639: Track Stars & WL Sweat

[00:00:05] Hello footies and welcome to another Friday Night Goodness here on episode 639.

[00:00:12] My name is Chris also known as Grandpapa Mac and there's two of us tonight.

[00:00:17] Unfortunately our good friend Yngwie has been held up. We wish him all the best and hope everything's okay.

[00:00:23] But on with me tonight is the man they call the Dutch Michael van Gerwen.

[00:00:28] He is all the way from the Netherlands an ace darts player, not a particularly great pool player I hasten to add.

[00:00:35] But here he is my good friend John.

[00:00:39] Can I just mention I've not lost a single match of pool nor a single match of darts this weekend.

[00:00:45] You did well, you did well. You know we did love the dancing as well John.

[00:00:49] Hopefully you've got that in video you can share with our listeners. Get that video up.

[00:00:55] So this was a funny story Chris before we actually dive in.

[00:01:01] I didn't know they were recording on the darts.

[00:01:05] And I might have gone a little bit overboard with my celebrations.

[00:01:09] I don't celebrate at FUT. I definitely did celebrate at darts.

[00:01:14] And then I got an email the next day from our friends at lane 7.

[00:01:18] With FUT videos. Like videos.

[00:01:22] So I clicked the link and like oh they record like everything.

[00:01:26] Oh that's awesome.

[00:01:28] Yeah so just for people who maybe haven't heard we had a meet up in Edinburgh.

[00:01:32] We'll discuss that later on in the show.

[00:01:34] Tonight's show is going to be all about track stars.

[00:01:37] Those athletic people out there including John.

[00:01:40] We're going to discuss weekend league.

[00:01:42] We've seen the Penthess's tweet.

[00:01:44] And John's experience of trying to qualify for weekend league.

[00:01:48] Has he changed his tune folks?

[00:01:50] Does he still love the qualifying or is he like me?

[00:01:52] Think it's absolutely terrible.

[00:01:54] We'll talk about Edinburgh as I say.

[00:01:56] And we'll also talk about the three-peat that's coming in May.

[00:01:59] We're going to go back to Crete folks.

[00:02:01] And we'd like you to join us.

[00:02:03] John, but please before we start, tell us how has your week in FIFA or FC been?

[00:02:11] Yeah, this is the weird thing.

[00:02:13] You are hosted today.

[00:02:15] Which I mean, we should probably do this.

[00:02:19] Oh well, it's much easier when I did myself.

[00:02:23] My week in FIFA Ultimate Team has actually been pretty good.

[00:02:27] If I'm honest.

[00:02:29] I played a lot this week.

[00:02:32] I was a little bit rusty because it was so busy the last couple of weeks that when you handed me control this week,

[00:02:37] it was first time in two weeks.

[00:02:39] I was actually able to play.

[00:02:41] Which shown.

[00:02:43] But I wanted to make up for that.

[00:02:44] So this weekend I've been playing.

[00:02:46] I got my rifle wins in already on Thursday.

[00:02:48] I think that's nice.

[00:02:51] Playing a different formation, which will be, I hope to be releasing it next week on the Patreon.

[00:03:00] I did the icon SBC.

[00:03:03] Okay.

[00:03:03] Who did you get?

[00:03:04] Are we allowed to ask?

[00:03:05] Yeah, yeah.

[00:03:06] You can definitely get it.

[00:03:07] But I also forget her name.

[00:03:08] So now while we're talking about it, it's a new icon.

[00:03:12] She's a French striker.

[00:03:16] Apparently I can only get French promotion player these days anyway.

[00:03:19] So it wasn't a good fit.

[00:03:21] And let me find her name because actually we could do a full review.

[00:03:25] It's Pichon.

[00:03:27] Marianette Pichon.

[00:03:30] Actually, four star, four star left footed really smooth on the ball.

[00:03:38] Volley's are wonderful for some reason.

[00:03:39] Just hold out to her.

[00:03:41] It's not something I've seen much.

[00:03:42] She is acrobatic, so she could fit today's promo as vocaries.

[00:03:46] Acrobatic plus even.

[00:03:48] Financial, technical, first touch.

[00:03:50] Triff Vela as well.

[00:03:52] Advanced Forward plus plus.

[00:03:54] And she is actually pretty cool.

[00:03:56] So in the first time since ages, I got a full chemistry team as well now.

[00:04:03] Wow.

[00:04:04] And you don't believe in chemistry, I know.

[00:04:04] Two French icons do help, but hey.

[00:04:08] No, but I actually enjoy this week.

[00:04:13] Can't really complain.

[00:04:14] Yours?

[00:04:15] It's almost like I forgot how to play the game, John, this week.

[00:04:19] I don't know if it's the game itself or if it's me.

[00:04:21] We played sparsely, didn't we, over the weekend when you came to visit here in Edinburgh.

[00:04:26] We only got three games in which John won 2-1.

[00:04:29] And they were good, fun games.

[00:04:30] We played 95 rated Rangers versus Feyenoord.

[00:04:35] Still the best mode.

[00:04:36] Yeah, still a great mode.

[00:04:37] I mean, it's a great fun mode.

[00:04:38] It's what Rush should be if they could get people to play the game properly.

[00:04:43] But no, Matt, and then you left and I've played a few rival games.

[00:04:47] And as I say, it's like I have never played the game before.

[00:04:49] Don't know if it's me.

[00:04:50] Don't know if it's a change of formation, whatever it is.

[00:04:53] But I look forward to your new formation coming out because I really need something to give me that boost.

[00:04:57] Hopefully it helps me.

[00:04:59] No, definitely.

[00:05:00] But I know what would help me, John, what really would help me is if I was to pack a track star.

[00:05:05] Yes, a track star.

[00:05:07] Not someone from Formula One.

[00:05:08] That's a different podcast that John does with James.

[00:05:10] Check it out.

[00:05:11] Race and Review.

[00:05:12] Don't miss it.

[00:05:13] It's wonderful.

[00:05:14] John's back smiling.

[00:05:15] Verstappen has come back with a bang.

[00:05:17] The Dutchies were getting worried.

[00:05:19] You know, Orlando Norris there, but the Dutchies are back.

[00:05:23] I think it's a wonderful drive, didn't it, John and the Rain?

[00:05:26] Yeah.

[00:05:27] I mean, maybe not the podcast talk about it, but drive of the ages.

[00:05:31] Yeah.

[00:05:31] One that goes into the history books and one.

[00:05:34] They will show people for the next, well, decades in those nice recap, like highlights of.

[00:05:43] Definitely.

[00:05:44] So if you are into Formula One, Race and Review, check it out.

[00:05:47] The guys are wonderful on there as well.

[00:05:49] But no, track stars, it is.

[00:05:51] Let me read the blurb that we got from EA tonight, which was brand new in EA Sports FC 25.

[00:05:58] Track stars highlight players that have demonstrated athletic prowess on the grand stage with upgrades to each track star physical attributes from acceleration and sprint speed to agility, balance, strength, jumping and even stamina.

[00:06:11] Some track star players will also receive themed play style pluses and role changes to match those explosive traits.

[00:06:19] Track stars will add a burst of athleticism to your football team squad.

[00:06:24] Log into FIFA Ultimate Team to check out the track stars themed objectives.

[00:06:28] Squad building challenges, rush events throughout the campaign.

[00:06:32] And it says keeping out for track stars, track star heroes.

[00:06:35] Hard for me to say that one with upgrades to match the physical gifts that helped them build their legacy.

[00:06:40] So you read that, John sounds very exciting.

[00:06:43] A brand new promo.

[00:06:44] I don't believe I've had it before.

[00:06:45] Then you look at the team.

[00:06:47] Team looks amazing as well.

[00:06:49] Then you go into a wonderful FC apps that we've got there.

[00:06:52] I use footbent and you look at the prices and you go, OMG.

[00:06:57] Well, the prices aren't much of a surprise, are they?

