I was relatively full of Christmas Cheer last Gameweek,
feeling like this was gonna be my turning point in Fantasy Football but it turned
out that it felt more like
this.
Anyway I need
to (whtich is one of my favourite recordings and songs ever Ronan-Fact Fans), and
get right back on that horse – mix some metaphors and get back in the game…
GAMEWEEK 15 REVIEW OF NEW CORK COSMOS
I picked three players who got scored more than 3 points,
and one that managed the ignomity of a minus one;
Got the captain right? Nope, and what makes it worse is that
this was what I wrote last week “Nope, that Swanish (Spain and Swansea put
together) fella had a great 16 point haul.”, well at least he only got 12 in
GM16 – Facepalm, with echo.
Got the keeper right? Only Jaaskelainen played so it’s a
moot point. And he just got 1. Ruddy out.
Got my subs decisions right? No, my unused defender
(Cameron) scored three points more than the 4 I selected put together; and
Sterling scored more than 2 of my used midfielders put together
Alternate Selection Point Swing – 18 points. (inc if I had
captained Michu instead), a difference of 18 places on the league table.
WHAT’S THE POINTS
Points scored last week -
41 Points
Points off the top -
167 points, a further 36 points off the pace.
Position in BOTNB League -
47th (down 15 places L )
LAST WEEK’S TEAM
THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS
…last week’s highest scorer was
Aidan Molloy, of Stade de Schull with a humnogous 87 point
haul, [which for the record was the exact same amount as Pat from GM 15]. Here
are his thoughts on gameweek 16…
I'd like to think the secret to my success is my down to my
overall knowledge of the game and the touch of class I bring to it. But as
Arsenal in the past have learned, not always will beautiful football and that
touch of class suffice in claiming the major honours.
I have this year entered "back of the net boy" and
other leagues where I do not know the opposition but my real drive and probably
the main secret to my success lies in the league with my
fellow colleagues. As a lot of you know this rivalry cannot be
matched and the pressure of winning drives me on to succeed. I think it's good
to find a compatriot of similar skill and play some mind games, friendly banter
etc. i.e to get inside his head to gain an advantage. If you struggle to find
originality in this sector look out for some Jose Mourinho interviews. He plays
this card exceptionality.
Basically people, you must treat FF as much more than a
game. It must become your religion to succeed. Also, I'd advise you fellow FF
managers to back your own ability and not to act like sheep when it comes to
picking players. Don't fall back on websites like FF Scout or others when it
comes to picking your best 11. Be original and look for differentials. As I
mentioned above my overall knowledge of the game sets me apart from the rest.
For example I purchased Miguel Pérez Cuesta (aka Michu) one week before
the first game week and needless to say he hasn't moved since.How many of you
can say the same? After spending a lot of time watching Spanish football last
year it was easy for me to decide that Michu would be a hit in the PL. My eye
for a bargain cannot be matched. So to sum it up as many of you my know from
reading this the secret to success is my ability basically, am I the greatest?
No of course not I've made too many mistakes to ever be on
that pedestal but I am the special one. I play the game to way it
should be played, with class and distinction. To sum it up I am the
shepherd and the majority of managers are the sheep.
Many thanks for your attention,
Aidan.
.......
.... She said no Robin, she said no…
HIS SCREENSHOT
TRANSFERS
1.4 million to play with
Like Christmas shopping itself, there’s no point going too
crazy – I need a few things for a few people, Jaaskelainen needs some back up and
my defence needs something to make less porous… but judging by my recent
decisions all not paying off, and looking at my team options this week, I’m
gonna leave it as it is. I know I’m playing with the chance that Ruddy (injured
till March) willd rop by .1 or even .2 in value, which is a mild worry tbh. But
today there is no obvious solution at his price range with good fixtures.
And it’ll give me some sort of leeway to prep for christmas
fixture rush, I think I’ll make 3 transfers next week at cost of just 4 points.
ISTEACH/AMACH
Well Ruddy needs to
go, so De Gea, Guzan, Reina are all in my reckoning
On the second possible replacment there, the reVILLAtion (
see what I did there) seems to be gaining traction, their next 3 (away at
anfield and stamford bridge, then hosting spurs) might be a slight derailment,
but Lawton ( a defender who is playing in midfield positions)/ Weimann
/ Bannan / Bentenke are all looking interesting.
Johnson at Liverpool seems to be the tip de jour; also in defence Rafael looks tempting, but
with more defenders coming back into fitness at OT will he get rotated more?
(yes)
To make these changes I’m going to have shuffle the deck in
midfield, there’s no obvious candidate to go but I’ll have to decided, perhaps
Dempsey to free up some cash.
There’s been a bit of talk at the Hateau (admin offices of New
Cork Cosmos) of Baines leaving to free up cash (accounts department) but
someone else (fantasy historian) is arguing he constantly hits the toppermost
of the poppermost of the defenders charts.
