Why I Love FM - Dario Vidošić

When did you start playing FM and why?

I started playing a while back when I was a player as we spent a lot of time travelling on aeroplanes or buses. A few of my teammates were playing the game, and I was curious about it which then led to me starting to play as well.

What do you look for when selecting a team on Football Manager?

If I have a bit of a soft spot for a team I might pick them or a team from the lower leagues.

When I was a younger player starting out, I played for Rochedale Rovers in Queensland. While playing FM, I found out that there was also a Rochdale FC in England but with just one E. So, then I thought I’d start with them as a lower-league team and try to get them up the leagues.

I do try and vary it up. But I like to go with a lower team and then try to work my way up, rather than just going for the easiest team and buying everyone and winning everything in the first season.

What's the first thing you do when you start save?

Usually scouting and looking for wonderkids. I think that's the one I always like because I watched a lot of Barcelona B, especially when Pep was there. So I knew about likes of Sergio Busquets and Pedro and all these players that were coming through.  

So, I probably had a slight edge there that I could buy all of them. And they all turned out to be very good players in real life as well as on the game. I’ve always had a little bit of a soft spot for the younger players and trying to develop them and then achieve success that way.

When and where do you play FM?
Mostly when we're travelling. I’ve got three kids, so it’s quite hard to play at home. It's a nice way to disconnect without fully disconnecting from football.

Do you have a go to tactic?

Always an attacking 4-2-3-1 with Gegenpressing.

What's your greatest managerial achievement within Football Manager?

Taking Rochdale all the way to the to the UEFA Champions League and getting to the Premier League. That was fun. It was a long journey, but a good one.

Where exactly in the Champions League did you get to?

I got to the final but unfortunately, I lost the final. I'm not the type to save it before and then replay it if I lose! So, I made it to the final but then the new game came out, so I started a new save from the new season.

Are you currently managing anyone else right now in Football Manager?

I’m currently doing a save with the Brighton men’s team. This meant the club had to sadly sack Fabian! But he's doing a better job in real life than I am on FM…

What about your save before this one?

That one was with Dorking Wanderers. I’d been watching their YouTube series and really liked it. So, I thought I’d take over the reins, give it a chance and see how I got on with them. That was a fun career.

Did you achieve any success with them?

I took them to the Premier League.

How does your management style in FM compared to your real life tactics with Brighton?

I try to be similar in real life and in FM. I like an attacking style and to have the possession and try to dominate games in that way.

What would you say Football Manager has taught you, if anything?

I think it's very similar to my role. You have got to keep an eye on everything. And I like to be able to know about everything within the game. I like to try to get as much involvement as possible and not just assign everything to my assistant manager!

That’s similar on FM. I like to know what's going on and be involved in pretty much everything.

How do you feel about women’s football appearing for the first time in FM26?

It’s fantastic.

It is great. It's amazing to see the women's game progressing. We’ve got a specific women's stadium being built soon. It's awesome to see the women's game in FM.

I know there's a lot of happy girls as well that have got their copy and have downloaded and are playing away. The first thing they probably did was sack me!

Why do you love FM?

It’s endless fun. You can do so many different things, challenge your managerial skills around the world. Scouting and trying to find players.

FM knows all the players, including in the women's game now. I love when you see a player breaking through and I remember signing them as a Wonderkid on the game.

That’s why I love Football Manager.