Written by member: Goose

We’re back once again for another mid season instalment of Talk of The Paddock. Today I sit down with Alpine’s Division 2 Leader Diode X

Good afternoon and thanks for taking the time to talk with us today.

Although the season seems fresh, we’re slowly approaching half way. With 4 races gone in the season, how would you assess your campaign so far leading Division Two?

Leading Division 2 sums up the season so far, I did crash out in race one but got a 2nd then 2 1sts. I think Payne will be my closest rival. And Obviously having you as my teammate the constructors is looking good.

You’ve put yourself in a strong position at the top — has that changed your mindset at all heading into these final rounds?

I need to keep consistent and avoid stupid mistakes that'll derail me, mostly stay out of the first corner carnage and don't lose a wing.

Baku is next on the calendar, a track known for chaos and opportunity — how are you approaching this one?

Bloody carefully it's that track where every wall is out to get you and then you have to be mindful of everyone else, I'll just try to race my own race and at least finish top 3 in Div 2, but I've been there and only 4 or 5 finish!

Do you see Baku as a race to manage risk, or one where you can really stamp authority on the title fight?

See Above answer tbh

You’re not just leading the drivers’ standings, but also the constructors’ with Alpine — how important is that double success to you?

Winning twice in one season would be epic, it really helps to have Goose as a teammate, but I still have to put my shifts in, as Stunning Dave and Payne can't be taken lightly

How has the Alpine car felt for you this season compared to others you’ve driven?

Tough to say as it's the only car I've used in F1 25, the whole game feels different. My results say I'm getting on fine with it.

Do you feel like the car has been the foundation of your success, or have you had to adapt your driving style to get the most out of it?

Unfortunately, I'm not that good a driver to really work a car, It's just stating clean and away from the others.

With the pressure building towards the end of the season, how do you keep yourself consistent week in, week out?

Pressure, what's that? The only time I feel any pressure is mid pack at the start, the rest is don't try to overtake any Div 1 racers or anyone that has time pens, no point ruining the race for no reward.

Is there a particular race this season that you feel defined your title charge?

Monza, 2nd straight win, avoided the carnage in the 1st chicane and annoyingly got a 3 sec pen, but it didn't affect my position.

Looking at your closest rivals, who do you see as the biggest threat over these final four races?

Payne, he's only 4 points behind, sorry everyone else. As long as I don't mess up only Payne can take the title from me. (as long as I don't fall asleep...)

When you’re leading a championship like this, is it more about controlling the gap or still pushing for wins?

I'll always push for wins, but a bit more carefully, so as long as I finish ahead of Payne in each race, I'll get the job done.

How do you balance racing smart for points versus going aggressive when opportunities appear?

Protect the points, only go if it's not going to mess me or the other person up.

If it comes down to the final race, what’s your approach — calculated or all-out?

It would have to be all out, I need silverware!

What would it mean to you to secure both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles with Alpine?

Awards! I'd get badges! And I'll be very happy to be good enough at least one game to win something.

Finally, what message do you have to the rest of the grid as we head into this decisive stretch of the season?

Watch the first corners FFS! Not wishing anyone in Div 2 good luck, screw that!!


Great stuff.

Thanks again for taking the time for us today. Good luck for the rest of the season and let’s hope you bring it home for the team 


If you’d like to take part and have a chat about your season do feel free to get in touch.

Written by member: Goose

As is the norm with our segment here. I try to get all divisions covered. This time is no exception and it’s a big one. None other than title chasing StunningDave

So Dave. Let’s get cracking

We’re 4 races into the new season and you’re sitting second in Division One—how would you sum up your season so far and the fight at the top?


I’d say the season has gone about as expected for me. Sitting second in Division One is a solid position at this stage, it reflects the kind of consistency I was aiming for coming into the year. I’ve generally been towards the top end of the grid, so it’s good to see that translating into results early on.

That said, the fight at the top is already taking shape. Goose has come out very strong and based on current form looks like the one to beat. There’s definitely a bit of a gap to close but it’s still early in the season and plenty can change over the next few rounds.


You’ve stepped into a championship-winning car in the Haas this season—does that bring added pressure or confidence?

Honestly, not really. With all the recent F1 rule changes, it’s effectively been a clean slate for everyone, so whatever the team achieved before doesn’t carry the same weight into this season. On top of that, the drop in funding has changed the landscape quite a bit, so expectations internally were fairly measured coming in.
If anything, I’d say I’m exceeding those expectations at the moment. Sitting where I am gives me confidence more than pressure, and it shows we’re making the most of what we’ve got so far.

How aware are you of the legacy you’re carrying with this team, and does it influence how you approach each race weekend?

Not massively, if I’m honest. Again, with the regulation changes it feels like a reset across the board, so I’m more focused on what we’re doing now rather than what’s come before. Of course, you’re aware of it in the background, but it doesn’t really change my approach each weekend is about maximizing what we’ve got in the current circumstances.

From your perspective, what separates you and the driver currently leading the standings?

