5 Talking Points from Week 3

So what happened during the weekend...

1. Manchester City rolls on, but how do you cash in?

City took a while to overcome a very resilient and ultimately unfortunate Everton, but Aguero and Silva were not involved in the 2-0 win on Merseyside this time, as Nasri and Kolarov took the honours. It does raise the typical problem of when a team is performing all around the park, who do you depend on to get the goals? So far the goal-scorers have been Aguero, Kompany, Fernandinho, Silva, Toure, Kolarov and now Nasri.

Most people will have Aguero in regardless, it becomes a question of should he get the captaincy? This week it was a no, but the Chelsea match caused many to jump in.

Tip: Sterling to score in the next match. You heard it here first.

  

2. Chelsea’s ups and downs

Week 3 Player Picks!

Welcome to Week 3! First up, the ideal fixtures:

Manchester United vs Newcastle, Sunderland vs Swansea, Watford vs Southampton

Strikers:

Aguero (15) – It will be a bit more tougher for him away to a seemingly improved Everton side, but anyone who watched even just the highlights of the match against Chelsea would easily be seduced into bringing him in. 

Gomis (9.5), Ayew (9.0) – The anyone against Sunderland option, it’s really just a question of which of the Swansea attack will be in the goals.

Rooney (14.5) – A chance for Rooney to get out of his funk. I don’t see why you shouldn’t hang on to him for this week if you already have him, unless it was to get Aguero in. Newcastle’s defense from last year hasn’t changed, if you didn’t notice. If he fails again...

Depay (11.5) – okay, everyone was ooh-aahing him midweek, but can that translate into the Premier League? Against Newcastle, that should happen, as long as LVG quits his experiments and let’s Depay play in his preferred position tomorrow. It's annoying that he's listed as a striker though.

Kane (12.5) – The last time Spurs played Leicester, Kane ended up with a hat-trick in a 4-2 thriller. This will be a great chance of Kane to open his account.

Sakho (9.3) - With no other senior strikers available, he will need to step up, and with Payet behind him, he'll be gunning for it.

Midfielders:

Silva (12.8) - I can't argue if people want to double up with Aguero. 

Sigurdsson (10), Shelvey (8.8), Montero (8.8): Take your pick. Dirk Advocaat may have talked about working on the defense, and bringing back O'Shea for organisation, but the personnel involved just does not inspire any confidence. 

Mane (9.6) – Ooh ooh, Manchester United suddenly interested, will Mane’s performance crank up a notch? He played midweek though, so be wary, and Southampton have not been at their best, with their defense all over the place.

Mahrez (7.5) – no secret really. He is in form and enjoying himself to boot. His price is a steal!

Dark horse: Matt Ritchie (8.6) to open his account against the Hammers, who are missing Adrian.

Defenders

Darmian (5.9), Shaw (5.9), Smalling (5.9) - all worthy of consideration for their attacking value and potential CS against Newcastle at home.

Kolarov (5.7) - I can't see how Clichy can displace him. He's been defensively solid and works very well with Sterling and Silva.

N. Taylor (4.9) or Ashley Williams (5.1) - covering the likely Swansea CS.

Goalkeepers

Fabianski (5.3) - With Sunderland deciding to emphasise on defense, a clean sheet is on the cards for Swansea.

Romero (6.1) - Look out for last minute news on De Gea, but Romero should start.

McCarthy (3.8) - Aston Villa have only scored 1 goal so far, and I can't see their shots ratio improving anytime soon. Apologies I wrote Speroni earlier but he's not back yet. McCarthy is pretty cheap though!

Hart (6.5) - Expensive, but Manchester City are in top form so he merits consideration.

Note: Adrian would be in the list against Bournemouth, one of two teams that have yet to score, but since he's been banned, I can't see West Ham keeping a CS.

