Fantasy Fantasized II

Rajah 1

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OK. Two Fantasy Football entries in a matter of days. Well I'm not officially obsessed, I was already obsessed ever since I can't remember;

(bullshit, you started playing Fantasy Football last season. Well OK fine - last season)

Ehem, pardon the little conversation between me and the little boy inside me a la Van Persie (yes! *fist pump*)

- Yes ever since last season.

Its just that I think it would help to keep track and rationalize why I did what I did and who I had to sacrifice in order for me to bring in other players, those whom I thought would definitely score some high points for me. And the spirits of time blows pretty strongly in one Eden Hazard's way. To miss the boat now would definitely spell a disaster and a lot of temple-hitting incidents comes May.

For instance, like last season, I knew RvP was gonna injure himself at some point into the season. Or rather, I was hoping that he would. I stubbornly held on to my players and and refused to accept the fact the hated Arsenal's forward was scoring points in abundance for Fantasy Managers.

My decision was based entirely on emotion and foolish hopes. And it cost me dearly. While other managers were enjoying RvP's captain points (double whatever the appointed captain for the Gameweek scores) I was left to pick up drizzles here and there due to the constant changes, for I am one "impulsive doer" and to a further extend, an impulsive decision maker. Funny, I constantly tweaked my team here and there and only refused to incorporate RvP. Simply out of my hatred for Arsenal.

That was up until a dude whom I deem (I wish I could've put this in a less awful manner) whom I deem intellectually less fortunate, told me "Hang tukaq ja RvP yada yada yada something something". Then it hits me, I was talking about this for a long long time; that the problem with intelligent guys is that they don't listen to things from a person whom they feel.. isn't smarter than them.

Then it hits me again, that Fantasy Football is a lot like stockbroking in a way that there are times you hold on to your stocks but doubt not, there will come a time that you will have to let go of some no matter how much it violates your intellectual beliefs.

Now a look into the last Gameweek, I didn't have to sacrifice anybody last week since Chelski didn't have any game in this Gameweek, its only logical that I bring in Ben Arfa as a replacement for Lampard. Shawcross for Rafael was an easy choice for that extra edge he brings to United's offense. So that's 4 points deducted.

I know Dong Ji Wu wouldn't be playing for Sunderland and I have had 4 points deducted already due to Ben Arfa's transfer - thus the question of should Ji be substitued since I have that extra dollars from Lampard's sale. The easy route would've been just to leave Ji in the team for even if he didn't play, I wouldn't lose 4 unnecessary points.

It wasn't up until the last minutes that I decided to use that "Baik Menyesal Beli Dari Menyesal Tak Beli" principle that I have always employed when faced against to-buy-or-to-bye predicament. Thus, the purchase of Steven Fletcher of Sunderland. I've admired the dude for his poaching tendency ever since his Wolves' days. But this was to be his first game for Sunderland and I know how much time some players take to settle within the team no matter how talented they are.

His was a risky buy due to the 8 points deduction. If I were to stick with Ji, yes, I wouldn't gain any points but I sure as hell would retain 4, but if I go for Fletcher, at the MOST logical he would conjure up 2 points and I would lose unnecessary 2 due to his transfer. Therefore in order for Fletcher's transfer to make sense he would've have to score at least a goal. And he gave me two! :)

Breakdown of points for my new transfer goes a little something like this;

1. Lampard > Ben Arfa - Cost: 0 | Return: 9 (+9)

2. Shawcross > Rafael - Cost: 4 | Return: 1 (-3)

3. Dong Ji Wu > Fletcher - Cost: 4 | Return: 13 (+13)

Total - Cost: 8 | Profit: 19 (+11)

Not bad.

OK that is some long ass entry.

We are finally arriving to the actual point of this (un)necessarily prolonged entry, for Gameweek 4, in order for me incorporate Hazard, I have to sacrifice a player of his caliber or or two players; one of entry and another, intermediate class players.

The initial plan looked like this, but since RvP's hatrick heroic last night I think to drop him now would be stupid as I have already bought him up and considering how he will be heavily utilized by United in the upcoming fixtures now that Rooney the Shrek has got himself injured. And to buy him back would mean MAJOR tweaking to the team as he's the single player to cost the managers around 13 mil ++ and will potentially be blown more out of proportion as the season winds down.

That would mean the logical choice is to sacrifice Kagawa and another fringe player. Kagawa, to my dismay, hasn't performed up to the standard I expected of him, but to drop him now might be a little premature since perhaps he has yet to settle to life in the Premier League. This is largely credited to his small physique. Though it has to be said that the signs are there. And United's Gameweek 4 is at Old Trafford and there's every chance he would score or at least make a couple of assists.

Thus, to cut the story short and quite frankly, because I have even bore myself - I have to sacrifice the excellent Cashley Cole and Demba Ba :( in order to make room for Kagawa to stay and for Hazard to play. And the fringe player I brought in of whom, is as sure as the stars in the sky, isn't gonna play; Sammy Amoebi. (sila rujuk Rajah 1)

But that's beside the point, managers bring in lesser players they knew aren't gonna play a single game for them all the time due to the tight budget constraint. The trick is to find a fringe player who might've caused a sudden impact, for instance, last season - Bossingwa.

OK. Stay tuned - because I know I won't.