There is a whole world of excellent non subbuteo “subbuteo” stuff out there, pitches, metal goals, excellent teams, balls and you can change the rules to whatever suits your playing style. Agree that the standard set is poor quality but with some quality components & a decent pitch on a flat surface its an excellent game ⚽️ IMO
My uncle had one of these he brought back from Germany in the eighties. The pitch took up half of a ping pong table and was made out of better quality materials. Yay! Mass production.
Still got my Bradford City subbuteo team which I bought when my favourite Pompey player at the time,Mick Kennedy, transferred there.I used to buy teams that I liked the kit of.Had QPR,Crystal Palace and my favourite,Coventry with the Admiral stripes.
I've never played it but I know that it's considered an all time classic here in Italy. I had no idea it was popular in other countries too, great video!
One of your wonderful reviews, its why I keep coming back. I remember an Uncle and Nephew playing this game and enjoying it. When invited to play, it turned me off table tops games for a long period of time. After much therapy I did return. As always great work and apricate your integrity in telling it as it is.
Weird. Living in Tunbridge Wells, where it was based in a nearby satellite village and they had a display in a window across from The Pantiles, I got my first set for Christmas (surprise) in 1963. The flat plastic men and we really did mark up an old army blanket with dressmaker's chalk, as per instructions. Age 8 and with a fairly non-dextrous father, it was a bit too early. I and my friends all got the 3D player version a couple of years later. Pitch worked fine on hardboard or on living room carpet. Plastic was a bit brittle so we often had to glue players back onto their legs with Airfix glue. Built up quite a collection of teams: 10/6 from George Coker opposite TW Central Station next to Weekes. In those days, the players were quite heavy and you could do all sorts of spins around opposition. A broken finger limited my skill levels. Also got Cricket and Rugby and a Five-A-Side Football version that was good but the cardboard box-pitch broke up. And Fishing - the most boring game ever invented - just like the real thing! Sold my football set with all extras to the 12-year old next door at instigation of my mother which I regretted, even though I'd stopped playing until I shared a flat in my 20s with a chap who had a set. There were lots of leagues in the area. Fast forward to about 1998 and I bought a set for my 9-year old son. The pitch is fine (maybe yours was printed on the wrong side) and I got the Astroturf pitch. The players are lighter and don't do all the spins my original set could do so much less interesting. My old broken finger is still not ideal for flicking the pieces. The advanced rules were simple enough for me as a ten year old to understand - basically not a lot different from the real thing. My son was less dextrous than me and wasn't that interested despite being better at real football than I ever was (I was a very good goalkeeper). In 1997, we got our first gaming PC - well, my wife's work landed a monster Pentium PC on us so she could work at home and I added a sound card with games controllers so the children could use it. That was the end of board games for most of the next ten years. Still have my son's football, my cricket and my rugby. Recently googled about it and might try looking for local people who fancy a game. Would I recommend someone buying it now? Not sure - unless they give me a good offer for my set! I haven't seen modern 3D printed versions of whether they include weighted bases. But a games night at a pub might be fun. It can mimic the real game very well. Probably helps to have a referee! The last relatively serious game I played on floor of flat about 1980 I played like Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest against a chap from Nottingham who supported them. Absorbed pressure, sucked his players forward, cleared to 'John Robinson' on left wing who took it forward before crossing to back of penalty area where 'Trevor Francis' hit the moving ball first time and it bundled into net for 1-0 win in a long game. Long time ago and my only and last memory of playing Subbuteo Football
The newer sets available are very cheap and cheerful...however the original Subbuteo sets, teams etc were far better quality...I myself have a large collection. Once you have the better set up then the game is far better with a lot of skill required. If the game was that poor then there would not be so many clubs and tournaments worldwide...but of course you are entitled to your opinion.
I wonder shat sort of games you enjoy. My first set age 8 - too young. Age 10 to 16 from 1965 to 1971 with the better players, it was brilliant. Sold my set to the lad next door and got into 'other things'. About 1980, shared a flat with a chap who had a set and we played it then - great fun with plenty of skills and very like real football. I and my friends were also pretty good at real sport and played a lot of club and school football, cricket, rugby so I had all three Subbuteo games and still have Cricket and Rugby but not fond anyone to play with (haven't looked hard yet)
The original 3D versions in 1960s were great. Might have gone downhill later. Got a set for my son in 1999 which was not as good as my 1960s set but wasn't bad and I still have it. Not played for decades but found it in storage and googled about it with a view to playing other retired folk in the neighbourhood
This is a brilliant review. I remember it being really difficult when I was about 8. And hated it when I wasn't red and white (Stoke City) - but could not help flicking it off the table each time, couldn't hone my skills at all. So that's a bollocks from me.
