3DD English Premier league Fantasy Football League

[sactochris]

question for the commish:

does the monetary value for each player stay the same from the season's start to end? Or does the value increase if someone gets super hot and scores a ton of goals/has a ton of cleansheets/et al. (or decrease if they suck beyond expectations)?

A players value can rise or fall depending on their performance on the pitch.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

question for the commish:

does the monetary value for each player stay the same from the season's start to end? Or does the value increase if someone gets super hot and scores a ton of goals/has a ton of cleansheets/et al. (or decrease if they suck beyond expectations)?

A players value can rise or fall depending on their performance on the pitch.

so you're saying "some rise, some fall....."

[allisonsdc]

Remember it's a marathon not a sprint

Indeed it is, Dogstar, indeed it is. A marathon that I'm going to win.

forgive the use of "baby" but (A) David and Iggy wrote it, (B) it applies since Bowie was previously used by Allison, and (C) I've been dying for an excuse to post this!

that's fantastic

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

Indeed it is, Dogstar, indeed it is. A marathon that I'm going to win.

forgive the use of "baby" but (A) David and Iggy wrote it, (B) it applies since Bowie was previously used by Allison, and (C) I've been dying for an excuse to post this!

that's fantastic

I thought so as well! I had bookmarked it some time ago and was holding on to it to use in "just the right' scenario. You can't just throw around a jewel like that all willy nilly

[sactochris]

Allison just throttles everybody for the second week in a row.

[Gang Green]

Anyone with Aguero and Ibrahimovic on their front line did pretty well. Hopefully, soon, they'll cool down, twist an ankle or pull a hamstring. Or their opponents will figure out how to defend them. In the mean time, I'm going to stick with my marginal strikers.

It didn't take Liverpool long to be their usual disappointing selves. I thought that they might be good for a few weeks into the season. Was I ever wrong.

[allisonsdc]

It was quite the weekend for Squatney Heelspur! I may need to start thinking about making some trades.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

It was quite the weekend for Squatney Heelspur! I may need to start thinking about making some trades.

holy shit, what happened? I wasn't even gonna check the standings until tomorrow. We were out all day yesterday and all I saw was the last 15 minutes of Man U/Hull, was just assuming I sucked again

[sactochris]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

[Gang Green]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

Had my best week, but not as good as yours. I made a couple of moves, one which paid off today. Notice you have a lot of Watford players. Big pay out with them today after a couple of so so weeks.

[sactochris]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

Had my best week, but not as good as yours. I made a couple of moves, one which paid off today. Notice you have a lot of Watford players. Big pay out with them today after a couple of so so weeks.

I wish I had started my two Spurs defenders. Then I would have really had a monster week.

[allisonsdc]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

Glad I traded out Aguero for Costa (even though I don't really like Costa). He's the only reason I was able to remain competitive this week. Last night I traded out an underperforming defender and midfielder so hopefully next week's squad will be a bit more impressive.

Congrats on winning the week, Sactochris!

[sactochris]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

Glad I traded out Aguero for Costa (even though I don't really like Costa). He's the only reason I was able to remain competitive this week. Last night I traded out an underperforming defender and midfielder so hopefully next week's squad will be a bit more impressive.

Congrats on winning the week, Sactochris!

Remain competitive? You are spanking everyone.

[beantownbubba]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

Had my best week, but not as good as yours. I made a couple of moves, one which paid off today. Notice you have a lot of Watford players. Big pay out with them today after a couple of so so weeks.

I wish I had started my two Spurs defenders. Then I would have really had a monster week.

No shit. I wish I had remembered to re-insert Lloris as my starting GK after subbing him out the previous week when he was not expected to play. Result? First clean sheet of the season. ARRRRGGGHHH!

Remain competitive? You are spanking everyone.

Perhaps this is your first glimpse into Ms A's competitive nature. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[dogstar]

My strikers finally decided to score some goals. Sadly my team seems to be under the influence of their name but I should be able to start paying a bit more attention in to this in a week or so - probably won't change anything though.

[dogstar]

How is everyone doing so far after coming back from the international break?

Glad I traded out Aguero for Costa (even though I don't really like Costa). He's the only reason I was able to remain competitive this week. Last night I traded out an underperforming defender and midfielder so hopefully next week's squad will be a bit more impressive.

Congrats on winning the week, Sactochris!

Remain competitive? You are spanking everyone.

But the assistant managers are back at school now and hopefully will have lots of homework

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

hey Dogstar, finally responded to your message, though likely too late. My fault totally, was suffering from "head-up-ass" syndrome

[beantownbubba]

Wow. Man City. Incredible display of the beautiful game today. A pleasure to watch. I'm very pleased to say that Sterling was the first pick (a transfer pick up) I made just from watching the games as opposed to by reputation or recommendation from others. I gather that he has a checkered past of some kind (not living up to expectations?) but every time I've seen him this year he's been excellent and fun to watch. Debruyne was easily the best I've ever seen him and that free kick goal was something special. Too bad he's not on my team.

