[sbu_large_image] Opinion
10 March 2018 1237 comments
Mark Mark
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This season will go down as one of my most unremarkable of an 11-campaign Fantasy Premier League career.

Ironically, it has been my own ambition and arrogance that has inflicted the damage and prompted frustration.

Slow and steady could have given me the opportunity to creep into the top 10,000 several Gameweeks ago. Instead, once I’d hit the top 20,000 off the back of a triumphant run of green arrows, I tried to ride the momentum.

I reached for the stars and overstretched.

A couple of transfer errors along with a captain policy that has seen me overlook Salah during his dominant spell (Gameweeks 25-29), have ensured a gradual decline.

But it’s not too late to rescue a credible achievement from the Gameweeks that remain. This, after all, is a period where planning and study can translate to a real advantage.

The revelation that 40% of those managers above me are without the Free Hit chip is also sobering. Clearly, there is the opportunity for me to close ground, aim for the top 10,000 and see what can be achieved.

But perhaps I should learn my lesson and forgo such a target.

I believe the real problem with my season lies with the fact that I’ve forgotten how my best ranks have been achieved.

Having threatened the top 100 twice in three seasons, an unhealthy self-belief and arrogance has crept in.

I’ve convinced myself that I can find the decisions to inspire another similar campaign when actually, I should have just revisited the methods that achieved those finishes.

Granville’s rise up the ranks to go 15 points above me is perhaps the biggest wake-up call. It’s a reminder that, back in the day, my season was built around our duel.

I was never pre-occupied with rank, the top 10,000 and certainly not the top 100. Those targets seemed unachievable and, as a result, ambition to hit them never influenced my decisions.

A high-rank was a by-product of our mini-league tussle. I’d achieve it almost by accident by simply pursuing the prize that really mattered – beating Granville.

Somewhere along the line I lost sight of that, and perhaps a desire and pressure to try a live up to increased expectations took over.

Over the remaining Gameweeks, I will relax that ambition. Granville will become my new target, and in attempting to close that gap, I’ll hopefully be content with how my season ends.

Then come 2018/19, I’ll make efforts to remain humble and, in doing so, perhaps end up touching those stars without trying.

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

  1. The Red Devil
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Bench who?
    Duffy
    Ogbonna
    Maguire
    VVD

    1. Gregor
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Duffy.

    2. weaver93
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Og

  2. Defcons are for Kinnear
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Shall I WC?

  3. JustPark
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Help me out here lads. 3 weeks, 3 reds. Would love to see green next.
    Adrian
    Alonso Christensen VvD
    Salah Walcott RLC* Sterling*
    Kane Firmino Wilson

    (Elliot Jones* Rosenior CM)

    2FT and thinking of RLC to Van La Parra. Yeah?

    1. JustPark
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      didn't make it 🙁

    2. Pep says
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      What GW you talking about?

      1. JustPark
        • 10 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        🙁

    3. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Adrian To Lossl was the one. Adrian replaced by hart

      1. JustPark
        • 10 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        Cheers but yeah..

  4. Tazah
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    sterling

  5. Tazah
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    alonso

  6. Hotdogs for Tea
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Scenes ...

  7. Scotch Jock
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Casual!

  8. ekul the lokonga enthusiast
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    captaining aguero.

    reason

    aguero didn't start mid week and spurs dont do well after big loses

    1. Pep says
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Thanks

    2. MikeDuff
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Aguero doesn’t do well away

      1. ekul the lokonga enthusiast
        • 10 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        no worries. blowing past you in rank is my pleasure

  9. Sgt. Schultz
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Adrian to Lossl

    1. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Reply fail. Too late anyway

    2. Krafty Werks
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Same move here, 2nd FT banked for 31.

  10. Tazah
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    kane

  11. jazzy30
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    play pope or pickford today??