Got my first set age 8 Christmas 1963 as a surprise. The flat plastic men didn't balance well. Too young. Two years later I, and all my friends, got the 3D version which was far better and we loved it. Sold it and all my accessories about 6 years later when I was too cool for school and into 'other things'. Got it in 1999 for son but very small house and the first Pentium PC with gaming controls... still got it and wonder if anyone near me in Shooters Hill area of London fancies a game
hmmm the review is too harsh... the component quality of that box is terrible but there are brilliant quality products from many companies. The game it's self is amazing - having to go past the line to shoot requires great build up skill and holes in the defence are fixed with good defensive flicking....it's the best footy game ever
Have you seen modern football tactics though? Highlines like liverpool(one mistake and a whole bunch of attackers are through (like when you you miss a flick with defensive player). Or again like liverpool and many other teams with players playing in all kinds of inverted and non traditional positions. Subbuteo isnt as far off the real thing as you suggest! Far too harsh on the review lad...like any game it takes practice before it really becomes fun. Id suggest to beginners put all your efforts first and foremost into getting a smooth surface to play on. Get that pitch fixed onto permanent board before you do anything else. Its night and day when you have a decent pitch to play on (again like the real game!!)
Fair enough. Although everything is subjective i suppose...your review, my opinion. People have told me chess and formula 1 sucks as well so i suppose we can criticize anything😊
Brilliant! I was just deciding whether to throw mine away (its 30 years old - EDIT - 45 years old ) and I thought I would look to see if it had any saving graces. But no. I had some nostalgia for it though. also I think of that song by the Undertones - "he always beat me at Subbuteo, but he flicked to kick, and I didnt know!" . (Its a great song actually). Anyway , its in the bin - I wish I could post a photo here.
Had it in my childhood times, i think its about the year 1974. Had played with friends with own rules. With trowing a dice you could move your players to 1 to 6 moves depends how much eyes you had with your trow. How you used it was your choise, move players to every place you like on the field or attack the player from the other side with the ball, it didnt matter. The same for the other team, if your dice trow only one eye you could make only one move and that was not easy. The game had indeed lots of trouble, bad pitch or if you not look out enough you could brake one player. I hope that someone makes a pc game of this game with the rules i told. It would be great fun.
Great review. Just found this channel. I recently got this game to play with my kid. The design is cheap, not how I recall it was in the 80s. I also thought we could buy our favourite teams and extras like the used to be in the 80s. However the add on market was bare. Yes some home brew stuff but official stuff, not much. I did read somewhere that when the video game Fifa exploded it killed Subbuteo . They lost license deals.
The new starter sets are cheap and poorly made. Recommend getting better pitches and goals, etc. from Subbuteoworld or Astrobase. They also have any team you can dream of and tons of accessories. Cheers, Malcolm
The set you're holding, along with all the other modern sets produced in the far east rather than in England, are absolutely not worth it. They're such poor quality, a new player doesn't even stand a chance. Can't iron the pitch to get the wrinkles out of it, the figures are frequently broken upon delivery, the balls have excess flash along the glue seams, and the goals are terrible. Unfortunately, the decent sets from the past are rarely available outside the U.K. at reasonable prices. I've had to cobble together stuff from 4 different sets, and I still don't have a pitch that will actually fit on an American table (way too wide). The whole venture requires a copious amount of DIY, time, and money to even get started.
@@BoardGameBollocks 5 months later, and I'm still no closer to obtaining a suitable pitch, and it's not due to a lack of trying. It's like the Subbuteo Community is collectively and actively TRYING to drive people away and make sure the hobby dies.
@@BoardGameBollocks My apologies, mate! I live in East London and thought I recognised the accent. I was wrong! Think of it as I took a shot at goal and the ball landed in row Z behind the goal!😁😁
Parents bought it for me when I was 7 in the 90s. Pitch needed ironing but was too young to operate the iron, mother always busy, so only played once and felt like an unfulfilled dream for the rest of my life. It is dreadful nonetheless…!
I'm actually thinking of getting a set and some teams (and I'm a rugby fan). But after your gripes, I think I'll skip the cheap set and buy one of the quality ones by other manufacturers. Because you're right, that set looked like shit.
Wtf, all the bloody players are flat! Half the fun was getting the players to bend round other players!! That was where the skill came from, without it you may as well play shove ha’penny!
@@BoardGameBollocks Yeah there's some impressive play on other channels.. and there is definitely some on field tactics. But as you point out, it ain't for everyone.
