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Scars And Stripes Episode 23: The End Is Nigh
Look at that title, daunting isn’t it? Indeed, the end is nigh but it’s not as negative as it sounds. Basically, I’ve made a decision on my future with Atlanta United and it’s going to come to a close – this is my last full season. I think I’ve done fairly well, haven’t I? Well, […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 16th March
It’s been a good week in the world of #LetouDecide with all the polls and Swans fans casting their votes. The team is set now but look over that tomorrow in the preview, today it’s the traditional pre-match press conference. Apparently, there are 13 journalists in the room so here’s hoping for some decent questions. […]
FM18: 5 Things to Do to Assess your Squad
It’s quite well known that squad building is one of my favourite aspects of our beloved game. How you do this is ultimately personal preference though, but one aspect is always consistent – assessing the current playing staff. How can you do this though? Well, it’s not too hard if you know what you’re doing. […]
Cherry Picking – AFC Bournemouth Episode Six
Welcome back to Cherry Picking, where I will be attempting to turn AFC Bournemouth into something slightly more than ‘that plucky south coast side’. If you’ve been following the series so far, then you’ll probably be sharing a mutual feeling with me: one of complete and utter astonishment. Not only have I pulled the side […]
Letou Decide: Forward March
This week we’ve been through the goalkeepers, the Swansea defence and the midfield. That leaves just the forward line. In all honesty, it’s the area of the team I’m least concerned with because we do have quality options. Each one of our strikers has at least 12 goals this season, whichever partnership wins the vote […]
Vive la Révolution Part XVII: Je suis un échec
“Oui, je suis un échec” I found myself saying to the microphone in my last press conference at AS Cannes. And it was true. I had failed, therefore I am a failure. When I rocked up on the French Riviera I was young, full of hope. I promised Ligue 1 football, that was a given. After a while, […]
Making Blackburn Great Again – Episode #4
When I first heard that we were due to hit by the ‘Beast from the East’ last week, I thought Pavel Pogrebnyak was coming to town. But it turned out that it was just a bit of snow. A full 6 inches at my door meant I was homebound on Wednesday, with minimal food in […]
Letou Decide: Deep In The Midfield
Welcome back to #LetouDecide and the choice for today as we prepare to meet Reading on Sunday is for the midfield combination. We’ll lay four across the middle of the park but the personnel is very much up to your call. As we have eight players to consider, this will be an image-centric edition of […]
Tempo 10 – Creative Forces
With the announcement of the Tempo10 receiving its own listing on iTunes, SoundCloud, Acast and almost everywhere else the boys are back excited to talk Number 10s. In what some may call a 10/10 Tempo10 with a top 10 listing in Denmark, the guys discuss the whos, whats and hows when it comes to setting […]
Canary Corner – Part 15
Welcome back. It’s the end of season 5 and we’ve still got a lot to play for. Our Champions League campaign has a chance of continuing after a win over Milan in group stage 2, the upcoming double header with Lille will be pivotal to our progress there. We’re in the FA Cup 5th round, […]
Beating Nuno – Chapter Five: Up For The Cup
Welcome back to one and all to another edition of ‘Beating Nuno’. With Wolves sitting pretty at the top of the table in the second-tier of English football, I felt it would be suitable to pit my wits against Nuno Espirito Santo to see whether he was doing a really, really good job or it […]
Letou Decide: A Case For The Defence
As discussed yesterday, this week the power is in your hands. This weekend we face Reading on Sunday in the FA Cup Quarter Final in the most significant game of our season. Win and we head to Wembley for an FA Cup Semi Final, lose and we just have tenth spot in the Premier League […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 22: Where Are They Now?
