Heart of Football

Category: CM/FM Legends

  • Bjørn Heidenstrøm Interview – 25 Years of Championship Manager Fame

    Bjørn Heidenstrøm Interview – 25 Years of Championship Manager Fame

    How can a bunch of numbers change your life? Millions of childhoods the world over have been spent scrutinising columns of statistics and ratings with more craven dedication than Vinnie Jones to getting booked in the name of winning trophies that don’t actually exist. Blame Championship Manager… For all the unfinished or hurried homework, however,…

  • FM20 Challenges: (5) Supporter Ownership, Phoenix Clubs and Academies

    FM20 Challenges: (5) Supporter Ownership, Phoenix Clubs and Academies

    If the global covid-19 pandemic has shown anything about the sport we love, it is how important the role of clubs are in the lives of fans, and vice versa. Empty stands are just not the same; clubs that rely on matchday income are gasping for breath; even the extraordinary sub-culture of esoteric random that…

  • FM20 Challenges: (4) Financial & stadium issues

    FM20 Challenges: (4) Financial & stadium issues

    Project Restart is now in full swing as the Premier League is set to return on 17 June, while the Danish Superliga is the latest to resume action with AGF vs Randers FC tonight. One common theme of concern among clubs of almost all levels and leagues has been the financial impact the lockdown will…

  • FM20 Challenges: (3) Fallen Giants

    FM20 Challenges: (3) Fallen Giants

    As leagues across Europe tentatively edge back towards action, fans are likely to be a notable absence from games for quite some time yet. Empty stands filled with little more than artificial crowd noise and advertising boards cast an eerie disconnected atmosphere. It may well take some time before football as we know it returns…

  • FM20 Challenges: (2) Extraordinary geographical and script-busting tasks

    FM20 Challenges: (2) Extraordinary geographical and script-busting tasks

    Bit by bit football edges back to normality. The Bundesliga has exploded with goals, while the Italian and Spanish associations are looking to return to top-flight action within the next three weeks. On the other hand, leagues in Scotland, the Netherlands and Belgium have already been prematurely ended. To help you cope we have prepared…

  • FM2020 Challenges: (1) Capital city, dominance-breaking and through-the-leagues

    FM2020 Challenges: (1) Capital city, dominance-breaking and through-the-leagues

    After more than two months without football due to global covid-19 pandemic, we at Heart of Football share the frustrations of millions longing for its return. To satisfy your footballing fix during the suspension, why not engage yourself in Football Manager 2020?  We’ve decided to break down a series of challenges into bite-size chunks to…

  • CM/FM Legends: Will the real Mark Kerr please stand up?

    CM/FM Legends: Will the real Mark Kerr please stand up?

    Determination – 20 Off the ball – 20 Teamwork – 20 Work rate – 19 Technique – 18 Stamina – 18 Preferred foot – either These are not merely stats, these are blueprints to a world-class midfielder; the type of player who, once signed, would be the first name on the team sheet. Think Kevin…

  • From Russia With Love: Francisco Cagigao, Southend United, CM 93/94 & me

    From Russia With Love: Francisco Cagigao, Southend United, CM 93/94 & me

    The English football brand is arguably the strongest when it comes to commercial revenue and TV deals abroad. The last package agreed for the 2019-2022 cycle was said to be 30% more valuable. With the instant channels of communication available to virtually every corner of the planet it isn’t hard to expand into previously untapped…

  • CM/FM Legends: Tom Youngs

    CM/FM Legends: Tom Youngs

    Not many (rugby players) can claim to have shared a dressing room with Trevor Benjamin. Fewer still can claim to have outranked him in terms of fame and notoriety. Tom Youngs is different; not your typical footballer. “Even though I was 18 and had only played about 15 games, mostly as a sub in League…

  • CM/FM Legends: Bjørn Heidenstrøm

    CM/FM Legends: Bjørn Heidenstrøm

    During the late 1990s, in what some would call the golden age of Championship Manager, there were some players of such unerring quality that transcended all levels of the game. Lower-league bargains that could seamlessly step into top-flight squads were worth their weight in gold. None offered more value for money than Bjørn Heidenstrøm. Able…