So many gems in this one - the atom?! Bwahaha Another review cementing why you’re the best board game reviewer around. My cousin swears by a similar football game, Binhos, that he and his friends play for hours - seen that one?
@@BoardGameBollocks The game was great in 1960s. I heard quality of playing pieces plummeted and made the game bad. In 1960s, you could practice skills like spinning your man around opponents, lobbing the ball, etc. If you couldn't get out to play for real, it was great fun to have a tournament with friends. There were quite a few leagues. I heard The Land Registry in Tunbridge Wells, large office block near end of our garden, had a lot of staff and a big Subbuteo playing group
Never played it and can’t defend it. It is essentially the same offering as in 1947 with plastic replacing cardboard for the torsos. Reminiscent of small black and white televisions, conkers heavy bikes, shorts and school caps. Nowadays video is the only way for this sort of thing - the game that my friend’s son plays is remarkable, better than my Spectrum. Next up Scalectrix?
@@BoardGameBollocks Scalextric is a boring game. Discuss! I never could see the point with cars always falling off track and brushes burning out. Never had it and couldn't afford it but a few friends did have it (much older siblings in work) and I wasn't impressed. I have seen a more recent version where they can switch lanes - must be very expensive
There is a whole world of excellent non subbuteo “subbuteo” stuff out there, pitches, metal goals, excellent teams, balls and you can change the rules to whatever suits your playing style. Agree that the standard set is poor quality but with some quality components & a decent pitch on a flat surface its an excellent game ⚽️ IMO
My uncle had one of these he brought back from Germany in the eighties. The pitch took up half of a ping pong table and was made out of better quality materials.
Yay! Mass production.
Still got my Bradford City subbuteo team which I bought when my favourite Pompey player at the time,Mick Kennedy, transferred there.I used to buy teams that I liked the kit of.Had QPR,Crystal Palace and my favourite,Coventry with the Admiral stripes.
Mick was a great player for us back in the 80s
I've never played it but I know that it's considered an all time classic here in Italy. I had no idea it was popular in other countries too, great video!
Subbuteo was invented by an English fellow.
One of your wonderful reviews, its why I keep coming back. I remember an Uncle and Nephew playing this game and enjoying it. When invited to play, it turned me off table tops games for a long period of time. After much therapy I did return. As always great work and apricate your integrity in telling it as it is.
👍🏻
Weird. Living in Tunbridge Wells, where it was based in a nearby satellite village and they had a display in a window across from The Pantiles, I got my first set for Christmas (surprise) in 1963. The flat plastic men and we really did mark up an old army blanket with dressmaker's chalk, as per instructions. Age 8 and with a fairly non-dextrous father, it was a bit too early. I and my friends all got the 3D player version a couple of years later. Pitch worked fine on hardboard or on living room carpet. Plastic was a bit brittle so we often had to glue players back onto their legs with Airfix glue. Built up quite a collection of teams: 10/6 from George Coker opposite TW Central Station next to Weekes. In those days, the players were quite heavy and you could do all sorts of spins around opposition. A broken finger limited my skill levels. Also got Cricket and Rugby and a Five-A-Side Football version that was good but the cardboard box-pitch broke up. And Fishing - the most boring game ever invented - just like the real thing!
Sold my football set with all extras to the 12-year old next door at instigation of my mother which I regretted, even though I'd stopped playing until I shared a flat in my 20s with a chap who had a set. There were lots of leagues in the area. Fast forward to about 1998 and I bought a set for my 9-year old son. The pitch is fine (maybe yours was printed on the wrong side) and I got the Astroturf pitch. The players are lighter and don't do all the spins my original set could do so much less interesting. My old broken finger is still not ideal for flicking the pieces. The advanced rules were simple enough for me as a ten year old to understand - basically not a lot different from the real thing. My son was less dextrous than me and wasn't that interested despite being better at real football than I ever was (I was a very good goalkeeper). In 1997, we got our first gaming PC - well, my wife's work landed a monster Pentium PC on us so she could work at home and I added a sound card with games controllers so the children could use it. That was the end of board games for most of the next ten years.
Still have my son's football, my cricket and my rugby. Recently googled about it and might try looking for local people who fancy a game. Would I recommend someone buying it now? Not sure - unless they give me a good offer for my set! I haven't seen modern 3D printed versions of whether they include weighted bases. But a games night at a pub might be fun. It can mimic the real game very well. Probably helps to have a referee! The last relatively serious game I played on floor of flat about 1980 I played like Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest against a chap from Nottingham who supported them. Absorbed pressure, sucked his players forward, cleared to 'John Robinson' on left wing who took it forward before crossing to back of penalty area where 'Trevor Francis' hit the moving ball first time and it bundled into net for 1-0 win in a long game. Long time ago and my only and last memory of playing Subbuteo Football
The newer sets available are very cheap and cheerful...however the original Subbuteo sets, teams etc were far better quality...I myself have a large collection. Once you have the better set up then the game is far better with a lot of skill required. If the game was that poor then there would not be so many clubs and tournaments worldwide...but of course you are entitled to your opinion.
