Hi, this is my first time playing but i've read alot of forums and fantasy football blogs but i feel like i'm still missing something... now i know, its constructive criticism from the best fantasyfootball players in the world! So please fire away, i can handle the criticism, don't hold back!


Current lineup
GK:M.Schwarzer (M.Hahnemann)
DEF:Hangeland, T.Bramble, J.Evans (Alcaraz, R.Taylor)
MID:A.Young,F.Lampard,M.Petrov,M.Arteta
FOR:N.Anelka,Rodallega,D.Bent


Can anyone please tell me if:
1) Is titus bramble a threat from setpieces or is there anyone better at scoring headers from corners at 4.5?
2) I want to downgrade Hangeland to Al-Muhammadi but i dunno if Al-Muhammadi will start? I need the extra million because i wanna change Anelka>RVP after the 1st week…
3) Is Alcaraz likely to be a permanent starter for Wigan?
4) Is Rodellega the corner and free kick taker for Wigan? It just seems strange to me that a striker would be taking these kicks...


My 2nd formation is a risky one, without the common Frank Lampard... I'm going more liverpool heavy with this... 2 liverpool players some might call me a fool X.X


Reserves:
GK: Robinson
MID: Etherington
DEF: Bramble and R.Taylor

Can i ask if
Martin Skrtel will be a sure starter for liverpool? Who are the contestants for the central defender position in liverpool other than carragher anyway? Any liverpool fans out there?


I dunno whats wrong with me, i cant stop myself from tinkering!!!

This is my current team!



GK:

Schwarzer: Schwarzer is probably staying, as I like him (not in the gay sense) whether his at Fulham or Arsenal, as i feel Fulham is one of the most defensive teams out there and 5.0 for a big4 keepers is an incredible bargain to me…

Ben Foster: Ben Foster, my reserve keeper is up for debate… I just looked at the 4.5 keepers and chose one as I couldn’t find any 4.0 ones that would start regularly…

Defenders:

Taylor: Ryan Taylor has always been one of my favourite players so I guess he’s something of a personal choice… He’s staying on the bench as the 1st game is against Man U though. But its been so long since I played fantasy soccer… I never played fantasy premier league before I played yahoo last time but very long since I played so I’m kinda out of sync… anyone can comfirm if Ryan Taylor is a starter for Newcastle?

Kolarov: I think this player is going to be huge this season… good chance of being a direct free kick taker and boy can this guy shoot, judging from youtube videos. Expensive though… but I feel that he’s going to be a starter ahead of Wayne Bridge…

Alcaraz: I just think that I need a centreback whos capable of being a threat from set pieces… is he going to start though can anyone comfirm?

Ahmed Al-Muhammadi: Well… they call him the Egyptian beckham or something like that… he has a chance of being one of those players you have in defence but plays in midfield occasionally… this is something of a gamble

Samba: My other benched player, I decided to go with him because my 3 starting defenders all are rather risky and have a good chance of being benched by their respective managers, so having a good solid player like Samba who’ll definitely start is a bonus for me. Furthermore, I’ve information that tells me that Blackburn likes to play Samba in the centre forward position when they’re desperate for a win…

Midfielders: Yes, I’m gambling by going with Lampard… but I just feel that he limits too many of my options!

Gerrard: Without Lampard, I’m going to need a big hitter like gerrard or fabregras… I’m going with gerrard this time as I feel fab is going to be unsettled by barca and last season was a poor season for gerrard but I think his going to be really anxious to prove a point this time round.

Arteta: One of the most consistent players in the league…

A.Young: The same goes for young

Martin Petrov: The season hasn’t even started and his already hogging the set pieces from Matthew Taylor! Petrov has always been one of my favourite players and I just think he’s selfish enough to be a fantasy god… more shots= more goals right? Esp since his shooting isn’t half bad…

Etherington: So, Etherington is definitely starting every game but playing for westham, his staying on my bench. I chose him ahead of Nzogbia because he takes penalties, although I can’t see west ham earning a lot of penalties, it’s a nice advantage to have.

