Hall of Fame Update – Egersdoff Goes Top

The weekend break for the FA Cup handed us the opportunity to take stock of the latest standings in our Live Hall of Fame, which for the first time since the 2013/14 season, has a brand new leader.

This ranking system is applied to everyone who takes part in our Fantasy Premier League mini-leagues – both the free and members league. Managers’ performances over the seasons are then traced and scored via an exclusive algorithm to produce a Hall of Fame rating.

This article will take a close look at the histories and strategies deployed by those leading the current live HoF rankings.

This has been updated to take into account Gameweek 20 and can be viewed by Members via this link.

If you would like to know more about the Hall of Fame we have included a quick guide in this article. Alternatively, you can view this movie to listen to Mark and it’s creator, Chris Atkinson, talk you through it.

The career version, which shows the standings at the end of each season, is free to view here or via the HoF tab on the home page.

The new leader of the Hall of Fame is Jay Egersdoff, who has a rank of 1,616 in what is his 11^th season. His reaching of the summit marks a dramatic ascent that included a move from 15^th at the end of last season to third in our last analysis, which was published at the Gamweek 11 stage of the season.

A Gameweek 6 wildcard, that saw him rise from 44,965 to 12,177, has been key to his climb, as has the use of a five-man midfield, with Hull City’s Adama Diomande his makeweight as a third striker. This formation has helped him earn six green arrows in the last eight Gameweeks. In addition he has been careful not to take hits, with just two notched up so far.

His Christmas shopping spree proved particularly effective, with Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming in for Gameweek 18 and Leighton Baines of Everton and Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana drafted in ahead of Gameweek 19. His current squad also features Arsenal schemer Alexis Sanchez, Eden Hazard of Chelsea as well as Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson, with West Brom’s Chris Brunt and Chelsea left wing back Marcos Alonso helping out in defence.

With ten seasons under his belt already, seven of which ended with a top 5,000 placing, he has the track record to keep his current billing as Fantasy Football Scout’s best ever FPL manager.

When we last analysed the HoF top ten at the Gameweek 11 stage David Meechan had slipped from fifth to seventh but was already showing signs that he had managed to turn around his season.

A fall to 286,560 in the overall FPL placing in Gameweek 5 was met with the swift use of a wildcard the following week, which shaved more than 200,000 off his rank.

Since then, no less than 10 green arrows have followed and a strong festive fixture schedule saw him rise to a season high rank of 6,417 in Gameweek 20.

David is also not afraid to spend points, with the drafting in of Sergio Aguero and Junior Stanislas for Gameweek 20 marking his seventh hit of the campaign.

As with Jay, David also favours a 3-5-2 formation with Sunderland’s Victor Anichebe taking bench duties. Ibrahimovic is his other striker, with Sanchez and Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen among his other successful picks.

Already he looks well placed to achieve his third top 1,000 finish, in this, his tenth season.

Slipping to third place is Ville Ronka, who since the 2013/14 campaign has dominated the Hall of Fame rankings.

His usually successful patient approach has failed to reap rewards this season as he now sits in 108,540 place in the overall FPL rankings, during a campaign that has been peppered with nine red arrows and seen him rack up four Gameweek ranks outside of the top three million.

With no hits taken throughout, arguably his lack of activity in the transfer market has proved costly. His faith in a tried and tested 3-4-3 may have also hindered him, especially as his third striker, Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke, failed to deliver over Christmas. A midfield that includes Sigurdsson and Joe Allen of Stoke City is also looking overdue for a refresh.

If he is going to reclaim top spot and protect an exemplary nine season FPL career, in which his lowest season placing was 4,668th in 2012/13 and has included four top 1,000 finishes, a change of strategy may be required.

Marlen Rattiner remains in the fourth spot he achieved in our Gameweek 11 analysis but has markedly improved his rank from 41,539 to 13,561. A trio of green arrows over the festive fixtures was all the more remarkable considering he ditched Christian Eriksen in Gameweek 19.

Unlike Ville, Marlen has got the most out of a 3-4-3 formation of late, with Salomon Rondon of West Brom his third striker, sitting alongside Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Ibrahomovic. In midfield, Baggies winger Matt Phillips has proved a shrewd recent purchase. A fourth top 1,000 finish in this, his ninth season, looks well within his grasp.

This is proving a breakout season for Bruce Savage, who was in 19^th place in the Hall of Fame at the end of last season and has risen from sixth to fifth place since Gameweek 11 this term.

A Gameweek 6 Wildcard provided a kick-start for his season and saw him rise 200,000 places to 65,308. He reached the top 10,000 in Gameweek 8, where he has stayed ever since. A current rank of 2,649 came after an excellent Gameweek 20 score of 78, in which he took two risky gambles.

Firstly, he removed Ibrahimovic and Eden Hazard, for his fourth hit of the season, to bring in Red Devil Paul Pogba and Aguero.

Secondly, and perhaps most significantly, he used his triple captain chip on the Manchester City striker, a move that could prove costly when double Gameweeks come along. This is his eleventh season in a career that includes three top 1,000 finishes.

