[Manager Profile Picture]

Same. My own photo has been removed and the option to add it back in has disappeared

[[Suggestion] No more 15/16 year old newgens with beards!!]

Please, please, please can you code it so 15/16-year old newgens don't have beards? It's so unrealistic and really spoils immersion. It can't be that tricky to have some newgens "grow" beards once they're into their 20s.

[[Suggestion] Context of interaction with players unhappy with transfer offer decision incorrect]

I've assigned all transfer activity to my Director of Football. When we received a transfer offer for a player, he rejected it. I then received an inbox item saying the player was unhappy that I had rejected the transfer. In the interaction with the player to discuss this, all possible options for my response suggested that I had made the decision, which obviously wasn't the case.

I've had similar interactions when the DoF accepted an incoming transfer offer and confirmed the transfer. I then had players complain to me about my selling an important player. Again, the options in the discussion with the players were all of the context that I had accepted the offer and decided to sell the player.

Surely an advantage of delegating transfers is that players would be unhappy with whoever you've delegated them to and not you. The player reactions and the discussions in any interactions with them should correctly reflect that transfers are dealt with by the DoF/whoever transfers have been delegated to.

[[Discussion/Suggestion] Stop AI/auto number assigning attacking players #6]

It's quite common, after a few seasons of AI auto-numbering, to find forwards/wingers being assigned #6.

This doesn't reflect real life at all. I'm struggling to think of any real life examples since Darren Huckerby at Norwich in the 00's. #6 is almost exclusively assigned to defenders or defensive midfielders. I think the most "attacking" current example of a #6 is Thiago at Liverpool, and he's hardly known for his contribution in the attacking third of the pitch.

I would love for this to be fixed as it somewhat spoils the immersion for me, and I'm sure it does too for other people that can't help but notice squad numbers.

Some examples below in 2026 in my current save...

 

[Option to criticise subjective refereeing decisions post-match]

We often get asked in press conferences/tunnel interviews about offside decisions, which are objective decisions and mostly correctly given in FM, even in games without VAR. Why don't we get asked about subjective refereeing decisions, such as red cards or penalties?

 

You often see in the text commentary "that seems a harsh decision!" when a penalty is awarded, but it never gets mentioned after the match. The only time we're asked about red cards is how the player will react to their "mistake" of getting sent off.

 

This doesn't reflect real life at all, where on a weekly basis you see manager's complain about questionable refereeing decisions regarding penalties or red cards (when they're given and not given) up and down the country. A common technique to protect squad morale is for managers to point the blame for a poor result on the referee about subjective decisions, deflecting criticism from their players. It would be good (and more realistic) to be able to do this in FM.

[[Suggestion] When managing a B team, notify us when a player is moved up to the A team by their AI manager]

I manage Villarreal B. I've noticed now that on the last day of 2 different registration windows that the AI manager of the First Team will call up one or many of my players and register them for their squad. In Spain, this means that I can't register them for my B team. However, there's no notification of this at all. Unless you go through all players you wish to register in the Registration screen, then you won't notice until it comes to selecting the team for the next match and these players are suddenly ineligible/unavailable/unregistered.

 

Because I received no notifications, I didn't realise and wasn't able to call up anyone from the C team to take their place, so now my squad is short for the next half season. Very frustrating.

 

I feel like IRL, the B manager would definitely be notified about such a move.

[[Suggestion] Allow a sub to be assigned #13]

I can see that this is now an option! New for FM23 perhaps? Anyway, happy for this to be closed

[[Suggestion] Allow a sub to be assigned #13]

When playing a fixture where squad numbers aren't permitted (e.g. friendlies where not all players have a squad number, youth team matches, international friendlies, leagues without squad numbers), the subs are assigned #12, then #14 onwards. Assigning #13 isn't possible.

This is very out of touch of real life, and I assume is a hangover of the time when teams were allowed only 2 subs (and English clubs assigned them #12 and #14, presumably omitting #13 out of superstition).

Given how common AI squad number assignments in game give #13 to a goalkeeper, it's weird that you can't assign #13 to anyone in the above non-squad number scenarios.

My suggestion is that you open up #13 to be assigned to Sub2. Sub1 would still be #12 and Sub3 would be #14, etc.

Ideally, the AI would assign the sub numbers as per on local customs, something which I've posted a separate suggestion about...

 

[[Suggestion] Allow squad numbers for national teams for all matches]

IRL, nearly all national teams have squad numbers assigned to players for each set of international fixtures (even for friendlies). I'm quite obsessive about squad numbers and I can only think of one national side who don't do this (England). It therefore makes sense to allow this option in game when managing a national team. You should be able to assign squad numbers from when you submit your squad (you would get a "must respond" inbox item once the squad has been confirmed).

In terms of retaining those numbers, the assignment would remain in place until the next squad confirmation date (much like how you have to confirm squad numbers at the start of each club season - the existing assignment remains in place).