[00:07:00] But I was more wondering, like we've got athletic people, like footballers that are fast.

[00:07:06] They can either jump or they get good stamina or they can really run fast or they can turn around fast.

[00:07:12] Basically, 95% of these footballers could be in this promo.

[00:07:16] It's sort of a, it's, it, uh, car design, uh, there is actually pretty good.

[00:07:23] Once again, they're really nailing it this year.

[00:07:25] Uh, but the promo, the, the team's promo.

[00:07:29] I don't think it makes much sense.

[00:07:31] Generally speaking, they're like, we should only do the fast players.

[00:07:34] And someone's like, we can't only do the fast players.

[00:07:36] But if you are a good stamina, you're an athlete as well.

[00:07:39] Okay.

[00:07:39] Let's do also do, do stamina.

[00:07:41] Yeah.

[00:07:41] But you also have really strong guys, right?

[00:07:43] Oh yeah.

[00:07:44] So of course we should do that.

[00:07:45] I mean, if they only put in place with acrobatic plus, for example, that sort of thing, that would make more sense.

[00:07:51] But generally speaking, it's just honestly, I think it's just another promo with some cool looking cards.

[00:07:58] And the team is well, non-existent in reality, but could be me.

[00:08:04] So if we start off, John, let's start, will we start with heroes or just normal FC players?

[00:08:09] What would you like to start with?

[00:08:10] Well, that's the thing, right?

[00:08:11] There's heroes and there's regular cards all together.

[00:08:14] Yes.

[00:08:14] So if you look at the whole team, for example, and I'll put it on screen for people watching the video show, which of course, a quick shout out before you that, Chris.

[00:08:24] Thank you, Spotify, for giving us the option to upload our new or well, actually our latest thumbnails on Spotify as well.

[00:08:35] So on the Spotify app, you'll now see the thumbnail we usually do for the YouTube.

[00:08:39] So not only does James do a terrific job with making our thumbnail these days, you can also see them on Spotify.

[00:08:46] And if you're on Spotify, you can also see the screen.

[00:08:48] So I put the theme on the screen and I see Oshola, which is of course a regular player and next to Ginola and Okocha.

[00:08:55] So it's weird.

[00:08:58] It is weird.

[00:08:59] It is weird.

[00:08:59] And they are quite pricey.

[00:09:01] Let's be honest with that.

[00:09:02] So I'm looking through the full list now that I've got.

[00:09:05] And it goes from those crazy price players like Ginola, who is extinct.

[00:09:10] You know, Lucio, who is 4.2 million coins.

[00:09:15] JJ Okocha there, you can see bang in the middle of the screen.

[00:09:18] For those who are watching, he is 1.2 million.

[00:09:21] I mean, shall we start with those biggies, John?

[00:09:24] I mean, if you were to pack one player, what would be your dream player to pack in this team?

[00:09:30] Whoever I pack, please don't let it be Cordoba.

[00:09:34] All right.

[00:09:34] Because I packed the other version of him last week.

[00:09:38] That would honestly suck.

[00:09:41] No, I mean, like Lucio is pretty terrific, right?

[00:09:45] But I think the big, big, big star in this whole team has to be Ginola, 5 star, 5 star.

[00:09:53] Different positions, perfect work.

[00:09:55] Well, not work rates, but perfect roles.

[00:09:58] Him and Teon on this left back are the two cards, which just...

[00:10:04] Well, I think I'd rather pack a Gino ladder than Mbappe, for example.

[00:10:08] Wow.

[00:10:09] I mean, that is...

[00:10:09] So, currently his max price is 5.7 million.

[00:10:13] Now, it could be the fact that people haven't packed him.

[00:10:15] That's why there's not many of them out there.

[00:10:18] And also, you know, in tradable packs as well, potentially.

[00:10:21] But he does look quite a stunning card.

[00:10:26] I don't really see anything negative.

[00:10:28] He's not very good defensively, but you don't really want him at the back.

[00:10:31] Striker, is that striker?

[00:10:33] Cam, left midfield, left wing.

[00:10:35] So, he is anywhere along the front line other than the right-hand side.

[00:10:39] 5 star, 5 star, can probably play anywhere.

[00:10:43] You know, just a tremendous card, John.

[00:10:46] Yeah, I mean...

[00:10:47] Where would you play him first and foremost, John?

[00:10:49] Where do you think you would play him?

[00:10:51] Probably striker.

[00:10:52] Mm-hmm.

[00:10:53] Worst case scenario, left winger, left winger.

[00:10:55] He still has 90 crossing, right?

[00:10:56] With 92 agility, 93 fission.

[00:11:00] 93 dribbling.

[00:11:02] Ball control, 93.

[00:11:03] So, he can...

[00:11:04] The passing stats are tremendous as well.

[00:11:07] But this card is...

[00:11:08] Like Chris, he can shoot.

[00:11:10] He can finish.

[00:11:10] He's fast.

[00:11:11] But he also has 90 strength.

[00:11:13] He also has 94 jumping.

[00:11:15] With decent header accuracy.

[00:11:17] With the 90...

[00:11:18] This is just...

[00:11:20] Maybe I would...

[00:11:21] I'm almost inclined to say best card in the game.

[00:11:24] Wow.

[00:11:29] Him or R9, I don't...

[00:11:31] I think I might just go for Ginola.

[00:11:35] Like...

[00:11:35] If I had those.

[00:11:36] Not that I'm ever going to be close to seeing this card.

[00:11:39] Or using this card.

[00:11:40] But...

[00:11:41] Yeah.

[00:11:42] He's a little bit older.

[00:11:43] 57 is a bit old for a player on my team.

[00:11:45] But that's about it.

[00:11:47] Is that what we're giving him a hard time about now?

[00:11:49] Yeah.

[00:11:50] The fact is that he's...

[00:11:51] He's aged.

[00:11:51] Not the fact he actually looks better on his age than I do on my age, but I...

[00:11:57] I mean, I just...

[00:11:58] You know, looking at that card, I mean, I don't think many of our listeners get that though.

[00:12:02] But I do wish you all the best to anyone who does pack him.

[00:12:06] Well done to you.

[00:12:07] Um...

[00:12:07] But the problem I have with this promo a little bit, John, is if you look at it, unless you have a million-odd coins, there's very few players.

[00:12:14] I mean, you mentioned the Theo Hernandez card.

[00:12:15] If we could bring that one up.

[00:12:17] You know, left back.

[00:12:19] I take it it's Milani plays for.

[00:12:21] He doesn't have a club as such.

[00:12:24] Well, that's Milano, but they call him Milano.

[00:12:27] Milano.

[00:12:27] Yeah.

[00:12:28] I mean, it's another one.

[00:12:29] He is 89 rated.

[00:12:31] A cool 3.4 million.

[00:12:35] 97 pace, 97 sprint speed as well.

[00:12:39] He looks like he's got the lot as well, apart from potentially vision on passing.

[00:12:45] But everything else looks very, very strong.

[00:12:48] Yeah, I think.

[00:12:48] But this is what we have the last couple of promos, Chris, that...

[00:12:52] Team of the Weeks have this thing where they have like one or two tremendous good cards.

[00:12:58] Which are unaffordable.

[00:13:00] Then there's a whole lot of bad cards, which are just 10k.

[00:13:06] And there might be one or two cards which you could pick up.

[00:13:08] So that's actually a pretty cool card.

[00:13:10] This promo goes in the other direction where there are almost no cards that are simply affordable.

[00:13:17] I mean, you have Kakkae, Corera, I think Gordon and Zapata probably.

[00:13:25] Something like that.

[00:13:26] Or Milankovic.

[00:13:27] But all those cards are like meshed.

[00:13:31] I don't see like...

[00:13:33] You know, a couple of weeks ago we said, oh, in the promo there's this goalkeeper, Samba who looks cool.

