As the new season of FPL begins, the League of Gentlemen expands to 22 teams. Here, we preview their chances of dethroning King Ding, the reigning champion of the division.
The new FPL season is upon us. Many managers are already panicking over their initial selections, with some players underperforming on the opening weekend, others showing they are must-haves, and one big-name goalkeeper already out for up to two months. Manchester United winning a match has led to three of their players being among the top-five most transferred in for gameweek two, along with Ederson and Sterling. Mo Salah being the sixth-most transferred in begs the question – why would you need him for gameweek two, but not a home game against Norwich? The mind boggles.
The League of Gentlemen, for five years, has been decided by transfers. Two titans of the game, Martin ‘King Ding’ Bell and Jamie ‘Jeeves’ Ayers have dominated the division, winning five of the six titles between them, and finishing second and third in the other year. King Ding is an advocate of the minimal-transfer strategy, only taking hits in an emergency, and trusting his players almost to a fault. In return, he has been rewarded with three League of Gentlemen titles, a top-87k overall position and a top-46k finish – the best in the history of the division. Jeeves, on the other hand, averages out at around two transfers a week, sacrificing around 152 points a season in an attempt to create a greater squad value to afford an extra premium player. His high-risk strategy has led to two titles and finishing ahead of King Ding in the year neither manager won the title. However, his overall ranking has never come close to either of King Ding’s best, a final position of top-226k last season being his best performance.
When it comes to this year’s competition, King Ding and Jeeves enter the season as favourites. However, with the largest League of Gentlemen ever assembled, they will face their toughest challenge yet. In this preview, we will briefly discuss each team, and their chances of success.
The League of Gentlemen, for five years, has been decided by transfers. Two titans of the game, Martin ‘King Ding’ Bell and Jamie ‘Jeeves’ Ayers have dominated the division, winning five of the six titles between them, and finishing second and third in the other year. King Ding is an advocate of the minimal-transfer strategy, only taking hits in an emergency, and trusting his players almost to a fault. In return, he has been rewarded with three League of Gentlemen titles, a top-87k overall position and a top-46k finish – the best in the history of the division. Jeeves, on the other hand, averages out at around two transfers a week, sacrificing around 152 points a season in an attempt to create a greater squad value to afford an extra premium player. His high-risk strategy has led to two titles and finishing ahead of King Ding in the year neither manager won the title. However, his overall ranking has never come close to either of King Ding’s best, a final position of top-226k last season being his best performance.
When it comes to this year’s competition, King Ding and Jeeves enter the season as favourites. However, with the largest League of Gentlemen ever assembled, they will face their toughest challenge yet. In this preview, we will briefly discuss each team, and their chances of success.
League of Gentlemen Veterans
Dinga’s Ringers – Martin ‘King Ding’ Bell.
The defending champions, and the most successful team in the history of the league. King Ding’s tactics are well-known, and unlikely to change. He will be patient with his players, taking minimal hits and rolling transfers where possible. Tends to focus on proven FPL players, but will usually gamble on one or two rookies during the season, such as when he was on Wan-Bissaka from GW1 last year. If anyone finishes above King Ding, they will likely be champions.
Premium players: Salah, Sterling.
Gambles: Barkley, Greenwood, Trossard.
Title odds: 1/2 (favourite).
The Juggernauts – Jamie ‘Jeeves’ Ayers.
The greatest rivals of Dinga’s Ringers, and the only man to consistently challenge Dinga’s title of King. Like any rock star, he lives for the buzz, and his greatest fix is taking a transfer hit and seeing it pay off. He will show no patience with his players, instead hoping to bring in people at the start of a run of form, to capitalise on price rises and points. When it pays off, Jeeves’ tactics give him a momentum that is hard to stop – especially as he has the players you want to bring in. When he gets it wrong, he destroys any chance of success. A remarkable fightback from 8th on New Year’s Day led to an unlikely title challenge last season. However, his policy of transferring out of trouble left him too much to do, leaving King Ding with a stress-free final day as the Ringers wrapped up the title quite comfortably. Jeeves will be out for vengeance this season; the key to his success could well be restraint in the transfer market.
