Announcement Friday 10th January 12:30pm ALL 256 PLACES HAVE NOW BEEN FILLED NO MORE SPACES AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME Announcement Friday 10th January 12:30pm ALL 256 PLACES HAVE NOW BEEN FILLED NO MORE SPACES AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME We are delighted to announce the return of the FantasyYIRMA KO Cup for 2014!! We have a […]
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GW21 Preview: With Arsenal’s Walcott woe, Tottenham’s Eriksen could be a wildcard wonder
Jan 9
So the FA Cup third round has been and gone, leaving nothing but the memories of a few shocks, a pink football and the damage done the ligaments of Theo Walcott’s left knee. Yes, just as the Arsenal man was beginning to hit his stride this season he’s been cruelly cut down for the rest […]
Off the Mark: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho isn’t special enough to fool us this time
Jan 8
They say that getting older and getting wiser go hand in hand, but not a lot is made of the stubborn streak which also appears to grow as the years advance. This streak is particularly prevalent in football managers, men who spend their lives living on the edge and, in a work sense, living and […]
For the Fantasy Football enamored amongst us the New Year brings a late Christmas present…
THE JANUARY WILDCARD!!
To help you decide how to best approach the January Wildcard, FantasyYIRMA.com will be running a series of articles looking at different perspectives. You can follow us on twitter for #FPL chat at @FantasyYIRMA
WILDCARD SPECIAL
Play it your way Part 1: LINK
Play it your way Part 2: LINK
Play it your way Part 3: LINK
Next up we are delighted to feature a guest post from the 2012/13 FPL #6 in the World @JulianZip
Julian led the way in FPL last year including a 5 week consecutive run at #1 towards the end of the season!…Being from Australia and not getting to see as much of the Premier League as he’d like makes this even more impressive!!
Such is the feat of his achievement Julian actually featured in the National Press Down Under
Julian epitomizes the stat based approach to the game, a great guy to interact with on twitter – make sure and drop a follow to @JulianZip .
My January Wildcard approach…
While it depends on how you’re going, I’ve always thought that using wildcards early is a good idea. It gives you the chance to get a jump-start on your rivals who have to bring in the best performers bit-by-bit (or take hits) while juggling injuries. My logic is that it’s harder to chase a mini-league lead than it is to keep one. The January wildcard is a little different though, and I’d argue that patience is the way to go with it, if your current team is in reasonable enough shape to get you through a few more weeks…for many of us, niggles to players such as Rooney and yellow flags are making that a nerve-wracking proposition of course.
You can bet lots of people have been counting down until January 1st,desperate to get rid of players who have been causing them angst (Marc Wilson, get out of my life) or to bring in the ones who have been consistently hurting them (damn you Per Mertesacker!). At this time of year though, our squads start to look even more uniform. That means unless you’re in front, or you are really winning the team value part of the game, it’s tough to make real gains.
Big Per giving Julian the thumbs up 🙂
I’m hoping that by holding off until after gameweek 22 I’ll be able to utilise the break, and the few weeks, prior to work on my team value, and by then there could be a ready-to-go Aguero, and hopefully a few new signings that shake things up. You never know, Man United might bring in a creative midfielder, and Arsenal or Chelsea might find themselves a world class striker…well maybe not, but you get what I’m saying…
For defensive choices, I look at fixtures to make sure I have two relatively cheap keepers who rotate well with home games. McGregor and Speroni have worked well in that regard over the last few months, and looking ahead Marshall with Mannone/Speroni seem like options to do a similar job (Szczesny & Guzan look a decent pairing too). I’ll look at two premium defenders, and then three who rotate well for around the following 6-8 gameweeks. Hull and Palace look solid choices given their numbers as far as goals conceded at home go, and West Ham give a nice three way rotation alongside those two.
