The Promoted

Assessing Matheus Pereira and West Brom’s attacking assets ahead of FPL return

Our series of articles on the promoted sides continues with a look at West Bromwich Albion’s midfielders and forwards.

We have already assessed the Baggies’ manager and defence, with focus now switching to the exciting Matheus Pereira and the supporting cast.

WHAT IS WEST BROMWICH ALBION’S GOAL-SCORING POTENTIAL?

West Brom were promoted from the Championship with the joint-second-best attacking record, having scored 77 goals – the same as champions Leeds United – in their 46 league fixtures.

That was three short of Brentford’s total and 16 fewer than Norwich City had managed in 2018/19.

No side from the English second tier plundered more goals than the Baggies on their own turf (44) but four clubs scored on more occasions than Slaven Bilic’s troops on the road (33).

Albion were second behind Leeds for attempts on goal (676) and shots in the box (418) in 2019/20.

That they sealed automatic promotion with a limited strike force (not one of their players was in the top 30 for Championship goals scored) was some achievement but their overreliance on Pereira and lack of a top-class striker is something that needs addressing this summer, as Albion fan and ex-sports journalist Matt Wilson told us:

At the moment, a lot is reliant on how Pereira plays.

Albion need to sign a first-choice striker this summer because Hal Robson-Kanu and Kenneth Zohore are probably not Premier League quality, even though Robson-Kanu’s just had the best season of his career, and while Charlie Austin knows where the net is, he’s got a lot of miles in his legs now.

Grady Diangana provided a real threat on loan from West Ham last season, and would have scored more if he hadn’t been injured, but whether we can re-sign him either on loan or permanently remains to be seen.

In my opinion, Albion need to sign a striker and a winger this summer or they could struggle to score.

PLAYER-BY-PLAYER

MATHEUS PEREIRA

Attacking Midfielder

Starts: 38 | Substitute appearances: 4 | Goals: 8 | Assists: 16

The stand-out Fantasy option from the West Brom attack, and perhaps the only convincing one at present, is Mateus Pereira.

The Brazilian was signed on a season-long loan deal from Sporting CP last summer, with the move set to become permanent imminently.

After a handful of substitute appearances, his full Albion debut came in the Championship equivalent of Gameweek 6 and he went on to start 38 of the Baggies’ remaining 41 games, missing two of them through suspension.

Featuring chiefly in ‘the hole’ in Bilic’s 4-2-3-1, Pereira was moved to a right-wing role upon the switch to a 4-3-3 earlier this calendar year, with the absence of a number ten in that system still allowing the Brazilian to drift infield into dangerous possessions on his favoured left foot.

Wherever he plays, he is key to Albion’s attack.

A total of 16 assists (and that’s discounting ‘Fantasy assists’) and 116 chances created were not only highs in the West Brom squad but the best in the entire division.

No Albion player could match Pereira’s shot count (111), either, with only eight Championship players – many of them bona fide strikers – beating that tally.

His total of 20 big chances created was another figure that was unsurpassed in the English second tier in 2019/20.

On a share of corner-taking duties and first in line for direct free-kicks, Pereira may offer multiple routes to Fantasy points next season.

The problem with that, of course, is that FPL Towers are likely to have already taken notice.

We can cite the cases of Mario Vrancic and Ryan Sessegnon in previous seasons, with both players coming up from the Championship off the back of excellent campaigns and slapped with prohibitive £6.5m price tags.

He is unlikely to be anything less than £6.0m based on past evidence but he was the first name that former Express and Star reporter Matt Wilson picked out when we spoke last week:

The obvious attacking candidate [for FPL managers] is Matheus Pereira, who was Albion’s creative spark last season. Not only did he contribute 16 assists, the most by any player in a single Championship season for five years, he also scored eight goals. He takes free-kicks and corners, and Slaven Bilic is expected to build his attack around him.

HAL ROBSON-KANU

Forward

Starts: 24 | Substitute appearances: 15 | Goals: 10 | Assists: 1

Whether West Brom adopt a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, there is only room for one striker in Bilic’s set-up.

Hal Robson-Kanu was the go-to striker from November onwards, with 22 of his 24 starts coming from the Championship equivalent of Gameweeks 16-39.

The Wales international was the Baggies’ joint-top scorer on 10 goals, his best-ever tally in 11 seasons of professional football.