The Euro options

If you haven’t used it up already, then choose between Messi (16), Ronaldo (16) and Lewandowski (14.9). Barcelona are coming off a disappointing period after getting knocked out of the Spanish Super Cup, so it's doubly important for them to kick off on a positive note. Having said that, they are playing with Atletic Bilbao, who are responsible for knocking them out in the first place. Meanwhile, Benitez will be experimenting in the absence of Benzema, so Ronaldo will most likely be up front, which is a plus point. And they're playing Sporting Gijon, a promoted side. Lewandowski has a tougher match, but he's started the season already last week, with a goal and assist.

Of the three you should probably pick Ronaldo.

Wrapping up

Here's my squad (Currently 1624/9554 in the rankings):

Dropped Courtois for Fabianski, and dropped Benteke for Aguero.

If I get the bonus transfer, I will most likely change Koeman to Monk or Pellegrini.

Where the Captaincy is concerned, if you have Ronaldo, then put it on him. Otherwise, Depay, Aguero or one of the Swansea midfielders are pretty good options too.

Good luck!

The Euro Scout feature

What is the Euro Scout?

The Euro Scout is a feature in the MyEG Stadium Astro game where once a month, you can bring in a player from a limited list from different Europe leagues. There are only 5 options available for each position, totalling 20. These players are from the Bundesliga (Germany), Serie A (Italy) and La Liga (Spain)

Here's the full list of players available for your easy reference (subject to price changes):

5 Talking Points from the weekend

So... what happened during the weekend?

1. Manchester City powerhouses dominate

Aguero (6)was in fine form, as Chelsea's were simply outclassed, to the point that Mourinho supposedly brought Terry off for 'tactical reasons'. Aguero could have scored more, but the goals came from his colleagues instead. Silva netted two assists for 9 points, bringing the question of whether it's worth doubling up for future fantasy line ups. If you already have them, congratulations!

The rest of the powerhouses failed to gain any points of note. Sanchez oozed class but his assist for Crystal Palace's own goal was not given for the Stadium Astro game. Rooney (2), Hazard (0) and Costa (2) were all off their game, although you could argue their respective teams weren't helping either.

Week 2 - Part 2: Diving in!

Hello again. In this final post for the week we look at Defenders and Keepers, and my own team for the week!

Defenders

As mentioned in my first post for the season, CSes are only worth 2 points. One YC and you're back to zero again. So you need to look for attack minded players to help improve your score.

Darmian of Man U should be right up there. Very comfortable against Spurs and looked like he had been playing competitively in England for a while.

Cedric Soares is someone else who you can depend on for attacking points. A nice assist last week in a team that is bound to attack, especially at home.  He got a yellow card though so the jury is still out.

MyEG Stadium Astro Fantasy Football: Overall Picture and Week 2 - Part 1

Overall Picture

Welcome back, let's get on with it shall we? We're still looking at the game overall first, then the second part goes into specific picks for the week.

The all-season powerhouses 

These are what I call those expensive attacking players who are generally expected do well regardless of match-up. Let’s look at them:

Costa (15m): Costa’s a beast, but be prepared to get regular -2pts to go along with his weekly score, which in this fantasy game feels more damaging.

Aguero (15m): Aguero’s a City have kicked off the season on a canter, and with Aguero back, you’d fancy him to score regularly, although the more cautious of you would wait until Week 3, like Costa. He’s my favourite for premium striker, and a lot less card prone then the other two.

Rooney (14.5m): Restored to his rightful position as , can he find that magic back? I’m gonna say…. No. LVG will continue to tinker and while he will be successful, Rooney will not be as prolific as he was previously. He’s also prone to the occasional card.

Playing the MyEG Stadium Astro BPL Fantasy Football Game?

This blog will now be dedicated to the MyEG Stadium Astro BPL Fantasy Football Game 2015/2016.

Hi and welcome! Obviously we’ve missed the first gameweek, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly a blockbuster weekend for fantasy points, so you won't be at much of a disadvantage by starting one week late.

