Fantasy EPL League year 1 -- JOIN NOW!!!
thehallmark
Posts: 1,332 ✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
English Premier League soccer is a blast. Like with many sports, joining a fantasy league can enhance the experience whether you are an expert or a novice.
I'm starting a fantasy EPL for people on the CU board. It's a total points league and it's like most soccer fantasy sites in that you use the budget system to create a team. It costs nothing to enter and we won't incorporate any gambling this time around. Better people just join up, learn the players, learn the unfamiliar EPL calendar, learn the strategy of the game, and have fun! If enough people get involved, we'll make it more interesting next year.
Here's the link to the site: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Here's a link to the area that explains the important details like how to choose a team and how scoring works: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/rules/
If you want in, PM me your email address and I'll send you an invite. League goes live THIS SATURDAY MORNING, so you need to choose your team before gametime in the early AM.
I'm starting a fantasy EPL for people on the CU board. It's a total points league and it's like most soccer fantasy sites in that you use the budget system to create a team. It costs nothing to enter and we won't incorporate any gambling this time around. Better people just join up, learn the players, learn the unfamiliar EPL calendar, learn the strategy of the game, and have fun! If enough people get involved, we'll make it more interesting next year.
Here's the link to the site: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Here's a link to the area that explains the important details like how to choose a team and how scoring works: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/rules/
If you want in, PM me your email address and I'll send you an invite. League goes live THIS SATURDAY MORNING, so you need to choose your team before gametime in the early AM.
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League Name: CU Hooligans
Code: 634333-349088
I'm going on about 9 years as a league fan from a distance that was mostly born from video games and thousands of hours of editing/fine tuning all the players from all over the globe (for awhile in my house we had not one but two guys that were experts on 2nd division Chilean prospects...it got that deep). There's an inverse relationship happening as I fall out of love with baseball more and more every year and get more and more into soccer, and the EPL is my preferred league by far. For two years in a row now I've been partial to Everton and I thought maybe I'd settle there, but I never know from year to year. I tend to like scrappy edge players (which Everton has several of) and heady skillful central players. Because of my non-allegiance, I seem to find myself every year rooting for one top table team, one mid-table team, and then one newly promoted team to avoid relegation. Then I'll usually also root against one of the top teams (usually Man City). I wonder if anyone else operates this way?
I assumed you were a Gooner for life, but now your new avatar has me thinking otherwise. Where do your allegiances lie?
I think The Toffees are going to have an interesting year. While I'm far from sold on the genius of Roberto Martinez, I do think he's going to drop that team in a 3-5-2 with Frodo Baines (assuming he stays, which is looking increasingly likely) and Coleman as wingbacks, and that should result in some seriously entertaining soccer. Will it be enough to get them to 5th? I don't know. But I always enjoyed watching his Wigan teams, and with more talent to work with I wouldn't be surprised if Everton became one of the more attractive sides in the EPL.
I'm also excited to see what LFC bring to the table this year. Aspas has looked exceptional in preseason, and Alberto might end up contributing as well. Throw in the continued development of Sterling (if he can stay out of jail) and Ibe, and they at least look like a team that can wreak havoc in the final third. IF-- big 'if' here- they can bring Suarez back into the mix AND swipe Willian from Anzi then I can see them making a run for the top four. I'm not at all sold on the notion that MU are a top four team (seriously- how long can a team stay on top with no midfielders?), even Arsenal for that matter, so that could open up room for a couple of clubs to sneak into the UCL that usually don't make it.
I know a lot of pundits have CFC winning the Prem., but to my eye that City team is positively loaded. I don't see a single cavity in the starting XI, and Pellegrini is, to my eye, a massive upgrade over Mancini. They're posted at 12/1 to win the UCL, and I think I'm going to grab a bit of that before the season kicks off.
In any event, it's good to have another futbol freak on the boards! Like you, I find myself gravitating more and more to association football as I get older, to the point where it's become increasingly difficult for me to hold sports-related conversations with guys who exclusively follow North American sports and leagues. Hopefully we can keep the discussion rolling as the season rolls on.
ALL MY PSA SETS
<< <i>I play this every year...devoted ASTON VILLA supporter >>
Benteke is a beast- they should be fun to watch this year.
ALL MY PSA SETS
My favorite kid Coleman had a great game against Norwich. Too bad I was an idiot and didn't start him.
I wish I had read all the rules before selecting my team...I had no idea captains scored 2x points!....Van Persie at 12m is tough to absorb, but at 2x points, it might have been worth it to take him.
Is there a web site that provides updates on injuries, lineup changes, etc.? Having 2 guys in my lineup that are healthy scratches isn't helping me this week.
<< <i>Pretty fun game to kickoff the season. Mignolet's double save was fantastic. Makes up for his dangerous ball handling prior to that. Hopefully a sign of good things to come for your squad, Boo.
My favorite kid Coleman had a great game against Norwich. Too bad I was an idiot and didn't start him. >>
I know- he looked like DeGea 2.0 before that PK save; excellent reflex saves, but just terrible in the air. Still, at this point in their careers he's a huge upgrade over Reina. As for Coleman, believe it or not he went IN THE 20TH ROUND of my draft league. We all just completely forgot about him, and are kicking ourselves now.
