Still unsure of whether to play the WC today and rip it up. Problems for me are outlined in the post below I made in the transfers thread:



So are you WCing this week? Apart from the obvious Sess and Dempsey who has caught your eye in recent weeks as a good prospect to bring in for the long haul?

It sucks that the leader in one of my mini-leagues (I am 2nd) had brought in Sess and Dempsey with his WC last week. I am one week too late... My turn to play around now. So far I have done:

Moreira Lindegaard
Baines Richards
Briggs Kelly
Drenthe Dempsey
Nani Sessegnon
Ferguson Ox
Sturridge Helguson
Torres Adebayor

Although I might just take the money on Sess at the end of this GW and put in McLean, Sigurdsson or Buszaky for the risk factor. I do plan to keep some money in the bank to use after my WC for e.g. Adebayor to Aguero. Right now I have 4.2 to spend and no attacking United player and no Chelsea cover at all.

Nani Valencia
Larsson The OX
Vermaelen Kompany
Adebayor Aguero
Drenthe Ben Arfa

I'm on the wildcard right now. Unfortunately I've too many midfielders on rises that I want to keep so the timing of the rises will be key.

I've drafted in Valencia, Dempsey and Sess. I'm hoping Valencia gets the 0.2 rise before Silva rises so I can pass him on and then pick up the Silva rise.

A shame that there was no big-hitting strikers that scored well to try and pick up a 0.2 rise off them.

Anyone see a double rise for Robbie Keane or Morisson?

Here are some predictions of mine, feel free to add or adjust if it helps people gain value.

Valencia 0.3
Sess 0.3
Dempsey 0.3

Bale 0.2
RTaylor 0.2
David Silva 0.2

Lindegard 0.1
Morisson 0.1
Keane 0.1
Reo-Coker 0.1
BenArfa 0.1
Dzeko 0.1
McClean 0.1
Zamora 0.1
Assou-Ekotto 0.1
Dyer 0.1

Silva 0.1

RTaylor rose last night so 0.1 in the bag. He seems to be getting transfers in still :s

keeping my spurs players

taylor is getting masses of transfers out following him being dropped, won't rise again I reckon.

Nani Valencia
Rooney Aguero
Sturridge Wellbeck
Ryan Taylor Santon
Assou Ekotto Evans
Larsson Silva
Walters Dempsey

Agbonlahor is drifting away, was hoping I could take the 0.1 and switch to Zamora (probably).

Actually he isn't. It looks negative as he rose the day before (as did everyones and Valencia's does today.

Taylor has has 238 NTI today since 12.

right you are mate

I have now played my WC with the following results:

GK - Lindegaard, Ruddy
DEF - BAE, Caulker, Simpson, Kelly, EvansJ
MID - Dempsey, Seesgnon, Silva, Valencia, Bale
STR - RVP, Aguero, Bellamy

However... am also considering the following options;
GK - Sorensen, Minoglet, Krul
DEF - Shotton, Huth, Clichy, Cahill, Senderos
STR - Welbeck, Suarez

RTaylor is the second top scoring defender. He must be getting transfers in because of this.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the side though.

With the fixtures, form and future price rises it seems tough to avoid a front 8 of

Dempsey, Bale, Silva, Sessignon + 1
RVP, Aguero + 1

My midfield "+1" will be walters as his home fixtures are too good to miss in my opinion. You can ask little more of a cheapish midfielder than to win and take a penalty, pity he missed it this time. Other possibilities are valencia, HBA and Mclean. There's something about valencia that makes me uneasy, I'm just not convinced his run of form will continue. Besides, I'm not sure when ashley young is back but it must be soon right (?). I'm unconvinced that HBA will retain his place in the starting eleven in the long term and Mclean seems a bit of a flash in the pan (plus sess is enough sunderland cover).

My striker "+1" is a toughie. Welbeck, Zamora have been considered, but I don't trust fergie to play welbeck against the weaker sides and I don't want to put all my eggs in a Martin Jol shaped basket. Plus zamora's goalscoring record of late is woeful. I don't fancy the cheap options of morrison, keane, bellamy either as the latter two will often be benched imho. So, I'll probably stick with sturridge for now. At the end of the day whoever it is will be out for Ba as soon as the ANC is over anyway.

I'd heavily consider Dzeko in the short term if Balotelli gets a retrospective ban for that "stamp".

It's then a case of filling in the defence with what little money is left. Lindegaard and evans are so cheap that if they keep their places they should be excellent value even with man utd's fixtures (I may have changed my mind on lindegaard in the last week or so). I'll be keeping krul for his fixtures as his tougher games are matched by some of man utds better ones - I just hope de Gea doesn't get a game in the easy matches. I considered Mingolet and Sorensen too but I don't trust sunderland at the back and Sorensen had that howler last game (begovic was dropped for a similar thing earlier in the season so I don't want to jump the gun). I'm avoiding swansea as their fixtures are dire and something tells me their run of cleanies won't last anyway.

Other places at the back will go to a fulham defender (either kelly or senderos), a man city defender (any one of kompany, richards or the cheaper lescott) due to their good fixtures. Of the man city defenders I'm veering towards richards as I feel the opportunity for assists will be high in the upcoming easy run of games.

