The Higher Tempo Press
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Searching The Stats 3.8
Episode 8 – The Goalkeeper Episode 1 – Introduction and full-backs Episode 2 – Centre-backs Episode 3 – BWM + B2B Midfielders Episode 4 – CM (Su) Episode 5 – AP (Su) Episode 6 – AP (ATT) Episode 7 – ST We’ve now found targets for all our outfield positions, but now comes the difficult […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part 9 – Youth Intake & Match Prep
Hello everyone, Eibar is back. We are getting to the back end of the season and the race for places in Europe, the place at the sun and the remaining places in the league. Like every season, this coincides with what some people call the most exciting day in the season – Newgen day. It […]
The Spin-Off Story – Ich bin ein Berliner
Welcome back to the Spin-Off Story where the summer of 2021 sees big Mohamed Yattara take over at Hertha Berlin (if you hadn’t already guessed from the title). [For those who aren’t regular readers of *shameless plug alert* my FM stuff on my own blog (The Long Ball), Mohamed Yattara was an unexpected goalscoring machine […]
Can football management be engineered? Anglo-Saxan Chronicle 6
‘You see,’ said Mr Merciu, as we tucked into our okroshka soup, ‘I enjoy being Chairman of FC Saxan. But there is one thing I’m not happy about: the problem of football managers. ‘We have had a succession,’ he continued. ‘Good, bad, and indifferent. You never know in advance. A manager does well at some […]
To Dare Is To Do #25
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC To Dare Is To Do | #25 Speechless | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today we take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, can we get a win over our bitter rivals and keep up our momentum. Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to watch […]
New signings struggle to settle in new look Leiria side
An almost completely unrecognisable side took to the field as Leiria lost 1-0 away to Penafiel. There has been a vast amount of changes from the side who missed out on promotion last season in what has been manager Bruce Parker’s ‘most challenging’ transfer window. All ten senior squad members left the club in the […]
How do England’s U20 World Cup winners develop?
Following England’s U20 success in winning the World Cup on the 11th of June there was some discussion around how to ensure these players reach the top level of the game. For sure game time would be among the key factors in whether these players can make it to the top or not. Using Football […]
What has this to do with football? Anglo-Saxan Chronicle 5
As soon as we entered the pizza restaurant in ‘downtown’ Ceadir Lunga, Mr Merciu, the chairman of FC Saxan, pointed to a table in the corner. ‘That’s our table,’ he said. I liked how he had his own table. I liked too how, as soon as we were seated, the waiter brought a bottle of […]
Tempo Tips: How to Balance the Books
It’s never easy trying to stay in financial shape when managing a smaller club. @fm_adventure wrote an excellent piece with some useful tips for us last month, so we decided to turn it into a video for all you YouTube fans. As ever, don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. Enjoy!
The Land Down Under III
G’day, mate! Today is October 11, and it’s a pleasant 68 degrees in Western Australia as we get ready to line up against Perth Glory away from home to open up the 2016/17 Hyundai A-League season. We will, however, not get to that match-up right away, because we have some final pre-season information to go […]
How to Create Gegenpressing in FM17
Follow @DistanceCovered on Twitter for more. Introduction Before I get started, I’ve got to make two things absolutely clear to before going into detail. Firstly, this is MY guide to gegenpressing within Football Manager, not THE guide. The guidance, recommendations and information proposed throughout the piece is based on my footballing knowledge, tactical awareness and […]
Banished To Bromley Part 7: Similar Stories
We start this episode with a F.A. Cup 4th Qualifying Round draw before our next home game against Woking, the team we were eventually drawn to play in 2 weeks’ time. But today we face them in the National League in a bid to extend the winning run to 4 games. 20 minutes into the […]
Top-flight football? Anglo-Saxan Chronicle 4
Mr Merciu had described Ceadir Lunga as a ‘city’; everybody describes it as a city; Ceadir Lunga describes itself as a city. It is in fact a modest town, with a population of under 20,000, lying a few miles north-west of the border with the Ukraine. One wonders how big a crowd FC Saxan, playing in […]
The Land Down Under II
G’day and welcome back to Gosford, New South Wales! In case you missed it, my name is Damon, and I’m in charge of Central Coast Mariners of the Australian Hyundai A-League. In the last update, I spoke briefly about myself and my Football Manager career before getting into the rules of the A-League. If you […]
To Dare Is To Do #24
Today we take on Manchester United in the Premier League, and it’s first against second in this top of the table clash as we head into the second half of the season. Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to watch my latest Football Manager content. If you enjoyed […]
Rivalità Tra Fratelli, Episode 10
This is the story of two brothers, a modern-day Cain versus Abel if you will, based in the northern powerhouse Italian city of Milan. If you’d like to replicate this challenge, we’re using the updated medium database with the following leagues: England (Premier League, Championship, League One & League Two), Italy (Serie A & Serie […]
Do we like football? Anglo-Saxan Chronicle 3
We’ve been enjoying the holiday in Moldova. I wouldn’t recommend the place for fine dining. But, at least, if you’re not vegetarian, you can find good wholesome local cooking. I’ve developed a liking for mutton soup and goat stew. Pretty much everything is accompanied by mamaliga, a kind of porridge. Though the cuisine lacks finesse, […]
The Spin-Off Story – Vote for the team now!
