Two York City goals on FIFA 13, as executed by Jack
Jack Titley is a lifelong fan of both York City FC and the FIFA football computer game. When City returned to the league, they also came back to FIFA – and 13-year-old Jack had the chance to play as his Bootham Crescent heroes for the very first time. This is his verdict…
Another year, another instalment in the FIFA franchise. While 2013’s edition is widely considered not to be a big improvement on FIFA 12, it does contain one huge selling point. York City.
Rated the No. 1 supported team in the world in the first weekend of release, the newly promoted club is given only half a star out of five by EA – the worst team in England! Despite this, the in-game squad is a good, in depth range of fan favourites and relative unknowns alike – 43 year old keeper Paul Musselwhite and youth team captain Tom Platt get an avatar as well as established first-teamers.
Here, in squad order, is a selection of their avatars, their stats and other info on them generally.
Lanre Oyebanjo
FIFA Rating: 55
Our second goal in the victorious FA Trophy final came from an unlikely source. Right-back Olanrewaju Olusequm Mark (‘Lanre’!) Oyebanjo got just his third goal of the season, and what a time it was to score it. Possibly our most reliable defender so far this season, Lanre has won 6 Republic of Ireland Under-21 caps in his career while at former club Histon and York – pretty impressive for a then Conference footballer. His FIFA lookalike isn’t too bad, though his ears stick out a little too much, and his eyes and skin are too dark.
Likeness rating: 5.5/10
Chris Smith
FIFA Rating: 54
City’s skipper and stalwart centre-back has a weird in-game likeness. His wide eyes are small and aggressive, whilst his (in reality flat) hair looks like a black molehill. Yet his nose, mouth and facial hair are pretty decent representations of his manly, muscular jaw. Ahem. His double-winning captaincy last season was something not achieved by any other City footballer before and probably never will be again. But Smudge is a pretty average defender in FIFA 13, though he has a Strength rating of 74, and attacking wise he is frankly terrible (Shot Power 22 anyone?)!
Likeness rating: 6.5/10
Daniel Parslow
FIFA Rating: 47
At Bootham Crescent since 2006, Parslow is one of our longest serving players and has made the transition from non-league reasonably well. He is underrated on FIFA – a meagre 47 not enough in my opinion. His avatar is not great either, with the same unrealistic face of so many other lower league players.
Likeness rating: 3/10
Scott Kerr
FIFA Rating: 57
Underrated on FIFA, last season’s Clubman of the Year is simply a joy to watch when in full flow. Able to pass like Xavi, hit shots like Gerrard and has stamina like Dani Alves. His recent return from long-term injury should hopefully lift the team who have just come out of a tough run of games against the top teams in the division. Kerr’s avatar, however, is below par. The face, put simply, looks nothing like him. His virtual head is out of proportion with his body, and his facial structure and features look like they’ve been designed by someone who’s never seen a photo of Scotty in their life before. However his in-game talent is more realistic, and almost makes up for this poor showing.
Likeness rating: 3/10
Jason Walker
FIFA Rating: 55
Jesus H. Christ. There is truly only one Jason Walker, and it’s not the mental asylum prisoner on the left. The real player is a hero down Bootham Crescent, playing a major part in our double-winning season last term. He has scored a goal almost every two games for the Minstermen since his move from modern-era rivals Luton Town in June 2011. However, his avatar is simply scary. With highlighter pen-orange hair, large staring eyes and a nose that is far too wide, ‘Walker’ reminds me more of the Joker from The Dark Knight than our brilliant centre-forward.
Likeness rating: 1/10
Ashley Chambers
FIFA Rating: 57
A bright spark in my FIFA line-up, Chambers is one of the most dangerous attackers in our in-game squad. Creator and scorer of many on- and offline goals, he is my personal favourite player on the game. In real life he’s not too shabby either. Making his debut for Leicester City aged just 15 years 203 days, he signed for us permanently in 2011 following a long loan spell the previous season. He has also played for England up to U19 level, and also for England C whilst at City. Chambers’ avatar is again ok, seeing as they have got his facial structure and eyes right, but his nose and mouth don’t quite match up.
Likeness rating: 6/10
Michael Coulson
FIFA Rating: 50
A pre-season signing from Grimsby, Coulson has proved to be a shrewd buy as he has scored 5 goals already this season. He is a skilful, nippy winger or striker who is underrated in-game, and his avatar is a typical lower league generic template. His hair and nose look fairly similar, but a quick glance at it and you wouldn’t be able to tell it was him. He also has no tattoos in game – you can see one on his right arm in the pic.
Likeness rating: 5.5/10
Lee Bullock
FIFA Rating: 57
The man who started his career at York returned to his old stomping ground in the summer to possibly end his career. The 31-year-old has shown no signs of stopping yet though – crunching challenges and clever passes are the reason why EA have rated him 57, as good as talisman Scott Kerr. His avatar is good, with his facial structure and eyes captured well. If you saw it you would probably be able to guess it was him.
