The Higher Tempo Press
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Letou Decide: Mlog 1st December 2017
With people on social media calling for my sacking/resignation after the defeat to Chelsea that leaves me (and Swansea) winless for 3 games, it’s hard for me to concentrate on the match ahead, knowing it may very well be my last. Luckily we’re up against a struggling Bournemouth side on Monday night, so hopefully, we […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 6
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Ep 6 | Goals Goals Goals | Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the new 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 […]
FM18 Formation Guide 4-4-1-1
False 4-4-2 It’s fair to suggest that every formation that utilises four defenders is just some variation on a 4-4-2. Whether it’s a deep-lying forward playing as a CAM, or a diamond shaped midfield, the overall shape is still essentially the same. The common format of 4-4-2 is to have a bigger, more physical striker […]
The Land of Opportunity II
It’s time for our first international break in charge of the United States Men’s National Team! In the month that’s gone by since the save’s start date, I’ve looked at the nothing available to me for performance statistics, and I’ve pondered what my first starting eleven would be, and now we’re going to take a […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 5
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Episode 5 | Let’s Play Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the new 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 […]
Gunning For Glory Episode 5: Derby days and finding our feet
Josh has started to find his rhythm at Arsenal and the big summer loses seem negligible. Can he continue? Catch up with the journey so far: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4. It’s all going well so far and I can’t have too many complaints, although Aaron Ramsey has picked up a knock […]
Letou Decide: Chelsea vs Swansea Match Report
A dominant Chelsea performance saw them emerge as 3-1 winners at Stamford Bridge as Swansea manager Stuart Reid is beginning to face questions about his future as Swansea fall into the relegation zone. Chelsea had a huge amount of possession in the first half and were rewarded when Morata poked home from close range after […]
Letou Decide: Chelsea vs Swansea Match Preview
Swansea manager Stuart Reid is still looking for his first win, and he’ll do well to get it in what will most likely prove to be a tough game for the Swans. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has gone for a 3-4-3 formation, with Fabregas and Kante in the middle, with Pedro and Hazard most likely […]
Tempo Tactics The Glesga KISS: Big Man – Little Man
Years ago, when I was learning more about designing a website’s User Experience, I was introduced to the acronym KISS – a phrase that has stuck in my mind more than most things I have learned and one that I believe is suitable in many scenarios including FM. Knowing my audience, you are reading a […]
Tempo10 Ep13: When It All Goes Wrong…
Specialists in failure, Mike and Matt discuss what they do when their saves hit a rough patch: do they stick or twist? Stay tuned to the end for this week’s #TempoTrivia question!
CM0102: Walking in a Windsor Wonderland – 2010 World Cup
Here we are at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Argentina! six years ahead of the game plan for this challenge, I’m as shocked as anyone else! The excitement was obvious as the draw was taking place, would we be lucky and get a group full of underdogs? Er… no! Brazil, Uruguay and Nigeria – […]
Canary Corner – Part 4
This went well. Better than I could have hoped. We had debts to pay and there were only two ways they were going to be cleared. Option one involved a fire sale, but the problem with that idea is that nobody wanted to buy most of my squad, and they weren’t really worth that much […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XX: You can’t win anything with kids…
Catch up on the ISL journey so far I remember this clip on Match of the Day very well. A youthful Manchester United had just been beaten on the opening day of the season by Aston Villa. Yes! Aston Villa. Alan Hansen got quite a bit right in his playing days, didn’t do too badly […]
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum: Part Four
It’s time for Episode Four. As you may remember from the last instalment, we are in the midst of a dodgy run. So, here goes. It was Chelsea first up in the league. Fresh from snatching three points from Milan, I was quietly confident. In fact, the bookies even made us favourites at home to […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 28th November 2017
Tuesday and it’s press conference time! Reporter: Eden Hazard has been one of Chelsea’s best players this season. Where would they be without him in your opinion? Me: He’s a quality player and has shown as much this season. Reporter: Chelsea are confident they know how you are going to play. Will you be looking […]
Gunning For Glory Episode 4: Huge wins accompanied by a massive loss
Josh has successfully sold Ozil and Alexis. Now Arsenal are looking for new stars within their squad. Catch up with the journey so far: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3. I’m not to sure about how to feel about our start to the Premier League. Granted we beat Liverpool 7-2 and stand undefeated but, if […]
Chalk and Cheese: The Rivals 1.4
Gameday as our 2 managers meet for the very first time! Ferrentino lines his Villa side up like this: Whilst Garrido has opted for the following: The Match 0.01 – And we’re underway here at St Andrews… 1.41 – A Birmingham corner swung in by Liam Walsh – and Marc Roberts heads home! Birmingham take […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 27th November 2017
