Fantasy Premier League

Monday Morning Manager

Mon Mar 24 03:50PM by Jeremy

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his goal against Liverpool during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England March 23, 2008.

Greetings from 72 and sunny San Diego.  And yes, I'm trying to accentuate the positive after another disappointing weekend of fantasy football.  But let's unpack it a little and see if there are any lessons going forward.

First of all, I'm considering a new addition to the rules -- No Friday trades without specific information.  If someone is hurt or suspended, or just a doubt, fine.  Go ahead and trade them.  But if you've spent all week (or even just the prior weekend on the barn door) and you haven't come up with this name before Friday... don't do it.

Case in point, I was sitting on Tuncay all week.  But Friday rolls around and I start to think how nice McBride might do against Newcastle.  I have the money... why not?   Well, there were another 12pts down the drain.

Another trade I considered on Friday was gutting Torres for McFadden.  Liv with a terrible run of games... Torres can't keep up his streak... Faddie averaging between 10 and 15pts per game when he plays.  But no, I think.  Torres can overcome the matchup and put up points, I'm sure.  Then Saturday McFadden doesn't play because he's had knee surgery and is out for three weeks!  The lesson... no Friday trades.

Of course we know the Torres story doesn't end there. He DOESN'T overcome the matchup and loses a point for the week.  So in the end, irony of ironies, I would have been better off trading for McFadden.  That's the story of my season in one transaction.

In other "Super Sunday" news, CRon stepped up in a big game (as did ManU overall) and he scored yet another goal.  He's phenomanal, and I don't know what I was smoking when I decided to sell him to make up ground on Neal and others.  It's cost me at least 80 points in two weeks.  I sure am looking forward to next season when Chelsea have new players, ManCiteh have new players, etc., so I can afford to buy him back.   Until then, whom do I pick?

Well, the answer, as always, is to pick whom Neal picks.  Did you grab RSC after Neal recommended him in TWA?  Neal did and was rewarded with 30pts.  I wasn't sure about that pick as Wigan hasn't let in a goal in a while.  But I guess they have been the home team more often than not over the last few games, and that seems to be a big difference maker this season.  Perhaps they've also done enough to be safe and have just turned it off now.  

Those are two considerations we'll be looking at over the rest of the season... who is still fighting for something, and who is playing at home.  Over the weekend, the fighters included Sunderland topping Villa at Villa Park and leaving those of us with Barry or BFAY high, dry, and pointless.  Chelsea earned the fighter badge with a big win over Arsenal.  (aside... has Arsenal achieved anything with RvP playing a big part in it?  Sure he's talented, but does he ever step up and contribute in a meaningful way?  I'm thinking about his miss at Sheffield United last year and games like that where the Arsenal can't put a team away.)

Everton, Villa, and Man Citeh should be fighting for European place(s) but all of them - be it squad size or the emotions and exertions of the season catching up to them - are falling apart at the moment.  As much as I don't like to back anyone in derby matches, I may be willing to give Torres one more chance this weekend at Anfield, where he always scores.

Fulham should be fighting like mad for their survival, but only NUFC showed up on Saturday.  Home vs. away being the bigger factor?  Fulham travel to Derby this weekend in a match they NEED to win, but I'm hesitant to back them.  Sure, you need Jummy on your team this week.  But who else?  Keller?  McBride?   You just knew that Boro/Derby would end 1-0 and it did with Boro just edging it at home.  But at Pride Park where they just held ManU to a goal, it wouldn't be that big of a shock to see them beating Fulham to nil this weekend.

Until then,

The Manager 

(9 user comments)

Comment on this article

Please sign in to add your comments.

  • 1 - 9 of 9

User comments

  • (1)

    Bullard is about all I would consider from Fulham this week - he was very active against NUFC, but after that, no other Cottagers impressed. And they haven't won an away match in, what, 18 months or so???

    Posted by: sparta_prague2001 on Mon Mar 24 08:37PM | Report abuse
  • (2)

