Pre-season Hub 2019/20 FPL season
Hello and welcome to the Pre-Season Hub 2019/20 season. A new season of FPL action is ahead and as some of you may now have become accustomed to FF247 will run an article detailing all relevant pre-season news focusing specifically on the team line-ups, goal scorers and assisters. This is the article and here’s how it works;
This article is a living document which we update daily during pre-season. The intention is to offer a one-stop-shop for all fantasy relevant pieces of information as we begin to assemble our new squads over the coming weeks and months.
I intend to personally update this as we go but as always, I’m not precious about it and your help is appreciated in copy/pasting all relevant and salient pieces of information against each team’s comment thread with reference to which game the information relates to.
Each team will be listed alphabetically, and a Hot Comment will be created for each one and kept in the usual place so that for example, all of Aston Villa’s or Sheffield United’s pre-season progress and team news is only a click away. To this end, all we ask is that you keep all talk of any particular team to their own comment thread – this makes it easier to follow the discussion and for any returning persons to locate all chat relating to that team easily enough – and that’s really it.
Firstly, the Venue Key:
(H): Home
(A): Away
(N): Neutral
TBC: (Fixture) To be confirmed
Teams:
Arsenal
6th July
Boreham Wood (A)
15th July
Colorado Rapids (A)
17th July
Bayern Munich (N)
20th July
Fiorentina (N)
23rd July
Real Madrid (N)
24th July
Barnet (A)
28th July
Lyon (H)
31st July
Angers (A)
4th August
Barcelona (A)
Aston Villa
17th July
Minnesota United (A)
21st July
Shrewsbury Town (A)
24th July
Walsall (A)
27th July
Charlton Athletic (A)
31st July
RB Leipzig (A)
Bournemouth
16th July
TBA (N)
20th July
Girona (A)
27th July
Brentford (A)
2nd August
Lazio (H)
3rd August
Lyon (H)
Brighton & Hove Albion
13th July
TBC
19th July
Crawley Town (A)
20th July
Fulham (A)
27th July
Birmingham City (A)
2nd August
TBC
Burnley
20th July (Fixture 1)
Crewe Alexandra (A)
20th July (Fixture 2)
Port Vale (A)
23rd July
Fleetwood Town (A)
27th July
Wigan Athletic (A)
30th July
Nice (H)
Chelsea
19th July
Kawasaki Frontale (A)
23rd July
Barcelona (N)
28th July
Reading (A)
31st July
Red Bull Salzburg (A)
Crystal Palace
9th July
Luzern (A)
13th July
Young Boys (A)
19th July
Nottingham Forest (A)
20th July
Bromley (A)
27th July
Bristol City (A)
30th July
Wimbledon (A)
3rd August
Hertha Berlin (H)
Everton
7th July
Kariobangi Sharks (A)
14th July
Sion (N)
19th July
Monaco (N)
24th July
Wigan Athletic (A)
3rd August
Werder Bremen (A)
Leicester City
16th July
Scunthorpe United (A)
20th July
Cheltenham Town (A)
23rd July
Cambridge United (A)
27th July (Fixture 1)
Rotherham United (A)
27th July (Fixture 2)
Stoke City (A)
2nd August
Atalanta (H)
Liverpool
11th July
Tranmere Rovers (A)
14th July
Bradford City (A)
19th July
Borussia Dortmund (N)
21st July
Sevilla (N)
25th July
Sporting (N)
28th July
Napoli (N)
31st July
Lyon (N)
4th August
Manchester City (N, Community Shield)
Manchester City
17th July
West Ham United (N)
20th July
Newcastle United/Wolverhampton Wanderers (N)
24th July
Kitchee United (A)
27th July
Yokohama F Marinos (A)
4th August
Liverpool (N, Community Shield)
Manchester United
13th July
Perth Glory (A)
17th July
Leeds United (N)
20th July
Inter (N)
25th July
Tottenham Hotspur (N)
30th July
Kristiansund (N)
3rd August
Milan (N)
Newcastle United
17th July
Wolverhampton Wanderers (N)
20th July
Manchester City/West Ham United (N)
30th July
Hibernian (A)
3rd August
St Etienne (H)
Norwich City
24th July
Brentford (H)
27th July
Luton Town (A)
30th July
Atalanta (H)
3rd August
Toulouse (H)
Sheffield United
12th July
Real Betis (N)
16th July
Burton Albion (A)
20th July
Northampton Town (A)
23rd July
Chesterfield (A)
27th July
Barnsley (A)
Southampton
14th July
SCR Altach (A)
20th July
Preston North End (A)
23rd July
Guangzhou R&F (A)
28th July
Feyenoord (A)
3rd August
Cologne (H)
Tottenham Hotspur
21st July
Juventus (N)
25th July
Manchester United (N)
30th July
Real Madrid (N)
4th August
Inter (H)
Watford
27th July
Queens Park Rangers (A)
West Ham United
11th July
SCR Altach (A)
17th July
Manchester City (N)
20th July
Newcastle United/Wolverhampton Wanderers
27th July
Fulham (A)
3rd August
Athletic Bilbao (H)
Wolverhampton Wanderers*
17th July
Newcastle United (N)
20th July
Manchester City/West Ham United (N)
25th July
Crusaders/B36 Torshavn (H, Europa League Qualifying)
1st August
Crusaders/B36 Torshavn (A, Europa League Qualifying)
*Wolves are a big one to note here as they will begin their season competitively on 25th July as they attempt to qualify for the Europa League Group Stage proper where they will have to negotiate three rounds.
