[Football] Football Manager 2021

[WhingForPresident]

Finished sixth in our second season, pretty decent. Millwall were hilariously bad, they came up under Marco Silva with Chuba Akpom as their main striker and predictably didn't pick up a point from January to the end of the season. We beat them 6-0 & 4-0, Arsenal and Man City both beat them 8-0. 117 conceded Silva actually kept his job as well.



The one player that surprised me most was Trossard. I've never been able to get anything out of him on FM and usually sell him pretty early, but he had an amazing season.



I just spent 64m on Max Aarons which may have been slightly excessive, but didn't really need to improve in other areas so **** it. The 4-4-2 has changed to a 4-2-4 but we're still keeping it pretty tight at the back somehow.

Not going well for Potter in this world at the moment. He got the Middlesbrough gig in the summer of 2021, taking Bjorn Hamberg, Billy Reid and Simon Rusk with him (I'd already sacked them all as soon as I took over anyway). He got sacked in February:

 

[Seagull1989]

I’ve just started playing it and started with Bradford. Got promotion in the first season and now just starting the 2nd season. I had Dendoncker on loan in the first season but he got recalled because he was playing CB instead of DM.

A couple of things I find annoying on this edition:

You no longer get told who has assisted the goal
You can’t make multiple quick subs or swap players to different wings without going into the full tactics screen
Player fitness percentage has gone and replaced with the hearts. Initially this annoyed me but I believe the thinking behind it was that as a manager you wouldn’t know if a player is 60% or 80% fit.

Also, you find that 4-2-3-1 gegenpress is always over powered on the game. I win playing this formation but the board want me to play defensive direct football and when I do I always lose.

 

[Don Tmatter]

Is Greg Luer scoring goals for fun for EB still?

He's betrothed to my Neice and works in the family business.

Can you confirm the rumour around Burgess Hill during his spell there that he’s a Palace fan?

 

[Lenny Rider]

Can you confirm the rumour around Burgess Hill during his spell there that he’s a Palace fan?

Regardless of the said upcoming marriage I couldn't/wouldn't have employed him if this was the case, unfortunately its not that much better as he supports Stretford United in the EPL.

 

[wallyback]

May I suggest checking out 90MinuteFever - if you loved Football Manager Live (FML) the offshoot of Football Manager then you should love this,

 

[BadFish]

I’ve just started playing it and started with Bradford. Got promotion in the first season and now just starting the 2nd season. I had Dendoncker on loan in the first season but he got recalled because he was playing CB instead of DM.

A couple of things I find annoying on this edition:

You no longer get told who has assisted the goal
You can’t make multiple quick subs or swap players to different wings without going into the full tactics screen
Player fitness percentage has gone and replaced with the hearts. Initially this annoyed me but I believe the thinking behind it was that as a manager you wouldn’t know if a player is 60% or 80% fit.

Also, you find that 4-2-3-1 gegenpress is always over powered on the game. I win playing this formation but the board want me to play defensive direct football and when I do I always lose.

Yeah i found this, my tactic from 2020 is way too good and I'm not enjoying it so much. I am going to try a new Brighton save to develop a Tika taka or vertical tika taka style

 

[Whitechapel]

Has anyone else who isn’t playing as Brighton seen us become a really good team? Just starting my 5th season with Charlton and Brighton are constantly pushing for Europe now and have a frankly ridiculous squad.

Been taking full advantage of us being great. Had Haydon Roberts on loan in my 2nd, 3rd & 4th season before getting him for £4m before the start of our 5th season. Got Alzate for less than £5m before my 4th season too. Also had Zeqiri on loan in my first two seasons and despite scoring goals for fun in the Prem for Brighton ive managed to get him on loan again

 

[schmunk]

December 2022 - I'm top of League 2 with Eastbourne Borough.

BHA are top of the Championship, 2 points clear of MASSIVE. We/they have Raul Moro, Steven Berghuis, Matheus Cunha and Julian Draxler on loan.

We/they sold Propper to Watford for £600k, and Locadia to Brentford on a Bosman...

 

[BadFish]

My tactics have just turned to ****ing shit. An update?

 

[Swansman]

Got this two days ago.

Bought only one player for the first season, yet ended up 4th.. Aaron Connolly became the PL top scorer with 28 goals, Maupay scored 22.

Now ahead of the second season I've sold players for £147m and still see no need to sign anything. Players like Östigård, Roberts, Jenks and Moran are ready pretty much the moment you let go of your starters or fringe players.

The team is really uber-overpowered in the game.

 

[BadFish]

Got this two days ago.

Bought only one player for the first season, yet ended up 4th.. Aaron Connolly became the PL top scorer with 28 goals, Maupay scored 22.

Now ahead of the second season I've sold players for £147m and still see no need to sign anything. Players like Östigård, Roberts, Jenks and Moran are ready pretty much the moment you let go of your starters or fringe players.

The team is really uber-overpowered in the game.

