FM22 Save Ideas - England

So you've probably experienced the frustration of loading up a game of Football Manager and not progressing past the first screen, not even sure what leagues to load nevermind what club you might take charge of. Well in this new series we're gonna have a look at some of the stories that might tempt you to start a save in FM22. If videos are more your thing you can follow along on the FM LLama Youtube Channel instead or simply scroll down for the embedded video. Thanks alot to FM Llama for sharing this create content with us 🙂

So for this edition of FM22 Save Ideas we've come to England and we've got three suggestions for clubs that could provide the basis for your next FM22 Adventure. Tell us down in the comments the clubs you've managed in England that have provided you with some of your
favorite saves.

Club 1) A club manage by Sir Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey

So where do you look for a third tier club that has won the FA Cup, a League Title and a European Trophy. Well the sleepy county of Suffolk might not be one's first thought but here we'll find Ipswich Town who have enjoyed many memorable nights at their Portman Road Stadium in front of capacity crowds. The club's most successful period was during the late 70s and the early 80s under the stewardship of future national team boss Sir Bobby Robson. Ipswich defeated Arsenal in the 1978 Cup Final, were runners-up in the league in 1981 and again in 1982 as well as toppling AZ Alkmaar in the 1981 Uefa Cup Final and in the 60s under Sir Alf Ramsey Ipswich were the Champions of England. The club even graced the Premier League during the competition's formative years and once more qualified for European Football. But since then Ipswich have stuttered and the Town is now better known for celebrity supporters than on-field achievements. The decline began in 2002 with relegation from the Premier League. They spent almost two decades in the second tier before relegation to League One where they've been stuck since, a heartache made worse by the success of their local rivals. But Ipswich remain one of the largest clubs in England's third tier with a supporter base itching for a return to the big time. Are you the coach to guide them back to the Championship, perhaps cultivating local talent as you climb the leagues before ultimately rejoining the top flight?

Club 2) The World’s Oldest Professional Football Club

So Ipswich would start out in the third tier, maybe you like the idea of starting an FM22 adventure at a club even further down the English pyramid? Maybe a club that has been around even longer? Let's check out option number two and so to Nottinghamshire a blue collar county in England's East Midlands, home to Nottingham Forest former English and European Champions and forever associated with Brian Clough. But this is also the home of Notts County the world's oldest professional football club with origins dating back to 1862 making this a club that even predates the formation of the Football Association. The FA Cup victors of 1894 may not have reached the heights of their local rivals but their history as well as their demise over recent seasons makes them an appealing option in FM 22. The Magpies play at Meadow Lane, a stadium that can accommodate 19,000 passionate supporters. Notts County were in England's top flight the year before the formation of the Premier League but unfortunately have not played at that level since. They suffered relegation to the bottom level of the football league in 2015 and England’s oldest were eventually relegated out of the league altogether in 2019.

This is a club that has helped develop the reputation of successful coaches such as Neil Warnock, future england boss Sam Allardyce and even former national team coach Sven Goran Eriksson served as Director of Football during a spell that indicated a promising future for the club. But unfortunately the Middle East Investment that threatened to turn Notts County into a club capable of returning to the upper echelons of the game was short-lived and ushered in a period of hardship for the club and this season marks their third at non-league level.

But might you be capable of taking them back into the Football League before hunting down further promotions and finally taking England's oldest professional club into the Premier League.

Club 3) A team who’ve bounced back from the 9th Tier

Who knew England was full of such cultural hotspots? On to our third FM22 England Save Ideas then and this time we're going down to the Lowest Playable Division in FM22. In England North East the region's leading clubs face difficulties of their own but way down the English Pyramid in the Sixth Tier we will find Darlington, a club on the up after decades of decline and financial crises.

Based in County Durham, Darlington date back to 1883. The club has never appeared in England's top division and has rarely graced the Second Tier, but has a proud history in England's lower and non-leagues. The club's recent history reads like a soap opera script after decades of relative calm spent primarily in the football league's bottom division this was a club that owned its own ground and happily experienced occasional promotions to the third tier. But new ownership at the start of the millennium had grand plans for the club and a huge arena was financed by high interest loans and the playing staff was strengthened in an effort to gain promotion. But the club was unable to service its debts and fell into administration in 2003 and again in 2009 and 2012.

This final period of administration was accompanied by expulsion from the football association and a winding up order. Demoted to the ninth tier of the English Pyramid Darlighton was saved by the supporters who took on the debts of the club to ensure its survival. They set about rebuilding their club, finding them a new home before overseeing promotions from level 9 to level 6 and the National League North. It's at this level that you could take over in FM22, are you up to the challenge of taking Darlington back into the Football League and once there could you build a club strong enough to achieve the quakers best ever finish in English Football?

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Compare the Team

You can visit our Club Comparison Page to compare all 3 teams!

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