The Higher Tempo Press
Latest Posts
What a club doctor is for 14.8
EARLY SUMMER, 2030: No, Mr Almalem, you’re right: the season was a massive disappointment. Yes, the target was qualifying for Europe and we finished bottom half. And, as you say, a club like us was always going to be capable of lifting the State Cup, so our success there was no big deal. However you […]
Malang Sarr
Welcome to the player review of Malang Sarr. Malang is another defender that you may not be aware of. Many people choose not to move for a young defender, worrying about inexperience. So, in this review we take a look at this promising defender and see what he turns into. What do you get for […]
Tempo YouTube Needs You!!
Calling all YouTube content creators! As you may, or may not, know we’ve taken the plunge at Tempo Towers and have embraced YouTube as quickly as Arsene embraced a change of tactics – about five years later than everyone else 🙂 Still, now we are here we are going to do it bloody well. We […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 25
So, here we are: the final stretch. With nine games to go, United are ten points ahead. There’s a lot of work to be done to make up that gap but our eyes are on the prize and we’re going to run full tilt at it. Before we get down to the nitty gritty though, there’s the small […]
Disciple of the Rafalution, Tactical Prelude 1
The Gospel according to Rafa Tactical Prelude 1 Rafa Benitez was an obsessive when it came to tactics & preparation. As a child, Rafa played Stratego, a military-based board game where players were tasked with out-manoeuvring their opponents. It was this same mentality that Rafa brought with him to management and coaching. Although formations may […]
Rivalità Tra Fratelli, Episode 6
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 […]
Concentrating on the cups 14.7
At Hapoel Ashkelon FC, we set off on the 2029-30 season in high spirits. I told the players our goal is to go one better than last season and win the league. We played well in the qualifying rounds of the Euro Cup. We lost, narrowly, to Leicester in the play-off, but I don’t mind […]
The Boys of Borussia Part XI
Folks, I warned you in the last piece that history might be on the cards. Well, was history made? And what is exactly is this history I speak of? Read Part I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X here. Very simply, Dortmund II have never won 3.Liga. An Englishman has never won 3.Liga. 3.Liga has never […]
Banished To Bromley Part 3: The End of the Beginning
So, it’s August 6th and I have my first league game as Bromley manager today against Tranmere Rovers in a 3 o’clock kick off at Hayes Lane, great. Just to remind you I’m aiming to finish at least in the top half this season which everybody at the club believes we can so I’m hoping […]
Blackpool’s awful run comes to an end amid speculation over managers’ future
Blackpool’s awful run comes to an end amid speculation over managers’ future Blackpool picked up their first win in 11 league games with their 2-0 away win over Bradford City recently. The side had been on a poor run since mid September and had seen them slip from top to 11th place in League One. […]
Disciple of the Rafalution, Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Finding Our Feet As I have said in the Introduction pieces of this series, tactically my hands are bound in following in the footsteps of Rafa Benitez during his tenure at Liverpool. In the opening stage of the season (Pre-Season, then August to the September/October), I have attempted to put my own interpretations […]
To Dare Is To Do #18
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC To Dare Is To Do | #18 Extra Innings | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today we take on Sunderland in the FA Cup Final! Can we repeat the success of bygone eras and complete the Cup double? Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to […]
Tempo Experiments #001: Allegri to Arsenal
In a world where Arsene Wenger either gets sacked or believe it or not, quits, someone has to take over. Well at Tempo Towers we are rarely original so we thought that the Juventus manager on the verge of a historic treble might fancy a go at the Premier League. Let’s see how he would […]
Banished to Bromley Part 2: Pre-Season
So it’s now July 2nd and its already time for me to start earning that £775 a week Bromley are paying me. Today we have that friendly with the under 23’s so hopefully some players on both sides can make a good first impression. Leading up to the game assistant manager and head of youth […]
COYW! Season 1, September
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. September A good mornings training is ruined by the fact my fax machine is the bearer of bad news. We are to be without Sam Magri and […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 24
We end the year with greatest gift anyone could possibly dream of: a date with Tim Sherwood, the Patron Saint of Brexit. The third round of the FA Cup (which, bizarrely, takes place on the 29th of December) sees us entertain Brentford once again. It all ends in tears for Tactics. Adam Smith dominated the […]
#FMSlack Q&A with @FM_Samo
Monday saw the next in our series of chats with the writers for Tempo on the FM Slack channel. This week was with the pioneer behind the FM Slack and occasional writer for HTP FM_Samo. The first part of the questioning related to the FM Slack and the community in general. FM_Adventure, fresh from his […]
