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Jonathan White

“Just enjoy the game,” said Kenneth Tang of the Official Fantasy Premier League, “Don’t put too much pressure on the rank.”
But what advice does he have for someone who wants to follow him into the ranks of the elite FPL players?

Hong Kong Fantasy Premier League manager among world’s best but wants Liverpool title more than top spot as he battles cancer
Use your wildcard for Christmas
Tang has done just this in game week 16. “It’s better to have all 15 players at Christmas – a good time for a wildcard to get healthy players.”
He changed the plan three times but took the plunge to swap more than 10 players including all of his Liverpool players, as he felt their fixtures were getting harder over the festive period.

Use your head, not your heart
A Liverpool fan, Tang has got Richarlison and now got rid of his Liverpool players. “This year Liverpool players are overvalued. Before last year I seldom had Liverpool players. The game overvalued them. Like Manchester United players this year. I like them but they are overvalued.
“Forget your favourite team and your rival team.”

Have options for captain
“It’s better to have two, or three or four, possible captains,” Tang suggested. “It’s worth spending a little bit more on possible captains.”

Think about combinations rather than stars
“You need to think about which combination is better,” Tang suggested, “The difference is between these combinations rather than say Marcos Alonso and Ryan Fraser.
“A 4.5 million defender can generate a good score but normally a 4.5 million midfielder is quite dead.
“Defenders could be a lot more valuable than midfielders, and midfielders are more valuable than forwards.
“There is no essential player for me. Just judge the values so the whole combination will generate the best scores.” 
Change formation
“Keep changing,” he said. “Formation’s not important actually.” Instead, look for the best combination that game week.

Plan ahead
“A few seasons ago I would plan 10-20 games, Tang said of the pre-wildcard days. “Now I plan for six but for the goalkeeper combo I actually planned for 20 game weeks,” in case he did not play the wild card in the first six weeks.

Don’t be tricked by premium keepers
“I picked Matt Ryan and Joe Hart. A very rare choice. Spending transfer on goalkeepers is lowest – difference between good and bad keepers is not that big.
“I prefer two playable, rotatable goalkeepers rather than a premium one and one that was bench fodder.
Goalkeepers used to be 6 million and now start at 5.5 because they are not worth it. It backs up my calculations.”

Don’t rush
“Don’t rush your trade. When someone has just played well, it’s not the best time to buy them. It depends on their fixtures. People don’t look beyond one fixture.”
“Don’t be tempted by those hat-tricks.”

Use the squad
“I like to have all 15 players playable. I think it’s better.” If that’s not the case then you can do it with a wild card. If you spend your budget on 11 players and four non-playing ones then you can’t rotate and are at risk of injury and suspension.
“I like six, seven or eight players that will definitely play. Then five players sharing the other two spots. Sometimes five is too many so four into two and then one player that is not good.”

Rotate players from a pair of teams
There are tools on the Internet where you can find out which teams rotate the best together, Tang advised managers looking to make the jump to start from here.
“It’s not that time consuming. The teams that are good to rotate are there. The fixtures are there.
Newcastle and Brighton.
“You don’t need to care about the big teams. Liverpool are best with Cardiff? It doesn’t matter.”

Ignore the market
“You don’t need to accumulate money to spend. If you have 102 million and I have 100 million, but you are using 97 and I am using 100 that’s not good. If I have 102 million then I will use 102.
Trust yourself
There’s a lot of good information in the media and on the internet but back yourself. “I put more emphasis on the ease of the fixture than many people,” he said.
“I think the current Burnley is worse than people think so I’ll tune down their strength. I’ll use my own judgement to adjust. Some people will judge the opponent’s strength by average”

It’s just a game
Tang has friends that never captain a defender, because it means watching an English Premier League game hoping to see no goals, or never captaining a player who plays in the early kick-off on Saturday, to keep up excitement. “Go and enjoy it.”


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Fantasy Premier League: tips to climb the rankings from Hong Kong elite manager Kenneth Tang

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho reacts. Photo: Reuters

epa07107390 Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez (R) celebrates scoring with Fernandinho during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Burnley at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Britain, 20 October 2018. EPA-EFE/NIGEL RODDIS EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

epa06927316 Everton's Richarlison removes his shirt during a friendly soccer match between Everton and Valencia at Goodison Park , Liverpool, Britain, 04 August 2018. EPA-EFE/PETER POWELL

Soccer Football - Premier League - Burnley v AFC Bournemouth - Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain - September 22, 2018 Burnley's Joe Hart celebrates Aaron Lennon (not pictured) scoring their second goal REUTERS/Peter Powell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Huddersfield Town's Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy (R) scores the team's first goal during the English Premier League football match between Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United at the John Smith's stadium in Huddersfield, northern England on August 20, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Anthony Devlin / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. /

epa07224711 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group C soccer match between Liverpool FC and SSC Napoli held at the Anfield in Liverpool, Britain, 11 December 2018. EPA-EFE/PETER POWELL .

Soccer Football - Premier League - Huddersfield Town v Chelsea - John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield, Britain - August 11, 2018 Chelsea's Marcos Alonso celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Everton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - December 2, 2018 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Bournemouth's Scottish midfielder Ryan Fraser celebrates after scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on January 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on December 1, 2018. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - October 6, 2018 Manchester United's Paul Pogba looks dejected after Newcastle United's first goal Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Hong Kong Fantasy Premier League player Kenneth Tang, photographed at his home in Hung Hom. 03DEC18 SCMP / K. Y. Cheng

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Everton - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - December 15, 2018 Manchester City's Raheem Sterling scores their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Sport

Hong Kong

It’s time to play the wildcard if you have not done so already
Combinations are the key to success, says Hongkonger


It’s time to play the wildcard if you have not done so already and combinations are the key to success, says Hongkonger


Fantasy Premier League: tips to climb the rankings from Hong Kong elite manager Kenneth Tang

It’s time to play the wildcard if you have not done so already Combinations are the key to success, says Hongkonger

It’s time to play the wildcard if you have not done so already

Combinations are the key to success, says Hongkonger