Tag: Football Manager 2022

Assessing and developing youth intakes in Football Manager

Published on by Chris Fuller

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It’s youth intake day, and you’re hyped for a potential golden generation. You’re dreaming about bringing through a 200 PA striker who will make Erling Haaland look like Yaya Sanogo. Then you open up that inbox message…

“Pfft, the best players only have 3* potential. They’ll never make it. What’s our Head of Youth Development doing – rounding up random kids at bus stops?”

Back in 2020, I wrote an FM Mythbusting article about youth intakes, where I explained what a ‘golden generation’ exactly is, and why even the best academies don’t churn out wonderkids every year. I also gave some advice on improving your academy and increasing the chances of your club producing quality talent.

Today, I’m going to expand on that. I’ll show you how to assess your intake players and decide which ones are worth signing – and why you shouldn’t blindly trust the star ratings. There’ll also be some tips on how to develop your new talents, even those who don’t immediately look like hot prospects. Continue reading “Assessing and developing youth intakes in Football Manager” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

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As the third season of my FM22 academy challenge draws to an end, my free-scoring young Arsenal team is on the hunt for yet more silverware.

The previous chapter saw us lift our second EFL Cup, after a crazy Final showdown with Leeds. We also extended our unbeaten Premier League run to 28 games and look set to take champions Liverpool all the way.

Meanwhile in the Europa League, we’ve been drawn against Manchester United – and a certain Norwegian goal machine – in the Quarter Finals. Can we find a way to stop Erling Haaland, and perhaps even make amends for last year’s Champions League heartbreak?

Is 2024 the year where Arsenal finally bring a big trophy to the Emirates? Time to find out… Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 4” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 3

Published on by Chris Fuller

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We’re now halfway through my third season as Arsenal manager, and things are starting to take shape.

In the previous chapter, we made a very rocky start to the campaign by losing our first two games, including a 6-3 thrashing at Liverpool. Since then, however, we have been on an unbeaten run that has put the Gunners right in the Premier League title race! We also swept through our Europa League group and are even on course to retain the EFL Cup.

Can we keep that incredible form up, or will FM’s traditional mid-season slump come back to bite us? Let’s find out… Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 3” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Third time’s the charm? Let’s hope so, as my third season as Arsenal manager kicks off in earnest.

There has been quite the rebuild over the summer, with over £200million spent on new players who will hopefully fix the defensive issues we had last term. I’ve also brought two more Hale End Boys into the fold, with centre-back Daniel Ballard and striker Folarin Balogun both joining the first-team. You can read more about our summer business in the previous chapter.

Today’s chapter takes us through the first half of the 2023/2024 Premier League season. This includes the group stage of the Europa League (cue the obnoxious theme music), while we also start our defence of the EFL Cup.

And it all starts with an away game against the league champions. Nice and easy… Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 2” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller
Passion, Clarity, Energy – by Mikel, age 39

Passion, clarity, energy. Those are the three things Arsenal desperately need as we head into the tricky third season of my Football Manager 2022 youth challenge.

The 2022/2023 season was a real rollercoaster ride. Although a disappointing second-half collapse saw us finish 6th in the Premier League, we also made it to the Champions League Final – which you can read about in the previous chapter. You can also catch up on the entire story by visiting this page, which has links to every chapter I’ve written so far.

Today’s chapter is all about looking ahead to the 2023/2024 campaign. It’s been quite a busy transfer window, so let’s get straight to it… Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 3, Part 1” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

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The real-life 2022/2023 Premier League campaign might have just kicked off… but on my FM22 save with Arsenal, it’s almost over. And what a ride it has been!

Yes, this season has been an absolute disaster – at least where the league is concerned. It looks like Arsenal will miss out on a top-four finish, though we did reach the Final of the EFL Cup which… well, if you haven’t read the previous chapter yet, then you probably should!

There’s also the prospect of another major Final for our young Gunners, who’ve made it to the last eight of the Champions League. Could we possibly go all the way – and become champions of Europe? Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 4” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 3

Published on by Chris Fuller

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My Arsenal adventure on Football Manager 2022 continues – and this chapter could be a very important one, as we attempt to lift our first trophy since I became manager.

The Gunners are heading into 2023 sitting just inside the top four of the Premier League, but we also have some defensive issues that need addressing. You can catch up on the season so far by revisiting Part 2.

As far as this chapter is concerned, we’ll kick things off with the January transfer window, where we say farewell to one of our longest-serving players. We also take on RB Leipzig in the Champions League knockout rounds, welcome a new youth intake… and attempt to win the EFL Cup for the first time since 1993. Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 3” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

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My second season as Arsenal manager is now underway – and after leading the Gunners to 4th place in the Premier League last time out, the pressure is firmly on me to consolidate our place among England’s elite.

In the previous chapter, I looked ahead to the 2022/2023 campaign by unveiling a couple of major signings – including the return of Hale End graduate Yunus Musah. We now have FIVE youth products in the first-team squad, as my plan to rebuild the team around our academy starts to take shape.

Today’s chapter will take us through the first three months of the new season, from August to November. This includes our first Champions League matches since 2017, as we look to qualify from a surprisingly tricky group that includes Roma and Bayer Leverkusen.

Oh yes, and there’s also the small matter of a winter World Cup in Qatar… Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 2” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller

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It’s time to kick off the second season of my Arsenal series on Football Manager 2022. My main objective in this series is to win either the Premier League or the Champions League with a squad consisting mostly of Gunners academy graduates, such as Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka.

The Gunners made steady progress in my debut 2021/2022 season, finishing 4th in the Premier League to secure Champions League qualification. However, a disappointing end to the campaign hints that there is a lot of room for improvement. You can read the full story so far by revisiting Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Now, with the summer transfer window open, the great Arsenal rebuild can finally get started! It’s time to shift some of the deadwood… and unveil my first major signings! Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 2, Part 1” →

Hale End Heroes: Season 1, Part 3

Published on by Chris Fuller

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How time flies! This is only the third chapter of my new FM22 series with Arsenal, and already we’re coming to the end of the 2021/2022 season!

Today’s installment is a bumper one, as we go through the January transfer window, meet my first youth intake, and recap the entire second half of the season. Can I lead Arsenal to a top-four finish and put us back in the Champions League? Can we lift the EFL Cup, or even the FA Cup? And most importantly of all… will we finish above Tottenham?

Obviously, if you haven’t read Part 2 yet, it might be a good idea to catch up on that first. Continue reading “Hale End Heroes: Season 1, Part 3” →