Fantasy Football review

James Dall looks at where points were won and lost

Last updated: 18th August 2008

David James Chelsea Portsmouth Premier League Football

David James: Minus three

FANTASY FOOTBALL FACTS
Top scorer: Gabriel Agbonlahor (16 points)
Worst offenders: David James and Tal Ben Haim (-3 points)

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The first weekend of Sky Sports' Fantasy Football is over - pray tell, how was it for you? Your scribe did not fare all too well, if truth be told. Skulking in the corner, he lies a whimpering 20th in skysports.com towers' private league.

But that (I'll keep telling myself until the next round of Premier League fixtures) is neither here nor there, regret will only churn up a person's insides. With 37 games to go, my time for gloating will surely come.

Saturday, of course, marked the return of the Premier League. The return of bold 323/1 accumulators spread out on the sticky pub table, and the verdict of whether all those 'lunch hours' spent running a fine toothed comb through statistics really paid off.

Goals, assists and clean sheets were among the buzzwords swimming around football fanatics' minds, aware that a high-scoring start to the campaign could hand a distinct advantage in landing the first prize of £10,000 smackers come the end of the 2008/09 season.

The stringing together of these drizzly Monday morning sentences signifies the time to review the winners and the losers; those players that welcomed the season beginning with a merry jig and those that wished they'd remained under their mansion-housed goose down duvet.

A doddle

A number of smug individuals will no doubt be stretched back - hands on the back of the head - at their desks in offices up and down the country of the belief that all this management malarkey is a doddle after they selected Gabriel Agbonlahor as their captain (your skipper receives double the spoils).

The roadrunner-esque forward is perched top of the points charts after his superb trio of goals, plus his award of man of the match from journalist Steve Pass, handed him an impressive score of 16. West Ham striker Dean Ashton, meanwhile, bagged a brace to record nine points, but demonstrated why he may not be a safe bet for the entirety of term after unsurprisingly limping off injured before the game was out.

Fernando Torres (eight) and Roque Santa Cruz (five) shocked no one as they both continued where they left off at the end of the last campaign, while Nicolas Anelka (five) proved he is likely to be a wise choice for your starting XI, at least until Didier Drogba returns from injury.

In midfield, £8million summer signing Deco was the puppeteer of Chelsea's demolition of Portsmouth on Sunday, racking up an assist and a strike to open his campaign with 11 points. Everton's Mikel Arteta (eight) went a long way to matching the Portuguese with his performance, but failed to be named the player of the game.

The laboriously-discussed Gareth Barry (seven) laid on two goals for Aston Villa, while Arsenal playmaker Samir Nasri (eight) illustrated he is likely to score goals from midfield and Hull City's Geovanni (eight), operating as more a striker than a midfielder, is surely now a shoo-in after his display versus Fulham.

Costly

Those from the back-lines of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool will have handed you points aplenty after their respective clean sheets - so long as they remained on the field for at least 75 minutes - but Manchester City and Portsmouth's frailties will have cost you dear.

Pompey goalkeeper David James and Eastlands new boy Tal Ben Haim were the worst offenders, damaging your total by three after they each conceded four and received yellow cards. On a positive note, Middlesbrough stopper David Wheater deserves a mention after recording eight points with a goal and a man of the match display.

So there we have it. The first festival of action has concluded. How did you get on? Who fulfilled your expectations? Who left you wondering why you had bothered entrust so much faith in him? And who are you tipping to shine come the next round of fixtures? Fill us in via the feedback form below.

Not signed up yet, but still fancy your chances with 37 games to go? Click here to play Fantasy Football.

Comments

Craig Oliver (Liverpool fan) says...

my little brother is already bragging about getting the most points in the first week, however i gently reminded him that this is the EPL and there's a long way to go, we have come to an agreement that we can only gloat at the end of a month or if a wild card (such as geovanni) puts in a performance. i love this game!

Posted 09:04 19th August 2008

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