Going by past seasons what do ye reckon

1. Buy at least 2 Mourinho players, he barely changes his squad and there's no CL distractions. FPL gold.
2. Avoid getting too many Pep players for the same reason. Nobody attacking at Bayern was safe from rotation, including guys like Muller and Lewandowski.
3. Trust Pardew players up until Christmas then hold a firesale.
4. Don't trust Sunderland players until well after Christmas.
5. Be wary of Hughes/Stoke players. He often neglects to mention key players have picked up niggles in his Friday pressers, then you're dumbfounded when Arnie / Shaqiri etc doesn't appear in the matchday squad.
6. Trust Pulis/WBA and Swansea against the weaker teams, the ticker usually works well for them.
7. Apart from the absolute whipping boys, the ticker is rarely useful for Liverpool.
8. Jump on Everton and Arsenal while they're hot.

Here's mine FWIW...

1. Spend as little as possible on keepers - 8.5 - even if they don't get a CS they can get saves
2. Early on, also, don't spend too much on defenders - CSs are difficult to predict especially early on so look for bargains, fixtures and rotations and be prepared to use a few transfers on them early on
3. Pick your premium mids / fwds based on quality and early fixtures - 3-4 weeks especially. Form is not relevant yet.
4. Try to have flexibility in your squad and in your thinking - can you change your players for similar but better options early on? Have you got players at various price points to facilitate this?
5. Accept that you'll probably wildcard pretty early on - maybe after 4-6 weeks
6. Don't be afraid to take a couple of hits to correct any mistakes or hop on bandwagons
7. But don't panic if you have an ordinary start - it's a long season
8. Aguero - get him, it's easier to lose him than it is to rearrange your whole team to get him afterwards
9. Don't try to be too clever - 343 works
10. Go for mainly tried and trusted options with just one or two punts

Is 424 some mythical formation? Did peeps make it up by playing FIFA? Can you really have a formation that's 'that' attacking? History seems to answer this with a resoundingly 'yes' vote.

Well, a prime example of a modern take on a 424 system is during Pep's stint at Barcelona. At times he'd use this experimental shape as his backup, like he did so vs Stuttgart in the first knock-out round of the CL in 2010. This is a good visual as to how the classic 442 with a rigid midfield deployed by Christian Gross's Stuttart, contrasts with Pep's more fluid, & adaptable 424 (with Barcelona's ideals heavily implemented of course).

(courtesy of Michael Cox)
http://www.zonalmarking.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/barcelona-4-0-stuttgart-tactics-lionel-messi.jpg

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/03/19/barcelona-4-2-4-formation-guardiola-messi/barca_average_positions_4-2-4/

The four forwards here are largely all operating on the same horizontal space in the final third. Wingers are pushed up way, way, way further forward unlike a 442 (or diamond 442). Apart from Iniesta's unique role here - playing a little bit deeper than the forward three as he'll be the playmaker & the one bringing the ball in from the left to make those diagonal runs thereby connecting the line with the forwards. This is very much a stark contrast to your traditional 4231 shapes which will have a clearly defined lone-striker up top, a central player behind him 'in the hole' usually & the two narrow wingers who will occupy the space differently in attack as opposed to a winger in the 424. So there's a clear line of three behind the striker pretty much.

No, 424 isn't a myth, & yes it's different to your stereotypical 442. There's various examples in international football of this 'fictitious' formation being utilized effectively. In the most basic sense without going into too much detail, they're both different systems that will utilize the wingers & forwards differently. Allowing for a more dynamic attack.

Another example of a top-team deploying the 424 shape was Brazil in the 1970 world cup (where coincidentally, they won). A more 'by-the-book' 424 if you will, & contrary to Pep's 424 which would play like an asymmetric 433 at times, Brazil's 424 would play as a 4231 when not in possession.

(courtesy of http://footballsgreatest.weebly.com/brazil-1970.html )
http://footballsgreatest.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/9/8/4998002/1451970.jpg?421