Second Qualifying round – above.
Third Qualifying round – 8th and 15th August.
Play-off round – 22nd and 29th August.
And that’s it – all we need now is to see how the managers begin to shape their squads and integrate new signings. We would advise you pay close attention to the end of the pre-season programme as that is when it is most likely to be the best indication of how the sides will line up come opening day.
Any questions, queries or observations please leave them in the thread for comment or open discussion.
This article was written and will be maintained by GP.
Thanks for reading Pre-season Hub 2019/20 FPL season. This article was written by The Gallant Pioneer 
The Fixture Tracker…
FIXTURE TRACKER LINK
For those who want their own tracker to play with, just make a copy using the link below (GW’s 1-19)
This is what I have so far …
Fairly similar to my team. Think we pretty much started with same team last season as well
I think most will have fairly similar teams, it’s all in the the little differentials.
Don’t see a lot going for Kun … hope the price puts them off
Yeah he’s not too popular on here but he is is when you look at total ownership. I’m hoping KDB will be firing again as it allows me Kane as well
Here is where I am at currently. Mendy might be an issue but we will see could be Walker or Zinchenko easily. I like Heaton/Pope in goal whichever one is picked. Hudson-Odoi might not be fit I also like Yarmolenko at that price as well. Ayoze Perez might be an option in that slot as well if I make a slight downgrade in defence. Zaha is in currently but will be keeping an eye on Sanchez as well. Giroud or Abraham could be options up top we will see .
Thoughts anyone?
Looks good to me mate, just no big scorer from City – unless KDB goes injury free and bags loads
Very similar to mine!
Alot of thinking about formation this season as it seems that you are better of with the 6-7£ defenders than you are with the 6-7£ mids and forwards.
4-5-1 might be an option….
Yeah banking on KDB. Should be fit and if so he should get enough points but shy of Aguero and Sterling I expect. Well no Sterling or Aguero but you can’t have one of them, Kane and Salah.
Yeah it’s whether you think Kane is worth it over Kun or Sterling really I guess
Yeah it’s Kane and KDB that’s the pull factor for me
Yup
You could also have
Kun and Siggy or
Sterling and Rashford using the same budget.
If Eriksen goes then Kane is even less appealing
**Tour de France UPDATE!!!**
If you joined our FF247 league there was two changes to our rules.
*You can change captain every stage
*You can transfer out any rider who abandons the tour on your team, but only if they drop out.
So we went from the lazy league to the just a hint of effort league.
For anyone who wants to join here is how…
Join me in the league now no.1 : Tour de France 2019
Bienvenue / Welcome !
By clicking on this link : https://fantasy.letour.fr/#welcome/register/?parrain=ao5nw3g&ligue=1
So just to clarify it’s now just a drop out and the rider doesn’t have to actually die as per the original suggestion?
And who’s Martin Molloy on here??
No doesn’t have to die, although I assume Richie Porte will give it a good go.
Those Aussies love falling off their bikes!
That’s me mate. What have I done ha.
Nothing. We were just wondering who was in the league
Check out the league rules above.
Haha fair enough. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing but just picked my team.
Well I’ve followed the link so i think I’m in, “toggle to league” keeps taking me back to my team, do i have to confirm my team anywhere? as I’ve not played this format before!
Doesn’t show you as being in the league currently.
I don’t see him in the league, but I do see him somewhere else as an invitee.
Perhaps he hasn’t fully picked a team yet? or maybe it just takes a moment to take. Could also try and key in the Password : VXTZC
I’m taking it the top one is your league? I have filled all my spots within budget, chosen a captain, not exceeded any categories so not sure what’s wrong, cannot view the other league I’ve joined also, do i have to confirm my team after selecting it? as i have not found that option!
Our league is FF247 Tour de France. That top one is like the overall in FPL.
Think it autosaves, because I picked my captain and anytime I log in it is still on him.
The third one on this screenshot.
Look at Mito supporting Team Ineos!!!!!
Manzana Postobon wasn’t among the 22 teams.
Besides who do you want me to support? Quintana’s team? Oh hell naw!
You’ve spent the last few Tour’s moaning about Sky and their power output!
Do you think I care if Thomas runs into a cliff a la Porte? I only care about the Colombians the rest of them can fck off.