That perhaps tells FPL managers all they need to know and, as we discussed earlier, there are obvious reservations about whether the 31-year-old forward can belatedly make the step up to the Premier League.

Full of endeavour and decent at holding the ball up, Robson-Kanu is nevertheless not a natural goal-getter and Bilic will surely look to bolster his striking options over the summer.

‘Impact substitute’ or willing runner in the trickier away games may well be the Welshman’s remit in 2020/21, then.

CHARLIE AUSTIN

Forward

Starts: 18 | Substitute appearances: 16 | Goals: 10 | Assists: 2

While Robson-Kanu isn’t an instinctive goalscorer, Charlie Austin very much is.

The former Southampton man recorded almost twice as many big chances (22) as any other Albion player despite starting just 18 games, with all but seven of his 54 shots coming from inside the opposition area.

Only the sparingly used Kenneth Zohore had better accuracy than Austin among West Brom’s attacking options, with 44.4% of the latter’s shots landing on target.

Austin took four of West Brom’s seven penalties in 2019/20, with Zohore (two) and Robson-Kanu (one) responsible for the others.

While he may be adept at finding the opposition net, his lack of mobility and that poacher’s mindset arguably means that he is not a natural fit for Bilic’s system, where the lone frontman is required to put in the graft.

Indeed, Austin was benched in 26 of the 44 Championship matches he was available for last season.

Given the step up in class in the Premier League, the 31-year-old striker may see pitch-time even more restricted next season.

MATT PHILLIPS

Winger

Starts: 30 | Substitute appearances: 9 | Goals: 7 | Assists: 6

FPL managers may remember Matt Phillips‘ previous contributions as a budget midfielder for Albion, QPR and Blackpool and he will return for a fifth season as a Premier League player in 2019/20.

How prominent a role he will play is another question.

Phillips made more Championship starts (30) than all of the Baggies’ attacking midfielders bar Pereira last season but only three of them arrived in the final 16 matches, with indifferent form, a change of shape and the arrival of some January window signings shunting him down the pecking order.

Although an inconsistent performer, seven goals in his first 18 starts of the season did underscore what he is capable of on his day.

Operating almost exclusively on the right flank in a 4-2-3-1, he was the sacrificial lamb when Bilic moved Pereira out wide from a number ten role upon the change to a 4-3-3.

Up until that point, Phillips had been responsible for a large chunk of the Baggies’ set plays and indeed none of his teammates took more corners than the winger (120) over the whole of 2019/20.

Pereira (20) was the only Albion player who created more big chances (14) than Phillips last season.

FILIP KROVINOVIC, GRADY DIANGANA AND CALLUM ROBINSON

Attacking Midfielder/Wingers

Krovinovic

Starts: 24 | Substitute appearances: 16 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 2

Diangana

Starts: 23 | Substitute appearances: 7 | Goals: 8 | Assists: 6

Robinson

Starts: 10 | Substitute appearances: 6 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 2

These three players all made key contributions to the promotion push but all were loanees and it’s by no means certain that they will be back at The Hawthorns in 2020/21.

Krovinovic perhaps looks the likeliest to return, with West Brom reportedly in discussions over a second loan from Benfica.

He appeared in 40 of Albion’s 46 league matches last season but 16 of those came as a substitute and there would have to be concerns about security of starts should he rejoin the Baggies this summer.

Having ceded control of the number ten slot to Pereira early in the season, the Croat started just four games between Gameweeks 6 and 23 of the Championship campaign.

A change of system after Christmas saw Krovinovic return to the fold and it may be that his chances of starts in the top flight hinge on Albion’s formation.

With Bilic using a 4-3-3 more and more in the second half of the campaign, Krovinovic was deployed in a three-man central midfield with Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore.

Three goals and two assists doesn’t scream huge Fantasy potential, however.

Grady Diangana and Callum Robinson would be slightly more attractive picks, should they return to the West Midlands.

Both players we know about from their stints in the Premier League and Robinson was briefly an ‘out of position’ FPL midfielder to consider in 2019/20, before temporarily departing from Sheffield United in January.

Both loanees spent most of their time on the left flank under Bilic.

Robinson was thrust straight into the starting XI upon his move but, after nine successive starts, was dropped to the bench in the next seven games and only returned on the final day – surprisingly as a central striker – against QPR.

