[FM24] Football Nomad: How to quit your job and get into football management

[BillHoudini24]

Football Nomad: Season 1, pilot

Disclaimer: Loosely based on real events

 

I was always very much into football. Growing up in the late 90s-early 00s, I was lucky enough to see some incredible matches and players. Liverpool's Champions League in 2005, the Serie A derbies with Totti, Del Piero, Maldini and Zanetti, Ronaldinho's era at La Liga and the emergence of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo's insane transformation from a flashy winger into a lethal striker and many more. 

More than watching, I loved playing. I started out as a striker, but when the other kids caught up with me biologically, I started playing as a number 8 and 6. Unfortunately, I was a better student and writer than a footballer, so my parents' ultimatum forced me to stop early and focus on school. I reached semi-pro while getting my first degree, but that was it. Since then, I've been a policy analyst during the day and Football Manager gamer at night.

All that until last summer, when I quit my day job and started studying for the first coaching qualification. I received it through the mail last month and since then, I've been applying to jobs. 

So this is me. 28 years old, no job and just one coaching qualification. I've been very picky when applying to jobs, but my girlfriend's frustration would have forced me to look into the lowest leagues, that is if I didn't get lucky. 

Here comes Iraklis. Normally, it would seem like an unrealistic first job, as they are in Greece's second tier, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

Iraklis is the team of my father's side of the family, they're in a pretty tough spot and a relegation further down would mean the end of a very historic club. I applied, while everyone around me said I was crazy, but I got it! After being rejected by Den Haag (Dutch 2nd tier) and Viktoria Koln (German 3rd tier), I finally have a job.

Having said that let's lay down the goals for this journeyman save:

• Combine the Klopp and Guardiola principles in tactics
• Reach the Greek Hall of Fame
• Dethrone a top 5 league hegemon (Bayern, PSG, etc)
• Win a European title 
• Have a player win the Ballon D'Or

In addition to those, I want to keep things as realistic as possible, without making the game feel like a chore. I want to manage in the Netherlands, because this is the country I live irl. I moved there from Greece, so this would be a realistic next step. I won't use the search function for players and I'll only sign players suggested by my scouts, agents or Director of Football. 

Going back to Iraklis, they've been really bad this year and relegation looks pretty likely. The goal is to keep them in the second tier and rebuild the squad, as most players are considering their options.

Some of you might have read my youth-only save. I am not abandoning it, but some limitations in mentoring and tactics don't allow me to enjoy it in big stretches. This save is a break, where I can focus more on scouting, recruiting, negotiating and job hunting, aspects of the game that are completely missing in a youth-only save.

Drawing inspiration from @_Ben_ @Shrewnaldo and @Cleon, I want to focus more on writing and game-related details, instead of having a standard template of updates. Some times I might focus on tactical struggles, or individual players. Some other time I might have a half season update, or talk about important games in detail. I will be using the default skin alongside Ben's, depending on the occasion, so apologies in advance for any visual inconsistencies.

I already finished the first season, as it was quite short and wanted to see if the narrative would stick with me. I will update you soon on that.

Edited February 18 by BillHoudini24

[_Ben_]

36 minutes ago, BillHoudini24 said:

I will be using the default skin alongside Ben's, depending on the occasion, so apologies in advance for any visual inconsistencies.

Good luck! I had wanted to manage in Greece last year but my journey took me away from it. 

In terms of the skin - what is it you’re missing? I can DM you an update with staff attributes later on but happy to take any requests from you!

[BillHoudini24]

48 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

Good luck! I had wanted to manage in Greece last year but my journey took me away from it. 

In terms of the skin - what is it you’re missing? I can DM you an update with staff attributes later on but happy to take any requests from you!

Thank you Ben! Greece is quite interesting, especially in the first tier. Surpassing the Big 4 (Olympiacos, AEK, Panathinaikos, PAOK) is challenging, more so since the introduction of the Championship playoffs. I've played 11 seasons there during my youth-only save, which leads me to believe that I won't stay long in this one, 3 seasons tops.