Pfft…
I’ll make this a hot comment later today and will do the odd update on the league as it goes on, so if you are in the league just check in the hot topics on the top right, probably under cricket talk.
Definitely in now, thank you
At about 7pm UK time, I have a bit of research that I will put on here. Finishing up now, but it’s basically the points that the top 5 would have got stage by stage based on their point system along with the Green, KOTM and white jersey winners. Plus I might add the guy who placed second in the Green Jersey standings. Let me finish it up and I will post it, should give us all a better idea on how the point system will work for us.
Hurry up Mito!
Here it is…
Some very surprising numbers and some not so surprising. It does give us another route to take if we wish. Looks like being an all rounder like Alaphilippe is very beneficial or dominating like Sagan. Feels like there are more sprinters than last and he probably still wins green, but possibly doesn’t do as well on stages.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ec1p7LsK_0fK_I_LgCAl9pYt_OkCYKk5bqp4sB25VDs/edit?usp=sharing
Nice one Mito
I’m struggling with the Oompah Loompa’s!
**Tour de France League Preview**
After having looked through the teams here are the odds for winning the league along with some very nice comments.
Kop 5/1
The Cycling Warriors hopes to be powered by a big four. If his boys nail the KOTM, Green and a podium spot for both Bernal and Yates he will be very difficult to beat. If one of those four falters Kop will look to his Sunweb boys to pick up some stage points here and there and for Ciccone to challenge for KOTM points to hopefully make up the difference.
Init 7/1
The Inittodopeit squad was very close to being declared the favourite, but when comparing the top four vs the Cycling Warriors top four it did slightly feel like an edge to Kop’s side and when looking at the other four riders on both teams, once again there felt like Kop’s side had an edge. The reason the odds are so close? Groenewegen could struggle with all the mountains in this tour and if he can’t finish, this will mean that Init will probably be getting a lot of early Groenewegen points and possibly getting a chance to replace him with a podium contender and a ton of more points in the mountains. This would mean one spot used for the best of both worlds and would catapult Init to favourite.
Mito 12/1
A big 3 for the MIto21 side. As long as the Bernal, Sagan and Alaphilipe trio perform he will stay in contention, but to jump to the top spot he will need his tier 2 guys to outperform other managers tier 2 riders by a good margin and it is likely they do outscore them as this team seems a bit stronger in that department, but will the margin be enough?
Padster 33/1
Hmmm….. Valverde or Poels or Matthews sounds like it could be a good punt, all three on one team though….no likey. All hope is not lost though, if Sagan and Viviani go 1-2 in the Green jersey standings, Matthews shows well and Valverde or Poels finish top 5…..nah.
Donal 66/1
Now you begin to understand the odds. Well that and the Greipel pick.
55 of the 120 budget spent on Martin, Quintana and Poels. All good riders, but are likely to lack the punch of some of the other big names. If Quintana finally delivers a win (he won’t) Martin sneaks a top 5 (he won’t) and Thomas and Bernal crash out (they won’t) making Poels able to race for himself, Donal could win this.
Origi FC 80/1
Looks like someone has been spending too much time on the beach with his girlfriend and not enough time on his team. 19 of the budget spent on a super domestique like Yates, I would slap you, but I will be too busy slapping the Pouels backers. This team leaves too much ground for Mas, Bennett and Calmejane to make up. It is possible that this team finishers higher in particular since Bernal is not on every team, but in sixth is where this Liverpool fan deserves to land, right in the Manchester United spot.
Offaly 1000/1
A team of Martins :noshake:
Guess if van Aert can go for green from the start (he won’t, unless Groenewegen crashes) and Thomas repeats his outstanding performance from last season, Offaly could contend. Who we kidding, last spot has Offaly’s name on it, unless Donal or Origi wrestle it away from him.
And we are off, stage 1 is in the books.
I don’t like being favourite. I suspect it’s a voodoo move of yours to make me favourite!
Fair play MiTo. Great write up. I’m loving my 100/1 outsider shot 🙂
You might want to read up on how to use your capo!
**Tour de France update**
Great job @OffalyMartin!!
After getting some stick yesterday for his choices and in particular captain choice he responded with the highest score of the stage, you still could have picked a Jumbo guy to get more points….but is not like anyone noticed. 😉
Offaly with a great score after that 2-6 were only separated by 17 points almost as if they were team time trialing and then there is Donal who must have fell or got dropped at some point in the route.
Here are the rankings for stage 2 and the updated overall score.
Haha cheers Mito.
To be honest I know absolutely nothing whatsoever about cycling.
I just decided I join for the craic : smile:
I’ll still finish last no doubt
: smile:
**Tour de France update**
Mito21 takes top honours for the stage today with an impressive 975 points for the stage today.
Similar to Mito, Kop put an impressive score and came in 2nd for the stage and jumped from 3rd to 2nd in the overall.
