You The Manager Fantasy Football @ Blogger

YTM blog has moved!

2007-08-06T17:34:00.000+01:00

Hi there campers!

Time to uproot your pegs and move to our new site:

www.youthemanager.co.uk/blog

Here you will find our new blog, packed with news, transfer gossip and YTM tactics.

See you there!

Dave @ YTM HQ

Your thoughts and suggestions

2007-05-17T14:27:00.000+01:00

We are always looking for ways to improve every aspect of You The Manager, and the best way of achieving that is to listen to what our participants have to say.

We are very keen to hear your input on the game, whether positive or negative. Which aspects of the game do you like? What would you like to see change for next season?

If you have any thoughts on the website, the structure of the game, the prize structure, or indeed anything else then please let us know.

Either email your thoughts to help@dreamleague.co.uk or fill in the feedback form under 'Helpdesk' on the You The Manager homepage at http://www.youthemanager.co.uk/

We are always keen to listen to any input that you have, so rest assured, we will read and take note of every single comment and suggestion!

Surprise packages and major disappointments of the season

2007-05-17T12:11:00.000+01:00

The Fantasy Football season always throws up plenty of surprises, and You The Manager 2006/07 was no exception. Who could have foreseen Gabriel Agbonlahor scoring more points than Thierry Henry? Or Stephen Hunt and Ashley Young claiming more points than Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes? Let's take a look at this season's best and worst performers for each position.

Goalkeepers

Pepe Reina was, perhaps predictably, the top 'keeper this season, with 123 points. But few could have foreseen that another early favourite, Jens Lehmann of Arsenal, would come in a lowly eighth position. The big man started 36 games, one more than Reina managed, but kept only 10 clean sheets in that time. Arsenal were, of course, missing defensive lynchpin William Gallas for a good portion of the season, but still, you'd hope they could keep more clean sheets than Reading (13) and Aston Villa (12). Lehmann's special talent for attracting the attention of referees also played a part in his downfall - he collected a remarkable eight bookings this term, despite hardly committing a foul.

The best value player in this position was Reading's Marcus Hahnemann. At just £2.0m, the big American collected 82 points, including 13 clean sheets, and started every single Premiership game.

Defenders

The leader in this category was Matt Taylor, boosted by the fact that he spent a good portion of the season playing in midfield. At just £5.0m, he outshone many of his higher priced rivals.

Nicky Shorey was another great value pick at £2.0m, grabbing 87 points and forcing himself onto the radar of any serious Fantasy Manager.

Major disappointments for Fantasy Managers included Manchester United duo Mikael Silvestre and Gabriel Heinze. At £7.0m apiece, they garnered just 32 and 29 points respectively. Philippe Senderos was another underperformer - at a hefty £6.5m, a combination of injuries and poor form meant that he could manage only 14 points.

Midfielders

Cristiano Ronaldo's excellent season for Manchester United meant that he was the season's stand-out performer, scoring 212 points, with Chelsea rival Frank Lampard not far behind. They both seem to have made cemented their positions as essential picks for any team with ambitions of winning the top prize next season.

Ashley Young was the season's surprise package in midfield, earning 120 points for a meagre asking price of £2.0m. Villa's former Watford man is a prime example of a player capable of making the step up from the Championship to the Premiership - so perhaps studying the form players from this season's promoted clubs is the key to ensuring that you spot all the bargains!

Chelsea's Joe Cole was the season's major disappointment in midfield - bad luck with injuries meant that he could score only 14 points. Similar tales of woe affected the scoring potential of big-money buys Arjen Robben, Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill. Others, like Kevin Nolan and Freddie Ljungberg, could not recapture their devastating points-scoring form of previous seasons, and also represented poor value for our Fantasy Managers.

Strikers

Big names like Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba had great seasons, and dominate the top of our leaderboard.

But there are still some great-value picks jostling for position with these heavyweights - Gabby Agbonlahor surpassed all expectations by achieving a score of 121 points at an asking price of just £2.5m, while Reading's Kevin Doyle scored 116 and would only have set you back £3.0m. Nwankwo Kanu turned back the clock to notch 10 goals and 111 points, proving that a change of scenery can really revitalise a player.

