Diary of a Closer

[RickyRosa]

Official Update:

So GW1 ended and despite being in what one could argue quite a strong position, with multiple teams finishing on or around 634th place, 8 out of my eleven teams all sit sub 1,000th or less on day two of GW1.

it’s fair to say Day 2 defiantly was a disappointment.

Illic started on the bench which whilst I knew it was always a risk I was disappointed as my “strange” 1st sub pick, Jordan Henderson not starting, also on the bench and with Bakker not tipping out for PSG the day before some of my picks look questionable in hindsite. But with Henderson instrumental to the over all meta strategy of the co-ordinated approach I have adopted and my bench to follow, I had to suck it up.

I was sat circa 250th on night 1 so to finish 600th felt almost like a loss and if it wasn’t for a late illic assist, on as a super sub and the well researched but initially one could say to much time researched on simply for a bench fodder pick, I was happy that Ba came through and replaced a lot of Hakimis’ etc but still it all felt a little melancholy.

Not even a look at the FISO leaderboard cheered my mood, that was despite Block not turning up (it was soured some would say even more by CBNs Stella performance).

I awoke the next day a lot more pragmatic about the entire situation and able to look a lot more objectively and I concluded that it Was silly getting caught up in the emotion of it all.

It had effected my judgement.

But I guess that’s why I like it and prefer it to poker....in poker emotion gets you in trouble, gives away your position, weakens your holding. But in FF the tells are almost always before the game as after kick off there is nothing more you can do.

So upon reflection I chalk it up as a positive GW1 but am obviously still very grounded about my overall position.
I still can’t shake the feeling deep down though that I could have done better...played it better.

It’s like that old poker player says’ “Simmer down son, you have only won one hand”

I feel somewhat anxious this week around some of my PL picks.

An injured Rodriguez and VVD coupled with a couple of iffy Vardys’ make not taking hits almost Impossible and just fielding an eleven s challenge.

I persist with my meta strategy and refuse to get caught up in the dynamics of one individual team and instead continue to pump Man City hard.

Hoping to catch that almost impossible vein of luck whereby City hit it big in the PL but struggle in the CL.

A tough ask even for some one as lucky as myself...

Still if anyone can do it.

It’s me.

[CBN]

You're ahead of your time Rick. I'll be wildcarding into City come GW10 - their fixtures are the best I've ever seen in any season from that point. Can't be having them in large numbers at the moment.

[RickyRosa]

I’m spending a lot of time on fantasy football.

Just an observation I guess.

An update of sorts follows and picking up from last time I immediately last night switched emphasis from the PL to the CL games.

It’s never ending and managing 20x PL teams and 11x CL teams the way I’m doing it is hard work and I really think I’m at or around the maximum number of teams I can currently play without compromising the quality of the teams too much.

I note another diary writer is doing quite well with a good looking team and i remembered the love and care and attention one would cherish a single entry team with and realise that I have evolved as a player.

Even last season I had circa 3x PL teams at the beginning of the season and it was only when I saw the multis’ and even other FISO members entering multiple and some times what seemed like huge volumes of teams that i realised that to compete on a level playing field one would need to increase volume levels

I’m starting to think that huge volumes of teams may be what’s required to almost guarantee that your skill edge isn’t watered down so much by a lack of volume and ability to cover all or as many as possible of the variables.

Take Patrick Bamford for instance.

A relatively lowly picked player who I thought might haul at some point because of the attacking style of Leeds but then to miss in 3 of the 5 teams I have him in by benching him is super frustrating.

But there’s another side of me that says well at least I have him in 2x of my teams, one of which is one of my best and I just played him where I didn’t really have and Watkins coverage (one team
aside).

I just think that volume would have meant I had more of my Bamford playing....more Meslier (I adopted the same
Watkins strategy.

So instead of getting it wrong with 20 teams ..with say 100 teams I would have had him in 10.

It’s a bit like my B Silva pick.

In a few minutes if I will know if it is potentially a good pick.

The margins are really fine.

[CBN]

I know what you mean. I found myself a bit fed up when I was updating my 30 PL teams on Thursday night. Part of me says give up on a few of them that can't scoop a big prize but part of me says I can manage them all into a prize place.

[BLOCKHEAD]

Take Patrick Bamford for instance.

A relatively lowly picked player who I thought might haul at some point because of the attacking style of Leeds but then to miss in 3 of the 5 teams I have him in by benching him is super frustrating.

You get your Bamford points if Foden stays on the bench.

[BLOCKHEAD]

You're ahead of your time Rick. I'll be wildcarding into City come GW10 - their fixtures are the best I've ever seen in any season from that point. Can't be having them in large numbers at the moment.

Couldn't agree more. Aguero was hauled off at half-time for a 0 pointer. That's why most people have Kane at the moment for his great fixtures.

[BLOCKHEAD]

It’s a bit like my B Silva pick.

In a few minutes if I will know if it is potentially a good pick.

The margins are really fine.

