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Playing For 2nd Place

Posted by Admin at 21:05 on 13th May 2010

 

So it’s all over for another year. Congratulations to Chelsea and congratulations to Daniel Winfrow for winning the FFInfo Telegraph Fantasy Football super league with his team Reservoir Dogs amassing 1604 points - even with the cup final left to play he surely can’t be caught now.

 

It’s close for 2nd place though so it’ll be interesting to see what happens at the weekend. Interesting that is, to see how many Chelsea score after smashing 8 on the final day of the Premier League. We all remember Wimbledon in ‘88 but football is a different game now and the divide between the top and bottom of the Premier League is bigger than ever.

 

Here’s how the league stands -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re one of the teams in the bottom half (like me who suffered from a serious lack of transfers in the final few weeks of the season) and have nothing to play for, why not get ready for the World Cup with our dedicated microsite.

 

The Telegraph opened their World Cup Fantasy Football today so watch out for the FFInfo World Cup Fantasy Football super league.

 

It’s close at the top

Posted by Admin at 21:00 on 15th April 2010

 

And I don’t mean in the Premier League! The Fantasy Football Info Telegraph super league has gone from a one horse race to being wide open as pace setter Wayne Pullinger continues to drop off. With only 36 points seperating the top 6, who’s going to take the title?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s fixtures -

 

Saturday, 17 April 2010

 

Birmingham v Hull, 15:00

Blackburn v Everton, 15:00

Fulham v Wolverhampton, 15:00

Man City v Man Utd, 12:45

Stoke v Bolton, 15:00

Sunderland v Burnley, 15:00

Tottenham v Chelsea, 17:30

 

Sunday, 18 April 2010

 

Portsmouth v Aston Villa, 16:00

Wigan v Arsenal, 13:30

 

Monday, 19 April 2010

 

Liverpool v West Ham, 20:00

 

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

 

Hull v Aston Villa, 19:45

 

Who’s in form coming in to the run in?

 

Posted by Admin at 19:30 on Monday 29th March 2010

 

There’s an unfamiliar look to the top of our form guide. While Lampard and Drogba have been consistent performers throughout the season, with the games piling up and squads being rotated, a few surprises have emerged.

 

Non more so the Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. The enigmatic Russian looked to on his out of White Heart Lane following a string of bust ups with Harry Redknapp over his some what questionable attitude but with Jermaine Defoe out injured, Pavlyuchenko has grasped his chance with both hands scoring 62 points in the last 6 weeks - a incredible turn around considering he’d only managed 14 points all season prior to game week 28.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips of the week

 

Posted by Admin at 11:47 on 20th March

 

This week’s fixtures -

 

Saturday, 20 March 2010

 

Arsenal v West Ham, 17:30

Aston Villa v Wolverhampton, 12:45

Everton v Bolton, 15:00

Portsmouth v Hull, 15:00

Stoke v Tottenham, 15:00

Sunderland v Birmingham, 15:00

Wigan v Burnley, 15:00

 

Sunday, 21 March 2010

 

Blackburn v Chelsea, 16:00

Fulham v Man City, 15:00

Man Utd v Liverpool, 13:30

 

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

 

West Ham v Wolverhampton, 20:00

 

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

 

Aston Villa v Sunderland, 19:45

Blackburn v Birmingham, 20:00

Man City v Everton, 19:45

Portsmouth v Chelsea, 19:45

 

Transfer tips -

 

A bumper week this week with Cheslea, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Everton, Birmingham & Blackburn all playing twice. Now is the time to use those precious transfers you’ve been keeping hold of to earn some extra points. See what happens on Saturday and then ring the tactical changes.

 

Niclas Anelka (Chelsea, £6.9m) - Although not having as good a season as last year, with Drogba a given in anyone’s team the Frenchman should bag some easy points this week with trips to Blackburn and Portsmouth.

 

Frank Lampard (Chelsea, £7m) - See above. Expensive at £7m though so a bit of a gamble.

 

James Milner (Aston Villa, £4.0m) - Having a fine season since Martin O’Neil switched him in-field from the wing, Milner has added goals to his game this season and has been one of Villa’s most consistent performers.

