My #FPL Season so far and some Thoughts about it!

First of all i have to say that season 2014/15 has been nothing short of "Frustrating" to say the least! Before it all began,i had high hopes of a finish of around 14500 position as this would have been my 2nd best finish ever having finished 23rd overall in season 2012/13.

It all started disasterously and after GW 1,i was ranked 1.6 million and having picked my original team which included Rooney,Mata,Ramsey,Baines,Terry and Costa! It didn't look too bad at the time but it is so important to get a good start when playing this game and i did not!

GW2 i took a hit and rose from 1.6 to 1.0 mil,yes i was going in the right direction! The next week,the ship was steadied and i stayed in the same position! It was now time for that lovely WC to be played and i did so in GW4!

So from GW 4-9 it was all progression and i went from 1.0 mil position to 12 k overall. A lovely position to be in and now to kick on i thought! I hovered around positions 15-18 k for the next few GW's until the time came around GW14 when i just could not pick the right Captain at all! Nomatter who i picked,he did nothing at all and almost every week,my VC was scoring well!

12 consecutive weeks in a row with wrong Captain choice was killing me and by GW and my overall dropped to around 30k! Oh what could have been if only i keep telling myself!

I continued my "Captain Curse" what it was now called for a few more GW' s and dropped even more to 52k by GW 30 and i was so disappointed with myself! It worked out that i had picked the right Captain for 2 weeks out of the previous 16 or so which meant 14/16 weeks of no return from my main man!

GW 31-33 saw an overall rise of 22k before a disasterous Double week 34 which seen my team have Schlupp and Moreno in and having got rid of Siggy for Henderson too! I thought i was set up having 7 doubles and with only a -4 hit! As of after GW 34, i now sit in 39k position overall and my aim is now top 1% finish! I am going to play it the way i like to play it and have a rather reckless approach to it from now until end of season and see where it takes me! I have been way too cautious this season which has frustrated me so much! One of the reasons for my cautious approach has been the fact of H2H games which i am involved in and it has influenced certain decisions that i have made!

I dont usually do too many posts on my blog about FPL but i just feel like writing a few thoughts down about the current season!

First of all i want to say i am extremely disappointed in myself at the way i have played the game this season! I have been far too cautious as i have already stated which goes totally against my team name of "Reckless Hollie's X1" and this is the one thing that annoys me the most!

When i had a very successful season in 2012/13, i played the game my way with no distractions and a very reckless approach where logic was concerned! I took hits of -4 and the odd -8 too that year because if i wanted someone in my team,i just got him and did not mind the consequense of the hit! I was not concerned about who was in anybody else's teams and was not influenced in any way by anybody at all as i was not on twitter or any form of social media!

I reached a high that season of 19th position and finished in 23rd overall position! I remember these guys in particular all of whom are such awesome players Matt Martyniak, Julian Zipparo,Matej Podobnik and Kelvin Travers who i never thought i could possibly catch these awesome guys but they were in my sights and i also finished behind all 4 just for the record!

I was so proud of myself as i was playing this awesome game with no overthinking at all and getting results and the fact that i was a girl in a mainly male dominated game made me so happy!
 
The following season 2013/14 was a season that i dont remember much about tbh as i was going through a divorce and other personal problems and my team sailed as a ghost ship for many weeks and i finished 268k overall,lets best forget this one yes!

Now this season! I started the season having joined twitter for the first time on 31st July! I have made many new friends and am very honoured to be followed by some of the best #fpl people out there,infact they are "The Best".

Anyway i started the season feeling for the first time playing this game under pressure! I let it get to me in the fact that i was now a cautious player and not playing the game as i had hoped to! My team suffered as a result and i found myself playing it with regrets almost every week! The BOTS leagues were created and i believe this is one of the most successful and interesting things to happen to fpl in all my few years of playing! It has proved that Girls can play this game too and i am so proud of all the girls i have got to know since it started! And a massive Thank you to the amazing Walt!

This season has changed in certain ways ie BP's are sometimes what i would call a joke! One that sticks out for me was Man United's 2-1 defeat at the Liberty to Swansea and as we all know ADM has been pretty awful this season in general! Now in this game,he has an assist and the rest of the game he does very little,no tracking back and generally is not in the game! After the game,the BP's are distributed and low and behold, ADM is awarded 3 bonus points! I mean how is this possible! I am still confused at this! The BP system needs to be looked at in my opinion! And i still cant believe that Albrighton was awarded 3 BP's in last nights match between Leicester and Chelsea!