 

The skin is absolutely brilliant, definitely makes the game better in my opinion. The reasons I haven't reached out with any concrete feedback are that I know you don't monetize it and that I am not an expert on skin development.

Just today, I was able to make it darker and add the "traditional" colors for "Position familiarity". This took it from 9 to 10/10

I am looking forward to the staff attributes update, I think that's the only element missing for my updates here.

Edited February 18 by BillHoudini24

[BillHoudini24]

Football Nomad: Season 1, episode 2 and season finale

As I prepared you for in the pilot post, season 1 would be short. The reason for that is that I joined Iraklis in February, just in time for the relegation play offs. In last years format, 1 team gets relegated before the split and then 6 teams will battle for 3 safety tickets.

I inherited a squad full of aging and defeated players who wanted to leave at the end of the season. Things were not looking good at all, so I decided to gamble and still move forward with my philosophy. You might have guessed some of my preferences because of the pilot. I want to combine Klopp's intensity and player development, with Guardiola's positional fluidity and passing patterns. Will this be possible with a relegation candidate and in the middle of the season?

A few notes about this first draft:

The mid block is used for 2 reasons, (1) because our defense is too slow for any higher placement and (2) because that way we can set smart traps in the middle of the pitch and take advantage of our opponents mistakes.

The aim is to create triangles and situations with +1 players in every attacking space.

The IFB on the left will create a back 3. Same with the IWB, he will play close to the DM and BBM, creating a triad in midfield. Then the Mezzala will function as a modern "number 10", while the Winger provides width and the IF creates problem next to the striker. What I am expecting to see is the following:

At the same time, I had to deal with an empty staff room, as everyone left with the previous manager. But there was no time for that and I wanted to recruit proper staff members that can actually contribute to our system. What happened next was insane.

We were unplayable most of the time. The 6 game unbeaten streak helped fix morale and filled me with belief that not only we can survive this year, but also set the foundations for a promotion push next year. After the final game of the season we found ourselves comfortably avoiding relegation.

But who shined? It cannot be the tactics and locker room speeches of a 28 year old inexperienced manager. I will focus on the players I was able to keep and to be fair, I only tried to keep the ones who really stood out. Having 15 contracts expire was a perfect opportunity for a clean state.

Markos Vellidis (GK) - Markos is a known name for fans of Greek football. He is a Panathinaikos academy graduate who ended up having a long career in the first tier, playing for PAOK and Aris among others. He is the oldest player of the team, but also our leader. He ended up having an average rating of 6.93 and 9 clean sheets. That's very promising considering he played for an under-performing team for most of the year.

Johnson Eboh (CM) - Johnson is the typical lower league box-to-box midfielder. A lot to be desired from a technical perspective, but he's a good athlete with decent mental attributes. His work rate and decisions were vital in our survival run. He averaged a 7.00, while also having 3 goals and 4 assists. He definitely earned his one-year extension.

Eneko Capilla (CM) - Coming from the land of the Basques, Capilla is the player with most quality in the squad. He's very creative, as well as an great set piece taker. Not the best athlete, but he wouldn't play here if he was. He asked for a crazy contract, which I ended up negotiating down to slightly crazy. He also averaged a 7.0, while having 4 goals and 6 assists. I expect more from him next year, once he knows his role in our system a bit better.

Christos Kountouriotis (IF) - Another Panathinaikos academy graduate, Christos scored some very important goals to keep us up in my first season as a football manager. He's decent in all aspects of the game, but his "Running with ball down Right" might be an issue. In my first 13 games it wasn't a problem, as he scored 5 goals, provided 2 assists and averaged a pretty good 7.12.

Having the relegation battle out of the way, I can finally set up a proper structure, with my own staff and training methods. The goal is to continue progressing, but deep down I would be disappointed if we are not involved in a promotion battle. Granted, we played against teams at the bottom of the table, but I believe that we can turn this team into contenders with a few targeted transfers.

