“Sacked in the morning. You’re getting sacked in the morning.” When those fateful words haunt your dreams, you know things aren’t going too well with your Fantasy Football efforts.
Let’s fix that then, and who better to ask for help than a true managerial legend. No, not Pep, Jose or Mauricio, but Ben Crabtree. Across the 2016/17 season he beat 4.5 million others to be crowned the winner of the official Fantasy Premier League.
So we asked him for his tips to transform you from relegation-worried bottom feeder with frustrated pub talk tactics to a true Fantasy Football title contender.
1. Don’t chase lost points
“In many ways this is the number one rule of Fantasy Premier League. If you didn’t consider owning a player who then has a good week and a decent fixture to come, keep backing yourself.
“The chances are you’ll still be better off not getting them in. The crowd might be making the move by Monday, but you should try to resist. Maybe start to monitor them, but think back to the players you were already considering.”
2. Pick at least one ‘big-hitter’
“You need someone like Harry Kane in your team so that you have a clear captain choice. For a lot of weeks, the worst you’ll do is okay.
“When I look at some people’s teams and they’ve got average players across the board, I just think they’re too exposed to having bad weeks. They need four or five players to contribute something just to cancel out a brace from a captained star-man.”
3. Back your player picks
“Don’t bring players in just for a match or two as you’ll likely find another area of your team needs attention and be stuck with the player you didn’t seem to have much long-term faith in. If someone has a good run of fixtures but blanks in the first couple of games, remember why you put them in to begin with. Keep them for the longer run and get all the points they deliver.
“Depending on the price you’ve paid, you may only need one decent points haul for your patience to be rewarded. But there’s no need to think too long-term. If you believe someone will have a great season but may take a few games to settle, don’t rush in. Only buy when it looks like their form has clicked.”
4. Keep the faith
“All teams concede goals. It may not look promising when one of your players is facing a tough away game, but they might still get you some points. This applies less for defensive players but, from an attacking point of view, you should never look to transfer out good players with the form but not the fixtures.”
5. Reflect on your decisions
“The best way to improve is to learn from experience. If players you take out keep doing well, you’re transferring players out too quickly. If you keep making transfers early for better prices but feel there was a better option by the time Friday comes, only make transfers later in the week. If you ignore your instinct for easier-looking home captain choices and end up worse off, start going with your gut.
“Bear in mind that not everything is clear cut – you’re not only making either great decisions or being unlucky. Sometimes you make bad calls but get lucky, and vice versa. It’s beneficial to identify these situations, so you don’t make the same mistakes again.”