#FPL Gameweek 32 Preview Written by @CraigHazell You can also listen to Craig, Tom and Ash on their Fantasy Football Podcast – The Gaffer Tapes DEFENDER: Azpilicueta, Chelsea Amen! The Internationals are over! England went from being definite champions of Europe to inevitable failures within the space of a week and various journalists pencilled a […]
Blog Archives
Chelsea and Man City to give their opponents the Blues this week
Aug 27
#FPL Gameweek 4: Preview Written by @CraigHazell You can also listen to Craig, Tom and Ash on their Fantasy Football Podcast – The Gaffer Tapes DEFENDER: Bacary Sagna, Manchester City We are only in GW4 and already repeating suggestions, but for good reason. Bacary Sagna proved a good recommendation next week and jumped to 4.0% […]
Tottenham v QPR and Hull v Stoke: Confirmed Lineups for Super Sunday
Aug 24
Spurs: Lloris; Dier, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Capoue; Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela; Adebayor Subs: Friedel, Davies, Dembele, Holtby, Lennon, Kane, Soldado QPR: Green, Caulker, Ferdinand, Dunne, Traore, Isla, Mutch, Barton, Fer, Remy, Phillips Subs: Murphy, Simpson, Wright-Phillips, Onuoha, Faurlin, Hoilett, Zamora Fantasy Players to watch based on selection popularity Spurs: Eriksen (12.7%) Loris (8.8%) Dier […]
Check out our Free Fantasy Football Prize League!!! From Arsenal to West Ham
The Fantasy Premier League is BACK!!
Click the FY logo above to Join our Free League
Or enter code 10411-3999 at the Official Fantasy Premier League site
With more than 3000 people already in the league it will be a challenge to rise to the top – but if you do you WILL be rewarded!!
To celebrate the return of #FPL we have relaunched the FantasyYIRMA.com Mini-League with a cash prize on offer for the winner to £100 !!
Manager of the Month will win a free shirt from the guys at CAMPO RETRO and not forgetting BetMcLean who will be dishing out spot prizes in the form of free bets!!
This season we want to be BIGGER & BETTER
Will any of the new Premier League additions make your team?? With Sanchez, Costa, Fabregas, Herrera and a host of other new signings make their way into your squad or will you be looking for a bargain or two??
I think it’s fair to say that if you had told me that the FantasyYIRMA.com site was still running almost two years after it started I would have chuckled immensely… but it has… we have… and as both the twitter account and website has continued to grow, it genuinely is a pleasure to be involved in the wonderful world of Fantasy Football.
The interaction online from #FPL fans across the world has been fantastic!
For those who have asked how we finished this season:
Both myself and FY Writer Mark finished in the top 10k for the season which means that we both finished ahead of 99.7% of all 3,218,887 players in the game. Not bad eh?
I also have just noticed that when the season started for 2013/14 I was clearly too excited about picking my team that I forgot to design a kit!
For those that don’t know – the concept of FantasyYIRMA actually started back in 2006 when a drunken conversation back in Belfast around what to name our 6 person mini-league led to the following comment…
“I don’t give a flying **** what you call it, sure call it after yir ma”
League Cup Lineups: Stoke vs Manchester United and Spurs vs West Ham
Dec 18
Capital One Cup: Quarter-Final Stoke vs Manchester United Venue: Britannia Stadium Date: Wednesday, 18 December #scfc Starting XI vs Man Utd: Sorensen; Cameron, Shawcross (c), Wilson, Pieters; Walters, Palacios, Ireland, Whelan, Assaidi; Crouch — Stoke City FC (@stokecity) December 18, 2013 #scfc Substitutes vs Man Utd: Begovic, Muniesa, Pennant, Jones, Arnautovic, Adam, Wilkinson. Come on […]
Fantasy Premier League: GW27 Review
#FPL GW27 Review
Many thanks as always to @shots_on_target for his weekly wrap up of the Premier League games.