Strikers:

This is the most tricky part… as I’m pitting team against team… gerrard Liverpool vs RVP arsenal… I’m banking on the fact that both teams are going to want to prove a point after being overlooked as title contenders beside the dominance of Chelsea and man u so I hope its going to be a high scoring match… now that I said that its bound to be a nil-nil draw -.-

Anelka: Without Lampard, I’m definitely going to need a big Chelsea presence in my team… with drogba out of the picture, anelka is perfect as every ball will land at his feet. In fact, Anelka is probably going to be my captain for the first week, against Westbrom, it’s a killer…

Rodellega: Takes nearly every single set piece for Wigan… playing against blackpool, I see big things for him in this game… unfortunately obviously so does 30% of the other players in FPL… so if he doesn’t perform i’m going to lose big… I’m banking on the fact that he will at least score enough points to justify his cheap price tag…

Van Persie: As mentioned, I feel that arsenal is going to want to prove a point and I’ve always known van persie to be hot stuff at the start of the season… plus the fact that arsenal have no other competent strikers, I have faith in van persie to do well.


So… that’s it. Please rate my team and please don’t hold back just because I’m new!

Edit: I have a new team now, please scroll down to see it!! Its in a later post

anyone?

Etherington plays for Stoke

You're right about Arteta being consistent, he's always injured!

I might need a Newcastle Fan to correct me, but I don't think R. Taylor is a starter... they also just signed Sol Campbell so I don't know how their defence will lineup this season (at least the beginning)

Kolarov - for me isn't good VFM at least not until we see how he fits in

Gerrard - I'm not touching him until he can prove he is back to his normal self... and the current Liverpool squad really isn't convincing.

It's not a bad team, it's different which I like (so many of the same teams around here)

Thanks! I do try to keep my team different from the crowd but I'm new so i'm afraid i might have made a right hash of things... but i'm definitely open to changes, even if it means i have to go with the crowd if i feel that the player will do well i'm not adverse to following everyone else too!

Hi All,

Here is my latest team!



Before you ask, my reserve team is filled with jokers, all 4 are 4.5 each and starters... but lets ignore them and focus on my main team =)

GK: Jaaskelainen's stats show that he has the most saves for his price. The reason why he is so cheap is because he conceded 67 goals last season which is also one of the most. I feel that bolton is likely to improve on this defence this season and if this keeper is able to maintain his saving skills he will be worth his money. My reserve keeper is Ben Foster. I dunno much about Foster but everyone seems to be rating him so i stuck him into my reserves. If Schwarzer gets signed for Arsenal (looking less and less likely) i will probably change to Schwarzer.

Defence: I feel like going a strong defence this season. But i'm not sure which 3 defenders can get me the most clean sheets. Evans for the early few until ferdinand returns, terry is defintely a chelsea starter but he is so expensive. Carragher is the last but i'm thinking about changing him to kolarov because at 6.5, carragher is too expensive, considering he might get rested due to his age. Any views? Or help me getting 3 bigfour defenders into my team for 17-19 million? I'm thinking about gael clichy or sagna taking carragher's place but i'm not sure which to choose. Any arsenal authorities out there can tell me which of these two you think are more likely to earn more points? If possible, i'd like a defence of a man u defender, chelsea and either sagna/clichy. But Man u and chelsea defences are so wierd now... i know terry and vidic will start... alex and ferdinand are out... evans for man u but for chelsea? Ivanovic or carvalho? and who will the the full backs!!

Midfield: My midfield is the only part im pleased with. No doubt you'll notice, no lampard! Yes i know i'm taknig a big risk but i feel that lampard is overrated. He had an excellent season and i'm in no way doubting his ability but is he worth 13 million to be honest? I have him at 12 at the most. If only he was younger, i would buy him without a doubt.

Strikeforce: Anelka is only gonig to be here until i feel drogba is going to return, than RVP probably is coming in... darren bent is another big if, considering his a doubt for the 1st game. he has a nice 1st 2 games though but 3rd game onwards i'm probably selling him. Rodallega seems good, taking penalties and free kicks for wigan... any thoughts?

I see you are a Liverpool fan which is scary else I can't explain you picking Carragher but let's be serious...

