Very Small Rocks Season Thread Continued! [R]

TRANSFER KING!!!! Of course, I am also at the controls of a sinking ship...

 

Shame that it works like that. Those of us who have lives lose out to the people who can sit at the computer all day every day and wait for a player to show up. I guess its affirmative action for shutins.

I still can't understand why we don't have a waiver system. That way players like Forza Moskva that have low scores can get back into the game. I guess a player that has made 35 trades like yourself wouldn't like a system like that though, right? Big shocker.

 

Well here is my first big move. Mid point of December means I need to make some moves. Time to drop a few draft picks that are not working out. I'm also freeing some cash for January.

Sorry to see Freddie go but he is my worst performing mid. Who knows if he'll ever come around. Rommedahl stopped playing as soon as I picked him up so time to switch to the guy who is playing on their team. Cisse is a good player and would score points on another team. I can't see him getting the chance at Liverpool while Rafa is there. Good luck to anybody that takes a chance on these guys.

Out:
Ljungberg (AR) MID
Rommedahl (CA) MID
Cisse (LI) FOR

In:
J.Cole (CH) MID
Ambrose (CA) MID
Cole (MC) FOR

Bank: 2.0
Cost 8 points
Value 96 <-

 

Good move on J Cole, he's clearly in the best form of his career, won't be dropped anytime soon.

Might miss a game over the holidays, but that will be only because of the holidays.

SWP?
Pah - should have stayed at city, he's on a run to nowhere right now.
Pity.

 

We've tried the waiver system a couple of ways and it didn't stick.

First, we tried a round 16 order of the initial draft where the 8th to draft had first choice and so forth.

Second, we tried the reverse order of the table, but that was fouled because of points lost in transfers impacted the standings.

In both cases we never had full participation and we didn't have to go beyond a 2nd round before declaring the transfer window draft over and back to the free for all.

One of the weaknesses of the Jan draft is that we tried to wait until the window closed at the end of the month so all the new transfers into the Premiership could get in the database. That wastes a month of being able to strengthen one's team.

The free for all, all other things considered, seemed to work best and was the clear choice by 6 of 8 managers.

As far as having to wait by the computer all day, that isn't a problem. Typically, fantasy.premierleague.com only adds the new players to the database at the same time as their nightly valuation update. That was at either 11 or 12 PM GMT or 6 or 7 PM EST. So you just have to be alert around that time each day. You could also have a proxy active manager, one you are willing to share your strategy with in advance and who might be on the lookout for you if you can't check in during the nightly updates.

Having said that, at least once last year, I think it was Cisse, fantasy.premierleague.com added some players during the day and Cisse was snatched up by Mark, aka kopiteinkc, before some of us others who were only paying attention at night. However, for the most part, it's been our experience that the players get added with the daily valuation.

Another issue that will have to be faced regardless of a waiver draft or first come, first served, is that you'll have to have the salary cap available (this is a definite challenge, unless you were lucky in the draft or active in the transfer market and increased your team value) and not be at the player limit for the team for the new arrival you want to grab. Sometimes you have to make a multiple trade move to get your man.

Now, here's a couple of hints: As important as getting a new player might be, it seems to me that most new players take a while to get acclimated to the Premiership before they start making good fantasy points or get their manager to start them. So, another way to play the January transfer window is to see who people drop and strengthen your team with others' cast-offs. Now this is a challenge for people who can not spend substantial time on the computer.

Drogba, Reyes, Robben, and Giggs have been acquired as cast-offs in our league. Some managers will part with solid players when betting on the new super signing.

As far as the last comment in your quote, whether I made 35 trades or not has no bearing on what kind of system I prefer. Initially, like some of you, we thought a waiver system would work, but we, as supported by 6 or more of the managers went for simplicity. We tried to accomodate different time zones and other factors and the waiver drafts always fizzled out. Hence we settled for the first come first served simplicity.

 

OK, I give up... now an injury on top of a loss of form and playing time, so it's time for another of my few remaining draft picks to go...

OUT:
Defoe F TH 9.3

IN:
Camara F WI 7.0

-4 points
2.3 in the bank

 

Wow, Joe Cole and Andy Cole both free agents in December. Nice snag. This is what we'd call a domino trade at Small Rocks. When you let go of Ljungberg and Cisse, we expect another team will grab them and release other players whom other managers might want, and so on.

 

I hear you Cannon... I'm giving Freddie the Christmas fixture season to shape up, otherwise he's toast. Never thought I'd say that... I mean Pires gets 10 minutes a game and has more scoring chances.

Of course, Freddie would have assisted on Van Persie's goal yesterday, but dont get me started on that

 

Out: Spector D CA 3.6
In: Ramage D NU 3.8

Team Value: 105.0
Bank: 1.3

 

vsrocks.com is updated with rosters, but I missed a week of team scores. I'll update it tomorrow when bonuses come out.

