Team of the Month October

A great month of Fantasy Football has ended, and there is another one already upon us! November looks set to answer a few questions in the title race, with most of the top 5 teams playing each other at some stage. Bolton and Pompey, it is now time for you to prove your worth!

Anyway, here are the best performing players in You The Manager for October...


E Van der Sar
Manchester United - £5m
19 Points
Three clean sheets in October for Van der Sar, the last line of a very impressive Man United defence.

R Ferdinand
Manchester United - £7.5m
23 points
Man United's clean sheets, and a superb goal against Liverpool... The Scousers must hate seeing him on the teamsheet!

N Vidic
Manchester United - £5.5m
25 Points
Three clean sheets, one Key Contribution, and a goal against Wigan leaves Vidic with a very impressive tally for October.

G Neville
Manchester United - £6m
15 Points
Captain Neville will be happy with the defensive displays this month of his Man United back four and 'keeper.

R Dunne
Manchester City - £5m
18 Points
A goal in the last weekend and a couple of clean sheets for City means that Dunne completes the all-Manchester defence this month.

G Barry
Aston Villa - £5m
18 Points
Barry has been an inspirational captain this month, chipping in with two important goals.

T Cahill
Everton - £6.5m
17 Points
Cahill takes the plaudits this month for Everton, but who would bet against Mr Johnson being back in the limelight come 30th November?

A Young
Watford - £2m
24 Points
Young has had a great October, with goals and KCs aplenty. He will be one of the main reasons that Watford stay up.

B McBride
Fulham - £6m
16 Points
McBride has been in the goals this month, and he is proving that he is a very reliable YTM purchase.

N Kanu
Portsmouth - £2.5m
20 Points
Kanu has scored a few good goals this month, mostly with his head! Redknapp will be looking for Kanu to continue in this form if Pompey are to stay near the top of the table.

W Rooney
Manchester United - £9m
24 Points
He may not have been scoring until the last weekend, but Rooney's performances and Key Contributions have made him a must-have for October's Team of the Month. You just can't keep a good player down!


Dave @ YTM HQ

Team of the Week 11

Apologies for no predictions on Friday... Will promise to deliver some superb ones for this weekend!!

A good week for Manchester United, and for Wayne Rooney in particular. Any YTM manager with him in their team will have notched up 14 points for his excellent hat-trick against Bolton.

Other big scorers this week were Dickie Dunne, for his winning goal against Middlesbrough, and Pedro Mendes, who scored and was a class act for Pompey against Reading. He even tried Goalkeeping near the end of the game... for which he should have been reprimanded. Credit to him for admitting it afterwards though!

Oh, and Leeds won... Dennis Wise you diamond!!

Dave @ YTM HQ

November Preview

Well we've been studying the November fixture list to try and come up with some decisive factors to help you pick an all-conquering 11 that will win you an incredible £10,000.

Here is what we've come up with:

1) 11 teams play 5 times. Th rest play 4 or less. The 11 are (in league order): Manchester United, Chelsea, Bolton, Portsmouth, Arsenal, Everton, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Fulham, Manchester City and Sheffield United.

2) 5 of these 11 teams play 3 home games in November. They are: Manchester United, Bolton, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Fulham.

3) Avoid Blackburn players as they are scheduled to only play 3 games in November.

4) Liverpool have not lost at home all season and have only conceded 3 goals at Anfield. Their 3 home fixtures in November against Reading, Manchester City and Portsmouth look like 9 points and clean sheets a plenty to YTM HQ.

5) Lots of the top 8 play each other: Manchester United v Portsmouth, Manchester United v Chelsea, Manchester United v Everton, Bolton v Arsenal, Bolton v Chelsea, Arsenal v Liverpool, Everton v Aston Villa, Everton v Bolton and Liverpool v Portsmouth. These games are difficult to call but we think the Bolton and Portsmouth bubbles will be coming under pressure during November.

6) Are Watford becoming 0-0 experts? With Marlon King out injured the Hornets have opted to keep it tight and consequently drawn their last 2 Premier League games 0-0. With Middlesbrough and Sheffield United visiting Vicarage Road in Novemeber we predict a couple more clean sheets for the men in yellow.

7) Aston Villa only play 1 other team from the top 8. Their have home fixtures against Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Manchester City and away games versus Everton and Wigan. We see the Martin O'Neil band wagon continuing to gather pace.

