the wife and i, in addition to being baseball, football, basketball and hockey fans, are also very much into soccer. we both had teams for the English Premier League last season, and with the new year kicking off on August 11th, we're ready for this year, too.

with a 38-week season, that runs from mid-August to mid-May, there's always games to follow, and Fox Soccer Channel shows matches every weekend. last year, i finished around 183,000....out of 1.3 million.

in the interest of full disclosure, here's my week 1 lineup:

Goal: Tim Howard
Defense: Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, Richard Dunne
Midfield: Christiano Ronaldo (captain*), Gary Speed, Darren Bentley, Cesc Fabregas
Forwards: Niklas Anelka, Kevin Doyle, Bobby Zamora

Subs: Marcus Hahnemann, Gary McSheffrey, Carlos Bocanegra, Nicky Shorey

* the player chosen as captain earns double points

so, is anyone else around here into the game? i'd be interested to set up a sub-group for anyone who wants to try it out.

I know a few players and know who won and stuff but dont really follow it. I think its great game though.

Ronaldo is slowly starting to replace Theirry Henry as my favorite player



Christiano that is I honestly think that he and Ronaldino could make any US soccer team dizzy by themselves

I would be interested in joining a league.

you can still join up on the official league site: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/index.html

Yahoo UK/Ire has a game as well, but Barclay's is far superior, IMO

the only sub-group i set up was for another message board. i'd offer a spot to you, but you'd be way behind on points (season is in week 16 of 38). if you're still interested though, lemme know and i'll start another group for Rotoworld.

this goes for anyone else who's interested, as well!

fwiw....the lineup i posted back in August has undergone major changes - 12 of those 15 are long gone. my lineup for week 16 (in progress):

Pepe Reina (GK), Lescott, Martin Laursen, Rio Ferdinand (D), Fabregas, Martin Petrov, Tim Cahill, Clint Dempsey, Steven Gerrard (M), Emmauel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz (F)

RSD5: Ronaldo's had a tough season thus far.....but 5 goals in the last three matches will get anyone back on track in a hurry

Sign me up too!!!! Just let me finish rounding out my sychronized swimming squad. I even have first round pick in my upcoming curling draft. I just don't know who to pick first, USA, Sweden or Canada? The USA team is strong, led by Shawn Rojeski,Pete Fenson and Joe Polo. God, it is a tough call

just for S's and G's, i went ahead and created a league, with scoring to start in week 17, which is next weekend (Sat-Sun). we all start from 0, so my points to date won't factor in.

it's called "Rotoworld Cup" and to join, go here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/index.html

you have 100 million pounds to spend on 15 players, 11 of whom you start. you are allowed a max of three players per EPL team. there are a bunch of scoring cats, but not so many that it will take long to catch up, and there are only four positions. your weekly lineup is a Goalkeeper and the others can be arranged in different formations, just like FF.

if you're saying to yourself, "that's great, but i wouldn't even know where to begin", then know that my roster, posted above, and the site itself are very helpful in figuring that part out. the "Pundit" section gives weekly roster tips, and the "Transfers" section, where you make moves has all the stats and player points, both by league and team. clicking on the "I" tab next to their name gives a bio and game-by-game stats, along with daily league add/drop totals.

you can also watch games on Fox Soccer Channel each weekend. thanks to the time difference, they start around 10am Eastern.

if anyone is interested, PM me and i'll send you the code to join. if not, that's cool too.....

I watch World Cup Futbol when that rolls around every 4 years but other than that, nah

not to be rude, but you are kidding right?

do u have a deadline for when u need people? im debating whether or not i wanna get in on it

alright, you guys are serious. have fun with that. i mean no disrespect, but it sure aint my thing.

ur in the majority in that respect

My team is registered.

no....the scoring for our league starts next weekend.

How many transfers do we get for the season?

I saw the ord Soccer so.... Go Dynamo Go!

you get a free transfer each week, additional transfers cost 4 points each.

you also get a Wild Card, which you can use to make as many transfers you want in a given week, without penalty. i used mine a few weeks ago, and made 9-10 free moves.

so sign up!.....there's plenty of Americans to put on your team

FYI, there's an added bonus:

Hey, being a huge football fan from the UK I'd feel a bit of a cheater joining your league, but if you're interested, there's a Roto league available on the Times website, only just started this year I think.

http://playthegame.timesonline.co.uk/soccer/times_login.asp

now, now.....don't be so sure about that! i'm actually ranked 120k out of 1.5 million. not great, but that's around top 7%.

think about joining up with us, anyway. like i wrote before, we're all starting with a clean slate this weekend.



i'll have to check it out.....thanks!

