I'm back again with another team with it's own thread. I'm entering this again in the FISO Open league but am hoping for a better performance.

I've only entered an autoselect team right now and am not sure where to go with strategy. Think I might try and pick a team for the first few weeks and hopefully get a better start than normal. Also strangely drawn to mid-priced midfielders rather than the likes of Lampard.

Will start on picking teams later so will be back later.

Am currently watching Amy Winehouse's "Later" retro-tribute thing and then moving on to Coldplay's Glasto set. FF will need to take a lower priority. I can't pick a starting XI anyway so you might as well move on to the next thread.

Go on now

Ok then let's have a crack at this. I'm really struggling for inspiration this season. Unlike many posts I've seen I just don't really feel there's a must-have player. Sorry, but I don't think Nani is. He's good, but does he represent value. I can imagine he'll come into this team at some stage but not on day one. Well, not yet anyway.

Here is therefore the Mystery FISO XI

G - Hart - ok he's quite close to being a must-have. But to be fair you could pretty much pick any of de Gea, Hart and Cech and that be a reasonable pick

D - Huth, Hangeland, Baines
This is a strategy call based on scoring potential. Last season 5 defenders scored over 4 points per game. No less than 38 others made more than 3. This tells me there's actually very little between any of that group. Safe sound picks will be fine here, and a goal or two now and then would help.

M - Silva, Toure, Dempsey, Adam, N'Zogbia
There's no stars here and no absolute stinkers. I also happen to not expect to be keeping this first five intact very long. Looking for safe points again and hoping to upgrade to the likes of Nani soon-ish and maybe van der Vaart when Spurs bad run of fixtures is done.

S - Rooney, Odemwingie
Much as it pains me, I'm expecting a good season from Rooney but as the most expensive player in the game I'm getting maximum flexibility in this position too. The Brummie is something of an enabler in terms of price, but potentially far better than that in terms of points potential. In fact, he outscored Shrek last season in Points Per Game.

So do your worst FISO - it shouldn't be hard

As requested

Hart - obviously fair enough, top keeper by a fair distance last season and should score similarly this, that's why he's the most expensive. Safe choice, definitely there for the season.

Huth and Hangeland - same reasons as me (and loads of others) both should provide very good points for their price range.

Baines - hmm, misses the first w/e, 4 decent looking fixtures where you're hoping that Everton don't make their usual slow start then they have Man C (a), Liverpool (h), Chelsea (a), Fulham (a) & Man U (h) Personally I think the 4.5m could be spent far more safely elsewhere. If they take a few scoring hits in those first few games you'll be looking to ship him out before facing the stronger attacking and defending teams.

Silva and Toure - not keen on 2 midfielders from the same club, not early on anyway (unless it's Chelsea of course ) I'd be more inclined to use one of them and see what impact Nasri makes on the squad if he does move there.

Dempsey - fair enough, solid points collector
N'Zogbia - if he settles quickly then he could/ should eclipse his 130 point return from last season
Adam - appears to have settled okay in pre-season, rotation risk, probably won't get most of the set pieces as he did at Blackpool, hence he could turn out to be over-priced

Rooney - as I've said with my team, is he going to score the goals to make him worthwhile? The potential is always there for him to have a very big season but so much depends on SAF and the other players at his disposal, if he ends up dropping back into link play with someone else in the box then he's going not going to return enough points to make him viable at that price. The main problem is who to replace him with, possibly worth playing him until Hernandez returns regardless?

Odemwingie - scored well last season and could well be thereabouts again, not the best start for West Brom with Man U then Chelsea, but after that there are a lot of more promising games ahead. Barring injury, if you're going to start with him then you have to stick with him for at least a couple of months. Good reasons for giving him a run.

Hi Mystery

welcome back, alwayas folow your team with interest

will you update your team like before as and when you make the transfers?

also, it seems your team total is 50.2M

Thanks for the comments Vid. Fair comment re Baines but considering that most of his points come from attack I feel the difficult fixtures can be justified. But with the missing fixture as well?? Hmmm...not sure now.

Julz - yes will definitely be updating as frequently as I can remember to and include my own statistical and tactical thoughts. Will check value later too!

I made a mistake posting above as I had van Persie rather than Rooney. Still seems fair enough I reckon.

G - Hart - ok he's quite close to being a must-have. But to be fair you could pretty much pick any of de Gea, Hart and Cech and that be a reasonable pick

Great

D - Huth, Hangeland, Baines
This is a strategy call based on scoring potential. Last season 5 defenders scored over 4 points per game. No less than 38 others made more than 3. This tells me there's actually very little between any of that group. Safe sound picks will be fine here, and a goal or two now and then would help.

You can get the top teams' defenders for a similar price so I'm not picking any of these

M - Silva, Toure, Dempsey, Adam, N'Zogbia
There's no stars here and no absolute stinkers. I also happen to not expect to be keeping this first five intact very long. Looking for safe points again and hoping to upgrade to the likes of Nani soon-ish and maybe van der Vaart when Spurs bad run of fixtures is done.

I'm skeptical on whether Toure or Dempsey will do so well this time. Silva isn't that great a goal scorer for his price and I don't know how well adams is gonna fit in

S - Rooney, Odemwingie
Much as it pains me, I'm expecting a good season from Rooney but as the most expensive player in the game I'm getting maximum flexibility in this position too. The Brummie is something of an enabler in terms of price, but potentially far better than that in terms of points potential. In fact, he outscored Shrek last season in Points Per Game.

Rooney's pricey and has a bad start but obv. is still a good pick. so I can't argue with you. Odem I'm not sure about but seems reasonable I guess

To be brutally honest I hate it.

