Recommended Player for Gameweek 12

Recommended Player for Gameweek 12 - Joe Allen (Swansea City)

I have been monitoring cheap bargains of late and have finally bought one.  You may not have heard of him, but my recommended pick for gameweek 12 (and beyond) is the 21 year old Wales International Joe Allen (Swansea City).  He forms a formidable midfield with Bales and Ramsey on a global level.  He has started eight of Swansea's last Premier League matches, providing a credible two goals and two assists.  He is listed as a midfielder, but plays behind Danny Graham in an attacking midfield role (almost second striker), or as I call it the VDV slot.  I was inclined to buy Bolton's Eagles (5.4) but was unconvinced by Bolton's lack of goals.  Also, by buying Joe Allen I am saving 0.7 over Eagles and a further 0.7 on the player that I swapped him for (Scott Sinclair, 6.1).  I decided to make the transfer as both are first team regulars for Swansea, yet with a relatively huge 1.4 price difference, there is only a one goal difference between them.  I know Swansea are playing Manchester United this gamweek and will be hard pressed for goals against the league champions.  But United's defence has been leaky (bar the last two gameweeks) and Swansea have been scoring goals.  Even if you don't have him in your first team it is worthwhile having him as a a cheap stock substitute.  Ultimately, the reason why I bought Joe Allen is due to his star potential at a cheap price and also as it has allowed me to free up funds, which I can hopefully invest in a Silva.

My captain for gameweek 12 is Edin Dzeko.  My full game week team can be found here.

Manchester's Duopoloy

Manchester's Duopoloy: FC Madchester - A tale of two halves

Duopoly:

"A situation in which two suppliers dominate the market for a commodity or service"
(source: google - "duopoly definition")

Old Trafford aka "The Red Half of Manchester" (November 2011):

Etihad Stadium aka "The Blue Half of Manchester" (November 2011):

Seeing as there were no Premier League matches over the weekend (due to the international break), I thought it best to do some on-the-ground football research.  As a consequence I popped over for a visit to the league champions (Manchester United) and league leaders (Manchester City), whilst fancifully hoping to conduct player interviews.  Unfortunately, I didn't come across any famous players at either of the grounds.  And then I began to "interview" myself in my head.  I asked myself: Is the city of Manchester big enough for two Premier League football clubs?  Will City always live in United's shadow? Are United on the decline? Should they merge to create a super club called "FC Madchester"? Should I be asking these questions to former pros of the respective clubs and not to myself?

It is my belief that City and United are the two major forces of the Premier League this season.  They have the stadia, players, fans and finances which justify their duopoly of Manchester and dominance of the Premier League. Their first teamers will inevitably be worthy picks for your fantasy premier league team on a regular week-by-week basis - be it Jones, Silva, Richards, Rooney, etc.  They will more than likely finish 1st and 2nd come May 2012.  But the questions remain... In which order will they finish? Which of their players should I pick and when? Will they buy any star players in January? What on earth is FC Madchester??? Ponder on that for now - I will post my recommended player for gameweek 12 soon.  Until then, goodbye!

Gameweek 11 Summary

In the week when Fergie celebrated his 25th year at Manchester United, my team enhanced its overall position for a fifth consecutive gameweek. With the bonus points update on Monday morning, my team scored a respectable 77 points. This is my highest gameweek score thus far for this season and shows signs of me building upon consistency.

Firstly upon my gw changes. I ditched Hart and Petrov, in place of Vorm and Van der Vaart. The expensive Hart conceded a goal v QPR, whilst cheap as chips Vorm pulled off a remarkable clean sheet at Anfield. Petrov didn't play, where as VDV failed to score or assist after six consecutive gameweeks. But have no fear with VDV, as the vast majority of Spurs' fixtures until mid-January seem winnable, he is worth keeping in the team up until then.

Micah Richards, my recommended player of GW 11, conceded a goal which depleted his weekly points tally, where as Jones and Enrique did me good by keeping clean sheets. Ryan Taylor made up for the lost points of a clean sheet by scoring a 25 yard screamer which boosted his tally. Cabaye's injury in the first half dented his chance to shine and Rooney in midfield was unconvincing and unsuccessful.  Rooney has now failed to score in six consecutive gamweeks and is shortlisted for the chop.

Ultimately, it was my other two strikers that led the charge. Dzeko and RVP (captain) shared two goals and two assists between them during this gameweek. These two players generated the bulk of my GW points tally.  I recommended RVP in GW 9 and tipped of his potential success and price rise. This has now happened. Dzeko was my problem player who I kept faith with. He has rewarded me handsomely in the last two gameweeks. For GW 12, I am toying with the idea of obtaining Silva and Agbonlahor by replacing the injured Cabaye and out of form Rooney.  I will post my recommended player of gameweek 12 shortly.  As always I look forward to your comments and feedback.

Newcastle United's French Revolution

Newcastle United's French Revolution

Many factors can be credited to Newcastle United's renaissance start to the 2011/2012 Premier League.  But one element stands out the most - the influx of French speaking players over the past two seasons that has transformed the type of football played at the club.  The footballers in question are:

Demba Ba - Hot shot striker that has made the Toon forget about Andy Carroll.

Yohan Cabaye - Classy central midfielder. Won the league with Lille and could fit in any top team.

Cheik Tiote - Has been a defensive midfield rock in the team since last year.

Sylvain Marveaux - Winging sensation that is trying to become a regular first team player.

Gabriel Obertan - ex-Manchester United misfit/winger that has provided class on the flanks.

Hatem Ben Arfa - recovering from a long-term injury lay-off and will prove key in the future.

Mehdi Abeid - Rising youngster that is currently playing a starring role in the reserves.