I think outright pace between us can be quite close, but consistency has probably been the difference so far. I’ve had a bit of bad luck as well, Monza cost me points with an unavoidable incident, and earlier in the season I had a clutch issue that left me starting from the back. Those things add up over a few races.

Have there been any races this season where you felt you left points on the table?

Really just the ones I mentioned. Outside of those, I don’t have too many complaints with how things have gone.

How do you balance consistency versus going for big results when chasing a title?

It’s about reading the situation. If you’ve had a poor qualifying or you’re at a track where overtaking is tough, sometimes you just have to take the points on offer. Overpushing in those situations can easily end in zero points, and too many of those will kill your championship chances.

Do you approach races differently now that you’re in a championship-winning car?

No, not really. Like I said, with the rule changes the expectations are different, so my approach hasn’t changed much.

What’s been your strongest track this season, and where do you feel you still need to improve?

Australia stands out, it was straightforward, no drama, and a solid second place. That’s the kind of weekend you want more of. There’s always room to improve across the board, but mainly it’s about putting full weekends together consistently.

How important has racecraft been compared to outright pace in your campaign so far?

It’s been huge. In two of the four races I’ve been down in P20 on lap one, so working through the field, getting strategy right, and knowing when to push has been just as important as raw pace.

Do you feel the target is on Haas’ back from the rest of the grid week in, week out?

I think everyone’s got a bit of a target on their back to be honest, especially with how aggressive some of the racing can get! It's like the bumpers in blackpool.

How do you handle the mental side of a title fight, especially when margins are so tight?

It’s about focusing on yourself. You can’t worry too much about what others are doing or you’ll end up overdriving and making mistakes. Consistency and a bit of luck go a long way—if I can get both, I’ll be in the mix.

How do you see the next few races—any tracks you’re particularly looking forward to?

Azerbaijan should be interesting. I’m really looking forward to Austria as well—it’s always a great track to race on. Monaco… I might give that one a miss and take a holiday!

Looking ahead, what will it take over the remaining races to turn second place into a championship win?

I’ll need things to swing a bit, Goose having a couple of off weekends would definitely help, whether that’s a mistake in qualifying or something going wrong in the race. From my side, it’s about staying consistent and racing smart.

If you were to sum up your mindset going into the second half of the season, what would it be?

Win

Perfect mate. Good luck for the remainder of the season

Written by member: Goose

I’ve been on this site for over a year now, mainly as many of you are aware very much only on th F1 side, competing for championships and helping out where I can. Over time I’ve kept an eye on the fantasy leagues, I dabbled in a short H2H stint but never fully committed to it.

That as of today has changed.

After a 9 year hiatus from all things Fifa Fantasy I’ve decided the time to take the dive back in. If I was going to do this, it was always going to be properly — I’ve take over from Rhinos squad of last season. And today have confirmed that I’ve managed to do something I never managed on all my years on fifa sites, and that I’d be able to represent the famous Glasgow Rangers. The squad is good. There may already be one or 2 tweaks in the pipeline but we’ll wait and see.

At the same time, I’ll still be going all-in on the F1, I still very much have goals set for that. That’s been a big part of my time here and that won’t change, it’s about managing both, staying sharp, and making sure I’m challenging on both fronts.

I’m looking forward to it. New challenge, same mindset, compete, improve, and aim to win.

I’d like to take a sec to thank everyone on here that’s had me. And the semi constant push to get going with the Fantasy Leagues.

Rangers Manager.

Goose

We Are The People.

Written by member: SuitedRecluse

Well it’s been a fair while since I’ve done a blog, but seeing as I’ve had more comebacks than Tyson Fury has retired I thought it would be a good place to start. The review of last Season.

The Franchise pick, a new squad, and like a lamb to the Div 1 sweaty Slaughter I got to work. Firstly I wanted to be a team I’ve never been, to break away from the mould of picking Bristol City/ British teams or a squad that generally had nice kits. So I plumped for a league I believe no one has previously used, and this was the Indian Super League. It’s a relatively new league setup, founded in 2014 and was a franchised based setup originally with just 8 clubs but has now grown to 14 Franchise squads and is always evolving. The team I picked was Chennaiyin. So with that set, it was time to check the squad an see what was required.

18 players were allocated some with decent ability, some that you could say were on a downward trajectory and some that have really great potential to go on and do some great things. Surprisingly the one player I do have hardly got a look in which is criminal in some respects, but being new back into the league I really didn’t know or had experience of the game and what formations work or don’t. It was clear to see with what I had I needed to be different and to do something that I’ve never done before in any season I’ve taken part in. And that’s play a CAM. It’s true, I’ve never had the desire or players to pull it off and I’ve always liked fast tricky wingers who can do more dribbling than a sparked out boxer. The whole thing of me coming back to play wasn’t to be win at all costs, throw a strop if I lost, be a twat and moan or show any disrespect, but to firmly be involved on the site and just have a laugh. I don’t get to many events, I even don’t win many BFAs or get transfers done as I’m usually skint half the time, but just to be in the league set up and play weekly keeps me in the loop and helps me while away any spare time I do get.

