With the FM21 release date now set as 24th November 2021 and all the big FM accounts firing out multiple save reveals I thought I'd do a little update on my Pripyat save.

I have finally finished Season 8, this did take almost two months. There were a number of reasons for this, none of which I will bore you with, but suffice to say I've been really busy with work commitments that often seemed to spill over into the evening. Something I have found happening more and more as we continue to work from home.

The other issue I've been grappling with, over the last week or so as work has eased and I can actually get onto FM again, is the fact that I'm not really enjoying FM20 as I once was. Don't get me wrong, I love the game but this year I have felt the match experience just doesn't pull me in as much as previous editions. Personally I think SI need to tinker with what you are actually shown in the different highlights packages. I normally play on comprehensive but this year I feel like I am just watching offside after offside interspersed with some set pieces. To combat this I have dropped down to extensive but when I do the game seems to pass me by and I don't feel I have as much control on the outcome. I actually enjoy the full match option but that isn't sustainable for the whole year. I'm not even sure too much can be done about this and I am aware that I have played FM this year as a very small club with poor players, we are normally very passive in our play so perhaps this is the reason for the poor highlights, I dunno...

Another limiting factor in the save has been the lack of development for the club. I was never expecting to win the champions league or even the domestic title, but what I did want to do was build the club up off the pitch through facilities and reputation. The complete absence of prize money in the Ukrainian league system, coupled with an average attendance of 2,000 at around £5 a ticket, has meant I have done absolutely no development whatsoever.

Signing players remains a real issue, we can only pay players around £150 per week while our opposition can pay upwards of £5,000 so we are still, unsurprisingly, regarded as the worst team in the division by some margin. All of these issues combined have left the save feeling a little stale. Perhaps I should consider a break towards the end of the FM cycle, or change things up in the save like Oliver Jensen has done over at There's only one ball; Something to ponder for FM21.

To avoid any spoilers if you have yet to read Season 7 which includes a little on how I recruit players on a shoestring you can find it here.

The RE-Builders of Pripyat Season 7 - How I recruit players.

Setting everything aside then, how did Season 8 go for FC Stroitel Pripyat?

A sixth place finish represents a fall of two places on last season, and 48 points is a slight fall of three points. I think the last two seasons are a fairly accurate reflection of where we are as a team. We can handle most of the sides in the division but against the very best sides we struggle badly.

Normally at this point FMers talk about their favourite players through the season and the save. Again this is another part of the game I haven't really experienced during this iteration of Football Manager. So many of my players only stay a season or are loanees. It has left me feeling somewhat detached from my squad and as a result detached from the save. I don't have a Danny Loader, Borja Mayoral, Facundo Colidio, or Sebastian Meier.

In any case this is the Pripyat team of the year which does include Sasha "Alan" Chepiga, Ruslan's son from Season 2. Due to the lack of facilities available in Pripyat his development has not exactly been fantastic although he is fast I'll give him that.

So what next for FM20 and beyond? I am going to play one more season of the Pripyat save, I'd still like to write about how this story ends for Chepiga.

I still intend to finish my community England save, I have really enjoyed reading how other players approach the game and I am absolutely desperate for someone to fail!

Looking forward to FM21 I am almost 100% sure where I will be going and I hope to do the obligatory save reveal in due course. Whether Chepiga makes it or not will depend how his final season at Pripyat goes.

In the meantime stay safe, it seems we are entering another difficult phase with the onset of Autumn and Winter. My father is a high risk individual and as a family we are starting to prepare mentally that our contact may soon be very limited again.

Over and out FMEadster!