Podcast

Meet the Manager #21 – Darren Wiles

Over the last decade, Darren Wiles has quietly amassed one of the best ever Fantasy Premier League careers.

Since he started in 2009/10, he has finished in the top thousand places three times. In fact, only once has he finished a campaign poorly, in 2015/16, when Leicester City won the Premier League title.

With such a track record, he deservedly sits in seventh spot in Fantasy Football Scout’s Live Hall of Fame (at the point of the last update).

It’s an achievement he is modest about, rarely speaking in public about his FPL management, so we were fortunate that he made an exception for us.

This was his first ever Fantasy Premier League video and podcast appearance and his Twitter following is under 200. That may change after today, however.

During his chat with Joe, as part of the Meet the Manager series, Darren reveals the secrets to his success.

His search for value emerges as a key reason for a strong finish, with money spread out across a playing XI to ensure the whole team contributes to a good score. This means keeping the number of heavy hitters in attack to a minimum and seeking out high-impact, premium defenders to bring in points at both ends of the pitch.

Fixtures is another major driving force in his campaigns. This is most apparent when Darren talks about his current Gameweek 26 squad and its focus on players from teams with great upcoming fixture runs. This was achieved without using his second Wildcard and instead through careful studying of the fixtures over time.

Patience is often a virtue for Darren but his one bad season showed him that stubbornness can be a curse in FPL management. His reluctance to tap into Leicester’s stars early on cost him dearly that year.

But as with many Meet the Manager interviewees before, it is the lessons learned from poor campaigns that can make them even better managers.

The chat with Darren is available to view on Youtube in the embedded video below.

Previous Meet the Manager video interviews can be found here.

Make sure you subscribe to our Youtube channel to receive alerts to all our new videos.

The series is also available as a podcast and on Soundcloud. These are available in the second and third players below.

J0E Podcaster and writer. Tweets stats and stuff via @FFScout_Joe Follow them on Twitter

400 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Akshatjazz
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    Gw 28 transfer thoughts ??

    Auba > wood / ?
    Fleck > son
    Perez > Barnes

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Do you have Vardy?

      1. Akshatjazz
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        No I don't

        1. Bobby Digital
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          Whaddabout Auba - > Vardy?

          1. Akshatjazz
            • 4 Years
            4 years, 1 month ago

            Have both Perez and vardy ??

            1. Bobby Digital
              • 6 Years
              4 years, 1 month ago

              Sure why not?
              nor AVL wat BHA the next 4 games.

              1. Akshatjazz
                • 4 Years
                4 years, 1 month ago

                So here is my team suggest me wat changes I shld do ??

                Hendo, McCarthy
                TAA, Robertson, Stevens, Stephens, lascelles
                Kbd, Salah, traore, Perez, fleck
                Ings, auba, Jimenez

                1. Bobby Digital
                  • 6 Years
                  4 years, 1 month ago

                  Roll transfer is what I would do with that team.

                  1. Akshatjazz
                    • 4 Years
                    4 years, 1 month ago

                    That I will be doing it on gw27 wat abt gw 28 ??

                  2. Akshatjazz
                    • 4 Years
                    4 years, 1 month ago

                    Do you think not owing son can be hurtful ??

                    1. Bobby Digital
                      • 6 Years
                      4 years, 1 month ago

                      I will be rolling a transfer to gw28 as well and I have no clue what I will do.

    2. Jullepuu
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Perez to Barnes seems kinda pointless. Maybe if you can't do the other moves without it

      1. Akshatjazz
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        I can do it no probs , but who shld I bring in for my 3rd sticker position ??

        1. Jullepuu
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          Ings, Jimenez, Vardy, DCL, Wood all good options

  2. Don Van Vliet
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    How much do we think Ziyech will come in at? What impact will his arrival have on Mount?

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      8m?

    2. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Ummm...

    3. THFC4LIFE
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      None this season

      1. Bobby Digital
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        Maybe he's planning his GW1 team 😛

        1. Don Van Vliet
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          Could put a fire up his behind to perform for the remainder of the season is all; at this stage, there are less games left than have been played. Mount still cheap with a good run of fixtures on the horizon.

  3. DandyDon
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    Such an odd gameweek. Prepping my team for next week forgetting there matches still to be played and scouted. Will be interesting to see who Southampton play out of KWP and Valery at right back.

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Yup KWP will be a bargain...

      1. Bobby Digital
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        .. if he nailes down a starting place that is.

    2. TRIPOS TOPPER
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      'Cause since I've come on home
      Well, my body's been a mess
      And I've missed your ginger hair
      And the way you like to dress
      Won't you come on over
      Stop making a fool out of me
      Why don't you come on over

      1. UTD - HATED, ADORED, BUT NE…
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        I don’t get it.

        1. Bonus magnet
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          lol

          tudutu tudutu

        2. syke63
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          SAINTSNUMBER43

  4. pingissimus
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    I suppose given near universal triple Liverpool an abandonment mightn’t be the worst thing for Mane owners

    1. UTD - HATED, ADORED, BUT NE…
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Why would Mane owners want it abandoned?

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        Very decent chance he’d get a cameo - disadvantage lessened compared to other triple ups

        1. George Sillett
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          Too much speculation .

      2. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        Oh sorry postponement

    2. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      wouldn't be ideal but that's one game everyone gets screwed about equally - although Mane costs quite a bit more than the defenders

  5. kime67
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    Is mahrez and lundstram problems in my team?

    1. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      I'd be tempted to keep for one more and then evaluate when they blank

    2. Jullepuu
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Depends. Mahrez not really but Lundstram might be

  6. Bonus magnet
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    a. fleck & h.wilson

    b. maddison traore

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      B

    2. Jullepuu
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Easy b. Costs more though

    3. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      B

  7. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    Developments for fpl next season:

    1) Transfers roll on to a maximum of 3, instead of 2.

    2) Double Captain chip to replace Triple Captain (vice also scores double in given gameweek).

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      I like 1, not so much 2.

    2. The FPL Units
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      The changes sound good. I would like to see the VC get extra points for each GW, thinking scores 1.5 or additional 50%.

    3. George Sillett
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      Scrap all chips and only one wildcard. Takes a load of luck out of the game. It won't do me any good because I don't put much time into it but it would be better for those who do. They won't do it though as I am pretty sure that it lose appeal to many.

      1. Bobby Digital
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        I was "forced" to use my first WC in GW20 and made only 2 transfers. One wildcard would require more planning ahead.

        1. George Sillett
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 1 month ago

          If you were happy with your team you didn't have to use it and therefore weren't forced.

          1. Bobby Digital
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 1 month ago

            That's why I used the situation marks... dohh:)

            1. George Sillett
              • 8 Years
              4 years, 1 month ago

              Slightly tenuous statement tbh. Doh.

      2. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        Back to the old skool? . I'm with you here Slouchy. Make the game great again, yeah!

    4. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      unlimited transfer rolls - no wildcard 😀 no other chips 🙂

      1. Bobby Digital
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 1 month ago

        This could work also, but it wouldn't be newbie-friendly.

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

    Which option?

    A) Aguero/Martial to Jimmy/Mane for -4
    B) Only Aguero to Jimmy for free

  9. EL_FENOMENO
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 1 month ago

    Blank aside:
    a) Traore + Auba
    b) Jimmy + Son

    1. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 1 month ago

      B