The Pre-Match Preamble - Gameweek 38 Opinion
16 December 2017 1623 comments
Mark Mark
Share:

We all need luck over the course of a Fantasy season.

It doesn’t matter how much football we watch, how much data take in or the tools we have at our disposal, without luck as an extra and vital ingredient, our seasons may never make the jumps from average to good to greatness.

And when we experience luck, I believe we should acknowledge and respect it.

Fortune certainly smiled on me in Gameweek 17.

First, the injuries to Ben Mee and Stephen Ward set up my Burnley pair – Nick Pope and James Tarkowski – as unlikely defensive differentials.

I would have gladly just taken Mee’s absence, but when Ward limped off prior to half-time, I realised that the evening and the Gameweek was turning my way.

That was followed by Andreas Christensen’s withdrawal at Huddersfield.

As he trudged off to a wave a chatter on the site thankful that his clean sheet was locked in, I never really considered that this would come into play; that Chelsea would then concede late.

But my good fortune may have started before a ball was even kicked in midweek.

It’s not often that early transfers can pay off by rewarding us with more than a price rise, but my itchy transfer finger may have just worked in my favour.

With two free transfers available, I opted to use both on Sunday evening. Looking back, I’m not really sure why I felt so compelled to act early and, at the time, I felt it may just have been an error.

Swooping for Charlie Austin and Jonjoe Kenny, I had no real drive to act on Sunday. Both players were likely to rise, but not for another 24-hours.

Then Monday brought news of Alvaro Morata’s absence and, looking back, had I kept my two free transfers in the bank, I surely would have considered moving him out.

Like many managers, it would likely have been Roberto Firmino drafted in, either leaving me with funds sloshing around in my bank, or driving me into another unplanned upgrade elsewhere.

As it is, my unexplained Sunday evening transfers locked this option out and almost forced me to retain Morata. It saved me from hours of deliberation but may also lead to an even more prosperous chain of events.

I’ve no idea how this will pan out. Morata may just be benched today, Firmino could run riot at Bournemouth.

But I feel far more comfortable not having to hope for Antonio Conte to bench his striker, while relying on Jurgen Klopp to calm his own rotation policy.

It means I will now bank my latest transfer. It’s a cautious approach but sensible in light of the midweek events.

I have to acknowledge that luck was on my side this time but anticipate that things might just turn against me. My squad looks settled, so making a “vanity” transfers may just be tempting fate.

So I’ll sit tight and wait to see if Morata starts and scores to compound the events of my blessed Gameweek 17.

If I have welcomed luck into my virtual dressing room, I probably don’t need a transfer: I’ve already made my most crucial signing of the season.

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

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

    Pope
    Alonso - Maguire - Mee
    hazard (C) - richarlison - sterling - salah
    Kane - Austin - Firmino

    Elliot - Kenny - RLC - Zeegelar
    1ft

    right bench order? tempted to bench austin for kenny...!!!

  2. GOTHAM City F.C.
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Play one
    A. Niasse
    B. Duffy
    C. Gomez

    1. fr3d
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      gomez

  3. FootballFanatic365
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    GTG?
    any changes on the bench?

    ________________Pope_________________

    _____Jones__Christensen__Kenny_________

    _Richarl__KDB__Salah_Hazard(c)__Mahrez___

    _______ DCL__Morata_____

    Elliot; Otamendi Murray Duffy

  4. Ninjaa
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Bring in
    A.Silva
    B.Sterling

    For
    1. Gross
    2. Richarlison

    Or leave and do it woth 2fts next wee

    1. GOTHAM City F.C.
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      A1

    2. Captain Haddock
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Leave

  5. Desperately Seeking Dusan
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    After today Everton don’t have a great defensive schedule. Time to rotate to a West Ham defender? Or is Big Sam going to make the Toffees impregnable to everybody.

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

      Can't speak for everyone but I'm definitely impregnable to big Sam.

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

    Glad I kept Morata.

    Would hate to have the decision of reversing Firmino / Vardy back to Morata again

  7. Jebiga
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Who are you captaining ?
    Hazard here

    1. COLLIN QUANER
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Likewise

    2. Legomané
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Aguero, but could still slump to Haz..

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

        On hazard but so tempted to switch to vardy if team news is out showing he starts

        1. badgerboy
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          8 years, 1 month ago

          Vardy is the first name on the Leicester team sheet unless he's injured.

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

            True...guess I’m after 100% reassurance after the likes of hazard getting rested recently

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

    Nice of mark to acknowledge his luck in the pre-amble....
    Doing morata > firm is going to bite me in the backside this week!

    my ML leaders kept morata cz they had done their transfers early & i tend to leave till friday...
    Morata will haul this week whilst firm might not even start

    1. ⚽️ Dingo ⚽️
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Hopefully.

  9. Legomané
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    G2G? Cheers 🙂

    Pope
    Christensen Jones Smalling
    Hazard(v) Salah Coutinho RLC
    Aguero(c) Kane DCL

    (Elliot Wimmer Daniels Carroll)

  10. JimmyCoop
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Play Austin or go 4 at the back with Mee? Have Courtois.