8) We expect Manchester United to be clear at the top come the end of November. Their fixtures against Portsmouth, Chelsea and Everton at home and Blackburn and Sheffield United away look slightly easier than Chelsea's 3 testing away games at White Hart Lane, Old Trafford and the Reebok. Should Chelsea pick up any further injuries their squad could well be tested to the limit.

As a bit of fun YTM HQ have selected 3 teams to "compete" in November. They won't actually be entered in to the competition but we'll score them via the Blog to see how they get on.

Judging by our performance in the Champions ML they won't do very well but you never know!

Team 1:

Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Young, Carsley, Barry, Agbonlahor, Kuyt, Drogba.

Clean sheets galore for the Red Men.

Team 2:

Sorensen, Hughes, Ridgewell, Mellberg, P Neville, Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Agbonlahor, Kuyt, Drogba.

O'Neil bandwagon to roll on.

Team 3:

Van der Sar, G Neville, Vidic, R Ferdinand, Heinze, Young, Scholes, Valencia, Agbonlahor, Kuyt, Rooney.

United's rock solid form to continue.

That's it for now. I hope this info proves useful.

Remember the deadline for entries is at 12.30pm on Saturday 4th November.

Good luck!
Tom
YTM HQ

Interview with Zoran Furlan - current YTM leader

Name: Zoran Furlan
Age: 40
Town: Zagreb, Croatia
Occupation: Customer Service Specialist
Track Record: His 2nd season of playing YTM. Came 3rd last year and won 2 manager of the month competitions.


Zoran currently leads YTM 06/07 by 19 points.

YTM HQ: Your star player so far?

ZF: My star player so far is I. Campo, a huge 56 points in 9 games, shame I don't have him in all my teams!

YTM HQ: Your worst player pick so far?

ZF: Ifill - poor form. I thought that he could score 4-5 goals in the season, but he is out of the first team at the moment.

YTM HQ: Who do you think will be the best value YTM player at the end of the season?

ZF: It seems that I. Campo and A. Young have a good chance of being the best value YTM player at the end of the season.

YTM HQ: Who is the most over valued player in YTM?

ZF: I think S. Petrov is the most over valued player in YTM. A good player, but unlikely to achieve around 150 points in the season.

YTM HQ: We agree. He was valued for the purposes of our Scottish game and we had to stick with this value once he trasferred to Villa Park.

YTM HQ: How do you rate your performance out of 10 so far this season?

ZF: Talking about my tactical ideas, including a few very brave (all or nothing) choices, I'm pretty happy until now - so I rate myself a 9. Talking about the pool of players in my teams - I rate myself a 6, which I will improve in 2nd transfer window, I hope!

YTM HQ: How many transfers are you planning per team in Transfer Window 2?

ZF: Between 0 and 5. It depends on a lot of factors. I like my teams, especially the top ones, to be as different as possible. Of course I have 2-3 "points machine" players in more than 50% of my teams.

YTM HQ: How many transfers do you hope to have left per team for Transfer Window 4?

ZF: As many as possible! I hope to have a minimum of 3 transfers left per team for the 4th transfer window. But, I must be happy with each of my teams after all the transfer windows. I have a plan but real life events (injuries, loss of form etc.) will ultimately dictate my transfer policy. Fantasy football genius Andy Luckhurst once said: "use your transfers when you need to", and this simple rule is what I try to follow.

YTM HQ: Are Bolton the new Liverpool in terms of clean sheets?

ZF: At the moment Bolton have a really good defence, I think mainly because their midfield players like Speed, Campo and Nolan and their striker K. Davies work really hard all over the pitch. It's not easy to create a chance against Bolton. Of course, Jaaskelainen is also in great form, probably the best goalkeeper in the Premiership at the moment. However, the season is long and Bolton's main players will get tired and pick up injuries at some point. So, I don't expect Bolton to carry on being a clean sheet machine, like Liverpool last season.

YTM HQ: Is a block defence vital for success in YTM?

ZF: Block defense is definitely vital for the monthly competition, but not for the overall league. I think that you must have a balanced team if you want to compete at the top over the course of the season. But, at the early stage of this season it's been good to have a Bolton or Portsmouth block defence. The question now is: what to do with these teams in the 2nd transfer window? I know the answer for my Bolton and Portsmouth block defence teams, but I will keep this information to myself!

YTM HQ: You must spend a lot of time playing YTM. What drives you on?

