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Previous Fantasy Sports Newsletters (FSN) by FISO - subscribe here

Fantasy Sports Newsletter 55 -  13 August 2002

The start of the 2002/03 English Premiership season is almost upon us! Getting out of the blocks quickly is crucial if you want to be the one breaking the winner's tape come next May, be it in an International or National competition or a Works or Friends League, and we hope that today's newsletter contents will help you towards that goal.

Contents:

1. 2002/03 Premiership Preview comments from guest, and top Fantasy Football player, Andy Luckhurst.

2. Your Fantasy Premiership Football Checklist.

3. Premiership Injury news courtesy of PhysioRoom.com, the Premier League Sports Injury Centre.

4. News on the 'major' Fantasy Premiership games for 2002/03 and details on the related FISO mini/super-leagues.

5. FISO Forum - the place for the latest news and views on UK fantasy sports games.

6. New fantasy football game reviews.

7. Access to previous Newsletters including a search facility, FISO contact details & How to Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

1. 2002/03 Premiership Preview comments from guest and past Fantasy Football Champion, Andy Luckhurst:

Another year almost upon us and FISO have prompted me to actually do some prep work at last! Whilst I might keep the odd little secret to myself hopefully this little preview may be a useful starting point for this new to Fantasy Football:

• ARSENAL - Silva looks a great signing (albeit not in Fantasy land), and you'll probably need a couple of selections. Henry is obvious, and Lauren, Cole, Campbell all look reasonable defensive choices. Midfield you'll have to wait for Pires and Ljungberg (my nemesis last year !), but may risk Edu if you have the transfer(s).
• ASTON VILLA - A hard guess. I am really unsure whether the defence will improve/deteriorate, maybe Alpay holds the answer. Anyone holding down a regular midfield spot is likely to score well, but I'll probably avoid the strikers.
• BIRMINGHAM - No obvious selections yet, but maybe one will emerge.
• BLACKBURN - Could improve. No real obvious defender to choose, Duff and Dunn are more realistically priced this year (no longer 'cheapos'), but are sure to do well. Cole is possible.
• BOLTON - Lots of midfielders, maybe Djorkjaeff or Nolan will do well. Can Ricketts do it again - if given the chance !?
• CHARLTON - The defense may improve a bit. Will Jensen stay fit ?
• CHELSEA - Cudicini and Melchiot look solid. Any regular midfielder is a possible, Lampard is the obvious one. JFH and his partner in crime are very tempting if Mr Bates hasn't sold them before kick off.
• EVERTON - Will they survive another year, will Weir get enough goals to make him a possible defensive pick, will Alexandersson learn how to make them go in off the woodwork ?
• FULHAM - The defense should again be solid. Malbranque was unbelievable last year, and whilst his price has risen he'd still be cheapish if he can repeat the dose. I'm a Saha fan, but maybe Marlet is the better FF pick.
• LEEDS - Will the fans get their way and have Harte replaced, if not pick him ! I think the defence will have a good year, even without Rio if Woodgate stays fit. Robinson may start. Bowyer and Kewell are expensive midfield possibles and I reckon Viduka will have a better year, whilst Robbie is a great selection when fit.
• LIVERPOOL - Riise is the new Harte I guess, but it'll be interesting to see how many 90 minutes he plays, and how often he is in midfield. The Liverpool defence should again be their strength. No obvious midfield selection yet, but that may come as the season unfolds. Owen will help you if you can get him at the right time, but he will no doubt be injury prone again.
• MAN CITY - Another team we'll all be looking closely at. From midfield Wright-Phillips, Berkovic and Benarbia are all possible and Anelka will be in a lot of FF teams even though he's not always super cheap.
• MAN UTD - The usual suspects plus Ferdinand. Surely the defence must improve this year !
• MIDDLESBORO - I think they really might have got it right now. The defence should do well and Juninho is an obvious selection (now injured - Ed), as per usual it might be Marinelli's year and Maccarone could be anything.
• NEWCASTLE - Lots of Midfield possibilities as long as you can spot the first team regular. I can't believe Shearer can do it again, yet he's relatively cheap on last years form, so maybe we should pick him.
• SOUTHAMPTON - A. Svensson is the only obvious possible although Pahars and Beattie always seem to do better than I expect.
• SUNDERLAND - This could be a bad year for one of the best supported teams. The defence may do OK, but where are the goals coming from and why doesn't Reid give Medina a chance.
• TOTTENHAM - A big squad. Poyet injured so Davies is a possible early season pick. Richards and Iversen would be possibles, but both seem to have become injury prone. ' Sicknote' is cheap in some comps.
• WBA - Look like 'gonners', but so did Ipswich and Bolton. Looking forward to seeing Clement and expecting a midfield signing or two.
• WEST HAM - Cole is another Marinelli, will it be his year ? Sinclair is a possible if no post World Cup reaction and Carrick continues to progress. Defoe looks best of the strikers.

