2012-2013 FPL Transfer Analysis - Would Knowing This Info Help You Too?

2012-13 Fantasy Premier League Transfer Analysis

I’ve gotta level with you guys.  I just can’t get the recent FPL season out of my mind.  It was a year of growth for me; a year where finding an outlet to talk about the sport (EPL) and the game (FPL) on Twitter raised my appreciation and enjoyment of the FPL game to levels I had never anticipated.

I’ve learned so much just from reading what knowledgeable fans have said to one another and asked one another about, let alone the actual conversations I’ve had with people that have helped me understand and enjoy the game with a new awareness.  I’ve said before that the season ended too early for me.  I didn’t want the momentum to stop.  Having improved from 352,257th place in 2011-2012 to 33,058th place in 2012-2013, part of me was afraid that the momentum I carried through the end of the season and all that I learned this year would fade with the two-month gap; that I might forget what I had learned and would essentially be starting the new upcoming season from scratch again.

So without being able to keep playing the FPL game, I wanted to do the next best thing.  I wanted to analyze my performance and delve further into how the knowledge I gained from talking and “listening to” so many respectable friends and fans helped me reach levels that surprised me.  The logical place for me to start was to analyze my transfer activity; specifically the transfers I made throughout the season that resulted in point hits.

If you’ve played FPL for any length of time and are active on Twitter, you’ve inevitably fretted over the prospect of “paying” or “spending” 4 extra points to make a transfer that you can’t make for free.  The concept is an integral part of the game, and one that often can make or break an individual gameweek and ultimately how you perform in your mini-league and overall ranking.

Respected FPL players talk about “the 4-point hit” just about every week.  Is it worth it?  What has to happen to make it pay off?  For which positions is it worth considering and for which positions is it a guaranteed no-no?  What are the odds that it will pay off?

I read and listened to many people.  One of the things I remember hearing most from people that I respected highly was “Don’t take a hit if you don't have to; they don’t pay off 80% of the time.”  That scared me and had me thinking carefully about all of the things that would need to happen for a 4-point hit to pay off.  Not only would the person I transferred in need to do well, but they would need to score at least 4 more points than the person I transferred out.  In FPL, where every point is valuable, a 4-point hit needed to be weighed carefully.

Partly because of the fear instilled in me with the prospect of a 4-point hit, and partly because I was in a position in my mini-league towards the end of the season where every point would end up being important, I always found myself thinking long and hard about the prospect of giving up 4 points to make a transfer that I thought would pay off.

With three weeks left in the season, and hearing the old mantra of “4-point hits don’t pay off 80% of the time” from respected FPL players in the back of my mind, my mini-league rival made the surprising decision of making 5 transfers during double game week 36; a 16 point hit!  I was freaking out.  I had taken point hits in the 2-3 weeks leading up to double gameweek 36 to prepare and set myself up for it, but was surprised that my rival took such a risk; especially when things were so tight in our mini-league.  One of my good friends in the FPL Twitter community, knowing my mini-league was tight and probably trying to make me feel better, said “Don’t worry dude, there’s no way they’ll all pay off for him”.  Well guess what; 4 of his 5 transfers DID pay off for him, and it left me questioning the “4-point hits don’t pay off 80% of the time” adage that had been ingrained in my head.

So, after the season ended, I thought I’d take a look and see just how I fared when making the decision to take transfer hits.  The results actually surprised me very much.

  

Note: Because almost all of the transfers I made that resulted in 4-point hits were transfers that required swapping more than 1 player, I’ve analyzed my transfer hits based on each gameweek as opposed to each transfer.  It was very rare that I took a 4-point hit specifically to swap one player for another; it more often required a double move to “downgrade” a player in one position to be able to “upgrade” a player in another.

