NFL Experts League Draft breakdown.

NFC Hick Experts League Draft breakdown.

Full Results: http://fantasy.nfl.com/league/422842/draftresults?draftResultsDetail=0&draftResultsTab=round

As we enter the 3^rd season of the NFC Hick Franchise Fantasy league, the most recent draft threw up some usual surprises, along with some usual stupidity. Players dropped down draft boards, and other players leaped up draft boards. The usual contenders played things safe, yet smart, whilst last season’s pretenders, threw up the usual LOL moments of the draft.

Defending champions Terminators FC was clever enough to win the number 1 pick while public enemy and league Chairman, Coven Club gained the number 5 pick. Perennial favourites Milwaukee Drillers and Ball So Hard gained the 12^th pick and the 4^th pick respectively.

The beast that is AP.

Round One.

Terminators FC predictably took Adrian Peterson with the 1^st overall pick. Newcomer ‘She said NO Ben’, who was selected for the final member of the Experts League contentiously due to ‘brotherhood’ ties, made the rookie error of taking a QB (Aaron Rodgers) so early. In a league where Carson Palmer sits on the waiver wire, QB’s are so deep, he passed on potential number 1 RB’s in CJ Spiller, Marshawn Lynch, and the crispest of all RB’s heading into the regular season, LeSean McCoy. The round was finished off with one of the pretenders, Biggleswade Bigfoots taking rookie RB Lamar Miller with the 10^th pick. When Daniel Thomas is giving you a challenge for the starting job, everyone questioned the decision making there by the Bigfoots.

Rounds 2 and 3.

These rounds went pretty much to script, with round 2 WR heavy, with She Said NO Ben perhaps taking the risk of the draft by picking the ‘GRONK’ with the 22^nd overall pick. Round 3 was where everyone started getting itchy trigger fingers and started to pick the QB’s too early. Brees, Manning, Luck, and Newton all came off the board in the 3^rd leaving some great bargains for rounds 4-6. Everyone blames Ball So Hard for this trend because as he was the one who picked the first QB in round 3, and once the ball gets rolling…

Rounds 4, 5, and 6.

Coven Club's man crush on Anquan
Bolden continues into the 3rd season.

We saw some great bargains in these three rounds. Along with the usual foolish picks of Toronto Thunderbirds taking Tony Gonzalez at the start of round 4 and Coven Club expecting Anquan Boldin to step into Michaels Crabtree’s shoes when he hasn’t had a 1000 yard season since 2009…The Drillers got a steal getting Steven Jackson at the start of the 4^th round, as did the Suh Squad drafting Frank Gore in the middle of the 4^th and potentially a steal with Run DMC in the middle of the 5^th. Injury Squad perhaps? Perhaps the pick of these three rounds was Cheltenham Green drafting Eddie Lacy with the 66^th overall pick or Terminators FC stealing Dwayne Bowe with the final pick of the 6^th round. Does anyone else know how good Bowe could be with a decent QB in Alex Smith this year?

Rounds 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The middle rounds of this draft went the predictable way for NFC Hick Experts drafts. Defences and Kickers started to come off the board! With the Thunderbirds taking the Seahawks in round 6, Round 8 saw a slew of defences drafted. Steamboat Bay Streamers got a potential sleeper in Daryl Richardson in round 7, while the Thunderbirds continued their great draft by taking the electrifying Jonathan Stewart in the 7^th. Terminators FC used their inside knowledge to hear that Michael Vick had won the starting job in Philly and took him in Round 9, while Dinky’s Dwarves loves the look of the Panthers backfield, so he decided to draft perennial underachiever, DeAngelo Williams in the 9^th round. Cheltenham Green and Ball So Hard made a couple of nice picks in Rams receiver Tavon Austin and the Bengals rookie RB, Giovani Bernard, respectively.

The rounds of hope and no idea (11-15)

Zach Sudfeld hoping for a better fate as the Patriots new TE

Backup QB’s, young WR’s, burnt out RB’s, and time wasting were the plan of attack for these last five rounds. Some nice picks were the Bigfoots taking Denarius Moore who showed flashes last year playing for the champions Terminators FC, the Suh Squad taking Ben Tate – if Arian Foster goes down, he turns into a 2^nd round back, the Britannia Tridents taking Steelers TE Heath Miller, and finally Terminators taking Patriots rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld in the final round of the draft who will be hoping he turns into the next Aaron Hernandez alongside the Gronk.

Croker's sports blog.: NBA 2013 Western Conference Preview

Croker's sports blog.: NBA 2013 Western Conference Preview: With four very intriguing matchups with superstars, rivalries, fallen stars, and players with plenty to prove, every series has a right to b...

NBA 2013 Western Conference Preview

With four very intriguing matchups with superstars, rivalries, fallen stars, and players with plenty to prove, every series has a right to be able to call itself the best to watch in the West. And just to rub it in how tough these teams have it, the team’s 3-8 would arguably all be fighting for the two seed if they were playing in the pitiful Eastern Conference (Eastern Conference Playoff Preview)

 Oklahoma City Thunder (1) v Houston Rockets (8).

Jeremy Lin and Harden will have to be beyond their
best to make this series competitive.

The beard that is James Harden will be looking to show his former employers just what they are missing. After trading Harden to the Rockets, the Thunder actually has a better winning percentage this year (72%) compared to last year (71%). Harden will be playing run and gun to try and outscore the Thunder, but Serge Ibaka will help the interior defence, and the Thunder will have no trouble scoring either, with the Rockets offering very little in perimeter defence to stop Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder will roll

Thunder 4-1.

