GW 40 – Review

Dear oh dear! Gameweek 40 rolled in and put pay to much of the fantastic form that had been building over the last few weeks. To say that it wasn’t a good weekend for most players is quite an understatement! Here’s how the round played out…..

One shining ray of light came at the top of the Global Weekly Table. Despite an average score of just seven points, Duncan Campbell incredibly managed to notch up 100 points here!! Where did that come from?! 5 goal MK Dons (11 selections and a top tip here on the website) were Duncan’s standout performer, reeling in over a third of his points on x7, while a number of 2 and 3 goal sides in the right places meant Duncan made it into Club 100 by the skin of his teeth. This game can often take more than a little bit of getting used to, maybe this will be the week that sets Duncan’s form alight!

One of the biggest talking points of the weekend was that bonkers Rangers v St Johnstone Scottish Cup encounter……well , it was a bonkers ending to the tie anyway! While late goals in extra time and penalties provided major drama, the 0-0 full-time score provided nothing for the 76 players who selected The Gers, 23 of whom boldly bet on the newly crowned champions on x2 to condemn them to the foot of the table. (For the record, no one at all backed St Johnstone). With the Glasgow side also the most popular x8 selection it’s little wonder we had so few high scores. There were an eye-watering 37 minus scores in total, with Angie Mckenzie and James Legg registering unfortunate and crushing minus 80s!

In the Perfect 7 for this round, MK Dons were joined by Solihull Moors (no selections!) and Blackburn Rovers (just four picks) in netting five times, while there were just two sides that bagged four in Burnley (no picks again!) and Dunfermline Athletic (another doughnut on the picks front). High-scoring teams were clearly at their most difficult to predict, explaining why Duncan was dancing solo in Club 100! Any 3 goal side would have sufficed on x2 and x3, to propel you to a jackpot score of 156 points.

The most varied side in the ‘Most selected’ matrix was Watford, who occupied the x3, x4 and x6 spots. Two cup sides made the x7 and x8 position their won, Manchester City and Rangers respectively, while Liverpool were the popular x2 choice. Sunderland were slap-bang in the middle on x5, a good pick as they were involved in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Accrington Stanley (go on, you can say it!)

So overall, a pretty dismal week for most players. Just two early kick-offs in round 41 to notify you about, with a trip to Crystal Palace for Manchester City, who could seal the Premier League title this weekend, and relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday taking on Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough. Both games start at 12.30, so if you perhaps fancy the Citizens to put one hand on the Premier League trophy then don’t forget to get those selections in early. Good luck!

-Sam Brooke-Wilkinson