Check out his website at www.shotsontarget.com for some great #FPL insight!
What a performance by Gareth Bale in a very buoyant encounter at Upton Park. There’s not more much to say about Bale so I’ll move right on and mention Andy Carroll and Joe Cole. Nolan’s injury could prove a blow for the Hammers if it’s serious but this may afford Cole a more prominent role. He’s not £0.0m by the way, he’s £5.6m.
These two teams have both been great sources of fantasy players this season, and should continue to be so. With Ba gone, Sissoko and Cisse are providing the goals and Gouffran is one to watch too. Cabaye, on pens and free-kicks, will pick up points although Sissoko’s (rapidly rising) price tag and advanced role behind the striker make him this team’s highlight. In a FPL season dominated by midfielders Ritchie Lambert is this season’s third highest scoring forward, behind only RVP and Suarez. Not bad. Puncheon’s 2nd benching in the last 4 games throws a spanner in the works for a fair few managers; both were away games though so perhaps a tactical move and ,if so, maybe not too worrying ahead of 4 home games in the next 6 for. Maybe.
Berbatov was a dim glimmer of light in this match, Fulham unable to really threaten much against a Stoke side willing to let them try. Riise and Riether took advantage of the space to push up down the flanks and get involved in the attack, the latter getting the assist. Let’s move on.
A tight game without any real top draw attacking play to shout about – perhaps the highlight was Moyes’ fury at the final whistle. Norwich have been a legitimate threat from set-pieces all season which makes Snodgrass a very sound option for your FPL team, with Bassong and Holt the two players who tend to get on the end of things. Everton really didn’t get much going, too often failing to find players in the box. They need a good win against Oldham in the Cup and then Reading to keep up momentum into the run-in.
Top notch performance from Wigan, excelling not only in attack but defensively too, with the return of Boyce from injury and late introduction of season-long absentee Alcarez. Kone scored his 8th goal of the season in which he has missed about a fifth of. I would not be surprised to see him score another 5 or 6 before the end of the season with some nice fixtures over the horizon.
The early withdrawal of Van Persie will be a keen talking point for fantasy managers through this week ahead of a plum home game against Norwich which comes a few days before the Real Madrid game. In RVP’s absence it could well be Nani who fills the gap. Recently urged in the press by Sir Alex to show consistency this might be just the type of “media-message” Nani needs to prove his worth at a top club. QPR hardly troubled United at all but they will be pleased to get Remy back in action.
All hail Lukaku, right? Although Sunderland have earnt a tag as a defensive team over the last few seasons they don’t travel well at all so it’s no surprise that West Brom created plenty of chances, and even less of a surprise that these chances mostly fell and were put away by Lukaku, who just seems to be getting better through the season. Sessegnon had one of his best games yet this campaign and Sunderland’s attacking form has been gradually improving.
If United weren’t so far ahead in the league this dominant performance could have been regarded as City reaffirming their title challenge. Mancini has had a strange strategy this season of starting matches with a block of 5 in a deep midfield line, with the 2 fullbacks lining up with 3 center mids, this week in Milner, Rodwell and Garcia. Only when Tevez emerged did City have enough creative force to break Chelsea down, Silva and Toure showing their class. Check out Talk of the Crowd’s awesome tactical analysis of how the introduction of Tevez changed the game.
A lot was expected of Arsenal ahead of this one after their now almost customary March cup exits. Though they got the win and had a host of chances they left it late. Santi Cazorla has gone slightly under the radar but has now scored 11 goals this season, the same as Walcott although in significantly more minutes. Walcott and Giroud had their fair share of chances too. Villa, unsurprisingly, did not create much although N’Zogbia is ever so slightly blinking on the fantasy radar.
Stoke City: Maintaining the status quo
If you weren’t aware of just who was where in the Premier League table ahead of the midweek matches, it wouldn’t really surprise you to know that Stoke City are 10th.
