So, as announced by TFFootball on FISO on 15 July, The Telegraph are not running TFFO this season!

TFFO under its various names (TFFOSM, TTF, TPLO) has been one of the most popular interactive squad-based Fantasy Football games created since time began (time began circa 1991 when FF games started running in the UK). It was also the first FF game won by 'admin' (00/01 season when I believe there were over 60,000 entries). No doubt the incredible growth of the free to play FPL game has impacted on TFFO but its disappearance will leave an enormous gap not only in the marketplace for pay-to-play squad games (with OFL probably the best of the rest) but also in the hearts of many ex-TFFO managers.

Hopefully those that played TFFO agree that tis better to have played TFFO and lost, than never to have played TFFO at all (apologies Tennyson). Please use this topic to record your thoughts and memories on playing TFFO.

To also commemorate the passing of the much loved TFFO and acknowledge its loss to the FF community, there will be a 30 minute period of silence on FISO tomorrow (23rd July) lunchtime.

RIP TFFO.

LOL!



Edit: Must apologise. Didn't realise above was meant to be taken 100% seriously. And posted before thinking. Never played the game though hope something similar comes along to take its place (for the benefit of those who enjoyed it over the years)...

Once more, no offence meant.

What's the punishment for not respecting the 30 minute period of silence tomorrow?

I only played for 3 seasons when, by all accounts, number were on the decline due to mismanagement but it gave me my only season long top 10 spot (OK my only season long top 100 spot...).

07/08- single entrant, started off dreadfully, struggled on to finish in top 1k realising how hard it is to move up with so few transfers against teams who, as they are ahead, must have better players! Discovered the beauty of the great challenge of it compared with the more 'simplistic' TFF.

08/09 - single entrant glory, didn't think I'd done much different to the previos year but somehow found myself in around 30th place and slowly climbing to the top 10. Hovered around 6th-7th for the last month or so, overtaking and being overtaken. Was 7th overall and the 4th placed manager (ignoring Oddsman's multi teams) going into the final weekend with cash prizes for the top 3 managers but never looked like changing either and that is where I finished, 1 spot from glory.

09/10 - single entry + ISO. Never really got it going but came from outside top 1k to about 300th (bad memory). Was looking forward to improving again this year.....

Great camaraderie on FISO amongst TFFOers too.

RIP.


(PS What time are the servers going down for a site update tomorrow? )

No server downtime. Just a mark of respect.

TFFO had become my favourite game. Have played it since 06/07 season, entering a steady 3 teams each year.

In my first year my ISO entry was my success story, getting on some good bandwagons in the autumn (Ronaldo, Lescott, Matt Taylor in his days as a Pompey defender ), edging into the top 10 overall around Christmas. Couldn't convert it into anything better but settled for a respectable top-20 finish and an ISO victory, while my other two teams came in just outside the top 100.

The next two seasons went past with not much going right, no top-100 finishes, and a 1000th+ team in both years. Don't really remember what I did differently, maybe varied my 3 teams too much.

Then last season which started off a bit like the previous two, but like in 06/07, one team started to come good around November/December. It jumped from 108th to 18th between Christmas and New Year, and I knew I had a chance of doing well as I still had 8 transfers. Finally broke into the top 10 in February and hit 3rd at the end of March. I used my last two transfers and final-day striker selections as wild gambles to try and catch the top two, unsuccessfully. Meanwhile my ISO team had risen to 15th and taken that title again, and my third team edged into the top 100 in the final weeks too.

The flange-by-flange involvement and enjoyment that I got from TFFO in the second half of last season will never be matched by any other fantasy game, in my opinion. I would have entered more teams in 10/11 but the powers that be decided that was not to be. I hope the game can return in some form somewhere someday.

Seriously?

Admin - couldn't you wait until 12:00 on the 14th August for the 30 minutes downtime. I think that would make it more significamt

Great idea by the way

Yes, seriously, TFFOSM is no more.

TFFOSM RIP

A game that I both thoroughly enjoyed and completely hated playing. Enjoyed it most when MotM had a decent pot, hated it most when I missed a weekend's changes and dropped like a stone. Flirted with the top 10 once upon a time, mainly gave up around Xmas, or shortly after the 3 January transfers were used up

Hadn't really got in to it for several years but still enjoyed participating.

Bring it back! NOW!!!

Thanks for respectfully observing the 30 mins of silence.

Well I was actually referring to the closing of FISO for 30 mins rather than the game! It was a game I knew nothing about, because I am pretty shocking at fantasy football, but I can understand the disappointment, especially as it was considered a pioneer of fantasy football games. I just thought you were joking about taking FISO offline in respect!

TFFO got 30 minutes silence.

Michael Jackson got two threads.

You don't say?

The best fantasy football game ever.
It's the one that got me started with fantasy sports and the one that got me involved with FISO.
Probably the most pioneering fantasy game there is (or was).
The first fantasy game I ever won money from (although there has been only 2 games I have ever won anything from)
The most enjoyable fantasy sports game

Played it once, didn't like it. although I did enjoy discussing flanges


Sad to see it go though - are all pay to play FF games going to die ???