Here are my 2012-2013 season statistics/details with regard to point hits and transfers:
(Please excuse the formatting; I've had a heck of a time with it and it's not quite the visual that I wanted)

GW2:   Out: Mata, Aguero (3,0)            In: Hazard, Tevez (13,12)        
             Pts Hit: -4    Net Pts: +18
GW5:   Out: Federici, Petric (0,0)          In: Davis, Berbatov (0,8)          
             Pts Hit: -4    Net Pts: +4

GW6:   Out: Torres, DeGuzman (11,0)  In: Fletcher, Fellaini (8,2)          
             Pts Hit: -4    Net Pts: -5

GW7:   Out: Davis, Lescott, Kagawa, Berbatov  (0,6,0,0)
             In: Begovic, Gibbs, Cazorla, Jelavic  (9,1,8,5)
             Pts. Hit: -12 Net Pts: +5      

GW11: WILDCARD USED
GW16: Out: RVP, Silva, Bale (6,2,0)     In: LeFondre, Sessegnon, Michu (4,10,12)
             Pts Hit: -8   Net Pts: +10

GW18: Out: Britton, Rafael, Fletcher, Fellaini (2,0,8,0)  In: Walcott, Nastasic, Ba, Toure (6,6,2,3)
             Pts Hit: -12  Net Pts: -5

GW22: JANUARY WILDCARD USED

GW27: Out: Suarez, Michu (0,0)           In: Giroud, Bale (2,15)              
             Pts Hit: -4    Net Pts: +13

GW29: Out: Fellaini, Cameron, Giroud (0,1,0)      In: Snodgrass, Garrido, Benteke (3,6,7)
             Pts Hit: -8    Net Pts: +7

GW31: Out: Benteke, Puncheon, Garrido (6,2,2)   In: Berbatov, Cazorla, Monreal (13,12,2)  
             Pts Hit: -4    Net Pts: +13
GW32: Out: Sturridge, Bale (2,0)          In: Lambert, Hazard (7,2)        
             Pts Hit: -4     Net Pts: +3
GW33: Out: Hazard, Davies (6,0)         In: Fellaini, Baines (5,12)          
             Pts Hit: -4    Net Pts: +7

GW34: Out: Fellaini, Cazorla, Suarez (2,3,11)        In: Michu, Maloney, RVP (3,2,17)
             Pts Hit: -8    Net Pts: -2

GW35: Out: Monreal, Lambert, Snodgrass, Johnson (0,2,2,5)
             In: Dawson, Lukaku, Bale, Figueroa (0,15,12,1)
             Pts Hit: -12   Net Pts: +7

GW37: Out: Defoe, Michu (1,8)            In: Sturridge, Lampard (17,14)  
             Pts Hit: -4     Net Pts: +18

Well there you have it.  All told, I spent 92 points on 23 transfers during the 2012-2013 FPL season.  Of the 14 gameweeks in which I took hits, I achieved net gains on 11 of them (78.5%) and had net losses on 3 of them (21.5%).

In summary, I gave up 91 points scored by the players I transferred out, spent 92 points to transfer in other players, and those players that I transferred in earned 276 points in the week I brought them in; for a net overall season gain of 93 points.

Here is something that I found fascinating... check this out:

The points scored by the players I transferred out  = 91

The number of points I spent on the 23 extra transfers = 92

The NET OVERALL GAIN I made through these transfers during the season = 93

Pretty crazy, huh!?!

I am so glad I took the time to put this information together and look back on my transfer dealings throughout the course of the season.  It taught me that depending on the situation, taking hits on additional transfers can work out rather well if done carefully.  As a fairly conservative FPL player, after the initial and necessary early season adjustments accounting for players who no longer started, fell out of form, were injured, etc., the majority of my point hits were taken to offload players who were either suspended, injured, had blank game weeks, etc.; or to bring in players with upcoming double game weeks.  In hindsight, this is perfectly normal and to be expected.  What I was surprised about was the percentage of times that point hits actually worked out for me.  Had you asked me that question throughout the season I would have said that it seemed like point hits worked out for me roughly half of the time.  My decisions look better in hindsight than they felt at the time, although obviously what’s not accounted for here are the players I DIDN’T pick who went nuts on certain gameweeks, like giving up Benteke to see him nail a hat trick a few weeks later.  But that’s FPL for ya.

If you would like to put together analysis like this for yourself based on last season’s statistics, PLEASE PRINT OUT YOUR GAMEWEEK DETAIL TODAY!  Next year’s EPL fixtures will be released tomorrow and there is speculation that the FPL site may reset itself and remove all 2012-2013 gameweek detail as early as tomorrow.  They do not store gameweek detail from prior seasons so once they reset the site it’s gone for good.