ZF: I'm not thinking about money when I play FF. I'm thinking about my game, how to improve my game, how to be better and how to beat the ideal team at the end of the season. I'm just wondering where my limits are? Can I do it, can I win it?

There is another thing: Dino is the name of my son, and he celebrated his 2nd birthday on 19th August 2006, the same day that the Premiership season started. And, sometimes, when I'm thinking how come Dino 1 is my best team out of all the ones I have entered I have no answer. Or, maybe I have: somebody from heaven has created all this crazy FF success for me...

YTM HQ: Your verdict on Croatia v England?

ZF: I was so proud to be a Croat on that night. Honestly, I didn't believe in victory against England, but Croatian coach Slaven Bilic prepared a very tactical Croatian team and the truth is that Croatia did not allow England to play. Croatia have many young players in the national team, like Corluka or Modric or Kranjcar, but, remember this name: Petric, he will be better than Dado Prso! On England, I think that they have no team spirit at the moment. The England players must give their all on the pitch. This is the only way in modern football to have a chance of success. In this match I think, 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 was a minor thing.

YTM HQ: Zoran - thank you for your time in answering these questions. It's great to have an insight on your fantasy football thinking. Good luck for the rest of the season.

We hope the rest of you enjoyed this interview. If you have any comments please feel free to post them below.

Cheers,
Tom
YTM HQ

Team of Week 10

The Team of Week 10: 101 points for £59.5m. A century of points just within budget!

J Jaaskelainen
Boltom Wanderers - £4m
6 Points
A man of the match performance at Ewood Park that included two superb penalty saves.

R Ferdinand
Man Utd - £7.5m
13 Points
Rio showed his finishing prowess with a superb flick and volley to condemn Liverpool.

M Volz
Fulham - £4m
9 Points
Snuck in at the far post to secure a point for a battling Fulham side.

I Campo
Bolton Wanderers - £3.5m
13 Points
Another vital goal for this veteran points-machine to take all three points at Blackburn.

L Baines
Wigan Athletic - £3.5m
7 Points
Wigan's left-back is stating his case to get a call-up to the England setup. A clean sheet and a Key Contribution for this talented young full-back.

P Scholes
Man Utd - £6m
9 Points
Scholes rolled back the years on his 500th appearance for Man United with a predatory goal.

A Hleb
Arsenal - £5.5m
11 Points
A goal and a KC for the Belarussian, who is now looking like a ten million pound player.

L A Valencia
Wigan Athletic - £3m
9 Points
Best goal of the game for Valencia, who drilled an angled drive past the Man City defence.

T Henry
Arsenal - £10m
10 Points
Henry looks like he is back to his scoring ways again. 2 goals on Sunday, and his partnership with Fabregas is beginning to look telepathic.

E Heskey
Wigan Athletic - £5m
8 Points
A goal and a KC for Heskey, who is starting to deliver at the JJB after his big money move.

Yakubu
Middlesbrough - £7.5m
6 Points
Scored the goal that won the North-East derby, and piled more pressure on the Newcastle board and manager.

YTM Prediction Week 10

The weekend is here again, and there has been some great success stories from the european games this week. I am very happy to see Paul Robinson on the back pages of the papers for the right reasons. Robbo is a great 'keeper, and he is rightly England's number one. Anyway, enough of that, onto my predictions for the weekend's Premiership fixtures...

Saturday

Villa vs Fulham
A good win for Fulham on Monday night put them into the top half of the league. The win was theirs, but the performance left a lot to be desired. Only when Claus Jensen came on did they look anywhere near threatening. If he plays and Coleman gets his strike partnership right then they have a chance. O'Neill's Villains have turned into a good football team, and are very hard to break down, especially at 'Fortress' Villa Park. I fully Expect Villa to come away with the three points.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Charlton vs Watford
Struggling Charlton have been playing well recently, but the results have not followed suit. Bent has looked dangerous up front, and Soulemayne Diawara has looked like a very accomplished defender at the back. However, they are in a rut and need a win soon to get off the bottom of the table. Watford have been battling hard, but still haven't won a game in the Premiership! I doubt that will change today, but then again, I doubyt that Charlton will make the 21st October the day when they become upwardly mobile.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Score Draw

