Strikerless
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Name That Abomination!
As the “Inside My Mind” series is shaping up nicely, I am still looking for a name for this new tactic. So… it’s poll time!
Inside My Mind 02; Going Through The Motions
In the “Inside My Mind” series I want to take you along on the road go down when I develop a tactic. In the previous post of the series I looked at the theoretical process, but I promised to actually apply said process on a real tactic, to put the theory into practice. I want […]
Inside My Mind 01; The Process Of Creating A Tactic
In Football Manager, the process of creating your own tactic is one of the simplest things imaginable, especially since the inclusion of the tactics creator, it takes a little time to create your own tactic. You start the creator, walk through a couple of steps, select whichever option appeals to you based on the description […]
Emulating La Masia; 07. First Team Action
So far, my Emulating La Masia series has looked at various factors that help you in developing your youngsters. However for all the promise of youth development and improved standards, the development of players is the ‘easy part’, it is integrating them into the first team which matters most. Teams like Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid […]
Emulating La Masia; 06. Tutoring
In this installment of Emulating La Masia I want to focus on an often overlooked factor in a player’s development; the tutoring by a more experienced squad member. If you want to look at the importance an experienced player can make in terms of tutoring the youngsters, look no further than the Ajax ’95 team. After […]
What Drives Youth Development; Another Attributes Experiment
It’s rather funny really. Back in school, I hated mathematics and statistics as courses, so I wonder what my old maths teachers would say if they read my current statistical research. I guess it showcases the importance of motivation. Anyway, back to driving factors of youth development. This is a series that could go on […]
What Drives Youth Development; A Follow-Up
As quite a few people (thanks for that!) have read yesterday, I have started simulating scenario’s to match Shrewnaldo’s research from a few years ago on factors that drive youth development. Yesterday’s post showed us that the hidden attribute Professionalism seems to be a driving force behind proper development, whilst Determination, by many considered an […]
What Drives Player Development; A Few Factors You Probably Never Considered
When working on the Emulating La Masia series I stumbled across an old article by Shrewnaldo on tutoring. He also describes aspects I initially did not intend to cover with the whole La Masia series but I do feel are important for youth development. Since the article dates back to 2012 and some of the […]
A Little Get Rich (Relatively) Quick Scheme
The following article is not something very spectacular, it’s not a ground-breaking piece of information. It’s a simple flaw in the game that can be manipulated to get rich rather quick. Using this method you can acquire high rates of return for a modest initial investment, with little risk, little skill, and not much effort. […]
Emulating La Masia; 05. Requirements
In part five of the Emulating La Masia series we zoom in on the requirements players should have and more importantly, how you can polish the precious raw diamonds your recruitment efforts have yielded, turning them into players who can effortlessly slide into first team. There is some overlap with the previous post, especially the part […]
Emulating La Masia; 04. The Club DNA
One of those often overlooked yet absolute crucial parts of Football Manager is the star of part four of Emulating La Masia. In this article we look at determining “how you want to play.” One of the more alluring aspects of football and therefore of Football Manager is the almost infinite number approaches to the games. When […]
Emulating La Masia; 03. The (Coaching) Staff
The second factor that influences and actively enhances the quality of your youth players is the staff you employ, both to run the daily training sessions and to help with the intake of new youth players. Consistently high-level training-sessions help you raise the attributes of your players, both in general and when you employ specific role- […]
Emulating La Masia; 02. The Facilities
Part two in my Emulating La Masia series focusses on the first factor that influences and actively enhances the quality of your youth players; the facilities. There are several options the board offers you that help you increase the position and standing of your youth academy. This article will look at these options and how they can […]
Emulating La Masia; 01. Setting Up Your Own Conveyor Belt Of Talent
Many of the worlds finest clubs have spent hundreds of millions of pounds/euro’s on transfer fees for the world’s best, most elite players in the hope of buying success. Chelsea, both Manchester clubs, PSG, Real, Barcelona, they tend to spend millions to bring in more stars to an already star-studded line-up. Ideally though, a club doesn’t need […]
FM16 Guide: How to see your stadium in 3D
One of the best thing in Football Manager is when board decide to build a new stadium or expand your old stadium. And I think I’m not the only one who want to see the whole stadium during rec… Source: FM16 Guide: How to see your stadium in 3D
DerFM’s Views On Possession Football
I’m all about sharing quality content and one of the better tactical videos lately is one made by Matthias (@DerFM on Twitter, +DerFM on Tifo). Strikerless has plugged his work before and damn it, we’ll plug it again because it is just that good. Matthias mentions how he has built a possession-based tactic, explaining in detail what […]
