Gameweek 11 Preview

Happy Halloween to all!

We have a few interesting news in Premier League over the week.... Portsmouth being banned for signing new players due to transfer debts, out-of-shape Rio Ferdinand, Fabio da Silva wrongly booked for a foul by his twin brother Rafael, Wigan striker Marlon King being jailed for 18 months for hurting a woman in a nightclub, Almunia back into Arsenal's starting line-up, Alberto Aquilani played first match for Liverpool, and Torres expecting to challenge Messi for the World Player of the Year title.

Just after the midweek League Cup fixture, here comes the Premier League, and European matches the next. There will be a lot of football actions coming up!

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Gameweek 11 fixture: (Unguaranteed predictions in bracket)

Arsenal v Tottenham [3-0]
Arsenal had not scored less than 3 goals at home season, but they also failed to clean sheet at home. With Tottenham scoring blank in their last game, it could be a good chance for Arsenal to achieve it.

Bolton v Chelsea [1-2]
Bolton had improved a lot this season. Chelsea will win but not so easily.

Burnley v Hull City [2-0]
Hull City is weak at away games, which makes them one of the relegation favourites. Burnley should not miss two home wins in a row.

Everton v Aston Villa [0-2]
Everton have a lot injuries in the team. This is a good chance for Villa to sneak a win.

Fulham v Liverpool [1-3]
With Torres back to the team I believe Liverpool can win this easily. Meanwhile Aquilani is down with virus and may not start his first league game yet.

Portsmouth v Wigan [2-1]
Boosted by a 4-0 win over a Stoke City in the League Cup, Portsmouth could go on and win another home game at offer. It could be a close fight between the two teams.

Stoke City v Wolves [2-0]
A famous win over Tottenham is followed by a heavy defeat at Portsmouth.

Sunderland v West Ham [1-1]
West Ham are not weak, but they just can't manage a win. Darren Bent had a kee injury and is doubtful for this match. Will Carlton Cole strike again?

Man Utd v Blackburn [2-0]
United have a lot of first team players injured, but the squad is large enough to compensate that. Time for Rooney to score.

Birmingham v Man City [1-2]
Birmingham keeper Hart is ineligible for this match. Chance for City to take the advantage.

West Ham v Aston Villa [1-2]
This game could go either way, but if West Ham fails to pick up any point from the two games, they could find themselves bottom of the table soon.

Last reminder: Try to pick up one or two players from West Ham and Villa. You might pick up some extra points. Also check the fixtures of the GW13 and GW14 as we have more teams playing two games a week.

Gameweek 10 Review

30 goals and 5 clean sheets for this week. Lampard was the top gameweek scorer with 14pts. With 27percents managers owning him the loss is quite critical for those without him. However only 3 other players scored 10pts and above(2 from Chelsea, 1 from Wigan). Elsewhere it's a great consolation that the overall leader only managed 44pts this gameweek.

Agenda for this review:
1) Score prediction review.
2) Top players performance.
3) Review of GW9 watchlist.
4) Watchlist of the week.

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(1)

As usual, let's check the score predictions:

Legend: [my prediction] (results)]

Wolves v Aston Villa [0-2](1-1)wrong.
Birmingham v Sunderland [1-0](2-1)correct margin.
Burnley v Wigan [2-1](1-3)wrong.
Hull City v Portsmouth [2-1](0-0)wrong.
Tottenham v Stoke City [2-0](0-1)wrong.
Chelsea v Blackburn [4-0](5-0)correct outcome.
Bolton v Everton [1-1](3-2)wrong.
Liverpool v Man Utd [0-1](2-0)wrong.
Man City v Fulham [2-0](2-2)wrong.
West Ham v Arsenal [1-3](2-2)wrong.

Only 2 correct predictions. No wonder my score is so bad this gameweek! Howevere there are indeed a few surprise results, including Tottenham's and Burnley's home losses.

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(2)



With a table it would probably easier to explain the performance of top players (sorting by players' price). 4 of them got a very good score and so are their forms. It would be great if one can own all 4 of them now!

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(3)

A brief review of last week form players section:

Fabregas: 5pts is not so bad. Fabregas is well known for grabbing bonus points.
Drogba: 1 goal and 1 assist explains it all. He's the most consistent player in the league now.
D.Bent: unable to continue his scoring form this week, but he should be able to rediscover his form in the next game against West Ham.
van Persie: 1 goal and 1 assist from corner. More than what I expected from him.
Dunne: It was very unfortunate for Villa to concede a late goal.
Davies: 4pts and another assist. He now has 5 assists in total.
Giggs: Unable to command the midfield and help MU win over Liverpool.
Dunn: It was very unfortunate that Dunne and Samba are infected with Influenza A. It also caused the weakened to lose heavily to Chelsea.
Reid: 5pts is well within expectation. He got 3pts bonus despite his team lost.

