The Byline

Earlier this year Versus mode was added to Football Manager 2022 (PC/Mac) as an FMFC exclusive in the Main Winter Update. 

To celebrate its return, we launched You Versus FM, a series in which members of the FMFC community got the chance to take on members of the Football Manager team in head-to-head games. 

When a Football Manager career isn’t going well, it’s natural to want something or someone to blame. From suggestions that the game is scripted to theories that the AI always gets better cup draws, we’ve seen pretty much everything over the years on our forums and social media.

While we appreciate your feelings, these beliefs are invariably just misconceptions about the way the game works. Football Manager is, and has always been, a complex game where thousands of decisions take place in every game and individual results, or a run of bad injuries, are almost never caused by a single factor. Here, we aim to dispel 10 of the most common Football Manager misconceptions.
 

The Target Forward is one of FM22’s most specific roles. Almost like no other role in the game, a player’s suitability for it is largely determined by their Physical Attributes. This can make building tactics around the role a bit hit and miss but if you find a well-suited player and a system that gets the most out of their unique skillset, playing with a good Target Forward feels almost like using a cheat code. Ihor Crusadertsar explains how you can create a tactic to maximise Target Forwards in FM22.

Your FM22 managerial journey can be whatever you want it to be – and whether that means you take control of every little thing or just turn up for matchdays is entirely up to you.

Perhaps you’re not a fan of dealing with the media? Or maybe you prefer to be like a special Portuguese man who doesn’t get on too well with the media. Or do you prefer the warmth of your office to the more chilled environment of the training pitch?

Whatever type of manager you choose to be, we've put together a guide that explains how to delegate various aspects of your role to your very capable backroom team.

The summer brings longer days and warmer weather. While there’s some international football and a number of leagues played during the summer months, there’s a wait until we see the world’s biggest clubs back in competitive action. Between now and then is the prime time for a new Football Manager adventure, whether you’re replicating the achievements of real-life teams or making up for campaigns that went a bit awry. Here are 10 clubs you should consider managing next in FM22. 

Signing Wonderkids and guiding Newgens from academy prospects to first-team stars forms an integral part of most Football Manager saves. You know what it’s like, that rush of seeing a team of talents you’ve developed defeat your biggest rivals and stand tall on cup final days.

Now imagine a scenario where one of those Newgens is a virtual version of you. That’s what one lucky FMFC member, Liam Kemp from Barnsley in England, got the chance to experience earlier this year.

The opportunity to be a Newgen in one of our games is extremely rare. However, after the enthusiasm we saw for the ‘Be a Newgen’ competition that we ran for FM21, which saw Jack Bassett join the game, we decided to run it again for FM22. 

Now, a little over three months after Liam entered the game, we’ve dug into the data to see what sort of impact he’s been having on you careers. 

The 2. Bundesliga has been one of Europe’s most fascinating leagues this season, in no small part down to it containing several big teams with considerable pedigree – FC Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Hamburg, Nürnberg and Fortuna Düsseldorf share 27 top-flight titles, large fanbases and multiple domestic and continental trophies between them.

We always love to see young players getting opportunities and for that reason all 18 2. Bundesliga clubs deserve credit for giving regular minutes to some of German football’s brighter young talents. With the campaign having drawn to a close, we’ve put together our XI of the league’s most impressive up-and-comers.

It's at this time of year that the world of football takes the time to look back and honour those players who've caught the eye over the previous season by handing out Player of the Year awards and creating 'Teams of The Season'.

But what about those players who don't catch the eye of the awards panels, but bring success to their clubs by quietly and effectively going about their business? We turn the spotlight on those team players whose contributions may have gone unnoticed with this, the Bundesliga Unsung Hero XI for the 2021/22 season. 

The English Football League (EFL) playoffs are always a source of guaranteed drama. From the unmatched elation experienced by the fans of promotion-winning teams to the crushing low felt by those whose clubs just missed out, the playoffs manage to capture every emotion and wrap up the season in dramatic fashion.

Using Football Manager 2022, we’ve simulated the playoffs across all three divisions to see who might be celebrating over the next few weeks and to keep us entertained while we wait for the real action to take place.

Featuring countless international superstars, the Bundesliga is one of the world’s best leagues. It’s also become home to many of football’s brightest wonderkids, which has unsurprisingly made it incredibly popular with Football Manager players. We’ve delved into the stats to put together the most signed XI of players currently playing in the Bundesliga in FM22.

Promotion is one of the biggest highs you can experience when playing Football Manager. We’ve all been there, though, when you think a season is going swimmingly and you’re dreaming of challenging the clubs in the division above before your team’s results suddenly fall off and you’re left thinking about what might have been. Here are five tips to help you convert a good start into a successful, promotion-winning campaign.

Attacking transitions are a core element of most styles of play but particularly counter-attacking football. Arguably, any successful tactic needs to have potent, well-thought-out attacking transitions. Ihor Crusadertsar explains how you can create more effective transitions in FM22.