David Yaffe-bellany

The Fantasy Premier League is back. If you haven't joined the World Soccer Talk private league of Fantasy Premier League, what are you waiting for? Find out more details about the invitation code. In this season's Fantasy Premier League game, the league has adjusted the official rulebook, introducing a new bonus points system (BPS, if […]

In August, Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio begins his first full season at Sunderland, a club which has finished in the bottom half of the Premier League table four times in the last five years (in 2011, the club finished tenth). This consistency is pretty remarkable. Since securing promotion in 2008, Sunderland has raised transfer-window […]

In the 1990's, Mark Hughes, who in May replaced Tony Pulis as Stoke City manager, wore his hair long, played for several European powerhouses, and routinely scored incredible volleys. He was a sexy center forward, the kind of player who these days appears on billboards and negotiates image rights. Presumably, Stoke hopes Hughes will recapture […]

Frank Lampard breaks Bobby Tambling’s goal record: Frank Lampard (8.4) is easy to mock. He’s English and therefore lacks the sparkle of players like Mata (10.2), Oscar (8.0) and Hazard (9.6); he’s pathologically incapable of playing alongside Steven Gerrard (9.2), though Gerrard’s tactical indiscipline hasn’t helped matters; and he once yelled at a radio host […]

United is taking things seriously: Manchester United has won the Premier League title, but Sir Alex Ferguson is still chewing gum, still yelling at officials, and still twisting his face into new and exciting expressions of disgust. United isn't taking it easy. On Sunday, Robin van Persie (13.8) scored his sixth goal in four matches. […]

Defoe scores, Tottenham wins: Before Sunday’s match, Jermain Defoe (7.9) hadn’t scored a Premier League goal in 2013, which is pretty embarrassing — for someone whose sole function is goal-scoring, who regularly spends 90 minutes just toddling around the penalty area. But when Defoe’s in form, boy, can he finish. I’m tipping him for a […]

We’re inching closer to the end of the Premier League season with so much still to play for in the league and Fantasy Premier League. Here are my observations from my adventures from gameweek 33 of the Fantasy Premier League: Theo Walcott returns from injury: On Saturday, Arsenal produced one of its worst performances of […]

With just six matches to go in the 2012-13 Premier League season, it’s going to be over before you know it. But before we call the season a day, here’s a recap of my adventures in Fantasy Premier League from last weekend. Kevin Mirallas and the rest of Everton’s forward line: Last week, I recommended […]

Before we dive into gameweek 32 tomorrow, here are my adventures in Fantasy Premier League, gameweek 31 from last weekend. Ricardo Lambert (pronounced Lam-bear): My father sometimes “Europeanizes” Rickie Lambert’s (7.1) name, probably in an effort to sound funny. After all, Lambert has spent most of his career in the Football League, and there’s nothing […]

Before we dive into all of the international matches tomorrow, here are my adventures in Fantasy Premier League, gameweek 30 from last weekend. Fat but effective: Despite the post-Real Madrid transfer rumors, despite Robin van Persie’s (13.7) arrival from Arsenal, and despite Gus Johnson’s harebrained insistence that Danny Welbeck (7.8) is “really good in the […]

Gabriel Agbonlahor and the sad decline of Aston Villa Football Club: There’s something awfully depressing about Aston Villa’s recent slump – something that has everything to do with Gerard Houllier, Darren Bent (7.8) and even Emile “Really big in Australia ” Heskey. A few seasons ago, Villa challenged for a Champions League place. These days, […]

I see a lot of promise in Tottenham Hotspur. I see a club inching its way to the top of the Premier League on the backs of four or five exciting young players, a club that is doing everything to prepare for the long term, short of recruiting an Abramovich-esque billionaire with a big yacht […]

While we're still recovering from England's best hope of winning a Champions League trophy getting knocked out of the tournament yesterday, here are my notes and observations from gameweek 28 in the Fantasy Premier League: Kagawa scores his first Manchester United hat trick: At the beginning of the season, Shinji Kagawa (7.9) was on a […]

A little late this week, but here are my notes and observations from gameweek 27 in the Fantasy Premier League: Americans! In the Premier League! Brek Shea (5.0) made his Stoke debut in a game that I imagine most of you didn’t bother getting up for. There are, after all, more important things in life […]

Gareth Bale is too good for the Premier League: I don’t know which is the greater tragedy: that Bale has played only one season of Champions League football, or that he’s Welsh, and therefore will never play in a World Cup or European Championship. Michu scores twice: What’s interesting about Michu (8.4) isn’t that Swansea’s […]