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.
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.
Settling back in to Bundesliga life I entered pre-season still in two, or even three minds about which formation to start with. Should I stick with the 5-2-1-2 which served us well last season and won us promotion? Should I stick with my head and adopt a 5-3-2 with an anchor in the DM slot to give us extra protection? Or should I go for it with a 4-2-3-1. I decided to give them all a chance in friendlies but…
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…
It’s that time of year for some people; you’re either 5 years deep in a save on vanilla databases, building your squad season upon season. You’re pushing for a title and with one more regen (sorry newgen, force of habit) striker and a good injury free run you’re in with a shout as champion. You’ve won a cup or two but don’t really matter, it’s all about that elusive league trophy. In an alternative universe you are at a crossroads:…
The advantage of using world-class team in FM20, is in the variety of tactics you can try on season-to-season basis. I started out my Benfica save attempting a more patient possession approach, reminiscent of Guardiola’s Barcelona. Yet as my campaign continues, I find myself experimenting with more adventurous tactics. So in 3rd year with the Portuguese giant, I attempt to show that Total Football does not necessarily equal boring possession-focused football. It can also be an exciting attacking style. In…
So far in my Total Football Journeyman series, I had covered some pretty great historic teams like Ajax, Barcelona, and Liverpool. But I feel that in recounting the stories of these giants, I lost track of something important. All those sides played beautiful fluid football but were already established world-class clubs. Yet the question remains, can a Total Football style be achieved by a club that is good but not world-class? And can Total Football be achieved on a budget?…
I could have called this piece, “Total Overloads Take 3.0” before settling on a more catchy title. Some might remember my old article exploring Pep Guardiola’s tactics and overloads. It’s okay if you do not, I don’t mind. There’s been so much change in my writing and tactics since FM19 that I don’t even remember everything myself. It has been an educative journey into football history and learning the intricacies of FM games. I prefer to think of my series…
Welcome back to the Football Manager 2020 story 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 a club…
In a series about Total Football, you might wonder why I am writing about Sir Ferguson’s Manchester United? While Ferguson’s Man United achieved amazing success between 2006-2009, they were not known for playing Possession-style, associated with Total Football. Or for that matter one cannot really pin point a specific style of play or formation to that legendary team. However, one constant that contributed to Ferguson’s success was his masterful management of his players. Sir Alex Ferguson was a people manager…
