Showing posts with label #pl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #pl. Show all posts

Friday, 18 April 2014

GW35 FPL #JackInTheBox

Well the past two JackInTheBox picks have been forgetful.  After conceding an average of 2.5 goals over their previous 4 away fixtures, West Brom marched into Carrow Road for GW33 and kept #JackInTheBox pick Robert Snodgrass and the rest of the Canaries scoreless while walking away with a 1-0 victory.  Didn't see that coming. 

 Last week I went with Lewis Holtby, who strangely enough was playing Norwich, but at home in front of the Craven Cottage faithful. What a disaster. I felt lucky that of the 6 matches played simultaneously, it was the match shown here via the main NBC Sports channel. My anticipation and excitement soon turned sour as I watched him put in a lazy, uninspired performance before Magath had seen enough and wisely subbed him off early. I can sum up his performance in 3 sentences. 1) His defending was soft and embarrassing. 2) His idea of supporting runs was jogging up the field at a constant (slow) pace in a straight line, all the while in a cutoff passing lane. 3) He created Fulham's lone goal with a nice free kick, but Sidwell leaped just high enough to get the assist that Holtby almost surely would have bagged had it not skimmed off the top of Sidwell's head. Oh well.

 So this week I'm kinda stuck. Fixture-wise, it is by far the hardest week to choose a #JackInTheBox pick. None of the bottom 8 play each other, and just about all of them have difficult fixtures. As a matter of fact, they all are up against teams in the top 10 of the table. Swansea at Newcastle and Cardiff hosting Stoke are the best bets, but neither has a viable attacking player with 5% or less ownership who is healthy. Cardiff's clean sheet record has been abysmal lately, even with home comforts. Swansea have been junk lately and I have no optimism on that front either.



FPL GW35 #JackInTheBox: Shane Long

Can't think of a week where it's been tougher to select a #JackInTheBox, but I'm going with Mr. Long.  This preview of the May 17 FA Cup Final should be a dandy, and Hull have the firepower to give Arsenal some trouble; especially at home.  With any luck we'll get to see Shane do some odd version of the Irish jig as he celebrates what I hope will be the first #JackInTheBox success in quite some time.

Hope you all have a great gameweek!

Walt
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Thursday, 17 April 2014

The Rearview Mirror: GW34 in Review

FOR THE 96

I don't know about you, but for me, it's been a week of deep poignancy.  As I sat reduced to tears watching the horror of Hillsborough unfold in front of me 25 years after that tragic day, I couldn't help but be overcome with emotion.  Football is often a world of extremes. It can take us to the pinnacle of euphoria and drop us to the deepest depths of despair. It can bring out the best in us and the worst in us.  As always, it's the basic core of our humanity that allows this to happen.

Football is a wonderful sport but it's all about the PEOPLE.  It's the PEOPLE who create the underlying spirit upon which the game delivers its euphoria and despair, it's the PEOPLE who turn a local derby into a rivalry so deep that it can look a lot like hatred until you realize that as much as you want to think that the passion separates and drives a wedge between you, it also binds you together in a way that makes you more similar to your local rival than you would ever care to admit.  Until something happens that makes you realize that you ARE the same, and have been all along. Something like Hillsborough.

I live in the USA and am tortured by the five hour time difference that allows the majority of you to watch matches in the comfort of your home after work while I'm sitting at my desk in my office, trying my hardest not to peek so that the outcome will be a surprise when I get home, have put the kids to bed, and am able to catch up. It's hard.  Very hard. And I don't always make it. But, I've stumbled upon something valuable. When I can't summon the willpower to wait, I peek in on your tweets periodically during the match and have come to enjoy the play-by-play you provide much more than the monotone droning of whatever announcer is calling the game that day. The passion of the FPL community is on display in no greater way than on game day, as those of you who share a passion for the sport spout your happiness and disappointment; your satisfaction and anger; your euphoria and despair.

Luckily for you, Twitter only allowed me to go back a little ways in the timeline of GW34, but I've put together a play-by-play of the final day of GW34 as seen on Twitter through my timeline. This is YOUR play-by-play; a glimpse into the final day of GW34 as seen through the eyes of the FPL community.

In so many ways, we are all the same. Huge football fans. For a good part of this week, I've spent some time wondering what it would have been like for some of the 96 to have found their way to Twitter and participate in our little community of FPL fanatics had things not happened the way they did. I'm sure they would have been AWESOME to follow, read, laugh, argue and banter with.

