The Higher Tempo Press
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Brexit Bournemouth Part 23
José’s Manchester United side might have left us for dead in the title race in each of the last two seasons, but they’re no match for us on the grandest stage of them all: the Community Shield at Wembley. A 1-1 draw after Barkley cancelled out Dybala’s opener extended our unbeaten run against United to […]
The Ultimate Journey: Champions Of China
After a year in China, how did we do? Well stick around and read through our first full season in charge of Yanbian Feud. Transfers We did spend quite a bit but most of that was down to because me being in China and the flows faster than water. So who did I sign? Panagiotis […]
The Boys of Borussia Part X
Wow, ten parts already? That’s pretty quick for me. Though, as Mrs Tempo tells me, speed isn’t everything. Anyway, strap yourselves in as we have a blockbuster of an update today. Read Part I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX. We have reached the half way point of the third season in Germany. Time is flying, […]
Splashing the cash: the striker 14.5
I’ll always remember the evening. Early summer, 2029. A beautiful early evening. My son, Simon, and I have just had a dip in the Med and now he’s driving me to our favourite Misada Mizrahit — a restaurant run by a family with roots in the Maghreb. Try the harira, you won’t be disappointed. I say to him, “I’ve […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part 5 – Looking at the Midfield
Hey, it’s Eibar time again. Since we last met we have only played four games but as I said these Midweek updates are more about certain pieces of Analysis. Today we will take a look at two of our Midfield Players who have featured in most of our games in this season with Dani Garcia […]
Banished to Bromley: First Day at the Office
I’m Art de Roché and to give you a bit of background I live in South East London when I’m not in Gloucestershire for Uni. I’ve come back home for a few days and in a break from all the work, I’ve decided to load up Football Manager 2017. Now if this was a few […]
The Return To The Kosovo Journey: World Cup 2022 Qualifying Part 2
We’re back and with three games to go in this campaign to gather as much pride as possible. I’ve ruled out 2nd place despite it still being mathematically possible – it’s just too much of a stretch for us. It’s Andorra up next. Ah, Andorra. Everyone’s guaranteed 6 points… I hope I haven’t spoken too […]
Slack FC: Season 1, October 2016 to January 2017
Ello boys and girls. How you doing? Are you well? Good! And yes, I’m doing well thanks! It’s getting towards the summer, with the longer nights and hot weather. Festival season is coming, I’m going on holiday, and can’t wait for BBQ’s each weekend. Oh, what’s that? Shut up and get on with the Slack FC […]
Splashing the cash: the midfield 14.4
As I say, if Hapoel Ashkelon FC are going to progress from runner-up to champions, I’m going to have to do what I hate doing and have always been bad at, which is splashing cash. The summer of 2029 has seen me make three big money signings: one defender, on midfield, and one striker. The […]
Run, Forest! Run! Part 9: A February Tale
There are only four months remaining. Four months to secure a place in the promotion playoffs. For that to happen, we need to be more consistent than we have been thus far. Since we ended our unbeaten run at the end of November, we have only won 4 out of 13 matches. The only reason […]
The Boys of Borussia Part IX
So folks, today we play “using the crystal ball to mould a team for the new season”. Oh yes, I may as well put names in a hat and go from there. Preseason is underway and I haven’t got a scooby who will be with me come the first 3.Liga match against Kiel in a […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 21
We pick up where we left off – with a frustrating, defensively inept loss against a midtable team. At least against Fulham we trade punches for a bit rather than just rolling over and letting the Wolves eviscerate us. Trouble is afoot as soon as Zaha picks up the ball and starts running at Taylor. […]
Rivalità Tra Fratelli, Episode 5
This is the story of two brothers, a modern-day Cain versus Abel if you will, based in the northern powerhouse Italian city of Milan. If you’d like to replicate this challenge, we’re using the updated medium database with the following leagues: England (Premier League, Championship, League One & League Two), Italy (Serie A & Serie […]
The Vagabonds: Part 2
So here we are! Squad sorted. System sorted. Now it’s time to see if literally any of it actually works. Naturally, in what is hopefully not a portent of things to come, we lose our opening league game against Accrington Stanley (who are they?). The game itself isn’t too bad and we play well enough […]
Splashing the cash: defender 14.3
So if Hapoel Ashkelon FC are going to progress from runner-up to champions, I’m going to have to do what I hate doing, which is splashing cash. And I’m going to have to do it much better than I’ve managed to do before — big money signings is something that I’ve always been rubbish at. […]
The Trophy Wife #3
Caryl, our Director of Football, departs on a well deserved holiday while I review the £75,000,000 worth of damage done in the January transfer window. Caryl’s half decent but vastly expensive backups will grace my bench for the rest of the season, while I plod along with my usual lineup. One man who definitely doesn’t […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 20
I said my next four games would be make or break. I should have been less rigid in outlook; it turned out to be both. The good news is that it’s very much “make” on the league front. Third place Everton are first in line and are seen off 3-0. Adam Smith makes amends for […]
The Return To The Kosovo Journey: World Cup 2022 Qualifying Part 1
Here we are again – World Cup Qualifiers. We’re competing for the chance to China 2022, on account of Qatar being unsuitable. The last time around in World Cup Qualifying we gained 1 point from 10 matches but most importantly it was our first point in officially recognised International Competition. This is our litmus test […]
Mauricio Lemos
Welcome to the review of young defender Mauricio Lemos. Many of you will be familiar with defenders such as Balanta but maybe, like me, you don’t know about Lemos. Well, based on the start of game stats it seems we may have overlooked a possible amazing defender! In this review we take a look and see […]
Just about managing 14.2
Don’t tell the Hapoel Ashkelon FC board, but there’s not much in football management that I’m really good at. But there are a few things. One is low-level signings, by which I mean signing players who: don’t cost much aren’t playing at a high level haven’t achieved much on paper (i.e., in a database) don’t […]
The Boys of Borussia Part VIII
What, no made up conversation with someone else to kick this update off? No, not today. Today we are dealing with FACTS. Read Part I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII. My second season in charge of Dortmund II has come to an end and, on reflection, has been a decent season all in all. Sure, no […]
Blackpool on a poor run or finding their level?
