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Why FC Lorient in #FM19? - Orange Is The New Black
Orange is the new Black Blogging FM means you can look back retrospectively over your save, savouring the highs and lows of football management and recording the minute details held within. Everything before FM16 (the FM on which I started blogging) is therefore a bit hazy. I can’t look back and
Creating a Hybrid Tactical Style in Football Manager 2019 - feat. @MerryGuido #FM19 #WeAreTheCommunity
Intro This is a collaborative piece between good friend Guido Merry (of Strikerless.com fame) during the FM19 Content Capture Event , held in London (October 2018). Several FM Content Creators were given a chance to try out an Alpha build of Football Manager 2019 and come together and produce
FM18 Epilogue | BFC Siófok 2017 - 2045
The summary of the Football Manager 2018 save in Hungary with BFC Siófok.
Epilogue:
Previously in Return to La Plata, Ángel Bastardo looked back on 8 incredible years with Estudiantes .
Samo's Stirling - Season Fourteen - Game Over
With the treble treble secured last season (that's three consecutive seasons of the SPL, Scottish Cup and Scottish Supercup being won, all three available domestic trophies), it's safe to say we're dominating domestic football. Going in to each new season I'm confident we would consistently be able
Morale Manager
Over the last couple of editions of Football Manager there's been talk across the FM Twittersphere of the game becoming more like Morale Manager. In my opinion, SI have got this pretty spot on. FM reflects the IRL football world with players not getting on with you or each other, complaining about t
A Strategy for Stirling
In my saves on previous editions of Football Manager I've tended to set out quite structured aims and targets at the beginning of the save. This time round with Stirling we started out in the third tier and I knew I eventually wanted to grow the club and take it to the next level but one of the main
Samo's Stirling - Opening the Samo Stadium
Having successfully established Stirling as one of the best clubs in Scotland on the pitch, it was time to do this off the pitch too. We'd quickly outgrown our 3,808 capacity Forthbank home, we were unable to play our home European matches there (because home European matches are a thing now for the
My FM18 Tactic: 4-4-2
I grew up watching football at a time when 4-4-2 was the standard across Scottish and English football. Beckham and Giggs on the flanks, Keane and Scholes centrally and Yorke and Cole up top are my most vivid memories of the formation. Even now, on terraces across Scottish football you'll still hear
Why the Medical Centre Isn't Needed on FM
The addition of the medical centre for FM18 was called out as one of SI's crowning new features. It's a feature that I hadn't seen many people requesting, it's one we've managed to live without so far up to this point and personally, it's one I think can still be lived without. Have a read of how I'
FM18 | Watch and learn
Football Manager 2018 and the tactical post about the changes I made after watching the game.
Rensie Custom Skin for FM18
The custom skin for the Football Manager 2018 created by FM Rensie.
Samo's Stirling
I've introduced you to the new structure of Scottish football, briefly touched on who I'll be taking over and even more briefly touched on why I would be. Now it's time to dig a bit deeper into the why and what exactly I'll be aiming for whilst in charge of Stirling Albion on FM18. Let me just quic
My FM18 Plans
If you know me, you'll know I'm Scottish and that I love Scottish football. I'm also a big believer in focusing on your strengths, and that's why I'm heading back to Scotland on FM18. I want to establish myself as the go-to when it comes to anything Football Manager and Scotland. If you've got a bur
Argentina: The Football Manager 2018 Survival Guide feat. @HEGS_com & @VincentGuzman_ #FM18 #WeAreTheCommunity
Background
Why Estudiantes in #FM18? - Return to La Plata #WeAreTheCommunity
Previously in Return to La Plata: Ángel Bastardo woke up .
Prologue:
Previously at Grasshopper HQ: Ángel Bastardo was left for dead after the mutiny in Milan .
Epilogue:
Previously on "Inter is coming": we witnessed the ecstasy of Ángel Bastardo .
