Premier League Fantasy Football 2022-23

[Neil Graham]

Quarter Two - Weeks 11-20

This year's Premier Chess looks much more competitive than previous seasons. Eight managers appeared more than once in the top five - an increase in one from Quarter One. James Marley continues to be the most consistent featuring every week of the quarter; however new challengers have emerged in James Friar and David Lambert whilst several others hover ominously within a few points. At the bottom Chris James is also making a mark as the low scorer and has pushed back these boundaries over the quarter.

Usual scoring method - 5 points for 1st place down to 1 point for 5th; number of weeks in top five in brackets (out of 10). 2 weeks qualification

1. James Marley 48 pts (10)
2. James Friar 35 pts (8)
3. David Lambert 20 pts (7)
4. Sam Herring 18 pts (9)
5. Thomas Evans 12 pts (7)
6. Joel Newman 11 pts (5)
7= Mark Leonard 3 pts (2)
Luke Hayden 3 pts (2)

[Neil Graham]

Week 21

Behind the noise, the outside noise, it's a fantastic football club. Sean Dyche - new manager of Everton.

Well Frank Lampard has disappeared and been replaced. Everton tried to sign 14 new players in the transfer window and achieved nothing other than letting their star striker join Newcastle. They hoped to persuade free agent Andre Ayew to join but even he saw the position looked hopeless and became Forest's 29th signing of the season! In Premier Chess James Friar still maintains a healthy lead but challengers are queueing up behind with Mark Talbot's 99 point haul moving him into the top five. Meanwhile Alex Sheerin takes the low score of the season in 10,922,369th place. Finally a note that the fixtures from the missing Week 7 are started to be slotted in so some teams will have double weeks.

1 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 92 1358
2 Dynamo Flick James Marley 76 1334
3 Hibbert for England David Lambert 77 1332
4 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 81 1327
5= Dastardly & Custard Neil Graham 83 1321
5= Ten Hag gets going * Mark Talbot 99 1321
5= Bowen out in style Joel Newman 81 1321

Up for the Cup - Eight teams remain with Paul Janota now the highest placed. Can any make it through to Week 25?

[Neil Graham]

Week 22

Leeds United can confirm head coach Jesse Marsch has been relieved of his duties. Club statement 6th February.

Yet another one bites the dust. For those of you interested in the next sacking, Nathan Jones (Southampton) is odds-on and Klopp is now 5th favourite to go. Meanwhile the overall average score for Fantasy Football this week was 48 points - to show how competitive Premier Chess has become the top 76 managers all scored above the average, Manager number 77 the first to dip below. In a high scoring week 13 managers scored 100+ points with Mark Leonard the best with 110 points courtesy of triple captain points for Rashford; whilst James Marley is out of the top five for the first time since Week 1. Jake Thomas on 16 points was the lowest score of the Game Week. The marvellous transfer in of Casemiro put paid to me for this plus the next three matches after his sending off.

1 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 88 1446
2 Hibbert for England David Lambert 94 1426
3 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 105 1423
4 Ten Hag gets going * Mark Talbot 98 1419
5 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 110 1417

Up for the Cup Only three of the eight remaining teams survived into Week 23. The successful managers are Adam Taylor, Joe Friar and Steve Dilleigh.

[Neil Graham]

Week 23

Southampton Football Club can confirm it has parted company with Men’s First Team Manager Nathan Jones. Club statement

Yet another one bites the dust - as predicted last week. In some sort of musical manager's chairs Southampton were thinking of appointing Jesse Marsch sacked in Week 22 whilst Leeds were linked with ex-Soton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. Neither club has made an appointment as yet. Those of you wanting odds for the next sacking have a new favourite in Bournemouth's Gary O'Neil. In Premier Chess it was again a high scoring week with four managers over 100 points. Whilst Steven Smith had the week's top score, Luke Hayden's 101 points propelled his team "Sterling Silver" to the top of our leader board. At the other end of the table we have surely reached our nadir when backmarker Chris Goodall scored a miserable 12 points to finish in 11,139,065th place for the week. As there are only 11,196,707 teams competing it will take a mammoth effort to undercut this score.

1 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 101 1507
2 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 63 1505
3 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 75 1498
4 Dynamo Flick James Marley 89 1495
5 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 77 1490

Up for the Cup - and then there was one Our last three representatives were involved in the tightest of matches. Whilst Joe Friar lost by 16 points, Adam Taylor failed by a single point losing 78-77 leaving Steve Dilleigh as our sole survivor into Week 24. Despite losing 79-76 Steve progressed after transfers were taken into account by 72-71!

[Neil Graham]

Week 24

Firstly, staying in the division has to be the priority Radio Leeds on Javi Gracia's appointment as Leeds Manager.

Again a very closely contested week - Luke Hayden still tops Premier Chess but the pack hasn't been distanced with 23 teams still within 50 points of our leader. With the EFL Cup at the weekend, four teams aren't playing in Game Week 25 so more opportunities for the pack to close the gap. Matthew Timbrell was the only manager to score 70+ points whilst the low score of the week from Anthony Ibbitson despite playing his wild card. Whether his choices will come good in future we will wait to see.

1 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 56 1563
2 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 57 1562
3 Ten Hag gets going * Mark Talbot 69 1552
4 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 54 1552
5 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 55 1545

Up for the Cup Steve Dilleigh is still flying the flag into Week 25 as our last representative. He joins 16,383 other managers in the draw.

[Neil Graham]

Week 25

Results haven't been good enough - I'm responsible. Chelsea Manager Graham Potter.

Potter is now odds-on to be the next manager to be sacked. Despite the intervention of the EFL Cup it was a mammoth week of points scoring with an average score of 74 points and seventeen Premier Chess managers into triple figures. Luke Hayden maintains his lead; however three times winner Andrew Harley is back in contention but even his tally of 111 was insufficient to achieve the high score of the week from Kevin Williamson of 120. The low score was again from Chris Goodall with the appropriately named "One MoreTime".

1 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 107 1670
2 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 90 1644
3= Hibbert for England David Lambert 93 1635
3= Harley Mitrokane Andrew Harley 111 1635
5= Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 88 1633
5= Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 81 1633
5= SAN1 Sylwester Nowak 100 1633

Up for the Cup Predicted some time ago Week 25 was the k.o. of our final representative Steve Dilleigh

[Chris Goodall]

The low score was again from Chris Goodall with the appropriately named "One MoreTime".

Actually it was the other member of the Crap Christophers this time

[Neil Graham]

Week 26

Freak Result Jurgen Klopp.

For those of us with United players and none from Liverpool - well yes as our scores plummeted down the rankings. For those with Liverpool players a much better outlook with everyone scoring big points. Two joint top scorers Samuel Watts and Mike W211 which brings me on the identity of the latter. I'm sure that when we commenced he had a proper name; otherwise he would have been shown a red card and sent off. Our sole rule is that managers must be identifiable with their real identity so if Mike would like to reveal himself he can remain; otherwise I'm afraid he's taking an early shower. Meanwhile an apology to Chris G for muddling him up with Chris J last week - luckily this week's poor loser is Ian Thompson so I can't mix him up with either.

1 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 50 1720
2 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 76 1709
3 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 51 1695
4 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 53 1686
5 Hibbert for England David Lambert 48 1683

Overall Joint leaders but on tiebreak Ambjörn Ingvaldson is top for a second successive week on 1841 points.

[Neil Graham]

Week 27

"We felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status." Crystal Palace sack Patrick Vieira.

Another manager bites the dust - will any more disappear before the end of the season? Liverpool after beating Manchester United 7-0 lose to Bournemouth. The position at the head of the Premier League looks like a three team race whereas at the bottom a mere five points separate nine teams. It was a big points week in Premier Chess with 32 teams into triple figures; Thomas Evans the highest on 124 whilst Alex Sheerin was low scorer of the week. Luke Hayden took a big tumble from first to fifth place with Sam Herring in top spot for the first time this season.

1 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 93 1802
2 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 101 1796
3 Hibbert for England David Lambert 107 1790
4 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 96 1782
5 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 55 1775

Finally The leading team now has 1,940 points - so the 2,000 point barrier is likely to be broken this weekend.

[NickFaulks]

The position at the head of the Premier League looks like a three team race

Three?