I inherited a load of stuff from my uncle when I was a kid. Stuff made in the 60s and 70s. Better quality but the game still sucked.
I wonder shat sort of games you enjoy. My first set age 8 - too young. Age 10 to 16 from 1965 to 1971 with the better players, it was brilliant. Sold my set to the lad next door and got into 'other things'. About 1980, shared a flat with a chap who had a set and we played it then - great fun with plenty of skills and very like real football. I and my friends were also pretty good at real sport and played a lot of club and school football, cricket, rugby so I had all three Subbuteo games and still have Cricket and Rugby but not fond anyone to play with (haven't looked hard yet)
Had this as a kid in the 80s. Your review is spot on. Put it in the burn pile.
The original 3D versions in 1960s were great. Might have gone downhill later. Got a set for my son in 1999 which was not as good as my 1960s set but wasn't bad and I still have it. Not played for decades but found it in storage and googled about it with a view to playing other retired folk in the neighbourhood
This is a brilliant review. I remember it being really difficult when I was about 8. And hated it when I wasn't red and white (Stoke City) - but could not help flicking it off the table each time, couldn't hone my skills at all. So that's a bollocks from me.
Got my first set age 8 Christmas 1963 as a surprise. The flat plastic men didn't balance well. Too young. Two years later I, and all my friends, got the 3D version which was far better and we loved it. Sold it and all my accessories about 6 years later when I was too cool for school and into 'other things'. Got it in 1999 for son but very small house and the first Pentium PC with gaming controls... still got it and wonder if anyone near me in Shooters Hill area of London fancies a game
You know, I just hope when I master this game, I’m as humble with my fans as Messi.
hmmm the review is too harsh... the component quality of that box is terrible but there are brilliant quality products from many companies. The game it's self is amazing - having to go past the line to shoot requires great build up skill and holes in the defence are fixed with good defensive flicking....it's the best footy game ever
It’s not though is it…
"Hello good sir, I'd like your freshest lump of dog shit."
Shit salesmen: "And they said my business would be crap, look at me now!"
Have you seen modern football tactics though? Highlines like liverpool(one mistake and a whole bunch of attackers are through (like when you you miss a flick with defensive player). Or again like liverpool and many other teams with players playing in all kinds of inverted and non traditional positions. Subbuteo isnt as far off the real thing as you suggest! Far too harsh on the review lad...like any game it takes practice before it really becomes fun. Id suggest to beginners put all your efforts first and foremost into getting a smooth surface to play on. Get that pitch fixed onto permanent board before you do anything else. Its night and day when you have a decent pitch to play on (again like the real game!!)
I did all that and it still sucks
Fair enough. Although everything is subjective i suppose...your review, my opinion. People have told me chess and formula 1 sucks as well so i suppose we can criticize anything😊
@lowercentenary they do
@BoardGameBollocks your in agreement with people who say two of the worlds most universally popular pastimes suck? Ok, Fair enough😊.
Brilliant! I was just deciding whether to throw mine away (its 30 years old - EDIT - 45 years old ) and I thought I would look to see if it had any saving graces. But no. I had some nostalgia for it though. also I think of that song by the Undertones - "he always beat me at Subbuteo, but he flicked to kick, and I didnt know!" . (Its a great song actually). Anyway , its in the bin - I wish I could post a photo here.
Had it in my childhood times, i think its about the year 1974. Had played with friends with own rules. With trowing a dice you could move your players to 1 to 6 moves depends how much eyes you had with your trow. How you used it was your choise, move players to every place you like on the field or attack the player from the other side with the ball, it didnt matter. The same for the other team, if your dice trow only one eye you could make only one move and that was not easy. The game had indeed lots of trouble, bad pitch or if you not look out enough you could brake one player. I hope that someone makes a pc game of this game with the rules i told. It would be great fun.
Ow and the offside rule we used also because otherwise it would not be fun and to easy to score.
I love it; what do we like........... not a lot really!
Note i don't mean to imply I like the game!
😉
Great review. Just found this channel. I recently got this game to play with my kid. The design is cheap, not how I recall it was in the 80s. I also thought we could buy our favourite teams and extras like the used to be in the 80s. However the add on market was bare. Yes some home brew stuff but official stuff, not much.
