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Gameweek 6 preview: Hair today, goals tomorrow?

Sep 28

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The trouble with pesky competitions like the Capital One Cup – which still sounds like an employee of the month award – is that they can easily get in the way of your Fantasy Premier League team’s progress.

They can affect the mood of teams in the real thing too, and as such Everton’s week suddenly doesn’t look as rosy as it did when Marouane Fellaini (£7.2m) headed in the third of their three goals in the convincing win at Swansea last Saturday.

The cup loss to Leeds in midweek saw the chances of David Moyes making this the season that he picks up a first trophy at Everton effectively reduced by 50%, and the question now has to be whether or not that’ll affect the Blues’ fine league form which has taken them to third in the table after five games.

All eyes will be on Goodison Park on Saturday then, as Everton seek to bounce back at the first time of asking by welcoming Southampton.

As fixtures go it is a pretty decent one to make your recovery from midweek misery, and if you can see them getting over the Elland Road loss quickly then expect the Blues to be flying come Saturday afternoon. With fixtures against Wigan and QPR to come in the immediate future too, it could be a good time to put your faith in Moyes’s boys to earn you points, with Fellaini the man most likely.

That said, Nikica Jelavic (£8.4m) is also primed to return here after missing the Swansea game and only appearing as a substitute against Leeds, whilst those who can afford Leighton Baines (£7.2m) will be getting a severely underrated defender who has already contributed a goal, two assists and two clean sheets this season. He could well be set to add to that tally at the weekend.

Across Stanley Park at Liverpool, things could just be about to change for the better.

Last weekend’s unfortunate loss to Manchester United brought an end to a tricky run of fixtures for Brendan Rodgers’ side, and although the midweek Capital One Cup win at West Bromwich Albion was achieved with a smattering of youngsters, it might just have restored somewhat of a feelgood factor amongst those at the club.

Norwich await in the Premier League at Carrow Road on Saturday, and with the Canaries having only found the net twice in their five league games this season – plus with winnable home games against Stoke and Reading on the horizon – it might just be the time to put your faith in Rodgers’ rearguard.

Injury and rotation issues mean that the only two defenders certain to start for Liverpool at the weekend are Glen Johnson (£6.4m) and Martin Skrtel (£6.0m), and with the pair offering the potential for assist and goal points respectively then either could be good additions. It is further forward where Liverpool could make their mark this weekend though, with Raheem Sterling (£4.6m) still an astute cheap choice and Luis Suarez (£9.4m) ready to fire back at a ground where he scored a hat-trick last season. Those now debating whether or not to stick with Carlos Tevez (£9.9m) could decide to switch to the Uruguayan.

Tevez and his Manchester City team-mates go to Fulham on Saturday, and with City far from certain to get a result there and clashes between Arsenal and Chelsea and Manchester United and Tottenham proving somewhat unpredictable, it might pay to look elsewhere for some points.

With apologies to Steven Fletcher (£7.2m) his goalscoring run has become impossible to ignore, and whilst climbing on board the Fletcher bandwagon has to come with the warning that Sunderland face City away next, this weekend’s fixture at home to Wigan could be the perfect one to see the Scot continue his scoring run.

@Mark_Jones86

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The Lamb vs. The App: A Fantasy Premier League App review

Sep 25

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The recently launched Fantasy Premier League App created much excitement here at Yirma Towers, and straight away we knew that there was only one man who we could trust to test it out on behalf of you, the humble Fantasy football player.

As the most technologically advanced member of the Yirma team (he was first in the queue for an iPhone 5 before realising he already had one), @pedro_lamb was the perfect guinea pig for the experiment, and armed with £1.49 of his own money he downloaded the app and conducted a thorough review.

Here, after an awful lot of editing, is The Lamb’s report:

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“So, the game that we all love and takes over many hours of our life throughout the season may have just got that bit more addictive, with the App finally made available.

“Now I was expecting this App to be pretty special as the current mobile website works very well. After a first play with the App, my findings will not be pleasing reading to our friends at the Premier League.  

“The first thing I tried was to make a change to my starting 11, and the results aren’t great.

“The first one of the many little annoyances I have with this App is that you can’t just swap out your captain – or vice-captain for that matter – instead you need to swipe across to the next screen then actually change your captain by selecting the player and then pressing the captain button.

“Also, another quirk is that you can only make players in your starting 11 the captain so therefore, for example, if you have a striker on the bench because he was injured for the last game and your current captain is now injured, you need to swap the captain to be a player in your starting XI, then substitute out that player and bring in your striker and, only then you can make him captain. It’s all a bit a faff, really.

“In relation to transfers, the screen is slightly better, however you can’t easily do searches on the other players.

“Instead you have to remove a player from your team and then you can see the other players, so you can’t quickly look at how many points (the great) Tom Huddlestone has got so far if you want to sign him. And you do.

