Charity Sheild and internationals

The last of the pre-season games, the Community Shield was held last weekend, with a good solid battle playing out on the field between Manchester united and Chelsea, which Chelsea won on penalties after a 2-2 draw.



Rooney looked bright and I expect a big season from him. If you can afford him at 11 million, he will do well. Nani, 7 million, scored a goal in typical Ronaldo fashion, coming off the left wing and smashing it in from the edge of the box. HOWEVER, if this had been a league game I am sure Cech and Terry would have dealt with it, even if it meant Terry kicking Cech in the head. Therefore, one dodgy goal and an injured shoulder does not make Nani the new Ronaldo, regardless of how much he wants to be.

For Chelsea, Lampard struggled to impose himself on the game playing the in the Diamond formation as apposed to 4-3-3 we have become accustom to seeing Chelsea play. This could see him struggle at the start of the season as he adapts to the new system.

The problem with the diamond formation for a player like Lampard is that his starting position is too far up the field. This results in him getting picked up by defenders as they are able to track him. Ideally he would ghost into the box, arriving late and unmarked from deeper in midfield to pick up the goals that he has become known for, all 100 of them!

Hopefully he will be able to adapt his game and thrive in this formation, playing in the attacking midfield position.

England also drew with the Dutch 2-2, with the youngsters showing their value. Milner at 7 million could prove to be a good buy after a very solid performance for England. Remember, he is only 23 so will be looking to prove a point. C. Cole has had a turn around in fortunes in recent seasons, much as Titus Bramble has last season, costing 7 million and scoring 127 points last year, is likely to be the driving force behind West Hams campaign. Defoe also looked very sharp, at 8.5 million could be a good buy. But he has shown that he needs games and confidence to get the goals but you might not see that happen at Spurs with the options they have available. Forgettable performances from Ferdinand and Barry saw them give away cheap goals. Personally, I think Ferdinand, 7 million, and Vidic (currently injured, costs 8 million) for Man U have possibly gone past their best, still quality players, but might not be 100% of their potential anymore.



Kuyt and RVP, 10 million, were solid and showed what they were about for Netherlands with Kuyt being my pick costing 9.5 million, 3 million cheaper than Gerrard and only scoring 23 points less than Gerrard. Gerrard might struggle this season without Alonso there to start off the moves, but Kuyt might fair better playing higher up the field in a wing forward position. Also, Kuyt is classed as a midfielder so will get the extra points if he finds himself in an advanced position, like he did a lot last season.



Hangeland showed why he is in demand during the 4-0 destruction of 10 man Scotland, but not allowing the Scotts back into the game. Yes, I know it is strange to mention a center back when a team win 4-0 against a side with 10 men, but when you consider his display compared to the lack luster display from the England backs, you may see why I am treading this path. Solid, composed and dependable, highly recommended for your team, 5.5 million and will pick up bonus points but the bucket load. Carew, 8 million, was solid and caused problems all night, if he can get a good partnership going with Gabby Agbonlahor for Villa he could be a very good buy.






Eduardo, 8 million, showed glimpses of what he has to offer while playing for Croatia, scoring one and setting up another during the 3-1 victory over Belarus. Now he is back to fitness for Arsenal he could have the season he seemed destined to a couple of years ago before that horrific injury saw him sidelined for so long.

Game week 1

By now your team should be picked and ready for the first set of fixtures.



Important news is Manchester United's injury issues, with a host of players out already including Van der Sar, Vidic and Wes Brown, you might see the normally watertight defence leaking a goal against a newly promoted Birmingham team out to prove a point.


Injured - out for 8 weeks ... Injured - doubtful ...Injured - doubtful

Other notable injures are Jagielka for Everton, Bullard for Hull, the versatile Kompany for Manchester City and Boa Morte for West Ham

Not too many tips can be given for individual players at this stage of the season, seeing as the season hasn't even started yet, and pre-season form isn't a reliable guide.

You will notice that I haven't mentioned many Manchester City players, this is not because I this they do not have anyone good, on the contrary, I am just not sure how much they will play. Barry looks like the pick of the midfield, costing less than Ireland (who is extortionately expensive I might add) and Wright-Phillips looking like he might not play too much with the host of new faces at the club.

At front they have 4 quality strikers, but which ones will play and will there be a rotation system as seen employed by Liverpool, only time will tell

Also, make sure your team is ready to cope with game week 2, where 6 teams don't play. This means that players from these teams will not score any points. The teams that do not play are: Arsenal, Aston Villa Bolton, Everton, Manchester City, and West Ham United. Make sure your squad can cope with the absentees!

good luck!! :)

Who to pick - strong attack

If keeping clean sheets is a bit boring for your taste and want some goals and assists to get your points, try a team like this:



With only 3 defenders from relatively weaker teams you may not get many points from them, although they all scored well last season. Dunne I am tipping to have a good season as he must be under a lot of pressure as cash rich Manchester City spend freely. He had a few mistakes and poor games last year, but I expect him to return to his solid form now.