[00:13:38] There's this scam that looks sort of cool or cheap.

[00:13:41] None of the good cards in these things are near cheap or anything near like a normal card.

[00:13:46] Maybe coolie, right?

[00:13:48] 360,000, 360,000.

[00:13:50] Yeah.

[00:13:50] Could be sort of doable.

[00:13:52] But generally speaking, I think you have to...

[00:13:54] You can't like value in these promo packs of these promo teams these days.

[00:13:59] You either pack one from rewards or untradable from an SPC if there are any SPCs.

[00:14:04] Or you don't get it basically.

[00:14:07] Because even if you would buy Cordoba for example for 815,000.

[00:14:11] And I'm just saying because I packed the other one last week, right?

[00:14:15] The other one is 500,000 and dropping a price because this new one came out.

[00:14:19] So you don't really want to buy players anyways from these things unless you really have too much money to spend on them.

[00:14:26] I mean, I think that falls into what Shaq was kind of saying on Tuesday.

[00:14:30] He feels the market will probably dip to round about December.

[00:14:34] If you haven't picked up on Tuesday's show, you must go and listen to it.

[00:14:38] The guys have got a really interesting conversation, not just on the market,

[00:14:41] but also on the state of the game and where they are.

[00:14:44] And how the feeling is that potentially the game is losing a bit of interest.

[00:14:50] I mean, Cole at 455, that looks a really good card, John.

[00:14:54] Right winger.

[00:14:55] He is quite small, that's the only thing about it.

[00:14:58] But he's got fairly decent stats on him.

[00:15:01] 461,000.

[00:15:02] I know that's a lot of coins.

[00:15:03] You can buy his base hero at 260, but that one there, you know, it's a, you know, 88 rated right winger.

[00:15:11] Pretty decent.

[00:15:13] He has a winger plus plus.

[00:15:17] Quick step as well.

[00:15:20] Looks like a wonderful little card, that one.

[00:15:23] And I think you want to make you'd enjoy playing with.

[00:15:25] But I think people are worried, as you said, John, are worried about their coins.

[00:15:30] Yeah.

[00:15:30] Although this cool cards and they did with a lot of cards, I just realized.

[00:15:34] They did switch the rules, for example, around.

[00:15:37] Right.

[00:15:39] So he's got way different rules on the new 88 rated card compared to his old card.

[00:15:44] Which could definitely add value, I think as well.

[00:15:48] But like, like on a 400,000 card, you could take the gamble and that maybe drops 50k or 100k in the next month.

[00:15:56] Right?

[00:15:57] On a 1.5 million card or 3.5 million cards, you know, you can't really buy it with a clear conscience, even on tax alone.

[00:16:07] But call is actually one of those cards where I'm like, you know what?

[00:16:11] Pretty cool.

[00:16:12] Yeah.

[00:16:13] Well, we just need some more SBCs, mate, I think.

[00:16:15] The only one card I wanted to bring up, John, before we move to objectives and SBCs is the Lizarazu card.

[00:16:23] 89 rated left back.

[00:16:27] I don't see any other positions on him, which is a little bit weird.

[00:16:32] He is a left back.

[00:16:33] You know, I thought we were getting there.

[00:16:35] He has attacking wing back plus plus.

[00:16:37] Is that a decent role?

[00:16:40] 100%.

[00:16:40] Yeah.

[00:16:40] So I, in my formations usually these days, I have at least, I probably have one full back on attacking wing back.

[00:16:50] And then also on the rules attack.

[00:16:52] Does that make sense?

[00:16:53] So they just overlap like crazy and don't really come back.

[00:16:56] Just to give an extra out, keep some extra weight on the pitch.

[00:17:00] If the other one's on defense, that's a pretty cool role.

[00:17:02] And I actually use Bombastor, left wing back.

[00:17:08] And she has the same role.

[00:17:10] So I quite like that as well.

[00:17:13] Yeah.

[00:17:13] But this is a decent card, but I don't think, oh, I don't think she's going to replace my Bombastor.

[00:17:21] Bombastor, but I'm just checking out the regular one has full back plus plus.

[00:17:25] So I think there's definitely added value on this one.

[00:17:28] Yeah.

[00:17:29] I mean, the only thing I say on that card is he is a left back.

[00:17:33] He's Bundesliga.

[00:17:34] So potentially not the strongest league there.

[00:17:37] He is French.

[00:17:38] French.

[00:17:38] Yeah.

[00:17:39] But it's the, the play style plus they've given them.

[00:17:43] Slide tackle seems a little bit weird, you know, to have that.

[00:17:48] That's a, you know, you'd like that to be, you know, whipped, whipped pass plus long ball

[00:17:54] plus.

[00:17:54] He's got whipped pass and long ball pass, regular ones.

[00:17:57] So.

[00:17:58] Yeah.

[00:17:58] But you'd like to see that potentially.

[00:18:00] But I mean, again, you know, and the price is currently sitting at 428,000 and 411 on your

[00:18:06] screen.

[00:18:07] It's not super expensive.

[00:18:09] I realize it is expensive a little bit, but it is.

[00:18:12] Well, I'm at 35,000.

[00:18:13] So for me, it is expensive, but I get what you're saying.

[00:18:15] Yeah.

[00:18:15] John, you're always like that.

[00:18:17] You always claim poverty and then, oh, wait a minute.

[00:18:19] I'm just going to drop the fact that I packed Cordoba this week at 500.

[00:18:23] I was trade-able, eh?

[00:18:24] I realize I'm trade-able, but still, you still have him in your team.

[00:18:29] And then.

[00:18:29] I'm not complaining.

[00:18:30] I'm just saying I can't buy these cards anyways.

[00:18:32] But that makes it easier as well, man.

[00:18:35] Yeah, no, for sure.

[00:18:36] It makes it easier to think about that you don't really don't care.

[00:18:40] You just play these cards.

[00:18:41] What do you think about Donovan though?

[00:18:42] Because he looks affordable.

[00:18:43] I want to check them out with you for a minute.

[00:18:46] Yeah.

[00:18:47] Donovan again.

[00:18:48] I'm just trying to find him on my screen.

[00:18:49] Landon Donovan.

[00:18:50] I suppose the issue for me again is that he's just the league and the nation.

[00:18:55] You know, USA, MLS.

[00:18:57] He is half winger.

[00:18:59] Plus, plus again.

[00:19:00] Is that a good one, John, for you?

[00:19:02] Or would you be like, hmm?

[00:19:04] Honestly, not my favorite.

[00:19:06] But, um, false nine as a striker, for example, or shadow striker as a cam is the regular plus

[00:19:11] on it.

[00:19:12] That could work.

[00:19:14] Because this guy has like, he's fast.

[00:19:18] Really good stamina with 95 stamina is a lot, right?

[00:19:20] These days.

[00:19:21] Good ball control.

[00:19:24] Not extremely good passing.

[00:19:26] It's decent.

[00:19:26] But the shooting looks good as well.

[00:19:28] If you give him a shooting bonus.

[00:19:30] Could be a really cool card.

[00:19:31] But yeah, like I said, I think the MLS or the USA nationality makes it a little bit harder.

[00:19:37] But we've got so many good US players from SBCs lately that it is actually a cool link.

[00:19:45] We got O'Hara this week, I think.

[00:19:47] Yeah.

[00:19:48] And another.

[00:19:49] Who?

[00:19:50] Sorry?

[00:19:50] Was it N.T. Nida?

[00:19:51] O'Hara?

[00:19:52] Yeah.

[00:19:53] No.

[00:19:54] Kelly.

[00:19:55] Kelly O'Hara.

[00:19:56] And another one.

[00:19:57] But I forgot her name.

[00:19:58] But that makes one of them actually a cool linking pin as well.

[00:20:05] So, just another card though, John, you've got there on the screen.

[00:20:08] And it's a...

[00:20:10] Let me just get the lady's name right.