 San Antonio Spurs (2) v Los Angeles Lakers (7)

This is not a typical two v seven series. The amount of experience in this series is huge, and it will be a chess match. The Lakers look like they have finally found a way to play (funny that it took Kobe to get injured to happen), and the Spurs have been very rusty in April. If Dwight Howard can look after Tim Duncan – which I think he will, this series will rest on Tony Parker and Steve Nash. Parker has been slow to come back from injury, and Nash just needs to stay on the floor. I can see this going to the seventh game, but with Mike D’Antoni taking a full season to figure out how to use Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol (one of the most gifted, unselfish big men to ever play the game) together, I can’t see D’Antoni out coaching Gregg Popovich in a game seven in San Antonio.

Spurs 4-3.

Denver Nuggets (3) v Golden State Warriors (6)

Curry will be the key to
this series.

What is the over/under for total points each game? I would say the line is about 227-228. This should be a really fun series. The Nuggets will look to take advantage of their ridiculous good home court record and the Warriors will look to ride on Stephen Curry’s great form. Let me put my case forward for the Warriors. The Nuggets have a great home record because of their altitude – teams aren’t used to it. In a seven game series – you get used to it. Usually the best player in the series is on the winning team. Unless Ty Lawson can evolve or Andre Iguodala can show he is the man, Steph Curry is going to carry the Warriors and the crazy Oracle crowd into the second round.

Warriors 4-2.

Los Angeles Clippers (4) v Memphis Grizzlies (5)

After an epic seven game series last year, we are back again for a blood bath! This should be an extremely physical series, played by two very good teams. It is hard to call with Memphis having such a strong front court in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, not to mention Tony Allen being a great one-on-one defender to try and stop Chris Paul. Chris Paul. He’s going to be just too good in the closing stretches. These games are all going to be close, and to have such a great decision maker in CP3 deciding these outcomes, it’s hard to go against the home team and CP3. Hack a griffin maybe?

Clippers 4-3.

Conference Semi-finals.

Thunder (1) v Clippers (4).

This should be a more competitive series than the Thunder endured against the Rockets. The Clippers will be fired up after outlasting a great Grizzlies team. The Thunder will be looking to take advantage of Blake Griffin’s inefficiency from mid-range by forcing him out of the paint. Westbrook will be doing his utmost to try and curtail CP3’s play. The Clippers will try and get Ibaka into foul trouble early so Griffin can dominate down low. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Clippers have enough to stop Durant, and I think their gruelling first round series will take its toll in the end. The Thunder will roll.

Thunder 4-1.

 Spurs (2) v Warriors (6).

In a contrast in style, the Spurs will look to control the tempo of the series throughout. Parker, Duncan, and co will try and slow down the up-tempo Warriors. I can see the Spurs getting slightly sucked in to the Warriors style for certain periods of time, with Parker and Manu Ginobili having a bit of fun in this series. Pop and Duncan will see this doesn’t last into crunch-time though. I can see the Warriors stealing game two at the AT & T and then going 2-1 up in the series after winning their first game at the Oracle. However I think the Spurs win game four, game five at home, and then they might even clinch the series away in game six. If not, it’ll be an easy home win in game seven.

Spurs 4-2.

Conference Finals.

Thunder (1) v Spurs (2).

Durant and Westbrook will again represent the Thunder and
the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.

In a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, the Thunder will be looking to repeat their victory from last year. Last year the Spurs held home court and went 2-0 up, the Thunder were able to roll off the next four to reach the NBA Finals. This year the Thunder have home court and there is no reason to think this series will go any other way, The Spurs have had two tough series while the Thunder have rolled their way into the Conference Finals. The Spurs will need to be at their offensive best to keep up with the Thunder and Parker will have to have his best series yet. The Thunder are just too strong on offence and defence, and they will make their second straight trip to the NBA Finals where Lebron, Wade, and the rest of the Miami Heat lie in wake. The Thunder will roll.

Thunder 4-2.

NBA Playoff Preview 2013.

Before we begin, let’s break this down. We all know the Heat is the best in the East. We all know that the Thunder and Spurs are the favourites to win the West. But what will happen in each series? Which players will become stars? Which players will lose their tempers? Which ref will blow a big call?

Eastern Conference first round:

Miami Heat (1) v Milwaukee Bucks (8)

This will be a fun series. With Monta Ellis doing what he does and Brandon Jennings having one 40 point game this series, it should be entertaining. Milwaukee loves to run making it enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately, the Heat also love to run. Over/under Lebron to get 5 alley-oops this series?

Heat 4-1.

New York Knicks (2) v Boston Celtics (7)



This should be a feisty series with emotions running high.

This is a pretty hard series to call. Carmelo has been on fire recently, adding to that J.R. Smith has actually been relatively efficient for his standards, and Chandler in the middle, the Knicks have a great nucleus. The Celtics are hard to predict – with the tragedy at the Boston Marathon yesterday, it is hard to know whether the players will be mentally all there. I think they will, however the Knicks just have too much firepower.

Knicks 4-2.

Indiana Pacers (3) v Chicago Bulls (6)

With a group of Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and David West, the Pacers will be competitive in every series they go into. They play extremely good defence and play well as a team. That last sentence could be repeated for the Bulls. If you are a defensive die-hard, please watch this series. Otherwise stick to the Western Conference. Pacers should have just enough on the offensive end.

Pacers 4-3.

 

Brooklyn Nets (4) v Atlanta Hawks (5)



Are the Nets really this boring now?
Jay-Z realising Reggie Evans and
Kris Humphries just don't cut it!

All the hype about the Brooklyn Nets. Where has this gone? Jay-Z is reportedly selling his shares, Deron Williams is the dullest player in the league (albeit very good), and Brook Lopez is a rich man’s Brian Scalabrine! In saying this, Joe Johnson is clutch and he will be fired up taking on his old team. The Hawks will try and go low with Al Horford and kick it out to their shooters in Kyle Korver and ex Sixer Louis Williams. It should be a fascinating series. Joe Johnson will make the difference in this one. Series tied 2-2, he hits the winner in game 5 allowing the Nets to go to Atlanta and clinch game 6.

