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