The last two places in defence are up for grabs. BAE will stay for one more week for the wigan home game before being transferred out, hopefully for cahill if he has won a place in the chelsea team by then (otherwise it might be a crazy bosingwa move). I'll weigh that up with the money left from the last place in the team. I want a stoke defender but will have sub-5m left. I'm not sure which of woodgate, wilkinson and shotton will be first choice when everyone is fully match fit so for now I think I'll just take Santon (or simpson).

That leaves for example a team of

Lindegaard, Krul,

Evans, Richards, Kelly, Santon, BAE(-> chelsea),

Dempsey, Bale, Silva, Sessignon, Walters,

RVP, Aguero, Sturridge,

with 0.4m in the bank for emergencies. Thoughts anyone?

Looks better than my post-WC team

I would say this though:

Man Utd ALWAYS have a good second half of the season. WITHOUT FAIL. I hate them, but it's true. Your team has no attacking Man U talent, and we all know the points are not in defence this season.

Well put. Pretty much in agreement except that in the case of the two "+1s", one each in midfield and attack, my preference is not to have two mid-price picks and then to be choosing all the time between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2, but to have one cheaper than mid and the other more expensive than mid. So my "+1s" are currently McClean and Ade, and I go 3-4-3 every week, and I don't feel bad if McClean scores well (really!), whereas I would if I picked Studge and he blanked while Walters found out where the goal was while he was sat on my bench.

Had a play around and can make this happen with 0.1m to spare. Don't really like the double-up on Sunderland all that much though.

Mignolet Sorensen
Kompany Enrique Brown Caulker Kelly
Silva Bale Dempsey Sess Dyer
RVP Aguero Adebayor

Yeah, I see your point, but I don't think any of their attacking players really stand out at the moment. Yes Valencia and Welbeck are playing well, but they still have big question marks over their heads for me in terms of rotation and points return. Coupled with their rough fixtures I just don't see the rush.



I thought about this, in fact it will probably be my strategy a little later in the season. For me walters' good upcoming home fixtures just edges it over ade's run of nasty ones. I actually look forward to having benching decisions to make after owning ferguson all year. Besides, I'd expect at least one of Dempsey, Sess, Walters and Sturridge will have a tough fixture each week. If they get points on my bench then fair do's - it wasn't with the percentages to play them. At least I'd have points to come off the bench if someone was rested instead of the 1's and 2's I've lived with all year.

Tactically i have NO idea when i was going to use my WC which is unlike me.

I had assumed i would leave it until the last possible opportunity, however, looking at GW23 fixtures, this could be a perfect time to activate.

GW24 is just too tricky to call.

The added bonus of having line ups before the deadline could provide some great rewards.

David Silva 4k NTI today and should rise the next day. Didn't expect him to be brought in at this rate.

Looking good for a 0.2m rise.

Anyone see a 0.2m rise for Welbeck this week?

I thought Valencia would get brought in at a higher rate. Looking likely for 0.2m and should be well on his way to a 0.3m rise but will most likely fall short.

Revised list.

Looking good for 0.3 rise...
Dempsey
Sess

Looking good for 0.2 rise...
Keane
Zamora
Valencia
Silva
Welbeck

I'm really undecided between Sessegnon and Dempsey.

Vorm Sorensen

De Laet(at 3.8 and 4 defenders to cover fine keeping him) Evans, Enrique, Taylor, Santon

Valencia, Silva, Dyer, Bale, Sessegnon

Wellbeck RVP Aguero

Could do Vorm & Sorenson out for Ruddy & Mignolet and then Dyer Dempsey but then ill have a really strong front 8 and a massive dilemma over who to bench most weeks.

I think people worry too much about have big decisions to make about who to play and who to bench.

The way I see it is that it's surely better to be in a position where your team is so strong that you have to make these decisions. Also, it means that your bench is going to be strong if they do need to be called upon.

Just activated WC

IN OUT
Lindegaard Ruddy
Bosingwa Shawcross
Caulker Jones
Kelly McAuley
Dempsey Cabaye
Sessegnon Donovan
Morison Sturridge


Morrison is for price changes plan on most likely Zamora maybe welbeck
also most likely Vorm Mignolet to cover for when de Gea displaces Lingerard (if)

That would be four from Man United. De Laet is, or will be soon, back in the United squad.

These WC's do suck as you see the same teams now all over the place and probably most of the teams wildcarding now will have the same midfield (Silva, Bale, Dempsey, Valencia, and Sessegnon).. I won't take part of it and although I have brought in the last three now as well (already had Silva and Bale for ages), I will only take the profit gained from the last two and get rid before the GW starts in order to have a different team than the majority of active wildcarders.

Is this the last gameweek of the winter wildcard ?
Is it available after next deadline ?

Jan WC must be used before GW24 - 04 Feb 11:30

can't see silva x2 rising myself. i think the NTIs were just knee-jerkers due to nani's yellow flag, and transfer activity in general will slow down these next few days. also there won't be the day before (usually friday afternoon) rush to get players in, as the deadline is late and and people can therefore afford to wait. i guess that 0.2/0.3 rises will probably be limited to sessegnon, dempsey, valencia and (possibly) bale only. i'd say there is too much competition for places upfront for the likes of welbeck, zamora and keane to rise twice.

What are you thinking is the best keeper pairing to go with for those Wild Carding?

Vorm/Lindergaard works well, but that's of course providing Linda keeps his place, which isn't nailed on.

I have Vorm/Krul at the minute, and not sure whether to break that up, even when considering the amount I can sell for. Their fixtures rotate reasonably well.