Preparing For A Major International Tournament
International management in FM is one of those subjects not many people write about. You could say it’s the Meg Griffin of FM. To be fair, we have always considered it a welcome distraction to get through the summer months in FM, when we were unable to organise friendlies and we had completed our transfer market antics. […]
The Advanced Destroyer; Tweaking And Tinkering With The Match Engine
Much like life in general, football is always evolving. It twists and turns, repeats and refines. In a way, there is a cyclical pattern visible as traits hailing from days of yore re-appear, evolved, refined, tweaked to give them new meaning in the ever-changing context of football. As positions become more and more defined by […]
From Minnows To World Champions; The Importance Of Strategic Long Term Planning
I’ll be brutally honest here, I am generally not one for story-telling. I suck at it. I generally linger too long with the write-ups, which takes away the fun of playing or I play so fast that I have to grind through an impossible amount of updates before I am up-to-date again. In both cases, […]
Fighting Back
I felt like the train had come off the tracks. In the 6th minute, Mladost striker Vokje simply walked past the defence and slotted the ball in the net. If anyone could be accused of having little faith, it was the Novi Sad contingent, and on 14 minutes Ninko the Kid picked up the ball […]
Into The Mouth Of Hell
I drained the glass, and gestured to Angel to bring me another. She stopped scratching the flaky rash that spread across her thighs, pulled her skirt down, and waddled toward me. She was all I had! Jesus, I thought I’d hit the bottom, but the truth was I had only broken the crust on the […]
The Worm Turns
All focus in the Deterlinari turned from the game to scores from other matches. This was obviously a walkover; the results from Veternik and Bezanija were very important. Veternik were still losing, but Bezanija had taken the lead in their match.
Preparing To Resume Battle
The remaining friendlies were against Balkan Bukovica and 14 Oktobar. Neither were classics, nor where they meant to be. The object was to build fitness. Mirkin tore a groin muscle and ruled himself out for 2 months, and Novi Sad won both games, 3-0 and 1-0. Both Cretin and teenage sensation Pilipovic (Pillhead) looked good. […]
Vasa Turns Up The Heat
“Sister, dry your tears and wipe that snot off your face, our region will be the pride of the mudflats; wash yourself with the turnip wine, it’s starting to stink worse than a fisherman’s bilge tank!” My mind was on other things, such as ensuring my bollocks stayed attached to my body! Obilic proved themselves […]
The mood turns black … well, blacker
A few days later it was New Year. I got hammered, and celebrated with Muntpig. A few hours later we were in the squalor of my house. Muntpig had a piece of firewood in her mouth, biting against the pain because I was intent on a bit of backdoor action. Things were going swimmingly when […]
Rewriting History: Scottish Strikerless
An introduction to start us off. My name is FM Samo and you can find my own inane ramblings on all things Football Manager over on my site, Occasional FM. One thing you’ll notice very quickly if you follow me on Twitter or read my blog posts, is that I’m Scottish. When I first came […]
Sit Back And Have A Beer
The winter break meant no matches for 10 weeks, and a transfer window was about to open. Boris did was unusual in Serbia; he arranged some friendly matches prior to kicking off again. No one else bothered. A rumour was circulating that Veternik’s keeper, Jovanovic, might be headed to Vojvodina. The training ground was empty, […]
Land Of The Free; Home Of The Exploitable (FM16 MLS Exploit)
In order to navigate and exploit the transfer market, you need to know the products available to said market. This is where your scouting network comes in, constantly scouring various leagues and nations for talent that you can bring into your side. An ideal scenario would consist of talent that you can bring in for a good price with […]
Just Let It Slip Away
The day after the Veternik game, the board announced that they were very pleased with Boris Krakov’s performance; a message that must have wounded Vasa. As if to celebrate, Alex fractured his arm and would be missing for 3 weeks, which only really meant one game because of the break. The not so welcomed news […]
The Horror… The Horror…
Finding a not too ugly hooker in Novi Sad is like winning the lottery, so I made certain that she was handsomely paid. Waking up next to her was often disconcerting; admittedly, she wasn’t much to talk about the next morning, but with a head full of turnip cognac she had a certain something; an […]
Looking At Things With A Better Mood
Beating Proleter 3-2, away from home, had been one of the season’s highlights for me. The home game against them should have been a corker, but what we got was another 0-0 bore draw. There is little to say to justify either team’s game. These types of results seemed to come along regularly in Serbian […]
Last Of The Serbian Sunshine
With each second division section being made up of ten teams, we were facing our last game in unknown territory against Mladost Univerzal Lux Lukicevo. Their song went: “And it’s Mladost Univerzal Lux Lukicevo, Mladost Univerzal Lux Lukicevo F C, it’s by far the hardest name, to ever fucking chant!”
Digging Deep… And Not For Turnips!