I'm playing Fantasy Soccer for the England Premiership with Yahoo, but it sucks. They don't have those little reports for players which says if they're injured or expected to sit out a game. I'm too lazy to go check European sites.

i have a team there, too, and i agree....it's mediocre at best. the interface is dull, player valuation is odd, and not having bench really hurts when players sit out. at least in Barclay's, they have auto substitutions. that's how i got hooked up with Kitson's goal the other week.

you should join our league! get in on the ground floor!

Auto-subbing sounds good. Another thing that annoys me with Yahoo's is that it penalizes you for selling players high. The add/drop just seems counter-intuitive. You should be able to sell high over the course of a year and have a team value over 100 imo.

exactly.....i got Fernando Torres dirt-cheap, something like 6.5 million and he's now worth around 12. but if i want to move him, and get away from the rotation system in Liverpool, i can only sell him for what i paid....silliness. you should be rewarded for making smart moves, not penalized, and that's another point in Barclay's favor.

i'll PM you the link and league entry code, just so you have it. i believe you have several hours before rosters lock for this weekend's matches.

Points after Week 1:

CB Chargers FC (Timmah!) - 50 points

Granicar (JSinisa) - 37 points

Come On Pelican (ewanbrown) - 35 points

Kaba Montreal FC (Dr. Whom) - 30 points


next week's matches are on Saturday and Sunday, the FSC programming guide is as follows:

Saturday: Liverpool v. Portsmouth (10am), Fulham v. Wigan (12pm), Middlesbrough v. West Ham (4.30)

Sunday: Man United v. Everton (7am), Blackburn v. Chelsea (11)

Still room for more owners!

im big chelsea fc fan, Lampard is my favorite player in the world. I play fantasy premierleague and also squaddog fantasyfootball manager game. I love english premierleague and soccer is my no1 sport.

I challenge you to join this league. Finland only know hockey and death metal music

Scores for Week 2 (goal scorers in italics):

Granicar (JSinisa) - 64 - Ronaldo 2, Dempsey, Adebayor, Benjani
CB Chargers (Timmah!) - 55 - Cahill, Adebayor
Kaba Montreal (Dr. Whom) - 51 - Adebayor, Benjani
Come On Pelican (ewanbrown) - 45 - Ronaldo 2, Benjani

League Totals:

CB Chargers - 105
Granicar - 101
Kaba Montreal - 81
Come On Pelican - 80

quick reminder....we only have a short break before Gameweek 19, on Boxing Day (Wed)!

FSC is showing 5 matches, starting with Chelsea/Aston Villa at 8am (EST), through Birmingham/Middlesbrough at 5pm. i wish i didn't have to work.....

Week 3 Points:

CB Chargers - 86 - Santa Cruz 2, Cahill, Dempsey, Gerrard, Laursen
Come On Pelican - 73 - Gerrard, Ronaldo
Granicar - 62 - Barry, Dempsey, Ronaldo
Kaba Montreal - 52 - Gerrard, Laursen

League Point Totals through 3 weeks:

CB Chargers - 191
Granicar - 163
Come On Pelican - 153
Kaba Montreal - 133

CB Chargers, Granicar and Come On Pelican all advanced into Round 2 of the Fantasy Cup, an all-entry tournament that runs through the second half of the season. i forget what you win....anyone remember from last year?

i love soccer

then join the league....there's still 5 months left in the season!

i'll PM ya the info....there's more matches this weekend.

Quick Reminder:

We have Gameweek 20 matches this weekend, then there is a very short transfer window before Gameweek 21, which is Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan 1-2).

We will then have a break until Jan 12, when Gameweek 22 begins.

As for "real life" matters:

The January transfer window will be opening, and i'm expecting some movement. (hopefully, Reading adds a midfielder!) i can't say i've seen any major names leaving, but if anyone else has rumors to share, it'd be cool to hear them i've heard that Tottenham will be looking to spend, and Chelsea will need to add some depth.....

...which leads me to the African Cup of Nations, which runs from Jan 20 through Feb 10. a lot of players will be unavailable during that stretch. fortunately, most of our players' countries didn't qualify, but it's something to keep in mind before transferring in somebody.

Good luck this weekend everyone, and there's always room for more!

Frsutration was the name of the game this weekend, as the top scores reached during the week turned into more pedestrian efforts.

we all should have been starting Reading and Tottenham players, who combined for 10 goals yesterday....unfortunately for me, i left Dave Kitson and his two goals on my bench, but Dr. Whom got 3 assist from Nicky Shorey!

the points for Week 20:

CB Chargers - 46 - Adebayor, Cahill, Santa Cruz
Kaba Montreal - 45 - Adebayor
Granicar - 43 - Adebayor, Agbonlahor, Ronaldo
Come On Pelican - 41 - Bentley, Ronaldo

League Points after 4 weeks:

CB Chargers - 237
Granicar - 206
Come On Pelican - 194
Kaba Montreal - 178

Fanasty Cup scores are still provisional, and that update will come on Wednesday, when we recap Week 21, which begins on Tuesday, Jan 1.