[Neil Graham]

Week 28

"Tottenham's story is this: 20 years there is this owner and they never won something. Why?" Antonio Conte - 18th March
27th March - Conte leaves "by mutual consent"

Well this is the eleventh managerial change this season clearly what is needed are bright young go ahead coaches - so Palace have reappointed 75 year old Roy Hodgson as manager. Youngster Sam Allardyce (68) waits in the wings. Average score for Week 28 was 33 points but in the highly competitive Premier Chess arena 48 of the top 50 managers bettered that score. Sam Herring still at the top whilst we need to look to page three for high scorers Yong Wang and Anthony Ibbitson who we saw in last position in Week 24. A plethora of low scores with Neil Pennock on 11 points the nadir; assisted by selection of two players no longer in the League. As to Nick's comments - I hadn't realised how far Manchester United had fallen behind their rivals.

1 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 55 1857
2 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 50 1846
3 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 49 1831
4 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 56 1831
5 Ten Hag gets going * Mark Talbot 58 1830

Overall My confident prediction of a 2000+ plus score this game week proved over optimistic. The top team has 1994 points.

[Neil Graham]

Week 29

Performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations. Brendan Rodgers leaves Leicester "by mutual consent"
We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. Graham Potter sacked by Chelsea FC.

Are there any more sackings due - only nine managers are left standing from the start of the season? It was a mammoth scoring week for Premier Chess; the average score for this week was 80 points and the top 71 managers exceeded this score; indeed 44 of our top 50 were triple points scorers but even they were unable to better the score of Noah Poot who achieved the best score of the season with 157 points and 715th position for the Game Week. In addition there were whole scale changes on the leader board as three new managers Alex Leslie, Matthew Timbrell and Anthony Kent made their first top five appearances of the season. George Wright was the lowest scorer of the week - having Mitrović in your starting XI isn't recommended.

1 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 129 1975
2 Lord of the Ings Alex Leslie 143 1969
3 Hibbert for England David Lambert 130 1958
4 Liverpool Matthew Timbrell 140 1957
5= Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 133 1956
5= Spikenard Anthony Kent 153 1956

Overall - Leading score is now 2,114 points.

[Neil Graham]

Quarter Three - Weeks 21 to 29

In marked contrast to last season which was rather a procession, 2022-23 has been a remarkable competition so far. Managers have emerged and disappeared whilst other one-time leaders have been relegated to also-rans; underlined by the fact that only one manager appeared every week in the top five of this quarter. Week 29 saw three new challengers who had never featured in the top five up to this point. 14 managers achieved top five places as opposed to 10 in Quarter Two and there are still 16 within 50 points of current leader James Friar. Furthermore it is almost 100% certain that a new record total will be reached - largely due to Erling Haaland's contributions. Here are the scores for the quarter (5 pts for 1st place and so on with a minimum of two weeks to qualify - number of weeks out of 9 in brackets).

1 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 38pts (9)
2 Sterling Silver Luke Hayden 25pts (7)
3 Slumdog Mignolet Sam Herring 24pts (7)
4 Hibbert for England David Lambert 17pts (6)
5 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 12pts (8)
6. Ten Hag gets going * Mark Talbot 7pts (4)
7. Dynamo Flick James Marley 6pts (2)

[Neil Graham]

Week 30

"He reacted in a way that he shouldn't" former Premier referee comments on alleged elbowing incident by assistant against Liverpool's Andy Robertson.

No one managed triple points this week; however top scorer Kevin Williamson found himself promoted from Page 2 to Page 1. In the wooden spoon position Chris Goodall achieved the lowest score and he is yet to reach 1,000 pts for the season ; although it must be remembered he didn't start until Game Week 7. At the top of the table 15 managers reached the 2,000 point mark and whilst James Friar still leads his advantage over all these challengers is a mere 39 points. The final reckoning could well depend on what chips remain to be played.

1 Mr Richard Arlison James Friar 64 2039
2 Lord of the Ings Alex Leslie 58 2027
3 Ince and Ruud Mark Leonard 70 2022
4 Hibbert for England David Lambert 62 2020
5 Liverpool Matthew Timbrell 59 2016

Premier Chess Cup It's now the commencement of our knock out competition. The vast majority of players have received byes but if you scored less than 50 points in Game Week 30 your tournament commences with a preliminary round in Week 31.

[Anthony Ibbitson]

I didn't even know I was part of an ECF Fantasy Football competition. I literally forget to update my team 95% of the time!