I’ve been playing Football Manager since I was 9 or 10 years old. For most of that time, I’ve treated it as an indulgence – something that I shouldn’t be wasting my time on but enjoy doing anyway.
Lately though, I’ve committed to being OK with it. Many people play video games or Dungeons and Dragons and this is mine.
Anyway, here are a few scenarios I enjoy when starting a new Football Manager save:
- Non-league to Legend – inspired by a YouTuber called Lollujo, you start off in the lowest league possible and try to make your way to being one of the best managers. This often leads to pretty long games, the occasional sacking, and a bit of a zig-zag through different countries.
- Director of Football – handing over all transfer and contract decisions to a Director of Football. I think this leads to a game closer to reality – leaving you in charge of training, tactics, and team selection. This can leave you with some pretty dodgy squads to work with though.
- Bielsa-ball – basically committing to the most intense, Bielsa -like tactics. High-pressing, vertical passing etc. The only problem with FM is you aren’t typically able to replicate Bielsa’s man-marking systems without conceding a boatload of goals.
- Moneyball – this is generally apply the Moneyball-esque rules outlined in the book, Soccernomics to an FM save. For the full effect, you can even go full launch and squish.
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