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Captain is dead, long live the captain 5.5
No, well, the first half of Hapoel Ashkelon FC’s 2020-21 season didn’t go quite according to plan. We bumped along just above, and sometimes actually in, the relegation zone. We didn’t often fall apart, but we found ways to convert wins into draws and draws into defeats. No consecutive wins We were tetchy. Penalties conceded, […]
Q&A with Footballmanagerzone
Last week saw the second content creator Q&A, this time with YouTuber Footballmanagerzone. Richard has been posting videos on The Higher Tempo Press for some time now so we wanted to know more from him. As with last time it was on the FM Slack channel, if you’re not already a member then sign up […]
A guide to Leon Goretzka
When Goretzka came through the ranks at VfL Bochum, the biggest names from all around Germany, including the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München and obviously, his current club Schalke 04. With his contract at Schalke running out at the end of the 2017/18, there is supposed interest from some of the better clubs in […]
Totally Rad: The Total Football Effect
Zdravo, welcome back to the third episode of ‘Totally Rad’. Since you were last with us we have played our first ten games of the season with our new philosophy and objectives. Before we have a look at how well we got on first we need to go through all the transfer dealings we have […]
Roll up, roll up, it’s the greatest show on earth
So I’ve been shipping out players who bore me and acquiring players who excite me. Players who, if I was a fan in the stands, I’d pay good money to come and watch. Players who I hope I can sit back in the dug-out and admire. Players like our strike-force, Juan Reynoso and Aviran Banin. […]
Episode 20 Part 3 and the 23/24 season for Antwerp
Transfers: Kamal Shassah: Joins as a decent home-grown play-maker to replace Jenderson who’s off to Leiria. Probably won’t be a starter. Amar Plojovic: Whilst a bit raw at the moment I reckon he could be fantastic in a few years if we polish up a few of his weak points. David Lopez: Some very poor […]
Can EU Believe It?!
Welcome back to the best story to come out of the whole Brexit ordeal since that “May v Sturgeon: Who’s got the best legs?” thing the other day… We finished off last time with the winter transfer window about to open. We had just been drawn against Milan in the Europa League, and we were […]
Ousmane Dembélé
Dortmund have a very impressive record of finding young talent gems that are unknown and cheap and creating them into world class talent. One of the more recent players to join that list is Ousmane Dembélé. Blessed with amazing potential and pace this kid has the tools to go far in the game and is at […]
The Power of a Slump
Lessons Learned from Rocky Ground To follow me on social media, check out my profile at the end of this post and to see what else I have written click on my name. On the 22nd of March 2017, Ronnie Moran passed away aged 83 following a battle with a short illness. The 83 year […]
From Porto to Ashkelon is further than you think 5.3
On 4 August 2020, a Lufthansa flight from Porto arrives in Tel Aviv. Off steps 22 year-old Alfa Esteves, a Portuguese-speaking footballer from Guinea-Bissau. Up to now, Alfa’s played all his club football in Portugal, first for Benfica and then for Varzim. Most of the time, he’s played in central midfield, though he’s also been […]
5 Hungarian fullbacks that are worth trying to sign!
One of the most exciting aspects of Football Manager is the part when you can finally spend the money you saved up to bring in your next stars. The thrill of signing a fantastic player is something only a true football fanatic can experience! Everyone tries to exploit the market in their own way. Some […]
Return of the sweeper 5.2
One of the players I’ve brought in – Gal Mio – can play sweeper. As can one of the players I’ve had in on trial – Yarin Hasan. On that basis I decide in the pre-season friendlies to reintroduce my sweeper system. Only that isn’t a very honest way of putting it, since it makes […]
The Kosovo Journey Euro 2020 Playoff Semi-Final
The squad is named for the upcoming fixture, Herolind Shala and Fanol Perdedaj will be big losses due to injury. Two days before the fixture we get the news that full-back Benjamin Kololli has suffered damaged cruciate ligaments – 7months out! Stuttgart’s Samir Bahrami is called up as a replacement. Georgia tend to favour a […]
The action of the tiger 5.1
Last season (2019-20) at Hapoel Ashkelon FC left me with a feeling of such equanimity that we took a longer holiday than usual, not because we needed a holiday but because I felt I could spend time away without worrying. We continued our tour of biblical antiquities, which not for the first time ended with […]
To Dare Is To Do #6
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #6 – Derby Day | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today Tottenham Hotspur take on our South London rivals Arsenal at White Hart Lane for a huge Premier League clash, in what will potentially be the last North London Derby at our current stadium. […]
How to recreate West Brom’s corners in FM17
It’s no secret that West Brom have been clinical from corners this season with an incredible 13 goals from their 118 corners so far, giving them a corner conversion rate of around 11% – far higher the “expected” average of around 3%. This has led them to the heady heights of 8th, but think about […]
My 19 years, a review of Football Manager and Championship Manager
I have been playing since the 90’s. My first ever venture was CM 98/99. Little did I know I was starting the most beautiful love story of all time. Over the last 19 years (bloody hell, that’s a teenager!) There has been good times, bad times, heartbreak, cheating (LMA Manager 01, I had my head […]