Nets 4-2

Conference Semifinals.

Heat (1) v Nets (4).

The Nets will be exhausted after a close fought series against the Hawks while the Heat will be well rested after an easy first round series win over the Bucks. Game 1 is the key for the Nets. I think

they will go close to stealing it. If they do we have a series. If they don’t, the Heat will win in 5. Far too much offensively for the Nets to match. I think they will steal game 1 however, being full of confidence after beating the Hawks. Still not enough in the end though. No one to stop Dwayne Wade this series.

Heat 4-2.

Knicks (2) v Pacers (3).

 

Our first upset of the playoffs. Carmelo suddenly gets a little too excited about the prospect of beating Lebron in the Conference finals. J.R. Smith starts playing like J.R. Smith. The pacers steal game 2. Pacers are 2^nd in points allowed and 1^st in rebounding. No second chance points for the Knicks meaning they have to make the most of every possession. I’ve not seen enough of Carmelo in the playoffs to be convinced he can get his team over the line.

Pacers 4-2.

Conference Finals.

Do I need to write anything here? This has 4-2 Heat all over. The only chance they have is if Lebron gets injured, Chris Bosh gets in a fight with Dwayne Wade, and Ray Allen decides to clank a few for his old teammates in Boston. Good effort by the Pacers to get this far, but too much from the Heat. If the pacers could acquire Dwight Howard, we might be talking.



Here they go again. Becoming all too easy in a weak conference.

Heat Eastern Conference Champions  defeating the Pacers 4-2.

Western Conference preview to come on Thursday.

2013 Masters Preview

Tiger Woods - clearly the man to beat.

I will try not to mention his name as we all know he is the heavily deserved favourite. There are three other players though who may not be household names like Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy, who I think have a very good chance of finishing high up the leaderboard on Sunday night.

 

Bill Haas may have a more illustrious father in Jay, but his form this year makes me think that he has a very good chance at finishing in the top five at Augusta. Haas has played eight tournaments this year, has made seven cuts, four top tens, and one top three. That sort of consistency makes him a threat for the Masters. Haas is listed 6^th on the PGA Tour this year in greens in regulation, and 21^st in eagles/hole. These two stats make me believe that Haas will be able to hit greens and sink a couple of eagles throughout the week to put him in contention.

 

Olesen is on track for a high finish at
this years first major.

Thorbjorn Olesen. Yes that Danish golfer who none of us have heard of. This is a golfer who may take Augusta by storm this year. Olesen has been having a very good year, having a T2 and a T3, and is yet to miss a cut. Olesen is driving over 300 yards this year, giving him good opportunities on the par 5’s at the Georgia layout. In his two majors last year, he finished a very respectable T9 and T27th, giving confidence that he will not only make the cut, but go one further and secure a top five finish.

 

The final player who may not be so obscure, but I think if, 'you know who' doesn’t win this year, this is our man. Louis Oosthuizen is a player who finished runner up last year and was very unlucky not to win. Remember Bubba's 9 Iron? Oosthuizen has only played four tournaments this year, but his form has been very good. Yet to miss a cut and a win under his belt, I can only assume the lack of tournaments this year (four to date), is due to an extensive preparation for Augusta to go one better than last year.

Is England really any good?

Just over a year ago, I wrote a blog (England Number One?) questioning the credentials of England’s number one test ranking. I questioned whether they could go and beat other test nations away from home in a series. Credit to England – they went and beat India in their own backyard. But are India really what they were five years ago? No Rahul Dravid, no Sourav Ganguly, a declining Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman only plays against Australia, and Tendulkar on his swansong tour.

Now this is no fault of England’s, but it does demerit from their tour victory. Looking at the present, England has barely had the better of a number eight ranked New Zealand team. The pitches and weather have not been conducive to result cricket, but shouldn’t a top team be able to win a series like this? They may still lose it after a stellar day one from NZ.

England are a very good team who may take over their number one status again from a very good South African team when it hosts a NZ team who won’t have a chance against England in England, and an Ashes series against an Australian team in meltdown.

Their team is very reliant on three or four outstanding players surrounded by good players. They desperately miss Graeme Swann’s quality on this NZ tour. Monty Panesar has been woeful, not having a clue how to bowl on flat decks. Alastair Cook is their best batter, and if he is to go out early, you now have Nick Compton, and one Jonathon Trott wicket (who has had a bad year) away from joining Jonny Bairstow. Not so formidable anymore without KP.

I’m not saying this team isn’t good, but compared to the great test teams (Australia of the 2000’s, West Indies in the 80’s, or England in the late 50’s), England are fortunate to play in a weakened time.

Fantasy football thoughts.

Don't worry Mr Rivers, as fantasy
football owners of you, we understand
your pain.

It is hard to enjoy fantasy football this season. Not once do I go into a Sunday looking forward to seeing my fantasy football team perform. I am always nervous that my players will lay a dud, or one of them will be scratched before the game, or they will be victim of a horrendous performance by the teams QB. I am talking about CJ2K’s and Julio Jones’s horrific inconsistencies, Philip Rivers giving me headaches all season (who thankfully I was able to flip last week trading Alfred Morris/Rivers/S.Smith for Peyton Manning), and playing waiver wire with the TE position all season thanks to Aaron Hernandez’s continuing injury problems!

For all my problems, I am thankful for getting Alfred Morris off the waiver wire to save me from CJ2K’s early season woes. I am thankful that one of my opponent’s internet cut off during the live draft subjecting him to a horrible auto-draft. I am thankful that one of my opponent's first two picks was Eli Manning and Shonn Greene. I am thankful that I have been outscored overall throughout the season, but I hold a stellar 6-3 record.

