August Surprises Starting XI

With the first manager of the month award and £10,000 been and gone, we at YTM are looking at ways to make you budding managers kick yourselves for not picking players!

We have already shown you the best possible team, but here are eleven players who perhaps were not expected by many to do as well as they have done in the first few weeks of the season.

1015 - D James - 3.5m - 18 points
James moved to the South-Coast to be with his fiancee, but even he must not have expected the great start to the season that he has experienced. James has once again shown the critics why he was in the squad for the World Cup, and how any England manager would have to consider him for the England setup.

2106 - L Primus - 3.5m - 15 points
Harry Redknapp's revolution at Pompey seems to constantly include Linvoy Primus. He was seen by all of his other managers as merely a fringe player, yet Redknapp keeps picking him, and is currently being repaid for his faith. Primus has started the season very well alongside Sol Campbell, and he is currently a bargain at 3.5m.

2104 - D Stefanovic - 3.5m - 14 points
Stefanovic has been a regular for the new-look Portsmouth team, and he as well as all his team-mates have surprised all of us at YTM HQ with their fantastic start to the season.

2023 - I Campo - 3.5m - 14 points
Campo is down as a defender on YTM, but Bolton boss Sam Allardyce seems to prefer to play the veteran Spaniard in the centre of the park. Campo has contributed to Bolton's start to the season with a goal against Spurs in the first game of the season, and this haul of 14 points is well worth the 3.5m you would have to part with to get him in your team.

2040 - W Bridge - 4.5m - 14 points
Everybody expected Ashley Cole to be a Chelsea player by now, but Cole's loss seems to have been Wayne Bridge's gain, as he has started for Chelsea in every game of the season so far, and has been solid, chipping in with the odd KC.

3116 - D Francis - 3m - 17 points
Damien Francis moved to Watford from Wigan, and has played very well so far for the newly promoted team. He has chipped in with 2 goals in three games, and has been one of the most cosistent performers in a team that made Man United work hard for three points last weekend.

3122 - A Young - 2m - 10 points
Ashley Young has had a solid start to his first season in the top flight of English football. He has chipped in with a couple of KCs, and has looked like he will be terrorising full-backs for the rest of the season.

3093 - S Davis - 4m - 14 points
Three clean sheets for Portsmouth and three Key Contributions for Sean Davis has meant that he has had a great start to the season. Portsmouth look like they are starting to get the best out of this tireless midfielder, after his mid-season move from Tottenham last season.

4076 - B Zamora - 5m - 22 points
Dean Ashton's broken ankle meant that Alan Pardew needed someone to fill the striker gap in his team. Zamora stepped up to the plate and has so far scored 4 goals in three games. This form will surely see him stay in the Hammers' starting eleven... unless West Ham go and buy one of the best young strikers in the world in a sensational transfer coup... Zamora will not be too happy!

4061 - K Doyle - 3m - 12 points
Doyle has taken well to life in the Premiership, and has helped himself to a goal and one Key Contribution in Reading's first 3 games. He has proved so promising that there was talk of him signing for Man United before the transfer window closed, but that move failed to materialise. However, if he keeps on performing to his ability, expect the big clubs to come knocking come January.

4087 - N Kanu - 2.5 - 21 points
The gangly Nigerian has proved to everyone that Harry Redknapp was right to take a gamble on him, as he has so far scored 4 goals for his new club. Not many people would have expected Kanu to perform so well, and with the new signings coming just before the transfer deadline, Portsmouth, and Kanu will be hoping to go from strength to strength in the coming months.

These eleven players on You The Manager would have cost you a piffling 38 million. However, they would have scored any manager 171 points for August... enough to win the monthly award of £10,000...

...shame.

YTM HQ