I'm extremely thankful for all of you.  Here you go....April 16, 2014 through your tweets.... hope you enjoy it.


















































Special thanks to all of you who granted permission for me to use your tweet for a purpose you were not given much heads up about.  I hope you like what I've done with it and how this little experiment turns out. Apologies also to those whose tweets were not used.
Cheers,
Walt

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Thursday, 10 April 2014

GW34 FPL #JackInTheBox

I've made a big decision. After the world's crappiest #JackInTheBox call last week (Snodgrass - although some of you will argue that other week's picks have been worse ;)), I've realized that if I'm not gonna come up with good picks, the least I could do for the #FPL community is share one picture of Aruba in each of the 5 remaining JackInTheBox articles this year. So there ya go; at least you have that to look forward to. 

As far as this week's JackInTheBox pick goes, there are a lot of bottom dwellers with low ownership numbers to choose from. Ever since the first DGW a few weeks ago, the number of differentials seems to have risen as the DGW players were scooped up in droves and the homogenization factor kicked in. 

"If you were smart, Walt, you would choose a Crystal Palace player this week" is what I hear you all saying. Double game-week, half decent fixtures, still fighting for their Premiership lives, blah blah blah blah blah. At the beginning of the week, Puncheon looked like he had picked himself, but I'm not gonna go all bandwagon-y up in the hizzy. Not today. Instead, I'm going with a personal preference.

For me, when I take the #FPL / #DGW angle out of the equation, this gameweek is all about one fixture. That's right, the granddaddy of them all...Fulham-Norwich. It's the great white Craven Cottage hope hosting the torpedoing (Jake, find me a torpedo cartoon!) Canaries from Norwich City. Norwich hold the distinguished honor of being tied with Jose Mourinho as my biggest FPL/JackInTheBox disappointment of the season. I think I've picked a Norwich player 3 (maybe 4?) times this season, with a late match rattling of the post by Howson being the closest I've come to a success. In all fairness, it was a fantastic shot ;)



GW34 FPL #JackInTheBox: LEWIS HOLTBY

This week it's simple. After last week's thriller breathed some life into a comatose Fulham side, I want them to win again. It will ramp up the excitement factor at the bottom of the table even more, watching old-man Magath jump up and down again would be really cool (Jake, find me a Mr. Magoo cartoon!), and most importantly, our buddy SamsonMcMuffin, who will be taking it all in from his Craven Cottage seat, will entertain us all with joyful banter and match-day jubilation.

Holtby is a good player, highly involved, capable of springing a JackInTheBox-like surprise on us at any moment, and thanks to the combination of the moderate price reflecting his exceptional talent and his presence on a relatively weak team, his ownership is a laughable 0.3%. When the gameweek is over, I want those 0.3%ers to be hootin' and hollerin'. And I hope they're all Fulham supporters too.

Good luck this week everybody.


Walt

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Thursday, 3 April 2014

GW33 FPL #JackInTheBox - Aruba Style



I promise to be as short and sweet as I can, but we all know that that's an exercise in futility. So here's the lowdown....

 Last Tuesday night, amidst the craziness of dotting my i's and crossing my t's at work, helping get the house clean, preparing my in-laws for 5 fun days with our kids, and packing, I threw together a quick GW32 #JITB article featuring Mr. Miguel Michu then, after a restful sleep, got on a plane to paradise.

 As the friendly woman at the open-air front desk of the resort checked us in, a bartender appeared out of nowhere teasing us with "virgin" mojitos on a tray as a welcome treat. Without much prodding, he soon revealed the bottle of rum in the hand he had kept behind his back, and he proceeded to "top off" our drinks before having us open our mouths and tilt our heads back as he poured the rum straight into our mouths. So Welcome to Aruba - Manchebo style!

Unable to move fast enough and grinning from ear to ear, we quickly went up to our room, paused long enough to take the picture above from our second floor balcony, changed into our beachwear and high-tailed it back downstairs to take in the resort and start exploring. Sometime between then and the time we left, in a land far, far away, a guy named Michu was taking to the pitch. It could have been while we laid in a mild stupor on the most beautiful beach I've ever been to, sometimes in the shade of our thatched roof hut, or sometimes in the 88 degree Caribbean sun. It could have been while we sat back and read or while we closed our eyes and took one of a number of breeze-induced catnaps. 


Maybe it was while we enjoyed a couples massage inside the top notch spa with sweeping views out to the ocean. Perhaps it was while we were being pampered up one side and down the other by a staff whose greatest enjoyment seemed to be making our own enjoyment as complete and effortless as possible. I don't know, it could have been while we sat at the beach bar during one of our all-inclusive days, making our way down the tropical drink list one by one seeing how long it would take before we got to one we didn't like. It surely wasn't late in the afternoon as the steel drums played, the myriad of birds chirped, the breeze made the overhead palm leaves sway in unison, and the giant Sun orb in the sky settled down into the ocean horizon.


