Route 23 | FM23 Story | #2

Route 23 | FM23 Story | #2

Mason Bradshaw is back! Join us at Route 23 with our Access All Areas pass to watch the rookie Englishman take charge of the New York Red Bulls. We’ll see it all from the transfer signings, the team talks to the wins and losses. We’ll hear from Mason himself, his family, his colleagues, the media and much more.

FM23: What makes a good Raumdeuter?

FM23: What makes a good Raumdeuter?

The word Raumdeuter was coined in a football sense by Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller to describe his unique attacking role. The word essentially translates to “space investigator”, and is best used to define the German’s effective role when exploiting the half-space. A Raumdeuter’s main function is to drift infield and find pockets of space in which to thrive. When deploying any wide player as a Raumdeuter you are essentially instructing them to cut inside and exploit the channel, rather…

Read More Read More

FM23: What makes a good False 9?

FM23: What makes a good False 9?

In a game dominated by 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-5-1 formations, centre-backs have become accustomed to marking just a single player. A team playing with a false nine is playing without a dedicated striker or target man and relies on midfielders running from deep to do the damage. Take the case of Messi and Barca, considering it’s the most successful use of the system in footballing history and look at the advantages. Defining the False 9 The false 9 position is…

Read More Read More

FM23: What makes a good Segundo Volante?

FM23: What makes a good Segundo Volante?

The Segundo Volante is often perceived as a fictitious role, due to it being mainly introduced and popularised in Football Manager. The term ”Volante” is based on Carlos Volante, a midfielder in the Flamengo team in 1938–1940, and down to its core was simply the term for a ball-winning/holding midfielder. The Segundo Volante is mostly employed in a double pivot, either in a 4–3–3 or a 4–2–3–1. He is usually next to the deep-lying playmaker and sits slightly higher up. Recent examples include Pirlo…

Read More Read More

Defence-First Football: Disciplined and Sensible Management in Football Manager 2023

Defence-First Football: Disciplined and Sensible Management in Football Manager 2023

This is going to be a guide on strategies that I learned in all of my years playing Football Manager. Not just FM2023. Partly my goal is to debunk a few myths that players have about FM management as well as about “Defensive” Football. It’s also a guide on how to turn an underdog team into a serious contender over time. It’s not a guide to instant success in FM23. But rather repeatable strategies that can improve any club. One…

Read More Read More

Route 23 | FM23 Story | #1

Route 23 | FM23 Story | #1

Mason Bradshaw is back! Join us at Route 23 with our Access All Areas pass to watch the rookie Englishman take charge of the New York Red Bulls. We’ll see it all from the transfer signings, the team talks to the wins and losses. We’ll hear from Mason himself, his family, his colleagues, the media and much more.

Football Manager 2023 Recruitment Breakdown

Football Manager 2023 Recruitment Breakdown

Recruitment has been revamped in this new version of Football Manager, and I am obviously intrigued. Gone are the days of disorganized scouting assignments and keeping track of your plans in separate documents, or are they? I will explore the new areas of the game and see what benefits we can find in FM23! Recruitment focuses are the revamped version of Scouting assignments. Gone are the percentage bars of scouting knowledge, and presented to you are more descriptive titles. I…

Read More Read More

When Finding a Save Isn’t Straightforward

When Finding a Save Isn’t Straightforward

The career of a football manager can go in many different ways – some will find a club they connect with and grow there, others may make a name as specialists in relegation battles or achieving promotion. Some may even just follow the wind. Their careers are not straightforward. They can have many peaks and troughs, yet still it is a journey that we can watch them work through. In FM, we can have a career in one save, but…

Read More Read More

Yellow Gold – Moneyball in FM23 | Prologue

Yellow Gold – Moneyball in FM23 | Prologue

I’ve had numerous attempts at recreating the fabled Moneyball, and never really got anywhere with it. Different things got in the way but the main issue was it takes a while to see the results, and I usually got bored or sacked before those results came to fruition. This year I’ve spent much more time planning my choice of club, and feel that I can really make a go of it. Plus, the recent addition and changes to the Data…

Read More Read More

FM23: What Makes a Good Inverted Wing Back?

FM23: What Makes a Good Inverted Wing Back?

The inverted wing-backs (IWB) is a role rather than a position. Their job is still to defend the flanks and provide support. However, a signature movement that they employ is moving centrally into the field and occupying a position in the midfield, alongside the deep-lying midfielders.