Tag: FM24

Alternatives to Football Manager 26

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For God’s sake, Sports Interactive…

Football Manager 26 has been out for a few weeks, and… mmm, yeah. It’s still a mess, isn’t it?

While many FMers are still wrestling with the new interface or complaining that their favourite franchise has been turned into a mobile game, some will be looking for something else to play. But I know what you’re gonna say: “FM has no competition.”

Yes, it’s true that Sports Interactive don’t have as much direct competition as they did in the 1990s and early 2000s. FIFA Manager, LMA Manager, Ultimate Soccer Manager, Premier Manager and even Ally McCoist’s Director of Football have all fallen by the wayside – emphatically beaten by FM’s superior game engine and extensive database.

These days, if you’re looking for a non-FM football management game on PC, you will likely have to scrape the bottom of the Steam barrel for low-budget indie titles that don’t have anywhere near as much depth.

But there are still some good FM26 alternatives that allow you to play through the 2025/2026 season (or 2024/2025, at least) with a reasonable amount of realism. In this post, I will look at seven of those games – each with their pros and cons – and tell you how you can update them with all the latest data. Continue reading “Alternatives to Football Manager 26” →

Blog Update #9

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Hey-ho, folks. It’s time for my annual Fuller FM blog update – my ‘state of the union’ address, if you will.

Another year of FMing has been and gone, and it’s been the weirdest one yet. With Football Manager 25 turning out to be just a few dodgy Photoshop mockups, we’ve had to carry on with Football Manager 2024 for another season.

I will now look back on everything I wrote on Fuller FM this year, including my 15-season career at Nacka FC. I will also discuss my content creation plans for Football Manager 26, which is absolutely definitely probably maybe being released in the next few months.

But first, I need to draw myself away from Civilization VI for long enough so I can actually write this damn blog update. Just one more turn, and then I’m done…

I’m sure negotiations are fairer than this on FM…

Continue reading “Blog Update #9” →

My FM Content Creator Pet Peeves

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While we have been waiting for the next Football Manager to be announced (any time now, Sports Interactive…), I’ve been trying to think of some fresh new ideas for FM content.

So… why don’t we have a little discussion about FM content?

Alongside writing my own Football Manager stories, I’ve watched hundreds of YouTube videos and streams, and read goodness knows how many blogs from other FM aficionados. While I appreciate that nobody is perfect (though MaddFM comes pretty damn close), I have developed some pet peeves that have been bugging me for a while.

And that’s what this is all about – discussing some of those little annoyances I have when it comes to FM content.

To be clear, this article isn’t supposed to be entirely serious. Think of this as some constructive but light-hearted advice from a long-time FM blogger whose website gets literally TENS of page views every day. I also won’t be critiquing how other FMers play the game – just how they present or write about it. Continue reading “My FM Content Creator Pet Peeves” →

FM Logic: Managerial Movements

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Football Manager is the most realistic sports simulation video game out there. We all know that. But it’s not perfect.

Welcome back to another edition of this Fuller FM series… wait, can I call this a series? It’s is the third part now… so yeah. I think I can call it a series.

Anyway, it’s time to take a look at some more weird ‘FM Logic’. We’ve previously discussed bizarre media interactions and press interviews that make a White House news conference look like a place of sanity… and we’ve also touched on the game’s issues with transfers and player development.

Now it’s time to focus on managers – specifically, the logic that the game uses when moving AI managers between jobs. Whether they’re swapping jobs with another coach, taking over a hated rival, or being parachuted into a Championship club without any previous coaching experience, football managers in Football Manager are definitely known to make some peculiar moves. Continue reading “FM Logic: Managerial Movements” →

Nacka’s Yard: The Final Whistle

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So here we are… it’s the FINAL chapter of “Nacka’s Yard”.

For the past eight months or so, I have been managing Nacka FC – a young but ambitious part-time team from the suburbs of Stockholm – on Football Manager 2024. Starting from the 4th tier of Swedish football, I led them all the way to the top (and into Europe) over the course of 15 in-game seasons.

I will now recap my time at Nacka, before taking one final look at the squad who brought us so much success in the 2038 season. If you want to relive the full experience, you can find links to every chapter of this story right here. Continue reading “Nacka’s Yard: The Final Whistle” →

Nacka’s Yard: Season 15, Part 2 (2038)

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After 15 seasons of toil, tears, sweat, and ranting about goalkeepers, my Football Manager 2024 adventure in Sweden is building up to a great crescendo.

Reinvigorated by some fresh blood in defence and midfield, Nacka FC are contending for the Allsvenskan title once again. Some encouraging results have left them in 3rd place as they head into the second half of the 2038 season – and after winning their third Svenska Cupen, they have secured European football once again.

These next six months will decide our destiny. Can we become Swedish league champions and get our hands on the Lennart Johanssons Pokal for the first time? Or will there be one more cruel twist in this tale? Continue reading “Nacka’s Yard: Season 15, Part 2 (2038)” →

The Instant Result Button: Click Here To Win?

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Welcome back to Fuller FM, where I will today be discussing something a little bit different.

While we all enjoy playing Football Manager (at least those of us who aren’t on Reddit), it can be a huge time sink. You might have to play through A LOT of matches in a single season – especially if you’re managing in Brazil, or in the English lower leagues.

Did you know there’s a hidden feature in FM that can speed up your save? It’s called the ‘Instant Result’ button, and it does what it says on the tin – just pick your team and your tactics, and the game will generate a result instantly.

But can it also make your team play better? Continue reading “The Instant Result Button: Click Here To Win?” →

Nacka’s Yard: Season 15, Part 1 (2038)

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‘Tis the fifteenth season of my Football Manager 2024 series. It might also be the last.

I was feeling pretty low at the end of the 2037 season, as Nacka FC’s title hopes fell apart and I was left wondering why such a talented team was underachieving. Was it my tactics? Had I broken Ahmed Fouad by giving him the wrong trait? Did I need to sign another goalkeeper?

But after thinking things over, I’ve decided to give myself one last shot at winning the Allsvenskan. With that in mind, it’s time to bring out my wallet and get spending… Continue reading “Nacka’s Yard: Season 15, Part 1 (2038)” →

Nacka’s Yard: Season 14, Part 2 (2037)

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Welcome back to “Nacka’s Yard”, where Nacka FC will today tick off another milestone in their rise to the top.

The 2037 Allsvenskan campaign hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far, with our forwards seemingly forgetting how to score goals. Is it already too late to save our fading hopes of winning the title?

We do at least have the Champions League qualifiers to look forward to. Having previously reached the latter stages of the Conference League, now we have the opportunity to dine at Europe’s top table… Continue reading “Nacka’s Yard: Season 14, Part 2 (2037)” →

Nacka’s Yard: Season 14, Part 1 (2037)

Published on by Chris FullerLeave a comment

My Football Manager 2024 series continues… but after 13 seasons, Nacka FC’s ascent to the top of Swedish football is almost complete.

Nacka came painfully close to winning their first Allsvenskan title in the 2036 season, only missing out by a single point. But after finishing the campaign on a lengthy unbeaten run, hopes are high that 2037 will be their year.

In today’s chapter, we’ll look at the new additions who could take ‘Örnana’ from contenders to champions. We also have a couple of deep cup runs to discuss before we even get to the league! But first… Continue reading “Nacka’s Yard: Season 14, Part 1 (2037)” →