warlock

Yeah... I'd be a great manager if I did

February 2026 - Meet the squad Goalkeepers Simple - Hedl is our No.1; if he's fit, he plays, first name on the teamsheet, etc. Gebhardt is an adequate backup but prone to calamitous errors. Defenders Bjorkan, who is still an excellent player, has been supplanted as first-choice LB by wonderkid Bartesaghi but I'm happy to have both of them. Central defence is less clear-cut - Ogbu and Marin are natural right-footers, and Aldarete is a leftie. Starfelt is right-footed but prefers to play on the left, they all work well together and give us good flexibility to cover for injuries and international duty. But Starfelt turned 30 this year and looks to be declining. He has a year remaining on his contract and I'd normally look to move him on in the summer, but he's our club captain and I'm wary of the disruption. On the right, Mendy is the obvious first-choice while Carreira was an able backup. However, he has been unhappy with his playing time and in trying to pacify him, I've annoyed Mendy who also wants more games. As a result, Carreira is now transfer-listed. Defensive midfield My usual approach of having two players for each position applies to our double-pivot. Currently both roles are set to DM with one on defend and one on support. The weak link here is Sotelo... at the start of the save he was rated at 4.5* potential but despite more than 60 first-team appearances he simply hasn't realised that potential, as shown by his last 5 games rating. Since there's interest in him it feels like time to move him on. Monchu is our main set-piece taker, which accounts for his eye-catching assists number. Swedberg should be our main man here, but I've been disappointed by his contribution this season, where he's been somewhat overshadowed by Allende and Rodriguez, neither of whom is his equal in terms of ability. Some of it likely to be role-related - the latter pair play as IFs on support while Swedberg is a natural shadow striker and it seems as though he gets marked out of games too often. On the left, Rego is a rising star as De La Torre is declining and I think I'm close to calling time on the latter's services. Prestianni was brought in as cover on both flanks and should be able to step up as Rego's backup next season - he hasn't yet had the chance since since he immediately suffered a virus after arriving and is just coming back to fitness. Nyheim has the potential to be our best player and it raises the question about how long he'll be happy as second fiddle to Swedberg. Strikers Our main problem area. Larsen's 13 goals in 24 starts looks OK but that translates to just 7 in 16 league games. Joveljic's stats look similar, but he front-loaded his scoring and has just brought to an end a 15-game barren streak. Both are rated as natural complete forwards and I can't help but wonder whether a tactical switch, dropping the striker to a support role, might work better. Something to think about and, perhaps, preferable to spending big on a top class goalscorer.

Oh, I know . I have to play them at least twice a year and it's always like that. They just overwhelm you. There's no shame in it, and you were always up against it with that injury list. Better luck next time

February 2026 I'm not sure why the fixture computer does this, but yet again the shortest month of the year has been the busiest month of the year with 8 games across three competitions. In the league it was another unbeaten month as we secured a narrow win against Sevilla, and rather more convincing performances against Osasuna and Valladolid before struggling to a draw away at Athletic in Bilbao. The Valladolid game was notable for youngster Nyheim scoring his first goal for the club, and for Joveljic breaking a 15-game streak without finding the net. In the Copa del Rey we managed an easy win against L2 opponents Oviedo but then failed in the quarter-final against Sociedad. This was a big disappointment because if we're to win some silverware the Copa looks like our best opportunity. Must try harder! But the highlight of the month - and perhaps of the save so far - came in the Champions League: As with our Supercopa victory in January, I can't quite explain how we pulled this off. The away leg was a repeat of January's encounter - they had slightly better possession but we did more with what we had, slightly winning the xG battle with more accurate shooting. In the home leg Real gifted us a man advantage as DM Nicolas Seiwald was red-carded for a lunging tackle on Bartesaghi and I feared the worst when the 10-man Madrilenos scored within minutes, but we pulled ourselves together and, across the two legs, were much the better team: So for the first time Vigo find themselves in the Round of 16. Of course, there are no easy games at this stage but I was hoping to avoid one of Europe's giants. Alas: Back to matters domestic: Realistically, third place is probably the best we can hope for but, barring a disaster, we should qualify for another season of European football. It's been a while since we took a close look at the squad and how they're performing so we'll do that next.

Update incoming

Great season, and very close to being a magnificent one. I'll be interested to see how the tactical switch works for you - I've been playing an Emery/Villa-inspired 4231 pretty much consistently throughout my Vigo save but with a shadow striker rather than the DLF. I'm pretty happy with our defensive performance but we can be a bit toothless in attack against the parked bus. I think the volante will help you there with a threat from deep - unfortunately, I don't have anyone who's even accomplished at the role, but I have scouts out looking Love Carnesecchi, BTW. He was brilliant in my Southampton save and I rate him as one of the best in this year's game.

Well, this is disappointing:

One relatively small world left, then

"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer."