    1. 1zverGGadeM
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Pope rlz

  12. Krafty Werks
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Sterling stays brace incoming!!

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

      Jack Butland disagrees

      1. Krafty Werks
        • 11 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        Butland Schmutland!!

  13. Tazah
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    football

  14. Bubz
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Feckkkkkk off Lingard

  15. Fred54
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    HOLD LIVERPOOL.

    Oh wait too early.

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

      Used 2ft
      Jones son to Coleman Willian

      Pope
      Vvd vertongen ota Coleman
      Willian sterling lingard salah
      Kane(c) kun

      Team gtg?

      1. Fred54
        • 11 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        Who the hell are you?

  16. Forza Papac
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Quills down

  17. Defcons are for Kinnear
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    BGWingo

  18. TallestJohn
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Did a last minute Sterling → Sigurdsson

    What a mess 😀

  19. 1zverGGadeM
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    (K)un OOONNNNNNN AGUERO! GL everyone!!!!!

  20. Zilla
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    De Gea; Young Bailly Smalling Valencia(C); Matic McTominay; Mata Sanchez Rashford Lukaku

    1. Tazah
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      yes, exactly what they need

  21. Syd.
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    TAA starts

  22. Prøfeßör …
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Last second Lingard to Shaqiri after seeing this:

    No Pogba for Man Utd, Rashford in #MUFC @MirrorFootball

  23. Scotch Jock
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    BBC: Paul Pogba is indeed injured and out of the Manchester United squad altogether.

    Juan Mata comes into midfield, while Eric Bailly and Marcus Rashford also start.

    Liverpool make one change - James Milner for Jordan Henderson.

  24. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Team News: MUN vs LIV
    Referee: C.Pawson

    MUN: de Gea, Bailly, Young, Smalling, Valencia, Mata, McTominay, Matic, Rashford, Sánchez, Lukaku
    Subs: Romero, Darmian, Lindelöf, Shaw, Lingard, Fellaini, Carrick

    LIV: Karius, Robertson, van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Can, Chamberlain, Milner, Salah, Firmino, Mané
    Subs: Mignolet, Matip, Gomez, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Henderson, Solanke

    1. diesel001
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Lingard on the bench! But he is dangerous off the bench as we saw in the Chelsea game.

  25. ZeBestee
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Ok i did Wilson 》Mounie last minute. The game save well at 11:30 on the dot. Should i be worried it did not update?

    1. threeputt
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      why wait, I waited on a cup final transfer a few weeks ago to see if I could get an advance team sheet and my internet went down a minute before the deadline, I made it with seconds to spare and won against his bench boost hehe

  26. GreenArrows
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Held Sterling Son Bdavies...Joke is on me this GW

  27. Rainer
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Salah starts!

    1. Pasqualinho
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      And Firmino!

    2. Fitzy.
      • 14 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Hilarious 🙄

    3. michudagawd
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Feck off.

    4. Hotdogs for Tea
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Salah captain fail ... F off out of my team ... lol @ Kane captainers ... going to be a long weekend on here 😉

  28. Old Wulfrunian
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Sanchez-TAA,Salah-Young.

  29. Syd.
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Looking forward to all those blanks next week

    Should be fun

  30. Scotch Jock
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Man Utd
    1de Gea
    25A Valencia
    12Smalling
    3Bailly
    18Young
    39McTominay
    31Matic
    8Mata
    19Rashford
    9R Lukaku
    7Sánchez
    Substitutes
    2Lindelöf
    14Lingard
    16Carrick
    20Romero
    23Shaw
    27Fellaini
    36Darmian
    Liverpool
    1Karius
    66Alexander-Arnold
    6Lovren
    4van Dijk
    26Robertson
    21Oxlade-Chamberlain
    7Milner
    23Can
    11Salah
    9Firmino
    19Mané
    Substitutes
    5Wijnaldum
    12Gomez
    14Henderson
    20Lallana
    22Mignolet
    29Solanke
    32Matip

    1. Tazah
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      you missed a few numbers, but not bad for first try

    2. Sim Simma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Keep it up, it'll only get better . Look at the formatting next time