I am sure many of you have similar stories. For those of you who picked up Maurice Jones-Drew in the second round thinking you have a steal when he takes the field in game two then racks up 150+ yards against the Colts in week 3, only to see him injured already. For every person who took a gamble on Michael Vick there is also the lucky buggers who took a gamble on Peyton Manning. For those of you who gambled taking RG3 in the sixth round are just hoping he holds up to steer you through the fantasy playoffs or for those of you who were wondering if you took the Bears defence far too early in the 7^th round are now in..Uh...7^th heaven.

Hopefully RG3 is aware of the Madden curse and lets
Andrew Luck take the honous for Madden '14

Just be thankful you paid attention to the dreaded Madden curse and avoided Mr Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson (maybe just Supertron or Goodtron this year?). Halfway through the season Megatron has been the biggest bust – with the person drafting them passing on the likes of Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Ray Rice in some drafts.

P.s. Dear John Madden,

As a Washington Redskins fan, I beg you not to put RG3 on the cover of Madden ’14.

NBA Betting Predictions for the 2012/13 Season

The Heat are on a scoring spree to start the season while
forgetting to defend so take the overs before the betting
lines start to catch up.

It looks as though we could be in for a profitable year in the NBA. There are a couple of elite teams who will score a ton of points (Heat and Spurs (once Ginobili come back)) so we can look at those games to frequently go over the points total. A couple of the other elite teams (Celtics and Thunder) are pretty strong defensive teams so if the total is floating around 190/191 total points and these teams are playing at home, it is a strong play to go under the total.

Looking at the mid-tier teams in the East such as Atlanta, Philly, both NY teams and Chicago in the East, none of these stand out offensively. If they are going against a like-minded team or another weak team offensively (Toronto, Washington, Charlotte, Detroit) look for the under total. If this is floating around 190, lock it in.

In the West, defense seems to be a lot stronger. Teams such as the Grizzlies, Clippers, Lakers, and Hornets will all be strong defensive units this year. If you have two of these mid-tiers defensive teams going against one another, look for the total to be in the 183-187 range.

If you have a mid-tier team going against a Heat/Spurs/ or the Nuggets/Suns/Bobcats (who can’t stop anyone on the defensive end) and the total is around 198-200, take the over. The Heat and Spurs are so strong offensively and like to score fast break points, meaning more possessions for both teams.

If a team has a young point guard who likes to attack, such as the Cleveland Cavs (Kyrie Irving) or the Portland Trailblazers (Damian Lillard), if the over is looking enticing (anything that is under 190 DEFINITELY take the over, and anything more than that, take the other teams strengths into consideration), take it. Both of these guards like to play a high tempo offense meaning lots of possessions and lots of fast break points.

3 tips to use as a nice guideline over the opening weeks.

Until Wall is back in uniform, take
the Wizards under totals.

• Until John Wall comes back for the Wizards, never take the over in a game they are involved in.

• Until James Harden slows down, always look at the over in games that he is involved in (on a side note – how exciting do the Rockets look this year?!).

• Until the Heat takes the time to care about defending, take the over in their games.

Is England really the best Test team in the World?

A familiar site of late. Expect to
see more of this in the near future.

No. Of course not. They may be ranked the number one side in the world for the time being but they are not a very good side. Until you beat a good side away from home, you can’t say you are the best. Yes, they beat Australia in the Ashes but Australia put out their worst team in more than two decades. I would bet that the return Ashes in England next year are a lot closer. They just lost 3-0 against Pakistan at a neutral venue. They have yet to travel to India/South Africa, where these are the other two best sides in the world.

I will agree that England is better than India. India is at a crossroads, similar to where Australia were two years ago. They have a lot of aging stars and it is difficult to drop anyone of that stature (Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman). India is a woeful travelling side and seems more intent on T20 cricket than their test team. I still do not think that England would win a test series in India but if they played on neutral ground, I think England would have the better chance of winning.

It is impossible to say that England is better than South Africa though. South Africa have a much superior batting line-up to that of England, their captain is not named Andrew Strauss (why he is still the Test captain only Andy Flower knows), and their bowling is just as good as the England team. When they tour England later this year, I think they will at least draw the series. They bat really well in all conditions, their ground fielding is fantastic, and they are a very competitive team.

The South African team celebrating. A preview of the
2012 English summer perhaps.

I would like to see the current England team take a tour of New Zealand. I would be surprised if they would win that series. I think their batsmen would struggle mightily and the pitches in NZ would nullify the threat of Graeme Swann. If England are really the best team in the world, they must travel overseas to these difficult places (not West Indies/Sri Lanka/UAE), and beat teams in their own backyard.

I think in two years’ time that England will be lucky to be in the top three teams in the world. Expect mediocrity to hit the England test team...again.

Is Tiger Woods Back?

Is it only a matter of time before this becomes a
familiar site again?

I’m sure you’ve heard enough of people slanging Tiger Woods over the last few years. He has given us enough ammunition to last a lifetime but with all this behind him (we assume so anyway), is it time that Tiger will get back on the winners podium? His last five tournaments have seen him finish 3^rd (Australian Open), 1^st (won the Presidents Cup with USA), 1^st (Chevron World Challenge), T3 (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), and T15 (Pebble Beach Pro-am).

Sure, many of you will look at those last five tournaments and say, well the Australian Open isn’t a quality field, the Presidents Cup is a team event and the Chevron World Challenge is Tigers own event. So the only really good result is the T3 in Abu Dhabi. There were many top players in those fields, and Tiger only controls his own destiny (bar the Presidents Cup obviously!), so to have a snipe about his opposition is completely unfair.

