Manager of the month - January 2008

Mike Ratcliffe collected the QBE Fantasy Football manager of the month award for January after scoring a stunning 105 points.

His team, AVIT, came out on top after a nail-biting final round of games at the end of the month.

Mike, an account executive for the last seven months at Hull-based broker The Insurance Partnership, said it literally went to the last minute.

“The Liverpool keeper conceded in the last minute so it was a bit nerve wracking. A few guys behind me had him in their teams so I think that won it for me,” he said.

As a Hull City season ticket holder for over 20 years, Mike says the fantasy league has reignited his interest in Premier League football.

Out of four January transfers, he said the decision to put Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen between the sticks was a deciding factor.

“It was a bit of a long shot,” he said. “But I think that decision on one of the weekends made quite a difference.”

With no more transfers remaining, Mike thinks his chances of winning the league overall are slowly fading. He is now aiming to claim victory against his colleagues in their private league.