They’ve pretty much always been there ever since their promotion from the Championship in 2008, bar a 3-1 defeat at Bolton in their first ever Premier League match which saw one attention-seeking bookmaker immediately pay out on the team to be relegated.
In the following years, such a move has been shown to be even more ridiculous than it looked back then.
Under manager Tony Pulis, Stoke have never been in relegation trouble at the end of any of their four completed Premier League seasons – instead focusing on an FA Cup final at the end of one of them and always proving to be one of the least appealing fixtures for any top flight team.
A lot of the attention is of course focused on the direct way that Stoke play, but Pulis, his players and the club’s fans won’t apologise for that. It is overblown anyway, and quite frankly why should they say sorry?
All teams should look to play to their strengths, and whilst the majority see their strengths change over time with the appointments of different managers and the signings of new players, Stoke’s style remains the same. Their strength is their strength.
They’ve been in the top flight for long enough now for people to look to combat it too, but with players such as Robert Huth, Ryan Shawcross, Steven Nzonzi and recently Kenwyne Jones all impressing this season, once again they’ll be nowhere near the drop zone come the end of the campaign. Flying in their face of their reputation, tidy, technical players such as Matthew Etherington and Michael Kightly have done well too.
Pulis has got all of his men to give every ounce of sweat for the club’s cause.
It may be the status quo that Stoke are where they are in the league, but where they are is surely the best position that a club of their size, infrastructure and value can be in. If that doesn’t deserve praise then what does?
It is easy for the neutrals to love Swansea – the opponents who beat Stoke 3-1 in their last Premier League match – and indeed to appreciate the football often played by Wigan – who the Potters face at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday night – but whilst those two have survived in the top division by doing things their own way, Stoke’s similar story has been overlooked somewhat, with the focus instead on just how they’ve gone about their stay in the division.
Maybe they are victims of their own success.
Stoke have never really been in relegation trouble and so as such it is not seen as a great achievement when they do survive in the division, as they will do this season and in all likelihood for seasons to come.
They have become one of the constants of the Premier League, with their name now known continent-wide thanks to a run in the Europa League last season, another curiously under-celebrated feat that perhaps deserved a little more attention. Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle line up in the knockout stages of the tournament next month, and you can bet that more people will be talking about them.
They and you might not like Stoke’s approach to the game but surely it should be respected?
They haven’t become top division mainstays by accident. It has taken a lot of hard work to get them where they are.
And that is right in the middle of the Premier League, where they are likely to stick around for quite a while yet.
Premier League: Mid-Season Review (Part 2)
Guest Post from SuperGrover at www.shotsontarget.co.uk a fantastic site for insight and analysis into the Fantasy Premier League!
FantasyYirma are pleased to feature this Midseason Review PART 2 and will be updating the site throughout the week as part of an ongoing mini-series.
Don’t forget to drop your comments below and thanks again to www.shotsontarget.co.uk
If you would like to submit a guest post for the site, contact Ryan at fantasyyirma@hotmail.com
Midseason Team Analysis – MIDTABLE
SuperGrover is back with the 2nd part of his midseason review and verdict of the Premier League teams, this time the six teams that currently reside midtable. If you missed it earlier in the week do check out his review of the the TOP SIX here. Enjoy!
A fortunate club perhaps, as the underlying statistics and goal differential do not support their point total. In attack, the Baggies are below average across the board statistically, with fewer shots and shots on target than most. Defensively, it’s much the same story. More disconcerting is the recent form which has provided West Brom with just 7 points over 9 fixtures, with the underlying numbers substantiating that record.
Fun Fact: Romelu Lukaku averages a goal about every 112 minutes, just 2 minutes off Robin Van Persie’s pace. The on loan Belgian has scored 7 goals in his last 8 starts.
Prediction: West Brom continue to slide down the league, eventually landing firmly mid-table. Romelu Lukaku remains an enigma, producing splendidly when on the pitch. Fantasy managers everywhere look on in disdain.