There were many let-downs for our Fantasy Managers among the list of expensive forwards. Injury blighted the seasons of popular picks Michael Owen and Thierry Henry, though the latter remained the fourth most selected player by the end of the season. The likes of Marlon Harewood and Mido failed to reproduce their goalscoring form of last season, and at £7.0m each, they proved poor value indeed.

A special word, too, for Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko - hailed as the solution to Chelsea's striking problems, the £31m man was outplayed and outgunned by his team-mate Didier Drogba. As he struggled to impress boss Jose Mourinho, his touch deserted him in front of goal, scoring only four Premiership goals and finishing behind the likes of Kieron Dyer and Hameur Bouazza in the race for the golden boot.

The key question is, who will be next season's great value players - Sunderland's Daryl Murphy or Carlos Edwards? Birmingham's Colin Doyle or Cameron Jerome? Or perhaps a player already plying his trade in the Premiership - a resurgent Michael Owen under the guidance of Big Sam, one last big season for the likes of Giggs or Ljungberg, or even a wounded Andriy Shevchenko with a point to prove?

If you can sort the Premiership wheat from the chaff, you could be one step closer to the You The Manager hall of fame!

The Winning Team - Analysis

2007-05-16T17:33:00.000+01:00

As Adrian Walshe begins life as a You The Manager champion, it's time to take a look at just how he went about winning our £120,000 top prize.

His initial picks were:

D James

M Dawson
S Campbell
M Taylor
B Assou-Ekotto

C Ronaldo
F Lampard
S Gerrard

L Lita
L Saha
B McCarthy

So, to secure a decent start, Adrian splashed the cash on a very strong midfield, a sound strategy given that by the end of the season the competition's top four points scorers all came from the middle of the park. Even veteran Gary Speed ultimately outscored all the defenders and goalkeepers, and trailed top strikers Rooney and Drogba by a mere three points.

A strong starting XI means very little, though, without prudent use of transfers when those crucial windows open. Adrian chose to make only one alteration to this team when the first window came, replacing the struggling Leroy Lita with Reading's surprise package, his team-mate Kevin Doyle. This proved a lucrative decision, as Doyle hit the goal trail, earning plenty of points for 'BazFran 17'.

It was a different story when the second window came, with Adrian choosing to make a radical overhaul of his team, implementing a massive seven transfers. Out went the entire back five, as it seemed that Adrian correctly recognised that Portsmouth's good defensive form could not last forever. In an inspired move, he brought in the entire Liverpool back five, probably the decision that went furthest to pushing his team to Fantasy Football glory. Liverpool's imperious defensive form over the next few months provided a points bonanza for the team that would ultimately net Adrian the £120,000 top prize. In order to fund this move, Adrian also replaced McCarthy and Gerrard with solid budget picks Ashley Young and Nwankwo Kanu.

When window three came along, Adrian used his four remaining transfers, setting up his team for the run-in. Crucially, he recognised that removing McCarthy and Taylor was not the best long-term strategy, and brought them back into the fold at the expense of Saha and Agger. Further changes came in the removal of Finnan and Kanu, to be replaced by Baines and Anelka.

This left a final eleven of:

J Reina

J Carragher
JA Riise
M Taylor
L Baines

A Young
F Lampard
C Ronaldo

B McCarthy
K Doyle
N Anelka

This was, of course, a huge risk, as Adrian had no transfers left from mid-January until the close of the season in May. Like all the best gambles, though, this one came off, and Adrian's players largely avoided injury and suspension for the crucial closing stages.

The only ever-presents in the line-up were the competition's two highest scoring players, Frank Lampard and Cristiano Ronaldo.

So, all things considered, this was a stellar performance from Adrian. Can you match, or even better his achievements next season? There's huge prize at stake if you think you have what it takes to be the next name in the You The Manager hall of fame!

Team of the Season!