“Even worse, picture the scene – and we have all been here many times thanks to this addiction that the majority of us suffer from the impending doom that is fantasy football and the fact we need to know instantly if we are beating our mates at this stupid game.  It’s a stupid game at the moment because of my shockingly bad performance over the last two weeks, which really is Karma because I panicked and played my wild card, yet again. I played it far too early.  When will I ever learn? –Sorry went off track ever so slightly, where was I?

“Oh yes, that horrid moment when Tevez scores and you can’t remember for the life of you if your mate or head-to-head opponent had him as captain or not, so usually you would log onto the WAP site, find his team and be able to see who he had. Well the App doesn’t allow for this, therefore prolonging the agony. Seriously, why does it not allow you to see other people’s teams?

“So to sum up, after a quick play and being £1.49 worse off I am far from being satisfied. The scorecard is a C minus and that is being generous!

“I think this App is another step backwards by Fantasy Premier League, although I am yet to try it during the live games, so who knows, come Saturday it might be quickly updated with live player scores. However I wouldn’t hold your breath.

“I would keep that £1.49 in your bank account and continue to use the WAP Site if you have a smart phone.

“Lamb Out.”

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The Gameweek 5 review, by @shots_on_target

Sep 24

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After advising that you should take a look at Leighton Baines (11 points this Gameweek), Demba Ba (nine), Dimitar Berbatov, Kevin Nolan (both eight) and Glen Johnson (five) on Friday, Yirma’s favourite stats man @shots_on_target is back, not to gloat, but instead to provide a thorough review of Gameweek 5.

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Swansea 0 – 3 Everton

Although the Swans had their moments in this game, Everton bossed throughout with an incredible 22 shots with 11 on target, a figure more reminiscent of City at home to Wolves last year than a team away at the Liberty. The star fantasy performers from Everton’s point of view were the goal scorers Mirallas, Anichebe, and The Great Fellaini TM, with a combined 23 shots between them, 11 on target.  Good value for their 3 goals, in fact they should have scored more.  Anichebe is a great one week punt for the Toffees next home game against Southampton but you will have to fancy Jelavic’s chance of regaining the striker role on return from injury (1-2 weeks).  Fellaini, Mirallas are established in the side, as are Pienaar and Leighton ‘9 Points’ Baines.  All are strongly expected to pick up point further points and Mirallas would be an excellent differential choice.

Swansea to their credit almost scored – with 18 shots in total but just 4 on target.  Their failure to score is perhaps due to Everton’s well-drilled defence rather than Swansea’s poor attack and I wouldn’t give up on Swansea’s offensive or defensive options given their immediate fixtures – STO (A) RDG (H) WIG (H) – except for Nathan Dyer.

Fantasy Force:  Everton’s Attack and Defence.

Fantasy Flops:  No-one.

West Ham 1 – 1 Sunderland

West Ham peppered Sunderland’s goal here with 24 shots, 4 on target, compared the visitors 5 with just 1 on target.  Sunderland as is their style, scored from their only shot on target.  These stats are actually similar to Sunderland’s goalless draw at the Emirates on the opening day (ARS 23 shots, 3 on target, SUN 5 shots, 2 on target) indicating that Sunderland have the ability to weather a storm quite nicely and West Ham should not feel too disappointed, getting more out of this fixture than Arsenal did.  Steven Fletcher provided more evidence of his finishing ability with 1 goal from only shot on target (3 shots in total).  This kind of form cannot continue however and Sunderland really do not create enough chances for to warrant buying their forwards at the moment.  They have two fixtures in the next 8 that attract attention (Home games against Wigan and Villa) but other than those it’s not so good and I can’t really see Fletcher get more than 2-3 goals over the month or two.  Kevin Nolan’s goal for Wet Ham was just reward for his display, he really is a good prospect and West Ham’s main source of fantasy points.

Fantasy Force:  West Ham’s Attack (Nolan), Sunderland’s Defence.

Fantasy Flops:  Sunderland’s Attack (despite Fletcher)

Southampton 4 – 1 Aston Villa

Villa are in trouble.  They can’t defend and it’s going to take a while for Paul Lambert to get this team playing the way he wants, and by then it could be too late.  Stephen Ireland looks like he’s broken his arm and could be out for a while and has been one of their most creative players so far, albeit not creating that much.  Southampton on the other hand seem to have no problem finding the back of the net with Rickie Lambert the chief threat,  They managed 6 shots on target so 4 goals is slightly flattering scoreline, but if you want a £6.1m forward then you could not do much better and with upcoming fixtures home against Fulham and Tottenham and away at Everton and West Ham you’d be disappointed if he didn’t get 2-3 goals over this period.

Fantasy Force:  Southampton Attack

Fantasy Flops:  Aston Villa – attack and defence.

