The Higher Tempo Press
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CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER | Save Our Dons | EP2 | August ’01
In 2004, Wimbledon FC became Milton Keynes Dons after relocation in 2003. This relocation was announced by the Don’s board in August 2001. I must travel back in an alternate reality and stop this from happening. If you missed the first instalment of ‘Save Our Dons’ please catch up here: We didn’t learn much in […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.59 | A little Scandinavian jazz
Last weekend Karen went to a concert in Tel-Aviv. It meant I had a day to myself. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I bought in supplies: Lebanese coffee; A3 paper, which I find good for planning purposes; and a Nicaraguan cigars to smoke on the balcony. I don’t often smoke, […]
#FM17 | International Management | The Kosovo Journey
I’ve been playing Football Manager since the big FM/CM split, prior to that I had brief stints as ‘assistant’ to my brother or being placated by being allowed to manage any one of a number of very low rated English Division Three sides. One thing I have never been able to get into is management […]
#FM17 | Back in the USSR | Part Eight
Things haven’t been going well. We’re frustratingly inconsistent and it’s beginning to become annoying. Things have got to change and fast. We’re up against Ternopil next, they’re in 16th place and have only won twice all season. I think we can all see where this one is heading… We’re away from home, so I stick […]
Sheffield United | Blades of Glory #16 | Jose comes to Town | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017
Welcome to Episode 16 of my Sheffield United FM17 save. Today we take on Manchester United in the 3rd Round of the EFL Cup! Can we get the better of one of the greatest teams in history? Join me as we continue our adventure on Football Manager 2017 Hit the LIKE button for more Football […]
#FM17 | Player Profiles | Niklas Süle
Welcome to the Player Profile of Niklas Süle. Niklas is a very promising young defender who plays in the Bundesliga. He already has impressive technical abilities and incredible physical stats, but how much can he improve? Is he worth the massive fee that he commands? In this profile we take a look to help give you guidance […]
#FM17 | Valencia | The Fallen Bat Rises
Valencia CF are one of the most successful teams in Spanish Football. They have won multiple Spanish League, Cup and European titles in their history including a fantastic spell between 1999-2004 where they also reached two Champions League finals along with two La Liga titles, a Copa Del Rey title & a UEFA Cup. Unfortunately, […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.58 | Attack! Attack! Attack, attack, attack!
[I have selected a soundtrack (‘All out attack’) to be played whilst reading this post] The play-offs for European places didn’t go so well for Hapoel Ashkelon FC. Of the six teams in the mini-league, we finished sixth, winning only one game. It’s rather tarnished the season: I wish the league could have come to […]
#FM17 | The Ultimate Journey | Sacked?
Let’s have a recap of the last post, we attended a board meeting with our club owner John Comitis over our future at the club. I was swift in making his intentions clear he demanded 8 points from the 15 available. So What Happened? Game 1 VS Polokwane FC 3 points in the bag is […]
#FM17 | The Alphabet Challenge | C | Job seeking | Day 1133
Having spent the entire season in hiding from the psychotic chairman of Jorge Wilstermann, Julio Cusicanqui, he decides to go back to England and try to get a 9 to 5 job at some small financial firm. He’s been applying for jobs all over the world by to no avail; he has not managed a […]
#FM17 | Player Profiles | Lincoln
Welcome to the Player Profile of Lincoln. Brazil has a long track record of producing top quality, exciting young players and Lincoln is the next to emerge. But can he reach the levels or Ronaldinho and Neymar that have gone before him? Or will he get lost in the rain forest of Brazilian football? In […]
#FM17 | Forward Asia S1-3 | Champions League “Glory”
Furious at my decision to jump ship and abandon Celebest for title winning Sriwijaya, my laptop packed in and refused to let me have my way. It thought it could stop me, but you can’t stop this train! It’s back, and I’m back, and South Sumatra has an average manager amongst its ranks now. I […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.57 | Anthem for doomed youth intake
What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes (From ‘Anthem for doomed youth’ by Wilfred Owen) Early March brings a new intake of youth candidates to Hapoel Ashkelon. The Head of Youth Development (HYD), Avi Nimni, […]
#FM17 | The Alphabet Challenge | B | Jorge Wilstermann Day 717
It is the end of the season. Jorge Wilstermann have absolutely stormed away with the LFPB Close title, and with it, have won the overall league. Their ascent from when 7th at the end of the Opening Stage has been nothing short of remarkable. However, Iyer’s relationship with Cusicanqui has been rocky for a while. […]
#FM17 | The Ultimate Journey | #AgarwalOut Already?
