Football/Soccer Discussion 11/12

An idea cropped up and I wanted to share it with Cubed3, but thought I might as well make the next football thread while I'm at it, since the lower leagues have already kicked off, and the new Prem season is days away.

Wanted to know if anyone is doing the Premier League's Fantasy Football, The Sun's Dream Team, or another equivalent?

There's only a few football fans here, but if anyone's interested, I've already set up a Cubed3 league for the Premier League's Fantasy Football. So sign up, make a team, go to join a league and enter the following code: 1495293-325263. This will put you in the Cubed3 league.

I can do a mini league for The Sun's Dream Team one too, if anyone's interested in that. It's just a bit of fun and it's completely free. So if anyone's bored and fancies giving it a go, let me know :]

On the subject of football though, I've gotta admit, my interest has dropped quite a bit compared to previous years. I'm a football fanatic and have grown up living and breathing the game, but it's really worn off on me. I still love it, and I'll still follow the results each week, and definitely watch the latter stages of the Champions League and any big matches I can catch, but I'm nowhere near the football nut I used to be.

Predictions for this year then?

Man United to win the league.
Man City second.
Chelsea/Arsenal in 3rd/4th, hard to picked who's where though.
Liverpool 5th.

City for another cup - Carling or FA.
Arsenal maybe for Carling.

City should make the Champions League interesting this year, but I think United might win it.

I've joined the Premier League's Fantasy Football.

I hope Man U win the league, and I'd love it if neither Chelsea or Man City won anything, but that's unlikely.

The Champions League will be won by Barcelona I think.

I'm now looking more into the Championship since West Ham's there now. Shit start since we only had one good striker (Piquionne), but if we can get someone else, and play two upfront, Carew's pretty good, but I was thinking someone faster that can get between defences.

Nolan and Taylor have been excellent buys for us and we've now got George McCartney back from Sunderland which gives us good options for a left back.

Hopefully we'll get Automatic Promotion.

Awesome, thanks for joining the league Stu! Hopefully a couple of others here will too. Wasn't gonna do The Sun Dream Team but when I heard it was free this year, why not? Think I've got a really good squad in that too.

I was brought up supporting Bury myself, because of my dad, and follow them every season. Won automatic promotion last year to League One, and just knocked out Coventry from the Championship in the first round of the Carling Cup!

As a Prem team though, started supporting Arsenal when I was about 15. Still follow them now, but since my fave player Eduardo left, lost a bit of interest. I check how he's doing with Shakhtar all the time. Now Bendtner's on his way out too :[ I think more than anything, I like players more than I like teams. I like Aaron Ramsey and hopefully Ryo Miyaichi will shine for Arsenal. Was so gutted about Lee Chung-Yong breaking his leg for Bolton the other week. One of their best players and a rising talent.

If I thought they'd have a chance, I'd have said Arsenal to win the league, but they always seem to run out of steam towards the end of the season, and Wenger seems to be afraid to spend, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks like he has potential, and I don't get why Walcott gets played as a midfielder when he's better as a Striker.

If there's a single play I don't like in the Premier League, it's Ryan Shawcross, although he looked like he regretted breaking Aaron Ramsey's leg a couple of seasons back, it hasn't stopped him being one of the dirtiest, most dangerous defenders I've seen, I'm surprised no-one else has been injured.

I think Wigan and Wolves will get relegated this season, I don't know who else because everyone else looks a lot stronger, and out of the teams that came up, I think QPR will do the best, and they have money behind them.

Oh yes, I'm a West Ham man through and through, I was born and raised in Plaistow which shares the same postcode as the Boleyn Ground which is a 10 minute walk from my house, and if they didn't join Greater London in 1965, I'd be living in the Essex County of West Ham.

Still, I'm living on Campus at Sussex Uni from the end of September, which is directly opposite Brighton's new Falmer Stadium, so I might as well go and watch a few of their games.

( Edited 11.08.2011 02:07 by Stulaw )

Yeah, Arsenal tend to bottle it. However, I think if Wenger brings in a quality defender and Van Persie stays fit (look how many he scored when he came back in the latter half of last season!), they have a good chance. I really want to say they can with the Prem, but I think United look really good again this year, as do City.

There's a few players I dislike. Agree on Shawcross - obviously he regretted what happened with Ramsey, but he's still been a bit of a bastard since then. Don't think I need to say anything about Joey Barton. Pure scum. I also think Rooney's a twat as well.

I guessed as much you were a true Hammers fan. Kinda wish I was brought up in a town where the club is as big as they are. Will be ace to see Brighton's new ground! I haven't been to a match in ages.

Hmm, I don't know much about how fantasy football works (though I've been huge on fantasy American football for the past three years).

I still haven't picked a team yet, though I do have favorite players. Like for example, I really like Park Ji Sung, but Man U pretty much = the NY Yankees. They spend to win. I'm the kind of guy that follows teams that are built up and win in a blue collar way.

Yeah, but Man United only really tend to spend the money the earn, unlike Chelsea and Man City, that just have billionaire owners with seemingly endless amounts of money.

As with Joey Barton, I think his a good player, he just has a nasty attitude and it looks like he won't play this weekend.

