Fantasy Premier League

The Barn Door Report

Sat Feb 09 01:06PM

The Barn Door Report is fast becoming a Saturday morning exercise instead of a Thursday or Friday exercise. Not ideal, I know but my schedule in real life has been pretty busy for the last month or so.

Speaking of things that aren't ideal, I have been stunned at the venom associated with the "play one new fixture per season abroad" proposal. First, the perception that this came out of the blue is remarkable given the prevalence of pre-season tours of various countries for what are essentially marketing purposes. This proposal was inevitable in light of those tours. Second, the reaction is so much different than that of fans here in the States to the National Football League (that's American Football for those not in the know) playing its first regular season game outside of the US (ironically, in London). Maybe we Americans have less attachment to our NFL teams, maybe we're more comfortable with/resigned to the notion that those teams are businesses first and centerpieces of the community second.

Honestly, I'm torn personally. As someone who might be able to see one or two matches per year that actually count for something without having to take a trans-Atlantic flight, I'm for it. As someone who would like to see the highest quality on display every time I watch, I'm against it because that much travel can't help but contribute to lackluster play due to fatigue and jet lag as well as injuries.

Enough of that little stream of consciousness, on to the matches of Feb 23-25...

The first thing to note is that Chelsea and Spurs will not be playing that week due to their Carling Cup tie. For those of you who stocked up on Spurs players against Derby this weekend, you'll have to figure out what to do next with those spots. Here are some ideas.

I have to say, there aren't a lot of thrilling match-ups to choose from. Our usual default of "pick guys playing against Derby - especially at home" isn't as attractive with Wigan hosting Derby. I have little doubt that Wigan will win but its hard to imagine a dominating performance. Still, I'll be tracking Palacios, Valencia, King, Edman, and Kirkland for form and health. If Koumas seems to have a place in the line-up, then he should be a part of your thinking as well.

The only other two high priority match-ups are Liverpool hosting Boro (although Pool have been sinking to the point where I have trouble being confident in them against anyone other than Derby) and Pompey hosting Sunderland who continue to be rotten on their travels.

From those two matches, I'll be tracking Defoe, Baros, Pompey's returning African stars (Utaka and Muntari specifically), and Liverpool's backline and left wing (to see who is likely to start against Sunderland). Of course, we'll be monitoring the 'nando Torres injury situation with an eye toward bringing him back in to the squad.

One final note, for those of you who are excited about Michael Owen getting his second in two matches, he'll be facing off against Manchester United next. If you're buying in for the long term, that's a reasonable idea. If you're just buying for the next set of matches, not such a great idea.

Enjoy the matches.