The Football Manager Football Show

February becomes March in the Bundesliga and for one half of our Football Manager duo, things are looking up and the threat of relegation almost seems like a distant memory. For the other half, the only way is up, but the board and players look like they're all coming into line and getting behind a strong finish to the season. This week on the podcast we've got another month of games in the Bundes...

It's been another whirlwind month of games in Germany and we've been feeling the pressure. Last episode, we were each given five games to salvage our careers in Germany. Eight points were required from those games and Shane got off to a flyer with a 3-0 win over Stuttgart followed by a 1-1 draw with Mainz before our live play to close out episode 117 saw him hold on to beat Arminia Bielefeld 2-1....

In a week where we've seen Spurs make yet another managerial change in real life and goals galore scored in the Premier League, over in Germany in the world of Football Manager, the Frankfurt and Augsburg boards are finally starting to lose patience. Yet again we're called in to explain ourselves but this time the threat is real and the pressure is on. For two teams leaking goals, one of which can...

When the board tell you they're looking for a meeting and refusal to attend would result in the termination of your contract, you know that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. But it's not Denmark, we're in Germany, it's life in the Bundesliga but not as we know it with November upon us. An international break means we've got some Champions League action for Ken with two crunch games in t...

It's October in Germany and it turns out we only thought of Oktoberfest after the fact. So, while the beer flows and the games come thick and fast in the Bundesliga, the goals have dried up with this week proving a tough one for both Frankfurt and Augsburg. And yes, Robbie's on "holiday" as Koln go on autopilot for a few days. We've put October to the test though and while Ken's trying to find his...

Happy Easter! While there's plenty of chocolate and Easter beers on the horizon, we're back in Germany with a bang as the Champions League campaign gets underway for Ken while we move through the month of September and knock a handful of league games out of it. This week is throwing up injury concerns, springing tactical surprises, showing that tweaks in-game can sometimes have catastrophic conseq...

After a crazy-busy week on the sports front in real life, we're finally back in Germany to get August out of the way in the Bundesliga. We've got some last-minute business to attend to on Transfer Deadline Day which we're hoping might light a fire or spark some kind of emotional investment in the Bundesliga.  Between the three of us, we've got six games to get through in a short episode as we try...

Don't mention the war! That said, due to an ongoing war (of the theatrical variety), we've not seen any action in Germany this week though Shane and Ken have been busy with Man United, Kilkenny and a second roll of the dice with Benfica. We're kicking back a little this week to reflect and a couple of things popping up in solo saves, get some more listener updates and questions for our ongoing sav...

It's been a slow start to proceedings in Germany but we've managed to get pre-season all wrapped up and get stuck into the league proper. This week sees us talk out the last of our pre-season games, check off our first competitive fixtures with the opening round of the DFB-Pokal and we're officially kicking off life in the Bundesliga with a rude awakening from the defending champions, Bayern Munic...

Are we overthinking Football Manager? As Robbie brought Porto to a second-place finish in Portugal last season, Shane is considering adopting his philosophy - one formation, one tactic, one lineup, one mission for the season. This week on the podcast we're wrapping up pre-season in Germany ahead of the opening of the DFB-Pokal and the first round of league action. Man United and Chelsea are coming...

Bye-bye Portugal, hello to pastures new! It's a new season, new beginnings and a new outlook on life as we have to grapple with players we don't know, in a league none of us have ever managed in, with a competition structure we're vaguely familiar with. We're leaving the Algarve behind us and all the lovely trappings that come with life in Liga Bwin and we're moving further into mainland Europe to...

Alas, we're calling time on our Portuguese adventure. What started slowly, has barrelled along in the last few weeks and on this week's episode we're playing through the final four games of the Liga Bwin season. Benfica need just one point from a possible 12 available - can they build on their late run of form or will they hit a speed bump with Sporting and Porto nipping at their heels? And when i...

The end is nigh in Portugal. This week we're into our second-last month of Pastel de Natas and all those other nice things the Portuguese culture has to offer, but more importantly, we're seven league games away from the end of the club season. For Robbie, there's also the possibility of a place in this year's Taça de Portugal should he pass the semi-final test. Despite the run-ins determined last...

The end is nigh in Portugal for our wandering trio of managers. This week, Benfica (Ken), Porto (Robbie) and Sporting (Shane) are in league and cup action as we close the door on February, get March out of the way and move into February - you can thank the international break for that one. However, one decent run of form looks like it might be in trouble, one poor run of form looks like there's a...

It's a candlelit podcast for two this week as Ken and Robbie go through February in Portugal and the gap between the top three begins the shorten a little.  There's Champions League action for Ken as Liverpool make their way to Benfica's back yard, Robbie and Ken are going head-to-head and it's beginning to look like everyone has injury concerns. The head-to-head this week turns out to be one of t...

Happy anniversary to us! It's two years since we threw caution to the wind and started talking all things Football Manager. 104 episodes later and we're still doing it, plus we're now cruising into February in Portugal with silverware on the line. Shane's got the second shot at a trophy this season with the surprise addition of an Allianz Cup final with Ken and Robbie both knocked out in the semi-...

The January transfer window is open, the Taca de Portugal continues but more importantly, we've got Robbie and Shane going head-to-head and more in this week's Football Manager Football Show. It's been a busy enough week at Scoreline HQ as we get caught up with the realities of the real-life sporting season but in FM land, it's back to the grind this week as we pass the midway point of the season...

We're all back in the studio this week and with the World Cup in the rearview mirror, it's time to open up the January transfer window and get stuck back into the league in Portugal. We'll find out how the World Cup actually went (with some surprise results) and get into our Allianz Cup quarter-final games with a potential host-v-host clash if everyone comes through unscathed. There are points to...

With Ken stuck in a forest for a week, not having brought some of the audio for this week's podcast with him, we're a day late but back on track with the group stages of the Taca de Portugal in the bag. Christmas has come and gone, and it's a case of 'new year, new drive' as wins become a must with some domestic cup action while the World Cup takes place in Qatar. Shane's looking for some money-sp...

It's the last episode of 2022 and we've hit episode 100 so this week we're taking a bit of an unexpected walk back through our Football Manager journey to date. Contains strong language.

We're barely days out from Christmas, we're turning into November in Portugal, a World Cup is coming up and we're saying goodbye to the Champions League group stages! Wherever you are in the world this week, have a safe and peaceful Christmas - try get in some quality game time and keep fighting the good Football Manager fight! This week we've got Robbie quarantined in a room somewhere beyond the...

We don't call too many podcasts 'ranty', but this one took a turn as struggles in the Champions League boil over into frustrations with winter football and some of the learnings of the game. With our host-v-host games out of the way last week, it's on to another two rounds of the league, two more rounds of the Champions League where results are a must to ensure progress, survival, or avoid elimina...

We're moving from August into September and we've got not one but two host-v-host games as Ken has to take on Robbie and Shane in one fortnight. We've got Champions League action, deadline-day dilemmas and more in another sweary, ranty week in the world of Football Manager.

It's August in Portugal and our first Football Manager 23 Champions League experience doesn't start well. With pre-season behind us, it's time to start our league run properly and we do just that by clearing out all the league fixtures in August and get a feel for what way the opposition is setting up in Liga Bwin. Robbie's struggling with suspensions, Shane's new signing is leading the goalscorin...

We're kicking off the league proper in Portugal this week so brace yourself for a rant about transfers, setups and conceding goals from impossible angles. After a decent pre-season run for our three Portuguese amigos, we're getting set to kick off Liga Bwin proper, which means there are a few decisions to be made - what gaps need to be filled, who can we sell to raise a few quid, and how do you ge...