It happened. You got scored on in the last minute of the final. Your team missed the last penalty of the shoot-out. Perhaps you simply lost it on goal average. Whatever it is, you’re angry, furious actually, and you wanna be rid of it all. Don’t! Here are five tips on how to deal with Football Manager frustration

1. Don’t rage quit, but do leave

No matter what it was, it has happened. Maybe you missed on a promotion place by the slightest of margins, maybe you lost the European Cup at the last minute. It doesn’t matter. It was your goal for the entirety of the season and it went away. It’s ok to be angry, but it’s also important to know how to manage that anger. 

You’re probably gonna feel like alt-f4-ing your way out of it, but try instead to take a deep breath, exit the match, hit save, and just quit from the game. Don’t try to deal with the press conferences or the incoming mail or anything else. Don’t toy with the idea of deleting that save or replaying that match. It won’t do you any good. The anger you feel is real and it won’t go away that easy. Even if you manage to win it in the “replay”, it won’t feel good, it won’t feel real. Just save, quit, and bar yourself from thinking about it until you see the wallpaper of your desktop screen. 

2. Take your mind off the game

That’s it, you’re out. What now? Well, it’s gonna take a while until you’re ready to get back in the hustle, so take some time off. Do you have some games you’ve been dying to try out but you were just too hooked on that FM save? Well now’s the time! Do you have a movie or a series you’ve been wanting to watch or get up to date with? Now’s the time! Any other hobbies you’d like to approach again? Any new music you’ve been meaning to give a listen? Perhaps simply some quality family time or activities? Now is the time! 

FM can be a thrilling passion but, as with everything, it’s important to know when to take a step back. The essential part is to take your mind off it and to clean your head of that anger that you’re feeling. It is really important not to stay stuck in that place and the negative thoughts that it brings. When you take some steps away and put things in context, it’ll feel better.

3. Appreciate and share your experiences with the game

So you’re angry because of a football result on your videogame. Many people would think that’s silly. But we get it. Why? Because we’ve all been there. Every FM player has had a terrible result go against them, a terrible miss cost them a title, a gut-wrenching loss making it all feel pointless. Sharing your experiences with other fans can make it all feel much more manageable and fun.

Also, take notice of the fact that you’re experiencing one of the truest emotions a football manager can get, the frustration after a bad result. Considering you’re in this to take the role of one, appreciate what just happened as one of the bumps in the ride. The highest highs wouldn’t be the same without those infuriating lows. There’s nothing quite as rewarding as getting back on your feet after being blown away, so try and enjoy because its all part of the FM ride.

4. Return and evaluate the damage

Some time has passed now. We don’t know how much. Might be a couple of days, might be a week or two, whatever it took. Now you’re back on FM, and it’s time to deal with the consequences. You can do the Press Conferences and that sort of thing, check how and why things went south, but particularly, evaluate how much damage was really done. If you’re anything like me, you would have built a narrative in your head about the save. Perhaps it doesn’t feature characters and plot twist, but you surely envisioned where you wanted to go with your team, which players were important for it, which signings you wanted you make; basically, where you were going and how you were getting there. Whatever happened probably threw a wrench at that.

What you need to ask yourself is… what was the damage? Does what happened ruin a particular challenge you were doing or goals you had set yourself? Maybe it puts you in a dire situation with the board? Could it make it impossible to retain one or several key players? If the answer is yes, then perhaps a rethink is in need, but I have found myself that often the only problem is that you get that imaginary trophy you were already lifting in your mind away from you. It hurts sure, but it’s not the end of the save. You can pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again next season. In my experience, after a few days away from the game, you’ll be dying to go at it again.

5. Look for new horizons

Let’s say then that the disaster was definitive, or perhaps you simply don’t feel like continuing after that; what then? In that case, I encourage you highly to find a new challenge within your save. Why not take a step backwards in your career taking a smaller club like any real-life manager would have to after a major set back? Not thrilled about that prospect, then have you ever tried your hand at managing abroad? Why not take a trip to some of the leagues you’ve been poaching talent from and see how it goes over there. Don’t feel like going from customer to provider? Perhaps then a stint at a National Team; the NT game will help you get off that club-managing burnout, plus there’s quite nothing like leading your team to the World Cup.

Whatever you chose, it’s about rekindling your love for that save and taking a new challenge without dumping it all to take on a brand new save. Let the universe you’ve created and decisions you’ve made live on, and you’ll never know where the game can take you.

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