Tactically Speaking: The First 6 Games

Instead of just picking the best players from the pool, I wondered if it would be a better idea to choose players from teams that have favourable opening fixtures. I did a few calculations (sounds way more impressive than it was). These were the scores (out of 18) for each team.

Arsenal: 17

Aston Villa: 9

Cardiff: 8

Chelsea: 15

Crystal Palace: 7

Everton: 17

Fulham: 11

Hull: 9

Liverpool: 17

Man City: 17

Man Utd: 15

Newcastle: 12

Norwich: 8

Southampton: 9

Stoke: 12

Sunderland: 12

Swansea: 9

Tottenham: 16

West Brom: 11

West Ham: 9

Make of this what you will, but the teams who will probably be bringing in the most points will be no surprise to you. Man City, Liverpool and Spurs have decent fixtures. But United, under Moyes will have to face Liverpool and Chelsea which will provide a big test for the new boss. Of the teams with more affordable players Sunderland and Newcastle have decent fixtures. So it may be worth taking a look at cheaper options such as Sessengnon, Cabaye and Ben Arfa. Maybe even Altidore if he becomes a regular starter.

Man City seemingly have the best fixtures, but it will be difficult to predict who Pellegrini will pick based on his huge array of talent to choose from. Along with whether his rotation policy will be as erratic as Mancini's was.

Potential high point scorers from the first 6 fixtures:

Aguero £10.1m
Negredo £9.8m
Podolski £9.4m
Giroud £9.2m
Cisse £8.9m
Silva £8.0m
Gerrard £7.8m
Toure £7.6m

Potential bargain players from the first 6 fixtures:

Altidore £7.5m
Coutinho £6.9m
Navas £6.9m
Fernandinho £6.5m
Cabaye £6.4m
Johnson £6.1m

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Right, let's do this

So I've basically drafted together a quick provisional squad that I've based off previous performances last season and my limited knowledge. Also realising that apparently £75 million is really quite easy to spend when you've picked the most expensive defenders going and then wonder why you only have £0.2 million left for a striker.

So this is what I've come up with so far:

It seems a reasonably solid enough team, I feel the only weak links are Pilkington and McShane, but that's solely down to price constraints. However, I'm debating whether to tackle this season tactically, analysing the first six fixtures of each team and then drafting my team based on that. Exciting, huh?

So yeah, I have a lot of free time. I'm gonna kick some FiT ass.

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Football Hearsay Returns... Again

After my RVP prediction (Shameless plug here http://footballhearsay.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/rvp-saga-more-smart-management-from.html) I went into hiding for a year. However, the season is well over and Arsenal fans have stopped trying to brutally murder me. So I return, this time with a slightly different objective and that is to focus on my new found passion of fantasy football. This 'passion' of mine has come about solely because this happened last season. A crushing victory might I add.



I'm basically a God

Despite there being an oversaturation of fantasy football tips and websites online, I'm doing this purely through boredom. So if anyone does come across this and wants to berate me for my terrible decisions throughout the season then so be it, but hear me now, I promise you nothing.

On that positive note, let's begin. Are we sitting comfortably?

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The RVP Saga: More Smart Management From Wenger?

On the face of it, the impending transfer of Robin Van Perise to one of Europe's elite clubs seems like any other situation where a player begins to feel too big for his boots. Where an Oil Baron's money and the lure of trophies crushes any thought of morals into extinction.

But then you begin to ask the question, why did Wenger allow Van Persie's contract to run into its last year? Surely by January, after RVP had been hitting goals home left, right and centre it must have entered the back of Arsene's mind. To possibly understand what he's thinking we need to go back to 2007, the club legend and all time top goalscorer Thierry Henry is sold to Barcelona at the age of 29, he probably had at least one more good season in him. But in an unexpected turn of events he was transferred to the Nou Camp for about £18 million.

While at the time, many Arsenal fans questioned the decision with bemusement at how the club could just discard their 'greatest player of all time' when they were in need of a leader. However, the wonder of hindsight showed us that it was a fantastic piece of business and not for the first time from the Arsenal manager. While Henry went on to win silverware at Barcelona he wasn't a regular in the first team and eventually made the jump across the Atlantic that all players who want less of a challenge do. Henry signed for the New York Red Bulls for a far lesser price than he arrived in Barcelona for and had he remained at the Emirates, Arsenal would've received that small fee instead of the £7 million profit they made.

