***The Official Football Manager Thread***

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

2028-29 Amiens SC Season Overview

Ligue 1: 4th
Champions League: 4th in Group Stage
French Cup: 9th Round (Union Sportive Concarnoise)
League Cup: Semifinal (Paris Saint-Germain)
Top League Goal Scorer: Lamine Ghezali (16)
Top Overall Goal Scorer: Lamine Ghezali (20)
Highest Attendance: 35,907 vs Lens (Ligue 1)
Lowest Attendance: 25,836 vs Caen (Ligue 1)
Average Attendance: 30,413

For whatever reason, call it coming together as a club, or maybe I've been here too long, but Amiens got off to a sluggish start this season. Working nine new players into the rotation proved to be too much, and we look disjointed and just all over the place. After a 2-1 defeat to Saint-Etienne on Match Day 8, we were sitting in 12th place. Then we recovered a bit and got back up into the top four.

A penalty loss to PSG in the league cup demoralized the squad, and we crashed out of the French Cup in a loss to a team in the third tier of French football. However, over the final 15 games of the season, we collected 38 of a possible 45 points, making a run at Champions League football. Unfortunately, a 3-4 loss on the penultimate game of the season to Lens knocked us out of contention for a Champions League spot. It's on to Europa again.

Midway through February, Napoli fired manager Zinedine Zidane and came snooping around me about the possibility of taking over there. The thought did cross my mind, but ultimately, a two-year extension with a pay raise from Amiens enticed me to stick around a bit longer in France.

Fans Player of the Season

RB Flavio Nasta - 35 (2) appearances, five goals, nine assists, nine POM awards, 7.59 match rating, 56% of fan vote, signing of the season (free from Atl. Tucuman)

CB/RB Arnaud Bonnet - 36 (2) appearances, one goal, two assists, one POM award, 7.26 match rating, 25% of fan vote

LB Israel Martin - 28 (2) appearances, one goal, three assists, 7.26 match rating, 12% of fan vote

Young Player of the Season

CM Giano Li Tien Bachirou - 25 (8) appearances, six goals, seven assists, three POM awards, 7.20 match rating

Top Five in Jersey Sales

1. ACM Steve Martial - 42 (2) appearances, nine goals, eight assists, four POM awards, 7.24 match rating

2. ST Lamine Ghezali - 40 appearances, 20 goals, six assists, four POM awards, 7.11 match rating

3. CM Camille Le Floch - 27 (12) appearances, five goals, five assists, 7.23 match rating

4. CB/RB Arnaud Bonnet

5. CM Andy Pugh - 35 (5) appearances, one goal, four assists, 1 POM award, 7.11 match rating

[studbucket]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Even when the later dates work (not sure why they are greyed out) its still going to simulate the results to that date, and the US will more times than not qualify. You'd have to start a bunch of saves and wait for one to simulate them not getting it.

So I'd recommend starting with them as a holiday type throw away manager profile, make them lose on purpose so they don't qualify. If you don't get fired, then retire and add a new manager to take them over with. Probably going to be the fastest way.

Thanks. That kinda sucks, but at least it makes sense. I have another question for folks who have used the editors.

To mimic the cap increases that MLS does and plans to do in real life, I'd like to be able to periodically go into my game and increase the cap by a few million dollars, every now and then, especially if teams in MLS do well in regional competitions.

Do you suggest using the FM18 In Game Editor or FMRTE for this?

How do I do this? Are there side effects that could screw up the league?

I've messed with the editor in the past, but never for anything this complex, just player creation and editing.

[Zac]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Thanks. That kinda sucks, but at least it makes sense. I have another question for folks who have used the editors.

To mimic the cap increases that MLS does and plans to do in real life, I'd like to be able to periodically go into my game and increase the cap by a few million dollars, every now and then, especially if teams in MLS do well in regional competitions.

Do you suggest using the FM18 In Game Editor or FMRTE for this?

How do I do this? Are there side effects that could screw up the league?

I've messed with the editor in the past, but never for anything this complex, just player creation and editing.

You can't edit league rules with either of those in game editors. You can only do that with the pre game editor, the full on database editor that you alter before you start a save. The in game ones only allow you to affect things on a player/club level. You can't alter anything about a league or a nation.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

This club is growing....literally. The board keeps expanding the damn stadium, but then the fans keep filling it up. So, I can see where they are coming from. But I feel like I'm going to pay for these loans at some point. I keep selling a player here and there to offset the problem.