I hope this gets you started. My '1, 2, 3' would be as the betting; Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool. Improvers Leeds, Middlesboro and maybe Fulham. Relegation, WBA, Birmingham, Sunderland. Value in top goalscorer Defoe !! Nice to finish on a controversial, ' does he really mean it' note !

Andy. 4 August 2002.'

2. Your Checklist for the 2002/02 Fantasy Premiership Season.

The entry deadlines are imminent! And we've taken time out from entering our teams to bring you a quick checklist for you to refer to:

1. Do you know who the main players are that you want in your team(s)? Have you decided who are the team stars, main goal getters or most likely to provide assists? If not, then have a look at our Premiership Player database with our own 'fantasy' rating. If you choose a player ranked 80 or over then we think he certainly has the potential to score plenty of fantasy points for you. However, it is important that you form your own view on how players are going to perform and then follow this view when entering your teams - no-one knows what will actually happen so your view may be the right one!
2. Do you know which players are injured or transfered out? See Part 3 below for current Premiership injury news courtesy of PhysioRoom.com. Also keep your eye on the following topic on the FISO forum for injury and transfer news - Preparation for the EPL kick-off.
3. Have you decided which FF games to enter? FISO have a summary of the Online games and Newspaper games on their website and you will see plenty of comment on our forum as well. If you know what games you are entering, have you fully read all the rules and in particular the points scoring, team formation and transfer systems? Getting the game tactics rigth is just as important as getting the players right.
4. Do you need some general tips on playing Fantasy Football games? Click here for our 'tips' page.
5. Are you fully informed on the latest Premiership news and who the likely starters are for each team? This does require time and effort but should give you an advantage over those less well prepared. We provide links to some of the best sites for Premiership news here. There's also team news comments on our forum - we recommend you visit the forum on a daily basis due to the build up of information.
6. Will you have access to Premiership Football coverage once the season gets underway (e.g. via Sky Sports)? There's no substitute for watching the games themselves to see how players and teams are performing.
7. Have you got the right computer equipment for the season ahead? If you're looking to buy a new computer then we'd recommend the following spec: 256mb Ram, 20 Gb Hard Drive, ideally Intel P4 Processor or Duron >1.5ghz & 17" Monitor. Consider getting broadband, if available where you are - this should vastly improve your download speed.
8. Have you entered the Mini-leagues that are available with your friends, family or work-mates? If you drop out of the main race then these can provide interest late in the season and usually are free to enter. Everyone is welcome to join mini-leagues set up by us - click here for more details.
9. Finally - don't leave it too late to enter your teams. With Euro matches for Man Utd and Newcastle this Wednesday evening, we'd suggest that Thursday will be the ideal day to enter your online teams. Leaving it until Saturday means you are risk from computer or IT system failure, either your own or the game providers.

3. Premiership Injury news courtesy of PhysioRoom.com, the Premier League Sports Injury Centre.

Tuesday 13th August 2002
Reported Premiership injuries (Club, total number of injuries & Player Injuries)

4. News on the major 2002/03 Fantasy Premiership games and details on the FISO mini/super-leagues.

The 2002/03 English Premiership season promises 9 months of action-packed thrills and spills and we don't want you to miss out on this excitement! Listed below are the major fantasy football games that have already launched. So whether you want to prove that you've got what it takes to beat many thousands of other players or whether you're purely intent on winning that top prize, these are the games to test you to the limit. Don't regret not entering enough teams/competitions to keep you interested all the way through to next May - try a wide range of games and enter a variety of teams.

For comment and details on each game, just click on the link below. Most of the games allow for unlimited transfers before the season starts for real - so enter your teams now. If you've got any questions on any of the games, just ask via our forum.

• TFF - Telegraph Fantasy Football (including news of the new £5,000 'Divisional' prizes).
• TFFO - Telegraph Fantasy Football Online (this is a different game to TFF). Includes news on their 3 Premiership teams for the price of 2 offer. If there are any improvements you'd like to see on TFFO then post your comments here - this is a feedback forum topic started by TFFO. 
• OFL - Classic - Original Fantasy League - Classic game
• OFL - Pro - Original Fantasy League - Professional game
• The Times - The Times game run by Fantasy League Limited (including news on the extension of the Monday evening transfer deadline from 6pm to 7pm).
• Sky Sports Super Manager - launched today on the internet, already available via digital TV.
• The Mirror - Run by the Daily and Sunday Mirror (including news on an improved transfer facility for 02/03).

FISO Mini/Super-Leagues:

For details on how to join any of the FISO Super/Mini Leagues entered into the above games, and details on how the Super League prize money (up to £5,000 in each competition) will be shared out in the event of a win, please click here.  

5. FISO Forum

The FISO fantasy sports forum was launched in August 2001 and with approximately 800 topics and 7,000 posts about fantasy sports so far and currently averaging approximately 4,000 page views per day, the FISO forum is the place to talk to your fellow players and get an opinion about a game. The latest Fantasy Sports news is posted here so check it regularly. All posts since August 2001 are contained in an archive system accessible from the forum index.

