Is this another false dawn or the start of something special?
At this stage of the season, Tottenham fans usually find themselves sobering up from their overly-ambitious pre-season projections of success, keen to hand their manager a hasty P45.
Not so in 2009/10. Spurs are off to their best start since 1960/61, the season when eleven consecutive wins from the outset helped them bag the double. With a trip to Chelsea and a visit from Manchester Utd coming up soon, the Lilywhites aren’t expected to have such a strong start this season, but their form is undoubtedly troubling the upper echelons of the league.
Led by tiny sex aficianado Jermain Defoe - who has scored four times as many goals at Portsmouth thus - Spurs’ rude health suggests they are capable of breaking the Big Four, and they find themselves as fifth favourites for the title with most bookies. But can they go the distance, or will their lack of strength in depth compared to the big boys shine through around winter time? Let us know your thoughts below…
Why you should try to kick that statistical analysis addiction
If you flipped from six to midnight when Cesc Fabregas bagged two goals and two assists this weekend, chances are you have a fantasy football team and the Spaniard is your captain. Bully for you. Spoiler correspondent Ben Baker provides ten reasons why you’re obsession with your personal Premiership XI isn’t healthy…
It’s time consuming
You’re at work, it’s lunch time and the sun is shining. You should probably get out for some fresh air, but first you will have a five minute tinker with your side to see if you can fit Lampard in. That five minutes turns into half hour, and that quickly turns into an hour. It isn’t long before that hour turns into a P45.
It’s more of a commitment than a mortgage and having children combined
Once you have committed yourself to the world of Fantasy Football, there is no escaping it. Constant ribbing from your friends will force you to soldier on. And if you miss a week then you will inevitably be out of the race. So don’t even think about going on holiday during the season.
It rewards individuals instead of team players
Javier Mascherano is arguably one of Liverpool’s most important players, breaking up opposition attacks and starting his own. But not according to fantasy stats - his contributions are paled into significance as he gets too many yellow cards and doesn’t score enough goals.
It changes the way you watch the game
Fantasy football takes away your ability to see the big picture
Chelsea star hopes Man City finish above the Gunners
The Spoiler is quite aware that there is no love lost between Ashley Cole and Arsenal’s loyal fanbase, but we almost crashed our car this morning when we heard what the left-back had to say about the City Revolution:
“I think the players City are buying are good. Obviously they have got Gareth Barry, who I know from England and he’s a good player.
“They have got Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Robinho, Manu Adebayor and Carlos Tevez. They are all good players.
“This year might be tough to break in but next year, you never know with the guys they are buying.
“I think it’s going to be hard for them but they could do. You never know, they may gel, click, straight away and it’s magic.
“I hope they do. I have friends there and I hope they do really well - and that they finish above Arsenal.”
We doubted the authenticity of these quotes when Cole said he had “friends” at City - we find it hard to believe he has friends anywhere. Then we considered the reason why most people sign for Manchester City, and we decided he probably has a lot in common with them.
Watch out Arsenal, some northerners are eyeing up your Champions League place
Slickback hair: A city fan prepares for money-driven success the eighties way
As Manchester City’s owners edge closer to their dream of fielding a team of eleven strikers, it is becoming quite apparent that they are mounting a serious challenge to break the top four in 2009/10.
If Emmanuel Adebayor and John Terry are persuaded to defect with the bloke who demands Champions League football, the Paraguayan chap who’s going to spend all season on the bench and the funny looking fella who hates Fergie, the club will have taken a huge leap towards the scary Sky Blue Utopia they envisage. Brand and marketing director David Pullen re-iterates the global domination plans:
“The owners are working hard to increase our world-wide fan base by bringing in some world class players.
“We have a strategic plan and we want to target certain markets, first in Arabic and English and by the end of the year, in three or four other languages.”
When we posed the question at the beginning if June, sixty per cent of you believed Manchester City would not finish in the top four. But has that figure changed now the Citizens have started to exercise their pulling power? Let us know below…
Spoiler bonus: If you voted ‘Yes’, put yer money where yer mouth is. Sky bet are currently offering a sorely tempting 7/4.
As The Spoilermentioned on Friday, we’re stunned that Coral are offering 5/1 on Everton being the best-placed Premier League team outside the Big Four.
It’s understandable that Manchester City are favourites - after all they could buy every single Everton player at ten times their asking price if they wanted - but to have the team who have finished fifth in each of the last two seasons at such a long price seems like a big mistake.
Yes, they don’t have as much money to spend as City and potentially even Aston Villa and Spurs but they were written off last season for the same reason and as always defied the odds, despite having key players ruled out for long periods with injuries.
Are we overestimating David Moyes or are the bookmakers leaving themselves liable for a substantial loss? Let us know which team you think will be the “best of the rest” in 2009-10 with a vote and comment below:
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