mhaffy

Just finished the 25/26 season with a fantastic 3-0 win away to Man City. Failed to win every competition we entered with a young team but they should improve ! Lost to PSG in Qtr Final of FIFA Club World Cup but won Community Shield, EFL Cup (3-0 v Man City), FA Cup (3-0 v Arsenal) and Premier League with 99 points, well clear of the chasers. After thrashing PSG in 8-1 on agg in QF of Champions League we went out to Real Madrid 5-3 on agg after having Palmer sent off early in home tie which we lost 4-2. During the Premier League campaign I used about 35 players with 27 qualifying for medals. We scored 69 (4th) but only conceded 22 (1st). My tactic continues to get results with xGF 88.66 (1st), Crosses completed 244 (1st), Chances created 211 (1st), Shots For 670 (1st - Liverpool were 2nd with 532), Shots on target 289 (1st). The areas that could do with improvement are the Underperformance in xGF of 19.66 (1st) and our poor Conversion rate of 10% (20th). We clearly create the chances, take the shots and are on target with 44% of our shots (10th) but do not convert enough. Hopefully this will improve as the young strikers develop and improve their attributes. I started the season expecting Ferguson (a £50m buy from Brighton) to be my main Advanced Forward. His attributes were better than my other options and he was reported to be a "Very Consistent Performer" with Finishing shown as a Pro. However he trains poorly compared to rest of squad, seems to have attitude problem when criticised and his performances blew hot and cold. Ferguson has a Balanced Personality and is Media Friendly style; my beleif is that he has low professionalism as a hidden attribute based on his training and I will probably offload him. Datro Fofana was my surprise package scoring every 85.80 mins, with only Haaland 85.11 performing better in the Premier League! Fofana's attributes are not as good as Ferguson but he does train well and perform well so he became my lead Advanced Forward. Having a Resolute personality (professionalism will be high) ,"Enjoys Big Matches" and being a "Fairly Consistent Perfomer" he has shown himself to be the better option. Fofana also won the Champions League Golden Boot award, scoring 9 goals and providing to assists in 9 appearances with an average rating of 7.34 and was included in the Dream team rather than Mbappe. With 29 goals in all competitions over 2336 mins playing time Datro Fofana was easily our top scorer with a goal every 80.55 mins - very impressive. I have a lot of young players coming through including Estevao in U21's and will probably have registration issues in 26/27 - I may well have to offload some players, including Ferguson and probably Nkunku (often injured). Careful squad planning for 26/27 is urgently needed to get the balance right. I have £219m transfer budget available but need to trim squad before recruiting more as i already have 7 high potential youngsters joining in July 26. 25/26 First Team Squad at end of season 25/26 Premier League Medals awarded 25/26 Premier League Table Thought that it was about time to post the tactic that I have been using There are a few added player instructions: AF Move Into Channels, AM (S) Dribble More, Stay Wider, Mark Tighter, DM Get Further Forward, BPD Dribble More I do make in game tweaks to close games out (GK the back 4 and DM all told to Take Less Risks. Tempo reduced, time wasting increased, Closing down reduced and I slow the pace down In Transition. If the stroger foot of my AML is his left then i set him to Winger (S) and tell him to cross from byline. I also sometimes move AF into STC L slot and the Shadow striker across towards the AML. Really enjoying this release of FM24 and looking forward to a successful 26/27 with this developing young squad.