Hah, I actually do know when it was now that I look back on it. It was around the time we walked through the beach bar on our way across the street to have lunch. I glanced at the bar tv, showing Crystal Palace with a 1-0 lead over my Chelsea Blues, felt a ping of astonishment, then (don't tell anyone) forgot about it as quickly as it took for my brain to figure out what it saw in the first place. So, sometime around then, while sipping on a Heineken, unbeknownst to me, Michu was out there making me proud with a 7-point haul. I didn't learn until I had arrived in Aruba that the FPLHints team ran the board with Michu picks. We were all happy; and that's nice ;)


Which brings us to this week. It's a veritable JackInTheBox-Fest, with 6 of the bottom 8 clubs and 8 of the bottom 9 clubs squaring off in a winner takes all gang-war. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. There hasn't been much shakeup in the bottom 8 recently, but that could change soon enough. It's gonna be interesting.


FPL ARUBA-STYLE GW33 #JackInTheBox:  Robert Snodgrass

Take a guess when the last time a team playing against West Brom scored zero goals. Go ahead; unless you're a Baggie you probably won't remember. Mid-March...nah.  Late February...try again. Okay fine...mid-January. WRONG. It was New Year's Day. They played Newcastle at home that day.  They won't be so lucky this time around as they will face Norwich away. And while Norwich have not been the most productive side at home recently, West Brom have conceded on average 2.5 goals during their last four trips away, including 2 to Hull, 3 to Crystal Palace, and 4 to Aston Villa. I'll take these odds and toss the armband to Mr. Snodgrass this week, thinking he should be heavily involved in the Canary attack.

And, if he doesn't come through, well, I always have my Aruba memories and pictures to fall back on to calm me down. Oooooh......so relaxing. Gimme a beer, Phoebus.


(I think the above picture may be the single best picture I've ever taken ;))


 Sunny Cheers,
Walt
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Thursday, 27 March 2014

GW32 FPL #JackInTheBox

Well, the unique and crazy phenomenon that was DGW31 is now behind us. Whether you ended up on the right or wrong side of the green arrow differentiation line, you are probably shaking your head wondering if anything like that will ever happen again. I wish I knew the answer.

The good news is that we all enter GW32 with 7 more gameweeks left to move in the direction we wish to go. Still time to make up some ground if DGW31 left you shaking your head or shouting words out loud that you previously had only heard in an R-rated movie or two.

For GW32 I'm going with a #JackInTheBox pick that last year would have seemed crazy, strange and almost inconceivable. Finding themselves in the bottom 8 is surprising enough, but also finding this particular player with 5.0% or less FPL ownership (exactly 5.0 at the time of writing) would have been unheard of at this time last year.

FPL GW32 #JackInTheBox: Miguel Michu

Michu has gone from one of the absolute must-have FPL assets to an all but forgotten FPL prospect in about the same amount of time that David Moyes has gone from a well-respected manager getting the most out of the little talent he had to an incompetent tactician squandering the talent that coasted comfortably to the EPL crown last year. But, just like Moyes is the same person who calmly guided Everton to levels perhaps above their fighting weight, Michu is the same person who took the EPL by storm last season and had FPL managers drooling every time he set foot on the pitch.

With a juicy home fixture against a Norwich side fighting for respectability, I favor the recently healthy Michu to push, fight and nudge his way onto the scoresheet, despite the troubles he's faced this season with his fitness. After all, if flashbacks to the vision of him singlehandedly beating Arsenal last season do not readily come to mind, a quick check of last year's stats will tell you pretty quickly that Michu was the breakout star of the season, making early-investing FPL managers look like geniuses while everyone else scrambled late to get a little piece of the Michu-sized pie.

This weekend I will be looking for some of that spark that caught everyone's eye last year and had a good portion of Wales buzzing with excitement, promise and pride.

Miguel Michu; it's time to shine once again. Do me proud.

Good luck this gameweek everyone,

Walt


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Thursday, 20 March 2014

DGW31 FPL #JackInTheBox


It's all about the "D"

That's right; it's right there in the title. This is not GW31...this is DGW31; and the "D" stands for DOUBLE. And not just any double; we're talking 10 EPL teams have 2 separate fixtures this gameweek. It is the possible points-fest and rank-climbing bonanza that over 3,000,000 people have been raving about, planning and plotting for, and anticipating for the better part of a month and a half. And it's HERE; right around the corner.

