The Higher Tempo Press
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#FM17 : Top 10 Highest Paid Players in 2021
Footballers wages are one of the most talked about subjects in the game. Many people feel that average players are paid astronomical salaries, significantly more than important members of society such as nurses and soldiers. With more money being put into the game, wages are only going to increase. According to the Independent, Cristiano […]
#FM17 : [Second Half] 9- Bishop’s March
BISHOP’S MARCH a column by Tommy Doherty for Non League Paper 1 April 2016 Fans of Bishop’s Stortford must be wondering if their position in the league standings is an April Fool’s joke but they can be sure that it is not. It really has been a good March for The Blues. Just a couple of months back, […]
#FM17 : The Hope of Hapoel : Trouble with assistant managers
After tea on my first day as manager of Hapoel Ashkelon FC, would my lucky streak of uncovering high-quality staff hold? I have two first-team appointments to make: an assistant manager, to replace the evidently limited incumbent, and a coach. Between them, they will need to draw on three areas of coaching expertise – […]
#FM17 : Top Ten Most Expensive Players in 2021
Manchester United’s £90m deal to bring Paul Pogba back to the club broke the world transfer record this summer, surpassing the £85m Real Madrid paid to secure Gareth Bale’s signature. It was no surprise to see the record broken again with more and more money being pumped into the game. Premier League clubs smashed […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : January 2016 Part Two
We were half way through our most testing month of the season and sitting relatively pretty having picked up 7 points from a possible 9. After the weekend win at Chievo Verona, a midweek home tie in the Coppa Italia vs Ternana followed. Three days later we faced the only side yet to beat us […]
#FM17 : [Second Half] 8- Jekyll and Hide
“What in the bloody hell was that?!” The words bounced off the brick walls. “What the hell were you guys thinking in that second half? Huh?” A loud crack broke the stillness in the room as Jac’s boot struck the plastic cup, sending it across the floor. A deafening silence followed. Jac was absolutely furious that a 2-0 half-time lead had […]
#FM17 : [Second Half] Prep Week
It’s been a week since Bishop’s Stortford welcomed their new boss and within those 7 days, there has been a draw, a win, and a loss. There was nothing exceptionally good nor bad about the manager whom some circles have nicknamed ‘the strange Singaporean’. There was little information about the man that the club had […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : January 2016 Part One
Like a student frittering away their December days watching all three Home Alone movies in a single sitting, the spectre of January was causing me sleepless nights as we hurtled through the all-to-quick winter break. In a single month we faced four of Italy’s biggest sides; champions elect Juventus, European competition chasing Inter Milan and Fiorentina, and a […]
#FM17 : Hope of Hapoel 1.7: For the long term
My first morning at Hapoel Ashkelon FC has been so productive – contracts offered to physios, scouts, and a goalkeeping coach, that I decided to go out to lunch. There’s a little place around the corner that serves falafel with a good glass of locally produced cabernet sauvignon to wash it down. I’m not […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 5.1 : Smithy you w*nker
“Eh? He’s chosen West Brom? They’re in the Championship aren’t they, not forgetting they are in the effing West Midlands. We have beaches and Champions League football to offer him. Idiot.” The conversation with Smithy’s agent was a little stressful. We offered more money, a better standard and a nicer striped kit but no, […]
#FM17 : Hope of Hapoel : Deliberately avoiding balance
Image generously made available under creative commons licence by Digitalnative: https://www.flickr.com/photos/classblog/ If my recruits to the physio and scouting teams sign on the dotted, I’m confident we’ll be able to bring good players into the club and keep them out of the treatment room. But who’s going to develop them? Not, if the FM database […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : December 2015
December saw La Dea return to cup action. Having disposed of Modena in my first game in charge, we took on Joe Hart’s Torino in the final qualifying round of the Coppa Italia nearly four months on. Following that we returned to league action; travelling to Sassuolo (12th), a hit and miss side struggling to combine the […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao : Super Setúbal!
“I should feel happier than this Phil, I really should!” Fizzer and I were in the office, the league season was finally over and we had surpassed everyone’s expectations. For little old Vitória Setúbal to finish 3rd in Liga NOS was a huge achievement, and congratulations were coming from all over the place. Yet […]
#FM17 : Football Manager 2017 : Scout Report : Harry Winks
That Harry Winks looks like he can play a bit. I mean, Tottenham cannot have too many Harry’s now, can they? Check out how he looks on FM17.