Good steady progress since last update and it’s now 2 February 2026 after close of transfer window. Sitting top of league with 60 points after 23 games - 10:points clear of Villa who have played a game more. Since our loss to Everton on 30/8/25 we have only lost once in all competitions; a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid in Champions League. Only 4 draws and 30 wins. Due to play Man City or Swansea in EFL final and away to Everton in 5th round of FA Cup. Do not know opponents in last 16 of Champions League yet. Still using same tactic but occasional changing AML to W(S) from IF(S) if player picked has good left foot. I tell him to cross from byline. Amazed at consistency of performance, despite heavy rotation. As 3 matches most weeks I tend to use available training slots for team bonding, match tactics, match practice, match review, set piece routines. Keeping team cohesion high, very good, with excellent club atmosphere and manager support seems to help on the pitch. I have used 32 players so far in Premier League, using fresh players whenever possible. A few player issues re playing time but managed them well so far, even managing to reduce playing expectations in some cases. 16 players averaging over 7. Despite having a young squad, most of them are rated to be at least good premier league standard for current ability (2.5-3 stars in my squad). Currently have £216m in transfer kitty having sold James to Real Madrid ( he was keen) for £71m(£95m) deal. I duly signed Scalvini for £75m and have also agreed deals for more promising youngsters. A few players were unhappy with the sale of James but after confronting them this seems to have been resolved. Datro Fofana outperforming Ferguson as striker at moment but Ferguson has a lot more potential. Ferguson not particularly good in training and does not readily accept criticism but hopefully mentoring can help resolve. Unfortunately I suspect he probably has low professionalism. Diomande has turned out to be a great find by scouts and purchase; able to play well at DC or DR. Casadei also progressing well as Shadow Striker and considered to be a Leading PL player, close to his full potential. Hoping to keep form going and collect some more silverware in second half of the season.

For long term saves I spend ages going through staff, squad and tactics before clicking continue for the first time. Seemed to spend even longer than usual for my Chelsea save this year as the initial staff were poor and lots of mutual terminations and then recruitment needed to get coaching stars up to minimum 4 for every category etc. Scouts and medical team also poor initially. For tactics, like you, I like to build my own rather than just go with recommended and the best X1 - given the quality of staff at start of game I would have little faith in their opinions anyway. I have been enjoying this years FM a lot more and am progressing quicker than usual. Getting good quality scouting team in place, and setting up ongoing recruitment focuses to continually look for young talent has meant I spend almost no time at all manually looking for players in this years save; relying on gems that the scouts find. Playing matches on extended highlights, rather than comprehensive as in previous years, has also speeded things up so that I make more progress in the time I have available. When determining my tactic I still watch in comprehensive until I am happy with it. Hoping your new save goes better and that you “get into it” and enjoy it. Keep us posted on how it goes….

Lost to eventual winners PSG in Qtr Final of Club World Cup and just finished transfer window. Enzo has continually been performing poorly in training and never willing to take advice - probably has low professionalism. I have had enough of his “attitude” and he has now joined on loan deal that should become permanent. Lavia developing well and will become Enzo’s starter replacement. Real Madrid came in for Jackson, a squad player for us, and I accepted offer of £55m. Maatsen off to Juve, Gallagher to Barca for £43m and Stirling to Al Ittihad for £58m - good to get his wage off the books! Paez has joined us and performing well at AML as Winger support. Scouts found Ricky Dhaliwal (4-5 star PA) who can play DL/DR so I signed him for £22.5m from Wolves as prospect for future. Brighton were relegated last season so I excercised Ferguson relegation release clause of £50m and he has started well - not great training performance ratings to date and I fear he may have low preofessionalism. Scouts also found Estevao and he joined for £9.25m from Palmeiras; another potential 5 star player. With plenty of transfer funds I decided to splash out on Scalvini on deadline day to strengthen DC and also provide good quality as a Defensive Midfielder option. Squad remains strong with good depth and plenty of good prospects for future developing well in U18’s and U21’s. Started season with two wins but then lost at Everton despite dominating - hopefully a temporary setback. Home to Spurs when players return from International break….

Great finish to the season beating Tottenham 5-0 in last game to clinch Premier League with 87 points. Man City were second on 84 points losing 3-2 at Arsenal in their final game. We scored 87(1st), 14 from corners, and Conceded 32(2nd) with 56% (4th) possession. Only tweak to my tactic since previous report was to be “more disciplined” rather than “more expressive”. Not great in cups losing 1-0 at Villa in 3rd Rd Carabao Cup and 2-1 at Arsenal aet in 5th Rd of FA Cup. Real Madrid beat us 3-2 on agg in Qtr Final of Champions League and are playing Man City in Final. Player rotation was key given the high number of games. Jackson was top scorer with 15 followed by Nkunku and Casadei on 10. 11 players scored 5 or more goals and 22 players scored in competitive games with 13 averaging over 7. 8 Chelsea players featured in the top 20 premier league average rating table. Very pleased with continuing success of tactic; team bonding, match tactic, match practice, set piece routines and match reviews are regular features in my first team training. Having high team cohesion, very good most of time, certainly seems to help performances. Only potential issue looming at moment is that 9 players are concerned over their playing time - linked to my regular rotation approach, trying to field team of fresh players whenever possible in each match. Club World Cup starts soon… 🤞…

Progressing well after decent first season. Signed 4 players and said goodbye to about 20 - far too many in all squads when players returned from loans. Players signed were Diomande and Inacio as DC for £42m and £38.5m with Ozcan signed as potential cover for the “whining” Cucurella who keeps asking for a pay rise. He is on £110k and under contract until 2028 so I keep resisting , despite other players supporting him. If he pushes for transfer my plan is to sell him with Oscan being Colwill deputy at DL - Maatsen doesn’t really have enough potential. Ozcan loaned out but can be recalled if problems flare up with Cucurella. Also signed Moscardo for £13.75m, and loaned him back to club, as future DM prospect ; Gallagher playing well when called upon but susceptible to wayward passes late in game. Main transfers out were Lukaku to Saudi team for £29.5m, Kepa to Spurs for £17.75m and Sarr for £5.75m mandatory fee at end of loan to Real Sociadad. Silva off in January window for £1.5m. Estevao lined up to join in 2025 as cost of 9.25m. In early December and after 16 games we are 5th in PL on 33 points , scoring 30 and conceding 17. Liverpool top on 36 points. Knocked out of Carabao Cup in first match away to Villa but top of Champions League table with 14 points from first 6 games - with two home games left we should hopefully auto qualify as one of the top 8 teams. Having to rotate the squad heavily as 3 games in a week is not unusual! Setting lots of team bonding sessions to keep team cohesion high; currently very good. Low fatigue showing for lots of players. I have not changed my tactic, which still produces some lovely attacking football but have been tweaking some player instructions late in game to try to avoid conceding late goals. Really enjoying this years version and the ME. Squad size is 30 and higher than I usually like to have but is definitely needed if you play a pressing tactic given that there seem to be lots more niggly, short term injuries in FM24. I am not complaining as it feels realistic, but you do need a big squad to compete on several fronts. So far managing to keep players happy with their game time.

Just seen Monthly board Performance Review. As part of the B- I was given for tactics the board were “concerned by the number of goals conceded…” . A very bizarre comment given we had the best defensive record in the premier league conceding just 26 goals in 38 games. The supporters performance review expressed being “concerned by the number of goals conceded…” Were they actually watching the games? I sometimes wonder if the comments in these reports are random rather than being linked to actual data.

Great end to 1st season, beating Man City 3-2 in FA Cup Final. Unai Simon has turned out to be a great signing, consistently delivering good performances and making some crucial saves. We ended up with the best defensive record in PL conceding just 26 goals over the whole season while scoring 86. Ended up in 4th place on 79 points securing Champions League place and earning me a new contract. Have been really enjoying the football my 4231 Asymetric tactic has been delivering with 17 players having average ratings over 7. Washington developing really well, scoring 16 goals, with Badiashiel scoring 8 from corner set pieces. A couple of physios are retiring, along with 3 scouts so I will need to do some staff recruiting in preparation for 24/25 season. I need to add some quality/ depth to the squad for 24/25 given Champions League fixtures and, with Silva past his best another DC is needed - Colwill is my 1st choice DL and Cucurella will probably leave after not getting improved contract - I have already lined up a promising young back up to Colwill. £58m in transfer kitty, before any sales.