Welcome back to the United States, where I’m a couple of months into my fifth season with Atlanta United. Unfortunately, I bring bad news in the form of the North American Champions League. After winning back-to-back titles, we were knocked out by Queretaro in the quarter-finals this time around. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. […]
Parità dei sessi 2: The marvellous injury and the two-stroke lightning
We’re on a mission of gender equality. The women’s team at ASD Torres have won seven Italian championships, eight Coppa Italia titles and seven Supercoppa Italiana wins. The men have achieved nothing. That needs to change. This is the first season and we’re playing in the 5th tier, the Eccellenza Sardegna. Click here for the […]
Earning Our Stripes Teil 3: Lass uns ein bisschen Fußball spielen!
Guten tag! Welcome back to Dirk van Oortveld’s quest to take MSV Duisburg into the Bundesliga and get into the upper echelons of European football teams! If you want to catch up on what’s happened previously, check out this link here. Before I get into the meat of this post, I need to disclaim that […]
Letou Decide: Swansea City vs. Brighton and Hove Albion Match Review
Thank you to those who joined us on @TheHigherTempo for live coverage of our game on Saturday against Chris Hughton’s Brighton & Hove Albion. You were treated to news of six goals and another huge win for the Swans. One thing I would like to ask, exactly when did Brighton become the Barcelona of the […]
Inept International Manager: Ep. 8
Click here to find previous episodes of the Inept International Manager I know what you’re thinking, is it really that time of the week again? Time for us to check back in with the most hapless international manager in world football. When we last left Louis Henrik, his celebrations for qualifying for the World Cup […]
The FM Pundits
There was quite a fun chat going on in #fmslack last night over in the #fmadventure channel. In fact, it was about the only decent thing to have happened in that channel for months so it must have been mere coincidence. Following Matt having, shall we say, a tricky spell in FM management it was […]
Beating Nuno – Chapter Four: In The Bleak Midwinter
Just as the chapter before it, this one begins with a Midlands derby. It was one of the games last month where I lost ground on Nuno, this time, however, things would be different. Before we come onto that, let me tell you how all of this works. Nuno’s Wolves are one of the best […]
Chronicles of a Chancer: Part 6
Bronze-Wig Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill: Part 3 Our third and final instalment of my first season at Braunschweig. Things have been ticking over nicely and currently we are sat 11th in the league, with safety all but secured and 15 league games and the Quarter-final of the German Cup to go. […]
Letou Decide: Swansea City vs. Brighton and Hove Albion Preview
I don’t want to start today’s piece by complaining but last night’s Friday football was West Ham United at Turf Moor to play Burnley and the Lancashire side won a thrilling game 3 – 2. How could Burnley perform so well and score three goals, I don’t think they had three shots when they played […]
Vive la Révolution Part XVI: N’est-il pas ironique ?
Sod starting today’s post with a make-believe conversation. I’m leaving it to Alanis. Er, we decided to not go pro. I felt we could do better than last season and get right back in the Ligue 2 promotion mix. After three games I filed the request to turn pro next season as I felt we’d be […]
Stars And Stripes Episode 21: The World Stage Once Again
Not that I want to rub it in or anything, especially to Charlie Tango who admits he struggles in the MLS, but I’m in the Club World Cup yet again. Y’know, the competition for the best teams in the world? Yeah, that one. So then, who’s with me this year? Well, Auckland City lost to […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 9th February
Roll up, roll up, it’s press conference time. I love a press conference really, the opportunity to pit your wits as a Football Manager against the best the press core have to offer. There’s just a very quick diversion to say that all those youth players have signed deals with the club including Tom Wallis’ […]
Tactics Tested: Man Utd
Ultra Defensive Manchester United get a lot of stick, particularly under Mourinho, for being a naturally defensive side. Indeed, United have conceded the fewest goals in the league this season, but at the expense of scoring goals themselves, with the second-fewest out of the current top-6. This is what puzzles many fans, seeing that they […]