Happy New Year's everyone!

Scores for Week 21:

Kaba Montreal - 70 - Adebayor, Elano, Laursen, Mellberg
Granicar - 62 - Adebayor
CB Chargers - 53 - Adebayor, Laursen
Come On Pelican 48 - Campbell

The fantasy scores rebounded as we finished a busy holiday stretch, even though there wasn't any more than 3 goals scored in any particular game. Emmanuel Adebayor's hot streak (3 goals in four matches) was a nice Christmas gift for his owners.

Overall Points:

CB Chargers - 290
Granicar - 268
Kaba Montreal - 248
Come On Pelican - 242

The points got much closer this week, and with 17 more gameweeks remaining, it's still anybody's game. there's even time for new entries to get in the mix, so if you think it's too late, think again!

We have a break this weekend, as the FA Cup tournament resumes, but we'll be back at it for Gameweek 22 during Jan 12-14. The transfer window is open, but no major names have been sent out of yet - although BW's Niklas Anelka is talking about a possible move to Chelsea.

if anybody else wants in, lemme know!

My squad is starting to get healthy

mine's getting into top form....i hope. i woke up this morning thinking that, as long as Fabregas is ready to get back where he was pre-injury, the Almunia transfer works out, and my overall depth holds up, i might be in good shape going forward.

of course, this comes out today (from Fox):



there goes my 4th defender....calling Nicky Shorey!

Only I get Shorey!

Hey Timmah...Is there any way to change Captain status to another player?

yup....on your team page, below your roster, is a drop-down menu that says "Captain" next to it. anyone of your starting XI can wear the armband.

fyi, if you want to switch your current captain out of the lineup, you have to name someone else first.

There's been a shakeup at the top of the table!

Granicar struck gold not just with Christiano Ronaldo's hat trick yesterday (all coming in the 2nd half), but by making him his Captain, he earned double points, giving him 42 from one guy. that was enough to push him past the CB Chargers club for 1st place. the outburst made Ronaldo the highest-scoring player in the game, despite having missed four weeks.

Rio Ferdinand and Joleon Lescott's goal/clean sheet combos were helpful for clubs willing to pay a little extra on defenders, while Emmauel Adebayor continued his hot streak with a penalty kick.

Week 22's final tallies:

Granicar - 88 - Ronaldo 3, Adebayor, Lescott
Come On Pelican - 70 - Ronaldo 3, Ferdinand, Lescott
CB Chargers - 62 - Adebayor, Ferdinand, Laursen, Lescott
Kaba Montreal - 43- Adebayor, Davies, Laursen

Points through 6 weeks:

Granicar (JSinisia) - 356
CB Chargers (Timmah!) - 348
Come On Pelican (ewanbrown) - 312
Kaba Montreal (Dr. Whom) - 291

All four teams have been eliminated from the Fantasy Cup, with CB Chargers the only team to go as far as the 3rd round.

Good luck to everyone in next weekend!

GRANICAR BUILDS LEAD WITH SAT. OUTBURST

Granicar opened up a 24-point lead after another strong showing in Week 23. Ronaldo, Adebayor and Benjani combined for 6 goals for the pace-setter to start the weekend; Joleon Lescott later added to the tally in an overall quiet offensive weekend. If they ever fall off form, a lot of owners are going to be scrambling!

Week 23 points:

Granicar - 70 - Benjani 3, Adebayor 2, Ronaldo, Lescott
Come On Pelican - 59 - Benjani 3, Ronaldo, Lescott
Kaba Montreal - 57 - Benjani 3, Adebayor 2
CB Chargers - 56 - Adebayor 2, Lescott

Overall Points (through 7 weeks):

Granicar - 428
CB Chargers - 404
Come On Pelican - 371
Kaba Montreal -348

Week 24 is broken up; there's a single match on Saturday, with the remaining matches to be played next Tuesday and Wednesday.

RONALDO BRACE KEEPS GRANICAR IN 1ST

Christiano Ronaldo's pair of goals (and Man of the Match points) helped Granicar maintain 1st place positioning through eight weeks of play. It was needed, as CB Chargers found the back of the net early and often; Emmanuel Adebayor's goal streak hit 5 games as all three Forwards scored, and the back four was stout.

Meanwhile, Kaba and COP continue to build momentum, and the race continues after a short rest. Week 25 is just three days away....

Week 24 points:

CB Chargers - 74 - Adebayor, Fabregas, Santa Cruz, Young
Granicar - 70 - Ronaldo 2, Adebayor
Kaba Montreal - 55 - Adebayor, Fabregas
Come On Pelican - 53 - Ronaldo 2

Overall Points:

Granicar - 498
CB Chargers - 478
Come On Pelican - 424
Kaba Montreal - 403