Looking at Van Persie, I see a similar situation arising, while he had a fantastic 2011/12 season he is now 28 and by the end of his contract he would be 29, the same age as Henry. By allowing him to leave on the back of a golden boot season, Arsenal will be able to get a far higher transfer fee for him rather than paying him an extortionate fee to sign for a few more years, or allowing him to leave on a free next year.

Whoever signs him in this window, because he will leave this year, will get a few decent seasons from him before he fades into mediocracy. But while Arsenal don't want to be the feeder club for the 'bigger' teams in European football, this gives Wenger a chance to spend big while keeping in check with Financial Fair Play.

If I'm right, then Van Persie leaving Arsenal will be one of the best things to happen to the team this year, despite all the cynicism that has come from the Arsenal fans.

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I'm really sorry...

Especially to you Jakub, my loyal reader from Bosnia, I have promised so much yet delivered so little, well this trait can no longer continue! Now that my school year is (almost) done, I'll be having more free time, my aims are to get the inevitable piles of homework I'll be set out of the way in the first 2 weeks (don't worry, I know that won't happen either), and then that'll give me a good 4 weeks to perfect the balance of my (limited) social life and this. We'll see how this goes, I reckon it'll be a good laugh, well at least for you anyway...

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Sweden 2-3 England: The game that made my heart almost give out

Wow... Now, I'm not known for my long term memory, but that was the most nervous I've ever been watching an England match, no scrap that, a football match in my entire life. No one can say that 'Woy', as he's now affectionately known by the England faithful, doesn't provide you with interesting games.

It started well for England in all fairness, the system that Hodgson had set out, sitting the two central midfielders just in front of the defence and allowing Sweden to come onto them (you shouldn't be thinking that...) was working well. The Swedes looked an average team in the early parts and there was actually talk of a simple England victory. Unfortunately, such a thing doesn't exist.

However, Roy proved his inclusion of Andy Carroll in the starting XI to be a clever move as he powerfully headed home a deep cross from his Liverpool counterpart, Gerrard, past Isaksson. Hodgson's tactics then played their part as England sat back and seemed in control as Sweden tried but failed to break them down. At half time all seemed in order, but the England we know and love/hate/despise managed to shoot themselves in the foot once again.

Two poorly defended set pieces early in the half put Sweden in the lead, both scored by Melberg, although the first should clearly go down as a Glen Johnson own goal. Like so many times before, all English minds thought in unison, 'here we go again', the BBC commentators wouldn't leave us alone with stats about how we've never beaten Sweden in this competition, or for this many games. It was tiresome and pointless commentary, but still it manages to beat ITV all ends up.

When all hope was lost though, there was only one man that Hodgson could turn to, Theo Walcott. I, as I'm sure many others sighed at the prospect of Walcott's impending arrival, but for the second time during the evening, Roy proved us wrong spectacularly. Walcott's first involvement was to smash the ball from the edge of the box over a helpless Isaksson. But his night didn't end there, after receiving the ball from Johnson, he took on two defenders with his pace and dinked a cross over to the awaiting Danny Welbeck, who managed to pull off one of the best finishes I've seen for a while.

It was now 3-2, I certainly couldn't believe that England had shown the character to come back, but Hodgson's got them working as a team in a short amount of time, I was indifferent about his appointment, but to be honest I wasn't too overly keen on 'Arry either. I'm now warming to the Hodgson regime, hopefully we can push on and beat Ukraine and hope that the Swedes, now with nothing to lose, absolutely hammer the French.

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Euro 2012: My thoughts so far - Group A

So we're well into the tournament now, so I thought since I've failed on my promise to deliver a few match reports I'd do this instead. So without further ado, here's my general thoughts on each team and who I'm tipping to reach European glory later this month. Here's the first of four instalments.

Group A:

Poland - Tournament co-hosts and one of the lesser teams in the competition with all due respect. They've shown glimpses of being contenders to progress from their group, but then they've fallen away towards the end of matches. Most notably during the Greece game, after going 1-0 up and facing a Greek team with 10 men, they lacked that experience needed to close out games.