Many among the listed players had failed to perform. Anyway let's see if they can make up the deficit next gameweek.

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(4)

The author has made a shortlist of players to watch for the coming weeks. Coincidentally they are all strikers!?


Rodallega(Wig): Por(A),Ful(H),Tot(A),Sun(H),Bir(H),Sto(A)
Stormed to 7th in the fantasy points ranking with a string of good performances. Has collected 9 bonus pts from the last 4 games. There is a high chance that he would score again in the next game against bottom club Portsmouth.


Torres(Liv): Ful(A),Bir(H),MC(H),Eve(A),Bla(A),Ars(H),Wig(H)
Made a great comeback from injury with a winning goal against MU. Fulham and Birmingham are two good victims coming up.


C.Cole(WH): Sun(A)/AV(H),Eve(H),Hul(A),Bur(H),MU(H),Bir(A)
West Ham play two games this week. Cole is the safest bet despite his 6.8 price tag. He scored 4 goals in the last 5 games, and more remarkably, had scored in all 4 home games this season.


Agbonlahor(AV): Eve(A)/WH(A),Bol(H),Bur(A),Tot(H),Hul(H),MU(A)
Scored in the last 3 away games. Statistic says he will score again. What do you say? Anyway it's 4pts guaranteed as Villa play two games too.


Piquionne(Por): Wig(H),Bla(A),Sto(A),MU(H),Bur(H)
Scored 2 goals in the league cup 4-0 win over Stoke City the past tuesday. An interesting try at a cheap 4.9. Would he be rewarded with a starting place in the league? Also take a look at his team mate Kevin-Prince Boateng, who had collected 6 bonus pts from the last 4 games.

Expected to win big next gameweek are Man Utd and Sunderland. Both teams looks to bounce back from their latest defeat. Blackburn and West Ham looks like good prey for them.
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Gameweek 10 my team review

Yet another bad gameweek score means I've dropped out of top 50000, and now look dangerous too even keep my top 100000 position. A positive point is the overall leader "Carsons Loose Change" also got 44pts for this gameweek, meaning the gap between the overall leader and me is still the same.

The player that made difference in this gameweek is Lampard. Managers who picked him as captain earned a good 28pts and easily win over other managers. Chelsea's next game is away at Bolton and they look good to score big win again.

Starting gameweek 11 we will have teams who play two games in one GW. So it's time to start planning now.

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Now for this week's performance analysis:

Hart: 2pts. Conceded a late own goal by team mate means I lost the clean sheet points. Next match is against his former team Man City, no hope for clean sheet.

Zayatte: 6pts. Hull City's draw with Portsmouth means another good score earned by the once cheapest defender in the game.

Dunne: 2pts. Looks good for a clean sheet and even grab some bonus pts, but a late goal ruins it all.

Vermaelen: 2pts. Arsenal conceded two late goals, and Carlton Cole really had ruined my game.

Fabregas: 5pts including 3 bonus pts. so far still worth the investment.

Huddlestone/Lennon: 3/2pts. Tottenham surprisingly lost to Stoke City who just earned their first away victory of the season. What a wrong decision to bring in Tottenham midfield as I didn't get any return from them at all.

Elliott: Now that Burnley lost their 100% home win record, I may need to turn to someone else to bring me extra points.

Cohen: Yet to deliver points for me, but no complaints as he's cheap enough at 4.8 now.

Adebayor: 5pts from an assist, but this is not enough from him considering his expensive value. May need to switch him for a better midfielder.

van Persie: 9pts from a goal and an assist. Continued his fine form and showed a very good investment.

In the bench are the Everton trio: Baines, Distin and Saha. However Saha scored 9pts and it's a big waste.

For GW11 I planned to make a double transfer, switching a midfielder and a forward. My keepers and defenders are equally bad but they are more difficult to deliver points these days.

Gameweek 10 Preview

This week we will change out our preview agenda to match by match analysis. My readings of the game might not be too precise so please voice out your opinion if you have other ideas.

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Gameweek 10 fixture: (Unguaranteed predictions in bracket)

Wolves v Aston Villa [0-2]
Birmingham v Sunderland [1-0]
Burnley v Wigan [2-1]
Hull City v Portsmouth [2-1]
Tottenham v Stoke City [2-0]
Chelsea v Blackburn [4-0]
Bolton v Everton [1-1]
Liverpool v Man Utd [0-1]
Man City v Fulham [2-0]
West Ham v Arsenal [1-3]

This week's highlight is definitely the Liverpool v Man Utd match. Too bad Gerrard and Torres may not come back in time to help Liverpool with home ground advantage. I expect Liverpool to play defensively, unless they concede early goals. I would bet for MU defenders for clean sheet points.

Aston Villa had lost just once in away games this season, and Wolves should not be a difficult opponent for them. You can safely bet on the strikers to score, and also the chance for some set piece goals.