Chelsea vs Pompey
Portsmouth have had a great start to the season, and their fans find themselves in a position where they believe they can get something from this game. Chelsea got a great result against Barcelona in midweek, and they will be tired after that game. Harry Redknapp will look to exploit that, and their OAP forward line of Kanu and Cole will be hoping to pounce on any opportunities. I think this will be a good game, but Chelsea will see it through.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Play the World's Biggest Footbal Pools! Click Here

Everton vs Sheff Utd
Everton were stunned by the indifferent Middlesbrough last weekend, and they will be looking to make sure that that doesn'y happen this weekend against a resiliant Sheffield United. Warnock's men have battled well so far this season, and will be copnfident that they can get a result at Goodison. I think that Sheffield will have a go, but Everton's defence will hold firm, and Johnson and Cahill will do the damage at the other end.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Wigan vs Man City
This is a match between two mis-firing teams, and is a tough one to call. Wigan have been indifferent this season, and Man City are really struggling to find some form, and some results! Paul Jewell will be looking to Emile Heskey to do the damage, as he said in the media this week that he feels Heskey should be back in the England setup (errr... no Paul...). I think this will be a hard faught game, with neither side having the killer instinct in front of goal.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Goalless Draw

Sunday

Blackburn vs Bolton
Blackburn return from their european heroics to a Bolton side who don't like to concede many goals. Howbever, in Benni McCarthy, Sparky Hughes has got a natural predator, and if anyone can unloch the Trotters' defence, he can. Bolton will again be looking for their midfield to boss proceedings, and in my opinion, this can only lead to one thing... draw.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Score Draw

Man United vs Liverpool
One of the stand-out matches in the Premier League calendar. Man united are the favourites for this one, and rightly so, as thewir performances of late have been a massive improvement. Liverpool have been a little lacklustre in the league, and need a big win to really kick start their season. However, I feel that Man U will be too strong, and will win by the odd goal.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Win up to £2million Every Week! Click Here

Boro vs Newcastle
It's a North-East derby everybody!! This is a game that both teams and fans will desperately want to win. However, much will depend on which Middlebrough team comes out to play on the day. Boro have been so inconsistent for the past two seasons its not even funny anymore. Woodgate has solidified the back four, and that is a bonus. But I just can't bet on them to win. I still believe Newcastle are gonna be a big team again, but its looking bleak that that transfotmation will be this season.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Score Draw

Reading vs Arsenal
The only possible away win that I considered this weekend. Arsenal are looking very good at the moment, with Adebayor getting warm, and Henry in the (disallowed?!?) goals again. Howver, that controversial defeat in midweek may have stopped them in their charge. Reading are a good side, and they are proving that with every game they play this season. I think that they will battle hard, and walk away with a well-earned point.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Score Draw

Become a Football Millionaire! Click Here

Spurs vs West Ham
Spurs had a great victory over Besiktas last night. Ahh, that team brings back good memories of Leeds beating them 6-0 in the Champions League... Oh well. Berbatov looks like a great signing, and I wouldn't bet against him scoring on Sunday. West Ham are really struggling now, and talk of the takeover bid have hidden the fact that they are just not performing at the moment. Sunday shouldn't change that, and my money is on another home win.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win


Well, that's the lot for this weekend. Good luck to all of your teams. Leeds are away at Luton... Another defeat!

Cheers,

Dave @ YTM HQ

Top 25 Scorers in October @ 20th

1) A Young Watford Midfielder £2m 18pts
2=) N Vidic Manchester United Defender £5.5m 16pts
2=) O G Solskjaer Manchester United Striker £4m 16pts
4) B McBride Fulham Striker £6m 13pts
5=) B McCarthy Blackburn Rovers Striker £5m 12pts
5=) N Kanu Portsmouth Striker £2.5m 12pts
7=) D Bentley Blackburn Rovers Midfielder £5m 11pts
7=) H Helguson Fulham Striker £4m 11pts
9=) D Murphy Tottenham Hotspur Midfielder £4m 10pts
9=) E Adebayor Arsenal Striker £4.5m 10pts
9=) J Defoe Tottenham Hotspur Striker £6.5m 10pts
12=) C Jensen Fulham Midfielder £3.5m 9pts
12=) E-H Diouf Bolton Wanderers Striker £4.5m 9pts
14=) J Lehmann Arsenal Goalkeeper £5m 8pts
14=) M Taylor Portsmouth Defender £5m 8pts
14=) G Barry Aston Villa Midfielder £5m 8pts
14=) T Cahill Everton Midfielder £6.5m 8pts
14=) W Rooney Manchester United Striker £9m 8pts
14=) M King Watford Striker £3.5m 8pts
14=) T Henry Arsenal Striker £10m 8pts
14=) E Heskey Wigan Athletic Striker £5m 8pts
14=) S Ameobi Newcastle United Striker £5m 8pts
23=) E Van der Sar Manchester United Goalkeeper £5m 7pts
23=) M Hahnemann Reading Goalkeeper £2m 7pts
23=) S Ky-Hyeon Reading Striker £2.5m 7pts

