Pep Talks Deep Dive: Every Word Counts

Pep Talks arrive in Season 23

Pep Talks go live in Season 23 on Monday 14 September, giving managers a new way to get the best out of their players. Pick one player, type or record a short message, then review and edit it before delivering your talk. His reaction can shift his overall rating by -5 to +5 for the next few matches, with the effect fading over time.

Every player has a hidden personality, so the same approach won’t work on everyone. One might need an arm around the shoulder. Another might respond to the Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment. Knowing who needs backing and who needs a rocket is part of the job. You won’t see their personality written on their profile: you’ll have to learn it over time through your talks and their reactions.

Think dressing-room man management. Give your winger the confidence to take on his full-back, remind your striker why you trust him to lead the line, or give your captain a firm challenge before a big game. The best talks give a player something useful to take onto the pitch, with enough football detail to feel meant for him.

A few generic words won’t guarantee a lift, and misjudging what a player needs can backfire. Getting better at Pep Talks means getting to know your squad and learning how to reach each player.

How to use a Pep Talk

Open one of your player’s pages, click the three dots next to Train Player, then click Give player Pep Talk, write or record your message, review it, edit it if needed, then commit it.

What the rating change means

The number you see is the change to the player’s overall rating, so a +4 result means his overall rating is temporarily four points higher, while a -5 means it is temporarily five points lower.

Positive boosts decay by 1 rating point every 48 hours until they return to 0. Negative hits recover by 1 rating point every 24 hours until they return to 0.

So the rating change matters for the next few matches, but it is not permanent. You are trying to get the right short-term lift without wasting condition or rattling the player.

The basic rules

A Pep Talk:

• Can be typed or recorded as a voice note
• Can be edited before sending
• Applies to one player
• Moves that player’s overall rating by -5 to +5 for the next few matches
• Costs 5% condition
• Can be used once per player, per season
• Can be used once per club, per day (resets at midnight UK time)
• Has a maximum length of 200 words

A specific, credible and useful talk can give the player a lift. A vague or badly judged one can leave him worse off, and a dressing-room disaster will show in the result.

The result labels

Each Pep Talk produces one of these outcomes:

Strong outcomes should be rare, so a +5 should feel earned and a -5 should feel like you got it badly wrong.

What makes a good Pep Talk?

Useful Pep Talks tend to include:

• Football instruction that suits the player’s position
• A clear individual role
• Detail on how to carry out that role
• Motivation that fits the match
• A tone that suits his personality
• Enough effort to feel like a real message written for him

A good message does not need to be long, but it does need to be specific.

“Go out there and work hard” offers encouragement, but gives the player little to act on. “Stay wide to stretch their full-back, then cut inside onto your stronger foot and shoot early because their keeper spills low efforts” gives him a job and tells him how to do it.

The biggest boosts also depend on knowing your player. Even a strong football message is unlikely to land a +5 if you get the tone wrong for his personality. Some players thrive on a challenge; others need to know their manager believes in them. You’ll learn which approach works through their reactions over time.

Example: Amadou Traore gets a Big lift

Amadou Traore was a Bronze player, rated 45, aged 31 and plays LW.

We gave him a talk built around his role on the left and this specific match: where to attack, a clear weakness to target in their keeper, and plenty of backing if things didn’t go his way first time. We’re keeping the exact wording to ourselves, because the whole point is to write your own.

Result: +4 Big lift

The Pep Talk cost Amadou 5% condition, and the result pointed to the things that worked: clear tactical points, role ownership, execution detail, backing and trust.

Amadou got a message that sounded like it was written for him, in his role, for that match. Our examples are a guide, not a recipe, so write something that fits your own player and your own match.

Example: Richard Smart gets Heads gone

Richard Smart was a Gold player, rated 77, aged 16 and plays LM.

We deliberately wrote a bad Pep Talk to see what would happen.

“To be honest Richard… I don't think you're ever going to make it at this football club. I don't think you have what it takes and I think you are a talentless player. Go out and prove me wrong but I'm only playing you today because of injuries.”

Result: -5 Heads gone

The result called out the problem: harsh, disheartening, damaging to confidence and motivation, with no constructive or tactical guidance.

This is the cautionary example: you can challenge players, but abuse is not management, and if you send a player out feeling written off, do not be surprised when he plays like it.

Example: Alan Beattie loses his edge

Alan Beattie was a Gold player, rated 77, aged 16 and plays CF.

We wrote:

“I BELIEVE IN YOU, SCORE A GOAL TODAY!”

Result: -3 Lost his edge

The message was supportive, but it gave a centre-forward no detailed, actionable guidance.

For a striker, “score a goal” is not a plan. Does he need to pin the centre-back, attack the near post, drop between the lines, shoot early or press the keeper? Belief helps more when the player also gets a clear role.

Example: Scott Ferguson gets a Small nod

Scott Ferguson was a Gold player, rated 71, aged 27 and plays RB.

We wrote:

“Go out there and do your best today. I believe in you and the team believes in you. Stay positive, keep working hard, and try to make a difference.”

Result: +1 Small nod

The result recognised the positive tone, but the message lacked tactical clarity and position-specific guidance. A right-back, centre-back or defensive midfielder needs different information depending on the job you want from him.

“Make a difference” is encouragement, whereas “Stay compact, win your first duel, and play the early pass into midfield when their press jumps” is management.

Practical role examples

These are not guaranteed templates. Use them as a guide for the type of detail that tends to matter.

Winger

A useful winger Pep Talk might mention:

• Which side he is playing on
• Whether you want him to go outside or come inside
• When to shoot
• When to cross
• How to attack his full-back
• Whether he should keep demanding the ball after a mistake

Example direction:

“You’re starting from the left today. Get at their right-back early, drive inside when he backs off, and shoot before the centre-back can step across. If your first run does not come off, go again. I want him worrying about you all match.”

Centre-forward

A useful centre-forward Pep Talk might mention:

• How to occupy the centre-backs
• Where to make runs
• Whether to shoot early or bring others in
• How to press
• How to react if chances do not come straight away

Example direction:

“Lead the line properly today. Pin their centre-backs, attack the six-yard box when the ball goes wide, and be ready for second balls around the penalty spot. If you do not get an early chance, keep making the same runs. The chance will come if you stay switched on.”

Defender or midfielder

A useful defender or midfielder Pep Talk might mention:

• Shape
• Duels
• Passing choices
• Covering space
• When to step in
• When to keep it simple

Example direction:

“Start the game calm. Stay tight to your man, win the first contact, and do not chase into midfield unless you know the cover is behind you. When you win it, play the simple pass first. Set the tone with your defending.”

What feedback tells you

After a Pep Talk, the result should help you understand whether the message was specific enough, too generic, too harsh or too thin. It will not tell you a hidden profile for the player.

You should learn your squad by managing them. Over a season, you will need to decide when a player needs trust, tactical clarity or a calmer message. The feature works best when you start thinking like a manager, not like someone hunting for magic words.

We’re excited for this next step in management

Footium has always been about building a club over time, and Pep Talks add another layer to that by asking you to make a small human decision before a match: who needs the message, what do you say, and do you back him, challenge him, calm him down or give him a clear job?

Use it well and you can get a lift at the right moment, but use it badly and you might send a player out with his head gone.

Forza Footium.