Hall of Fame Analysis – Part One

The latest break from Premier League action has given us a chance to analyse the standings in our Live Hall of Fame.

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 to give a Hall of Fame (HoF) rating.

This first article in a two-part analysis 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 29 and can be viewed by Members via this link.

The second part will focus in more detail on the players they currently own, revealing the HoF leaders’ “template” squad.

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 Rate My Team’s 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.

Live Hall of Fame Top 10

Since our last look at this elite group, in Gameweek 25, Jay Egersdorff has reclaimed top spot in style, after losing it briefly to our career Hall of Fame number one Ville Ronka.

Jay has now moved up to 150 in the overall rankings following a stellar run that featured green arrows in five of the last six Gameweeks.

A skilful navigation of Gameweek 27’s double set of fixtures, involving Stoke and Manchester City, was key.

Taking a hit to draft in City pair Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero, he parted company with Eden Hazard and Hull City’s budget striker Adama Diomande. This saw Jay ditch his long-term use of a 3-5-2 formation and roll out an impressive front three of Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and Aguero, who was his triple captain. All got on the scoresheet and delivered 46 points between them.

This pragmatic approach to a shift in the fixtures was also evident in Gameweek 28, when just eight teams played. Finding himself woefully short of numbers, he spent 12 points in hits to field ten players. While Andy Carroll and Sadio Mane failed to deliver, fellow new recruits Josh King and Ross Barkley brought a combined 27 points to steer Jay to a Gameweek 28 rank of 20,993 – his best to date.

Jay, who prior to Gameweek 27 had taken just two hits, was back spending points again in Gameweek 29 and also making further use of FPL’s chips. Out went the injured Kane and misfiring Philippe Coutinho and in came Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez, who scored and earned two bonus points before hobbling off with an ankle injury he has since recovered from.

Jay also unleashed his all out attack chip to field just Leighton Baines and Marcos Alonso in defence. But his Gameweek 29 experience perhaps shows how weak this chip has proved for many, as his first sub Chris Brunt’s two-point return was double that of his lowest scoring midfielder, Sadio Mane.

A relatively late leap onto the Lukaku bandwagon has also helped Jay improve his ranking. After missing out on the Everton striker’s stunning four-goal haul against Bournemouth in Gameweek 24, he finally transferred him in two Gameweeks later and captained him in three of the next four fixtures, earning a total of 68 points.

Using Fusen’s FPL Statistico tool we have discovered that Jay has earned a total of 449 points from his captains, with Sanchez’s nine armband awards the most, with Aguero earning the nod seven times and Lukaku just four.

With his second Wildcard and Bench Boost chips intact, Jay looks well-placed to continue his ascent and add to a ten-season career that has included seven top 5,000 finishes.

In terms of double Gameweek 34 sides, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough, Jay has no representation. If he doesn’t deploy his second Wildcard, that recent history suggests he is more than willing to spend his way out of trouble.

Jay’s recent fine form has been needed to keep second place Ville Ronka at bay. The Finnish enigma, who had been top of the Hall of Fame since 2013/14 prior to this year, has also been excelling since our last update in Gameweek 25, when he was ranked 26,693.

Four green arrows have seen him climb to a season-high rank of 8,637 and on course to add to his four finishes in the top 1,000.

Like Jay, he also tackled Gameweek 27’s double and the following week’s blanks head on, taking a points hit in each. Given that these were his only hits this season, it shows that even the most conservative manager sees the benefits of investing wisely in these potentially lucrative Gameweeks.

His new recruits in Gameweek 27 were Sterling and Aguero, who he triple captained for City’s pair of matches. The duo were offloaded for the blank Gameweek 28 fixtures for Fernando Llorente and Sadio Mane. Yet both failed to deliver and Ville may wish he’d taken another hit, given that he could only field ten players that week. Bearing in mind that the average score that week was just 19 points, his 49-point return was more than enough to see a rankings boost.

Gameweek 29 saw Diego Costa come in for the injured Kane as he continues with a 3-4-3 set up utilised for most of this season. It would be no surprise to see the Blues striker receive the armband from Ville in Gameweek 30 when Crystal Palace visit Stamford Bridge.

Ville, like Jay, was another to miss out on Lukaku’s incredible return against Bournemouth in Gameweek 24. That clearly rankled, as he drafted him in within three hours of the final whistle at Goodison Park that day.

With three out of four captaincies since then for the Belgian, Ville has been keen to make up for lost time. While he has captained Lukaku a total of four times, Sanchez has been his preferred pick – he’s handed the Arsenal midfielder the armband on 12 occasions, more than any other player.

Given that Lukaku has earned him an average of 23 points via the captaincy, compared to Sanchez’s 13.8, perhaps Ville may rethink his allegiances for the season run-in. It is also worth noting that Ville has only captained six players this season, keeping his faith limited to a small poolof FPL assets.

With Bench Boost, the second Wildcard and All Out Attack still to play, it remains to be seen how he will tackle double Gameweek 34, given he currently has no Middlesbrough, Palace or United assets.

