FFS Head-to-Head Leagues: Gameweek 20 Round-up

We all feasted and Santa’s sack was a distant third behind Salah and Isak over the Christmas break, but it was those who opted for the fruits of the Forest who struck differential gold. There are still plenty of turkeys to go round, and in a fair and balanced world Spurs would get to play Southampton every week, so maybe a period of reflection while we hunt for Cup glory is just what we need.

We’ve now passed the midpoint of the Fantasy Football Scout Head-to-Head League season, and after a slight pause for the fixture computer to tell us who we lost to in Gameweek 20, it’s back to work. The good news is that it’s all downhill from here but there’s still a long way to go. I’m back to check who’s got what it takes to go the distance, and who might be joining Ange on the naughty step. As always, I’m looking for the extra gossip that RedLightning doesn’t have room for in his weekly reports on FFS community tournaments.

League One  

Liam McAllister (42 pts) took advantage of a stumble by Simon MacNair to move three points clear at the top, with Alex Merchant, Darren Curtis and Ahmed Shahin (all 36) tied for third place. Sakari Ututela (10) has work to do to retain a berth at the top table.

League Two

Four successive victories have taken former winner, Ville Touminen (42) to the summit of Division 1, and five ponts clear of Michał Dąbrowski and Mark Reynolds. Michael Scott is a further point adrift. In Division 2, a similar surge has given Neil Methold (45) an eight-point margin over Al Black, Paul Norris, John McHugh and Aviinesh Kumar and Craig Johnson.

League Three

Terje Balteskard (42) is the man with a plan in Division 1, and it’s Chaballer and EasyE ® (both 36) who have work to do. David Walker (39) is now the sole leader in Division 2, but Neal Rigg and Kevin Lamb (both 36) aren’t going quietly. Carlene M (45) remains on top in Division 3, but the margin over Jonathan Glover has been reduced to three points, and John Choy (40) is also on the case. Timo Laukkanen (48) and Taymur Reza Hossain (45) are continuing to lord it in Division 4.

League Four

Richard Slaven (42) has moved clear of Andrew White (39) and Ben Lovell (36) in Division 1; but Stuart Blakely (51) has found another gear in Division 2, and his lead over Alex Jones is now eight points. Filip Suchta (45) is continuing to keep Daniel Loebjer (42) and Andrew Garland (39) at bay in Division 3; as is James Bambridge (41) over Tom Nickalls (39) in Division 4. Benjamin Arslangic (47) has consolidated the top spot in Division 5, but now has Andrew Boddy leading the chase. There’s nothing to separate Jafa Jafalad and William Elliot (both 42) at the summit of Division 6; but Conor Slattery (42) has moved three poiints clear of Hans Friedl in Division 7. It’s sextuplets in Division 8, with Alex Lau, Ben Capron, Paul Strange, Bill Koullis, Niall Clusker and Qing Hao Sim (all 39) vying for podium space.

League Five

Despite treading water since the last update, Neil Allison (39) retains a two-point margin over Neil Allison in Division 1; and Shales Moor (42) continues to fend off the challenge of  Nick Palmer in Division 2. Steven Schelk (43) is the new leader in Division 3, but Tom Houston (42) is still a problem; however, it’s a four-way tie between  Tanya Sharma, Rod Harris, Reece Goudge and Uroš Lorbek (all 39) in Division 4. Paolo Turrini (40) retains a slender advantage over Marin Vuletic (39) in Division 5; but it’s a four-point margin for Bukola Atanda (43) over Sander Driehuis in Division 6. Cian McKenna (45) has opened up a six-point gap in Division 7; but Paddy Smith (43) has Budhi Nugraha and Chris Wain (both 42) breathing down his neck in Division 8; as does Thomas Morris (40) with Stephen Burge (39) in Division 9. Bilal Shaikh (42) is shaking it up in Division 10, and now has a five-point margin over the chasing pack; and Manickam P (48) has maintained a five-point advantage over Keith Walker in Division 11. Darragh Copley (42) has a three-point edge over the chasers in Division 12; James Pennington (38) is clinging to a one-point advantage in Division 13; and it’s a two-point lead for Pavle Ziman (42) over Terry Byford  at the top of Division 14. Ken Davies (40) has been pegged back in Division 15, and now has Laszlo Nyiri (39) for close company. Andy Wong (46) is the sole leader in Division 16, and has a three-point margin over Craig Ekedahl. 

League Six

John Lloyd (Division 5) and Andy Whiteley (Division 16) share the bragging rights in League 6 (and everywhere else) with 54 points out of a possible 60; however, Andy is probably more focused on raising his overall rank by 21 places during the second half of the season. Back in the mortal domain, Chris Hayes (Division 20) and Nigel Hadley (Division 30) are leading their respective Divisions on 48 Points; as are Sebastian Cornejo (Division 22) and Hiroyuki Mori (Division 32) on 47 points.

André Mærli is the leader in Division 8 on 46 points; and there are 10 Division leaders on 45 points: Peter Leahy and Sharavanan Shanmuga Sundaram (Division 11); Henrik Hammen and Brian Melican (Division 15); Joel Newman (Division 17);  Henrik Palm Strand (Division 21); Nigel Bolton and Lâm Ðào (Division 26); Darren Teague (Division 27); and Ryan John MacKenzie (Division 31).