Premium players: Salah, Sterling, de Bruyne.
Gambles: Henderson, Greenwood, Rico.
Title odds: 3/1.
Cows Arse Shovel – Craig ‘Flash’ Whear
Big things are predicted for Flash this season. A perennial FPL journeyman, his highest-overall ranking had been 1,030,754 in four years of the game, with two rankings in the mid-two millions. Last season, though, Flash turned from a casual to a student of the game, and smashed his previous records to finish third in the League of Gentlemen, with an overall ranking of 382,532. If he can build on that performance, he could be the man to break the King Ding-Jeeves duopoly.
Premium players: Salah, Sterling, de Bruyne.
Gambles: Calvert-Lewin, Greenwood, Rico.
Title odds: 8/1.
White Warriors – Laurence ‘Who’ Horner
The man who takes no hits, under any circumstances. Who Horner ended last season with the lowest transfer total in the League of Gentlemen, even starting one gameweek with six players rather than taking a hit. It’s a strategy that has served him well over the years, with a highest-overall ranking of 226,527 – a ranking two-time champ Jeeves had failed to better until last season. His conservative transfer strategy should see him in the upper reaches of the table, though he will need to take more risks to become the champion. Repeating last season’s fourth-place is not beyond his reach. A dark horse.
Premium players: Salah, Kane, Lacazette.
Gambles: Coady, Navarro, Rico.
Title odds: 14/1.
Dumb and Dummett – ‘Big’ Steve Allison
Big Steve will be looking to rebound from a disappointing season last time out. In the opening months, he was vying with Flash and Lawes at the top of the League of Gentlemen, the three interchanging top spot as the weeks went by. However, as the Christmas period hit, he dropped away, and ultimately ended the season in fifth spot. A bias towards Newcastle players can be his downfall, though when he gets the gambles right – like Ayoze on the run-in – it can give him the edge over his rivals. Last season’s overall ranking of 582,850 was his best; if he can sustain his early momentum during the second half of the season, glory could be his.
Premium players: Salah, Aguero, De Bruyne.
Gambles: Gundogan, Schar, Joelinton.
Title odds: 14/1.
Oxsmorons – Daniel ‘The Ox’ Oxley
Top of the League of Gentlemen after gameweek one, The Ox will be looking to maintain his challenge for as long as possible. The difference-maker will be whether he can maintain his focus for the whole season; he claims making one transfer in three months last year was a strategy, though most pundits suspect he wasn’t giving the game the attention it deserves. This wavering interest is what has cost him in his overall rankings, with last season’s 866,471 being his first top-one million ranking in six seasons – a run that included a finish of over 3.3 million. A manager of undoubted potential, the time has come for him to realise it before he’s typecast as the Lee Sharpe of FPL.
Premium players: Kane, Sterling, De Bruyne, Firmino.
Gambles: Rodrigo, Ake, Delph.
Title odds: 25/1.
PKG FC – Parvesh ‘The Private’ Geerish
Little is known of The Private, with some competitors wondering if he stumbled into the League of Gentlemen through typing the wrong league code when joining the game. He has been a perennial player, though has achieved little success. Last season’s overall ranking of 3,053,876 was his worst performance, by far, and he will need to step up his game to have any real impact. Has taken some chances with his initial selection, eschewing the predictable names in favour of filling his squad with possible differentials. If he gets it right, he could shock the world, but a gameweek one score of just 29 suggests it’s going to be another long, hard season for Geerish.
Premium players: Mane, Firmino.
Gambles: Cancelo, Long, Hanley.
Title odds: 250/1
Mickey Quinnaj – Jonathan ‘Jie’ Johnstone
A disappointing season for Jie last year, though he will be buoyed by a strong finish which propelled him to mid-table. If he can keep that momentum going, there’s every chance he could pull off a Leicester and cause a major upset. Has chosen only one premium player in his starting line-up, electing instead to spread his starting funds around several mid-priced players. This has left him with a strong and balanced starting eleven, though his bench involves some major gambles. He could live to regret not selecting a regular starting midfielder over Foden, and will need his first team to stay fit as Carroll cannot be relied upon to do so. Some call him the Michael Owen of FPL, after a stunning debut season saw him finish in the top 59k, only to see his bright star burn out with weaker and weaker performances over the following five seasons. Will need stronger focus to reach his early heights.
