The Deep Lying Podcast

This week Ed and George reach number 27, and Ed explains why it’s one of his favourite numbers. There’s no guest, but that doesn’t slow down the FM love.

George delivers a question inspired by Matt Jollie, and asks the community the strangest place they’ve ever played Football Manager. Ed’s answer isn’t all that strange, but he apologises for that.

George trumps him a little with two answers. Coffee shops in San Francisco for the first one, then slightly confused in Bangalore International Airport for the second.

And then there’s all of this as well –

• George and Ed are both excited for their saves for what might be the first time in 27 episodes. George is halfway through his second season at Leeds and it’s looking like they might make the playoffs. He’s surpassing expectations.
• Ed has started up another FM16 save, this time with Norwich. An uneventful first season was mainly spent trying to find a tactic for the canaries. The second season isn’t going quite so well though. Is it time to attack?
• We discuss why the saves are sticking this time around. George is keeping faith with Leeds even though the Premier League keeps knocking.
• We also have a chat about how YouTube has changed the way we consume content about Football Manager. Ed likes to read books, which is sort of understandable.

There’s much more going on here as well, so why not give the whole podcast a listen in the SoundCloud player below. Or if you’d prefer head to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

Ed and George are joined by Tony Jameson, the man behind Football Manager Ruined My Life. He’s an enigmatic and handsome comedian, and it’s fair to say Ed and George don’t really know much about the comedy life.

Our question of the week is about the best signing you’ve made in FM16 so far. Tony dodges the question by not signing anyone and playing in the MLS. He’s looking for a League 2 clogger to turn into a superstar. Akinfenwa is on his radar.

George uses Leeds’ lack of coffers for his poor signings. Steven Hunt got in a strop and a flight of fancy makes the signing of a Spanish left back more entertaining.

Edward is still terrible at FM16, is bouncing around saves like a rabbit, but he thinks he might have settled at Villa and so he’s bought a beastly half back for 3.5 million.

And then there’s a lot of this sort of stuff too –

• George reveals there’s no credits sequence for lasting ten games at Leeds, but that he’s put his CV in the post to Elland Road to see if his new contract might snag him the real job.
• Tony talks us through his main save in the MLS. He chose the worst team – San Jose – and was a little surprised at how terrible they looked. But he’s rolling in mid-table solidity at the moment and his management style is pretty interesting.
• Almost inevitably, George hasn’t picked up the game much since his last update. But he’s sold some players, and worked his transfer budget up from £600. He’s cautiously optimistic.
• Ed gets a little self reflective about his own failings and ended up at Villa. He’s focusing on staff and tactics and trying to exploit the flanks. It’s going okay, sort of. He’ll be happy to get to January without crying.
• Tony tells us about his stand up show, how a Blyth Spartans save got a few laughs, and the slightly circuitous way he got the show onto the stage.

Believe us though, there’s loads more in there as well. You can listen to it in the SoundCloud player below, or if you’d prefer pop along to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

 

 

 

 

We’re a quarter of a century into our podcast run, and this week we’re joined by Bardi from The Fighting Cock podcast.

The community question this week is the big one – who are you going to be playing as your first save in the full release of Football Manager 16? Happy Ed decides he’s going to play as Lyon, despite a “cacophony of shit” going down in the beta.

George is seriously considering continuing a Leeds save, despite his history of catastrophe when sitting in the dugout at Elland Road. Bardi is leaning towards Sassuolo in Serie A, mainly thanks to a certain player.

And then there’s all of this as well –

• Bardi shocks us with a confession about FM16. And he talks us through his FM15 save where he’s trying to rebuild the AC Milan dynasty after they were relegated to Serie B in the early 2020s.
• Ed talks about his beta save with Serbian side Čukarički, having the heart of the club ripped out by transfers, and how he can’t really face the consequences of his actions.
• We talk about picking up teams that we’ve heard a lot about in the media and the various ways we’ve messed those teams up.
• George’s first season at Leeds comes to an end with slight disappointment in a slightly bonkers but inevitable Championship scramble. But he lets his players run wild and free.
• Then we talk about the corridor of uncertainty for goalkeepers and why Robbie Savage might not be best placed to criticise keepers.
• Bardi talks us through his history with the series, from Championship Manager 2 to the present day. And how signing Ronaldo made him think it was an easy game. And how he made a business from it in school.

There’s lots more going on as well, so why not have a listen to the whole ‘cast in the SoundCloud player below. Or alternatively head to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

This week we’re joined by author Iain Macintosh, who’s already played the beta a little bit and lets us in on a few of its secrets. The new draft mode certainly sounds like it’s shaping up nicely. And is perfectly timed for a nice drinking session.

Ed states that he’s a better manager than Iain, George makes a plea to Ed’s boss while Ed throws caution to the wind. The early signs are that the beta is definitely promising, even though George’s laptop has packed in.

Iain talks to us about his new book, The Football Manager’s Guide To Football Management. George has read the book in two sittings, and likes the soft lessons that it has to teach.

We’ve also played around with the format this week, because that’s the sort of rebels that we are. But you’ll still get to hear all of this goodness –

• Iain talks about the different types of real world scouts, including the ones who lounge around the pool. George chases his dream job with some probing questions.
• Ed rails against guides, because they’re essentially just letting someone else play the game for you. And that sort of defeats the point.
• Iain’s Everton save isn’t going very well at all. But then he’s playing Champion Manager 01/02, and that means that Everton go bankrupt at the start of the first season. And no one’s buying.
• Ed also gives out some scenarios. George has to try and get fired before Saturday’s match because the owners of PSG have decided to spend all their money on colonising Mars.
• Iain has to convince the new owners of Everton not to replace him in the dugout with Iain Dowie. He thinks his trump card is his presentation.