I mean come on, it's all everyone's been talking about and in my humble experience, it is the single most anticipated and talked-about gameweek in the three years I've been playing the game. I really hope it ends up being worthy of all the hub-bub that has gone into it and all of the point hits that have been taken in people's efforts to take advantage of it.

So as far as this week's #JackInTheBox is concerned, I'm going with both my head and my heart. And you bet your "you know what" that I'm going with a DOUBLE. So that gives me Sunderland (away to Norwich and away to Liverpool) and Hull City (home to West Brom and away to West Ham) to choose from. In the past I've chosen players from both squads as my #JackInTheBox, most recently last week when I handed Fabio Borini an armband that he made me proud with despite not getting on the score sheet.

DGW31 FPL #JackInTheBox: Nikica Jelavic

My head says go with someone looking at the chance for DOUBLE delights; and my heart says Jelly is the man to grace with the armband. My early DGW31 planning had me salivating over the thought of bringing him in as a high potential differential; but bringing Nasri into my side instead of Yaya opened the door for King Romelu to take Jelly's spot. In all honesty I would be completely happy with either, and despite being wrong many, many times, I have this feeling that people bringing Jelly into their squads for the WEST DOUBLE will be very glad they did. I certainly hope he makes me happy as a result of pinning my #JITB hopes on his shoulders.

Enjoy it everyone. I hope the big DGW lives up to the fantasies that we've all had about it. I think there will be some significant mini-league and overall ranking shakeup when we all come up for air, despite the "template" DGW squad that many people seem to be lining up with. If ever there was a week where differentials would make a big difference; this is it. GOOD LUCK. Let the chips fall where they may;)

Cheers,
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Tuesday, 18 March 2014

The Rearview Mirror: FPL GW30 in Review

Well, the prelude to the craziness that will be DGW31 has been fun. Matej has nailed the call of all calls in naming David Silva his #CalledIt pick for GW30. The little magician rose head and shoulders above the other 21 players on the pitch to notch a well deserved bucketload of #FPL points, each of which his owners will scoop up and celebrate heartily as the monster that is DGW31 approaches. In other news, FPL made the unique call of backtracking and providing all-important Suarez assist points for the Rafael handball leading to Gerrard's penalty kick the day after the gameweek ended. Instant Monday morning happiness for all Suarez owners, especially those who captained him.

Here's how the rest of the gameweek unfolded:

Aston Villa 1 - 0 Chelsea
Mourinho arrives never having won an EPL fixture at Villa Park
Matic (ugh), Willian (WTF!), Ramires (ouch), Delph (HOLY CRAP!)
Chelsea's title run hits major roadblock as Mourinho leaves Villa Park early and still winless

 Sunderland 0 - 0 Crystal Palace
Stadium of Light hosts a nail-biting six-pointer
Crystal Palace line up as if yearning for a single point
No goals here today, chaps; defensive #FPL points all around

 Hull City 0 - 2 Manchester City
Captain Kompany gets tossed early; puts City on back foot
David Silva single-handedly puts pressure on Chelsea (and Matej #CalledIt)
City show strength and resolve that will carry forward in title run-in

 Everton 2 - 1 Cardiff City
Deulofeu breaches Marshall's fortress in 58th
Cardiff Bluebirds come chirping back through Juan Carla
Super Seamus rocks Goodison with extra-time winner

 Swansea 1 - 2 West Brom
Doesn't take long for Lamah to put Swansea ahead
Sessegnon equalizes in 52nd
Michu returns!, but Mulumbu spoils the party

Southampton 4 - 2 Norwich City
Schneiderlin notches one past Ruddy in 5th min
Southampton are cruising 3-0 in 84th; FPL managers factor in clean sheet points
Norwich grab 2 back in the blink of an eye before SOU close it out with a 4th

Stoke City 3 - 1 West Ham
Carroll flicks one off his hairbun in the 4th to give Hammers the lead
Scramble inside the box highlighted by Crouchy's Kung Fu kick levels things
Cue today's hero and everyone's headscratcher; Peter Odemwingie everybody!!

Fulham 1 - 0 Newcastle
Magath's side begin the day with large hill to climb for survival
Dejegah incites "pandemonium" at Craven Cottage
Home side see off Newcastle for 3 HUMONGOUS points

Manchester United 0 - 3 Liverpool
Who doesn't get chills at the prospect of this season-defining rivalry?
Stevie G converts 2 perfect penalties; squanders chance of a third
More trouble for Moyes, and Suarez owners get Monday morning surprise!