Sticking in third in our live Hall of Fame is Peter Kouwenberg (aka My Pretty Pony), who has also found success by maximising the potential of double and blank Gameweeks.

This period has also suited his aggressive stance in the transfer market. In total he has taken 20 hits this season, four of which came over Gameweek 27 and 28.

This paid off as since our Gameweek 25 update he has moved from 6,126 to 1611 in the overall rankings.

For City’s double, he went one step further than Jay and Ville by adding Leroy Sane to fellow new recruits Sterling and triple captain Aguero. For the blank fixture he made four transfers, bringing in Carroll, Coutinho, Lukaku and King, with the latter two delivering a combined tally of 42 points after also handing the armband to Lukaku.

This is shaping up to being another sensational campaign for Peter, who has his second Wildcard and Bench Boost to play and has picked up two top 500 final placings in his 11-season career.

It remains to be seen if he can eclipse Jay and Ville but his armband record offers hope. A total captaincy haul of 465 points is 16 more than Jay, while he is also more flexible with the armband than Ville, handing it to ten different players, with Sanchez and Aguero receiving it the most, with seven nods apiece.

He is also one step ahead of his two top three rivals, with Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia and Middlesbrough’s Calum Chambers in place for their double Gameweek 34.

Jack Kennedy is in fourth position. A new entry into the top ten since our last update and an FPL manager who was ranked 31^st in our career Hall of Fame, which was last updated at the end of last season. His current rank of 649 has helped him to build on an impressive 11-year career that has seen him finish in the top 100 once and the top 500 on a further two occassions.

Unlike those above him, Jack has already deployed his second Wildcard, using it in Gameweek 28 to field 11 players and set himself up for the long term.

Alongside strong picks during this reduced schedule, such as King and Lukaku, he also drafted in Dele Ali and kept hold of Kane and Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso. A Gameweek rank of 8,422 gave him a strong immediate return and his Wildcard prospered again in Gameweek 29, when he scored 89 points. A transfer of Christian Eriksen in for Coutinho helped this tally.

Kane is still in his squad, but given the striker’s injury and his double Spurs midfield, a move to another premium striker such as Diego Costa looks a strong possibility. Considering that he has successfully deployed a 3-5-2 formation in Kane’s absence, Jack has the luxury of holding fire while he considers his options. Taking hits, which he has done seven times so far, to tackle the impending double Gameweeks may also be needed. Having Wildcarded before the double Gameweek 34 announcement, he is currently without any assets from teams playing twice then.

Our very own Mark Sutherns climbs from ninth to fifth since our last update by continuing his aggressive approach to transfers.

Ranked 2,265 in Gameweek 25, he now sits in 491st spot and looks on course for a fourth top 1,000 finish.

Similar to the above-mentioned managers, Mark has not been afraid to spend points to maximise the blank and double Gameweeks, taking five hits between Gameweeks 27 and 29.

Sane joined Sterling and triple captain Aguero in Gameweek 27 and the following week Josh King was a notable success as part of a four-transfer manoeuvre. The next week, Antonio Valencia, Sanchez and Spurs midfielder Son Heung-min were drafted in for a double hit. While the Tottenham midfielder let him down, the Red Devils right back and Gunners talisman both scored and crucially are now in place for their impending double Gameweeks.

With Andy Carroll as a third striker and Josh King part of a five-man midfield, Mark has the option to use either a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation. Of the two, the former has been deployed most so far.

Since Gameweek 25, Lukaku has received the armband most often and has helped him achieve a total captaincy score of 453 points. Mark has been quite conservative with his selections in this regard, only using seven players as captains, with Sanchez the most popular.

Despite almost halving his overall ranking since Gameweek 25 Bruce Savage slips one place to sixth. Now at 2,100 in the overall placings, the Chelsea fan has also spent points over this period, taking three hits in the last four Gameweeks, to take his total number to nine.

Having earned a 21-point return by using his Triple Captain chip in Gameweek 20 on Aguero against Burnley, he will no doubt have breathed a sigh of relief to see the Argentine scored just once over his pair of Gameweek 27 matches. He further offset a potential points explosion from the City marksman by handing him the armband over his double fixtures.

Bruce may be another to regret not spending more points in Gameweek 28 as even with Carroll and Sigurdsson drafted in, he could still only field eight players. While his 45-point return was way above the Gameweek average of 19, a less cautious approach could have paid off.

Dele Alli joined Bruce’s regular 3-4-3 formation in Gameweek 29, helping him to a 78-point return. But with no double Gameweek 34 assets, either his second Wildcard will have to be deployed or he will need to be more assertive regarding hits.

His impressive use of the armband will help for the run-in, having earned 491 points from his nine captain selections, which includes seven nods each for Lukaku and Aguero. With Bench Boost also intact, a fourth top 1,000 finish looks on the cards.

Another new entry into the top ten since our Gameweek 25 update is seventh-placed Phil Ampleford, who was ranked just 46^th in our career Hall of Fame.

Phil now sits in a season-high 605th spot in the overall rankings, having been in and around the top 10,000 since Gameweek 19.