Two of his five attacking returns indeed came in that 2-2 draw with the Rs.

Muscle problems in December and January disrupted Diangana’s season but he was a regular in the first half of the campaign, starting 12 straight games from Gameweeks 9-20.

Returning from injury after lockdown, he was mostly the preferred option down the left flank in the run-in – but ‘mostly’ is the operative word there and, unlike Pereira, was still prone to rotation amid the fixture pile-up.

Diangana and Robinson both bested Pereira for ‘big chances’ last season despite playing far fewer minutes (nine each v five for Pereira), with Robinson in particular posting some eye-catching numbers.


PlayerMins per shotMins per shot in boxMins per shot on targetMins per chance created
Pereira30.460.396.429.1
Krovinovic41.0109.2134.951.0
Phillips39.281.0142.944.2
Diangana39.764.493.445.5
Robinson21.429.456.947.4

ROMAINE SAWYERS

Central Midfielder

Starts: 42 | Goals: 1 | Assists: 1

Unless Bilic reinforces his options in the middle of the park this summer, Romaine Sawyers is destined to be one of the £4.5m FPL midfielders we can count on for starts and little else next season.

The Saints Kitts and Nevis international joined from Brentford last summer and started 42 of Albion’s 46 league fixtures, with three of his no-shows enforced by suspension.

A Bilic signing, he is clearly a big favourite of his manager’s and has been hailed as “instrumental” by the Albion head coach.

The midfield metronome played in the double-pivot of a 4-2-3-1 with Jake Livermore for much of the campaign and, when Bilic switched to a 4-3-3, was the deepest-lying player in that central midfield trio.

Six shots in the box and one goal in 42 appearances highlights his lack of Fantasy appeal and, while one assist undersells his overall contribution the team, a minutes-per-chance-created average of 97.9 cements his status as FPL bench fodder.

JAKE LIVERMORE

Central Midfielder

Starts: 43 | Substitute appearances: 2 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 4

Sawyers’ partner in crime for much of 2019/20, Jake Livermore at least chipped in with a few more attacking returns than his aforementioned teammate.

A workhorse, aggressive presser and perhaps more renowned for his defensive contributions (he made more successful tackles than any of his teammates last season), Livermore has nevertheless had more license to get forward than Sawyers, registering almost three times as many shots as his midfield colleague (55 v 19).

The ex-Spurs and Hull player was particularly ‘box to box’ when Bilic switched to a 4-3-3 after Christmas, with the Albion manager discussing his tactical tweak :

To be fair Jake has been up there the whole season, no matter which position. Whether he’s playing deeper, or like recently further up the pitch.

It gives Jake, not a free license, but a license to press them higher and to join them up in the box, to be more free, which is good.

Livermore created even fewer chances than Sawyers last season (36 v 38) and seems pretty much guaranteed to be in the £4.5m-£5.0m bracket when FPL relaunches.

THE REST

Signed from Cardiff City for a reported £8m last summer, Kenneth Zohore started only five Championship matches for Albion and racked up fewer minutes of pitch-time than 19 of his teammates in 2019/20.

The striker scored on just three occasions – twice from the penalty spot – and only made Bilic’s starting XI once after August, failing to even make the matchday squad in over half of his side’s fixtures.

Reports suggest the Baggies will be prepared to listen to offers for the Dane this summer.

Such is the state of flux that Albion find themselves in at present that wingers Kamil Grosicki and Kyle Edwards could be either surplus to requirements or in line for a start in Gameweek 1.

Attacking midfielders Pereira, Krovinovic, Diangana and Robinson played prominent roles for Bilic in the promotion-winning campaign but all will need replacing if their moves aren’t made permanent or another loan deal is not agreed upon.

Grosicki was signed from Hull City in January but had to wait until July for his full Albion debut, having only seen action off the bench before that.

The Poland international then started four games in a row on the left flank but was back among the substitutes by the season’s end, having contributed one goal and three assists in his 492 minutes of game-time.

Inclined to cut inside and shoot on his favoured right foot, Grosicki averaged a goal attempt every 30.8 minutes for Albion in 2019/20.

He also scored four direct free-kick goals for Hull in league and cup last season but faces a tough task in ousting Pereira from dead-ball duties with the Baggies.