It’s the year 2021. Brexit is happening and it’s a bit hard. Monaco have just won Ligue 1 with 103 points. An Alvaro Morata inspired Manchester United have just defeated Kevin de Bruyne’s PSG in the Champions League final while Paulo Fonseca’s Spurs won the Europa League (a competition won by Leicester in 2020) by […]
Leiria miss out on promotion but must now build on good results
Next season will be once again spent in the second tier for Leiria’s fans as the club miss out on promotion to Liga NOS. Having started his time in Portugal slowly, the manager turned Leiria’s fortunes around to build hope of an unlikely promotion. With only 5 games remaining Leiria were six points from the […]
To Dare Is To Do #23
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC To Dare Is To Do | #23 Kop That | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today we take on Liverpool in the Premier League. Can we do what we haven’t done since 1995 and win at Anfield? Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to watch […]
An Alternative Guide to Alternative Leagues: Colombian Liga Aguila
Episode 2: Colombia Narco Football Colombian football has a big history which is often associated with the influence of drug cartels. The most known leader of one of these cartels, Pablo Escobar, indeed has a history of Colombian football. Growing up in Medellin, Pablo was a fan of Atletico Nacional. He invested a lot in […]
CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: Scotland on the Road to Euro 2004 Part IV
Welcome back! It warms my heart to see how Tempo has grown since I started this save. You may recall last summer we went on an epic journey, in not only qualifying for the 2002 World Cup but reaching the final, only to be toppled by Italy. Clearly not familiar with the phrase “quit whilst […]
The Higher Tempo Press Goals of the Week: June 2nd 2017
Welcome back folks, we have another bonanza of goals for you here today. Nice passing moves, long range blasters, top banana free-kicks are all in today’s competition just for you. We also announce last week’s winner which qualifies for the June Goal of the Month competition. Take a look, enjoy and then come back and […]
Tempo Experiments #004: John Terry: Legend, Leader, Manager?
John Terry has done a bit for Chelsea over the years. Some might say he has already been assistant manager for best part of a decade. But, now he has officially left Chelsea as a player, what would happen if he came back to Stamford Bridge as the manager? Let’s find out!
Banished To Bromley Part 6: George Graham Who?
Today we take Bromley to Gloucestershire, where in real life I live during Uni times, to play a 7th placed Forest Green Rovers. Going into the match we were only two points off them so a win could help catapult our season into a top half finishing one. After impressing against Maidstone new signing Sergio […]
To Dare Is To Do #22
Today we take on Chelsea in the Premier League. After coming so close to winning at the Bridge last season, can we go one better this time around and finally banish over 25 years of hurt? Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to watch my latest Football Manager […]
Disciples of the Rafalution: Some Tactics
Outthinking the Opposition My Disciples of the Rafalution series is all about adopting the man’s approaches to the game, especially his time at Anfield, and apply them to the squad of today. Rafa proved himself to be a master tactician, despite the team lining up in a 4-2-3-1 hybrid system over his tenure, each game […]
What about the football? Anglo-Saxan Chronicle 2
My curiosity about Moldova was whetted by an article in the Financial Times by Mike Carter (‘The perfect place to escape other tourists’, 22 May 2015). The World Bank had, according to Carter, identified Moldova as the place in the world second least visited by tourists. Carter set out to discover whether there was anything […]
Searching The Stats 3.7
Episode 7 – The Striker Episode 1 – Introduction and full-backs Episode 2 – Centre-backs Episode 3 – BWM + B2B Midfielders Episode 4 – CM (Su) Episode 5 – AP (Su) Episode 6 – AP (ATT) With our potential squad now forming nicely, it’s time to find a couple of strikers. The criteria we’re […]
COYW! Season 1, November
THE OBJECTIVE: TO MANAGE MY HOME TOWN CLUB, DOVER ATHLETIC, IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE. DOVER HAVE NEVER PLAYED LEAGUE FOOTBALL. I AM GOING TO TRY AND CHANGE THAT. November The first week of November and we are in FA Cup action. Wycombe Wanderers are our opposition in what is the first round proper. The […]
Does Sead Kolasinac lead Arsenal to glory?