In the front half I’ll probably be able to afford a few of the fixture-proof heavy hitters…i.e. Suarez, Aguero, Walcott, Hazard… with a few mid-price guys like Lallana and Cabaye, and then budget options to make it all possible – the likes of Sterling, Whittingham, Januzaj, Redmond/Fer, Barkley. My usual formation preference is a 3-4-3, but if things keep going the way they have been striker-wise lately, I’m considering interchanging that with a 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 (so finding a cheap striker, mid and defender who rotate well together fixture-wise).
I like to make sure I have coverage from each of the big teams…but I’m careful not to load up too much on any one, as mid-week commitments mean rotation and fatigue is set to become even more of an issue going forward. In particular what I’ll spend time combing the stats looking for, are one or two options under 10% ownership who are creating chances or getting looks at goal (but who haven’t had huge scoring weeks yet)…they are the ones I’m hoping might provide a point of difference, and who others might be too busy looking in the direction of the current hot picks to notice.
Thanks to @FantasyYIRMA for the chance to contribute – as always, have been enjoying keeping up to speed with everything #FPL via your posts!
Julian has Guest Posted on the site previously – you can see his previous article here LINK
He also contributes to FourFourTwo in Australia and you can view his work here LINK
January Wildcard Special : Play it your way! Part 2
For the Fantasy Football enamored amongst us the New Year brings a late Christmas present…
THE JANUARY WILDCARD!!
To help you decide how to best approach the January Wildcard FantasyYIRMA.com will be running a series of articles looking at different perspectives. You can follow us on twitter for #FPL chat at @FantasyYIRMA
WILDCARD SPECIAL
Play it your way Part 1: LINK
Play it your way Part 2: LINK
Play it your way Part 3: LINK
Next up we are delighted to feature a guest post from the 2012/13 FPL Runner Up @K3LVIN
Kelvin’s team “Why Always Me?” finished second overall (!!!) in #FPL last season beating out 2.6 million (!!!) players which was an unbelievable performance. Not only that but Kelvin was the winner of the FantasyYIRMA mini-league !
Kelvin had an unbelievable season and is a genuine fan of FPL. Having led the overall game for large parts of the year the league was decided on bonus points following the final gameweek of the season.
Take nothing away from this man – what he displayed last season in terms of judgement and consistency was extremely impressive!
You can find out more about Kelvin’s fantastic 2012/13 season here: Great Read! Link
Big thanks to Kelvin for his time and contribution to the site with this excellent post.
Make sure and follow Kelvin on twitter if you are not already on @K3lvin
Here are his thoughts on the January WC…
A January wildcard strategy is crucial to maximising its worth, the problem is the way different people should play it will vary. From those leading in their mini-leagues to those chasing and hoping to catch up. How, and more crucially when it should be played will depend on each managers individual circumstances. Here are a few things I’ll be considering when I play mine.
1. Patience
Most managers will play their wildcards early. If your squad is decimated by injury and players who aren’t getting the minutes this is a perfectly good way to use your wildcard. However, if you’re patient, can hold on and see what your competitors are doing, and can wait to see what players come and go in the Premier League, you’ll stand a much better chance of coming out of it with a well balanced team that can make up points or extend a lead in a mini-league.
2. Anticipation
We all know who the keys players are now, and who most people will be transferring in – Hazard, Cabaye, Lallana, Walcott, Suarez. Try and get these players in advance and get onboard the price rises without the use of a wildcard. Don’t forget though, this can work both ways. Players with high ownership who haven’t performed recently or are injured will plummet in price – Mignolet, Terry, Ivanovic, Ramsey, Ozil. Move these players on now, and if you want them back get them in when you play your wildcard.
3. Timing
Play your wildcard as late as possible. Don’t get overly worried by other player’s squads or team values. Identify the key players you want, ‘cover’ essential players where necessary (Suarez for example), and try and spot a few bargains who others will overlook.
Remember at the start of the season when Van Persie was a “must have”? Well whilst everybody is else is loading up on Aguero, Suarez, Rooney, Lukaku and Remy, who’s to say that come the end of January Van Persie isn’t going to be back and firing again… if you wait you’ll find out. Or maybe rumours of Chelsea signing a striker who can score finally come through.