Without this, you're forced to use the default 1-11 assignment to your starting XI which is very restrictive and ruins the immersion somewhat.

[How come we can't remain on good terms with a club when leaving?]

On 18/10/2022 at 17:48, Bad Wolf said:

Something that's always bothered me - Why can't you leave a club at the end of your contract? You're put on this month by month rolling contract thing. And also, why can't we leave a club on good terms? Why is it that in later season the interviews are always "There's history of bad feeling between you and this club" and all four interview answers are in the negative apart from one which is like "I guess my feelings have mellowed"

Even if you praise the club in your press exit interview, there doesn't seem to be any way of remaining on good terms with the club.

Totally agree about the interviews. I resigned from a club after a lot of success because I wanted to try a new challenge in a new league, but the only responses in the interviews implied there'd been a massive falling out or something. Perhaps being able to state why you resigned (in an interview) could lead to more context-based questions/answers in follow up interviews.

I resigned during pre-season as I thought this is what I'd do IRL (rather than leaving the club in the lurch halfway through a season).

[Get notified of "emergency board meeting" if on holiday]

I had a situation in a save recently where I managing a club but was on holiday (for a set period). When the holiday ended, I found that I had been sacked. A few days prior, the board called an "emergency meeting" with me and the inbox message said my contract would be terminated if I failed to attend, which I obviously didn't get the chance to do as the game continued holidaying as usual.

Realistically, this wouldn't happen in real life. You'd know if there was an emergency meeting called even if you were on holiday. You'd likely return from holiday to attend. The player should be notified that a meeting has been called, giving them the option to either attend or skip it.

Perhaps this could be a check box in the "go on holiday" options - "end holiday if emergency meeting called" or something - in case the user didn't actually care about this.

[Allow editing of squad numbers of all teams in in-game editor]

It would be good to be able to edit squad numbers of other teams (as well as your own) in the in-game editor. I find it frustrating seeing unrealistic AI squad numbering (see...

) and would like to be able to change these myself

[*Official* Football Manager 2023 Early Access Beta Feedback Thread]

I'm so disappointed that:

• the set piece editor hasn't changed. It takes soooo long to set up every routine, then a formation change mid-match means you have to change them all again
• international management is still lacking very basic features, such as dynamics, player interactions and training. A real missed opportunity given the actual World Cup is so soon after the game's release (putting my tin-foil hat on, I think the new UEFA licence (club competitions only, remember) meant SI didn't want to divert attention away from that by getting us all hyped about doing a FIFA World Cup with updated international management features)

[International features PLEASE]

On 19/10/2022 at 11:27, CGro81 said:

I think International tournaments need there own unique look whilst going on. Much like deadline day got its overhaul last year. We need to be dragged into the tournaments most of the time they play out in the background and you don't even know its happening. The period when they are on should primarily be all about them even if you aren't managing internationally your club should still be intrigued by the scouting potential if nothing else. I am a football fan I want to be absorbed by International tournaments not have to spend 5 mins trying to find out if it happened in the background somewhere.

You can't go 5 mins without hearing about a WC or Euros when they're on IRL, but in FM they just ghost by with barely a mention. I love the idea of international management but SI's neglect to implement even the most basic features (training, interactions, dynamics) puts me off

[[Discussion] Improved AI squad numbering required]

Issue

I've noticed a lot of very unrealistic AI squad numbering which you would never see IRL.

For example, it's really common to see attacking players (mostly players who can play left/right midfield) be given #6, whereas IRL, these are almost always assigned to defenders or defensive midfielders.

Another example is a lot of goalkeepers being assigned #14, which again you very rarely see IRL.

Another example is #13 being assigned to goalkeepers. While this common in England and Spain (where there is a rule enforcing this in the latter), this is different almost everywhere else in the world. For example, #16 is most-often assigned to goalkeepers in France, and #18 to goalkeepers in the USA. Arguably the most popular number for 2nd choice goalkeepers in world football is #12. This isn't reflected in Football Manager where #13 is the most popular (after #1, of course).

Examples

Evidence of the above includes me holidaying 5 years into the future in FM23 beta. Here are some examples of what I've found...

• Marcus Rashford now wearing #6 for Man UFC (unrealistic change from #10)
• Callum Hudson-Odoi wearing #6 for Spurs
• Nabil Fekir now wearing #6 for Real Hispalis (unrealistic change from #8)
• Leroy Sane wearing #6 for PSG
• In Ligue 1 - 12x GK's wearing #13 ;; 2x GK's wearing #14 ;; but only 3x GK's wearing #16
• In Serie A - 12x GK's wearing #13 ;; 6x GK's wearing #14 ;; but only 1x GK wearing #12

Other unrealistic changes I've spotted...