Most people will think that Sunderland will win at Birmingham with Darren Bent on hot streak, but I want to bet on something different. If Birmingham can win the fight on midfield there is a chance to win small.

Burnley had won every of their home games, and lost all of their away games. They should continue the trend this weekend too. Wigan had not done too well on away games so the chance for a surprise seems not so high. I believe we can rely on Elliott again to get points.

Hull City have not done much better than Portsmouth so far, but with home advantage they should be able to register a third win. Best bet is Geovanni, the team's top scorer (both goals and fantasy points).

Tottenham will surely beat Stoke City to push their way to the top of the league. With Defoe absent on suspension Keane and Crouch should lead the attacks.

Blackburn conceded 6 at Arsenal, and now they have to take on Chelsea, who had just won Abel Resino. Probably same goal margin again? Now every attacker in Chelsea looks good for points.

Everton had wasted two great chances to win, drawing their last two home games. Now against an improved Bolton side things doesn't look good for them. But I expect both sides to score at least one goal.

With so many strikers waiting to perform, Man City looks very much better than Fulham, in terms of scoring and winning chances. I'm interested to see whether Hughes will field Martin Petrov again.

West Ham had not won since the season opening game against Wolves. Against the free scoring Arsenal, they just don't stand any chances. The Hammers will need to depend on Carlton Cole again, if they want to climb out of the bottom three.


One reminder: West Ham and Villa will play two games on GW11, While it's Hull City, Everton, Fulham and Blackburn for GW13. You may want to take this chance to get double GW score for your team. It'll be very challenging to make choices, as these teams are all from the botton half of the table, except Villa.

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Gameweek 9 Review

28 goals and only 2 clean sheets. But only 9 out of the top 50 fantasy players got more than 6pts for this gameweek, meaning it's actually a very tough week. James Beattie get 13pts and is already the top point scorer for the gameweek. The fact that GW9 top manager only got 86pts also shows that most fantasy managers are having a hard time to get the correct players.

I'm going to change the form of this agenda and only discuss about form players for this review.
I've also updated the players statistic spreadsheet to GW9. Hopefully you can figure out some trends from it.

Agenda for this review:
1) Score prediction review.
2) Top players performance.
3) Form players.
4) Statistical talk.

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1)

As usual, let's check the score predictions:

Legend: [my prediction] (results)]

Aston Villa v Chelsea [0-1](2-1) wrong.
Arsenal v Birmingham [4-0](3-1) correct outcome.
Everton v Wolves [3-0](1-1) wrong.
Man Utd v Bolton [4-0](2-1) correct outcome.
Portsmouth v Tottenham [0-2](1-2) correct outcome.
Stoke City v West Ham [1-0](2-1) correct margin.
Sunderland v Liverpool [2-0](1-0) correct outcome.
Blackburn v Burnley [2-0](3-2) correct outcome.
Wigan v Man City [1-2](1-1) wrong.
Fulham v Hull City [2-1](2-0) correct outcome.

3 wrong predictions and 2 of them are draw results. But not as much clean sheets as I thought. How long does this have to go on?

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(2)

I know some of the big names are injured. But they will still play a major part throughout the season. Let's check if we really need to offload them, or we have an option to switch players among them.

Sorting by price:

Gerrard: injured.
Lampard: 5pts from an assist. But unfortunately Chelsea lost to Villa.
Torres: injured.
Rooney: injured.
Drogba: 6pts from 1 goal.
Arshavin: 7pts from 1 goal.
Fabregas: 8pts from an assist plus 3 bonus pts.
Anelka: 2pts.
Adebayor: 2pts.
van Persie: 6pts from 1 goal. Has scored in the last 3 games.
Berbatov: 2pts.
Kuyt: 2pts as Liverpool lost again.

Only players of Arsenal managed to get some respectable points. This also reflects my opinion of the current situation, which is, aim for Arsenal players if you wish to bring in any big 4 players! Anyway, Chelsea are playing Blackburn at home in coming weekend so they probably will get more goals! Don't let go Drogba, Lampard or A.Cole if you still have them.


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(3)

I always believe consistency (or form) is the largest factor to lead you to success in fantasy game. Wouldn't it be great if you have a team capable of bringing you more than 50pts a gameweek, while others struggling to bring in the correct players at a higher cost and with limited budget?

From the statistics we can easily see some players who have having a great run of fantasy points scoring. Let's see if they have the potential to continue the run.



Behind the name are the next opponents of the team player belongs to.


Fabregas(Ars): WH(A),Tot(H),Wol(A),Sun(A),Che(H),Sto(H),Liv(A)
The current fantasy point leader with 72pts. He had scored at least 5 pts in the last 5 games. Barring any injuries, he should guarantee some point returns in every game.