There was a significant gap from the top 2 to places 3-7, this was due to an Alaphilippe captaincy from the stage and overall leaders, with one of the two (not me) even saying and I quote “Alaphilippe is making it a 2 horse race” WOW!
Long way to go yet and tomorrow Init, and Padster will be looking for the stage win with their sprinter heavy teams. If things pan out as expected a 1-2 from them with Kop and Mito possibly sitting 3rd and 4th for the stage is likely as they are powered by the general classification points from Alaphilippe to offset some of the blow. Donal, Origi and Offaly will fight it out for last as they are likely to do most stages. 😉
Stage 3 points and the updated overall
Another superb round up Mito.
I think you’re fast becoming the favourite to wear yellow into Paris.
Ah hell no!! #VoodooKop
Great roundup mate. Look forward to seeing the updates to see how badly I’m doing 🙂
Love these! I may have a couple of good sprinters, But picking the right captain will be my downfall
**Tour de France update**
@Padster with the big win today!! As expected his team did well and did they ever, as second in this stage was 200 points behind. Congrats Padster on your big score!!!
The stage kind of developed as we previewed yesterday, with Padster outscoring all and Init, Mito and Kop taking up the 2-4 spots also as expected, the reservations made by Donal, Offaly and Origi for the 5-7 spots for the stage were respected. Great going guys!!
Tomorrow we head back to a hilly stage for the punchier riders and the Alaphilippe, Matthews, Valverde, Van Aert, Sagan owners could feast on points. A breakaway is also a possibility.
A repeat of stage 3 could be in the cards, but unlike stage 3 I doubt that Alaphilippe is just allowed to ride away again, so the scoreboard should be a lot closer after this stage is over.
This is the points for stage 4 and the new overall board.
Sorry here it is.
I see you’re building on your lead Mito! 😉
Thanks for the update Mito, you are starting to build a lead 🙂
That was likely to happen if Matthews performed, I am going to need that lead to deal with the mountain stages. Padster, I suggest you start building one up also, you are going to really suffer in the mountain stages.
**Tour Update**
Offaly!! Offaly!! Offaly!!
Yes, he has done it again and now has his second stage win. Great team he had for stage 5 with Van Aert his captain and Sagan both in his side as they finished 1 and 2 in the stage. Is the biggest long shot of them all at 1000/1 in with a chance for glory? Think we will get our answer tomorrow if Dan Martin and Geraint Thomas look good it could mean Offaly could be a lot nearer to the top than expected come the end of the tour.
Mito came in about 80 points behind Offaly with Origi trailing 50 points behind that for 3rd. Kop, Donal and Init came in the 4-6 spots with Padster giving the usual suspects a day off and coming in last place.
Stage 6 shapes up to be an interesting preview of what is to possibly come from stage 12 on, with huge mountains, the scores will not look the same as they have recently. If you have a lot of sprinters in your side prepare for an ass kicking, Padster comes to mind.
Kop and Init should contend for the top 2 spots in the stage tomorrow if all goes to plan. Race leader Mito will hope that there is enough extra points from other sources to soften the blow of having a weaker mountain stage team and last place Donal will be hoping Quintana does more than just tuck in behind the contenders and actually goes for a win…who we kidding…he will just tuck in.
Here are the standings for stage 5 and the new overall.
Cheers Mito. I’m really enjoying this so I am 😆
Great update once again. I should of backed myself each way at those ridiculous odds 😆
Roll on stage 6
**Tour de France update**
Hey you tight short, farmer’s tan lovers, here is Mito with your tour update. It took 6 stages, but finally the odds on favourite got a stage win and what a win it was. His team was powered by a fantastic stage from one of his riders (Ciccone) which netted the Cycling Warriors team 329 points on his own. That tally was so big that it was enough to outscore 4 complete teams. :noshake:
Offaly came in second and was once again impressive, a stage or two more of this and we might start believing he knows what he is doing. Mito came in third and considering how the stage worked out, it could have been a lot worse.
Origi slotted in fourth today and Donal came in 5th. Init had a bad stage considering his team and the type of stage it was, but I am sure he will give the hair dryer treatment to his riders and they should come out more motivated over the coming stages. Padster finished 7th as was predicted yesterday. That was the bad news for the Padster, the good news is that stage 7 is a sprinter’s dream and his sprinter heavy side could win the stage tomorrow after two straight last place finishes.
Stage 6 and Overall updated
Great update once again Mito. I’m loving these. I can assure you I haven’t a clue what I’m doing, all the Martin’s in the team shows that 😆
How many stage thingys are left 😆
Nice one Mito. Unfortunately everything I gained today is likely to be lost over the next few days!
It is 21 stages in total, Offaly.
Loads of time for me to win it yet so 😆
**Tour de France update**
Finally the stage win arrives!! Init with not only his first stage win, but a commanding one at that, exactly what he needed to get back in the chase for the Yellow. Great stuff Init, glad to see your big money spent on Groenewegen finally paying off. Init’s 826 points was 280 more than the nearest competitor, so a big victory indeed.
