Meet @parker_bradley – Our Wolves Correspondent

15/07/2018
15/07/2018 Planet FPL

What is your Twitter handle?

@parker_bradley

Who do you support?

Wolves

Why do you support them?

They are the team my family supports the most so I guess it was only natural. It is strange though because early in life I did not like football but it all changed when my Grandad died. I became a full on addict and love everything about the game and have worked hard to be as knowledgeable as possible about it.

How often do you get to attend matches?

I go to as many home games as possible as I am a season ticket holder with my Uncle.

Who is your favourite ever player?

He has only been here one year but Ruben Neves is already my favourite player! If you looked through my blogs and tweets throughout last season I think it was obvious to tell he was. He really is something special and perhaps is already one of the best to wear the shirt. Some of the things he can do is incredible, i know it sounds over the top for someone who has not played in the Premier League yet but he will show just how good he is i have no doubt.

What win in your lifetime means the most to you?

Hmmmm there has been a few of note like beating West Brom 3-1 for obvious reasons, Villa at home but I would probably say last season away at Cardiff. To win such an important game so dramatically was something that will live with me forever. I was literally on the floor at the end of the game in disbelief. How often will your opponents miss two penalties in added time?

Which goal meant the most?

I think Stephen Hunt’s dramatic goal on the final day of the season in 2011 has to be the goal that meant the most. At that moment it was keeping us up and I just remember my Uncle almost breaking my neck with how much he was celebrating!

Which team would you most like to beat this season?

This is a hard one to answer as we do not have any rivals with us this season from the West Midlands. Beating a big team like Manchester United is always great but I want to beat Cardiff the most only because getting one over Neil Warnock is always fun.

Are you happy with your manager?

100000000000000000000% Nuno has done a tremendous job with the team playing football I never thought I would see a Wolves side play. He has a charisma about him and is a real leader and is now basically king of Wolverhampton. He is building something special and I hope he is here for a long time.

Are you happy with your Board/Chairman?

Again extremely happy. In their first season I think Fosun underestimated the task of getting into the Premier League and made mistakes with managers and some signings. But to their credit they learned from their mistakes and have got us to the Premier League with serious ambition which is going to upset a few teams.

Where do you realistically think your club will finish this season?

At the time of writing it is hard to say as we have only made a few signings, one being the incredible capture of Rui Patricio from Sporting Lisbon. I think with further additions of quality that we can realistically aim for a top half finish. We have some seriously talented players and in my opinion at the moment the Premier League is not filled with truly great sides apart from Man City. Burnley showed last season that if you have a quality manager who plays to your strengths you can achieve great things.

What opposition player do you secretly admire?

I would not say I am a secret admirer of any rival players as simply put right now our players are much better than any of our rivals can offer. Jack Grealish is a good player but I am not sure if he would fit into our side. Players like David Silva are my favourite type of player, so much class and quality in everything they do.

Is there a youngster at the club who could become a regular in the side this season?

I think the closest we have will be Morgan Gibbs-White. The 18-year-old won the World Cup with England U17s last season scoring in the final. He has already made twenty first team appearances and last season was around the squad much more, which speaks volumes about his quality. He can play in centre midfield or higher up the pitch and is a very intelligent player, a lot of Wolves fan are excited by him and trust him when he is on the pitch.

Who do you think will be your club’s top FPL points scorer this season?

As it currently stands I think Diogo Jota has the strongest chance. He was our top scorer last season with 18 goals and he will likely hit double figures again. He is likely to be a midfielder too who will play as a forward so that is always valuable. He was fantastic last season and was targeted every game so i feel the more open Premier League may suit him even better which should result in more goals.

Can you tell us about your FPL history?

I started playing in 2011-12 I think but that was with an old email so sadly I cannot look back at those finishes. Here are my finishes with my current account:

Season           Points              Rank

2014/15           2,000               213,758

2015/16           2,089               258,615

2016/17           2,333               5,411

2017/17           2,138               313,984

What would be a successful FPL finish for you this season?

To try and better my 2016/17 season. Just to have fun and improve on your best season is always my aim. Oh and to win my mini league and take the money home!

What formation do you generally favour for FPL?

Usually I favour 3-4-3 but last season I started to go for 3-5-2. I think it totally depends on how the season is going. Last season a lot of strikers did not really perform as well as expected and a lot these days are asked to play positions or in ways which make it more difficult to score goals.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned playing FPL?

To always think carefully about when to use your chips and to trust in gut feelings more. For example if something seems clearly obvious like a player scoring against their old club and you think it will happen just put them in. A lot of the time you just end up going dammit I considered him.

When did you use your chips last season and was it successful?

I used my first wildcard in GW4 as that’s when I feel you can see trends appearing in the seasons and that it is after the international break. I played free-hit in GW22 which was probably a mistake with hindsight. My second wildcard happened in GW23 as my team was littered with injuries and lack of form. Bench Boost was used in GW 34 and was a success as I had Kevin Long and Glen Murray on my bench who both scored. Triple captain was played in GW 37 and was a let down really as I bottled putting it on Aubamenyang and put it on Kane.

Anything else we should know about you?

I am a huge nerd who loves sci-fi, dinosaurs, games etc. I have a sport journalism degree and I am a writer for critical popcorn as a film critic.