The Scout Debate returns this week with the hot-topic of the wildcard up for debate. As all Fantasy Premier League managers know, the wildcard is an opportunity to totally re-haul you squad without incurring any point penalties. So, here to offer up their own personal thoughts on when and why to use it, are several of the site contributors…

Once again I’ll just mention that if any of you have a topic you’d like us to debate next time, please feel free to email me your suggestions to akers@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk.

Of course it wouldn’t be right to discuss wildcards without mentioning the famous ‘waynecard’ incident. If you haven’t heard of the incident or read it before, or just want to reminisce, then click here and enjoy the events as they unfolded quite brilliantly.

Anyway, back to today. Here are the aforementioned views and opinions to absorb and hopefully help you make a more balanced decision…

Akers: “This is my third FPL season and in both my previous seasons I used my wildcard early-doors, around the GW4-6 mark. That was mainly a result of poor planning, poor judgement (last season I had the most expensive defence ever assembled… Mark Hughes would laugh at it), and stupid ‘gambles’ (Bale… nuff said). This season however (learning from my past experiences), I planned and planned to have a squad that was both fantasy favourable (usual suspects) and fixture favourable (mainly the GW2 scenario). So this time there was no turning around after GW2 or GW3 and deciding my squad was rubbish, because I just don’t feel that way.

For those of you who have used it (you know who you are), I think you’ve made a big mistake. To use a wildcard when some teams are only one or two games into the season is just lunacy to me. What do we actually know about the season? Virtually nothing I’d propose. There are too many examples of teams totally polarising views from one week to the next, but good examples for me are Wigan, Villa and Man United. Look at how their fortunates have shifted so dramatically in the last week or two.

Sure, I’d rather have a few different players here and there, and my transfers have been pretty poor so far, but it’s nothing a bit of tinkering and maybe the odd points hit can’t sort out. I’m not saying that now definitely isn’t the time to use your wildcard, because if you are in a situation where there are 6 or 7 players you do not want in your team, and there’s 6 or 7 players you want in, then by all means use it.

My personal view of the wildcard is that it should be used whenever you truly need it, and not on a whim to have a slightly ‘better’ team. If I’ve still got it towards the end of the season then I’ll use it willy-nilly, but it the meantime it’ll only get used on the back of some terrible transfers, some under-performing players and a slump in my mini-leagues.”

Andy: “As many know I have used my wildcard already, it was early – but then I used mine after one gameweek last year so I’ve made 100% improvement year on year. Many people have branded the move as foolish, but I finished in (what I feel is) a more than admirable 3486th place last year, so it’s not the be all and end all many make it out to be.

I had originally planned to use mine in the upcoming international break so I didn’t manage to hold onto that plan, but I felt there were a few players I’d made mistakes in not selecting in my original team, and didn’t want to miss out. Obviously (as pointed out so kindly in the podcast) it hasn’t paid off as of yet. But I stand by my move – I know I would’ve ultimately been much more crushed had Glen Johnson & Steven Gerrard carried on where they left off against Stoke had I opted out of using it, than I do feel now after a lacklustre gameweek. I’ve also managed to catch a whole bunch of price rises, which is always sweet…

To me the wildcard is a luxury to use at ones discretion, I feel many managers place that magic button in too high regard – I think any accomplished manager should be able to survive a whole season without one, so why not use it early and be done with it? Great if you can save it for a rainy day but that day may never come, hoarding isn’t always the wisest move – just check out my grandparents shed for proof on that… 30 year old lawnmower anyone?

The free double transfer rule also makes the wildcard less glamourous than it ever was to me; I can’t count how many times I made a free transfer just for the sake of it in years gone by – now the patient manager is rewarded with a 2 free transfers if he holds off the previous week. I don’t underestimate the importance of this rule change and regard it as many ‘mini wildcards’ available to me through the season.

To summarise, I used it – what’s the big deal? I like my team and I’m confident in my ability to win my mini-leagues, that’s all that matters to me.”

Granville: “I believe wildcards are a defence mechanism to be kept in reserve for a rainy day, or alternatively in between long international gameweeks where prices fluctuate and injuries come into play. Once European football and cup games come into play for all sides it’s important to know you’ve got your wildcard available if needed, if nothing else than to wave it in front of your closest rival.

Last year I made at least 0.2m just from swapping players in and out during a long break between gameweeks. Unfortunately it didn’t fully work out for me, but that’s another story. Maybe we just overrate wildcards for anything else other than getting rid of injured or non-playing players. Imagine still having your wildcard coming in to the final week with a small advantage over your rival, you could quite easily replicate his team guaranteeing you the win. Dream on.”

SIR  PAULOS: “I hold my hands up- yeah, I’ve played my wildcard. Ah, the best laid plans…. Initially, the idea was to wait until the transfer window shut to pick up any obvious must-haves  for my squad; I had therefore assembled 15 players around the first four game weeks with the intent of seeing it through till the end of August at least before I considered pressing “the big button“.

But…well, there’s a couple of outside influences I will conveniently blame:

I Know The Score – I started to find my predictions on IKTS were more consistent than my FPL team performance. By the end of gameweek 2, I was 38th overall in IKTS, going on my gut feeling. I have since slipped back a little, but in general, my match predictions have had me cursing my original FPL squad from week 1, as there was a distinct lack of correlation between what I thought the scores would be each game week, and the players I had in my squad to back this up.

The Guardian Chalkboards – Dissecting matches for my weekly reports for the site, I started to look at the importance of certain players to their teams in a different way, and resultantly, had me planning and plotting changes every time I went near the chalkboard tool.

The final straw was week 3 results. Again, a gut feeling said Kenwyne Jones and Carlton Cole would score, but with Arsenal at home to Portsmouth and sure to score considerably, I instead used my carefully-kept double rollover transfer to get in Eduardo and Bendtner in a move I thought inspired…. Yeah, I know what happened next.

After that, I felt certain I had to pull out the wildcard. It’s almost cathartic in a sense; while you still have it, there’s an awareness that it‘s there, waiting on you, to be played at any point, but once it’s done, there’s a sweet relief that it’s out the way.

So after discussing it on the boards, I checked out the next few weeks fixtures and planned a squad around both knowledge and gut instinct. Essentially, it’s only a week earlier than anticipated, anyways.. If it crashes and burns then so be it; at least I won’t have that gnawing little voice in my head saying “I told you so” anymore.”

SUPERIOR BEING: “Have I played my Wildcard? No. Am I tempted to? Yes!

After 3 Gameweeks I find myself with the following problems: Jerome, Ebanks-Blake & Fabregas are injured, Geovanni is possibly not first choice anymore plus Jarvis and Baines have been producing nothing. I also have money tied up in Cech whereas I would feel more comfortable with 2 cheap goalkeepers to enable me to afford Gerrard (I feel I should have got him from the start – isn’t hindsight a beautiful thing?!)

Surely this is a strong case for using the Wildcard? Probably. The problem is I would love to keep it as a ‘power up’ to use late in the season in case I am behind in my mini leagues.

I’ll be honest; I don’t know what I’m going to do. One thing is for sure though; I won’t be playing it this week. With the 2 week gap and the close of the transfer window looming I think pre-Gameweek 5 would be a better time to play it. Even if it does mean enduring another weekend of pain!”