The price rises/falls is so slow this year and i for one much preferred for the sake of the game,when players prices rise/fall quicker as it made it more exciting! This season when playing WC,it was not beneficial at all to buy early and gain before re selling and making money! Old way was best in my opinion!

Now what has happened more than i can ever remember in previous seasons is the "Template Team"! This has created a situation that even one bad week can result in a big Red arrow and even a relatively good week can also see red arrows! A good friend of mine,the great Fpl man that is Walt had a score of 72 points,captain hatrick and still manages to fall 10k places overall! This is unbelievable and so disheartening to an fpl player! There is very little points difference between for example 40k and 115k so one bad captain choice can mean a massive drop! And the so called template team is scattered all over the top 150k teams in my opinion! So if you want to try and move up,it creates a situation that you have to mix it up abit and hope for the best but it would not take too long to fall 50k places if it all goes pear shaped! This whole template thing has made the game less interesting and exciting as if one of our players does really well,no doubt another 50k players are also tweeting that they have the same player! I know we all have choices regarding who we have in our teams and we as individuals have created these template teams but it certainly has removed some of the enjoyment out of the game!

Now on to the rather dubious awarding of assists and goals! This season more than ever i have seen so many points awarded for assists and goals that to me look very dubious! An example of this is a Crouch goal for Stoke that hits 2 defenders,bounces from one side to another before going in,and the ball having taken a different direction twice before hitting the net! Goal awarded to Crouch and 4 points to him and 3 points for an assist to someone else! Gomis scores for Swansea v West Ham if i remember right from a Siggy corner but as the ball clips the post before going in off the West Ham goalkeeper,it is givin as an own goal and thus resulting in only an assist for Gomis and obviously no award of assist to Siggy! How many times have we seen a shot that was goalbound but could have hit the post, then hits a defender on the way in and the striker is awarded the goal and the points,it does not go down as an OG! These are only a couple of small examples and i am sure there are many more obvious ones where the ball has hit 2 or 3 players before going in or same thing and and assist is awarded! Inconsistancy in this is frustrating and so annoying to me this year!

These are just a few thoughts on the season and with only 4 GW's to go now,i think it could be worth playing around with now.

I am looking at obviously having a few doubles for GW 37 and wondering which Arsenal guys to get in keeping in mind that there will more than likely be rotation with the cup final in mind! To find 3 that will start could be difficult but the higher finish in the prem is also important too! This is  a tough one as i would like Ramsey,Sanchez and one of Giroud or a defender! And a couple of Sunderland guys would be nice too, possibly Defoe or Wickham, Pantillimon and PVA! Would be nice to have a team that just might get a few points in the penultimate week of FPL! Hopefully that is! I would have brought Sanchez and Ramsey straight into my team now if i had not got 3 defenders on yellows/red at this present moment in time! So a bit of thinking is needed before this weeks FT's,

Thanks for reading this rather long post and if you managed to get through it all,well done lol! It has been a different season for me but although frustrating,it has been the most enjoyable season ever as i have met so many new fpl friends which has made it so special,

Hollie

We dont look like Dolls all the time #Makeup

This post is inspired by the fact that recently while out for a walk without makeup i must add,i met a regular customer from where i work and i have been told that he fancies me who said and i quote

" is that you Hollie, i hardly recognised you at all,wow you look so different"

Now i had only spoken to him in work the day before so for him to say this was quite strange i thought so i asked

 "what do you mean by that".

He looked kind of flustered and said like

"mmmm i ah mmmm ah it's just you look different"

Then i realised that this was the first time he had ever seen me without makeup on! I laughed to myself and knew that he was in a panic as he thought he had dug a big hole for himself and he really didn't know what else to say so i changed the subject to save his embarrasment so to speak!

Since i started my working life in a restaurant,bar,nightclub,i have always worn makeup to work as it was always the expected thing to do to try and look as glamorous as possible plus i always do it for myself to feel good about my overall appearance.

