With an average of a miserable 34 points, Gameweek 8 was one of the worst in a long time, something that won’t overly concern Champion J-League leader Clive Earley.
(Fantasy Football in association with Champion)
Gameweek 8 review
Although I’m neglecting to do thorough research on the matter, off the top of my head that must have been one of the worst Fantasy Football weekends in living memory. A quick straw poll of the JOEs in the office today would seem to confirm as much.
To my right, Sean Nolan came in with 28 points. Head honcho Shane Breslin scored a meagre 24 and yours truly could only go one better with 25. Hell, it was even that bad that Emmet Purcell, a man much maligned in my columns to date, top scored with 42 points. A sad day, indeed.
The reason behind the miserly returns was, of course, the absence or limited appearances of so many of the star players to date. Wayne Rooney, Nani and David Silva, for example, scored a point apiece after all three were sprung from the bench with less than half an hour to go. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko didn’t feature at all, while Luis Suarez and Ashley Young also failed to make much of an impression.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom, however, and plenty of players rose above the mediocrity to climb into double figures. Top of the pile was Norwich’s Anthony Pilkington (15 points), a man who has represented Ireland at under-21 level and could have the Irish management knocking on his door if Trap manages to catch a DVD of the two goals the Canaries midfielder scored against Swansea.
Fresh from his impressive cameo against Armenia, Jonathan Walters scored the opener against Fulham and tagged on three bonus points for 11 points, while keeping on this landmass, Northern Ireland’s Chris Brunt also came in with 11 points after his goal for West Brom against Wolves at the Hawthorns.
Elsewhere, Arsenal’s Robin van Persie restored our faith in him with two goals and 12 points, while other notable performers included Chris Eagles (13), Adam Johnson (12), John Terry (11) and Chris Samba (11).
Champion J-League
Clive Earley became the first man to break the 500-point barrier in the Champion J-League after his Derryowen Hawthorns outfit scored a highly commendable 48 points at the weekend. Following closely behind Clive is Kevin McGrath’s Spunky Monkeys in second, with Neil Kelly’s The Wet Bandits teetering on the brink of the 500-mark in third.
Neil’s XI somehow managed to come up with 57 points, thanks largely to Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor up front, while Trevor Clendenning’s Slashers Stars, Robert Leavy’s FC Clunge and Alan O’Brien’s The Smurfs make up the rest of the top five.
After such an awful week, it can only get better next week, so keep your eyes peeled for Friday’s Fantasy Football Review for all the tips and tricks ahead of Gameweek 9.
Champion J-League Top 5
1. Derryowen Hawthorns – Clive Earley: 504 points
2. Spunky monkeys – Kevin McGrath: 502 points
3. The Wet Bandits – Neil Kelly: 497 points
4. Slashers Stars – Trevor Clendenning: 496 points
5. FC Clunge – Robert Leavy, The Smurfs – Alan O’Brien: 490 points
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