Why not join in our forum? You do NOT need to join to view the posts but if you choose yourself a password and username, leaving your name and email address, then you're free to post as well.

The Forums include Fantasy Football, Cricket, Golf, Formula One, Other Fantasy Sports and Horse Racing Tips (Beat the Bookies!). To access the latest postings across all the fantasy sports forums in one easy page click here.  

6. More new fantasy football game reviews.

Are you more interested in smaller fantasy football games based on the Premiership? Do you want to know about the latest Fantasy Football games launched? Then these game reviews will interest you.

Football56

The aim of Edinburgh based score-prediction game, Football56, is to score the highest number of points from 6 fixtures each week throughout the course of the season. There is a free 4 week demo from 17th August 2002 to 7th September 2002 and the person whose team has scored the highest single week score during the demo period will win £250. Each player must select the fixture list they would like to predict scores on; 3 to choose from: English, Scottish and European.

Points are scored for each prediction as follows:

• 6 pts     -     Correct score.

• 4 pts     -     Correct result and correct total of goals scored.

• 3 pts     -     Correct result.

• 1 pt      -     Correct total goals scored.

• 0 pts     -     None of the above.

Prizes will be offered on a pools basis for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.  In addition weekly and monthly prizes are offered as well as a Jackpot prize if the maximum score of 36 is achieved in any week. Free Mini Leagues are available.  

Click4Football

This year the Click4 development team have provided the avid football fan
with two games to enjoy:

Click4Football:
The classic real-life performance fantasy football league where managers must employ their footballing knowledge to choose a team of eleven English
Premiership players. You have the option to select the teams formation. Transfers can be made up to 10 mins before kick-off. There is the ever popular Mini League to add bit of friendly rivalry amongst friends, family and colleagues. Game play is still simple and great fun with prizes on offer for all ages. This season's competition starts on Saturday August 17th 2002. Cost of entry into the prize league is £5.00 per team (3 teams cost £10.00), or play for FUN in the free to enter non-prize league.

Soccer Sixes:
Click4Football's new offering. A FREE to play, on-line, multiplayer,
simulated football management game that lets you run a six-a-side football team. Compete against hundreds of other players around the world. Complete with player profiles, suspensions, injuries, dodgy refereeing, promotion, relegation and statistics on thousands of Soccer Six footballers from around the world. Management is extremely realistic, and the skill, ability and behaviour of your players are fine-tuned for you to take over the hot seat.

GoHighOrLow

For the 2002/3 football season, GoHighOrLow have predicted how many points they think each team in the Premiership will get by the end of the season. You choose five different teams where your prediction differs most from theirs, and decide if those teams are going to score more (go higher) or less (go lower). The aim is to differ as much as possible. You need to also pick the winner of the F.A. Cup and Worthington Cup. Mini-leagues facility available. Game running has been outsourced to GFM Services.There is a £1,000 prize for the winner. Entry fee is £5.

Premiership Fantasy Footy

A free to enter Premiership fantasy footy game. Predict the correct scorelines and first team to score in each game in the Premiership. The PFF site is personalised with your team's colours and has a mini league function. Winner's prize is £500 and prizes also on offer for being top of your mini-league.

Correct-Score

After a successful World Cup game, the Correct-Score Premiership Game is open for business. It is free to play and consists of 9 monthly score prediction games plus the Overall Season Game. Mini-league facility.

FORS Footy Challenge

The FORS Footy Challenge is based on score prediction plus associated match questions. It is designed so that players can easily miss several weeks and still be in with a chance of winning the overall pot, and half the prize money is distributed weekly. Entry cost is £2 per week and the aim is to have the best 5 scores over the season. Mini-league facility.

Footie-Forecast

Footie Forecast is an online football prediction league. The first weekend of games will be 17/08/02. It is a season long (40 week) game in which players are ranked by their average score per set of 10 weekly predictions. Players can join up to half way through the season, and must predict at least 20 weeks of games to get a true average at the end of the season. Either play for free of pay £20 for the season to take part in the pooled prize competition.

Predict The Football

Predict The Football is a free to play website game that allows you to test your knowledge of football. You predict the results of, and events in, games in the English Premier League.

TopTipper

TopTipper provide 3 types of prediction competitions for sports all over the world, including many European soccer competitions.

Jester800

Jester800 challenges you to select a squad of 20 fantasy players from the 'A, B and C rank' fantasy player's list. The game consists of matches against an opponent fantasy manager each week (16 teams in each league) and the ultimate aim of J800 is to create a world where promotion and relegation are major factors. Jesters are the 'currency' of the game and at the start of the first season each manager is awarded 30 Jesters to use for transfers and claim double points on players' performance. Jester800 is free to play with an option to pay and benefit from the prize pool.

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