"In a surprising turn of events, it's raining in England."
A web series on the Hankgames channel (named for Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers) in which John Green (the other half of the Vlogbrothers) talks about things while the Swindon Town Swoodilypoopers play football. While John isn't actually very good at the game (although he's gotten better at it, playing in the Premier League on world-class skill level), he still manages to intrigue watchers with the stories he tells or the topics about which he talks. The players have become characters with their own lives and backstories.
In March 2013, John switched from FIFA 2011 to FIFA 2013 in a new series called Swoodlypoopers Strike Back
. Following that series' premature demise, John moves on to FIFA 2014 to coach AFC Wimbledon, aka the AFC Wimbly Womblys.
The Miracle of Swindon Town contains examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: On a broad scale of John to Voluptuous.
- The Alcoholic: Fat Lucas had a bad history of alcohol abuse, enabled by his former team, which was sponsored by a pub. In fact, that's part of the reason why he's so fat. He's been sober for a long time now, though.
- Alliterative Name: Perry Parry, Merrick Maric, Bodin Bodin.
- Angrish: FOOGE-KA-BOOGE! "Sorry, I spend all my time talking to a baby."
- Bond One-Liner: After a good save by Berna, John will usually quip "You just got a 1st/2nd/3rd degree Berna!"
- Catchphrase: "Bald John Green...FINISHER!"
-
Defictionalization: The chant made up for the fictional "One Size" Fitz Hall has been used for the real life Fitz Hall, too. (Whose nickname is also, coincidentally, "One Size.") - Fiery Redhead: "Ginger Rampage" didn't exactly get his nickname for nothing.
- Happily Married: Bald John Green and Other John Green, as well as Voluptuous Pericard and his wife Alice.
- The Heart: Bald John Green. Other John Green is the best player on the team, but Bald John Green is the team's emotional leader. Whenever they're down, he gives them a Rousing Speech in the lockers.
- The Lancer: Other John Green.
- Leeroy Jenkins: The aptly-named Lerooooy Williamson, who occasionally scores, but mostly just runs up the middle of the field in a very aggressive rush that doesn't accomplish anything.
- The Nicknamer: The fans usually come up with the first names / nicknames for the characters, as the game only gives you a first initial and a last name.
- Odd Friendship: Merrick Maric and Ricardo "Bunsen" Berna, due to the fact that Maric can't speak (or chooses not to) and Berna is not fluent in English.
- One-Steve Limit: Strongly averted. There's actually three characters with the same full name—Bald John Green, his husband Other John Green (née John Bennett), and manager (and player) John Green.
- Shout-Out: To Leeroy Jenkins, the player Leeeeeeeeeeeeeerooooooooooy Williamson. Gordon Taylor-Fletcher was also renamed after Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
- Spell My Name With An S: "Stone Cold" Cteve-with-a-C Austin.
- The Voiceless: Merrick Maric.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Most of the team. Sir Swindon Town Swoodilypooper Cuthbert deserves a special mention. So does Beef Stock. And Ginger Rampage.
Swoodlypoopers Strike Back contains examples of:
- Arc Words: "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!"
- "We want points, not Gingers!"
- Darker and Edgier: The Swoodlypoopers lose more games, Bald John Green leaves the team, and Manager!John has an apparent breakdown.
- Downer Ending: Not only do the Swoodlypoopers lose the championship, John is fired by the team's board of directors.
- Freak Out: John in episode #68.
- Has a Type: John sure loves gingers.
- My God, What Have I Done?: John in episode #68.
- Shout-Out: To The Great Gatsby throughout the season.
- From episode #68: "Everything's just going to be fine if I can just, if I can just get Daisy Buchanan to understand— stop thinking about your child, Daisy Buchanan, and think, think about me for a second!"
- Becomes
Fridge Horror when you remember that John just got back from paternity leave.
- Wham Episode: Episode #80: John is fired as manager of the team.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Bald John Green to Manager!John in episode #62 over John's mismanagement of the team.
AFC Wimbly Womblys contains examples of:
- As You Know: Inverted as a Running Gag: "Did you know, Meredith, that Seb Brown once saved two penalties against Luton Town to send us into the Football League?"
- The Atoner: John seems determined to not make the same mistakes that he made in FIFA 2013.
- Berserk Button: Any time Callum Kennedy is mentioned, John can't resist mentioning how terrible his haircut is.
- The Bus Came Back: Bald John Green and Other John Green are back on the same team again.
- Conjoined Twins: Some Moore and Less Moore were originally this before being separated as infants.
- Defictionalization: John's putting ad revenue from the Womblys' page views towards a real sponsorship of the real AFC Wimbledon.
- Distracted by the Sexy: John often waxes rhapsodic about how amazingly good looking his players are, Bald John Green in particular.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Other John Green dyes his hair red in exchange for Manager!John's promise to never buy another ginger.
- Never Live It Down: After Green Eggs and Sheringham was caught in the team's locker room with a fan, John changed his goal celebration song to "He scores with his shoe, he scored in the loo..."
- Pintsized Powerhouse: R. "The Golden Child" Gauld, 17 years old and only 5'1". He seems to get younger, tinier, and more amazing every time John mentions him.
- Precision F-Strike: During the Wimbly Wombly's game against mk Dons, John's language gets a little more... salty.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Real Life AFC Wimbledon sort of counts as this: after their owners moved Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes, the supporters founded their own club and are now the only supporter-owned football club in the league.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Wimbly Womblys' jerseys are blue, and this series already seems to be more rational and grounded than the red-jerseyed Swoodlypoopers series.
- Samus Is a Girl: One of the Wimbledon players is Aliza Bennett, known as "Lizzie" by the fans (despite her stated preference that they use her actual name).
- Shout-Out: To Doctor Who several times:
- The reason why Bald John Green and Other John Green are able to jump from FIFA game to FIFA game? They're Time Lords.
- The team name itself is a reference to the "big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff."
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Formerly-conjoined-twins Some Moore and Less Moore are examples of this: Some Moore has more innate talent, but Less Moore works harder. Becomes Sibling Rivalry after Some Moore leaves the team.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: John implies that the same could be said for him and his brother Hank, the latter being more responsible and hard-working, and John being Brilliant, but Lazy.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: "They've got a ginger on Oxford United but that doesn't interest me anymore. Nope."
- Take That!: After Some Moore leaves the team, John changes Less Moore's goal celebration song to "He scores with his left, he scores with his right, Less Moore makes Some Moore look shite"