Even Match of the Day highlighted the visible French impact with the following graphic:

Admittedly not all of the French speaking players have made a huge impact thus far this season.  But the fact that a strong Francophone contingent prevails in the North East, complimented by the early season success of the Geordies is no coincidence.  Without a doubt, Ba, Cabaye and Titote have been very influential.  Ben Arfa has the potential to supplement the successes of the team along with Abeid and the two wingers.  Ultimately it is the change in mindset and football culture that has instantaneously transformed the club from the loutish/undisciplined days of Nolan, Carroll & Barton, as is evident with Yohan Cabaye's views.  The question is can the French Revolution continue?  Will it inspire the non-French speakers in the team?  But most importantly, will it just be a one-off for this season or provide a lasting legacy that can land Newcastle United major silverware in the not-to-distant future?

Blast from the past: Parklife Nike TV Advert

Blast from the past: Parklife Nike TV Advert

For those British football fans born before the mid-late 1990s internet and mobile phone revolution, you would certainly remember the following famous TV advert.  It's shot on the world famous Hackney Marshes and features the likes of Cantona, Wright, Seaman & Fowler - once highly prized footballing assets of the nascent Premier League (contemporaries of Shearer, Sheringham, Gazza et al).  This was during the early era of the English Premier League boom, which eventually went global and made the English topflight the best league in the world!

Recommended Player for Gameweek 11

Recommended Player for Gameweek 11 - Micah Richards (Man City)

"People call us the noisy neighbours,"
Micah Richards, the City right-back, said.
"Well, here we are."
(Guardian)

I was split between picking the obvious Van der Vaart and Robin Van Persie or the not so obvious Ryan Taylor and Micah Richards as my recommended player for gameweek 11.  But after much thought I have decided to endorse Manchester City's Micah Richards.  It probably doesn't make sense on having an expensive defensive unit during this season's goal glut Premier League, i.e. the likes of Baines (7.8), Vidic (7.8) and Terry (7.4) are not worth it right now.  However Micah Richards is a steal (6.1) when compared to them.  Whilst he hasn't scored any league goals this season he has four assists to his name - more than any defender in the Premier League.  City may not have kept a clean sheet in their past four league matches, but they are bound to keep more clean sheets in the future, especially v their next opposition QPR who barely average a goal per game.  Unless injured, the England international is a first teamer for Man City.  He is worth having in your team, even if he turns out to be your most expensive defender.  Subject to City maintaining their form and increasing their clean sheets ratio his value could smash the 6.5 mark.  Buy him now!

Fantasy Premier League Hints - Facebook launch

Fantasy Premier League Hints - Facebook launch!

Dear Readers,

I am pleased to confirm that we now have a Facebook page, which can be viewed on the following:
Fantasy Premier League Hints Facebook page

Please note that the page is currently undergoing development and is in a nascent phase.  Feel free to contribute on the page and "Like" it.

Regards
Chief Pundit & Owner

Gameweek 10 Summary

Wow, another fantastic goals-galore gameweek!  I scored a respectable 65 points during a GW where the average score was 44.  My overall rank has jumped greatly from 150,000ish to 90,000ish.  But at the same time I feel like the guy who had the winning lottery numbers from the previous week!  Had a I not changed my team from the last GW I would have scored 84 points!  But who could have predicted the surprising scoreline at Stamford Bridge?  Fortunately I still had RVP in my team and my risky pick of Dzeko as captain scored a goal to help elevate my GW score.

So, who is Ba Best team in the Premier League at the moment?  In my estimation it is the shoestring budget Newcastle United squad.  In gameweek 10 they proved that they not only have a mean defence (the best record in the league), but they also have a lethal attack force.  Demba Ba's second hat-trick of this season is a remarkable feat for a team that has no true No. 9 player in the team.  At 6.5 (Ba) and 5.2 (Best), Newcastle's strike force is currently a bargain and very cheap to purchase in FPL (cheaper than Tevez combined!).  Such is the superlative turnaround at Newcastle United that Alan Pardew will on current form be a shortlisted candidate for the England job after Fabio's Capello departure in 2012.

As for the other gameweek 10 results, Manchester United went back to winning ways with a clean sheet victory at Everton, whilst Arsenal racked up a surprising cricket score victory at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of a Van Persie hat-trick.  The Dutchman has now scored an "an outstanding 28 goals in 27 Premier League games".  Man City continued their goal scoring festivities ad Blackburn were held to a controversial draw at Carrow Road.  Villa drew at Sunderland, where as newly promoted Swansea's attacking prowess prevailed once again as they thumped Bolton.  Fulham and Liverpool both gained clean sheet victories as Tottenham beat QPR 3-1.  Unfortunately, Tottenham's concession of a goal meant that my recommended player for gameweek 10 only scored two points.  But don't worry, as mentioned, have faith with him floating about in your team until mid-January.

With the conclusion of gameweek 10, I have sold the Hart and Petrov, in place of Van Der Vaart and Vorm.  I initially chose Hart as I felt that City would keep a good number of clean sheets.  But as this season has proven, clean sheets are a premium.  In fact, Vorm has kept more clean sheets than Hart and is almost half the price in value.  I intend to invest in Silva and Ba at the expense of the squad rotating Dzeko and either Ramsey or Cabaye from my midfield.  Whilst I would not deride Ramsey or Cabaye (they are both quality players!), they are not as attacking as Silva, who is regularly able to breach defensive lines with his abundance of goals and assists.

My team for GW 11 has now been uploaded on to the blog.  I will post my recommended player for gameweek 11 shortly - hopefully within the next 24 hours or so.  Until then, stay "Tooned"!