But what do I know, eh? Probably means it will win TFF knowing me

Lol. Would be boring to all have the same

i think your team is pretty solid as well mystery, just echo the comments about 2 midfielders from the same team

will you post your final team once completed?

cheers

with rooney the team comes to 50.2

looking forward to the final draft

could swap hart for de gea or odemwingie for defoe or saha

Team has been revised as below

Hart

Hangeland, Richards, Huth - Richards a bit of a cash saver but has the games to play where Baines doesn't. I suspect either Baines or Vermaelen will be joining this team with a bit of form behind them, possibly coming in for a midfielder.

Nani, Toure, Dempsey, N'Zogbia, Adam - Nani is self-explanatory really.

van Persie, Odemwingie


Have to say I am very very happy with this team. No Chelsea exposure yet but that can be changed. I had played with the idea of swapping Hart for Given and a defender for Cole, but my thinking above about pricey defenders stands. I'm not convinced of their value this season, like last.

looks a pretty solid starting team considering baines isnt playing plus everton arent the quickest starters to a new season

also plenty of potential point scorers in midfield!

good luck, will enjoy following your progress

nb : i may enter this team in one of my SL if thats ok with you

Lol - I sense a new side comp coming on. Ever since Hansen stopped picking teams we need someone who can't pick a decent starting XI to use as a base. Didn't realise it would be me.

Joking aside be my guest - would be interesting to hear what you do with it too.

mystery, its only a work superleague and i have a few teams entered here and there and it comes to a point where i need to use someone elses starting xi for some inspiration, and i have always followed your and yeboahs FISO XI teams with interest

i dont really envisage doing anything with it, just following your transfer movements, hence the question about you updating your teams pre kick off!

obvously if i win any cash there maybe a financial interest for you!!

Haha - I understand the problem. I'm playing 13 teams this year and it's been fine for those with special rules (Egg, Super 6, Tiny League, Hot Shots) but coming up with 9 other vaguely different teams has been a real pain!

LOL - exactly

Good Luck

I like the team, only concerns for me would be rotation of Nani and Richards, and feel that Adam's points potential is lower than last season, but being a Liverpool fan I hope I am wrong. Also think Toure will be more defensive this season.

Not a terrible start really. Good defensive points making up for less than wonderful attacking ones. Provisional score is 41. The no-show from Odemwingie was unhelpful but it's fine.

Again looks a good side (why is mine the worst ), will you be looking at bringing in Aguero for Odemwingie at some point by bringing in a cheap midfield enabler say for the Zog?

Richards got an assist in the end. Have to say I thought he did actually but the live score centre thing didn't show it so I didn't claim it. 44 for the week then.

I'll be considering it for sure but I'd like to see Aguero start some games and score in more than one first. I dare say he will but I'm in no rush. It's a marathon not a snickers.

My statistical meanderings can appear in here this season.

The maximum possible score this week was 97 and it could be done various ways.

G - Any clean sheet keeper of your choosing - Krul was cheapest
D - Cahill 10, Steinsson 9, Richards 9
M - Silva 10, Johnson 8
S - Aguero 14, Klasnic 10

Then fill your team up with as many 7 point players as your formation allows (Ward, Formica, Muamba, Hoolahan, Young, Long, Fletcher, Dzeko, Rooney)

Given there were so many options I'm amazed the highest score was only 80 really.

What's interested me is that there are defenders starting for a club like Arsenal in the mid-3m price bracket - Gibbs & Koscielny. Not sure I'll be going there any time soon, but might give some interesting options later in the season.

No transfers so far. Don't feel I can justify any at this stage except for bans / injuries. Plenty of time for tinkering yet.

One of two of my 13 teams yet to have managed to score a goal. Still surviving on last week's defensive points then. No need for panic yet though.

Is this the season of the value player or just a freakish start based on a tiny number of games. The latter obviously in my opinion. Whilst I do look at the stats and all that I just can't justify basing tactical decisions on two games worth of play.

You discover some interesting things looking at the top scorer charts by position and the absence of some of the usual clubs.

Arsenal have just one player in the top ten scorers in any position (Koscielny 9th ranked defender). Chelsea also have one (Bosingwa). Liverpool have two (Reina and Suarez). Man U manage to get four but one of them is Danny Wellbeck and really does any of us imagine him scoring 100 points this season? Spurs of course have managed none, but perhaps that's not suprising having played only one game.

Man City manage to get 7 in the lists including two of the top three scorers so far.

So all in all what does it mean. Nowt really in my humble. It's a typical mixed up start to a Premiership season. There are some interesting choices out there. Bosingwa might well offer value, and it's still hard to overlook the old favourites like Nani and Lampard, but as of right now my team's position is of relatively little significance to me.

I would transfer out Toure though, being played as a very defensive midfielde this year and 4.2m is a lot of money to have tied up in a DM.

Perhaps bring in Cleverley (Man Utd) as long as they don't sign Sneijder before the window closes

Cleverley. Nah, definitely not on the basis of two appearances. I don't think he's a nailed on first team regular any more than Anderson or Welbeck are. One to watch around Xmas time with cup games and rotation to consider, but not yet for me ta.

I see that Young is the highest selected player now, at £4.5M, given his very bright start to the season does look good value, unlucky not to have at least a KC or goal last night. Question is, once Champions League etc kicks in will he suffer from rotation (him, nani, park, valencia up for two positions?)

Yes I pretty much feel that Young is a nailed on pick now. Still not an awful lot wrong with this team though. In any other week 45 would have been a great total, but not this week sadly. But that doesn't make for panic transfers. Now perhaps I do need to consider whether Nani might make way for Young allowing me to upgrade Odemwingie to Rooney. Maybe....