Tomorrow night it all begins again.
August 21st 2026 with champions Arsenal kicking us off...
Fantasy Premier League is fluffing back baby.
Which means sensible, rational adults across the world are doing perfectly normal things like....
Changing their goalkeeper for the 14th time.
Convincing themselves that a £4.5m midfielder they've never heard of is essential.
Removing Haaland..... Putting Haaland back..... Removing him again.
Oh wait .... that's me!!!
Welcome back FPL... Fluff me ... How I've missed you. 😂🤣
And this season Tengo Rangers has a little more pressure than usual...
WE HAVE BEEN PROMOTED! 🥳
Yep, you read that right!!!!
Somehow Tengo Rangers escaped HiveFPL Division Two last season and will be mixing it with the big boys in Division One this time around.
And promotion comes with riches.
Untold mega Life-changing riches!! At least the sportsblock lads say so they are!
If I win one of my weekly Head-to-Head fixtures in Division One I receive...
ONE WHOLE FLUFFING HIVE!
Hehe ikr!!! Imma gonna be rich!!!
Please don't treat me differently now that I've made it.
Nah, joking aside, it is actually double what a Division Two victory pays.
For 2026/27 the HiveFPL Head-to-Head rewards are:
Division One
- Win: 1 HIVE
- Draw: 0.5 HIVE
Division Two
- Win: 0.5 HIVE
- Draw: 0.25 HIVE
So promotion really does have its privileges.
And, of course, there's also the main HiveFPL Classic League, where it's your overall FPL score that counts.
Last season HiveFPL distributed a fluffing impressive 4,980 HIVE across the competitions. Correct me if I fluffed up that number!
Not bad for playing fantasy football!
Want To Join HiveFPL? You Need To Get A Move On!
If you've been thinking about joining us, now is the time.
The Premier League kicks off tomorrow, Friday 21 August, when champions Arsenal host newly promoted Coventry City.
And because the FPL deadline is 90 minutes before the first match of the Gameweek, GW1 locks at 18:30 UK time tomorrow.
So you haven't got long.
@hivefpl has put together a very useful post explaining the Classic League, Head-to-Head competition, prizes and exactly how to link your Hive and FPL accounts.
If you've never played before, get in.
If you've played before and forgotten to join...
GET IN!
There is still time.
If you know me, then you know I am a fan of JIT! Just In Time hehe, so go on Just Do It
Tengo Rangers Are Everywhere This Season 😂
Naturally HiveFPL isn't the only league I've entered.
Tengo Rangers can also be found fighting for mediocrity and glory in the:
⚽ read.cash league
⚽ Farcaster league
⚽ HiveFPL Classic League
⚽ HiveFPL Division One Head-to-Head
...and various other leagues that I have joined and will probably completely forget about until someone tells me I'm 173rd.
I might need a secretary @meyateingi !!!
And My FPL Posts Are Going Through SportsBlock and their cool frontend!
This season I'll also be publishing my FPL ramblings through SportsBlock, the dedicated sports frontend and app built on Hive.
And I really do need to give the guys behind all of this a fluffing big shout-out.
There's the wonderful @blanchy, who has been developing SportsBlock at vast expense to the Hive DHF...
...
Oh wait.
...
Try ZERO Fluffing DHF expense.
@blanchy and @niallon11 have put an enormous amount of work into building SportsBlock, while @talesfrmthecrypt seems to be the brains behind an almost ridiculous number of the fantasy competitions we end up playing.
THANK YOU GUYS for delivering a fun product without taking DHF money like almost everyone else.
There is a lot of talk on Hive about onboarding and retention, let's face there are Hivians who get a fluffing gold medal for chasing away thousands of users and deboarding them!!
"How do we get people here?" ... "How do we keep people here?"
... "What gives people a reason to come back tomorrow?"
Well... what about ...
Fun - I always say if something in life is fun then you keep doing it.
Competitions... Communities... Rivalries.
Having a laugh. Or as there is a big Emerald Isle element ... the craic!
Checking whether @bawbags has just beaten you by one bloody bonus point.
Posting about your team.
Arguing about whether Haaland is worth the money.
