football anyone? as in soccer...

[Decreed Bratton]

I've given up on trying to interpret Arsenal's behaviour during the transfer window. Don't know what they've got going behind the scenes. Wenger and his network and the executives have always seemed to be really secretive and enigmatic. I still check the headlines every morning mind you.

This whole business with the Suarez bid, there's been talk that it's just a cheeky straw man bid to clear a path for Real Madrid.

I think for Arsenal and other clubs who need a striker like City, it all depends on what Real Madrid does.  Real are in the position of weighing options and it depends on what Ancelotti wants.  Does he want to keep Higuain at Real?  Does he want to get Suarez knowing he still has to sit out his ban for the first part of the season?  Real might be also waiting on Cavani and seeing if he doesn't want to go to PSG.  I mean playing next to Ibra doesn't sound like a good fit for him and PSG seems to be in a bit of a mess at the moment.
I think Arsenal bidding for Suarez was a ploy to show they got money to spend and show their fans look we aren't afraid to spend 30 mil. on a guy.  It also would have been a good deal if Liverpool did bite because at 30 mil Suarez would have been a steal for them.  But they probably knew it would have gotten rejected anyway.  

[Decreed Bratton]

I would think absolutely they do.  I believe City had the best defense in the PL last season.  When they won the PL two seasons a go they had like 90 something goals and only won by goal differential.  Last season they had 60 something goals which is a huge drop off.  Aguero also got hurt on the first day.  So having only Aguero and Dzeko along with Guidetti who is unproven at this stage is not much.  If one of them gets hurt then you're screwed.  You gotta play in the EPL, CL and other things like the FA cup.  So for a team like City I think they do.  Defense is great, but actually all that matters is you score more than your opponent.  Even Fergie said you need 4 quality striker pushing each other.

By the way don't mind me.  I'm sitting in an office all day doing nothing.

[chockfullofthat]

I don't mind at all and I couldn't delete that post quick enough, I was way off the mark on that one haha

[chockfullofthat]

Rejected fantasy names:  Lukaku klux klan


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Swansea-City-Ballboy-Jacket-From-The-Famous-Eden-Hazard-Incident-/181169660878

[Greg]

some of these transfers are fucking crazy

[Mooley]

Expand Quote

I've given up on trying to interpret Arsenal's behaviour during the transfer window. Don't know what they've got going behind the scenes. Wenger and his network and the executives have always seemed to be really secretive and enigmatic. I still check the headlines every morning mind you.

This whole business with the Suarez bid, there's been talk that it's just a cheeky straw man bid to clear a path for Real Madrid.

[close]

I think for Arsenal and other clubs who need a striker like City, it all depends on what Real Madrid does.  Real are in the position of weighing options and it depends on what Ancelotti wants.  Does he want to keep Higuain at Real?  Does he want to get Suarez knowing he still has to sit out his ban for the first part of the season?  Real might be also waiting on Cavani and seeing if he doesn't want to go to PSG.  I mean playing next to Ibra doesn't sound like a good fit for him and PSG seems to be in a bit of a mess at the moment.
I think Arsenal bidding for Suarez was a ploy to show they got money to spend and show their fans look we aren't afraid to spend 30 mil. on a guy.  It also would have been a good deal if Liverpool did bite because at 30 mil Suarez would have been a steal for them.  But they probably knew it would have gotten rejected anyway.  

Suarez's ban was issued by the English FA so if he goes to Spain it's a non-issue. Seems the most likely course for him, I just hope it doesn't drag all the way to the end of the window. He's back from vacation on the 21st I think though so hopefully he can pull his head out of his ass and make a decision instead of playing stupid games with Uruguayan media.

some of these transfers are fucking crazy

I'm still reeling from how much Real Madrid spent on Illarramendi from Sociedad. Ridiculous.

[chockfullofthat]

Slap Pals Fantasy Premier League Code:  9958-7553

[brycickle]

Is it already time?

[chockfullofthat]

Only for the obsessed.  I'll post it again closer to August 17th.

[Smell Good]

Somebody teach me how to play fantasy premier league

pls

[brycickle]

Go here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Create account, pick team, join leagues and get super bummed when your team does horribly every week like mine.

[chockfullofthat]

Somebody teach me how to play fantasy premier league

pls

Ok sure.  I'm bored.

You have to fill up a team with a fake budget of 100 mil.  RVP is the most expensive at 14.0 this year.  The cheapest price you can pay for somebody is 4.0.  You can't have more than 3 players from the same team.

It's all about points.  Goals, assists, clean sheets, minutes played.  There's also negative points for cards, goals conceded, own goals.  Defenders get more points for goals and clean sheets then a midfielder.