 

Tips of the week

 

Posted by Admin at 19:27 on 12th March

 

This week’s fixtures -

 

Saturday, 13 March 2010

 

Birmingham v Everton, 15:00

Bolton v Wigan, 15:00

Burnley v Wolverhampton, 15:00

Chelsea v West Ham, 15:00

Hull v Arsenal, 17:30

Stoke v Aston Villa, 15:00

Tottenham v Blackburn, 12:45

 

Sunday, 14 March 2010

 

Man Utd v Fulham, 13:30

Sunderland v Man City, 16:00

 

Monday, 15 March 2010

 

Liverpool v Portsmouth, 20:00

 

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

 

Wigan v Aston Villa, 19:45

 

Transfer tips -

 

Craig Bellamy (Man City, £5.2m) - The Welshman has had a fine season so far and will be looking to continue his recent good form against struggling Sunderland.

 

Andre Arshavin (Arsenal, £5.5m) - With Cesc Fabregas out injured, the Gunners will be looking to their Russian forward to provide the creativity to break down battling Hull.

 

Nico Kranjcar (Spurs, £3.3m) - Originally signed as competition/back up for Modric, Kranjcar has been superb so far this season and with Lennon still out injured is having a prolonged run in the side.

 

Louis Saha (Everton, £5.2m) - The French striker seems to have put his injury problems behind him and has become one of Everton’s most consistent performers, keeping Yakubu out of the side.

 

Tips of the week

 

Posted by Admin at 08:35 on 4th March

 

This week’s fixtures -

 

Saturday, 6 March 2010

Arsenal v Burnley, 15:00

West Ham v Bolton, 15:00

Wolverhampton v Man Utd, 17:30

 

Sunday, 7 March 2010

Everton v Hull, 16:00

 

Monday, 8 March 2010

Wigan v Liverpool, 20:00

 

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

Portsmouth v Birmingham, 19:45

Sunderland v Bolton, 19:45

 

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Burnley v Stoke, 19:45

 

Transfer tips -

 

Fernando Torres (Liverpool, £7m) & Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, £6.5m) - The Liverpool pair are expensive at £7m and £6.5m respectively but both scored on Torres’ return from injury against Blackburn. It may be no coincidence that Gerrard has struggled for form this season as Torres has struggled with injuries but now the Spaniard is fit, I expect Liverpool’s dynamic duo to have a major say in their push for 4th place.

 

Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, £5.5m) - Another player coming back from injury, Bendtner has never been a favourite with the Arsenal fans but with Van Persie still out Arsene Wenger will be looking to the young Dane to lead the line. A home game on Saturday against struggling Burnley with only 1 point to their name away from home could lead to a healthy points total for the week in Fantasy Football.

 

Rafael (Man Utd, £3m) - The young Brazillian is cheap at £3m for a Man Utd defender and, having recently established himself as first choice right back at Old Trafford coupled with United’s usual end of season form we can expect a fair few clean sheets. Never shy of a foray into the opposition’s half either mind!

 

Rooney and Drogba

 

Posted by Admin at 20:35 on 24th February

 

I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again - this season is becoming one of the most unpredictable in Premier League history.

 

When Everton beat Chelsea 2-1 at Goodison on 19th February, Alex Ferguson must have though ‘this is our chance’ to close the gap. A 1-1 draw away at Villa that evening was not a bad result but it could have been better. What seemed to be a change in momentum in favour of the champions with Chelsea’s defeat to Everton, quickily turned in favour of the Blues when Man United travelled to Merseyside to face Everton, and were soundly beaten 3-1.

 

In season’s gone by, both United and Chelsea would grind out 1-0 wins away from home but this year seems to be much more open with Chelsea having lost four games and Man United having lost six games already this season.

