I have experienced a love-and-hate relationship with Football Manager 2019. I don't think I am the only one either, as I have seen a lot of people fall out of love for the game, take extended breaks or mention burnout - and it genuinely kills me seeing people switch off and head to Other Games. So, I thought I would spend some time noting down FIVE challenges that could see you get the FM thirst back…
(1) The Dan Gear 7 year Bolivia Challenge
This challenge needs no introduction: Daniel Gear went 7 years without winning a competitive game of football with the Bolivian National Team in Football Manager 2017, thus becoming Daniel Gear [of Bolivia fame] on the cult FM podcast: GrassNGear. Dan set the lofty bar at 7 years, but now it's your turn to play the '7 year Bolivia Challenge' and win a match sooner:
Manage the Bolivian National Team from July 2018 in FM19 and win your first competitive match by July 2025.
Can you sneak a win against South American giants, such as Ecuador, Peru & Venezuela?
Shithouse your way up in the clouds at home (altitude is in FM19) and win against an Argentina or Brazil?
Let us know how you get on, make sure you hashtag the challenge #7YearBoliviaChallenge.
Recent FM Pioneer: Dan (@DGear86)
(2) Giving a million to a Football Manager YouTuber
Often YouTubers are giving themselves virtual millions to spend in-game. But how about I, FM Grasshopper dot see oh em, invest in a YouTuber with real life monies? This challenge involves depositing a large wad sum of cash into a YouTuber's Patreon or PayPal account, and seeing what happens.
On this basis, I invested a 308 million Vietnamese Dong (£10,000), to see what Paul The Northman did. You won't believe what happened…
(1) He rented his local supermarket for a weekend and walked around in it…naked.
(2) He bought 500 shirts, 200 hoodies and 364 mugs (one for every day of the year), so he’d never have to do household chores again #scenes
(3) He acquired the land of the Vikesa Stadion (Bjerkreim IL) and will host the inaugural ‘FM Fyre Festival’. Coming: 2020, featuring your favourite FM influencers.
Let us know how you get on, make sure you hashtag the challenge #FMTYVietnameseMillionaire.
Recent FM Pioneer: Paul (@TN_TheNorthman)
(3) Numberless
Cleon81 paved the way in FM19 for playing without attributes. It was innovative and unique, which was quickly adopted by lesser-known bloggers once they caught wind of the approach (See: Oliver Jensen & Dan Gear). But can you go one step further than Cleon: by playing the game without numerical values whatsoever?!?
Download the new ultra-realistic FMG 'Numberless' skin from the Steam Workshop (see example screenshots below).
Play FM the way it was mean to be played (if this was set in the 1920s), by only looking at players in the match engine and go with your gut instincts.
Let us know how you get on, make sure you hashtag the challenge #NumberlessFM.
Recent FM Pioneer (traditional attributeless): Cleon (@Cleon81)
(4) Galatico Challenge
Why not start at the very top? It's a perverse thought, I know. But imagine a series like Non-League to Legend without any of the boring lower league nonsense. Straight away you can find yourself at the pinnacle of our sport, competing against the very best teams.
The Galatico Challenge is simple: every signing must break your previous transfer record. Sky's the limit. Can you build a team that rivals the Galatico Project of old? Can you win the UCL in your first season?
Let us know how you get on, make sure you hashtag the challenge #GalaticoChallengeFM.
Recent FM Pioneer: Joe (@FridayNightFM)
(5) Reverse Moneyball
Moneyball is a concept that has been applied, with various levels of accuracy, to several FM saves over the past few years. But imagine a statistical concept like Moneyball in the reverse: sign defensive players with favourable attacking statistics (such as Dribbles per 90 minutes, or Key Passes), your attackers could be judged on their Tackling success or Interceptions. Go a step further too, judge them on reverse attributes: Defenders with high Flair and Technique or Attackers with strong Positioning and Tackling.
Moneyball encourages shrewd and unbiased signings…so why not flip this on its head too? Combine the Reverse Moneyball Challenge with the Galatico Challenge: sign big, sell cheap. How low can you sell your marquee signings and yet remain in the job? The Reverse Moneyball Challenge may be the one to reignite the passion for FM19.
Let us know how you get on, make sure you hashtag the challenge #ReverseMoneyBallFM.
Recent FM Pioneer (traditional Moneyball): Jonathon (@JLAspey)
Good Luck!
What else can I say? Whatever you choose, my only request is that you have fun and enjoy Football Manager 2019 in the months we have left.
Thanks in advance for reading/sharing/caring,
FM Grasshopper