What are the #AgarwalOut banners already out at the Cape Town Stadium? How come he’s on the verge of getting sacked so early? Performances Well I will be quite blunt and say that my time here at Cape Town hasn’t been the greatest and I will be hoping that we are able to turn the […]
Sheffield United | Blades of Glory #15 | Tricky Trees | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017
Welcome to Episode 15 of my Sheffield United FM17 Save, today we take on Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship. Join me as we continue our adventure on Football Manager 2017 Hit the LIKE button for more Football Manager 2017 content! ✔ Remember to like & subscribe! And thank you for watching my content, […]
#FM17 | FM Sessions | Welcome to Dundee United
Here we go – welcome to Dundee United Football Club. In a very tightly contested poll, Dundee United pipped AC Milan by a single vote to become the lucky team opening their doors to our first foray into management. It might not be France or Italy, but Dundee is Scotland’s sunniest city, so I make […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.56 | Sweeperless
I’ve made a bold decision. One that anyone who has followed my career (in the parallel universes of FM14-16) will find hard to believe. I’ve decided to abandon my much-cherished sweeper formation. That’s a bit like Pulis announcing that, for West Brom, it’s tika-taka from now on. Or Keegan deciding to focus on defence. It’s […]
#FM17 | Hartlepool United | The Triumph of the Pass 1.3
No messing, I’m going to dive straight in. First thing to say, excitingly, is that Hartlepool now have a senior affiliate. And it’s only bloody Manchester City! The deal is that I can loan their players without paying their wages, that there will be a pre-season friendly each year, and they’re giving me £70,000 per […]
#FM17 | Taste The Feeling Episode 16 Part 3 | Antwerp
Transfers: Before I get into the incoming players, I’ll first tell you about the enormous amount of out-going players. Despite under-achieving last season our players were hot property with Joshua Onomah moving to Swansea for £6.25m (and a 20% sell on clause). Richairo Zivkovic kicked up a stink about leaving and I couldn’t get rid […]
#FM17 | Liverpool #S02E01 | Transfer Special
The new season is upon us. After a short holiday, I am back at my beloved Liverpool preparing to mount another challenge for the Premier League title. Last season, we came so close only to fall at the penultimate hurdle which gave Arsenal their 14th league crown but secured second place in the standings and […]
#FM17 | The Last King of Scotland 3:3
The Last King of Scotland A Hibernian Tale: Part 3:3 Extract from the Managers diary: ‘Garry, I’ve got some bad news for you, mate.’ ‘What’s that boss?’ ‘I’m going to leave in the summer.’ Silence. ‘Resign, Garry. I’m quitting and leaving. As of now.’ Garry jumps up and starts dancing. From nowhere he pulls out […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.55 | Where do we go from here?