[00:20:12] I don't want to butcher it.

[00:20:15] Too late.

[00:20:17] Oshola.

[00:20:18] Well done.

[00:20:19] 330,000.

[00:20:21] A player who looks, I think, is the female MLS.

[00:20:27] Nigerian.

[00:20:28] But if you look at her, she is 4-4.

[00:20:31] And her stats are pretty impressive, John.

[00:20:34] Again, another strong female player.

[00:20:37] That might, you know, not hugely expensive.

[00:20:41] Again, 323,000 if you're not worried about the chem.

[00:20:44] Links with deserts for you, so...

[00:20:46] Yeah, he is the Nigerian nightmare, John.

[00:20:49] As you know, I've watched him live on Sunday.

[00:20:52] We'll get to that.

[00:20:53] And your analysis of, you know...

[00:20:56] But if it goes live to football, you have to realise when you don't speak to John,

[00:20:59] he's busy analysing the formations.

[00:21:01] So, you don't get a lot of chat out of him.

[00:21:03] But 94 acceleration, 92 sprint speed.

[00:21:07] Striker.

[00:21:07] Don't like there's any other roles.

[00:21:09] A poacher plus plus, which is...

[00:21:12] Very decent shooting.

[00:21:15] Looking, trying to find the composure.

[00:21:18] 80.

[00:21:19] 80 composure is not too bad.

[00:21:22] It's also not too good.

[00:21:24] Dribbling's 88, both 24.

[00:21:26] I think it's the composure that lets this card down, because everything else...

[00:21:30] But agility, 92, John.

[00:21:33] Balance, 87.

[00:21:34] So quite an agile player as well.

[00:21:37] I was just trying to see what height she is.

[00:21:39] 5'7", so decent height.

[00:21:41] Could be a good fun card, that one.

[00:21:44] 100%, except for composure, which makes me scared to use a striker.

[00:21:48] Yeah.

[00:21:48] With that low composure.

[00:21:50] And I mean, rapid plus is nice, but I'd rather...

[00:21:52] She's a regular power shot.

[00:21:54] I'd rather have the power shot plus, for example.

[00:21:56] Or the finish shot, or any of the other shots.

[00:21:58] Don't care too much about the other ones on strikers.

[00:22:03] This feels like a cam, without the cam rule.

[00:22:07] Yeah.

[00:22:08] I think so.

[00:22:09] I mean, I don't see much else, John, in the cheap ones.

[00:22:13] I'm sure their listeners will soon let us know.

[00:22:15] Even the Gordon card, 30,000, I think is okay.

[00:22:19] Decent value.

[00:22:20] You know, fast player.

[00:22:22] Inside forward.

[00:22:23] Good league.

[00:22:24] English.

[00:22:26] And the other player who is actually extinct at the moment, 384,000, Adeyemi.

[00:22:33] Borussia Dortmund, left midfielder, striker.

[00:22:36] German.

[00:22:37] Super fast.

[00:22:38] I think that's why he probably is extinct at the moment.

[00:22:41] 96 acceleration, 98 sprint speed.

[00:22:45] He is also a winger plus plus.

[00:22:49] That looks a good card, John, for being 84 rated.

[00:22:52] Yeah.

[00:22:53] I mean, Adeyemi is really good.

[00:22:58] Quick step as well.

[00:23:00] Rapid.

[00:23:01] So yeah, he will feel even faster than the stats would seem to give him.

[00:23:07] And I think the other one, the informer has proven to be a real nuisance when you play against him.

[00:23:13] Yeah.

[00:23:14] I think that's the reason why people just, because it's an eight, it's 82 rated informer.

[00:23:18] It's still 85,000 coins currently.

[00:23:21] That shows how popular this card actually is.

[00:23:24] So, 84 rated.

[00:23:26] I won't hold too much value yet.

[00:23:28] Maybe this is one of those cards which people are able to pack because of the rating.

[00:23:33] Except the fact that he's extinct makes me worried.

[00:23:35] That's not the case.

[00:23:37] Definitely cool card though.

[00:23:38] Same goes for the Van de Venne, of course, but that one is unaffordable as well.

[00:23:42] So, he is extinct at 550,000.

[00:23:45] He's now extinct at 950,000.

[00:23:48] Wow.

[00:23:49] So, that's actually waiting up there.

[00:23:50] That's my bad eyesight there.

[00:23:54] He's got stopper plus plus now.

[00:23:56] I mean, is he not a right back or a left back, John?

[00:23:59] Left back.

[00:24:00] So, yeah.

[00:24:01] He's very often playing as a left back.

[00:24:04] At least at the Dutch squad, for example.

[00:24:06] And I used to do with Zolti.

[00:24:08] I don't watch so much Spurs that I can say how he regularly plays, if I'm quite honest.

[00:24:15] But yeah, he gave me also a left back position.

[00:24:19] I think you can compare him very much to our other Dutch friend, which I forgot name from, but also played for Feyenoord.

[00:24:29] From the now places City.

[00:24:31] Help me out here.

[00:24:32] Ake.

[00:24:32] Ake, thank you.

[00:24:33] Nathan Ake.

[00:24:35] Same.

[00:24:35] Send the defender that can also play left back, according to where it's needed.

[00:24:40] But yeah, unfortunately he does not have the other stats, the other role.

[00:24:45] But this is an awesome question.

[00:24:47] Six for four as well, John.

[00:24:48] So, very much feels like a Dutch Virgil van Dijk, doesn't it?

[00:24:52] A Dutch one, yeah.

[00:24:53] Definitely.

[00:24:56] It's a good team.

[00:24:57] I'm not sure about the promo.

[00:24:59] It's nice cards.

[00:25:01] I think it just is, again, maybe a little bit of a filler, you know, before we get to the Black Friday event.

[00:25:06] Hopefully Thunderstruck comes back.

[00:25:08] If they don't bring it back, they certainly will be missing a trick.

[00:25:11] If you pack one of these cards, good luck.

[00:25:13] I hope it's high rated.

[00:25:15] But one thing we could do though, John, if we have the fodder, we have the coins,

[00:25:19] is look at Ruben Diaz, who is an SBC.

[00:25:23] Looks a pretty tremendous centre-back, costing 370,000.

[00:25:27] He is three-star, four-star weak foot.

[00:25:31] John's going to pull up his roles just now, hopefully for me.

[00:25:34] And he is a ball-playing defender, which I know you like, John.

[00:25:38] I do.

[00:25:39] So I will let you wax lyrical on this player.

[00:25:42] Well, he is basically Virgil van Dijk.

[00:25:46] Quite literally, same roles.

[00:25:48] Ball-playing defender plus plus.

[00:25:50] Honestly, I like one ball-playing defender.

[00:25:53] To have one of them, because it means he got good passing usually.

[00:25:58] But also means you can get the ball from the back to one of the wingers and actually connect.

[00:26:06] So I quite like that.

[00:26:07] He is also available for pass wide as well.

[00:26:10] So usually in possession, you can pass him the ball and he can distribute the ball.

[00:26:14] So I like one of them at the backs.

[00:26:17] I have Virgil van Dijk, also untradable.

[00:26:20] So I don't really feel like doing this card.

[00:26:23] But if I would not have Virgil van Dijk, this is a perfect centre defender, especially from Premier League.

[00:26:28] Of course, links are good. Premier League is good.

[00:26:31] Like his base is just good enough, I think.

[00:26:35] You can give him a shadow even if you want.

[00:26:38] But like he's got the standing tackle and defensive.

[00:26:42] I can go through all the stats, but these are perfect stats.

[00:26:45] But the passing makes him look a little bit different as well.

[00:26:48] I think 90 passing, short passing, 86 long pass.

[00:26:52] A 92 composure.

[00:26:53] He doesn't lose the ball when he gets pressure.

[00:26:55] So quite love that.

[00:26:58] He's got bruiser plus intercept and the normal slide tackle.