January 2026 - Team performance The month turned to be busier than expected as we competed in multiple fronts: After a perfect month in December I was hoping to carry on that form. Unfortunately, we slipped at the first hurdle as we struggled to a home draw against Girona, as the visitors scored either side of the interval and were leading 2-0 in the 75th minute. But demonstrating the power of a good substitution, I sent on DM Enzo Barrenechea and within 5 minutes he set up Bjorkan to pull one back and then, in the final seconds, grabbed the equaliser to clinch the PoM award. In our only other league game, we did just enough to break down Almeria who are fighting against relegation and set up with a parked bus. They rarely ventured out of their own half and didn't manage a single shot on target, but it took us until midway through the second half before Larsen managed to find the back of the net. The memorable moment of the month came in the irritating distraction that is the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia. We managed to beat Real Madrid for the first time in the save, and not just beat them but comprehensively outplay them: I have no idea how - it was our usual tactic and they had a full-strength team out - and we reverted to type against Barcelona in the final. But the highlight of the month was our performance in the Champions League. A battling away draw at Leipzig and then an excellent home victory against rivals Real Sociedad secured us a place in the knockout round, just outside the Top 8. And I had no idea until a pre-match media question alerted me to the fact, plucky little Vigo are the competitions top scorers: We await the draw for the knockout round, but hopefully we can put together another display of goalscoring brilliance

January 2026 - Transfer window Unusually for a Vigo window, we received no unwanted bids or release clause offers. I'd also done most of our business before the window opened. The first two departures were for players who were on my 'begone' list. LB Manu Sanchez had been a useful player but was very much behind Fredrik Bjorken and when Bartesaghi arrived in the summer he was even further down the order. Increasing complaints about his playing time meant we had little option but to move him on, and he signed for Marseille for £6.5m. The Unai Nunez saga was explained at length earlier - poor performances and a bad attitude sealed his fate and he left for Saudi club Al-Sadd and a £9.5m fee. The third was a move I didn't really want to make. Young striker Ivan Azon is a good prospect but only third-choice in the Vigo squad, and he wanted more first-team football than we could offer him. He rejected a number of loan moves and eventually we agreed to sell him to Lens, recouping what we paid for him at £5m. No replacement was needed for Sanchez but we definitely needed another CB, especially as first-choice defender Igoh Ogbu would miss the whole of January at the African nations cup: Marin is a graduate of the Real Madrid academy and looks ideal for the job. He becomes our record signing at £24m and should be with us for years. Next in was the arrival of a player I'd signed back in the summer: Nyheim was a young star of my Southampton save, so when the recruitment team urged me to sign him I was happy to take the advice. For just £4m he's an absolute bargain and an additional 6 months' development at Bodo/Glimt appears to have done him the world of good. He comes in as backup to Swedberg at AMC. The final signing was for a long-term solution at AML/AMR. We weren't desperate for reinforcements here but there are signs that our first-choice players are struggling to perform at the higher level we're now competing at. Prestianni has featured on scouting reports for a while but since we have no available non-EU slots he was on my nice-to-have list. But on closer inspection, it turned out he has Italian nationality so we decided to make the move. £22m secured his signature from Benfica. I'm a big fan of traditional-style tricky wingers and he certainly fits that mould, with the added bonus of being equally adept on both flanks. In the not too distant future, I think the squad will need something of a rebuild to allow us to better compete at the top of the league and in Europe. At the very least, it would be nice to find a reliable 20-goal-a-season striker, but I'm happy with where we are for now.

That is true... a good side (which Benfica are) will often work harder. Some teams will look to sit back and defend, Benfica did that but never stopped looking for chances to score. My usual reaction to the situation is to play wider and slower, trying to take advantage of the extra man and reveal gaps in their defence, wear them down. The problem was, my players were sloppy in possession, giving the ball away through poor first touches or misplaced passes so we couldn't maintain any pressure. The problem with poor first touch is one I need to address in the squad. I've lost count of the times we've had an attack break down because somebody receives the ball and it pings 10-12 yards away from the player, allowing an opponent to nip in and either hoof it away or launch a counter.

December 2025 Feliz Navidad, as they probably say in Vigo. And Christmas is a happy time as Spain is one of those civilized footballing nations that implements a mid-winter break. And the jollity extended to our on-field performances with a perfect month: We opened the month with a good showing away at Vallecano, and after I called out the front four for poor performances so far this season it was pleasing to see Larsen and Allende finding the net. We stepped it up even further against Kobenhavn in the Champions League with a storming performance from Swedberg who bagged a first-half hat-trick en route to a 6-1 caning of the Danes. Swedberg was on the scoresheet again as we picked up a good win against Valencia, before concluding the month, and the year, with another victory at Villareal. That means we're now unbeaten in the league since our double defeat against Barcelona and Real Madrid at the end of October, making us the form team in La Liga: We're also in a good place in the Champions League: Our remaining fixtures in the league phase see us travel to Leipzig before facing Spanish rivals Real Sociedad. I doubt we can improve our position much but we should be able to secure a place in the playoff round. Either way, we've been much improved in Europe this season. Ahead of the transfer window, we've already done some business. Three out-of-favour players will be leaving, and we have two replacements already signed. We also have £28m in the transfer budget and room in the wage budget, plus two squad registration spots if we identify a good prospect. Otherwise, we're waiting on the dreaded release clause bids.