Edwards, who progressed through Albion’s academy system before making his club debut in 2018/19, started the season out as first choice down the left flank but the arrivals of Diangana, Robinson and Grosicki ate into his pitch-time and he didn’t make a single Championship start from February onwards.

Almost two-thirds (17 of 26) of his appearances came as a substitute, with the 22-year-old scoring twice but failing to register a single assist.

Squad player status looks likely at best, along with a cheap FPL price tag.

That may well also be the case for Rekeem Harper although, following the rise to prominence of John Lundstram (who barely featured in Sheffield United’s promotion-winning campaign), never say never.

Harper started only four Championship matches last season, barely featuring in the first half of 2019/20 before twice deputising for the unavailable Sawyers in February.

A central midfielder by trade, he isn’t likely to appeal even if he is given game-time: he managed only one shot in the box and two key passes in his ten run-outs in the season just gone.

Chris Brunt departed last month after 13 years with the Baggies, while 39-year-old Gareth Barry also becomes a free agent this summer.

Oliver Burke is at the opposite end of his career but has spent the last 18 months out on loan at Celtic and Alaves and is thought to be on his way out of The Hawthorns.

Best players by position:

1,125 Comments Post a Comment
  1. @persecuted_by_mods
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Gonna start with 4 teams next year for my mini leagues and a 5th for the main OR. And if any of them gets top 1K I guess I'm just better than you one team losers that don't know how to play the game

      1. @persecuted_by_mods
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Jokes aside numerous teams for mini leagues or special rules should be okay as long as only one enters the main rankings

          Easy solution

          1. Wild Rover
            • 13 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Every team entered into every mini league is part of the overall competition.

            1. @persecuted_by_mods
                3 years, 7 months ago

                Yeah but that's the issue with the multiple teams things

                I don't doubt there's some people who use a second team to enter a league like only pick low ownership players, or no transfers leagues etc but those shouldn't be part of main rankings

            2. Now I'm Panicking
              • 9 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              I'm sure the FPL programmers won't see that as an easy solution.

              1. @persecuted_by_mods
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Do they see anything as an easy solution

                  1. Now I'm Panicking
                    • 9 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Doing nothing 🙂

                    1. @persecuted_by_mods
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Touche

                      • Andy_Social
                        • 11 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Q is picking up on my earlier post. I'll c&p:

                        I'm gonna go out on a limb and risk getting ostracised, but I don't see a lot wrong with that. That not to defend the deleted #1 as I don't know the real story yet, but it should be okay to have a serious team and a local ML team. Maybe there should be a way of registering one for the full global OR game, and another (or others) that you declare as for local purposes only.

                        AND
                        You'd have to declare one team, by entering into the Main league, and declare other(s) as secondary or local. FPL Towers would do as they do now and double check for cheaters.

                        1. @persecuted_by_mods
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Agreed, your solution seems best

                          • Now I'm Panicking
                            • 9 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            It ain't happening

                          • Boris Bodega
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            There are two teams running from my household, mine and my son's.

                            https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/1224004/standings/c

                            There is no way to prove whether this is genuine or I am playing with two teams to gain an 'edge' (lol...I've never been near a 10k finish in seven seasons)

                            Here's the rule from FPL: There is no limit on the number of Registrations per household or organisation. However, only one Registration for the Game per user of the Site or App is permitted. Individuals are not permitted to register multiple accounts on the Site or App.

                            1. Andy_Social
                              • 11 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              You're following the rules there, so shouldn't be an issue.

                              But it might draw suspicion and have FPL Towers have a gander, maybe. Can you have 2 teams with te same email, or do you use different emails addies to log in?

                              1. Boris Bodega
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Not possible, as it's the log in criteria.

                            2. The Polymath
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Not to worry, if your son wins, he'll get the glory. Unless he's under 5, then they may ask questions.

                              😀

                              1. Boris Bodega
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                😀

              2. Jafooli
                • 12 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                Reckon we’re now gonna see a massive cull on second/multiple teams next season......hopefully drop to around 2.5m players like it was before, and I can start getting a decent rank again

                1. @persecuted_by_mods
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    I'm playing the long con, gonna set up an fpl Twitter to convince people to use numerous teams and then report them at the end of the season to fly up the rankings

                  • FOO FIGHTER
                    • 4 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Can only imagine how many entries have multiple teams...