Premium players: Sterling.
Gambles: Carroll, Foden, Adam Smith.
Title odds: 75/1
Really – Adam Birkett
Every year, Birkett gives his team a name that suggests he is participating under duress. Yet, every year, he’s back again, fighting to improve his position. A relative newcomer to FPL, this will be his fourth season. A promising debut overall rank of 595,434 suggested he would be a League of Gentlemen contender for years to come, but the last two seasons have seen sub-two million overall rankings. Whether he loses interest or just gives up is hard to tell, though the fans still have faith he could realise his early potential. His fortunes will be intertwined with those of Manchester United – if Solskjaer can hit the ground running, then so will Birkett. A make-or-break season lies ahead.
Premium players: Aubameyang, De Bruyne.
Gambles: Fornals, M. Aarons, Lo Celso.
Title odds: 75/1.
Madeleine Milan – Dale ‘Iceman’ Newton
A third season in the League of Gentlemen for the Iceman, who will be hoping to improve on a dismal performance last time out. He started well enough, but early struggles led to him cooling on the game, and his season sliding out to an overall ranking of 3,218,735. Many thought he wouldn’t return to the competition; his entering of a team shows the fighting spirit that has to success in the world of darts. His team looks well-balanced, strong, and fit for the season ahead. The key for the Iceman will be retaining focus, and not letting setbacks sour him on the game. Unlikely to challenge for the title, though could surprise a few people and finish in the top-half.
Premium players: Sterling, Kane, Firmino.
Gambles: Saint-Maximin, Patricio, Walker-Peters.
Title odds: 250/1.
Walney Utd – Andrew ‘Wooden Spoon’ Helling
The foundations of the League of Gentlemen – he’s always at the bottom. In a remarkable run, Wooden Spoon has finished in last place in every one of his previous five League of Gentlemen campaigns, despite staying focused and making transfers throughout the season. To get the decisions so wrong, so often, you’d almost think it was intentional. God bless him though, he keeps trying, keeps fighting. If you finish below Wooden Spoon, you may as well just retire from FPL forever. But maybe this is the year. Maybe, just maybe, Helling finds a way to finish second-bottom. Even San Marino won a single football match once in their history. He’ll be eying up Farcselona with relish, and the entire division will celebrate if he can, just once, finish second-last. Maybe his gameweek one selection of Mahrez shows this is a new Andrew Helling, because that, my friends, was genius.
Premium players: Salah.
Gambles: Sharp, Benteke, Snodgrass.
Title odds: 1000/1
Lawezarus Rising – Andrew ‘FPL Nightmare’ Lawes
Assessing your own chances is always difficult. Last year was meant to be my retirement. I wanted to win this bastard league just once, then leave FPL forever as champion. In October, top of the League of Gentlemen by 50 points, it looked like I was going to achieve my goal. Then Callum Wilson got injured, I failed to replace him adequately, I dropped a couple of places and lost the plot. Trying to hit my way out of trouble, I just made the situation worse and worse. A January wildcard left me stranded when the double and blank gameweeks were announced, and a ridiculous 40-point hit in four weeks decimated any chance of even a respectable finish. And yet, through the gloom, we saw the light. We have consulted with the finest minds FPL has to offer. We have the Golden Rules. We have a philosophy, a masterplan. The key will be executing it. Already, the urge is there to take a hit, just one little minus-four, what harm can it do? If you just switch Digne for Lundstram, you can upgrade Fraser to De Bruyne. One little four-pointer to get the Milky Bar Kid in, one of the finest players to grace the game when fit. Where’s the harm?
There’s a lot of bloody harm. This year has to be different. I need to avoid the silver-tongued devil of Jeeves whispering in my ear that hits are worth it for team value. I need to ignore the voices telling me just a little tweak will bring perfection. I need to back the players I have. I need to stick to the script. Lawes’ Last Stand fell, but Lawezarus will rise, and we will be different, better. The logical approach is not to back us to succeed. Only time will tell if logic and reason can be displaced by romance and dreams.