[00:27:01] I think having this dissipate would be even nicer.

[00:27:05] But again, he has the tiki-taka and he has the pink pass.

[00:27:09] So he's one of those players which you can give the ball and you don't really have to worry about someone running into him and losing the ball off.

[00:27:15] And I think that definitely has value.

[00:27:17] Honestly, I think for 370,000 coins, I think it's a good value as we say.

[00:27:25] Just putting it out there.

[00:27:27] So just on that, John, before people rush away to get their consoles on or do it on the app,

[00:27:34] let's have a quick look at DeMarcus Beasley.

[00:27:37] Ex-Rangers player.

[00:27:38] He was actually a really decent player for us during his time.

[00:27:42] Lovely looking card actually.

[00:27:45] He is a left midfielder, left back, left winger.

[00:27:49] Very much a similar price, but a hero.

[00:27:52] Yes.

[00:27:53] It looks like it's Premiership as well on that.

[00:27:56] Links with Donovan.

[00:27:58] Yep, links with Donovan.

[00:27:59] But John, if you look at the stats on that one,

[00:28:03] looks a pretty decent card, doesn't it?

[00:28:05] Yeah.

[00:28:07] My worry is the 3-star skill move with 4-star Weefood.

[00:28:09] 4-star, 4-star I think would be much better and nicer.

[00:28:12] Fun thing is he can play him as left back, which I think is interesting.

[00:28:16] He's like the Jeffer player I saw play this Sunday.

[00:28:22] Inside forward on the left wing, that's cool.

[00:28:24] Of course, ridiculously fast.

[00:28:27] 94 stamina, I think as a left back this card could be really cool though.

[00:28:31] Decent passing, really good dribbling, obviously really good dribbling.

[00:28:36] Looking at the defensive stats, like 83 defensive awareness, 82 standing tackle, 80 sliding tackle.

[00:28:42] I think this card, Chris, is a really cool left back.

[00:28:48] He's a really cool left forward.

[00:28:53] But he's finishing and lets him down a little bit.

[00:28:55] I think he's either left back or left winger.

[00:28:59] Yeah.

[00:29:00] But I think also like the play styles, quick step plus relentless.

[00:29:04] So he keeps going.

[00:29:05] Rapid first touch and technical.

[00:29:07] So no defensive ones there, which makes me think he is actually better to play as a left midfielder as an inside forward.

[00:29:16] Again, decent value.

[00:29:19] Like on par, I'd reckon.

[00:29:22] No, but if you had to choose one, John, so you've got the fodder.

[00:29:25] You're going to do one.

[00:29:26] Which one are we going to do?

[00:29:28] That's weird because I will never do Diaz because I'm stacked on defenders.

[00:29:32] So I would do Basley, right?

[00:29:37] If you weren't stacked, you have to pick one.

[00:29:39] Which one for you is best value?

[00:29:41] Which one do you think stays in your team the longest?

[00:29:45] Probably Diaz though.

[00:29:47] Mm-hmm.

[00:29:48] I think like you see with Virgil, I get Virgil week, like week one.

[00:29:54] He stays in the team for a whole long while.

[00:29:56] I think Diaz can fill that role as well.

[00:29:57] And if people did Varane at the start, that just fits.

[00:30:01] So I think regularly speaking, good center defenders stay in your team a lot longer than good forwards.

[00:30:08] Especially wingers.

[00:30:10] Because they can get lost as well.

[00:30:12] Like next week, there can be a player with 99 pace.

[00:30:14] And you're like, oh, Adama, remember?

[00:30:17] And you're like, oh, he's in the milestones, I'll keep him.

[00:30:20] And defenders aren't that popular to be in rewards for those certain circumstances.

[00:30:26] Yeah, so I would personally go for Diaz if I have to choose by the final heart to compare center defender with a left midfielder basically.

[00:30:35] But both I think are pretty cool SPCs, very much doable, nothing seriously ridiculous.

[00:30:43] Like if you make this 100,000 going steeper, everyone would have him in his team.

[00:30:48] So I think the price is reasonable as well.

[00:30:52] Mm-hmm.

[00:30:53] No, definitely.

[00:30:55] Good stuff, good stuff.

[00:30:56] John, there's one more card to talk about before we move on to something else.

[00:30:59] It's the Harry Kane Player of the Month for the Bundesliga.

[00:31:03] He has come out this week.

[00:31:09] 159,000 he is to do.

[00:31:11] 92 rated.

[00:31:13] For some reason, people seem to think Harry Kane is slow.

[00:31:16] If you ever watch him actually play for England, he is actually quite quick.

[00:31:19] He's quite a fast mover, but they have got him 71 and 73.

[00:31:23] He is 6'2".

[00:31:25] John, what about that shooting?

[00:31:27] Yeah, I mean, perfect shooting.

[00:31:29] And I've said this before and this is the third Harry Kane card actually to talk about on the show.

[00:31:34] I think I mentioned it even a week.

[00:31:36] This week, last week maybe?

[00:31:38] Yeah.

[00:31:39] We spoke about the 95 rated card for a bit.

[00:31:41] I think the Champions League one is still very expensive because he's actually faster,

[00:31:46] but this guy doesn't really miss.

[00:31:48] High composure, perfect shooting stats.

[00:31:51] I think instead of finishing with 94 composure, it's just he hit the ball, it's a goal, right?

[00:31:56] And he has got good play styles because he got the financial plus and the power header as well.

[00:32:00] With first touch, so you can give him the ball, but he's not going to be the player that just sprints through the defense and

[00:32:07] clears the ball, right?

[00:32:08] He's the play, you get the ball in and takes a shot in each course.

[00:32:12] Perfect in a two strike formation, a little bit too limited maybe in a one striker formation.

[00:32:16] One of those.

[00:32:18] I think 150,000 for the SPC, much better than any of like, it's the same with the Palmer SPC, like perfect.

[00:32:27] If you want him, he's there, really good value.

[00:32:32] Yeah, I quite like him.

[00:32:34] He does fit my team though.

[00:32:35] I'm not going to play him, but honestly, nothing wrong with this, right?

[00:32:40] Yeah, no definitely.

[00:32:41] I know it's not going to be a popular choice because of his speed, but like you said,

[00:32:44] I think there's definitely an option to not play fast strikers if you have one fast striker next to it.

[00:32:49] Like this player you play, let me quickly check his role, but I think you play him on advanced forward.

[00:32:54] Yeah, you play him on advanced forward plus plus, basically.

[00:32:57] If you have a poacher plus plus next to him, at which speed, I think that would be like a really good combination of two strike formation.

[00:33:05] No, definitely.

[00:33:06] I mean, I think he's...

[00:33:07] He's no Dezlers, but he's already.

[00:33:09] No, nobody has Dezlers.

[00:33:11] Even Dezlers is no Dezlers in his own mind.

[00:33:14] But I think as well as we've got a game at the moment where there seems to be quite a packed defense.

[00:33:19] So whether this card will...

[00:33:22] You know, it depends how you play.

[00:33:24] I think that's why this card is actually much better than people expect.

[00:33:27] Yeah.

[00:33:27] If you have a packed defense, the finesse shot plus is actually really lethal, especially with his shooting stats.

[00:33:33] And he's also got 84 curve, so his shots will be deadly.

[00:33:37] And I think the...

[00:33:41] I use Midema as a cam on a shadow striker role.

[00:33:44] Mm-hmm.

[00:33:45] Because she can, like, shoot from a distance as well.

[00:33:49] Ideally, you have someone in behind that can do a power shot.

[00:33:53] But sometimes you have to take a shot from a distance to make sure you score in this game because defenses are so packed and not...

[00:34:00] Speed won't help you with that, right?

[00:34:03] So I think that's a really cool card.

[00:34:05] I can't find any really bad thing about it.

[00:34:11] He can also, like, with his strength, he's got 90 strength and he's a big guy, right?

