I have to admit I am still not getting the same buzz from FM26 as I did with previous versions. It doesn’t grab my attention like some of the previous iterations.
However, this is not me here to slander FM26. I do think the game has potential, and hopefully, it is just the starting point for a brighter future for the game.
I couldn’t get into a game long-term until now
So, I have started lots of different saves on FM26, and only one of them stuck. It was a save I have talked about on here where I am 25 years in, and my team has won a ridiculous number of trophies. I can’t play that game anymore, as strangely it was quite boring winning everything.
I started a new save a few months ago, and due to various reasons, work and holidays, I am only six seasons in, which, if you know me, is absolutely nothing compared to different versions of the game.
Something usually has happened in this latest save; I have finally won the Premier League title at the sixth attempt. Some less experienced players may say, “Isn’t it good to win the title after six seasons as Everton boss?”
Well, for some, it might not be terrible, but for somebody who has been obsessed with FM and writes about the game, it is highly disappointing. Before you say you must be crap at the game, there are a few reasons why I took so long to win the title.
Reasons why I didn’t win the title until the sixth season
The first reason for the lack of success was that, because the long-term save was getting slightly boring, I decided to experiment with different tactics. Most of these tactics I used were in preparation for one of our tactic-testing articles.
Most of them were relatively successful in the fact that I finished second-place in four of the first five seasons in charge. One went wildly wrong, as I decided to simulate a whole season with the one tactic, just as I would do in tactic testing. The result was a 13th-place finish, with a team that was far better than the position suggested.
After that debacle, I decided I wouldn’t sim a whole season again on the save, and that I would take it a bit more seriously. The next three seasons, I once again experimented with different tactics, resulting in three straight runner-up spots.
I simmed some games, but towards the end of that third season of runner-up spots, I actually started paying more attention to the team after phoning it in for much of the save. The football that the team was playing was brilliant. It actually lured me back into caring and also excited me.
I set my stall out not to sign any wonderkids in the first few summers, and I didn’t, which probably contributed to the lack of success. However, I had managed to pick up the likes of wonderkids Endrick, Can Uzun and Franco Mastantuono in decent deals. These players obviously contributed plenty to the style of play.
I decided to go all out the next summer and attempt to bring in players that would complement the strong team I already had. One of the first signings I made was that of Max Dowman, who, incredibly, had found his way to Leicester via Rotherham, where he was signed on a free transfer after his release from Arsenal.
He had been brilliant for Leicester in the Premier League for two seasons, contributing to both goals and assists. His release clause was just £35m, and it turned out to be one of my best signings of FM26 so far.
Dowman, still only 21, was one of my star performers. He played in central midfield and all across the three attacking midfield positions, scoring 23 goals and producing nine assists in all competitions.
He wasn’t the only key player I signed that summer. Another was a 21-year-old Brazilian forward called Charles. He had been prolific at Bayer Leverkusen and cost £83m to sign.
The forward wasn’t quite in the same category as Dowman as a bargain, as he cost £83m, but he still scored 30 goals in all competitions and picked up 12 assists, while always seeming to contribute in big games.
One massive signing that likely made all the difference was that of veteran Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window for £10m. The signing went against everything I usually believe in, as I very rarely sign players over 25.
However, Kimmich is special, and he was brilliant when playing in central midfield or at right-back. For a player who is regarded as defensive, his ten goals in the second half of the campaign was an outstanding record.
I actually enjoyed the failure
It’s a strange thing to say, but I enjoyed the failure of those first five seasons. This is because, at the end of the day, we play FM for fun, but winning every trophy or game leaves us slightly empty inside.
Some people may enjoy winning every trophy easily, but it’s not for me. I have always enjoyed the journey more than the destination in FM. Once you are a dominant force in the domestic and European game, it’s almost as if the game is over.
I remember back in one of the Championship Manager games I played as a kid. If you were successful, you would have been offered the England job. If you took the job, then you had essentially completed the game, and you would be taken back to the game’s menu.
I am not saying bring that back, but I am saying that I have enjoyed this save because it hasn’t been easy, and it has been a challenge, which is great, and it has helped me enjoy the game.
I will probably enjoy the game for a few seasons now as I attempt to win the Champions League, but hopefully the challenge I faced earlier in the save will give me the fresh impetus to keep playing the game for a bit longer.
Do you enjoy the journey rather than the destination of winning trophies in FM?