Manchester United have the most "form" players with 4 in the top 25.
Blackburn, Fulham and Tottenham all have 2 players in the top 10.
Good to see Danny Murphy back amongst the points. If he's given an extended run by Jol he can be a points scoring machine.

Cheers,
Tom
YTM HQ

Team of the Week 9

Well, as Meatloaf didn't quite say... " 6 out of 10 ain't bad"! Not a disastrous week for my predictions, got the easy ones right! I was impressed by the performances of Spurs, who got a point at Villa and probably deserved more, and Boro, who surprised everyone by beating high-flying Everton... But that really just underlines Middlesbrough's inconsistency.

Let's gloss over the Leeds result and talk about this Team of the Week for week 9 of the You The Manager season. No huge points hauls this week, the defenders defended well, Vidic grabbing a powerful header for Man U. The Midfielders all scored goals, and the strikers did what they are paid to do as well! Adebayor seems to be settling in at the Emirates Stadium. I think he will be a force for a fair few years to come.

Its Champions League week, and all the British teams face tough games. Chelsea Barcelona is the stand-out match, but injuries to both Cech and Cudicini have meant that there is a debut for Hilario, the Newspaper Pundit's dream! All the British teams seem to be doing well in the League of Champions so far, and I hope that they all win tonight and tomorrow.

There, you can't say fairer than that!

Good luck to Leeds tonight against Leicester... They need more than that!

Dave @ YTM HQ

Predictions for Week 9

It's prediction time again! After the international break I have a feeling of renewed vitality, and believe I am gonna get at least six out of ten this weekend. There are a few straightforward fixtures, and not a lot of maneuverability for shocks and upsets. So here goes...

Arsenal vs Watford
The Gunners have gone six games unbeaten in all competitions and have yet to lose at the Emirates. Watford have yet to win in the Premiership, but are unbeaten in three. Arsenal should prove to be too strong for Aidy's battlers, but this shouldn't be a rout.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Villa vs Spurs
The Villains are one of only two unbeaten teams in the Premiership, and they will be looking to continue their good start against a mis-firing Tottenham side. Martin Jol knows he has quality in his side, but I think he is not sure what his starting eleven should be, especially without the ever more influential Aaron Lennon. Villa should take this game to love.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Liverpool vs Blackburn
Liverpool's start to the season has been at the very best 'indifferent'. They gain two confident victories and then roll-over for Bolton. Rafa Benitez' tinkering seems to be causing a lot of uncertainty in the Liverpool team, if not the players themselves. Blackburn are starting to come good after a shoddy start to the season. Mark Hughes will be looking for a positive result on Saturday, but I doubt it will materialise.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Man City vs Sheffield United
Stuart Pearce has enjoyed the international break, as the pressure and the spotlight has been taken away from him for at least a few days. If his Man City side don't get three points tomorrow, then he may well be expecting his p45 through the post sometime soon! Sheffield United are on a splendid winning streak of... one, and I seriously doubt that that will grow come 5pm Saturday. Goals, but an even amount.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Score Draw

Boro vs Everton
Middlesbrough fans will have been rocked by the news that 'super' Jonny Woodgate is out of this game with a leg injury... One word... Typical. Everyone has always known Woodgate was class, but he must have a season ticket for the physio room! Robert Huth looks likely to step in, and he is an able replacement. However, I am not going to bet against Andy Johnson in the form he is in. If he returns, Everton win, if he is out, no goals each... I think he will play.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Away Win

Portsmouth vs West Ham
Portsmouth manager is Harry Redknapp. Harry Redknapp is awesome. West Ham are stuck in a rut. Tevez and Mascherano have back-fired. 'Don't mention the takeover'. Portsmouth will win. End of.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Reading vs Chelsea
Reading are quickly looking more and more like the quality side that everyone hoped, but no one thought that they would be. They seem hungry for success, and have produced some solid displays, not to mention taking points off the mighty Red Devils. Chelsea have yet to hit top gear this season, and there is every chance that they will be resting players for the Champions League game against Barca in midweek. However, I feel that Reading will fight, but Chelsea will deliver a couple of knockout punches.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Away Win