Tottenham 0 - 1 Arsenal
Rosicky nails sick finish to give Gunners a valuable lead in NLD
Mertesacker blocks 250 shots with his big giant German body (embellishment)
Arsenal take North London Derby bragging rights

So there you have it; a little pre-GW31 reading to enjoy in between your analysis of the 428 different combinations and permutations of transfer moves you can make between now and the super-mongo double gameweek that has all FPL managers licking their chops.
Stay tuned right here as we walk through the next 8 gameweeks together. Let's push for a strong finish everyone!
Cheers,
Walt


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Friday, 14 March 2014

GW30 FPL #JackInTheBox

9. Gameweeks. Left. In. The. Season. The Twitterverse has been full of FPL related stress lately. Lots of people are burning the midnight oil planning, plotting, strategizing, and worrying about what the next few gameweeks will bring. DGW31 is by far the most anticipated gameweek I've ever come across in my three seasons playing FPL, and I have yet to hear from any wiley veterans that what we're about to experience is not unique.

But bear with us through just ONE MORE boring gameweek before your quest to meet what is probably your EXPECTATION of surpassing the coveted 100 pt gameweek arrives. Picking a #JackInTheBox goes a little like this:

A)  Check the current EPL table for the bottom 8 squads. This week that gives us Fulham, Sunderland, Cardiff, West Brom, Crystal Palace, Norwich, Swansea and Hull.

B)  Scan the fixture list to see who each of the bottom 8 squads play this week.
Fulham are home to Newcastle
Sunderland are home to Crystal Palace
Cardiff City are away at Everton
West Brom are away at Swansea
Crystal Palace are away at Sunderland
Norwich City are away at Southampton
Swansea are home to West Brom
Hull City are home to Manchester City
C)  Pick the player on one of the bottom 8 sides who is owned by 5.0% or less of FPL owners that you think will score the most points this gameweek.

Voila, you're an expert at this already. So who'd you pick this week? Personally, I love the six-pointers, and the two on the cards this weekend are gonna be great: Sunderland hosting Crystal Palace and Swansea hosting West Brom.  4 of the bottom 8 grouped together in 2 all important, dog eat dog fixtures where a win by any side results in 3 of the most valuable EPL points up for grabs at this stage of the campaign. Have you got your pick in mind? Okay, cool.... here's who I'm going with.
GW30 FPL #JACKINTHEBOX: FABIO BORINI
Sunderland have been quite the quandary this season. After Di Canio treated them like little kids at a second grade cafeteria table and they became the laughing stock of the Premier League, Poyet came in and things started clicking. So far this season they have rattled off victories over Everton and Manchester City, and they have also pulled off a dynamic double over Newcastle in one of the most hotly contested and exciting derbies out there. Indeed, for some Sunderland fans that alone would make them consider this season a rousing success. But for all of their tenacity, super-human Mannone performances and Adam Johnson's purple patches, they just can't seem to escape the relegation zone.

What they do have on their side are a few games in hand, so let's not count them out yet. If they are going to take advantage of these additional opportunities, fixtures like this weekend's home match vs Crystal Palace will be tantamount to their survival bid. A true six-pointer, I have been impressed by Borini's recent form, he's shown coolness under pressure when in front of goal (did you see that gem he put past Hart with the outside of his foot!?!), and I think a home match against Palace is a good opportunity for him to get the Stadium of Light rocking and full of hope for Premier League football next campaign.

The armband is yours Fabio; do us proud!


Good luck everyone; Happy FPLing!!

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Friday, 7 March 2014

GW29 FPL #JackInTheBox

I just did a double-take while typing the title to this blog post. Gameweek TWENTY-NINE!  Only 10 more gameweeks left in our FPL season.  I don't whether to laugh or cry.  It's been a long season, that's for sure, but only 10 gameweeks left!?!  Wow.

 So are you ready for Gameweek Junior?  Little tiny, itsy bitsy GW29 is coming at us tomorrow with all the raging fury of a short, wimpy sun shower that will dissipate in front our very eyes before many of us even realized it had started.  5 fixtures, all in one day, showcasing 4 top 10 squads and 6 squads scratching and clawing away for their Premier League lives.

 It's actually a #JackInTheBox Fixture Fest, as 6 of the bottom 8 will be involved without all of the pomp and circumstance normally reserved for the bigger, more internationally acclaimed squads.  For a few short hours, 6 of the bottom 8 will bask in the spotlight, trying to do their FPL owners proud.  West Brom is going to kick things off in the early game when they welcome Manchester United to town.  West Brom have been something of a hex to the reigning champions lately. Who can forget King Romelu's hat trick in Sir Alex Ferguson's last game in charge last season; and the unlikely West Brom victory at Old Trafford earlier this year where all sorts of long-standing records were snapped in half like little twigs?

