Our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers are writing about all things Fantasy Premier League (FPL) in 2023/24. Here, it’s FPL Blackbox co-host Az.

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF FPL

I’m having a pretty rough time with FPL at the moment. I’m sure most people reading this will be able to relate to this in some way. There are ups and downs to this game we love; it’s part of what makes things so exciting, and keeps us coming back for more. I’ve always been pretty good at taking the highs with the lows. But I do have to admit, I find it taking a bit of a toll on me as we approach the final straight of the season. 

Being involved with Fantasy Football Scout, making videos, writing articles… it’s always been something that I’ve had a real passion for but I do find it tough going when I’m doubting my own decision-making and seemingly making the wrong moves every week. It can be a tough gig when “variance” isn’t going your way and week after week you start to feel a bit beaten down. Selling or benching of high-scoring players, or picking the wrong captain… in isolation, it’s a trivial thing that we should be able to brush off, but like so many things, these annoyances can stack up and can really start to get to us. 

Part of my frustration with FPL this season has been the constant comparison of my seasons to others on X. On Thursday evening, for example, I was raging when Alejandro Garnacho (who I had just got rid of on my Wildcard) popped up with two goals against Chelsea. On X, I could see plenty of people who were getting those points off their bench. When I checked my mini-leagues, it was actually very few people in that boat. In fact, with my main aim this season being to stay in FPL General’s #Elite64 league, the impact of Garnacho’s goals have actually not made a huge amount of difference (although the points would have been nice).

Constantly comparing yourself to others – particularly on a social media platform where often people only share the good bits – certainly isn’t a healthy way to approach a game. Should I consider taking a bit of a step back from X (I think the platform is on a downward trajectory anyway under Musk)? I’d be interested to know what strategies you, the reader, adopt when things aren’t going your way with FPL. Maybe it’s time to stop watching so much live football or turn my phone off when games are being played, whereby results and goals scored or conceded can have such a negative impact on my mood when things aren’t going my way.

CONTENT CREATORS + ‘EXPERTS’

But I’m also concerned with the seemingly growing negativity in the community against the “content creators” – a term which almost seems to be taking on a bit of a toxic meaning in certain circles. People spending their time making FPL content has always been something that I’ve admired, whether you are someone streaming to five viewers on YouTube, or making spreadsheets and graphs that hundreds of thousands of people are reading and using to inform their decisions. Putting yourself out there, week after week, creating entertainment which absolutely might not be for everyone but showcases your own personality and interests is something that I feel should be commended.

With the rise of FPL comes people looking to monetise their talents – and I strongly believe that successful YouTubers like Andy (Let’s Talk), FPL Focal and FPL Harry are supremely talented at what they do – and this is where I think the divide in the community has continued to grow over the last few years. 

There seems to be a growing vocal minority of people who do not think that people should be earning a living from – or even just making some money on the side – from FPL. In doing so, it in some way indicates that they think they are “better” than others in the community. I find this a strange way of looking at things, as like with all entertainment, people can choose to watch or listen to certain things or avoid it if they don’t like it. Content creators are making content because they believe people get something from it – whether it be information or entertainment – so why would they look at those who enable them to keep doing what they enjoy doing with any form of disdain? From my perspective, I for one couldn’t be more grateful for the people who tune in to BlackBox each week.

There also seem to be issues with tags such as the “expert” label, of which I have never once seen a mainstream FPL account label themselves as (but is rather used by companies such as the Premier League, or who look to add credibility to the people they have selected to be on their panel). I see growing ridicule against certain individuals which can verge on bullying at times. A friend of mine who made brilliant FPL content had to take a step back from things because of comments on his channel. What a genuine shame that someone who was doing something they really enjoyed had to step back because people were too personal with their insults and critiques. You do have to have a “thick skin” really to be able to put yourself out there week after week, but it’s a shame that’s the way of things. 

As someone who has been in and around FPL for the best part of 14 years, I do definitely sense a change.

In terms of the rest of the season, I’ll continue to keep battling it out to finish as high up the ranks as possible. Many people say to start playing differently, taking wild punts on players to try and tap into the variance, but I know that I’ll end up just more and more frustrated when these don’t come off. I’m going to keep playing in the way I have in all of my seasons over the years and see where it leads me. Just please don’t score any more hat–tricks until I bring you back in, Phil…