Tigers next tournament is the WGC Accenture World Match Play. Unfortunately, with his inconsistency over the last couple of tournaments (especially when it counts), I can’t see him winning this tournament. All it takes to lose is one bad round, or coming up against a 64, which Tiger hasn’t shown he has a full 18 holes of quality yet. In saying this though, I do think he’ll progress to the last eight/four and this will only spur him on with the Masters in sight.

Is this man going to do this decade what Tiger did at the
beginning of the last decade? i.e. go berserk.

Although the depth of world golf may be at its peak over the last five years, apart from Rory McIlroy, it is hard to see someone going head-to-head with Tiger, when Tiger does start to show some consistency. I can see Tiger winning at least three tournaments this year (assuming he stays healthy), including a major along the way. If he continues to find himself amongst the lead on Saturday night, expect Tiger to rediscover some of his winning mentality, and that may be all it takes to break the shackles.

Fantasy Football update.

Although this may be the most sporadically written blog in blogging history, I now have a fully functioning laptop that lets me type faster than 5 words per minute (even if I can only manage double that…)

Dempsey on fire again this year.

The last blog I wrote was a Premier League Fantasy Football preview, giving an outlook for all the teams. Taking a look back at those predictions leaves me a touch proud, as a few of my sleepers have come to become prominent scorers this season (Grant Holt, Stephane Sessegnon, and Peter Odenwingie). There are also a few players who have been obviously dominant (Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney, and David Silva), while a couple have been huge value for their contributions (Demba Ba and Clint Dempsey – again).

It has all been about one man though, Robin Van Persie. For those unfortunate (or stubborn) to not have RVP in your fantasy teams, c’est la vie (yes, I come into the stubborn category). He has been simply sensational scoring at a goal a game and chipping in with assists. No other forward has come close to RVP’s production, and you can probably ride him until the finish as he does not look like slowing down.

Drogba letting Torres know that to score a goal, the ball
has to find the back of the net.

Looking ahead to the final stretch of figures in the Barclays Premier League, we try to predict who will be strong players down the stretch to get you to the top of your fantasy league. Looking at the table, you will think that of all the teams at the top, it is Chelsea who is due for a good run down the stretch and the team to fall away will probably be Tottenham. Players that I would be thinking about from Chelsea (especially with Bolton up next at Stamford Bridge), would be Didier Drogba, a resurgence from Juan Mata after a festive slump, and perhaps Jose Bosingwa if you are looking for a scoring fullback.

I would be considering dropping Gareth Bale for a cheaper option (such as Dempsey or Sessegnon), but there are really no other Spurs players that you should have in your team that are too expensive to drop. If you still have Adebayor you are extremely lucky after his farcical performance last week against Newcastle.

Premier League Fantasy Football Preview.

I thought about doing separate blogs on the English Premier League teams (see previous blog for Arsenal and Aston Villa) for their fantasy preview but instead, I’ve decided to do one behemoth of a blog. Here goes,

The inspirational Blackburn Rovers and All Whites captain
might be struggling to keep clean sheets this year.

Blackburn

If you want to have a good fantasy season don’t go near Blackburn. They are going to struggle this year. If you are really desperate and want a bench player who will play every week, you can pick up Morten Gamst Pedersen, but this is clutching at straws. Avoid Blackburn.

Bolton

Is it just the team’s starting with ‘B’ that are terrible fantasy teams? Bolton is even worse than Blackburn fantasy wise. Some people will think about Kevin Davies, but for that price, you can pick up a forward such as Grant Holt, Demba Ba, or Peter Odemwingie who’ll get you more points. Try and stay away from Bolton this year – they are relegation material.

Chelsea

We go from one end of the spectrum to the other. Our premier league champions for 2011/12. Chelsea has so many good fantasy players it is hard to pick players who will be starting each week. There are a few who are guaranteed to get you points and stay relatively injury free.

Expect to see Lampard doing a lot
of celebrating this year.

Frank Lampard – The best midfield fantasy option in the EPL. He takes penalties (and Chelsea will get their fair share), some free kicks, and corners. He’ll get you 20 goals this season and 10+ assists. Better than a striker.

Ashley Cole – Every season Cole produces for Chelsea. Although he didn’t score last season, he was still amongst the top fantasy defenders. He’ll start every week and he is relatively injury free, so expect a lot of clean sheets, and a few assists along the way.

Daniel Sturridge – A bit of a sleeper amongst the heavyweights of Chelsea’s front line but I think he’ll be given the chance to start on the right wing in a 4-3-3 formation. Great goal scoring form last year and he is on fire in preseason, he could be a very good option on the bench and to use against lesser teams.

Everton

The toffees are a bit under the radar this year with the other folks in Merseyside taking up all the attention. David Moyes and his men won’t mind at all.

Leighton Baines – You must have Baines in your team this year. I didn’t last year, and it cost me a lot of points. A defender who takes penalties and free kicks is so rare and he is still relatively cheap. Amongst a decent defence, expect a decent amount of clean sheets along the way.

Jermaine Beckford – I’m expecting Beckford to break through this year. I almost put Louis Saha in this position but his injury history scares me. Beckford finished with lethal efficiency last season and he will only improve with a strong midfield of Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill providing the ball.

Tim Cahill – He seems like the forgotten man this year. His form was fantastic last year until he went away on international duty and he never quite recovered his form. He plays just behind the strikers and with his prolific goal scoring from set pieces, a great pick up again this year.

Fulham

I don’t know quite what to make of Fulham this year but there are a couple of players I would consider for your teams this year. Apologies to Clint Dempsey this year but with a fit Zamora, his opportunities will decrease.

Bobby Zamora – He was a great acquisition for teams at the tail end of last season providing a steady stream of assists and goals. He is the man at Fulham and wouldn’t do your team any harm.

John Arne Riise – A bit of a risk as we don’t know if he’ll start but if Martin Jol gives him a licence to roam, he could be a great pick up at a really cheap price. If he does start consistently, get on the band wagon quickly.