Coming back next Saturday because you've got another Head-to-Head match.
These are the little things that actually give people a reason to keep opening Hive.
And HiveFPL has grown organically over the years without requiring the community to stump up a fortune to create it.
Huge credit to everyone who gives their time to make these things happen
Anyway… Enough Niceness. Now the real DRAMA ~ I Have A Crisis.
My fluffing FPL team ... Or more accurately ...
MY THREE FPL TEAMS.
Because with barely a day to go I still haven't actually decided which version of Tengo Rangers is going to start the season.
This isn't helped by the fact that FPL has changed quite dramatically over the last couple of seasons.
Last season gave us Defensive Contribution points, suddenly making centre-backs and even some of those previously boring defensive midfielders rather more interesting.
We also got two sets of chips — one set for each half of the season.
And for 2026/27 the two sets of chips remain, while the Bonus Points System has been tweaked again to reduce the overlap with Defensive Contribution points and give goalkeepers, full-backs and attacking players a better shot at bonus.
There are live mini-league updates, a new official price-change predictor and various other toys too.
In other words...MORE THINGS FOR ME TO OVERTHINK... Or just forget to do!
Aye right, pure dead brilliant so it is!
THE TENGO RANGERS GW1 PROBLEM
I have basically narrowed it down to three different approaches.
And I'm hoping that by writing down why I like — and dislike — each one, I'll eventually discover what I actually think.
It could happen... Probably won't... But worth a punt all the same.
DRAFT ONE — NO HAALAND 😱
Yes.... There ... I said it.
No fluffing Erling Haaland... No Viking God himself!
Right, let's start with the one that will either make me look like an FPL genius...
...or like a fucking twat after Haaland scores twice before half-time.
NO HAALAND.
And I have to admit, when I look at the squad as a whole, I really like what the missing Haaland money allows me to do.
This doesn't feel like a team where I've sacrificed one superstar and then desperately tried to patch the holes.
It looks like a proper 15-man squad.
And with me wanting to Bench Boost potentially in GW1 or GW2, that matters.
Triple Arsenal Straight Away 🔴⚪
I've gone fairly hard on Arsenal:
Raya — £6.0m Calafiori — £5.5m Tzolis — £6.5m
And with Arsenal opening at home to Coventry, it's not difficult to see why.
Raya isn't cheap for a goalkeeper, but Arsenal are one of the teams I trust most for clean sheets and I quite like locking in their defence rather than continually chasing goalkeeper fixtures.
Calafiori gives me another route into that Arsenal defence with more attacking potential.
And Tzolis at £6.5m could be very interesting indeed.
The danger, of course, is obvious... If Coventry somehow score after 11 minutes...🤣
Then There Is Manchester United...
And apparently I've become a Man U fan without realising it. Nah that will NEVER happen!
Shaw — £4.5m Mbeumo — £8.0m Bruno Fernandes — £12.0m
All away at promoted Hull. So they could rack the points up!
Bruno at £12m is expensive, but without Haaland I don't actually have to choose between him and everybody else.
I can simply have him.
Mbeumo gives me another attacking United option, while Shaw at £4.5m feels reasonably priced if he is starting regularly.
So this draft gives me Bruno AND Mbeumo.
That's exactly the sort of luxury the Haaland money buys.
Semenyo Is One I Really Want
Semenyo — £8.5m and Home to Bournemouth.
I've wanted him in my drafts for a while and I don't particularly fancy beginning the season watching him haul while thinking:
"Yes, but at least I've got £15m tied up in one Norwegian."
He gives the midfield another genuine attacking threat and this is where the no-Haaland structure starts making sense to me.
Instead of Haaland + compromises
I've now got Bruno + Mbeumo + Semenyo + Gakpo + Tzolis.
That's a seriously fucking tasty midfield.
And Yes... Gakpo Is Still Here
Anyone who has been discussing my drafts with me will know I've kept coming back to Gakpo at £7.0m.
I just like him as an FPL player. Him and Bruno and Semenyo are usually in my teams...
He has that habit of producing attacking returns and at £7m he doesn't completely destroy the rest of the squad. Five assists in preseason too mind!
Newcastle away isn't the easiest opening fixture in the world, but I'm looking beyond one match with him.