Quite a week last week, dogstar. Home pitch advantage finally kicking in?

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

Wow. Man City. Incredible display of the beautiful game today. A pleasure to watch. I'm very pleased to say that Sterling was the first pick (a transfer pick up) I made just from watching the games as opposed to by reputation or recommendation from others. I gather that he has a checkered past of some kind (not living up to expectations?) but every time I've seen him this year he's been excellent and fun to watch. Debruyne was easily the best I've ever seen him and that free kick goal was something special. Too bad he's not on my team.

Agree, I wish every match was that skillfully played. Some of those goals looked as if there were no defenders on the field, the passes were that crisp

[beantownbubba]

I wish every match was that skillfully played.

Now that's a world I'd like to live in. I bet DBT would be on the radio, too.

[dogstar]

Wow. Man City. Incredible display of the beautiful game today. A pleasure to watch. I'm very pleased to say that Sterling was the first pick (a transfer pick up) I made just from watching the games as opposed to by reputation or recommendation from others. I gather that he has a checkered past of some kind (not living up to expectations?) but every time I've seen him this year he's been excellent and fun to watch. Debruyne was easily the best I've ever seen him and that free kick goal was something special. Too bad he's not on my team.

Quite a week last week, dogstar. Home pitch advantage finally kicking in?

Who knows. My main advantage is that I get to watch the highlights programmes each week, although saying that I haven't made any changes to my team yet this season. Half my team haven't played yet this weekend so hopefully a few more points to be gathered in today's games.

The commentators on the radio were saying that De Bruyne has chance to become one of the best players in the world based on yesterdays game. It's pretty amazing the transformation that Guardiola has brought about at Manchester City in such a relatively short time. They're definitely going to be the team to beat this season.

[emandrisdad]

Our team here sucks but my son scored 4 goals in his travel game today! That'll have to suffice for this weekend.

[allisonsdc]

One of my trades, a defender, actually lost me some points this week. I didn't even know that was possible. He conceded four goals and got a yellow card -- bastard!! I made this trade on my own, without consulting my assistant coaches. Lesson learned.

Dogstar, you had quite the week - congrats!

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

after being gone last weekend and then not paying any attention upon "re-entry," I need to do some tinkering with my lineup for sure. I don't have any assistants, though I am considering a seance to see if Brian Clough has any suggestions

[beantownbubba]

All I can say is that I better not lose this league by 5 points. After forgetting to reinsert Lloris into my starting lineup 2 wks ago, I know I did so last week. And yet, there he was on my bench while recording a clean sheet in reality. GGGRRRRRR.

Now we wait w/ bated breadth to see how Harry Kane does w/ that injury.

It's pretty clear that I was way too impatient w/ Payet. When he didn't play for a few wks I dropped him then he returned to the lineup and went on a tear, lol. He's now back where he belongs, hopefully not too late.

[beantownbubba]

I clearly need a primer on the EPL so I figured I'd post questions here and anyone can feel free to answer at their leisure. Here's a few to start w/:

Do all teams play in a "mid week league" (e.g. the Champions League) or is that only for some teams? (i know, or think, that the Champions League is for the top 4 in the EPL)

Since playing 2 games/wk seems a bit crazy, presumably teams have to manage their resources. Which do they prioritize, the EPL or the Champions League (or equivalent)? Is there any kind of "open secret" about whether players take it easy in certain competitions in order to rest for others? Is there any point in trying to watch who is kept out of the mid-week games on the theory that they'll play better in the EPL games and vice versa?

I understand the basics of what relegation is, but I don't understand the mechanics at all. If a team is elevated, does its payroll automatically go up? What about ticket prices? And what about the same in reverse? When a team gets relegated do its fans stick w/ it, especially when it comes to buying tix and attending games? Can a newly promoted 2nd Div team actually complete in the EPL w/ a roster that was presumably very much a second division roster only a few months before or do promoted teams go on a buying spree? Is it pretty typical for relegated teams in both directions to last only a season or 2 before reverting to its "historical" division or is there actually a lot of long term re-positioning? Do stars on relegated teams regularly jump ship? Do relegated teams dump stars on the theory that there's no point in paying them?

It's obvious that some teams are considered historical heavyweights ("traditional powers" would be another similar term) and others are after-thoughts. I assume some fall in the middle as well. Which teams would generally be considered the heavyweights other than Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool? I know Man City is really good now but haven't they mostly been the "little brother" to Man U?

How many teams are actually in London and which are they? Does each have its own stadium? Are all the games between London based teams considered "derbies" or does each team have a designated (or acknowledged) rival that is its derby opponent? If the latter is it based on history, geography or other?