#FM17 : Hope of Hapoel 1.5 : know-nothing gaffer
It’s coffee time on my first morning in charge at Hapoel Ashkelon FC. Flushed with the success of having physios and scouts accept my job offers, I take a break and heat some Lebanese coffee (like Turkish coffee, but flavoured with cardamom) in a little coffee pot. Since coming to Israel, I’ve been trying […]
#FM17 : [Hot Seat] 1.1 : Assistance required
As I leave the chairman’s office, I fix my gaze upwards, expecting to see the hulking figure of Iain Dowie gormlessly grinning back at me. To my immense relief, the man before me is seven inches shorter, a little balder (by which I mean hairless) and altogether less frightful. A former player with York […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 4.4 : Fizzer, we need a plan
Fizzer and I sat in the cantina coming to terms with the stark realisation that we had a very long way to go before we would break the stranglehold of the “Big Three.” We had not disgraced ourselves in the 2-0 league defeats to Sporting and Porto and we had a sneaky feeling our […]
#FM17 : Hapoel Hope 1.4 : Square scouts for square holes
It’s my first morning at Hapoel Ashkelon FC in the Israeli Premier League. I haven’t yet met the press. They can wait. I’m busy recruiting my backroom team. There’s a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on my door: I need to be able to phone around in peace. I’m allowed only two scouts (including the Chief […]
#FM17 : The Porto Promise 1.1 : @FMAnalysis
Welcome to the first ‘real’ update of the Porto Promise (credit to the site owner and general creative guru Chris Darwen for the title). For those that have not followed a written Football Manager series from me before I tend to update the game information twice a season, at the half way point and at […]
#FM17 : Taste The Feeling : Episode 9 : 17/18
Aims: According to our 5 year plan, this is the season in which promotion should be achieved, with any “dead-wood” shipped out, with the squad re-shaped into one more resembling our vision Transfers In (click for summary) Alex Grant (in): He first came to my attention when one of my scouts recommended him upon […]
#FM17 : The Hapoel Hope 1.3
I thank Eli Levi, my assistant manager at Hapoel Ashkelon FC, for his offer of a team report. He may well not be my assistant for much longer, but I might as well at least get the report out of him. It’ll provide a starting point: after all, it’s my first day at the club. And […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 4.3 : José’s happy
We watched the footage back of Académia’s goal. It was not pleasant viewing. Although we felt secure on defending corners, a worrying habit of giving away chances from crossable free kicks was already slipping into our game. “Gringo,” I shouted over to Phil Neville. “Defending free kicks!” You could see Phil’s chest lift as […]
#FM17 | The Tempo Skin
When the full version of new Football Manager game is released, many new custom skins are produced around the FM community through various forums and sites. There are skins with size more than 100MB with plenty of custom graphics, background pictures, icons and many panels. Please note, there is an updated version of this […]
#FM17 : The Hapoel Hope 1.2 : Inside the Club
In 1970, Banner Press launched Inside Football. It was a publication with a difference. In contrast to the glitzy magazines, it was published as a red-top tabloid ─ you can find images of front pages on Google images. And in contrast to everything else about football in the media, it delved enthusiastically into the […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 4.2 : Setting up Setúbal
Ever been haunted by a ghost? I think I have just been. The ghost of Rafa Benitez. Why did we have to draw Newcastle, the club he rebuilt and got into the Europa League? Why? The only more ironic thing would have been if we had drawn Bilbao themselves in our Europa League play […]
#FM17 : The Hope of Hapoel : But where to begin?
Excitement: beginning the process of choosing a club is like watching the opening credits while settling into your cinema seat. Beginning of a new story; opening of a new world, even. But also anxiety: make a bad choice and the story will fail to take off ─ or come to an early end. The anxiety made worse […]
#FM17 : Taste The Feeling Episode 8 : First season done!
December: Our new tactic carries on paying dividends, with another win and a draw against OHL in which we were very unlucky not to win. January: A undefeated month! Our new signing up front Tychosen makes an immediate impact, with 2 goals in 3 games. We’re flying up the table now! February: Another strong […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : November 2015
Heading into November, there were plenty of positives on show. We sat comfortably in fourth and hadn’t conceded a goal since the middle of September (spanning just over six matches). We were also unbeaten in eight matches since the 2-0 reverse at Fiorentina in only the second game of the season. Plus we’d even started […]
#FM17 : Graphics : Last week’s winner…
Congratulations to @sebastiankolind for winning the inaugral weekly graphics competition by our good friend @fm0tter. Sebastian has created a club called Gibraltar Pirates and begged sufficiently for a club badge and some kits. This is what @fm0tter knocked up for him! And this is what they look like in game… Keep your eyes open […]
#FM17 : The Deep Lying Podcast 72 : Brammer’s Barnsley Army
Join the guys over at The Deep Lying Podcast as they talk to Chris Brammer about his Barnsley save. Give this a listen, one of their finest pods to date!
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao : Darwen and The Beast
“The Beast” put his arm around me and said in his broken English, “Mister, you must be sure you made the right move now, no?” I was, I really was. This is what I had been craving. A bigger stadium, playing in a competition that although not at the pinnacle of the game was […]
#FM17 : The Porto Promise 1.0 : @FMAnalysis
I genuinely wasn’t sure whether I would write this or not. Full disclosure, I have a full time job, three young kids and a lot of writing commitments. As such I cannot promise that this series will be regular or even semi regular. That said though I still wanted to write something on Football Manager […]
#FM17 : [Hot Seat] 1.0 : On call at the One Call
“Welcome to Mansfield Town Football Club. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? A brandy?” “I’m okay, thanks. It’s a little early for me, but please, go ahead.” John Radford didn’t need my permission. He’s already downing two fingers of Tesco’s Finest Cognac before I’ve finished my sentence; judging by the half-empty bottle on […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : October 2015
An unbeaten September saw La Dea lie in 4th place heading into October. The back five was now settled and the starting midfield slots rotating nicely between Poyet, Kurtic, Timor, Besic and Susic. Further ahead of them, Gómez had returned to create a front three of him, Paloschi and D’Alessandro. During our last two games of October, goals […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 3.4 : The final whistle?
