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Different Approaches to Youth Development | Wednesday Wisdom
Players 04.08.20 - InvertedWingbacks
For me, player development is one of the most exciting and engaging aspects of a Football Manager save – that thrill of bringing a youngster from your academy through to the first team is hard to beat. It’s not just about the excitement, though, as the success of a long-term save often hinges on your ability to bring through and develop youth prospects.
FM20 gives us more control than ever over the development of our youngsters with Playing Time Pathways built into contracts and a very in-depth Development Centre which puts all the relevant information at our fingertips. This comes with more detailed advice and suggestions on training, mentoring and loan time than ever before.
This wealth of information can be overwhelming, especially if you've just taken over at a new club and are not as aware of the youth players as if you had been there for a couple of years.
In this blog post, FM blogger InvertedWingbacks gives you a more specific, in-depth example of how all the youth development tools work together in order to shape the youngsters in your squad.
Create corner routines that suit your squad | Wednesday Wisdom
Tactics 29.07.20 - Charlie Tango
It’s all going so well. Your team seemed comfortable, even with a narrow lead. Now the opposition have equalised with a speculative effort that went in off your central defender’s backside. You’re chasing the game as the clock ticks over into added time and suddenly you win a corner. You need this to go in, you need just one goal to win the game because the referee has already checked his watch twice. As your central midfielder trots over to take it, you realise that your palms are sweaty and the ends of your nails are, well, not there anymore.
But then a serene calmness comes over you. You’re good at corners, you’ve scored plenty from them this season because you put the time in and worked on them. You set up your approach and then drilled the lads in training session, after training session, after training session to the point they could replicate them on the team bus. The ball floats over and there’s your target man at the back stick, unmarked, with enough time to down an espresso and a biscuit before heading the ball home.
Does that sound familiar? Probably not. Definitely not the espresso and the biscuit part.
AFC Fylde researcher and FM content creator @CharlieTangoFM is here to help you achieve that sense of calmness, with a beginner's guide to corners.
The Researcher Interviews | Portugal
Interviews 23.07.20 - FM Admin
Our series interviewing our Head Researchers has seen us speak to people living and working in three continents and four very different countries – South Africa, Scotland, Switzerland and Argentina. This time we head to the footballing hotbed that is Portugal to speak to Carlos and Bruno, who have been contributing to our vast research team for a combined 16 years.
Carlos: My name is Carlos Bessa and I’m from Porto. I started working on the Football Manager database for Football Manager 2010, when I was an assistant researcher. Since I was a kid I’d played hundreds of hours on the previous games, starting out in 2001 – this is a passion that has almost accompanied my whole life. I’ve played every single edition since FM10.
Bruno: I’m Bruno Luis, from Lisbon. When I was just a young kid, I used to go every other weekend to my cousin's house, where they had computers. They would spend whole days playing the older games, with just the English divisions, and I would be standing next to them, watching them play. By 1999 I had got my first computer and was finally able to start playing the game that I loved. Since then, I’ve spent uncountable hours playing most FMs, and ultimately joined the research team in 2014.
Developing Mental Attributes in Young Players | Wednesday Wisdom
Players 22.07.20 - Dan Gear
Football is a game of fine margins, with split-second decisions often deciding promotion and relegation, or who wins the title and who finishes second. As said countless times before, history is written by the victors.
This is no different in Football Manager and for this reason it’s vitally important to focus on the attributes of your young players. Ensuring that they are mentally strong, capable of remaining calm under pressure and able to make the right decisions at the right times could be the difference between scintillating success and disappointing defeats. Here, Dan Gear talks us through the key steps for developing the mental attributes of your young stars.
When looking at young players I imagine most focus on the Physical and Technical attributes. I’m the same - I usually glance at Mental attributes but I'd would never back out of buying a young player because these were poor if the rest of their profile looks good. We must remember physical attributes develop earliest, followed by technical then finally mental. In other words, a youth player has time on their side when it comes to developing their mental attributes.
Some words of wisdom from Dan Gear on bolstering the mental fortitude of your latest wonderkids.
Lee Camp | Why I Love FM
Interviews 19.07.20 - FM Admin
As anyone who watched any of the recent EFL Football Manager Cup can attest, Birmingham City goalkeeper Lee Camp is an avid fan of the game. In the latest installment of Why I Love FM, we caught up with the former Northern Ireland international to discuss his approach to transfers, best saves and whether he’s considering a move into management when he eventually retires from playing.
