LutterworthFox
Latest Posts
(FM24) The UMC – Matsumoto Yamaga/Japan – 2027 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. After last seasons second place finish in the J-League 1, our first season after promotion, I had high hopes for the upcoming campaign, we had money to spend, morale was high and we also had Champions League to look forward to. The question though is, can we actually go one step further in […]
(FM24) – The UMC – Matsumoto Yamaga – 2026 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Two straight promotions have somehow got my Matsumoto boys into the top tier of Japan, the J-League One. I have no idea how we’ve done it but I have absolutely no expectations for this season. My initial plan was to find a new job, a better job in Japan to try and give […]
(FM24) The UMC – Matsumoto Yamaga – 2025 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. After a fantastic first half a season with Matsumoto Yamaga we gained promotion from the third tier of Japan, that after taking over half-way through the season with club near the foot of the table! Now we somehow have to build a side good enough to be challenging in the second tier! We’re […]
(FM24) The UMC – Matsumoto Yamaga – 2024 Season
LutterworthFox
Firstly, thanks to those of you who read the intro post, also to those who shared it on social media, I really appreciate it. For those that haven’t and want to know what “The Ultimate Manager Challenge” is, then go and check the opening post out.
(FM24) The Ultimate Manager Challenge
LutterworthFox
Now that FM25 has been officially cancelled and I know we have a good 8, 9, maybe 10 months or more until the next iteration of Football Manager I felt it time to start something new. A save I’ve wanted to do for a long while but never had the balls! I had plans to […]
The Nearly Men #8 – 2032/33 Season – Serie A Title Challenge?
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. After a second successive third place finish last season we are well truly in the hunt for a shot at the Serie A title. The squad is settled and I am really confident this is the year we can do it. Let’s take a look and see what happened!
The Nearly Men #7 – 2031/32 Season – Pushing for the title
LutterworthFox
What a season we had last time out, we claimed our first European trophy since 1990 with our Europa Conference League win, the big news though was qualification for the Champions League as we ended the Serie A season in 3rd place. Now the push is on, we need to start competing in the Champions […]
The Nearly Men #6 – 2030/31 Season – Going for European Glory & Champions League Qualification
LutterworthFox
I had really high hopes for this season, another shot at the Europa Conference League was one of the biggest goals this time around, especially after a quarter final defeat to Liverpool last year, the main aim though is to get that Champions League spot, this save is all about getting those who failed at […]
The Nearly Men #5 – 2029/30 Season – Improving the side position by position
LutterworthFox
Last season was really good, 7th place in Serie A means qualification for the Europa Conference League. This save however is all about winning the Champions League, the sooner we get into that competition the better! After last season I took a step back, I have been so used to playing my saves in a […]
The Nearly Men #4 – 28/29 Season – Foundation Building
LutterworthFox
Last season was a solid year for our first one back in Serie A, mid-table was good for a team forecasted to end in the relegation places. This challenge is about winning the Champions League and as you’d expect we are nowhere near that. We now need to get this club up to standard, build […]
The Nearly Men #3 – The first full season at Sampdoria
LutterworthFox
Sampdoria are back in Serie A for the first time in 4 seasons and now the hard work begins, we are forecasted to end in the relegation zone and with very little money at my disposal I’m going to have to be thrifty with my signings, frees and loans are the aim unless we can […]
The Nearly Men #2 – Settling in at my first club
LutterworthFox
When I joined Sampdoria mid-way through December, with the club languishing in mid-table I didn’t have much expectation, yes I thought we could possibly push for the playoffs but I never expected the players to take to me as quickly as they have! This post may be a little shorter than normal, there were no […]
The Nearly Men #1 – Finding the right club
LutterworthFox
So my plan of finding a club before the new season started did not go to plan, with my manager starting with a Continental A licence and National reputation I expected a raft of offers, well that just did not happen. It actually took until December for an offer to come in, a perfect fit […]
The Nearly Men – Introduction
LutterworthFox
Yes that’s right LutterworthFox is back writing about his FM adventures but this time thing will be a little different. After a 6-month hiatus front the FM community I am very much enjoying playing FM and doing things my own way, at my own speed without any drama or distractions and that will be continuing. […]
(FM23) The kids have taken over, how good can they be? Aberdeen – 34/35 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Well it’s been over a week since I finished this season and I’ve been dying to write a really nice, long, detailed post. Unfortunately my osteoarthritis in my hands have flared up and just typing is a real struggle. Because of this the post below will be a little bit more condensed, also, […]
(FM23) Can the kids help Aberdeen retain the title? – 32/33 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Last years Premiership title win seemed like a long time coming but to do it in four seasons is sensational seeing as how good Celtic are in this save. Now we have done it though it’s time to retain it and then dominate, if I want to top the Scotland Hall of Fame […]