Sorry for being so long winded, but I hope you enjoyed seeing the stats of my transfers and how those transfer dealings affected the overall season points as a whole.  I improved my overall ranking considerably this year compared to last, and looking back now, these 93 extra points played a very large factor in that.

Cheers guys!

Walt

Please follow me on Twitter:  @EPLFanForLife

FPL 101 (Summer School for Rookies and Newbies)

FPL Pre-season Warmup – Avoiding “Rookie Mistakes”

Maybe you’ve recently finished your first or second FPL season or are standing at the proverbial water’s edge, staring out at the churning waters of the FPL ocean, wondering what’s out there, contemplating playing the game for the first time this coming season.  From one rookie to another, here are a few hard learned lessons and tips that could be the FPL life jacket you’re looking for.

Before We Begin – Why Are You Playing?

In my experience, those playing FPL more or less fit into one of two different categories.  First, there are those who are fans of the sport of football in general and the English Premier League specifically and who use FPL as a way to enhance their weekend viewing of the games and to get to know some of the “other” players beside the household names we see highlighted during major international tournaments.  Second, there are those who not only play the game to enhance their viewing, but also take the FPL game itself seriously and delve into the complexities of the game with an eye towards scoring the most points possible and improving their mini-league and overall ranking.

This distinction is an extremely important one as the FPL game means something different depending on which of these groups you find yourself in.  If you’re like me, you will probably find that playing the game for fun and to try to learn more about the Premier League inevitably leads to you finding yourself getting further involved, almost addicted, and focusing on points, points, points.  For the purposes of this article I will assume that you have one eye looking towards next season with a goal of playing the game seriously.  With this in mind, following are a few tips I wish were shared with me before I locked in my first gw1 FPL team.

Know the Rules and Scoring System

There are many fantasy games out there based on the sport we love.  Before playing the official FPL game I played Fantasy World Cup 2010 and 2 seasons of ESPN Fantasy Football for Premier League.  It wasn’t until the 2011-12 EPL season that I found the “official” FPL game.  I remember setting up my ESPN team for my third season when some friends invited me to join a mini-league they’d created the prior year in FPL.  I joined without doing any homework and by gw2 I realized keeping up with 2 teams wasn’t going to be possible.  With friends in FPL and recognizing that a) it was the official fantasy game of the EPL and b) there were over 2.5 MILLION players, the decision was easy and quick.  My ESPN team was abandoned and I was floating in the waters of FPL with nothing but my old presumptions based on a game I no longer played.

If you’ve played other fantasy football games in the past, and even if you haven’t, familiarize yourself with the Rules and Scoring System as best you can.  Yes, it can get a little tedious and there are more fun ways to spend your spare time, but knowing the rules and scoring distinctions can really help not only when formulating the team you’ll start the season with but with the hundreds of decisions you’ll make throughout the season.  Distinctions are important and if you don’t recognize them early you’ll be cursing them later.

 

Need a refresher or want to understand the rules and scoring before playing this season?  Follow this link for everything you need to know: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/rules/

(This link is active as of June 9, 2013)

Do Not Pick Players Based Solely on Team Affiliation

If for some strange reason you print this article, circle, highlight and underline this one.  As a fan of EPL, you almost surely have a team or teams you support with wild abandon and a team or teams that you, uh, don’t support (sometimes with equal or more fervor and energy than you reserve for your favorite team).

Picking your team and making transfers based solely on which teams you love and hate is a recipe for disaster.  Take it from someone who has experienced it personally; the ONLY thing worse than watching a good player on one of your least favorite teams score goals and rack up points is not having them on your FPL team and watching your rivals who were smart enough to pick them bury you in FPL too.  It’s enough to drive you mad.  Enough said.

Be Aware of All Fixtures and Competitions 

Closely behind the disappointment of watching your affiliation-related stubbornness cost you valuable FPL points is the fear, panic, and ultimate self-punishment that comes with making a transfer early only to find out there is a mid-week Carling Cup fixture in which your newly transferred player will feature and quite possibly either get injured or be subsequently rested for the weekend EPL fixture.