Former kings and current reality show darlings, Liverpool have experienced an up-and-down first season under Brendan Rodgers. Statistically, the club looks elite, every bit worthy of challenging for a UCL position. On the pitch this excellence has manifested itself at times. For example, for the majority of the home game against United Liverpool were superb, especially considering Shelvey was sent off very early in the game.
They were better than City at home but succumbed to a Skrtel error. They were the better team in the second halves against Chelsea, against Tottenham and in the return fixture with United but only after going down early in each. Alternatively, the Reds have suffered some ignominious defeats. West Bromwich beat them handily in the second half on opening day. Christian Benteke went crazy at Anfield and Stoke somehow scored three against what had been an elite defense. As I mentioned, it’s been up and down.
Fun Fact: Luis Suarez has been involved (scored or assisted) in 62.5% of goals scored while on the pitch, including assists for Baines’ own goal and the penalty won at Stoke.
Prediction: Liverpool continue to play well and establish themselves as a top 5 club heading into next season. Sturridge helps offensively and the Reds challenge Everton and Arsenal for a fifth up until the final few game weeks.
Miguel Perez Cuesta, a.k.a Michu, the transfer of the season. The lanky Spaniard has almost single-handedly rescued an attack that has been somewhat void of options without him. Defensively, the Swans started strong but seemed to succumb to injury and possibly fatigue, as the late fall saw a significant downturn in defensive performance. That has picked up a bit recently, perhaps due to a more pragmatic approach from Laudrup against equivalent or superior opponents, but Swansea remain a below average club defensively.
Fun Fact: Swansea have scored just twice off set plays, ranked last in the league. Not surprisingly, their single goal from a defender is also tied for last in the league.
Prediction: Michu and a solid midfield make Swansea a somewhat difficult match up, especially on the road. A solid top ten finish ends a great first year under Laudrup.
Bullies. Thugs. Rugby players. The Potters have heard this all before and don’t care, but they do do deserve their reputation as a big, physical group. Their underlying statistics tell the tale of a well formed, solid, damn near impenetrable backline with little offensive interest. That sums up Stoke under Pulis. Whatever the case, it’s good enough to keep them mid table.
Fun Fact: Stoke have blocked 32% of their opponents’ shots, highest in the league. Only one other team has blocked more than 29% (Sunderland). This illustrates how well they maintain order and numbers in their backline.
Prediction: Nothing sexy about Pulis’ style, but the results will continue to be there. A return of Marc Wilson could make Stoke’s defense even better through the remainder of the season.
The most successful of the promoted clubs thus far, the Hammers currently mark the beginning of the bottom of the table. West Ham have performed about as expected based upon their underlying statistics, getting a bit unlucky on shot accuracy but a bit lucky on shot conversion. In the end, you have a below average attack with about an average defense, combining to form a pretty mediocre club that should be good enough to stay well clear of relegation.
Fun Fact: Andy Carroll has scored 1 goal on 25 shots this season. Last season, he scored 4 goals on 88 shots. His 5 goals in 113 shots are 9 goals fewer than Daniel Sturridge has scored in his last 109 shots.
Prediction: The return of Andy Carroll does nothing to improve the Hammers attack. Home games remain winnable, but this is a perfectly cromulent football club.
It looked ugly early for Norwich City early on, but their underlying statistics were never as bad as the table indicated. Paul Lambert’s club have always shown some statistical upside, but finally shored up the defense to allow for the real improvement demonstrated on the pitch. Norwich remain a below average club on both sides of the ball, but are strong enough all round to be significantly better than bottom table teams such as Wigan and Reading.
Fun Fact: The Canaries have scored half of their goals from set plays with Bassong, Snodgrass and Martin all contributing on more than one occasion.
Prediction: The talent is there to maybe challenge for 10th. If not, expect status quo as the nightmares of late Summer are long forgotten.
GW6 NOTHING BUT BONUS POINTS!!
Due to the fact that Carlos Tevez is still in my team, I’m not going to even try and work out how he got two bonus points this week… but he did and this pleases me – as it will please a large percentage of #FPL players!