2007-05-16T15:36:00.000+01:00

Congratulations are due to Adrian Walshe of Dublin, who has claimed our fabulous £120,000 first prize for finishing top of the You The Manager 2006/07 leaderboard. Adrian's team amassed an enormous 1458 points. But don't be put off entering next season's competition - the winner's score is mighty impressive but is, as usual, far from unbeatable.

What was the overall dream team for this You The Manager this season? Read on to find out!

Goalkeeper

Pepe Reina - £5.5 million - 123 points

The prematurely balding Spaniard enjoyed another remarkably consistent season between the sticks at Anfield. Though thieves recently stole his grey Porsche, among other valuables, not many Premiership strikers were able to plunder anything from him this season, as Pepe collected clean sheets in 19 of his 35 appearances.

Defenders

Matt Taylor - £5.0 million - 131 points

Portsmouth's former Luton Town man makes a habit of scoring spectacular goals, and this season has been no exception. Proving that last season's wonder-goal against Sunderland was no fluke, Taylor notched a stunning 45 yarder against Everton. Taylor scored eight Premiership goals, leading defenders in this category and easily outstripping Chelsea's £31 million striker Andrei Shevchenko. Then again, cynics may observe that Carlos Bocanegra scored more Premiership goals than did Shevchenko.

Jamie Carragher - £6.5 million - 112 points

Speaking of goalscoring superstar heroes, here's Jamie Carragher. This season's home tie against Fulham saw Jamie score his first league goal since early 1999, but, as you might expect, the Liverpool stopper led the league in clean sheets, with 19.

Daniel Agger - £3.5 million - 103 points

One of the hardest tasks facing Rafa Benitez was finding a replacement for the evergreen Sami Hyypia. In Daniel Agger, he has found a worthy successor. In 23 starts for the Reds, Agger claimed an amazing 15 clean sheets, while his cannon of a left foot brought two crucial goals. Agger has fully justified his tag as Liverpool's most expensive defensive purchase of all time.

Nickey Shorey - £2.0 million - 87 points

Few outside Reading knew his name prior to the start of this season, but the former Leyton Orient man is now on the verge of the full England squad. Shorey has appeared in all four divisions in England, but does not look out of place in the top flight. He amassed 13 clean sheets, a goal and a very impressive 7 KCs. One thing's for sure, he will not be priced at £2.0m in next season's game!

Midfielders

Cristiano Ronaldo - £7.0 million - 212 points

You The Manager's player of the season, Cristiano defied all of his critics to emerge as a true superstar of the English game. His stunning stats include 17 goals, 17 KCs and 13 clean sheets - there was just no competing with him this year, especially now that he has been given penalty taking duties at Old Trafford.

Frank Lampard - £9.0 million - 182 points

Frank Lampard junior - the only senior member of the England squad to attend private school - has had another good season in goalscoring terms, with 11 in the Premiership alone. His 13 KCs also contributed to his massive points total, and few could deny that Jodie Marsh's former classmate has shrugged off a disappointing World Cup to re-establish himself as a major Premiership force.

Mikel Arteta - £5.0 million - 156 points

The second Spaniard in our line-up, Mikel has had a stunning season under David Moyes at Everton. The former Rangers and Real Sociedad man has become the creative force that drives the blue half of Merseyside, and his 9 goals and 14 KCs pushed him ahead of Liverpool rival Steven Gerrard in the race for a spot in the You The Manager dream team.

Strikers

Didier Drogba - £7.5 million - 147 points

Ah, Didier. Overcoming all sorts of hurdles, not least his unusually low pain threshold, the powerful Ivorian has established himself as the Premiership's leading target man. Top-scoring with 20 league goals, he was voted runner-up in the Player of the Year vote. If he can avoid collecting so many yellow cards next time around, Drogba could make himself a must have for You The Manager participants next season.

Benni McCarthy - £5.0 million - 138 points

Perhaps the canniest buy of the pre-season, Benni Mac has rewarded the faith of manager Mark Hughes by converting a stunning 18 goals, trailing only Drogba in the race for the golden boot. If he remains at Ewood Park next season, he must be a real contender for that prize again next season, but rumours are circling already that some of Europe's top teams may be eyeing the Ewood Park hitman.

