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”
VAPM Update: GW4
If you have read any of my previous articles in the past few years, then you have seen VAPM now and then. It’s a key metric used when making decisions and player selections in FPL. VAPM is something I found on Reddit three years ago, used it the last few years sparingly, but have delved deep this year, using it exclusively to set up my starting XI and see how players I own are progressing after each game. It’s not much different than FPL managers using any number of metrics available to help narrow down player selections in an attempt to field the best players, giving them the best opportunity to score points. Continue reading “VAPM Update: GW4”
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”
2020/21 FPL GW2 Starting XI
What was the chance I would actually burn an unnecessary wild card ahead of GW2? Not a chance. As I said in Episode 60 of the Pitch & Pint Podcast, “It’s early, very early, so if your squad stumbled in GW1, have some patience, your team will rebound.” That said it will be interesting to see the percentage of managers who activated that wild card because of players from the Manchester clubs, Burnley, oh yeah and Villa. I am recovering from a poor selection of Kai Havertz in GW1, regardless of who was in that fourth midfield position was only a one week play and has already been transferred out for Kevin De Bruyne. So how does this team stack up for GW2? Continue reading “2020/21 FPL GW2 Starting XI”
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”
Pitch & Pint Podcast Episode 58: Back in the Saddle
Think Different: 5-Man Defense
This article was to be included in the final installment of Think Different: An FPL Tale, but after putting the finishing touches on part five, I realized it was just too long. This is also a strategy I’ve been passionate about for a number of years and feel it can be implemented with success. As noted in the previous series an important part of this FPL game is selecting the right players ahead of the first game week. To date, I’ve yet to have a banger to start the season, but looking to get in and select players with the intention of keeping some players unchanged over the 38 week season. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense”