I’d like to thank my lovely readers for the offers to join your Fantasy Leagues.
If I gave up gambling and blogging, I’d have time to do it.
The only time I got involved was in the Algarve when the kids were about 10 and 7.
Since they’re fair-skinned, we liked to keep them indoors after lunch, while the sun is at its hottest.
So I set them to select a team each for The Daily Telegraph Fantasy League.
I remember Caroline asking, “Dad, is Jason McAteer any good?”
That will give you an idea of the era I’m talking about.
A team could cost a maximum of £25 million.
Michael and his little sister were allowed two Arsenal players each and they would pick nine players and not have enough money for the other two.
But they wanted those players, so they’d have to juggle, change three players in order to afford those two.
These team-building exercises kept them occupied for quite a few days and safely out of the midday sun. .
When they’d finalised their teams the inevitable question came.
“Dad, who don’t you do a team?”
“No, this stuff is for schoolkids and office workers.”
“Come on, Dad! You should have a team too.”
“Well it wouldn’t be fair, would it? An expert with inside knowledge of the game, against amateurs?”
But they moaned and nagged and chiselled away at me – and I caved in.
My team was called Fiorentina Turner.
How did my team do?
Well, to tell the truth, it did…….. very badly.
My team was rubbish.
I found Fantasy Football to be quite hard.