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Ballad of the utility men 3.7
On the one hand, Yarden Abohazira: On the other, Adil Konstantinos: Abohazira is the sole survivor from the squad I inherited in the summer of 2016. He’s worked his way up with the club and now holds the record for first-team appearances. Each season, between windows, I think of selling Abohazira on the grounds that he’s […]
Episode 20 Part 4, the 23/24 season with Sunderland
Transfers: Jadon Sancho: Bought on the cheap from Man City for just under £1m, he’ll be useful backup and has some fantastic technical stats. Joshua Hallberg: A hefty purchase at close to £10m, he should hopefully make a good shot-stopper. Adrian Voicu: After a decent loan spell at Sunderland he makes the step up to […]
Euro 2020 Build Up
So, after that fantastic victory over Belarus in the Playoff Final we sat with baited breath awaiting the draw for the UEFA European Championship 2020 Finals. Group F: Italy, Slovenia, Spain and… Kosovo! I’ve been practising hard at my “there are no easy games” soundbite. Two warm-up matches have been agreed for June against Czech […]
The Islanders XXIV
OSU! Yes, you are right. We are very much due an update from the Island. Sorry, sorry. I’ve been busy you know! Anyway, it’s now July 2023 and our third season in J1 is flying by. We’ve also made our debut in the AFC Champions League, spent some fairly big money on players, invested in […]
Part 5, The Expansion Draft
5: Rookie Mistakes Man, I suck at this job. I’ve always known I wasn’t a great FM player, but this stint with Atlanta really stuck it in. Even when I did not have to manage the tactics, I still bottled the task somehow. But self-deprecation aside, there’s a lot to learn from this update and […]
Variations on a theme
Valentine’s Day, 2021. A little more in love with the team. We’re not safe arithmetically, but in practice we’re virtually there. The thing that’s made the difference I think is tactical variation. When I want to refresh the tactics I usually go for a big change in formation. But this time I’ve had the patience […]
Belgradian Rhapsody
Zdravo, life in Beograd has started off very well indeed, setting what now seems very low expectations, we find ourselves sitting in first position in the Serbian Premier League after a mere ten games, after setting the goal of building on our eight position last season. The Total Football approach I have brought to the […]
Part 4, Planning for the Expansion Draft
Board in the USA: Planning for the Expansion Draft The time has come. It’s time for my first real test as the Director of Football. The 2016 Expansion Draft. Because I take my position very serious as the DoF of Atlanta United (rather than treating it like just a video game), I put in a […]
MLSsien
In The Higher Tempo Press HQ, the ideas presented fit into two separate yet equally important groups: 10/10, top quality writing; and good puns. This is the latter. (Credit to anyone who got that Law & Order reference) What would it be like if Michael Essien, former Chelsea midfield hero, moved to MLS? I hear […]
Part 3, The Pregame
Board in the USA 3: The Pre-Game Boy, this Director of Football work is tough. I’ve scanned so many scouting reports and fielded so many calls for deals that my eyes bled. My only respite from all this is to tell you how it all went down. With that, we’re off! This update is to […]
Recreating Klopp’s Tactics in FM17
Jurgen Klopp has been winning praise for the way he aims to be only the 3rd manager to take Liverpool into the top 4 within the last 10 years, but is it possible to replicate his “heavy metal” style of football in FM17? To work out how to implement this in Football Manager we first […]
Part 2, Squad Assessment
Board in the USA 1.0 : Squad Assessment You know the feeling you get as a kid when you open a Christmas present in 2004, under the expectant gaze of your parents? You shake it, turn it, feel it in your hands. You know what you want. You know they know what you want. You […]
Q&A with ^AH
Monday saw the third in our series of creator Q&A sessions, this week with Anthony Haynes, writer of ‘The Promised Land’. As usual we asked the questions in the HTP channel on the FMSlack. If you are not signed up all ready it is a great way to speak to your favourite writers and content […]
The future of Football Manager
uMAXit have published a video called The future of football video games. It’s available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVKWZZmbGeU&t=615s). The video is presented by Martin Race and includes interviews with Jon Hare (Sensible Soccer), Simon Read (New Star Soccer), Kristan Reed, and Iain Macintosh. Most of the content concerns simulations, though manager games (principally FM) receive some […]
Part 1, Introductions
Board in the USA 1: Introductions You’ve lost in Football Manager. You have no idea why. You’ve pored over pages upon pages of tactical treatises on the Internet, trying to find some solution to your inexplicable loss-filled woes. There have been times you have considered quitting because you just cannot seem to catch a break in […]
