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Space and Overloads: 442 - Football Manager Tactics
A tactical look at the 442 Football Manager. Detailing: passing networks, structural spaces, overloads, vulnerabilities, transitional shapes and attacking variance. How to beat 442 with 343 using 2 DMs
FM23 [2-2]: The Case of Vincenzo Grifo v Unconscious Bias
Today I want to explore something that I have never really thought too deeply about before. When making squad selections or even reviewing whether or not to keep a player, we make assessments as to that player’s value to the team. I have never really considered my thinking beyond the surface level o
FM23 | VVV-Venlo and Lone Central Defender - the first season in Eredivisie
The simple summary of the 2023/2024 season with VVV-Venlo within the Football Manager 2023 save while using the lone central defender formation. How did the first season after the promotion end? Written by FMRensie.
The Journey Person. From Field to Favoured Personnel. Episode 3 #FM23
Part Three of a Football Manager 23 Journeyman save starting in Northern Ireland with the aim to rule World football. Follow me on the journey from Field to Favoured Personnel. Also features a promotion charge and a 50 goal striker. #FM23
FM23 [2-1]: Opening the Transfer Floodgates
Austerity is a bit of a UK buzzword these days and there were certainly elements of it in my first season’s transfer dealings. By these levels, the summer of 2023 was a relative land of milk and honey for SC Freiburg where transfers are concerned. A massive 7 (SEVEN, for some reason seven is the num
Past | Present | Future - IACC - La Nueva Joya #FM23
Buckle up blog readers - this is going to be a bit of a rollercoaster read. Well, that’s how I see the blog in my head as I start to write this down. Last time out I brought you up to speed with events come the end of Season 3 and safe to say a lot has happened since then. I’m keen to focus on w
The Journey Person. From Field to Favoured Personnel Episode 2. #FM23
Part One of a Football Manager 23 Journeyman save starting in Northern Ireland with the aim to rule World football. Follow me on the journey from Field to Favoured Personnel. Also features tactics and aging playmakers. #FM23
FM23 | Three Seasons with Kiruna FF
Welcome back! We’ve won promotion three years in a row to Sweden’s top division, Allsvenskan! I’ve gone rogue with how I usually operate. Still, I wanted to achieve promotion to the first tier as quick as possible. But I didn’t expect to get through this many seasons so quickly.
FM23 [1-2]: Tactical Hokey Cokey
I waved goodbye to 2022 with an element of hope about the near future. Lucas Höler signed off the year with a hattrick against Union Berlin and I rewarded him by allowing him to sign off on a two-year contract extension with a reasonable pay bump. It was only his sixth league appearance of the seaso
African Players to Sign on FM23
Find the best African talents to sign on FM23.
FM23 | VVV-Venlo and Lone Central Defender - match analysis, key changes and promotion
The simple analysis of what's wrong within the formation with one central defender within the Football Manager 2023 save with VVV-Venlo. Something about possible solutions and how the season ended.
Progress & Enjoyment - IACC End of Season 3 Review - La Nueva Joya #FM23
Another blog means another season has flown by here with Ed Lasso at IACC. If you need to catch up on season 2 then go here before reading any further. So with an incredible first season back in the top division of Argentina, IACC had broken all sorts of club records on the way to a superb 2nd pl
The Alternate World Cup - Chepiga Returns #FM23
A blogpost detailing the journey of the USA Men's national soccer team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as played on Football Manager 2023. #FM23
FM23 | My beloved set piece routine - short throw-in
Personally, I’m not a fan of long throw-ins. There is always a too big chance it will be cleared the same as a bad cross. I’m and always will be the biggest fan of the short throw-in routine. And the same as in the past, it was also the first routine I created in FM23.