                2. Wild Rover
                  • 13 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Seems that two teams have been deleted so the assumption is that they were both his. Hopefully FPL will make a statement along with a warning about multiple teams for the new season. Cue only 4m entries this time 😀

                  1. Bury94
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 6 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    It's about time they clamped down on this to be fair honest. Hopefully it'll stop the weekly Egyptian prize winner

                    1. Wild Rover
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      They changed the rules so that a new team couldn't win straight away but they still kept making them but planning for the following week.

                      1. @persecuted_by_mods
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Haha classic

                    2. circusmonkey
                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Given that the prizes are very small, does it matter who wins the weekly thing? They could just set that it must be a team made in the first 3 GWs.
                      I really don't see the problem with the winner having more than one team, he's still got to beat everyone.

                  2. Jafooli
                    • 12 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Hope ML administrators haven’t paid out yet, reckon we’ve got more to come....could be some big swings.....my 50p ML has some right dodgy folk in it....

                    1. Now I'm Panicking
                      • 9 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      I can name one of those dodgy folk in your ML without even looking at who else is in it.

                      1. Jafooli
                        • 12 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Epic Fail couldn’t afford it this year......

                  3. Botman and Robben
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Speaking about multiple teams. Don't some managers create a new team every GW so as to get the highest points for that GW? And don't FPL reward these "winners" with the weekly prizes?

                    1. BNMC
                      • 4 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      I was actually thinking of doing that a couple times!

                    2. Wild Rover
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      They do, but they can't win the weekly prize in the week they first enter

                      1. Andy_Social
                        • 11 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        But in theory, you could create 38 teams and prepare one a week on a wildcard followed by BB or TC. Well you could do that with hundreds or thousands of teams.

                  4. RoysCallerAnne
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 14 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    If it is true, then he is a cheating vermin scum.
                    Can't stand muti-team cheaters. Anyone spouting their shite on here about how great they are and having a second team should be named and shamed, lest we forget.. RuthNZ was caught doing it by Balders. Triggerlips admitted he does it too before deleting the tweet.

                    1. Wild Rover
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      He won FanTeam too. Wonder if they are looking into that?

                      1. Goonsquad245
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Aren't you allowed multiple entries in that?

                        1. Epic Fail
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 13 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Might be more to it than multi teaming. Who knows.

                        2. Wild Rover
                          • 13 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          If you pay for them yes, but it may be that there was hacking being done by the guy himself? What are the odds of winning two major tournaments?

                          1. Now I'm Panicking
                            • 9 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Very good point sir

                          2. Goonsquad245
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Could well be more to it, fair points.

                            On the odds of him winning two major tournaments - because the games are so similar it's plausible that he just picked the same/similar teams in both and therefore did very well in both. I guess I never questioned it for that reason.

                      2. Camzy
                        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                        • 13 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        You're allowed multiple entries in FanTeam.

                    2. aapoman
                      • 10 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Hate multi team users as well. I've always only had one. Having multiple teams is just stupid and takes the excitement out of the game especially if you are really going for the best overall rank possible with all your teams.

                    3. Jafooli
                      • 12 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      😛

                      *gets popcorn*

                    4. Nightcrawler
                      • 4 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Absolutely 100% agree

                    5. Amey
                      • 5 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      🙂

                    6. Jambot
                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      If it is a two team disqualification it will be interesting to hear what RuthNZ has to say

                  5. Nightcrawler
                    • 4 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Hopefully they just keep the deletion to the top spot. Would cost me a kot of money if they decided to do it on a larger scale

                    Convinced a lot of people to let me join their cash leagues after 8 GWs doepending on which of my teams had the highest score wt that point

                    1. aapoman
                      • 10 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      scum

                      1. Nightcrawler
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Tbf i only had 16 teams so still lot of skill needed

                  6. Herman Toothrot
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 11 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    My girlfriends cat's team is still there along with my 4th cousin on my fathers side (twice removed....but not in FPL)

                    Phew.

                  7. FlyingWithoutIngs
                    • 6 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Anyone know how to delete an FPL account? I created an account years ago for my dad, we have the same name and I want to have it deleted. Not that I’ll ever win the lot but don’t want to ever risk my account being banned for his.