Wigan vs Man United
Wigan are having a tough time of it this season, and have only won the one game this season, against Reading. Manchester United will be looking to keep up with Chelsea, and will know that a slip up is not an option. Man U win this fixture 4-0 quite often... I wouldn't bet against it!
Dave's YTM Prediction: Away Win

Sunday

Newcastle vs Bolton
Martins and Ameobi are looking to forge a good strike partnership and fire the Toon Army up the Premiership. However, I think they will be hard pressed getting the goals against a superb Bolton defence, who have kept 4 clean sheets in a row in the Premiership! If Big Sam could get Nic Anelka going and in the goals, then Bolton could be a real force. But he can't, Anelka is a phenomenal whinger, and there will be no goals in this game.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Goalless Draw

Monday

Fulham vs Charlton
Ahh... the might Fulham. A couple of my housemates have season tickets at the Cottage, and I get the scraps when someone can't make it. Looks like I will be making the trip to the South-West of London on Monday Night, get myself on TV maybe? We are right behind the goal so you never know! Anyway, the match... Chris Coleman will have a makeshift midfield again, but if you fill a midfield with defenders, you don't concede that much. Iain Dowie isn't getting it at the Valley yet, but there is every chance that this weekend could be the weekend he turns it round. I however, think the Fulham's home form will push them through this game.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win


Well, that's all I've got for you this weekend. Leeds are at home to Stoke, and I really hope we get our act together and keep a clean sheet! Should be a good weekend of Premiership footie, one that will take all our minds off Croatia... Robinson never did that for Leeds...

Good luck for the weekend!

Dave @ YTM HQ

EURO 2008 Qualifier thoughts...

Ok, I'm rubbish at International predictions! My 0 for 5 at the weekend clearly backs this up, so I have decided not to predict the games tonight, but give some thoughts as to how the games might unfold... A cheeky way of predicting without 'predicting', I think you will all agree!

Scotland are away to Ukraine tonight. It was a heroic performance at Hampden at the weekend, and they will be going into this with their spirits at an all-time high. I think Walter Smith is doing a fantastic job as the National team coach, and hopefully they will have enough to come back with something tonight.

Rep of Ireland suffered their most humiliating defeat for a long time on Saturday against Cyprus, and they face a tough test against the Czechs tonight. Steve Staunton's men will desperately want to restore some national pride, but Czech Republic are a lot stronger then Cyprus, and it is going to be an uphill struggle for Keane and company.

Wales were also heavily beaten at the weekend, when they were expected (by me, at least!) to win at a canter. Now they face Cyprus, who will be bouyed by their thumping of the Irish Republic. Wales miss Giggs, and they will probably be happy with a clean sheet tonight. That might not happen, but I think they should get at least a point.


Croatia haven't lost a competitive game at home for a very long time, and it would be a fool to bet against that record remaining intact after this game. England were really poor against Macedonia at the weekend, and McLaren has responded with a revised 3-5-2. In my opinion it looks much more like a 5-3-2, but I'm no international manager!

Finally, Northern Ireland play Latvia. Lawrie Sanchez' boys came away with a point at the weekend, and will be loooking to get at least that again tonight against a mediocre Latvian line-up. I hope Healy gets on the scoresheet again. Did you know, that statistically, David Healy is the greatest Northern Irish player of all time? I think the late, great George Best was probably better, thus proving that statistics can be used to prove anything!

Enough from me, I'm going to see if England can bounce back with a win. COME ON ENGLAND!!

Cheers!

Dave @ YTM HQ

EURO 2008 Qualifiers Predictions

Ok, so its got nothing to do with YTM, but I thought I would share my thoughts on this weekend's fixtures with you. More specifically, my predictions for the matches involving the home nations... There are some tough fixtures for all teams to grapple with over the next week, and a loss on saturday could prove to be the beginning of the end in the quest for a place in Austria/Switzerland 2008. Here goes...