Really? Bloody hell, I am struggling with it since the last update.

What tactics are you using?

 

[Washie]

If anyone does enjoy doing things the hard way, there is a file that expands the amount of teams in England to tier ten. Bexhill United is in league one atm.

 

[BBassic]

I'm in the 2030/31 season and thus far my career has taken me from:

Edinburgh City
Bristol Rovers
Everton
Celtic
England (for three matches)
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Ipswich (current club)

I love doing a journeyman save. I can never bring myself to start as Brighton because when I inevitably fail it really annoys me. But if I end up there, fifteen years into a journeyman save, I tend to enjoy that a lot more.

 

[Withdean11]

I'm in the 2030/31 season and thus far my career has taken me from:

Edinburgh City
Bristol Rovers
Everton
Celtic
England (for three matches)
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Ipswich (current club)

I love doing a journeyman save. I can never bring myself to start as Brighton because when I inevitably fail it really annoys me. But if I end up there, fifteen years into a journeyman save, I tend to enjoy that a lot more.

This is the best way to play the game IMO. Especially starting unemployed with the smaller, less known countries/leagues.

In fact, this post has inspired me to start a new save!

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Started out as Grimsby, then Preston, then Brighton. I finished season 2028/29 as my first ever time to win everything since the new FM. League Cup, FA Cup, League, Champions League, Super Cup and Community Shield. Have lost a bit of motivation for that save now as I'm so dominant.

I thought I'd share the transfers out and fees from the existing squad.

Transfers Out

2021/22

Izquierdo 3.3m
Gyokeres 2m
Van Hecke 675K
March 11.25m (to Celtic)
Alij 4.6m
Locadia 3.6m
Andone 5.25m
Maupay 15.5m
Propper 7.5m

2022/23
Burn 2m
Dunk 16.5m (to Porto)
Ostigard 25m (to Burnley)
Bissouma 6.5M
Clarke 1.5m
Veltman 2.2m
Welbeck 170k
Duffy 575k
Yapi 100k
Molumby 350k
O'Hora 700k
Vukoje 28.5k
Arce 3.3m
Sanchez 9.5k (to my team at the time, Preston)

2023/24
Khadra Free
Dendoncker Free
Connolly 1.3M
White 46.5m (to Man City)
Webster 13.75M
Zeqiri 300k
Moder 6M
Ryan 5M

2024/25 (when I joined)
Bernardo 9.5M
Weir 350k

2025/26
Cochrane Free
Trossard 36m
Mac Allister 80m (Arsenal)
Lamptey 48M (Barcelona)
Gross 2.1m

2026/27
Moran 1.8m

2027/28
Rushworth 99k
Roberts 29.5m

2028/29
Karbownik 12m

 

[Mellotron]

I'm in the 2030/31 season and thus far my career has taken me from:

Edinburgh City
Bristol Rovers
Everton
Celtic
England (for three matches)
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Ipswich (current club)

I love doing a journeyman save. I can never bring myself to start as Brighton because when I inevitably fail it really annoys me. But if I end up there, fifteen years into a journeyman save, I tend to enjoy that a lot more.

This is the best way to play the game IMO. Especially starting unemployed with the smaller, less known countries/leagues.

In fact, this post has inspired me to start a new save!

Ah shit, you're really tempting me.

Just one more hit, then I'll get clean. I promise.

I just need ONE MORE ****IN HIT MAN.

 

[BBassic]

Ah shit, you're really tempting me.

Just one more hit, then I'll get clean. I promise.

I just need ONE MORE ****IN HIT MAN.

Now is the perfect time if you don't already own this year's version. New one will be out in a few months so most places will have FM21 discounted periodically.

Currently £20 on Steam.

 

[Swansman]

Really? Bloody hell, I am struggling with it since the last update.

What tactics are you using?

This one, though my midfield was different in the first season (Bissouma box-to-box, Alzate DLP and one of Gross/Macallister/Lallana as AMC, but all of those except Alzate are gone now). In difficult away games I would pull the AMC to MC and play Caicedo as ball-winning midfielder.

 

[trueblue]

Still going strong on FM2014 on my ageing laptop, so will revisit this thread for tips in 2035 (allowing for a couple of years on each version).

 

[Whitechapel]

View attachment 138216

This one, though my midfield was different in the first season (Bissouma box-to-box, Alzate DLP and one of Gross/Macallister/Lallana as AMC, but all of those except Alzate are gone now). In difficult away games I would pull the AMC to MC and play Caicedo as ball-winning midfielder.

Same formation I play and I'm starting to worry it might be a little OP



Changed to this system after a disapointing christmas in 2031. 19 clean sheets in 23 league games since then. It's absolutely formidable. In fact at the start of the 31/32 season I've played 9 games including 4 friendlies and conceded 0 goals. Back to Back PL titles for the Addicks, if I could sort out my horrible record in cup finals (think I've won 2 out of 11 not including the Community Shield) then I'd be buildy a real dynasty.