 

In the midst of all this upheaval of the typical order of things in a Premier League season, two things remain constant - Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba. In Telegraph Fantasy Football, Rooney has score 59 points while Drogba has scored 53 points in the last 3 weeks alone - that’s more points in 3 weeks than the likes of Heskey, Pinaar, Modric, Downing and Rosicky have score all season long. Here’s a look at the in form players right now -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bargains, Bargains, Bargains! (part 2)

 

Posted by Admin at 18:00 on 7th February

 

A few months ago, we took a look at what the best value Daily Telegraph Fantasy Football team is on a points scored per £ basis. You’ll probably have noticed it’s become harder and harder to out-score your opponents no we’ve reach the second half of the season. This is mainly because when you get to this stage, virtually everyone will have the same players in their team - Rooney, Vermaelen, Fabregas etc are a fixture in the team of any Fantasy Football manager worth their salt this season.

 

So, we thought it’d be good to have another look and see if anything has changed that can give you (and us!) and edge over the competition (4-4-2 formation. All points are points/£ in TFF) -  

 

Gk: Sorensen - Stoke. 16.9

 

Def: Insua - Liverpool. 27.7

Def: Cuellar - Villa. 24.7

Def: Dunne - Villa. 28.4

Def: Dawson - Spurs. 23.9

 

Mid: Fabregas - Arsenal. 28.8

Mid: Etherington - Stoke. 28.8

Mid: Duff - Fulham. 27.9

Mid: Kranjcar - Spurs. 27.6

 

St: Rooney - Man Utd. 26.6

St: Fletcher - Burnley. 25.0

 

Now, if we compare this to the best value team when we first looked at it back in December, you’ll see how Fantasy Football has changed -

 

Gk: Sorensen - Stoke. 16.9

 

Def: Insua - Liverpool. 13.0

Def: Johnson - Birmingham. 12.1

Def: Dune - Villa. 16.1

Def: Cole - Chelsea. 12.5

 

Mid: Fabregas - Arsenal. 18.2

Mid: Cohen - Bolton. 16.7

Mid: Giggs - Man Utd. 16.9

Mid: Bowyer - Birmingham. 19.6

 

St: Drogba - Chelsea. 16.4

St: Fletcher - Burnley. 16.8

 

Anyone have any transfers left?

 

Now it’s a three horse race - but what does that really mean for Fantasy Football?

 

Posted by admin at 20:05 on 24th January 2010

 

Back in late November/early December, we all witnessed a masterful display by Chelsea (and Drogba in particular) at the Emirates as Arsenal were beaten 3-0, followed by Arsenal’s youngsters easily beaten by the same score in the Carling Cup away at Man City. At that time Chelsea, in many people’s minds, had laid claim to the title and put Arsenal’s challenge to rest. With Liverpool struggling, two of the big four seemed out of the Premier League title race before Christmas.

 

This time of year had consequences for Fantasy Football too, as everyone scrambles to fill their teams with as many Chelsea players they could afford and removed the previously reliable Arsenal & Liverpool players that had taken up so much of their precious budget.

 

However, since that defeat at home to Chelsea, Arsenal have been the form team wining 7 and drawing 2 of their last 9 Premier League games keeping 4 clean sheets along they way. Players like Alex Song, Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky who were often seen as a dodgy investment were bringing in the points.

 

As the Gunners came from two goals down at home to Bolton in midweek, the Premier League suddenly became a three horse race as Arsenal went top, albeit briefly and having played more games than Chelsea and Man Utd, they showed that this year’s title race will be the most unpredictable for years.

 

This unpredictability of the Premier League has also lead to the unpredictability of Fantasy Football. The flip-side of the performances of Alex Song & Abou Diaby etc is the stuttering form of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard who for some many seasons have been the ‘must have’ players for any Fantasy Football team in any game format.

 

The Great British Winter

 

Posted by Admin at 20:37pm, 12th January 2010

 

With Christmas and the third round of the FA Cup out of the way, it was finally time to get back to normal in the world of Fantasy Football....or so we thought!

 

Like everything else in across the country the freezing weather brought the Premier League to a near standstill with only and handful of games going ahead. But Despite the frustrations for fans in the real world, the bad weather has thrown up some great opportunities for Fantasy Football managers. Only a couple of games going ahead means some potential for tactical transfers (provided you have them to spare!).

