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Down the Danube | #8 - Youth Development (Part I)
Welcome back to Bulgaria where First League winners CSKA Sofia are preparing to defend their title in the upcoming 2027/28 season, plus there's Frank's first foray into Champions League football. Since the season I'm updating you on here turned out to be quite a long one, I've split the Save Update
My squad numbers system in FM
My squad numbers system in FM. How I'm assigning the numbers for the first team players and backup players.
Down the Danube | #7 - Core Attributes
Welcome back to Bulgaria where we'll be joining Frank Athlete for an update on how his first full season in charge of CSKA Sofia went. Since recruitment was front and centre for Frank over pre-season, I'll also cover what I look for in a new player, and in particular what my personal focus is on in
How to create a club in Football Manager - FC Pripyat FM20.
This is my guide explaining how to create a club in Football Manager. I give step by step instructions on how to use the pre-game editor to create your own club, city, stadium and how to bring it all together and place them in the league of your choice.
Down the Danube | #6 - Setting Up at a New Club
Welcome in to a farewell edition as Frank Athlete begins his final campaign with Farul Constanta in the Romanian Liga I. In this update I'll cover how his last year at the club went along with his job hunt for a new challenge. I'll also give you a run through of my approach to the subsequent overhau
The game of shortcuts
The game of shortcuts is the article about how I'm using the available shortcuts in the Football Manager and how you can customise it.
Down the Danube | #5 - Troubleshooting a Tactic
Hello again, and welcome back to Constanta. You join us at the start of our second season in Liga I, after we miraculously survived the last campaign. In this update we'll find out how Frank Athlete's men got on this time, plus I'll share my process for troubleshooting my tactic when things haven't
The RE-Builders of Pripyat Season 5 - Firefighting on FM20
A review of Season 5 of my Football Manager 20 save in Pripyat. Features some creative FM writing and lessons learned from poor form.
My FM20 Training Approach
“How do I want my team to play?” It’s probably the most important question us Football Managers will ask ourselves. Some find it difficult to answer. We want to set out to win matches obviously but it’s getting to that point that is often tricky. Tactics are obviously vital, the quality of the play
Down the Danube | #4 - Mapping a Path to Success
Welcome along to another update from the Black Sea coast. Following Constanta's promotion to Liga I last time out, we'll see how they fared in their first season back among the big boys, with Frank still at the helm. In this update I'll also cover how I strategise our path to success each season wi
Down the Danube | #3 - Getting Back to Work
Hi folks, me again. It's been a while since the last update, and frankly a lot's been going on which I need to catch you up on. In this update, I'll bring you up to speed on Frank's exploits in Romania across not one, but two seasons! Plus, later, I'll talk about how I got back into playing Footbal
Eskozia La Brava | The Three Pals
I mentioned in my introductory post that it's never a surprise to see tartan, Saltires and Lion Rampants on show when you're watching Eibar play. The ties to Scotland have strengthened since I joined the club. Rather than just loving the country from afar, the Eskozia La Brava fan group now have a
FM20 | Utilising the Half Back role
The tactical post about utilising the Half Back role in the Football Manager 2020.
The RE-Builders of Pripyat Season 4 - Third Time Lucky?
A review of Season four in my Football Manager 20 save in Pripyat. Could it be third time lucky?
The RE-Builders of Pripyat Season 3 - Lockdown Russian style
A review of season three of my Football Manager 20 save in Pripyat. The lockdown hits Chernobyl.
Player development in FM20
The player development in FM is one of the key areas of the game. It can lead to good results with a good training regime. What is my system in FM20?
Down the Danube | #2 - Squad Numbering is an Art Form
Welcome back to the bustling city of Constanta where the Sharks are gearing up for their first full season with Frank Athlete at the helm. This season took me almost two months to complete, largely down to several work trips preventing me from getting some decent game time in. Nonetheless, I'm del
Default Dark Skin with the shirt for FM20
The default dark skin for the Football Manager 2020 with the shirt and number created by FM Rensie.
FM20 Far Post Corner | Tweaking the good old trick
FM20 Attacking Corner Kick Routine with the far post delivery.
The RE-builders of Pripyat: Season 2 - Chepiga has a Son! #FM20
A review of season two of my Football Manager 20 save in Pripyat. Chepiga has a Son graduate from the academy.
Eskozia La Brava | What Kind of Club Are We?
Heading into my third season I began to question what kind of club we actually are? What Kind of Club Are We? We've got a defined and unique style of playing. La Furia has been embedded into the club culture, but when it comes to a recruitment plan, there isn't really a specific one in place yet.
Football Manager Tactics: Gallardo's 4-1-3-2 (River Plate) #FM20
A tactical recreation of River Plate's 4-1-3-2 formation by Marcelo Gallardo in Football Manager 2020.
Down the Danube | #1 - Starting as Unemployed
Hello again and welcome back to my FM20 blog series, Down the Danube. This post is coming to you much later than I initially anticipated, but real life got in the way of getting this released sooner. In case you missed the introductory blog post, you can catch up on that here . Otherwise, here's a
Eskozia La Brava | The Jamie Vardy Problem
"The Jamie Vardy Problem" "Why don't these things happen more often on Football Manager?" "There should be some kind of dynamic potential ability!" It's been a common discussion point since Jamie Vardy's rise through the English leagues to firing Leicester to their sur
The RE-builders of Pripyat: A Valeriy Lobanovskiy tactical recreation. Part Three
A Football Manager 20 tactical recreation of Valeriy Lobanovskiy's famous Dynamo Kiev side from 1986. Also includes a review of Season One.
