It was sad to see the end of West Ham’s tenure at Upton Park (or the Boleyn ground as it was originally known), and even sadder to see the scenes that marred the occasion which a lot of neutrals will unfortunately remember it by… but, even worse than that, was the lack of Andy Carroll’s form in the 2 games in the last gameweek!  He was flying in the weeks before and, with a double gameweek, it seemed a relatively low risk gamble to stick him in and take 4 point hit in the process but, apparently, the risk was a bit higher than I’d calculated!  3 points over 2 games – in which West Ham scored 4 goals, and he played 180 mins of football, were an unfortunate return and is sadly what I’ll remember about this historic week for years to come… all in all though, the rest of the gameweek was not too bad at all:

I probably couldn’t have picked a worst week to play my bench boost, but when your Captain your best scoring player (for the second week running incidentally) you’ve either had a really terrible week – but generally, it’s been a half decent one – and last week it was for me!  It was a bit squeaky bum awaiting the outcome of the final evening’s fixtures, as I’d fallen a bit behind following West Ham’s excellent victory against Man U – but in the end I was ok and hauled in 80 points!  I’m playing for 2nd place in 1 of my leagues, 1st in another and for pride in the most competitive, and it all comes down to next week’s final PL game of the season!

With Champions and relegation sorted, there’s only champions league to be interested in really, although obviously we’ll be paying more than the usual attention due to the criticality of the fixtures and potential impact on our FPL leagues!  So the obvious choice for today was to transfer to Alexis Sanchez in for Ozil… when I did it, Ozil was doubtful and has also been in relatively poor form of late – and against Villa, I’m hoping Sanchez will repay my faith in him… particularly as I’ve made him skipper for the week!  So Crouchy’s Robot’s lines up for the final gameweek as follows:

All the best for the week! #Fantasypremierscout

So last week was, to put it bluntly, was the best week I’ve had for a while!  I captained my top scoring player for the first time this season – thank you Andros Townsend, and probably a thank you to Rafa Benitez as well – and everyone on my bench got rubbish points, so I picked my strongest team!  However, that wasn’t actually that great, as Clyne came in for the ‘rested’ Aguero… Champions League and all that, but doesn’t Pelligrini know I’ve got over £13m tied up in the Argentinian?!  Anyway, as Liverpool got beaten 3-1 by Swansea (Swansea!?!?) and he picked up a booking, Clyne scored me as many points as Aguero anyway!  So the Robot’s scored 55 points last week, against an average of 38, here’s how…

Another piece of good news was that I didn’t do any transfers last week, so I’ve got 2 to make this week!  I was close to using my transfer last week with 2 people, Troy Deeney and Kelechi Iheanacho.  “AS IF” I hear you say, but I am being totally genuine!  I generally look at the strikers of whoever Villa are playing to see if I think they’re capable of a cricket score against them (not to tricky) and I thought about Deeney (13 points) but decided against it.  I didn’t think about Ighalo at all as he’s about as in form as Radmael Falcao, but I also considered Kelechi Iheanacho (12 points) and there is actually evidence of that on my FantasyPremierScout Facebook page!  But I weighed it up against an extra transfer this week, and thought they would be a bit of a gamble, so kept the transfer instead…and have made 3 transfers this week!  Only a 4 point hit though, see below:

So Aguero, Kane and Mahrez all out, and in come Hazard, Carroll and Deeney (better late than never)… what’s the thinking?  Well, double game weeks for my new signings is obviously the biggest factor but also the news that Ashley Williams is out for Swansea, so Carroll became a good option and he will definitely cause Man U problems as they’ve struggled with set pieces this year.  My thinking with Deeney was that he’ll be on a bit of a high after last week, and I think Liverpool will rest players against Watford given him a bit of an easier ride.  Norwich are also pretty lame in defence, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him bag a goal or two there, hence the (current) decision to make him my Captain for the week!  With Hazard, it was the current form that he’s finally found that made this decision for me… I had him in at the start of the season and I really can’t believe he’s had the poor season that he’s had!  The fact Chelsea are where they are shows just how much they relied on him last year, and I think he’s unplayable on his day, so against Sunderland I fancy a goal and hopefully 1 against Liverpool as well (but not too many!)

My concerns for this week are Coutinho and Rashford… as I’m not sure either will feature for both games, however both are capable of points so I’m hoping that’s ok!  Also, BENCH BOOST played this week, lets see how we go with that!