Inaki García rounded the CD Mirandes goalkeeper to score his second, the young attacker getting his second and our third meaning we were going to end the season with a win, just like last season. In fact, as I reflected, so much of this season was similar to last season. We finished tenth, once again, […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : September 2015
Having sealed the capture of much needed full backs, I felt increasingly confident going into September. Unfortunately, Maurizio Sarri’s perennial Champions League place chasing Napoli travelled north with the sole purpose of denting that confidence. We were targeting six points from the following games against promoted Crotone and a Palermo side who could easily be on […]
[Second half] 6. In defeat, we keep faith
Having won their previous game 2-0 with a back-3 system, Jac had a sense that he was on to something. The apprehensiveness about the system chipped away with each training session and the win did wonders. With only one striker left in the match-fit squad, Giannis Varouxakis got himself selected as the lead front man, but it was to be […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 3.3 : Benitez, the bastard.
As Joseba and I shared a coffee at the training ground I said to my assistant, “starting to feel a bit like groundhog day, hey Josey?” He nodded in agreement. Get a squad together at the start of the season, tick. Have a great start to said season, tick. Panic as the transfer window closes, […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea – August 2015 (including Deadline Day)
A promising pre-season led Atalanta hurtling towards a first season under my tutelage in high spirits. The opening month’s fixtures were a mixed bag; very winnable games at home to Modena in the cup plus the first game of the Serie A season against the Flying Donkeys of Chievo preceded a stern test at Fiorentina. […]
#FM17 : Graphics Requests!
Folks! If you are anything like me, doing anything more than using SmartShirt Designer to create some kits makes my head hurt. God, then the song and dance with the config files. Even trying to come up with a decent graphic to represent the save hurts. So, we recruited @fm0tter to the team and we […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : Pre Season 2015 Part Two
During my initial meeting with chairman Antonio Percassi, we discussed the expectations and budget for the season. Feeling ballsy, I set a target of a top half finish which resulted in Percassi handing me a war-chest of £3.5m and a wage budget of £487k p/w. A war-chest big enough to buy the equivalent of a peashooter and […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 3.2 : Hugs
I hugged my assistant, Joseba Etxeberria as the final whistle went. He’d played 53 times for Spain whilst spending 14 years as a player here at Bilbao. The man had Basque blood and Bilbao was his home, meaning more to him than his family. A 1-1 draw with Alavés was a big result for us, […]
#FM17 : Competition Time : FM Touch
So everything in the world is really bad is it? Well, maybe depending on your point of view. But, to cheer you all up, I have a competition with an actual prize. What is this prize some of you scream? Well, maybe not scream. The prize is… I have a code to give away for […]
#FM17 : Taste The Feeling : Episode 7 : So it begins…
Episode 7 – The Beginning Finally FM17 is here, so after months of planning we can get our adventure off the ground! To start off I went into the editor and made a couple of changes. The first the team were renamed from Royal Antwerp into Coca Cola Antwerp (thanks to all those that voted […]
#FM16 : Atalanta : The Rise of La Dea : Pre Season 2015 Part One
It seemed harsh. After all, Edoardo Reja had done what was asked of him when he was appointed – successfully fighting fires in the midst of a relegation battle in the 2014/15 season that had led to the sacking of previous incumbent, Stefano Colantuono. However, at the end of the 2015/16 season Reja got Pulis’d – the board […]
#FM17 : Trainspotting 2017 (P1)
Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a Family. Choose Edinburgh City. It is time for me to break the habit of a lifetime and not jump straight in my debut save at Liverpool. This time I’m after a challenge. One where I dive straight into the lion’s den. I find myself taking over at Edinburgh […]
#FM16 : Atalanta: The Rise of La Dea : Introduction
My first post for the blog will be my last save of FM16 before FM17 is released this autumn. For this save I have taken the reigns at Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio – more commonly known as Atalanta. Atalanta are based in the northern Italian city of Bergamo and are a solid Serie A side having held […]
[Second Half] 5. Building the back
From the moment Jac landed at Stansted airport yesterday morning, he had immediately been whisked to the stadium’s briefing room for a meeting with the bosses followed by a press conference – the one attended by a single reporter. He had headed straight back to his hotel room to digest the briefing notes with only a sandwich for lunch […]
#FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 3.1 : Sod off Rafa, I’ll do it myself
The first day of pre-season. It’s a special day at a football club no matter what level you are at. The smell of the grass, the fact it is normally a damn sight warmer than it’s going to be mid-season, new faces and if you are really, really lucky, some new balls. For this post […]
FM17 : The Boys of Bilbao 2.4 : I need to lie down…
“Lads, we need to put in the kind of shift today that means the gaffer won’t leave us in the summer!” said my captain, Odei Onaindia before the final match of the season. My Basque is far from perfect, but I assume that is what I heard. To be fair to the centre back, he […]