Patience, anticipation and timing are key – the longer you hold your wildcard the stronger it becomes.
A few players returning from injury you may want to monitor who’ll offer a different approach to your wildcard:
Enrique £5.6m, Liverpool
Nastasic £5.1m, Man City
Michu £8.5m, Swansea
Gerrard £8.7m, Liverpool
Van Persie £13.6m, Man Utd
FantasyYIRMA would like to take this opportunity to highlight Kelvin’s chosen Charity cause. When Kelvin won the FantasyYIRMA mini-league last season he donated the prize money to a local charity
The charity Kelvin decided to support is called the Candlelighters. They do some absolutely amazing work for kids who are growing up with cancer, and if anybody is ever looking for a charity to support they are a great cause.
Part 1 available here: LINK
The good folk at the PremierLeague have outlined the basics for us. How you decide to play it is up to you! Good Luck
#FY
January Wildcard Special : Play it your way! Part 1
Firstly, Happy New Year from the #FY team.
For the Fantasy Football enamored amongst us the New Year brings a late Christmas present…
THE JANUARY WILDCARD!!
To help you decide how to best approach the January Wildcard FantasyYIRMA.com will be running a series of articles looking at different perspectives.
WILDCARD SPECIAL
Play it your way Part 1: LINK
Play it your way Part 2: LINK
Play it your way Part 3: LINK
First up we are delighted to feature a guest post from the 2012/13 FPL CHAMPION Matthew Martyniak
Matt finished top of the #FPL tree last season beating out 2.6 million (!!!) players to take the title. Big thanks to Matt for his time and contribution to the site with this excellent post.
Make sure and follow Matt on twitter if you are not already on @spiderm4tt
Here are his thoughts on the January WC…
Here is Matt en route to Hong Kong last summer as part of his prize for WINNING 2012/13 FPL
How will I use my January wildcard…?
This is a question I am often asked; ‘How will I use my January wildcard?’
In the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) we get two wildcards (WCs). One is the ‘normal WC’, which can be used at any point throughout the season, the other is the January WC, which can only be used in January, hence its name.
While some FPL managers cannot wait for the January WC activation date after the Gameweek twenty (GW20) deadline to ‘sort out’ their FPL team due to injuries, suspensions, poor players etc; there will be plenty of FPL managers out there, like myself, that are fairly happy with their FPL team and squad, and therefore feel that they do not need to use it immediately, as one or two free transfers over the next few GWs could ‘fix’ any small problems they may have.
So when is the best time to use it?
I have always said the best way to use a WC in general is – when you feel you need to use it.
Here I have previously discussed my thoughts on the best way to use a WC: Link to FFPundits
The best way I feel to utilise a WC is to either to prepare for a double GW (DGW), or to ‘clean up’ your team after a DGW. The reason why I feel it is best to use a WC around DGWs is so that you can have many DGW players in your FPL team in order to maximise your GW score potential. These are the WC tactics I successfully utilised during my FPL title win last season. I used my January WC to prepare for DGWs (DGW22 & 23), while my normal WC was used to ‘clean up’ after a DGW (DGW1).
Here is my FPL title winning review article that explains my WC usage last season: Link to FISO
Other reasons for activating the WC is for restructuring your team due to injuries, suspensions, poor FPL players, and/or gaining team value by ‘jumping on’ the player price rises.
The January wildcard is same as the ‘normal WC’….. But it is also slightly different!
The January WC should be utilised in the same way to an extent as the ‘normal WC’. However, the January WC differs slightly from the normal season WC. This is because the January WC, as obvious as it sounds, can only be used in January! Other differences are when using this WC are that the player price gains in January may not be as profitable as during early season WCs due to the already moderate to high ownership on the best FPL players. And unless there is snow over the next few weeks to disrupt Premier League fixtures (This cannot be relied on!) then the chances of a DGW occurring this January is unlikely.