                    1. @persecuted_by_mods
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Too late, you've danced with the devil

                        1. FlyingWithoutIngs
                          • 6 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Hahahaha no seriously does anyone know all I’m seeing is that you have to contact them

                      • Uncle Baby Billy
                        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                        • 3 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        I'n no expert, but I seriously doubt that having the same name as somebody else who also plays the game is likely to reach the realms of bannable offences any time soon.

                        1. FlyingWithoutIngs
                          • 6 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          It’s one of those that it’d be hard to explain, we have the same name we live at the same address and i use my device to do his transfers for him as he’s a technophobe. Just worries as all, as I said ive never got anywhere near winning anything I’ve just had my account for a long time would hate to lose it

                          1. Wild Rover
                            • 13 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Unless you activate his team and play it you have nothing to fear. The cancellation process is long and complicated, you have to do it on the Premier League site, not FPL. Even when requested you have to wait 21 days and if you log in during that time they reinstate it.

                            1. FlyingWithoutIngs
                              • 6 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I’ve requested to cancel it from the website I’ve sent them an email so I won’t sign into it again from now. Hopefully they delete it before the new season but I doubt it.

                          2. Goonsquad245
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            So you have two accounts, under the same name, at the same address, with all activity from the same device? 😀

                            1. FlyingWithoutIngs
                              • 6 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Well yeah, that’s what I’m worried about, it just happens that me and my dad both share John as our first name. And I still live at home. Think it was pretty clear from the previous post that was the case

                              1. Nimby
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                You'd have been deleted by now if it was a problem.

                                1. FlyingWithoutIngs
                                  • 6 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  That’s what my post is about I’ve never known how or thought that it was a problem... now seeing people are getting banned why would I risk it

                                  1. Nimby
                                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                    • 5 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    As long as you don't create a team with it you have nothing to worry about. Chill.

                                2. FlyingWithoutIngs
                                  • 6 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Apologies I read this wrong thought you said I would have deleted it. Sorry

                                3. Epic Fail
                                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                  • 13 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Possibly not. They get deleted if/when you win something or if someone grasses you up. Otherwise they aren't proactive at looking for multiple teams.

                                  1. FlyingWithoutIngs
                                    • 6 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I’ve requested cancellation of it anyway, hopefully they get it deleted soon

                    2. Jafooli
                      • 12 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Gotta say, this is the highlight of the FPL 19/20 season for me.....great drama 🙂

                      1. Boris Bodega
                        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                        • 8 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        😀

                    3. RoysCallerAnne
                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                      • 14 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Speaking of cheating ....

                      Have a look at this league and correct me if I'm barking up the wrong tree.
                      There are thousands and thousands in this league.
                      Most seem to be entered into an unusually high amount of leagues, most are maxed out on leagues.
                      All from the same country. They all started playing fpl at the same time, there's no variance in career length at all.
                      The top 20 in the league are all in the top 1k overall. Mainly the season histories are in the millions.
                      For so many people to have started playing FPL in the last 1 to 2 to 3 years (Salah era) to become so VERY good at fpl so VERY quickly and all in the same season is VERY suspicious. 
                      Can multi teaming be done by a bot or does it have to be done manually because I suspect that's what's going on here.
                      Like I said, correct me if I'm wrong.

                      fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/406509/standings/c?phase=1&page_new_entries=1&page_standings=1

                      1. goriuanx
                        • 13 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Looks like we're all finishing in top 100 then.

                      2. Bury94
                        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                        • 6 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Oh wow, there is something we'll dodgy going on there. Well spotted

                      3. Now I'm Panicking
                        • 9 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Felled by the inability to post a link correctly 😛

                        1. RoysCallerAnne
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 14 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Lucky for some as it's a link to me in my speedos

                          1. Now I'm Panicking
                            • 9 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Don't you mean unlucky?

                      4. Uncle Baby Billy
                        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                        • 3 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        If Donald Trump finds out about this there is absolutely no chance postal ballots will be acceptable in November.

                      5. Nightcrawler
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        I would email this to fpl im sure they'll have a look at it

                        1. @persecuted_by_mods
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Haha good one, they'll have a look and get a bad case of flop sweat

                            1. Nightcrawler
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Years ago someone on twitter found out about a duplicate team and linked both their teams to fpl in a mail. One of them was deleted

                        2. circusmonkey
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 13 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Now that is an incredibly high performing league!