And alongside Bruno, Mbeumo, Semenyo and Tzolis...
... that midfield looks fluffing strong.
The Front Three Aren't Exactly Shite Either
This is probably what I like most about going without Haaland.
My forward line isn't three blokes I've selected because all the money has fluffed off elsewhere.
I've got ...
Thiago — £8.0m João Pedro — £7.5m Isak — £9.0m
That is £24.5m worth of forwards despite not owning Haaland. I mean come on! Tasty or what!
Isak at £9m particularly appeals to me. He has got things to prove, and what better way than to start away at Newcastle!
He's exactly the type of player who could quietly keep returning points while everyone obsesses over whether Haaland has scored three or merely two.
João Pedro at £7.5m gives me another strong attacking option. I still think he will be a boom or bust returns player.
And Thiago at £8m completes a front three where I would actually be perfectly happy starting any of them.
Look At The Bench Too 👀 as we are talking about an early BB!
This is where the Bench Boost thoughts begin.
I've got:
Petrović — £4.5m Thomas — £4.0m Mykolenko — £4.5m Hume — £4.5m
These aren't necessarily just dead £4m placeholders whose sole purpose in life is making the other eleven affordable.
I've tried to create a squad where the bench can actually play and contribute.But, Petrović away at Manchester City in GW1 isn't exactly screaming "BENCH BOOST ME!" .... and Thomas away at Arsenal isn't particularly appetising either.
Which is one reason this squad may actually lend itself better to my GW2 Bench Boost idea.
What I Like About The No-Haaland Draft
The biggest thing is balance. I have been reading a lot of fpl creators content this season and they love balance and strategy....
There is money everywhere.
I have:
✅ Triple Arsenal ✅ Bruno AND Mbeumo ✅ Semenyo ✅ Gakpo ✅ Isak
✅ 3 quality forwards ✅ A usable bench
✅ Plenty of players I'd actually be happy owning for several weeks
And importantly, I don't feel as though the entire FPL season is resting on whether one £15m player scores.
It gives me options.
So Mr Tengo What's The Fluffing Problem?
His name is Erling Haaland.... That's it.
That's the problem.
Manchester City start at home to Bournemouth.
And if Haaland scores ⚽⚽⚽ while half the game has captained him...
... then Tengo Rangers could find itself 30 points behind before I've even worked out what went fluffing wrong.
That's the fear.
It's not that I think the rest of this squad is weak.
The question is whether all those improvements across 14 other players compensate for not owning the most explosive player in the game.
That's really the entire Haaland debate.
Would I rather have:
Haaland + a weaker squad
or...
this lot in Draft Two?
At the moment... I'm leaning dangerously towards this lot.
Which means I fully expect Haaland to score four at the weekend. Fluffing fluffer that he can be!
DRAFT TWO — NO BRUNO 👀
Right then, Draft One was NO HAALAND.
This one takes the opposite approach.
Haaland comes marching back into Tengo Rangers at his fluffing mental £15.5m price...
...and out goes fluffing
BRUNO FERNANDES 🟥 GTF
The beauty of this draft is that almost nothing else changes.
In fact, compared with my No-Haaland squad there are only two transfers:
Bruno Fernandes £12.0m ➡ Groß £5.5m
Isak £9.0m ➡ Haaland £15.5m
So this is actually a very clean comparison, and questions boils down to...
Would I rather own Bruno + Isak...
or...
Groß + Haaland?
The Big Norwegian Is Back In
Haaland — £15.5m
Manchester City ... At home... Against Bournemouth.... GW1.
Usually a no brainer as Haaland normally flies out of the blocks at the sart of a season. This one though was World Cup and he had next to no preseason!
I wonder and of course no Pep, AND no Rodri ... And I hear Marmoush is off too... Gives Haaland more minutes but more pressure maybe?
If I go with this team then the captaincy decision isn't exactly taxing my brain.
Haaland (C).
Thank you very much... Move along.
And that's perhaps the biggest advantage this draft has over my No-Haaland version.
I can watch City v Bournemouth without hiding behind the sofa every time the ball enters the penalty area... Actually I don't watch football unless live at a ground or highlights!
