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EuroTrip | Part 1 | Finding A First Club
Unemployed wannabe manager Trebor Mahtal put together a CV and began circulating his name with club owners across Europe. He was happy to work anywhere in Europe, with the twist being he didn’t want to manage in Europe’s leading eight leagues (England, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Spain) or Russia.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 10 | Developing A Genuine Golden Generation
AZ Alkmaar wrapped up three successive Eredivise titles to become the fifth most successive club in Dutch football history, behind the big three of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord and the HVV, an amateur side that won 10 titles by 1915.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 9 | A Relegation Fight With A Twist
The FC Pompei fairytale continued to reach new heights as Robí Sulpicius led the Campanian minnows to a shock promotion from Italy’s third tier via the Serie C/C playoffs.
FM Experiment | England In The Premier League
With EURO 2024 ongoing and England just about scraping into the last eight, it got me wondering how good this current set of players are and how they’d fare as a club side. To put that to test, what better way than to put the current England squad into the Premier League?
Wonderkid Factory | Part 9 | A New Midfield Talent Emerges
The dreaded financial glitch affecting Eredivisie on Football Manager 2024 means this could well be the end to our second attempt at the Wonderkid Factory challenge. It comes at an annoying time, considering Robinho Lazaró was establishing AZ Alkmaar as a dominant force in the Netherlands, with three titles in four years, and taking on Europe’s elite.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 8 | Targeting Serie C Playoffs
Many Italian football lovers were latching onto the Rise From The Ashes tale of FC Pompei, the football club only founded in 2022 that had flown into the country’s third tier. Indeed, many prominent Football Manager content creators were tipping the club as “one to manage” on the highly anticipated Football Manager 2030.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 8 | So Close To An Elite Upset
AZ Alkmaar won a second Eredivisie title in three years with a team comprised wholly of players produced by the club’s youth academy. The challenge now was to try and compete in Europe as they re-entered the Champions League in the 2029/30 campaihn.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 7 | A Seismic Shift At Pompei
There had been a seismic shift in the fortunes of FC Pompei in the five years that previously unknown Roberto de Vesuvius Sulpicius had been in charge. And the minnows defied all the odds to remain in Italy’s Serie C/C for a second season.
FM Guide: Features And Improvements I Want For Football Manager 2025
Football Manager 2025 is set to deliver a big step change for the world’s greatest video game series. But what small feature improvements would you like to see in FM25?
Wonderkid Factory | Part 7 | Fully Homegrown For The First Time
Twelve months on from becoming Champions of the Netherlands, AZ Alkmaar were reflecting on a solid if unspectacular campaign. Manager Robinho Lazaró had done an impressive job of promoting homegrown youth while keeping his promising AZ side competitive.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 6 | Going Pro In Serie C
Little-known FC Pompei were well and truly rising from the ashes as they spewed from tier-five anonymity to turning professional as they stepped up to Italy’s Serie C within four seasons. But now things reached whole new levels of difficulty as Robí Sulpicius attempted to rebuild a squad nowhere near ready for this standard of football with the ongoing threat of crippling debt.
Football Manager 2024 Predicts EURO 2024 Winner
Having created save files with all the real-life squads for the European Championships, which kick off in Germany next Sunday, I thought we’d use FM24 to see who the game thinks will win the tournament. I simulated the tournament five times to see who came out on top.
Play EURO 2024 On Football Manager 2024!
EURO 2024 is nearly one week away and I recently noticed there were no databases available to play the tournament with the real-life groups and final confirmed squads on Football Manager 2024. So I took to FM to do what I could to create the final squads.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 6 | Eredivisie Title Defence
The exciting crop of youngsters at AZ Alkmaar outperformed even their loftiest expectations as they usurped the big three to become champions of the Netherlands for the third time in 2027. The challenge now was for Robinho Lazaró and his young squad to build on that success.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 5 | Serie D Title Fight
Debt-ridden FC Pompei made the doubters eat dust last season as a hot run of form led them to an impressive 3rd-place finish in Serie D/H. But there was no doubt the off-field matters were the biggest talking point in the summer of 2026.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 5 | Wau, This Kid Is Raily Special
The wonderkid factory project at AZ Alkmaar was progressing very nicely as Robinho Lazaró led the club to two 2nd-place finishes in three seasons. He’d also reduced the AZ squad to just five players who didn’t come through the club’s academy heading into the summer of 2026.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 4 | Big Striker Inspires Improvement
FC Pompei pulled off a surprise survival bid to stay in the fourth tier of Italian football in their first-ever season in Serie D. But financial challenges continued to undermine the job that boss Robí Sulpicius was doing at the club.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 4 | Hammering Real Madrid
Footballing overachievement is seemingly always accompanied by the threat of your best players being poached by bigger clubs. And Robinho Lazaró found that out in the summer of 2025 as his AZ Alkmaar’s 2nd place finish in Eredivisie saw big teams across Europe raise interest in his top performers.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 3 | Stepping Up To Serie D
Manager Robí Sulpicius faced the significant challenge of his entire first-team squad being out of contract and a worrying financial situation overshadowing his need to rebuild for Serie D.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 3 | AZ Academy Stars Excel
AZ Alkmaar made a promising start to life under Robinho Lazaró, who’d been impressed with his side’s efforts to finish 4th in Eredivisie in 2023/24. However, these early seasons don’t really matter too much in our bid to become national and European champions with a team of academy products.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 2 | Exciting Title Fight
Under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, FC Pompei were mounting hopes of a title challenge in Italy’s 5th-tier Eccellenza Campania A under new manager Robí Sulpicius.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 2 | Generational Talent In First AZ Youth Intake
The second edition of our Wonderkid Factory save sees Robinho Lazaró bring his youth recruitment prowess to the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar. The club has plenty of exciting youth prospects ready to play their part in the 2023/24 campaign – go back and meet them in Part 1 – but Lazaró was keen to remove any expectation from his young starlets.