Key man

Robert Lewandowski - The Borussia Dortmund striker leads the line excellently for the Poles and is clinical when he gets the chance, he needs to be playing well for them to succeed.

Greece - The Greeks look like they won't be able to emulate their 2004 successes any time soon. They look sloppy on the ball and are lucky to have the one point they sit bottom of Group A with. There's very little chance that they will qualify, but that would hardly hold any injustice about it. Their main player, so to speak - Georgios Samaras, has been ineffective to say the least and the team look like they just don't hold enough quality to compete at this level.

Key man


Granted, I don't know much about Greek international football, but due to his pride salvaging appearance off the bench in the opening game it has to be Dimitris Salpigidis, he just looked to have a certain cutting edge that the rest of the team lacked.



Czech Republic - After racking my brain to try and recall their two matches I realised why I couldn't. The reason being that they've been the most average team in the tournament, no-one's really stood out for them, while holding the second qualification place, they still have to face Poland which I can only see going one way.

Key man


Petr Cech - The Chelsea goalkeeper has had two poor matches so far, for the Czechs to qualify, he needs to stay solid between the sticks.






Russia - By far the stand out team in the group. They're quick and fluent in attack and a rejuvenated Arshavin has looked at his best playing in a more favourable central role for him. While drawing with Poland, they can confirm qualification with a win over bottom of the table Greece.

Key man

Alan Dzagoev - Currently the tournament's joint top goalscorer and the only Russian ever to be called Alan. He's looked sharp on the ball and has the ability to finish when he gets the chance, expect a few more goals from him in the latter stages.

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Euro 2012 Match Reports: Poland 1-1 Greece

In a match that looked like it would spur the joint host nation to push on and challenge in their group, Poland were soon brought crashing back to earth by a lacklustre Greece team who at times, looked like they should be playing Sunday league football, as far away from the international stage as possible.

Poland were clearly the better team from the off, they looked a sleeker team than the Greeks and were able to put a few passes together, the latter can't be said for the team in blue. Poland pressed and were rewarded after some repetitive sloppy play from their opposition. A cross from the right wing was calmly headed home by Lewandowski after the Greek keeper, Chalkias was left in no man's land.

It looked from then on that the crowd would push the Poles on to their first victory in this years competition and that task soon appeared easier after Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off for two very harsh yellow cards. The Greeks seemed dejected and you sensed that their tournament may have been over before half time.

But that wasn't to be the case as a slightly rejuvenated Greece looked to push for the equaliser, and that came in the 51st minute when super sub Salpingidis entered the fray to slot home after some sloppy play from Scezney. It wasn't to be the Arsenal goalkeeper's final mistake of the day as he was sent off shortly afterwards for tripping Salpingidis who really changed the game after his introduction.

It looked as if the Greeks would snatch the 3 points from the jaws of defeat, but the captain's penalty was saved by the replacement keeper Tyton who looked solid between the sticks.

A point was probably a fair result for the two teams but that has severely hindered both team's chances of qualifying in a group that is completed by Russia and the Czech Republic.

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New segment: Euro 2012 match reports

Since this blog should probably focus on serious football as well as comical exploits, I will try and do as many match reports as I can, of course I won't be able to watch every game due to other commitments but I'll try and put out as many as I can. The Poland v Greece game is currently under way so that should be out later tonight.

I can feel your excitement.

Ps. Who knows, there may even be some extras for you, go, tell your friends.

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Ilkeston, remember them?

I apologise greatly to the fans and supporters of Ilkeston FC, the club that Football Hearsay claimed they would follow the progress of the club until the end of the season.

Of course as you may have seen, this didn't happen. But, and that's a big but and I cannot lie. The mighty Ilkeston were promoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division as Play-off winners. I congratulate the team and attribute their promotion to the very little support we have given them. I apologise again.

Promotion was secured through two Play-off games, the first, beating Sheffield FC 7-0 in a resounding win to reach the final against Leek Town. The Robins won 2-0 with goals from Matt Richards and Daryll Thomas.

This means that Ilkeston will be taking on the likes of North Ferriby United and Kendal Town next season, I don't see how they can't secure back to back promotions.

Up the Robins

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