But £15.5m Has To Come From Somewhere...
So it's Goodbye Bruno.
That's not something I'm particularly comfortable with either.
Bruno costs £12.0m, but Manchester United start away to newly promoted Hull and he's exactly the sort of player I could see producing one of those irritating:
goal + assist + bonus
afternoons while I'm congratulating myself on saving £6.5m.
But I've still got Mbeumo — £8.0m and Shaw — £4.5m
So if United do have a very good afternoon at Hull, I at least have some exposure and Bruni missed a couple of pens!
Enter Pascal Groß at £5.5m
This is where the Haaland money has to be recovered.
Groß — £5.5m
Brighton start at home to Villa, and at that price I don't need Groß to suddenly turn into Mohamed Salah.
I need him to be cheap, nailed on and useful and capable of picking up attacking returns.
He basically becomes the enabler that allows Haaland into the squad without dismantling everything else I like.
And that's important as it maintains the balance that they all harp on about!!
Because look around him, the rest of the midfield is still:
Gakpo — £7.0m, Semenyo — £8.5m, Mbeumo — £8.0m, Tzolis — £6.5m
That still looks pretty tasty.
It's obviously not as ridiculously strong as:
Gakpo – Semenyo – Bruno – Mbeumo – Tzolis
from Draft One.
But it's hardly five bargain-bin midfielders feeding Haaland.
Triple Arsenal Remains 🔴⚪
Nothing changes here.
I've still got the trio of Raya — £6.0m, Calafiori — £5.5mand Tzolis — £6.5m all at home to Coventry.
I'm clearly putting a lot of faith in Arsenal in GW1. And I'm quite happy doing that. Arteta was a wee star at Rangers so I have always liked him. Even Mrs T saw hum live and votes for him!
The Forward Line Now Looks VERY Different
This is where Draft Two really separates itself.
Instead of ...Thiago – João Pedro – Isak
I've got:
Thiago – João Pedro – HAALAND
Thiago has Spurs at home. João Pedro has Fulham away. And Haaland has Bournemouth at home.
The first two can hopefully chip away with points, whilst the third one could explode.
That's basically the argument for owning Haaland.
You don't necessarily buy him because he's fantastic value at £15.5m.
You buy him because he has the ability to completely destroy a Gameweek.
Especially when everyone else captains him.
And That's The Word I Keep Coming Back To...
CAPTAINCY.
Draft One might actually give me the better 15-man squad.
I think it probably does.
But Draft Two gives me what Draft One doesn't:
The obvious captain.
That's enormously comforting.
With the No-Haaland squad I can tell myself ... "Bruno could score." "Semenyo could haul." "Maybe Isak gets two."
All perfectly reasonable **But **if Haaland scores a hat-trick and has the armband on millions of teams... reasonable doesn't help much.
Draft Two is therefore probably the SAFER draft, n000000ot necessarily the better draft.
But definitely the one that's less likely to have me questioning all my life choices by Saturday afternoon.
What Do I Lose By Dropping Bruno?
Quite a lot.
Bruno gives me: ✅ another premium attacking player ✅ Manchester United's talisman ✅ potential penalties ✅ assists ✅ bonus-point potential ✅ an alternative captaincy option
The question is whether ...
... Haaland is a bigger upgrade on Isak than Groß is a downgrade from Bruno.
That's the entire draft.
And I think that may be the best way to judge it.
I reckon plenty of FPL managers will have their own very strong opinion about which side wins.
What I Like About The No-Bruno Draft
✅ I own Haaland ✅ Haaland is an obvious GW1 captain ✅ I still have Mbeumo for Manchester United ✅ I keep Semenyo ✅ I keep Gakpo ✅ I keep triple Arsenal ✅ I still have three strong forwards ✅ Almost the entire structure of my original squad survives
And mental health wise...?
I don't have to watch Haaland against Bournemouth without Haaland.
What I Don't Like
The midfield takes a very obvious hit.
Going from:
Bruno to Groß is fluffing massive.
And if Bruno starts the season flying, getting him back isn't necessarily going to be straightforward either.
That's another thing I have to consider.
What About The Bench Boost?