A quiet Monday, with only my analyst’s report on Chelsea, who we play on Wednesday the only thing to happen. That being said I’m still furious we didn’t get 3 points on Saturday, despite Brighton’s solid start to the season I felt it was a somewhat winnable game, and only getting a point drops us […]
The Last Tango in Bucharest: Ep. 2
Welcome to Romania 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 Towers. Is […]
Letou Decide: Brighton vs Swansea Match Report
A draw was probably the fairest result with both teams likely to be happy with a point. Both teams struggled to take control of the game early on, but Swansea had a lions share of the possession in the first half, but failed to turn the possession into meaningful chances – meaning the teams went […]
The ICT Crowd #1: Catching Up
It’s perhaps fitting that I, the person who wrote the Tempo guide to Scotland for FM18, be the one to subject myself to the misery of Scottish football and its glorious cup competitions. I jest, of course, because as a Scotsman I can only do humour in self-deprecating tones. Anyway, I’m back on Tempo with […]
Letou Decide: Brighton vs Swansea Match Preview
Swansea visit the AMEX stadium in what may very well turn out to be a tough game for the Swans. Brighton have been flying in the league and find themselves in 6th position. Newcomer Stuart Reid is still yet to win his first point as Swansea manager after his debut game to Everton ended in […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XIX: Times are changing (already)
The emotions were mixed. We trudged back to the home dressing room knowing we’d played our part in a classic but we were not holding the trophy. It was over. We were not the first side to win consecutive ISL trophies. The atmosphere was one of disbelief, how exactly had we found ourselves two goals down […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 4
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Episode 4 | Let’s Play Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the new 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 24th November 2017
Day before the game can only mean one thing – press conference time! Reporter: Brighton have been the feel-good story of the Premier League so far with their brilliant performances defying expectations at every turn. What have you made of them? Me: Can we talk about Swansea please? Reporter: There has been a lot of […]
CM0102: Walking in a Windsor Wonderland – WCQ2010 Play Off
So here we are, a play off for the 2010 World Cup. If you’re wondering how the hell this happened, wonder no more: Part 1 and Part 2 are there for your reading pleasure! There is no doubt about it, we’re up against it with Turkey here but could we possibly just pull it off, […]
FM18 Formation Guide: 3-4-3
Three at the Back?! Louis Van Gaal was laughed at when he tried to implement a three-at-the-back system at Man United a few years ago. Partially because it didn’t work, but mainly because it was new, and the Premier League doesn’t like change. However, when Antonio Conte arrived last season and played three at the […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XVIII: The AFC Champions League is a cruel mistress
Catch up on the ISL journey so far Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI and Part XVII All aboard the Mumbai Express. Next stop, continental batterings! You don’t want to know about all that, do you? Oh, you do. Fair enough. Well, this is our AFC Champions League Group. I can honestly […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 23rd November 2017
Another quiet day where absolutely nothing happened! With Tammy Abraham winning the vote to lead the line against Brighton, I’ll use this quiet spell to run through my game-plan for Saturday. As you can see, I’ve dropped Carroll all the way back into DM (from his previous role of attacking playmaker), this is a bit […]
Gunning For Glory Episode 3: The season begins and the window ends
Catch up on the previous episodes here; Episode 1, Episode 2. I honestly thought selling Alexis Sanchez would be easy. Mesut Ozil is gone, off to Bayern, but the Chilean still remains in my squad. Things are in the works for a replacement and I’d very much like to spend the funds from an Alexis […]
The Land of Opportunity
Now that the virtual version of Damon is back in America and has written a Major League Soccer guide, I’ve decided my next piece of business should be to manage an international soccer team. Back in the summer, I dabbled lightly in international soccer when I was in charge of Australia, but that was more […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XVII: The trip into the unknown
Catch up on the ISL journey so far Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV and Part XVI Welcome back to the Mumbai Express, and we’ve got a corker of an update for you today. Why’s that? Because we take our first little baby steps towards the Continental competition of the AFC Champions League. […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 22nd November 2017
A quiet Wednesday, with 2 youth team games on. The U18s hosted Watford U18s and came away 3-0 victors with an impressive display by youngster Craig Davies who netted himself 2 goals. The U23s also played Watford and ended up getting a point in a 0-0 draw. Also an update from the physio, Renato Sanches […]
Tempo10 Ep12: Champ Man – from glorified spreadsheet to global obsession
Mike and Matt are joined by Dave (@cm9798 on twitter) as they step back to a time when teenage boys all over the country spent their evenings and weekends alone in their bedroom in front of a computer screen… Dave talks about CM tactics, Cult Heroes and why he still holds those early versions close […]