FM23 [1-1]: First Steps at Freiburg
Over the last number of FM editions, I have aligned myself with a specific club from some of the major European nations (in no small part down to the fact that I keep going back to the same clubs when things go wrong). In Spain it is RCD Mallorca, in France it is SC Bastia, in Netherlands it is FC G
'The Dream Team' - IACC End of Season 2 Review - La Nueva Joya #FM23
Football Manager is a one of a kind game isn’t it? Bloody fuck we all moan about it, endlessly at times, and yet we do this while sinking 100s if not 1000s of hours of our time into this game. I think I moan less than others - I know the game isn’t perfect and yet I’m not looking for perfection, jus
First Eleven | #1 - A Fine if Unspectacular Job
Frank Athlete completes his first season in charge at First Vienna as he looks to solidify their position in the Austrian 2. Liga and build a foundation for promotion in the not too distant future. Sounds like a plan, but with time against him from the outset, this will be no mean feat.
Loan Stars
It’s really unlike me but I’m absolutely flying through this save in comparison to previous years. I have made a few tweaks to how I’m approaching the game which I think are much better suited to the time I’ve got to play these days. I’ll maybe write about them at some point, but it mostly involves
FM23 | VVV-Venlo & Lone Central Defender - searching for the right one
The first couple of months within the Football Manager 2023 save with VVV-Venlo is over. How did we play with the formation including just one central defender? And how do I try to find the best possible "lone central defender"?
FM23 Tactic | Latte Quarterly 4-3-1-2 with Grenoble
The 4-3-1-2 formation while using three specific roles within the Football Manager 2023, playing with Grenoble, and written mainly for the Latte Quarterly magazine.
'Glory is a Carnival' - IACC End of Season 1 Update - La Nueva Joya #FM23
It’s time to wrap up the second half of the season & boy it’s been a ride. If you need to catch up on the half-season progress report then STOP. Give it a read here and then come back. Our start to the season was pretty inconsistent but I’d come to terms with that as 90% of the teams in
“Rebuilding Ceuta in a 433” - Plazas de Soberanía #FM23
The first season in FM23 Spanish Lower Leagues is over...this post features 442, statistical analysis of player data, 433 and Taylor Swift.
The Journey Person. From Field to Favoured Personnel. #FM23
Part One of a Football Manager 23 Journeyman save starting in Northern Ireland with the aim to rule World football. Follow me on the journey from Field to Favoured Personnel. #FM23
6 Months in With IACC - La Nueva Joya #FM23
It’s been 6 ‘FM’ months since my life began anew in Argentina with IACC and it’s safe to say it’s not all been plain sailing. We’re 20 games in now with potentially the same amount of matches to come - so I felt it time to take stock and update everyone on how Ed Lasso has fared in his maiden manage
FM23 | Kiruna FF: Club Overview, Squad & Tactics
Welcome! Let’s dive a bit deeper into what’s happening at Kiruna FF.
FM23 | Before I passed the opening day and hit the continue button properly...
Every single Football Manager player has his/her own way how he/she plays the game. No matter how demanding, a dedicated and passionate player he/she is. This is my way as the FM23 save with VVV-Venlo started.
“442: Strictly Come Defending” - Plazas de Soberanía #FM23
The first 6 months on mainland Africa in Football Manager 2023 brings a 442 and plenty of clean sheets #FM23
Welcome To IACC - La Nueva Joya #FM23
My relationship with Football Manager has fluctuated these past 12 months more than it ever had previously. I’ve always owned every version of the game, pumping 100s of hours into each iteration, but something felt a little different, a little off about FM22. I found it quite straight forward to be
Peru & Uruguay: Football Manager 2023 Club Case Studies 🌎 feat. @rocksendfm #FM23
Hi there, For the last few years Fernando ( @rocksendfm ) has joined the blog before each new Football Manager game to introduce interesting South American clubs to manage in FM. This year, Fernando had the idea to conduct more in-depth case study pieces for one club from each nation. Due to wor
Everyone has the Right to Dream
FM Samo's FM23 save with FC Nordsjælland
Chile & Colombia: Football Manager 2023 Club Case Studies 🌎 feat. @rocksendfm #FM23
Hi there, For the last few years Fernando ( @rocksendfm ) has joined the blog before each new Football Manager game to introduce interesting South American clubs to manage in FM. This year, Fernando had the idea to conduct more in-depth case study pieces for one club from each nation. Due to wor
Argentina & Brazil: Football Manager 2023 Club Case Studies 🌎 feat. @rocksendfm #FM23
Hi there, For the last few years Fernando ( @rocksendfm ) has joined the blog before each new Football Manager game to introduce interesting South American clubs to manage in FM. This year, Fernando had the idea to conduct more in-depth case study pieces for one club from each nation. Due to wor
South America: Football Manager 2023 League Guide 🌎 #FM23
Football Manager 2023 League Guide for South America, covering Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru & Uruguay.