Gabriel Agbonlahor - £2.5 million - 121 points

A relative unknown at the start of the season, young Gabriel's nine league goals have drawn him to national attention. Born to a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother, Agbonlahor's next stop could be the full England team. At just £2.5 million, he proved terrific value for thousands of our Fantasy Managers, and should certainly be one to watch next season, as both he and his team, Aston Villa, ended the season in fine form.

The dream team came in comfortably under budget, at £58.5 million, and accrued a total of 1512 points. Without making a single transfer, this team would have topped our leaderboard by a huge margin. So, don't be daunted by the impressive form of the managers at the top of the You The Manager leaderboard - it's clear that our fabulous top prize is well within reach of any manager who is prepared to study the form, hope for that crucial luck with injuries and suspensions, and take a few well-calculated risks!

Final YTM Predictions of the season!

2007-05-11T13:23:00.000+01:00

My predicting this season has been at best 'patchy', so I will have to deliberate as to whether it would be worth doing them next season. We will be looking to update the blog on a regular basis with relevant YTM team and player news, so we will see if there is any room left for my 'guesstimates'!

Here are my predictions for the final Sunday of the Premiership season:

Blackburn v Reading
Blackburn looked good against Spurs last night, and Pedersen seems to be in top form at the moment. My money would be on him to make the difference on Sunday, as this should be a tight game, with both clubs eyeing a place in the UEFA Cup next season. For both teams this will most probably be through the Intertoto, but that would be better than nothing!
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Bolton v Aston Villa
Sammy Lee's first match was definitely one to forget as they rolled over for West Ham. This match should be different, in front of a full Reebok Stadium. I think Lee will need the summer to create his own squad of players to try to beat what Big Sam achieved. Villa will want to end the season on a high, and are in good form at the moment. Should be a close game, and either side have the match-winners.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Draw

Chelsea v Everton
The title is gone, and no doubt Chelsea will want to rest players ahead of the FA Cup Final. However, they still are unbeaten under Mourinho at the Bridge in the Premiership, and Jose will not want to let that record slip on the last day. Chelsea's team may not be full strength, but they should have enough firepower to turnover the Toffees. Arteta is always a threat though...
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Liverpool v Charlton
Charlton are already down, and Liverpool will have almost a full eye on the Champions League final. The main story here is Robbie Fowler's last game for Liverpool. It will definitely be an emotional day for the Liverpool legend, and it would not surprise me if he turned out to be the key man.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Man United v West Ham
One half of the relegation story. West Ham need a positive result to steer away from the drop and condemn Wigan to the Championship. Tevez will again be the main threat to the Manchester goal, but Sir Alex has promised to play his big guns to make the relegation fight a fair one. Whether this relegation battle will ever be seen as fair after the West Ham fiasco is anybody's guess.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Middlesbrough v Fulham
Just heard on the grapevine that Lawrie Sanchez has been installed as the permanent Fulham boss, and he has resigned from his Northern Ireland post. This should be a good move for the Cottagers, as they need to play good creative football to keep their fans happy. If Sanchez can do that with Northern Ireland, he should be able to do it with Fulham! Both Fulham and Boro are safe this season, and both will need to do a lot of work if they are to perform better next season.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Draw

Portsmouth v Arsenal
Pompey still have a chance of getting into Europe next season, but will face a tough test against Arsenal, who have no need to rest any of their players. Fabregas has been in sensational form of late, contributing with goals as well as Key Contributions. I fully expect him to keep it up on Sunday, and be the difference between the two teams.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Away Win

Sheff Utd v Wigan
A crunch match at Bramall Lane. Wigan need to win and hope that Man United beat West Ham. The cynic inside me is saying that this may be a very tepid affair, and that Wigan will knick it to ensure that West Ham go down. After all, all of the bosses at the bottom think West Ham should already be down already...
Dave's YTM Prediction: Draw

