Gameweek Fourteen: Tough At The Top

Lord Geord gained his first insight into life in the lead, and how difficult the challenge ahead will be. With Ginger Ben having such momentum, will the Lord’s hold on first place be a short-lived one?

Now I know how tough life is at the top. Every decision takes on greater importance, every mistake is amplified, every point lost – or gained by my rivals – feels like a dagger to the heart. The pressure is immense, and it feeds into the obsessive nature of a man like myself, with every permutation over-analysed and every possibility and eventual outcome injected with such importance. I thought being a chaser was bad. Being the hunted is so much worse. Twenty-four gameweeks to go.
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It maybe wouldn’t have been so bad had my team produced a strong result, but once again, the strikers let me down. We have clung on to the desperately-disappointing Antonio – who has only 26 points in the last eleven gameweeks – through his run of tough fixtures, only to see his influence and movement drop. Right now, he resembles the Andy Carroll that ambled around St. James’ Park last season, and I can only hope his form picks up as his fixtures ease in the coming gameweeks. He’s being benched in Gameweek Fifteen, so I’ve no doubt he’ll score and cost me a clean sheet for two defenders. Likewise, Saint-Maximin has returns in only one of his last eight games, and has looked anonymous since Steve Bruce left the Newcastle job. I can only hope Eddie Howe wakens him up this weekend, because I need him to produce something before I sell him in Gameweek Sixteen. Toney was never meant to start, but James’ injury meant he came off my bench. I needed him to score, not just for my points but to deny Ginger Ben a Reguilon clean sheet, but of course, he failed to do so. At least Reguilon’s assist came from setting up Son, bagging me eight crucial points, but it’s eight points that the midfielder I’ve not yet managed to work into my team, Raphinha, matched for £3.6m cheaper. Rubbing salt in the wound was my new signing, Gallagher, doing nothing, while the possible alternative, Smith-Rowe, scored a dirty goal while the opposing goalkeeper was injured. That’s another eight points lost through a fifty-fifty call, and I can only hope Gallagher finds similar fortune at Old Trafford in Gameweek Fifteen.

Making the situation more intense is the continued excellence of Ginger Ben. Recently highlighted as someone who was going under the radar a bit, he has outscored me in four of the last five gameweeks, and he drew with me in the fifth. His imperious form has seen him become November’s Manager of the Month, finishing twenty points ahead of myself, who came second. After a poor opening gameweek rank of 2.67m, he has hit twelve green arrows in thirteen gameweeks to rise to the top-135k, and closed the gap between us by eleven points this gameweek, leaving me with an advantage of just five points. Exacerbating the tension I feel is knowing he is a Mackem, one of my sworn rivals, and knowing that I carry the weight of the Geordie Nation on my shoulders in trying to deny him. For this FPL Nightmare saga to end with a Mackem as the champion would be the greatest torment the FPL Gods could inflict upon me, especially when I have declared that whatever happens, this season is the final one of the chronicles. To have been in first place, then to lose the title to one of the Acolytes of Reid, would be the ultimate disaster. It’s a pressure that is taking its toll, even at this early stage of my title push, and I could really do with putting some distance between the two of us.

Luckily for me, there is a little bit of a gap to the challengers further behind. I outscored the Chancellor by six points this gameweek, meaning he is now seventeen points adrift in third, with Go Cartin 32 points back and Jockin’ Jeeves a further two away in fifth. That they all closed the gap slightly is a concern, though I did expect it to be far worse after Saint-Maximin blanked against Norwich. Mighty Mouse is also within 41 points, with a 37-point gap to those further behind. What surprised me this week, though, was Ginger Ben’s dismissal of those from seventh-place down. He told Jez Messing that he believed it was now a six-horse race, with everyone else already too far away to impact the title picture. I found that stunningly naïve, and couldn’t believe he was so brazen in his assessment. I remember two years ago, when King Ding came from 119 points behind to win on the Final Day. He started Gameweek Fourteen 107 points off top spot, and ended it 85 away. History could well repeat, especially when you factor in the King’s remarkable record of never going two seasons without winning the title. He may be off Ginger Ben’s radar, but he is one of the first gameweek scores I check, and to be so arrogant to think that he has no chance of the title is something I'd expect from Grinchy Vogt, not the Ginger One. I can only assume it was an early-morning slip of the tongue.