 In other fixtures, we have the BIG six-pointer that is Cardiff-Fulham, and the other equally juicy six-pointer involving Norwich and Stoke City.  Crystal Palace, the remaining bottom 8 squad, are in action at home vs Southampton.
GW29 FPL #JackInTheBox: Victor Anichebe

With performances of 7,5,7 and 5 points in his last 4 fixtures (a stat generously supplied by @arshifpl11) Anichebe is begging for a start.  But even if Pepe Mel decides otherwise, the form on his side says 90 minutes aren't necessary to put up some points against a Manchester United side that is having a lot of fingers pointed and questions being thrown in their direction.  I will keep a very interested eye on the two six-pointers on display during the weekend, but this fixture will also weigh heavily in my thoughts as the world watches Manchester United every week not knowing whether the implosion will continue or if things will finally start to point in the right direction.  Either way, it's gonna be a great Junior Gameweek.

I hope you all have had fun scrapping together your GW29 squad, and I wish you all well.

Cheers,
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Friday, 28 February 2014

GW28 FPL #JackInTheBox

Well, although his strike partner upstaged him quite dramatically last week. Shane Long came through with an assist to keep a decent run of #JackInTheBox picks alive.  With these weekly picks, I am finding it harder and harder to come up with any surprises.  I am lucky to have many Twitter friends who quite often nail their predictions on the very first try, and I am extremely grateful that people are interested enough in the weekly pick from the bottom 8 to participate and play along.  It has become something that I really look forward to.

This week, 2 of the bottom 8 sides have blanks; so the "six-pointer to be" that was the Sunderland-West Brom fixture will have to wait to another gameweek.  That leaves only 6 sides to choose from (sound familiar, #FPL'ers;)) Other than the tough fixtures of Fulham (even though it's a hotly contested derby, I'm not going to venture a shout on a Fulham player vs. Chelsea) and Stoke, we have some juicy stuff going on as Aston Villa and Norwich face off against each other at Villa Park while both Cardiff and Crystal Palace come up against tired sides coming off of Thursday's Europa fixtures.

Cardiff will visit a tired Tottenham side who are facing off against Dnipro as I type, while Palace travel to a weary Swansea side just knocked out of the Europa League by Rafa Benitez and his Napoli squad.  I don't know how the Tottenham match is going to end up (only 16th minute right now), but the Bluebirds have really been struggling lately, so I'm going to avoid Cardiff this week.

FPL GW28 #JackInTheBox: THOMAS INCE
 
Heck, I'm just gonna throw it out there.  I have the feeling that Swansea have had the wind knocked out of them and could drag their knuckles through the foreseeable future.  It happened last year and the ingredients seem to be mixing together pretty well for a similar situation to occur this year. They've frankly been disappointing this year, and the knock-down, drag-out affair that had them concede twice late to see their Europa dreams dashed is sure to weigh heavily when a well-rested Crystal Palace come to town, bringing with them the speedy and dangerous Ince.
 
To be honest, this is somewhat of a punt for me.  I've heard so much about him but only was able to see him play for the first time against Manchester United this past weekend.  His play was less than stellar during the portions of the game that I got to watch (I still have flashbacks of the open volley he roofed from inside the penalty area), but I could see the promise and what the hype is all about.  Ince will be leaned on in the coming weeks as Palace attempt to pick themselves up off of the EPL goal-scoring floor (they have netted only 18 times in league competition this season) and he could be exactly what they need over the next 11 fixtures to secure their spot in the league next year.
 
Ultimately, in addition to his vast promise, it is my belief about Swansea, combined with an upcoming double gameweek, that is causing me to strongly consider pulling Ince into my #FPL squad instead of Snodgrass, and best of all, the possibility of having someone as both my #JackInTheBox selection and a member of my #FPL squad at the same time is just too darn juicy to pass up.

Ince it is.

Note: After Eriksen's strong performance yesterday in Europa, at the time this article is being published, I have not yet decided whether to bring Ince in for Eriksen or to give Eriksen one more chance.
 
