Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Cup Run: And so it ends in Round 14 / The Final 256 out of 2.7 Million‏

On Monday 2nd April the equation was simple.  United faced Blackburn: My remaining GW players of Rooney (c) and Evans had to over turn a deficit of 3 points against a team of Rooney, Evans and Valencia.  In effect I had to hope that Rooney outscored/outpointed Valencia to ensure my entrance to the Final 64 of the FPL Cup.  With 80 minutes gone I still had hope until Valencia scored a goal out of nothing.  Any hopes of Rooney scoring a goal to cancel that out ended after Valencia then assisted the second goal of the match. 

When the full-time whistle blew at Ewood Road I ended up with my joint third worst GW score (48 points) of the 2011/2012 season as my FPL cup opponent was "lapping it up" and scored 10+ points more to defeat me.  The cup defeat in GW 31 ended my run at Round 14 / The Final 256 out of 2.7 Million.  It was my best ever performance in the FPL cup.  To think that my cup adventure begun during the winter gloom of December and ended during the spring bloom of April gives me some joy. 

But to lose when I was so close to winning it with form on my side doesn't digest well for me.  Having said that there were close scrapes where I could have been knocked out a lot earlier, i.e. GW 26 where my cup oppo scored 2 points more but took a -4 hit and GW 24 where I managed to claim a fluke win courtesy of Enrique not playing as well as Ekotto keeping a clean sheet at Anfield.  Moreover, the opponent who finally defeated me is ranked in the Global Top 10 for those that started in Gameweek 3. 

I went into the GW with an overall Top 500 rank for those that started in Gameweek 1.  Alas it wasn't to be.  Sure it was fun, but I am gutted that I was so close, yet so far.  In layman's terms 14 unbeaten matches would would constitute two consecutive FA Cup trophies for a real life Premier League team. Though the cup is over I can re-focus on other FPL competitions with the hope of bouncing back from the cup exit and maintaining overall progress.

Gameweek 31 Summary

"Four"nando Torres inspires Chelsea to win

Fernando Torres ended a six month league goal drought by scoring against Aston Villa.  He also bagged two assists, which complemented Ivanonic's brace of goals.  The defeat for Villa means that they have only won one match in their last eight.

(PS - Get Well Soon Stiliyan "Stan" Petrov)

Super Sub Anichebe makes West Brom look like Anchovies!

Everton secured their second consecutive victory in a row after defeating West Brom at Goodison Park.  It was a third defeat in four for the Baggies whose form has dipped of late.

Captain America saves the day at Craven Cottage

Clint Dempsey returned to match winning ways after scoring and assisting Fulham to victory over Norwich.  It ended Fulham's three game winless streak and has pushed their home win-rate to 50%.

Thrilling Draw at Etihad dents City's title hopes

Sunderland ended City's 100% winning home record in a match which they could have won.  After securing the lead and extending it to 1-3 (in part due to Larsson's goals and Sessegnon's assists) a famous victory seemed inevitable.  But late goals from Balotelli and Kolarov prevented that.  City's failure to win further dented their title hopes.

Arsenal become "Taraabt" and lose to QPR in London Derby

QPR ended the Gunners' 7 match winning streak with a shock result at Loftus Road.  Walcott's solitary goal for Arsenal wasn't enough as Taarabt and Diakite sensationally scored their first ever Premier League goals and secured an unlikely win for QPR.

Alcaraz gives Wigan hope to escape from the Premier League's Alcatraz!

The Latics won only their second home win out of sixteen this season with a much needed victory against Stoke.  Goals from Alcaraz and Moses ensures that Wigan still have some hope of escaping the relegation zone.

Trotters stamp all over relegation bound Wolves

Wolves lost their fifth consecutive match in a row as Bolton scored three goals at the Molineux Stadium.  Goals from Alonso, Petrov and K Davies secured the win for Bolton and has pushed Wolves six points away from safety.

Liverpool fail to "Cisse" Newcastle's sublime run of form

Newcastle added to Liverpool's recent misery courtesy of Demba Cisse's brace of goals.  He has now extended his tally to 7 goals in 7 matches as Liverpool lost their sixth league match in seven.

Plucky Swans downed by Sharp Spurs

Tottenham ended their five run winless streak with a triumphant win against Swansea.  Goals from Adebayor and Van der Vaart were sufficient, despite Sigurdsson's initial equaliser.

Dogged Rovers silenced by "A-Tonic-of-Valencia"

For 80 minutes of the Blackburn v United match you would have been witness to a somewhat lop sided see-saw match where Rovers on occasion pushed for an unthinkable win.  However, Valencia's goal and assist ended Rovers' resilience.  The result meant that Blackburn re-entered the relegation zone and allowed United to extend their lead over City to 5 points.

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An abject Gameweek for me.  To record my joint third worst GW score (48 points) of the season and be knocked out of the FPL cup when I had form on my side leaves me with a sour feeling.  Crucially, I had one extra free transfer that I could have used which remained unused.  Would I have brought in Valencia with hindsight?  Of course.  Will I be buying him now? No.  Would I have captained Dempsey instead of Rooney? Yes.  Will I be captaining Dempsey in GW 32? Probably not.  On a brighter note I still have that extra free transfer that I will probably save for an upcoming Double Gameweek (DGW).  In terms of transfers I have already made one which I will reveal later in the week.  I still have confidence in my team and don't intend to ditch the majority of the squad any time soon.  With this in mind I will be posting my recommended player for GW 32 shortly, until then stay tuned.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 31

Recommended Player for Gameweek 31 - Ryo Miyaichi (Bolton / on-loan from Arsenal)

All Eyes on Him - The Start of a Sun Rise?

With Gameweek 31 upon us I didn't think that I would be endorsing a player from a team battling against relegation.  However with some valid reasons at hand I have decided to endorse Bolton's Ryo Miyaich (on loan from Arsenal).  He follows in the footsteps of Daniel Sturridge who was the on-loan sensation for Bolton last season and Jack Wilshere from the year before.

The Japanese international has played an integral part in reviving the fortunes of Bolton.  In fact two back-to-back victories from the last couple of Gameweeks has ensured that Bolton are out of the relegation zone for the time being.  This was in large part due to him assisting a goal in each of those matches.  Looking ahead, Bolton have a good run of upcoming fixtures as follows:

GW 31 - Wolves (A)
GW 32 - Fulham (H)
GW 33 - Newcastle (A)
GW 34 - No Bolton fixture
GW 35 - Swansea (H) / Aston Villa (A) - Double Gameweek for Bolton
GW 36 - Sunderland (A) / Tottenham (H) - Double Gameweek for Bolton
GW 37 - West Bron (H)
GW 38 - Stoke (A)

Most significantly, it must be noted that Bolton have two double gameweeks coming up which bodes well for transferring him in.  He is only selected by 0.7% of FPL managers which naturally makes him a differential.  Against a Wolves team in free fall decline (5 defeats in their last 6) what is to stop him from scoring a goal?  After all Miyaichi has already shown his capability of scoring in a Bolton shirt during the FA cup.

At 4.9 he is definitely a steal purchase.  He may not have had first team opportunities at Arsenal, but during his last loan spell (at Feyenoord) he scored 3 goals in 12 matches.  Aged 19 he is showing promise of developing into a very decent footballer.  In the words of a top football journalist that I liaised with recently "he certainly has the talent". The opportunity to save Bolton (and make a name for himself in doing so) could help Miyaichi prosper into a world class player.  So what are you waiting for?  Buy him!

I will post My GW 31 Blog Team (with confirmation of my selected captain and vice-captain for GW 31) a night before the Gameweek commences.