To my knowledge, the official FPL site does not publicize or warn you of these fixtures that you absolutely, positively need to be aware of when formulating your strategy for a particular gameweek.  Find the best source of information you can for fixtures in all competitions that EPL teams compete in and make sure you do not get caught unaware.

 

Don’t Rely on a Single News Source

As you get further involved in your FPL addiction you will find that there are diametrically opposed realities of wanting to know as soon as possible what a team’s expected lineup will be for their upcoming fixture and knowing that if there is any certainty whatsoever, it only comes after days (often 3 or 4) of sniffing out news stories and having multiple journos help to confirm or deny rumors and managerial leanings that are printed and theorized early in the week.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) there are many websites and “help” sites out there that post predicted lineups for the upcoming round of EPL fixtures.  Be careful though; I do not know where they get their information and they are not always accurate.  I learned the hard way not to rely on one single source of information.  If you are lucky you may find a source or two that seem to get things right more often than not.  If you find them, please send me the info.  Otherwise, do your homework and dig around.  There are all kinds of theories out there (the Liverpool bib theory comes to mind) but I have yet to find a single, reliable source of information for starting lineups that would give me a leg up on transfer decisions.

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned

This is another tip that is high on my list of things I wish I had learned sooner.  If you’re like me, your natural inclination as an FPL manager is to utilize every penny at your disposal to “maximize” your squad; especially early on when you are creating your team for gw1 and before player values have fluctuated.

I think this year will be different for me.  One of the things that I learned this past season was the value of keeping some money in the bank.  As I look back on the 2012-2013 FPL season, I remember vividly multiple, MULTIPLE game weeks where 0.1m was the difference between making a transfer I really, really wanted and settling for one that I could afford.

In addition to the pure economics involved, the biggest difference for me was the breathing room afforded by having 0.2m or 0.3m sitting in the bank.  It was frequently the difference between feeling rushed and panicked to make a transfer too early and being able to calmly make better decisions, knowing that a 0.1m rise in price of the guy I wanted or a 0.1m dip in price of the guy I wanted to offload would not force me into making a hasty decision too early in the gameweek.  “Panic” transfers are no fun.

I hope in this list you find something valuable that you can use as you get ready for your second or third season of FPL.  And if you are standing there wondering whether this is the year that you play the game for the first time, I hope that you find something here that makes it more likely that you will click “CONFIRM TEAM” for the first time this coming August.  Over 2.5 million of us can’t be wrong.

I hope you’re enjoying your “off season”.

Walt (@EPLFanForLife)

Enjoy this article?... please follow me on Twitter:
@eplfanforlife

FPLH's Performance and Review 2012/2013

FPLH's Overall Rank:

5,038th out of 2,608,912 (Top 0.19% of FPL Gamers)

Last year I was ranked in the Top 0.004% of FPL Gamers

Domestic Standings:

FPLH League: 12th

Last year I finished 3rd

FPLH Cup: 42nd

Last year I finished 2nd

Team’s value after GW 38:

£106.8M

Last year the team value after GW 38 was £108.8M

Average GW score over 38 weeks:

59.07 from 2245 points

Last year it was 61.11 from 2322 points

Season's GW Points Tally (excl. transfer costs):

0-10 points: 0
11-20 points: 0
21-30 points: 1
31-40 points: 4

41-50 points: 8

51-60 points: 7

61-70 points: 9

71-80 points: 2

81 points +: 7

FPLH's Highest score, excl. transfer costs:

112 (GW23)

Last year it was 123 in GW 36

FPLH's lowest score, excl. transfer costs:

30 (GW 32)

Last year it was 38 in GW6

Transfers made:

48

Last year it was 44

Lost points through extra transfers:

52 points

Last year it was 44

FPL Player Exchange Game:

523 points - Overall position: 268th out of 57,719
(The P/E Game was new to the 2012/13 season)