(FM23) Making changes to keep your save fresh – Aberdeen 33/34 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Last season was another incredible campaign, we retained the Scottish Premiership title by a long way from Rangers and Celtic, who were awful. We also got the Last 16 of the Champions League but the main thing was the kids, the intakes have been sensational so far at Aberdeen and it’s been great […]
(FM23) Improving the kids through game time – Aberdeen 2031/32 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Last season we were so close, agonisingly we ended second behind Celtic on goal difference amassing 96 points along the way. This IS the season we overtake them I know it! As the title suggests though it’s time to blood some of those amazing intake players we’ve got over the past few seasons, […]
(FM23) Attempting to close the gap on Celtic – Aberdeen 2030/31 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Last seasons gap to Celtic was more than ever. 17 points the difference but Aberdeen ended with one of their highest points tallies ever. 85 points is an amazing season, just a shame Celtic got 102!!! I spoke at the end of my last post about how I catch them, now is the […]
(FM23) Having to replace my whole front four! Aberdeen – 2029/30 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! My second season at Aberdeen is over and it’s been an interesting season. Last time out we once again grabbed 2nd spot in the League meaning qualification for the Champions League (qualifying rounds), we also won the Scottish Cup, my first major trophy in this save. Now we need to try and close […]
(FM23) Planning for the short and long term – Aberdeen – 2028/29 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! My first season at Aberdeen is over and I won’t lie, it couldn’t have gone much better! Last season the club ended 2nd in the Premiership, 17 points behind Celtic, now with me in charge it’s time to close that gap. As the title of the post suggest, this requires planning, not only […]
(FM23) When the urge to leave becomes too much! Club Number Three
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Those who have read my previous couple of posts will know I’ve spoken about jumping ship from Arbroath IF the right job came up, well eventually that happened. I’ve had a brilliant four seasons at Arbroath but the progression has been really slow, too slow for a save when you’re one sole aim […]
(FM23) Trying to catch the big boys at a small club – Arbroath – 2027/28 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. I am now into my fourth season at Abroath, my sixth season overall in this save and so far I have won League Two and that’s it. Now is the time to start making some changes to get some trophies in my own cabinet, if not I’ll never top that Scotland Hall of […]
(FM23) Upgrading players but not breaking the bank – Arbroath – 2026/27 Season Review
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! My third season is over with Arbroath and after last seasons dismal end where we blew European football for another season I am more determined this season to get it right. We have a new chairman and a bit of money to spend, this season though I won’t be signing the whole World, […]
(FM23) A Scotland Journey – Arbroath – 25/26 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! My second season at Arbroath is over and after last years amazing 5th place finish we have European football to look forward to this season. I am fully expecting it to be a lot tougher than last time around, clubs aren’t going to take us as lightly as they did previously, survival is […]
(FM23) A Scotland Journey – 24/25 Season Review
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! After two seasons at Elgin, massively over-achieving but struggling financially I have decided to move on. I had an offer I couldn’t refuse, I’m off to the Scottish Premiership!!
(FM23) A Scotland Journey – Elgin City – 23/24 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! After last seasons amazing League Two title win the pressure is now well and truly on, with no money to spend we have our work cut out to survive in League One this season, I have faith though so let’s see how it went.
(FM23) A Scotland Journey – Elgin City – 22/23 Season
LutterworthFox
Welcome Back! Well having Covid has meant a lot of time to play FM whilst recovering in bed and being off work, so my first season has finished a lot quicker than I expected. When I decided to start with Elgin I wasn’t expecting much, mid-table was the aim and hopefully a decent run in […]
(FM23) Journey To The Top Of Scotland – Part 1
LutterworthFox
Welcome back!! Yeah, yeah I know I said in my last post that save updates from me would be over but when has anyone listened to me before? The thing is, when I play my saves, I just enjoy it so much more when I’m blogging about it. Since the Gibraltar save I’ve tried so […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 14 – Miracles??!
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. Things seems to have massively stalled in the past few seasons, we are really struggling to get anywhere near the big six nations in the League Ranking and Nation Coefficient. A miracle is needed if we are to get anywhere near them. The tycoon owner is helping but we somehow need to be […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 13 – No. 1 Wonderkid!!!
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. These last two seasons have been a little bit mad, the rise in rankings and coefficient have slowed, mainly as I feel we’ve hit our ceiling now. What has happened though are a couple of things I didn’t think I’d see in this save. College Europa have a wonderkid and I have been […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 12 – Money, Money, Money
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. I won’t lie, things have got slightly mad, as the title suggests money has come into not only the club but also the league as a whole. This has helped things massively kick on from where I left you last. This has been helped by our rise in coefficient but mainly the money […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 11 – World Cup Qualification??