Likeness rating: 7.5/10
Jonathan Smith
FIFA Rating: 55
After a great season with us in 2010-11 (despite being sent off twice in two 5-0 defeats) Smith was signed by Swindon, where he won the League Two title. He was then promptly sold back to us, where as yet he hasn’t regained his best form. However, the 25-year-old Lancastrian still has plenty of time to reprove his worth to the club, and is rated quite highly in FIFA 13. His likeness ain’t half bad either. Similar to namesake Chris, the lower half of his face is quite akin to the real bloke, with just the nose and eyes letting the side down. If Jonathon and Chris Smith swapped eyes, they’d be pretty much spot on.
Likeness rating: 7/10
Matty Blair
FIFA Rating: 52
Our Wembley hero is a real crowd-pleaser, often seen stood with arms aloft to the Longhurst faithful like the Angel of the North when decisions don’t go our way. He also has a pleasing habit of nabbing crucial goals (22 in 52 appearances so far in his Bootham Crescent career), but in-game he is more likely to hit the stand than strike the winner with a paltry Shooting rating of 44. His likeness is not bad, taken from the period last season when he shaved his head. (Trust me – everyone around school’s hairstyle changes with Blairo’s!) His eyes are a good match, and his facial structure is similar to real life. One of the better lookalikes in FIFA’s York City squad.
Likeness rating: 7.5/10
Michael Potts
FIFA Rating: 56
Potts was a Manchester United trainee for nine years before moving across Lancashire to Blackburn, where he signed for us in 2011. His passing ability is one of the best in the team. His avatar is again fairly generic – his mouth and ears are just about ok.
Likeness rating: 4.5/10
Jon Challinor
FIFA Rating: 50
Challinor made 46 appearances last season, and has appeared in nearly every match so far this campaign. A solid, dependable journeyman right-back who has previously played for Kalamazoo Kingdom in the USA amongst 15 other clubs. His in-game replica is not bad. The lower half of his face is superb, but his eyes are far too wide to make it a match for Carlisle or Jonathon Smith.
Likeness rating: 6/10
Clarke Carlisle
FIFA Rating: 62
Probably our best known player, Carlisle has Premier League experience and is chairman of the PFA. Extremely strong and good in the air, it is incredible that the 32-year-old is playing at League Two level. He has been fairly consistent for us so far, excluding a shocking performance against Coventry. He is also one of the smartest footballers in the world. Carlisle’s FIFA rating is a large 62, four more than Scott Dobie, York’s next best player, and he is in the top 40 League Two players. His avatar, probably because of his comparative fame, is probably the best out of our squad. As you can see in the above photo, EA have captured his facial structure, features and body shape very well indeed. There isn’t much wrong with this one at all.
Likeness rating: 9/10
Chris Doig
FIFA Rating: 53
The former Nottingham Forest man has a fairly average FIFA representation. A consistent left-footed defender, Doigy has been a solid and laid back influence on the team since his February move from Aldershot. In game he is also good, with defensive attributes mainly in the 60s. But the former Nottingham Forest man has a fairly average FIFA representation. His avatar is another standard lower league player, with only the nose and eyes bearing much resemblance to the real man.
Avatar rating: 6.5/10
Michael Ingham
FIFA Rating: 51
Good grief. This is simply criminal. Our brilliant goalkeeper who has kept us in many matches over the past four years is hugely belittled in FIFA 13, dropping easy catches and having reflexes like an arthritic sloth. His avatar is no better. Decked in either a vibrant purple or a nasty green, EA clearly have not got the licence for our keeper jerseys, but a little more effort wouldn’t go amiss. The face is pretty much indistinguishable from Coulson’s earlier, but slightly larger with a different hairdo. His gloved hands are comically large – he looks more like a villainous Wallace and Gromit character then a professional footballer. Ingham is truly done a disservice in this game. Shame on you, EA. Shame on you!
Likeness rating: 1/10
Patrick McLaughlin
FIFA Rating: 51
Ingham’s fellow Northern Irish teammate was an ever-present last season, with 55 games and 13 goals a vital contribution to our well-oiled promotion machine. His midfield attacking skills have added zest to many a City attack in the past two seasons. Paddy’s FIFA double is, quite frankly, not very good. His face is too thin and ears too flat, whilst his facial features are again a simple human template.
Likeness rating: 2/10
Conclusion
Though there is a real mixed bag of ratings, avatars and squad members for York City in FIFA 13, none of the players will mind what they look like. Most have dreamed about being on EA’s pinnacle of sporting video games for years, and will be happy just to see their names on their console of choice. For me, playing as the Minstermen online, just scoring a goal is a huge achievement – mainly because of my skill level of course! So, nobody really minds how the players’ avatars look in FIFA 13. Even if Jason Walker’s resembles a deranged clown.