It was an interesting offseason, to say the least. World number one France fired manager Frederic Hantz after nearly seven years on the job. Hantz was hired after the 2022 World Cup, which France won. Under his tutelage, France has done this....

World Cup: Runner-up 2026
Euro: Winner in 2024 and 2028
Nations League: Winner in 2027
Confederations Cup: Runner-up in 2029

It was that runner-up in the Confederations Cup (and perhaps the failure of the youth setup in France to win anything of note) that led to the firing of Hantz. So who gets to run Les Bleus.....this guy.

I'm taking over a very aging setup in France. Too many top players north of 30. I mean, this is my first squad for our World Cup qualifier against Wales....



Seven players north of 30 and the media is going crazy about me dropping Anthony Martial. Found it hilarious that there was only one Amiens player in the national pool when I took over, and that was a youth player. I didn't go crazy, but I did add three of my midfielders in Le Floch, Calle, and a transfer in I will unveil in a second. Martial deserves to be on the national team, but AMC is a very stacked position for France.

Good Luck in your Future Endeavours

CM Ander Arrieta - 19 (39) appearances, 4 goals, 1 assist, 6.91 rating in three seasons ($1.8M to Lorient) - Was expressing a desire for first team football, but he just couldn't force his way into the rotation. Bought him for $3.2M from Troyes, so you can't win them all in the transfer market. Was promising in his first season for us, but he just never could really take that next step in his development.

GK Mouez Hassen - 75 appearances in five seasons (retired) - Signed him from Nancy on a free and was a starter his first two seasons before being supplanted by Badiashile. Was serviceable as a backup and never once complained about playing time.

CM Giano Li Tien Bachirou - 40 (8) appearances, 7 goals, 10 assists, 7.18 rating in two seasons ($11.25M to Pro Vercelli) - Wasn't planning on moving him, until the Italian side made an offer and Bachirou decided he wanted to play in Serie A. It's a shame as he had a breakout year for us last year, but we did profit on his sale, so there is that.

ST Tiago Moreira ($2.5M to Le Havre) - Call it the Amiens effect. I bought this guy for $23.5k from Portuguese side Olhanense during the summer of 2026. The fact that he never played a minute for the first time, and yet I sold him for 2.5 million?!?!?! Le Havre just got promoted from Ligue 2, so I hope the kid doesn't have a chip on his shoulder.

CB/RB Arnaud Bonnet - 111 (13) appearances, 8 goals, 7 assists, 7.27 rating in 3+ seasons ($14.5M to Bournemouth) - I didn't want to sell the captain. I really didn't. Unfortunately, it's still hard for me to keep teams from higher rep leagues coming in and poaching my guys. Bonnet wanted to play in the Premier League, and who am I to get in the way of that? Made an $11.4M profit on his sale, so there is that. Center back is a position of strength, but I successfully retrained him as a right back as well, and he was a good backup at that position as well. He will be missed.

Projected Starting Lineup

GK: Borja Martinez (3.5/4.0 stars/22 years old/$9.5M) - Signed this summer from Real Madrid for $1.3M. Made 8 starts last season for Castilla, allowing 0.83 goals per game with an average rating of 6.64. Borja and Loic are going to push each other at this position, but Borja's attributes are slightly better, and he's eight years younger.

LB: Israel Martin (3.0/3.0 stars/26 years old/$7.5M) - Signed in 2026 from Oviedo for $2.4M. Made 28 starts last season, scoring one goal and registering three assists with an average rating of 7.26.

CB: Tom Troost (3.5/3.5 stars/23 years old/$9M) - Welcome back Tom! Signed this season from Ajax for $3.5M. Made 34 starts last season, scoring a goal and registering four assists with an average rating of 6.95. Tom is a former loanee, having played for us in the 2026/27 season. I tried signing him then, but Ajax wasn't having it. Better late than never.

CB: Igor Smiljkovic (3.0/3.0 stars/26 years old/$7.25M) - Signed in 2026 from AEK for $2.2M. The vice-captain had a slightly down year by his standards last season, making 35 starts with an average rating of 7.17.

RB: Flavio Nasta (3.5/3.5 stars/27 years old/$13M) - Signed in 2028 on a free from Atl. Tucuman in Argentina. Flavio had a breakout year in his first season with us. In 33 starts, he scored three goals, registered eight assists, and had a match rating of 7.55. Was named captain following the departure of Bonnet.

