David Yaffe-bellany

Heading into Gameweek 6, there's plenty of things we can learn from Gameweek 5 that can help us in our Fantasy Premier League football: Ricky Lambert equals goals: Last year it was Grant Holt (6.1) — you know, the former tire-fitter. The year before it was DJ Campbell (4.4). Now it’s Ricky Lambert (6.1). Every […]

1. The guy with the funny name: If you’re a Manchester United fan and you mistrusted Alexander Buttner (5.5) (i.e., you thought he was rubbish), then shame on you. United’s Dutch pocket rocket is already my all-time favorite left back, and I’ve only seen him play once. He looks a bit like one of those […]

1. The game never stops: No one likes FIFA weekends – or, for that matter, FIFA Friday to Tuesday cycles. The matches are boring (England 5, Whipping Boy 0; Spain 5, Money-Spinning Friendly Opponent 0), news is slow and, this weekend, half the tennis was rained out. Worst of all, there are no point-scoring opportunities. There […]

1. Leeds in Norwich: Leeds United haven’t been relevant to fantasy football for a long time. Indeed, since their relegation in 2003, United haven’t even been relevant to real football. Leeds used to be really good, but now they’re managed by Neil Warnock, who divides his time between Elland Road and Gringotts Wizarding Bank. I […]

After Sunderland and Reading scuppered some of our plans to score big in the Fantasy Premier League this weekend, there were still plenty of points to be had in the other nine matches. And so far, it looks like many of you are doing well since the EPL Talk private league in Fantasy Premier League […]

After a whirlwind opening weekend in the Premier League, here are my thoughts and tips relating to Fantasy Premier League. 1. White is the color: Swansea and Fulham finished opening weekend at the top of the Premier League. Two slick European managers and two debut braces helped two teams clad in white to two 5-0 victories. […]

In less than three weeks, the 2012-13 season of the Premier League kicks off. So if you haven't done so already, be sure to sign up for EPL Talk's free mini-league version of Fantasy Premier League. 1. IT’S BACK!: There’s Christmas Day, and then there’s the return of Fantasy Football. After that, quite frankly, there’s nothing. […]

Thanks to Jose Mourinho’s continued success, the sharply dressed Iberian has gradually replaced the bespectacled Scotsman as the de-rigueur football manager. Eighteen months ago, Andre Villas-Boas slid effortlessly into that role with a charming, irresistible panache. He was slightly cooler and sexier than just about every other manager in world football. He looked and smelled […]

Here's the final Adventures in the Fantasy Premier League column of the season. 1. Pay attention: Off-season attentiveness is a prerequisite for early success. Managers who familiarize themselves with the oddly named Europeans sure to trickle into England this summer will, inevitably, make clever, assured choices when compiling their first elevens. Do your reading, and […]

1. This isn’t Italy — Despite everything that Roberto Mancini has said over the last two weeks, Premier League teams very rarely have “nothing to play for”. Take Norwich City. Spiraling towards end-of-season malaise, the Canaries arrived at the Emirates on Saturday with a point to prove. Presumably inspired by the FA’s recent managerial decision, Grant […]

1. Chelsea are dull- The good old days have returned. After dispensing with the innovative AVB, Chelsea have reverted to their “Mourinho tactics”. Who cares if the new style alienates Fernando Torres? It’s effective, and that’s all that matters. Plus it makes Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry very valuable indeed. Petr Cech, too. 2. The […]

1. Tevez- In fantasy football, you don’t have to deal with uncooperative players. That’s why it was difficult for managers like you and me to get our heads around Mancini’s Tevez dilemma. But we certainly understand goals. Goals. Tevez. Three at Carrow Road, which makes four last week in total. And Wolves coming up next Sunday… […]

Redemption- These were gameweeks of redemption, and not just for Wigan Athletic. Andy Carroll was absolutely shocking for 91 minutes of Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Ewood Park, before springing into life for the final 120 seconds. Joey Barton, too, put previous struggles behind him with a goal in QPR’s potentially crucial 3-0 win over Swansea. […]

Squeaky Bum Time- As the clock ticks on this year’s Premier League, fantasy managers everywhere are beginning to sweat. Whatever your motivation – pub bragging rights, office sweepstakes, England job – the importance of cashing in on opportunities now couldn’t be clearer. With that in mind, here’s a bit of advice: If you haven’t yet […]

Feed the Yak- Along with Danny Graham and Grant Holt, Yakubu is one of the top three value-for-money forwards in the Fantasy Premier League. Available at £5.9 million, he has scored more league goals than either Balotelli or Dzeko. He is an automatic starter at Blackburn and a consistent penalty-taker. Last week, his headed goal […]