Board in the USA 23: Lessons Learnt
Board in the USA 23: Lessons Learnt This final update will serve as a review of all the learning points throughout this 4 season-long journey with Atlanta United that I have shared with you, the reader. I am sad that it is finally coming to an end, but all good things eventually must. Buckle up, […]
Clean sheet merchant 14.6
I do well with goalies. I don’t get the kind that photographers love. Peter Bonetti-types, leaping cat like across the goal to acrobatically tip the ball over one-handed. I loved Bonetti, but he’s not the kind I buy. I buy rugged guys — guys who get very bad temepered if they’re beaten and who usually […]
#TempoYouTube: Recreating Pep G’s Inverted Wing Back tactic in #FM17
Well, the welcome video was only that. A welcome video. Now we are getting down to the real stuff. @DistanceCovered wrote a fine piece on Pep G’s Manchester City tactic that has led City to, er, maybe 3rd place in the Premier League this season. But we know some of you fine folk like a […]
Run, Forest! Run! Part 10: Ides of March
March is the penultimate full month of regular competition football. It is therefore vital we secure a top six position. April will be very busy with 7 matches in 29 days and we have to compensate for the inevitable loss of points due to fatigue. This month we will face Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford […]
Searching the Stats v3.4
Episode 4 – Centre Midfield Previous episodes: Episode 1 – Introduction and full-backs Episode 2 – Centre-backs Episode 3 – BWM + B2B Midfielders In this episode we’ll be after a CM (Au), as the Centre Mid is required to play a pretty versatile role, helping out in both attack and defence we require him to […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 23
José’s Manchester United side might have left us for dead in the title race in each of the last two seasons, but they’re no match for us on the grandest stage of them all: the Community Shield at Wembley. A 1-1 draw after Barkley cancelled out Dybala’s opener extended our unbeaten run against United to […]
The Ultimate Journey: Champions Of China
After a year in China, how did we do? Well stick around and read through our first full season in charge of Yanbian Feud. Transfers We did spend quite a bit but most of that was down to because me being in China and the flows faster than water. So who did I sign? Panagiotis […]
The Boys of Borussia Part X
Wow, ten parts already? That’s pretty quick for me. Though, as Mrs Tempo tells me, speed isn’t everything. Anyway, strap yourselves in as we have a blockbuster of an update today. Read Part I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX. We have reached the half way point of the third season in Germany. Time is flying, […]
Splashing the cash: the striker 14.5
I’ll always remember the evening. Early summer, 2029. A beautiful early evening. My son, Simon, and I have just had a dip in the Med and now he’s driving me to our favourite Misada Mizrahit — a restaurant run by a family with roots in the Maghreb. Try the harira, you won’t be disappointed. I say to him, “I’ve […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part 5 – Looking at the Midfield
Hey, it’s Eibar time again. Since we last met we have only played four games but as I said these Midweek updates are more about certain pieces of Analysis. Today we will take a look at two of our Midfield Players who have featured in most of our games in this season with Dani Garcia […]
Banished to Bromley: First Day at the Office
I’m Art de Roché and to give you a bit of background I live in South East London when I’m not in Gloucestershire for Uni. I’ve come back home for a few days and in a break from all the work, I’ve decided to load up Football Manager 2017. Now if this was a few […]
The Return To The Kosovo Journey: World Cup 2022 Qualifying Part 2
We’re back and with three games to go in this campaign to gather as much pride as possible. I’ve ruled out 2nd place despite it still being mathematically possible – it’s just too much of a stretch for us. It’s Andorra up next. Ah, Andorra. Everyone’s guaranteed 6 points… I hope I haven’t spoken too […]
Slack FC: Season 1, October 2016 to January 2017
Ello boys and girls. How you doing? Are you well? Good! And yes, I’m doing well thanks! It’s getting towards the summer, with the longer nights and hot weather. Festival season is coming, I’m going on holiday, and can’t wait for BBQ’s each weekend. Oh, what’s that? Shut up and get on with the Slack FC […]
Splashing the cash: the midfield 14.4
As I say, if Hapoel Ashkelon FC are going to progress from runner-up to champions, I’m going to have to do what I hate doing and have always been bad at, which is splashing cash. The summer of 2029 has seen me make three big money signings: one defender, on midfield, and one striker. The […]
Run, Forest! Run! Part 9: A February Tale
There are only four months remaining. Four months to secure a place in the promotion playoffs. For that to happen, we need to be more consistent than we have been thus far. Since we ended our unbeaten run at the end of November, we have only won 4 out of 13 matches. The only reason […]
The Boys of Borussia Part IX
So folks, today we play “using the crystal ball to mould a team for the new season”. Oh yes, I may as well put names in a hat and go from there. Preseason is underway and I haven’t got a scooby who will be with me come the first 3.Liga match against Kiel in a […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 21