“The ecstasy of Bastardo” - Inter is coming #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity
Previously on "Inter is coming": Bastardo built The Wall.
FM17 | 24 years with Reading FC
The summary of the Football Manager 2017 save with Reading FC.
My FM17 Tactic: 4-2-3-1
This tactic was initially adopted by RBL during season 3, but I've also been using it to great effect with RBS since I took over there too. Of course, both teams playing the same way will only help us to develop players who can easily slot into both of the clubs. Let me introduce you to "Betwe
Epilogue:
06 July 2019 Fibra International was always going to be hard. With no International team training, dangerously low levels of tactical familiarity and an adaptability score of 1, Ángel Bastardo was thrown into the deep end with Chile. But despite the uphill task, Bastardo batt
Finding the next Naby
He hasn't quite reached Timo Werner levels in terms of getting all my love and affection, but when Bayern started touting for Naby's signature I knew we had to start succession planning. Today's post is all about that. Finding our replacement for Naby Keita. The Man Himself
Managing in Argentina - 10 Tips To Survive #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity
My save game date with Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) is 19 April 2017, I've survived 10 months in this crazy place without resigning or getting the sack! There are a few things I did prior to kicking off this FM17 save, and a few other things I learnt quickly along the way, which have r
My FM17 Training Approach
As I pointed out in my intro post, alongside scouting, development is to be one of the key pillars of my time at RBL. Translating this onto FM, this means training. My under 24 years of age signing policy means that the vast majority of players I have on the RBL books will be promising ones that ca
Rensie Custom Skin for FM17
The custom skin for the Football Manager 2017 created by FM Rensie.
My Approach to Scouting - FM17
Scouting is one of the three main aspects that I’ll be focusing on in my RBLeipzig save that I called out in my initial plan for FM17. Since the appearance of Moneyball style saves on Football Manager, scouring the globe for talent has become even more important than before. My RBLeipzig save isn’t
FIBRA FRIDAY - Day 1 Transfer Targets at Estudiantes de La Plata #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity
Happy FM Day, are we excited? Today's blog outlines a few potential Player & Staff targets discovered in the FM17 Beta. Individuals who could be making their way to La Plata (if the circumstances are right). Stay tuned to my Twitter feed throughout the day to se
No One Likes Us, We Don't Care!
I’ve come to a decision on my FM17 save. It’s the most hated team in Germany, RasenBallsport Leipzig. If you've been living under a rock for the past few years and don't know why they're hated I'll give you two words, Red Bull. As Chris D pointed out in the introductory post of his Bilbao boys sa
Introducing Ángel Bastardo, Estudiantes de La Plata's new manager #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity
Today's very short blog is a break from the recent Fame & Fibra series . Instead, I want to take some time to introduce Ángel Bastardo , my new persona for FM17, and also present the Manager attributes I will give him and why. It's been a year since I wrote ' Investing in the ri
Fame & Fibra in La Plata - Part 2 #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity
Ex- Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) Manager Diego Simeone's tactical approach is gaining quite a substantial following. The fundamentals in his philosophy are seen as an alternative to the possession-centric systems we've seen dominate the upper echelons of competitive football over the
Fame & Fibra in La Plata - Part 1 #FM17 #WeAreTheCommunity
Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) have a rich history of embracing the collective team qualities of teamwork & work rate . The basis of their domestic & continental successes[1] in the late 1960s was built on the foundation of all eleven players knowing their tact
Why Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) in #FM17? #WeAreTheCommunity
From Friday 04 November 2016 I will be managing Estudiantes de La Plata (EdlP) in the Argentine Primera División . I am making the 11,300 km journey from Zürich to La Plata and there are so many reasons why I am looking forward to my EdlP adventure. Today's short blog detai
Auf Wiedersehen GC Zürich: 10 years without Swartzendruber #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
Football Manager (FM) is a peculiar drug . During Football Manager 2016, I have fallen in love with two players that will never exist . I have also started to follow a Club I have never seen play live, let alone visit the country that they play in! This is what FM can
FM16: Seventeen years with AB
The summary of the Football Manager 2016 save with Akademisk Boldclub.