Blackpool look to strengthen ahead of new season
Blackpool will be looking to strengthen their squad over the summer as they prepare to make the step up to League One this season. The club was relegated straight back to League Two the last time they achieved promotion. From then they hired new boss Bruce Parker and he brought them straight back up winning […]
Do I really want this centre-back? Making sense of the numbers
When I look at a player’s profile, I tend to think, “Too much information!” The sheer amount of data can be overwhelming. All those numbers: where to start? So I’ve been working out protocols for arriving at informed decisions. Here’s my protocol for centre-backs: Check the personality. I do this even before I look at […]
To Dare Is To Do #7
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #7 – Hammer Time! | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today we take on our London rivals West Ham United at White Hart Lane. Come and watch a huge Premier League clash! Join me on this adventure on Football Manager 2017. Thanks for coming […]
The Kosovo Journey Euro 2020 Playoff Final
If you look toward my details at the bottom of this article you can find links to my social media accounts and SteamID if you’d like to follow me/talk about anything I’ve written. By clicking my author name, “FMAdventure”, you can also view my previous pieces on Tempo. ======= The day had arrived and with […]
Captain is dead, long live the captain 5.5
No, well, the first half of Hapoel Ashkelon FC’s 2020-21 season didn’t go quite according to plan. We bumped along just above, and sometimes actually in, the relegation zone. We didn’t often fall apart, but we found ways to convert wins into draws and draws into defeats. No consecutive wins We were tetchy. Penalties conceded, […]
Q&A with Footballmanagerzone
Last week saw the second content creator Q&A, this time with YouTuber Footballmanagerzone. Richard has been posting videos on The Higher Tempo Press for some time now so we wanted to know more from him. As with last time it was on the FM Slack channel, if you’re not already a member then sign up […]
A guide to Leon Goretzka
When Goretzka came through the ranks at VfL Bochum, the biggest names from all around Germany, including the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München and obviously, his current club Schalke 04. With his contract at Schalke running out at the end of the 2017/18, there is supposed interest from some of the better clubs in […]
Totally Rad: The Total Football Effect
Zdravo, welcome back to the third episode of ‘Totally Rad’. Since you were last with us we have played our first ten games of the season with our new philosophy and objectives. Before we have a look at how well we got on first we need to go through all the transfer dealings we have […]
Roll up, roll up, it’s the greatest show on earth
So I’ve been shipping out players who bore me and acquiring players who excite me. Players who, if I was a fan in the stands, I’d pay good money to come and watch. Players who I hope I can sit back in the dug-out and admire. Players like our strike-force, Juan Reynoso and Aviran Banin. […]
Episode 20 Part 3 and the 23/24 season for Antwerp
Transfers: Kamal Shassah: Joins as a decent home-grown play-maker to replace Jenderson who’s off to Leiria. Probably won’t be a starter. Amar Plojovic: Whilst a bit raw at the moment I reckon he could be fantastic in a few years if we polish up a few of his weak points. David Lopez: Some very poor […]
Can EU Believe It?!
Welcome back to the best story to come out of the whole Brexit ordeal since that “May v Sturgeon: Who’s got the best legs?” thing the other day… We finished off last time with the winter transfer window about to open. We had just been drawn against Milan in the Europa League, and we were […]
Ousmane Dembélé
Dortmund have a very impressive record of finding young talent gems that are unknown and cheap and creating them into world class talent. One of the more recent players to join that list is Ousmane Dembélé. Blessed with amazing potential and pace this kid has the tools to go far in the game and is at […]
The Power of a Slump
Lessons Learned from Rocky Ground To follow me on social media, check out my profile at the end of this post and to see what else I have written click on my name. On the 22nd of March 2017, Ronnie Moran passed away aged 83 following a battle with a short illness. The 83 year […]
From Porto to Ashkelon is further than you think 5.3
On 4 August 2020, a Lufthansa flight from Porto arrives in Tel Aviv. Off steps 22 year-old Alfa Esteves, a Portuguese-speaking footballer from Guinea-Bissau. Up to now, Alfa’s played all his club football in Portugal, first for Benfica and then for Varzim. Most of the time, he’s played in central midfield, though he’s also been […]