Liverpool

Possibly the hardest team to pick players from, with the possibility of picking up to ten viable players for fantasy this year. From the likes of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez to Pepe Reina at the back, Liverpool is littered with talent. I’m going to avoid their midfield as we really don’t know who is going to start, but Charlie Adam will be a great pick up for the first few games until Steven Gerrard is fit.

Andy Carroll – With all the rage over his strike partner, we are forgetting the damage that Carroll did last year at Newcastle. With a solid preseason behind him, and Suarez easing himself back in after the Copa America, expect Carroll to start paying back some of the hefty price tag that he cost Liverpool.

Luis Suarez – What a great player. He was in such good form last season and in the Copa America, he could really tear up the premiership this year. I’m a bit cautious to put him in straight away as I don’t know if he’ll start due to fatigue, but once fully fit, get him in your team.

Will Agger finally have a productive
season at Anfield? Yes he will.

Daniel Agger – This is a bit of a wildcard but he just scored two goals in their most recent preseason game and with Martin Skrtel injured to start the season, Agger has a huge chance to impress and cement his place. A bit of a punt early on, but worth the risk.

Manchester City

City is a tough team this year with so many players up front and a midfield that does not score a lot of fantasy points; we are mainly looking at the defence for points. A minor point on Sergio Aguero – as we don’t know if Carlos Tevez is leaving yet, we don’t know who will be taking penalties and free kicks. Depending on how things pan out, Aguero could be a very good buy as the season gets underway.

Joleon Lescott – Lescott can give his manager headaches with some of his defensive mistakes, but that doesn’t punish us as fantasy managers, and the goals he contributes are fantastic. Add that to a sturdy City defence, and you’ve got the recipe for a lot of points.

Alexander Kolarov – This is a risk and I would only pick Kolarov as a bench player but he could turn into something special. Used as a left winger for part of last season, he underperformed for City, but classed as a defender, he could get you some huge points if Mancini plays him in a forward role again.

Manchester United

Man Utd are a bit like Liverpool with their midfield and you don’t know who is going to start. Until we see a few games, I’d be cautious about picking players from Man Utd’s midfield. Their defence on the other hand...

Nemanja Vidic – The best defender last season and no reason to think he won’t be again this year. A threat from set pieces and the team captain, he’ll contribute a lot of points to your fantasy team this year. On a side note, it’ll be interesting to see how David De Gea goes. He might leak some early goals as he gets used to playing in the EPL.

Fabio – At the end of last season Fabio had overtaken his twin as the best right back on the Man Utd squad. At a good price for a Man Utd defender, and for a player who loves to get forward and play with the ball, if you can’t afford Vidic or Patrice Evra, Fabio is a fantastic alternative.

Wayne Rooney – It’s hard to ignore Rooney. He is such a wanker that you just don’t want to pick him for your team. If Robin Van Persie is injured, Darren Bent starts missing penalties, Sergio Aguero doesn’t live up to standards, or you’re just one of those wankers who support Man Utd, Rooney should be okay for you.

Newcastle United

Where will Joey Barton end up this year?

Newcastle are a team you want to avoid this season for fantasy points as we just don’t have any players this year who will consistently contribute. If Joey Barton stays, he’s a viable option but apart from him...Demba Ba is a good third striker to have on your bench if Newcastle is playing a weak team, but unless you are really stuck on options, I’d avoid Newcastle players this season.

Norwich

The Canaries are a bit of a tickler this year. Their players are very teasing after such a goal scoring romp last season in the championship. After having the second least amount of clean sheets, their defence is not even worth spitting at, but a couple of players on attack could come in handy.

Grant Holt – A good option similar to that of Ba. Holt will get his fair share of goals as he takes the penalties, but don’t expect a goal every game.

Wes Hoolahan – A roaming midfield player similar to Chris Brunt last year. He is again a good option for your bench, and he’ll regularly chip in with the odd goal and assist. Only consider playing Holt or Hoolahan if they’re playing an average defence.

Queens Park Rangers

QPR are an interesting side. A strong defensive unit last year, but their defence is not worth looking at in the prem. If you want a really cheap keeper, pick up Paddy Kenny as he’ll be making a lot of saves, but apart from him there are only a couple of players worth considering.

Adel Taarabt – Almost sold their best player before the season started (that could’ve cost them £90 if they got relegated without him), but luckily he is still there. He plays a roaming role and will likely pick up 10 goals and maybe 10 assists for the season. A good bench player if you are desperate.

Jay Bothroyd – A bit of a sleeper is Bothroyd. A prolific scorer who I think will really trouble premier league defences along with DJ Campbell. A good pick up at a great price.

Stoke

I know that Matthew Ethrington had a good year last year but let us avoid the Stoke attacking players this year.

Robert Huth – The huge German was a great fantasy player last year picking up six goals from the back. Although I wouldn’t start Huth every week, if Stoke have an average team coming to the Britannia, he is worth using your transfer to get him in for that week.

Sunderland

It pains me to say this, but Sunderland could have a couple of hidden fantasy gems this year. With a fit squad, Steve Bruce’s squad could really scare some teams this year, and pile misery on lesser teams.

Sessegnon could be one of the top scoring fantasy
 midfielders this year playing as a striker for Sunderland.

Stephane Sessegnon – Classed as a midfielder but playing as a second striker (always a recipe for success), Sessegnon has already scored three preseason goals, and looks a classy player. Playing alongside Asomoah Gyan, I think these two could have a great season up front for the Black Cats.

Michael Turner – I remember Turner from his Hull days in the prem where he regularly chipped in with goals. After an injury riddled season last year, Turner will be a great option this year. Sunderland has shored up their defence and Turner could quite likely start alongside the experienced Wes Brown, and after leaking a lot of goals last year, Sunderland will have a stellar defence this year.