    I pulled off a decent 100+ points week even with a 0 giving Pienaar and Mok. Home and Away are huge factors for me right now; even Derby have become fighters at home. Keeping that in mind Arsenal visit Bolton next week; but even if I fancied the gunners to beat that woeful team who would I pick in the Arsenal squad? The Gas has taken his foot off. Adebayour no longer scOOres. With out Rosicky there's no one like a Jummy or Bentley who you know even if the rest of the team has a poor game they'll pick up 10+ points. Bare Knuckle Fighting Chelsea on the other hand are at /home/ to Boro. Everyone is going to pick up Lampard or at the very least Joe Cole, so I am too just to keep pace [the stats guy in my group tells me there's a huge chance of a 2-0 or a 3-0 to Chelsea]. Everyone who stuck with Torres for the Man U game stuck with him because they had him at a discount. If you don't have him at +10 SELL and buy Drogba! The people who held on to Torres will still stick by him [don't even look at Anelka] so point's to be gained there. Cron...sorry United... is at home to a despondent Villa I'm not saying buy Cron [at that price!] but when Villa get beat to hell by them I'm looking to pick up BFAY on the cheap as Villa's last few games are a toboggan ride [stay away from Aghbonlapoor!] again points to be had by getting on to a 15ish phantom point machine BFAY early. This week with Fulham @Derby I'm sticking with Bullard and maybe MAYBE picking up Mcbride as a cheap [7ish] striker to finance a Fat Frank and Drogba buy. Personally speaking Jeremy I wouldn't be too negative about your lack of Cron; the top two teams in this game both pulled in equivalent numbers without the man so the strategy is sound!

    Posted by: fansarigt on Mon Mar 24 09:16PM | Report abuse
  • (3)

    3 weeks ago I was 10 points behind the guy on top of my private league, so decided to sell Ronaldo (as Man U had no match) whilst my rival kept him. Since then I've used the extra units to strengthen elsewhere & have a better balance - at the present time I lead by 21 points, so it has paid off up to now. I won't be able to buy Ronaldo back, so whether the move will still have have paid off at the end of the season we shall have to see, but I've found I'm having more fun with the game having more money to spend on different players. I also see none of the current top 4 on the overall leaderboard have kept CRon.

    Posted by: nikargiropoulos on Mon Mar 24 10:52PM | Report abuse
  • (4)

    Jones/Derby... scored vs. Chelsea... cheap middie this week... if you have the guts!! (1) Spot-on.

    Posted by: donegal08 on Mon Mar 24 11:07PM | Report abuse
  • (5)

    (4) I have the guts. And I just got him. The SOT and goal Jones got against Chelsea was his first SOT this season. I might be the only one in my group to have a Derby player, maybe two. Earnshaw is also not such a BAD choice (I can't believe I just said that). I can't let Shane Long go as I have CRon, Lamps and Rooney. Hope CRon does make the Villa game so I don't have to stare at the screen for hours contemplating to click SELL. Picked up Rooney on the BD, thinking his price will increase after getting 2 assists, which he didn't. Well, I'm gonna wait for the news on CRon.

    Posted by: zzzeclipse on Tue Mar 25 06:09AM | Report abuse
  • (6)

    (2) Arsenal do have a Bentley in their squad, Fabregas? He's been getting all the assists for everyone. His crosses for Toure and Sagna in the Boro and Chelsea matches. Adebayor totally lost his touch after his haircut. Might not regain his form again this season. Drogba will most probably start against Boro keeping the Elk in the subs AGAIN? I have both Lamps and JCole. Should I keep both?

    Posted by: zzzeclipse on Tue Mar 25 06:23AM | Report abuse
  • (7)

    Who should I drop JCole for? Muntari, Lennon or Krancjar (off form but playing Wigan). I don't think I can drop him for anyone. Any suggestions?

    Posted by: zzzeclipse on Tue Mar 25 08:11AM | Report abuse
  • (8)

    re:[First of all, I'm considering a new addition to the rules -- No Friday trades without specific information] === jeremy, I sold RSC-boateng-pogatetz-wheather to bought agbonlahor-gardner-yobo-huth. RSC 30pts (2G), boateng made 1A 1 SOT, pogatetz-wheater got CS. agbonlahor 4pts, gardner 2pts, yobo and huth not even in the bench... So I lost 40-50pts because of that. I have 7 boro players from barn door (exc CR7, RSC, shane LONG, and HUTTON), I thought just 1 goal from DERBY would broke my points, I swapped some of them. it's a sin if there are no VILLA players when home to SUN. RSC to GABBY, BOATENG to GARDNER, WHEATER-POGATETZ to HUTH-YOBO. and the miracle hapenned, I lost my 40-50 pts....

    Posted by: atrofu on Tue Mar 25 08:15AM | Report abuse
  • (9)

    # 6 you have a very good strategy there by having drogba, lampard and joecole.. i assume that chelsea will be on fire after they have beaten arsenal and also to try to reach manchester united.. so at least 2 of the 3 players will get you alot of points in each week, so try to stick with them.. if you found chelsea not playing well and ending matches with 1-0 then you should get rid of one of them, but not drogba if you have him with discount.. joecole played very well in the recent weeks, but n the arsenal game, so wait on him a bit because he might shine again.. if not and became a regula substitute get rid f him, but i think you have him at a discount so you wont find another one at +7 # 7 same said

    Posted by: fear_zone_911 on Tue Mar 25 02:34PM | Report abuse
  • 1 - 9 of 9