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Letou Decide: Mlog 24th January
Yesterday we had a look at the transfers happening around the world of football, headlined by Jorrit Hendrix’s move from PSV to PSG for £64 million, which could rise to £70 million. That could be beaten by Nabil Fekir’s transfer, he’s gone from Lyon to Dortmund for a fee that could see the French side […]
Tempo10 E21 – 2D Vs 3D
With Matt out on a scouting mission this week, Mike is joined by Higher Tempo Press site lead and Tempo10 podcast editor Jack, OffthePitchFM. The guys discuss the ever controversial topic of 2D vs 3D. Does the graphics engine annoy you by picking the wrong animation or does your potato not quite run the fancy […]
Canary Corner – Part 8
Good day to you, welcome back to a rather cheery East Anglia. We’re into season 3 now and with Norwich establishing themselves as a Premier League club, all that can stop us now is second season syndrome. And a bonehead manager. Things are going well. We’re in the hunt for the European places I crave […]
Vive la Révolution Part III: Il est tout au sujet de l’argent, argent, argent
Catch up on the story so far… I think three games into the new season is a nice little moment for an update, non? Things are getting hot down on the French Riviera and it’s not just because the sun is shining brightly. AS Cannes are on fire in the first few CFA 3 matches […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 23rd January
I’ve been speaking to Hew Jenkins (chairman) and Jason Levien (owner) today about transfers. We have £33 million in the kitty and considering the squad has led us to the lower reaches of the Premier League, we do need to strengthen but nobody available is floating my boat. Ideally I’d like a striker but they […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 6: A Drafting Dilemma
Well, the MLS is a bizarre place. The expansion draft has just gone, which saw me select 11 players (but not really 11 as some youngsters were protected) from being snatched by the new team, LAFC. I think we came through without too much damage but, honestly, I’m completely lost. The next draft is the […]
Letou Decide: Manchester City vs. Swansea City Match Review
I did try to warn you and you didn’t believe me, in fact, some of you (and I include whoever operates the @TheHigherTempo twitter account in that) openly mocked me across the internet. I expect an apology, post haste. What I was trying to get across to you is that particularly in this world of […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 5: Play-Off Football Comes To Atlanta
Atlanta United’s first season in the MLS has proven to be an extremely successful one. The aim was to reach the play-offs and finish in the top-half of the standings in the Supporter’s Shield. In the end, we won the latter and topped our conference. It’s our first honour but, in all honesty, it’s not […]
Inept International Manager: Ep.1
The date is September 25th, 2017. In a press room moments ago Australian national football team coach Ange Postecoglou confirmed he has quit the Socceroos and will not lead them to the World Cup finals in Russia. Suddenly what had been a positive campaign up to this point has been shattered, even the achievement of […]
The ICT Crowd #6: The good, the bad and the calamitous
I thought I’d change things up this time with the ICT Crowd. You may remember last time up that I ran through transfers etc. in my set order but that’s a bit dull so this time I’m going to break things up into simpler sections. Results I’ve played a hefty amount of game time since […]
Letou Decide: Manchester City vs. Swansea City Preview
Momentum is everything in football. That’s how Leicester City won the Premier League, it’s how Blackpool nearly survived in the big time, Greece won the Euros and why you should never play a promoted side on the first weekend of the new season. That’s what I have been preaching, that the brittle egos of City’s […]
Bringing Back Brum: Episode 2
FM18 Birmingham City | Bringing Back Brum | Ep 2 Loan Loan Loan | Football Manager 2018 Welcome to a new series to my channel where we try to return Birmingham City to the Premier League, after 4 managers in just over 12 months stability is key. In Episode 2 we take on Ipswich Town […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 19th January
It’s Friday and we all know what that means. It means that the carnivorous jackanapes of the press are invited to the Swansea training ground and I am forced to depart from trying to teach Martin Olsson how to show his man inside to speak about our chances in Manchester. I’m still confident. I think […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 4: Making History Bit By Bit
Oh boy, the situation has changed. As I pen this, it’s just five games after I last wrote. You may recall I mentioned how making the top-two was a stretch and that we’d blown our chance at the title. Well, I was wrong. With five games to go, we lead the way – and we […]
Vive la Révolution Part II: L’introduction
When Zinedine Zidane tells you to take over at AS Cannes, you take over at AS Cannes. That should be a rule for life I reckon. Zizou came through the Cannes youth system before playing 60 times for the first team and if he isn’t available to instigate this great club’s revival I guess I […]
Tempo10 E20 – Underused or Undervalued
Mike and Matt discuss their least favourite FM features this week. From trust issues to pointlessness, the guys don’t hold back on one of the games larger talking points – pointless features. No mention of burger vans in this one though.
