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How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

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dead parrot
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How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by dead parrot »

Starting XI (5-3-2)
GK - Stekelenburg (Everton)
DEF - Coleman (Everton)
DEF - Baines (Everton)
DEF - Williams (Everton)
DEF - Francis (Bournemouth)
DEF - Cook (Bournemouth)
MID - de Bruyne (Man City)
MID - Hazard (Chelsea)
MID - Sanchez (Arsenal)
STR - Aguero (Man City)
STR - Ibrahimovic (Man Utd


A simple formula to start the season. I picked the biggest front five. Proved and reliable high scorers Though Ibrahimovic was new to the EPL there was little doubt that he would score plenty of goals with Manchester United.
Obviously those five were expensive but the returns were highly likely to justify it and no risky choices.

The budget then required bargain defenders. Everton conveniently combined a better than average defence with relatively cheap options who also had a good goal threat. Bournemouth were extra cheap so filled the gaps nicely and had an unknown potential that could be a bonus.

That remained the basic team then until Christmas barring a few transfers for injuries, notably to Coleman and (from memory) to Aguero but went into the new year having used only four transfers.
This proved to be important as the transfers in hand made a big difference in the spring.

Now it was time for a bit of good luck (actually a lot of good luck)
Everton had started well defensively but were beginning to creak. Tottenham were emerging as a surprise top team and Chelsea were running away with the league. So now for a big review of the team. In early spring I made drastic changes bringing in a complete Spurs defence plus Alli and Kane with Son flitting in and out. (Usually out after good scores and in again before lean periods!) The Chelsea boat had been missed so little point in taking that route now. (Had gone heavily Chelsea in a few alternative teams)

That turned out to be the key to a successful season. No great insight but plenty of lucky timing as Tottenham proceeded to provide loads of clean sheets and goals which propelled the team rapidly up TFF.

And so to the final weeks. I had amazingly hit the top so needed to be careful with transfers to stay there. The movements of other teams at the top implied one or two Spurs heavy teams but still mostly Chelsea defences. So I gradually shifted the balance of the team to hedge against Chelsea doing too well in upcoming easy fixtures. This was almost my downfall as I also removed Kane near the end because fixtures didn't look promising for him and I thought I needed to afford Chelsea defenders.

Unfortunately Kane then remarkably scored about seven goals in two away games which drastically reduced my lead at the top and going into the cup final was only seven points ahead. The ominously rising team in second place had Kane!
Had he got any transfers left? I had none having squandered them in a profligate few weeks trying to gain those extra few points, so could do nothing to change anything now. If the challenger had a transfer remaining he would surely swop Kane for Costa. I was sure he had one more Chelsea defender/goalkeeper than me, and possibly an Arsenal defender.

Final XI (4-5-1)
GK - Lloris (Tottenham)
DEF - Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
DEF - Cahill (Chelsea)
DEF - Holgate (Everton)
DEF - Alonso (Chelsea)
MID - de Bruyne (Man City)
MID - Hazard (Chelsea)
MID - Alli (Tottenham)
MID - Sanchez (Arsenal)
MID - Sane (Man City)
STR - Jesus (Man City)



The first half of the cup final went well. Arsenal unexpectedly scored so critically no big Chelsea defence points available. Then, inevitably, Costa scored which probably doomed me to second place. Quite possibly on goal difference (scored - not good for my team) as he would have seven points, cancelling the margin.
It had been good while it lasted.......or so I assumed until belatedly discovering the truth.
So I didn't finish second after all.

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ChrisD
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by ChrisD »

Interesting write up and well done! Thinking of doing something similar to your initial set up this year, Southampton (and one other tbc) fulfilling the cheap defence part funding the big boys up front. But there's still plenty of time for that to change!

Captain Pugwash
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Captain Pugwash »

Cracking read, I have been waiting for that. If I have learnt anything that I can take away, its the fact you only used 4 subs up until Xmas.

