First of all, I have to say that I do feel sorry for Topps with their latest edition of the Premier League sticker album for 2018. The Premier League have their particular demographic and typeset layout, and as Topps have the franchise, they have obviously have no option but to keep to it all and possibly stick to what the Premier League demand in their own product.
This years edition for me is a disappointment, but it has to be said that Topps / Merlin have produced some excellent albums in the past, particularly when they first had the rights for the 1994 season and for several years following. This album is pretty much identical to last years edition and has a “paint by numbers” feel to it as if you look at anything Premier League related, it all looks exactly the same, FIFA football on the games consoles, any merchandise, TV, and now the sticker album. If this sticker album was a TV programme for the Premier League that would be distributed around the world for football fans to learn about it, then this would be what it would look like.
Only 324 stickers grace the album this year - and only 15 stickers per team with 12 of those being players. So it seems that if a player is a guaranteed starter for each team, then they will have a sticker. Any teams that have a large squad, or even use squad rotation regularly, then I guarantee that there will be at least 6 players missing from that team. Ironically, it could be possible to create another sticker album completely with the missing players!! Compare this with Panini Calciatori, where they have 22 player stickers per team. Anyone feeling a little bit ripped off yet?
Anyway the album does have a bright look about it and looks good and colourful. The opening page has an introduction from Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, and the Premier League trophy both have a sticker each, sadly not a shiny though.
Each team has a shiny and the kits are back at least with a larger sticker for a squad photo. The basics are there too, stadium name, capacity, and Twitter and Facebook addresses. Each team also has some stats on 2016/17, and each player has their own stats, which I assume are opta based up to 2nd October 2017. Though there are only 12 stickers for the players, at least the squad list is there.
In the centre, there are two sections, Gamechangers, and 25 Seasons of Premier League. Gamechangers features a player from each team who Topps feel can change a game as it were. Nice large action stickers there. The 25 Seasons of Premier League section is a complete joke and a filler in my opinion. Only 6 stickers are in this section, and so much more could’ve been done as Topps have a huge archive of Premier League to choose from and so many great players and games over the last 25 years.
On the back of the larger sticker, there is a code where you can enter at
www.toppsfootball.com and win one of 2500 prizes, such as signed shirts, memorabilia, and cards. I entered all of mine and each one entered me into a weekly prize draw. Maybe I should’ve waited and done it in a few weeks time where the initial sales would have dies down a bit and made my chances of winning a bit smaller.
There is also a chance of getting hold of a limited edition gold sticker version of certain players to enhance the album, there are 20 to collect.
I am glad that I have this album, as it does keep up my collection of every top flight football sticker album from England since 1978. Yes, as I also said last year Topps could’ve done more, but they haven’t. I will keep buying the albums in the hope that one day they will get it right for me. I am sure that there are loads of other collectors that might disagree with me though!
Enjoy the album!