Wigan 1 – 2 Fulham

A pretty even game this one with both team’s creating plenty of chances, Wigan with 19 shots , 5 on target, and Fulham doing better with 12 shots and 7 on target )on target is best!).  Dimitar Berbatov was again at the sharp end and this results, as well as the 2 goals at Old Trafford, demonstrates Fulham’s new found capacity to score goals away from home.   Wigan failed to turn majority of both possession and scoring chances into anything more than 1 goal which need not be a major worry to fantasy managers given the budget price tags attached to their forward players.  Defensively, this was a good result for Fulham and a bad one for Wigan.  Allowing 7 shots on target from 12 attempts is not indicative a tight defence.

Fantasy Force:  Fulham Attack & Defence

Fantasy Flops:  Wigan’s Defence.

Chelsea 1 – 0 Stoke

Despite the pressure Chelsea heaped on the Stoke defence the Potters held firm and gave a good account of themselves, creating a few chances too with 13 shots, 3 shots on target compared to Chelsea’s 19 shots and 4 on target..  Big players such as Hazard and Torres failed to impress (zero shots on target between them) and with just one promising fixture on the horizon (Nor (H) GW7) it’s perhaps time to re-evaluate their place in your teams.  Stoke are doing well.  Despite a torrid run of fixtures so far they have defended resolutely and have only conceded 2 goals in games vs. City, Arsenal and now the European Champions Chelsea. Their fixtures don’t let up for a little while but take a look in GW9 after their game with Manchester United.

Fantasy Force: Stoke Defence

Fantasy Flops:  Chelsea Attack

West Brom 1 – 0 Reading

A fair result from two teams who are not going to be atop of the scoring charts at the end of the season.  Albion’s 4 shots on target from 11 attempts yielding the game’s only goal.  With Reading managing just the solitary shot on target all game there’s no wonder they didn’t score, and bearing in mind they only hit the target against Tottenham in their last home game the prospects do not look good for Reading’s attacking players like Pogrebnyak and Guthrie.  Lukaku grabbed the game’s only game and the immediate fixture list offers  hope of a few more – AVL (A) QPR (H) – but I would not hold out too much hope on them ripping it up.

Fantasy Force:  No-one
Fantasy Flops:  Reading’s attack.

Liverpool 1 – 2 Man Utd

Many people’s highlight match-up of the weekend, Liverpool managed to dominate the scoring chances in this game despite Shelvey dismissal late in the first half, almost doubling United’s  chances created (14 attempts, 6 on target to 8 attempts, 3 on target).  I think Liverpool can take some optimism from this game and their fixture list should offer hope –  (Nor (A) Sto (H) Rdg (H) – however long-term injuries to Agger and Kelly, a niggle for Borini,  plus Shelvey suspension throw this into doubt somewhat.  United looked poor but, as always,  put away the chances they got  to win the game.  The team is yet to gel though and with Rooney’s return imminent and rotation around Champions Leagues games a concern it’s going to be a risk owning their attacking players this season methinks.

Fantasy Force:  Liverpool’s Defence

Fantasy Flops:  No-one

Man City 1 – 1 Arsenal

Arsenal controlled the game in large spells and their customary possession game melded with a new-found defensive resolution means their defensive players are arguably the best of all fantasy assets right now, particularly with Gibbs and Metesacker coming in at £5.6m and £5.1m respectively.    The omission of Carlos Tevez would have caused heartache to over 1 million FPL managers this weekend and, with City’s available attacking options plus probable rotation for Champion’s League games, owning elite options from the blue half of Manchester could prove a tad frustrating at times.  Santi Cazorla and David Silva were the stand out players from an attacking point of view, and Aguero showed what he’s about too.

Fantasy Force:  Arsenal’s Defence

Fantasy Flops:  No-one

Tottenham 2  – 1 QPR

Tottenham have been very creative in all their matches so far this season, with this one proving no different, with 20 attempts on goal, yielding 8 shots on target and two goals not a bad result at the end of the day.  However, they don’t fill you with confidence.   Does anyone else think AVB does not know what he’s doing?  Does he think he is still playing Championship Manager in his bedroom?   QPR did really well and are staring to play for Hughes now after the opening day calamity against Swansea.  They mustered  4 shots on target from 9 attempts which is not bad going for a team away at one of last season’s Top 4.  Whilst home games against West Ham and Reading in the next 6 offer potential it’s probably too early to get excited about anyone.  As for Spurs, Gareth Bale and Jermaine Defoe (as long as he’s in the team) maintain their promising form.

Fantasy Force:  Tottenham and QPR attack – maybe

Fantasy Flops:  None.

Newcastle 1 – 0 Norwich

Newcastle have been a very “efficient” team under Pardew, not requiring a lot of the ball or many chances to score their goals. That they managed good but not great  6 shots on target  against Norwich from 18 chances created.  There should have been more goals but the best chances, including a penalty, fell to Cisse and he’s clearly struggling at the moment, perhaps feeling a bit poorly!   Demba Ba took his chance well and continues to be a good option up front, as does Ben Arfa,  with game away against Reading the next fixture.  Following this though games at home against United, and a solid West Brom plus an away match at local rivals Sunderland aren’t the best in the short term.  As for Norwich, it’s hard to call as to whether Newcastle just misfired up front or Norwich defended well.  I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and opt for the latter but they aren’t a strong defensive option yet.