Up to 13th February now and, as I expected, the teams form dropped. The injuries played a part but the real problem was the January transfer window which affected team morale and team cohesion! Chilwell had his head turned by Saudi teams and I sold him for £60m; he is now on ridiculous wages of £825k p/w. Saudi’s then came in for Sanchez and Chalobah who I sold for £38.5m and £39m respectively. Their wages are now a crazy £625k p/w and £600k p/w. I managed Sarr, the one player I went into the window wanting to sell in a deal worth just over £6m. Before selling Chilwell, Cucurella started demanding more playing time and my firm response left him and 5 other players unhappy! Not great for team morale/cohesion and results not great. My plan at DL is to train Colwill up as IWB, the role I use on that side, witch Curalella becoming his backup. With the potential of the youngsters at the team, and those out on loan, I only plan to bring in quality established players when essential. Having lost Sanchez, a quality GK upgrade for the long term was needed with Petrovic remaining back up. I had been scouting GK and met Unai Simon release fee of £64m to get him in now. A good upgrade. Squad now slimmed down, GK upgrade signed and still decent quality/cover at DL with £44m still in transfer pot and wage headroom of £500k p/w - I’m happy with outcome. Currently 6th in table on 50 points after 25 games with 52 goals for and 15 against. Have recently made a few tactical tweaks to try to improve form. Hoping to improve league position and get Champions League spot…. Time will tell….

Early December now and very pleased so far with my clean slate Positive Fluid 4231 tactic; 3rd in Premier League with 33 points from 15 games having scored 31 and conceded 5. Some really great build up plays and goals with new positional movement in match engine certainly helping. Squad under pressure though due to injuries (Fofana still out and joined by James, Jackson,Sterling and Broja) and numerous available players showing Low fatigue and high injury risk due to match load. Nkunku just returning from his long term injury but I have yet to give him any minutes. Gallagher performing very well as back up DM with 7.15 average rating; 15 players in the squad have average ratings of over 7. Fingers crossed Nkunku stays fit and starts performing well with goals/assists. Quick update after posting above: Just drawn 1-1 with league leaders Liverpool but Mudryk now out for 3-6 weeks!

I was wondering about 4231 VTT and was using clean slate version successfully in pre season. Lost first competitive match 1-0 away at Man Uts despite having better chances; lost to late goal from free kick after VAR check…. I may well add 4231 VTT option - are you using the preset with Chilly as IWB and Enzo as DLP? Agree re new positional play which adds new dimension to tactics.

Great to see an FM24 Chelsea thread is underway. Haven’t been able to spend as much time on FM24 as I wanted until Saturday when I finally had the time to get my usual main save with Chelsea underway. I was very underwhelmed with the quality of the existing staff (coaching, recruitment and medical) and have spent the whole weekend and this morning sorting this key area out with plenty of mutual terminations and hiring of better quality replacements. All areas now best/2nd in league and will hopefully stand me in good stead for a while. Just about to set up my scouting assignments now that the new recruitment team is in place after getting necessary WP clearances and I can then focus on the team and tactics. I currently have two tactics set; a 433DM and a 4231DM and am not sure which will me my main one yet. I have assigned individual training based upon the 433DM for the first team, U21’s and U18’s but this will undoubtedly change over time as I tweak the tactics and roles. Currently at 27 July 2023 in game after 3 successful pre season friendliest with 4 more scheduled before the season opener away at Man Utd! I am expecting a very different type of save this year given the real life squad overhaul and the large number of talented youngsters the club already have. Keeping the squad happy and deciding who to keep/loan/sell going forward should be interesting. I set the game up using the Original game mode with the first transfer window disabled - no chance of offloading Sarr and some of the others still at the club until January. Planning on scouting for young players that can become home grown but not expecting to have a large transfer budget (currently nil) and may have to rely on monies raised from player sales. Has anyone else started their FM24 save and if so how are you getting on and what tactics/approach are you using?

I started with Original but with first transfer window disabled; no chance for me to offload Sarr early on. I have hired good unemployed staff whenever possible to fill vacancies and replace the numerous “mutual terminations” I have done. Just waiting for necessary WP clearances for new staff, that I should know c 17-18 July ( I am still on 3 July having spent about 4 solid hours so far). Thinking of going Gegenpress 433 initially before adding 4231 option later. Still mulling over roles, and whether to try some of the new ones. Decisions, decisions. Also set pieces to look at.