CM0102: Walking in a Windsor Wonderland – WCQ 2010 Part 2
Once again, we’re well placed to make a challenge for the second place play-off spot after a decent start to the campaign. As always, you can also have a look at the real life 2010 World Cup Qualifying Campaign review from Henry’s perspective of being a Northern Ireland fan. Russia v Northern Ireland Darren Kelly […]
CM01/02: Canary Corner – Part 3
We’re into the final 12 games of a season where Norwich, poor potless Norwich, were meant to struggle. Saddled with debt, I was left with a competitive if unspectacular side to take on the ultra-aggressive English First Division. I mean seriously, it’s like every team is fed only raw meat. Anyway, somehow we’ve got ourselves […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 21st November 2017
Another quiet day with no press conferences or anything happening at all, so with that in mind it’s time to start preparing for Saturday’s game against Brighton. As you can see from the table above, Brighton have been in fantastic form and find themselves in the heady heights of 6th place. They’ve achieved that by […]
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum: Part Three
Welcome to Episode Three! I would love to bring you good news. Unfortunately, I cannot do that yet. A truly sucker-punch 2-0 defeat to Newcastle was the first match after the international break. Despite having in excess of 60% of the ball, the Magpies snatched a goal in the first half, and a late one […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XVI: Will I get bored in India? No, probably not
Catch up on the ISL journey so far Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV and Part XV With the real world ISL kicking off at the weekend, and you can follow my thoughts on all that here, it was quite fitting that we got the second season of my stay at Mumbai City FC […]
Chalk and Cheese: The Rivals 1.3
Preseason Birmingham’s preseason (Garrido): A mixed bag in pre-season as Birmingham as win 50% of their pre-season friendlies including a disappointing defeat to a poor French side in which we absolutely dominated. That being said the players are still getting used to the possession tactic I’ve implemented, and there are some signs of it beginning […]
Gunning For Glory Episode 2: Pushing through pre-season
When I say nobody wants Alexis or Ozil, I’m not exaggerating. The rule states they cannot sign a new deal and I’d very much like to cash in. Unfortunately, everyone is ruining my fun – Chelsea particularly rubbing me up the wrong way by offering just £25m for the Chilean. Then, Bayern Munich swoop. £39m […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 3
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Episode 3 | Let’s Play Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the new 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 […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XV: Can Mumbai avoid the second season syndrome?
Finally, finally and thrice finally it is time for the second ISL season under my stewardship to get the hell underway. Catch up on the ISL journey so far Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII and Part XIV Pre-season seems to last a very long time out here – three months to be precise. That’s […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 20th November
So the first game has been and gone but sadly ended in defeat. During the game, it was obvious my system needed another striker added to it as we were keeping possession well, but not creating chances. Therefore I’m unsure whether to give it another go, or change my philosophy early – but we’ll come […]
The Last Tango in Bucharest: Ep. 1
A New Beginning CHARLIE: Welcome to a new beginning, the start of the second series to be featured on the Higher Tempo Press emanating from Tango Towers. We’re very proud of the Rivalità Tra Fratelli series, even if it did lose its way towards the end, and now that the Champions League has been won […]
Letou Decide: Swansea City vs Everton Match Report
Everton emerged winners in an entertaining and tense battle between the two struggling teams. Swansea dominated possession in the early stages but struggled to find space to shoot, before the deadlock was broken in the 19th minute when Sandro belted home a goal of the month contender. Swansea manager Stuart Reid reacted not long after […]
Letou Decide: Swansea City vs Everton Match Preview
Everton will be looking to put paid to their run of bad form, having lost their last 3 Premier League games. Swansea haven’t had a much better time, winning just one of their last 6 league games. Swansea welcome a new manager at the Liberty Stadium, with Stuart Reid making his home debut, with fans […]
Behind Enemy Lines Episode 2
FM18 Arsenal FC Behind Enemy Lines | Episode 2 | Let’s Play Football Manager 2018 Welcome to my channel and welcome to Football Manager 2018 and the new 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 […]
The Madness of Mumbai Part XIV: How I am navigating the Scouting Centre
Indian greetings to you all. As you should know by now, Mumbai City FC are the new ISL champions meaning this old fool has won back-to-back league titles since his sacking by Brescia all the way back when FM18 was still in BETA. Catch up on the ISL journey so far Part IX, Part X, Part […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 17th November 2017
10.15 AM: Yet another press conference grilling me ready for my first game in charge, asking what I make of Everton’s struggles so far (I reckon they’ll bounce back soon), how we’ll bounce back after defeat against West Ham (I say it’s in the past, I wasn’t even in charge!), how Watford will get on […]