Kop came in second for the stage really helped by the Ciccone points. Third place was for Mito who was also boosted by a differential in Matthews. Padster slotted in 4th after his sprinter heavy team decided to try, but not as hard as other sprinters in the race.
The bottom 3 are no huge surprise for anyone following this league, Origi in 5th, Donal in 6th and contender one day, pretender the next Offaly came in last. Think we need relegation next season!
*Slight announcement, I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito………….14 points
Padster…….8 points
Kop & Init…6 points
Offaly………..4 points
Origi………….1 point
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop and Offaly ….7 points
Mito……………………6 points
Origi……………………..1 point
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 7 scores and overall updated
Long live Ciccone!!
Cheers Mito. Disappointing day today for me 😆
……
via GIPHY
**Tour de France update**
Nothing better than denying your own lad sweet victory! After the last update of the day, Mito just barely got by his own lad Origi and claimed his 3rd stage win and what’s even better denied his own son his 1st stage win. Old man still teaching his son how it is done. Not far behind the father and son was Kop who made the stage podium and the three finished way ahead of the competition….like way ahead.
Init came in 4th and that is no surprise as he is in full preparation mode for the Cricket final and probably wasn’t physically in France pushing his riders up the punchy hills. Donal landed in 5th, he was followed by Padster and surprise surprise Offaly in last who claimed his second straight last place finish. I hope he didn’t back himself with them odds, they should have been higher. 😉
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….17 points
Padster…….8 points
Kop………..…7 points
Init.……………6 points
Offaly………..4 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Mito……………..………9 points
Kop………………….….8 points
Offaly…………………..7 points
Origi……………………..3 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 8 scores and overall updated
Wasn’t one of my better days, there’s always tomorrow 😆
**Tour de France update**
With such a huge breakaway winning the stage today, the only person that would benefit was anyone lucky enough to have one of their budget riders in said breakaway. In the case of Kop he had the one who placed the highest and along with the stage Ciccone points he is still reeling in, that gave him the stage win.
Mito and Offaly tied for second a bit over 100 points behind, Origi came in 4th about 30 points behind them and Donal, Init and Padster filled the remaining spots with some piss poor scores.
To be fair to Init, he was too busy rooting against England in cricket as a wicket from a certain Kiwi bowler probably clinches the fantasy cricket title for him today.
Sprinter teams the next two stages should favour your sides a lot more than the last two, so there is that.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….19 points
Kop………..10 points
Padster…….8 points
Init.……………6 points
Offaly………..6 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Mito……………..……11 points
Kop………………….…11 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Origi……………………..3 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 9 scores and overall updated
Cheers Mito. Great work with the updates.
**Tour de France update**
It was supposed to be a boring flat stage and then all hell broke loose at the tour. With one of the biggest if not the biggest day of GC time loses. OF course, that big shake up also means that there was a big fluctuation in points for our fantasy teams and what should have been the likely results for the stage ended up moving in some unexpected ways.
Mito came in 1st with the help of some luck and a lot of wind. Offaly edged out Padster by one point for second on the stage, good to see Offaly scoring well again after a rough couple of stages. Big fan of Offaly here!! Offaly, Offaly, Offaly!!
Kop didn’t come in too far behind the front 3 to finish just off the podium, Origi slotted in fifth, Init still celebrating his fantasy cricket championship (probably with his captain Groenewegen) finished in sixth and Mr. 7th place Donal finished in….7th place.
Tomorrow there is a rest day followed by a flat stage and then the start of the Mountains with a time trial sandwiched in there. So there should be some huge shifts in scoring coming up.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….24 points
Kop………..10 points
Padster…….9 points
Offaly………..9 points
Init.……………6 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Mito……………..……11 points
Kop………………….…11 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Origi……………………..3 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 10 scores and overall updated
Thanks for the update 😉
Yep, still on my lap of honour for that one
Bring on the mountains
I am worried that Ciccone might start going on the breaks trying to get KOTM points after that idiot Porte basically knocked himself out of any chance at being on the podium. It was funny, when I saw who was left behind, I was there nodding approvingly at every person who got left behind, initially I did also on Porte, until I thought about it for a second.
Hopefully Ciccone is tired after running the giro, don’t need him in the mix.
Thanks for the update Mito. Enjoy the well deserved day off tomorrow.
Cheers for the kind words. I needed a good day for once 😆 😆
I don’t think he’s lost enough time for the GC boys to let him go off in a break.
Stop trying to deflect away from my Fantasy World Cup Cricket win 😉
Cookie has already called me a Tit on WhatsApp so that’s one box ticked
**Tour de France update**
The last stage before things get real in the mountains. Today was a sprint finish and naturally it favoured the person with the fastest sprinter in the field. Groenewegen just barely missed out on winning the stage but he did more than enough to put Init over the top for the stage. This was Init’s second stage win and the margin was big enough that it allowed him to jump from 6th to 3rd in the standings.
