While PlayTheGame managers do not need a Uefa Pro Licence to manage a team, a degree of common sense is more than enough to compete. Where most fantasy managers will spend countless hours looking at goals and assists, some may choose to focus on less sexy though equally worthwhile categories. Chief among these are the ratio categories that measure players' average goals for and against.
While there is a clear correlation between these ratios and the goal difference of a player's club (goals for and against are the truest measure), most managers will pay close attention to the leaders in these and indeed all categories, but may very well be missing a trick when it comes to improving their team's performance.
The problem is that most category leaders have already been picked up by competing managers leaving scant pickings for the latecomer. However it may make sense to look at the other end of a ratio category list. Performance in the Average Goals Against category, for example, is obviously helped by the presence of defenders from either Manchester side or Liverpool, clubs with plenty of clean sheets, but will also be held in good stead by the absence of any Derby County defenders.
While the Rams have looked hopelessly outclassed in most of their fixtures to date and are on pace to set a new low in goal difference currently held by Ipswich Town's shocking minus-57 set in 1995, some owners may be inclined to look at the respectable Defence category (total of Interceptions, Catches, Blocks, Saves and Successful passes) totals of Andrew Griffin, Tyrone Mears or even Stephen Bywater, who has been a regular in an otherwise unsettled side.
Respectable these numbers there may be but all three are AGA killers. With ratios well above 2, this trio is liable to drag any team out of contention.
Comments (2)
Not sure about the Derby defence as a points scorer although I can see that they are busier than most so in the Defence category they are quite useful! However, I was lucky enough to use a couple of members of the Derby defence which kept a clean sheet against Newcastle. Do I get a prize for that? :0)
On the subject of poor defences, I had two defenders in the Tottenham v Aston Villa match (4-4) and even then got deprived of an assist from Zat Knight even though it was clearly his header that was re-directed into the net. Also on Saturday Emerton clearly supplied the last touch for Santa Cruz's goal for Blackburn (watch the match again!) yet it was given to Bentley for some unknown reason. Don't know who was giving you this inaccurate data but I reckon they need to be checked out (Maybe their team is doing far worse than mine! :0))
If I sound desperate to claim my rightly deserved Assists.......I am.
Posted by Andrew | October 2, 2007 6:23 PM
Posted on October 2, 2007 18:23
Why are players like Robben, Heinze and Jose Antonio Reyes still listed and able to be played?
PTG: Jen, plyers like Robben and Heinze who are no longer playing for Premier League clubs are still part of the game because we are unable to remove individual player records. However, each one of them has been identified as no longer eligible within the player news area of the player profiles (to access these, click name of player on any game screen).
Posted by Jen | October 2, 2007 6:44 PM
Posted on October 2, 2007 18:44