Fantasy Force:  No-one

Fantasy Flops:  No-one

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To Infinity and Beyond- or at least GW5-GW9 (By @shots_on_target)

Sep 21

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If you would like to get involved and write your own guest post for @FantasyYirma feel free to contact us via email, twitter or directly on the site

Many thanks to our guest post from @shots_on_target . This week he looks at some selection choices with the next 5 or 6 gameweeks in mind.

Here is my appraisal of transfer target’s that should serve you will for the next several gameweeks and beyond.   The players featured are those that have the right mixture of good form and good fixtures, regardless of price.  Obviously I am trying to aim slightly off the beaten path as there is no need to highlight the likes of Van Persie and Tevez .  These are all picks that aim to strengthen your squad on a mid to long term basis, rather than one week punts or trying to pick up a cheap or temporary option, with a particular focus on the next 6 game weeks.   All should be guaranteed game time, high points potential and value for money.

 

Up Front

 

Demba Ba (Newcastle) £7.7m 18% owned   FIXTURES: NOR (H) RDG (A) MUN (H)  SUN (A)  WBA (H) LIV (A)

Already bagged three this season from 5 shots on target and 15 shots in total.  This kind of production is perfectly reasonable return from a high quality striker, and his overall record in the Premiership is enviable (26 goals in 50 games with Newcastle and West Ham).  Reports that Cisse is suffering from illness eases concerns over his gametime in the near term.  Obviously is a slight risk having been named a sub recently but I think he’s too good not to start.

Dimitar Berbatov (Fulham) £7.1m       7.2% owned   FIXTURES: WIG (A) MCI (H) SOT (A) AVL (H) RDG (A) EVE (H)

Fulham showed Top 4 attacking form last year at home but struggled away.  This year they top the charts for total shots on target with 33, 10 more than next placed Tottenham.  But they top the charts for shots on target away from home too, with 14, 3 more than next best Spurs, so they are able to create chances away from home, and with the audacious Berbatov leading line, he, and they, are going to score goals.  I would even consider Berbs as a captain option for Fulham’s home fixtures.

 Also consider:   Luis Suarez (£9.4m)

 

Middle of the Park

 

Kevin Nolan (West Ham) £6.1m 8.7% owned   FIXTURES:  NOR (A) SUN (H) QPR (A) ARS (H) SOT (H) WIG (A)

Featured in my Midprice Midfielders article last week Nolan’s attacking intent, fixtures and goal-scoring record at this level get him into my best picks for the coming 6 weeks regardless of price, which is very, very generous considering West ham’s impressive start.

Also consider:  Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.7m), James Morrison (£6.0m)

 See also last week’s post on Midfield options here… https://fantasyyirma.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/guest-post-midfield-selection-advice-by-shots_on_target/

At the Back

 

Leighton Baines (Everton) £7.1m 14.6% FIXTURES:  SWA (A) SOT (H) WIG (A) QPR (A) LIV (H) FUL (A)

Not the best immediate run of fixtures but Baines is a season long pick in my opinion with games against Sunderland, Reading and Norwich to come after the next 6.  Baines looks to be on track to recapture his FPL form on the 2010/11 season that saw him return a 178 point season.  Last year he suffered but with Pienaar back in the team and Fellaini moved up front they are creating plenty of space and opportunity for the England man to join in the attack.

 

Glen Johnson (Liverpool) £6.4m  2%   FIXTURES: MAN (H) NOR (A) STO (H) RDG (H) EVE (A) NEW (H)

Liverpool are well off the fantasy radar right now and Glen Johnson has suffered a price drop since the start of the season.  You probably won’t want to pick him up for the forthcoming fixture against United but after that things start to brighten up with plenty of clean sheet potential in games versus Norwich, Stoke and Reading in particular.  Johnson has been involved plenty in Liverpool’s attacking play with an impressive 6 key passes and 7 shots.  Liverpool were dealt a harsh opening schedule but Johnson has shown promise that the forthcoming fixtures could reward some investment.

Guest Blogger Profile: @shots_on_target

Football and stats fan who finds nirvana within the game of fantasy football!!

Visit his blog for  #FPL key stats, rankings, analysis and point forecasts  http://shotsontarget.blogspot.co.uk/

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Guest Post: Midfield Selection Advice (By @shots_on_target)

Sep 14

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Many thanks to our guest post from @shots_on_target . If you would like to get involved and write your own guest post for Fantasy Yirma feel free to contact us via email, twitter or directly on the site

A few days ago I took a look at 5 budget midfielders whose performances in the Premier League had caught my eye, based on their FPL points to date plus their underlying stats that led to those points. ( http://shotsontarget.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/5-budget-midfield-options.html )

The midfield options for an FPL side are one of the most important areas of the team.  Upfront can tend to pick itself at times and many elect to play a 3 man defence so the midfield is all important and a potential conundrum.

