Not on the mainland – 5 Interesting Save Ideas for FM23
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With FM23 coming out on November 8th, we were asked by James Heyhoe (@FMPINGU) to come up with 5 interesting save ideas. After doing some research I came across 5 interesting clubs that aren’t based on the mainland of the country they play in. I felt this gave an interesting approach as you have the travel aspect for the clubs. All 5 clubs are different sizes and in different situations in their leagues. Hopefully one of the choices inspires you to take control of them for FM23!
5 Football Manager save ideas FM23.
Save Idea number 1 – Union Deportiva Las Palmas (Spain)
First up is Las Palmas who are based on the Spanish Island of Gran Canaria, currently in the Segunda Division, after finishing 4th last season they missed out on promotion via the playoffs, So they’re an ideal club who you could come in and take up into the La Liga with the long term plan of breaking up the top 3 at the top of the table. Las Palmas has been something of a yo-yo club through the years bouncing between La Liga and the Segunda division. Can you be the catalyst to first cement them as a permanent fixture in La Liga and then push on to Europe where they haven’t played since 1978. They’ve never won the La Liga (Best – Runners up 1969) or Copa del Rey (Best – Runners up 1978) So there’s a chance for you to bring the club their first major silverware too.
This summer they’ve just signed former Barcelona and Everton striker Sandro Ramirez and Atletico Madrid Winger Vitolo on a one-year loan.
The facilities at the club give you a great starting base, a 32,400 seater stadium with great training and youth facilities and secure finances, the foundation is laid for you at Las Palmas, Can you take advantage of those experienced players along with the club set up and get them to the promotion then to the top of Spanish and maybe even European football?
Save Idea number 2 – Cagliari Calcio (Italy)
Next, we head to Italy for Cagliari which is based on the island of Sardinia
Currently, in Serie B following their relegation this summer, they need to manage to help them get back into Serie A at the first time of asking, Long term target would be to bring them their first Serie A title since 1970, The biggest business they have done this summer is bringing In well travelled former AC Milan striker Gianluca Lapadula so you have a player ready to spearhead your attack.
A 16,416 seater stadium gives you a decent base but with scope to expand long term and they have great training facilities but only good youth facilities, once promoted and stable in Serie A will you ask the board to invest in bringing the youth facilities up to standard? Also, a return to Europe will be the target, can you beat their best performance which is reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League (Uefa cup 1994)
Save Idea number 3 – Athletic Club Ajaccio (France)
Talking of Sardinia just north of there is the island of Corsica where Ajaccio are based and they play in the French league, Newly promoted to Ligue 1 this summer and with no major honours in their history, there’s a real chance for you to make your mark here. Survival will be the priority in season one and laying the foundations for the future of the club in Ligue 1. Long term can you make it into Europe and maybe even challenge PSG to be the champions of France. Having spent only €240,000 this summer (as of the time of writing) it looks like money will be tight but you do have former Saint Etienne legend Romain Hamouma who at 35 is an experienced striker to lead the line. Can you get him in a position to score enough goals to keep you up?
A 10,446-seater stadium is a good base for this island team following promotion to Ligue 1, The average training facilities will need upgrading but for the time being and money being tight survival is the goal. Good youth facilities here could help you bring through the next batch of talent from this island side. But will PSG poach them off you?
Save Idea number 4 – Club Sport Maritimo (Portugal)
Similar to Las Palmas, Maritimo is based in the Atlantic Ocean on the Portuguese island of Madeira, With no major honours since their cup win in 1926 again it’s a club with a trophy cabinet ready to be filled. With regular European place finishes the club is in that next group of teams ready to attack the top 3 dominance in Portuguese football. With no European football, this year can you take advantage of the longer midweek breaks to get them back into Europe the first time? The main challenge comes from small finances in comparison to the top teams in the division and any top performers you have will likely be pinched before you know it, can you drive up the transfer fees and reinvest in the squad to build a better one to start challenging for their first title?
With a 10,600-seater stadium and great training facilities, not much work is needed off the pitch here, with success you can look to expand the stadium and upgrade the currently good youth facilities but there is no rush, first, you need to become a fixture in European football and start challenging for titles so investment in the team is a priority.
Save Idea number 5 – IFK Mariehamn (Finland)
IFK Mariehamn is based in the capital of the Aland islands (a string of islands in the Baltic Sea) off the coast of Finland, since their promotion to the top flight in 2005 they’ve maintained their status as a top-flight team, they went on to win the title in 2016, and 3 qualifications for European football (Europa league twice Champions league once) but yet to make the group stages. In 2015 they won the Finnish cup, so here you have a team with some recent success but in the past few seasons they’ve fallen away and finished 10th in the past season. They need a manager to come in and first of all, get them challenging for the title again and then help them make the European group stages for the first time. Can you attract the stars of Scandinavia to the islands and make an assault on the European competitions?
A small 2,635 stadium comes in as the smallest of the 5 clubs by some stretch, add that with good training facilities and only adequate youth facilities this club is more for the long term save where you have the chance to overhaul the whole club top to bottom, Hopefully, it won’t be long before you’re the biggest club in Scandinavia then Europe and the world?
That concludes the 5 possible clubs based on islands you could possibly choose for your save. Head over to our discord and let us know if you decide to start a save with any of these clubs.
Thanks for reading
(Facilities screenshots are from FM22 and subject to change for FM23)