Despite all the stress, worry and pontificating, I have achieved my first target of ensuring I was not a one-gameweek wonder. The gap to second place may only be five points, rather than the eleven I started the gameweek with, but I still have that crucial number one next to my name. I said last week that the only way to win this title is by taking the remaining twenty-five gameweeks one gameweek at a time. That’s one gameweek down, and we’re still top. Let’s see what happens in Gameweek Fifteen, and then we’ll take it from there.

The Cup Chronicles

The drama continues to increase in Stage Two of the Gentlemen’s Classic, with Group A blown wide open by the Dragon’s woeful underperformance in Gameweek Fourteen. While his sorry 23-point capitulation to Jockin’ Jeeves did not see him displaced at the top of the group, it did mean Jeeves moved just two points behind whilst also sealing the head-to-head Tiebreaker advantage. The Dragon now faces second-place Big Steve in Gameweek Fifteen knowing that, should the Butcher outscore him by three or more points, both of his rivals to reach the semi-finals will hold the Tiebreaker advantage, and should both Big Steve and Jockin’ Jeeves win next time out, the Dragon will enter the final matchday of Stage Two in third position and needing to beat Sirloin Sean, who is averaging an extra goal each gameweek since the start of the second phase. Indeed, the possibility of a four-way tie on six points is still on the table. The defending league champion knows that a draw or victory over the Butcher will confirm his semi-final place, but he will need a big improvement to take down someone who outscored him by thirty points this gameweek.
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In Group B, it is a straight fight for second place between The Ox, Red Hot Rob and Hitman Hodgson, after Ginger Ben’s eight-point victory over the current Classic holder saw his semi-final place confirmed, moving six points clear of third place with only four points left to play for. The second Gentleman to advance could be confirmed in Matchday Eleven, after The Ox’s masterclass of cup football continued with a ten-point victory over Red Hot Rob, a result which moves him two points clear in second place. With the Tiebreaker advantage confirmed over Red Hot Rob following back-to-back victories, The Ox’s semi-final place will be assured should both he and the man he defeated this gameweek be victorious next time out. It sounds simple on paper, but Red Hot Rob was outscored this gameweek by the man he faces next, while for The Ox, he faces a Ginger Ben who has rocketed up the league table and now has no pressure on him at all. It’s a tough task, but few people would bet against The Ox, who continues to defy his league position with some virtuoso cup performances.
 
Gentlemen's Classic results, Matchday Ten:
 
Sirloin Sean 59 – 73 Big Steve
Jockin' Jeeves 66 – 43 Dan the Dragon
Hitman Hodgson 64 – 72 Ginger Ben
The Ox 69 – 59 Red Hot Rob
 
Group Tables

​The FPL Nightmare continued in the Eliminator for the Dragon, whose 43 points were well off the pace in a gameweek where the majority captain scored thirty points. He is joined in defeat by Wildman Whitfield, another who went against Salah as captain. With the Wildman only able to field nine players, he had no chance of staying in contention. Those two join the 22 Gentlemen already Eliminated from the toughest endurance test in all of FPL, which leaves us with seventeen contenders vying for the title. With four more gameweeks of double eliminations remaining, those left in the competition will have to be at the top of their game to keep their chances of glory alive.