The Midfield is where this team dominates, Gerard Arshvin and Lampard I am tipping to get goals and assists week in week out as well as bonus points. Larsson is in this team as well because of his cheep price of 5 million and I really believe he will achieve this year.

Same for Ebanks-Blake, with big things expected being partnered by Ricardo Fuller, who is a bit of risk, but had a very good start to last season. Torres needs no introduction and I tip him to be the league top scorer now there is no Ronaldo.

The key to this team if for the key players to stay fit, if they get injured they need to be immediately replaced by similar big game players - think players Rooney and Drogba

I have opted for a team similar to this one, as scoring goals is more fun than keeping clean sheets :)

who to pick - strong defence

So you have decided to pick a team with a strong defence to score you points. To do this you need the teams that the defenders come from to not concede goals. The obvious choices for this are teams from the top 3 clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool as they concede the fewest goals. Also, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Everton are good choices for slightly cheaper defenders.





An example of a defensive team would be something like this:

The strong back 5 (including the goalkeeper) are spread out amongst the teams that keep the most clean sheets. Also, the players are picked on their ability to score goals or get assists, with all of the 4 defenders capable of chipping in with extra points here and there. Also, dominant displays will see bonus points scored, which this back four is capable of getting.

The Midfield is created with Kuyt who I am tipping to have a great season with Liverpool and get many goals/assists. Denilson for Arsenal had a great breakout season last year, but might find his chances a bit limited this year if Rosicky can stay fit. Larsson is the bargain of the midfield, a former Arsenal player and capable of scoring and creating goals, again, another player I am tipping to do really well this season, and with the bargain price of 5 million.

The forwards come in the shape of the pacy Agbonlahor and Ebanks-Blake, who was the top scorer in the championship last year. Both players should do very well.

Quite a powerful team selection here with goals and clean sheets available.

Creating your team - remember to score points!

The first step is to sign up at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/, its free and easy, so don't worry!

The next step is to pick your team, 11 starting players and 4 substitutes. If you follow football you will have a good idea of who the good players are in all the teams, but these players are not necessarily good players to have in a fantasy football team... I will explain.
The aim of the game is to score points, with the following points available:

For playing in a game: 1 point
For playing at least 60 minutes in a game: 2 points (includes playing points mentioned above)
For each goal scored by your goalkeeper or defenders: 6 points
For each goal scored by your midfielders: 5 points
For each goal scored by your forwards: 4 points
For each goal assist: 3 points
For your goalkeeper / defender conceding 0 goals (must also play at least 60 minutes): 4 points
For your midfielder conceding 0 goals (must also play at least 60 minutes): 1 point
For every 3 shot saves made by your goalkeeper: 1 point
For every penalty save: 5 points
For every penalty miss: -2 points
Bonus points for the best players in a match: 1-3 points (awarded to 3 players)
For every 2 goals conceded by your goalkeeper or defenders: -1 point
For every yellow card: -1 point
For every red card (includes any yellow card points) : -3 points

So, its is clear to see that players who score goals or gain assists will get lots of points, where as players that get booked or sent off regularly, will not do so well in your team. Players who fall into this category are the likes of Mascherano, who are undoubtedly quality players, but wont score or create that many goals, but will get booked a fair bit. Avoid these players.

With £100 million of fantasy funds at your disposal, you have to build a team that will score you points. There are two main ways to go about this, a strong defence (that you will get points from not conceding goals) or a strong attack (where you will get points from goals and assists). With the limitations of money, it is impossible to build a strong attack and defence, so don't try, you will end up with mediocre players who will not perform week in week out (with a few exceptions)

Keep a sharp eye out for wrongly classified players, they will score you lots of points, or underachieve massively! Arshavin for Arsenal is likely to reap rewards for fantasy managers, as despite being a quality player is classified as a midfielder but is likely to play as a striker. Therefore he should score more goals and get more assists, while getting the better points as he is classified as a midfielder. Watch out for players like Neville for Everton, who looks a bargain buy at 5million after scoring 140 points last season, but is in actual fact not that great a deal. He was classified as a defender last year, getting all the extra points of not conceding goals and the extra points that come with it!

Double game weeks are big points earners. These are where teams play twice in one game week, scoring all the points the would normally, except they have two games to do it in. With this in mind, teams that have double game weeks will also miss out on other game weeks, as is the case in game week 2, where 6 teams do not play, so make sure your team can cover for these absentees and is ready to capitalise when the teams play twice!

Start of the new season 2009/10

Hello and welcome to my blog giving you hints and tips for the free fantasy football game found on http://fantasy.premierleague.com/.

With less than a week to go before the start of the season, hopefully these hints and tips will help you put the finishing touches to your squad, or help you build a new one! I will be putting up hints and tips every week showing the best buys and players with the best potential, as well as things to look out for in up coming game weeks.

Have fun :)