Summary

After last year's cracking 110th finish, it was going to be virtually impossible for me to match that... but I gave it a go!  Realistically I was targeting at least a Top 1k finish.  The truth was that I had a solid squad through out the season.  But I lost too many silly points on the bench.  Upon calculation, I may have lost as much as 110+ points on the bench!  This was in part due to surprise results or unforeseen miscalculations on my part.  However, I gradually lost less points on the bench as the season progressed and fortunately didn't lose too many points on shoddy captaincy picks.  Relying on one keeper and having a stock/cheap un-usable 3rd sub helped me  to free up funds but also reduce points lost on the bench.  I believe I used both of my wildcards at the correct moments which resulted in a mid-season boost and late flurry injection of points - allowing me to obtain 2 tons in one season for the first time.  From GW23-33 I was floundering between 10k to 19k and feared a mediocre finish.  But the all-season wild card and spot on selections bailed me out to a respectable 5k.  Who captained RVP v Villa? Or captained Benteke v Sunderland? I did! These potentially risky yet inspiring captain picks catapulted me up the table, but alas it was too little too late to break into the top 1k. I rarely scored less than 40 which was pleasing but I should have got more 71+ GW scores.  Aside from that, I finished 2nd in FM-Base's league and 3rd in their cup which I consider a job well done under the circumstances.  To conclude, finishing 5,038th wasn't so bad after all and I intend to zoom up the table again for the 2013/2014 season. Mourinho? Moyes? 'Ollie? Bring it on!

FPL... The American Way! (Walt's Story)

So I’m a second year FPL enthusiast from the USA who is still learning the game.  Last year was an interesting intro to the FPL game, but coming from a few years of the ESPN version of the game (the first season I played I was given 30 transfers TOTAL to use whenever I wanted – no option to “buy” additional transfers when I ran out) I really had no idea what I was doing.  I ended up ranked 350,000 or thereabouts and actually felt pretty accomplished – that a guy from the other side of the world in a country where David Beckham once walked around virtually unnoticed – could finish the season within the top 15%.

This year was different.  About a third of the way through the season I started getting active on Twitter and recognized that there was a wealth of awesome people, all EPL/FPL addicts like me, who I could talk with and increase my enjoyment of both the “real” weekend games and the FPL game.  By “active”, I guess I should clarify.  For a good while I just read people’s tweets, amazed that I could create an entire Twitter world around the sport that I loved but that very few people around me wanted to talk or hear about.

After a few weeks of watching, I started seeking out people who played the FPL game and began tweeting.  I expected to be virtually ignored in a place full of fans so much more knowledgeable than myself, but got some responses, retweets, whatever.  @FPLHints was one of the first people to say hello and welcome me and I appreciate that to this day.  I never would have imagined that I’d be sitting here a few months later actually contributing to his blog.  The problem was, my addiction was about to go to another level.

I got more involved in discussions about FPL in general and the game took on new meaning.  I started learning about the importance of double game weeks, the questions to ask yourself when deciding whether to take a 4 point hit on an extra transfer or not, how to back up questionable starters with carefully selected subs in a specific order, how different opponents might affect a manager’s starting lineup and formation for the coming week; all subtle nuances that I was blind to the year before.

Along with my increased involvement and heightened interest came better scores.  I was able to capitalize on opportunities that I now recognized and amazingly moved into the top 100,000, hitting game week highs in the 80’s that I had never come close to before.  One week I even broke 90.  

The momentum carried forward to the point that I found myself hitting the top 50,000 and pinching myself along the way.  The banter and discussions I had with so many knowledgeable football fans only made it all better.  Before I knew it, I was talking FPL with not only people from the UK, but also people from Ireland, Australia, Canada, India, and many other countries, including some equally addicted fellow Americans.

For me, the season ended too early.  I overcame a deficit to win my mini-league over the final 2 gws of the season and finished the season with my highest ever ranking; 33,058.  I didn’t want the momentum to stop.  I still have so much to learn and so much to improve upon but that will have to wait until next season, when I once again face the uniquely American phenomenon of having to select my team on Friday night so as not to risk sleeping past the typical 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning game week deadline.

Yes, the life of an American FPL junkie comes with some obstacles, but none of them put a dent in our enthusiasm for the sport we love to follow and the game we love to play.

Until August…….