There are quite a lot of fantasy football  resources out there, but none dedicated to our local game. I'm sure there are plenty of players always looking for additional pointers/advice/info. Especially when there’s prizes involved :) So I thought I would do a series with a focus on the Stadium Astro game for anyone interested. Feel free to discuss or disagree in the comments.

SCORING STRATEGY

For this week, let’s take a look at the scoring strategy in general  (Next article will be on specific player picks). First, here's a reproduction of the point-scoring.

Death - The Walking Dead random post

Note: If you're a fan and haven't watched the latest episode of The Walking Dead, then stop reading and do so! If you're not a fan, then this post won't make sense to you anyway...

(I haven't written a post in this blog for almost FOUR months, can you imagine what provoked me back? Read on...)

The Grove - Episode 14 Season 4

You know, prior to this episode, I was actually thinking of doing up a summary of everything that's happened since the fall of the Prison. More significantly, I wanted to hazard a guess as to which of the five parties (Glenn and Co, Darryl and Beth, Maggie and Co, Rick and Co, Carol and Co) would have members who would not make it to the rendezvous at this Terminus place, which, would in all likelihood be the last episode of the season. Let's face it, there were just way too many feel-good episode endings since the mid-season break, it was inevitable that the writers were gonna disrupt it at some point.

My guess was... either Glenn or Maggie would bite the dust. It would provide shock value as they were an established couple, they had been around for ages, and generally well-liked by audiences. In the end I chose Maggie simply because her current gang had all come from the prison and still had a connection, while Glenn's gang, without him, might just abandon the whole Terminus thing and pursue their own agenda.

But noooooo..... as has so often happened before, I underestimated the writers AGAIN. They took two characters, kids even, who had only just been introduced at the start of the season, and killed them off.

Image Credit: John Shearer/AP Images

By the way, what IS it with the writers and their need to doom little girls? Sophia, to a lesser extent the Governor's daughter Penny, Megan  and now two girls in a go, all meet gruesome deaths. Meanwhile, Carl tries his best to die so many times but doesn't.

Also, most of the significant character deaths are all primarily thanks to the actions of other humans, rather than just from zombie attacks. Shane, Lori, Andrea, Merle, Hershel, the Governor. But of course, who expected a kid to kill another, on global tv to boot. The Walking Dead, level up!

On hindsight, it's hard seeing them get rid of Maggie at this point. She's way too important as a strong female character to the group as a whole. Michonne is still a loner, while Carol, well.....................

Hmm... I wonder what Rick is gonna say to Carol when they meet up and he finds about how Lizzie died, after the Karen issue. If Carol is rejoining the group, Tyreese will have to help explain it. And Tyreese isn't exactly on Team Carol right now after finding out that she killed Karen is he? Should be interesting...

Two more episodes to the Season Finale!

Child logic : My personal experience

Dealing with Child Logic

Never underestimate Child Logic, it might get you into more trouble than you bargained for. If your child asks you a question, even when he’s not yet 4 years old, it’s best to answer as correctly as you can. If you are going to make stuff up (which inevitably will always happen), exercise extreme caution and think about its possible repercussions. They remember what you say pretty well, so be clear and try not to leave gaps or loopholes. They are even able to take what you said, rationalise and apply it to another scenario, so be very, very careful.

My current time with Zharif has been a very learning experience with regards to Child Logic. Here are a few...

Child Logic example #1:

Zharif likes to spit as a form of defiance (not the quick focused type, but the slow one which bubbles in his lips and comes out as a spray.)  I always scold him when he does it, and I am trying my best to rid him of this habit. On the way to his kindy once, he did his typical spitting sound when I told him to sit properly.  I told him: “Enough!  Daddy doesn’t want you spitting. Kalau Daddy nampak (If daddy sees) you do it again, you’re going to get it from me!” He did look chastened, especially after seeing my glare, and looked away. But while looking away, suddenly a question squeaked out, “Kalau Daddy tak nampak, boleh?” (If Daddy doesn’t see, can?)

I couldn’t help laughing, and he certainly defused any temper that was boiling!