Finally have the time to get my usual main save with Chelsea underway in FM24. Just looked at existing staff - not great overall. Looks like I will be spending most of my time over the weekend sorting out staff firings and hiring before clicking Continue for the first time. Should be a very different type of save this year given the squad overhaul and the large number of talented youngsters the club already have. Keeping squad happy and deciding who to keep/loan/sell should be interesting going forward. Has anyone else started their FM24 save and if so how are you getting on and tactics/approach are you using?

Small world lol..,I’m planning on keeping my current rig until nearer the end of windows 10 support in 2025 - current rig not compatible with windows 11. I will then buy near top end set up and hopefully sweat that for about 7-8 years… Hoping current rig will cope with FM25… Enjoy new pc… looking forward to you posting specs and performance increase.

Thanks. I’m still running a 7 year old pc (i7 7700, 16gb ram) so newer rigs would run equivalent set up far quicker…

Lower star rating setting up a game using my normal set up for FM24 (1.5 stars v 2 stars) which is presumably due to the increase in players versus FM23 (88k v 84k). However, FM24 actual processing speed has improved significantly for me: I decided to see what the FM24 improvement was over a full year using my normal set up. I created a new career save in FM23 with 18 nations, 29 playable leagues, small database and default detail settings. The game started in the Premier League on 27/6/22; with default detail settings All Competitive fixtures in Premier League were played using the full match engine. The Add/Remove Leagues indicated an approximate player count of 84000 and game speed of 2 stars. Holidaying for a full year in FM23 took 1hr 57 mins 0 sec and the approximate player count after a year had risen by 3000 to 87000 with game speed still showing as 2 stars. I then imported the initial game set up file into FM24 and holidaying for a year only took 1hr 37 min 35 sec - an impressive 16.6% improvement. Player count had risen to 87000 and game speed still 2 stars, as per FM23 test. Really impressed with this level of improvement over a full year.

I’m erring towards moving to 4231 when I start a new save from the modified 433 tactic that I used in my previous save. Current thinking is playing Enzo as Segundo Volante (S) with Kante, when fit, alongside him in Anchor role, with Chilwell IWB and Reece WB. Not sure on front three yet but probably Felix on left and Sterling on Right. Probably Kai as Pressing Forward initially but I am keen to develop Datro…..Busy with various things at moment and unable to spend time on FM …but still thinking about what to do when I can start a new save….

Just reached 1 January 2024 and starting to think about transfer window targets. Transfer Budget £90m and spending £4.7m on wages against a budget of £4.9m. All looking fine…until I was mugged….. The Board have now just advised me that “… due to a worse than expected financial performance, they are reducing the transfer budget to £2.6m. The wage budget is also reduced from £4.9m to £4.7m.” Looks like minimal business for me unless I sell some players…. Top of the league and they pull the transfer budget that I have built up from sales…What a supportive board!

Progressed to early November in my main career save and going well so far; 2nd in league and qualified for last 16 Champions League and Carabao Cup. Summary of my transfer window business: I decided to exercise Zakaria loan clause and he is proving to be a good, solid squad player. Main transfers out were Lukaku and Ruben; several other players not shown in above extract also left on free transfers.There were a couple of transfers out in early June 2023 that are not shown above: Kante went to PSG for £39.5m and Aubamayang to Brighton for £4m. With funds available I decided to splash cash and exercise Bellingham's minimum release clause, focussing other spend on younger players. Andre Oliveira (18yo) and Matthew Mitchell (16yo) joining 1/1/24 and not currently shown in above extract. Still have £32m in transfer kitty and £351k headroom on wages so finances fine for now. Have kept Sarr as a squad player and he is proving a good versatile squad player(DL and DC cover). I am giving plenty of game time to Casadei, Chuck and Slonina and pleased to report that they are developing well....

Enjoying my main career save that I started on release of 23.2 version - per post four above this one. However, given what seems to be developing in real world January transfer window I might well be starting another main career save when SI release version updated for January transfer window….