And nothing happened 4.0
Amongst sports writers, my hero is Alan Gibson. He it was who, bored by the cricket match between Hampshire and Gloucestershire at Basingstoke in 1975, reported instead on a junior school rounders match that he could watch over the hedge. Well, my fourth season (2019-20) in charge at Hapoel Ahkelon FC would have required a season-long rounders […]
To Dare Is To Do #5
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #5 – Pep Talk | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Welcome to a brand new series to the channel for FM2017. That’s right it’s my beloved Spurs! In today’s episode we welcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to White Hart Lane for a huge Premier […]
Development strategy, hummus, and taboon bread
It’s summer time. The off season. The backroom team are all off doing their own thing. But I give our data analyst, Ofir Yeruham, a call to see whether he’s in town. I want to review the club development strategy and want to see whether he can come round for a few hours to help […]
Episode 20 Part 2, the 23/24 season for Leiria
Transfers: Junior Mongondza: Joins from our affiliate club Amiens for a ridiculously low fee (£2.9k!). Worth a gamble! Siriki Coulibaly: Still very very raw but definitely has some potential. Goes on loan to Roda JC in the Eredivisie for the season to hopefully improve a bit. Joao Lopes: The prodigal son returns. The Leiria academy […]
The Islanders XXII
The FC Ryukyu players sunk to their knees, every last drop of energy drained in the previous 94 minutes of football. Their season was over, there was nothing more they needed to give, even if they could. The tiny team from the island of Okinawa had made history, their history. They may have just lost […]
Sturgeon’s Delight
Welcome back to Brexit Means Brexit. Last time, our second summer window of this story had just slammed shut, so it’s only right that we revisit the Celtic Brexit Challenge as the winter window opens. That’s right – Christmas 2017 has just finished, so as Tesco start stocking the shelves with Easter eggs (other supermarkets […]
The sentimental side of Football Manager
Most Football Manager players I know or have spoken to online have one of two goals in mind: take the team they manage to the very top of world football or have a blistering career themselves as a manager in the world of football. They will remove any obstacle in their way of that success. […]
Where it all went wrong 3.6
So, my 3rd season at the helm of Hapoel Ashkelon was not a success — though, fortunately, the board thought otherwise, because we steered clear of relegation. After a couple of days off — chillaxing, as our offspring say — I gather together a small group to analyse where we went wrong. Gathered around the round […]
Serbian Supremacy
Zdravo and welcome back to Totally Rad (how nineties am I?) last time out we were looking at our new team, the aptly named FK Rad, and going through our philosophy and plans for Serbian domination. Well since then we have played our pre-season and created the formation we will be using to end the […]
Testing Gareth Southgate’s new 343 England Tactic
England played Germany on Wednesday in what was Gareth Southgate’s first game as permanent manager. Having impressed during his time as interim boss, undefeated in four games, he was given a chance to showcase his managerial abilities on the national stage and show he was different from past managers. During his pre-match conference Southgate said […]
Season Two, September
Transfer deadline day. Usually this is a day of great drama, a day of last gasp deals that excite the fans and in England, at least, a day when sex toys are thrust into the ears of journalists reporting from the training grounds. From my perspective, given my board’s proclivity for accepting bids for my […]
The Wenger Experiment
It’s been an odd week for Arsenal fans. Saturday’s shambolic display against West Brom, banners in the sky, banners in the crowd and then came the news we all expected to hear: Arsene Wenger is rumoured to have agreed a contract extension. Sorry, what? The Arsenal conundrum is always a hot topic of conversation at […]
CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: Scotland on the Road to Euro 2004 Part III
Welcome to part 3 of Scotland’s Road to Euro 2004, after what seems like an age since the last update. It has been the best part of 6 months mind, but who is counting? After taking the Scots to the World Cup final in 2002, there was a fear the Qualifying campaign for Euro 2004 […]
A Tactical Analysis of Adam Lallana, the Maestro of the Central Midfield
Adam Lallana was voted England’s player of 2016 and since Jürgen Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool, his overall game has come on leaps and bounds as he is forming a vital piece in the Klopp system alongside the likes of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho. Always a silky player with a great first touch, […]
Some advice and tips for new writers from fellow writers who have already made a lot of mistakes…
One of the best decisions I made was to begin to write about Football Manager, it has let me to talk to some great people in the community and to follow a dream of becoming a football writer on the side. After reading Iain Macintosh’s Everton save and listening to episodes of the Deep Lying […]
A Guide to the Wide Playmaker
While my last role piece was about the Poacher, a role that most people are probably somewhat familiar with because of real football, this one is about a role that does somewhat exist in real football but most people would probably struggle if they had to describe what exactly a Wide Playmaker is. This piece […]