When picking your team you want to focus on players who are going to produce consistently (ie RVP or Bale), players who are guaranteed to play (ie not Dzeko), and players that have easy fixtures ahead.  You're going to want to avoid defensive midfielders and generally expensive players on defense.  When a defender gets a clean sheet he get 6 points.  When he concedes a single goal he only gets 1 point for that week, so it's very hard to rely on your defenders for points.  You're also going to want to keep an eye on your plan for your formation.  You don't want to have a player worth 6.0 who isn't being used for instance.  It's a waste of funds, it might as well be a 4.0 player on the bench.

The week in week out shit is using your free transfer every week, selecting a squad, selecting a captain.  You can strengthen your team, get rid of an injured player, change your formation.  The most important part is getting your captain right.  Captain's get 2x any points they earn for each gameweek which is huge.  When RVP scores a hattrick gets two assists against Palace, you better hope you're squad is getting those 70 points.  You also get a wildcard where you can switch out your entire squad once at any time and once in January.

The more complicated shit involves players losing and gaining value which I'll save for some other time.  Just read up on this site from time to time:  http://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/

[Decreed Bratton]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I've given up on trying to interpret Arsenal's behaviour during the transfer window. Don't know what they've got going behind the scenes. Wenger and his network and the executives have always seemed to be really secretive and enigmatic. I still check the headlines every morning mind you.

This whole business with the Suarez bid, there's been talk that it's just a cheeky straw man bid to clear a path for Real Madrid.

[close]

I think for Arsenal and other clubs who need a striker like City, it all depends on what Real Madrid does. �Real are in the position of weighing options and it depends on what Ancelotti wants. �Does he want to keep Higuain at Real? �Does he want to get Suarez knowing he still has to sit out his ban for the first part of the season? �Real might be also waiting on Cavani and seeing if he doesn't want to go to PSG. �I mean playing next to Ibra doesn't sound like a good fit for him and PSG seems to be in a bit of a mess at the moment.
I think Arsenal bidding for Suarez was a ploy to show they got money to spend and show their fans look we aren't afraid to spend 30 mil. on a guy. �It also would have been a good deal if Liverpool did bite because at 30 mil Suarez would have been a steal for them. �But they probably knew it would have gotten rejected anyway. �

[close]

Suarez's ban was issued by the English FA so if he goes to Spain it's a non-issue. Seems the most likely course for him, I just hope it doesn't drag all the way to the end of the window. He's back from vacation on the 21st I think though so hopefully he can pull his head out of his ass and make a decision instead of playing stupid games with Uruguayan media.

Expand Quote

some of these transfers are fucking crazy

[close]

I'm still reeling from how much Real Madrid spent on Illarramendi from Sociedad. Ridiculous.

From what I heard from pundits Suarez's ban would have to stick no matter where he went.  I could be wrong though.  Arsenal looks like they are running out of options and want to put another bid for him.  If he were to go to Arsenal he'll catch way more shit than before.  

Yeah Illarramendi went for something like a little under 40 mil.  The dude better turn out to be the next Xabi Alonzo.

[brycickle]

Expand Quote

Somebody teach me how to play fantasy premier league

pls

[close]

Ok sure.  I'm bored.

You have to fill up a team with a fake budget of 100 mil.  RVP is the most expensive at 14.0 this year.  The cheapest price you can pay for somebody is 4.0.  You can't have more than 3 players from the same team.

It's all about points.  Goals, assists, clean sheets, minutes played.  There's also negative points for cards, goals conceded, own goals.  Defenders get more points for goals and clean sheets then a midfielder.

When picking your team you want to focus on players who are going to produce consistently (ie RVP or Bale), players who are guaranteed to play (ie not Dzeko), and players that have easy fixtures ahead.  You're going to want to avoid defensive midfielders and generally expensive players on defense.  When a defender gets a clean sheet he get 6 points.  When he concedes a single goal he only gets 1 point for that week, so it's very hard to rely on your defenders for points.  You're also going to want to keep an eye on your plan for your formation.  You don't want to have a player worth 6.0 who isn't being used for instance.  It's a waste of funds, it might as well be a 4.0 player on the bench.

The week in week out shit is using your free transfer every week, selecting a squad, selecting a captain.  You can strengthen your team, get rid of an injured player, change your formation.  The most important part is getting your captain right.  Captain's get 2x any points they earn for each gameweek which is huge.  When RVP scores a hattrick gets two assists against Palace, you better hope you're squad is getting those 70 points.  You also get a wildcard where you can switch out your entire squad once at any time and once in January.

The more complicated shit involves players losing and gaining value which I'll save for some other time.  Just read up on this site from time to time:  http://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/

Good point about the defenders. I do like to pick at least 2 that score goals every once in a while though.

