Category: FM19

FM Mythbusting: First Goal of the Season!

Published on by Chris Fuller

firstgoals-intro

If you play Football Manager, you’ve probably seen the commentator say this line countless times before: “It’s his first goal of the season!”

Imagine the scenario. It’s April, the season’s almost over, and you’re up against some bang-average mid-table defender who suddenly pops up and opens his account for the campaign. Or maybe it’s that misfiring striker who makes Rudy Gestede look like Robert Lewandowski, but who finally breaks his duck on the day he happens to be playing your team.

Some FMers might cry conspiracy. Some might say that the game buffs certain players’ attributes to boost their chances of scoring against them, or even that the developers have written some secret code to make this happen.

In today’s installment of FM Mythbusting, I’m going to use real-life English league data to show you just how regularly these “first-goals” are scored. I’ll then see how that compares to an average Football Manager save. Continue reading “FM Mythbusting: First Goal of the Season!” →

Blog Update #3

Published on by Chris Fuller

Thank you for reading my latest Fuller FM blog update. As you can tell from the title, I have a major announcement to make.

With Football Manager 2019’s life cycle coming to a close just as my third career story reaches its conclusion, I have decided that it’s time to move on. After this post, I will not write any more FM19 content for this blog.

I will explain in detail why I’ve made this decision later in this post, after I’ve written a bit about each of the three stories I’ve covered here. Before all that, though, I want to get one thing straight… Continue reading “Blog Update #3” →

Lyn On Me: Season Review 2024

Published on by Chris Fuller

2024 was a big year for Lyn 1896, who made their long-awaited return to the Eliteserien. 14 years after the original club went into liquidation, Lyn were once again competing with Molde, Rosenborg and all the other major Norwegian clubs.

Could Marit Enstad defy the odds and keep her team in the top flight, or would their battle for survival end in tears? Would they enjoy a lengthy run in the Cupen? All those questions will be answered in this Season Review, which also includes player awards, stats, and a round-up of the domestic campaign.

Of course, you can find all six story chapters from the 2024 season in the links provided: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. I would strongly suggest you read the last chapter in particular – if you haven’t done so already – before you carry on here.

Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season Review 2024” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 6 – BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL

Published on by Chris Fuller

Who says Football Manager doesn’t produce enough drama? Yet another season at Lyn 1896 is reaching a nail-biting conclusion. Whereas last year saw Marit Enstad’s team go to extra-time while chasing promotion to the Eliteserien, they’re now battling to stay in it.

Lyn’s survival has come down to their final two regular-season games – both at home against their fiercest rivals: Stabæk, and Vålerenga. If all goes well, they’ll be safe and sound; if not, a promotion/relegation play-off surely awaits.

You can read Part 5 here to see how Marit’s men got on in the build-up to this finale. When you’re ready, we’ll join the First Lady of the Bislett to see if 2024 ends in ecstasy or agony… Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 6 – BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 5

Published on by Chris Fuller

Marit Enstad has worked miracles at Lyn 1896 since her appointment as manager in 2019. Five-and-a-half years on, it looks like she’ll have to deliver the good again to keep her team in the Eliteserien.

With nine games to go, Lyn are just outside the relegation zone, but they are far from comfortable. They also have the prospect of a first Cupen Final since 2004, provided they can beat 1. divisjon side Levanger on home soil in the last four. However, some of the Bastionen are fretting that Lyn’s cup exploits might be disrupting their league form at a pivotal stage in the season.

You can revisit Part 4 here if you want to catch up on the story so far. When you’re ready, we’ll rejoin Marit and her Nordic warriors in their battle for survival. Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 5” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

Welcome back to my FM19 blog story with Lyn 1896, who are now halfway through their first season back in the Eliteserien.

I’m afraid reality has now started to hit home for Marit Enstad and her team. The last chapter – which you can find here – saw Lyn hit a rotten run of form. and plummet down the table. If you want an idea of just how incompetent their attack had become, think of Adama Diomande at Hull, or Azar Karadas at Portsmouth, or Alexander Sorloth at Crystal Palace.

Before I name even more Norwegian forwards who flopped in England, we’d better crack on with the story. After all, Lyn’s next match is perhaps their biggest yet… Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 4” →

FM Mythbusting: Being “FMed”

Published on by Chris Fuller2 Comments

it-happensWe all love Football Manager, don’t we? Yet there is one complaint that always crops up year after year.

Here’s the scenario. You’ve just played through a match where your team has been absolutely dominant, for want of a better word. You’ve had 30 shots at goal, 60% of possession, an 85% pass completion rate… but the opposition won 1-0, scoring from their only shot in the entire game.

Congratulations, you have just been “FMed” (or “FM’d”, if you’d prefer to spell it that way). Now what?

You could assume that something’s wrong with Football Manager. You could even vent your frustration on social media, or on the Sports Interactive forums – or even on Reddit, where grown adults turn into temperamental teenagers with anger management issues. I mean… a result like that would never occur in real football, would it?

What if I told you that this actually happens more often than you think? What if I pointed out that your FM team’s inability to turn ‘dominance’ into a result might actually be down to your tactical decisions?

This article will not tell you how to stop your team from being “FMed” ever again. This will simply explain why such lop-sided results can happen in Football Manager and in real football. It’s time for some FM mythbusting… Continue reading “FM Mythbusting: Being “FMed”” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 3

Published on by Chris Fuller

Lyn 1896’s return to the Eliteserien hasn’t turned out to be the baptism of fire many people were expecting. With nearly a third of the 2024 season gone, they’re in a healthy lower-mid-table position, and they’re still going strong in the Cupen. You can read more about that in Part 2 if you haven’t already.

This next chapter will take us to the halfway point of the Eliteserien season, as Marit Enstad’s team look to consolidate their top-flight status and make further Cupen progress.

This is where it all falls apart now, isn’t it? Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 3” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

Lyn 1896 fans have been counting down the days until their team returns to the Eliteserien after a 14-year absence. That time has finally come for them and for Marit Enstad’s squad.

Pre-season has been a hectic one at Lyn. Having turned professional following promotion to Norway’s top flight, they’ve brought in nine new players, and at least one potential wonderkid has emerged from the Under-16s. If you’d like to know more, you can read Part 1 in the link attached.

Now let’s see if Lyn can prove their worth in the Eliteserien and begin strongly. If not, then it could be a very long 2024 season ahead… Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 2” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller

After a short break from blogging, I’m back with the latest installment of my Football Manager 2019 blog career with Lyn 1896.

As you can probably tell from the new title image, this is an exciting time at Lyn, as they’ve just been promoted to the Eliteserien! They’ll be squaring up with Norway’s biggest teams throughout 2024 as they look to consolidate their top-flight status. It won’t be easy, but I’m sure they can do it.

Let’s now catch up with manager Marit Enstad, who has heavily rebuilt her squad for the year ahead. Before we talk transfers, though, I hear she has some important news to share…

Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 1” →