                          If there is hacking, then absolutely, delete tham but if these people really have managed those teams in real time (even if it is one person), then they are the FPL Mensa, get them on the Scoutcast.

                        3. Botman and Robben
                          • 7 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Seems like there is something fishy. Most started 3 years ago. Big improvements for some, like this fella:

                          2017/18 1902 1998332
                          2018/19 1953 2455003
                          2019/20 2460 210

                        4. pingissimus
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Wondering whether there's a way of ascertaining if teams operate in parallel by comparing some of these

                          : chips strategy
                          : use of bench
                          : timing of transfers ie do they happen pretty much simultaneously

                          No idea what records FPL can access but in theory I'd imagine all this would be fairly easy to check. The timing of transfers may be the killer. If you operate parallel teams there must be a strong likelihood most transfers happen simultaneously. There's a whole week to choose from a after all.

                        5. have you seen cyan
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          saw that league ages ago, yes its bots

                        6. Geoff
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • Has Moderation Rights
                          • 11 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          I think it's worth reporting this type of thing when you see it next season.

                          I'm not sure what their process is for finding these but it seems, to some degree, to rely on reporting in.

                        7. panda07
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 11 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Perhaps only those that have it are allowed to join the league! :Lol:

                      6. FOO FIGHTER
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        I wonder if the RMT's will reduce on here this coming season 😀

                      7. goriuanx
                        • 13 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        I'm glad cheats are being clamped down. Hopefully those charging for advice, setting up patreons etc are next.

                        1. Goonsquad245
                          • 7 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          You mean you don't see consumer value in someone with a bang average season history 'revealing' their team to you every week? :O

                      8. Botman and Robben
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        I mistakenly TC'd Mane on GW24. Had that not happened I believe I would have had the motivation to push for top position. Can FPL consider me for 1st place?

                      9. @persecuted_by_mods
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Everyone better than me is cheating, I knew it!

                          1. @persecuted_by_mods
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Millions and millions of cheaters...

                          2. aapoman
                            • 10 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            There is also some talks on Twitter that the winner was disqualified due to racist messages against Sterling.

                            1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Purple monkey dishwasher

                            2. The Polymath
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I suggest anyone on here who has more than one account sends an email to FPL towers and owns up. It's the right thing to do. 😀

                            3. CloudSky
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Official statement:

                              Joshua Bull has been confirmed as the overall winner of Fantasy Premier League 2019/20.

                              Following end-of-season checks, final standings have been updated within the game, leaving Southampton fan Joshua and his team 'The Bulldozers' top of the table.

                              His score of 68 in Gameweek 38+, in which he played his Wildcard, was enough to hold off the challenge of Chris McGowan’s Aúpa Atleti and Will Turner’s Martial Mata’s LP.

                              The team formerly occupying the No 1 position has been removed from FPL due to a breach of our terms.

                              Fantasy Premier League 2020/21 will launch soon. Make sure you follow @OfficialFPL on Facebook and Twitter for the latest on the new season’s game.

                              How soon is soon? Sometime after the fixtures announcement?

                              1. aapoman
                                • 10 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                This should be a warning towards all of you with multiple accounts.

                                1. aapoman
                                  • 10 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Not saying all of you are cheaters though...

                              2. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Hopefully sooner than fixtures announcement.

                              3. Nimby
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Less than two weeks from now I reckon.

                              4. Uncle Baby Billy
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 3 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Chris McGowan just sent FF an email detailing how Joshua Bull has 47 teams.

                                1. FOO FIGHTER
                                  • 4 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  :-O

                              5. R.C
                                • 6 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                What checks and what did he breach? Why haven't they mentioned that? Hmmm

                              6. g40steve
                                • 6 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                If FPL ran a script to remove dead teams, all these one week wonder teams going for highest weekly score, they might get rid of half by mid season?

                              7. Botman and Robben
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                FPL should explain and give details on the "breach of our terms".

                              8. torshov_bulls
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Was wondering why my rank jumped two places (From 7102 to 7100). Did Antonov have two teams above me?

                            4. goriuanx
                              • 13 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Many congrats to Joshua on winning FPL (legitimately) in the toughest season to date.

                            5. FOO FIGHTER
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I finished at 322k. How many more teams can we expect to be deleted?

