Fixture Tracker – Fantasy Premier League 2014-15
We’ve all seen a few different ways of viewing upcoming fixtures, and the one that has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years is the colour-coded one. With this, you can instantly see each team’s approaching fixtures with an accompanying colour that corresponds to the difficulty of each match. This is very useful for both identifying teams that are potentially about to have a great run due to a kind set of fixtures, and also identifying weaker teams that can rotate well, i.e. when one team has a bad fixture the other will have a decent one, so you swap between the two players. For more info on rotation, check out Mito’s somewhat exceptional article on it 😉 Rotation Analysis Home and Away and Favourable fixtures
Many of these colour-coded tickers only show a few weeks in advance, which is very helpful for short-term plans, but not if you’re planning transfers for the long-term. It is understandable that these tickers are short-term, as teams’ form tends to fluctuate as the season progresses, so if you made a season-long ticker now, it may well not be a good reflection of how difficult a match is come Christmas or Easter. Who knows, maybe Villa will get off to a blinder and win 10 out of 15 (hahaha!), in which case a game against them would no longer be considered easy. Also, sometimes we may even disagree with the colour a certain match has been assigned by the fantasy football gurus that make the tickers! The ticker I have made is designed with both of these points in mind, and can be updated throughout the season as and when you see fit.
Customisable Tracker
Some of you may already have seen my earlier prototype after I posted it on the boards last week (much to init’s dismay :p ) – I have since added all 38 GWs to the tracker, modified the colours used and added a new custom search for individual teams, so even if you had the original please do use this updated version instead.
And it works like this: I have split up all 20 teams into four groups of similar ability, and then given every possible combination (of which there are 32) a difficulty rating of between A and E (5 difficulties as opposed to 3 for greater accuracy). Both of these factors are the variables that you can change, and doing so will automatically update the colours in your fixtures tab. Simply click on the ‘Variables’ tab as shown in fig.1, change any of the values in the cyan-coloured columns shown in fig. 2,
and you will be able to view your very own customised 38 GW fixture tracker as shown in the main image above. This is all explained in more detail in the ‘How It Works’ tab. Finally, I have made a ‘Compare Fixtures’ tab as well – this allows you to select only the teams you wish in order to see just how well they compare and/or rotate, without having the distraction of all 20 teams’ colours present. If you wish to use this tool then select the ‘Compare Fixtures’ tab and then click on the ‘Add Team’ drop-down menu as shown in fig. 3 and choose the team you want. You can do this with as many or as few teams as you wish. Though it seems rather simple, I found this last feature very tricky and would not have been able to make it work as well as it does without the help of Dreamers, so a huge thanks to him!
I have made the link read-only, so as to preserve the template in its original format for everyone in case the formulas stop working. Just save your own version of the file, and you will be able to customise it entirely as you see fit. Please bear in mind that this was made with Google Sheets and is intended to be used in that format so it can be saved in favourites for easy access; if you download it with Excel then the margins and borders will probably be off so will need adjusting. I am always open to suggestions for ways to improve it, so feel free to send me a message or post a comment below to that effect if you have any ideas. And finally, I have double- and triple-checked the fixtures, but there are a lot of them and after a point they all tend to blur together, so if you spot any mistakes please let me know as soon as possible!
Click the link below for the file. Hope it helps a few of you, happy customising.
Fixture Tracker – Fantasy Premier League 2014-15
Theres some great stuff on her now. One of them being yrs truly! Cheer C great tool
The only Tool on here Chopper is your small Chopper!
Potty
Weeeey Sh*tter! How u doing bud?
Morning all!
Calvin, this is awesome mate! Thank you and everyone who helped, this is going to be pretty helpful for all of us! :beer:
Morning Albertini. Good to see you mate. How’s your team coming along?
NIN, Albert, how are we lads?
Morning Alex. All is good with me. How’s things mate? Not long to go now… the big kick off just cant come quick enough!!
Tell me about it NIN, how is it only a week and I still have no idea what my team will look like! How about you?
Alex – Haha, yeah the last few weeks have flown by!! This last week will probably drag though. I’ve made some changes to my team after all the great advice/info on here. It’s looking like this at the mo…
Begovic-Fabianski
Wisdom-Mariappa-Jones-Caulker-Filipe Luis
Mutch-Ramsey-Mata-Sigurdsson-Cesc
Rooney-Bojan-Costa
Filipe Luis is my main concern at the moment. Really want Terry there instead but cant drag the 0.5m from anywhere and be happy about it. Hmm.
NIN-team looks good but the issue is you have nothing in the bank and gambled on bojan as your 3rd striker.what if one of hazard.sanchez or dzeko hits top form? where will you generate cash from to get them in?you might end up taking hits.
