The Football Manager Football Show

It's going to come down to the wire, isn't it?

With two months left to play in La Liga, we're back to normal programming this week with Shane returning to the helm of Atlético and Ken gearing up to take Real into a Champions League quarter-final.

With rumours circulating of an Atléti takeover, is this the episode that finally sees Mr. O'Keeffe get the boot, or will his Wolves arrivals dig deep and get him out of a hole?

Can Ken continue his run at the top of the table or are the wheels starting to come off against the smaller teams - and why?

We'll get through four more games in La Liga, two Champions League fixtures, this year's Copa del Rey final and more over the course of an hour as the clock begins to tick on our time with FM21.

It's been a hell of a ride, and we're almost at the finish line.

Like what you hear? Join the conversation on Twitter @FMFShow.   

While the Cat's away, the Corkonians will play. In a one-week break from our La Liga adventure, Ken is joined by @kahunagaming339 to chat about his FM21 journey, database editing, we run the first ever FMFShow draft - live - and get set for FM22.

Funnily enough, Shane's in Spain - whether he's genuinely in talks with Atlético or brushing up on his Spanish - but manages to send a postcard to Cork to tee up this week's episode.

If you're a regular listener to the podcast you'll be familiar with online interactions with Vinnie (Kahuna Gaming) who answered the call for a blood substitute for this week, so we'll talk about

• Spending more time in the editor in Football Manager than playing the actual game itself
• His Wrexham journey given the new Hollywood levels of investment
• Plans for FM22 including some lower-tier Scottish football action and a 10-level Irish database going everywhere from the heights of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division to the depths of the Kerry league
• and more besides

As a backdrop to this, we'll get into the first-ever live FMFShow draft, where it's very clear that Ken hasn't a clue what's going on but we're our draft is based solely on players who've made an appearance across the podcast since starting in Argentina, then crossing to the Championship, the Premier League and now in La Liga for season four.

This episode was recorded on Wednesday night, thus avoiding the drop of the FM22 Beta landing on Thursday, so we'll tuck into that next week.

 There is some strong language in this episode but certainly not as much as previous episodes. We wonder why.

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This week we're blitzing through the month of March in our fourth and final season of FM21. There's two giant games against Barcelona for Ken and some redemption for Shane looks like it's on the way. Oh it's busy busy!

We've got Copa Del Rey action, more Champions League action against Rangers and Manchester City and a string of lofty and frustrating league fixtures to chomp our way through.

There's some very late transfer business pushed over the line in case we manage to squeeze in a fifth term before the FM22 beta drops, but even if we don't, it's a nice move all the same - but who's going where?

In the league it's looking like one half of Madrid is hitting form at just the right time, but what's the payoff and what does it mean for the top six in La Liga? Was the ultimatum issued by the board last week the straw that would finally break the camel's back?   

Like what you hear? Let us know and let's chat on Twitter @FMFShow. 

Have you ever had those moments in Football Manager where you know the curly finger is coming?

How do you approach it? Beg for forgiveness? Plead your case? Tell the board that they're the ones who need to get in line? Well, for one of our intrepid managers this week, the board comes calling. Days are numbered, players are frustrated, but when you look at the money laid down in January's transfer window, is a turnabout on the horizon?

There's action for both Real Madrid and Atlético in the Copa Del Rey fourth round and fifth round while Manchester City and Rangers provide the Champions League opposition.

A tactical shift yields more goals, more yellow cards and Ken's pondering what it takes to beat the minnow teams when you're able to scalp big names along the way. Except for Barcelona, they're just a law unto themselves.

With just over three months left in Spain, we're chalking them off podcast-by-podcast.

Here's February in La Liga for your ears.    

Like what you hear? Join the conversation at @FMFShow on Twitter.

January brings renewed hope, new year resolutions, a transfer window and, oh yeah, Real v Atlético, baby.

We're into our final season of FM21 action and it's been a long road so the countdown to FM22 starts now. Between here and then we've got a lot of things to wrap up when it comes to life in La Liga.

So this month (January) we've got 

• Our first taste of the Copa del Rey
• A trip to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Supercopa that throws Valencia, Atlético, Barcelona and Real Madrid all into the mix
• More dropped points, dodgy offsides and glitched defenders
• Threats of being sacked
• The second (and possible final) host v host clash as Real welcome Atléti towards the end of the month
• Oh, and there's a whole transfer window happening so we're going to play out transfer deadline day - live during the recording - to give you an insight into how manic our transfer shopping can get. 

Even the press are starting to ask Shane if he's missing Wolves and does he check the results. They can smell the blood in the water, but just how far away are the sharks from circling?

Soak up all of our January activity in the latest drop of The Football Manager Football Show and if you like what you hear (or don't, that's cool too), come say hi via Twitter to @FMFShow.

Contains strong language throughout.

Football Manager 2022 is on the way and we're still in Spain but we're cruising towards Christmas with some Champions League success along the way.

This week we kick off with a look at some of the early Football Manager 2022 features before working through the thick of our December in La Liga. Can the working man's club turn a corner? Will Haaland "real-ly" start to improve?

With Barcelona setting the pace in the league, there's a lot of ground to make up. Financial Fair Play leads to extra money in the transfer budget and with results starting to go in the right direction, it's time to start scouting for January.

We've got our final Champions League group game plus details of what comes next, and five league fixtures to review as the wingers take break, the goalscorers start scoring, the corners start working wonders and the wonderkids, well, they can stay were they are.

All things considered, we should wrap up in Spain very nicely before landing into FM22 this November!

Strong language peppers this podcast.  

Episode 34 is in the wild and on this week's podcast we've managed to get the whole way through an actual month in game, meaning we're clearing the end of October in Spain all the way through to the start of December.

The fixtures list is a mess, the injuries have mounted up, star players need resting, team meetings are dividing dressing rooms and we're both still dropping points to teams at the foot of the division.

At Atletico, a former star looks like he's making a return as the board have a change of heart over transfer restrictions.

At Real, a new star looks like he's turning a corner and it might just be at exactly the right time too.

While we navigate October and November's games, we'll also squeeze in a live Champions League outing to finish the month - do stick around for that one as we wind up with an absolute goal-fest out of nowhere with Mainz and Leverkusen coming to town with the intention of scuppering Champions League knockout qualification.

And how's the sack race going? You'll have to ask the king of eggs himself...

Contains strong language. 

Ooooooh-sasuna where the winds go sweeping down the plains...

It's been an interesting week in Spain, and by week we mean month as we get through October's helping of league and Champions League games for episode 33 of The Football Manager Football Show.

In Champions League action this week we're coming up against Liverpool, Anderlecht, Porto and Chelsea while trying to gain ground in the league and establish some sense of form.

For Real, things seem to be clicking, lines are forming, fans are happy with the football but the board aren't happy with results. We all know, it's a results game.

If that stands true, is it only a matter of time before someone swings the axe across town at Atlético? Or is there good news on the horizon when it comes to matters financial? What about the rats leaving the sinking ship, or is there just one in particular who's getting the boot?

Then again, just when you think you have it cracked, you get stuffed.

As always, this episode contains coarse language, frustrated gamers, and only one microphone was harmed in its production. Follow along or come say hello on Twitter @FMFShow. 

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Now six games into life in La Liga, with our Champions League accounts open for the first time, frustrations are creeping in.

Team meetings have to be held. Defenders are leaking goals. Instructions are being ignored. Maybe there really is a language barrier.

How can you go out and trash someone 7-0 midweek then struggle to a draw four days later? How can you have a team stacked with world-beating talent but still watch your midfield get carved apart like a hot knife through butter?

In another week of life in Spain, Shane is on the hunt for a first competitive win in all competitions while Ken is wondering has the league been lost already and it's only the first month of the season.

It all unfolds over the course of an hour in the latest instalment of The Football Manager Football Show.

Like what you hear? Come say hi on Twitter @FMFShow or if you really like it, nip over to Apple Podcasts and leave a wee 5* review.

This episode contains strong language. 

This week on The Football Manager Football Show we've managed to kick off life in La Liga where we'll

• walk through the first few games of the season while admiring the fact that Barcelona already look unstoppable
•  hit transfer deadline day, go panic shopping and see what situation the finances are in for both clubs
•  play our first Madrid derby - proper - and it's only the second game of the league season
• do some looking back at Wolves and Leicester and how they've moved on 
• make our season-long predictions
• get our very first Champions League draw (with the first games on the next podcast)
• and plenty more

We'll go through some shoutouts and get ourselves a winner for the most-coveted FM prize going, a sealed and signed copy of Football Manager 2017 where you have a chance to stop Manchester City hitting that hundred point mark for real.

If you like what you hear we'd love to hear from you - find us on Twitter @FMFShow and come say hi!

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