@EPLFanForLife (Walt)

FPLH's Team of the Season 2012-13

Our team of the season is based on a unique algorithm created by FPLH.  It isn't simply based on the PL's actual ranking.  Rather it considers an array of subjective and objective things, i.e. did a team punch above its weight?  Did a team under-perform?  How did a team actually do?

To be precise, the FPLH algorithm factors the following things:

• FPLH's pre-season league table projection. (Subjective)
• 4 layered ranking ratio based on pre-season projection. (Objective)
• Goals Scored in PL during the 12-13 season. (Objective)
• Clean Sheets in PL during the 12-13 season. (Objective)
• "Impress Factor" based on actual performance. (Subjective)

With the above in mind, our calculations produced the following results:

Position	Teams	Total
1	Everton	663,000
2	Man United	658,000
3	Chelsea	622,050
4	West Brom	588,000
5	Man City	533,000
6	Arsenal	529,200
7	Tottenham	459,900
8	Liverpool	442,800
9	Southampton	429,000
10	Norwich	405,600
11	Swansea	364,800
12	West Ham	327,600
13	Stoke	222,750
14	Aston Villa	200,000
15	Fulham	162,000
16	Reading	96,600
17	Newcastle	84,150
18	Wigan	70,000
19	Sunderland	57,200
20	QPR	38,850

Congratulations to Everton Football Club.  

You are FPLH's Team of the Season 2012/2013.

FPL Hints - Gameweek 38

Transfers: Lukaku OUT / Hernandez IN

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. 
Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter account.

Folks, it's that time of the season again to say adios and goodbye!  

But not just yet...

It looks like my purchases of Theo and Santi worked a treat in GW37, just a shame I captained Theo and not Santi!  I was on a paltry 3 pts before the last two matches of GW37 and they helped propel me to 53pts.  I took a slight tumble in the rankings, but I am still ranked 5kish and still capable of breaking into the Top 2.5k with a decent GW38.

My team looks very decent for GW 38 and I probably didn't even need to make any transfers.  I wish I could afford Sturridge or Coutinho.  But then I thought that a differential is required if I want another jump up the rankings.  With this in mind I purchased Hernandez aka Chicarito.  

My reasoning for buying Hernandez was that he scored last week, after taking Rooney's starting spot.  Moreover, Sir Alex has said prior to his final match v West Brom before retirement that "I want to win this one more than last week's".  This made sense for me to purchase attacking United coverage.  I couldn't afford RVP and Hernandez seemed like the perfect alternative + differential factor.

Last year I had a disastrous GW 38 that jolted me from 73rd to 110th.  Had it not been for Aguero's last minute winner I may have finished outside of the Top 200.  I wanted a decent starting XI without taking any hits, despite my numerous -4 hits in recent weeks.  8/11 of my first team are playing home matches which is a plus.  4 of my players (Bale, Vertonghen, Santi, Theo) still have something to play for which is a double plus!

I feel that Bale has more incentive to do well on Sunday, especially because Tottenham are at home and must bag a win.  Thus I have captained Bale for the final GW of the season.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 38

Gareth Bale

FPLH's Hot Picks XI

Hart

Zabaleta

Luiz

Vertonghen

Santi Cazorla

Walcott

Mata

Bale

Hernandez

Sturridge

Kone

Reina

Maloney

Kompany

Enrique

10/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team

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FPL Hints - Gameweek 37

Transfers: Henderson & Michu OUT (-4 Hit) / Walcott & Santi Cazorla IN

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. 
Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter account.

Here we are! GW 37 - The penultimate Gameweek of the season.  For the FPL addicts among us it means that we have to start making alternative plans to keep preoccupied for the summer.  Aside from that, It is incredible to think that the continuity of two of the PL's longest held management positions will soon come to an end.  Moyes' trophyless/hard graft 11 year reign with the Toffees is being rewarded with the hot seat at United, as trophy-laden Fergie finally retires.  Good luck to both of them - Let's hope it spices up FPL for next season!