Sending you all big-time GW28 well-wishes from over here in Charlotte, North Carolina,
 
Walt
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Monday, 24 February 2014

The Rearview Mirror: FPL GW27 in Review

Well, Daniel Sturridge continues to make me look like a complete idiot, and each week that I think Suarez will finally outshine his strike partner once again is just another week that I lose a couple handfuls of bonus points.  Without drudging up the painful details, I've probably lost at least 30 points so far during my SAS owning, Suarez captaining run.  (I can barely type that without getting a headache and psychologically smacking myself in the head)

Let me get into the gameweek review before I dwell on it any longer.  I know you guys have some major planning to do, so I'll keep it short and sweet and include only two headlines per match instead of my usual three.  For those of you with DeGea, Koscielny, Terry, any Norwich defender who played, Evra, Henderson, Giroud AND Sturridge, enjoy the celebration, and please try to keep it down so the rest of us can get some sleep ;)

Chelsea 1 - 0 Everton
Ramires "wins" free kick (heh heh), Lampard places it, and Terry/Howard take it from there
CFC are right where they wanna be - Top of the Table
 
Arsenal 4 - 1 Sunderland
Giroud scores two separate times!! (I'm talking ON the pitch, you gutterheads;))
Giaccherini steals 4 points from thousands of angry FPL managers
 
Cardiff City 0 - 4 Hull City
Jelavic bags a brace as Bruce's Bullies cruise
Vincent Tan - HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
 
Manchester City 1 - 0 Stoke City
City enjoy 74% possession and Yaya does it again
City keep pace with Chelsea and Arsenal to stay 3rd
 
West Brom 1 - 1 Fulham
Dejagah puts Cottagers ahead and Magath dreams of life out of the cellar
Things look good late, but ticket to 19th slithers just out of Stekelenburg's grasp
 
West Ham 3 - 1 Southampton
Yoshida puts visitors ahead (no typo)
West Ham roar back with 3 and, are ya ready, secure 10th place!
 
Crystal Palace 0 - 2 Manchester United
Moyes sets intimidating lineup for visit to Selhurst Park
Rooney catches stick, scores, then goes home and soaks in a bathful of warm money
 
Liverpool 4 - 3 Swansea
Sturridge doesn't take long to tell those captaining Suarez they're wrong again
Jordan Henderson caps 7-goal thriller and ensures Pool stay in Champions League spot
 
Newcastle 1 - 0 Aston Villa
Air of uncertainty settles over St. James Park as goalless draw seems inevitable
Remy to the rescue - stops 5-game home skid
 
Norwich 1 - 0 Tottenham
I watched a little bit of the match, and Sherwood did NOT look happy
Snodgrass slots home nicely to give Norwich and Hughton much needed victory
 
Well, there's your gameweek summarized in a jiffy. Now get back to those spreadsheets, formulas, graphs, and stats; gameweek 28 will be here before you know it, and we all know that the next few gameweeks are going to set the tone for the business end of the season and the double gameweeks on the horizon.  11 more juicy gameweeks - there's still a way to go everyone. One thing we can all be sure of; there will be unanticipated events in the whacky world of FPL that will have us re-evaluating and indeed changing our strategies, BUT.... having said that, having a plan that can be modified to react to these unforeseen events is of utmost importance.  As we approach the business end of the season, failing to plan means planning to fail.
 
Don't let Ultimate FPL divert your attention - get out there and grab the absolute highest year-end ranking you can.  And have a freakin' blast while you're doing it.  Chief, Matej, Fly and I will be right here with you all the way to the end.
 
Cheers,
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Friday, 21 February 2014

GW27 FPL #JackInTheBox

Well, Gameweek 26 was forgettable from a #JackInTheBox point of view.  Wilfried Zaha was shared by Matej and I as both his #CalledIt pick and my #JackInTheBox pick and he came up empty.  He was subbed in the 60th minute, just in time to keep his extra "clean sheet point" during what on paper looks like a snoozefest of a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.  So we'll put those 3 pts in our pockets, shrug our shoulders, and move on.

 With all of the uproar in the #FPL world over the fixture upheaval coming in Gameweeks 28 and 29 and the associated frenzy of FPL managers scratching their heads over how to field a complete squad through the danger zone, although it's been inherently necessary to consider it in your planning, it's also almost been easy to forget that there's actually going to be a Gameweek 27 first. Let's spend a few minutes giving this poor, neglected gameweek some attention. 

The bottom 8 stays the same this week with one exception; West Ham moves out of the #JackInTheBox zone, thanks to a 2-0 spanking put on Norwich, while Hull become eligible once again after their defeat to Southampton last week.  Fixture-wise, there are two juicy fixtures pitting bottom 8 sides against one another; with West Brom hosting Fulham and Cardiff City hosting Hull. Given the Looney-Tunes atmosphere currently making Fulham supporters embarrassed over at Craven Cottage, I do not feel comfortable taking a gamble on a squad that could possibly be tinkered with by a new manager.  Facing their first post-Rene test away from home will actually be a blessing in disguise, but I'm turning my attention to the other "six-pointer", where Vincent Tan knows millions of people will be snickering and sneering at him (and Holy Crap, rightfully so) as his red-shirted Bluebirds host the Hull City Tigers.
GW27 FPL JACKINTHEBOX:  SHANE LONG