Jdip9- here's a link to the site that I use; It's not always correct (particularly with returning dates), but it tends to be at least reasonably accurate:
Text
Good weekend of futbol! I'm really looking forward to see City in action tomorrow.
I have a new favorite thing in sports, btw. Listening to the crowd at a newly promoted squad's home opener right before kick off. Those fans are SO appreciative and emotional in that moment...it's really quite amazing. I can't think of an American equivalent.
Yeah looking forward to City as well, mostly because I'm curious to see which all-stars don't get to play. I'm never too sure about the significance of these opening day starting 11s and what it portends (or not).
<< <i>I don't have any special love for Chelsea but I thought De Bruyne looked like a really interesting prospect in Week 1. The interplay with Oscar & Hazard was awesome at times. Throw Mata in there and they look like they can link up with the best of them.
I have a new favorite thing in sports, btw. Listening to the crowd at a newly promoted squad's home opener right before kick off. Those fans are SO appreciative and emotional in that moment...it's really quite amazing. I can't think of an American equivalent.
Yeah looking forward to City as well, mostly because I'm curious to see which all-stars don't get to play. I'm never too sure about the significance of these opening day starting 11s and what it portends (or not). >>
I worry a bit about Mata this year, since he isn't especially keen on tracking back and we know how Mourinho feels about attacking players who don't chip in defensively. I hope he sees plenty of playing time, but I'm a little skeptical.
WRT to City, I too am curious to see what they throw out there. Here's my best guess:
Hart
Zabeleta Kompany Lescott Clichy
Fernandinho Yaya
Navas Jovetic Silva
Aguero
Arsenal looks strong in the early going...
<< <i>Dallas is still crushing.
Arsenal looks strong in the early going... >>
Agreed- Dallas is going to be hard to catch. And I'm really looking forward to watching this Arsenal team going forward. Ozil is the Gandalf of futbol- what he's capable of doing from here out is anyone's guess.
Man...I am such an illegitimate fan. Everton and Liverpool are ABSOLUTELY my favorite teams to watch play every week, much as I would like to say otherwise.
Fantasy has been fun but it feels like everyone has the same core guys. For whatever reason, there seemed to be a larger range of value players to choose from last year, so it was more interesting. I've been lucky with a couple captain picks and that has been the difference.
Actual EPL has been super interesting. Nice players to track mid table and lower. Love how the promoted teams are playing. Some new faces came in during the xfer window. Some of them the big new contract players have sucked so far. Rooney is still a god. Great year for dead ball geniuses. Not too many catastrophic injuries compared to past years. Selfishly I'm hoping the big four fall apart early in CL so their best players can play in EPL.
OK enough rambling. Time to watch Seamus Coleman dominate as usual. :-)
That is all.
<< <i>Lu. Ka. Ku.
That is all. >>
He was phenomenal at WBA last year, and for all I know he'll actually propel to Toffees into Europa this season. The guy's just an amazing talent; how Mou ever determined that he was only Chelsea's third best striker is completely beyond me (not that I'm complaining, since nothing would make me happier than seeing Chelski miss out on 4th).
BTW, did you happen to catch Gandalf...errr.... Ozil today against Napoli? I don't know if the Bale deal will make Spurs any better, but it sure as hell is going to end up making Arsenal better.
He feels a bit like David Silva to me, though, in that they are both obviously amazingly refreshing movers and both drastically improve the quality of chances in the final third. However both can look really out of place during those long stretches in games where the attack is less nuanced and more like a battering ram.
I hate international weeks very much, btw...
Big test for Everton in a few hours. If you're going to seriously contend for a top 4 spot, have to beat team like Tottenham more often than not.
<< <i>Arsenal dominated midfield again. Kolo Toure looked lost today. Sturridge's patience seems to be wearing thin. Hopefully just a blip for the reds.
Big test for Everton in a few hours. If you're going to seriously contend for a top 4 spot, have to beat team like Tottenham more often than not. >>
Terrible game for the Reds. There's plenty of blame to go around, though I think I'd put a fair bit of it on this ridiculous 3-5-2 formation with John Flanagan (?) and Aly Cissokho as the wingbacks. Nothing like demanding that a) all your creativity come from out wide, and then b) putting in two wide players who have a grand total of something like 5 EPL starts in their combined careers.
I'm also starting to wonder if Gerrard is past it. I hate to even speculate, but at some point the question has to be asked.
WRT to the Spurs/Toffees game, I think so far this Spurs team is the most disappointing team in the EPL. Who wants to watch a Spurs game? It's like watching a slightly more talented version of WBA. If you're going to dump $100m into the roster I think the fans have a right to expect at least the occasional goal.
Frankly, I've enjoyed watching Squirrel's Aston Villa team a lot more than Spurs this year. And Southampton! I like them. They're my new upper lower table team.
Is it just me does Michael Dawson look like the engineers in the movie Prometheus?