Looking Out for Number One | Wednesday Wisdom
Guides 15.07.20 - MaddFM
Goalkeepers sometimes get a bad rap, and they seldom seem to get as much recognition within the Football Manager universe as perhaps they could and/or should. It’s arguably one of the most important positions on the pitch when you think about their individual contribution and influence on a game, but ask yourself – how much energy and attention do you give them when it comes to their recruitment, development and training? Does your work stop once you've signed the right man? How many goalkeeper wonderkids have you managed through the years?
Join me as we delve into developing a top quality keeper – analysing how to go about signing and training them to their full potential. What steps can you take to ensure your own stopper develops into Goalkeeper number one rather than Public Enemy number one?
Words of wisdom and some sage advice from @MaddFM_.
Nine saves to kick-start your summer
Guides 29.06.20 - FM Admin
Most of us will have had to forget about having a holiday this summer because of the unusual times we’re in, but that’s where Football Manager comes into its own. Why head to the airport when the game can transport you to more than 50 countries across six continents? The possibilities for your adventures are almost endless. We’re here with nine teams that you should take charge of to banish the holiday blues.
Bundesliga Team Report: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Guides 09.06.20 - FM Admin
The latest in our series on Bundesliga teams to manage sees us profile a team known to many for their regular appearances in continental competitions over the last two decades, Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
The club were founded in 1904 by workers at the Pharmaceutical company Bayer AG and they’ve tried to maintain a link to their roots to this day, with Leverkusen nicknamed ‘Die Werkself’, meaning ‘The Company’s Eleven’. Despite their long history, they’ve never lifted the German title.
Bundesliga regulars since 1980, they’ve mostly finished in the top half, aside from a couple of brushes with the drop zone, and more often than not in the top six. Domestically, their best achievements are five second-place finishes in the league and a single DfB Pokal triumph in 1993.
Leverkusen have had some great success in Europe, producing a dramatic comeback from a 3-0 first leg deficit to win the 1988 Euro Cup on penalties. They also became the first team to reach the Champions Cup final without having ever won a league title in 2002, losing 2-1.
Bundesliga Team Report: Hertha Berlin
Guides 02.06.20 - FM Admin
The Bundesliga became the first major European league to restart since the Coronavirus outbreak. In the three weeks since its return we’ve been entertained with plenty of high-scoring games and tense clashes at both ends of the table.
The Bundesliga is a fantastic league to start a save in Football Manager as well. For a start, it’s fully licensed - no silhouettes on the team line-ups screen here - and each of the 18 teams in the league has a fully fleshed out, unique identity. Over the coming days we’re going to showcase six Bundesliga outfits that offer the best short and long-term challenges for you to get stuck into in FM20.
We kick things off with a trip to the capital to take a closer look at Hertha Berlin.
Utilising Pressing Forwards and Defensive Wingers | Wednesday Wisdom
Player Roles 27.05.20 - Ihor Crusadertsar
This week's Wednesday Wisdom is brought to you by Ihor Crusadertsar of Dictate the Game who focuses on two underrated and under-utilised roles.
At first glance both Pressing Forwards and Defensive Wingers might appear to be roles you would make use of in the dying moments of a game. Maybe you’d use them when you’re trying to preserve a fragile lead in a tight game, or competing as the underdog in a big match? Whatever the case, it would be very unusual to consider either role as the basis of your standard tactic or formation. However, appearances can be misleading. A different sport gave me the idea of mixing things up.
Romaine Sawyers | Why I Love FM
Interviews 21.05.20 - FM Admin
Our newest instalment of Why I Love FM is with the West Bromwich Albion and St Kitts & Nevis midfielder Romaine Sawyers. Romaine was recently in charge of the Baggies in the EFL Football Manager Cup and while he didn’t win, we still wanted to chat to him about that experience, when he first got into the game and some of his best saves…
Mastering throw-in routines | Wednesday Wisdom
Guides 20.05.20 - Guido Merry
A throw-in is not all that different from a free kick or a corner; it’s a set-piece that you can train and prepare multiple routines for. There is one major difference, though: while corners and free-kicks are aspects of the game that are coached rigorously from a young age, throw-ins are often neglected. This is madness as, on average, football teams get to take and defend around 50 throw-ins per game. That is a colossal figure, far too big just to ignore. The good news is, though, that (like all set-pieces) throw-ins can be improved upon both in terms of technique and positioning.
By @MerryGuido
10 Teams to Manage during FM23 Early Access
Challenges 26.10.2022 - FM Admin
Early Access for Football Manager 2023 has arrived, and you are no doubt seeking a challenge to take on.
With plenty of new features available in FM23, we have ten short-term save suggestions for you to get stuck into.
Let’s dig in…
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