Unrelenting hairdryer 3.5
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…we had everything before us, we had nothing before us. My third season in charge of Hapoel Ashkelon FC did not go according to plan. We got locked into a grim cycle: introduce […]
False Hope
Last time out when I came to you last time out I did join Melbourne City F.C. who did win the league last season with me at Wellington Phoenix finishing 2nd. Though this season I did think that I would be walking the league but as you read on it wasn’t the all so rosy. […]
How to choose the best player role for your number 10
Pure Number 10 players are the kind of species that we, football fans, love to admire. The number 10 position it is indissolubly linked with skills, vision, and creativity. They are the players people buy ticket for, the ones that can turn a match around. Kempes, Totti, Baggio, Zidane, Bergkamp…you don’t need to be their age […]
To Dare Is To Do #4
Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #4 – Real Deal | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Welcome to a brand new series to the channel, Tottenham Hotspur To Dare Is To Do. In today’s episode we take a look our results so far and we travel to Spain to take on […]
Must be somewhere out of here (said the joker) 3.4
It’s starting to annoy me that we’re so isolated. I don’t mean socially isolated. I wondered whether, since Karen and I are neither Jewish nor Muslim, it would be hard to fit in. But in fact, that’s not proved a problem. Probably because so many people here are immigrants themselves or offspring (or grand-offspring) of […]
Blackpool look ahead to the new League One season
Blackpool will return to League One next season following their final day victory at home to Gillingham. On the back of their relegation into League Two the previous season they hired rookie coach Bruce Parker to take control and he went on to surpass expectations and bring home the title. After much speculation about him […]
Living Libero Loca
As manager of a national team I find myself with a lot of spare time between friendlies and tournaments. Sure, some of this time is filled up with attending league matches, meetings with the KNVB and filling Big Franks food trough, but it still leaves me twiddling my thumbs trying to find things to do. […]
The Kosovo Journey 2019 Pt. 2
July The usual July custom began of requesting a national report of every player eligible for Kosovo so that I could sift out the good newgens. 550 eligible players this time around. The latest World Rankings have us dropping back outside the Top 100 to 106th. The draw has been made for the European Qualifying […]
The Taste the Feeling Slack Q+A
If you are reading this and not already part of the FMSlack group then you are missing out on one of the best ways to be part of the football manager community. Slack has several advantages over Twitter in the way it is a real time conversation and it almost unlimited in its character count. […]
Tough life surrounded by pretty women in Wroclaw 3.3
What do you if you’re the board of a club, like Hapoel Ashkelon FC, that made a loss last year, equivalent to 20% of turnover? Develop some acumen? Look for savings? Put some energy into attracting sponsorship and selling hospitality? No, none of that. You organise a training camp in a foreign country (Poland, for […]
Welcome to Melbourne
Last time out I wrote about our heroics of finishing 2nd in the A-League which was something that I wouldn’t have imagined in my wildest of dreams. I knew that as I finished 2nd in the league with Wellington who were a side who were destined to perform poorly and finish bottom I would be […]
To Dare Is To Do #3
Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #3 – Turkish Delight | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Welcome to a brand new series to the channel, Tottenham Hotspur To Dare Is To Do. In today’s episode we take a look our results so far, the new additions to the squad and we […]
In/Out Madness Article 5.0
Welcome back to Brexit Means Brexit with your host: Roy Walker! … Ok, not really, but it caught your attention, didn’t it? Last time, we looked at the second half of the season, and finished off just after Celtic had competed the treble by beating Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final. A lot has happened […]
A comprehensive review of AS Monaco’s Thomas Lemar
As with many of his AS Monaco teammates Thomas Lemar is hot property at the moment. The 21 year old French attacker has shone whether deployed centrally or on the left hand side for the team with perhaps the most deadly attack in Europe at the moment. Having made his first team debut at Caen […]
Reviewing strategy 3.2
After my first season in charge of Hapoel Ashkelon FC I decided that the strategy for club development would be ‘buy-low and retain’ (BLR). After a year, how has that strategy fared? Pretty-well, I think. We’ve had some notable success with players we’ve bought under that rubric. Examples include: Name Position Age now League apps […]
Episode 20 Part 1, The 23/24 Season for Silkeborg
Transfers: Alejandro Gines: The LB was bought as emergency cover for the clubs last season. Now’s the time where he’s called into use as we don’t really have many good options for LB, will most likely be a regular starter. Christopher Moloi: The first addition from the new scouting set-up. Whilst I have some doubts […]
Pedro Caixinha: The Diamond Rule Tactic
Pedro Caixinha was appointed Rangers boss last week and the Portuguese manager is already under pressure to produce winning performances to boost their hopes of European qualification this season. Even further scrutiny has been placed on Caixinha as he was hired under the cloud of Mark Warburtons sacking/resignation at the club last month and many […]