 

[BillHoudini24]

Football Nomad: Season 2, episode 1 - A fresh start

As I previously mentioned, most of the contracts in the team were expiring at the end of last season, meaning that we had a big opportunity to start fresh and set our own structure and philosophy. Knowing Greek football, it would not be unrealistic to overhaul a squad, as teams easily make 10-15 changes every summer, especially the ones struggling.

For me this preseason had 3 goals:

- Recruit the right players so we don't overspend and mix youth with experience

- Hire staff that will make my life easier, especially first team coaches and scouts

- Refine my tactical approach based on the final squad

It was a very busy transfer window as you can see. For that reason, I will only focus on the process, instead of showing every single in/out transfer.

Starting with the players who left, it was pretty much an unavoidable situation. I just joined a struggling club and despite our good form, some players would just not sign new deals, either for this year, or the next. In those cases, it's better to just focus my energy elsewhere, so I let them go, ideally with some money, like in the case of Simon Gbegnon, an aging but quality center back. Nicolas Silva was also a major departure, as he would offer a lot of quality both as an AML and as a CM (Mez), but again, he never allowed me to have a contract conversation with him.

Looking at the bright side, all these departures gave us a lot of room in the wage budget, which I could take advantage and shape the team to my liking. To keep things realistic, I wanted the majority of the players to be Greek, or at least players from Greek leagues. A good example of how I think about recruitment is the pair Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Alexis Kalogeropoulos.

Sokratis needs no introduction. With a lucrative career starting from AEK Athens and then playing for Genoa, Werder Bremen, Dortmund, Arsenal and Olympiacos, Sokratis will lead by example, offer stability and mentor the younger Kalogeropoulos.

Alexis Kalogeropoulos is currently on loan to us from Olympiacos, but I will definitely try to keep him here, even if I end up leaving at some point. He is consistent, Determined and shows progress in training every week.

But my big project in the defensive department is Antonis Aidonis. The Greek-German has -almost- all the qualities I am looking in a modern center back. He can pass the ball, has decent technique, while being tall (1.85) and aggressive enough. He's being retrained as a Half Back, mainly because the attributes are there already and it's a role that I like using in FM24.

Besides my defense, I desperately needed a striker with experience in lower league football. Marcelo Trotta and Eloy Gila fit the bill, as both of them have at least a decade of experience in Serie B/C and La Liga 2. Trotta is the started for now, but I will be rotating them to keep them fresh. Their Physicals lead me to believe that I can get a good full year out of them, which is why I offered them 1-year deals.

Finally, I had to hire basically the entire staff, with a couple of exceptions.

I'm glad I spent the time to do so, because now we have one of the best staff structures in the league.

[BillHoudini24]

Football Nomad: 1 year at Thessaloniki with Iraklis, were we able to turn things around?

This is no need for cliff hungers and click baits, it was a magnificent season for us. I knew I had something to work with and I was optimistic about the new transfers, but what happened was beyond my expectations. This update will focus on the following 3 elements:

- Our successful campaign in the league and my improvement as a manager in terms of badges, contract and reputation

- How my 4-3-3 worked in practice and some observations on the role of the Advanced Forward

- Tribute to our fallen hero

 

The second tier of Greek football is not at all like the Championship. It's not a huge jump from the third tier, or even the bottom half teams of the first tier. It's a purgatory for professional teams with debt that cannot compete in the division above, while relegation means eternal doom into the depths of Greek local football. So it comes as no surprise to some that not only we won the league, but we also did it with style.

It was close until the end, but this is more the result of Kalamata and Panetolikos being very good teams, than us trying to bottle it. We scored a lot, we played a high tempo game, while also maintaining possession due to our smart pressing traps in the middle of the pitch.

Going back to scoring, it was not even close. I always had faith in the team, because I knew that we would at least score against any opponent.

At the same time, we conceded a lot of goals from set pieces, or we lost focus when games were decided. Those elements I'll have to improve if I stay at Iraklis' first season in the Super League 1 after 2010.

This massive over-performance forced the Iraklis board to give me a new deal and fund my 2 next coaching badges. I was able to negotiate it and get 57k/year, a great improvement that makes my position a tiny bit safer, in case things go wrong next year.

