Round four of the Premier League ended with a bang as Arsenal and Spurs shared the spoils at the Emirates Stadium after an eventful 2-2 draw. Elsewhere Chelsea blew a two goal lead against league new boys Sheffield United, Liverpool kept up their 100 per cent with 3-0 thumping of Burnley at Turf Moor, and Watford finally got the points column ticking with a 1-1 draw up in Tyneside against Newcastle.
But the ref blew the whistle to conclude affairs in north London, it signalled the final league action for a fortnight as the first international break of the season comes into focus. With that in mind, let's look at who was top dog for the month in the Advertiser Tribal League in association with Monroe's Tavern.
Manager of the Month: August
Drums rolls please and our Manager of the Month for August is: Eamonn Gannon - Eggandgunian fc - 281 points.
It seems consistency is the name of the game for Eamonn Gannon and his charges with only 14 players used in the first four rounds of this campaign. A defence of Patrick Van Aanholt, Jon Robertson, and Lucas Digne has really performed for Gannon and they have not been shy going forward chipping in with assists and goals. Midfield sees the brilliant partnership of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne who if they are not scoring goals, are creating them. And up top, Marcus Rashford, Roberto Firmino, and Raúl Jiménez have formed a good partnership with at least one of them scoring each weekend.
Congratulations to Eamonn and the Eggs.
Hot or not
Now as you all know I love to have a punt on who is going to the business at the weekend and the international break is an optimum time to look back and see if The Don's tips have made hay or led Fantasy managers astray.
Week 1
- Raheem Sterling (Man City ) v West Ham - 20 points.
- Ross Barkley (Chelsea ) v Man United - 1 point.
- Luke Freeman (Sheffield United ) v Bournemouth - 1 point.
It was a mixed bag in week one for myself as Raheem Sterling brought home the bacon thanks to a hat-trick at West Ham, earning himself 20 Fantasy points. Ross Barkley got a start against Man United but only earned himself a point as the Blues suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford. And Luke Freeman only got 12 minutes on the pitch and one Fantasy point against Bournemouth. One out of three players performing is not what I like to see.
Week 2
- Neal Maupay (Brighton ) v West Ham - 1 point.
- Billy Sharp (Sheffield United ) v Crystal Palace - 0 points.
- Raheem Sterling (Man City ) v Spurs - 6 points.
If week one was poor, then week two was a write off. Sterling found the back of the net but lost a point for conceding two goals. Billy Sharp did not feature and Neal Maupay missed an absolute sitter for Brighton against the Hammers and ended up with one Fantasy point. Oh dear.
Week 3
1 Teemu Pukki (Norwich City ) v Chelsea - 11 points.
2 Anthony Martial (Man United ) v Crystal Palace - 5 points.
3 Kevin De Bruyne (Man City ) v Bournemouth - 5 points
Ah we were back in business in week three. The Tribal League is a marathon, not a sprint and my picks all chipped in. Teemu Pukki got a goal and an assist in Norwich City's 3-2 loss to Chelsea, Anthony Martial set up Daniel James against Crystal Palace, and Kevin De Bruyne got himself another assist against Bournemouth. Onwards and upwards.
Week 4
Ashley Barnes (Burnley ) v Liverpool - 2 points.
Tammy Abraham (Chelsea ) v Sheffield United - 13 points
Sergio Agüero (Man City ) v Brighton - 16 points.
It was a case of two out of three horses coming home for me in week four with Sergio Agüero helping himself to a brace of goals and an assist in the demolition of Brighton. Tammy Abraham added two more goals to his Chelsea tally against Sheffield United but Ashley Barnes failed to fire. Ah such is the life of a Fantasy Football pundit.
Don't miss a minute of action with Monroe's Tavern
Now there is no Premier League action this weekend but punters can still enjoy wings and a pint or burger and a pint for €10 at Monroe's Tavern during matches this week and next.
Thursday:
Ireland v Switzerland (7.45pm ) RTÉ 2.
Saturday:
Ireland v Wales (2pm ) RTÉ 2.
Sunday
Galway v Westmeath (2pm ) RTÉ 2.
Galway v Kilkenny (4.15pm ) RTÉ 2.
Tuesday:
Ireland v Bulgaria (7.45pm ) SKY Sports.