This article looks at some midprice options, ones that offer no surprise to anyone reading this I’m sure, but their attention is warranted, both on FPL points scored and underlying stats. In a future post (soon) I am going to look at the 5 midfielders in this price range that have come in under the radar.

What to expect of a midprice midfielder?
I’m putting midprice at £6.0 – 8.0m.  Based on the rationale outlined in the budget midfielder’s post, I’m gonna aim for a target of 150 FPL points, or roughly 4 pts/game.  This will require an offensive points tally of about 60 points, which equates to 10+ goals, or 5 goals and 10 assists.

Looking at last season the kind of players who were getting close or exceeding this tally in the midprice bracket were Ben Arfa, James Morrison, Sessengon, Yaya Toure and Walters – so not too many.

Here’s a look at players this year that are showing some early promise.  There are no surprises but I’ve taken their current form based on underlying stats only and projected expected points scored in their next 6 fixtures.  I’ve also extrapolated this points projection to a price value based on ?1m netting you 20 pts, as explained a little in the budget midfielder’s post.

Any comments, queries or suggestions, do let me know.  Thanks 🙂

Hatem Ben Arfa – Newcastle (£7.7m)
The most expensive player in this list and rightly so from his form end of last season.  I remember reading a piece in the Observer last year that one day he might be “the best player in the world”  (his words).  He’s certainly an option in this price range.  He’s scored two goals this season from only two shots on target but Newcastle have not had the easiest of fixtures so there’s sure to be more to come.  Upcoming fixtures are mixed.

Next 6 fixtures:  EVE (A)  NOR (H)  RDG (A)  MUN (H)  SUN (A)  WBA (H)
Current Form Projected Points =27 pts  4.5pts/game   Projected Value= £8.5m

Damien Duff – Fulham (£6.1m)
Good old Damien Duff.  I don’t know what to make of him really.  Fairly unfashionable fantasy option despite his advanced role in a fairly attacking team.   This season he had a good game against Norwich at home on the opening day, as may be expected, with 2 key passes, 2 shots and 1 on target (1 goal) but followed that up in two tricky away games against Utd and West Ham with a further key pass, 3 shots, 2 on target, including a goal at Old Trafford.  To be honest I would not own him although Fulham’s upcoming fixtures offer hope.  Too unfashionable 😉
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Next 6 fixtures:  WBA (H) WIG (A) MCI (H)  STO (A) RDG (A)
Current Form Projected Points = 26pts, 4.3 pt/game.  Projected Value = £8m

Marouane Fellaini – Everton (£6.9m)
Asa lifelong Evertonian I love this guy.  Who remembers his Zidane like pirouette against City a couple of years ago?  Moyes has been playing him up front in support of Jelavic since Tim Cahill’s form declined last year.  He’s scored 2 goals so far and been more involved in the attacking play than any other Everton player.  He’s shown he can score goals in the past too.  Midway through his first season Moye’s shoe-horned him up front due an all too frequent striker crisis… He bagged 8 goals in 20 something games.  This is having played as a defensive midfielder his whole life.  Quality.  No real tricky fixtures in the next 6 either, and that includes Liverpool  🙂

Next 6 fixtures:  NEW (H)  SWA (A)  SOT (H) WIG (A) QPR (A) LIV (H)
Current Form Projected Points = 31pts,  5.2 pt/game.  Projected Value = £9.8m

Kevin Nolan – West Ham (£6.1m)
The only really thing you need to say about Kevin Nolan is … the guy scores goals.  Senior career stats are bobbing about the 1 goals in 4 games mark and under Allardyce and playing off Carroll he should thrive, as he’s shown already with two goals.  He is well priced and still a differential.  If he was in my team I would be delighted.    Can he get 10 goals this season?  I doubt it, maybe 6-8 and a few assists, but with some tasty looking fixtures on the horizon he is my value for money pick in this price range.

Next 6 fixtures: NOR (A)  SUN (H)  QPR (A)  ARS (H)  SOT (H)  WIG (A)
Current Form Projected Points = 29pts,  4.8 pt/game.  Projected Value = £9.1m

Michu – Swansea (£7.3m)
Michu, Michu, Michu.  I am pleased to Michu.  Michu were here. I  Michu already.  A fantasy darling in the making,  scoring 15 goals in La Liga last year and 4 already in the Prem. this season.  He’s scored with every shot he’s had on target and no one expects him to keep up this goal return but he is still at the sharp end in a very good attacking team.  Clearly a bargain at ?6.5m he still offers value after a ?0.8m price rise, however, the fixtures are starting to stiffen up.  Don’t hold on too long if the Swansea’s bubble starts to burst, he’s not superman,

Next 6 fixtures:AVL (A)  EVE (H)  STO (A)  RDG (H)  WIG (H) MCI (A)
Current Form Projected Points = 25pts,  4.2 pt/game.  Projected Value = ?7.9m

Conclusion
Of these 5 I own Michu and have owned him since GW1, and am obviously chuffed with his FPL points so far.  Delighted!  But I am itching to cash in.  I don’t think he can keep this form up, although he’ll probably achive the same ballpark points tally as the others on this list.  But you have to take a look Fellaini and Nolan as money saving alternatives.  Give me a free transfer and I’d swap my Michu for Fellaini.