                              Maybe around 230k? Least I will have my 1st top 100k finish 😀

                              1. Nimby
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                That announcement suggests they've deleted everyone who they found to be cheating already, I think.

                                1. Andy_Social
                                  • 11 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Unlikely, although I trust they've triple-checked Joshua is clean!

                              2. Nimby
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I went up 22 places after the deletions.

                                1. FOO FIGHTER
                                  • 4 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  I went up 31. Woo hoo

                                  1. Sandesh_
                                    • 6 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I went up 21

                                  2. Andy_Social
                                    • 11 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I didn't keep a note of my exact finishing position, but I do know the guy who pipped me in my ML hasn't been eliminated. Boo!

                                    1. Nimby
                                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                      • 5 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      You can check it on your gw history. Your yearly rank won't have been updated so compare that to your final gw rank.

                                      1. Andy_Social
                                        • 11 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        Oh, cheers. Up 2 places. How thrilling.

                                      2. pingissimus
                                        • 5 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        Good spot

                                        4 cheats above 59k confirmed - or one cheat with 4 accounts

                            6. aapoman
                              • 10 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              What do you reckon FanTeam will do? Didn't they wire Antonov the 50k right after gameweek ended?

                              1. pingissimus
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Multiple teams are legal there - you pay for each one I believe

                                1. aapoman
                                  • 10 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Ooh ok. Thought FanTeam and FPL were somehow connected.

                              2. Uncle Baby Billy
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 3 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                In Fan Team you can enter 10,000 teams if you have €250,000 to spare. I doubt they'll be arsed.

                            7. Herman Toothrot
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 11 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              "In my other WC Draft..."

                              Translation:

                              "On my other account..."

                              1. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Steady on ...... I do that. In fact, I've got 3 drafts of my next squad on the ready and the prices and fixtures aren't even out!

                            8. RubberDucky
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Well my rubbish OR has not improved.

                                Typical!

                                1. The Polymath
                                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  I agree, he didn't include how he cheated. That would have been very useful. 😀

                              • Botman and Robben
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                FPL towers should explain how Aleksandar Antonov breached their terms.

                                1. Pedersen
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Why? Thousands probably break their terms. Would be really costly (counted in man hours expenses) to explain everything.
                                  As long they have a valid reason, then I am fine not knowing

                                  1. Wild Rover
                                    • 13 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    Really costly in man hours? Lol, it would take one man one minute 😀

                                  2. Camzy
                                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                    • 13 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I read the terms just now. The only one that seems likely that he broke was the multi-accounting one.

                                  3. Klaren
                                    • 6 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    Deleting the #1 team for breach of terms after the season ended is a little different than deleting a #5824562 team which no one cares about.

                                    It is important to understand the reason and assess whether it is a satisfactory one; otherwise trust for FPL would be damaged.

                                  4. El Presidente
                                    • 4 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    Well, because "thousands" are not number one spot & FPL winner.

                              • RubberDucky
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Aleksandar Antonov has now become the Nasty Nick of FPL.

                                  Show us the pieces of paper Nick, show us the names you wrote down!

                                  Salah!
                                  KDB!
                                  Sterling!
                                  Antonio!

                                  Im so dissapointed in you Nick!

                                  1. Now I'm Panicking
                                    • 9 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    If you live by the sword.......

                                  2. RubberDucky
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      I think my 90's reference just showed my age!

                                      1. Andy_Social
                                        • 11 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        That was the last reality TV show I saw before I left the UK. The reference is still fresh for me!

                                        1. RubberDucky
                                            3 years, 7 months ago

                                            God you left a long time ago.

                                            Im in Ireland full time for 6 years now, i dream of when i could drink cheap beer in a pub and just pop down to watch a PL game live.

                                            1. Andy_Social
                                              • 11 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Country's gone down the toilet. Not the place I left, alas.

                                    • Majestic Chanka
                                      • 7 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      What does Ruth NZ think of this?

                                      On a more (slightly) serious note, will this be the end for the WGTA zombie league?

                                    • farmerfat
                                      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                      • 8 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      Everytime I read a Tweet on Twitter : " My Wife's team , My Dad's team, My 1 year old daughters team "

                                      All just players with two teams that are ashamed to admit they have entered more than 1 team

                                    • SADIO SANÉ
                                      • 8 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      who did the now winner captain in the last GW?