A Tactical Evolution at Club Atlético Lanús (from 4-2-3-1 Control Possession Preset to 4-3-3 DM) #FM23Beta
A Tactical Evolution at Club Atlético Lanús (from 4-2-3-1 Control Possession Preset to 4-3-3 DM) in the Football Manager 2023 Beta.
First Eleven | Prologue
I announce my plans for Football Manager 2023 as Frank M. Athlete returns for another year in the hot seat.
FM23 | Building tactics around one central defender with VVV-Venlo - part 1
The first part of the Football Manager 2023 save with Dutch side VVV-Venlo by FMRensie.
RCDM: Osiris, Bennu and Rebirth On The Wing
I begin this article, likely my last of FM22, with a tenuous link between an Egyptian Newgen and two Ancient Egyptian Deities. The first link is clear - they are both of Egyptian origin. The second is where some creative leap is required: Mostafa Gabr has been trained to play on the wing - Bennu i
FM23 | Kiruna FF: Central America to the Arctic Circle
Welcome! Let’s jump right into it. I am unsure if I’ve spoken about my background in any of my FM saves, so let me briefly tell you. My family and I moved to Miami, FL (USA), when I was 12 years old. I was born and raised in Matagalpa, Nicaragua until I was twelve. Why is this important?
Riding the Rhine | #13 - The End
Fortuna Dusseldorf are in the Champions League! Frank Athlete attempts to steer his side toward European greatness, while also attempting to solidify the teams place among the Bundesliga's elite.
Gonzalo Higuaín - gracias
Goodbye my love, goodbye my friend! I say goodbye to Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín, as he retires from real-life football...and from Football Manager.
FM22 | Ten years with Warta Poznan
The summary of the Football Manager 2022 save with Warta Poznan (mainly) in Poland by FM Rensie.
Latte Quarterly - a development ☕📖
Dear Readers, In the last couple of years I have developed an intolerance to coffee, which sucks. But at least coffee helped me through the first 6-7 years of fatherhood. Whilst it irks me that I’ll never taste my favourite fruity Colombian blend again, there is a certain amount
RCDM: Finding The Key 🗝️
As my Seasons 6 and 7 update explained, I had Mallorca on a real upward trajectory. European football had come to the shores of Mallorca once again - first it was the UEFA Europa Conference League, then the Europa League itself. For my eighth season in charge, Mallorca would be playing in the UEFA C
RCDM: The Pitfalls of Success
Once again, it’s been a while since I’ve updated on this save. To turn Ian Malcolm’s (Jurassic Park) quote on its head: “life gets in the way”. Playing time has taken a severe hit over the last few months because work has become so busy - but that’s not something I’ll ever complain about. This pos
FM22 | Squad selection management + tactics + set-pieces strategy [2029/30]
A blog post dedicated to the squad selection management option within the Football Manager 2022 and the summary of the 2029/2030 season by FM Rensie.
How 17th Century Japanese strategy can make you a better Football Manager
A chance encounter with Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings (1645) whilst on holiday sees me muse about how it could make us better at Football Manager.
From Bagan to Bergkamp: 1.01: Hail Mary
Fuck me this has been a difficult version of FM to get into. I’ve tried many things, and ain’t none of them stuck with me for more than a season. You’ve read about Fénix here on CHFM. If you’re a member of my Slack channel, you’ve seen me flounder with attempted saves, and various ideas, the two m
Running From FM - July 2022
Thoughts about running almost every day during July 2022 within the second edition of the Running From FM challenge.