Assessing the situation A wage structure is a great way to start getting a tough financial situation in order. When I first took over HSV I was aware their financial situation wasn’t great. So, when I clicked on the finances screen it wasn’t too much of a shock to read about the £42 million debt. It’s a big debt and it’s being paid back at £875k per week. However, it’s not one I’m panicking about just yet. We have one…
When it comes to tactics in Football Manager I used to take over a team (in this case Hamburg in Football Manager 22), and force the players into my favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. And why not? It’s a system I know inside-out. This approach usually ends up working eventually (after some transfer activity). However, there’s always one pretty good player that gets left out because they don’t fit in with exactly how I want to set up. That player then…
Part One. I was happy living in my lighthouse, tending to my garden of vegetables and walking down by the seafront. I was happy being away from football for the first time in 52 years. On March 22, 2021, I had been out of the game for less than two years after being dismissed by Delia bloody Smith at Norwich. Not even in the kitchens. Or the canteen. In the back of her limousine. “Mr. Storm,” a voice accustomed to…
That time of the year is upon us and we’ve been playing Football Manager 21 for about 6 months now, maybe we need something to spice up the game and make it feel fresh and exciting again? That’s why I’ve decided to do a Top 10 Underrated Clubs to try in Football Manager 2021 list. So let’s dive in. Underrated Club – Atalanta The first club in our Underrated Clubs to Manage list is Atalanta. They seem like they are…
I love youth development and I have a weakness for a good story. What happens when I combine the two? Well, in FM20 ”Santástico” happened. It was a blog/Twitch series managing Santos FC in Brazil, with the aim to create the next Pélé. I absolutely loved the series and I’ve been longing to do something similar in FM21. I’m so excited to announce that the time for this is now. It’s time to see if I can recreate the career…
Here we go again, it’s FM21 experiment time. Prepare yourself for part three of my four part series, “From Kingston to Kirkcudbright”, which sees me make it into the New Year. For anyone who’s forgotten, I am trying to answer the question of “are football players from the UK overhyped?”
Last month I was delighted to debut my article series with “Dictate the Game”. A reminder to everyone that my FM21 experiment is set up to answer one question once and for all. That question is “are football players from the UK overhyped?”. Here we go again with “From Kingston to Kirkcudbright”. Recap There are many ways that we could delve into this question, but for those who read part one you’ll know all about my method. Yes, using FM’s…
As a new writer for “Dictate the Game”, I am delighted to start my first article. Entitled, ‘From Kingston to Kirkcudbright‘, this debut piece is going to take readers on a journey that comes in the form of an FM21 experiment. The article will be looking to answer a question we possibly think we already know the answer to… “Are football players from the UK overhyped?” And whilst plenty of research into this topic has been done in real-life (see…
In a previous article, I mentioned how important a Physio could be in keeping your players fit, on the pitch and from being a waste of money. By preventing injuries and reducing the length of any that happen your Physio can really help make a difference to your FM21 game. There’s a reason why top-flight teams invest in the medical team. An injury crisis can cost a team on the pitch and on the books. In this article we are…
When one thinks of “simple” football, English 4-4-2 usually comes to mind. A long-time favourite formation in Albion, its origin was mistakenly, credited to Sir Alf Ramsey. It was also associated with the transition to modern football. A game that is currently, single-mindedly obsessed with possession, relentless pressing and teamwork. But what led us to the world where Gegenpress has become a household word? The answer is simple. It all began with Viktor Maslov and the Soviet invention of the…