Here's a good example of the Saudi problem... At the end of season 2, star midfielder Fran Beltran was one of our first unwanted departures as Saudi club Al-Nassr paid £25.5m to trigger his release clause. 18 months later this just popped up in my inbox: So he's available on a free transfer, he was great, let's get him back and pocket that £25.5m. Except: He wants about £1.5m per week in wages. Per week

Wow, that was quick . That's Job One ticked off; good luck in season 2

Um... that'll cure any New Year hangovers

November 2025 After three back-to-back defeats at the end of October - albeit to three very good teams - we needed to stop the rot. And with one exception we did that: The home win against Getafe was probably expected, but welcome nonetheless, before we produced by far the worst performance of my managerial reign. It wasn't that I expected anything other than a defeat against Benfica, who are performing very well in this year's Champions League. It was the manner of the defeat. We allowed them an early lead after just 7 minutes, then in the 10th minute they had a man sent off. What followed was 80 minutes of utter incompetence... we should have had a man spare somewhere on the pitch but we not only failed to take advantage, we rolled over and gave up. Benfica extended their lead after 15 minutes while we continued to do nothing, before they cemented our embarrassment with a third goal 10 minutes from time. We couldn't keep the ball, we couldn't create a half-decent chance, and we certainly couldn't defend. Emoji match report: . With that out of the way, we did much better in the remainder of the month. A win away at Gijon was fine, the draw at home to Sociedad wasn't ideal, especially after taking the lead inside 5 minutes, but they're a very good team and I wasn't too disappointed. Then, against Monaco, we produced the very opposite of the Benfica match - they also took an early lead but this time we fought back, equalised before the interval and then dominated the second half. And we ended the month with a solid away win against Betis. After slipping down the table after last month's losses against Barcelona and Real Madrid, we've now clawed our way back: Atletico have a game in hand but I'm happy enough with the current situation. I'm less happy about our attacking performance - all of our best-rated players are defenders and DMs. Whatever combination of players we use, the front four just aren't getting the job done. Strand Larsen continues to score at his slow-but-steady rate, but new signing Joveljic has done almost nothing since his four goals against Hacken, Swedberg has been nowhere near his best this season, his backup Theo has missed 6 weeks with a back injury, and youngsters Rego and Rodriguez continue to develop but aren't major contributors yet. It presents a dilemma for the January window: can we afford to be patient with the younger players or do I bring in an established talent to improve our scoring ability? Results in December will help to answer that as we have league games against Valencia and Villareal, and a Champions League game against FC Kobenhavn.

Good luck with this Malaga was my first save in FM24 but lost it due to a hard drive disaster, but there's a career thread here if you're interested: Honestly, if you can't win the division in season 1 you're doing something wrong - you have by far the best team and are favourites for the title. The challenge starts in L2 where you do need to improve the squad a bit but the salary cap doesn't move much. As for board and supporter ideas of preferred football, I think you can ignore it - as long as you're successful. Win promotion and they'll suddenly decide they love whatever style of football you're playing. I'll definitely be following.

No, I always leave training up to the backroom staff, unless I want a specific position or role change. And yes, by 19 or 20 years of age, I think game time at a competitive level is key.

Re: youth development, I don't do much. I try to keep u18 players at the club, then look for good loans for them between 18-20, but I'm not averse to playing a good prospect in the first team if the coaches think he's good enough. Otherwise, I'm afraid I don't have the patience to minmax their progress

He might be my new favourite player He's improved massively since joining and the coaching team already rate him as good as Fredrik Bjorkan which, I think, is high praise.

October 2025 As predicted, October turned out to be a tough time - although we did slightly better than expected in some respects. We managed to pull off an unlikely win at Rennes, thanks the latest possible winner from midfielder Jose Gragera. But we followed that with another disappointing away draw at Cadiz before picking up an important 3 points against Las Palmas who have been much improved in the last couple of seasons and were sitting just behind us in the league. Defeats to Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid felt inevitable but we weren't embarrassed. Against Barca and Real we were level at 1-1 at the interval, but they're a class above and will punish any lapse in concentration. And, he said bitterly, their wage bills should buy them some kind of advantage . We were helped, I think, by dropping the AMR/AML to the wide midfield slots but we don't really have the personnel for that switch - of our 4 regulars in those positions, only one is happy in the deeper role and Allende - nominally our first-choice AMR - whines when asked to play deeper. Since we're two months away from bringing in new players I'm unsure whether to stick with it or abandon it in the short term. Next month, the big games are Champions League ties against Benfica and Monaco, plus another contest in our increasing rivalry with Real Sociedad in the league.

The unwelcome glare of public scrutiny

Wily by name, wily by nature. And old, too

Seems to be working well It's particularly impressive within the confines of the financial situation. Steady as she goes!