If anyone is wondering what the HD is at the top of my screen print, it’s not High Definition, but I’ll leave you to figure it out…

All the best for the week! #FantasyPremierScout

I’m waiting for a device that is entirely operated by voice/thought control to be invented and made widely available, so I can complete my blog in the car on the way to work, when I am holding my newborn son or playing top trumps with my 6 year old son.  Anyway…

So, last week was a GOOD week!  I know I’m not positive very often, but this week was better than average… although the points did not come from the source that I was expecting them!  I decided to get Lukaku in and took the in form Kane out due to 2 x double game week for Everton.  As I had already got Coutinho in for Alli, I took a 4 point hit but then Lukaku is quality, and, although he hadn’t scored in his last 2 games (prior to last gameweek), I fancied him to grab at least 1 goal against 2 out of form teams in Watford and Palace.  It also seemed sensible to make him my Captain for the week… but he drew a blank… although against Palace I was actually glad (all over) that he did, because that meant both Hennessey and Delaney kept their 2nd clean sheet on the bounce!  The fact that it was 0-0 as well was good news as I also had Seamus Coleman, so my GK and 3 man defence chalked up a fantastic 40 points!  So, for Gameweek 33, Crouchy’s Robot’s accumulated a very respectable 87 points:

There was an element of fortune involved in some of those points, as I had started with Coutinho in the starting XI and Ozil on the bench… but Klopp was my saviour, resting him for their Europa league tie against Dortmund last night (which certainly paid off!).  However, I did make a bit of a schoolboy error in leaving Toby ‘Dream Team’ Alderweireld on the bench (15 points) and keeping in Caesar Azpilicueta (1 point)… I wasn’t sure about Spurs keeping a clean sheet against Man U with Rashford & Martial in good form, and thought Chelsea were more likely to shut out Swansea, but I was wrong!  Speaking of Swansea, it was annoying to see Sigurdsson scoring AGAIN after my ‘Big Gamble’ in subbing him out for Aaron Lennon (7 points in 3 games v 18 points in 2 for the Icelander) – I’m almost tempted to get him back in again!  Hindsight is a wonderful thing…

So for Gameweek 34, my team looks like this… but is subject to change:

I’ve been saying about Andros Townsend for a few weeks now, so I thought I’d better put my money where my mouth is – particularly as Newcastle are one of the few teams (Liverpool & Arsenal are the others) to have a double week this week and a game next week.  I’ve taken Lennon out who, according tot he website, is carrying a knock which made that an easy decision.  Aguero is my current thinking for Captain, but Coutinho may get the nod, although Ozil is also a good bet.  With Lukaku doubtful, I may get young Rashford in from Man Utd as it’s double game week for them, including Villa so there’s potential for some good points there… although as it stands, I only have 9 players with a game next week, so I need to think about that one as well!  Origi is looking good, and maybe D Studge but you can never guarantee who’s going to start, particularly on a double gameweek.  I think Sturridge will get the nod at the weekend, and I think I can just about afford him – but Rashford is in form and cheap as chips.

It’s been a funny old season really, everyone can get form players in as the cheaper ones have turned out to be the stars, so it’s almost not worth worrying if you have a few million in the bank… but it does burn a hole in my pocket, which can then lead to ‘removing Sigurdsson’ like decision making!

I may blog again before the games start tomorrow, should time allow, but if anyone has a prototype of that device I mentioned, please drop me a line!

All the best for the week #Fantasypremierscout

 

In short, the answer to that question is ‘no’!  I watched the Man U v Everton game, although I was focussing more on Lennon and what he was doing as oppose the rest of the game and, although Lennon was decent, he didn’t get any more than 2 points!  He did look lively, and made some good runs which would have become great runs, had Everton’s final ball been a little better.  Another reason the gamble was a full on failure was because the man who Lennon replaced, Gylfi Sigurdsson, scored a goal in Swansea’s 2-2 draw with Stoke and weighed in with 7 points…

… however, it’s not all doom and gloom!  My keeper choice paid dividends with Courtois keeping a (expected) clean sheet against Villa, Azpilicueta notched 11 points with an assist and for the first time in a long time, my captain choice paid off!!  Thank you Dimitri Payet – 9 points x 2 = 18!!  Kane, again the vice, was outscored (by 1) and my decision was justified!  Aguero tried his best to stich me up and make me pay for not selecting him as skipper, but again, he fell short! (get it – Aguero is short, he fell short… ok, forget it).  So below is Crouchys Robots from last week, who scored a not too bad 64 points!

The only real disappointment I had was that Damian Delaney was on my bench, and he scored a goal so got 7 points – but he was never in my thoughts ahead of Cresswell and Alderweireld so I can’t feel gutted about it.