I did read somewhere that when the video game Fifa exploded it killed Subbuteo . They lost license deals.
The new starter sets are cheap and poorly made. Recommend getting better pitches and goals, etc. from Subbuteoworld or Astrobase. They also have any team you can dream of and tons of accessories. Cheers, Malcolm
The set you're holding, along with all the other modern sets produced in the far east rather than in England, are absolutely not worth it. They're such poor quality, a new player doesn't even stand a chance. Can't iron the pitch to get the wrinkles out of it, the figures are frequently broken upon delivery, the balls have excess flash along the glue seams, and the goals are terrible. Unfortunately, the decent sets from the past are rarely available outside the U.K. at reasonable prices. I've had to cobble together stuff from 4 different sets, and I still don't have a pitch that will actually fit on an American table (way too wide). The whole venture requires a copious amount of DIY, time, and money to even get started.
Plus the gameplay is dire…best to play real football outside.
@@BoardGameBollocks 5 months later, and I'm still no closer to obtaining a suitable pitch, and it's not due to a lack of trying. It's like the Subbuteo Community is collectively and actively TRYING to drive people away and make sure the hobby dies.
This video could use retitling: Subbuteo Review - Was It Ever Worth It?
Tru ‘dat
Done 👍🏻
😁 nice one
i remember getting subbuteo as a young kid back in the 80's tried it once never touch it again. it really is a load of bollocks.
East Ender! He says it how it is! No mincing his words.
I’m not from London mate
@@BoardGameBollocks My apologies, mate! I live in East London and thought I recognised the accent. I was wrong! Think of it as I took a shot at goal and the ball landed in row Z behind the goal!😁😁
Parents bought it for me when I was 7 in the 90s. Pitch needed ironing but was too young to operate the iron, mother always busy, so only played once and felt like an unfulfilled dream for the rest of my life. It is dreadful nonetheless…!
My first set age 8 in 1963 - too young. Better set age 10 - brilliant
I'm actually thinking of getting a set and some teams (and I'm a rugby fan). But after your gripes, I think I'll skip the cheap set and buy one of the quality ones by other manufacturers. Because you're right, that set looked like shit.
60’s/70’s sets seem to be the best
@@BoardGameBollocks My 1965 set was far better than my 1963 set and the 1999 set I got for my son was in between (still got that)
+1 for "Egg-shaped bullshit." 😄
I'll have it if it's still available mate. Cheers
It was a joke mate…
Wtf, all the bloody players are flat! Half the fun was getting the players to bend round other players!! That was where the skill came from, without it you may as well play shove ha’penny!
Skill? Must’ve missed that…
@@BoardGameBollocks ua-cam.com/video/SK2ILHJtP-Y/v-deo.html
Yuk
@@BoardGameBollocks Yeah there's some impressive play on other channels.. and there is definitely some on field tactics.
But as you point out, it ain't for everyone.
Hey
Total Action Football - power strike edition 👍🍺🎉
So many gems in this one - the atom?! Bwahaha
Another review cementing why you’re the best board game reviewer around.
My cousin swears by a similar football game, Binhos, that he and his friends play for hours - seen that one?
We have it but it’s called Fubi…pretty sure it’s the same game
THey are by far better sets of subbuteo out there. you did pick one of the worse ones haha
Why pay good money for a crap game 🤷
@@BoardGameBollocks i will agree to disagree on the crap game part but the set itself is very poor quality haha
@@BoardGameBollocks The game was great in 1960s. I heard quality of playing pieces plummeted and made the game bad. In 1960s, you could practice skills like spinning your man around opponents, lobbing the ball, etc. If you couldn't get out to play for real, it was great fun to have a tournament with friends. There were quite a few leagues. I heard The Land Registry in Tunbridge Wells, large office block near end of our garden, had a lot of staff and a big Subbuteo playing group
Never played it and can’t defend it.
It is essentially the same offering as in 1947 with plastic replacing cardboard for the torsos. Reminiscent of small black and white televisions, conkers heavy bikes, shorts and school caps. Nowadays video is the only way for this sort of thing - the game that my friend’s son plays is remarkable, better than my Spectrum.
Next up Scalectrix?
Scalectrix is a board game. Discuss.
@@BoardGameBollocks Scalextric is a boring game. Discuss! I never could see the point with cars always falling off track and brushes burning out. Never had it and couldn't afford it but a few friends did have it (much older siblings in work) and I wasn't impressed. I have seen a more recent version where they can switch lanes - must be very expensive