And so another season draws to a close, or rather, the second of two seasons played back to back finally draws to a close. Apart from the Euros of course which start in just 7 days, and then next season, and then the World C… oh for gods sake, can we just have a break from the bloody football now? Even I’m starting to go off it.
But if the poor old Pros have to keep playing on and on, with barely time for a 3 week stay in Dubai, so must we Fantasy Managers… and so thoughts turn to the results of the 20/21 Fray Bentos Season. And who is sitting top of the pile? Why it’s only Pats Alcantara and his team Go Foyth & Multiply! In what I think is only Pats 4th season of playing Fantasy Football, possibly third, it’s a superb achievement from the boy Alcantara.
So how did he do it? Let’s take a look…
Early doors, Pats built his team around the talented, handsome and surprisingly petulant Son Heung-Min and horse faced predator Harry Kane. Safe to say that in Pat’s first ever team – Pat’s Nice Boys – who were picked entirely on their looks, only one of those players was getting picked. Alongside the Spurs duo were Liverpool’s Van Dijk and Nice Boys alumni Kevin De Bruyne and a sprinkling of lower priced players.
Fair to say that success was not immediate for the Go Foyth & Multiply boys. So so returns for the first few weeks, not helped by Captains scores of 4, 4, 4 & 4 in Gameweeks 1-4.
At this point in the season we can only assume there were crisis talks in the Manchester suburbs, because in GW5, GF&M came out swinging, playing an early wildcard and… make actually not that many changes. Son, Kane and Kevin survived the cull, but the supporting cast got revamped, with Grealish and Martinez of Villa standing out among the newcomers. VVD at this point was crocked and would take no further part in the seasons victory.
In GW9, Pats could ignore the clammering no longer, and Fernandes of United would join the team, replacing the almost literally pointless Raheem Sterling. A scattering of Leeds players were also making their way into the GF&M line up around this time.
Time passed, points were scored, De Bruyne got injured, etc etc and GF&M were doing pretty well. But things got even better in GW19 when Pats got his highest score of the season, a whopping 127 points! The naysayers will scoff and say things like ‘yeah, well he played his Bench Boost so it was technically a chip-assisted 100+ score and as such is less…‘ to which I reply ‘OH SHUT YOU RIDICULOUS NERDS!‘ And anyway, although the Bench Boost contributed a very useful 19 points, it would still have been a 100+ score without it. So there.
Solid if unspectacular scores followed, and life was calm in the Pats household, the peace only disturbed by the sobbing of fellow manager Matt O’Reilly whose Draxler United were clearly heading for the wooden spoon in the Inter Household Mini League. The second wildcard was played in GW29 and saw Kane back in fold soon joined by perennial favourite Son.
GW35 saw the second 100+ score of the season for the GF&M boys, thanks in large part to 38 pts from Captain Fernandes and an easy victory was assur…
But wait! Last minute drama!! Although at this point, Pats was in top spot and seemingly cruising to victory, who is this in second place suddenly making a last dash for the line? Why it’s only Sam Raymond, winner of the 19/20 League! For on the same week that GF&M were racking up 110 points, Chicken Caesar Salah scored a huge 153 points, with the same Captain scoring 57 points, thanks to a superbly placed Triple Captain chip.
At this point a lesser manager, such as Matt O’Reilly, would have choked, but not Pats, for the Alcantara boys, and girls, and uncles, and nephews, and cousins, are made of sterner stuff. But Pats simply carried on camping, and closed out the season with some solid scores that Raymond was able to match, but not surpass.
So ends our season recap. Honourable shoutouts to all the top 10, with Daniel SS, Mr Donkin and Matt Hope cementing their standings as regular members of the Big Six. John Chapman (‘the Schmo’), Exon-Taylor, Gary Baker and Gautlett fillled out the Europa league places, four players with years of experience behind them who will be hoping to make a tilt at the title next season. Special mention to Erik Lambert who, as much to his surprise as anyone else’s, secured a top 5 finish that, according to various toilet walls I’ve seen, must have something to do with doping and/or manila envelopes stuffed with cash being handed to referees at service stations.
I leave you with the seasons Top Ten below. Thanks to everyone for playing, hope to see you all back next season.
In what no less a journalist than Piers Morgan called ‘the greatest World Cup final of all time’, France eventually ran out 4-2 winners. I’d say their win was somewhat fortuitous – a slightly unnecessary own goal, a VAR penalty that was greyer than John Major’s underpants and a third it took Pogba two chances to score. But Mbappe’s 4th was sumptuous and no less than he deserved for lighting up the tournament.
Elsewhere, the Diables Rouge swept aside 1970s tribute act Brazil, breaking narry (sp?) a sweat. Martinez continues to enhance his CV via the tactical masterstroke of playing Kevin DB out of position until they were about to get beat by Japan and then chucking on Fellaini out of desperation, thus inventing the side he should have started with. Give that man the Spain job!
In second spot is Le petit Thomas, a strapping 6″2 family member of mine who has overcome both that disability and having Germany top to be just two points off the pace.
: Fancied by many a pundit before the competition, Les Bleus started their competition with a less-than-spectacular 2-1 victory over that footballing powerhouse, Australia. Antoine’s Greasy Men did just about enough, though, to win their backers five points (plus multipliers), so on that basis warrant inclusion. But with Peru and Denmark on the horizon, it’s only likely to get more difficult from here on in.
Fray Bentos 