There is something reassuring about knowing what everyone else is doing. PlayTheGame managers in particular can be forgiven for buying into the mantra that this information is power and while we have no intention of blunting anyone's competitive edge, we do like to keep track of which players top our most added and dropped lists.
We call this game intelligence and from time to time will look at the game-wide trends that may prove decisive in giving individual managers that winning edge.
No player has been more involved in player transactions in the past week than Kieron Dyer whose broken leg suffered while playing for West Ham United in a Carling Cup clash last week rules him out of action for at least several months. No surprise then that the unfortunate Dyer leads the most dropped list.
Other unwanted players include Yakubu, whose move from Middlesbrough to Everton was eventually finalised last week though some managers may have run out of patience waiting for the enigmatic forward to complete his move. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jens Lehmann, the Arsenal goalkeeper, is also on the list as news of the player's falling out with Arsene Wenger hit the headlines last week. Perhaps the North London club's anointing of Manuel Almunia as its clear-cut No 2 has also led to Lukasz Fabianski making the list.
Elsewhere, Stilian Petrov's continuing inability to transfer his form north of the border to the Premier League may have led to many managers giving up on the once-accomplished Bulgarian. Finally, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's retirement makes his appearance on the least-wanted list as straightforward as many of his finishes though how he found his way on to teams is a bigger mystery.
The remainder of the no-longer-wanted top-ten list includes Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Andrew Johnson (Everton) and Justin Hoyte (Arsenal).
The above-mentioned Almunia is, understandably, among the leaders on the most added table but it is another goalkeeper that leads the way. After Kasper Schmeichel's assured performances for Sven Goran Eriksson's rejuvenated Manchester City, the young Dane tops our list of most added players.
Juliano Belletti's arrival at Chelsea, where it appears he will become the regular right back, has also catapulted the Brazilian to third place. While he belongs to a team in more than 95 per cent of PlayTheGame leagues, Xabi Alonso, of Liverpool, was the fourth most added player in the game followed by Gareth Bale of Tottenham.
The remainder of the most-added top ten is made up of Shay Given (Newcastle), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Nani (Manchester United), Lee Young Pyo (Tottenham) and Sol Campbell (Portsmouth).
Now you know.
Comments (2)
I can't believe Andy Johnson and Yakubu are in this list, they're both hot property in my league. Sure AJ may not have scored yet, but Everton look very strong and he will come good. Also, if that wasn't enough - he's a midfielder! A golden opportunity to squeeze another striker in, and play an "unofficial 4-3-3"
Posted by Anonymous | September 3, 2007 6:00 PM
Posted on September 3, 2007 18:00
It's hard to believe that Gareth Barry is in the top-ten-dropped. There are very few Prem players who are guaranteed to start a game come rain, snow or shine: Barry, versatile top player for a middling side, must be near the top of the list.
Managers who've let him go should track the stats of the player they signed in his place, and vow to learn from their mistakes next season.
Posted by Dave Burton | September 12, 2007 3:32 AM
Posted on September 12, 2007 03:32