Is the recent poor run a blip or a return to type for Blackpool FC? Having spent the first 11 league games of the season undefeated Blackpool are now in the midst of a terrible run. They have not picked up a win in the last seven league games and have fallen down the league […]
The Brex’t Episode
Having left Celtic and taken over at Southampton as the United Kingdom left the European Union, it was time to overhaul the new club. After bringing in Emilio De Leo as Assistant Manager and Warren Joyce as Coach, we quickly filled out the rest of the coaching staff. Ruben Jongkind, Phil Neville, Luca D’angeli, David […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part Four – Nullifying the Threats
Hello, we are back with Episode 4 of Eibar – An Analytics Story. The Friday episodes are going to be more of update episodes with the obvious statistical and tactical analysis thrown in while the Tuesday episodes are going to focus on one specific thing. This can be one player, one part of a Tactic, […]
The Return To The Kosovo Journey: UEFA Nations League Division C – 2020
So, we’ve taken a break and returned with our feet firmly on the ground following our Euro 2020 outing. I pleased that we managed to go and actually get a win out there despite the odds being against us but I do feel there’s still more to come from us. We set up for the […]
To Dare Is To Do #16
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC To Dare Is To Do | #16 Wembley Return | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today we take on Manchester United in the FA Cup Semi Final! Can we win and make it to the FA Cup Final? Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to […]
The Boys of Borussia Part VII
“I don’t care if he is likely to leave in the summer, this is not a good thing for me. There is no way they will give me the job yet, no way at all. My best hope is that they don’t find someone that might stick around for the next decade. This isn’t how […]
#Tempo10 Episode 2: Toby Tarrant’s beard, playing with Charlie and blue ticks…
First of all, don’t start expecting a daily podcast because you will only be disappointed. But, we are back sooner than expected with an interview that was an absolute pleasure to record. Toby Tarrant, otherwise known as the son of Trevor McDonald, does the early-breakfast show on Radio X and is one of the best […]
Tactical Balance in FM17
Follow @DistanceCovered on Twitter for more. Introduction People enjoy playing Football Manager for different reasons, such as signing players, managing their favourite clubs or winning major trophies. Personally, I consider the tactical side of the game to be hugely rewarding, and it adds a completely different element once it’s understood thoroughly by the user. Often […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 19
Before we get the 2019/2020 season underway, there’s some big news from upstairs: Our new gaffe is ready for us to move into permanently after two seasons of playing in Hertfordshire and it seats a touch over 20,000 people. I’m excited to see that the ground has been futureproofed with the potential to double in […]
#FMSlack Q&A with @comeontheoviedo
Monday was the next in our series of Q&A’s with the content creators of the Higher Tempo Press. This week was the turn of site creator, editor and writer of the Boys of Borussia Chris Darwen. Writer of ‘Searching the Stats’ Reids kicked things off by asking a few Football manager related questions, What’s been […]
Board in the USA 22: Threepeat
Board in the USA 22: Threepeat This is it. The last season update you will get to read about Atlanta United, with the immensely partnership of Avery and Theiler, creating a dynasty. Let’s skip the pleasantries and see how we did. North American Champions League 2020 For those paying attention, we breezed through the NACL […]
Onwards and upwards 14.1
Six years have passed — six summers, with the length Of six long winters. Adapted from William Wordsworth’s ‘Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey’ Despite winning the Israeli Premier League Toto Cup in 2023, Hapoel Ashkelon’s league season fell apart. We reached safety only in the final fixture of the season. That […]
Tempo Does YouTube!