Interestingly, this draft doesn't really solve my GW1 Bench Boost problem.
The bench options are still Petrović — MCI (A) Thomas — ARS (A)
So despite owning Haaland for GW1, this squad still has me looking more towards BENCH BOOST GW2.
So Is This Better Than Draft One?
Ah fluff me!
Now we're asking the difficult questions.
My head says This is safer.
My eyes look at Haaland against Bournemouth and say You know perfectly well you're going to want him.
But then I look back at the No-Haaland midfield:
Gakpo – Semenyo – Bruno – Mbeumo – Tzolis with Isak still up front...
and think Bloody hell, that's a nice squad.
😂
So after two drafts I think I've boiled the decision down beautifully.
Draft One — No Haaland ~ Better squad? Probably.
More frightening? Definitely.
Draft Two — No Bruno ~ Slightly weaker squad? Probably.
Much safer captaincy? Absolutely.
So the £21m question is:
Bruno + Isak... OR Groß + Haaland?
At the moment...
I genuinely don't know.
Which is exactly why I'm writing this bloody post.
The only thing is I think Game Week 2 is going to be my Bench Boost week!
DRAFT THREE — AND THEN THERE WERE TWO...
By this point I had already managed to create a No Haaland draft and a No Bruno draft.
Surely that was enough? Of course it wasn't.
What happens if I don't have Haaland or Bruno?
And somehow Draft Three then split itself into Draft 3A and Draft 3B.
This is why FPL managers should never be left unsupervised.
The good news is that one thing remained untouched throughout all this tinkering:
THIAGO – JOÃO PEDRO – ISAK
I really like that front three... So they're staying.
Everything else though was fair game.
DRAFT 3A — NO HAALAND, NO BRUNO... BUT SAKA STAYS 🔥
This was my first attempt at going without both of the monster premiums.
The squad is:
GOALKEEPERS
Kinsky — £4.5m Verbruggen — £4.5m
DEFENDERS
Calafiori — £5.5m Milenković — £5.5m Maguire — £5.0m Tarkowski — £6.0m Hume — £4.5m
MIDFIELDERS
Rogers — £7.5m Saka — £9.5m Semenyo — £8.5m Mbeumo — £8.0m Tzolis — £6.5m
FORWARDS
Thiago — £8.0m João Pedro — £7.5m Isak — £9.0m
Why I Like 3A
The obvious attraction is:
SAKA.
If I'm going to have the nerve to start the season without both Haaland and Bruno, having one premium attacking player still feels reassuring.
It gives Tengo Rangers somebody who can genuinely explode. It gives me another captaincy option.
And the rest of the team doesn't exactly look shabby.
Look at that midfield:
Rogers – Saka – Semenyo – Mbeumo – Tzolis
There are attacking returns potentially everywhere.
And we still have that front three that I keep coming back to:
Thiago – João Pedro – Isak.
So as a 15-man squad?
3A looks bloody good.
BUT THERE'S A SAKA PROBLEM...
The more I looked at it, the more one thing bothered me. I'm spending £9.5m on Saka... and I'm not completely convinced about his GW1 minutes.
If I'm paying premium money, I don't really want:
"He'll probably start."
I want:
"Stick him in the team and forget about it." like Palmer used to be.
And then I started looking at what else that Saka money could do...
Which brought us to:
DRAFT 3B — NO HAALAND. NO BRUNO. NO SAKA. HAVE I LOST MY MIND? HAHA
Here we go.
This is the one that looks absolutely bonkers when I write the headline...
but increasingly sensible every time I look at the actual team.
GOALKEEPERS
Raya — £6.0m Petrović — £4.5m
DEFENDERS
Gabriel — £8.0m Maguire — £5.0m Muharemović — £5.0m Neco Williams — £5.0m Hume — £4.5m
MIDFIELDERS
Gakpo — £7.0m Semenyo — £8.5m Rogers — £7.5m Mbeumo — £8.0m Tzolis — £6.5m
FORWARDS
Thiago — £8.0m João Pedro — £7.5m Isak — £9.0m
LOOK AT THAT DEFENCE 👀
This is where 3B really starts to make sense to me.