Spurs v Toffees is off due to Tottenham Council not being able to get a safety certificate on time for the game. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,11661_7093643,00.html

1. United
2. City
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Arsenal
6. Spurs
7. Villa
8. Everton
9. Sunderland
10. Stoke
11. Newcastle
12. Fulham
13. Bolton
14. Blackburn
15. Wigan
16. Wolves
17. Swansea
18. West Brom
19. QPR
20. Norwich

Liverpool for the FA Cup.
Man City for the League Cup.
Real Madrid for the CL.
Barca for La Liga.

Those are all the predictions I am prepared to make. We shall see.

I have joined the league.
I dont really follow a team i just like the banter with mates and watchin motd
My predictions are
1. Man utd to win as usual Boring
2. Man city
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs
6. Liverpool

I am finding it harder each year to pick a team as the top clubs have player rotation going on so it is difficult to pick players that will play week in week out.

Stu, it says you're not in the league now? :L

Really? I don't know why, but mine won't log in at the moment.

Now you're in and NintendoStanley has left.

Could do with some more footie fans on C3 :L

Could you explain how fantasy football works?

Simple. Just choose a team from a list of players in the Premier League with a budget of £100m. You get 4 substitute players to switch in if one of your players gets suspended/injured. Each week they score points based on how they played in the matches. If your player scores he'll get points, if your keeper and defenders keep a clean sheet, they'll get points, that kinda thing.

You can make your own mini league as I've done for your mates to join in and have an inside competition between yourselves. You should give it a go just for kicks and join the Cubed3 league.

Wait, for example, if I pick Rooney, other players can still have Rooney on their teams?

( Edited 13.08.2011 18:54 by bornforthis43 )

Yep, it wouldn't work otherwise, since there's only so many football players in the league compared to people playing fantasy football.

I just thought, have they changed the way they update the points? Usually they update them live, but apparently I have no points.

Hmm, ok. That's much different than fantasy American football. In my league, we have 12 teams that each have around 15 players or so (including bench). So, once a player is picked from the draft, they are on that team and no one else can have him unless a trade is proposed.

Same here Stu. I wonder if they'll update it at midnight or something, or maybe after the first weekend of football? Or maybe it's just a bit delayed because it's the first day. Really not sure.

Well Joey Barton does himself no favours but shows he is a bit of a pansy from his reaction to the finger tap to the face he recevived. I have not had a good first day but most of my team are yet to play so hopefully it gets better over the weekend

Any thoughts on the transfer window?

Scott Parker's gone to Tottenham, my thoughts are, yes he's a great player and he will be missed, but on the other hand I think the players that are at West Ham now will feel like they can rely on themselves more. Plus we got a few more signings today with Bentley, Lansbury, Diop and Demel, which really gives West Ham a really strong team, even by Prem standards.

Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun are in talks with Arsenal, seems like Arsene's really trying to make some good signings now.

Oh yeah, the Premier League spending so far is 389,095,000, pretty crazy.

( Edited 31.08.2011 21:55 by Stulaw )

Lansbury's a good loan buy for you. Good player. West Ham did really well without Parker the other day, didn't they? You're right; it could have a positive effect on the team now he's gone, but obv he'll be a big loss.

Just read that Keisuke Honda's rumoured for Arsenal too! Really like him, and followed him after a great showing at the World Cup. Free kick specialist and great attacking midfielder. Him and Ryo Miyaichi could do well together. I'm liking the Asian vibe in the squad atm, with South Korea captain J Y Park there now too (another free kick master).

Getting Arteta could be a great Cesc replacement though. Eager to see what happens now.

Oh yeah, Arsenal also have Mertesacker now which is a great buy, having a German international defender can't go wrong. I just read that Honda isn't going to Arsenal though :/ his agent denied all interest.

Dead right, coupled with a solid left back in Santos, they've done well for defenders. Sagna, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Santos. Sounds like a solid back four if you ask me.

Shame about Honda. But still, Arteta and Benayoun could go through. Yossi was great at West Ham and Liverpool, but riddled with injuries at Chelsea, so I'm not so sure on him.

Edit:

Yossi Benayoun on Twitter: "I sign with arsenal, very happy and excited about it, but now my head is only in the game against Greece on Friday, thanks for the support."

Did City get Hargreaves? That was a shock.

( Edited 31.08.2011 22:44 by Azuardo )

Yeah, City signed Hargreaves, I thought he was going to a Championship club, but atleast he won't have to move house. The question is, will he get played? City have loads of great players, and although he's brilliant when he's fit, they still have a few first team players ahead of him in pecking order, Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry(very overrated player) etc.

10 minutes left, some teams have to get things moving, especially Arsenal with Arteta.

Edit: Transfer's are over and Arteta has joined Arsenal.

Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome have joined Stoke

Raul Meireles Joined Chelsea

Craig Bellamy went back to Liverpool

Niklas Bendtner is on loan to Sunderland

Alan Hutton and Jermane Jenas joined Aston Villa

Everton actually made a signing :O.

( Edited 31.08.2011 23:22 by Stulaw )

Wow, Arteta, Mertesacker, Santos, Park, Benayoun (loan), Gervinho (and youngsters Chamberlain and Joel Campbell).

Wenger's signed nearly a full team of players this summer. 5 of them in the closing days/hours. I think this is a great selection of players. It was desperately needed though.

Bendtner gone on loan to Sunderland. Nice strike force of him and Gyan.

Crazy last second snap up of Meireles to Chelsea too. Wonder what happened there? 'Pool doing well this season.

( Edited 31.08.2011 23:26 by Azuardo )