[00:34:16] Yeah.

[00:34:16] You can give him the ball.

[00:34:18] He can shield it and play the ball back.

[00:34:20] I think he also has, yeah.

[00:34:22] Because of the first start, he can just take the first start back.

[00:34:25] Has, still keep on the ball, pass the ball back.

[00:34:28] Because he's got short passing, 88 short passing and 90 long passing as well.

[00:34:33] So that's not to be underestimated.

[00:34:34] I think there's definitely a force of weak foot.

[00:34:37] I think there's definitely a role for this card, albeit not necessarily the one most players like to have on the strikers.

[00:34:45] And just to say as well, John, for people who are out there who may not have noticed that there is a player of the month objective

[00:34:51] where you can get packs and I think he gets season points as well.

[00:34:55] So he might fit in nicely and surprise a few people.

[00:34:59] So that's the team, John.

[00:35:01] That's the content this week.

[00:35:02] I think it's interesting to see if they ever repeat Trackstars again.

[00:35:05] If people like it, let us know.

[00:35:07] Leave a comment in our socials.

[00:35:09] And if you were leaving us a review, just put a wee note of what you think Trackstar is for you.

[00:35:14] I'm wondering though, are you forgetting about the Now You See Me object evolution on purpose?

[00:35:23] Well, I did unfortunately because I think Dessels fits in there and his prices went up.

[00:35:28] I bought Danilo not realising that he is far too quick.

[00:35:32] So having the Nigerian nightmare in my team is no one that I want to see.

[00:35:38] Let's just talk about John.

[00:35:39] So last weekend we had our Edinburgh meet-up, which I think is the third one off the top of my head.

[00:35:46] It was a great move.

[00:35:48] We went up to Perth, John and I.

[00:35:49] We had dinner with John and Nate, which was lovely.

[00:35:53] Really good to see those guys.

[00:35:55] And then we had a day out in Edinburgh at the wonderful Lane 7, who don't sponsor us, but if they'd like to, I'm more than happy to boost you guys.

[00:36:04] We played pool and darts and John showed a bit of his misspent youth being an ace pool player and an ace darts player.

[00:36:12] You being Dutch as well, we thought we had Raymond van Barneveld with us as opposed to the football coach.

[00:36:18] I must admit, the cider was taking its toll by then and I can't remember too much about it.

[00:36:34] And then we went to the rodeo place and then up to the Alchemist.

[00:36:39] So John, tell us what your weekend was like.

[00:36:42] I mean, it's always good to meet people, you know, listening to the show or you're interacting with on the Discord server or they send you messages.

[00:36:51] I mean, Graham came flying in from Ireland, which was cool, right?

[00:36:54] So for me, it's always a, it's a, when we go to Crete, I got two days off and then the event starts, right?

[00:37:02] So I can relax a little bit.

[00:37:05] And this event, we really can't because it's so short, tight.

[00:37:10] So we're still working on the after movie and I'm always a bit knackered in the end of this weekend, these weekends.

[00:37:16] Also because there might be a little bit of whiskey involved in all the activities.

[00:37:21] Also shout out to the Alchemist because that's some bar that we went into.

[00:37:25] Yeah, that was the nice bar.

[00:37:27] They thought we were football players or something, because I don't think we actually deserve the seats, but that's something else.

[00:37:34] No, but I like meeting people which, like we find that apparently people like meeting us as well.

[00:37:42] And it's like, it's weird hearing your voices.

[00:37:43] You do five shows a week or on a regular basis, or we did four in the last couple of weeks.

[00:37:49] And it's weird then shaking hands, play darts with you, which is a cool feeling for us as well.

[00:37:54] Like it's the other side for us.

[00:37:55] Like we don't feel that way either.

[00:37:58] So I think that was pretty cool.

[00:38:00] It's always nice to meet friends and we'll see that event on events.

[00:38:04] We make things a little bit bigger.

[00:38:06] We try to make it a little bit smoother.

[00:38:07] I think it was a really smooth event, generally.

[00:38:10] Yeah.

[00:38:11] Except that I lost my way finding one bar, but after that, I think everything went well.

[00:38:17] Then again, everyone drives on the wrong side of the road for me.

[00:38:21] So it's all complicated stuff for a Dutchie to find his way in Scotland.

[00:38:26] But no, Edinburgh is like a tremendous place, like even to visit.

[00:38:32] Like, and yeah, I can't say anything bad about it.

[00:38:37] I'm just still knackered.

[00:38:38] Yeah.

[00:38:39] I mean, you've talked about the positive.

[00:38:41] Let's talk about the negative.

[00:38:42] I dragged you to go and see Rangers play on Sunday night against Hearts.

[00:38:46] So we went to Ibrox, which I think I'll let you describe the stadium, John.

[00:38:51] And the football was great for the first 10 minutes.

[00:38:53] And then it was 80 minutes of torture, wasn't it?

[00:38:56] Yeah.

[00:38:57] The match itself wasn't terrific.

[00:39:00] Let's put it like this.

[00:39:03] And you've seen one of my negative sides on watching football.

[00:39:06] Yeah.

[00:39:07] Is that when I watch football, I'm analyzing because I don't know if that's just part of my nature these days.

[00:39:11] So I'm constantly looking at player lines, seeing what the tactics are, what changes.

[00:39:17] And I can't really watch it from a fan's perspective, which must not be fun for you.

[00:39:23] But I had some interesting conversations with people around us about the tactics they were playing.

[00:39:30] And I got to say, Hearts did well, honestly.

[00:39:34] Yeah.

[00:39:34] They should have walked away with a point there as well.

[00:39:37] But no, it's a fantastic stadium.

[00:39:39] We don't have those stadiums in the Netherlands, right?

[00:39:42] I think closest that actually comes to it sort of is the Kuip.

[00:39:46] But still, that is way more oval, way more open from below.

[00:39:51] We don't have the narrow hallways coming into the stadium.

[00:39:54] So that's pretty cool to experience.

[00:39:57] Second stadium I visited in Scotland.

[00:39:59] I don't think we're done yet, but that was a cool experience nevertheless.

[00:40:04] Yeah.

[00:40:05] And it's just a shame they don't do much esports yet.

[00:40:11] If you see how generally not young the people around us were, I think there's definitely something that we want to get more players, young fans into the stadium itself.

[00:40:21] But that could be me, just my first impressions.

[00:40:24] And I think that's where also esports could do.

[00:40:26] So that's something I've fixed since.

[00:40:28] But yeah, I had a good time.

[00:40:31] I really enjoyed it.

[00:40:32] That's the only time that weekend had actually rained, but we were dry.

[00:40:35] That was nice as well.

[00:40:38] Yeah, it was a better match.

[00:40:39] And I finally saw the goals getting scored in the Scottish football match.

[00:40:41] So that was something.

[00:40:43] Yeah, you were lucky there, John.

[00:40:44] You were lucky there.

[00:40:45] But, you know, we do this, try to do this once a year.

[00:40:49] It just really depends on John's schedule.

[00:40:50] We want to thank everybody that come, as you say.

[00:40:53] Homer coming all the way from Ireland, Caden, John, you know, getting to meet your brother, his partner, their friends.

[00:41:00] You know, it really was nice.

[00:41:02] We got to see our good friend Ryan, wasn't it?

[00:41:04] It was great to see him again.

[00:41:06] Really nice to see him and my friend Pete tagged along.

[00:41:08] If I missed him, I do apologize.

[00:41:10] I'm doing this off the top of head.

[00:41:11] But getting to see you guys was great.

[00:41:13] I gave the shout-outs through a list on this Wednesday show.

[00:41:15] So don't worry about it.

[00:41:16] Yeah, definitely.

[00:41:17] So, John, just as before we finish the show, a couple of minutes left, we have to mention, though, the big meet-up, the three-peat, Crete 25.

