Fantasy Premier League

Mon Mar 10 07:08PM by Jeremy

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[Updated below.] 

The Manager is still uncurling himself from the fetal position after having this man (Bullard, not Hodgson) rip off 12pts with another last-gasp free-kick goal.  More coherent thoughts to follow.

Hopefully. 

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Here's what coalesced, if not "cohered".  Thanks to regular commenter the_burning_pen for helping me to organize my thoughts and reactions.

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[08:39] the_burning_pen: Berbs made my week so far.
[08:39] jspitzberg: nice pick
[08:40] jspitzberg: i had hutton and o'hara for that
[08:40] jspitzberg: so batting .500

12-0.  That's West Ham's combined results over three matches in nine days.  Curbishley has a history of late season collapses with Charlton.  Just pointing this out so you can begin (or continue?) to bet against them over the coming months.  Rovers. @EVE. @SUN. POR. @BOL.  DER.  NUFC.  @MANU - think ManU will be looking for a little revenge as West Ham has beaten them in their last two meetings?  Villa.
 
[08:42] the_burning_pen: If Fulham survive, it's because of Dempsey first half of the season and Jummy second half. If . . .
[08:42] jspitzberg: ugh
[08:42] jspitzberg: i don't even want to talk about jummy
[08:42] jspitzberg: much less write about it
[08:42] the_burning_pen: You dropped him?
[08:42] jspitzberg: weeks ago
[08:42] jspitzberg: and he keeps coming back to haunt me
[08:43] the_burning_pen: Jummy's the only thing worth a damn on FFC. [08:43] the_burning_pen: Yeah, Jummy and his perm and free kicks.
[08:44] jspitzberg: he's the best player in mls
[08:44] jspitzberg: wait sorry, fulham are still epl
[08:44] jspitzberg: for now
[08:49] the_burning_pen: Worried about Bburn a bit.
[08:49] jspitzberg: that they might come to your house and beat you up?
[08:50] the_burning_pen: Yeah, for threatening to drop BFDB weekly while hating MGP for being prettier than most girls.
[08:51] jspitzberg: i picked him up for last week...
[08:52] jspitzberg: and his lack of production only intensified the jummy hurt
[08:54] the_burning_pen: Yep. Strange doings with Bburn. No firepower of late (sans the 4 blip of last week), weird def issues even with Big Bad Brad, RSC and BMcC virtually in the witness protection program.

Save for his triumphant return - the free-kick winner against Villa - I haven't been too hurt when I haven't had Jummy.  I had him on the barn door after that, of course, but he wasn't producing.  So he was gutted, for Palacios, if I remember correctly.  Regardless, I'm following Rovers-Fulham with interest as I've just sold CRon for BFDB.  As I wrote about on Friday, this was my attempt to get back into the race in our private leagues.  So BFDB is doing nothing at all.  5 shots off target.  Maybe two successful crosses.  (He ended up with 5.5 - half of his usual performance.) But at least I can console myself that Jummy - on Neal and other's teams - is being kept quiet as well.  Then, well, you know what happens.  I'll spare you Neal's exultant IMs.  Suffice it to say that I was not a happy camper Saturday morning, and it wasn't even because I was at work at the time. 

Though that didn't help.

[08:54] the_burning_pen: Thoughts on fourth spot?
[08:55] jspitzberg: it'll come from liverpool
[08:55] jspitzberg: but not much thought beyond that

Amazing how much can happen in a week.  In Europe and the Premier League, Liverpool and Everton's fortunes have turned almost full circle.  Liverpool went from stuttering also-rans who were beaten in the FA Cup by Barnsley to punishing Premier League opponents and being on the verge of progressing in the Champions League.  Meanwhile Everton are on the verge of getting dumped out of the UEFA Cup by Fiorentina.  Granted they are still on track in the Premier League - beating Sunderland at Sunderland thanks to an AJ, not Cahill, goal - but all of a sudden the momentum has shifted to the Red side of the city.