Just finished the first season of my main career save on a somewhat disappointing note - lost Champions League final 1-0 to Inter Milan...it just wasn't to be after a great first season: Premier League Winners, FA Cup winners and Carabao Cup Winners. Tweaked my tactic a little after first few games but very pleased with the way the team plays and the results. My highlight of the season was the FA Cup Quarter Final against Totenham at Stamford Bridge.We were 2-0 down after 17 minutes and playing really poorly. Some bold substitutions and a stern half time team talk saw us storm back to win a great game 3-2. Selected extracts from Premier League Team Statistics are as follows: Points 89 (Position 1st), Average Possession 58% (1st), Goals For 76 (4th), XG For 77.39 (3rd), Crosses Completed 196 (2nd), Pass Completion 87% (8th), Passes Completed, 21555 (4th), Chances Created 174 (2nd), Shots on Target 259 (2nd), Conversion Rate 11% (5th), Dribbles Made 620 (11th), High Intensity Sprints 5179 (3rd), Final Third Passes For 3047 (2nd), Goals Conceded 28 (1st), XG Against 33.37 (20th), Opposition Passes Per Defensive Action 3.37 (1st), Final Thirsd Passes Against 1556 (2nd). One of the main weaknesses is the lack of a really top quality Striker. I have been using Broja, buying Barbosa as cover in January transfer window when Broja was injured - Auba was useless in my save and I have sold him for £4m to Brighton. My top scorer in Premier League was Havertz with 11 - high squad rotation plays a part but a top class striker would help. The tactic I settled on was this (although I switched the DLP (S) to Half Back circa January with Chalobah being first choice with Casadei as cover. Kovacic didnt play much after I made this switch: A variation that I did use successfully when Chilwell and Cucerella were both out injured was to play Choi as Defensive Winger (ML) using Chalobah as Half Back in DMC and telling DL to Stay Wider. These injuries were the catalyst for me switching to the Half Back role although, when Chilwell returned he played as WB (S) in DL slot - the Defensive Winger was just a temporary adjustment. My squad at the End of 22/23 Season was as follows( Stonina not shown but he played for 660 minutes in 2nd half of season after returning from loan): Transfer extracts as follows (Auba £4m to Brighton not shown in this extract): Starting to switch to planning mode for 23/24 now and several good staff members as retiring, so work to do there. Only circa £50m in transfer kitty and planning on selling Kante as he moves in final year of his contract and, hopefully Ziyech who is unlikely to get much game time. Would also sell Koulabaly if decent offer comes in. A top class striker would undoubtedly help but I am keen to bring on Broja and Soonsup-Bell (who coaches believe has more potential than Broja) - Barbosa has been ok as "cheapish fix but he does seem to blow hot and cold! Board and fans not happy that I have yet to sign a high reputation player as my focus has been on younger players for the future...maybe now is the time to invest in a quality central midfielder to replace Kante? Time will tell....... apologies for a somewhat long post....I seem to have got carried away...

Approaching end of my first season in long term save and starting to think about next transfer window. In earlier post I mentioned that I would probably not be keeping Zakaria. However he has proved to be a good, versatile, squad player average rating of 7.1 Premier League and 7.28 in Champions League. The £24m loan option to buy seems to good not to do given his performances, good personality and with his transfer value being indicated as £33-39m. Hopefully his wage demand etc will not be excessive. Kante has missed over 8 weeks due to injuries and with one year left on his contract I would definitely be tempted to cash in on him if decent offer comes in.

In my modified 41221 asymetric gegenpress tactic that has just won PL in first season with 2 games to go I have been successfully playing Mount as Mezalla(A) and Sterling as IW(S). Sold Silva but played him as BPD(D) when he was given limited game time. Cascadei stayed in my U21’s initially but has been performing and improving well since I switched him to main squad. I was initially using him as a DLP(S) in DM strata as cover for Kovacic. Injuries caused me to modify tactic and I now use Half Back role in DM strata. Chalobah amazing as first choice for this role with Casadei now training as Half Back and providing excellent cover for Trev. Casadei jumping reach certainly comes in useful and means my tactic plays more like 3 at the back now but with Trev/Casadei providing good support going forward. Training Chuck as Box to Box for my tactic and he is mainly getting game time as a sub but doing ok.

I definitely had Championship Manager 2 1996/97 but seem to recall playing an earlier Domark pc version first, not the Italian edition. Been hooked ever since and bought and played every version since those early days…..