Jaask
Terry too expensive
Carragher he's awful. He only visits Anfield between his different pub bouncer jobs.
EvansJ
AYoung somewhat of a gamble
Gerrard weak VFM atm
Arteta huge gamble
Petrov
Anelka
Rodallega me not likey
Bent awful fixtures

Needs a little more work me thinks
Good luck

Thank you for your honest opinion! Being new to this game i was wondering if i could clarify a few points with u...



PS: I'm loving your profile pic...

Here is my latest team!



Before you ask, my reserve team is filled with jokers, all 4 are 4.5 starters... but lets ignore them and focus on my main team =)

1) I'm thinking about changing Kolarov back to terry for week one.
I'll save my transfer at week one, and after week two i'll swop terry back to kolarov and swop bent to RVP (I have 1.5 in the bank now)

2) Sagna vs Clichy... who should i pick?

I would say that it is a solid team, it's quite balanced but Gerrard is a big risk for me, especially as he is your 'big hitter' in this team

Anelka is a suitable pick with Drogba out, but as soon as Drogba comes back he really is a must have over Anelka (especially as you have no FFL/Malouda) - so you will need to consider how you could possibly make that happen

Dunno why you wouldn't just show us your bench as well =/

I think that this selection will give you loads of problems.

There is a doubt over Bent's fitness. Gerrard may play in a deeper role this season. Evans and Anelka may loose their starting places when their team mates return from injury. A few of the other players have small doubts over them which could be covered in a team with more balance. Wiith a bench that you describe as "jokers" you don't have too many options and may be forced into an early wildcard or risk fielding a team with less than 11 players.

Thank you Special1 and Sohei Tigers for your great feedback!

1) I didnt know that Bent was a doubt... so taking this into account i'll be trying to devise a team that answers both your queries.

2) I know RVP could be rested due to his exertions of the world cup, but with such an important first game, i think arsene would rather play him then rest him and put on... bendtner?

3) In order to get drogba back into my team, i will be replacing anelka with him.
To do that,i will save up a transfer so that i can have two transfers when drogba returns and do a straight swop of Ashley cole+ Anelka for drogba + a 4.0 defender, or 4.5 if i manage to get the funds.

PS: About my bench, the reason why i haven't posted it is because it isn't significant, and i don't want to divert attention away from the starting 11, which is what i am really concerned about.



Regarding the gerrard vs lamps, i just had a feeling about gerrard this season... call it a hunch

Thank you again for the great feedback guys!

Hi All,

My new team! Please rate! I'm not very certain about the Bold ones


GK: Jaaskelainen
DEF: J.Evans, Bosingwa (6.0 chelsea marker), Ahmed Al-Muhammadi
Mid: Lampard, Arteta, Ashley Young, Martin Petrov
FOR: Anelka, RVP, Rodallega

Seems like Drogba has a chance of playing the first week so Anelka may no longer be so good a choice to start with.

Sorry, i cant stop tinkering!!! Argh whats happening to me!!!

GK: J.Jaaskelainen
DEF: J.Evans, Z.Knight,Ahmed Al-Muhammadi
MID: Gerrard, A.Young, Arteta, M.Petrov
FOR: Rooney(c), Rodallega, RVP

I know, no chelsea coverage!!! But i just have a hunch... that lamps isn't going to do well this time. Its just a hunch. But i'm not throwing away my season based on a hunch, so i bought gerrard and in case lamps goes mad and scores a hattrick i'm going to do the earliest wildcard ever to bring in lamps. As stated by JohnF (thanks!), Drogba being healthy but not fully healthy makes the selection of both Anelka and Drogba not as tasty to me. Probably Rooney+Ger for Lamps+ Defoe.

Final Team!!! (I hope)



I have finally revealed my pathetic bench... barton and mouyoloko are gambles... not that its much of a gamble considering their on the bench

GK: Jussi
Def: J.Evans, Terry, Ahmed Al-Muhammadi
Mid: Gerrard, Arteta, Young, Petrov
For: Anelka, Rodallega, RVP

Please comment! If bosingwa starts i could change terry+ ahmed to Boss+Sagna. I have 1m in the bank!

i wouldnt hav gerrard in your team as you dont no how he will do this season. also anelka may not score much points now drogba is back. somethin to think about