The Deep Lying Podcast #EP126 | Arsenal and Arsene Wenger: How to manage your way out of an FM slump
Chris Darwen (@tenpotatoesfm) and James Jones (@byjamesjones) return for their first “proper” podcast. Everyone has a managerial slump, especially on FM so the chat is around what you can do to get yourself out of it and turn things around. How have Chris and James managed these tricky moments themselves? What did the community come […]
Cherry Picking: AFC Bournemouth Episode Five
Welcome back to the south coast, the home of AFC Bournemouth – perhaps one of the Premier League’s greatest success stories. The Cherries have risen dramatically through the English Football League pyramid under Eddie Howe, with successive seasons in the Premier League ending in relative comfort and escape from relegation. But this season, things are […]
Letou Decide: Medical Update
Time for a medical update and the news is gradually getting better, which is a blessed relief. At this point I’m fairly sure I’ll have to put some of this squad down. Luciano Narsingh will return from his twisted ankle in 1-4 days but I doubt will be match fit to take on Brighton & […]
FM18: 5 Things To Do When Your Youth Intake Isn’t Great
It’s youth intake day, and it hasn’t lived up to your expectations. You’re disappointed. You start having a little panic. Never mind not getting a 16-year-old wonderkid from just down the road who you can fire straight into your starting 11, there isn’t even anyone in your eyes that looks good enough to develop and […]
Letou Decide: The Loan Rangers
Congratulations to Jordan Ayew, who takes his rightful place in the Premier League team of the week after his two goals against West Ham United at the weekend. Today I’ll take a look at our contracted players outside of the club, those out on loan. The majority of these were loan deals made prior to […]
Tempo10 – Very Superstitious
Mike and Samo take community contributions this week with your superstitions! Is it weird to always have an Icelandic player in the squad? Mike and Samo have the final word on your superstitions, and whether it is reasonable or crazy talk.
Canary Corner – Part 14
Welcome back. Norwich’s European adventure got off to a reasonable start in part 13, but if previous updates are anything to go by we quite often start our endeavours well before they go tits up in the second part of the season. As it is, we just need a draw with Sporting Lisbon and our […]
Beating Nuno – Chapter Three: Don’t Change A Winning Team
Afternoon folks, we’re back for another chapter of Beating Nuno and I hope you’re as excited to read it as I am to write it. No? Well, you should be! We’ve got a double-header this time so you’re in for a right feast of football as we take a look at how my Football Manager […]
Letou Decide: Scouting Report
If Stoke City vs. Burnley were a WWE wrestling match, I’m fairly confident it would be generously described by legendary commentator Jim Ross as ‘bowling-shoe ugly’. That’s not a compliment, folks. I went on a scouting mission last night to the Britannia Stadium to see this battle of the brutes and I’ve handed my notepad […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 20: Aiming For Back-To-Back MLS Titles
Ah the playoffs, welcome once again. Our date in the latter stages of American soccer’s biggest stage has been an absolute certainty since my arrival, so much so that they might as well scrap our 34 league matches and just give us knock-out ties. Whilst I may sound over confident, I assure you I’m taking […]
Parità dei sessi 1: Prologue and index of chapters
Too long, didn’t read? Scroll to the bottom to skip the prologue and go straight to the links to the newer chapters. Welcome to Sassari on lovely Sardinia. This is the hometown of one of the greatest football teams in Italy: ASD Torres. This is a club that’s won seven Italian championships—as many as Roma, […]
Earning Our Stripes Teil 2: Vorsaison
Guten tag! In the previous update, I gave a brief overview of MSV Duisburg and promised we’d get into an overview of the team. Pre-season has been completed, and I’ve been able to come up with some opinions on the players I’ve got at my disposal, I’ve settled on my preferred starting eleven, and I’ve […]
Letou Decide: West Ham United vs. Swansea City Match Review