    1. Dreaming of glory
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      4 atb

    2. Legomané
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Austin

  11. IRBOX ⚽
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Captain Laca or Haz?

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

      Laca for a punt n bigger rewards v others or haz for safety

  12. Who Ate All Depays?
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Start?
    A) Niasse
    B) RLC

  13. fijuhmon
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    HELP!
    Pope, Elliot
    Christensen, Otamendi, Maguire, Duffy, Mee
    Hazard, Sterling, Salah, RLC, Richarlison
    Kane, Morata, Niasse

    2 FT and only 0.1 itb, so my options are quite dull. Do I

    A) Elliot -> 3.9
    B) Duffy -> Masuaku
    C) Duffy -> Kenny

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

      ogbonna maybe ?

  14. ⚽️ Dingo ⚽️
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Help!

    Play two?

    A) 6
    B) 4
    C) 9
    D) 1

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

      AC

    2. La Roja
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      You’re a tool

    3. GOTHAM City F.C.
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Tough one. Rest of your team?

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

    Have I read that right - Palace haven't scored in 10 away games? Wow. Dunk over Loftus Cheek then I guess?

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

      Just sold Zaha....so don't hold your breathe.

    2. Limited & Mediocre Mana…
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      You've misread

  16. Razor425
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Good to go here

    Begovic,
    Christensen, Mee, Duffy, Jones
    Salah, Hazard (c), Sane, Silva
    Morata, Vardy

    Elliot, Gross, Niasse, Kiko

    1. Prison Mike
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Yeah gtg!

  17. Prison Mike
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    What to do with Kane?

    A) Kane & Fabianski -> Lacazette & De Gea (-4)

    B) Be dullard. Keep Kane.

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

      B

    2. COLLIN QUANER
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Keep

  18. PompeyUpNorth!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Capt vardy if we know he starts or stick with haz? Great differential in my league
    Yay or nay?

    1. Dickie1898
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Same question for me, sticking with haz I think!

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

        1129 decision for me. Ha!

        1. Dickie1898
          • 11 Years
          8 years, 1 month ago

          Haha I made an 11:29 kane to hazard decision last weekend. Still hurting now

  19. The Polymath
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Most FPL teams look good on paper but don't seem to be delivering this year as expected. Tough season.

    1. HearMeRoar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Me all over!

      I've tried sensible transfers.
      Transfers based on stats.
      I've gone with fixtures over form and form over fixtures; even both!
      I've chosen bandwagons.
      I've saved transfers.
      I've taken hits.

      Has a single strategy paid off? No! Ha! Bring on next season 😛

      1. The Polymath
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        The early season defences of the promoted teams and the Man City juggernaut seem to be contributing factors.

        All you can do is keep playing as you see fit and hope the decisions finally start to pay off.

  20. Dreaming of glory
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Kane > Rooney done!

    Let's just pray morata starts now

    1. FootballFanatic365
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      noooo keep him

      1. Dreaming of glory
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 1 month ago

        Morata > Kane 22 is the plan

    2. ⚽️ Dingo ⚽️
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Yuck.

    3. badgerboy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Behave. I'm trying to eat my breakfast!

  21. Weilong7
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    replacement for ramsey?
    7.3 max..

    salah hazard carroll ramsey richarlison

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

      Shaqiri?

  22. Gooner97
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Bench one

    A) Walker (TOT)
    B) Gross (BUR)
    C) Simpson (CRY)

  23. Tmel
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Kiko > Masuaka or Ogbonna?

  24. Colonel Shoe 肝池
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    ha very few acknowledge good luck on here.......when they do badly its bad luck but when they do well its usually cos of making all the 'correct decisions' 😉

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

      Of course there is luck in this game. Have had a lot of good luck this season. But you can definitely get into the Top 100k with just skill for the season. After that it is luck.

  25. Bruno Bruno!!
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Rooney or Vardy over next 4 GW's?

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

    A) Austin
    B) kenny
    C) Maguire
    D) Mee

    pick 3 to play!!

  27. Bring the Cavalry
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Bench one?

    A) Simpson (CRY)
    B) RLC (lei)
    C) Ogbonna (stk)

  28. Garfield1001
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Play one:

    Daniels (LIV)
    RLC (lei)
    Niasse (SWA)

    Thanks!!

  29. focaccia
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    Good to go?

    Fabianski
    Jones, Azpi, Ward
    Silva, Hazard (c), Salah (v), Coutinho
    Morata, Vardy, Calvert-Lewin

    Elliot, Loftus Cheek, Dunk, Alexander Arnold

  30. CostaCarrot
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 1 month ago

    which one to start??
    a) DCL
    b) Mee
    c) Ogbonna
    d) RLC

    Also got Pope.

    1. COLLIN QUANER
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 1 month ago

      Probably DCL