Child Logic example #2:

On another trip, this time to his reading class, Zharif had his reluctant, not-so-keen-to-go face on. I told him that if he attends it, I would take him out as a reward, and maybe even pick up a toy. What I failed to mention was the timing, I was planning to treat him not that day, as I had to go to work after, but the weekend.

When my mother-in-law picked him up later instead of me, his child logic meant that he got really upset, asking her where I was, I was supposed to take him out, etc. He ended up crying apparently, and admittedly, the fault was mine, I should have been more specific.

Child Logic example #3:

I once brought him into the room when I couldn’t tolerate his whining anymore. I was in the room with him and I told him that if he had to stop whining and crying, before he can leave the room. He was so scared of me apparently that he ended up peeing in his pants (a first!) I thawed immediately, feeling really bad, and took him into the bathroom to clean up and consoled him after.

The next day, on the way to the kindy, I ask him if he . Then I asked him if he remembered peeing in his pants yesterday.  He said,very cheekily: “Ingat! Semalam, daddy marah, tapi bila Zharif pee dalam pants, lepas tu, daddy tak marah dah, ha ha ha!” (Remember! Yesterday, daddy was angry, but when I peed in my pants, daddy wasn’t angry anymore ha ha ha!)

Not the solution I want him to take every time I get angry with him! But how do I make sure he doesn’t do it on purpose the next time?

So, to new parents, you have been warned. Child logic can be dangerous if not handled well!

Enfa Brain Expo: A trip in pictures

Zharif and I had another father-son outing on Sunday, this time to the Enfa Brain Expo at the KLCC convention centre.

We started off parking underneath Tower 2. Walked through KLCC and the tunnel connecting the Convention Centre and engaged in some gratuitous photo taking:

He does like his cars...

Shot for dad...

Just because it was a swimming pool...

We finally made it to the expo, eventually!

He clearly wasn't happy with his 'brain' hat, ended up taking it off.

They kicked off with highlights of some geniuses in history, Beethoven and Newton among them.


Listened to Beethoven, I think he liked it, considering he didn't want to stop listening!

Had some fun with the Newton apple experiment! Explaining gravity was a challenge though...


The next area was filled with facts and info about the human brain, and Zharif had a look at what a real brain looked like, with some actual preserved brains.

Unfortunately, the girl attending the area wasn't prepared for Zharif's comment:

"Zombie eat brain yang ni?"

She was actually stunned, so I ushered him quickly along (and forgot to take a picture of the preserved brains as a result)!

They showed a short screening of how important the development of the human brain was, ending with a mention of how ENFA products help of course. I think the terminology was a bit too advanced for most kids though.  Btw, Zharif hasn't actually been to a cinema yet, how old do you take your kid the first time?

Walking through the neurons, Zharif really liked this area. I liked it too!

Incidentally, Zharif also had his map obsession going on big time. They gave us a map of the expo area upon registration and it was his most valued possession.

Daddy, kena pergi THIS way!

It became important for him to visit every item highlighted in the map, even a visit to the toilet!

The puzzles area was fun, Zharif tried out almost everything he could.

 Admittedly, some were tough for him, and some were clearly for much older kids.


There was a small maze which was alright but could've been a lot more fun if it was bigger. They also had a cardboard cut out area, probably the least imaginative bit of the expo, but we took pics anyway:

They had to include a ball pit area for kids to just be kids:

Waiting patiently la konon...

The kids were supposed to be collecting the letters D-H-A but I think that plan fell out the window eventually...

Spot the Zharif!

Of course, the last area was the "Buy Mead Johnson products area", which naturally damaged my wallet. Zharif of course chugged down a couple of milk samples.

All in all, the expo was alright, Zharif had a lot of fun. Admittedly it wasn't as big as I would've liked it to be, but I suppose for a kid's attention span it was just right. It wasn't too packed, so we were able to try almost everything. Hopefully we'll have more expos like this, but with more variety and more collaborators to make it even more interesting. Still, thanks to Mead Johnson for organising this!