[sbu_large_image] Opinion
28 November 2017 1923 comments
Mark Mark
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There are such fine margins between success and failure, and often, while we fret over Wildcards and captaincies, it is the seemingly inconsequential decisions that cost us.

My Gameweek 13, while more than satisfactory, could well have been bordering on epic had I just considered two decisions more carefully.

Both seemed totally justified at the time.

Firstly, the swap of Kyle Naughton to welcome back Nicolas Otamendi to my dressing room seemed sound enough.

I didn’t write off Swansea’s chances of a clean sheet against Bournemouth, but having previously witnessed the Cherries win 4-0 over Huddersfield; I expected Callum Wilson and company to breach the struggling Swans. More to the point, I banked on more from Otamendi who chested the ball into the Man City net to create an unexpected nine-point swing in Naughton’s favour.

Then there was that decision to start Tammy Abraham.

I thought I’d read this situation perfectly. If the striker had any chance of figuring against the Cherries, he’d start. It made perfect sense. Why, when Abraham could not play against Chelsea in Gameweek 14, would Paul Clement use him from the bench? These were desperate times, after all.

Only Clement knows the full story. All I know is that Abraham saw six minutes of action, almost won a penalty but robbed me of a belated goal from Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

I could have been 15 points better off, in a Gameweek where my score was already considered more than a little bit handy.

These “trivial” little decisions soon add up and, eventually, I believe they can do far more damage than a badly timed Wildcard or a misplaced armband. We fret over the big dilemmas and yet it’s these frivolous little choices that undo us. Bit by bit, they unravel the careful stitches of our painstaking Gameweek research.

I’ve started writing all these “mishaps” down. I jot them on pieces of paper, fold them up and then put them in a jar. A jar of regret and agony, something to pore over when the season is done, and I’m considering what might have been.

I fear that one day my partner will find this jar.

“It’s my jar of regret”, I will explain.

She will peer inside expecting to see scribbles on how I should have taken that gap year or learned to play the guitar.

Instead, she’ll find mentions of Kyle Naughton and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

I’ll sit her down take her through the stats, but I don’t think it will help.

Thanks to Fantasy Football, she probably has her own jar with my name in it.

Mark Mark created the beast. He's now looking to tame it.

  1. Darsh
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Rose starts

    1. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      1st fail of the GW

  2. Numb
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    No Hazard!

    1. We Will Klopp you
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      lol

    2. Numb
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Hope that doesn't hurt me this GW

    3. DA Minnion (Former great)
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Or morata.

      1. Numb
        • 11 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        No, I have him

    4. Gnu
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      😉

  3. Gobigorgohome
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Line up time

  4. melvinmbabazi
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    LINEUPS?

  5. Limited & Mediocre Mana…
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    OMG forgot to press wildcard!!!

    1. Moose™
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Reallyyyyyy? Its a disastah!!!#

    2. JustPark
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      You used it in gw3.

      1. Limited & Mediocre Mana…
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        Liar

  6. Dr. DOOM
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Switched from Hazard to Morata lol

  7. liiusions
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    RLC playing deeper 🙁

    1. GXNG
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      #10 I think

  8. More Tragic
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Wish I had Pedro

    🙁

  9. pakornk
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    I captained Kane over Morata but didn't press save!!! ughh

  10. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    No trippier or Bavies

    1. Gobigorgohome
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Expected

      1. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
        • 14 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        2 defenders for me then lol

      2. Annie
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        Not really

  11. Team Cruel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Haz not starting tonight 🙁

    1. b✪mber
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      I knew it!!!

    2. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      To be expected

  12. Revival
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Going to be a high scoring gameweek with all the big boys having favourable fixtures

  13. hurrrrr
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Morata (c), Hazard (vc).

    Please don't be annoying Kane.

  14. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Benteke starts

  15. Bleach †
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Wow Morata at 177 😀

  16. Odikostar
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    went sane Alonso over hazard...

  17. The Suspended One
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    C Salah VC Morata, had it on Hazard all week.

    This never works out for the better...

    1. Bruces Kebabs
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Did exactly the same- will be hiding behind the sofa

  18. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Leicester City Vs Tottenham Hotspur
    Schmeichel, Simpson, Chilwell, Morgan, Maguire, Mahrez, Ndidi, Iborra, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy
    Subs: Hamer, Dragovic, Amartey, King, Gray, Choudhury, Slimani

    Lloris, Vertonghen, Dier, Sánchez, Dembélé, Aurier, Sissoko, Rose, Eriksen, Alli, Kane
    Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Foyth, Davies, Lamela, Heung-Min, Llorente

    1. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      no Winks

      1. Hooky
        • 10 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        😉

    2. Les Bleus
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      No Son, thank God

  19. Valar(Keith)
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Did Bavies and Jones to christensen and Mustafi for free and bench Mee and Dunk.. Already feel a bit weird about doing that. First time in a while I have just 1 FT for a gw

    1. Tatty Bojangles
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      I did the same moves

      1. Valar(Keith)
        • 16 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        Good luck to us.. My rule always is to make a transfer if needed only. Got so sick of those 2 though

        1. Tatty Bojangles
          • 16 Years
          8 years, 3 months ago

          I was looking at the safe moves to Daniels and Otamendi but Christensen and Mustafi seemed like more fun. I think we'll be fine.

  20. SUPERMAN
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    No tripper or davies

    1. Bielsa's Blue Bucket
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      pair of a-holes

  21. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Brighton and Hove Albion Vs Crystal Palace
    Ryan, Duffy, Bruno, Dunk, Suttner, Groß, Izquierdo, Stephens, Pröpper, Knockaert, Murray
    Subs: Krul, Schelotto, Goldson, Brown, March, Kayal, Hemed

    Hennessey, Schlupp, Tomkins, Ward, Sakho, Townsend, Zaha, Milivojevic, Loftus-Cheek, Cabaye, Benteke
    Subs: Speroni, van Aanholt, Fosu-Mensah, Dann, Puncheon, Sako, McArthur

    1. Ha.
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Dann is my Best Buy ever

      1. SuperMane Returns
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        Desperate Dann

      2. Homer21
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 3 months ago

        Was so close to getting him but got side tracked just in time!!

    2. Arteta
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Cheers for the line-ups!

  22. the Penman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Revenge of the Midweek Spurs Fullbacks.

  23. Dušan Citizen
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    CAN U STOP WRITING ONE NAME WHO STARTS OR DOESN'T AND POST FULL LINE UP INSTEAD?

    1. LarryDuff
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      NO

    2. Odikostar
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      hazard benched

    3. La Roja
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      lol

    4. Sim Simma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Jesus

    5. foley200
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      TRIPPIER

    6. Gnu
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Hazard , Morata.

  24. mrwinner
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Bavies on the bench, excellent news!

  25. Futile Tinkering
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Come on Morata!!

  26. el polako
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Genuine good luck to all of you good people of FFS !!!
    (none of you is my cash league so I don't mind).

    1. Homer21
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Ditto

  27. SantiClaus
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    At least let Silva play tomorrow first...

    To lose 0.2 on him is sickening

    1. It’s gonna Ben Mee
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      A great game from him tomorrow and that you’ll have that cash back in no time

  28. Stupendous
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Come on Kane c!!!!! Lose 5 4 spurs and 4 for you Arry!

    1. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      Absolutely this!!

  29. mrwinner
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    LADS LADS LADS

  30. Yozzer
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 3 months ago

    Kane captainers your hands in the muthaphukkin aiiiir

    1. Les Bleus
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      o////////

    2. Witty Pun: Not good at this…
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 3 months ago

      \o/