Letou Decide: Mlog 18th January
At Fleetwood Town, as a fan you can rock up and have a coffee or a drink from the bar, all overlooking training from a comfortable booth. We don’t do that at Swansea, mostly because you’d get scouts from Leicester, West Brom, Watford and Burnley packing the place out. Training has been good in preparation […]
Bringing Back Brum Episode 1
FM18 Birmingham City | Bringing Back Brum | Ep 1 Season Preview | Football Manager 2018 Welcome to a new series to my channel where we try to return Birmingham City to the Premier League, after 4 managers in just over 12 months stability is key. In Episode 1 we take a look at Birmingham […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 3: Pushing For The Play-Offs
Oh boy has a lot changed since we last spoke. I’m glad to say things are going well on the field, where I’ll discuss that more in the future, but we had our first major departure. As soon as the European window opened, Manchester City made a move for Miguel Almiron. The Paraguayan, admittedly, hadn’t […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 17th January
Welcome to today’s Mlog and it’s very much a good news/bad news situation. Let’s start with the bad news, which comes in the form of several player disputes. When I departed Romania with a tear in my eye and little more than a Premier League dream, everything was rosy. Suddenly, there are issues on the […]
Vive la Révolution Part I: La décision
I need to get my FM mojo back. FM18 has been a funny old stick so far. Getting sacked in Brescia was no fun, obviously but then the time in the ISL more than made up for it – despite the nagging thoughts in the back of my head that it was all a bit […]
Canary Corner – Part 7
Well hello from East Anglia. After a small break for Christmas and for me to try and play FM18 for a bit, I’m back with what I know: Retro Championship Manager. Shortly before Christmas, I signed off having guided Norwich to a midtable finish at the end of season 2. I should be considered some […]
Hopped it to Hamburg Part XXXV: A poem
I hate saying goodbye so I thought it would be better for my good FM friend @fmgrasshopper put into words what is happening to Hamburg. After all, he can explain it so much better than I. “The legend of Darwen, an FM18 story that needed to be told, From Mumbai madness to Hamburg, in a […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 16th January
This coming weekend we visit the Etihad Stadium in Manchester to face a City side in disarray. Just a few days ago with the club down in eighth place in the Premier League, the Citizens dispensed with the services of manager Pep Guardiola. After the latest round of results, in which the weekend ended with […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 2: Finding Our Stride Stateside
Atlanta has welcomed me with open arms. What I like most about this club is, like I mentioned last episode, it’s a completely blank page. All the records set are under my tenure, so it’s easy to track our progression and where we have significantly improved. The downside, unfortunately, is the constant questions about debuts […]
Letou Decide: Swansea City vs. Watford Match Review
It was not fun welcoming Watford to the Liberty Stadium. We started brilliantly, taking the lead through Jordan Ayew and racing into a two-goal head start thanks to Nathan Dyer ghosting in at the back post as Tammy Abraham challenged their central defenders. When Deeney got Watford back in the game deep into the second […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 1: Introducing Life Across The Pond
Howdy folks, welcome to our new adventure. Yeehaw! What, nobody talks like that? Yeah, I was joking. I obviously knew that. No no, that’s not a cowboy hat in my hands and I definitely didn’t arrive here in a pick-up. Welcome friends, to my new life. After my success with Arsenal, it was time for […]
The Last Tango in Bucharest: An Open Letter
Dear Reader, Thank you for tuning in this week to read the Last Tango in Bucharest, a series written by myself with support from my sibling Mike and with the encouragement of Chris Darwen, Mike Pearson, Jack, Luke and everybody else here at Tempo. Unfortunately, I have made the bold decision to put the Last […]
Letou Decide: Swansea City vs. Watford Preview
Later today, we host Watford at the Liberty Stadium. If the Burnley game was a six-pointer and Stuart Reid could only lead Swansea to a point, this is even more significant. It’s 19th vs. 17th and there are just two points between us. A win and we go above Watford for certain, maybe above Burnley […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 12th January
It comes around so quickly, doesn’t it? It only seems like yesterday the members of the press core were here for the Bristol City preview and now they’re back, only this time they’re reporting on league action. As I enter the room I can feel them baying for blood, looking for any sign of weakness […]
CM9798 Tackles FM18 – Part 5: Stay Another Day
Welcome back. It’s not a happy camp here at Notts County, as a promising start has slowly been frittered away by incompetence – mostly mine, but not all. As the calendar turns to November, the dark nights draw in and I remind anyone who will listen that there’s still 6 months of the season to […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 17
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Ep 17 |Season Review | Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the current series to the channel Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines, me and my team of Ex Tottenham Players take control at the Emirates to get Arsenal back to […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 11th January
Today I wanted to talk tactics with you, but I wanted to do it on the back of a behind closed doors game with our Under 23 side. I know there are issues playing against your own youth team, it’s never a satisfactory experience. If you win by a several, it proves nothing. If you […]
Gunning For Glory: Season Two Recap & Review
2004, the last time Arsenal won the Premier League. 2006, the closest Arsenal have come to winning the Champions League. 2002, the last time Arsenal won a double. Forget all those stats, the times have changed. 2019 is the year of the Gunners! Let’s look back our a fabulous campaign. It is the end of […]
Hopped it to Hamburg Part XXXIV: Moaning.
