable home games are Birmingham, Bolton, and Sunderland.

Week 24 Team atm;

James

Verm Hutton Skrtel

SG Larsson AJ Zhirkov

Roo Drogs Bendtner

This team is likely to change. I am hoping to swap James to Jussi or Jenson who's value is likely to fall after shipping 5 goals today. Also I'm not so keen on Zhirkov.

How are you doing in week 23 and what are your thoughts for week 24?

SK

Week 23 - Final Team

Hi all

I am out all day tomorrow so this is my final week 23 team;

P Robbo

Verm Evra Upson

Valencia Fletcher Parker Park

Roo C Cole Bendtner

Goalkeeper:

I went with P Robbo. I BD Almunia @ 7ish but is rated 50/50 so couldn't take the chance. The other option was D James but I fancy Stoke to nick an away win @ Pompey.

Defenders:

I have Verm @ 6 - enough said. The other 2 spots taken by Evra - DG week, certain to start both games and Upson - again DG week. I really wanted to get another Man U def instead i.e. Evans or Vidic but I fear both may end up playing just once so took the safe bet with Upson.

If you need a cheaper option, look at Spector at below 6.

Midfielders:

All 4 spots taken by DGers. Valencia is must pick of the week. Other spots taken by Fletcher, Park and Parker.

I really like A Johnson as a ff pick but decided to sell him for this week at just under 5 as the match up with Liverpool is tough and his current price is just north of 5 so not much of a loss to get a DG in his place. Almost certainly I will BD AJ for week 24.

Others to consider:

Arteta @ 8 is a bargain. Tough match up this week with Man U but one to consider on the BD.

Fabs could cause havoc against Sunderland but I couldn't lay out the wonger for a single gamer.

Finally with Lamps and A Cole out, you could do worse than taking J Cole and Zhirkov.

Strikers:

Roo @ 16 - are you jealous lol. C Cole has a DG week so a must pick for me. Final spot goes to Bendtner - sure starter with Arsh injured, priced under 6 and home game to a Sunderland team in freefall down the league table.

I decided 20+ was too much to pay for Drogs. I'm hoping he has a stinker against Wolves and his price comes down below 20 for week 24.

Only other player I considered was Mido but he may not start against Hull.

So overall I have 8 DGers (5 Man U & 3 WH) + 2 Arsenal and 1 from Blackburn.

Finally players I will BD for week 24;

Jussi

Hutton

A Johnson

Arteta

Eagles

...and the big decision for me is whether to keep Roo who has the Carling Cup final next week meaning a bagel in YFF!

That's it for now folks.

SK

Week 23 Team

Hi YFF Managers

First of all, thanks for visiting my new home page. I find Blogger is an easier tool to use hence the move.

Onto YFF, I finished week 22 with 190.5pts leaving me 295th in overall ranking.

Week 23 has double games for Man U and West Ham. Arsenal, Villa and Chelsea have relatively easy games against Sunderland, Burnley and @ Wolves respectively. The other games are hard to call so I'd avoid players from any team not mentioned above unless you have no choice (such as myself with David James!)

Full Fixtures list;

Saturday, 20 February 2010
Arsenal v Sunderland, 15:00
Everton v Man Utd, 12:45
Portsmouth v Stoke, 17:30
West Ham v Hull, 15:00
Wolverhampton v Chelsea, 15:00

Sunday, 21 February 2010
Aston Villa v Burnley, 14:00
Blackburn v Bolton, 12:00
Fulham v Birmingham, 15:00
Man City v Liverpool, 15:00
Wigan v Tottenham, 16:15

Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Man Utd v West Ham, 20:00


My week 23 atm;

James
Verm Evra Vidic
Valencia Collison Parker Fletcher
Rooney C Cole Bendtner

How do you rate my team?

More detailed analysis of player picks to follow later.

SK