Drogba(Che): Bla(H),Bol(A),MU(H),Wol(H),Ars(A),MC(A),Eve(H),Por(H)
Has been the fantasy point leader for 5 gameweeks this season, and now just behind Fabregas. He has scored at least 4 pts or 1 assist in each game this season. You may wonder when his form gonna run out. Chelsea had lost 2 game in their last 3. I don't think they will lose again in short while. Definitely Drogba is going to contribute to every Chelsea win.


D.Bent(Sun): Bir(A),WH(H),Tot(A),Ars(H),Wig(A),Ful(A),Por(H)
Scored 6 goals in the last 5 games, successively. The fact that he even found the net against opponents like MU and Chelsea makes him the most fearful striker at the moment. at 7.7 he is still consider cheap and I expect him to break 8.0 very soon, maybe up to 8.5. Together with Drogba they are the two most worthy strikers currently.


van Persie(Ars): WH(A),Tot(H),Wol(A),Sun(A),Che(H),Sto(H),Liv(A)
The third most consistent striker. van Persie has scored 4 goals and 1 assist in the last 5 games, and also gathered 8 bonus points. While there are no injury alarm, he sits comfortably at the top of team's striker list. If Arsenal are to continue their high scoring form, van Persie will be a really worthy investment.


Dunne(AV): Wol(A),Eve(A),Bol(H),Bur(A),Tot(H),Hul(H)
Dunne has got 10 bonus pts and 2 goals from the last 5 games, which is since his transfer from MC to Villa. Once the most valuable defender in the fantasy game, he has made a remarkable comeback and gained the confidence of fantasy managers again. Most importantly, at 5.5 the cost is still reasonable and as long as he gets a clean sheet once in every two or three games it's still worth it.


Davies(Bol): Eve(H),Che(H),AV(A),Bla(H),Ful(A),Wol(A)
The 6.7 rated striker has scored at least 4 pts since GW4, getting 2 goals, 4 assists and 8 bonus pts. He had played an important role in turning Bolton's fortune, though they are still not far from the bottom three currently. Anyway, such form could see him overcome the difficult opponent and add more points to his impressive run.


Giggs(MU): Liv(A),Bla(H),Che(A),Eve(H),Por(A),WH(A),AV(H),Wol(H)
He had done well in the past month, whenever he's on the pitch. But it looks like there's going to be more rotation in MU midfield, so there is a risk that you need to carry with.



Dunn(Bla): Che(A),MU(A),Por(H),Bol(A)/Ful(A),Sto(H),Liv(H)
At 5.5 he's giving holders a good return, with 4 goals from the last 5 games. He also get bonus points whenever Blackburn wins. With their next two game against Chelsea and MU, maybe you want to wait further. Also take not that they will be playing 2 games at GW13. I think it'll be good to purchase him at GW12.


Reid(Sun): Bir(A),WH(H),Tot(A),Ars(H),Wig(A),Ful(A),Por(H)
He's created numerous goalscoring chances for his team mates from the midfield, and also getting bonus pts regularly. Though at the same price as Dunn, Sunderland stand a higher chance to win a game.

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(4)

This time we're going to check out which team are having their top 3 players getting the biggest share of team points as usual. Let's check on the stats table:



For GW9, Top3 players from Arsenal, Villa, Fulham and Wigan are the ones that perform to expectation. Most people get the right trio combination for Arsenal and Villa, but not for Wigan and Fulham, since they are relatively weaker teams. Perhaps it's something that you want to explore with in the future.

The green highlighted percentage shows teams that had depended heavily on their top3 players to get fantasy points. This signals that the top3 players of that team are the obvious choice than their teammates. A little observation will also tells you that teams like Tottenham and Man City usually win points for their attacking players, while Stoke City are an example where defenders get more points than attackers.

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Gameweek 9 my team review

I've started to feel more and more regret over my decision to use the wildcard during GW8. The teams that I expected to win comfortably did not go so smooth as I thought. And the key player of the lower teams kept performing consistently. It looks like the "must have player" are no longer the privilege of Big 4 teams. Another score less than 40pts in 3 gameweeks has made me more impatient. Yeah, some players I expected to grab points over October had failed me. Should I continue to hold on, or shift to other in-form average players?

As usual, I prefer to make early transfer after every gameweek. There are a lot of options available and I've choose to switch a defender this time. Yeah, the one who get 11pts in two successive games!

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Now for this week's performance analysis:

Hart: 1pt. I put Foster as my first choice keeper, but with Van der Sar back looks like he'll not get too many chances again. Birmingham lost expectedly, and does not look like able to keeping a clean sheet in the coming games. I'm thinking of switching Foster to another cheap keepers. You can't blame me for losing faith in keepers, with only Sunderland and Fulham managed to clean sheet in this week's 9 games.

Distin & Baines: 2pts each. It surprises me that they can't even win Wolves at home.