Catch up on the ISL leg of the journey here For the Hamburg part of the story so far, go here Guten tag. I think that’s how they say it over here. I’m waving at you from Hamburg, mainly because it is the end of my second full season in charge and the end of […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 10th January
There are two periods after you take over at a football club. There’s the initial PLEASE DON’T GET ME SACKED, where you attempt to embed your tactics, get the players onside and keep the board satisfied all while trying to win football matches. Then there’s a period where you start to feel relatively comfortable when […]
Tempo10 E19 – The Attribute Royal Rumble
This week the guys discuss the key part of the game, attributes. Which do they consider to be the more important, technical or mental? What does Matt look for it a Goalkeeper? Which attribute does Mike prefer from a full-back? Will Matt’s dog show up again? (No). These questions all answered during a pod intended […]
Gunning For Glory Season 2 Episode 9: Touching Distance Of A Treble
Our season has been nothing short of sensational. We won the Premier League, with an unstoppable run of nine wins in a row seeing us beat Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United to the title by just a single point. That run is part of a 14 match winning sequence across all competitions that has seen us […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 16
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Ep 16 | Last Day Drama | Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the current series to the channel Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines, me and my team of Ex Tottenham Players take control at the Emirates to get Arsenal […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 9th January
Last night was good fun with the people from Letou, had a pleasant meal and a valuable chat about what they want for Swansea City, the fan interaction and their support for the Jack Army. What’s more they were there for the FA Cup draw and we watched together, amongst us talk was rife of […]
Gunning For Glory Season 2 Episode 8: Two Semis & A Title Fight
Welcome back to North London, where my Arsenal side have somehow find themselves fighting for a treble. Brighton are our opponents in the FA Cup semi-final and we face a double-header against Manchester City in the Champions League, all while hoping Manchester United slip-up in the Premier League. First up is the semi-final of the […]
CM9798 tackles FM18 – Part 4: Why does it always rain on me?
Welcome back, where I’m trying to learn FM18 as the manager of Notts County. Things were going remarkably well in part 3, it looked like I was going to go a whole update unbeaten, but then we let in 6 at Swindon and my true colours were revealed. Was it a blip? Or is there […]
5 Things to Know About Major League Soccer
Hello, everyone! I’m back with a quick once-off article that’s not about Earning Our Stripes and van Oortveld’s journey with MSV Duisburg. A couple of months ago when Football Manager 2018 was released, I wrote a massive three-part guide covering everything you needed to know about managing an MLS team, and it got a bigger response […]
Letou Decide: Bristol City vs. Swansea City Match Review
The post-match press conference is a blur, a distant memory even just 36 hours later. All I remember are my final words; “I am very pleased with the win, but it is only one match and there is a long way to go.” I stand by every word. A training ground can be a lonely […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 15
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Ep 15 | Win Or Bust | Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the current series to the channel Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines, me and my team of Ex Tottenham Players take control at the Emirates to get Arsenal […]
The Last Tango in Bucharest: Ep. 8
Back On The European Trail THE MISSION: Enter the unforgiving world of Football Manager 2018, beat your bitter sibling rival to claim prestige in Romania and earn the honour of being named the Last Tango in Bucharest. THE SNAG: The Rivalità Tra Fratelli series on Football Manager 2017 raised more questions than answers in Tango […]
Hopped it to Hamburg Part XXXIII: Learnings from Big Sam and Pulisball
Catch up on the ISL leg of the journey here For the Hamburg part of the story so far, go here Feliz Reyes folks. Three Kings Day here in Spain which is, believe it or not, bigger than Christmas Day meaning in true Spanish style they’ve managed to lengthen the fiestas by at least another […]
The ICT Crowd #5: Maybe promotion wasn’t such a great idea…
I’ve gotten teams promoted before on Football Manager. FM08: I cantered to the Championship title with recently relegated Spurs. FM14: I cantered to both the League One and Championship titles with Rangers. FM15: Got Rangers promoted as champions. The following seasons though were fairly straightforward for the most part. With Spurs, I’d sold off the […]
Letou Decide: Bristol City vs. Swansea City Preview
Right, time to concentrate. The whirlwind of meeting players, various board members coming below stairs to offer their support and the jackals of the press core, they’ve come to an end for the moment. As I pen this for you, I’m just waiting for the squad to come down for breakfast in the hotel we’ve […]
The Liechtenstein Test: Can a minnow win the World Cup?
Webster’s Dictionary defines an experiment as… “an operation or procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect or law, to test or establish a hypothesis, or to illustrate a known law” Having received a new bunsen burner for Christmas, I’m back in the lab with another experiment this week. Taking […]