While many people are happy to stick to managing the big clubs and winning major trophies in Football Manager, there are always those brave, intrepid players who love a challenge. So here are four save ideas that could offer something of a challenge:
Turning Wrexham into a global force
Since the arrival of Hollywood pair Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, the club has experienced a big upturn in fortunes. The Red Dragons won promotion back to the EFL in season 2022/23 from the National League after a 15-year absence.
The club’s owners are massively ambitious for the Welsh club and are likely to back the club financially to the hilt after already investing money to win promotion. The challenge of taking Wrexham first to the Premier League and then to challenging in European competition will be a fun long-term save.
It seems everything is set for the Welsh side to rise up the football pyramid and go even further than they have ever before.
Reviving Hamburg’s fortunes
Hamburger SV, or Hamburg as they are typically known, are traditionally one of the biggest clubs in the German game. Die Rothosen experienced massive success in the early 1980s when they won the Bundesliga twice and the European Cup, while also finishing as title runners-up in 1981,1984 and 1987.
However, HSV has fallen on hard times in recent years and suffered relegation to the second tier of German football in season 2017/18. The demotion marked the end of a 55-year spell in the German top-flight for one of the Bundesliga’s founding members. It was their first relegation from the German top flight in its current guise.
Since suffering the drop, it has been a case of close, but not close enough when it comes to winning promotion back to the German top flight.
One of their closest calls came last season when Hamburg was set for promotion on the final gameweek of the season, only for rivals Heidenheim to come from two goals down to defeat Regensburg 3-2 with a stoppage-time winner to claim promotion and the title.
Hamburg finished third place in the table, just a point behind both promoted teams, Heidenheim and Darmstadt. For a second straight season, HSV suffered defeat in the relegation/promotion play-off, this time losing 6-1 on aggregate to Stuttgart.
Maybe you could be the one to guide Hamburg back to the place where they belong finally.
Taking Ajax back to the top of the European football tree
This season has been an absolute disaster for Ajax, as the formerly dominant force of the Dutch game currently sits in 15th place in the Eredivisie table, only a point clear of the relegation play-off spot in the Dutch top-flight.
While many may believe the rot set in this summer when they lost the likes of Muhamed Kudus, Edson Alvarez Jurrien Timber and Dusan Tadic, things have not been right at the Dutch giants for a while.
Last season, they finished third place in the table, 13 points behind champions Feyenoord, missing out on Champions League football. Things are not looking great for the four-time European champions.
However, there is one plus for Ajax in the fact that they have some promising players within their ranks. FM favourites Josip Sutalo, and Sivert Mannsverk joined in the summer transfer window, while other youngsters such as Charley Forbs and Gaston Avila also arrived in the Dutch capital.
Add those young players to the ones already at the club, like Brian Brobbey, Kenneth Taylor and Devyne Rensch, and you have the foundations of a promising young team. All they need is some extra quality added, and then maybe the Dutch giants could become a force to be reckoned with once again in not just the Eredivisie but also the European football.
Overthrowing Celtic in the SPL with Rangers
The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow goes way beyond football, with religious beliefs separating the pair. However, down the years, both clubs have had dominant periods in the SPL, where they have dominated the domestic game. Rangers have won 55 league titles, while Celtic have won just two fewer than their arch-rivals.
In recent years, Celtic have had their turn to dominate the Scottish top flight, winning the league title in 11 of the last 12 years in the SPL. Rangers last won the title under former Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard in season 2020/21. It was a rare title win, though.
With some canny recruitment, it may not be a massive challenge to overthrow Celtic and make Rangers great again in the Scottish top flight. You could then take it a step further and attempt to be successful in European competition with the Gers, which has proven difficult for Scottish clubs in recent decades.
What will your first save be on FM24? Let us know via our socials
