An exciting new era at Fuller FM will begin soon… but first, it’s time to bring this one to a close.
I’ve decided to boot up Football Manager 2024 one last time for a special mini-tournament. I’ve selected the eight best teams I’ve coached on Football Manager since I launched Fuller FM back in 2018, and I’ve pitted them against each other to see who comes out on top.
In today’s post, I will explain how the tournament works – and then introduce you to the eight teams who will be contesting the biggest prize of them all. (Sorry, Mike. The Mr Clutch Cup doesn’t quite cut it.)
BACKGROUND
Did you know that you can export teams from your Football Manager saves and use them in a mini-tournament?
When you open your save game, go to the Squad screen. Open up the Overview menu, and click “Export Team for Versus Competition”. Name your team, and then click “Save”. All your exported teams can be found in the Sports Interactive > Football Manager 20xx > exported teams directory in your Documents folder.
Once you’ve exported your team(s), go back to the main menu, select “Start A New Game”, and click “Versus”. To use Versus Mode, you will need to log into your FMFC account (if you don’t have one, it’s completely free to set up). From there, you can either join a Versus competition online or set one up yourself.
It’s even possible to create an offline Versus competition. I’ve done this twice before, back when Versus Mode was still exclusive to Football Manager Touch (it was integrated into the main Football Manager game from FM22 onwards).
The first Fuller FM Cup was in 2019, when I pitted all three teams from my FM19 saves against each other. Fiorentina unsurprisingly dominated – winning all four games – while Shrewsbury Town edged Lyn to 2nd place on goals scored.
Then, in 2021, the second Fuller FM Cup was contested between my ‘invincible’ Rennes team and the four clubs I managed on my FM21 journeyman series. Rennes scored 40 goals in eight games but lost twice to eventual champions Basel, who themselves won the competition undefeated. But that wasn’t the most memorable incident in the tournament…
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you! That is Győr left-back Lubos Petr with a DIVING HEADER TACKLE on Basel winger Matteo Santarsiero! What moments of madness will we have this time?
For the 2024 Fuller FM Cup, I have enlisted my top eight teams from each of the previous six FM games! Yes, you can indeed use exported teams from as far back as FM22 and import them into Versus mode on FM24!
Unfortunately, it is not possible to import teams from FM21 or earlier, so I had to recreate those teams on FM24 and then export them over.
Thankfully, the unofficial Football Manager Real Time Editor (FMRTE) allows you to export player attributes from previous games and then import them into an FM24 save game. This saved me A LOT of time. (If anyone wants to know how to do this, I’d be more than happy to create a step-by-step guide.)
DRAW & FORMAT
Over the past six years, I’ve managed 18 teams on Football Manager – most (but not all) of which I’ve written about on the blog. To whittle them down to a final eight, I had to lay down some rules:
1. I must have managed each team for at least ONE full season.
This rules out Burnley (FM20) and Crystal Palace (FM22) from my unsuccessful ‘Bottom at Christmas’ challenges. Wieczysta Kraków (FM24) are also out of the running, as I burnt out midway through my first season in Poland.
I managed Birmingham City on the FM20 demo, but they’re not included either… because it was a demo, obviously. (Sorry, Jude Bellingham.)
2. I must include either ONE or TWO teams from each Football Manager game since FM19.
I want to cover all the recent FM games, dating back to when I started this blog with FM19. But I’m also limiting each version to two teams, just to keep it fair.
For FM19, Fiorentina was an easy pick, so I had to decide whether to select Shrewsbury Town or Lyn as well. The Shrews team was probably stronger, but I enjoyed my time in Norway a lot more – managing Lyn for twice as many seasons.
I’ve also excluded teams from my Breaking FM experiments – Dagenham & Redbridge’s 100-game heroes on FM23, and Roma’s punching bags on FM24. Only teams from proper, serious saves are allowed.
3. I can only include ONE team per save game.
Another rule designed to keep things sensible. I managed four teams on my FM21 journeyman series, but I don’t want them to all hog the spotlight.
Cambrian & Clydach and Espinho were far too weak to be anywhere near competitive. Győr were a lot of fun to manage… but I went with my final team Basel, who won the 2021 Fuller FM Cup and could still be serious contenders in this one.
So that leaves my final eight as follows:
The finalists will be drawn into two groups of four teams. After playing each of their group rivals once, the top two teams in each group will advance to the Semi Finals – the winners of which will then contest the Fuller FM Cup Final.
All teams will be limited to a squad of 24 players, including two goalkeepers. During matches, teams can make up to five substitutions in three intervals. And if you’re a Wolves fan, you’ll be delighted to hear that VAR is not in operation.