[weedpop]

Last year I found it more fruitful to pick defenders from teams with great defense (i.e. more likely to earn clean sheets) than to try and find goal-scoring or assisting defenders, although the upside of grabbing an out and out attacking fullback on a good team is potentially very high, as they can occasionally combine goals and assists (worth more points from defenders) and clean sheets for huge points totals. I would recommend picking up two guys from defensively solid teams for about 5-6 million and one out and out attacking fullback for about 6.5-7.5 million, all of whom should be guaranteed starters for their teams. Don't keep more than 3 defenders in your team though as that's just a waste of resources that could be used on more expensive and more productive attacking players.

[Smell Good]

Looks like I've got a lot of learning to do.

I guess I can't field an Arsenal XI like I do on Ultimate Team.

[Smell Good]

Okay, so now the Guardian is mentioning Manchester United's apparent bid for Fabregas.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/15/manchester-united-cesc-fabregas-marouane-fellaini?CMP=twt_gu

Makes my stomach churn. I mean, there is absolutely no incentive whatsoever for Barca to sell him given that Arsenal have first option or 50% of his transfer fee should he be sold to another club. There's just no fucking way they would sell him under those conditions.

What are you playing at Moyes? This is definitely the crazy season in football. Madness everywhere.

[chockfullofthat]

Not to mention they just had to sell Thiago to their direct rival in Europe.  Barca have to play Cesc much more this year so they don't become fatigued before May, because Munich sure as hell won't tire with that squad.  Where does an Arsenal finish if Suarez is in the side?  The same as when they had RVP or higher? 

[brycickle]

  Where does an Arsenal finish if Suarez is in the side?  The same as when they had RVP or higher? 

Suarez has the potential to be suspended just as much as RVP was injured while playing for Arsenal.

[kinky john]

Go here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Create account, pick team, join leagues and get super bummed when your team does horribly every week like mine.

I'm pleased to see this is the universal way of playing fantasy football.

[Decreed Bratton]

Expand Quote

Go here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Create account, pick team, join leagues and get super bummed when your team does horribly every week like mine.

[close]

I'm pleased to see this is the universal way of playing fantasy football.

Don't you love it when one of your players is playing like a douche and you swap him out for someone who is hot, then that guy plays like a douche the week you get him?

[pica]

a friend hooked me up with this today!

hyped!

[chockfullofthat]

J-league?

[pica]

^yeah, j-league 2nd divison.

[Alan]

Nice one!

[chockfullofthat]

These people live on a different planet!

"This is what happens when you piss off a bazillionaire.
Throughout the summer Barcelona have been linked to PSG’s Brazilian centre-half Thiago Silva despite the fact that the Parisians are refusing to sell the defender to the Catalans.
Looking to get to the bottom of the issue, French website ActuSports have now prised a brilliant quote from PSG’s mega wealthy owner Sheikh Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who has threatened to trigger Lionel Messi’s £215m release clause should Barcelona continue to try and sign Thiago Silva.
Al-Khelaifi: If Barcelona touch Thiago Silva’s buy-out clause, I will do the same with Messi.
For the record, Thiago Silva signed a five-year deal at Parc des Princes only 12 months ago following his €42 million switch from AC Milan in the summer of 2012."

[Cthulhu!]

I wish I was his friend.

[chockfullofthat]

Benteke signs new deal.  Psyched on that!

[Decreed Bratton]

Benteke stays.  Spurs probably turning to Soldado next. 

City sign Negredo and Jovetic.  Excited to see them and how City plays this year.  Navas will give them some pace and width and Fernandinho will help Yaya in the center of the pitch too.

Arsenal fans would you like to see them break the bank to get Higuain or Suarez even if you're overpaying?  Seems like they are bidding rather low and Real and Liverpool aren't having it at this point.  Do you think either of them coming in would greatly increase your chances this year? 

[weedpop]

Arsenal need to improve just to stay where they are. Everyone else in the top 6 is strengthening and competition for champion's league places is going to be even more intense next year. I have to say, their attempts to 'make a splash' in the transfer market by bidding for Suarez and Higuain and tapping up Rooney ring a bit hollow, as they clearly still do not have the buying power of City, Chelsea, Real or PSG.

Spurs squad is pretty solid and their transfer business so far has seemed good as well, but they are boned if they don't get at least 1 more quality striker by the end of the summer (though ideally they should probably have 2). It seems that Adebayor only plays well in contract years nowadays, and their struggles with scoring goals really started to show towards the end of last year. Pity that the mega rich clubs have already hoovered up most of the 'top quality' strikers that might help them compete with the big boys next year.

As much as I hate PSG and what they represent, seeing Barca's organizational brass get publicly bitch slapped like that is completely hilarious. I almost want them to try and go through with signing Silva just to say what would happen in this game of financial Russian roulette they're playing.