Fantasy Premier League

Injuries and Suspensions

Fri Apr 25 02:56PM by Neal Thurman

frank lampard

Hard to say what I'd do if I were put in Frank Lampard's position.  Certainly, the loss of a parent is a tragic thing and we all send our best wishes along to Lamps and his family as they mourn their loss.  That said, it isn't like his family is located on another continent and he has to travel a great distance to be present for whatever formal and informal family activities are planned to commemorate her life.  If the thought is that he'd be too distracted by the loss to contribute to Chelsea's effort, then maybe I understand the omission but given his salary and his apparent desire to be seen as a leader of the team, I'd think he would find a way to be available for a few hours on Saturday for his teammates and the supporters who have allowed him to live a life most would envy.  Am I entirely off-base?  If two hours were going to determine the success or failure of an entire year of hard work you put into something, wouldn't you find a way to be there?  Even more so if you could afford a helicopter or something to get you back wherever else you needed to be for the rest of the day?

Add to the news that Lamps will be missing the fact that Vidic has apparently recovered and you have to think the tide is turning in favor of ManYoo before the match even starts.

In other news, most of Citeh's defenders are crocked but it looks like cheap-o defender Sun Jihai will return after being out last weekend.  If you need the money, not a bad bet for a decent day against a Fulham team who have little left to play for.

Jermaine Pennant and a bunch of guys I've never heard of (David Martin, Charles Itandje, Damien Plessis and Emiliano Insua) are likely to feature for Liverpool.  If any of you out there know anything about any of these guys, please feel free to educate the rest of us. 

Larsson and Kapo look like they'll be healthy - Kapo is probably only 50/50 to feature.

Looks like Arteta and Osman are likely to feature again - could Arteta revitalize an Everton attack that has been stale without him?

Still waiting on the news from Arsenal but otherwise, there isn't too much else to report.

Good luck and enjoy the big match tomorrow.

Team News

  1. Jones facing Rams fitness test
  2. Litmanen misses out at Eastlands
  3. Fantasy: Choose 'em or Lose 'em?
  4. Team news: Title showdown
  5. United hope Vidic can face Blues
  6. Lampard absent for United showdow
  7. Bardsley out for season
  8. Ashton expected to take on Toon
  9. Toffees hopeful on Osman return
  10. Reds miss Aurelio at Birmingham
  11. Cats lose Bardsley against Boro
  12. Robinson ready to tackle Trotters
  13. Pompey's Kanu could face Rovers
  14. Kebe worry for Royals at Wigan
  15. Latics aces fit to face Royals
  16. Schwarzer back as Boro face Cats
  17. City depleted for visit of Fulham
  18. Larsson back as Blues host Reds
  19. O'Brien back for Bolton at Spurs
  20. Gunners without Hleb at Derby
  21. Buoyant Benitez To Rotate Again
  22. Whitehead return lifts Black Cats
(35 user comments)

Comment on this article

Please sign in to add your comments.

User comments

  • (1)

    I get this feeling Gunners will rest either RVP or Csec. Or both. Denilson should play, and, with Walcott, could be a nice one-two punch... I have RVP and Csec now... gunning for the #1 place in my league (not far off) so I have to take the gamble. Isn't this fun?! ;)

    Posted by: donegal08 on Fri Apr 25 03:10PM | Report abuse
  • (2)

    Neal - you're entirely off base re your Lamps comments. I'm neither friend nor foe of Frank, but losing a parent isn't something you just compartmentalise for a couple of hours to go play a game. Even if his mum "would have wanted him to play" or some such, I'd guess the Blues are better served by him staying away. And as a teammate, having to be constantly aware of how to "handle" his emotional state would be enormously distracting.

    Posted by: spezial_a on Fri Apr 25 03:14PM | Report abuse
  • (3)

    Probably best if everyone avoids the Lampard issue... None of our business. The team will most likely rally around his situation, if they like the lad, which they probably do. Should be an incentive, even though I am rooting for ManU.

    Posted by: donegal08 on Fri Apr 25 03:27PM | Report abuse
  • (4)

    Welcome back, Sun Jihai!

    Posted by: donegal08 on Fri Apr 25 03:28PM | Report abuse
  • (5)

    ditto (2)...u never lost a parent so u dont kno what its like...a year of work for chelsea is nothing compared to a life time of work by your mom...

    Posted by: jigga_drs on Fri Apr 25 03:46PM | Report abuse
  • (6)

    neal, i agree that we shouldn't talk about lamps situation even though i understand what your point is. it is a sensitive issue, so i think it would be best for us not to discuss it further and just leave it as it is.anyway. i'm a gooner, don't know much a bout those l'pool reserves, but as far as i know, Itandje is the second choice goalkeeper. He was quite good against Chelsea (i think it was in the carling cup) but still lost. that's all i know :)

    Posted by: kacakbergaya on Fri Apr 25 04:04PM | Report abuse
  • (7)

    To borrow from the other football, Lampard could go out and have a Brett Favre like game, who after losing his father played a monday night football game for the ages tearing up his opponent for an impressive statistical night. granted it wasn't the team with the best record. surely, he will choose whatever he feels is right and we should just accept it. people handle things differently so we can't expect them to act how we would act. Lamps will likely know what he is and is not capable of on saturday.

    Posted by: jyah13 on Fri Apr 25 04:06PM | Report abuse
  • (8)

    "Fulham striker Jari Litmanen has sustained an ear injury..." An ear injury? Worst signing ever? Certainly the most pointless.

    Posted by: jspitzberg on Fri Apr 25 04:08PM | Report abuse
  • (9)

    Neal, I know that you mean well but Lampard's situation should not be in the same thread as looking for cheap city defenders or liverpool midfielders, should it??. Show a little more sensitivity and scrap this thread.

    Posted by: betty_swol_locks on Fri Apr 25 04:25PM | Report abuse
  • (10)

    When I first started reading Neal's post, I was thinking that this was a bad idea. But after I read it, I slightly agree with him. I do think he was harsh with the whole "and the supporters who have allowed him to live a life most would envy" comment. The supporters don't have much to do with it. He is under contract to Chelsea. It is a job. If his employer allows him to take off time from work, then that is their right. Each of us have different ways of dealing with grief, so you can't tell Lampard what to do. But I am surprised that he is not playing. Not because he should, but many athletes feel most comfortable on their field of play. It's a place where their mind is focused on their task. Some athletes enjoy getting back to work as a way to relieve the stress of grieving. What happens a lot in this situation is the athlete's family encourages the athlete to continue on with life and do their job. It's not disrespecting his mother's memory for him to play. In fact, it honors the work she did in raising him to become an elite professional athlete. Also, let's not scold Neal for being honest about what a lot of us might have been thinking already. And not to mention, we come to this post to get information for our fantasy teams. Lampard's absence affects that.

    Posted by: gentrykirby on Fri Apr 25 04:39PM | Report abuse