CM: Camille Le Floch (4.0/4.0 stars/26 years old/$21.5M) - Signed in 2026 from Montpellier for $3M. He may not be the fan favorite and he may not be the flashiest player, but he drives our midfield with pass percentages in the low 90s. Made 38 appearances last season, scoring four goals and registering four assists with an average rating of 7.21.

CM: Higor Costa Porto (3.5/5.0 stars/18 years old/$4.6M) - Joined this season on loan from Brazilian side Cruzeiro. Made 18 appearances last season for the Cruzeiro first team with a match rating of 6.43. We'll shape him up for the Brazilian side. Very pacey midfielder who should do well in our system.

CM: Serge Marchand (3.5/4.0 stars/24 years old/$12M) - Joined this summer from Caen for $4.6M. Last season, the former Lyon youth made 37 starts, scoring a goal and registering three assists with a match rating of 6.94.

AMC: Steve Martial (3.5/3.5 stars/27 years old/$24.5M) - Joined in 2023 from PSG on a free. Last season, made 40 starts, scoring 7 goals and registering 7 assists with a match rating of 7.17. Just more of the same for Martial, who never gets the recognition from the fans that he deserves.

ST: Ludovic Denis (3.0/3.5 stars/24 years old/$3M) - Signed last summer from Troyes for $2.8M. Struggled in his first season with us, making 17 appearances, scoring three goals and registering two assists with a match rating of 6.81. Will be expecting more from the target man, else he loses his spot.

ST: Nacho Varela (4.0/4.0 stars/25 years old/$9M) - Signed last summer from Deportivo for $2.8M. Wasn't expected to be a starter, but he earned his position in the First XI and then some during preseason friendlies. Made 40 starts, scoring 15 goals and registering 12 assists with a match rating of 6.99.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Thanks. That kinda sucks, but at least it makes sense. I have another question for folks who have used the editors.

To mimic the cap increases that MLS does and plans to do in real life, I'd like to be able to periodically go into my game and increase the cap by a few million dollars, every now and then, especially if teams in MLS do well in regional competitions.

Do you suggest using the FM18 In Game Editor or FMRTE for this?

How do I do this? Are there side effects that could screw up the league?

I've messed with the editor in the past, but never for anything this complex, just player creation and editing.

You can't edit league rules with either of those in game editors. You can only do that with the pre game editor, the full on database editor that you alter before you start a save. The in game ones only allow you to affect things on a player/club level. You can't alter anything about a league or a nation.

It would be nice if they coded a CBA to fire every few years where you could get different outcomes, including a rare scrapping the salary cap altogether
-essentially by making it an insanely high number so that they wouldn't have to recode the whole league.

[gopher_guy]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Finished my season at Spurs, the title chase was very interesting. Here's how it shook out:




There were kind of 3 different "reigns" to the season, Arsenal opened the season looking invincible. After the new year, we took over and played amazing (more on that later), getting into the top spot, but then Chelsea turned on the afterburners and won the title at the end.

Cool visualization of the title race:




Like I said, I had my team rolling real well after the holiday season. Really jump-started our season. I don't think I've ever had an FM team go on a streak like this:




But, I've saved the best for last. We went on a run in the Champions League, and ended up winning the whole thing!




I won my group easily, I didn't get matched up with any giants, so that helped. Only loss was to Red Bull Leipzig after I had already won the group, used it to play some young guys and keep my squad fresh. First knockout round was against Shakhtar, won 2-1 away and then hammered them 5-0 at home. Atletico Madrid was next, we used another big victory at Wembley to secure passage to the next round.

Man U in the semifinals was interesting. Lost 1-3 in the opening leg at Old Trafford. I was happy to get the away goal, but to be down 2 goals going into the second leg was far from ideal. In the 2nd leg at Wembley, we scored in the first half, but were getting towards the hour mark, and it was still 1-0 (losing 2-3 on aggregate). Ander Herrera gets a red in the 67th minute, and I go all out. Harry Kane scores in the 87th minute, and it's absolute pandemonium in my basement. 2-0 final, 3-3 aggregate, we go through on that away goal.

Then the Final against Barcelona. In the first half I largely control possession, but Barca are getting more shots than me, so I'm worried that they'll get one and all our hard work will be for naught. But in the 2nd half, Dele Alli heads home a cross, and we hang on for the victory. Only my second time winning the Champions League in FM!