So the impression i actually got from meeting this guy without makeup is that does he actually think that us girls have flawless skin with no blemishes,are born with perfect eyebrows,permanent eyeshadow,silky shiny lips and long luscious lashes. I really believe some do or do they just expect us girls to look like dolls all the time! Maybe it is just him! And i have to say, i didn't look that bad lol!

What the right makeup can do for a woman is nothing short of incredible and i am sure we have all seen the pics of our fav celebrities without makeup and they look so different! And i have seen so many joke pics on twitter saying this is what i brought home last night and this is what i woke up to and the pics are obviously so different and in all honesty,i can see the funny side of some of them but it does bring me back to the fact that maybe some guys really believe we are all flawless in our facial appearance!

Makeup sometimes makes me feel sexy,confident and glamorous and i like wearing it but i like any other woman cant wear it 24/7 and without it yes i do have blemishes on my skin,the odd spot or 2 or more lol and other noticable features that are part of me but that's the fact of the matter and my lovely BF doesn't seem to mind at all!

Which brings me to a very good friend of mine who i have known for years and i have never ever seen her without makeup! I have said to her before that she should give her skin a break and she said "no way" i will never let anyone see me without makeup! Even to the extent that she told me that unbelievably her ex husband never seen her without makeup! Now this cant be good.

I read recently that going without makeup is a "man repeller", now really, is this the society that we live in that people can come out with this sort of rubbish! We are all not out to impress every man that is out there and should not feel that we have to wear it all the time! It is our choice and we do it for ourselves if it makes us feel good that is and also i do to cover up that annoying blemish on my face lol!

It's nice to have the option to be able to use corrective items which can hide your flaws but the perseption that all women are expected to wear it is wrong. I say this as i believe this guy expected me to be all dolled up! It's about what makes the individual feel happiest about how she looks! We can wear makeup when we want but without it,we are still the same person with the same personality! However i must say that sometimes when i wear that red lippy or have that lovely smokey eye,it can change how i feel!

Wearing makeup can change your whole attitude and make you feel so confident that you can achieve anything at all and can make you feel so much better about yourself but by not wearing it should not make you feel any less about yourself either! Most of us girls wear it, some of us dont and we all have our own individual reasons for doing so or not!

And as i said earlier, we cant look like dolls all the time guys and we were not born without imperfections and makeup in general is there to make us look good and sometimes feel better about ourselves if indeed we choose to wear it and if we dont wear it and you meet us in the park out for a walk without makeup,we are still the same person but just without the lippy,eyeliner etc! I am never ashamed of my no makeup face,

And to finish off, i dont think this guy fancies me anymore lol,

thanks for reading,

Hollie xxx

The Blogging Community! What is going on lately?

Since i joined the blogging community last August,it has been an absolute joy to be part of a supportive and loving community that everyone is just so nice and friendly!

But lately there seems to be nothing but drama practically every night! I have seen at least 3 full on arguements within the blogging community where so many people who were not even involved decided to get involved and stick their beaks in so to speak thus fuelling the fire!

Recently i was having a twitter chat with a friend of mine when all of a sudden, we were both thrown into the middle of a twitter row that was happening by someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the arguement at all and neither did we! We were talking about mascara or something for Gods sake at the time and the next minute we found ourselves being pulled into an ongoing twitter arguement! This person had no right to drag us into it as we had nothing to do with it at all!

Then there was another recent twitter explosion which i must stress i do not have the full facts but one girl was totally ganged up on by many and her name was dragged through the mud for all of twitter to see! Some of these who were fuelling the fire had nothing at all to do with the situation, maybe they were trying to help others but i wonder, are they 100% sure of the facts before they done a character assasination on a young girl! Is it right to gather a gang and perform the duties of a lynch mob online? The mob grows and gathers strength and the victim is usually left practically on their own to try and defend themselves against it as people do be afraid to voice their opinion against the mob as the blogging community is so small that so many people know eachother and dont want to speak out against a blogging buddy or twitter friend!

And tonight,there was yet another twitter row which follows on from the recent drama of late! A question was asked but what followed was out of order in my opinion! Some people gave their thoughts in a professional manner and questioned the question that was asked in regard to was it appropriate or not and expressed their opinion about it which is fine! All genuinely done and above board! But others bombarded the girl with aggressive tweets obviously looking for an arguement and again a mob was gathering! Now this girl held it together very well under enormous pressure and eventually told them all where to go and i would have done exactly the same myself! She was infact drivin to defend herself against so many people who joined forced to discredit this girl for asking a question! That is regardless of whether the question was appropriate or not! It all could have been handled so differently!