Scotland vs France
Start with the Scots. They are unbeaten so far in their qualifying group, and that is no mean feat in international football, regardless of the opposition. France come into the game unbeaten too, buoyed by their excellent performance in the World Cup, and looking for a straightforward qualification.
Hampden Park will be a sea of Dark Blue and Tartan on Saturday, and the Scots will do everything to keep the threat of Henry, Ribery, Trezeguet and co. at bay. They also have players with the ability to unlock the French backline. However, I believe that the French will be wary of this, and will prove to be too strong for them on the night.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Away Win

Cyprus vs Rep of Ireland
The Irish Republic have a lot of ability in their squad, and yet they constantly fail to deliver the goods over a prolongued Qualifying campaign. Steve Staunton will have to watch this game from the stands as he has been banned from the touchline. More pressure has therefore been added onto Robbie Keane's shoulders, and I am sure that he will grab the opportunity with both hands. If Ireland are to win, then I believe that Keane will be the man who makes it happen. On the other hand, Ireland's record cannot be hidden from, and Staunton has stated that he would not be too disheartened if they came away from Cyprus with a point. Good thing that...
Dave's YTM Prediction: Score Draw

Wales vs Slovakia
The Czech Republic's late winner against the Welsh was a cruel blow, after they had played so well throughout the game. However, Boss John Toshack is the man to get Wales back on track, and a home game against Slovakia is just the tonic. Tosh has been saying all the right things, that he respects his opponents, and that they are 'Dark Horses' for the group. However, he will know deep down that this is a match that his Wales team can win, and they will be going for it on Saturday. With the absence of Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy has been given the captain's armband. How Bellamy reacts to this may very well determine the end result. I think Bellamy will rise to the challenge, and a much needed victory will be down to him.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

England vs Macedonia
England coach Steve McLaren has blasted newspaper reports this morning claiming that the players were being too influential in the picking of the team. There has been talk of McLaren reverting to a 5-3-2 formation with wing-backs. However, this now appears unlikely, and a more traditional 4-4-2 will prevail. Regardless of which formation McLaren decides on, England should win this at a canter. Make no mistake, Macedonia are a good national side, but England's strength at the back, and home advantage, should be enough.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

Denmark vs N Ireland
Northern Irish football is on a high at the moment. The buzz has not yet gone from the historic 3-2- defeat of Spain, and David Healy's magnificent hat-trick. However, their excellent victory might in truth turn out to be a curse on their qualifying campaign. They are now known as the 'giant-killers', and because of this everyone will be doing just a little extra homework on the boys from Belfast.
Nortern Ireland do have some very good players. Healy is the obvious standout. Granted, I am a Leeds fan, but to be honest I think he should be playing a little higher up than where Leeds are at the moment! Ireland will be raring to go with their spirits up, but the Danes are a solid outfit, and I expect Laurie Sanchez' men to hit a Danish brick wall on Saturday.
Dave's YTM Prediction: Home Win

There you have it! Good luck to all of the home nations this weekend. I hope that I am wrong and we get five wins out of five!
Any comments on my predictions? Please post your comments and I will reply!

Dave @ YTM HQ

Team of the Month September

A good month to be a Bolton fan! An especially good month if you chose their back four and 'keeper in your team. Brendan Kirby did just that and walked off with £10,000 for his troubles!

Meanwhile, further down the fantasy half-pitch, everybody seems to be ignoring the fact that Didier Drogba is on fine form at the moment, and that he just can't stop scoring! Yes, we should not forget what he cost in the first place, but he really is turning into the player Mourinho believes he bought. Remember, Mr Henry took a season or so to become acclimatised to the English game...

Dave @ YTM HQ

Team of the Week 7

A great week for anybody who had Ivan Campo or Ashley Young in their team. I had them both in our staff game, until someone told me not to gamble... Typical!

My predictions this weekend were not the best, as Chelsea let me down, as well as the not-so-mighty Liverpool, who rolled over for Bolton. However, Watford vs Fulham proved to be the spectacle that I predicted. I said it would be a good score draw, but 3-3 would not have been my first guess!

Both Ole Soskjaer and Robin van Persie bagged themselves braces over the weekend, van Persie's being the more spectacular. Its good to see the 'Baby-Faced Assassin' back to scoring ways at Old Trafford. Me as a Leeds fan saying that is really saying something!

I will press on and start working on my predictions for the next batch of Premiership games, and will probably have something to say about the Euro Qualifiers at the weekend...

If you have any comments about the games at the weekend, or want to give some predictions of your own, don't be shy... Post them now!

Cheers,

Dave @ YTM HQ