I might come back to this save, because I've got a little unfinished business, not winning the league. But for now, I'm off to start a new journeyman save!

[JHedges2]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Looking good so far in North London. It's red, you know...




Taking care of business--as we should...




Lacazette proving his worth so far...

[Kobalt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

After a disappointing collapse in my 1st year, I got back to back promotions to the top league.





I've been top of the league for all 3 years after the league gets split into 2 groups after 22 games.

[studbucket]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I know some of you were interested in playing with an updated USA/Canada soccer pyramid, so I thought I'd share this.

https://www.passion4fm.com/football-manager-2018-american-lower-league-database/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

[gopher_guy]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Started my no badges/sunday league reputation Journeyman save. Simmed into November before I found a job. I had some interviews with Conference teams in England, and some Irish teams, but I really wanted to get out of the UK for this save.

Ended up taking a job with Czech 2nd division team FK Fotbal Třinec!

Brand new league in a brand new country I've never managed in before, so I am excited. Just a couple games in to my tenure with them, I joined in their mid-season break (the Czech league apparently has like a 3 month break in the middle of the season). The team was sitting 14th (of 16) in the table, just one spot ahead of the relegation zone. I've gone 1-1-1 so far.

The team had NOBODY who could play on the left side. Like, nobody. I don't know if they sold somebody before I got there, leaving that spot vacant, or what. But I panicked and went out and loaned a left mid from a Slovakian club. Not ideal, but it looks like he'll be ok for now.

I just got a new intake of youth players, and lookie what I found.





Solid physical stats, and 15 finishing. He could damn near start for me right now with those stats. Looks like he could turn into a heck of a player.

My Head of Youth Development is high on some other guys as well, I've never seen a youth intake referred to as a "golden generation" before. 2 other guys in the group with 5 star potential.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

After one year at FC United of Manchester I decided I wanted to move on, so I did the "resign at end of season" option, figuring that would allow them time to find a replacement.

Instead, I first got this:


Then they started hiring staff members around me, so I can't tell if they're moving on or trying to convince me to stay. They did up the wage and transfer budget significantly, I just don't really want to manage them anymore.

[NoDakHusker]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I haven't seen a youth intake referred to as a golden generation in game before, that's pretty cool.

[JHedges2]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Curious how you guys handle staffing? I get these reports (at Arsenal) about how we could use another coach for U18's, and more data analysts for U23, etc--random things like that.

I'm wondering what difference they really make?

[NoDakHusker]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Catching up on year 1 with Chelsea: United are going to run away with the title, while I've got Chelsea looking primed for 2nd. My best hopes of silverware sit upon the Champions League, the red devils having knocked me out in the FA Cup. United are just too good in this game. In the CL, I finished 2nd in my group behind Barcelona. Although I'm quite proud to have scraped a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp.

The draw set up Bayern for the round of 16 and I knew I had a big task ahead of me. Stamford Bridge played host to the first leg and while we defended well, the attack had a hard time breaking through. Thomas Muller put one through in the 76th minute to give them a crucial away goal. That would be it for that leg.

I didn't feel good going away from home trailing, but little did I know Chelsea were ready to work their magic in the Allianz Arena once again. We had some dangerous attacks in this one, but Neuer was his usual self. 80 minutes gone, the defense was doing its job, but we needed more going forward. Overload, throw more bodies up there, nothing to lose now. Just after the 86th minute, Victor Moses comes on in a more advanced role to use his pace. Not even a minute later, he latches on to a botched clearance by Niklas Sule and slots one past Neuer to equalize.

This sets up a nervy extra time period, but with Bayern hit by injuries and tired legs, we were on the front foot. Victor Moses is at the forefront again late into extra time at the 115th minute. He makes a run into the box, going in on goal, when Sule brings him down. Yet again, Sule makes a horrific error as the ref points to the spot. It's Eden Hazard to put Chelsea through, I felt good about this one. The penalty is thumped into the top left corner. Bayern were out of answers and much like that fateful night in 2012, beaten in their own backyard by a Chelsea team that just wouldn't go away.

Match stats, where Sules woeful performance is highlighted by a 4.5 rating(click to see full sized image):

Spoiler

[Gunner4Lyfe]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Has anyone done or is doing the Hexagon? The reason I ask, is because I'm curious to know what leagues you load, since I'm not sure which ones to load.