[00:41:26] It's going to be awesome, isn't it?

[00:41:28] Yeah.

[00:41:28] So May the 12th on top of my head.

[00:41:32] So, again, we've announced it officially, but I think this weekend has peaked the interest of some people already.

[00:41:40] I think we got a lot of people signing up now.

[00:41:43] And spaces are limited.

[00:41:45] I know it's a weird time, but basically what we do is we go to Crete for a whole week.

[00:41:51] And if it's five, we do a five-day event.

[00:41:53] Yes, five days event, but no worries.

[00:41:55] It's not five days of FIFA or not five days of food.

[00:41:57] We will play.

[00:41:58] We will have a tournament.

[00:41:59] We will have a medal to win.

[00:42:00] And I do have a trophy to defend for the third time in a row.

[00:42:04] But generally speaking, we do an event.

[00:42:06] We go on trips.

[00:42:07] We do some awesome food there, of course.

[00:42:10] We take care of your stay.

[00:42:12] So you don't have to pay for your hotel.

[00:42:14] You don't have to pay for your breakfast.

[00:42:15] We take care of two dinners.

[00:42:17] You just pay your flights, of course.

[00:42:19] Let us know that you come in.

[00:42:20] We get, make sure your hotel is booked.

[00:42:24] So May the 12th to May the 17th, I think that's it.

[00:42:27] That's it then.

[00:42:28] We're working on the schedule, but it's still a long way ahead.

[00:42:31] But I know we spoke about it this weekend.

[00:42:33] And in the Netherlands or most of Europe, you can only book flights like somewhere between

[00:42:37] three and six months in advance.

[00:42:39] But in the UK, you can book flights for Crete on most flights or most agencies already

[00:42:46] a year in advance.

[00:42:47] And the prices on that, I wish I could fly for those prices.

[00:42:51] I'd almost say so.

[00:42:52] It's still not cheap, of course.

[00:42:54] And then I can't like, I can't see in anyone's pocket.

[00:42:57] But I think if you are considering joining us one of these events and there's been two,

[00:43:02] the videos are on YouTube.

[00:43:03] You can find any info and if you have any information needed, just send a message.

[00:43:08] Just reach out and look at those flights because I think I'm not saying they're dirt cheap,

[00:43:13] but they're reasonably affordable currently.

[00:43:16] And I don't think staying there, you could bring your partner perfectly fine.

[00:43:21] And I think he or he will definitely enjoy that as well.

[00:43:24] Most people come back a second time.

[00:43:27] So I'm hoping for a third time with some people this year as well.

[00:43:30] So yeah, check it out.

[00:43:32] Just let us know.

[00:43:33] Reach out for info.

[00:43:34] The Discord is free.

[00:43:35] You can ask there.

[00:43:36] So we go to the avamar.gr website.

[00:43:38] You can see the hotel.

[00:43:41] And it's a pretty cheap holiday.

[00:43:44] You pay for the flight.

[00:43:45] So we take care of most of everything else.

[00:43:47] And yeah, I think guaranteed we're a good company.

[00:43:51] And if you like this event we did this weekend, this is times three, right?

[00:43:56] Yeah, definitely.

[00:43:57] Definitely.

[00:43:57] 100%.

[00:43:58] And I just want to add John to what you said is that your partner may,

[00:44:02] your partner is invited, of course, and they may feel why they'll want to go.

[00:44:06] I don't want you to be sitting playing FC for the full week and I'm left here sitting on my own.

[00:44:11] Let me just tell you, my wife absolutely loves it.

[00:44:14] She is still messaging the wives from the first one, the second one, the partners from them.

[00:44:19] You know, they get a great friendship as well.

[00:44:22] And you'd be surprised how little FC we actually play

[00:44:25] because we don't want John to be too smug when he wins again.

[00:44:29] But it's great.

[00:44:30] You know, Crete is wonderful.

[00:44:31] Maris and his family, the welcome you get is absolutely brilliant.

[00:44:35] Our big Greek brother looks after you amazingly.

[00:44:39] And as I say, if your partner's unsure, check out the videos and you'll see what a wonderful time that your partners will have as well.

[00:44:47] Definitely.

[00:44:48] Do you want to talk about Wicked League qualifying?

[00:44:50] Very quickly, John.

[00:44:51] You put it on your list.

[00:44:52] I put it on my list.

[00:44:53] So Nepenthes has tweeted.

[00:44:55] My good friend, Ingvi, has put this on the Discord.

[00:44:58] I'm going to read it out.

[00:45:00] This is Nepenthes at Nepenthes Z.

[00:45:02] This is his ex account.

[00:45:04] Weekend League might have gone from the best mode in FC 24 to the worst in FC 25.

[00:45:10] It's not even competitive.

[00:45:12] It's just unbelievably sweaty every single game.

[00:45:17] It's just unbelievably sweaty every single game and generally not enjoyable at all.

[00:45:22] So, John, my question to you is, is it a good thing that us casuals are excluded from this mode?

[00:45:30] Yes.

[00:45:31] Oh, thank you.

[00:45:33] You are so Dutch when you say that, John.

[00:45:35] Not even, you're not even soft there.

[00:45:37] You just went right in there with two feet.

[00:45:39] No, but this says it all, Chris.

[00:45:42] If someone that is playing this came for his job, like Nepenthes, right?

[00:45:48] And does a great thing about Wicked League content and quite enjoyed watching it.

[00:45:54] So shout out to him.

[00:45:55] Check it out.

[00:45:56] But if he says it's not fun because it's too sweaty or too competitive or even, he calls it sweaty over competitive even.

[00:46:04] You don't want to be there to enjoy yourself.

[00:46:06] And I think this is exactly why the gatekeeping on the mode.

[00:46:11] If the mode is competitive, if you play 15 games with high rewards, you should gatekeep it because you will not enjoy your time there if you're not on that level.

[00:46:21] Is the fact that Wicked League is now 15 games highly competitive and very good rewards a good thing?

[00:46:28] I mean, that's the main debate we've had before, but it is what it is.

[00:46:32] And if that is the mode that they say is the most competitive, we clear it.

[00:46:36] We put a big reward.

[00:46:37] You want to gatekeep it because if even some of the content credits are not enjoying the time there because it's been too sweaty, you don't want to be there if you're not a...

[00:46:47] If it's not your job or you're highly competitive yourself.

[00:46:52] See it as a form of self-protection.

[00:46:53] Do something else and we can play rivals, enjoy your game, grain it out, play squad battles.

[00:46:57] There's so much to do in this game and there's so much to enjoy in life.

[00:47:01] But then this isn't just for you.

[00:47:03] And I think that's just, it's a call for last year.

[00:47:06] They should maybe rename the mode.

[00:47:08] And I definitely agree.

[00:47:09] It's hard 100%.

[00:47:11] But this shows me in three lines why they should be gatekeeping and why I think gatekeeping is a good idea, even if it's just for mental awareness.

[00:47:22] I mean, just for me, John, you know, that sounds really reasonable.

[00:47:26] That sounds very reasonable.

[00:47:27] But not too bad.

[00:47:29] Not too bad.

[00:47:29] But what I will say John is for me is, so I don't even attempt weekend league anymore.

[00:47:34] I don't believe it's the mode for me.

[00:47:36] I'm happy to accept that.

[00:47:38] But this weekend I would normally play weekend league.

[00:47:41] There's really no reason for me to pick up the controller and play FC 25.

[00:47:46] You know, I'll get seven or whatever the rival ones is.

[00:47:48] I'll pick them up over those seven days.

[00:47:50] Squad battles don't really hold much up.

[00:47:53] You hear the guys talk about what the pack luck is like.

[00:47:56] So I just wonder if that's potentially why we're starting to see a little bit of engagement with the game drop off.

[00:48:03] Because people like myself would play every weekend and plan the weekend around weekend league.

[00:48:08] It's no longer playing that mode.

