Implementing a wage structure & transfer policy in Football Manager

Implementing a wage structure & transfer policy in Football Manager

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…

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Football Manager: Youth Development Saves

Football Manager: Youth Development Saves

Football Manager allows players to live out their own fantasy of being the manager of any football team. If, like me, you like not only developing players, but developing players through the club’s academy then below are a few teams where you can prioritise youth development.

Creating a tactic for Hamburg in Football Manager 22 (Part 1)

Creating a tactic for Hamburg in Football Manager 22 (Part 1)

  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…

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Done Deal – Contract Negotiation in Football Manager

Done Deal – Contract Negotiation in Football Manager

Whenever we hear about a new signing to be made in real life or when we’re looking for players to add to our team in FM, the focus of the matter is always on the transfer fee. However, the amount of money interchanged between clubs is hardly the only economic part of the deal; clubs also have to settle on a contract with the player. That’s why it’s every bit as important to secure a good deal on both negotiation…

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Motivation in Football Manager

Motivation in Football Manager

An interesting subject in Football Manager, that can really negatively and positively affect performances is motivation and people management. You have to be able to read the personalities in your squad and figure out ways to get the best performances out of your players, beyond tactical familiarity and training methods. The ways you talk to your players are vitally important. Assessing the personalities in your squad Right off the bat, every team will be a different soup of personalities and…

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Total Football Journeyman: Story of One Bulgarian in Spain

Total Football Journeyman: Story of One Bulgarian in Spain

Almost 30 years to this day, on May 20, 1992, Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona Dream Team won its first Champions League title (European Cup at the time). In 1990s they went on to win 4 consecutive LaLiga titles, an achievement that previously only belonged to Real Madrid. The Dream Team was one of the best collections of footballers to ever wear Barcelona’s kit. And every single one of these players was handpicked by Cruyff based on their ability to play by…

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Total Football Journeyman: Creating My 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 Hybrid

Total Football Journeyman: Creating My 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 Hybrid

The following tactical experiment drew inspiration from many sources. It would not be Total Football without its tactical holy grail of course. Ajax’ original 4-3-3 with Johan Cruyff centering the attack and controlling the whole formation from his iconic False 9 position. Then came the next natural evolution of this formula with Pep Guardiola’s Barca and the talismanic rise of its young Argentinian star. Finally, recently we witnessed an emergence of a renewed Total Football system at Ajax under it’s…

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Scoring Tips for Struggling Teams in Football Manager

Scoring Tips for Struggling Teams in Football Manager

A lot of teams go through dry spells during a season, some teams never get scoring at all to start a campaign. I’ve found a few ways to help this situation during my current journeyman save in Singapore. (Follow me on Twitter for updates 😉 These are scoring tips for struggling teams in Football Manager. Tactics Starting off we’re going to take a look at your tactics. Many managers play in many different ways, and there is always a way…

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Guide to Player Interactions on Football Manager

Guide to Player Interactions on Football Manager

FM21 replaced the classic “voice tone” system with the gestures, an improved, more humane new mechanic for interactions. They say around 70% of human communication is non-verbal, so it only made sense that we were no longer simply being “assertive” or “passionate”, but pointing fingers and flinging bottles at people… or, you know, less aggressive tactics. However, how can we make the best of this new system, and best communicate with our players? It’s now been over a year, so…

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