Premium players: Salah, Sterling.
Gambles: Wood, Greenwood, Zouma.
Title odds: 50/1.
League of Gentlemen New Entries.
Boom Xhakalaka – Simon ‘All Star’ Vogt
Arguably the starting first-team with the most balance in the division, All Star Vogt enters the League of Gentlemen with real intent to win it. No previous season data suggests this is his debut year, though the strength of his opening selections hints at a man that has maybe played before, and chosen to use a new email address in order to prevent his rivals studying his history. Hard to predict how his season will go – the use of his Triple Captain chip in the first gameweek could mean he’s the kind that will lose interest early doors, or it may well have been a statement of intent. If he can maintain focus and use his chips wisely, he could very well win the whole thing. If he doesn’t, he could languish in the doldrums. It will be very interesting to see how the master of reinvention performs this year.
Premium players: Salah, Aubameyang.
Gambles: Simpson, Guendozi.
Title odds: 100/1.
Suicide Squad – Mike ‘Mikey P’ Paterson
Entering his fifth year as an FPL manager, Mikey P will be looking to pogo his way through the competition and make a real mark. A career-best of 639,139 suggests he can have an impact on the League of Gentlemen; the question will be if he can adapt to the challenges around him. Likely to maintain a triple-Burnley presence in his squad throughout the season, if Sean Dyche can get the Clarets back to the form of two seasons ago, the Suicide Squad could cause quite the upset. Anyone who wants to finish in the top six will need to get past Mikey P, that much is certain. One of those likely to raise his game to the standards around him.
Premium players: Sterling, Kane.
Gambles: Pukki, Mee, Rodriguez
Title odds: 100/1.
Hugh G. Rection XI – Gavin ‘Masterchef’ Bridges
His seventh season as an FPL manager, the Masterchef will be looking to cook up a storm in the League of Gentlemen. Declining rankings over previous seasons indicate he is one who struggles to maintain interest throughout the season, which could be problematic given his squad lacks either Sterling or Salah. That being said, he has used the spare cash to give himself real options in midfield. If the likes of Pulisic, Sigurdsson and Fraser hit form, his premium selections of Kane and De Bruyne could fire him into the upper echelons of the table. One of life’s shrewdest and most intelligent operators, his rivals will be hoping his focus is left in the oven too long. If he gets the recipe right, however, there’s every chance of a Michelin-star performance.
Premium players: Kane, de Bruyne.
Gambles: Ndombele, Kean, Willems.
Title odds: 100/1.
Dazzlers – Darren ‘Deadly Daz’ Lawes
Returning for a second crack at the League of Gentlemen after sitting out last season, Deadly Daz has gone for the Mourinho approach, filling his team with quality in goal and defence, supplemented by an elite striker and attacking midfielder. This was a strategy discussed by so many FPL managers in pre-season, yet few had the courage to transfer it to their final line-ups. Given the upsides to defenders who secure attacking returns, Deadly Daz has given himself every chance of upsetting the applecart. A Newcastle fan who has gambled by including two Magpies midfielders and their new £40m striker, he’ll need Steve Bruce to build on the work of Rafa Benitez to gain success, while he’ll also need to get transfers right. A lot of potential, if he can stay calm and focused.
Premium players: Kane, de Bruyne.
Gambles: Joelinton, Saint-Maximin, Iwobi.
Title odds: 100/1.
Cuthben87 – ‘Ginger’ Ben Cuthbertson
Both an FPL and League of Gentlemen debutant, his inexperience is exposed by his poor choice of team name. Ginger Ben will need to learn quickly to have any chance of success in this game, and he could suffer through his Sunderland heroes being stranded in League One and leaving him with little exposure to the elite level of football. He’s gone for a balanced squad to start the season, with a strong bench and two FPL legends as his premium players. Whatever happens to Ginger Ben this season, at least his travails won’t be documented on Netflix for the nation to laugh at. Will be happy with a solid mid-table finish to provide a platform to build on for next season.