Kop came in the second slot with Mito taking 3rd with their h2h battle now headed to the mountains, this is a scenario that on paper favours Kop’s team.
Padster slotted in 4th, with Origi claiming 5th place. Offaly came in 6th
and Donal finished 7th….again.
With the mountains starting tomorrow and a time trial the stage after there should some interesting scores and perhaps there will be some gap closing with a little luck from the 3-7 slots on the top 2.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….25 points
Kop………..13 points
Init.…………11 points
Padster…….9 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Mito……………..……11 points
Kop………………….…11 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Origi……………………..3 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 11 scores and overall updated
You cut the winners speech off
I’ll bounce back with the mountain stage. Definitely aiming for the top 3 by the end 😆
My boy Ciccone will hopefully bounce back tomorrow!
**Tour de France update**
Better late than never, Origi FC finally gets their first stage win of the tour and it was by a good margin. Powered by the right Yates for this stage, but the wrong one in general, Origi got 239 points from Simon Yates which was enough to outscore 4 teams by himself.
Kop came in second and with his set up one would expect him to always be on the podium for the next couple of stages. Mito drops into third, but the bigger worry now is that his team will not have enough firepower over the next couple of stages to keep pace unless he has a surprise rider or two that wins the stage.
Fourth place went to Donal, which is an improvement! Init comes in 5th place and he must have not been too happy as he fired two riders today.
Offaly had promised that the mountains would see him rise in the standings….
via GIPHY
Anyway, Padster finished 7th, saving Offaly from total shame.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….25 points
Kop………..13 points
Init.…………11 points
Padster…….9 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop………………….…14 points
Mito……………..……12 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Origi……………………..8 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 12 scores and overall updated
Well that went well. 😆
Tomorrow’s stage should be interesting
Ironically those are two I’d have kept out of the cheapies. Just for the record then, and in accordance with our own unique rules, I’m making two transfers as a result.
Had Starcy in practice already 😉
**Tour de France update**
Alaphilippe rides Kop to first place in the stage and now the overall. Some would say it took a through visionary picking Alaphillipe for captain in a time trial, others would say “I only picked him as my capo because the rest of my team is rubbish” that other was Kop.
In the end it doesn’t matter if you pick a captain with conviction or by default, the points count all the same, so great going Kop!
Mito came in second on the stage and faces an almost impossible battle to keep in contact with Kop before the next flat stage. Origi rode into third, which also happens to be his position in the overall as he extended his lead a bit over the other managers.
4th place on the stage went to Offaly who suffered fantasy heartbreak when his captain who was going extremely well crashed near the finish line and had to be taken to the hospital, hope WVA is ok that was a bad fall. Padster grabbed fifth place for the stage and Init took 6th place which was no huge surprise after he brought in a guy more likely to throw a wicket than compete for a cycling stage in Andre Greipel
Donal made early reservations for 7th place and of course we all respected said reservation.
*Jersey standings* (no change as time trials are not included for standings)
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….25 points
Kop………..13 points
Init.…………11 points
Padster…….9 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop………………….…14 points
Mito……………..……12 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Origi……………………..8 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 13 scores and overall updated
Hope WVA is ok. :shake: I’m a man down now
You’re allowed to replace him
He is 1 credit short of getting Mas or Buchmann, Mas in particular would have really helped Offaly climb the standings in the next week if the form Mas seems to be in continues.
Thanks Kop. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to or not. 🙂
Maybe Greipel?
Thanks Mito. Must admit it was slim pickings at that price but also that’s where my cycling knowledge or lack of kicks in. I can pick cricketers out of a line up for fun, cyclists not so much!
On which note I’m beginning my World Cup defence next week by starting some scouting by taking Liam to his first ever T20 game.
Have you been asked to coach the lightning?
They can’t afford him.
**Tour de France update**
The hardest stage of the tour arrived and it really broke some of the riders trying to win the tour, leaving some out of contention, as for fantasy, it felt like the tour with Kop and Mito locked in a battle for the stage win like the two Frenchmen were today. In the end it was Kop (4th stage win) that took the stage with Mito finishing a close second. Origi was a bit further back as he struggled to maintain pace as for the rest of the riders…they did a Bardet.
Tomorrow gives us another mountain finish, but a breakaway might be in the cards, so it could come down to who has that lucky low to mid tier rider in their team who gets them a bunch of points.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….25 points
Kop………..13 points
Init.…………11 points
Padster…….9 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop………………….…19 points
Mito……………..……15 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Origi……………………..9 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 14 scores and overall updated
Have I stopped getting a name check because I always reply with something about the cricket?!
Anyway, it’d be fitting if I got a stage win tomorrow to mark the 1 week anniversary of winning the Cricket World Cup.