Rise From The Ashes | Part 1 | Taking Charge Of FC Pompei
In our latest explosive Football Manager challenge, we’ll attempt to rise from the ashes in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius with FC Pompei.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 1 | Turning Milk Into Cheese
Having completed my Football Manager 2024 Pentagon Pursuit adventure far quicker than anticipated, I struggled for a while to find a new save that would bring us something a little bit different. So I went back to my own 24 Teams to Manage on FM24 guide (shameless plug) and took my own medicine to select an exciting new challenge.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 47 | The End Of Pentagon Pursuit
Robaato Rasamu had achieved a task that seemed almost impossible 23 years ago. The Japanese manager had gone from total obscurity to lifting all five major continental trophies in Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Africa.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 46 | The Importance Of A Rock-Solid Defence
A flying start to the 2044/45 campaign saw VfB Stuttgart sitting pretty at the top of Bundesliga and starting to hold their own with Europe’s elite in the Champions League. But Robaato Rasamu was keen to carry that momentum into the second half of the campaign.
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 7 | Jay-Jay Okocha Arena
The Trebor Mahtal dynasty at Bolton Wanderers was in full flow as the Zambian manager led Bolton Wanderers to three consecutive Premier League titles. But all eyes were on another African legend ahead of the manager’s seventh season in charge.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 45 | Dodgy Penalty
The city of Stuttgart was awash with football fans celebrating VfB Stuttgart becoming Champions of Germany for the first time in 37 years. The fans were unanimous that Japanese manager Robaato Rasamu was the man responsible for this success, and celebrated shoulder to shoulder with their hero sinking pints of craft beer across the city’s numerous beer halls.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 44 | Battling Bayern For Bundesliga
VfB Stuttgart came into 2044 absolutely flying and posing serious questions over FC Bayern’s ability to make it 32 consecutive Bundesliga titles. So manager Robaato Rasamu didn’t think too much work was required in the January transfer window.
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 6 | Favouring All-Out Attack
Trebor Mahtal had well and truly rewritten Bolton Wanderers history as, four years on from the departure of Big Sam Allardyce, he led the Trotters to their maiden English title. But he wasn’t content with that, as he eyed up defending the title and improving their European form.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 43 | Newsflash: Bayern Lost A League Match
Robaato Rasamu was starting to think he’d made life far too difficult for himself by refusing to manage in England and attempting to complete his Pentagon Pursuit with teams that have never previously won the European Champions League. Twenty years into his career as a Football Manager, FC Bayern’s consecutive Invincible seasons had left him feeling downright depressed and he needed a few days away from football.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 42 | Bayern Are Too Good
A tactical switch had seen VfB Stuttgart kick onto a new level at the end of 2042, sitting nicely in the Champions League group phase but massively trailing the seemingly unbeatable FC Bayern. And that uptick in form saw 58-year-old Japanese manager Robaato Rasamu handed a new deal worth £31k per week until June 2047 to continue his good work at the club.