Whitney Baxter and Eero Tagapere (both 44) are leading the way in Divisions 9 and 13 respectively; and there are six Division leaders on 43 points: Wojciech Lo∤akowski (Division 4); Richard Phillips (Division 10); Jamie Luland (Division 12); Oliver Lanneberg (Division 18); Lennox Desborough (Division 19); and Tavish Bhagat (Division 23). Chirag Kalwani and Ivan Gore (both 42) are joint leaders in Division 7); and the same score gives Dan Burge the top spot in Division 14. El Timbo (41) is the supremo in Division 2; and there are five managers who are ruling the roost on 40 points: Pedro Segurado (Division 3);  @elevenify (Division 6);  John Samoryk (Division 24); Gareth Aspden (Division 25); and Jeff Oodian (Division 29). Debarchan Maiti (38) is Number One in Division 1; and it’s a three-way tie between Brian Cuffe, James Allen and Richard Luff (all 37) in Division 28.

League Seven

Chris Lord (51) is still the one to follow in League 7, but a busy period at work saw his lead in Division 47 trimmed to eight points. 49 points gives Maz Norton a 10-point margin over the opposition in Division 58; and the same score is good for a nine-point lead for Ben Gould in Division 15; but it’s just a one-point advantage for Tony Cassidy over Jose De La Roca (48) in Division 25.

Len Håvar Thomassen (48) has a six-point lead over the competition in Division 32; but it’s a nine-point margin for Karlon Graham (Division 40) and  Filipe Loureiro (Division 61). Ben Nasrallah (47) leads by five points in Division 39; and it’s an eight-point advantage for  Mats Sturesson (47) in Division 42. Five managers are leading their Disions on 46 points: Sunny H (Division 4); Will Lobley (Division 16); Reagan NA (Division 21); Alex Playle (Division 35); and Chris Sparrow (Division 63).

League Eight

It’s crowded at the top in League 8 with seven managers boasting a top score of 51 points: Cameron Craigie (Division 1); Vyacheslav Morozenko (Division 21); Peter Willis (Division 41); Vinait Thorat (Division 74); Jamie Record (Division 90); WF Smith (Division 102); and  A Kwok (Division 128). A further five Division-leading managers are just two points adrift: Joel Brand (Division 66); John Hartline (Division 84); Rajko Gojkovic (Division 110); Mendell Reitz (Division 114); and Luka Bošnjak (Division 125).

The bunching continues on 48 points where a further 13 managers are looking good at the halfway stage, namely: Ian Roberts (Division 8); Graeme MacPhee (Division 37); Edward Rooney (Division 44); Mekibebe Gebre (Division 46); Leonard Leong (Division 54); Jonne Welling (Division 70); Khummuan Guite (Division 83); Mark Jeffs (Division 88); Adel Albassam (Division 93); Thomasz K (Division 99); Fuad Ahmed Tanmoy (Division 104); Desmond Koh (Division 111); and Romeu Fernandes Junior (Division 120). Max Xhauflair leads in Division 28 with 47 points; as does Kamil Pometio in Division 124.

Leagues Nine and 10

Roger Clutton (54) is the joint top-scorer across all H2H Leagues and has opened up a 15-point chasm over his competition in Division 58; however, Mandar Karandikar (52) is continuing to keep League 10 on the map, and has a six-point margin over his nearest challenger in Division 2.

The aptly named H2H KING (Division 33) is one of 15 managers to have amassed 51 points. The others are: Karim Kapo (Division 35); Adam Harriot (Division 38); Josh King (Division 50); Amr Thabet (Division 57); Ruslan Ulitin (Division 79); Simon Ewing (DIvision 95); Jackson Coker (Division 104); Janek Polska (Division 108); Arnaud Lev (Division 137); Matt Morrison (Division 167); Stergios Evangeloudis (Division 178); Edomyas Solomon (Division 182); Emmanuel Fatoyinbo (Division 196); and Mo Elmelegy (Division 254). A further five managers are leading their respective Divisions on 49 points: Budiono Siregar (Division 21); Simon Sheppard (Division 63); Vukadin Veljković (Division 223); Andy Pearson (Division 226); and Juliandri Zanori (Division 250).

Top 100 Hall of Fame 

Too much eggnog is the conclusion to be drawn by the performance of our Top 100 Hall of Fame managers over the festive period. A draw and two defeats has reduced @elevenify’s advantage at the summit of  League 6, Division 6 to a single point; and while Dan Furneaux (34) made up some ground, he still sits outside the promotion berths. Tod Modisette (28) is still struggling to get into the top half in League 7, Division 34; and just one win in four has seen Timo Riekko (25) slip to 13th in League 6, Division 5. Ómar Olgeirsson (23) has made some progress in League 7, Division 47, but is still seven points short of midtable safety. The honourable mention this time around goes to  Colin Innes (36) who has risen to third place in League 6, Division 24; but our Ballon d’Or winner is James Harrison (42) whose winning streak has taken him to within three points of the leaders in League 6, Division 26.

Beat The Scouts

With one notable exception, it’s all been a bit meh for the Scouts since my last update. Two wins out of four was not enough to stop Torres Magic (30) losing ground in League 2, Division 2; but Greyhead (32) is up to 8th following two wins and a draw in League 3, Division 1; and two victories have somehow raised Neale Rigg (36) to second place in League 3, Division 2.  RedLightning (27) also won twice in League 6, Division 8 but remains stuck in 8th place; and Rainy ~ (33) is lodged in 7th place following a similar performance in League 7, Division 2. G Whizz (28) will be looking on with envy having dropped to 13th following his two victories in League 8, Division 44. Hibbo (34) has also lost ground in League 9, Division 225, and is clearly focussing on glory in the Scout Cup; but once again the standard bearer is Marc Jobling (36) who has consolidated his position at the top of League 9, Division 189. Finally, spare a thought for Sam Bonfield (33) who has failed to trouble the scorers in League 4, Division 1 since the last update, and still has to watch Spurs every week.

I’ll be back with further tales of woe and wonder after Gameweek 24, but In the meantime, you can keep track of your performance, and stalk your opposition, via MIR’s Head-to-Head Leagues page.

I’m off to interview potential Assistant Managers. Stay safe.