Speaking of FPL, hasn't someone been on a galactic run of late! :D

Despite having a below par season, I finally found some form and topped it off by scoring a ton in last week's DGW courtesy of my wildcard.  My recent run has pushed me up in the rankings from 19k to 5k in the space of 3 Gameweeks!  With hindsight, last week's DGW could have been so much better if I picked Walker/Cahill/Adebayor/Ramires instead of Vertonghen/Luiz/Lukaku/Michu but oh well, I still scored a ton!

For this GW, I decided to only bring in players who still have something to play for + reasonable upcoming fixtures.  I decided to buy Walcott and Santi Cazorla (with a -4 hit) as I believe Arsenal will do everything in their might to pip arch-rivals Spurs in their pursuit of securing a CL spot.  This means playing their best players and going all-out to score goals.  Walcott has form on his side, but Santi hasn't.  But I think Santi is due a goal or two anytime soon and what better timing than now?  Moreover, this season, they have a combined tally of 25 PL goals / 22 PL assists between them, which is fantastic!

I am worried that Tevez and Zabaleta will be rested post-FA Cup final for their fixture v Reading.  In fact, Mata may even be rested pre-Europa League final!  Either way, even if I only have 10 out of 11 for this GW that should be fine.

I wish I had Everton coverage in the form of Baines/Fellaini but I feel that they aren't going to play for much now (despite Moyes' reign ending) after effectively securing 6th spot.  Even MUFC coverage would have been nice, but they may give the young guns a run in their final match which would be a waste of a transfer.  I also thought about buying Ben Arfa as a differential, but opted against the risk.

My captain for this week is Theo, vice-captain is Bale.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 37

Theo Walcott

FPLH's Hot Picks XI

Hart

Evra

Baines

Mertesacker

Santi Cazorla

Walcott

Maloney

Fellaini

Bale

Van Persie

Kone

de Gea

Benteke

Jagielka

Martin

6/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team

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FPL Hints - Double Gameweek 36

Transfers (Wildcard):

Mbia (Out)	Luiz (In)	36
Bunn (Out)	Robles (In)	36
Fabianski (Out)	Hart (In)	36
Harte (Out)	Morrison (In)	36
Berbatov (Out)	Lukaku (In)	36
Clichy (Out)	Zabaleta (In)	36
O'Brien (Out)	Vertonghen (In)	36
Martin R (Out)	Bertrand (In)	36
Fellaini (Out)	Maloney (In)	36
Santi Cazorla (Out)	Henderson (In)	36
Coutinho (Out)	Michu (In)	36
Van Persie (Out)	Tevez (In)	36
Benteke (Out)	Kone (In)	36

*FPLH reserves the right to change this team at any time. 
Any changes made will be confirmed on FPLH's Twitter account.

Team Reasoning

Folks, the season is almost at an end.  Yet I feel pumped up as if it has only just begun!  

GW 34:  Monday night captain (last match of GW) RVP scores a hat-trick.  GW 35: Monday night captain (last match of GW) Benteke scores a hat-trick.  Those two decisive choices have catapulted me from 19k to 10k in the space of 2 Gameweeks whilst allowing me to break beyond the 2,000 points threshold.

GW 36 is for the taking.  The final DGW.  I have been waiting all season to use my WC and the timing was right for this GW.  As a result, my team has been chopped and changed heavily with my Monday night heroes (RVP and Benteke) given the boot! Fear not, as I have enough funds at hand to bring in a decent midfielder or striker post-DGW.

My wildcard choices (as outlined) above are for maximum effect of DGW 36.  I have been careful to have a balanced team with only the most attacking and key players selected.  I wasn't going to select the now off-form Michu, but I thought it best to have some sort of Swansea DGW coverage

I have decided to captain Bale as I feel he offers the most DGW promise due to his form, fixtures and incentive to qualify for CL football.  Tevez is only my vice-captain as he has no trophy incentive left for the season, despite the relative ease of his fixtures.

Recommended Player for Gameweek 35

  Gareth Bale

FPLH's Hot Picks XI

Hart

Zabaleta

Luiz

Vertonghen

Mata

Bale

Michu

Maloney

Tevez

Lukaku

Kone

Robles

Hazard

Davies

Olsson

12/15 Hot Picks' feature in FPLH's GW Team

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