Matchday Open Thread
Sat Apr 26 05:30AM
Three weeks to go. Time to close out the season with a bang. Or just have a little fun. So why not take a gamble on a scrub coming in to prove himself. Or a player on a team still fighting for survival. Or someone on a team already down playing with a little bit of abandon. Time to break the rules a bit... or stick to them at all costs.
Confused? You won't be after this weekend's matchday open thread (to steal from Soap).
So who makes the team this week? Pennant and Cesc are the only barn door purchases who lasted the week. Walcott is another picked up last weekend, but I missed the door by a matter of minutes so I have him practically at cost. They join K2, BFAReid, and Jihai Sun from last week's team. Here's hoping Sun is healthy, home to Fulham.
Then there was Friday trading. Did I have actionable intelligence, as should be the ONLY reason to trade on a Friday? Well, Wenger announced that Fabianski would get his chance over the last three matches so @Der then EVE and SUN, he comes into the team for Capt Kirk. Wenger also hinted that he'll rest his EURO2008 stars. So RvP goes for Crouch, who is a good bet when he starts, and should start @BRM. He're hoping he and Pennant can combine as they did last week against FUL.
Last midfield spot goes to Geremi. Old favorite from his Boro days and even before, when he was with Real Madrid as he's well named, if poorly spelled.
That leaves just enough money for a good defender and a scrub... or two "meh" defenders. Riise with a chance to absolve himself of his blunder in midweek? Nice, but... and here's where we have some fun. Defender playing in midfield? Sold. So welcome Tyrone Mears, even though he's Derby and playing Arsenal this week. And if not Riise, and maybe Rafa saves him for the away leg, maybe Insua? Played last season in the FUL match that LIV lost 0-1 and has been stuck in the reserves since then. But maybe he gets his chance, and maybe he shows something. Certainly more interesting than Graeme Murty or Woodgate. Though they've shuffled through the team over the last few hours.
And as a real bonus... I've found a photo for the post that can jinx TWO players on my team this week. Gotta love it. So good luck to all. We'll see you later for Spurs/Bolton and Wigan/Reading. At least those are the games that we're being shown. What? There's another match you'd rather see being played tomorrow? Well, tell me all about it in this, your matchday open thread.
PS. Speaking of jinxes... I haven't drunk a certain beer (they used to sponsor a certain Northern team that shares their name) during the Premier League season in over three years. Bad luck. But tonight I'm cracking open a few of them and enjoying myself. Don't have anything to lose. I'm curious though, what are your superstitions?
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IM this storydropped fab instead of RvP and got in petrov instead
what do you think of the possibility of henry coming back to the EPL?
From littlecallix on Sat Apr 26 05:47AMBFAReid doesnt stand for bloody fat andy reid does it?
From littlecallix on Sat Apr 26 05:56AM@#$% bloody @#$% @#$%... they allow this now?
From elohkayee on Sat Apr 26 06:10AMsorry didn't mean to post that. sorry. k2 or not k2, that is the question.
From elohkayee on Sat Apr 26 06:11AM(4) I have the same dilemma. I got K2 from barndoor lastweek. Should I drop K2?
From dceptcon on Sat Apr 26 06:31AMdropped K2 for spurs striker
From littlecallix on Sat Apr 26 06:39AMhmmmm, if Wenger is thinking of restion his Euro 2008 players, why would he rest Adebayor? What part of Europe is Togo in? Hope he doesn't anyway cos my group leader has him so I gitta have him, which is a very wasted spot if he's rested.
From petegoddard11996655 on Sat Apr 26 08:18AMI've just put together an ok team and I still have 14,46mil left...what I really want to do is invest it all in Arsenal...but I just can't be sure about they're line up at all! Other than Walcott, it seems that Wenger has been talking about many possibilities (Fabianski?!), but always ends the comment with "but I haven't decided yet". I guess I'll end up going with Saturday players - I figure it'd be safer 'cos it's only a few hours away. Any thoughts?
Oh, yes: I've had BFAReid and Hutton for several weeks now. It was a great investment: respectively +6,69 (paid 6,50) and +5,04 (paid 6), and scoring 7,50 and 6,50 every week.