 

One such opportunity is Carlos Tevez. After a slow start, the Argentine international has hit a rich run of form, hitting goal after goal in a run which started with the Carling Cup victory over Arsenal and culminated with a hat-trick over Blackburn last night. For a player only costing £6.3m, Tevez is surely the ‘must have’ player for any Fantasy Football team at the moment.

 

Here are a couple more tips for upcoming fixtures -

 

Goalkeeper - Van Der Sar (Man Utd). The United ‘keeper has been on compassionate leave after his wife fell ill but is likely to return in the coming weeks to marshal an uncharacteristically shaky United defence.

 

Defence - Michael Dawson (Spurs). Cheap, has been in the form of his life and, with King’s injury record and Bassong at the African Nations Dawson is a near guaranteed starter.

 

Midfield - Niko Kranjcar (Spurs). Signed as cover for the injured Modric, Kranjcar is now keeping him out of the starting 11.

 

Striker - Calos Tevez (Man City). We’ve already mentioned his form and recent goal record but City are also the form team since Mancini took over.

 

The window opens

 

Posted by Admin at 11:47, 27th December 2009

 

It’s that time of year again. A major talking point for both fans and pundits, Manager’s even lose their jobs in anticipation of it. That’s right folks, it’s transfer window time!

 

The window opens on 1st January and closes this year on 1st February. January is a time when managers up and down the leagues look for a boost - either by bringing in some much needed new blood or by keeping hold of their best players.

 

For Fantasy Football managers, January has extra significance. It’s time when squad players from big clubs can go out on loan to get first team football. This has extra significance this year though. With the World Cup looming large on the 2010 horizon you can expect some players moving on loan to clubs they wouldn’t normally consider for the sake of getting regular football and securing their place on the plane. Here are some of the contenders:

 

Ryan Babel (Liverpool) - Benitez selections when Torres has been injured clearly shows that he doesn’t really rate the £14m dutch forward who will be desperate for games to get back into a strong dutch squad. Stoke have been touted as possible suiters but a move back Holland seems more likely.

 

Nani (Man Utd) - The enigmatic winger must have though this was his time to shine following the departure of his more illustrious countryman to Real Madrid. However, with both Park and the evergreen Ryan Giggs selected ahead of him in recent weeks it may be time for a move. Most likely to be used in a player plus cash deal to fund a striker.

 

David James (Portsmouth) - Has had injuries this season which hasn’t helped but with Pompy struggling this year he has slipped down the England pecking order. A reunion with Harry Redknapp at Spurs seems the most likely destination.

 

Keep an eye on the transfers this year, there may be a few shocks that could have a big impact on the second half of the season.  

 

New World Order? Possibly...

 

Posted by Admin at 20:15pm, 20th December 2009

 

So yet another week goes by and yet more dropped points for the big boys. Liverpool were well beaten away at Portsmouth despite having both Gerrard and Torres fit. Apparently it was all the ref’s fault according to Rafa Benitez but in my view it’s the fault of the players not taking responsibility on the pitch and the manager’s pig-headed nature off the pitch. When will Benitez stop making excuses and admit that all is not well and the majority of his signings have been poor.

 

Man Utd had another bad week going to 3-0 to Fulham at Craven Cottage. Even though United are still in the midst of a defensive crisis with Carrick and Fletcher again asked to operate at the back it was their lack of penetration from a full strength front line that would worry Sir Alex the most.

 

In the late kick off, Chelsea again failed to capitalise on United’s poor form and could only draw at West Ham. Frank Lampard eventually levelling from the spot after the ref had made him take the spot kick 3 times due to encroachment.

 

It was another good week for Aston Villa who continue their fine form with a victory at home to Stoke thanks to a John Carew goal. Arsenal also faired well this weekend, beating Hull 3-0 at The Emirates without Cesc Fabregas.

 

The game of the weekend though cam at Eastlands - a 4-3 thriller between Man City and Sunderland. Roque Santa Cruz finally got off the mark netting twice while Carlos Tevez continued his scoring run with a Penalty. The fine game was overshadowed though by bizarre scenes at full time when Mark Hughes appeared to wave ‘goodbye’ to the City faithful. Two hours later, the club confirmed the Mark Hughes had ben sacked and would be replaced by former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini.