This week saw the announcement of Arsenals new signing Sead Kolasinac. He joins the club from Bundesliga side Schalke as competition in the left back position. His arrival possibly signals the intention to build on the three at the back formation which was successful at the end of the season. Whether he will replace Kieran […]
Our common European home? Anglo-Saxan Chronicle 1
Bliss was it that dawn to be alive From The Prelude by William Wordsworth In Strasbourg on 6 July 1989, Mikhail Gorbachev gave a speech as President of the Soviet Union. He took issue with those who were ‘not unwilling to put the USSR outside of Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals by confining […]
Tempo Player Analysis: Cristian Pavón
Following on from Lee Scott’s excellent piece on Cristian Pavón here, we have turned it into a YouTube video for you all. Today’s piece, narrated by Chris, includes real life footage as we take a look at whether SI have done a good job at translating the real Cristian Pavón into the FM17 Match Engine. […]
The Ultimate Journey | The Apertura
Last time out you read about me taking over at a club in Mexico- Queretaro. They were a side who were recently promoted into the top division of Mexico which is obviously Liga MX. Now the board just want me to fight bravely in Liga MX but with that, I had to first understand the […]
The Land Down Under
Hello, Tempo readers! Allow me to give a quick introduction before we begin my inaugural post on Tempo and my professional debut for the team starts in earnest. My name is Damon, and I’m a 24-year-old American soccer (I do want to apologize in advance for using soccer and football interchangeably) fan who’s been playing […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part 8 – Small changes – Big Impact
Hello, Eibar is back. We got through the transfer window in the last episode and today we will take a look at what happened after our 0-0 draw against Leganes. At the end of episode 7 I was teasing about a small change that we made and this episode will be about that small change […]
הֱיה שלום Ashkelon 17.5
It didn’t take long to sell the apartment. We stayed our last night in Ashkelon in a hotel — nothing fancy, just the Holiday Inn. After all, it has a pool. And then we made the short rail journey northwards to Ashdod. We’d manage to book a couple of passenger berths on a cargo ship sailing […]
Five Tips for Premier League survival
So you actually did it. You’ve taken over a Championship side and managed to get promoted. A gruelling 46 game campaign ended in a ticket to the Promised Land. Congratulations! Well done! But the hardest part of the job has just started. As a newly promoted side, you’re just like the new kid at school. […]
Banished To Bromley Part 5: Record Breaking and A New Face
Just two days after our last outing against Guiseley and Bromley are back in action in front of a home crowd to face Eastleigh, still labouring in mid table at the moment this game is a must win to keep up with the rest of the pack. In a match that was littered with yellow […]
Konquering Kosovo with Ferronikeli: 2024/25 Season
The aim remains to Konquer Kosovo, last season we completed a Superliga and Superkupa e Kosoves double. The one trophy that has eluded me thus far is my aim this season: Kupa e Kosoves. Transfers We released Ryo Kato, Kaan Kanak and Petrit Nika out of our own choice, feeling they were not up to […]
Sailing to Byzantium? 17.4
Doc Peres was the club doctor at Hapoel Ashkelon FC for many years. We always got on well – he always said he was pleased that my fitness policy meant there was never much for him to do – and we’ve stayed in touch since he retired. He still comes to games, bless him – though […]
Run, Forest! Run! Part 18: Feb – May ’18
Sweet, short February. We only play three competitive matches with an 18-day gap without matches in between, which I decide to fill with a friendly against Galway United. Why? Because I love Ireland, that’s why. Of these three matches, we only get a single point. But that point was earned during a hard fought display […]
Tempo10 Podcast #4: What save shall I do?
Hello podcast listeners. Haven’t the DLP done well, 100 up and what an episode to bring up the ton. Well, we are new at the crease and have nurdled another single to bring us to four not out. Come on, it’s summer so we can talk a bit of cricket. Not in the podcast though, […]
A User Guide to FM Touch
For those with limited time or computer capability who are maybe not getting the full use from Football Manager, there is another option. FM Touch is more streamlined, so if you are guilty of hitting space one too many times to get through the season, it could be right for you. What follows is a […]
Rivalità Tra Fratelli: Episode 9
This is the story of two brothers, a modern-day Cain versus Abel if you will, based in the northern powerhouse Italian city of Milan. If you’d like to replicate this challenge, we’re using the updated medium database with the following leagues: England (Premier League, Championship, League One & League Two), Italy (Serie A & Serie […]
After 800 matches: the downside 17.3
After a good lunch of hummus and taboon bread, I return to my apartment and continue my assessment of my position as manager of Hapoel Ashkelon FC. On the wine rack is a bottle of Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon, which I feel sure will aid my powers of reflection. I settle down in the armchair again, […]
The Boys of Borussia XVII
So, er, yeah. Hamburg. The job I always wanted, right? It’s been a dream of mine to represent Hamburg, I have supported them since I was a boy and Kevin Keegan took his perm to Germany. Who do you think I am, Robbie Keane? I have no connection to this club, I am still spinning from the […]
Leiria endure difficult start under new boss
Just two wins from the new managers first eight games have left Leiria on the back foot in the promotion race. Their most recent 3-3 draw at home to Feirense was the fifth straight game without a win leaving them eight points behind the final promotion place. Although they twice took the lead, the home […]
Submit your Goal of the Week!
Hey folks – so, we hope you are enjoying our Goal of the Week competition – we announce the winning goals in the next week’s video. If you haven’t had a looksie and vote, check out the latest one here. As we said in the video, we’d like you guys to submit your goals of the […]
An Alternative Guide to Alternative Leagues: Argentina Primera Division
We all know those times when you just can’t seem to get attached to a save in Football Manager. If you are looking for something new, fun and challenging, this is the series for you. In this series I guide you through some of the lesser known leagues in Football Manager, mainly focussing on South […]