Thank you to all who joined us for live coverage on @TheHigherTempo of our trip to the London Stadium to take on David Moyes’ West Ham United. The result was what I thought at the time was an impressive 2 – 1 triumph and three valuable points but according to BBC London 94.9, I appear […]
Inept International Manager: Ep. 7
Click here to find previous episodes of the Inept International Manager When we last left Louis Henrik, he was dealing with the news that Australia have not (yet) qualified for the upcoming 2018 World Cup after a 7 – 3 play-off victory over the superstars of Uzbekistan. It’s really something a competent international manager should […]
Chronicles of a Chancer: Part 5
Bronze-Wig Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill: Part 5 ‘Hi, how can I help you today?’ ‘Hi, yeah. I ordered an item from your website last week and it still hasn’t been delivered yet.’ ‘I can only apologise, sir. What item did you order?’ ‘A fuck-off massive box of Pickled Onion Space Raiders. […]
Letou Decide: West Ham United vs. Swansea City Preview
Later today, Charlie Tango’s Swansea take on David Moyes’ West Ham United and the Hammers are up in fifth in the Premier League. I’m pleased for Moyes, I didn’t appreciate the way he was treated at Manchester United (this also applies for Roy Hodgson at Liverpool) so to see him reclaim his reputation back is […]
Scars And Stripes Episode 19: History Is Made (Again)
Josh Challies, Atlanta United icon. In this area, I’m THE man. I’m what Bill Shankly is to Liverpool, what Matt Busby is to Manchester United and what Herbert Chapman is to Arsenal. Except there’s one major difference – I’m not finished. So, why am I on top of cloud nine? Well… That’s right, we’ve done […]
Letou Decide: Mlog 2nd March
The press are buzzing about this weekend being André Ayew’s return to the London Stadium as he was a West Ham United player prior to his transfer over to Swansea in January for £18.5 million. Personally I’m not too worried about André, not only does he seem to be fairly level-headed, he has his brother […]
The Deep Lying Podcast #125: The Deep Lying Pirates
You see, Ed and George didn’t come up with a very original password for their Soundcloud account leaving themselves open to all kinds of piracy. So, being true to my roots I managed to get my way in, talk James Jones of footballfancast.com into coming on board and we now have complete control of your […]
FM18: 5 Things To Do When Taking Over In The Relegation Zone
Earlier this year, I was fortunate to be asked to take over from Stuart Reid in the #LetouDecide project here on The Higher Tempo in association with Swansea City and their shirt sponsor Letou Sports and become FM18’s version of Red Adair. When I parachuted in, Swansea were deep in the relegation zone in 19th […]
AFC Bournemouth: Cherry Picking Episode Four
I’ve been able to draw many conclusions from the early stages of this Bournemouth save. Firstly, that the team’s defending on a virtual platform mirrors the Cherries’ back line in reality, and secondly that my start to the Premier League campaign is something that Eddie Howe can only dream about, in the times where he’s […]
Letou Decide: World Update
Today I’m going to take the opportunity to take a look around this particular world. As we all know, things happen so quickly that not everything gets the proper coverage. It’s the age we live in, with new channels on television 24 hours and even sports news channels. Let’s look at the headlines… Following his […]
Beating Nuno – Chapter Two: Slick September
Football is a funny old game, isn’t it? Sometimes it can kick you in the bollocks when you’re already down and other times it can be the shining light you need which keeps you going. I’ll level with you, neither of those things happened in the month of September in my quest to beat Nuno, […]
Making Blackburn Rovers Great Again – Episode #3
In game week 34 of the Football League, a Danny Graham double lifted Blackburn Rovers to the top of League One, which can only mean one thing. My ‘Making Blackburn Rovers Great Again’ series has inspired the team. But instead of soaking the applauds for my virtual and now real achievements, I instead remain focused on the Championship campaign […]
Letou Decide: Youth Intake
Happy Youth Intake Day! The youths have arrived with their trousers hanging halfway down their backsides so the top of their underwear are showing, using language like ‘chillax’ and referencing their ‘rents’ (parents). I’m just delighted they’ve managed to prise themselves away from Netflix or online FIFA games. My Head of Youth Development Tom Wallis […]