If the same player played for me at multiple clubs, then they will only be allowed to represent ONE team in the Fuller FM Cup. This means Rennes are missing a trio of ‘Imbattables’ who I also used elsewhere – wing-backs Almamy Touré (Fiorentina) and Kévin Rodrigues (Sporting) and striker Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal). Likewise, centre-back Germán Pezzella will play for Fiorentina, but not Real Betis.
On a more sombre note, Matija Šarkić – my favoured goalkeeper at Millwall on FM24 – tragically passed away in June, aged just 26. I have therefore left Matija out of this tournament as a mark of respect, and his understudy Liam Kelly will keep goal for the Lions instead.
Anyway, let’s now take a closer look at those teams who will grace the Fuller FM Cup. We’ll also meet the managers who’ll be leading them to glory – including a few familiar names from my previous blog adventures.
[NOTE: On Versus mode, players are assigned random IDs instead of retaining their original IDs – hence some of them have been given the faces of retired players. Whatever.]
FIORENTINA
(FM19: “SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE”)
Here they are – my first blog team. My Sarri-inspired vertical tiki-taka brought plenty of entertainment and flair to Florence, but no trophies. Bloody Napoli saw to that…
La Viola have a generally solid defence (just don’t mention Malmö) and loads of quality in midfield. Alas, their main goal threat is an ageing Mario Mandžukić, so that long-waited title may continue to elude them.
KEY PLAYERS: Skilful inside-forward Federico Chiesa is Fiorentina’s leader in more ways than one. With Chiesa on the left flank, and namesake Federico Bernardeschi on the right, the Viola have two incredible wide creators.
Dynamic regista Sandro Tonali is expected to spray killer balls all over the pitch – just as long as he avoids any betting shops. Behind him is a strong back four, which makes life even easier for their nerveless goalkeeper Alban Lafont.
MANAGER: Mr Creosote. A big man with a bigger appetite. Just don’t feed him any wafer-thin mints.
LYN
(FM19: “LYN ON ME”)
Though my Lyn save ended on a sad note, they still hold a special place in my heart. The plucky Norwegian underdogs will no doubt give their all in the Fuller FM Cup – and perhaps cause an upset or two along the way.
Lyn will lean (ha ha) quite heavily on their defence to frustrate their more illustrious opponents, and then maybe spring a surprise on the counter. But do they have enough quality and resolve to take anything from this tournament?
KEY PLAYERS: It might surprise you that 16-year-old Max Oinas appears to have morphed into Marcel Desailly. Nonetheless, the rapid and skilful attacking midfielder is expected to provide plenty of service for fellow youth product Svein Melfjord up front.
No-nonsense centre-back Marius Christopher Hoibraten – who in real-life now plays for J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds – will need to be on his game. There will be similarly high expectations on the young but commanding goalkeeper Eivind Aalvik.
MANAGER: Marit Enstad. Got her team promoted by beating Sandefjord. Then got them relegated by losing to Sandefjord.
SPORTING CP
(FM20: “THE SPORTING LIFE”)
While Sporting romped to the 2020/2021 Primeira Liga title in real-life, my Leões could only finish 4th. For all their attacking potential, their shot conversion rates were AWFUL – and a string of injury problems didn’t exactly help either.
But perhaps things will be different in the Fuller FM Cup? This is an aggressive Sporting team who have a knack for grinding out results, even if they go down to 10 men. Write off their tough-nosed South American stars at your peril.
KEY PLAYERS: Let’s start in defence, where the giant, physical captain Sebastián Coates will look to impose himself at set-pieces (just like he did for a certain Mr Peachman in the FM World Cup last week). Fiery left-back Marcos Acuña has a point to prove after his dismissal in the Taça de Portugal Final.
One-time midfield wonderkid Reinier looks a fine playmaker on paper, but he has rarely lived up to the billing. Ukraine’s pacey inside-forward Ivan Petriak will also be under the spotlight.
MANAGER: Kamila Deyna. An inexperienced coach managing a bunch of overpaid underachievers. What could go wrong?
RENNES
(FM21: “RULE BRETAGNE” / Twitter updates)
2024 was a golden year for my Rennes team, who did the French treble without losing a single match… but just fell short against Real Madrid in the Champions League Final. ‘Les Imbattables’ ooze quality all over the pitch and have a deep talent pool as well.
Rennes’ stars shone brightest in midfield, but it was a certain teenage sensation who most often stole the show further forward. Throw in an elite centre-back pairing, and you have a team capable of even more success.
KEY PLAYERS: 20-year-old captain Eduardo Camavinga is an incredible all-round talent who most excels as a deep-lying central midfielder (I don’t care what Deschamps and Ancelotti say; he’s NOT a left-back!). Dominik Szoboszlai‘s work rate and set-piece mastery also stand out.
