Preamble
24 January 2026 114 comments
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Hard mode:

No FPL transfers all season, except during the January and summer windows.

I’m only walking to the supermarket last night, yet my tired mind is adding absurd features to the game instead of getting to grips with my current Fantasy squad, those layabouts, those discount millionaires, all still mockingly badged with last week’s bargain basket of twos and ones.

Safe bet I’ll never be anywhere near the FPL creative team (although I’m not convinced Mythic Quest wasn’t modelled on an office I once worked in) but imagine a Fantasy Football game with a similar constraint. Would we play it? Would we lose interest come November, after the fifth, or fifteenth, red flag?

What if, not to worry, ‘instant’ transfers for a fee could sort things out! Only £1 and (click!) and ‘here we go’, your transfer target turns up immediatamente.

After a bludgeoning in the points — many of us certainly fared less than well last week — the second Wildcard, always for me this time of year in the soft focus of someday, suddenly beckons.

“It’s the only way. Otherwise, we have no hope.”
“To be precise, we’re absolutely hopeless.”

I’m playing it pragmatic today, for now, just the one sideways transfer, thank you. That’ll be £1.40 please. There’s a plan for next week, may even write it down, data points over points, new managers, rotation worries, 220-odd players running about for 90-plus minutes, 19,800 player-minutes plus subs, added time…

Points over pondering. Too late to Wildcard now. Game’s gone anyway, I hear. Good luck this week. 


114 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Camzy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    19 hours, 25 mins ago

    Would be typical if Haaland comes on at half time and scores a brace. I couldn't bench him. His xPts even with a cameo are higher than most players this week I think.

    1. JBG
      • 7 Years
      19 hours, 23 mins ago

      My options where Van Hecke or Gudmondsson, so easy choice here

    2. Pep Roulette
      • 8 Years
      19 hours, 21 mins ago

      I benched him for Alderete. A West Ham goal and my weekend is doomed.

    3. Atimis
      • 9 Years
      19 hours, 17 mins ago

      I missed the news, Haaland c Thiago vc, Dorgu first on bench

    4. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      19 hours, 12 mins ago

      Started Haaland and moved the armband to Thiago 😛 Time will tell ...

  2. adstomko
    • 9 Years
    19 hours, 24 mins ago

    No Xhaka has me very nervous with my double Sunderland defence on bench boost.

  3. Make United Great Again
    • 13 Years
    19 hours, 17 mins ago

    Switched the captain to Haaland from Semenyo in the final 5 minutes. What an error that could be

    1. Philosopher's Stones
      • 5 Years
      19 hours, 12 mins ago

      Yeah mate. Could be season over.

  4. Voronins Pony Tail
    • 2 Years
    19 hours, 15 mins ago

    Leak…..really good source*

    Haaland starts
    Cherki starts
    Semenyo benched

    About as good as all the others on Twitter. Completely made up.

    1. Scapegoat Salah
      • 9 Years
      19 hours, 14 mins ago

      Haha nice, don’t understand why anyone would bench Haaland even if not in team completely lol

    2. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      19 hours, 14 mins ago

      I love the chaos 😛

    3. boc610
      • 14 Years
      19 hours, 7 mins ago

      I think that's a bit disingenuous. These accounts appear get info from people inside the club or people who know people . It's not plucked out of think air (unless of course the source has done that). A 96 percent accuracy rate for lazy Fpl wouldn't track with just guessing who plays based on a hunch

      1. Voronins Pony Tail
        • 2 Years
        18 hours, 2 mins ago

        At 10:45am. Nonsense.

  5. Mighty Duck
    • 1 Year
    19 hours, 10 mins ago

    DCL will bang a hattie vs his former club. Obviously was the rightest (c) pick amid all the kerfuffle.

  6. MVDP
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 1 Year
    19 hours, 10 mins ago

    Whether it’s this week or next it hardly matters. A Haaland rest is very much overdue.

    1. Cruyff's Eleven
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      19 hours, 5 mins ago

      He might as well have been rested. Hasn't touched a ball properly for weeks like.

  7. Pep Roulette
    • 8 Years
    18 hours, 55 mins ago

    Can't wait to do Saka & Bruno G to Bruno F & Rice with my 2 FTs

    1. Fitzy.
      • 14 Years
      18 hours, 53 mins ago

      You can do it now then.