I am and have always been a fan of Football Manager.
I can go further. I was a fan of Championship Manager. I was a fan of the original Football Manager on the Commodore 64. Premier Manager with it’s “creative management” that allowed you to list certain players for a stupendously high fee (billions) and you would get the money. I played many management games. Even the FIFA ones.
Only one has retained my attention. Football Manager. It has taken me to the point of addiction but it has also helped me get out of some very dark places.
Yet I have never written about it. Never felt it to be my domain.
Time to break that.
The series is now on FM 18. I am still using FM 16. It has been a more loyal and faithful friend than any previous football management game. We all know that things have to come to an end. This is the end of the run for FM 16.
Almost.
I decided to give myself one final run. As well as never having written about the game I have also never used the create a club mode. That was also going to change.
People have their own preferences while playing Football Manager. Mine has always been to try to develop players and guide them from wonderkid to legend. There is nothing more exciting in football than the blossoming of a young talent, it puts hope in all of our hearts. And heaven forbid them if they fail.
It had to be done in England, in the Premier League. I have managed teams all round the virtual world but home is where the heart is. The only issue being that would mean diluting the league by removing a club. Eventually I chose Arsenal. They had the stadium, the budget and the location. I could call them “something” London and the game would still feel right.
Squad construction essentially came down to a saved wonderkid shortlist. Which was actually a very long list. The list yielded these 1st team, under 21 and under 18 squads (click the image for clarity)
It is fair to say that I got over excited. Not only was the first team squad packed with young players but the whole club was stacked the whole way through. Sixteen year olds Martin Odegaard and Kylian Mbappe sat in the U21s. Marcus Rashford and Reece Oxford in the U18s. It was all too much. The only thing I could guarantee success in was killing around 40 careers. I had no hope of bringing them all through.
Time for a reshoot.
Rather than Arsenal I went to Southampton, renaming them New England Saints and narrowing my field of recruitment. The focus would be on the successful England youth sides of the 2017 summer. Not all players would exist but bringing the majority of them together ought not to be an odious task.
The first problem, none of the under 17 squad exist. This isn’t really a surprise, they would have been 14 or 15 in 2015 when the game begins. Not bringing in these players allows me to retain much of the Southampton youth squad and a few key older players.
Immediately there is more success with the under 19s (though not the goalkeepers).
The midfield is easily absorbed.
The forwards proved problematic. Edwards and Nmecha are in. Sadly FM 16 has never heard of Ben Bereton or Isaac Buckley-Ricketts.
From the U20s I only chose to take one of the goalkeepers. Freddie Woodman. Some of these players have fantastic in game potential, others barely register.
From the under 21s there were still goalkeeper issues. I resolved this by bringing in Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland.
I ran out of space. I could have recruited every single one of them but there would have been no space remaining. The club had to have some experience or I could see the away day thrashings that would get me the sack looming. Another one for the list of things that has never happened with FM 16, I have never been sacked. Might that be how I say farewell?
My final New England Saints squads.
First team.
Under 21s.
Under 18s
I broke another “rule” by bringing a player back to Southampton. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He is a player I have never had in any of my teams and I would like one run with him to see just what he is capable of producing.
With the personnel in place tactical choices have to be made. Given the age of the game we are at the point where there are engine breaking tactics out there. I have enjoyed great success with a version of a 4-Diamond-2. The system crashes in goals with wide players and strikers regularly contributing big numbers. The issue with it is that there are huge holes in the defence. When you are the best team in the league this is not too big a problem. When the side is very young and very 10th predicted that might be a bit too risky, so I have also imported a 4-3-3 that was my go to system prior to the two up front.
With these young players I will need to be able to ease off the pace from time to time. Not too much though because I want to attack.
The pre season went badly. Results and performances were fine, but as you can see above, key experienced players picked up injuries. With the Europa League a part of this season there will be lots of fixtures. Great for giving opportunities to players but terrible for keeping everyone fit. Fortunately the board expectations are low, so my job won’t be much of an issue. I want those fixtures though. These players need games if they are going to develop.
Speaking of which. Loan deals. Some of these guys can go out of the door to get lots of first team minutes. Lookman, Sims, Walker-Peters, Solanke and Maitland-Niles are offered out.
Before I can blink they have gone. As squad rotation players, all of them. I didn’t agree to this. What is going on? The obvious is going on. Les Reed, director of football, still has the say over these deals. That is changed straight away.
Not the best start with injuries and some players progress possible hampered already. Not only that, but having eased past Celje (Slovenian) in the 3rd Europa League qualifying round the next side to face is Athletic Bilbao, just to get into the group stage. Tactics are far from familiarised either.
At least Bilbao respect the shirt.