Is each team required to reserve a specified section of its stadium for fans of the opposing team? Is it a big deal to go to away games?

Does each team keep all its own revenues, is it all pooled or is it some of each (e.g. tv money shared, ticket revenue not)?

Are there salary caps on players and/or payroll caps on teams?

What does it mean for a player to be loaned from one team to another? I mean i get the general idea, but does the player actually become a fully committed player on the loaned team? Does the receiving team commit to actually using the loaned player (either psychologically or more literally in a contractual way)? How does that work in practice - is it some kind of limbo for team, player & fans or is the player treated just like a "real" member of the team ? Is a loan always for a full season or can there be loans for shorter or longer periods?

Are clubs required to let their players play for their respective national teams? Always or for a set number of games per season or year?

I guess that's enough for now, lol.

[allisonsdc]

It's obvious that some teams are considered historical heavyweights ("traditional powers" would be another similar term) and others are after-thoughts. I assume some fall in the middle as well. Which teams would generally be considered the heavyweights other than Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool? I know Man City is really good now but haven't they mostly been the "little brother" to Man U?

I don't know much about the history of the EPL, but your comment about Man U reminded me that my kids decided to offer a 50% discount to Man U fans at their lemonade stand yesterday because they felt so bad for them about their loss to Watford. What a kick in the gut.

[Gang Green]

I clearly need a primer on the EPL so I figured I'd post questions here and anyone can feel free to answer at their leisure. Here's a few to start w/:

Do all teams play in a "mid week league" (e.g. the Champions League) or is that only for some teams? (i know, or think, that the Champions League is for the top 4 in the EPL).

I'll take a stab, though I'm others will correct me. The top four go the European Champions League the next year. The fifth place finisher goes to the UEFA League. Teams who qualified for Europe last season are playing those games concurrent to their Premiership Schedule. Plus, there's the FA Cup which is a tournament for all levels of English football including non-league teams. This gets exciting when a non-league team hosts a Man U. And, you also have the League Cup, which is just a tournament among teams in the league.

I think teams who qualify for Europe want to do well in their European Leagues. I'm guessing a home and away leg against Barcelona or Real Madrid is profitable. The FA Cup is not as much of a priority for the top teams who are playing in Europe unless they are going for the treble. That's winning the League, Europe and the FA Cup. But the FA Cup and the League Cup are more of a priority for teams lower in the table or in the lower leagues.

Don't forget the Premier League has only been around since 1993 and Man United has won the majority of years since 1993. Back in the old Division 1 days, Liverpool was more of a dominant team. I've heard that 90% of the people who live in Manchester are City fans. Man U fans come of everywhere else. City has only been good for about the past five years. Back in the late 90's they actually struggled to stay in the Premiership and were relegated a few times. I believe Man City had a good run in the early 70's. Man U wasn't always good, but they always have the aura. The plane crash, George Best, Bobby Charlton. Chelsea was never a serious challenger until around 1995 when they started spending some money and the Bosman (kind of like free agency) ruling came down. Chelsea did have good team around 1970 when they made the FA Cup and had a popular player named Peter or something Osgood. I could be wrong about that name. But, that's when they recorded one of the best footie anthems, "Blue is the Colour". Spurs and Arsenal were the top London clubs for a lot of history.

I'm not positive, but when teams get promoted, they jack up their ticket prices. When I was in England, I used to attend Watford matches as they floundered between D one and two. Then, in 1999/2000 they made the Premiership, then I couldn't afford tickets and couldn't find tickets. I'm guessing they're forced to lower prices when they're demoted. Also, I'm guessing adjustments are made to the roster depending who they can afford and who they have under contract.

Now I'm rambling, help me out someone.

[dogstar]

See below

Do all teams play in a "mid week league" (e.g. the Champions League) or is that only for some teams? (i know, or think, that the Champions League is for the top 4 in the EPL)

The midweek slots are for the European competitions and domestic cup competitions plus make up dates for the league because of cup fixtures at the weekend or international breaks.

Since playing 2 games/wk seems a bit crazy, presumably teams have to manage their resources. Which do they prioritize, the EPL or the Champions League (or equivalent)? Is there any kind of "open secret" about whether players take it easy in certain competitions in order to rest for others? Is there any point in trying to watch who is kept out of the mid-week games on the theory that they'll play better in the EPL games and vice versa?

The answer is it depends. The teams who regularly qualify for Europe tend to have a larger squads with higher quality players so they can chop and change a bit without overly effecting the quality of the side they put out. The teams who qualify less regularly, e.g. Leicester, would have a smaller squad and therefore probably would prioritise. It also depends on what the owners want to a large extent - Abramovich is widely believed to value the Champions league over the EPL. Most of the teams plating in Europe (and some that aren't) would also tend to put out their second string sides in the League Cup (or what ever it's called now) and possibly the FA Cup.