Instead of trying to squeeze Saka in, I've put serious money into players I expect to contribute.
I've got Raya + Gabriel + Tzolis as my Arsenal triple-up.
Home to Coventry in GW1? I'm happy to make that bet.
Gabriel costs a fortune for a defender at £8.0m, but if we're going without Haaland, Bruno and Saka then I've got the money.
So why not buy one of the defenders I actually really want?
Then there is ~
Maguire who gives me United coverage and plenty of routes to points. Muharemović the Leeds defender who caught my eye with that fluffing ridiculous overhead kick in pre-season. Neco Williams who could be very interesting playing as an attacking wing-back. And then my wee favourite Hume at £4.5m who has spent some of pre-season playing as a winger and scoring goals.
Five defenders that I can actually make a case for owning every one of them.
That's exactly what I want if I'm planning an early Bench Boost.
AND I LIKE THIS MIDFIELD MORE THAN I EXPECTED
No Bruno No Saka. Yet somehow I look at
Gakpo – Semenyo – Rogers – Mbeumo – Tzolis
and don't feel deprived.
Semenyo is one I've wanted. Mbeumo gives me Manchester United attack without paying Bruno prices. Rogers gives me another very decent mid-price option. Tzolis gives me my attacking Arsenal slot. And Gakpo at £7m is one I've liked throughout all these drafts.
There isn't a £4.5m midfielder hiding in there simply because I ran out of money.
All five can play and all five can return.
THEN THERE'S THAT FRONT THREE AGAIN...
Thiago – João Pedro – Isak
AND THEN THE GOALKEEPER DECISION FINALLY MADE SENSE
I spent far too long messing around with goalkeepers.
Kinsky ~ Verbruggen ~ Raya ~ Petrović ~ Back to Kinsky ~Back to Raya.
But once I decided I was seriously consideringBENCH BOOST GAMEWEEK 2 then answer suddenly became obvious.
Raya + Petrović.
GW1 isn't a great fixture for Petrović. He's away to Manchester City. But who fluffing cares?
He sits on my bench. Raya starts at home to Coventry.
End of!
Then we reach GW2... and Petrović has EVERTON AT HOME.
Now suddenly the £4.5m second goalkeeper has a purpose.
I'm not buying Petrović because I particularly want to rotate my goalkeepers for the next 14 weeks.
I'm buying him becausevI WANT HIM FOR BB2.
DEPTH.
That's what I want.
Because I have a plan now.
And once you have a plan in FPL...
you should probably immediately ignore it and make three transfers.
FLUFF IT. I've tinkered enough.
TENGO RANGERS ARE GOING DRAFT 3B. 🔵⚽
NO HAALAND, BRUNO or even SAKA
and BENCH BOOST GAMEWEEK 2.
There.
I've said it.
THE TENGO RANGERS PLAN
I've deliberately tried to construct a 15-man squad for the opening TWO Gameweeks.
GW1
Play the strongest XI. Raya gets Coventry at home.
Petrović can enjoy watching Manchester City from the safety of my bench.
We see what we've actually bought.
We pray nobody gets injured, dropped, sent off, kidnapped or unexpectedly transferred before next weekend.
Then...
GW2 — BENCH BOOST! 🚀
Assuming there are no disasters... hit the chip. All 15 count.
Petrović gets his Everton home fixture.
The money I've deliberately invested in five defenders becomes useful.
Hume isn't sitting there merely because he cost £4.5m. Muharemović isn't bench decoration. Neco Williams isn't there to make up the numbers.
I've built this squad specifically because I want 15 players capable of producing points.
Then the Bench Boost is gone.
And remember...
we get another Bench Boost in the second half of the season anyway.
So why not attack the first one while I've got unlimited transfers beforehand and can deliberately construct the squad for it?
That's the theory anyway.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
Tengo Rangers could begin life in HiveFPL Division One with approximately 31 points.
And after all the drafts, calculations and tinkering, that's probably the most important thing.
So unless something dramatic happens before the deadline:
DRAFT 3B ✅
BB2 ✅
TENGO RANGERS ARE READY. 🔵
Now somebody please take the FPL website away from me before I change the whole bloody thing again.