• Harry Kane changing from #10 to #11 at Spurs (some 20-year old newgen is now #10)
• Ngolo Kante changing from #7 to #6 at Chelsea

Comments

I'm willing to get more tangible stats on current squad number trends in FM vs what we see IRL.

Has anyone else with a keen eye for detail when it comes to squad numbers spotted any other inconsistencies?

[[Suggestion] Ability to assign 1-11 shirt numbers when playing in game/league with no squad numbers]

On 21/10/2021 at 10:19, Kyle Brown said:

However, do those managers really go through the effort of individually picking the numbers? I'm guessing here, but I'd presume the kit-man has more of a say than the manager in these situations

Based on my albeit limited experience of amateur football, peaking at county league youth level, the manager would always read out the starting XI along with the numbers so they could sit in the correct place in the dressing room (e.g. "#1 Stuart, #2 Adam", etc.). It is them (or possibly the assistant?) who would need to fill out the teamsheet (which includes shirt numbers) to hand to the referee. I've emailed my local team, Burgess Hill Town FC, who play in tier 8. They advise..."The manager, so Jay(!), picks the starting XI and the numbers accordingly" (see attached email).

On 21/10/2021 at 10:19, Kyle Brown said:

but more often than not it would be the typical number formation: 1, 2-5-6-3, 7-4-8-11, 9-11

This really depends on where in the world you are. Using the left-back position as an example, they will typically wear #6 in Brazil, #5 in the Netherlands and Portugal, #4 in Hungary, etc. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad_number_(association_football)

This also applies to the sub goalkeeper: they will typically wear #16 in France (as the rules enforce this), #18 in the USA, #20 in Australia, etc. In most nations, the sub goalkeeper will wear #12. I'm only aware of England and Spain where #13 is the traditional number (as a pedant for numbers, this makes it frustrating in the game that I'm not allowed to assign any subs the #13 shirt when I'm in a match with no squad numbers!). Source: https://museumofjerseys.com/2021/04/29/liverpool-by-the-numbers-1992-93/

On 21/10/2021 at 10:19, Kyle Brown said:

Do you have any examples of this? Would be happy to log something regarding it, but I'll need to be able to back it up!

Apart from the above info from Burgess Hill Town, and my own experiences playing back in the late 00's, the only example I could find was from this story from Leeds United in the 80's, where manger Eddie Gray decided on who would wear the #8 shirt: https://museumofjerseys.com/2021/10/08/leeds-united-strikers-love-8-relationship/

Hope this helps. I'm trying to source more examples to back this up and will update if I get anything else. Or let me know if there's anything else that would help. 

Re Question on matchday responsibilities.msg

[[Suggestion] Ability to assign 1-11 shirt numbers when playing in game/league with no squad numbers]

Currently, if you're in a match where your players wear numbers 1-11 (whether that's a friendly or in a league that doesn't require squad numbers), the assignment of those 1-11 numbers are fixed based on position.

For nostalgic shirt number enthusiasts (there are lots of us!), it would be fantastic if you could select which of your starting line-up wears which 1-11 shirt. This would reflect the control managers have over shirt numbers in real life.

You may want your right-back to wear #4. Or you may want your versatile star player to wear #10 no matter which position he plays in. Currently, this isn't possible.

This could be a simple tab in the team tactics page (where you can drag and drop numbers around on the pitch layout) or in the pre-match build up screens (where the players could be listed by number, and you can drag and drop them in the order you wish without changing their positions). This could even be a feature the player turns off/on in Preferences. The default is the system in place now, but if you want that control, turn the option on and you can now assign shirt numbers yourself (like a manager would in real life). You could add an even greater dose of immersion by removing the names from the backs of the shirts in the 3D match engine (as 99% of teams who wear 1-11 won't have player names on the back), but perhaps this is me being greedy.

[More Details Added To International Management]

Totally agree. International management feels really half-baked/half-arsed. Fairly basic features (such as training and contract negotiations) are missing which is a real shame as I'd love to do an International Journeyman save, but it's so basic and lacks the immersion of the club side of management. 

[[FM21][Skin] Non-numeric attributes [★] *updated August 29th*]

Apologies if this has already been covered here/elsewhere, but will this be compatible with FM22? If not, do you have plans to make a compatible version for FM22? Thanks

[Illogical board AI with incoming transfer offers (Loki Doki video)]

I'm sure someone at SI has watched this Loki Doki video: 

 

It highlights a gaping hole in the board AI. It is completely illogical and unrealistic for a board to confirm a £160k transfer as it's "too good to turn down" when they could have sold the player for £1m elsewhere.

Surely, the board would either cancel the £160k offer, or (more realistically) request Fulham to match the Bristol City offer (and if they don't, cancel the deal).

This is unbelievably frustrating to watch (I'd dread to think what it would feel like if it was my save!) for the board to take control of the transfer and then make a decision that shows absolutely zero intelligence.

For obvious reasons, I don't have a save file to upload.