I understand the basics of what relegation is, but I don't understand the mechanics at all. If a team is elevated, does its payroll automatically go up? What about ticket prices? And what about the same in reverse? When a team gets relegated do its fans stick w/ it, especially when it comes to buying tix and attending games? Can a newly promoted 2nd Div team actually complete in the EPL w/ a roster that was presumably very much a second division roster only a few months before or do promoted teams go on a buying spree? Is it pretty typical for relegated teams in both directions to last only a season or 2 before reverting to its "historical" division or is there actually a lot of long term re-positioning? Do stars on relegated teams regularly jump ship? Do relegated teams dump stars on the theory that there's no point in paying them?

Again it depends. The players are generally on 3-4 year contracts so it depends what their contracts say. A lot of the Villa players had relegation clauses in their contracts so they will be paid less now we've dropped a league. Players coming up with a team will obviously be keen to be paid more but I don't think the contracts usually have promotion clauses, mind you it is usually in the clubs interest to renegotiate to keep their best players. There is a sort of cap in place through the financial fair play rules which limits the amount clubs can pay in wages to a proportion of their income (I don't know the details of this). When teams get relegated the players will often jump ship or be sold to get the wage bill down, Villa offloaded 9 players over the summer, but again it depends - Newcastle have held onto most of their squad from last year.

In terms of ticket prices, etc it can work in very strange ways. At the moment Villa are getting larger crowds this year than they did at the end of last season but the prices are still the same. I'm not sure about clubs raising prices when they come up, I'll let you know next year.

It's obvious that some teams are considered historical heavyweights ("traditional powers" would be another similar term) and others are after-thoughts. I assume some fall in the middle as well. Which teams would generally be considered the heavyweights other than Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool? I know Man City is really good now but haven't they mostly been the "little brother" to Man U?

A lot of it is to do with history, for instance were the club a founder of the football league, have they won a European Cup. The biggest teams outside the top division are probably Newcastle, Villa, Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday - all of these teams will regularly draw crowds of 30,000 plus outside the top division.

How many teams are actually in London and which are they? Does each have its own stadium? Are all the games between London based teams considered "derbies" or does each team have a designated (or acknowledged) rival that is its derby opponent? If the latter is it based on history, geography or other?

In the EPL Palace, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, West Ham. Outside the EPL Fulham, Leyton Orient, Millwall, Brentford, QPR (probably missed some). They all have their own stadiums (as far as I know) except for West Ham who have a lease on the Olympic Stadium. Derbies are funny and are mainly based on geography - Arsenal and Spurs is the obvious derby but Chelsea's derby is Fulham, West Ham's is Millwall or Orient and Crystal Palace's is actually Brighton & Hove Albion (which has to do with the clubs being called the Eagles and Seagulls and a dispute over who got their first).

Is each team required to reserve a specified section of its stadium for fans of the opposing team? Is it a big deal to go to away games?

There are away sections at every ground. It's usually difficult to get tickets in the away end as most clubs have a limited number and they go to season ticket holders first and then people with a history of going to away games. I went to loads of Villa away games back in the mid 90's and these are often the best games to go to as a fan as you're usually in with the other fanatics.

Does each team keep all its own revenues, is it all pooled or is it some of each (e.g. tv money shared, ticket revenue not)?

All the teams keep their own gate revenue. The TV revenue is pooled and is split out under a complicated arrangement based around league position, the number of games they are involved in that are shown on TV and then a general allocation. In the FA Cup the home and away teams split the revenue, I'm not sure of the details of how this works.

Are there salary caps on players and/or payroll caps on teams?

See above.

What does it mean for a player to be loaned from one team to another? I mean i get the general idea, but does the player actually become a fully committed player on the loaned team? Does the receiving team commit to actually using the loaned player (either psychologically or more literally in a contractual way)? How does that work in practice - is it some kind of limbo for team, player & fans or is the player treated just like a "real" member of the team ? Is a loan always for a full season or can there be loans for shorter or longer periods?

Ran out of time on this one, will get back to it later

Are clubs required to let their players play for their respective national teams? Always or for a set number of games per season or year?

Yes. If a player is picked for the national team then FIFA rules say the club has to let them play. If the club stops them from playing then the player may be suspended and the club would certainly get some kind of penalty, although I can' t remember a instance of this.

I guess that's enough for now, lol.

Yes that's enough for now

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

In terms of ticket prices, etc it can work in very strange ways. At the moment Villa are getting larger crowds this year than they did at the end of last season but the prices are still the same. I'm not sure about clubs raising prices when they come up, I'll let you know next year.

I see what you did there

I like the way you think