The approaching holiday game chaos, combined with me being in another city at a different computer, will mean that vsrocks.com will be out of date. I'll pick up the transfers/scores after I get home around the 27th and update for the last 'matchweek' of the three-game crazy period.

 

vsrocks.com is updated to week 17. It's, er, rather tight in that middle-pack area, and some people I know and share a name with and used to get the stuffing beat out of me by are coming on rather forcefully since Week 11.

 

vegas2u / VegasVirgins

OUT: Horsfield F WB 5.3

IN: Todorov F PO 5.1

Bank: 2.5

Last roster with changes in bold:
Harewood F WH 6.8
Yakubu F MI 9.4
Todorov F PO 5.1
Gerrard M LI 8.9
Scholes M MU 8.8
Carrick M TH 6.5
Fabregas M AR 6.5
Kavanagh M 4.8
Terry D CH 8.5
G Neville D MU 6.9
Hyypia D LI 6.5
Davies D WB 4.0
Faye D BW 4.3
James GK MC 5.0
Carroll GK WH 3.5
97.4

Could this be the only Portsmouth guy on any roster? Lua-Lua was loose for a goal and an assist over the last 2 then. Just hate to see those points go to waste.

Good to see that "X" is feeling some heat. Of course that will last until Frankie start at 'em again. Somebody needs to get within 100 so I can start using his real name. Looked funny on the Christmas Card.

 

The vegas2u management team has temporarily moved its headquaters to sunny Tampa FL, away from sunny Las Vegas. Preparing to see the Tampa/Atlanta NFL game today and the question is whether our suntan lotion is strong enough. Life is hard.

But it will be hard to manage the busiest EPL schedule of the year from an "away" location. If this sounds like an excuse in the making, then you are reading it correctly.

Happy Holiday. Especially to you, "X."

 

Merry Christmas all and:

ColdDogSoup FC | 25 Dec 17:18
Delete
Out:
Benayoun M Wham 6.4

In:
Emre M Newc 6.8

Bank: 0.2; Team Value: 102.0
Free transfer

 

Just checking in from my remote holiday location, and I see there's a post by Forza on the league forum about grabbing Vidic after he's signed by MU. Er, about grabbing Vidic *before* he's signed for MU.

A quick review of the Michael Owen situation might be in order--everyone wanted him, but Lobo got him by about 15 minutes over vegas2u. So Forza, if you're reading this, it takes a little diligence to grab the guy, and you can't do it until he's actually on the FPL site.

 

Out: Sheringham F WH 6.0
In: Kuqi F BR 5.8

Bank: 1.5
Value 104.3

And we go full circle.

 

Really feeling rather naked here. But hard to call this a remote location. But here goes a transfer.

Out: Faye D BW 4.4
In: Ferreira D CH 6.8

Bank: .1

Nice to be back near 100.0 again. Gerrard and Scholes get off their arce and my points begin to move.

Now the real BOMB of the draft has to be Ronaldo. All those points for almost no production. But still time left.

For the few NFL fans in this group I can tell you that being at the OT win by Tampa Bay was great. Just about as exciting as the NFL gets.

 

ColdDogSoup FC | 28 Dec 03:27
Out:
Jackson D Wig 3.6

In:
Collins D Wham 3.5

Bank: 0.3 ; Team Value 102.0
Free Transfer

 

Current Roster:

GK;
Given NewC 4.9
Davis Sund 3.5

Defenders:
Lee Tot 5.5
Breen Sund 3.7
Collins Wham 3.5
Gallas Chelsea 7.2
Gray Bburn 3.9

Midfielders;
Robben Chelsea 9.3
Duff Chelsea 9.4
Cahill Ev 7.2
Park ManU 7.5
Emre Newc 6.8

Strikers;
Van Nistelroy ManU 12.0
Owen Newc 10.2
John Ful 5.9

Team Value: 102.0
Bank: 0.3

 

I've realized that Chelski isn't the best team in the Premiership; it's whoever's playing against Sunderland. So with that in mind,

Out:
Arteta M EV 6.0

In:
Emerton M BR 6.4

I'll post an updated roster separately. Also, to comment on the Vidic situation, there has been a rule established on that for some time, and it's true that he's not available to draft until he's actually in the database. Otherwise we're dealing with a guessed value, etc. etc. The rule was established when I tried to draft Eto'o two seasons ago when he seemed to be on his way to Chelski instead of "White Lines" Mutu.

 

updated roster

GK Filan Wi 3.5
GK Friedel BR 4.6

D O'Shea MU 6.2
D Campbell AR 6.5
D Finnan LI 6.3
D Chimbonda WI 4.8
D Brown MU 5.1

M Pires AR 9.5
M Garcia LI 8.5
M Etherington WH 6.6
M Emerton BR 6.4
M Routledge TH 6.5

F Reyes AR 9.8
F Camara WI 7.1
F Ellington WB 5.9

 

Now it's three: Bolton-Boro, Blackburn-Sunderland, Charlton-Toon.