Before becoming Nottingham Forest’s 371st signing since promotion, big Nikola Milenković joined forces with the equally powerful Jérôme Onguéné at the heart of Rennes’ defence. And then there’s Firas Ben Belgacem – perhaps the greatest youth-intake player I’ve ever had on FM.
MANAGER: Abi Xalonso. Knows a thing or two about winning the league unbeaten. And then losing a European Final.
BASEL
(FM21: “JOURNEY OF A DEADMAN”)
This Basel team won the last Fuller FM Cup against the odds in 2021, but can they do it again? Looking at their crop of gifted if inconsistent attacking threats, they certainly have a chance.
The Swiss giants are an unpredictable lot who are capable of frustrating bigger teams, but have also been known to choke on comfortable leads in Cup Finals. If they’re to go the distance, their defence will need to hold their nerve when it matters.
KEY PLAYERS: For someone who ‘doesn’t like big matches’, Spanish left-back José Emiliano Cruz certainly knows how to perform in them. He is accompanied at the back by the wonderfully-named ball-playing defender Haralambie Despa.
Combining blistering pace with ice-cool finishing ability, Sanel Ibric is a serious Golden Boot contender. If fellow wonderkid Hikmet Gökmen can supply him with enough killer crosses and incisive passes, expect the goals to flow.
MANAGER: Shama Deadman. Two-time Swiss Super League champion. 11-time Guernsey bottle-throwing champion.
ARSENAL
(FM22: “HALE END HEROES”)
Here’s a novelty – an Arsenal team that wins trophies! After rebuilding my beloved Gunners around a core of products from the Hale End youth academy, Premier League glory beckoned in 2026 (just two more years, lads!).
With a watertight defence and a devastatingly quick attack, Arsenal are the archetypal flat-track bullies – crushing inferior teams while often struggling against other elite sides. Will the pre-tournament favourites tag weigh too heavy on them?
KEY PLAYERS: This version of Eddie Nketiah once scored 42 goals in a single season, sending shivers up the spines of opposition defenders. Meanwhile, fellow Hale End boy Bukayo Saka took a while to hit his stride for me on the right wing.
I brought Declan Rice to the Emirates a year before Mikel Arteta did, and the midfield general would eventually lead the Gunners to league glory. Alongside him is Yunus Musah, who recovered from a serious injury to demolish everything in front of him.
MANAGER: Bareth Northfence. Fancies one more shot at glory after agony in Berlin. Hates Benjamin White.
REAL BETIS
(FM23: no blog series / Twitter updates only)
FM23 was such a poor game that I left Real Betis midway through the second season of my beta save. Los Béticos were top-four contenders in La Liga, but had just crashed out of the Europa League after shock defeats to Qarabağ and Djurgårdens.
These Betis boys are as capable of producing magic as they are of spraying useless passes to invisible team-mates. If they’re on form straight from kick-off, they could be dark horses for the title… but another Group Stage exit looks likelier.
KEY PLAYERS: It was asking an awful lot to replace 43-goal man Borja Iglesias, but Rasmus Højlund delivered. The great Dane – whom I stole from Atalanta in a swap deal for the centre-back Edgar – is a master marksman and a tenacious pressing forward.
Roaming all over the pitch, Nabil Fekir‘s flair and creativity will be vital to any Betis success. Further back, Real will want William Carvalho to be a reliable anchor in front of a defence that includes the fearless Italian international stopper Luiz Felipe.
MANAGER: Frankie Eyebrows. A product of the Betis youth academy. Distant cousin of Baby Gerald from “The Simpsons”.
MILLWALL
(FM24: “MILLWALL FIREWALL”)
In my most recent completed FM save, I took three years to lead Millwall from 8th in the Championship to… 7th in the Championship. Though the South Londoners have a solid blend of youth and experience, two summers of upheaval have left them lacking in cohesion.
Playing their own brand of route-one football, the Lions won’t care about being unliked outsiders. However, they will be heavily reliant on dead-ball situations and a mid-block defence to try and grind out results against more talented teams.
KEY PLAYERS: Jake Cooper is Millwall’s main man – end of debate. The captain and central defensive giant scored 15 (FIFTEEN!) goals from corners in one season, so winning set-pieces will be vital.
Ball-winner Billy Mitchell also typifies the Lions’ tough-as-nails style. And while they lack an obvious goalscoring threat, they do at least have a couple of gifted wingers in Simon Adingra and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
MANAGER: Balter Black. An expert at ridiculously long seasons. Also has anger management issues.
Those are your teams for the Fuller FM Cup. If this introductory post has whetted your appetite, then please tune in again on Wednesday, when we’ll play through the Group Stage – and whittle those eight down to four!
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Embed from Getty Images
In memory of Matija Šarkić
1997 – 2024
Fuller FM 
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