Evra: 2pts. Also injured during the match. With a 6.7 price tag I can't afford him on the bench. He needs to go.

Vermaelen: 2pts. I saw some people bet him as captain. The magic didn't happen this time, but we can always count on the next time...

Fabregas(C): 8pts. An assist and full 3 pts bonus saved me from breaking record low GW score for this season. He's definitely a great buy.

Huddlestone & Lennon: 2pts. Tottenham won but too bad the usual faces didn't score.

van Persie: 6pts from a goal. He's one of the most consistent players for this season. I'll continue to hold on to him.

Saha: 3pts, including 1 pt bonus. Everton did not win their last 2 home games, a real big waste. I thought they should have done better.

Adebayor: 2pts. I bought him in to replace Rooney. Should have bought Darren Bent. He's so cheap and had scored 6 goals in the last 5 games, successively.

A very poor week, but as least I've figured out which part of my team needs improvement. However I think I need a few weeks time to be able to make all the changes.

How did you do? I hope not as bad like me...

Gameweek 9 Preview

Let me make some correction... no fixture for this weekend due to international break so there could be more transfers activities until next gameweek. It looks like another good timing for using wildcard.

So two thing you can do is to observe the transfer market (I mean the fantasy market) and also the international games impact (form and injuries). It was reported that Torres are suffering from a groin injury caused during a training session with Spain.

I will make appropriate change to this article and also add relevant topics to it. Thanks to all readers who show continued support!

Agenda for this preview:
1) Results prediction.
2) Short term analysis.
3) Long term analysis.
4) Player Stats: Top 3 point scorers of each team.

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(1)
First let's go for the rusults prediction. I expect all big 4 teams to win, but Tottenham and Man City should also be able to win theirs and continue to occupy 3rd and 4th place respectively.

Gameweek 9 fixture: (Unguaranteed predictions in bracket)

Aston Villa v Chelsea [0-1]
Arsenal v Birmingham [4-0]
Everton v Wolves [3-0]
Man Utd v Bolton [4-0]
Portsmouth v Tottenham [0-2]
Stoke City v West Ham [1-0]
Sunderland v Liverpool [2-0]
Blackburn v Burnley [2-0]
Wigan v Man City [1-2]
Fulham v Hull City [2-1]

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(2)

We have quite a lot of teams to look into for a short term transfer. Let's check out one by one.

Arsenal
Birmingham have not conceded more than 2 goals in a match so far. But this trend could ends in this match. Better grab the chance to score high. They have a lot of good players to pick, but if you have the money, it's the best to keep Fabregas(10.8) and Vermaelen(7.0) in your team. With van Persie(10.2) they are the top 3 point scorer in Arsenal.


Febregas and Vermaelen are no doubt the top pick for this gameweek.

Blackburn
Burnley had not scored in away game and are losing by a bigger margin every time. I won't expect a 6-0, but we should see at least 2 or 3 goals. David Dunn(5.4) is the sure man to perform. You can also bet on Robinson(4.4) to get a clean sheet.


Dunn and Robinson almost sure to score points in this match, but Blackburn will face Chelsea and Man Utd away next.

Fulham
This is the best chance for them to grab a win and I believe they will make a draw at least. Danny Murphy(6.2) will be the top pick as a set-piece taker. While it'll be harder to pick from their forward, midfielder Zoltan Gera(4.8) could be a good purchace too, at such cheap price.


Murphy and Gera are the best pick if you want to select from Fulham's team.

Everton
With Yakubu(7.9) back in the frame, they should be strong in the attacking now. Perhaps we could expect more chances from set-pieces too. In this case Baines(6.3) has the best chance to earn points.


Yakubu could back in the starting line-up, while Baines remains a good pick for defender.

Man Utd
They always have a good record against Bolton. Shall we trust in Rooney(11.2) once again?
I believe Giggs(7.2) will back to the line-up again. This time they will surely win.
Foster is still an injury doubt. Better hold it first if you're looking for United keeper.

Rooney and Giggs are currently top two point scorer in Man Utd.
With Rooney injured now Berbatov(9.5) and Owen(7.9) should take over the scoring role.

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(3)

Now for the long term pick. I see Man City to have a good run for points starting from now.

Man City - Wig(A),Ful(H),Bir(A),Bur(H),Liv(A),Hul(H)
Except for the Liverpool match, they should be able to take wins from the rest 5 games. All 3 of their starting forwards, Adebayor(10.0), Bellamy(7.9) and Tevez(8.2) look to be the better pick compared to their midfielders.


City are rich in attacking options. Bellamy and Adebayor played full 90 minutes for the last game and should get the biggest share of the playing time.

Tottenham - Por(A),Sto(H),Ars(A),Sun(H),Wig(H)
The series of good fixtures continues. It's a surprise to me that the failed to win at Bolton. But against Portsmouth they must win to match their title dreams. Defoe(8.9) is back and with Keane(8.6) they should make the most of the scoring chances.