Anyway.. here are the Bonus points in Full.
@ryano83
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| 30 Sep 16:00 | Aston Villa |  |
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| 01 Oct 20:00TBC | QPR |  |
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An apology, by @Mark_Jones86
I’ve let Yirma down.
I know I wasn’t supposed to do it. I know that Yirma legend and Fantasy football God Tom K told me not to do it. I know that, if I could take Saturday afternoon back, I probably wouldn’t do it again.
But part of me is delighted I’ve done it.
It all started, as so many of the most regretful stories do, with Mohamed Diame.
As I watched the West Ham, Senegal and Werder Beertent midfielder roam aimlessly around Swansea City’s Liberty Stadium early on Saturday afternoon, with his team getting ruthlessly hammered by a Swans team with a terrific case of new manager syndrome, a horrible thought crossed my mind.
It was a thought that all of you will have at some point this season, although only the very brave and very stupid of you will act upon it this early.
It was the sight of Diame trudging off the pitch with his team 3-0 down to be replaced by Alou Diarra which finally made it hit home for me. I couldn’t deny it any longer.
My Fantasy football team was rubbish.
I was sure that I had it right at some point during the endless tinkering of the summer, but the collection of 15 players I was staring at now just made no sense whatsoever.
Diame? Darron Gibson? Fabricio Coloccini? Ramires? Ian Harte? It just didn’t look right.
Evidently the big man upstairs (not my large Polish neighbour Jakub) agreed with me, and sent a monsoon to Sunderland to prevent Harte and his special brand of being-useless-from-anything-but-a-dead-ball football from seeing any action at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon. Football was undoubtedly the winner.
There was, however, one man who I thought could save me from this mess.
One man who, like the warrior he is, would lead my rag-tag bunch of wounded, rotated misfits to success, glory and somewhere in the region of a 40 point Gameweek.
It wasn’t Jakub or the other fella, but it was instead another big man who was sure to rise to the occasion and perform on his long-awaited return to his home turf.
Introducing an icon. The one and only. The captain of Manchester United and, for this week only of Werder Beertent. The great Nemanja Vid… oh, Fulham have scored haven’t they?
Bang goes the clean sheet then, but that’s alright. There’s still time for the big Serbian to get on the scoresheet… Perhaps from a cross or a mix-up with the goalkeeper…
My job involves keeping track of football results, so there was literally no escape from the moment when – in the 64th minute of the match against Fulham at Old Trafford – Nemanja Vidic decided to make up my mind for me by hopelessly flicking the ball into his own goal and putting himself in minus points territory.
Now I’m no Manchester United fan, and as such there will always be a part of me that cracks a smile whenever they concede a goal between now and their Intergalactic Cup Final defeat to the Saturn Superstars in 2072 (Sir Alex having retired three years earlier), but this time it was different. I had to act.
So I did.
Straight away the heart of my team was ripped out, leaving only three survivors – all of whom will coincidentally go on to be useless in this afternoon’s Liverpool v Manchester City match.
Out they came and in went the new faces. New, glorious faces. Faces that would laugh at the mere mention of Mohamed Diame.
And then it was done. And then I clicked it. And then I clicked the confirmation bit asking me if I was sure I knew that I was being completely mental. I was sure.
Activate Wildcard.
So I’m sorry to Yirma. Sorry Tom K. Sorry to you if you don’t agree with me. But I’m happy.
Rest assured I’ll be occupying my comfortably mediocre mid-table position come May, something that was in serious doubt for a few minutes there on Saturday afternoon.
I like my team now.
Of course Marouane Fellaini will keep scoring goals. Of course Swansea will carry on keeping clean sheets. They’ll probably keep them in every match for the rest of the season, I suspect.
I hope you all enjoyed the two-week headstart you got on me then, because I’m ready to start now, and I’m finally fully confident in all of my 15 players.
At least until that second Wildcard in January anyway.
I wonder how much Diame will be then?
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