PLAYER OWNERSHIP – FREE HIT EDITION
Welcome to the latest installment looking at player ownership within the FFUK league.
It’s slightly different this time around, mainly because last week so many managers (85) decided to throw down the Free Hit chip.
This, of course, proved to be a largely disappointing Blank GW31, as expertly reviewed by Mr. Chris Galloway here.
But now let’s point an accusatory finger at the main culprits involved.
In a stinker of a week, it’s time to lift the (toilet seat) lid on which players contributed most to the stench, with a look at the following percentage stats.
| Player | Percentage Owned in FFUK |
| Salah | 88 |
| Wilson | 76 |
| Hazard | 74 |
| Mané | 72 |
| Vardy | 72 |
| Fabianski | 70 |
| Robertson | 54 |
| Rice | 48 |
| Fraser | 46 |
| Alexander-Arnold | 38 |
| Pereira | 38 |
| Pogba | 36 |
| David Luiz | 30 |
| Felipe Anderson | 30 |
| Barnes | 26 |
| Wan-Bissaka | 26 |
| Jiménez | 24 |
| Doherty | 22 |
| Rondón | 22 |
| van Dijk | 22 |
| Arnautovic | 20 |
| Azpilicueta | 20 |
| Brooks | 20 |
| Aké | 18 |
| Boruc | 18 |
| Rashford | 18 |
| Maddison | 16 |
| Agüero | 14 |
| Bennett | 14 |
| Speroni | 14 |
| Digne | 12 |
| Firmino | 12 |
| Hamer | 12 |
| Ogbonna | 12 |
| Sigurdsson | 12 |
| Stankovic | 12 |
| Bednarek | 10 |
| Chilwell | 10 |
| Lössl | 10 |
| Pickford | 10 |
| Richarlison | 10 |
| Tielemans | 10 |
| Cresswell | 8 |
| Diop | 8 |
| Etheridge | 8 |
| Heaton | 8 |
| McNeil | 8 |
| Shaw | 8 |
| Simpson | 8 |
| Button | 6 |
| Clyne | 6 |
| Connolly | 6 |
| Ederson | 6 |
| Guaita | 6 |
| Higuaín | 6 |
| Højbjerg | 6 |
| Keane | 6 |
| Kepa | 6 |
| King | 6 |
| Schär | 6 |
| Snodgrass | 6 |
| Sterling | 6 |
| Alisson | 4 |
| Antonio | 4 |
| Bardsley | 4 |
| Daniels | 4 |
| Jota | 4 |
| Leno | 4 |
| Mee | 4 |
| Moutinho | 4 |
| Stekelenburg | 4 |
| Success | 4 |
| Westwood | 4 |
| Yedlin | 4 |
| Almirón | 2 |
| Alonso | 2 |
| Bacuna | 2 |
| Barkley | 2 |
| Begovic | 2 |
| Billing | 2 |
| Calvert-Lewin | 2 |
| Cathcart | 2 |
| Crouch | 2 |
| Danilo | 2 |
| Deulofeu | 2 |
| Duffy | 2 |
| Eriksen | 2 |
| Evans | 2 |
| Foster | 2 |
| Fredericks | 2 |
| Gibbs-White | 2 |
| Gunn | 2 |
| Hart | 2 |
| Hayden | 2 |
| Jonny | 2 |
| Jorginho | 2 |
| Kanté | 2 |
| Kolasinac | 2 |
| Lacazette | 2 |
| Laporte | 2 |
| Lascelles | 2 |
| Lejeune | 2 |
| Lindelöf | 2 |
| Maguire | 2 |
| Morgan | 2 |
| Noble | 2 |
| Norris | 2 |
| Oriol Romeu | 2 |
| Patrício | 2 |
| Quaner | 2 |
| Schindler | 2 |
| Schneiderlin | 2 |
| Son | 2 |
| Steele | 2 |
| Stephens | 2 |
| Suttner | 2 |
| Tarkowski | 2 |
| Taylor | 2 |
| Valery | 2 |
| Vertonghen | 2 |
| Ward | 2 |
| Ward-Prowse | 2 |
| Wood | 2 |
| van Aanholt | 2 |
MOST POPULAR (who wouldn’t normally be)
As always, draw your own conclusions from the above.
But because these figures have been skewed in favour of players who actually had a fixture, I’ll highlight some notable names at the top of the list – those who really shouldn’t be there.
I’m looking at you, Callum Wilson. There, with a cheeky smile, sitting in 76% of teams, and in the overall number two position. Which is, of course, very apt. Because you were poo.
Just like Jamie Vardy, 5th on the list with 72%. Fabianski, 6th with 70%. And ‘dual nationality’ Declan Rice, 8th with 48%.
All scored a measly 1 or 2 points, appropriately firing blanks in a BGW. And all won’t be troubling the higher echelons of the percentage table in the near future, as 85 teams revert back to normality.
If only we’d done it differently
So, having cast a scornful glance, it’s time to get reflective. It’s time to say ‘what if I’d picked…’ and ‘if only I’d gone for…’.
Yes, hindsight truly is a wonderful thing, so these are players we should’ve selected instead.
Josh King (13 points) was owned by just 6%. 70% less than his strike partner Wilson, and yet he outscored him by 11.
Kepa (11 points) was also owned by 6%. A much better choice than ‘Fab’, who really didn’t live up to his name.
Ogbonna (7 points) was owned by a few more: 12%. But far less than his teammate Rice, who racked up 6 points fewer.
Obvious now, eh?
Well, no-one can honestly say they saw Huddersfield scoring three, but I guess there’s a lesson for most of us about avoiding group thinking and following herd-like decisions.
Anyway, enough navel-gazing for now. The international break will soon be over and as club football returns, so do our hopes of finishing with a flourish.
Best of luck to you all.
Reidy