Swansea

Sorry Swansea fans, but you aren’t worth touching with a barge pole. Not as bad as Bolton as Scott Sinclair may be productive, but if you still want to care about your team after Christmas, you’ll stay away from the Swans.

Tottenham

Spurs fans could have a tough time of it this year. Playing in the Europa league is not a fun experience (ask Liverpool fans about last year) with all the travel, and it can really affect your squad. The defence of Spurs is not steady enough – we don’t even know who’ll start in goal yet, but there attack offers one very good (albeit obvious) option.

Rafael Van der Vaart – The Dutchman was the pickup of the season last year and he’ll look to pick up where he left off. He was hampered by injuries at the tail end of last season, but I think Harry Redknapp will keep him out of the early Europa League fixtures to try and get Spurs into the top four again. The best midfield option after Frank Lampard this year.

West Brom

A bolter for the Baggies and for fantasy teams
around the world is Peter Odemwingie.

The Baggies are a tough team to predict fantasy wise.  They comfortably stayed up last year, but no one really had a great fantasy performance. Chris Brunt, Jerome Thomas, and Youssouf Mulumbu were all okay performers for West Brom.

Peter Odemwingie – A definite player to consider as your third forward (or second depending how you structure your team). Odemwingie picked up 15 goals and nine assists last term, and at a good price again this year, he could be a great buy.

Wigan

Do I have to write about Wigan? Nope. Good. (Sorry Mr Martinez – you are not as bad as Bolton if that helps).

Wolves

Wolves’ players will struggle this year fantasy wise. They will be lucky to stay up again. If you are confident in Wolves, you can look at acquiring Matt Jarvis or Jamie O’Hara but you’d really be clutching at straws if you thought these guys will push you to the top.

Arsenal and Aston Villa fantasy outlook.

Arsenal

RVP will be looking to stay injury free and
take the Golden Boot this season.

Arsenal go into this season with a lot of uncertainty over their squad but one thing we can be sure of is their stand out player. Robin Van Persie will once again lead the line and he is a player you cannot afford to let go if Fabregas leaves – meaning RVP will take the all the penalties.

A sleeper for Arsenal this year could be Kieran Gibbs at left back. At a cheap 5.5, he has no competition and is guaranteed starts. He likes to roam forward so he could get a fair few assists this year. If Arsenal shores up their defence, you may even steal a few clean sheets out of Gibbs.

The other player to consider is Theo Walcott when he is fit. I would only play Walcott against lesser opponents though as he takes no set pieces. He is very good against teams where Arsenal can rack up a few goals but in the tight games, it may be better to go with just RVP.

Aston Villa

Shay Given could transport Villa's defensive woes from
last season into one of the top defensive sides this season

Aston Villa goes into this season with a completely different fantasy outlook to last year. Last year we were wondering how good Gabby Agbonlahor may be and if Stewart Downing and Ashley Young could transform Villa into a top four team. Now we are wondering if Darren Bent, Marc Albrighton, and Charles N’Zogbia can keep them in the top half of the table.

From a fantasy point of view, Bent is the man this year. Expect 20 goals from Bent – he’ll take their penalties now that Young is gone, and he’ll be receiving some good service from Albrighton and N’Zogbia. Albrighton and N’Zogbia are worth  having a look at when Villa is playing weaker opponents, definitely worth saving a spot on the bench for one of these two.

Villa’s defence could be very good this year, and some players will be at a bargain price thanks to their shambolic defence last year. Luke Young, Stephen Warnock (who is in line for a good come back year) and Carlos Cuellar all come in at a bargain 5M thanks to the brilliant Shay Given between the posts.

Fantasy Football Guide

The screenshot of what your team
looks like on
fantasy.premierleague.com

As we approach the start of the new Premier League season, most of us will be starting to pick our line-ups for the first game of the season. This season promises to be evening more unpredictable than last season with as many as five realistic title contenders, and more importantly for fantasy, a host of new players with different teams. I’ll base my advice on having a starting XI and four reserves as in www.fantasy.premierleague.com, with one transfer each week, and with player prices based on this site.

Team setup

The core of your team should not change over the course of the season. If you have to change more than one player over the first few weeks, you are already losing too much ground. Start with a team of players who are guaranteed to start, and who stay out of injury trouble. Your defence should be strong and consistent all season, with at least two top defenders in your starting team. I would go with defenders who can also contribute goals – those who come up for set pieces, i.e. Nemanja Vidic, Michael Dawson, Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines, David Luiz, and Robert Huth. Your attack can be a bit more risky, players who may contribute a lot one week, and then not so much the next week (this is where you can use your free transfer each week).

Glen Johnson is in line for a bounce
back year - assuming he can stay healthy.

Strong picks for the full season

There are a few players this season that will stand out and provide a steady influx of points to your team. I try and pick players here who will be taking a lot of set pieces, team captains (going to play each week), and team leaders (i.e. Frank Lampard). Some of the players that will have a stellar season this year are Lampard, Vidic, Luiz Suarez, Florent Malouda, Robin van Persie, Joleon Lescott, Glen Johnson, and David De Gea (which means basically the whole Man U defence – the trouble is picking the starters besides Vidic).

Sleepers for the season

Charlie Adam is in line for a huge season. He may be the highest scoring mid-
fielder this year come the end of the season.