This week, I have made another BIG GAMBLE!!¬  Keep an eye out for the next blog tomorrow when all will be revealed!

In other news Euro 2016 stickers are out… anyone collecting!?  I’ve got some swapsies if so, and plan to spend the Summer blogging about the Euros due to the lack of Fantasy Premier action – it’s all go here!!

All the best for the week! #fantasypremierscout

I WAS in the luxurious position of having 2 free transfers this gameweek, but I’ve had to use 1 of these to replace the unfortunate Jack Butland – and I’ve gone for Courtois of Chelsea, who are pretty much odds on for a clean sheet against Aston Villa this week.  The one hope of a goal that Villa have is the returning Adama Traore, who has been blighted by injuries most of the season, but looked very exciting in the games he has featured in – but I still fancy Chelsea… and will have Azpilicueta and Courtois in my starting line-up, anticipating at least 12 points from the pair!

So… onto my ‘BIG TIME GAMBLE’ this week… on paper, it doesn’t sound like much of a gamble.  My new signing is in form (5.0 as at now), scoring 4 goals in his last 6 games, he’s an experienced Premier League player who has played for England.  Personally though, I don’t really rate him, and if Everton weren’t playing twice next week and the week after, I probably wouldn’t be picking him but I have made the decision and pressed ‘confirm transfer’ to get rid of Gylfi Sigurdsson and transfer in AARON LENNON!  Let’s see how it plays out, but I need something to set me apart from other teams, and as only 0.9% of teams have selected him hopefully he’ll have a good few weeks and retrieve the points I’ve lost from my bad Captain choice!  Which leads me nicely onto this weeks decision…

… after much procrastination, I have decided that Sergio Aguero can no longer be relied on to lead Crouchy’s Robots!  With the return of Kevin De Bruyne and Samir Nasri to the Man City squad this week Aguero may have a bit more to feed off, but without Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling, Vincent Kompany, and away at a Bournemouth team who are now safe, I fancy the Cherries to get a draw or even a win, and maybe Aguero to grab a goal – but not enough to earn the captaincy.

I really WANT to give it to Harry Kane, after a 27 point haul in the last 2 weeks as my vice-captain, he has more than earned his stripes, but I just can’t call it against Liverpool! Again, Kane is probably good for a goal, but this isn’t enough to earn the captaincy this week.  So, I’m going to give it to Dimitri Payet, who has been in inspired form recently for club and country!  With West Ham pushing for a Champions League spot (who would’ve thought that before the start of the season?!) against a Crystal Palace team struggling to form, I fancy him for at least a goal – and hopefully an assist of two as well.  So here’s how Crouchy’s Robot’s are lining up this week:

I might regret Alli on the bench… after his international heroics last week, he’s going to be buzzing but Lennon is my gamble, Payet is my skipper, and I can’t drop Mahrez so it’s Alli or Ozil… Alli outplayed him on the international stage last week, but I fancy Arsenal at home to Watford, so Alli sits this week out.

My ones to watch this week are Andros Townsend away at Norwich, and young Bertrand Traore of Chelsea.  With Costa suspended, Chelsea are limited on attacking options.  Traore is down as a midfielder, although can play as a striker and is very good value at £5.4m as well.  Apparently Chelsea can still make Europe, and in a season where Leicester & Spurs are favourites for the title and West Ham, Southampton & Stoke are all pushing for a top 4 finish – it’s fair to say that anything can happen!

All the best for the week. #fantasypremierscout

So, as you can see (below) from my points tally from GW31 – it was another disappointing captain choice that cost me 11 points!  I lamented in my last blog about selecting Aguero as my captain instead of Kane (after having serious second thoughts on the Saturday morning) and last week I didn’t learn my lesson!  Given the new baby that arrived, I didn’t have enough time to consider all the angles as much as usual, and on reflection Kane was definitely the better choice than Sigurdsson, and unfortunately for me others in my leagues DID select Kane as Captain which means I lost more ground!

