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Manage Southampton on Football Manager 2026

Matthew Le God

By Matthew Le God
in The Saints

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Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

 

 

There has been a two-year gap, with the last version, FM24, selling over 17 million copies.

Some huge improvements are on their way for FM26! You can’t complain that this year is simply a ‘data update’!

The biggest one that will make the most difference is that Football Manager will no longer be made using an in house engine. Instead it will use all the benefits of the Unity game engine, which will see huge advances in the user interface and the match graphics.

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Womens football is also making its debut, so you can manage Southampton’s men's and women's teams. Plus, the game now has the Premier League licence for when you get Southampton promoted!

The Premier League is coming to Football Manager

 

Edited by Matthew Le God
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Turkish

Turkish

Posted
Posted

you know what Football Manager is like, you can play any system in the world and tweak it slightly and win the Champions League with Rochdale

Will Stil 9/8/25

 

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coalman

coalman

Posted
Posted (edited)
33 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

Kevin Toms has updated the original and still the best version of football manager.  It's out tomorrow and knocks Football Manager 2026 into ignominy and obscurity.  https://store.steampowered.com/app/3707550/Kevin_Toms_Football_Star_Manager/

I hope they've remained true to the original so you can stop the program and mess around with the data in memory. Thanks for highlighting this @revolution saint

Edited by coalman
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Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

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  • Author
Posted
1 minute ago, RedArmy said:

Can you make the Saints players a bit more realistic so it’s not too easy this year. 
 

Ta. 

Which ones do you think were too good? Saints currently are the 3rd-best Championship team in the FM26 database. That isn't unreasonable.

Football Special

Football Special

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

FM26 is the 20th version of the game I've worked on as the game's Southampton researcher. It is going to be a very special one!

uPQk1p.gif.fa2d1048e68a44ddafb8d0351db39b7b.gif

Out of interest is it a full time job or do you do it in your spare time? 

hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Football Special said:

Out of interest is it a full time job or do you do it in your spare time? 

Part time obviously. Football forum pedantry is much too important to be relegated to a part time pursuit. 

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Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
38 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Out of interest is it a full time job or do you do it in your spare time? 

It is a volunteer role. I get a free copy of the game, get to play it months before it comes out, free Premier League tickets due to the new license deal and my name is in the credits. I enjoy doing it as a hobby. I have a full-time job as a teacher.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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AlexLaw76

AlexLaw76

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Matthew Le God said:

It is a volunteer role. I get a free copy of the game, get to play it months before it comes out and my name is in the credits. I enjoy doing it as a hobby. I have a full-time job as a teacher.

Have you seen/played anything to do with the new game?

Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

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Posted
2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Part time obviously. Football forum pedantry is much too important to be relegated to a part time pursuit. 

My pedantry comes in useful for a database role! 😉😇

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Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

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Posted
Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

Have you seen/played anything to do with the new game?

Not yet, apart from using the database for it, but when I do, I'll be under an NDA, so I can't reveal anything.

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iansums

iansums

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

It is a volunteer role. I get a free copy of the game, get to play it months before it comes out and my name is in the credits. I enjoy doing it as a hobby. I have a full-time job as a teacher.

Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

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Football Special

Football Special

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

It is a volunteer role. I get a free copy of the game, get to play it months before it comes out and my name is in the credits. I enjoy doing it as a hobby. I have a full-time job as a teacher.

Fair play mate, was just interested,  they should probably pay you a few quid as well considering the millions of copies they sell 

coalman

coalman

Posted
Posted
43 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

Which ones do you think were too good? Saints currently are the 3rd-best Championship team in the FM26 database. That isn't unreasonable.

 

9 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

Not yet, apart from using the database for it, but when I do, I'll be under an NDA, so I can't reveal anything.

 

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coalman

coalman

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

@coalman

I said "apart from the database".

No, you said "apart from using the database". Don't worry I'm sure their lawyers don't read Saintsweb so you won't get in trouble for breaching your NDA.

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Colinjb

Colinjb

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Hopefully there’s still the Mobile version, whether or not they have a deal to download via Netflix. 

May leave it for a bit, can see this being like the terribly buggy and essentially unfinished FM 2009 where the 3D engine was first put into place. So won't be worth trying until FM 2027..

Roo1976

Roo1976

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Matthew Le God said:

Not yet, apart from using the database for it, but when I do, I'll be under an NDA, so I can't reveal anything.

Im 65 and cant wait for it ,played it when it was owned i think by the collier brothers under a different name to the one we know now.

Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
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Posted
56 minutes ago, Colinjb said:

May leave it for a bit, can see this being like the terribly buggy and essentially unfinished FM 2009 where the 3D engine was first put into place. So won't be worth trying until FM 2027..

Try the free demo and find out.

Colinjb

Colinjb

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Roo1976 said:

Im 65 and cant wait for it ,played it when it was owned i think by the collier brothers under a different name to the one we know now.

Ah, Championship Manager..........

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OttawaSaint

OttawaSaint

Posted
Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

At a SEN school

Great work! I tip my hat to you.

I teach biology at a post secondary college (mostly to nursing students).

Edited by OttawaSaint
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SNSUN

SNSUN

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

FM26 is the 20th version of the game I've worked on as the game's Southampton researcher. It is going to be a very special one!

uPQk1p.gif.fa2d1048e68a44ddafb8d0351db39b7b.gif

My favourite games were CM 96/97, trying to keep Saints from being relegated was nearly impossible but it was the first year of the Bosman, and the best CM was the last one, 03/04, where Beattie, Ormerod, Fernandes, Kenton, Higginbotham and Pahars were so overpowered I won the Prem without signing anyone. 

Best FM for me was 07. I'm still playing the iPad version of 22 - Redmond can be really good but Djenepo is weirdly overpowered compared to his actual ability.

Never managed to get a tune from KWP though.

LVSaint

LVSaint

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

2001/2002 is still the greatest.

It's free online somewhere so you don't have to mess with the cd-rom. I fire it up every so often. Even with the old data, structure and league format it's fun and carefree without having to think too hard about it.

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Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Ultimate Soccer Manager in the mid 90s allowed you to take bungs, rig matches and set the price of pies! Plus it had inflation for everything, transfers, shop products, food, tickets etc so prices rose massively!😁

Edited by Matthew Le God
ErwinK1961

ErwinK1961

Posted
Posted
44 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

My favourite games were CM 96/97, trying to keep Saints from being relegated was nearly impossible but it was the first year of the Bosman, and the best CM was the last one, 03/04, where Beattie, Ormerod, Fernandes, Kenton, Higginbotham and Pahars were so overpowered I won the Prem without signing anyone. 

Best FM for me was 07. I'm still playing the iPad version of 22 - Redmond can be really good but Djenepo is weirdly overpowered compared to his actual ability.

Never managed to get a tune from KWP though.

CM 03/04, that was my favourite too. Tim Sparv scored an ET free kick to win the champions league for me.

  • Like 1
SNSUN

SNSUN

Posted
Posted
Just now, ErwinK1961 said:

CM 03/04, that was my favourite too. Tim Sparv scored an ET free kick to win the champions league for me.

Ah Tim Sparv was a decent LM. Also Anatoli Todorov was a cheat code.

  • Like 1
SNSUN

SNSUN

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Colinjb said:

Was that the one with Serge Makofo?

Tonton Zola Moukoku was earlier, 01/02. Still a die hard fan base for this edition, keeps popping up on my Facebook. 

  • Like 1
Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
  • Author
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11 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

I had a couple of players actually die on me in the original Premier Manager. Don't get that in FM. 😁

That would be a legal nightmare for a game to include

Matthew Le God

Matthew Le God

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I play Football Manager every few years, it’s not an annual thing I fork out on, and every time I think “it’s exactly the same as the last game, just with up to date squads”. 😂

FM26 will be significantly different to previous versions. Built using a different game engine and has had a major graphics overhaul.

  • Like 1
SNSUN

SNSUN

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

In the latest version, how many players get arrested for serious sexual assault?

Kurt Zouma has an animal abuse release clause. #probablynotafact

  • Haha 4
Lee On Solent Saint

Lee On Solent Saint

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

FM26 will be significantly different to previous versions. Built using a different game engine and has had a major graphics overhaul.

I felt the skins on FM24 were straight out of playschool. The heart showing the fitness levels used to bug the shit out of me. 

Farmer Saint

Farmer Saint

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Matthew Le God said:

Ultimate Soccer Manager in the mid 90s allowed you to take bungs, rig matches and set the price of pies! Plus it had inflation for everything, transfers, shop products, food, tickets etc so prices rose massively!😁

Was that the one where you could extend your stadium as well? That was awesome if so. You could "Instant" your matches as well.

Tommy Mulgrew

Tommy Mulgrew

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, OttawaSaint said:

I teach biology ……..  to nursing students

👏👏👏  Hmmmmm.  I look forward to reading about your erm lessons in the British (or Canadian) gutter press.
🤔🤓

 

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