[00:48:09] I'll just jump on and play Diablo for an hour or two.

[00:48:11] But I mean, I can definitely get behind that.

[00:48:14] Like I said, I don't necessarily think that making weekend league,

[00:48:18] make this high rewarding with less games is a good thing to at least like people will now not be able to play it while they used to play it more casually.

[00:48:31] Right?

[00:48:31] But it is also the matter of fact is that we want to like have the cake and eat it as well.

[00:48:37] We wanted less game.

[00:48:38] We wanted more rewards.

[00:48:40] But he is like, yeah, for more rewards and less games, then we need to make sure you have to do something to actually participate there.

[00:48:47] Is that a good call?

[00:48:48] Well, I, well, it doesn't seem to be the right call for most players.

[00:48:52] Let's put it like this.

[00:48:53] But I get why they did it.

[00:48:55] And it's also because we requested what's actually came out of it, that the consequences is that it's too hard.

[00:49:01] Sure.

[00:49:01] But like making qualifying easier, is it going to change the experience because you still be having 15 games of ultra high pressure on your,

[00:49:10] and still not enjoying yourself might actually be worse if you have any STEM qualifying and you just get run over in Wicked League.

[00:49:17] Right?

[00:49:19] I think like maybe we should next, like it is not going to be this year though.

[00:49:24] Right?

[00:49:24] But maybe next year we should have a light Wicked League.

[00:49:27] Yeah.

[00:49:28] Like make this Wicked League, keep this the same, call it the Champions League.

[00:49:32] Yeah.

[00:49:33] Pro League or something.

[00:49:34] Yeah.

[00:49:34] Even if the league, you can qualify for that in five games.

[00:49:37] You can play that.

[00:49:38] You can just play those 15 games, get the ultra high reward, be sweaty, but totally fine.

[00:49:43] And also make an Europa League or whatever you want to call it, Euro League.

[00:49:47] Conference League for all I care.

[00:49:49] And next to it where you have 10 games to qualify, you need to win four out of 10 and you play 20 matches and the rewards are just as bad as they were last year.

[00:49:58] But that's fine because that's what you're then choosing for.

[00:50:01] And then you still have players that will play both.

[00:50:04] And you will sometimes be unlucky in what you face.

[00:50:07] C'est la vie.

[00:50:09] I think that's like the compromise they will have to make one day.

[00:50:12] Absolutely.

[00:50:13] But this is just also, I think this was a good intended thing.

[00:50:19] I don't necessarily think it's bad execution.

[00:50:22] And I think I am French says in the comments to the Panthers here is don't forget the fact that many people that are good players now offer services to play for you, which makes it even harder.

[00:50:37] You might face the same player three times in your Wicked League run without knowing it's the same player because they play on multiple accounts or they play for some other people.

[00:50:46] And I see EA getting blamed for that.

[00:50:49] But it's against teams of services and you can't really let EA enforce the fact that someone else logs into your account.

[00:50:57] I think it's, I think you shouldn't be doing it because it's also risky, but that's not something EA could be blaming for.

[00:51:03] I think, or we could like, that's just also just how, how bound we are getting rewards in this game that we would rather pay someone else to do it for us than actually, I mean, pay foot coaching to teach you how to face yourself.

[00:51:17] Right. But it's, that's just how it is as well. And I think you some, you now have to accept that if this Wicked League is ready for you or you can't qualify, that's it.

[00:51:28] Will that burn out some of the player base? Very likely. Is that a good thing? Of course, it's not a good thing, but I also don't think it's like, it is also how it is.

[00:51:40] Even I'm like, you know what, I'm not playing Wicked League. You know what I will play? Probably during a team of the season, somewhere around there. This weekend, I actually have time. I'm not going to do it now.

[00:51:53] I mean, Adam, who's in the chat, he's a, you know, he's a good player. He says, I don't think reducing Wicked League and increasing rival wins way to balance game for this.

[00:52:04] Yeah. So increasing rival wins way to balance game for this year. I enjoyed the 20 games and rather more players could qualify.

[00:52:11] Yeah. So he likes the old system better and that's totally fine. But we also said of the old system that it's not worth doing it for rewards.

[00:52:18] And they definitely opt on rewards, right? And when they opt rewards, he knew they had something to counter out that.

[00:52:24] And that was two things. Some people complained, many people complained they couldn't finish their Wicked League or Wicked League was too short.

[00:52:30] But EA definitely has an agenda saying that they will run weekly for three days and that's it.

[00:52:35] So they're not changing that. So they decreased the amount of games.

[00:52:39] Basically leaning into our feedback we gave last year, most people gave last year.

[00:52:44] And the next thing is they opt rewards, meaning, well, you can't just give away those cards for free to everyone.

[00:52:53] So they have to make sure it's gatekept a little bit better.

[00:52:56] And I definitely agree that people might like the old system better.

[00:53:00] And I'm leaving against people or I wouldn't even be against EA going back to the old system.

[00:53:07] But it will mean that rewards will be less fruitful.

[00:53:11] And that's something we also would have to accept then.

[00:53:14] Like if we go back to the system, I don't want anyone complaining about the fact Wicked League rewards are not good.

[00:53:20] I think that's the inherent cause of it then.

[00:53:24] Interesting chat, John. I think we'll probably come back to this in a few weeks time or months time at least.

[00:53:29] And, you know, if people are wondering how Adam was able to message us, if you join our Discord, you get live access to this.

[00:53:36] So well worth joining. It's actually free.

[00:53:38] So no reason not to join.

[00:53:40] Luke's out for us.

[00:53:42] One thing that we will discuss hopefully next time we come on, John, is the Power Curve.

[00:53:47] If people are interested.

[00:53:48] I am actually on EA's side on this one.

[00:53:50] I think they're doing a really great job on the Power Curve.

[00:53:52] But when you listen to the show and you have any comments on that, please drop us a message and we'll talk about them the next show that we do.

[00:53:59] John, I think we've used our time up hopefully well.

[00:54:02] Our listeners have stayed with us.

[00:54:03] If you have, thank you very much.

[00:54:05] Please leave us the five star reviews anywhere you can.

[00:54:08] It helps us.

[00:54:08] The Discord is free.

[00:54:10] Look for us at Discord Foot and Review.

[00:54:12] And also for those people who could help us, if you can help us and we love you to help us, look for us at Patreon.com forward slash Foot and Review.

[00:54:20] A lot of content there for people who support us financially.

[00:54:26] Art of Foot is a wonderful show.

[00:54:28] Doing one next week.

[00:54:30] Doing one next week.

[00:54:31] It's a great show with two great guys.

[00:54:33] One of them is a really good player.

[00:54:35] Another one is John.

[00:54:38] Wonderful.

[00:54:38] Final again.

[00:54:39] I forget.

[00:54:40] Yeah.

[00:54:41] Let's be honest.

[00:54:42] If you are a good player there, please come to Crete because he cannot win it for a third time.

[00:54:47] I was just afraid that Ryan and people don't know Ryan.

[00:54:50] Ryan is a former pro player.

[00:54:52] Also played E-Prem and played for Team Foot Coaching.

[00:54:55] Organized the pro club scene for us as well when we played Premier League with our pro clubs team.

[00:55:02] I don't fear anyone, but I do fear that man.

[00:55:05] So I hope that if he comes, he can't play.

[00:55:08] Because that would be my title.

[00:55:09] But we'll see.

[00:55:10] Definitely.

[00:55:11] John, I think there's only one thing left for us to do.

[00:55:15] Every about two.

[00:55:17] Two.

[00:55:17] Drop it.

[00:55:18] Drop it.

[00:55:18] Drop it.

[00:55:20] F-U-T.

[00:55:22] F-U-T.

[00:55:25] F-U-T.

[00:55:29] F-U-T.

[00:55:31] T.

[00:55:33] Give me.

[00:55:33] Oliver Reed bulletin.