No offence, but that's a really poor transfer especially when you consider Rodriguez was only ever going to miss 1 game max and I think he could even start tomorrow.

[Iksh]

I’m spending a lot of time on fantasy football.

Just an observation I guess.

An update of sorts follows and picking up from last time I immediately last night switched emphasis from the PL to the CL games.

It’s never ending and managing 20x PL teams and 11x CL teams the way I’m doing it is hard work and I really think I’m at or around the maximum number of teams I can currently play without compromising the quality of the teams too much.

I note another diary writer is doing quite well with a good looking team and i remembered the love and care and attention one would cherish a single entry team with and realise that I have evolved as a player.

Even last season I had circa 3x PL teams at the beginning of the season and it was only when I saw the multis’ and even other FISO members entering multiple and some times what seemed like huge volumes of teams that i realised that to compete on a level playing field one would need to increase volume levels

I’m starting to think that huge volumes of teams may be what’s required to almost guarantee that your skill edge isn’t watered down so much by a lack of volume and ability to cover all or as many as possible of the variables.

Take Patrick Bamford for instance.

A relatively lowly picked player who I thought might haul at some point because of the attacking style of Leeds but then to miss in 3 of the 5 teams I have him in by benching him is super frustrating.

But there’s another side of me that says well at least I have him in 2x of my teams, one of which is one of my best and I just played him where I didn’t really have and Watkins coverage (one team
aside).

I just think that volume would have meant I had more of my Bamford playing....more Meslier (I adopted the same
Watkins strategy.

So instead of getting it wrong with 20 teams ..with say 100 teams I would have had him in 10.

It’s a bit like my B Silva pick.

In a few minutes if I will know if it is potentially a good pick.

The margins are really fine.

Ricky and Simon,

Updating 20-60 teams manually take huge amounts of time. I am sure you are aware of but if not, just wanted to direct you to the fantasy tools that are available. Mostly for NBA and NFL but seems that football is also starting to take more of the share. Fanteam did intoduce the facility to import info from excel sheets but most websites with fantasy tools dont support fanteam at this time.
you should take a look at fantasycruncher and aweseo's website. I have used their free articles for tennis match ups.

[aurora]

I note another diary writer is doing quite well with a good looking team and i remembered the love and care and attention one would cherish a single entry team with and realise that I have evolved as a player.

Even last season I had circa 3x PL teams at the beginning of the season and it was only when I saw the multis’ and even other FISO members entering multiple and some times what seemed like huge volumes of teams that i realised that to compete on a level playing field one would need to increase volume levels

I’m starting to think that huge volumes of teams may be what’s required to almost guarantee that your skill edge isn’t watered down so much by a lack of volume and ability to cover all or as many as possible of the variables.

Take Patrick Bamford for instance.

A relatively lowly picked player who I thought might haul at some point because of the attacking style of Leeds but then to miss in 3 of the 5 teams I have him in by benching him is super frustrating.

But there’s another side of me that says well at least I have him in 2x of my teams, one of which is one of my best and I just played him where I didn’t really have and Watkins coverage (one team
aside).

I just think that volume would have meant I had more of my Bamford playing....more Meslier (I adopted the same
Watkins strategy.
____________

you don't need to necessarily be a multi player to win big, last years winner was a single entrant.

Being a single entrant does mean you have more time to look after one team, but there's only so much you can do with 1 team and many are forced into a position to take -4pt hits, being a multi player with 20, 50, 100 teams, means you are 20, 50, 100 times more likely to win than a single entrant covering many different angles/options and therefore have a huge edge over single players especially considering if you have decided to enter that amount of teams, then you've done so because you believe you can afford the time to manage them, I haven't looked at all 219 of Sandor's teams but with that many, I'd imagine it's more a case of throw enough darts and eventually you'll hit the bullseye. 20 teams however is more likely to be a manager with a system in place, using a core group of players and having differentials around them which means I think you'll finish top 100 easy. A single entrant can compare his performances with other single entrants, but not with a multi, a multi entrant can compare his entries with other multi's with similar volume and should assume/expect he'll be ahead of all single entries because at the very least, the best team a multi player has should be ahead of single entry over time if he has been managing a substantial number of teams correctly, at the moment I'm another single entrant you've just glided past.

I personally atm, look to Guxxon in 16th place who is currently the highest placed single entrant, he's 65 points ahead of me not by chance, but because he's played the game better than me making better decisions, he had Grealish in early from the second week, had Kane in from the start and never really deviated away from Salah as captain, a strategy that has paid off for him, he's even still got his wildcard to play.

it's all well and good increasing volume, but if the right players, the right captain, the right timing and the right strategy doesn't follow then volume means nothing, what I'm trying to say is many single entrants and multi entrants with sub 20 teams are currently ahead of you not by pure chance but by all of the aforementioned.

Imo, Guxxon is currently the best player in the game not just because he's the highest placed single entrant but because of how highly placed he is as a lone team.

[RickyRosa]

So I fell asleep again last nigh whilst doing my teams. I have been caught out by being complacent on the amount of time personally I had available to do my teams and have been pushing the can down the road when it comes to making serious decisions.