Another enjoying a strong campaign is Sir Edo Nygren, who was just 66th in the HoF rankings at the end of 2015/16 before rising eighth in Gameweek 11 and sixth spot after Gameweek 20. He is our highest placed manager at 287 and, on his current form, could even push for top spot at the end of the season. He certainly looks to have cemented an eighth top 5,000 finish in his 11 season career.

As with Jay and David, a 3-5-2 formation has been key to his success, allowing him to have a midfield of Eriksen, Pogba, Lallana, Sanchez and Allen, with the latter perhaps the only weak link.

Up front, Sergio Aguero was installed for Gameweek 20 and joined Liverpool’s Divock Origi and Diomande, who takes up bench duties. He has managed to keep hits to a minimum this campaign, taking just three so far, and has been a regular fixture in the top 1,000 since Gameweek 8, with Gameweek 13’s rank of 79 his best to date.

In seventh sits Grant Barclay, who was 69^th in the HoF at the end of the 2015/16 season. He is the top 10’s second highest placed manager, with a Gameweek 20 overall rank of 375 and is in his seventh season in a career that has seen him finish in the top 5,000 three times.

He is another to go easy on the hits, with just three taken so far, and also used a Gameweek 6 wildcard well to propel himself into the top 100,000.

In addition, he is among the top ten’s 3-5-2 advocates, with Aguero and Ibrahomovic up top and Hazard, Sanchez and Tottenham’s Dele Alli among his midfield stars. He was ahead of the curve regarding the Spurs man, after drafting him in back in Gameweek 14.

Peter Kouwenberg is still struggling to move up the overall FPL rankings.

He moved from third in the HoF at the end of last season, to fifth in Gameweek 11 and has now dipped to eighth. His overall rank has remained steady within the top 100,000 since Gameweek 10 and he now sits in 45,792 place, unable to make a breakthrough into the top 10,000.

Arguably hits have been an issue, with 14 taken so far, but a respectable Gameweek 20 score of 65 should give him hope he can recapture the good form that has seen him finish in the top 500 on two occasions over his 11 season career.

He currently has Origi as his third striker, but it remains to be seen whether he will switch to a 3-5-2 formation. His faith in fixtures over form may also change, as in Gameweek 20 he benched Eriksen and his 11 point haul for the Spurs man’s home clash with Chelsea.

One of the highest climbers in our Gameweek 11 updates was Mark Mansfield, who leapt from 109^th to ninth place in the HoF. It is a spot he retains, after finishing Gameweek 20 with an overall rank of 772. A lack of hits is a feature of his strategy, with just four taken so far.

Mark’s strong midfield of Hazard, Sanchez, Eriksen and Phillips should ensure he retains a high placing. He will also be hoping that new recruit Aguero can avoid further red cards, although he also has Ibrahimovic to add some consistency to his three-man frontline, that also features Origi.

Glynn Sherwood (aka Spectrum) takes tenth place to join our group of successful Fantasy veterans, after finishing in 36^th in the Hall of Fame at the end of last season. This is Glynn’s 11th campaign over a career that has included five top 10,000 finishes and a 133 placing in 2014/15.

Glynn has taken just four hits this season and is currently 16,207 in the overall rankings. Origi is Glynn’s third striker in a 3-4-3 formation, which includes Eriksen, Hazard, Sanchez and Gameweek 20 new recruit Phillips in midfield, with Costa and Ibrahimovic in attack.

Notable Mentions

Last year’s champion Dimitri Nicolaou‘s torrid season continued over Christmas with Gameweek 20 seeing him slip out of the top 2,000,000 in the overall rankings for the first time.

Tom Fenley, 2013/14’s winner, is fairing better. He is currently 127,825 in the overall FPL standings, a considerable improvement on his Gameweek 11 rank of 394,857, and is now 407^th in the live HoF.

However, FPL champion of 2014/15 Simon March (aka Dufflinks), is struggling to improve on his Gameweek 11 rank of 333,085 and now sits in 393,729 position.  This has seen him slip to 171th in the live HoF.

Mark is the FFScout team’s  highest ranked FPL manager, after finishing the festive fixture run in 26,327 position in the overall rankings, his highest rank so far. That takes him to up to 26^th in the live HoF.

Hall of Fame FAQ

How is my rating calculated?
The “HoF Rating” is based on your points scores from previous FPL seasons, with the latest season, weighted the heaviest and each corresponding season weighted at roughly 70% that of the previous season. So, in other words, those who performed best in 2014/15 will receive a bigger HoF Rating boost from those who did best in 2007/08. The “HoF Ranking” even allows for those with missing years, adapting the formula accordingly to allow to rank alongside the veterans of the FPL.

How do I join the Hall of Fame
Simply sign up to our leagues, either the Fantasy Football Scout Classic League (see home page for code) or if you’re a member, the Members Classic League (see Members home page for code).

How do I find myself in the Hall of Fame?
The search box at the top of the ranking tables allows you to search by surname or by FPL id.

What if I don’t want to be listed?
Either notify us via support@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk or simply leave the Fantasy Football Scout league, and you’ll be removed on the next update.

When does the Hall of Fame get updated?
The Career table is available to all and is updated at the end of each season to display the latest rankings. The Live version of the Hall of Fame is updated every week to use the latest season data.