Yes, a few of you accurately predicted my pick on the boards today, and for that, I salute you. I just can't shake him as the obvious pick though. Having not had a chance to see Ince play, knowing that Zaha is off limits due to being picked last week, and Holtby being part of that unpredictable Fulham side, I feel comfortable giving Long the coveted armband, as he has proven dangerous recently and has been exhibiting good form.  There's a goal on his foot at any moment, and although I will be fielding Marshall in the net this week with my fantasy squad, Long is screaming out at me as the man of the hour.  Despite Marshall's 11-point haul last gameweek, the loss of Medel to a tear will undoubtedly put more pressure on the Cardiff back line and I expect Hull's reinforced strikeforce to apply pressure, with Long continuing to be the primary danger man.

Click on the video below to witness an ear-cringing version of Shane singing "Wonderwall"; then file it away in your "What the heck was THAT!?!" file.  Just don't forget to celebrate and nod knowingly when he makes me look smarter than I am on Saturday;)


Happy Gameweek27 everyone; and GOOD LUCK!!  Check back after the gameweek ends for my Gameweek Review article, and please don't forget to check out Chief's #HotPick/Punt/Reject article, Matej's #CalledIt post and Fly's #FlyBuy pick.

Follow me on the Twitter at @EPLFanForLife

Cheers!
Walt
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Monday, 10 February 2014

GW26 FPL #JackInTheBox

Guys/gals, with 13 fixtures left in the English Premier League season, there are ELEVEN sides within 7 points of the bottom.  ELEVEN!  None of these teams are safe by any stretch of the imagination as we approach the business end of the season.  I cannot even begin to imagine the excitement we are in for as these 11 squads battle it out over the coming weeks.  If things continue to stay this close, we are virtually guaranteed of a "six-point relegation battle" every gameweek.  It makes the battle at the bottom of the table a nervy test of survival that will surely be almost as closely scrutinized as David Moyes' handling of the Manchester United job.

 But I digress.  Our spotlight, although touching the edges of the full 11-squad free-for-all, centers pointedly on the bottom 8 clubs; those clubs who have accumulated 26 points or less from their first 25 EPL fixtures this season.  Not an accomplishment to write home about, is it? Combined, these squads represent an overall record of 47 wins, 49, draws, and 104 defeats. That's an average of 6 wins apiece, or one win out of every 4 fixtures.  As a group, they've combined to score 186 goals while allowing 318 footballs to hit the back of their net, for a combined goal differential of -132.

 Surprisingly, at least 5 of these squads (and maybe more, depending on how the 3 currently above them in the table fare over the coming weeks) will survive and play in the Premier League again after the World Cup has come and gone.  Your current 8 #JackInTheBox eligible squads are:

 20)  Fulham, playing home to Liverpool (4)
19)  Cardiff City, playing home to Aston Villa (12)
18)  West Bromwich Albion, playing home to Chelsea (1)
17)  Sunderland, playing away at Manchester City (3)
16)  Norwich, playing away at West Ham (15)
15)  West Ham, playing home to Norwich (16)
14)  Crystal Palace, playing away at Everton (6)
13)  Stoke City, playing home to Swansea (10)

 It is almost impossible to resist the six-pointer taking place between West Ham and Norwich tomorrow, but I'm going to.  I'm choosing to train my eye on Wales, where Cardiff City host Aston Villa.  Everyone knows that Villa play better away from home and that Christian Benteke is gaining form.  That scares me, which is why I'm not choosing a defender this week.  Cardiff are in desperate need of a positive display, especially after the derby thumping they were handed by Swansea at the weekend, and Villa's position just outside the bottom 8 shows they are susceptible, especially when coming to visit a nasty, snarling, angry, intimidatingly-named Bluebird side (who wear red).
GW26 FPL #JackInTheBox:  Wilfried Zaha

Yes, Ince has shown his promise and has found a way to the score sheet both times he's suited up in a Palace uniform, but I've yet to see him play and am gonna withhold the armband at least until I'm able to get a chance to watch him.  Zaha is quick and tricky; elusive and explosive.  I can certainly see him causing trouble for a Villa defence known for its difficulty in keeping a clean sheet.  Zaha has been fielded twice by Cardiff, notching an assist on his 53 minute debut and getting the start at the weekend before being subbed in the 76th minute vs Swansea.  I think he has something to prove, will approach the home game with something of a chip on his shoulder, and I hope he produces crowd-pleasing results tomorrow evening when Benteke and Co. come to town. Heck, even if he doesn't, he will surely be fun to watch ;)


Good luck in Gameweek 26 everyone!

Cheers,
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