Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 35 Review

Written by @NiallHawthorne

There are moments when destiny sometimes comes knocking on your door. It’s not so much a gentle tap, it’s more of a booming wallop of your knocker (steady on…), so loud that you have no choice but to face your destiny with all the bravery you can muster.

And so, with just 3 GW’s left of this interminable Fantasy Football season (for those of us not in with a chance of silverware at least), that moment came calling at St. Mary’s Stadium, in the dying minutes of an utterly forgettable game between Southampton and Hull City.

Those of you who were seeking fantasy football glory and had selected Jakupovic in an AWAY game (I know one, so these weirdos do exist) must have slithered off your couch in resignation as news filtered through of a penalty being awarded to Southampton. That precocious gamble of yours was now slipping through your fingers like Joe Hart attempting to catch a cross in Italy, or England, or anywhere…that marvellous 6 pointer was about to become just 2 points…and yet…

12 FREAKING POINTS! That’s how much that penalty save by Jakupovic was worth. 2 points became 11 points, which then had 3 bonus points added to it. Lo and behold, a mammoth 14 point haul for the big man from *googles Jakupovic* Bosnia! No, sorry, Switzerland! No, hang on, it’s both!

YES! I don’t even have enough fingers to count my score this week!

I’ve heard many moan that the quality of fare on offer on Match Of The Day on Saturday night was abysmal, but those moaners are simply fair-weather fans who don’t get the essence of this beautiful game. Sure, we can all marvel at the beauty of an Emre Can running, overhead, scissor kick, bicycle kick THUNDERB*STARD, but that’s only half the beauty of this wonderful game of ours.

‘FOOTBALL MAN: Indeed’

To real football fans, clean sheets are our nirvana. When I saw that 7 teams from the lower reaches of the Premier League had kept clean sheets, I began to tremble with excitement. All those beautiful clean sheet points at bargain-basement prices…I was stammering more than Theresa May at a food bank full of nurses.

The list of high-scoring bargain defenders is a thing of beauty: Fonte, Francis, Smith, Keane, Stephens. You can keep your overpriced and overrated Kyle Walkers and David Luizeseses, these men are the real heroes of the game. Except…

The exception that proves the rule is Gary Cahill, a man that looks like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, sensible haircut and a lovely young boy, but he plays for Chelsea, so y’know… Anyway, a 6th (S.I.X.T.H.) league goal of the season for the man who wears Paul Warhurst pyjamas to bed, and the only Chelsea defender churning out points these past few weeks.

Sergio Aguero has been on the radar of many a Triple-Captain-Chip-Holding Fantasy Football Manager with a lip-smacking, dribble-inducing double GW 37 on the horizon, featuring home games v West Brom (who have been on the beach so long that David Hasselhoff is jealous) and Leicester City (who don’t give two Fuchs). He duly warmed up for what will undoubtedly be a record-breaking GW 37 performance with a fine haul of 12 points…before limping off injured. WHAT THE ACTUAL F….but hang on! Jesus Saves All! And at a fraction of the price! At least that’s what I’ll be praying for. To Jesus. For Jesus. It’s enough to give the Pope a headache.

This brings us nicely onto those who are currently sat on the ‘Naughty Step’ for being very bold boys. Isn’t that right the Crystal Palace back four? Eh? It’s all well and good winning at Stamford Bridge and Anfield while walloping Arsenal in between, but Burnley at home…yes, THAT Burnley at home…the Burnley without an away win all season, at home. FFS lads, you’ll be on the naughty step all summer at this rate.

Many thought that Romelu Lukaku would make a ‘statement’ on Sunday as he lined out against his soon to be new teammates. Romelu has been on fire at Goodison Park in recent months, rattling up double-digits quicker and more frequently than Rachel Riley. Alas, the only ‘statement’ he put out on Sunday was a ‘For Sale. £40,000,000 To A Good Home. I Love You Mr Conté’ sign which he carried around the pitch for the full 90 minutes. Very disappointing indeed.

Finally, we come to Arsenal. Now I need to tread carefully here as my employer (HAH!) is an Arsenal fan, but I’ll be brave enough to state that what they’ve done to Alexis Sanchez is bordering on a human rights violation. He’d almost certainly prefer a 6 month stretch in Gitmo followed by a nice spot of waterboarding than reporting to training with this shower of sh*t every day, and he’s playing that way. The timing is perfect too. While many teams are down to their last three games of the season, Arsenal still have something like 12 games to play (or thereabouts) with double GW’s every week between now and Christmas (or so it seems). Of course Arsene bloody Wenger has only gone and ruined the best attacking midfielder in Fantasy Football for a generation. He’s made me agree with Piers sodding Morgan, and for that I can never forgive him. Or myself.

Niall Hawthorne has a strange view on most things. Check out his blog for proof rantsofarebel.wordpress.com.

You can read more from him also on twitter at

@NiallHawthorne

His views are his own, because quite simply nobody else would have them!