Guest Blogger Profile: @shots_on_target

Football and stats fan who finds nirvana within the game of fantasy football!!

Visit his blog for  #FPL key stats, rankings, analysis and point forecasts  http://shotsontarget.blogspot.co.uk/

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Guest Post: Current Yirma Champion reflects on season so far.

Sep 13

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Thanks to current Yirma champion Tom for providing his insight into the season so far. Tom finished in the top 250 last season (Out of over 2.7m players) We are already contemplating copying his team 😉

 

 

 

First of all, an apology for my reply to a question raised in my previous post. I believe I advised the unfortunate user to watch out for Cazorla and Giroud of Arsenal, only for me to go and start with Podolski on opening day.

It’s an interesting time as after only 3 weeks we’ll see a massive differentiation of wildcard use. Some will have played it, some will be playing it right now in this two week window, whilst others attempt to hold their nerve and save it for a rainy (or, as the case may be, snowed off) day. There is no correct strategy here but whichever direction you go in, ensure you have a mixture of the players in form mixed with those who may be creeping under the radar with excellent fixtures coming up.

I’d imagine the likes of Michu, Hazard and Tevez will have found their way into just about every team by now so I won’t mention them. Any player who has scored a goal thus far will have been brought into the limelight so the likes of Nolan, Fellaini, Piennar, Fletcher, etc) will also be making their way into squads, but what about those who haven’t fired yet?

An obvious example of an underperforming team is Tottenham. I haven’t given up on them yet and with Adebayor surely pushing for a start this weekend, things will improve. Dempsey may or may not prove to be a hindrance but I believe there are goals here if you are brave enough to pick a Spurs attacking player.

As a Villa fan I tend to stay away from what inevitably turns to disappointment, but signs of life have surfaced and the team outclassed Newcastle last time out and were held to a draw only by a rocket from Ben Arfa. I’m not sure I’d advocate shelling out on Bent or Bentake up top just yet, but there are certainly goals to be had with a fantastic upcoming schedule.

On similar lines, Dimitar Berbatov poses some interesting questions. It’s another wait and see but if he can get regular games and dictate play surely he’s in line for a great season. Cisse and Ba didn’t become terrible players overnight and should pick up last season’s goalscoring exploits very soon, whilst Danny Graham must be given a little faith despite being completely overshadowed by his midfield so far.

And what about Robin Van Persie? A player plucked from obscurity and thrust into the Premier League spotlight. Well, not quite. I don’t believe in ‘must have’ players in this game, especially at his extreme price when we don’t know how he fits into plans when Rooney comes back and Champions League rotation kicks in. Saying all that, I have him slotted neatly in my team and it would be hard to recommend against him for anyone with a wildcard this week. For those without, I wouldn’t break the rest of my team just to have him no matter what he does against Wigan this weekend. After that fixtures stiffen up and rotation is right around the corner.

I’ve avoided the wildcard this week despite some obvious flaws in my squad. The first bullet point in my last post argued that you should pick players who will play. So naturally I stuck De Gea in goal. Ryan Bennett was an unfortunate pick as he was replaced by newly signed Bassong at Norwich after the GW1 window shut, whilst my GW3 signing Ashley Williams has now been left at the heart of a completely shattered defensive unit. Apart from that I was extremely fortunate to start with Tevez, Hazard and Michu which meant that I wasn’t chasing bandwagons and had the pleasure of seeing other teams panicking to transfer them in. For those yet to wildcard, I salute you, and I hope we will be able to keep up and make our move later in the season? This is where the men are sorted from the boys.

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Gameweek 4 preview: Tevez to rule Britannia

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Just under half of you reading this can skip the next few paragraphs.

It’s not the traditional approach to the start of a piece that I’m usually hoping that you’ll read all the way through, I’ll give you that, but there isn’t much point in telling a lot of you what you already know.

Carlos Tevez (now £9.8m after a rapid price rise since the start of the season) can currently be seen in 48.9% of Fantasy Premier League teams, a staggering amount and testament to both the Argentinean’s low price at the start of the game and the form which has seen him score a goal in each of Manchester City’s three matches so far whilst racking up three assists too.

These may be famous last words, but Tevez looks focused, fully fit and prepared to stay away from South American golf courses.

His ‘lost’ campaign of last season is now forgotten about, and he now – admittedly aided by the injury to Sergio Aguero – has re-established himself as the focal point of City’s attack at the beginning of his side’s defence of their Premier League crown. He simply cannot be ignored by Fantasy bosses.