Defoe and Keane scored 5 times each (including a hat-trick for both players) so far.

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(4)

Here you can view the top 3 point scorers of each team.

When you're sure a team will get a big victory, the best interest will be to bring in all 3 players most possible to contribute to the win. This table will help you figure out your selection immediately.

Also you can check how much percentage the top 3 players contribute to the team's total points. Here we see Arsenal with the highest percentage, which is 46.2%. This means that Fabregas, Vermaelen and van Persie had taken a larger share of points most of the time. Also higher than 40% is Chelsea and Sunderland.

On the contrary Birmingham, Wolves and Portsmouth have fairly low percentage, meaning the points is distributed evenly among the players, which also tells how hard it is to predict who will perform in every different games, for these teams.


We have plenty of times for discussion this week so lets share your thoughts too! Who knows you might come out with even more brilliant ideas.
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Gameweek 8 my team review

Honestly I expected more than this. The wrong captain choice costed me too much. However, considering the average score for this gameweek is only 40pts, maybe I should be happy that I'm still above average and managed to get a rise in overall ranking.

The gameweek also saw team "IDoDisDisDis...Gol!!" took over the lead from "Liverpool's No. 9..." with 594pts to 588pts. This is the first leader change in 4 gameweeks. It also proved that the players' form will keep changing and everyone has a chance to get good results from their team selections.

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Now for this week's performance analysis:

Foster: 1 petty pt. Perhaps he's the one pundits had not been able to predict correctly... right, he may be unreliable yet, but United's midfield had not done good enough to provide the win. It might even be a 0-0. People had been criticising his performance, but I want to try believing in him once more.

Distin: 2pts. I thought Everton should be taking this easily but Sorensen was doing his job too. Too bad. Anyway, we got Wolves coming next. Might be somethig good.

Baines: Same 2 pts.

Evra: 4pts from the "assist" on own goal. He didn't get on target, but it was a nice shot.

Vermaelen: 7pts from a goal. Should have brought him in instead of Johnson 4 gameweeks ago. Or even from the beginning. Just I didn't know him well enough to take the 6.5 valued player from the season start.

Fabregas: My proudest transfer of this season. Just brought him in in time to take the jackpot. 1 goal and 4 assists plus 3 bonus pts makes 22pts. Now he's just one point behind fantasy score leader Drogba!

Elliott: 2pts. Burnley did won, but not with his help. Too bad.

Lennon: 2pts. Tottenham even struggled to make the draw. Now I'm doubting if they can hold Arsenal and Liverpool behind them at the EPL chart any longer.

Rooney(C): 2pts. Didn't take his chances well. Seriously he need to end his goal drought if he wants to stand in Ronaldo's boots.

Saha: 2pts. Some say he is subject to rotation as well. Maybe I should be happy that he still made the starting lineup?

van Persie: 7pts from a goal. One of the most consistent performer so far. Takes part in every Arsenal's wins.

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What would it had been if I hadn't use the wildcard?

Hart 2
Evra 4
A.Cole 6
Johnson 1
Zayatte 12
Lampard 3
Rodwell 2
Delap 2
Rooney(C) 4
Saha 2
Drogba 8
Total:44

If I replace Lampard with Fabregas I would have got 63, which is higher than the points i got now! Maybe I have used my wildcard at the wrong timing?

But actually the use of wildcard is decided based on October's fixtures. I may have done badly for this gameweek, but I'm confident to get a better score on GW9. I have all the players from the team I expected to win in the next gameweek (MU, Ars, Eve, Tot). This also means I won't be making any changes for next gameweek. Anyway, let's see how true it is.

Gameweek 8 Review

Wow! Another highscoring EPL weekend, with 33 goals scored from 10 matches. With only 2 teams managed to get a clean sheet, Many will be wondering why to spend so much money on good keepers when you get the same little point for all! Yeah, that's something for thought. But it's different story on defenders. We've got some defenders able to deliver assists or goals, but this rarely happens on keepers.

Agenda for this review:
1) Score prediction review.
2) Players who get gameweek score of double figures.
3) Top players performance.
4) Other players looking to pick up their forms.
5) New statistical reference.
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(1)

Let's start the review by checking the score predictions. I hope you had already started to do the same, as I believe it will help you in your game to a certain extent.

Legend: [my prediction] (results)]

Bolton v Tottenham [1-2](2-2) wrong.
Burnley v Birmingham [2-0](2-1) correct outcome.
Hull City v Wigan [1-0](2-1) correct margin.
Wolves v Portsmouth [2-1](0-1) wrong.
Man Utd v Sunderland [3-0](2-2) wrong.
Arsenal v Blackburn [2-0](6-2) correct outcome.
Everton v Stoke City [2-0](1-1) wrong.
West Ham v Fulham [1-0](2-2) wrong.
Chelsea v Liverpool [2-1](2-0) correct outcome.
Aston Villa v Man City [1-2](1-1) wrong.