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 5 | Strengthening The Core
Bolton Wanderers pushed Chelsea all the way in Trebor Mahtal’s third season at the club, only missing out on their maiden English title on goal difference. And Mahtal was convinced that, with the right signings and a little more attacking intent, he could push beyond England’s big boys.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 41 | Huge Record Signing
VfB Stuttgart enjoyed a strong season but found themselves well short of a relentless Bayern, who’d now won 30 Bundesliga titles on the bounce. So Robaato Rasamu felt changes were needed to attempt to close the gap in his third season in Germany.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 40 | Lucky Champions League Draws
Midway through his second season in Germany, Robaato Rasamu was beginning to realise the size of the task he faced at VfB Stuttgart. FC Bayern had virtually cemented their 30th consecutive Bundesliga title after splashing £300m in the summer and his side were coming up second best against Europe’s elite. But he trusted in his […]
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 4 | Jääskeläinen Inspires Record-Breaking Defence
A historic season at Reebok Stadium saw Bolton Wanderers tie their all-time record league finish and reach a first European Final. So things were on the up for Trebor Mahtal as he usurped Big Sam Allardyce’s achievements within two seasons.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 39 | First Taste Of European Champions League
After one season in Germany, Robaato Rasamu had worked his magic to inspire VfB Stuttgart to their highest league position in 34 years and European Champions League qualification. So it was feasible – unlikely – but feasible that he could wrap up this Pentagon Pursuit inside 19 years of management.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 38 | Bundesliga Bullies Bayern
Robaato Rasamu had made a solid start to life in Europe, guiding VfB Stuttgart to just one defeat in his first 14 games and challenging the dominant FC Bayern at the top of Bundesliga. As a result, he’d already earned the love of the Stuttgart board and supporters, who both gave him A+ ratings in January 2041.
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 3 | Historic Cup Final
Trebor Mahtal had successfully stepped into the shoes of Big Sam as he led Bolton Wanderers to European qualification and a UEFA Cup semi-final run. But a big summer lay ahead as he looked to refresh his playing squad.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 37 | Rasamu Moves To Europe
In November 2039, Robaato Rasamu completed four fifths of his Pentagon Pursuit mission as his Athlético Paranaense side lifted their first-ever Copa Libertadores. The one remaining task was arguably the most challenging – to, ideally, win the European Champions League with a team that has never previously been Champion of Europe.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 36 | Thrilling Season Conclusion
Athlético Paranaense had well and truly put the pain of their Copa Libertadores defeat behind them, only losing four times in 42 matches seven months into 2039. But the hard work began now as they looked to go again in the Libertadores knockouts and aim for the club’s second Série A title and first in 38 years.
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 2 | European Nights At The Reebok
Picking up the pieces after Big Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers departure was never going to be easy. But Trebor Mahtal had made a pretty decent stab at it, leading The Trotters into the top half of the Premier League after five months in charge.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 35 | Recovering From Final Heartbreak
“To play your best in the present, you need to turn the page on the past. To move forward, see the past game as a footnote in yesterday’s newspaper. Imagine yourself flipping through yesterday’s news and refuse to see what happened yesterday.” That was the advice of Robaato Rasamu’s lead sport psychologist to his Athlético Paranaense players and staff as they tried to recover from the absolute heartbreak they’d suffered in Paraguay.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 34 | Goalkeeper Chaos
July 2038 saw Robaato Rasamu celebrate 15 years of life as a Football Manager and, having won continental titles in Asia, North America and Africa, he was potentially facing his toughest task yet. The brutal nature of Brazilian football was starting to catch up with his young Athlético Paranaense side, who’d played nearly half their Série A season in just two months.
Rewriting Bolton History | Part 1 | Stepping Into Big Sam’s Shoes
Three months on from Big Sam Allardyce’s shock departure as manager of Bolton Wanderers, Garth Crooks’s words are ringing true as there’s a new face in the dugout at the Reebok Stadium for the 2007/08 season.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 33 | Pipoca Wins NxGn
Athlético Paranaense came into 2038 armed with an exciting arsenal of young talents like strikers Pipoca and Esdras, winger Paulo Roberto Aal and Brazil international Lucas Pena Barcelos. And manager Robaato Rasamu was excited about the club’s future.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 32 | Tricky Libertadores Challenge
The phrase “golden generation” is all-too-often overused in football circles, but Robaato Rasamu believed he’d absolutely inherited one at Athlético Paranaense. His squad contained 11 players considered to have 5-star potential which, according to his staff, constituted “world class,” and an additional 17 with at least 4-star potential.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 31 | First Full Copa Libertadores Campaign
Robaato Rasamu had always loved Brazilian football, having grown up idolising the likes of Kaká, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. So being given the opportunity to manage in the country was akin to letting a kid loose in the world’s biggest sweet shop.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 30 | Paranaense Potential
A massive summer rebuild had seen Robaato Rasamu totally reshape his Athlético Paranaense squad. He’d sold off the bad eggs at the club and was now operating with a much younger squad that was packed to the rafters with potential.
For Sparta! | Part 11 | Spiteful And Bitter
The unorthodox approach of King Leonidas wasn’t for everyone, but it had certainly endeared The Spartans FC to the Scottish football neutrals. Leonidas’ relentless focus on players with high aggression, bravery, composure, concentration, determination, positioning, stamina, strength and work rate in a bid to build a Spartan Army had seen the club rise from League 2 to the Premiership in nine years.