He can, however, be overlooked by his national manager Alejandro Sabella, who left Tevez out of his Argentina squad for the World Cup qualifiers at home to Paraguay and in Peru in the past week. Such words should be music to your ears.

Tevez will be fresh for Manchester City’s trip to Stoke on Saturday afternoon, a match that always carries its own levels of difficulty but one that Roberto Mancini’s side should emerge victorious from.

If they take the points from the Britannia, then expect Tevez to be picking up more than a few points of his own.

Elsewhere – 48.9% of you can come back now – it looks to be a big scoring Gameweek for players from Arsenal and Manchester United given their respective fixtures.

Unlike United, Arsenal have been solid at the back in their opening three games and there looks to be nothing to suggest that that solidity will stop when they entertain Southampton at the Emirates. However, before considering bringing in the likes of Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m) and even cheap option Carl Jenkinson (£4.8m), Fantasy bosses should bear in mind that the Gunners’ next two fixtures after they play the Saints see them head for Manchester City before hosting Chelsea.

Perhaps it will pay to be more forward-thinking then, with the addition of Santi Cazorla (£9.1m) sure to increase the creativity within your team, and Lukas Podolski (£8.4m and still cheaper than Olivier Giroud) no doubt ready to impress after scoring his first goal for the club at Anfield last time out.

At Old Trafford the usual suspects will be eyeing goals with the visit of Wigan Athletic, but with selling the family silver now required if you want to afford Robin van Persie (£13.4m), perhaps a gamble on Danny Welbeck (£8.4m) could prove fruitful. Midfield options are also plentiful, and with Shinji Kagawa (£8.6m) reportedly suffering a knock on international duty with Japan, Tom Cleverley (£6.0m) could be thrust into the more forward role we saw him occupy for England over the past week.

It is a man who left United behind who could prove the most astute addition for this Gameweek though, with Dimitar Berbatov (£6.9m) looking terrific value ahead of what is sure to be his first Fulham start against West Brom at Craven Cottage.

The forward – whose retirement from international duty leaves him fresh for the weekend – will only see his value rise, and so it might pay to get in early.

Just as it did with Tevez a month ago.

@Mark_Jones86

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International breakdowns; a Fantasy manager’s nightmare

Sep 4

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Reykjavik on a Friday night.

It’s not the most obvious of places to cast an eye over, but there will be more than a few of you keeping up with events in the Icelandic capital at the end of your working week.

At the time of writing, Fulham’s Brede Hangeland features in 13.9% of Fantasy Premier League teams, with John Arne Riise – his fellow defender for both Fulham and Norway – popping up in 8.3% of them.

Given that the amount of Fantasy bosses has now exceeded 2.3million, then that makes for a fair chunk of you who’ll be anxious to hear of the fate of Hangeland and Riise on international duty in Reykjavik, where an injury could wreck your week.

Norway play Slovenia at home next Tuesday too. A pull here or a strain there and suddenly the duo are out of their club sides, and more importantly they throw your plans into disarray as well.

International breaks have long been the scourge of club managers, but what about the problems they cause Fantasy ones?

Without the power of Sir Alex Ferguson you can’t tell the Holland boss Louis van Gaal to leave Robin van Persie out of the World Cup qualifier in Budapest next Tuesday because you’re thinking of making him your captain when Manchester United face Wigan at Old Trafford the following Saturday and you want him to be fresh.

Similarly, Eden Hazard might not have far to travel for Friday’s qualifier in Cardiff, but the Belgian has got another game at home to Croatia on the Tuesday and you want that little assist-making machine in top condition for Chelsea’s highly-charged trip to QPR.

And what’s that Roy? Ashley Cole has got an ankle problem that’s keeping him out of the Moldova game? Good. Now send him back to Chelsea, get them to find all the cotton wool they can get their hands on and don’t you dare think about picking him when England play Ukraine.

Fantasy bosses have to be selfish when watching their players in club action in cup competitions too of course – although you might have a team in one of those leagues on the side – yet somehow it is easier to take when a blow affects one of your boys when in their club colours as opposed to their national shirt. Club 1 Country 0.

For the clubs who lose those players for a week to 10 days, it almost becomes a case of the bigger they are the harder they fall.

Manchester United have published a list of 24 of their players who are on international duty over the next week or so on their website, as have Liverpool for their 19 – which is probably the size of their entire squad as a whole after recent dealings – whilst Chelsea have six in the England squad alone.

It’ll be next Wednesday at the earliest before their managers see all of them again, as air miles are clocked up and tired limbs are transported across all four corners of the globe.

Will they be back in top shape? Has the jet lag affected them? Is it possible for Luis Suarez to get from Montevideo to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light in less than four days? Do they do direct flights?

All are questions that many will consider in the days to come, as eyes dart furiously from Argentina to Amsterdam and virtually everywhere in between.

