First off, I would like to address the problem that an awful lot of FPL enthusiasts seem to fixate on the mechanics of the game itself, and largely (or entirely?) divorce it in their minds from the actual game it is derived from - the 'beautiful game', our beloved Association Football, as practised in the English Premier League. If you're going to be any good at FPL, the main thing you need is a deep understanding of football.
I don't think there's really that much to 'know' about Fantasy Premier League - the rules are pretty simple and obvious. (But that won't stop me writing about their subtleties and implications, at length, over the coming months....)
But I do know quite a lot about football. I have been passionate about the game, besotted with it, since I was a little kid. (And I'm in my late middle age now; so, we're talking about five decades or so of being a football obsessive.) I watch as much of it as I can - ideally full games, live (bit of a practical problem for me now, since I live in East Asia, where the timezone is against me, and local TV and Internet service isn't great). I have, for example, watched very nearly every game of every World Cup since 1974.
I've had the experience of playing, refereeing and coaching the game. (Not much, and only at the very lowest level - but even so, that gives you a breadth of insight that not many people can claim.)
I've also been privileged to see some great players up close - not from the stands, but from the touchline. That is a truly eye-opening, life-changing experience. [When I was in my teens, I had the good fortune to see a practice game between a University side and a Spurs 'Reserves' eleven. This was in the great Keith Burkinshaw era of the early '80s. And it just so happened that half the usual first team had been sidelined with injury niggles for a few weeks, and needed a soft game like this to start getting 'match-fit' again. And a few others were brought along as well - just as a public relations exercise? - so in fact, it was pretty much the Spurs first team: Chris Hughton, Graham Roberts, Steve Perryman, Justin Edinburgh, Mark Falco, Steve Archibald, and..... Glenn Hoddle. Honestly, Hoddle in his early or mid-twenties was a thing of beauty; he'd just ping these 40-, 50, 60--yard chipped passes all over the field, with stunning accuracy... and often over-his-shoulder, without even looking at the intended recipient. Jaw-dropping talent.
Just over a decade later, I happened to be in Chicago during the '94 World Cup, and my host took me along to see the German team training one morning (public fields, just about no security; the American public evidently had zero interest in Die Mannschaft!). Seeing the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann at close range was utterly exhilarating for me.]
Also, I'm pretty good - very good - with numbers. I'm far from being a maths prodigy, but... I do have a very strong innate numerical aptitude, a good 'number sense'. And I've taken the trouble to master the basics, at least, in useful fields such as statistics and probability. When I look at a page of EPL/FPL stats, I can usually see instantly what they actually mean. (And also what they don't tell you - which is often even more important.)
I take a deep interest in the tactics of the game. I think it's important to understand the dynamics of a team as a whole, just as much as being able to assess the talent and form of individual players.
And YES, I have a lot of experience with Fantasy Football too. I started playing some of the early newspaper versions of the game 30 years ago; and, for a while, got very into management sims on console and desktop as well. And this will be my seventh season playing the modern FPL online game.
Above all, I would say that I am obsessively curious, and uncommonly self-aware and self-analystical. In fact, I perhaps play this game more for insight than actual success; I am constantly exploring what most determines points outcomes, and it is the fascination of this enquiry that gives me most of my satisfaction in the game. (Again, I suspect that's not something that many people can say about their interaction with FPL.)
NB: I make no claims to being an FPL 'expert'. (Most of those self-appointed gurus, I'm afraid, appear to me to be empty-headed charlatans who don't know any more than the majority of us regular players of the game; in fact, often - usually - far less.) But I am a smart guy. And I really KNOW my football.
So, I think you, dear reader, might just possibly find some useful observations and insights on this blog - to help you get more out your own FPL experience. That is my modest hope....