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Jamjack
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Jamjack »

OMG, that Kane decision must hurt a bit. My reading of this is that if you'd kept him you'd have won? Very well done - it's great to hear how other peoples minds work at this game. Particularly the more successful amongst us.

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happyhoppy
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by happyhoppy »

Captain Pugwash wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 12:49 Cracking read, I have been waiting for that. If I have learnt anything that I can take away, its the fact you only used 4 subs up until Xmas.
Probably due to the number of teams he was running :wink:

Great read though!

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happyhoppy
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by happyhoppy »

Jamjack wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 13:46 OMG, that Kane decision must hurt a bit. My reading of this is that if you'd kept him you'd have won? Very well done - it's great to hear how other peoples minds work at this game. Particularly the more successful amongst us.
He did win but nearly didn't due to Kane.

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Zimmerman
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Zimmerman »

Thanks for sharing (not often a top player actually shows his hand on FISO... usually just us wannabes Pretending to know what we're doing).

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SamD
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Season

Post by SamD »

For info, this Telegraph article describes winning team's progress in more detail:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fantasy-spor ... -champion/

@ dp: well done! Did your other teams in top 100 of final leaderboard also begin with an expensive front five; else how did strategies differ?

PS: I was lucky enough to attend that Spurs-Burnley Final as a teenager, stretching on tiptoe to try and catch the action from behind the goal on the west side of Wembley stadium. Wonder if Spurs can do as well in home games there this coming season?

Javahart
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Javahart »

Nice insight, how many teams do you enter and did you perm lots of cheaper defences?

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Jamjack
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Jamjack »

happyhoppy wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 15:07
Jamjack wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 13:46 OMG, that Kane decision must hurt a bit. My reading of this is that if you'd kept him you'd have won? Very well done - it's great to hear how other peoples minds work at this game. Particularly the more successful amongst us.
He did win but nearly didn't due to Kane.
I need to read headings more carefully :oops: All the more remarkable now.

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murf
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by murf »

Good read but a lot of the 40 transfers aren't discussed. Rotation for bonus games or tinkering????

dead parrot
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by dead parrot »

murf wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 21:42 Good read but a lot of the 40 transfers aren't discussed. Rotation for bonus games or tinkering????
thats because I have no record of them and they are no longer available on the TFF website :oops:

but most were trying to combine form and fixtures including bonus games.

dead parrot
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Re: Season

Post by dead parrot »

SamD wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 16:57 For info, this Telegraph article describes winning team's progress in more detail:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fantasy-spor ... -champion/

@ dp: well done! Did your other teams in top 100 of final leaderboard also begin with an expensive front five; else how did strategies differ?

PS: I was lucky enough to attend that Spurs-Burnley Final as a teenager, stretching on tiptoe to try and catch the action from behind the goal on the west side of Wembley stadium. Wonder if Spurs can do as well in home games there this coming season?
my other competitive teams were heavily chelsea throughout the season - so they couldn't afford an expensive front five

The Spurs - Burnley televised final was the first club game I took a real interest in, sufficiently to read the paper before hand and decide randomly to want Burnley to win and despite them losing I then continued to do so.

dead parrot
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by dead parrot »

happyhoppy wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 15:07
Captain Pugwash wrote: 26 Jul 2017, 12:49 Cracking read, I have been waiting for that. If I have learnt anything that I can take away, its the fact you only used 4 subs up until Xmas.
Probably due to the number of teams he was running :wink:
That is only partly true. In general I try to minimise transfers in first half of the season but it obviously depends on a team doing well enough. Failing players have to be ruthlessly culled :wink: Usually I remove some too soon and see them rake in the points after they have been disposed of. This time I was lucky

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chaser2k4
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by chaser2k4 »

Great read.

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ronny10
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by ronny10 »

How many points was the team behind at the turn of the year having used just the 4 transfers (or at the point you started using them up)

Well done by the way , great effort

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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Spinynorman »

Great stuff and an interesting read. Cheers. :)

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Ashers
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Re: How I didn't finish 2nd in TFF 2016-17

Post by Ashers »

Great read, congratulations.

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