Spoiler

So, was this a result of a balanced tactic, or the recruited players were just too good?

I think Marcelo Trotta is a good example to showcase what happened.

Even thought he played as an Advanced Forward, he was moving more as a Deep Lying Forward, maybe because of our mid pressing block and the narrower team instruction. He was very much involved in holding the ball while waiting for support, but also smashed his scoring record for a single season, scoring 24 goals in 36 games. His previous best was 12 goals in 37 games, while playing in England's League 1. Maybe I was wrong in my assessment of the role all this year. I always thought the AF is just a less one-dimensional poacher, but Trotta turned out to be much more, at least at this level.

Talking about players who stood out, I cannot leave out Eneko Capilla, our number 10. As you might remember, I mentioned that he asked for an insane contract, which I negotiated down to a slightly crazy contract. And oh boy, did he deserve his pay day. He was absolutely dominant all season, he scored 19 goals, outperforming his xG by 7 (!) and provided 8 assists. Another player who had a "career high" year with us, leading me to believe that we might be doing something right here with this 4-3-3 turned into 3-3-4 while in possession.

But even though it was a year full of joy and goals, a terrible injury at the later stages of the season left a bitter taste in our mouths. Nikos Vrettos was my favorite player. Determined, a hard worker, who could also assist in the blink of an eye. No wonder he had the highest average rating in the team (7.42) and the most assists (11). Unfortunately he was also very injury prone. He had a lot of minor injuries during the year, but in the final stretch his ACL burst, leaving him out for 12 to 14 months. Considering his age, injury record and expiring contract, I made the decision to part ways with him.

Now one question has been bothering me since we stopped celebrating the promotion. Should I stay and establish Iraklis as a tier 1 team, or should I cash out the hype around me and look towards the north?

Edited February 23 by BillHoudini24

[BillHoudini24]

Football Nomad: 2025 preseason - Preparing to fight against the big boys

Surviving in the Greek Super League is usually achievable, since the league splits into a championship and a relegation group in March. So my goal for this preseason is to create a club structure that could sustain Iraklis, even if I leave for a better offer during the season. I have an emotional connection to the team after all, so I wouldn't want to see them relegated again. The focus for the preseason is placed on:

- Replacing notable but aging and/or injury-prone players such as Marcello Trotta and Nikos Vrettos.

- Phasing out the (very) old guard without disturbing the team morale. Vellidis (GK) is 37 and Sokratis (CB) is 36. Their experience will be valuable in the first tier, but they cannot be anything more than squad players at this point.

- Signing promising Greek players to provide depth to our squad. I like having a small squad of players who are versatile enough to play different positions. This allows for better development and fewer complaints.

 

Starting from replacing last year's protagonists, it was proven way more difficult than I thought, at least while doing it realistically. My 3 scouts and the DoF could not make even a single suggestion that would fit my criteria for a Striker, so I started to panic.

Maybe I made a mistake by letting Trotta go, but he wanted me to double his salary and consider him an Important Player, while he was 33 years old and steadily declining. And to be honest, how easy is to replace a striker who just scored 26 goals? The answer came from the network I am starting to build in northern Europe, this time from Denmark.

Alexander is a tall striker who spent 4 years in Aalesund, scoring just one (1) goal. I know how this sounds, but Trotta had a similar scoring record before joining us. What I like about Alex is that his attribute distribution is well-rounded and that he will do some damage in the air, since we are a team that crosses a lot. Despite my intense pressing and high possession game, the AI describes my tactics as "Wing-Play" from time to time.

 

For Vrettos and essentially both the AML (IF) and AMR (W) positions, I decided to sign three Greek young players who can play on both sides. This gives me some margin of error, or the luxury of giving more time to the ones who are not yet ready for the big leagues. I will show you here the ones that I expect will play more this year.

Tzimas is a PAOK academy graduate, who doesn't have any clear weaknesses, except for his Quickness. His good technical ability and Composure will make up for that. I hope his exposure at a higher level of football will help him improve, even at 24.

