Pacific FC – The Spring Season

Pacific FC – The Spring Season

Spring surprises for us & based upon the 2019 seasons final standings, the though of Pacific finishing near the top appears to be a pipe dream. The pre-season was intense & challenging but the players are prepared for what’s ahead. More signings joined the squad with a full squad of 23 players. One huge frustration is being able to bring a squad together when the salary cap is so low.

Unsung Heroes: Deep Lying Playmaker

Unsung Heroes: Deep Lying Playmaker

Learn how to use a Deep Lying Playmaker in your team, using real life examples of players. In history, football has seen many heroes grace the pitch. From Pele to Maradona, mastering the arts of scoring goals. To Lev Yashin and Peter Schmeichel keeping them from hitting the back of the net. But in between these two extremities, between scoring goals and stopping them, what happens in the middle of the pitch? We at Dictate the Game love this role,…

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Young Devils – Samba United and The Magic Box

Young Devils – Samba United and The Magic Box

There are two ways to creating tactics in Football Manager 2020. One that most FM players, myself included, use is to start with an idea of what kind of tactical style you want to achieve. Then look at your team and try to mold your players into the roles that fit such a style. Sometimes this can work very well, especially when starting with a squad that worked under such a system before. For example it will be easier to…

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Making Pulis Proud – The No-Nonsense Full-back in FM20

Making Pulis Proud – The No-Nonsense Full-back in FM20

The no-nonsense full-back might not be the player role in FM20 that get’s many plaudits but it is one that can be a complete gamechanger. I find it often will be overlooked for more attractive roles like the Anchorman or even Targetman. Here at Dictate the Game there are a few of us that worship at the altar of hoofball. You can hear us wax lyrical about it on the podcast quite often. Some of us are more inspired by…

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Why FM Touch might be the game for you

Why FM Touch might be the game for you

A lot of people think FM Touch isn’t the same as the full Football Manager 2020 release, but there are a lot similarities. The game itself can still offer the same satisfaction, and excitement but in a toned down version.There are so many reasons people don’t consider, as to why FM Touch could be a perfect alternative to the full game. This article will explain those, from a personal perspective.

FM20 | Moneyball | Part 2

FM20 | Moneyball | Part 2

Welcome back to my Moneyball series. If you missed part 1 you can check it out here, and if you have no idea what Moneyball is you can check out my FM19 series here. This time we will be looking at how the tactics I’m using are shaping my search for signings. We’ll also take a dive into my results so far, and compare my January targets with similar players and my own squad.

Red Star Alliance: Big Sam’s Greatest Hits (Tactics ala Allardyce)

Red Star Alliance: Big Sam’s Greatest Hits (Tactics ala Allardyce)

This instalment of the Red Star Alliance series continues my current obsession with all things Sam Allardyce and outlines my FM Interpretation of a “greatest hits” (pun intended) album from his time at Bolton. These tactics were developed in conjunction with Big Sam’s Fantastic Four data metrics for my Red Star Wrexham save. Recreating IRL tactics is my preferred approach to FM. I watched Bolton matches from their most successful period (2003-2007) where they competed in Europe and made Cup Finals….

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Taking on the World | FM20 Story | #1

Taking on the World | FM20 Story | #1

Welcome to a brand new Football Manager 2020 story called ‘Taking on the World’. This FM20 story is a classic journeyman save as we attempt to travel around the world and ticking off as many countries as we can. The aim of this FM20 story is not to stay at the same club for more than one full season. I am not allowed to accept a job offer from another club in the same country if I am already managing…

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Total Football, Total Balance: The Most Important Attribute

Total Football, Total Balance: The Most Important Attribute

Young Devils Guide Football Manager is a cultural phenomenon because it is a game that is built around numerical statistics and spreadsheets. And at the core of all the stats, are player attributes, representing their technical, mental and physical ability. Which in on themselves are simple collections of numbers. Yet they can make us whoop with joy, when you first see that wonderkid regen with green 16+ values across the board. Or sigh in frustration when confronted with down-pointing red…

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