Thought it would make for an interesting comparison, as this is the first year I am taking to distinctively different approaches to the FPL game. The first team, is the one that is not eight seasons old with 31k as the best finish. It’s the team I put all the time and effort into. The other started during the 2018/19 season when I decided to participate in WGTA zombie league. Last year, I used it in a “red on defense” and “blue on attack,” in regards to Liverpool and Man City. This season, the team has evolved into a 5-man defense that I intended on playing all season long, barring a defender not included in their starting XI. Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW7 Tale of Two Teams”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW6 Retrospect
One of the positive aspects of FPL is being able to have multiple teams. Can you tell I never plan on actually winning the game? Okay, so it’s “my son’s team” that I manage, just to make sure I am playing fair and by the rules. While my 6thGoal failed miserably, I did take consolation in having a second team. Unfortunately, when it rains, its a fucking typhoon! While I pride this team on the 5-man defense, it was the first week that saw Sergio Reguilon not putting my team into a 4-4-2. I knew at some point this would happen, but didn’t think it would come from Reguilon, especially after his performance the week before against West Ham. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW6 Retrospect”
2020/21 Premier League: GW6 Retrospect
I vowed I would not look at at ANY fantasy related items this week because I knew my score was going to be bad. However, thanks to Paddy (@TheFantasyKing2), I was lucky enough to have the biggest fall and fewest points in his mini league. Thankfully it wasn’t Monday and this news was much better received on Tuesday morning. To be completely honest, after that poor officiating in the Liverpool game, rewarding Sheffield United a penalty kick, I watched no more Premier League the rest of the weekend. That combined with a 15-hour volunteer project on Sunday and it pushed FPL to the back of my mind. Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW6 Retrospect”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW5 Retrospect
It feels as if I am living in DC Comics, fictional, Bizarro World (Htrae), which in popular culture has come to represent a situation or setting which is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations. Take my first ever attempt to field a 5-man defense, over a 38 weeks Premier League schedule in a season where clean sheets are down and goals are up. Right there, it’s got the making for something that resembles a horror movie, fitting as we are nearing the end of October and Halloween is right around the corner. Who knows, maybe a “Freddie” or “Jason” could potentially carved up some points for my starting I. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW5 Retrospect”
2020/21 Premier League: GW5 Retrospect
While holding the wild card for the sole purpose of exiting the first international break would have been a wise decision, it was somewhat surprising to see just over 8% of managers across FPL decided to active it, that was a percentage point less than those who activated it in GW3. What does that mean? Oh, probably not a whole hell of a lot, but based on Twitter you would have thought there were more FPL managers on their wild card. Goes to prove that Twitter isnt’ necessarily the movers and shakers some take it to be. As for game week five, can we just look ahead to next weekend? Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW5 Retrospect”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW4
Clean sheets this season seem to be a rarity, even though we saw four more bringing the season total to 17 across the league. That is one fewer than last season (18) and three off the start of the 2018/19 (20). Numbers are fairly consistent over this time frame, even though Liverpool stand out with three clean sheets to open the 18/19 season. Never did I think I would see Aston Villa, Southampton and West Ham each on two cleans to start this season. Intentions going in this season was to buy “big at the back” but that seems to be a bit of a determent at the moment. Defensive points have been very difficult to come by, as witnessed by game week four, as my squad has posted just six clean sheets by my defenders. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW4”
2020/21 Premier League: GW4 Retrospect
What the hell is going on with the early part of this season? It feels as if the shortened offseason has caused more trouble than three months during last season. This is like living on Bizzaro World, where you can throw logical, form and FDR out, opting to throw darts are your weekly starting players. I reckon I would of had a better score had I done that. The final week before two weeks off and the international break, which could provide more problems with virus related issues that worth. It was a weekend that could have been so much more but maybe creativity got the best of me.
Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW4 Retrospect”
Think Different: GW3 Retrospect
The Think Different series continues, as I look back on the decision to activate the wild card ahead of GW3. This decision wasn’t a “knee jerk” decision, coming off a green in GW2, I was looking to build on a modest 109 points I had scored the first few weeks, about 21 points lower than expected. This week I just scrapped by scoring 45 points, on a week we saw 43 as the weekly average across the game, while the top 1k averaged 42 points. That’s two consecutive weeks, where the the FPL weekly average has been higher than the top 1k, somewhat uncommon occurrence. That tells you how this season is starting. Continue reading “Think Different: GW3 Retrospect”
2020/21 Premier League: GW3 Retrospect
No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. Thus is the common theme experienced each year when a new Premier League seasons starts. This year, after just three weeks has been…different, but familiar but unexpected. ” It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key,” so spoke Winston Churchill in a radio broadcast in October 1939. The FPL game isn’t Russia, but sometimes the understanding is indecipherable or impossible to foretell. Ahead of the game week, I activated my wild card and felt confident in the decision but won’t be able to judge the effectiveness of my actions for weeks to come. Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW3 Retrospect”
Think Different: GW2 Retrospect
Much like watching Premier League players hit for attacking returns one week, then go dark the next, so goes my 5-man defensive team. On the back of a disappointing GW1 score of 47 points, it was difficult to look over my team, especially not owning the man the hot foot in GW1. Now GW2, we see Spurs, Everton and Leicester City get business done convincingly. Yet I owned just two players from those teams. Thankfully, 61 points was just enough to get me over the hump and pull off a small green arrow, up just 150k, but still nearly at 3 million OR. It’s early, but there is no way I am going to turn tail and give up on my 5-man defense. Continue reading “Think Different: GW2 Retrospect”
2020/21 Premier League: GW2 Retrospect
After a strong 78 point showing to start the new FPL season, coming back with just 58 points in GW2 was a bit disappointing. Maybe I was too quick to captain Mo Salah, coming off a hat trick against Leeds United but injuries and non-performers really caused my squad to look very average. It’s still early but many managers have already pulled that wild card trigger ahead of the upcoming game week. Before I even consider GW3, it’s time to check out the why of GW2 and where to go from here. Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW2 Retrospect”
Think Different: GW1 Retrospect
This Think Different series began a few years back when I was a contributor to Fantasy Football Geek and initially focused on the viability of playing five defenders. While that strategy didn’t last long, the series did last a few seasons, before discontinuing submissions to FFG. This year, I’ve decided to revive the series on 6thGoal.com, posting the first of six articles on August 18, Think Different: An FPL Tale Part I. This series was conceived to follow my second team from pre-season planning and strategy, over 38 game weeks to see how a set and forget 5-man defense can get on in a very attack minded FPL game. Hopefully the first game week isn’t an indication of how things are going to go, but I am confident this team will rebound and finish the season with a respectable OR. More importantly, I am curious to see what I learn from this exercise. Continue reading “Think Different: GW1 Retrospect”