[sbu_large_image] Opinion
28 November 2017 1923 comments
Mark Mark
Share:

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. Kasper the ghost keeper
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Morata in for Aguero for free?

    1. BenjaminEJones
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      I'd do it.

    2. Balls of Steel
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      100%

    3. Runaway
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Yes

  2. mazkills
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Captain Sane over Kane&Morata??

  3. SuperMario
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Good to go ladies and gents??

    Elliot
    Alonso - Davies - Mee - Daniels
    Salah - Hazard (c) - Chupo - Richarlison
    Kane (vc) - Morata

    Fabianski - RLC - Wimmer - Abraham

  4. KP02
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Would you rather get
    A) Daniels
    B) mustafi

    1. 404_FC
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      b

    2. LewanGOALski
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      B

    3. Runaway
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      A for next three.

  5. Bobadoba
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Play Diouf, Moreno or Duffy?

  6. Ravager
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Great Preamble!

    Is this bench order right? Dunk, Mee, TCarrol?

    1. Hurricane Gilbert
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Who are you playing ahead of Dunk?

      1. Ravager
        • 11 Years
        8 years, 4 months ago

        Daniels Alonso Otamendi

  7. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Empty the Jar of regrets, burn them, look to the future and fill the jar with your own home grown pickled onions of hope.

  8. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    No Salah cappers

    Liverpool back to having its strongest side and lallana potentially back too against a stoke side shipping goals

    1. Volley127
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      One here! Noticed lack of them too.

    2. Dannyb
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Not worried about him getting a rest? I'm tempted but just can't bring myself to cap him over Haz.

    3. The Big Fella
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Everybody back means rotation is an option

  9. Shardlow
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Jones to 4.4 Francis ok? Have Azpi, Ota, Mee, Mbemba.
    Need cash for hazard

  10. EL tridente
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Hazard og kane for captain?

    1. EL tridente
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Or

  11. 404_FC
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    why no love for captain jesus this week?

    i think he start 99.999999% + city home score 3+

  12. Dr. DOOM
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Bench 1? (DRAFT)
    A. Vardy
    B. Mee
    C. Richarlison

    1. 404_FC
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      b

  13. FPL Virgin
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    What an absolute brilliant preamble. Best of the season? Maybe.

    Thank you, Mark.

    It would be amazing to open up the jar during the last scoutcast episode of the season.

    1. FPL Virgin
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      *absolutely

  14. b✪mber
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Great writing by Mark there.

  15. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Who to bench - Richarlison, Mee, RLC?

    1. Balls of Steel
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Rlc

  16. Sarnab
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Naughton to Christensen for free?

    Now that Luiz is crocked , I think it is only Rudiger to worry about. Can take that risk.

    1. Collie01
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Yep

  17. Dougal McGuire
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Otamendi in for Vertonghen for a hit? Gives me just enough cash to turn wither Sterling or Pogba into Salah next week for free.

  18. Numb
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    So, do we think Hazard will get his rest midweek or at the weekend?

    1. alastair
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Christmas Day

    2. Balls of Steel
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Weekend, he will be subbed early though if chelsea are comfortable which they should be

    3. Sarnab
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      He will start all the PL games

  19. Balls of Steel
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Is it worth taking a - 4 this week to transfer Eriksen to Hazard, already did Kaku to Morata?

    1. FISSH
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      you sold Kane... wuuut

      1. RESULT
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        8 years, 4 months ago

        Kaku

    2. Mulla
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Now or never, he should pay it back fairly quickly

  20. RESULT
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Captain salah?
    Just get the feeling lukaku is gonna score double digits tonight.

    1. BenjaminEJones
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      I think Kaku is gonna score double digits every GW and keep getting disappointed...

    2. The Knights Template
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      feelings, nothing more than feelings..........

      1. RESULT
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        8 years, 4 months ago

        Only because the story is there. He should have been banned! Etc etc

        1. The Knights Template
          • 12 Years
          8 years, 4 months ago

          fair enough, personally need him to blank

    3. Dannyb
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      This is his last game for me and then he's out for Kane if he doesn't do anything lol.

    4. Maddi Son
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      I can't see him scoring 10 goals tonight tbh.

  21. Mulla
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Just in from work, how's my WC looking, any changes needed? 0.1 itb

    Pope.
    Alonso. Mee. Daniels.
    Haz. Salah. Sterling. Gross. RLC
    Kane. Morata (C)

    Elliot. Moreno. Marriapa. Niasse

  22. mazkills
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Sane (c) Morata (vc) crazy?

    1. RESULT
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Not at all

  23. Oven Glover
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Looks like TM will have his work cut out for him with all the risers & fallers tonight.

  24. Cadenza
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Elliot
    Gomez Mustafi Mee
    Richarlison Silva Sane Salah Gross
    Morata Kane
    Fabianski Davies Wimmer Abraham
    1FT 0.1 ITB

    Ok to save? Play Davies?

    1. mazkills
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Yes/No

  25. BenjaminEJones
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Start
    A. Moreno
    B. Duffy

  26. drughi
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Can you really see kane scoring well this gw ? Leicester away, no form really

    1. alastair
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 4 months ago

      Got 3 there last season

  27. Hurricane Gilbert
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    So it's the little choices gents. Play 1:

    A) Duffy
    B) Mee
    C) Moreno

  28. McNulty
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    Love the preamble! The jar of regret is not something I had even considered, shows there is still a new level of fantasy football addiction that I have yet to reach.

  29. Dr. DOOM
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    God, the last line of the article. Quality stuff.

  30. Bubz
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 4 months ago

    😆 excellent Mark