Anyway enough of the verbal diarrhoea, let’s get into some of the football chat.

Squad.
The season started by Bringing Martinez in from Ry. For a 72 rated ST he truly play a lot higher. His pace and finishing do stand him in good stead, especially considering his first week goal tally which the podcast highlighted. But I instead opted to hit Jeff up for the highly rated Promise David. His strength, power and finishing I hoped would help me higher up the pitch. The price tag a reasonable 35M. Boadu who had a good start in a Chennaiyin shirt was shipped off to Dio and Pepi rocked up looking to support David. The biggest outgoing was Hamza Igamane. Troop stumped up a solid 22M to convince me to let him go. Another key signing was swapping Milambo with Nuuthatch and in return I got the energetic Hatate in to my midfield. Other players to leave were
Yepes > Topcat Nominal Fee
Dahl > Trooper 10M
Curbelo > Jam 1M
Angulo > Dio Undisclosed

Incomings
We had Burger and Vanderson rock up in BFAs both for reasonable amounts.
Atuesta came in for less than 4M and Affengruber arrived on a decent deal, but can’t remember who I signed him off.

Formation.
As I said I wanted to be a bit different and stumble across a 41212. I used it a few times in H2Hs and got a decent win against Burga in the Divisional cup so thought I would roll with it. It certainly allowed for a direct attacking style of football but also allowed me to a bit more hard to break through the middle. The only issue is both wingbacks were struggling with the more pacey players In the league getting down the flanks.

The season as a whole was very inconsistent. I’d have 2 good games and then 3/4 average games. I didn’t really put any run together and in all honestly found it hard to get back in the swing of things and compete against the decent players we have in Division 1 at present. And some of the squads are very good. The season got of to a flyer 9 points from 4 games against Aaron and Jeff. But an absolute pasting from Shaun and his lads put some reality that there are no easy games. Conceding 15 goals certainly didn’t feel good. So 9 points after 6.
The next block of 3 saw me play Tanz, Paul and Gardner. Now on paper the scores are there but all the games could have easily swung the other way. 6 points against Tanz could and should have been 3 each way. Paul failed to take his chances in big moments so I ended up taking all points, and Gardner battled hard and was well worth the 3 points earned and could have had more. So another 15 points added to the total, so 24 after 12 games.
As we headed Into the final against arguably 2 of the top players I wasn’t expecting much. 2 defeats to Burga ensued albeit they were closer than I expected and I obviously hit Tom on a off day as I took 4 points.

So a not to shabby mid table finish securing 28 points on my return to Division 1. I guess another plus point is only conceding 49 League goals which was only bettered by Burga and Tom respectively.

The cups don’t prove to rewarding.
Divisional Cup: Second Round exit
League Cup: Last 8 exit
CL/EL: Europa League QF exit

Player/ Team Stats Over 32 League/Cup games
(1) = Sub Appearances
= MOTM awards

GK
Stankovic. 32 App 2 Clean Sheets
Dovin 0 Apps

Defenders
Van den Berg 32 App 3
Canvot 15 (1) App
Affengruber 15 App 1 Ass. 3
Bakker 30 (2) App 3 Ass. 1
Baum 27(2) App
Vanderson 5 App
Garcia 0 App
Potulski 0 Apps
Aukeland 0 Apps

Midfield
Eriksen 32 App. 29️ 22 Ass 4
Hatate 19 App. 9️. 17 Ass. 3
Burger. 16 App 2️ 4. Ass
Tiknaz 16 (9) App. 4 Ass
Atuesta. 26 Apps 7️. 6 Ass
Pec 1 (4) App

Attackers
Diomamde 1 (7) 1️
Martinez. 12 (19) 26️ 14 Ass 9
Pepi 20 (1) App. 14️ 8 Ass. 1
David 26 App. 25️ 14 Ass. 5

Discipline
18 Yellow cards
Most 3 Van den Berg

Boring Team Stats
Goals Scored 137
Goals Conceeded 90 (Not Inc HC goals)
132 in the box
5 Outside
311 shots / 242 SOT = 77%
Avg 9.7 Shots per game
Avg 4 goals per game
Avg 2.8 goals conceded per game

4,824 passes /4245 comp = 87%
Avg 150 passes per game

Avg less than 2 foul per game
GK made 99 saves, Avg 3 per game
Offsides Avg 1.15 per game

Player of the year:
Christian Eriksen

Playing as my CAM all season this guy was top notch. May not have the pace, but he certainly makes up for in Passing, Vision, Dead Ball but also scores some dam good goals, including the odd free kick. Having looked at a change of formation for next season this man could be available for the right price.


So it’s a pretty in depth look at how my season unfolded. As we embark on a new season there has been some early business. The quality of the League has improved once again so it’s going to be a real battle to stay in the top league going forward. Mainly just not being able to compete financially like some of the big hitters, I’ll be happy to take a scalp or 2 and see what upholds as the season progresses. Hopefully you’re not all asleep. Until the end of next season.

Goodbye
Vaarwel
Au Revoir
Auf Wiedersehen
さようなら