The team needed a rest. They were not the fittest bunch by any shakes, but a few days was all they had, because of the cup games. It was a home game against Bezanija who currently lay second in the league. A home win would buy us a bit of a gap; a loss would […]
The Four Horsemen
It’s a rather biblical name for a football tactic, I know, but it just sounds cool, doesn’t it? The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that they will ride during the Apocalypse. The four horsemen are traditionally named War, Famine, Pestilence, and […]
Off To See The Favourites
And so it came to Mladost Apatin. Alex, Terminal Disease, Janker, The Turd, Boggy the Elder, Knobber and The Invisible Man were all unfit. It didn’t look good! Come the day of the match, Boggy the Elder was in contention and got a place in the starting line up. Mirkin returned for Alex, and the […]
On The Road Again
The club was losing money faster than someone who loses money very quickly, so the team bus was laid up for the visit to Veternik. It was only on the other side of town, so a fleet of bicycles were borrowed from local residents and the team set off to a ticker-tape parade – well, […]
The evolution of my 4-4-2-0
I will try to keep my introduction short and sweet, because boy, have I got a treat for you. I am really into interacting with the people who read my inane ramblings and sometimes, these interactions result in a thing of beauty. People giving their own unique perspective on my ideas. They add their own […]
Back To The Grind
The next weekend came the home game against Elan. This time I was forearmed with knowledge, and only printed 1000 programmes. The attendance was 1,700 and the programmes sold out early! The star attraction was an interview with The Turd. There was a man who should let his football do the talking. He came across […]
A New Patch, A New Set Piece Approach
Set piece plays are an essential aspect of the game. If you are unable to break down a particularly sturdy defence, a set piece may be all you need to pry open the defence. Hell, you can win games by making sure your offensive set pieces are good. Just look at Rehhagel’s Greece, in the […]
Just Like Arsène But He Likes Women
The visit to Proleter was a time for heads to clear. They were top of the table, but after one match that only meant they’d had a good win on the opening day! Darko had recovered, so Horvat dropped to the bench. He was still with us. Boris had upped the price by £5,000 and […]
Every Now And Again I Want To Shoot Someone In-Game…
Failure is as much a part of the game as success is. When you don’t suffer a defeat every now and then to keep you on edge, winning all the time would get dreadfully boring. Having said that, we’ve all shared moments where we feel like the manager in the following video clip, which is […]
And You Know Where You Can Stick Your Cup
Radnicki Novi Beograd was a team from Belgrade, and acted as a feeder club for First Division Zeleznik. The squad included 14 on loan players, which meant we’d have to avoid the mistakes made against Vrbas. The Chancer was dropped as Geriatric was fit again, but Darko had an injury. The Novi Sad squad also […]
Up Like A Rocket; Down Like A Stick
Fuck! The team! It had all started so well in the opening game against Vrbas. Two minutes into it, Darko broke free and fed a low cross in from the left for a simple tap-in by Ilijah. The Pig looked like he would pull a diamond from his backside, but the woodwork denied him. Then […]
The Morning After The Night Before
Waking up that day was like coming too after a car accident. It was the best approach to lie still and see if there was any pain or obvious injury before trying to move any limbs. The room was quiet, but it stank of stale bodies, beer, cigarettes and what I thought was sweaty horses! […]
A Squad Of Shit
The next day, Boris called me to his office to unveil the final 22, and he obviously didn’t care much for the wrath of the fans. Both Horvat and Boggy the Elder were excluded, and Boggy the Younger only made a subs position. I looked at the list in disbelief, making a mental note about […]
The Shylax Way: The 4-4-2 Diamond
Hello everyone, my name is Shylo Elliott, also known online as shylax or ebEliminator. I am a 28 year old from Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States (yes, I do call it soccer). I’m also a relatively recent convert to the beautiful game, only realizing that I liked it in the 2010 World Cup. Before […]
Let The Kicking Commence
With the exception of Boggy the Younger in goal, Boggy the Elder up front, and Horvat on the left wing, it was hard to see how Novi Sad were going to make an impression. Boris also added to the confusion with an extremely aggressive tactic, although the real heart of the team seemed too defensive. […]
DerFM’s Interpretation of Strikerless
I’m all about sharing quality content and one of the better tactical videos of the past few months is one made by Matthias (@DerFM on Twitter, +DerFM on Tifo), where he looks at the tactics he uses for his Austria Vienna Wunderteam. Since this is Strikerless.com, it is all about the Dark Arts, but Matthias has […]
Less Is More
Boris was peering into a sea of 65 blank faces and scratching his balding head. I could see he was struggling. The staff looked on impassively; Vasa Orlovic had made sure they weren’t going to help. I sat directly behind him and whispered: “Set some criteria to thin this lot out or you’ll never get […]
Putting The Crap Into Scrap
Whether Boris got to eventually take a dump on that first day I’ll never know. I finished my beer, made one last flirtatious comment to Angel, and scuttled off into town. I tracked down two scrap metal merchants who looked more like hired muscle than businessmen, and we set off back to the Deterlinari stadium. […]