 

Mancini certainly has the pedigree City need to challenge having led Inter to 3 titles in a row but with Hughes getting the boot after just 2 league defeats this season, he has a tough job to please some very impatient owners.

 

With the Christmas fixture congestion nearly upon us, be sure to check out the injury news as well as the latest team news to maximise those transfers.

 

Nobody wants to win it

 

Posted by Admin at 22:15pm, 15th December 2009

 

Once again, it’s another strange week on planet premiership, leading do the question ‘does anyone really want to win the title this year?’.

 

Starting with the Champions, Man Utd lost at home (that’s right folks, lost at home) to Aston Villa in Saturday’s late kick off 0-1. Despite huge pressure in the second half, Villa never really looked troubled. Is this the type of game where United really miss the individual brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo?

 

So this gave Chelsea the chance to extend their lead at the top against a struggling Everton blighted by injuries to key players (Neville, Jagielka and Arteta all still over a month away from a return). Despite being the biggest, most powerful team in the league and possessing Petr Cech, regarded as one of the world’s best ‘keepers, Chelsea seemed completely unable to deal with Everton at set pieces as the Toffees came from behind 3 times to snatch a 3-3 draw at the Bridge.

 

Elsewhere early season form team Spurs suffered a shock home defeat to Wolves while North London neighbours Arsenal consigned Liverpool to their 6th league defeat of the season. Arshavin again the architect with a stunning winner at the Kop end after Liverpool had taken the lead through Dirk Kurt and Glen Johnson had put through his own net - a pretty bad day for anyone with the England full back in their Telegraph Fantasy Football team.

 

Game of the weekend though took place at The Reebok between Bolton and Man City. End to end for 90 minutes, Bolton took the lead through on loan striker Ivan Klan but Carlos Steve continued his recent fine form with an equaliser. Gary Cahill scored a fine 2nd from the edge of the area only for Micah Richards to equalise in first half stoppage time. Ivan Klasnic put the Trotters back in front but Tevez again pulled level.

 

With plenty of mid week fixtures coming up there’s plenty of opportunities to make some tactical transfers so make sure you check out out latest injury news so your precious transfers aren’t wasted.

 

Bargains, Bargains, Bargains!

Posted by Admin at 13:52 pm, December 6th 2009.

 

You may have seen our latest 'best team available' packed full of the usual suspects - Terry, Cole, Fabregas, Drogba etc.... But are they really value for money? In terms of points scored per £ ratio, what does the best value team look like? This may well throw up some surprises!

Starting at the back, in goal the best value keep is also the highest scoring keep so far - Sorensen of Stoke with 16.9 points/£. Across the back there are a few shocks with Insua from Liverpool with 13 points/£, Johnson of Birmingham at 12.1 points/£, Dune from Villa at 16.1 points/£ and Cole from Chelsea at 12.5 points/£.

 

Moving up to the middle of the park we have the highest scoring midfielder - Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas at 18.2 points/£, Bolton's Tamir Cohen at 16.7 points/£, the evergreen Ryan Giggs at 16.9 points/£ and the best value player in the whole game Lee Bowyer of Birmingham at 19.6 points/£.

 

Upfront we have Chelsea's Drogba, again also the highest scoring striker but also great value at 16.4 points/£ and it's not Jermaine Defoe as most may think but Burnley's Steven Fletcher coming in at 16.8 points/£ who partners him.

Looking at the number of points score per £ value is all well and good but that doesn't necessarily mean they are worth a place in your team - or does it? If you'd have fielded this team from the beginning you'd now be sitting happily at the top of our league with 646 points having only spent £40.8m.

 

Don't know about you, but i think it's time to make a few transfers!

 

3 upfront if you can?

Posted by Admin at 9:58 pm, November 30th 2009.

 

Rooney, Defoe, Drogba = loads of points.