The RE-builders of Pripyat: A Valeriy Lobanovskiy tactical recreation. Part Two
A Football Manager 20 tactical recreation of Valeriy Lobanovskiy's famous Dynamo Kiev side from 1986.
Eskozia La Brava | La Furia
It's time to get down to business in the Basque Country. I've reached the halfway point of my first season in charge of Eibar on FM20 but before I go into how we've done so far, I want to talk about the unique identity I'm looking to implement at the club from the get go. Player Retention and Recru
The RE-Builders of Pripyat: A Valeriy Lobanovskiy tactical recreation Part One
A Football Manager 20 tactical recreation of Valeriy Lobanovskiy's famous Dynamo Kiev side from 1986.
Rensie Custom skin for FM20
The custom skin for the Football Manager 2020 created by FM Rensie.
Down the Danube | Prospective Clubs
With the official launch of FM20 now just a week away, I've been giving some further thought to my plans this year when I'll be heading Down the Danube on a journeyman save. You can watch my reveal video here , as well as catch the Prologue for the series here , but in short, I will be loading up
Eskozia La Brava
SD Eibar shouldn't be in LaLiga. If we move the town's tiny 27,000 population and their tiny ~8,000 capacity Ipurua stadium to one side for a second, there are other reasons why they shouldn't be competing against Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain's top tier. For most of the 21st century so far,
#FM20 Save Reveal - The Re-Builders of Pripyat
My Football Manager 20 save with FC Pripyat. Here I take readers through the side's history amidst the aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster and discuss future plans.
South America: The Football Manager 2020 Ones To Watch 🌎 feat. @VincentGuzman_ #FM20
A Football Manager 2020 guide for South American Ones To Watch. Features Guest Writer Vincent Guzman.
South America: The Football Manager 2020 Club Guide 🌎 feat. @VincentGuzman_ #FM20
A Football Manager 2020 club guide for South American leagues. Countries covered: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru & Uruguay. Features Guest Writer Vincent Guzman.
South America: The Football Manager 2020 League Guide 🌎 #FM20
A Football Manager 2020 guide for South America. Leagues covered: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru & Uruguay
Down the Danube | Prologue
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m James, otherwise known as FM Athlete . I’ve been playing Football Manager since the Championship Manager 00/01 edition and played EA Sports’ F.A. Premier League Manager for a number of years before that. Last year I made my blogging debut, as I shared update
Why Peñarol in #FM20? - Río de la Plata
The reasoning behind my Football Manager 2020 team : Club Atlético Peñarol of Montevideo
Prologue: “All Of The Lights” - Río de la Plata #FM20
Ángel Bastardo heads to Uruguay under the cover of darkness...
World Cup 2026 #FM19 - The end for Chepiga?..
The final post of my Football Manager 19 save sees Chepiga take Russia to the USA for the 2026 World Cup.
Sempre Vitória - O Fim
That's it. It's over. My FM19 save with Vitória in Portugal has come to an end. What a journey. I'll go through how season eight finished up first and then round off by looking at my time at the club as a whole. This is going to be emotional. Season Eight At the halfway point we were 2nd in the
Goodbye South America, goodbye FM19.
The summary of my Football Manager 2019 save in Chile and Argentina.
Nordic Nights and Dutch Days | Epilogue
To say that I've enjoyed this save and FM19 must be the greatest understatement of the year. It's been absolutely brilliant! In this update I'll be highlighting some of my successes from the save and offering my thoughts on the game itself as attention starts to turn towards FM20 in the coming weeks
Nordic Nights and Dutch Days (Part V) | Chapter 21: Hopes, Dreams and Disappointments
Welcome back to Wolves. Last season we hit our peak, finishing 5th and qualifying for the Europa League. Let's see how we fared in a season full of hopes, dreams and European football. If you've missed any of the previous updates, you can read a quick summary on how it's gone so far here . For mo
Football Manager 2019 (#FM19) - in retrospect feat. @KeysiRensie
A retrospective review of Football Manager 2019 after an 800 hour play-through.
FM19: Development of 4-3-3 with CD Magallanes
Developing the 4-3-3 tactic in the Football Manager 2019.
My FM19 Tactic: The 3-5-2 Returns
It's very difficult to put the heartache of losing out on winning the league title on the last day of the season followed up by losing a cup final a week later to one side but a new season rolling around goes a long way in helping to forget what had come before. We ended season six trophyless after
“Boring, Boring Lorient” - Orange Is The New Black #FM19
A tactical look at a 4-3-1-2 tactic with FC Lorient in Ligue 1 in Football Manager 2019.
Nordic Nights and Dutch Days (Part V) | Chapter 20: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Welcome back to Wolves. Can we finally break into the top half of the Premier League, or will it be a fourth consecutive 11th placed finished? Read on and find out! If you've missed any of the previous updates, you can read a quick summary on how it's gone so far here . For more regular updates an
Football Manager Tactics: Almeyda's 4-2-3-1 (San Jose Earthquakes) #FM19
Hello, this post allows me to break away from my usual Football Manager writing and explore tactical concepts around the World in the attempt to translate them into Football Manager. The aim would be to write about teams that are not at the forefront for most European readers, so there’s likely to
Nordic Nights and Dutch Days (Part V) | Chapter 19: This Ceiling is Made of Concrete
Hello again from the West Midlands where, at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the rebuilding continues as we enter the 2030/31 season. Fresh from our second consecutive 11th placed finish, we're keen to push on this year and climb into the top half. If you've missed any of the previous updates, you can re