5 Hungarian fullbacks that are worth trying to sign!
One of the most exciting aspects of Football Manager is the part when you can finally spend the money you saved up to bring in your next stars. The thrill of signing a fantastic player is something only a true football fanatic can experience! Everyone tries to exploit the market in their own way. Some […]
Return of the sweeper 5.2
One of the players I’ve brought in – Gal Mio – can play sweeper. As can one of the players I’ve had in on trial – Yarin Hasan. On that basis I decide in the pre-season friendlies to reintroduce my sweeper system. Only that isn’t a very honest way of putting it, since it makes […]
The Kosovo Journey Euro 2020 Playoff Semi-Final
The squad is named for the upcoming fixture, Herolind Shala and Fanol Perdedaj will be big losses due to injury. Two days before the fixture we get the news that full-back Benjamin Kololli has suffered damaged cruciate ligaments – 7months out! Stuttgart’s Samir Bahrami is called up as a replacement. Georgia tend to favour a […]
The action of the tiger 5.1
Last season (2019-20) at Hapoel Ashkelon FC left me with a feeling of such equanimity that we took a longer holiday than usual, not because we needed a holiday but because I felt I could spend time away without worrying. We continued our tour of biblical antiquities, which not for the first time ended with […]
To Dare Is To Do #6
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #6 – Derby Day | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Today Tottenham Hotspur take on our South London rivals Arsenal at White Hart Lane for a huge Premier League clash, in what will potentially be the last North London Derby at our current stadium. […]
How to recreate West Brom’s corners in FM17
It’s no secret that West Brom have been clinical from corners this season with an incredible 13 goals from their 118 corners so far, giving them a corner conversion rate of around 11% – far higher the “expected” average of around 3%. This has led them to the heady heights of 8th, but think about […]
My 19 years, a review of Football Manager and Championship Manager
I have been playing since the 90’s. My first ever venture was CM 98/99. Little did I know I was starting the most beautiful love story of all time. Over the last 19 years (bloody hell, that’s a teenager!) There has been good times, bad times, heartbreak, cheating (LMA Manager 01, I had my head […]
And nothing happened 4.0
Amongst sports writers, my hero is Alan Gibson. He it was who, bored by the cricket match between Hampshire and Gloucestershire at Basingstoke in 1975, reported instead on a junior school rounders match that he could watch over the hedge. Well, my fourth season (2019-20) in charge at Hapoel Ahkelon FC would have required a season-long rounders […]
To Dare Is To Do #5
FM17 Tottenham Hotspur FC | To Dare Is To Do | #5 – Pep Talk | Let’s Play Football Manager 2017 Welcome to a brand new series to the channel for FM2017. That’s right it’s my beloved Spurs! In today’s episode we welcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to White Hart Lane for a huge Premier […]
Development strategy, hummus, and taboon bread
It’s summer time. The off season. The backroom team are all off doing their own thing. But I give our data analyst, Ofir Yeruham, a call to see whether he’s in town. I want to review the club development strategy and want to see whether he can come round for a few hours to help […]
Episode 20 Part 2, the 23/24 season for Leiria
Transfers: Junior Mongondza: Joins from our affiliate club Amiens for a ridiculously low fee (£2.9k!). Worth a gamble! Siriki Coulibaly: Still very very raw but definitely has some potential. Goes on loan to Roda JC in the Eredivisie for the season to hopefully improve a bit. Joao Lopes: The prodigal son returns. The Leiria academy […]
The Islanders XXII
The FC Ryukyu players sunk to their knees, every last drop of energy drained in the previous 94 minutes of football. Their season was over, there was nothing more they needed to give, even if they could. The tiny team from the island of Okinawa had made history, their history. They may have just lost […]
Sturgeon’s Delight
Welcome back to Brexit Means Brexit. Last time, our second summer window of this story had just slammed shut, so it’s only right that we revisit the Celtic Brexit Challenge as the winter window opens. That’s right – Christmas 2017 has just finished, so as Tesco start stocking the shelves with Easter eggs (other supermarkets […]
The sentimental side of Football Manager
Most Football Manager players I know or have spoken to online have one of two goals in mind: take the team they manage to the very top of world football or have a blistering career themselves as a manager in the world of football. They will remove any obstacle in their way of that success. […]
Where it all went wrong 3.6
So, my 3rd season at the helm of Hapoel Ashkelon was not a success — though, fortunately, the board thought otherwise, because we steered clear of relegation. After a couple of days off — chillaxing, as our offspring say — I gather together a small group to analyse where we went wrong. Gathered around the round […]
Serbian Supremacy
Zdravo and welcome back to Totally Rad (how nineties am I?) last time out we were looking at our new team, the aptly named FK Rad, and going through our philosophy and plans for Serbian domination. Well since then we have played our pre-season and created the formation we will be using to end the […]
Testing Gareth Southgate’s new 343 England Tactic
England played Germany on Wednesday in what was Gareth Southgate’s first game as permanent manager. Having impressed during his time as interim boss, undefeated in four games, he was given a chance to showcase his managerial abilities on the national stage and show he was different from past managers. During his pre-match conference Southgate said […]
Season Two, September
Transfer deadline day. Usually this is a day of great drama, a day of last gasp deals that excite the fans and in England, at least, a day when sex toys are thrust into the ears of journalists reporting from the training grounds. From my perspective, given my board’s proclivity for accepting bids for my […]
The Wenger Experiment
It’s been an odd week for Arsenal fans. Saturday’s shambolic display against West Brom, banners in the sky, banners in the crowd and then came the news we all expected to hear: Arsene Wenger is rumoured to have agreed a contract extension. Sorry, what? The Arsenal conundrum is always a hot topic of conversation at […]
CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: Scotland on the Road to Euro 2004 Part III
Welcome to part 3 of Scotland’s Road to Euro 2004, after what seems like an age since the last update. It has been the best part of 6 months mind, but who is counting? After taking the Scots to the World Cup final in 2002, there was a fear the Qualifying campaign for Euro 2004 […]
A Tactical Analysis of Adam Lallana, the Maestro of the Central Midfield
Adam Lallana was voted England’s player of 2016 and since Jürgen Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool, his overall game has come on leaps and bounds as he is forming a vital piece in the Klopp system alongside the likes of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho. Always a silky player with a great first touch, […]