Elsewhere, Arsenal find out all about momentum shifts.  After seemingly taking control of the title race, they drop out of the FA Cup to a ManU blitzkreig (sorry if that metaphor is inappropriate) and then stutter through draws with Milan, Birmingham, and Villa.  Then "that night in Milan" where they look like the best team in the world.  But in their next match they could only draw (goalless) at Wigan and all of a sudden ManU has the advantage in the title race, two points behind but with a game in hand.  And their next two matches (2 gamers!) are Derby and Bolton!  Should be the six points they are looking for.  Not to mention a chance to dramatically improve on their league-leading (+43!) goal difference.

[08:56] jspitzberg: more interesting is 18th
[08:56] jspitzberg: derby done
[08:56] the_burning_pen: Indeed.
[08:56] jspitzberg: ful slipping out of touch
[08:56] jspitzberg: on 20pts
[08:57] jspitzberg: bolton going down w/ 25pts
[08:57] jspitzberg: but boro in 12th with 29pts
[08:57] the_burning_pen: Still no striker at the Reebok.
[08:57] the_burning_pen: What did he do with the Elk$ ?
[08:58] jspitzberg: tough run of games through the end of the season too
[08:58] jspitzberg: wign next week
[08:58] jspitzberg: boro and sun the only other bottom half clubs after that
[09:01] the_burning_pen: Reading and Boro will survive. But Alves isn't anything yet. Loved the Matchcast this weekend when Mido came on fro AA. Something like 'One overweight ineffective striker on for another.'�

It is going to be a very interesting run in for the bottom half of the table.  Everyone bar probably Spurs is in trouble and most will only go down because Derby, Fulham, plus one were worse than they.  Each club is going to have to fight to not be that "plus one". 

Reading have probably saved their season, but will have to continue to grind out results.  Congrats to everyone who picked up Shane Long, if for no other reason than he was a starting striker for a buck.  Manchester City looked terrible - and honestly they have for a while now.  The odd derby (not Derby by any means) result excluded.  They would be in trouble if it weren't for their great start to the season.  But as it is, their form makes Robbo, another "for a buck" keeper, a decent bet even if he has to face Chelsea in his second match of the week. 

[09:01] the_burning_pen: Losing patience with and interest in Chelsea. Hardly the sexy football we were promised. All of that talent and payroll doesn't make it click; in fact, it's proven problematic. Malouda with a goal in the opening of the season and nothing since. Where is the Drog?

Good luck in having picked Chelsea this week against Derby.  Who knows who will play, or how, anymore.  And it makes it so hard for fantasy managers as they play Derby this week, then have two matches next.

That 1/3  of this week's matches haven't happened yet is making it hard on The Manager too.  But let's see if we can tie this ramble together at the end...

[09:40] the_burning_pen: CRon "scared to do his skills" in EPL.
[09:40] jspitzberg: 21 (?) goals...
[09:40] jspitzberg: he doesn't need his skills
[09:40] jspitzberg: his "skills" get him into trouble

Now, do I pick CRon back up for his two really good matches?  Pair him with Tevez.  Or perhaps drop CRon for BFFL and move from Tevez - a disappointment over the last month or so - to Rooney?  On average, it's a wash.  Deck chairs.  But the advantage of the latter pairing is that everyone else has CRon, and most - well, many -  will have Tevez because he's the cheaper option.  So I would have the chance to make up more ground.  Granted I would have the chance to lose more ground if CRon goes off, as he is certainly wont to do.  But again, that's the risk you have to take at this point in the season if you are trailing in your league(s).

And the latter pairing may also give me enough money to move from O'Hara to a more cetain starter.  Which might not be a bad idea as he didn't even make the bench last weekend, and I was just stung by Lucas' disapperance for Liverpool's two match week.  Of course many of you in the comments think it's crazy to drop CRon.  Even on a week when he didn't play.  And you may be right.  But we won't know...

Until next week.

The "Lunatic you're looking for" Manager

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