I also decided against transferring Ashley Williams in for Seamus Coleman last minute and was left to regret it with another clean sheet for Swansea and 2 bonus points for Williams (8), whilst Everton slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal, (Coleman – 1)… although there is a silver lining in that, for the first time this season, I have 2 free transfers!  Cue procrastination and poor decision making…

So here is my team and score from week 31:

Other than Alli in for Ozil – which I don’t think many people would’ve picked – I got the maximum points possible from my squad so I’m happy with that… but I am not happy with Aguero!  At £13.6m he’s by far the most expensive player and in recent weeks he’s not really delivered the best points per £ return – with 4 x 2 point games in the last 5.  The trouble is that he is such a good player, when he’s on song you need to have him in your team, and he can score goals against anybody… and with Bournemouth at home, you’d expect him to grab at least one… but then I thought that against Norwich!  A couple of more ‘in form’ alternatives in Southampton’s Pelle and Arsenal’s Welbeck, both of which look good of late – but I’m very interested in Man United’s Rashford… 18 years old, fearless, hungry and the only Man U player who’s made them look like a threat this season!  For £4.5m, he’s a steal even as a 3rd striker and if I swap him and Ageuro, I’ll have about £10m profit in the bank… just call me Arsene Wenger!

£10m could come in handy though with 2 transfers in the bank, especially with the fixtures being updated for the double game weeks… I’ve been saving my Bench Boost & Triple Captain all season for these!  Just to help you (and me), the following teams play twice or not at all in the upcoming gameweeks:

GW33 – (2 games) Everton & Crystal Palace

GW34 – (2 games) Newcastle, Man City, West Ham, Watford, Liverpool, Everton, Man Utd, Crystal Palace, Arsenal & West Brom

GW35 – (NO games) Man Utd, Norwich, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Ham & Watford

GW36 – Normal

GW37 – West Ham, Man Utd, Norwich, Watford, Sunderland, Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea

Could be a lot of change in various leagues and (I know I keep harping on about it) Captain choice is so important at this stage of the season!  The triple captain card will no doubt lead me to more procrastination, so if you want a laugh, keep reading over the coming weeks!

For the upcoming gameweek though, will I learn my lesson and make Kane as Captain instead of Vice Captain?  After his performance for England against Germany, I’m even more tempted!  With Spurs away at Liverpool though, Kane as skipper is not a ‘no brainer’ as the Reds are so inconsistent, although with Kane in the form he is, I don’t think it matters who they’re playing!  He will be up there with Europe’s best strikers after the Euro’s, he’s got it all.  But then Aguero against Bournemouth??  AAAAHHHHH!!!

All the best for the week! #fantasypremierscout

 

I was very bitter after watching Aguero do nothing against Norwich and then seeing Kane bang two in against Villa – when I had kept my Captain as the Man City striker… it was only the birth of my second son on Monday that took my mind of it!  I was pleased to see Sigurdsson weigh in with an anticipated goal and 9 points, and my overall score of 51 with 8 men was actually pretty good… other manager’s in my leagues also selected Aguero as Captain so that was some relief, although most people were also prudent enough to get more than 8 people in their squad with a game on!  Anyway, enough looking backwards, let’s look forwards to this week’s games and my dilemma this week is whether to use my free transfer or not… I’m fairly well set for the double game weeks that are coming up but I really want to get Firmino in… but I’m not sure who for!  On paper, Deli Alli is the most likely candidate for the chop, but he keeps doing the business for Spurs, another 9 points last week.  Might just leave it… but Sigurdsson will be my Captain this week whatever – Villa again, let’s hope the selection is not favoured by too many and he chips in with a goal or two!  Elsewhere, I think Vardy is due a goal or two and would be a good Captain choice.  Watch out for Josh King and Andros Townsend this week in their respective games, might be worth a cheeky transfer in as you look to differ your team from others!

Uh oh, my wife is calling and my boy is crying, better go!

All the best for the week! #fantasypremierscout

OK, so whilst Tottenham got stuffed in the week, Pochettino’s team selection makes for an interesting dilemma this weekend.  In my last post, I talked about Aguero being my captain choice this week but that Kane would be the next one, had City not been playing Norwich.  I think the disappointment of the defeat on Thursday and the frustration of sitting on the bench, watching, and not being able to affect anything, will give Kane an added impetus this weekend… and I am seriously debating changing my Captain choice as a result.

Aguero on the other hand has had a week’s rest and with City still (just about) in the hunt for the league, today’s game is very important.  Norwich are desperate though, and it’s about this time of the season that any team aiming for a dramatic escape begin to get some surprising results.

Aguero v Norwich’s defence of Kane v Villa’s?

At this stage of the season, in a fantasy premier league sense, Captain choice is so important.  Do you remember the week when Aguero scored 4 and everyone that Captained him got around 50 points?  I didn’t captain Aguero that week and it took me a couple of months to catch up again… and that was last year, a big one like that again in mid March could blow me out of the water in the leagues I’m in… no pressure!

Any thoughts are more than welcome!

All the best for the week.  #fantasypremierscout