We pick up where we left off – with a frustrating, defensively inept loss against a midtable team. At least against Fulham we trade punches for a bit rather than just rolling over and letting the Wolves eviscerate us. Trouble is afoot as soon as Zaha picks up the ball and starts running at Taylor. […]
Rivalità Tra Fratelli, Episode 5
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 […]
The Vagabonds: Part 2
So here we are! Squad sorted. System sorted. Now it’s time to see if literally any of it actually works. Naturally, in what is hopefully not a portent of things to come, we lose our opening league game against Accrington Stanley (who are they?). The game itself isn’t too bad and we play well enough […]
Splashing the cash: defender 14.3
So if Hapoel Ashkelon FC are going to progress from runner-up to champions, I’m going to have to do what I hate doing, which is splashing cash. And I’m going to have to do it much better than I’ve managed to do before — big money signings is something that I’ve always been rubbish at. […]
The Trophy Wife #3
Caryl, our Director of Football, departs on a well deserved holiday while I review the £75,000,000 worth of damage done in the January transfer window. Caryl’s half decent but vastly expensive backups will grace my bench for the rest of the season, while I plod along with my usual lineup. One man who definitely doesn’t […]
Brexit Bournemouth Part 20
I said my next four games would be make or break. I should have been less rigid in outlook; it turned out to be both. The good news is that it’s very much “make” on the league front. Third place Everton are first in line and are seen off 3-0. Adam Smith makes amends for […]
The Return To The Kosovo Journey: World Cup 2022 Qualifying Part 1
Here we are again – World Cup Qualifiers. We’re competing for the chance to China 2022, on account of Qatar being unsuitable. The last time around in World Cup Qualifying we gained 1 point from 10 matches but most importantly it was our first point in officially recognised International Competition. This is our litmus test […]
Mauricio Lemos
Welcome to the review of young defender Mauricio Lemos. Many of you will be familiar with defenders such as Balanta but maybe, like me, you don’t know about Lemos. Well, based on the start of game stats it seems we may have overlooked a possible amazing defender! In this review we take a look and see […]
Just about managing 14.2
Don’t tell the Hapoel Ashkelon FC board, but there’s not much in football management that I’m really good at. But there are a few things. One is low-level signings, by which I mean signing players who: don’t cost much aren’t playing at a high level haven’t achieved much on paper (i.e., in a database) don’t […]
The Boys of Borussia Part VIII
What, no made up conversation with someone else to kick this update off? No, not today. Today we are dealing with FACTS. Read Part I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII. My second season in charge of Dortmund II has come to an end and, on reflection, has been a decent season all in all. Sure, no […]
Blackpool on a poor run or finding their level?
Is the recent poor run a blip or a return to type for Blackpool FC? Having spent the first 11 league games of the season undefeated Blackpool are now in the midst of a terrible run. They have not picked up a win in the last seven league games and have fallen down the league […]
The Brex’t Episode
Having left Celtic and taken over at Southampton as the United Kingdom left the European Union, it was time to overhaul the new club. After bringing in Emilio De Leo as Assistant Manager and Warren Joyce as Coach, we quickly filled out the rest of the coaching staff. Ruben Jongkind, Phil Neville, Luca D’angeli, David […]
Eibar: An Analytics Story Part Four – Nullifying the Threats
Hello, we are back with Episode 4 of Eibar – An Analytics Story. The Friday episodes are going to be more of update episodes with the obvious statistical and tactical analysis thrown in while the Tuesday episodes are going to focus on one specific thing. This can be one player, one part of a Tactic, […]
The Return To The Kosovo Journey: UEFA Nations League Division C – 2020
So, we’ve taken a break and returned with our feet firmly on the ground following our Euro 2020 outing. I pleased that we managed to go and actually get a win out there despite the odds being against us but I do feel there’s still more to come from us. We set up for the […]
To Dare Is To Do #16
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC To Dare Is To Do | #16 Wembley Return | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today we take on Manchester United in the FA Cup Semi Final! Can we win and make it to the FA Cup Final? Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming to […]
The Boys of Borussia Part VII
“I don’t care if he is likely to leave in the summer, this is not a good thing for me. There is no way they will give me the job yet, no way at all. My best hope is that they don’t find someone that might stick around for the next decade. This isn’t how […]
#Tempo10 Episode 2: Toby Tarrant’s beard, playing with Charlie and blue ticks…
First of all, don’t start expecting a daily podcast because you will only be disappointed. But, we are back sooner than expected with an interview that was an absolute pleasure to record. Toby Tarrant, otherwise known as the son of Trevor McDonald, does the early-breakfast show on Radio X and is one of the best […]