With it all to do in his semi-final tie against Breakballartist, Poshleftme is the last of our semi-finalists in The Fantasy Football Scout Cup, sponsored by Paddy Power. Being the only American left in the cup, he is therefore the only semi-finalist not eligible for a cash prize, and will instead donate any potential winnings to charity. Here is what he had to say before his tie…
Manager Name: Michael Roban
Team Name: PoshWasMyNeighbour
Current FPL position: 1,631th overall
Previous FPL record: 2007/08 – 188,414th overall, 2008/09 – 3,876th overall
Q: How would you best describe your fantasy management style?
A: What style? I suppose my management style is about trying to get an edge on my opponents and out think them. My major focus is winning my main mini-league in which I am the only American. I beat 60 other Brits last year and they weren’t happy. So finding a way to win again is my priority. I try to get a lead early in the season and make sure they cant catch me. The addition of the Cup has been a lot of fun as I have had to change my strategy a bit. But in general, my philosophy is to be consistent in my approach and make the other guy’s guess. That means sticking with my core players and rarely changing captains. Early in the season I had Lamps and Gerrard and would captain whoever played at home. Then I brought in Fabregas after week 6 and have mostly stuck with him as captain.
Q: What has been you hardest tie during your Cup run?
A: Been a few hair raising moments. But this past week was probably the hardest. I had Jensen injured and there was a double game week. I had a choice to make – take a risk with Jensen with Hart ineligible or take Nugent out for Carlton Cole. I figured my opponent would bring in Lampard for the injured Gerrard to counter me but instead he made the move for Cole! I had decided not to risk a zero at keeper and brought in Friedel. I never seriously considered giving Milner the armband but when Milner got hurt at half time a victory looked doubtful. Had I brought in Cole, victory would have already been assured. But it took a Carlton Cole injury in the 2nd game to get me to the semi-finals.
Q: Can you pat yourself on the back Big Sam style with any inspired management moves along the way?
A: Yes, shipping out Rooney and bringing in Torres for his hat trick was my best move of the Cup. Of course I didn’t give him the armband (that went to Lamps and his 3 pointer). But Torres still brought in 18 points and a narrow win. Also I resisted the urge to get rid of Lamps when the going got rough and my faith in him has been rewarded.
Q: Who has been your star player to this point?
A: Clearly Fabregas. But Darren Bent has had his moments as well.
Q: What do you make of your opponent Breakballartist?
A: He is the class of the Cup. I will need to be very fortunate to get a result here. He is ranked 13th in the world!
Q: Who do you particularly fear in their lineup?
A: Right now we have fairly similar teams. He has Lamps and Fabs in the MF as do I as well as Dunn. A Young provides his differential there while I have O’Hara. That’s a big advantage for him. Defensively, he has Hangeland too who I intended to bring in but with the injuries to Drogba and Lampard I likely will have to go in another direction so that’s a big concern for me as well.
Q: Do you have any team selection dilemmas ahead of the semis?
A: As alluded to above, the injury news has been ugly of late. Lamps and Drogs look like they will be unavailable. I might have to take a 4 point hit this week but my opponent has similar problems. Turner, Drogs, Lamps all look unavailable. Really have to think about who to bring into the squad especially with the double game week. I see that Breakballartist is a Burnley supporter though, so perhaps ill be cheeky and start Bikey against him. Would be fun to use his favorite players against him. The good news is that he has similar issues.
Q: Who would you choose to record your Cup final single should you make it through?
A: Perhaps Green Day doing a version of American Idiot.
Q: What kind of attire will you deck your team out in for the Cup Final pre-match preamble?
A: I think I need to represent my country. Also I want to remind everyone that I am playing for charity. If I win (or come in any money place) I will use my Paddy Power account to make bets for various charities and will invite others to contribute a few quid too the account if they like. I am going to have it administered by a friend of mine in the UK and we can all decide what charities we will play for each week and who to bet on.
Cheers Poshleftme, and good luck.
So there we have it, all four semi-finalist have had their say and all that is left is to wait and see how it pans out. Good luck to all, and may the best man win.