What, wait? Podcasts and YouTube kicking off on the same day? Sack your scheduler! Well you can never have too much of a good thing (yeah alright, stop laughing) and we are taking the brave steps into the world of YouTube as well. Take a look at our welcome video below and make sure you […]
#Tempo10 Episode One: Ten minutes on MLS with Avery
OK, OK – Episode One and we slightly went over ten minutes but don’t let that stop you listening to the very first Tempo10. Chris is joined by our resident MLS expert @avery1822 and he tries to persuade Chris as to why managing in the MLS is a good thing. How much convincing can be […]
Run, Forest! Run! Part 8: January Hymn
Happy New Year everybody! Let’s hope 2017 will bring Nottingham Forest much joy and success. To show him I really do enjoy having him around, I give my assistant David Byrne a grilled cheese maker which burns the name CLOUGH into his bread. You know what? I think I’ll give everyone such an apparatus. Except […]
Searching the Stats v3.3
Episode 3 – Midfield Part 1 Episode 1 – Introduction and full-backs Episode 2 – Centre-backs In episode 3 we’re going to look at the type of qualities we need from our central midfield. We decided in episode 1 that we’ll be going with a box to box midfielder, a ball-winning midfielder (D) and a […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 18
With the third season put to bed, it’s time to do some analysis to inform our business over the summer so we can build on that third place finish last time out. Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s assess how we stacked up against our guiding principles: 1. Only scout, sign and use players and […]
My Ode to Oliver Burke
I had a watch of FootyGamer89’s video last month taking a look at how Burke developed in his simmed save. Of course, it’s that we need to keep in mind. It was a simmed save for the purpose of checking out how he develops in that environment. No offence is intended towards my fellow Higher Tempo […]
Board in the USA 21: Just Keep it Together
Board in the USA 21: Just Keep it Together This update will take us through the transfer deadline prior to the 2020 season. Also, shameless plug: if you’re not convinced from reading these updates that MLS is for you, do check out the latest podcast The Tempo Ten. In the first episode, I attempt to […]
Red cards, the management of
On the FM space on Slack I see lots of managers bemoaning red cards. My first response is to sympathise. Red cards can be sickening. One player’s irresponsibility can throw away a match and, with it, perhaps even a season. Yes, Anthony Grant, I’m looking at you. Remembering especially when you were one of four […]
Post-Brexit Saints: A New Challenge
After three years at Celtic building an all-British squad, finding success both domestically and in Europe along the way, it was time to move on. With the United Kingdom on the cusp of leaving the European Union, let’s find out what happened next… Handing in my resignation at Celtic left me with mixed emotions. I […]
COYW! Season 1, August
THE OBJECTIVE: TO MANAGE MY HOME TOWN CLUB, DOVER ATHLETIC, IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE. DOVER HAVE NEVER PLAYED LEAGUE FOOTBALL. I AM GOING TO TRY AND CHANGE THAT. August Bleep Bleep Bleep. The early morning alarm awakens me from my slumber. North Wales is the destination of todays opening game. Wrexham, who were a Football […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 17
We may have claimed another trophy for our ever-expanding collection of delightfully pure English silverware after that EFL Cup final win against Palace, but there’s plenty to play for in the rest of the season. With three months, and three competitions, still to go, it’s shaping up to be a hectic run-in. There truly is […]
Match Analysis: RB Leipzig vs Manchester United, Champions League Semi Final
This match saw head coach Ed Wilson and his RB Leipzig side welcome English giants Manchester United to Germany for this Champions League Match. The German side have become well known in European circles over recent years for their commitment to fast vertical attacking football whilst their opponents Manchester United still favour a style of play more […]
Board in the USA 20: Done it Again
Board in the USA 20: Done it Again Where we last left off, we made it to the MLS Playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year. We were looking to retain our title as MLS champions. Unfortunately, we are without our star playmaker Miguel Almiron, who has been plagued with injury the entire season. We strolled […]
Making love to agents: a guide
Judging from discussion on the FM space on Slack: there is little attention paid to agents; what attention there is takes the form of annoyance, frustration, or disgust. All they do is take your money! Well, my experience of agents outside football makes me question that. As a publisher I have had to deal with […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part 3
Hey Boys and Girls and everyone else, Eibar is back. Like I promised last time around, we are going to talk about the long time goals of the series including some short-term targets. Let’s get straight into it. Be a Basque Force Imagine if you are a Basque player and there are several clubs that […]
Run, Forest! Run! Part 7: A Long December
This month is going to be crucial. We’re facing our arch rivals and the biggest team in the league twice. It’s not going to be easy and we need everyone sharp as nails. I’m a bit disturbed by the collapse against Barnsley. We totally fell apart in a way I haven’t seen this season. I […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 16
We start the new year as we mean to go on – needlessly pissing away points against bang average sides. Norwich City are the lucky recipients of our generosity. Haris Seferovic, a big Swiss oaf, a man whose first touch makes it look like he’s wearing concrete boots, bullies Steve Cook and scores a header […]