ANDREW MWANGUHYA – OUR FANTASY EXPERT

Saturday 28

Blackburn v Arsenal

Blackpool v Fulham

Chelsea v Stoke

Wolverhampton v Newcastle

Tottenham v Wigan

Man Utd v West Ham

Sunday 29

Bolton v Birmingham

Sunderland v Man City

Liverpool v West Brom

Aston Villa v Everton

Eighty-five goals after just two rounds of the Barclays Premier and Monitor Fantasy Football Leagues, the world’s most sexy and beautiful game has never started any better.

And I’m afraid the goal avalanche last weekend – thanks largely to Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle exploits – might have had you already on your way to climax. But with 36 games of the season to go, I beg you hold it right there.

Just like I did after watching all the net-busting(s) on Saturday and Sunday’s before later landing in a Fulham frying pan. Because I had a lot on schedule and was helping colleagues change their teams, I somewhat missed shuffling my own. It had the entire Manchester United squad from Monday (August 16) night’s game against Newcastle, save for Everton’s Leighton Baines and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.

Consequently, I had to watch my fantasy team crumble before my very eyes. I have made all the textbook errors since the game was launched last October… picking injured players, chasing goalscorers the week after they’ve bagged hat-tricks and giving you some tips that at times have almost cost you your job as manager. But I was determined it would be different this weekend.

Nonetheless, it was more painful now with my captain Wayne Rooney the mysterious name on Sir Alex Ferguson’s lineup. And I can see most of you nod your heads in agreement You know what happened next, so, don’t ask why Chicharito, my fantasy team not the player, is not in the top teams last week.

But this column, nonetheless, had tremendous success with tips Didier Drogba, Marouane Chamakh and Malouda registering marvelous success albeit Rooney and Nani disappointing. We hope for better luck this time.

Bring in: Bobby Zamora ($4m), Andy Carroll ($2.5m), Roman Pavlyuchenko ($4m), Dimitar Berbatov ($6.5m) and Cesc Fabregas ($8.5m)

Bargains at $4m, $4m, and $2.5m, Fulham’s Zamora against Blackburn, Spurs’ Pavlyuchenko at home to Wigan, and Newcastle’s Carroll at Wolves, give you every reason to track them. Zamora-ic headache, best explained by Nemanja Vidic, Carroll’s towering presence and hat-trick against Aston Villa, and Pavlyuchenko’s predatory instincts are worth your attention. Berbatov and Fabregas might be a little pricy at $6.5m and $8.5m respectively but their service is worth every penny.

Luxurious tip: If you can balance your books like Arsene Wenger, Rooney and Drogba, each $9m, and Carlos Tevez ($8m) isn’t a bad dream at all.

Leave alone: Emmanuel Frimpong (knee), Samir Nasri (knee), Steven Taylor (shoulder), John Mensah (hamstring) and Craig Gordon (arm).

Now if you thing you are game, bring it on.

*Meanwhile, Allan Ssekamatte started the season in administration and for that reason; he will be out of the Pundits League until Sheikh Mansour clears him. Sande Bashaija, in the mean time, chips in.

TEAM                                       MANAGER              LAST WK          TOTAL             RANK
madiba                                     mark namanya              110                   197                       9
only one berbatov                     mark ssali                     91                   189                     11
chicharito                             sir andre mwanguhya         77                   158                     19
paul fc                                         sande space                   36                   128                     27
passion fc                                    ahmed                            26                   109                     35

WEEK’S TOP MANAGER

Name: Again
Manager: Prince
Points: 129
Rank: 1
Players: 11/11
B Foster $3M

L Ridgewell $1.5M
J Evans $M
B Ivanovic $3M
L Baines $3M
V Diaby $3
M Arteta $4.5M
A Arshavin $7M

D Drogba $9M[Cap]
M Chamakh $5.5
D Bent $5.5
Bal: $1M

STAR PLAYERS

D Drogba

D Bent

*This squad excludes players from the Man U v Newcastle game of Monday 16, Aug, 2010

WEEK’S STAR

Full name: Theo James Walcott

DOB: March 16, 1989 (1989-03-16) (age 21)

POB: Stanmore, England

Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)

Position: Striker/Winger

Points: 24

Club: Arsenal, 88 apps, 12 goals (senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 21)

Former clubs: Newbury, Swindon Town and Southampton

National team: England, 12 apps, 3 goals (National team caps and goals correct as of 20:06, 12 August 2010)

TOP 60 TEAMS OF THE WEEK

OVERALL TOP 20 TEAMS

• MANAGER: You can now let the world know that you’re the manager of the best fantasy football team! To set your team manager name, send “Manager Your-Name” to 8778. E.g. “Manager Tom John”
• INFO: Are you wondering which players your friend has selected? Now you can get info on your friend’s team! Just send “info team-name” to 8778. E.g. info tomFC

Welcome to the Monitor Fantasy Football League! You manage your own Fantasy team selected from your favorite players in the Barclays Premier League!

• BUDGET: You have $50Million to create your dream team.
• TEAM (4-3-3 or 4-4-2): Your team can have up to 11 players: 1 Goal Keeper, 4 Defenders, 3 Midfielders and 3 Strikers OR 1 Goal Keeper, 4 Defenders, 4 Midfielders and 2 Strikers.
• PLAYERS: Each player is identified by a player code. Click HERE for the PLAYER LIST!
• SCORING: Your team will earn points based on how your players perform in the Barclays Premier League. Click HERE for the SCORING SYSTEM.
• SMS COMMANDS: The Monitor Fantasy Football League is played from your Mobile Phone. Simply send the commands below to 8778 on UTL, MTN, ZAIN and WARID:

SMS Commands