By Joel Crosskill

THINK YOU could eyeball Sir Alex and not flinch, maybe even outsmart Arsene and Sven while you're at it? Well just to let you know, that fantasy is a reality!

Part science, part soul; the fantasy premier league at premierleague.com is literally and figuratively no walk in the park! A one-stop shop for BPL stats, I guarantee it will change the way you watch the game!

LIVE, EVERY KICK

The life of a BPL manager is not all about prowling along the sidelines or even arguing with the match officials. It's the constant looking over your shoulder, being second guessed for your rotation policy and the gut-wrenching anxiety of whether or not you've assembled a squad that can do your club proud and put points on the table.

For the rookies to fantasy football - a quick drill; but remember just like real football fantasy footy takes practice.

THE X's AND O's

You start your career with $100 million

Buy a squad of 15 actual players from around the league (2GK, 5DF, 5MF and 3F)

Each player is given a value

After confirming your squad, sit back and watch the points roll in!

POINTS

After each BPL match day the fantasy player is allocated a point score based on the players on-field performance. The scoring system is simple to understand. For example, a goal scored by a defender is worth six points; a midfielder five points and a forward four points. Assists are worth three points across the board.

The fantasy begins with who you think will perform in any given week. Can Elano continue to score and assist? Or who can keep a clean sheet this week? Those are just a few of the questions in the mind of the manager.

What this point system encourages is the rapid loss of sentimental attachments to any given player: here, performance is king!

Many of the real match decisions made by premiership managers are reflected in fantasy football and even though it will never quite simulate that intangible verve of the live game, it doesn't need to; that's why you have weekly matches on SportsMax and FSC, not to mention the review and preview shows are virtual scouting reports; that's if you add a little fantasy to your football!

Contact Joel at jcrosskill@sportsmax.tv