​Gameweek Round-Up

The Irrelevants

It was one of those gameweeks where the Irrelevants thrive, with eleven of the twelve highest-scoring Gentlemen found in the section everyone wants to avoid. Killer Kev’s hot run of form continued with a 71-pointer, moving him up another three places, while The Ox, the Masterchef and Big Steve all climbed two places in the table. There was huge relief for Big-Time Birkett, who arrested his recent slide by hitting the second-highest score in the division; that he did so with only ten players taking the field is even more impressive. The nature of the gameweek had huge implications on the upper part of the Irrelevants, with King Ding being the big beneficiary. The four-time champion was the gameweek’s highest scorer, with Dennis, Wilson, Raphinha, Reguilon and Lloris adding returns to Salah’s huge haul. His 83 points saw him climb three places to eleventh, closing the gap to the Elite to just six points in the process after thrashing the Dragon by forty points. With only the fallen Grinchy Vogt and Hitman Hodgson between him and the Elite, the King has finally joined the party, and promises to be a real threat going forward. The Grinch changed his team name to (resigned) following Gameweek Fourteen, but few seem to be taking that as a serious threat, viewing it more as mind games in response to a missed transfer deadline, while the Hitman is as close to the Elite as it’s possible to get, and only remains in the Irrelevants by virtue of one extra transfer having been made. 

The Elite

It’s the Hitman’s brother, defending champion Dan the Dragon, who is this week’s gatekeeper to the Elite, with his disastrous performance having wide-reaching implications across every competition. Unlike the Grinch, he managed to stay in the Elite despite a bizarre captaincy of Kane, who has now produced returns in one match in twelve in the league. Ash the Bash leapfrogged both the Grinch and the Dragon into seventh, though he lies just one point ahead of both the Hitman and the Dragon, four ahead of the Grinch and six ahead of the King. That six points separate seventh from eleventh means anything could happen next time out, with much volatility promised as those Gentlemen strive to prove Ginger Ben’s prediction incorrect. The 37-point gap to Mighty Mouse in sixth is a big one, but with the Dragon being outscored by the King to the tune of forty points, and with the Chancellor’s 56-point destruction of the then-table-topping Grinch fresh in the memory, the chasing pack will be hoping they, too, can benefit from a huge swing. Jockin’ Jeeves and Go Cartin both closed the gap to the top, by five and two points respectively, and will be looking to turn the screw as the pressure builds on myself. Indeed, the only real relief I felt was the Chancellor falling further away, though seventeen points still isn’t enough to feel comfortable. The immediate problem I face is the Ginger One, who keeps on outscoring me and is now just five points away with all the momentum. With us likely to share six starters and a captain, it all comes down to the five alternates likely to take the field. With Sanchez, Jimenez, Raphinha, Reguilon and Gundogan all bang in form, the Ginger Goliath will fancy himself to end my run at the top in short order.

The Man Who Would Be King

​With all those doubts written and pressures I’m feeling discussed, I’m still the man in the strongest position. Top of the table for the second gameweek running, those five points of breathing space could prove absolutely crucial. Part of me is tempted to use the margin as justification for a transfer hit, perhaps to replace Antonio and Livramento with King and Reguilon. I think, what I’m more likely to do, is to continue to keep faith with consistency as my greatest differential and roll the transfer, before bringing in King for Saint-Maximin next week. Despite his ten points in Gameweek Twelve, Saint-Maximin has been a disappointment for me, with several blanks and a tough run of fixtures from Gameweek Sixteen onwards. Up against Burnley this weekend, a team he scored and assisted against within fifteen minutes of entering the fray last season, I must have faith in the Saint to desecrate Pope again. As one of my differential players, I need him to, because Rudiger and Gallagher have tough fixtures, and Ramsdale and Son’s performances could easily be matched by Sanchez and Raphinha. I dropped back outside the top-100k to 110,481 after my average 61-point gameweek, and while the Ginger One’s impressive form is something to be aware of, I outscored the other 39 teams in the league in November by at least ten points. My own form is very good too, and if the Saint goes marching in, my hold on top spot could well be extended to a third gameweek. Exciting times.
 
 
That concludes our round-up of Gameweek Fourteen, which saw the Dragon fall off the wagon, which saw the King get back in the ring, and which saw my team continue to cling to a dream, despite the Ginger threat tightening the net. Ahead of Gameweek Fifteen, may all your transfers be successes, may all your arrows be green, and may the FPL Gods be in your favour.
 
Gentlemen’s Classic fixtures, Gameweek Fifteen:
 
Dan the Dragon vs Big Steve
Jockin’ Jeeves vs Sirloin Sean
The Ox vs Ginger Ben
Red Hot Rob vs Hitman Hodgson