Tottenham v Man City
Spurs will be looking for the point that they need to guarantee a place in the UEFA Cup next season against the Citizens. Man City are purely playing for pride, and without Joey Barton do look a little toothless. Emile Mpenza has played well since he arrived at Eastlands, and may well be a factor. However, Berbatov, Defoe and Keane are in another league, and should take control of this game.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Watford v Newcastle
Managerless Newcastle will be looking to end a poor season on a high against relegated Watford. However, the Hornets have already shown that that they are going out with a sting, as they beat Reading at the Madejski last week. Newcastle will need to have their wits about them, and the deadly duo of King and Bouazza could surprise them.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

That's all I've got. It’s been a great season, and we are all looking forward to the undoubted excitement of transfer frenzy! Next season should be even better!

Cheers,

Dave @ YTM HQ

YTM Predictions Week 38

2007-05-04T17:35:00.000+01:00

Saturday

Man City v Man Utd
Key man in this game will no doubt be Ronaldo, as he is the obvious match-winner for United, as they look to take a huge leap towards the title. Man City are without Joey Barton, and they need to score to avoid creating a new record for the least home goals in a season in the Premiership.
YTM Prediction: Away Win

Everton v Portsmouth
Victor Anichebe is due to return to the Everton starting line-up, and he could prove to be the key man in this game. Everton are playing good football, and a UEFA Cup spot is in their grasp. Matty Taylor is a major doubt for Pompey, who will hope to press on after their victory over Liverpool.
YTM Prediction: Home Win

Fulham v Liverpool
Fulham need to get a result here to ease the pressure that the drop zone carries. The good news for the Cottagers is that Rafa Benitez is likely to rest his key men for the Champions League final, and that will give Fulham some hope of saving themselves from a drop into the second tier.
YTM Prediction: Away Win

Newcastle v Blackburn
Looks like Michael Owen will play the second game of his comeback tomorrow, and I for one hope that he gets back to scoring ways quickly! I predict Owen to be the figure of attention, but McCarthy and Roberts mat steal the show.
YTM Prediction: Draw

Reading v Watford
Watford have already started planning for the Championship next season, but they are still putting in maximum effort in their final days in the top flight. Reading have key men Lita and Sidwell back, and they will be looking for a strong performance edge a bit closer to the possibility of European football at the Madejski next season.
YTM Prediction: Home Win

West Ham v Bolton
The Hammers are still without injured defenders Upson and Gabbidon, and this may be key in the fight for survival. All eyes will be on Sammy Lee as he takes charge of his first game for the Trotters. This should be entertaining, which may not be what the Upton Park faithful really want!
YTM Prediction: Draw

Wigan v Middlesbrough
Wigan are fighting for survival, but their defence seems to be clinically unable to protect a lead in games! Against a strike force of Yakubu and Viduka, I can only see one outcome...
YTM Prediction: Away Win

Aston Villa v Sheff Utd
Villa are finishing the season with a flourish, and will be looking for another three points against the Blades to finish as high up the league as possible. Sheffield are not quite safe yet, but they look to have done enough to stay in the Premiership for at least another season. The key man in this one could well be Ashley Young. His pace against the Blades' defence could be the difference.
YTM Prediction: Home Win

Sunday

Arsenal v Chelsea
In a game which Chelsea must win to have any hope of pipping Man Utd to the title, Arsenal will be looking to get a good win that will fill their fans with a sense of expectancy for next season. Chelsea's season has taken a big blow in the last week, and they will see this match as a good confidence booster, if they win that is...
YTM Prediction: Draw

Monday

Charlton v Spurs
The Addicks need to win to keep any hopes for survival alive. Spurs need to win to keep any chances of UEFA Cup football kindled... Should be a good game, as both teams have the attacking potential. Spurs however, have Berbatov and Keane, who are the two most on-form strikers in the Premiership at the moment. If Keane can roll his YTM points-scoring ability from April over to May, it’s an away win.
YTM Prediction: Away Win

Good luck to all your teams at this crunch time of the season!

Cheers

Dave @ YTM HQ