I only get 4 correct outcome. There are 5 draws for this week and I've got it all wrong. Luckily it didn't reflect too much on my fantasy results.

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(2)

Next we'll have a check on players who get more than 10pts this gameweek.
From here you will see clearly why the average score is so low for this gameweek. That's because only 5 players got double figures. And out of these 5 players, only 3 are popular choice. Fabregas had become the difference between success and failure for this week, with the controlling 22pts. You probably will be thinking why you still hold Lampard or Gerrard while they are so expensive yet not deliver.

As usual, lets talk about keepers first. Only Hilario and James get a clean sheet, while Robinson and Sorensen get 5pts each for the save points. Robinson also have an assist to his account.

22pts: Fabregas(10.8)
There's not a player that can go on fine form all season (maybe Ronaldo, but he's gone), but looking at Arsenal's coming fixtures, it would be wise to buy him as soon as you can. I think most people already buy him as soon as Arsenal's last match is over.

12pts: Zayatte(4.0)
Used to be 3.9, the lowest value you can find in fantasy game. Actually many managers have him in the team.... in the sub bench, to be precise. You probally regret putting him at subs, but the truth is, at such low cost, no one really think of making him a first choice. Well, next time you might consider putting him in when Hull City play at home.

11pts: Dunne(5.3)
The strange trend of players scoring against former club continues. He's certainly worth buying, but let's check the fixture and determine the best timing to bring him in. (Definitely not this week, as Villa face Chelsea at home)

10pts: Yebda(4.5), Krancjar(6.9)
Yebda is a total unknown to fantasy managers. He'll need more work to show his value.
People have been expecting Krancjar to deliver ever since he come to Tottenham. This could be a good start. But I'll still prefer Lennon and Jenas to him.

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(3)

Now we'll look at how the top players performed this week. This is important as most fantasy managers will have them in their line-up so you might fall behind when they combined to perform in the same gameweek.

Sorting by price:

Gerrard: 1pt as Liverpool lost to Chelsea.
Lampard: 3pts for the clean sheet. It's been a long time since he last score a goal.
Torres: 2pts as he failed to score against Chelsea.
Rooney: 2pts. Two games scoring blank.
Drogba: 8pts from 2 assists.
Arshavin: 8pts from 1 goal and 1 bonus pt.
Fabregas: 22pts from 1 goal and 4 assists plus 3 bonus pts.
Anelka: 6pts from 1 goal.
Adebayor: 5pts from 1 assist. First game after back from suspension.
van Persie: 7pts from 1 goal and 2pts bonus.
Berbatov: 6pts from 1 goal.
Kuyt: 2pts as Liverpool lost to Chelsea.

Fabregas is certainly the pick of top players for this gameweek. As for next gameweek I expect Man Utd and Arsenal to lead the scoring for top players.

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(4)

Now let's check out a few cheaper players you may want to fit into your team.

Pick-up from the lot:

Legend: Gameweek score/Season score

8/26 Bikey (Bur, 4.0)
He did well during home games. It's about good timing to bring him in on GW9 or GW10.

5/18 Warnock (AV, 4.9)
He's certainly cheap as a first choice defender for Aston Villa.

7/30 Dunn (Bla, 5.4)
He's the top point scorer in Blackburn's team. If Blackburn are to win, he's sure to perform.

7/12 Vennegoor (Hul, 5.0)
Now he's looking a better choice than Ghilas. Hull have some interesting fixtures coming up so let's keep an eye on him.

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(5)

New statistical reference:

you can also access the spreadsheets from the featured section at the left column.

I have added another new features into the spreadsheets:



Here you can view the gameweek top scorer and overall points leader after each gameweek. Might not be too helpful but it's an interesting statistic.

In the next statistical topic I'll discuss how these statistic data helps in your game and how it makes the game even more interesting.

Add-on userscript for enhanced fantasy stats!

Introducing...

Razzas Fantasy Premier League script BETA

I do not write the script. I'm just recommending it to all as I think it will ease you a lot in your stats checking.

Here's a userscript that can be installed to your firefox browser. But prior to this you have to install the firefox add-on, Greasemonkey. This add-on will allow you to install userscript that uncovers more information from a website. Lets see what you will have after installing the user script.

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There will be extra imformations on your team view during line-up or transfer. Beside the player's name it will also show you the player's price, value and form, while in transfer view it will show you player's starting price, current price, price you purchase, and price for selling. You can unselect this feature by untick the "Show extra player info" box at the right column.



You will see the "My Team" option on the first drop down menu. This option is very useful to check your team's status, such as player's form, price change or total points.