From blessedatheist on Sat Apr 26 08:46AMtrade RvP for wallcot..now i got wallcot, vassell, owen, BFAReid, MPet, Barry, Geremi, Jihai, Gallas, MTaylor and Carson in my team.......what your coment Jeremy Spitzberg
From darn_laksamana on Sat Apr 26 09:20AMWhy does everyone think that Adebayor will be subbed? If anything, Wenger's comments point to RvP being subbed but I don't see it either. What a pain in the bullocks.
From dyosh15 on Sat Apr 26 10:08AMthough winger wants to rest his euro stars, RvP is in need of games to get match fitness .. makes sense to play him ... and also bendtner is a like for like sub for ade (though not as prolific a scorer so far) ... make sense?
From littlecallix on Sat Apr 26 10:12AM(10) the possibility of RvP getting sub is lesser than K2 since he just came back from the injury.he need to prove his fitness for Holland XI since EURO 08 is coming.plus,wenger is unpredictable.look at 2 or 3 seasons back when he said Henry was injured or else, then on the match suddenly he appears and bagged a goal or two....well just an opinion there but i do think most of YFF players had learned that experience...
From hostage_world on Sat Apr 26 10:27AMThanks for the awesome feedack. Any thoughts on Gallas and Fabregas?
From dyosh15 on Sat Apr 26 10:56AMGot AgBong on +3 but tempted to can him for Heskey, Vasell or Crouch or should I sit tight for the week, thoughts?
From alex.ayre on Sat Apr 26 11:11AMdifficult to see what wenger's going to do the players he's hinted will be rested are the ones it seems to make the least sense to rest based on injuries and squad players available.
From joshtottenham on Sat Apr 26 12:04PMSoccernet says that Arsenal vs. Derby has been postponed. Anyone can confirm?
From sangaransoonann on Sat Apr 26 12:28PMIt was some time ago, for Sky, it's the Monday night game originally scheduled for Saturday.
From alex.ayre on Sat Apr 26 12:32PMRonaldo on the bench. Need a Chelsea goal to get him off it.
From gentrykirby on Sat Apr 26 01:25PM"Every time United get the ball forward they go offside. Do Rooney and Nani not know the rules?"
LOL! Got to love Yahoo live match commentary!
From geraldlim555 on Sat Apr 26 01:27PMNani might be a nice barn door poach vs Hammers... to replace Csec. Ditto Bentley. Is Sir Alex becoming like a mid-season Rafa, or is he simply that confident in his squad to sit Ronaldo, Tevez? Obviously the latter, and if they even draw here, they deserve the title.
From donegal08 on Sat Apr 26 01:30PMHow many Blackburn players in your Team v Derby is seen as reasonable?
From alex.ayre on Sat Apr 26 01:41PMFor those wishing to see Ronaldo... and Tevez... Stay tuned! They lose here, Barca will be a different set of pressures...
From donegal08 on Sat Apr 26 01:47PMso far you can tell that United can afford to lose this game. Maybe Ballack's goal will wake them up
From goeasy27 on Sat Apr 26 01:53PM(23) Well said. They do not want to "drift" into their next challenge vs. Barca after a loss. They need kick. Park would have been another nice option off the bench. O'Shea, too, can add spark. Anderson and Fletcher off for Ronaldo and Tevez... he must win the title today.
From donegal08 on Sat Apr 26 01:58PMi want Vogel for next week . where is him?
From ram_everton on Sat Apr 26 01:58PMSometimes I say to myself, "Self, why is Jon Obi Mikel so crummy and what makes him worthy of a place in a top-four Prem club, even getting a decent number of starts?"
From the_burning_pen on Sat Apr 26 02:31PMI think that ball hit Carrick's knee. We shall see.
From donegal08 on Sat Apr 26 02:49PMat least now ronaldo, rooney and tevez will have to try for the next few games, giving us fantasy players a few more options. not to mention that with chelsea now fully in the race there is their whole team as viable options
From joshtottenham on Sat Apr 26 02:56PMGet Ballack now... barn door!
From donegal08 on Sat Apr 26 03:06PMSpeaking of the barn door . . . other than Ballack, and Santa Cruz, and Bentley . . . who else catches your collective eye? So much depends, for me at least, on FUL and BIR and MID and SUN results today.
From the_burning_pen on Sat Apr 26 03:23PM
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