Andrianos is definitely one for the future. He has the right attributes to be a Winger, but he's natural as an AML only, while being right footed. I think that his Technique, Crossing and Physicals will allow him to contribute once he gets used to the level and the way we play.

To wrap up the transfers, let's talk about the very exciting ones. Even thought Eboh was fantastic last year as a box-to-box midfielder with 9 goals and 11 assists, I felt like we needed an upgrade in this position.

Dumont has spent his entire career in Belgium's first tier of football, but he never had more than 10 games per season. I am very excited about his Mental and Physical attributes. His low Passing is definitely an issue, but let's hope it works out.

Finally, Giorgos is the player I was looking for in that Inverted Wingback role. His Off the Ball is a glaring weak spot, but other than that he's great for our level. His positional versatility is just the cherry on top.

 

The preseason was short in terms of matches and half of them took place before most of the signings, so I cannot offer any insight or predictions based on that. Overall, I think the team is improved and we have a pretty good chance at not even being involved in a relegation battle.

[BillHoudini24]

Football Nomad: Season 2025/26, just before the winter window - Surviving means adapting

It's been a season of ups and downs already. Just before we have the chance to make changes in our squad again, I thought it would be a good time to write an update on how we are doing in terms of results, but also in terms of tactical adjustments.

When promoted, I usually try to keep a core of players, so that the team has some tactical and social cohesion. This time was no different, with 7 starters being the same as last year. This allowed me to keep my tactical philosophy intact and see where it takes us.

The first "turn" was a pretty rough one. Granted, we faced some of the league's best teams, but 7 points out of 21 is a worrying sign for a team that doesn't want to get into a relegation battle.

What I saw in those matches was the same trend as last year. Most goals we conceded were either directly from a set piece, or the highlight started from a set piece. That includes throw-ins, in which we freeze and the opponent just walks into the goal. I don't know if it's a Match Engine issue at this point and I don't really care, all I want is to be safe by December. So at the end of September, I decided to slightly tweak my tactic, to try to control the game a little bit more. I am a firm believer that possession, when done right, can keep a team safe.

I only changed one thing to begin with, so that I can keep track of the effect of my tweaks. I kept the 4-3-3 out of possession, but instead of a 3-3-4 with an Inverted Full Back, I went for a 3-3-4 with a Half Back. Ashworth was not performing well as an IFB and the DM(S) in midfield was too adventurous for a bottom-half team like us.

In possession, the formation looks like this:

Evidently, this tweak has more players behind the ball and more players during the build-up phase. I expected more possession and more defensive stability. If you exclude the freak loss in the Greek Cup, we've been doing better.

This run of form finds us in a very good position in the league, already with some distance from the bottom two teams that will be relegated after the league split.

What is interesting is that we have the third best offensive output in the league and a +5 goal difference while being 9th. All that was going on while my starting striker was injured for 7 weeks. Is it a sign that we can challenge for the Championship Group?

If we look at the stats, there is reason for hope:

- We are 5th in average possession with 52%, way lower than last year's 61%, but also the level is different.

 

Spoiler

- We are second in expected goals. Hopefully with our striker back, we can get our actual numbers even higher.

 

Spoiler

- My favorite stat, we are first in High Intensity Sprints. This is the result of recruiting based on Work Rate and Determination. I am not simulating 3000 games to test things, but I believe it definitely plays a part in our current situation.

 

Spoiler

- Finally, we are second in the tackles won ratio, with 81%, again proving that our mid pressing block works pretty well, even in the first tier of Greek football. I just hope we can keep this up all year.

 

Spoiler

And all this has been happening while we are second to last in wages per year. It was challenging at times to keep the financial structure at modest levels, but I think we'll have to spend more if I stay here and challenge for the European qualification spots.

 

Spoiler

I am slowing the game down a little bit now, as I am trying to decide whether I should make any transfers during the winter window. I have identified certain areas we can improve, but I also don't want to increase our wage expenses. The club already depends on TV rights and sponsorships, one wrong turn and it might be catastrophic in the future.

Edited February 24 by BillHoudini24