What is your Twitter handle?
Personal: @mcfcpringle
FPL: @FPLPringle
Who do you support?
Man City
Why do you support them?
Wasn’t given a choice! Got lifted over the turnstile by my Dad at Maine Road and been a Blue ever since.
How often do you get to attend matches?
Every home game and about half of the away games including the odd European away.
Who is your favourite ever player?
David Silva. He’s been consistently brilliant for 8 years now and just as you thought he might show his age, he dropped his best season yet, for the most of which his newborn son was in intensive care. A model pro and incredible player. He’s earned the respect of every football fan.
What win in your lifetime means the most to you?
Aside from the obvious, the FA Cup semi final win against United in 2011 was huge for us. It changed the mentality of the whole club. We owe Mancini a lot for them years.
Which goal meant the most?
Aguero v QPR. The explosion of pure joy is something I’ll never feel again. City created the greatest sporting moment of all time and I feel priveliged to say I was there.
Which team would you most like to beat this season?
Liverpool away. They have a curse over us at that place that makes our players fall apart. The yardstick for any new signings is “How would they perform at Anfield?”.
Are you happy with your manager?
Yes. Pep is the best manager in the world and has City playing the best football the Premier League has ever seen. I love watching and listening to him, the guy loves football and we are incredibly lucky to have him.
Are you happy with your Board/Chairman?
Yes. Again, we are incredibly lucky to have the Sheikh. Unlike a lot of foreign owners he isn’t in it for a profit. He appointed people who know what they’re doing, then simply stepped back and poured money into the club. We won the equivalent of the football lottery and are very grateful for it.
Where do you realistically think your club will finish this season?
1st. If we don’t suffer from ‘season after syndrome’, which I hope we don’t as we have young players capable of achieving much more, I can’t see past us. Liverpool will be our closest rivals, they’re strengthening very well. I expect our performance in the league will drop slightly as Pep tries to balance the other competitions better than he did last season. We won’t be seeing 100 points again!
What opposition player do you secretly admire?
Harry Kane. The hardest part of football is putting the ball in the net. It’s amazing to think how few footballers can strike a ball but he does it so well. He’d score an insane amount of goals in this City team.
Is there a youngster at the club who could become a regular in the side this season?
Phil Foden. 18 years old and already being touted as David Silva’s replacement. You just have to listen to Pep talk about him to know he’s something special.
Who do you think will be your club’s top FPL points scorer this season?
I think it’s impossible to say when so much rotation happens! Sterling and Sane have potential to get loads of points but you just can’t say. De Bruyne is the most reliable pick. If Mahrez signs I’ll be really curious to see how he gets on at a top team, if he plays regularly at City he could replicate that season he had with Leicester.
Can you tell us about your FPL history?
I’ve played fantasy football since I was 10! I was always just a casual player and gave up most seasons until University. I did Computer Science and created an Automated Fantasy Football player for my dissertation! My mates claim I cheat but all it does is predict the best team for the upcoming week, and it doesn’t even work anymore!
Since that year I’ve finished 32k, 11k, 49k and 23k. Consistent but not spectacular.
What would be a successful FPL finish for you this season?
Top 10k. 4 seasons just outside has been fun but frustrating. I want my first 4 figure finish!
What formation do you generally favour for FPL?
3-4-3 or 3-5-2. Like most I lean towards having more attackers, they have a higher ceiling.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned playing FPL?
The simplest one that many people forget: put the in form players in and take the out of form players out. Too many people try and predict who is about to come into form or decide against a player in form because they feel they’ve missed the boat.
Oh and a hint: pick your captain for the next gameweek as soon as the current one has finished. You get a much better feeling for form with the matches fresh in your head and you won’t be swayed by other people through the week.
When did you use your chips last season and was it successful?
GW3 – 1st Wildcard – I always play my first wildcard around this time but I regretted it this year.
GW10 – Free Hit – It was that week with good fixtures for all the good teams. Ultimately it was a regret and it meant I had to shuffle my team around too much at crunch time. It did earn me the most points of any chips though.
GW32 – 2nd Wildcard – Given the circumstances my wildcard went well but it was too geared towards juggling DGW34 and BGW35. I wish I’d saved my free hit and filled my wildcard with players with 2 DGWs.
GW34 – Bench Boost – Average. Only had players with single gameweeks and only two returned. 18 points gained.
GW37 – Triple Captain – Harry Kane let us down here didn’t he.
Anything else we should know about you?
Seeing as I spend most of my life watching City or thinking about FPL, you’ve probably heard all about me, so here’s a sad fact: I once put £10 on a team NOT to get a clean sheet as insurance just in case once of my defenders conceded. £15 or 4 points? I know what I’d prefer…