The day after Hapoel Ashkelon arithmetically avoided relegation, my wife and I spent the afternoon by the waterfront. We like being by the Med, watching the ships come in as they’ve been doing here since Ashkelon was ruled by the Ancient Egyptians. In the evening we went to one of our favourite restaurants nearby. The […]
#FM17 | The Islanders XV
OSU! I am running through this season as quickly as Wolves went past Liverpool on the break yesterday and, incredibly, it’s much fun to watch. FC Ryukyu, in their new home, might not have a better opportunity to hit the J2 playoffs. I love it when a season starts like this, when you can feel […]
#FM17 | The Alphabet Challenge | B | Jorge Wilstermann | Day 571
Siddharth Iyer is driving to his house in a taxi, where the driver, Jorge, turns out to be a Jorge Wilstermann fan. Iyer: So, you support Jorge Wilstermann, do you? Jorge: Yes sir, I do. I’ve supported them ever since I was 7. I even have a season ticket at the club Iyer: That’s good […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.54 | Top of the world
I woke the morning after to find myself out of kilter with the world. The question the local media, and Twitter, is debating is whether Hapole Ashkelon FC can qualify for continental football. In Israel, the top three qualify automatically. If one of those three also wins the cup, then the fourth team qualifies too. […]
#FM17 | Back in the USSR | Part Seven
It can sometimes be difficult to think, stuck in the training shed; there’s a lot going on. Trying to address our staggering lack of consistency is an almost impossible job. I decide to escape the intermittent sounds of power tools and screaming from the physio’s room and the love-struck cooing of my head scout, as […]
#FM17 | Liverpool #10 | Champions?
The stage is set. We have three fixtures left in a rollercoaster Premier League season, and the title is still up for grabs. Liverpool have favourable fixtures compared to Arsenal, but we are still reliant on the Gunners dropping points to be crowned champions. Follow me on Twitter – @MarcusBanks7 – Visit my blog The […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.53 | Building Capacity
Avoidance of relegation provides an opportunity to approach Hapoel Ashkelon FC’s board for more resources. I ask them for permission to appoint an additional physio. When they agree I appoint, with a minimum of fuss, Avi Bakhar. If my sources are to be believed, he brings with him skill in physiotherapy backed by great discipline […]
#FM17 | The Ultimate Journey | Squad Overhaul
Transfers,transfers and transfers.. What is a save without them TRANSFERS? Transfers On the transfers front there was quite a bit of activity as one can make out from the title of the post. After a bit of thinking of what formation I wanted to use in at Cape Town, I found that we were missing […]
#FM17 | The Celtic Way | 2016/17 Part 2
First to join in January was Lewis Moult. I needed a 3rd choice forward as I wanted to loan Jack Atchison to get him more games. Moult came in and done a job. He didn’t set the league alight but will do as a cheap back-up option. The great news is that his value has […]
#FM17 | The Islanders XIV
OSU! I am properly excited about this season. I really, really am. After the ups and downs of last time out, I am confident that we have put the foundations down over the winter and we are going to have a very good campaign. What does that even mean? The play offs and a […]
#FM17 | FM Sessions | The Road Begins
Hello and welcome to the first official post for Football Manager Sessions. I’m going to kick this off by straight away asking for your help – I need a club to manage, and I need you to help choose it. In the last few weeks, I’ve been putting in hours of preparation for this series […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.52 | Relegation Avoided
As soon as it’s confirmed that Hapoel Ashkelon FC have avoided relegation from the Israeli Premier League I offer my assistant manager, Seb Rozental, a new contract. The negotiations across the desk in my office aren’t difficult. He agrees to restrict his already-modest wage demands in return for healthy bonuses (a) staying up and (b) […]
Sheffield United | Blades of Glory #14 | Opening Day Season 2 | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017
Welcome to Episode 14 of my Sheffield United FM17 Save, today we take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening game of season 2 and our first game back in the Sky Bet Championship. Join me as we continue our adventure on Football Manager 2017 Hit the LIKE button for more Football Manager 2017 content! ✔ […]
#FM17 | Liverpool #9 | The Run In
Liverpool are on a high after a superb episode eight and are chasing Arsenal in the race for the Premier League. We battled to victory over Bournemouth before inflicting heavy defeats on Watford, and our Merseyside rivals Everton. The Gunners are still in fine form and will be tough to catch with some tricky fixtures […]