Not happy with my performance today!
Do better so you can get a name check. 😉
Thanks Mito 🙂
**Tour de France Update**
Another grueling day in the mountains and for the third time in a row in mountain stages it was Origi, Kop and Mito in the podium, not necessarily in the order every time, but the same three.
Origi took his second stage win, powered by Yates again. His 610 points were enough to outpace Kop who was not far behind, third place went to Mito who once again chose the wrong captain between Alaphilippe and Bernal who keep leapfrogging in the mountains which makes it really hard to pick the correct captain.
Fourth place was for Init who just barely edged his mid tier friends Padster and Offaly. Init will be happy to know that he is getting closer and closer to locking up that 4th place trophy. Congrats Init!! (don’t say I never congratulate you)
Donal was in 7th place…when is he not.
Tomorrow there is a rest day, before we get a flat stage for the sprinters and a hilly stage. Right after that come 3 more grueling mountain stages before the end of the Tour in Paris.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….25 points
Kop………..13 points
Init.…………11 points
Padster…….9 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop…………………..…22 points
Mito……………….……16 points
Origi………………..…..14 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 15 scores and overall updated
I’m ok with 4th, that’s still a trophy in some parlance. Don’t think I ever dipped as low as 4th in the Cricket World Cup though…
I know, what a strange year of results eh?
Cricket World Cup, FPL….. 😉
What’s this FPL you speak of?
**Tour de France Update**
And down the stretch we come…
Five more stages and this year’s tour is over
is there anything better in sports than watching a man in very tight clothing break another man’s will riding a bike up a hill? Didn’t think so!
Anyway, today’s stage was a flat one which means Padster and Init usually come out to play and they did and on the rare occasion we may even see Offaly show his face, although today was not one of those days, ohhhh offaly, ohhhh offally, ohhh offaly.
Mito (5th stage win) brought home the stage, but not by a big margin as the top 4 were within 55 points of each other. Init was only 20 points short of grabbing the stage and with a hilly stage and 3 mountain stages on the horizon I could see Init turning to fantasy Ashes preparation for the next couple of days. Padster took 3rd just barely edging out Kop by 2 points.
Donal climbed out of the gutter for 5th, Origi took 6th after not paying attention to changing his captain and this of course means that the People’s champion Offaly brought up the rear.
There is a hilly stage tomorrow followed by 3 grueling mountain stages. Tomorrow’s stage should favour Mito, Kop and Offaly if past hilly stages are anything to go by, but let us see what actually happens.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….30 points
Init.…………14 points
Kop………..13 points
Padster……10 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop…………………..…22 points
Mito……………….……16 points
Origi………………..…..14 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Init, Padster & Donal on 0 points
And here is the stage 16 scores and overall updated
I took my eye off the ball these past few days. We are too busy celebrating in Offaly with Lowry winning the open. I’ll try make an impact tomorrow I promise 😆
We’ve still got the Vuelta
I’ll be honest all I can see right now are shadowy figures looming in the not too distant future. They seem to resemble Starc and Anderson, Root and Finch.
I hope La Vuelta feels the need to up all the climbing they had in La Vuelta last year.
Init, hopefully we can find a game that will allow us to pick a full team of shadowy figures!
Does that one not do that, I haven’t actually looked at it properly in terms of rules etc.
That it? That can’t be it surely?!?! What planet are they on?
So many of our teams were alike when we had XI, can imagine a four person team would be even closer to exact matches.
From what I can see you only pick 4 players!!
They’re Aussies!!!
Oh well, back to the drawing board. Probably still worth it for how much I laughed when you sent the text about the league acceptance!
Anyone actually checked if the WCC site is doing one? I should really know as I’ve been looking at that league table daily but had to pack that in a few days ago as it was making me too nostalgic and teary eyed. I’ve printed a couple off now instead and put them on my office and bedroom walls.
Init, I wouldn’t be surprised if you make said print outs into Christmas cards!
What a bloody good idea!
I’m sure Mito will appreciate it!!
You know full well I’ll send it too!
Speaking of him where’s today’s Tour update? It’s because I won isn’t it, the b@stard!
I’ll do my own then;
Stage 17
I won
The others didn’t.
**Tour de France update**
Stage 17 brought a surprising win for Init, surprising because this is the first time this tour that Init even placed in the top 3 on any stage that has anything that resembles even the slightest hill. It wasn’t a huge stage for points, basically a bunch of fantasy no names got away on a break away and Init happened to have the best no name in terms of order of finish.
Mito came in second 13 points behind with Padster 10 behind Mito to round out the podium. Kop finished in 4th and will be happy how the day went as it was all about limiting damage before the 3 mountain stages. Origi took the 5th spot while Donal and Offaly missed the cut, I mean finished 6th and 7th. Proving once again that you can’t trust Offaly to keep his word, at least not about doing well in fantasy cycling.