There are a few players who I think will either come out of the blue, or be overlooked by most people. The first one is Charlie Adam. Steven Gerrard has been ruled out for at least the first few games and if Adam performs well in these which I suspect he will (he’ll take free kicks and probably take penalties (he took a penalty in pre-season)), he’ll be a great addition – even at the inflated price tag of 9M. Another player to look out for is Adel Taarabt. Playing from midfield, he plays a role like Frank Lampard, and expect Taarabt to be a great steal, similar to that of Chris Brunt last year. The last sleeper I’d suggest is a bit more obvious but he will no doubt get overlooked for cheaper midfield options such as jack Wilshere, Gareth Bale, or Ashley Young. That player is Frank Lampard. Although not an under the radar player, not many teams will pick him up this year. After a lacklustre performance from Chelsea last term, not many are focusing on them (Liverpool and Man City seem to be gaining all the attention), and I expect Lampard, Malouda, and Torres to click this season. He takes the penalties, free kicks, and gets goals from open play; Lampard will be a great player to have.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll do a team by team analysis of who to pick in your team, and what players you should avoid.

US Congress – A Member of New Zealand Golf?

I write this article as much in amazement today, rather than shock. As most of you know, we live in a democracy, where decisions that people disagree on, are usually voted upon. In some situations, one person has more sway, but more often that not, the people in the positions of power, will make the sensible decision (as much out of fear of losing power). I’m getting slightly off point now, but I just want to reinforce that we do live in a reasonable country, where common sense often prevails.

I have recently learnt that someone who has represented their country less than four years ago, has had her privilege taken away of playing in the local competition at her golf club. I assumed that there would be a good reason for this. Maybe this person has bad etiquette and was suspended; maybe this person got caught cheating; maybe this person rubbed some people the same way? All of these I asked myself. But it was none of these.

She has kids who play sport Saturday morning, therefore she can’t play golf in the morning so she plays in the afternoon. She has been doing this for the previous four years honing her skills to be in the top percentile of women golfers in the country! She is self employed throughout the week also having to look after her kids, the only time she can (not wants to), but can play golf is Saturday afternoon.


Ladies have been playing in the afternoon in their local competitions where half the field would play Saturday morning (those without commitments in that time) and the other half plays in the afternoon. This has been the case for the previous four years. But apparently four years ago this was not voted through the ‘proper’ channels. Even if it has been working for the past four years, hey let’s change things because old Betty Jones didn’t take the minutes of a meeting four years.


If things aren’t broke…It seems more confusing that the US Congress doesn’t it? Just let it be. Don’t afternoon golfers have it tougher because of the wind anyway?

Sorry Rory



Not needing any of the Irish luck this week,
McIlroy has been flawless.

 I hope this column is not premature. After two days of the US Golf Open, it is obvious just how good Rory McIlroy is. Although this isn’t his first major as a professional, McIlroy certainly reminds me of a young players who tamed Augusta National 14 years ago.

Currently sitting at 131 after two rounds (a US Open record), McIlroy sits six shots clear of Y.E. Yang in second and nine shots clear of the rest of the field. In the past two majors where McIlroy has held a sizeable lead (last years British Open and this years Masters), he has blown out in one of his remaining rounds.


I can’t see McIlroy losing from this position. There is no way that someone from the pack catches him assuming he doesn’t slip up. That would require them going 66, 67 in the weekend of a US Open. Congressional will get harder over the weekend. The organisers will not want to be remembered as the course where the leader finished 20 under par. The only way he will lose is if he repeats his final round meltdown at Augusta. The way he has been striking it (32/36 greens, 20/28 fairways), there is just no chance he blows this one.




Is Tiger Woods leaving the stage to be taken
by a 22 year old Northern Irishman?

 I hate to say this, and compare someone to Tiger, but we haven’t seen someone dominate the course and the opposition like this since Tiger tore the field apart at the US Open at Pebble Beach a little over a decade ago. I just hope I haven’t put the mockers on him,



Sorry Rory.




P.s. I predicted Dustin Johnson would win the US Open. Not looking good sitting at +4...
 
 
Sorry Dustin.

The Will to Win



Happy in his not so 'happy place' yet
 he found a way to win.

 Watching the State of Origin last night when New South Wales beat a highly vaunted Queensland side in the 2nd match of the series, inspired this column. Unexperienced, out-classed and with less pedigree than Queensland, NSW were able to win through sheer will. This made me think of a few other instances of where teams have won through will and not much else.

1) South Africa beating New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final. The All Blacks were the better team by a large margin having flown into the final, but it was the Springboks playing in front of their nation, playing for their nation, prevailing in a dour yet, tense affair. They were able to do this (with the help of Susie the lunch lady) through determination and sheer bloody determination to win in extra time.

2) Detroit Pistons beating the LA Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. Looking at this series on paper, the Pistons stood no chance. The Lakers comprised of four future hall of famers (three first-ballod), where the Pistons were comprised of five mix and match players. A bunch of misfits v hall of famers. The Pistons played as a team whereas the Lakers looked disjointed and as if it was for granted that they would win because of their superior talent. Flip Saunders and co epitomized team basketball which the Dallas Mavericks replicated all but three days ago in beating the much touted, Miami Heat.




The Azzuri getting knocked out in the first round thanks in
large part to a 1-1 draw against the All Whites.

 3) The All Whites 2010 football World Cup campaign. It’s almost too hard to put this into words. First there was the final qualifying game against Bahrain in Wellington (including a penalty save in the 2nd half which would’ve knocked the All Whites out of the World Cup), then the three World Cup games. All against much more talented opposition, New Zealand held it’s own, not through greater skill or simply ‘parking the bus’ (see Brighton & Hove Albion for this), but through determination to succeed. Epitomised by the captain Ryan Nelsen, who was the only player to make the tournament XI by a team which got knocked out in the first round. Inspirational stuff.



Dustin getting practice at
lifting trophy's before the US
Open this week.



Although it’s great for sports to have these dominant figures and teams, it’s great when you see people through hard work and a willingness to succeed, knock them down.

P.s. Dustin Johnson to win the US Open this week and a fiver on Adam Scott to finish in the top 5.