So if there are no DGWs in January, which is looking highly likely to be this way at present, and I am happy with my team and my squad that has no major pressing injury/suspensions/poor form concerns, and also with a slim chance of me making any ‘useful profit’ from player price gains……then when is the best time for me to use the January WC?
I will most probably wait until the end of January before I activate it..…..most probably after the GW23 deadline. This way I can keep my January WC as ‘insurance’ just in case there are any major injuries, suspensions, and poor form that may occur to my FPL team over the next few GWs.
Also it can be advantageous for me to use my January WC as late as possible due to the January transfer window that closes at midnight U.K. time on 31st January only a few hours before the GW24 deadline. And as we all know, many of the Premier League transfers during the January transfer window mainly occur during the final week of January, and even right up to very last moment.
However, it is not just important for me to look at the players transferring to and from Premier League clubs to see whether I want them or not – but it is also important for me to look how that player, or players, may ‘impact’ their Premier League team once they have arrived or departed…..and therefore, will this ‘impact’ help or hinder my other players I have, want or not want, in my FPL team/squad?
So in having the option of transferring in/out FPL players during this period via my January WC may hopefully prove fruitful for my FPL team in the subsequent February GWs, and beyond.
Good luck with your January WC everyone – use it when it is right for you!
I would just like to say thank you and best wishes to FantasyYIRMA and to all the FPL managers out there – I hope 2014 brings you all many green arrows!
Happy New Year everyone!
Matt (@spiderm4tt)
FPL Champion 2012/13
FantasyYIRMA would like to take this opportunity to highlight Matt’s personal charity Fantasy league. You can read about it here http://www.justgiving.com/Matthew-Martyniak where he is raising money for the incredibly worthy charity, Save the Children
The good folk at the PremierLeague have outlined the basics for us. How you decide to play it is up to you! Good Luck
#FY
Blackburn v Manchester City: FA CUP Confirmed Lineups
Jan 4
ROVERS: Robinson, Henley, Dann, Hanley, Spurr, Williamson, Lowe, Taylor, Cairney, Marshall, Gestede — Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) January 4, 2014 Subs: Eastwood, Kilgallon, King, Campbell, Rhodes, Rochina, Judge — Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) January 4, 2014 TEAM NEWS: Pantilimon, Boyata, Lescott, Nastasic, Clichy, Milner, Fernandinho, Garcia, Silva, Negredo, Dzeko #roversvcity #mcfc — Manchester City (@ManCity) January 4, […]
GW20 Preview: Back Liverpool’s Luis Suarez to bring in the New Year with goals
Dec 30
The chaos of the festive fixture programme is now dying away somewhat, with just the New Year’s Day matches left for Fantasy bosses to get through. Saturday’s resting and rotation of several of the game’s big hitters made it a tough weekend for all, but things should return to normal for the first matchday of […]
GW19 Preview: Alvaro Negredo can shine in Manchester City’s clash with Crystal Palace
Dec 27
He may have had fortune on his side with the winner that saw off Liverpool on Boxing Day, but providing that he’s fully recovered from those exertions then Manchester City’s Alvaro Negredo (£9.7m) might not need luck to impress against Crystal Palace on Saturday. The forward’s winning goal against the determined Reds owed much to […]
Manchester City v Liverpool: Confirmed Lineups
Dec 26
TEAM NEWS: Hart, Zabaleta, Lescott, Kompany (C), Kolarov, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Nasri, Silva, Negredo, Navas #cityvliverpool #mcfc — Manchester City (@ManCity) December 26, 2013 SUBS NEWS: Pantilimon, Clichy, Boyata, Garcia, Milner, Dzeko, Nastasic #cityvliverpool #mcfc — Manchester City (@ManCity) December 26, 2013 Confirmed #LFC team news v @MCFC: Mignolet, Cissokho, Skrtel, Sakho, Johnson, Lucas, Allen, […]
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