The FM Library

Today we introduce you to someone that who is always willing to give it one last spin, one final bit of tweaking to get the result – someone who ALWAYS has one last throw of the dice..

• Creator Name & what made you choose it:

The Last Throw of The Dice. 

I’m not one to settle for a point, sometimes I will set up more defensively but this will always include trying to hit the other team on the counter and nick the win.  Whilst I have a system in place, if it’s not working, I’ll change it to try and get the win hence “The Last Throw of The Dice”

• Real Name:

Mark

• Football Team:
  
  Bradford City
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• Talk me through your FM journey – where does it start? When was the moment that you first clicked on that little icon – and when did you realise that you couldn’t stop!
  
  I started playing football management games when I was 6! I’m now 30 so it has been a long-term addiction.  I can’t even remember the name of the first game; I just remember you had to start with a Conference side.  Championship manager 97/98 was the first game that I really got into when you were limited to making just 5 transfer bids at a time.
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• Ok, you’ve been playing the game, what made you jump from “player” to “creator” and how have you found the journey?

I’m currently on my first blog so blogging is very new to me! I’m in a Football Manager group chat on WhatsApp with some friends from work and I’m definitely the keenest participant so I just thought I’d give it ago and see what was out there.  I’d not read any FM blogs prior to creating my own so I’ve gone into it a bit blind but after I started sharing my own, I’ve discovered lots of other people’s great content and I’m learning from them.  I’m really enjoying it so far, hopefully I will continue to do so!

• What’s your style of play? Within the library we have a couple of guys who plough through seasons letting the Assistant Manager’s do the vast majority of stuff, mainly getting into the late 2060’s trying to complete bizarre and random challenges, but we also have guys who are very much into the finite detail and will manage every aspect and would consider a save done after 5 or 6 seasons. Where do you fit within the scale? There is of course, no incorrect answer.
  
  Somewhere in the middle.  I let my assistant look after training, opposition instructions and press conferences but the tactics, team selection, player/staff recruitment are looked after by myself.  My saves tend to last between 5-10 years, I think the longest I’ve done is 12, I find it difficult to keep going once I’ve got to the top e.g. Won the Champions League.
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• Favourite version/save? Any particular bittersweet/comic/down right depressing memories?

My ultimate favourite has to be Championship Manager 01/02, never has a management game had so many legends.  Championship Manager 97/98 is a close second.  In terms of since it’s been Football Manager I wouldn’t say one stands out for me, I’ve liked all of them.

With regards to individual saves last year I did a journey save where I started unemployed before managing Hampton and Richmond, Merelinense, Brescia, Malaga, Racing Genk and CSKA Moscow.  There have been notable one club saves where I’ve won the Champions League as Bradford City and Wigan. 

Also, I feel I have to bring up a save I loved before absolutely hating it!  Whilst at school a friend and I did an old firm network game, it must have been around FM07 time.  I was Rangers and he was Celtic, I pipped him to the title in the 1^st season and was really getting into it.  My reward for winning the league was a £2m transfer budget.  Celtic were then taken over by a Russian Oligarch and my friend was given £150m to spend, he signed the likes of Vincent Kompany, Antony Vanden Borre and Fernando Cavenaghi.  He ran away with the title and was then given the same budget the season after.  I lost my head and quit…

• Which bloggers do you always make sure that you read?

Lutterworth Fox, he was the first person who retweeted my blog and thanks to that I discovered the we are community hashtag.  I’m really enjoying his blog with all the different challenges; I’ve just got one challenge in my first blog but I’ll be definitely having some additional challenges to the main one in my next one although I don’t think I have the stamina for the ones Steve uses!

Blackseafm, I like his focus on some more obscure European nations!

Also, content From the Cheap Seats, Rasher FM, RPWFM, FM Athlete and Mikaelinho FM amongst others! 

Before starting my own at the end of last month I’d never read any FM blogs so I’m reading a lot at the moment and discovering more all the time.

• Who within the community, seriously impresses you – produces the type of content that you just think “Wow, I couldn’t even contemplate producing stuff to at that level – for me it’s Laura/Chilled Moose and the face packs that she produces – some serious design talent there? This can be across any format of creation.
  
  Mikaelinho FM for sure, lots of detail that I would never go into.  I’m really enjoying his finding the next Neymar blog!
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• What puts you off reading other creators blogs – what makes you click that “X” button in the top right of the page. For me it’s using the correct grammar for team names – I saw a blog about 18 months ago where the blogger named his opponent as oxford united and not Oxford United – I’m still angry about this…
  
  Easy challenges E.g. Taking over a big team and saying the aim is to win the league.  However, if the challenge has special rules eg Homegrown players only then I don’t mind if the blogs on a big team.  

• Ok, final question. I have 5 minutes and I have a list of blogs in front of me – In 100 words, why should I click on your blog…
  
  If you want a detailed tactical blog looking at the finer details then my blog probably isn’t for you however if you want a more direct blog focusing on transfers, results and simply telling the story of the season then mine is the blog for you.  I’ve started quite basic with my first challenge of winning the Champions League whilst starting from the bottom of the football league but in the future, I intend on doing some more specific journey and one club challenges.

We thank “The Last Throw of the Dice” for his time in answering these questions, and give him a virtual nod for confessing that CM01/02 is the greatest of all time (We know he speaks the truth..)