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. Things are going really well, not only at College Europa but also internationally where things have really picked up, in this post we look back at the past two seasons of domestic action and also see how my Gibraltar boys do in the Nations League and World Cup qualification, can we do the […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 10 – Chasing Manchester
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Another two season down at my second club of the save, College Europa, the opening couple of season went pretty well. A Rock Cup win and we are slowly closing in on Manchester, my old club, at the top of the League. The other clubs in the league are also progressing well, facilities […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 9 – A New Adventure
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Hopefully by now you have read the previous post where I end by explaining where I’m at with this save, if not I suggest you go and take a read before going any further. After 14 seasons at Manchester I have decided to move to pastures new in Gibraltar, I need other clubs […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 8 – Another Intake Star!
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! I’m now 14 seasons into this amazing save and it’s still as fun as ever. Domestically it’s become very easy, in Europe we are doing well but now, for me, it’s all about improving the other clubs in the League to help them qualify for European competitions. This is proving to be the […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 7 – A Marquee Signing
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! Another two seasons down in Gibraltar and the progression is really ramping up, the TV deal is increasing, the clubs are now putting a small amount of that money to use and, as the title suggest, the quality of player we can entice is improving as well!
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 6 – Show Me The Money!!!
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. Ten seasons are now over in Gibraltar and it’s safe to say shit has got real, it’s totally kicked off and things have started progressing a lot quicker. Domestically it’s gone a bit mad, we are still dominating and slowly but surely other teams are getting better due to some sensational news. Internationally […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Part 5 – European Adventures
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. I have to admit, I am absolutely loving this save but it has been real hard work, domestically we are now utterly dominating and we are progressing really well in Europe but I can feel it is going to start to get a lot more challenging, players want more money, the kids I […]
(FM23) Build a Nation – Gibraltar – Part 4
LutterworthFox
Welcome back. Another two seasons down in what is turning out to be one hell of a save. This post will be a little different, I think by now you will have guessed that domestically we are dominating, in the previous post we won back-to-back League titles and that hasn’t changed. I will show you […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Gibraltar – Part 3
LutterworthFox
Welcome back, two more seasons down, it’s been amazing so far, I never expected to see progression this quick. We’ve had some amazing results, both internationally and domestically. The big thing now is to start progressing the League as a whole and to somehow qualify for a major international tournament. Can it be done? It’s […]
(FM23) Build A Nation – Gibraltar – Part 2
LutterworthFox
Welcome back! I firstly just wanted to say thank you for the amazing response to the opening post, it’s so nice to see loads of people excited for this save. Two seasons have passed since my last update and it’s so far, so good. In this post I’m going to briefly look over the 22/23 […]
(FM23) – Build A Nation – Part 1
LutterworthFox
I think it’s time to return to this blogging malarky properly don’t you think?! It’s been a while, the last few months have been tough, I started my Nearly Men save on the SI Forum, copying it over to blog posts here and whilst the views have actually been pretty decent and I’ve had a […]
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2037/38 Season – Napoli
LutterworthFox
Compared to normal it’s been a pretty quiet Summer transfer window, a lot of players left, most of them youth and reserve lads but we did lose a couple of first-teamers. Temel (Striker), Verbist (AM), Bustos (CM) all left, none of them had really set the world on fire so I decided to cash in. […]
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2036/37 – Napoli
LutterworthFox
This Summer for me was all about bringing the age of this squad down. At the end of the previous campaign we had 8 players in our first team squad over 32, all were still decent but they struggled throughout the last season with fitness issues and injuries, they also were on huge wages which […]
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2035/36 Season – Napoli
LutterworthFox
My first full season at Napoli begins and as expected there has been some big changes in playing personnel. So let’s welcome the new boys into the squad and there’s only one place to start! Daniel Maldini – £8m from Frankfurt I think those of you who have followed this all the way through would’ve […]
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2034/35 Season – Club Number Three
LutterworthFox
I left Frankfurt just after the Champions League at the end of May, well it’s now February and after a frustrating 9 months where there were hardly any jobs coming up that satisfied the criteria of “Nearly Men” I eventually have taken a job and I won’t lie, I am bloody excited.
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2033/34 Season – Eintracht Frankfurt
LutterworthFox
A new season begins, we have Champions League to look forward to but unfortunately the budgets aren’t great meaning sales have to be made before players can join. Luckily a couple of hefty bids came in meaning more money to spend!
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2032/33 Season – Eintracht Frankfurt
LutterworthFox
It’s taken 12 months to eventually find a job that appeals to me, I won’t lie though, there were very few jobs available that I could take but when this job came up I felt it was a good challenge. After a long stint in a smaller nation with a big team I really wanted […]
(FM23) The Nearly Men – 2030/31 – Panathinaikos
LutterworthFox
A new season begins and this season we have to do better in the Champions League, I have put a lot of time into the squad this season, lot’s of players have gone, experience and quality have replaced them in the hope it gives us the ability to challenge the big boys in Europe.