Fantasy Football Preview Week 34

State Of Play

Okay, I’m in top ten. I used up my wildcard, played the double game week roulette and it seems to have somewhat paid off. I did 25 points better than the curve, but it’s no fair assessment anymore, a better reflection of my ‘nous’ was I did better than the 6 people directly ahead of me in the league; but then the top three in the Back Of The Net Boy league all got 100+ points, which goes to show why they are the winners. It’s safe to say, unless I pull of an 88 point miracle, that The Back Of The Net Boy league trophy, the Ballon d’Ronan, will be leaving my hands after a two year reign.

Vindication 

Okay well I hoped Lampard would step up to the plate for me in gameweek 33, which somewhat paid off, with him getting 22 points cos of the double points he got for being my captain…

D’oh

… Unfortunately for me his teammates Drogba and Malouda both brought in 22 point hauls BEFORE doubling up as captains. AARRGGGHH. Gameweek 33’s dream team and mine had whopping two similarities, which is not good enough to be winning this league. This is Senior Hurling level now; Junior B bullshit isn’t good enough

Questions / Hunch / Drama / Dramatic Narrative before Sky Have Spotted it

Man Utd’s bogie team blah blah blah, Everton slow start to season blah blah, on form since January Everton would be second in league blah blah, Man Utd one eye on Shalke match blah blah.

Will Bolton who are already hurt after last weekend’s demolishing via the Potters, lie down and lick their wounds against the gunners? Oooooooorrrrrrrrr will Owen Coyle and his men regroup around a faltering Arsenal? I’m dropping Van Persie, and keeping Fabregas so watch out for a Dutch hat trick knowing my luck.

Nothing of note really sticks out this week.

Transfers

It’s really big ideas here at The Hateau, 3 transfers in so 8 points being spent in the name of bringing in players who have double game playing this gameweek and favorable fixtures in the next one too (so I’m going with Dempsey @ Fulham (wolves/Bolton/sunderland) & Davies @ Bolton (arsenal/fulham/Blackburn), but they don’t reinvent the wheel, so also bringing Ireland’s new hope Jon Walters, once again 3 matches in next 2 Gameweeks (I’m gonna bank on him shining against Villa and being rested against Wolves, otherwise his success will offset others losses).

Theory/Selection

Okay I'm putting my chips down on Mick McCarthy on Wolves pulling it out of the fire, 3 players from the club in my first 11 (i brought them all in when using my wildcard last week - clever see).

Having listened to fantasy footballs scoutcast, I seem to have made every decision opposed to them.

I sometimes wonder what style to write this blog in, realistically we’ve 14 or 15 readers all with the same level of knowledge and experience/interest as me, so is it redundant for me to say things like it’s not worth making Walters captain because if he did score against wolves it’d cost me notional points etc, but I am making Davies Captain specifically because his successes will have no negative impact on any of my team.

Dropping Walker because I want Stoke to do well, dropping Johnson cos I assume Liverpool will beat them and I hope Carroll does the scoring, even though the big Geordies is my first choice substitute, 

My Team this week

 

Keeping An Eye On

Carroll’s fitness, he plays against his old club next gameweek. And arsenal if they really do go off the radar this week, I’ll ship the Catalonian prince Fabregas out too.

Captains Corner with Phergal (please note I don’t even try and fix up the text anymore, he’s a grown man if he doesn’t want to capitalise club’s names I’m not going to do it for him)

so i changed captains at the last minute from RVP to Drog after a few beers and it payed off big time, 44 points from him alone, total score 109 to catapult me into top position in the BOTNB league.

enough gloating. what looks good this week for your captains armband? well it's wide open this. lot of doubles, but nothing as attractive as last weeks chelsea fixtures.

Bolton - Arsenal @Home, fulham away. Elmander hasn't had a double digit score since november and just a single goal this year. sturridge is the golden boy atm, fresh from a brace at west ham's expenses last week, and 6 goals from 8 matches. tempting. if the fixtures were a bit better he'd be a dead cert for me.

fulham - Wolves away and @home to Bolton. very nice fixtures. dempsey and zamora are your picks. zamora got a brace against blackpool on his return and looks lively. i would be leaning towards him here.

stoke - villa away, @home to wolves. huth might get you a clean sheet against wolves and a chance of a goal so not a bad pick. etherington is an okay pick.

wolves - @home to fulham, away to stoke. meh, jarvis maybe?

as for the other fixtures, a resurgent chelsea @home to west ham looks great for the likes of drogba, malouda and lampard. i'd go with drog again here, he's in wicked form.