THIS WEEK’S SELECTION
It’s pretty simple, only have 1 GK option anyway; Bardsley
is quite injured (orange turned to red over last 24 hours) and away at Man Utd
so he’s got the number 15 shirt all to himself. I doubt Reading will manage a
clean sheet against Arsenal so Storey is on the bench, even though his set
pieces etc; but I reckon West Ham will grind an attritional draw, so much so
I’ve benched Nolan (to 1st choice sub) too. And that’s my team
Here’s the screenshot.
MY CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
RVP, at home to Sunderland – this won’t be a day for
differentials. Even though now I say it, I’m worried about rotation, so will wait till last minute and possibly upgrade Dempsey
BACK OF THE BET BOY
West Brom v West Ham, ending in a draw - 12/5
Everton to come from behind and win - 12/1
Spurs & Swansea both to score - 8/13
€2 accumalator will potentially win me - €142
A pretty mixed week last week. Highly disappointed by
Everton’s Afro Dynamo and the ever decreasing Dimi Berbaflop but pleased with
the choices of Michu and in particular Sessegnon. Moving forward, this game
week looks like a return to the heavy hitter ranks where vast amounts of
theoretical cash will be spooged over the likes of Suarez, Rooney, Van Persie
and…….Robert Snodgrass?
Oddly enough, it’s with the Scotsman that I’ll begin wading
through the numbers. Norwich have visibly improved, going on a remarkable
undefeated run stretching back to GW 7. Furthermore, they employ a 4-3-3/4-5-1
system than enables two midfielders to essentially play as auxiliary forwards,
ala Swansea with Routledge and Hernandez. Snodgrass has occupied the right
flank for the season so far and his whopping 45,000 transfers to date in this
GW show his perceived potential although his positioning still remains quite
defensive as Houghton has looked to shore up his once leaky backline. In fact,
several full backs such as Leighton Baines, Rafael and Glen Johnson have
obtained a higher average field position. Where ‘Snoddy’ really excels though
is his sheer involvement in any Norwich attacking move. He is involved in 67%
of the Canaries goals over the past six weeks and has more passes in the final
third, more passes received in the final third and more chances created than
any of his midfield counterparts. Furthermore, Wigan have shipped 14 goals in
their last 6 games with their captain Gary Caldwell’s absence leaving their
defensive line as mushy and gooey as a out of date brussel sprout.
Outside of Snodgrass as the budget option, there is a
veritable Christmas feast of heavy hitters to choose from. First on my list is
the in-form green monster Wayne Rooney. With Shrek sure to plague our screens
all over the festive period, he’s duly come back to form with a whopping 6.7
fantasy point return per game since GW12. This towers over van Persie’s total
of 5.4 ppg and indicates Rooney’s role at the fulcrum of the United attack. His
54.4% involvement in United’s goals in the past month is by the highest on the
team (van Persie is second with 28.3%) and has retained spot kick duties
despite early season misses.
Having highlighted Rooney’s current purple patch,
his Dutch striking partner can also not be ignored. Chris Glover at
PremierLeagueFantasy.blogspot has estimated through United’s average amount of
shots, shots on target and the defensive weaknesses of their opponents
(Sunderland) that a goal count of 3.7 for the home side can be estimated for
this weekends clash. This makes United cover more essential than ever and can
even come in the form of Rafael who continues to maraud from right back with
serious assist potential.
Moving on to more sacrilegious captaincy choices, we look to
Tottenham and like Jesus rising from the dead, Clint Dempsey has once again
risen to fantasy prominence after last weeks display. AVB’s midweek comments
proclaiming Dempsey’s position to be “striker” along with Adebayor’s penchant
for being a twat should see the man from States side getting an extended run up
front. Although Dempsey has a relatively small sample size, the last two GWs
show his role as the primary link up to the forwards. In that time, he had
double the amount of touches in the final third as Defoe (99-
43) and also had more slapshots on the goaltender (5-4) than
the England International.
Swansea’s porous defensive display against Norwich
should bode well for Spurs as will Laudrup’s decision to field a full strength
team in their Milk /CocaCola/ Worthington/ Carling/ Capital One Cup victory
against Middlesbrough on Wednesday night. Buyers may need to be beware of Dempsey
however IF Gareth Bale makes a return this weekend, inevitably vulturing set
piece duties from the Clint.
Having crushed fantasy owners in recent weeks with the
accuracy of a one armed archer, I’m again throwing my eggs into the Luis Suarez
basket. Cue either scenes of delirium as the ickle’ Uruguayan bags a hat-trick
or….and this is probably more likely, I melt my face with nearby battery acid
as he wellies his 11th shot wide, calls Steven Ireland a “Knackerito” and gets
a red card for diving after collapsing upon seeing his own reflection. This is
how I spend my Saturdays. Social lives are for chumps anyway…..
Game Week
17 Game Week 16
|
1. W. Rooney
|
M. Fellaini (2 pts)
|
|
2. L. Suarez
|
S. Cazorla (6 pts)
|
|
3. C. Dempsey
|
Michu (12 pts)
|
|
4. R. Van Persie
|
S. Sessegnon (11 pts)
|
|
5. R. Snodgrass
|
D. Berbatov (2
pts)
|
|
The Punt: Gervinho
|
G. Ramirez (3 pts)
|
Total: 36
pts/ 6 pts per player