The story of his last four Gameweeks is a familiar one among this elite group – spending points to draft in Sane, Sterling and triple captain Aguero in Gameweek 27 and also to secure key Gameweek 28 assets, including Lukaku and King.

With further points spent in Gameweek 29 to bring in Costa, Alli and Sanchez, Phil clearly sees the value of strategic hit taking. His seven hits since Gameweek 26 bring his season tally up to 15.

He is currently using a 3-5-2 formation, with Burnley’s Ashley Barnes the forward makeweight. It’s uncertain whether that changes, given that he has no double Gameweek 34 assets, while across the season, 3-4-3 has been Phil’s preferred strategy.

With a second Wildcard and Bench Boost to play, he looks set for recording his highest ever finish, beating 2013/14’s record of 779. Phil will also be optimistic having Sanchez in his side, with the Chilean being his most popular captain this season. However, given that the Gunners man has only handed him an average of 14.8 points when trusted with the armband, compared to Aguero’s 18.8, Lukaku’s 19.2 and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 20, he may well rethink his strategy.

Our refreshed Hall of Fame top ten features another new face since our Gameweek 25 update with Paul Marshman taking eighth spot. His ascent from 38^th in the career hall of fame is due to an incredible recent run that has seen him move from 19,036 in Gameweek 24 to 861 in Gameweek 29.

Considering that his eleven-season career includes four top 1,000 finishes, Paul looks set to maintain his lofty current rank.

This elite group’s attack on the blank and double Gameweeks is a trend continued by Paul, who spent three hits to ensure he could field ten players during Gameweek 27, with King’s acquisition proving particularly lucrative. The transfer in of triple captain Aguero and Sterling also helped.

A second Wildcard and bench boost are being saved, no doubt for the impending double Gameweeks. With no United or Palace assets and just the one ‘Boro player, the injured George Friend, the former of these chips may well be deployed before Gameweek 34.

With a total captaincy haul of 459 points, there is certainly some room for improvement, with the armband worn by eight players for Paul this season. Sanchez, with seven nods, is his current favourite. Another feature of his strategy has been using 3-4-3, which has been used 18 times, compared to seven times for 3-5-2.

In ninth is our highest climber, Geoff Dance, who was ranked just 166^th in our career Hall of Fame at the end of 2015/16.

With an overall rank of 69 it is no wonder he has climbed so high. He is by some distance our highest placed manager in the top ten live Hall of Fame.

A 106-point gap between Geoff and new overall leader Uwais Ahmed means that first spot may be just out of reach, but with two top 5,000 finishes in his seven-year FPL career, as well as having a second Wildcard and Bench Boost chip intact, a strong run-in may well see him challenge for the crown.

While he took three hits between Gameweek 27 and 29, Geoff has only spent points once before this season, with three transfers made in Gameweek 12. This indicates he may prefer to Wildcard to set himself up for the impending double Gameweeks.

Backing Aguero with the triple captaincy in Gameweek 27, then spending a hit to tackle the reduced schedule of Gameweek 28 have helped with his success. But with 12 green arrows in a row, it is clear he has been in unstoppable form for a long time.

The secret to his success has been almost religiously sticking to a 3-4-3 formation, which he has deployed in all but four Gameweeks. He is also careful with the captaincy, trusting the armband with Sanchez and Aguero eight times each, more than any other players. So far Romelu Lukaku has been his most successful source of double points, averaging 27.5 points. Could it be time for Geoff to move armband allegiances?

David Meechan slips from fourth to tenth, after a torrid three Gameweeks, which saw him slip from 11,674 in Gameweek 26 to 26,867 by Gameweek 28.

A conservative approach to Gameweek 27 proved costly. While spending a hit to bring in Aguero and Sterling, he decided to save his triple captaincy chip, which contributed to a below Gameweek average points return.

Worse was to come in Gameweek 28 when he spent just one hit to bring in Lukaku and Coutinho. This still left him two players short and to add to the misery he captained Mane, who blanked, while the more popular choice, Lukaku, prospered.

Finally, David ditched the injured Bournemouth midfielder Junior Stanislas for his high scoring team-mate King in Gameweek 29, but coming after the Norwegian’s hat-trick against West Ham, his tardiness over this move will surely haunt him.

Nevertheless, David is more than capable of moving up the rankings. An 88-point haul in Gameweek 29 has already seen him shoot up to 14,564. He also has a full suite of powerful chips with the second Wildcard, Bench Boost and Triple Captain still to be used.

In addition, he has the pedigree to prosper with two top 1,000 finishes across his ten-season career.

But a change of formation may be needed. He has been resolute in sticking with a 3-5-2 formation, which he has used 14 times, with the injured Sunderland striker Victor Anichebe as a makeweight. Perhaps a switch to 3-4-3, which has been used eight times, could be on the cards?

A rethink on the armband is also needed. His captains have brought him just 392 points, with Sanchez and Aguero the favoured options, despite Lukaku and Ibrahimovic being the most successful on the rare occasions they’ve been trusted.

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 you to rank alongside the veterans of the FPL.

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