By the way let’s play who said it, check this nugget after stage 6 “Great update once again. I should of backed myself each way at those ridiculous odds” I won’t tell you who said it, but what I will say is that the manager didn’t finish in the top 6 today. 😉
Bring on the mountains!!
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….32 points
Init.…………17 points
Kop………..13 points
Padster……11 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop…………………..…22 points
Mito……………….……18 points
Origi………………..…..14 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Init.………………………3 points
Padster……………….1 point
Donal…………………0 points
And here is the stage 17 scores and overall updated
I wonder who would of made such a ridiculous comment as that 😆
**Tour de France update**
If they are not going to count the stage, I won’t either.
Onto tomorrow.
**Tour de France update**
Well, it is all over, thanks to all who participated.
The final stage standings saw Init win, which allowed to climb…actually he just stayed in 4th same spot he was in before the stage. Great going Init!
Kop came in 2nd and Mito took 3rd to round out the podium. Origi slotted into 4th with Donal taking 5th. Offaly finished in 6th and Padster took the last spot.
Overall, Kop came out on top and he promised that his great form would propel him for an easy win in the fantasy Ashes coming up. Mito cam in second with Origi showing well with a 3rd place finish.
Init was just outside the top 3. Padster came in 5th, cult hero Offaly slid into 6th, while Donal took 7th, of course.
Once again thanks to all who played, it made the summer a bit more fun.
Thanks for all the updates over the past 3 weeks Mito.
I best start planning for La Vuelta.
Thanks for all the updates Mito and congrats to Kop for winning it.
Ashes next, that’s where I’m at, personally.
Where’s the ashes site?
https://www.dream11.com/leagues?hmc0sid=0
Hey Innit, for Ashes, do we have a private league made already?
The FF247 league code for the ashes is..
1r0wo82t0ziqv_
Thanks for all the updates over the few weeks Mito. It was a great bit of fun.
Well done to Kop on the win.
Next year I might actually do some research for it 😆
Thanks Padster. Joined now
**Tour de France update**
Oh no, the only day we forget to post the update, happened to be on a historic day. There was only one manager who had not scored a stage win, in fact, he hadn’t even made a podium. Yesterday was the day the curse of the Donal was broken, not only did Nairo Quintana provide a stunning win, we can only assume that he pedaled with Donal in mind, knowing that he was his chosen captain. Of course, we can only blame one person for this terrible oversight, the Donal…his fault I didn’t post it, I just assumed the site was wrong when it showed him winning. 😉
Doesn’t matter who finished in the other positions today, well yesterday, was only about one person, DONAL!!!!
Even got on the board in the KOTM standings.
*New jersey standings*
I have classified the 19 non time trial stages as Sprinter, Hilly or Mountain stages and have put a point system in place for the top 3 finishers every stage.
Sprinter stages (for green jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
Hilly stages (for green and KOTM jersey) 3 points to the winner, 2 for second and 1 for third for both jerseys.
Mountain stages (for KOTM jersey) 5 points to the winner, 3 to second and 1 for third.
So far the Green Jersey standings are:
Mito……….32 points
Init.…………17 points
Kop………..13 points
Padster……11 points
Offaly………..9 points
Origi………….3 points
Donal………..0 points
KOTM jersey standings are:
Kop…………………..…25 points
Mito……………….……19 points
Origi………………..…..14 points
Offaly…………………..9 points
Donal………………….5 points
Init.………………………3 points
Padster……………….1 point
And here is the stage 18 scores and overall updated
***Tour de France Update***
Due to inclement weather in the Alps today’s penultimate stage of the Tour was shortened to just 59km.
It was Padster who stole the show today thanks to his capo Alejandro Valverde claiming 2nd on the stage.
Elsewhere, Kop & Mito once again claimed podium places and unless all of his team are kicked out of the race overnight Kop will claim overall victory tomorrow.
Mito’s lad was 4th and Init’s tour de mediocrity continued as he came in 5th.
Yet again Offaly & Donal occupied positions 6 & 7.
Great stuff Padster.
Congrats Donal and Offaly, geez!!
Thanks for the update, Kop.
If Kop wrote all that himself I’ll eat Donal’s saddle! Has Mito written all over it! My bit does anyway. Such disrespect I doubt Kop could muster or carry off. To the WCC Champion…
I’ll get you the salt & pepper.
Not having it, his finger prints are all over that!
I’ve learned from the best!
I promise I had nothing to do with it, think Kop is trying to send you a message for the Ashes.
Does he need help selecting his initial team? Imagine the ignominy!
Imagine!
horse/banjo
Getting a decent prospect here boys.
Kane, Brooks and kdb or Sterling, siggy and Arnie (or another 7.0 forward)?
Arnautovic is for the off shortly mate. Even so, I prefer the Kane, Brooks, KDB option.
I’m unsure on Mendy personally and you will know yourself that Sanchez is a huge gamble.
Sanchez went off injured again tonight