Euro 2012 – Fantasy League Pro Update

Following on from yesterday’s round-up of our McDonald’s game, it’s time to focus on our dabble with the Fantasy League Euro 2012 Pro game.

With auction leagues created throughout the community, the Scout hosted three divisions, involving myself, Mark and Andy as Chairmen. Here’s a breakdown of how those divisions have panned out.

Scout Division One

In the Scout Division One, Boomslang’s eponymous lineup dominates going into the final four. A 14-point lead over second place Bozovac looks to have sealed him the crown. A combination of Andrea Pirlo and Mario Gomez have done the business for Boomslang, with Iker Cassilas and Joleon Lescott providing returns at the back. Boomslang will go into the semis looking remarkably strong, with 14 of his 15 players still active and one hand on the Division trophy. Bozovac takes just eight active players going forward: he can only hope that the Spanish pair David Silva and Jordi Alba can produce to help him close the yawning chasm. The signing of Marco Reus in last night’s round of bids could also be instrumental.

Gigging Order’s lineup is giving chase in third, with just a three-point gap to bridge. He’ll be looking to 10 active players, with Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Bastian Schweinsteiger surely crucial to his prospects.

Mark’s team sits in fifth, trailing the top three by a huge 22 points. It’s been an unremarkable campaign for him, with the gamble on Wayne Rooney falling short and Xavi and Andres Iniesta massively disappointing, considering their hefty auction fees. There’s still hope though; 12 active players for the final four may yet see Mark climb to a respectable finish.

Scout Division Two

There are a mere eight points separating the top three in this Division as we head into the semi-finals. Tommy J has led the way since early on in the competition and, with 60 points on the board, holds a slender two point advantage over Ginkapo. Tommy’s been blessed with the most efficient attacking squad in the league; so far, his side have racked up eight goals and provided seven assists, while a total of 14 goals conceded is the least number in the league.

Only three of his players picked up the points in the quarter finals, though; Alvaro Arbeloa and Joleon Lescott returned six for a clean sheet apiece, while Joao Moutinho earned four for assisting Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner against Czech Republic. After last night’s 11.30pm auction deadline, Tommy now has 10 players going into the last four, including the suspended Christian Maggio for Italy.

Ginkapo shot up the leaderboard in the quarter finals after picking up a monster 32 point haul. His decision to double up on the Portugal defence worked wonders, as Joao Pereira and Rui Patricio produced 12 points between them in the 1-0 win over the Czechs. Elsewhere, Jordi Alba and Xabi Alonso notched a combined 22 points in Spain’s win over France, grabbing two goals, an assist and a clean sheet between them. Last night’s auction saw Ginkapo mirror Tommy’s player quota – he, too, has 10 players left going into the final stretch.

Mch makes up the top three, sitting with a total of 52 points. He picked up 14 points in the quarter finals, thanks to the contribution of Cristiano Ronaldo, Joe Hart and Jerome Boateng though, after last night’s auction deadline, he has just five players for the upcoming pair of semi-finals, with the likes of Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta and Bastian Schweinsteiger also in his squad.

Elsewhere in the league, I’m sitting in fourth on 47 points after picking up 16 points in the last eight; I’ve still got 12 players left in my squad, including the injured Helder Postiga for Portugal. Gurka is 10 points adrift in fifth, while SuperDunny and Saram sit in sixth and seventh on 34 and 32 respectively. Shinoda brings up the rear on 18 points and, with three players only remaining, he may well be fearing the wooden spoon.

Scout Division Three

A 15-point gap separates leader, The Giggs Boson, from second place Battersea Babes. The latter was, at one stage, the top team in the entire Pro League game but now sits 547th overall, with the leader of this division lying in 127th place. He’ll go into the semis with eight active players to protect his lead, with Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller likely to be key to his chances. Battersea Babes will give chase with just five players and looks unlikely to challenge.

Michelen, lying in third and just a point behind, will fancy his chances of closing on both the teams above him with eight players, including Nani, Bastian Schweinstieger and Miroslav Klose, up his sleeve. As for Andy, like Mark he’s suffered an inauspicious campaign: he lies in fifth, with just Mats Hummells, Alvaro Arbeloa and the Italian pair of Mario Balotelli and Di Natale still alive and kicking to see him over the line.

And Finally…

Fantasy League are looking to gather feedback on their pro-auction game with plans afoot to improve matters ahead of the Premier League season. If you’ve played out their Euro 2012 Pro game, feel free to send on your feedback to mark@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk or via your comments here.