NIN, I agree with CFC team looks good by preseason standards but if one of the expensive mids kicks on, how will you get him in? I ask because I am genuinely interested and struggling myself!
NZ-why are you repeating what I said 😛
Unfortunately we can’t compensate for ‘what-ifs’…
Cheers CFC. There’s no way i’m leaving anything in the kitty mate, would only do that if i had an immediate transfer (for gwk2) that i’d like to make. re Hazard, Sanchez etc, if they go off on one then so be it. I’m looking at the first 6-8 gwks so reacting to a few big hauls from other players isn’t in the game plan (hopefully my picks kick ass too!). Of course, if it goes belly up then there’s always the Wildcard but i think that’s best kept for later. Who would you suggest in place of Bojan? I’m not all that happy about picking him but cant really see any budget forwards who have a good gwk1 + a decent run of fixtures. I was thinking that if Bojan looks terrible then it’s a handy straight switch to someone like Campbell maybe?
CFC, why are you repeating…… only joshing mate! Don’t think of repeating, as reinforcing! Its a really good point you make, unfortunately that point has just thrown my team completely! Hows your team looking pal?
Kop-we cant compensate fully but we can to an extent by having some money in the bank.. 2m atleast? so we can do upgrades like cesc to haz or ramsey to sanchez etc.
CFC, Kop. i don’t like the idea of keeping money in the bank, more the idea of having a big mid/def (Terry, Haz YYT) to sell if funds need to be gained fast for another transfer. Maybe I’m stating the obvious…….
NIN-I have the similar team except a 4.5MF for mutch and a 4.5m def for jones and a 4m second keeper and have 3m in the bank to do any upgrade I want without taking hits in week 2.week 1 is going to be a gamble anyways.there will atleast be one player youd want to get after week 1 but cant cos of no money and he will rise by 0.3m that week.I am going with the safety first approach of leaving some money in the bank
CFC – 2m??? At least?? If i was that worried about Hazard and Sanchez then i’d just start with them! I think that’s a crazy amount to leave unused for ‘just in case’ moments.
If that’s the case you’d leave 2m in the bank all season…just spend the money now
NZ-you don’t always have to leave money in the bank.It depends on your team structure.If you have atleast one exp striker and an ex midfielder and an exp defender.you wouldn’t need to leave much money in bank cos its easy to do sanchez to any other MF and same with other positions.but in nin’s team the most exp MF is 9m so how will he do a ramsey to haz or a ramsey to sanchez without a hit?
Kop-not sure if I really got what you said but of course I would want to use all my money from week 2 but for me week 1 is purely a gamble.I know for sure there will be atleast one player id want in week 2 who I cant afford cos of no money in bank.well you might have the patience to wait and get him in week 3 but I have no patience.so id rather save some money and use that money in week 2.
NIN-if you are happy to buy any of them by paying 0.3m extra its fine.I don’t see a big diiference in leaving 2m in the bank to use in week 2.the diff is 4.5m defender and 6.5 defender just for one week and in week 2 I have the adv of knowing which def to get instead of that 4.5m def for example.
CFC – I wont be reacting to other players scoring big unless my lot are whiffing badly so the 2m/3m would be less than useless to me as that situation would mean a Wildcard. I don’t think it’ll come to that though, if i did, then i’d go with different players. I understand what you’re saying but to be honest, i don’t think it’s a good strategy.
NIN-the main diff between your team and mine is one def and its only just for a week and I also have 2m in the bank.so you are saying that def is going to hurt me alot in that week?
CFC – As Kop said a few posts ago, we cant allow for ‘what if’s’. Having spent a month tinkering and coming up with a team, if someone wants to go taking -4’s in gwk 2 because Alexis scored a brace in gwk1 then let them at it. I’d call that bad planning. I think the best strategy is to make a team for the first 6-8 gwks and if it goes horribly, then do something about it before it’s totally goosed, AKA, Wildcard.
NIN
I’d downgrade Fabianski to a 4.5 (I’m aware of the SWA/STO rotation but 10M keepers combo it’s too much for me). That would allow you to pick JT instead of Luis.
I like the Caulker pick but if you’re thinking to rotate him you could loose the odd goal he might score. Mariappa and Wisdom can be subject to rotation, just like Filipe Luis and Mutch.
Overall it’s a good team, not much different from which I guess mine will be.
Albertini – Thanks mate. You’re correct, Fabianski is the best way to get Terry back in there but i’m really struggling to bring myself to break up that rotation. I’m hoping CP don’t sign a LB! Haha. If they don’t then Mariappa should, in theory, see game time. Pesky JT is melting my brain! Sigh.
Hi NIN, Alex! I’m fine thanks, hope you two are doing good.