Is it Reykjavik or bust for your Fantasy team?

It could be both.

@Mark_Jones86

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There’s a draft coming from that bloody window!!!

Aug 31

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Closing time: The frantic ending to the transfer window

The music has stopped, the bouncers are putting chairs on the tables and there are football managers staggering around and looking for whatever they can get their hands on.

Alright, maybe that is a bit extreme, but the last few hours of the transfer window can often have the feel of a local nightclub with a questionable reputation. Virtually everyone is available if you’ve got the right moves, but you might pick up somebody you’ll regret in the morning.

Ever since the introduction of summer and winter transfer windows, it is the closure of both rather than the opening which always makes big news.

Sky television have turned the bi-annual event into a frantic soap opera all of their own, as men and women in a TV studio shout to reporters stationed in car parks full of expectant youngsters, all of whom are waiting to hear the news that a tireless midfielder from Feyenoord has passed his medical and completed his season-long loan. Cue the cheers.

The quality of these pantomimes have been on a steady decline since 1st September 2008, the day that the city of Manchester welcomed Robinho and Dimitar Berbatov to their two Premier League football clubs amidst the kind of against-the-clock drama that Jack Bauer usually monopolises.

The fact that now, two-and-a-half years after Robinho last kicked a ball for Manchester City, his unwitting co-star Berbatov surely stands on the verge of leaving Manchester United wouldn’t even have been considered back then. Both players, at £30m plus the rest, were going to be superstars for their new clubs, regardless of what anybody thought.

Berbatov’s performances at United can be debated over until all involved are blue in the face, but it would take a really convincing argument to state that he was worth the money that United shelled out on him back then, whilst it might take a hypnotist to convince you that Liverpool were right to spend a similar amount two-and-a-half years later on Andy Carroll, another who could be on the move again this week.

Yet at the time it was all about the thrill of spending. The clubs were operating against the clock and wanted to make their move, Liverpool in particular following their windfall from the Fernando Torres sale to Chelsea.

Were they not operating against the clock the club would not have shelled out the cash that they did on Carroll. The player was a confirmed target, but the Reds were happy to wait until the summer for him to get in their taxi. The offer they got for Torres sped up a manic process.

And that is what the final few hours of the transfer window are. Manic.

Clubs blinded by the thrill of the chase and the money involved make huge moves, and they are often false ones. QPR stayed up by the narrowest of margins last season after spending big in each window, almost creating new teams as they did so and removing the character and team spirit which had got them to the Premier League in the first place.

Staging the end of the window after the first matches of the league season doesn’t exactly help matters either, and can lead to players refusing to play for their clubs in a bid to force through moves as seen in the cases of Luka Modric and Clint Dempsey.

One of those got his transfer, and the other one will eventually. Players know that if they flirt with moves for long enough they’ll get what and who they want.

Maybe ultimately that’s what everyone desires.

The player gets his move, the manager gets to experience the thrill of the chase, the fans get to watch the drama unfold. In the background, the agent counts his money.

All of them were in the dodgy nightclub in the first place, so they must have known that it would end like this.

No-one goes home early and alone on deadline day, after all.

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NIFFTY League GW3

Aug 31

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The NIFFTY (Northern Ireland Fantasy Football Through Yirma) League is off and running.

Here are the Head to Head games for GW3…

Fantasy Yirma’s Chief Football Writer @mark_jones86 takes on our man across the pond @advertisingweek in an interesting match up…Mark has played his wildcard already- will it pay off??

Citybeat presenter Stephen Clements @citybeatstephen plays Accrington Stanley’s James Gray  @james_tippy10

in a tightly contested match up. Meanwhile, BBC Ulster’s Alan Simpson @alansimpsonbbc plays Larne export Neil Gardiner @larneboy73 in a match sure to be high scoring in terms of points….

Keep up to speed with the NIFFTY league and see how our GAWA boys get on- @keithgillespie7 @michaeloconnor8, @grantmccann11 and the Feeno aka Warren Feeney are all having a go at Yirma this year.. which one of them will finish higher???

Yanchester UNited v Norfolk & Hope Again
Boo Boys v Jamrock Rovers
Werder Beertent? v FC Bull Mtn.
CanIgetawhoopwhoop! v Kagawa Allstars
hotspurs v Phil Dowd’s Shroud
Sandy row yup yup 11 v Team Webb
Bliff City v Carlsberg 11
TIPPY v SRC1712
Summer’s Shooters v PortMagic
Not A Chance v Lamb County
Philacio’s Delight v Cricklewood NW2
Shin Pad Feeno v AP’s Bitter Revenge
#FPL Tips & Advice v Luca’s Legends
O’Lynn rigs this FC v Fall road hallions
Haven’t Got a Kalou v Leave my arse alona
@ourweecountry v TheNo1Gaz
@liambo9 v Ninja Kagawa
Nico’s Newbies v Supreme Dream
Wilkos newco v The MLN’s

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