I have a dilemma whereby I designed all my teams to be similar but also to have similar substitutions. Like a chess player I have planned many moves in advance and whilst I cannot say plan A has worked out perfectly it has worked out well enough for me to be able to not have to diversify from the original plan.

So why do I sit diversifying?

In other news I am currently sat 4th in the weekly £1k freeroll.

I don’t know if it is just confirmation bias (a word I use a lot) but I am starting to “feel” like my results are starting to get a bit more consistent.

One thing for sure is with my 2 left to play being Son and Kane I’m taking it down.

Always be closing.

I have 5x teams on near identical points and a further 3 in touch I g distance and I seem to be working out a plan for each where each has a different “differential” which I’m thinking will give me a higher probability in that one golden team.

Question is SM I better off at the end of GW2 having a few teams in or around or am I better off with one Stella team?

My instincts are to play to win.

[BLOCKHEAD]

Quite the conundrum you find yourself in - Son and Kane scoring big would mean most of your teams fall further behind in the main game and it's a relatively small prize for winning the freeroll compared to what's on offer in the main game.

[Yorkshire Exile]

Ricky. 17th has kane capt and son. Can't envisage a perm which would see you win... But some nice picks. I didn't even realise there was a freeroll

Not much to get excited about is it anyway. 80 quid?

[Yorkshire Exile]

Ps I hope Bale kane and son smash it.. I was only one in top 100 last week with all 3 in the seasonal I think. I am hoping I can get back to ca top 50 after a very average weekend so far. White also to play...

[Biddles32]

My second team on 387 has kane as captain and Son and White to play tonight so hoping to get into that top 100 tonight.

[BLOCKHEAD]

Ricky. 17th has kane capt and son. Can't envisage a perm which would see you win... But some nice picks. I didn't even realise there was a freeroll

Not much to get excited about is it anyway. 80 quid?

We always hear about every single win Ricky gets on FanTeam - no matter how small

[Yorkshire Exile]

Fair play he landed it. Not sure rules on ties? Least budget spent?

[BLOCKHEAD]

CBN drops all of his Leipzig keeper/defender combos to the bench whilst Ricky starts them all again (probably due to lack of transfers). Will be interesting to see who ends up getting this right.

[BLOCKHEAD]

Half of Ricky's captains start on the bench

[BLOCKHEAD]

But with Henderson instrumental to the over all meta strategy of the co-ordinated approach I have adopted and my bench to follow, I had to suck it up.

[blahblah]

Can you change the title of thread as I see it and wonder if closer is opposite to a fluffer

[BLOCKHEAD]

The European dream is almost over for Ricky - I suspect a United goal will put the final nail in the coffin tomorrow night. On the plus side, I suppose the big win for City means his fantasy teams in the main PL game are about to spark into life

[CBN]

Ricky said that if I looked hard enough I would be able to see a fantastic strategy for his teams. I have spent a lot of time looking and all I can see is a reliance on Leipzig keeping clean sheets in four games against Man United and PSG. And Fati to do well away at Juventus.

Maybe I’m missing something

[BLOCKHEAD]

Imagine basing your entire strategy around Atalanta without including Zapata in a single team

[BLOCKHEAD]

Massive Risk not playing Lewondoski as captain I appreciate, however, in all the euro games I have ever played he has never turned up...unlike a certain Mr Ronaldo who always does.

Amen to that.

Now only if you had stuck to your guns like a certain mr. aurora

[BLOCKHEAD]

Ricky said that if I looked hard enough I would be able to see a fantastic strategy for his teams. I have spent a lot of time looking and all I can see is a reliance on Leipzig keeping clean sheets in four games against Man United and PSG. And Fati to do well away at Juventus.

Maybe I’m missing something

You're missing all the save points Gulacsi will get in these games in addition to all the pens Halstenberg will get to take.

[BLOCKHEAD]

Bakker gets on late for his standard 1 pointer. The scary thing is that allegedly many hours of research and planning were spent putting these teams together

[blahblah]

Is a closer the opposite to a fluffer?

[CBN]

I've come to the conclusion that it's irony at it's finest

Fair play with the Werner captain though Ricky. Good differential and keeps you in with a sniff.

[BLOCKHEAD]

CBN drops all of his Leipzig keeper/defender combos to the bench whilst Ricky starts them all again (probably due to lack of transfers). Will be interesting to see who ends up getting this right.

As expected, CBN got this spot on and Ricky got it horribly wrong.

Now he has only one team in the top 3000 after saying he would have 3 finishing in the top 10 - I have honestly not come across someone so deluded in my entire life

[BLOCKHEAD]

With your constant criticism with just a select few knowing your identity...if you hit a player the whole world hears about it...when you miss like you have in loads of your teams (be honest if I wanted to be nasty I could tear your teams to shreds).

That's funny - 5 of those teams you could tear to shreds are now on more points than your best team! Be honest if I wanted to be nasty I could go in hard on your shambolic performance and picks.