What is your Twitter handle?
@FPLSeagull
Who do you support?
Brighton & Hove Albion
Why do you support them?
I’m from Brighton and everyone in my family supports them so I didn’t have a choice, but I can’t imagine it any other way!
How often do you get to attend matches?
I have a season ticket at the Amex and I very rarely miss a home game. I try and get to as many away games as possible, last season I managed to do every single away game which was expensive, and we only won two of them!
Who is your favourite ever player?
This is a really tough one. I’m going to go for Bruno who has become an Albion legend in his six years at the club. A right back with ridiculous flair who has been a pleasure to watch, and he’s still going at 37 years of age!
What win in your lifetime means the most to you?
Recently, Brighton have had some memorable wins so this could be one of many matches. But I’m going to say Wigan at home in the 2016/17 season to effectively clinch promotion to the Premier League. I never thought I’d see my club in the Premier League and it was such a surreal moment for fans and players!
Which goal meant the most?
Robbie Reinelt’s goal at Hereford to keep us in the Football League, but I wasn’t alive so I don’t think that counts! I’m going to go with Will Buckley’s second goal in our first league game at the Amex, against Doncaster Rovers. It was a 98th minute winner and it was a reward for the fans who stuck with Brighton through the dark days and fought for our new stadium. It was just a perfect end to a brilliant (and emotional) day!
Which team would you most like to beat this season?
Crystal Palace, obviously. They’ve got the better of us in recent games and a league win against them is long overdue.
Are you happy with your manager?
Couldn’t be happier! Chris Hughton has done a fantastic job and is also very likeable, I think he’s incredibly underrated. I hope he stays with us for a long time.
Are you happy with your Board/Chairman?
Without Tony Bloom, we wouldn’t be where we are now. He’s been fantastic and he has done all the right things. His love for the club is unique and I’ve even bumped into him a couple of times in the away end as he still sees himself as a fan! I think we’re so lucky to have him, especially when you look at some other clubs who have been ruined by owners who don’t know how to run a football club. There’s a really good connection between the Brighton fans and Tony Bloom and I can only say good things about him and the board.
Where do you realistically think your club will finish this season?
I think our target again is to stay up, the joys of a bottom half team! I was really pleased with how we did last season as I never felt like we were properly involved in a relegation scrap. If we recruit well and play like we did last season then we should be fine, hopefully the ‘second season syndrome’ is a myth! I realistically think we will finish 14th, but it’s still too early to call as lots can change.
What opposition player do you secretly admire?
Not too long ago, I read an article about Romelu Lukaku and his childhood. He showed unbelievable determination to get to where he is now, and his story is inspiring so I think it’s difficult not to admire someone like that.
Is there a youngster at the club who could become a regular in the side this season?
Our under 23’s had an excellent season and managed to gain promotion, so I’m hoping to see some of them push into the first team. Players like Max Sanders, Aaron Connolly and Viktor Gyokeres have great potential, and they will probably be expecting some appearances in the cup this season at the very least.
Who do you think will be your club’s top FPL points scorer this season?
Hopefully we see another excellent season from Pascal Groß who I had in my team from gameweek 1, although he’s certainly going to be more expensive this time around!
Can you tell us about your FPL history?
7,772 is my highest finish during Leicester’s 2015/16 title winning season. In 16/17, I put together a great run late on in the season to finish 87,274. The most recent season was disappointing, a final rank of 133,107 was actually the highest I’d been, which shows how average it was. I played FPL very casually in 2013/14 and 2014/15 and finished around the 1 million mark after not putting much effort in!
What would be a successful FPL finish for you this season?
I would love to beat my personal best of 7,772. But because more people are signing up each season. I would be very happy with a top 15k finish.
What formation do you generally favour for FPL?
I used the 3-4-3 more than any other formation last season, but I think the 3-5-2 worked better and I think I should’ve used it more frequently.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned playing FPL?
Not to listen to my mates because they are usually wrong!
When did you use your chips last season and was it successful?
GW8 – Wildcard
GW32 – Wildcard
GW34 – Bench Boost
GW35 – Free Hit
GW37 – Triple Captain
Before using my wildcard in GW32, I was ranked 550k and I finished the season on 133k so I think it counts as a success. I did make some terrible choices such as Christensen and Wes Morgan, but I think many people struggled in the DGW’s this season. Triple Captain Harry Kane didn’t go too well as he only got one goal in a DGW against West Brom and Newcastle, and my bench boost got me an extra 22 points.
Anything else we should know about you?
In the current Football League I have been to 59 of the 92 grounds, and they have all been Brighton games. This season I’m going to try and get to more games in League One and Two during international breaks or when Brighton aren’t playing. Hopefully I get to tick off more stadiums and watch some good football.