There was no need for it to have esculated to where it did! Some good friends of mine expressed their opinion which they are quite entitled to do so but they did so not looking to cause a twitter meltdown but others got involved to be controversial and obviously trying to impress others!

It seems to me that some people have got involved in these arguements to build up their own twitter and blog followers and if that's the type of person you are,then i have no interest in following you!

The recent events have shown just how small the blogging community is and how easy it can all come to blows! It is such a shame as in general,everyone is so supportive and lovely! I never for a second thought i would see such goings on!

I dont personally have the full facts about some of the recent twitter meltdowns but all i am saying is that it is happening way too much lately! Will i be next or will it be one of my pals? I am not a very confrontational girl but i like to think i am a very realistic person and i have my own views!

For me the blogging community is still the best community in the world but let's all try and stick together and be supportive of eachother! Obviously there will always be some sort of a problem but please remember that there is an Unfollow available!

Thanks for reading,

Hollie xxx

Why do partners cheat?

This is one question i should have asked my ex husband when i found out he was cheating on me with one of my best friends! To this day it still bothers me as to Why he did it! I did ask him at the time but all i got was  "i dont know why" and "it was there for me so i took it"! Now they are not answers!

This had a massive impact on my life for obvious reasons and it totally shattered my confidence for years! Even today i still find that i doubt myself in my appearance and personality but things have got better over time for me! I spent 4 years alone after my marriage breakdown and to spend that amount of time alone in your early-mid 20's is something that has been lost to me forever!

I do wonder why in general a guy would cheat on his wife or indeed a girl on her guy and a few thoughts have gone through my mind but i am only basing this on my experience and my situation with my ex husband!

I have come to the conclusion after many years of finally knowing that it was not me,it was not my looks or personality that made him do it,it was the fact that he loved himself and thought that he was Gods gift to women as he was an attractive man! Obviously he had seen me with no make up on etc and first thing in the morning and the girl who he was cheating on me with always had the full make up on etc and looked very well anytime she was in our company! Just thinking about it, she never came over to visit me without putting alot into her appearance and that was obviously for his benefit!

A woman who cheats is labelled a whore or a slut but when a guy cheats he is a stud or a player! This really annoys me! Opportunities will always arise for one partner to cheat but if they are truly are in love with their other half,they will resist,obviously this was not the case within my relationship!

Is it in general,insecurity that may drive a guy to cheat on his girl? Do they need to prove to themselves that they can still attract women and that a woman could still want them? Do they lack responsibility? Do they lack maturity?

Or are they just seeking excitement? Was i not exciting enough for him? This thought haunted me for years! I wasn't married for too long before he started his affair so it wasn't a case of married life being so different to the way it was as single people! It wasn't the case that we were married for endless years and the spark was gone!

So in my situation overall i think it all boils down to insecurity,the thrill of it and a total lack of respect for his partner whom he obviously was not in love with! And the fact that he was the type of guy who really really loved himself so much!

Just to put another spin on this post, i worked in a nightclub when i was younger and in my late teens-early 20's and i have seen unfaithfulness among my work colleagues! What happened was the security staff/bouncers whom most of them were married or in relationships practically all had someone on the side! These girls were generally alot younger than they were and for example one of the guys was in his mid 30's and married but his girlfriend was not much older than me at the time! So from my experience,i have witnessed the situation of someone being unfaithful and cheating from a relatively young age so to speak! I remember on a few occassions the wife of one the security staff socialising in the nightclub at the same time as his girlfriend was there and thinking "this is just not right" but i was only a young girl working and could not say anything! His girlfriend was fully aware of him being a married man btw!

Please think about the impact that it has on your partner if you are ever thinking of trying out forbidden fruits or are you just so selfish that you dont care about anyone other than yourself! Think about why you are doing it and dont ever forget that looks dont last forever and think strongly about what is there when the looks have faded! If you love yourself and think that you are "Gods gift", it is not going to be like that forever!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Hope it makes sense and if you are a guy/girl in a relationship and being unfaithful,at least have the decency to tell your partner before the inevitable happens and you get caught and believe me,it will happen,

lots of love,

Hollie xxx