NIN, still only a draft and many decisions yet to be made! And only one week to kick off, next week will fly and I’ll be posting my team for sure in the next days, asking for some RMT!
Albertini – Leaving it until the last week eh? I admire your patience! haha.
Call it indecision mate, not patience!
Hahaha. That sounds a bit more like it!
You bet!
DDG+4.0 or rotating 4.5/4.5?
Which Chelsea def if any?
Two premium defs with a 3 way rotation or just one premium with 2 x 2 rotation?
Cheap 3rd fwd or 2 cheap mids?
3-4-3 or 3-5-2? or even rotating formation?
And that’s (not) all!
Albert, its like you read my mind with all the things spinning through it! Its killing me haha 😉
Alex, we’re all in the same boat mate! Still a full week of tinkering ahead, I’m glad I’ll go on holidays right on the 16th!
Demetrio – My team is above if you’d like to have a looksie at where my head is at.
1. Courtois+4m or rotation, for me. (I heard R.Madrid are looking at buying Cech)
2. Terry, for me. I’m struggling to get the extra 0.5m though.
3. United&Chelsea+1 rotation.
4. 3rd forward.
5. Little bit of both, for me.
Thanks NIN. If that Cech to Real thing is true it would be gold, Courtois straight away into my team.
Evening everyone, how are we? CC what a job pal, clearly been a busy little bee! Thanks loads pal.
Cookster, mmm sureeeeee. Ok no BUT I will be, do you take credit card?
Sorry my credit card only goes with big blue monsters! Ok I’m on it. Hows your team looking mate?
haven’t looked since the other day, will look more after the weekend’s friendlies, Charity Shield – hopefully we see the manager’s play their preferred starting line ups in the last match before GW1.
I’ll chuck up what I’ve got so far, but it is provisionally provisional.
So, I’ve been playing with a few different options, I thought I was set on playing 4-3-3 but after taking a look at the very good fixture tool by Calvin I’ve looked at having rotating cheaper options at the back. It gives me this, with always having a keeper and back 3 of players at home, every week (or so it seems).
Foster – Guzan
Cameron – Collins – Williamson – O’Shea – Mariappa
Sterling – Silva – Barkley – Ramsey – Sigurdsson
Rooney – Costa – Soldado
I’m still looking at starters for their respective teams at the back, and there is a possibility of swapping one (or more) of the players for a teammate costing £4.0, enabling me to take Mirallas over Barkley.
What are your thoughts on going cheap at the back for a spread of the top 8 teams?
I’d probably swap Soldado for Jovetic or another 8m striker but apart from that I like your team!
flingy – Great front 8 but maybe a bit overspent on. United/Chelsea defenders have huge potential for the first month or so so i’d look to get one or maybe two of them in there.
too much money wasted on your 8th attacker.id get a cheap 8th attacker and save the money or upgrade defence.you would need it if you want to get fab/haz/sanchez if they hit form.
There you go then, current draft – all comments, jokes welcomes!
are mariappa,ferdinand and young nailed on? rest looks fine
Rio is nailed, Young is a gamble, Mariappa is one to keep an eye on very carefully
Cookie – Quite a few differentials in there. I’m not really a fan of the Baines, Silva and Rio picks. Young and Lamela could be great picks if thy get the minutes.
don’t know how anyone can argue with Baines, though it may be wise to bring him in after their tough start…
regular scorer of c170pts and priced at 7mln……
Cookie – Yeah, i didn’t word myself well there! Haha. T’is the fixtures that worry me re Baines. He’s probably the best FPL defender along with Terry, for me, but the fixtures are particularly rough for Everton.
don’t you worry bout that NIN, my old Caulker lover, when Baines scores vs Leicester on the opening day, you’ll all be trying to get him in :hippo:
Haha, not me my friend, not me. I’ll take the 5m goal scoring defender thank you very much!
is he on penalties, free kicks and corners NIN?!! :hippo:
Nope! Haha. We’ll see how that goes in gwk 2,3,6 & 7 B)
baines is under priced at 7m.good call on him.silva scored 150 points last season priced at 9m and lallana 178 pts priced at 8.5m and baines 170 pts only 7m? wow
Cookie- Good call on Lamela mate, the way Pochettino has been speaking about him he is expecting big things. Most people will go Eriksen but I too have Lamela now. I know you wanting Yaya at some stage so perhaps leave as is and see how it goes then will be easy to go Sanchez to Yaya and then Silva back to Arsenal cover. I’m not too sure on that defence tho mate, are you looking for one big hitter?
Baines the big hitter, Huth and Taylor rotate as do Rio and Mariappa….personnel may change if necessary
Ok good stuff then, rotate very nicely
Lamela?! #bastard
hahaha