Premium players: Salah, Aguero.
Gambles: Ndombele, Ake, Andre Gomes
Title odds: 250/1
The Expendables – John ‘Monty’ Burns
A seven-year veteran of the game, Monty Burns starts his eighth campaign by finally entering the competition of the true elite. A strong set of overall rankings throughout his career suggests this new challenge will bring the very best out of him. A four-premium players approach has meant taking a chance on Jonjo Shelvey and a weak bench, but these gambles are the ones that separate the also-rans from the elite. Will need Aubameyang to avoid being rotated, though even if he is rested like last season, the Gabonese striker will still be one of the top-scoring players in FPL. May not challenge for the title in his debut year, but will certainly be contending for top four. A strong addition to the League of Gentlemen.
Premium players: Salah, Mane, Aubameyang, De Bruyne.
Gambles: Ake, Shelvey, Wickham.
Title odds: 50/1.
Does It Mata? – Ben ‘Hitman’ Hodgson
Entering his fourth FPL season, with strong overall rankings in all of his previous seasons, Hitman Hodgson’s return to the League of Gentlemen presents a new challenge to his rivals. His overall ranking of 617,160 last year would have seen him finish sixth in the competition, though this was his lowest overall ranking by almost 200k. Perhaps it was the non-entry into the League of Gentlemen which caused this drop-off, we can only speculate. What we do know is that he has performed like a veteran since his FPL debut, and the fierce competition around him should drive him to his best-ever season. One to watch.
Premium players: Salah, Kane, Aubameyang.
Gambles: Lascelles, Rice, Taylor.
Title odds: 25/1.
Tiptoppers – ‘Slick’ Rick McLean
A debut season in FPL for Slick Rick, which makes it very difficult to quantify his chances. An opening salvo of 97 points would put him top of the League of Gentlemen; the question is whether latecomers have their initial scores added to their league totals if they join the league in gameweek two. For the sake of the competition’s integrity, we can only hope this is the case. He has chosen to make his beloved Tottenham Hotspurs the spine of his team; while Kane can be relied on to deliver, the gamble on Ndombele could be what defines his season. Use of his Triple Captain chip in the opening gameweek shows inexperience, though his opening score is a warning to the rest of the division that he is here to win it.
Premium players: Sterling, Kane.
Gambles: Ndombele, Reid, Long.
Title odds: 100/1
Farcselona – ‘Metal’ Marc Farquhar
Entering his thirteenth FPL season, Metal Marc is one of the most experienced managers around, yet his overall rankings have declined for the last seven years, culminating in a devastating final position of 4,293,298 in May. It could be that he is a set-and-forget player, which would explain his poor performances. One thing we know for sure is that the axeman will need to focus if he wants his overall rankings to Die No More. Perhaps the competition of the League of Gentlemen is just what he needs to inspire the fire within.
Premium players: Sterling, Firmino.
Gambles: Joelinton, Saint-Maximin, Foden.
Title odds: 500/1
Rodalegga Bombs – Aidan Thompson
It’s impossible to predict how the Rodalegga Bombs will do, though seasoned pundits are suggesting that inexperience and failing to select a team in time for the gameweek one deadline will hinder any chance of success. You just can’t afford to score zero on a gameweek and still hope to win this competition, not against stone-cold killers like Jeeves and King Ding. With only one previous season in FPL, and that being three years ago, Aidan will need to use this season as a learning curve in order to mount a real challenge next season. The good news for him is that there is no better proving ground than the League of Gentlemen.
Premium players: Unknown.
Gambles: Unknown.
Title odds: 500/1.
Twenty two men enter the League of Gentlemen. Only one man will end the season as the King. Martin Bell may be the favourite, but he has never yet successfully defended his crown. Jamie Ayers may be pegged as his main rival, but he will always hinder his performance by taking excessive hits. The other twenty, well, this is our opportunity to step up. Ferguson and Wenger were seen as unstoppable until Jose Mourinho swaggered into the picture. Maybe, just maybe, the League of Gentlemen will find its own Special One.
It’s going to be some year while we find out.