On the second drop down menu you will see more added options. But most of them are not so useful. Last season's points and Nett Transter Ins/Outs are the useful one for your stats analysis.

There are also other added options in fantasy manager's ranking view. You can have an explore on it! I hope you can benefit from it.

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Gameweek 8 Preview

It's been another midweek with European club matches. So far all EPL teams did well, except for Liverpool, who lost 2-0 at Fiorentina. Also making the headlines is Giggs who scored his 150th goal for Man Utd in the win over Wolfsburg. He also set up the winning goal for Carrick. Now he's justifying the PFA Player of the Year title he won last season.

Moving into October we see some of the teams have very favorable fixtures ahead. Let's find them out and make use of this information.

Agenda for this preview:
1) Results prediction.
2) Short term analysis.
3) Long term analysis.
4) Hot cake of the week.

You will see this gameweek's preview reflected heavily on my current team as I've just used up my wildcard, hoping to pull my team out of the slump. Anyway, let's see how well I can do.

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(1)

I wonder if EPL managers have nowadays become more aggressive in their team strategy. But I would be very happy if here comes another high scoring gameweek.

Gameweek 8 fixture: (Unguaranteed predictions in bracket)

Bolton v Tottenham [1-2]
Burnley v Birmingham [2-0]
Hull City v Wigan [1-0]
Wolves v Portsmouth [2-1]
Man Utd v Sunderland [3-0]
Arsenal v Blackburn [2-0]
Everton v Stoke City [2-0]
West Ham v Fulham [1-0]
Chelsea v Liverpool [2-1]
Aston Villa v Man City [1-2]

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(2)

The author recommend three teams to look into, if you are searching for a short term transfer.

Wolves
They are facing the bottom club this week. Well, maybe themselves are not far from bottom either, but this is a game that they must win, and it's worth putting all their efforts into. Kevin Doyle(5.4) and Andrew Keogh(4.9) will be all out to make the most of the chances.


Doyle and Keogh are the two main fantasy scorer of a low scoring team.


Everton
The chance for a third consecutive win is waving at them. No reason to lose it. I believe it's still not too late to bring in their defenders. Baines(6.3) and Distin(5.0) are my top picks.


Baines do set pieces, and Distin is cheap.


Burnley
They impressed me alot during the win over Sunderland. I look forward to the attacking combination of Elliott(5.2) and Nugent(5.2) again. Birmingham have not scored more than one goal in a match so far so there should not be a problem for Burnley to grab a win here.

Let's see if Elliott and Nugent can link up again to make the victory.

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(3)

Let's look over a longer period to pick the candidates for transfer
We have 3 teams here and a lot of good players to pick. The question is whether you can afford them.

Tottenham - Bol(A),Por(A),Sto(H),Ars(A),Sun(H),Wig(H)
They actually have a good path up front. 5 favourable games out of the next 6. Who knows, they might even beat Arsenal by that time! It should be safe to bet on them after watching their last game's performance. Take a close look at Jenas(6.2) and Huddlestone(5.2). They are two good options if you can't afford Lennon(8.1), who have already priced up 0.6. However, note that Huddlestone may play out-of-position in the defense as many key defenders are injured. Meanwhile in the forward, Defoe(9.0) are doubtful with broken hand so Keane(8.5) might be a better option.


Tottenham have a lot of great talents in midfield. Jenas and Huddlestone might be cheap but not lacking in talents.


Man Utd - Sun(H),Bol(H),Liv(A),Bla(H),Che(A),Eve(H),Por(A)
Taking out Liverpool and Chelsea, the rests looks easy to tame. Over a long period you should earn more than you lost from the top team clashes. I believe you can try your luck on Foster(5.0) and Giggs(7.1), two player none has expected to play such an important role so far, but has made the enough share of contribution to send MU top.


Foster and Giggs are the affordable selections from a top team.


Arsenal - Bla(H),Bir(H),WH(A),Tot(H),Wol(A),Sun(A)
Their next two games already gives you enough reason to brings in a few of them, right? Why not bring in Vermaelen(6.8)...if you haven't? Looks more economic than Johnson(7.9), right? Also try van Persie(10.1), who has made an assist or scored in all but one fixture so far.


Vermaelen and van Persie looks good for long term investment at this point.

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(4)

Now for fantasy manager's top pick of the week.


Yeah, I know it should be Fletcher, Giggs and Vermaelen that's up front, but I wish to talk about the next two players who had not come up in the last two of my preview article.

Torres(11.5) may have scored a hat-trick in the last game, but judging from Liverpool's fixture it might not be a good timing to bring him in now, if you hadn't own him in your team. Tamir Cohen(4.6) on the other hand, is such a good choice for your sub, even for your first choice, considering his cheap price tag and the points he had scored so far. It won't surprise me if he score again this week.

Lastly, try to make the best use out of the updated spreadsheet's data!! Good luck!!

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