The FM Technical Area - A Football Manager Podcast

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. The Beautiful Game. Can we still call football this anymore? Are results more important than the style in which they are achieved? This week, we're going to focus on three managers who focused on style first before the success followed: Sir Matt Busby, Arsene Wenger & Maurizio Sarri. Just before you head off, w...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. It's the Summer. The Euros & Copa America are over, pre-season tours are underway, while the Qualifying Rounds for the upcoming Champions League, Europa League & Conference League are shining a light on some of Europe's "smaller" clubs. It's time to start thinking about FM25. There's a...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. The managerial merry-go-round is almost occupying as much of the columns on the back pages as transfer sagas these days. The cult of the manager is in full swing, and this week we join in. Roberto de Zerbi has been growing a reputation which has caught the attention of many across the world, and this week, we jump in a...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Every team needs a star. Last time it was a Shadow Striker, this time it's an Advanced Playmaker. We're evolving from building around a deep-lying goalscorer to the orchestrator pulling the strings from the pockets behind the front line. Isn't this the player we all need to build around? This week, we: Defi...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Every team needs a star. They need the pieces around them to fit just right in order for them to be able to show the world just what it is they are capable of. In FM24, I'm building my first season around Jean-Kévin Augustin - a Shadow Striker. And as of recording time, he's not just my best player, but he'...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Every year, it may change, but nonetheless, every year, it's a problem we face - The Bogey Tactic. We can't beat it. It just has our number. Whether it's a stubborn defensive setup or a relentless high-pressing game, bogey tactics can frustrate even the most seasoned managers. But fear not, as today we'...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. After being blown away by them in person, Simeone Inzaghi's Inter have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in Europe this season. Their interpretation of the 3-5-2 is but one example of how prominent this shape is becoming again in football. This week, let's dive in to how it works, what key considerat...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. As I reach the Winter Break of my first FM24 season, my #9 has 17 goals and my #10 has 16. Without them, my season would be floundering, so how have I built around them to reach these heights? What happens in the matches they struggle in? Well, let's get into it! The View From the Touchline (@VFTT) pieces I mention...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Never before has a Summer passed where Goalkeepers had as much prominence. De Gea or Onana? Raya or Ramsdale? The world may have been split, but we don't have to be in FM. So, as FM24 finds its fledgling wings, how do we know if he's a 'keeper? FM & Goalkeeping FM's ⁠Goalkeeper Roles⁠ Stybb Gaming:...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. FM24 is here! And while some eyes are already on FM25's " Great Reinvention ", FM24 promises a celebration of the first 20 years of the franchise. So, starting off Season 4, GG talks through his save plans (yes plural), what's new-ish in FM24 and why SI have scored another own goal (you may have heard...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Change is inevitable. Sometimes it's forced upon us. Sometimes we need to find it. This week, we're talking about the need to find a way to make the change, and wondering when/how it's best to find a new way forward. If you want to deep dive yourself into some of football's biggest changes, then you can...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. No one saw Napoli as potential Scudetto Winners last Summer, yet 12 months later, the champions are rebuilding (again). So how did they do it? And what can we learn from them for our Football Manager saves? If you want to deep dive yourself into the Napoli way, then you can check out the links below that helped me put...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Ridiculed when he spoke of his desire to play a 2-7-2 formation, Thiago Motta has gone and proven himself to be an exciting manager. But is his tactic truly revolutionary? Are there any lessons we can learn from his sides? If you want to deep dive yourself into Thiago Motta's philosophy, then you can check out the...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Not since the days of James Richardson sipping an espresso in an Italian piazza, the pink sheets of Gazetta in his hand, has there been as much excitement around Italian football as there is now. With a new focus leading to many teams playing with an attacking swagger, a calibre of coach on the touchline the envy of cl...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. The Box Midfield. It's taking over. From the Brazilian Box to Guardiola's interpretations, amongst others, the key to dominating a midfield now seems to be kept in a box. Where did it come from? How's it going? How do I use it in FM? Let's find out... If you want to take a deeper dive into the box midfi...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. From flying winger to divisive Head Coach, Damien Duff is cutting his managerial cloth at Ireland's top level with Shelbourne. Taking over from a side fresh from Promotion, Duff turned Shels into the League's grittiest side. But with his ideals, Duff has needed to be pragmatic as well. What can we, as FM players,...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Finally back from a Bundesliga-esque Winter Break, I've managed to waffle on for 50 mins about Recruitment - The steps I follow to identify a new signing, the process I take in doing my due diligence and how I try to not break the rules... There's some fantastic FM23 content on Recruitment out there and here's som...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. It's here! FM23 Touch is a thing again, and we should all be delighted...shouldn't we? After a one year hiatus, SI have released FM Touch again, but this time it's for Apple Devices only (sorry Android users), and then not all Apple Users, but only for those paying for an Apple Arcade Subscription. Have SI scored...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Goals win games. Attackers win Awards. So, how can we make sure we have the best front line in the game? How can we go about making sure our attack is balanced? And is a 4-2-3-1 a four-forward tactic? Let's get into it! Some great reads that helped me: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/best-strikers-in-the-worl...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. In FM23, we are all starting on a blank tactical slate. Tactical creation begins with positions, roles and instructions, some of which have been slightly tweaked since we loaded up FM22 for the first time. So, what do we need to think about with our new tactics? Some great reads that helped me: https://www.squawka...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. In FM23, I'm shunning Attributes. It's all about Stats for me. It'll be Stats for Scouting and Stats for Coaching, but with the Beta now in the wild, how am I feeling about Data now the time is upon us? Just before you head off, why not subscribe (if you haven't already), leave a positive review, or share on your...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. Planning for FM23? Ever consider how important your Dynamics, Hierarchy & Culture are to the development of the club? I haven't spent much time thinking about it before, but after seeing an image of the whole squad in one Social Group, it got me thinking...Ability may mean success on the pitch, but is adding t...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. With a goalscoring drought on my hands in my final FM22 season, I turned to a former striker with modest attributes and a C- Scout rating. While his attributes said he wouldn't be the answer, his goalscoring exploits from the previous 3 seasons said otherwise, and lo and behold, he had 6 goals and 2 assists in his...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. I've lost my way in FM22. It's almost been 2 years since I won a trophy (IRL time) and I've also built a squad without a real tactical identity. With ambivalent results in my 4th season with Utrecht, I don't know whether or not the time has come to move on, or move Heaven and Earth to finally end that trophy droug...

Welcome to the Technical Area, your FM podcast brought to you by Gaffer Graemo. It's that time again, where a manager is put in the limelight, and the Community have voted for Jorge Sampaoli to enter the limelight! What has Bielsa said about him? What makes him such an interesting manager? And, is there anything I can learn from him as a Football Manager player? It's time to find out! Sources...