New to Football manager

Hello everyone.

Football Manager 2023 was the first game of the series to me, I already pre-ordered FM24 as soon as it was available and I'm guessing that, as many of you here, I'm anxious for the Beta to be available.

In FM23 i started with Benfica a team from my country and it is considered as a top tier team over here, i stayed there for a few seasons, i achieved national glory and also have won the Champions League until i was recruited by Real Madrid and i stayed there because i love that club.

For FM24 i am looking for something different, a challenge of some sort, my objective as of now is to start on a first division team that has little to no glory on a national level and the same in Europe or a second division team that can aspire to be promoted to the main division and from there be motivated for the big prize in the main league and to aspire to Europe, either Champions or Europa League.

I am asking you, to the people that have much more knowledge than me about this, for your suggestions as to where i could start this challenge, i am open to any country honestly, from the USA, to Croatia, somewhere in Asia...after all football is universal right? I also noticed that the new FM will feature the entire Japanese leagues and that seems an interesting place to start but my issue in all this is my lack of knowledge, it's easy to understand more about the big leagues or the ones that have a big media projection like the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc, on the other hand i don't know much about the ones that don't have the same projection.
I know clubs like Ajax, Psv from the Dutch league but about the rest of the teams and that league i don't know much but i have people always telling me that the Dutch leagues and football are super interesting, that the league in Croatia can also be fun, Serbia as well, Belgium, Austria, picking up a club like Hamburger SV, for example, at take it to the top Bundesliga division again and so on.

I apologize if this topic is getting big, i could talk about football for hours, i would love to get much more into those less known or mediatized teams and divisions, i honestly think that the Japanese league can be so much fun but i can also be wrong.

I wish to read about your suggestions from your past experiences and challenges that you decided to take on and loved, maybe that will help me decide about where i will start in FM24, i just don't want to start with Benfica again and i wish to manage a team outside Portugal

some good challenges in England, alot of fallen giants in the structure

Sunderland

Birmingham

Sheff Weds

Middlesboro

all have tradition, big crowds, passionate fanbase and devoid of success for decades

Could you not add Leeds to that list mate….

You could indeed, it’s not much of a challenge though with the stats and players in the game

its mad that 90k will watch Sunderland / Leeds over 2 games in the second division

very true, well supported clubs

A really good challenge is Dresden, old east Germany champions trying to revitalise in the German league

Think the following article will give ya a few interesting ideas -

https://www.fmscout.com/a-relegated-teams-to-rebuild-on-football-manager-2024.html

Blackburn Rovers!!! 

Blackburn Rovers were founder members of the Football League in 1888. A club with a rich history. Three times champion of England!!!