TFFO is, of course, the greatest of all Fantasy Football games. I first played TFFO in (I think) its second ever season. After a slow start a Freddie Ljungberg inspired late charge up the table saw me finish around 40th. Although I'd played newspaper games before that was the first time I got really involved in a fantasy football game and my relative success gave me the belief I could one day win one. A belief that was fulfilled a few seasons later

Over the years I've had 5 or 6 leaderboard finishes (and a couple in the short lived championship version) with the highlight being the 'Total Football' season where I was top 20 for most of the season, eventually finishing 7th. If it wasn't for a very unfortunate Viduka to Yakubu switch halfway through that could have been my season for TFFO glory.

I'd like to dedicate any future Fantasy Football success to TFFO. Much missed, never forgotten.

Played every season as, ironically, the Telegraph advertised Season 1 in their weekly overseas edition stating that this was the game for expats and, consequently, the Regional and Country Leagues were moved from TFF to TFFO. Had a few quiet seasons before a good run at the end of the 2002-03 season (Scholes* hat-trick at Newcastle), together with discovering FISO sparked the start of my (almost) golden run.

I finished 6th in Brogies Season (2003/04), 7th in 04/05 (after leading into the New Year with lots of spare transfers) and 5th in the following (Total Football) season. Thereafter, due to changing personal circumstances and disenchantment with the running of the game (the loss of regional & country prizes, then leagues and then the total exclusion of non-UK residents:( ), I lost a bit of enthusiasm and momentum but managed to finish 30th in the final season.

Without doubt -at it's peak (before the Web Site was ruined), the best FF game that I've played - helped by the banter on the wonderful ('Friendly') FISO Forum.

Thanks for the memories, TFFO.

There's me yesterday thinking one of the regular posters had passed away

What a ridiculous thread.

Best game, best forum ever. Never did better than my first season when I won the first month without using a transfer and finished third overall when the third prize was bigger. Had a few good years after that but the past 2 years I made some deadly mistakes setting up my teams, lost buckets of points and got discouraged. I will miss it. Hope to see some of those great people here, like AK, Unc, Malrom, Oddsman and so many others. Finally I can play legally again!!!

Brilliant game & never to be compared to any other I have played for enjoyment & also frustration but that was the beauty of it!

Have played for around 10 seasons, always managing to get at least 1 team in the top 100. Best season was 3 years ago when I finished 15th, highest I ever was dduring anyone time was 4thm 2 seasons ago around November time but then ended up around the 40th mark at the end!

Have enjoyed some great chats & opinions on FISO, debating what to play this season, will avoid TFF just out of principal I think...

I don't think it will ever re-appear despite the dangled carrot by TFF on here when they were trying to justify it's removal, must admit, my enjoyment of the premiership games will be more lacking this season without my treasured TFFO...

guessing you never played this game stinky?

I noticed that friends/relatives of Can-You-Kick-It (CYKI) sneaked in at back of the memorial service as well - our thoughts are with them also on their recent loss

For posterity I thought it might be a good idea for us to work out, and list, all the previous winners.

Feel free to fill in the gaps and repost.

Perhaps TFFootball could help us if we get totally stuck.

Never actually played it, so fair enough i cant criticise the game but is there really any need to have 30mins silence 'cos it's gone.

I used to love the 9-ball pool on King.com for years, then as a money-making exercise they decided to change it to a newer 'cartoon' version that everybody knows is shy-hiiiii- teeeee.

The 9-ball community didnt conduct a funeral though

Stinky - we are not just mourning the loss of the best ever fantasy football game (period) - we are also going to miss the banter of arguably the friendliest FISO forum.

Think I started playing in 03/04 and remember getting totally addicted to the game almost from the first flange After playing TFF since the early 1990's I soon found my feet and finished my first season reasonably well - although I clearly remember missing out on 20 points when I forgot to set up a fllange in which T Henry scored & assisted. Funny how we all remember our mistakes - but it proved to be a good lesson as it was never repeated

Not sure about the 04/05 (is the old FISO website accessible Chris?) but I do remember reaching the summit in 05/06 only to lose my composure at a vital time and lose out to FrankieFrog in the gruelling TotalFootball season.

The 07/08 was a vintage season - such a rollercoaster with so many FISOers taking their turn at the summit (worm, MV, PG, Greenie, ...) until it all came down to the FA Cup final with Krancjar's failure to score - handing me the title Great moment.

I would almost equate winning national Fantasy Football titles to winning golf majors What I mean is, until you win one, you don't know if you will ever win, but once you have it gives you the confidence to win again.

My confidence going into the 08/09 knew no bounds - and so it proved to be as I reached January with 3 Animals on the podium No doubt a bit boring for the rest but i doubt I will ever match, in any other comp, my finish of 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th (from 9 teams)

And so to the final season - I have to admit that when I hit the summit last November - I felt sure that I was going to pull off the half-a-trillion-to-one treble But fair play to Graham and MV who had other ideas

So no more TFFO - gonna be a massive loss. Great memories though and fantastic times shared with you all on this forum. Might take a internal Telegraph coup and certainly would be a longshot but maybe, just maybe we will be back in 12 months time

I was top for a game week in Dec 2003 i believe . Finished 78th in the end so no prize but just being top for a week was an achievement for me

ADMIN is probably planning a separate 30 minutes Fiso shutdown dedicated to CYKI next week Romyn, as CYKI almost certainly had as many Fiso devotees - probably far more.