#FM17 | Back in the USSR | Part Six
These days, they reckon you spend more time with you colleagues than you do with your own family. It’s a bizarre idea isn’t it? To be forced, every day, to interact, compromise and co-operate with complete strangers. It is inevitable then that you might, from time to time, not see eye to eye on certain […]
#FM17 | The Islanders XIII
OSU! I must apologise for the lack of recent updates – I just haven’t had a chance to pen my thoughts on the 2019 season for FC Ryukyu until now. I’ve had a quick read back over where we got up to and I reckon the best thing to do is to walk you through […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.51 | Squad Building
Over the last few months at Hapoel Ashkelon FC I’ve been mulling over the kinds of players we’ll need to bring in and developing a shortlist for the purpose. At this time of year, I have two such lists: a general one and a shorter list of preferred targets for the window. The latter is […]
#FM17 | Player Profiles | Afonso Sousa
Welcome to the player review of Afonso Sousa. Afonso is a 16 year old central midfielder who, even at this age, has some incredible stats. Could we see him become the next Pirlo or Carrick in the future? In this review we track his progress through the years and we see if he can reach the […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.50 | Shipping players out
Once you’ve lost faith in a player, there are few pleasures greater than getting them out the door. Unfortunately, the most annoying have the habit of turning down offers from other clubs, on the basis that they were put on earth merely to plague you. Hadad, the playmaker who felt entitled to a first-team place […]
#FM17 | The Alphabet Challenge | B | A new country, a new job | Day 423
It is the end of the season. UE Santa Coloma have managed to win the league after an incredible season in which they were predicted to finish 4th. However, one person seems to be distinctly absent in the celebrations. Manager Siddharth Iyer is at Barcelona – El Prat airport, still deciding on what flight he […]
#FM17 | Taste The Feeling Episode 16 | Part 2 | Coca Cola Leiria
Transfers: Aboubacar Doumbia: The reliable left-back had a good debut season with Coca Cola Antwerp last season, however due to the options we now have at Coca Cola Antwerp, he won’t be getting much game-time this season, so it’s a much better idea if he moves to Coca Cola Leiria on loan for the season […]
Sheffield United – Blades of Glory #13 | Ins and Outs | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017
Sheffield United – Blades of Glory #13 | Ins and Outs | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Welcome to Episode 13 of my Sheffield United FM17 Save, today we take a look at the end of season awards and stats and whos left the club and arrived so far this summer. Join me as we […]
#FM17 | The Ultimate Journey | Cape Town City F.C.
Signed! Why Cape Town City F.C.? So I was going through the South African Premier League and I wanted a team which was not going to walk the title or be in for a relegation battle. Cape Town City F.C. seemed like the perfect platform I could build upon as the aim with each nation […]
#FM17 | Hapoel Hope 1.49 | Clean Sheets
As I’ve written before, they do things differently in Israel. The range of bonuses that Hapole Ashkelon permits me to offer a player is currently very limited. I can, for example, offer a bonus for scoring a certain number of goals per season, but not a bonus for each goal. The one I miss most […]
#FM17 | Liverpool #8 | Derby Day v2
After a shaky start as Liverpool boss, I have stamped my managerial credentials on the Premier League as we are now hot on the heels of league leaders Arsenal. A top four finish should be a formality as we have gained a nice lead over Chelsea in fifth. We lost to Tottenham last episode but […]
#FM17 | The Last King of Scotland 3:2
The Last King of Scotland A Hibernian Tale: Part 3:2 Extract from the Managers diary: ‘Knock knock.’ Garry sighs. ‘Who’s there?’ ‘Yo momma.’ ‘Yo momma who?’ ‘No, Garry. That was the joke. Your mother came to my house. Because she wanted to shag me.’ Garry shakes his head before silently leaving the office. Part 2 […]
#FM17 | The Alphabet Challenge | UE Santa Coloma | Day 191
It is Christmas Day. The UE Santa Coloma side have met up for a team meeting at the lounge of the Holiday Inn where manager Sid Iyer is currently residing. Iyer: So lads, what can I say other than I am so proud of you lot. I’m sure I’m not as good a manager as […]
#FM17 | Back in the USSR | Part Five
The day to day job as a manager can be a thankless task. You have to oversee training – which at this club means running the session, telling the coaches what the round white thing people are kicking is and keeping the players focused on doing drills rather than simply hiding behind the changing rooms, […]