 

As the season ticks along there is a very prominent trend developing - goals galore! With a hat-trick at the weekend for Rooney, two for Drogba and still basking in the glory of his five the week before, these three must surely be in every team at all costs. What is strange this season though is the lack of clean sheets - with the exception of the machine like Chelsea. In years gone by, a solid back 4 could easily deliver 24-30 points between them. Add a couple of goals from your strikers and the odd assist from midfield and you're on your way to a respectable weekly score. This year however, the focus has definitely shifted. Those usually most reliable (Liverpool, Man Utd, Villa) are shipping goals and there seems to be more frequent high scoring games than in previous years.

So what do you do about this? Well, if you're brave enough you could load your team with attacking talent and leave a dodgy defence. Even the top teams are conceding so what does it matter? Just like back in August when we're all trying to predict the bargain star of the season, it's huge gamble. Can you remember Robbie Keane's four goals in a game earlier in the year? And how many has he scored since?

If you're feeling brave, let me know. I'd love to see how it works out!

 

Another week, another win
 

Posted by Admin at 12:28 pm, November 22nd 2009.

 

So another week, another win and another clean sheet for both Chelsea and Man Utd reinforcing my previous advice to pack your TFF side with Utd and Chelsea defenders.

It's not all about the defense though with plenty of goals for the top two. Chelsea battered Wolves at the Bridge easing to a 4-0 win with goals from Malouda, a brace from Essein and Joe Cole scoring on his return from injury. In the evening kick off Utd strolled to a 3-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford with Fletcher, Carrick and Valencia on the score sheet.

Elsewhere, Liverpool rescued a point at home to Man City which surely leaves any hope of challenging for the title in tatters. The shock result of the day came at the Stadium Of Light where the ever improving Sunderland beat Arsenal 1-0 with a goal from Darren Bent.

So how do you like the new site design then? I thought it could do with a freshen up to make things a bit clearer and to add some extra functionality like the live scores section where you can monitor matches from every major league in the world live. Any feedback on the new site is welcome - let me know what you think.

 

International break a blessing in disguise?

Posted by Admin at 4:11 pm, November 14th 2009.

 

So no Premier League games this week as England jet of to Doha to face Brazil in what seems one of the strangest international friendlies in recent memory. With only 2 of the so-called 'first team' likely to take part, it's a fantastic opportunity for fringe players such as James Milner, Wes Brown and Peter Crouch to stake a claim for a seat on the plan to South Africa.

But where does this internation break leave our beloved Premier League? Well, despite claims to the contrary i'm sure Rafa Benitez will be delighted with the break from league action as it will come with a break in pressure and speculation surrounding his job. He may well get the best night's sleep of the season tonight knowing that tomorrow's back pages will be all about England and with many of his stars not joining up with their international team mates (Gerrard, Johnson, Torres) there's not the constant worry of a potential season threatening injury.

As for our TFF league, Wayne Pullinger still leads the way but only 5 points ahead of Jeff Taylor while after a bad couple of weeks i fine myself in 9th place - so much for being the expert!

Apologies to all for not having kept the site up to date over the last month or so, i was busy getting married but i can assure you that you'll now have my full attention!

 

The league starts to take shape
 

Posted by Admin at 3:25 pm, November 1st 2009.

 

So the Premier League table is beginning to take shape. Top of the table has a familiar feel to it with Chelsea leading the way closely followed by Man Utd and Arsenal. Despite their own indifferent form of late Spurs still hold the final Champions League spot due to Liverpool's worst run of results in years. Man City can leap from them both is they win their games in hand though.

From a TFF point of view it was a good week to have a defence packed with players from the top 3 as they all kept clean sheets. Bad day for anyone with the usually reliable Jamie Carragher in their team as he was sent of and conceded but despite Liverpool having thrown the title away already, Fernando Torres continues to show that he is the best striker on the planet with yet another goal in the 3-1 defeat away at Fulham.

Some cracking games elsewhere as both Sunderland and Wolves came back from 2 goals down to West Ham and Stoke respectively.

Performance of the day though has to go to Portsmouth Aruna Dindane who netted a hat-trick as the league's bottom club secured only their second league win of the season.

 

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