The Marco & Remo Diaries - Epilogue #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
My FM16 journey has ended after finishing 10 seasons at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ), I now wait for FM17. However, after simulating 10 years into the future (to 2035), I have two short blogs to publish: (1) today's Marco & Remo Epilogue and (2) next Friday's Auf Wieder
Auf Wiedersehen GC Zürich: Seasons 1-10 Review #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
3 minutes . I was 3 minutes from reaching the 2024/25 Euro Cup Final in Poland, in what would be Loïc Swartzendruber's 500th and final match in charge at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) - ending a trophy-laden 10 year spell in Zürich. 3 minutes away from erasing GCZ fans'
The Marco & Remo Diaries -
March 2025 : It's been over an in-game year since I last updated you all on the developments of Marco Simon & Remo Mahrer, two exceptional Academy players of the 2015/16 Youth Intake. This update takes place two thirds through my final season at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ): Season
Season 10 - The beginning of the end #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
90+1 and 120+1. Two critical minutes in two separate games that highlighted the great weakness of my team in Season 9. In each occasion Galatasaray had scored, to swing both legs of the 2nd Knockout Euro Cup tie in their favour - 6-5 on aggregate. Out of Europe once ag
The Marco & Remo Diaries -
Thursday 22nd February 2024 - There has never been a more apt time to write a Marco & Remo diary post. This is because £43m rated 24 year old Marco Simon returns to the Letzigrund to face off against his boyhood club - Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ). Marco now plays for O
Season 9 - The Financial Fair Play Fiasco #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
OK, caution if you are about to embark on this blog post. Get a drink, sit comfortably and relax...for what you are about to read is one mother of a shitstorm... Background In January 2018 (half way through Season 3 of my save) Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) were bought out by Italian tyc
Ball Playing Defender: 'The Casado Experiment' Part II #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
Experiments provide: ...insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated Back when I introduced Casado at the start of Season 8 there was no guarantee that this experiment would work - to turn a Brazilian central midfie
FM16: In love with Wide Playmaker
The tactical look into how the Wide Playmaker role worked for me during the Football Manager 2016.
The Marco & Remo Diaries -
Just over 2.5 in-game years have passed since I last updated you on the developments of Marco Simon & Remo Mahrer, two exceptional talents for the 1st Youth Intake of February 2016. When I last wrote about them, Marco had made the £20m switch to Lyon, France. Remo however, continued to rest
Ball Playing Defender: 'The Casado Experiment' Part I #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
As discussed in my previous blog post , my Homegrown defenders lack the technical and mental ability to suit a passing game. As a five, their average Passing stat is 8.8 and Vision is 5.6. This isn't so much of a problem when coming up against weaker opposition, whereby the the
The Homegrown XI: Season 7 update #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
One of the attractions of managing in a smaller European nation, such as Switzerland, is the Winter Break - a 60 day pause between competitive fixtures during the months of December, January and February. It's a chance to reflect on the previous few months and look ahead to the defining months of th
Regista: Directing the Flow #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
The brilliant Deep Lying Podcast last week covered a topic which is not always easy to talk about: FM Slumps and Fails. Today I'll share my current predicament, and the solution I plan to remedy the current slump...
Hugging & Inverting: The Juxtaposition of Width #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
During the last 6 [in game] years at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) I have tweaked a variety of tactical aspects of my formation and player/team attributes. None more so than the use of width in my teams and it's something I have been meaning to blog about for a while. Today I wil
Player Search: finding talent & value in FM #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity
A few followers on Twitter have asked me what I search when signing a player in FM16. In truthfulness the criteria for signing a player differs in each transfer deal I've made. This is primarily due to reputation and resources being different year on year. I've been on