There’s much more going on in the podcast too, and you can listen to it all in the SoundCloud player below. Or hop over to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

 

After a week break we’re back chatting about Football Manager with Luke. And for some reason George wants to instigate some kind of doomsday clock.

For the community question this week, with the beta just round the corner, we ask what you’re looking forward to in FM16. George is looking forward to draft mode, Luke is looking forward to draft mode, and Ed is looking forward to Football Manager 16.

But the joy is tainted with a little bit of sadness as we discuss our FM15 saves coming to their inevitable ends. We never wanna give them up.

Aside from all the wistful melancholy though, you’ll get all this too –

• George has abandoned intelligence for fun in his PSG save. After his Slovenian adventure he’s a little bit surprised by the budget he’s given after a league winning season. He’s also switched back to 2D.
• Ed’s love affair with France is in full swing now as well. He’s into his fifth season with Lyon, is a bit angry with Juventus – or the Italian Chelsea – and is spending money all over the place.
• Luke’s Stamford Strugglers save continues apace. He’s still working on getting a new stadium, but thanks to a quirk of the game he’s still got a bit of waiting to do. His transfer budget is, quite frankly, completely ludicrous.
• And we’re still trying to figure out who we’re going to play and what we’re going to do when FM16 finally lands. George inspires Occasional FM to make a plan for Leeds and considers Valencia for himself.
• Luke spells out his ideas for the new network features that are going to land in the new edition. George wonders about eSports.

You can listen to the whole podcast in the SoundCloud player below. Or if you’d prefer, head to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast to listen that way.

Ed is back in the hot seat this week, and we’re joined by Paul aka. It’s three weeks to go until the release of the FM16 beta and George is as excited as a kid at Christmas.

The community question this week is inspired by Brendan Rogers, and revolves around managerial sackings that have left us with regrets. Ed retells a catastrophe with Newcastle, Paul falls on his sword, George leaves QPR to fend for themselves and asks the Villa board for a bit more money.

Paul fills us in on his Chelmsford City save, winning the World Cup with Morocco, and how realism can sometimes make for a more interesting YouTube series.

Then we get deep into the process of running an FM YouTube channel. Apparently it’s quite a lot like running a TV station.

And then there’s all of this as well –

• George blames baking events and Destiny for his lack of FM save updates, but promises his time on trains will make up for it next week.
• Ed has sunk his teeth into Lyon, already three seasons in after less than a week. He talks us through his formation, a distinct lack of money, and PSG and Marseille bottling it. He’s not getting much money for it though.
• Paul tells us he’s thinking up challenges for when FM16 lands. Then we have a chat about how the new draft mode is going to be an awful lot of fun.
• Then we have a chat about how we’re going to try and make the most grotesque manager in FM16’s manager creation mode.
• And George tells us about that time everyone in Argentina became Hernan Crespo.

You can check out the podcast in the SoundCloud player below. Or if you’d prefer head over to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

 

 

George takes over main hosting duties because Ed is a little bit sleepy. And second-time guest Jonny Sharples returns to tell us all about Ivica Strok’s new time-travelling abilities.

Strok is sending back a series of programs from his testimonial match. One of them’s going on show in the National Football Museum, and around a hundred are going on sale with proceeds going to CALM.

We get a bit more back story (forward story?) about Strok, and accuse an FM luminary of either being an evil genius or a Vampire.

And there’s a bunch more stuff too. Stuff like –

• Life getting in the way of Ed’s save game, meaning he didn’t have a chance to actually play any FM this week. He gives a heartfelt apology.
• George’s reign at PSG continues going along swimmingly. Well, apart from the fact that he’s got a fully fledged player revolt on his hand. It’s all because of a confused Thiago Silva. Not to worry though, he has an impressive plan for revenge.
• Jonny is playing Championship Manager ’01/’02. He’s trying to figure out the best formation for what he considers the greatest team Newcastle have had in recent memory. He’s a few months in and it’s not all going brilliantly. He also gets misty eyed about arrows on the pitch. Sort of.
• Then the trio discuss the teams they’re likely to play in FM16. And, shock horror, we’ve actually done some research about who we’d like to play as. Sort of. Jonny has a shocking revelation to make as well.

There’s loads more too. Loads of words spoken out loud about FM. And you can listen to it in the SoundCloud player below. Or heads to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

This episode Ed and George get a bit mellow on a Friday night. There’s no guest, but that doesn’t stop us from asking hard hitting questions and getting hard hitting answers. From each other.

We start off with a look at some of the new updates we’ve learned about for FM16, including suggested substitutes, updated stats for the season review, the improved handling of players via AI, and how some of the screenshots we’ve seen have left us feeling ever so slightly cold.

This week’s question is all about the players you’ve seen play explosive goal-scoring matches in one of your Football Manager saves. Ed talks about Memphis Depay taking his team to pieces, while George laments a demolition of his Wolves team in FM14.

Then we find out about your goal scoring exploits. A lot of which seem to involve Ajax for some reason.

Then there’s all of this as well –

• George kicks on with is PSG save, tells off his players for not being able to defend against set pieces, and sings the praises of everyone’s favourite egotistical Swede.
• He also gets his first taste of Champions League football in FM15. Inevitably he comes up against his old enemies Maribor, and is relishing the challenge. It’s all about fun on this one.
• Ed’s dog Archie interrupts, and then a takeaway turns up. Proper professionalism on show as usual.
• His save (Ed’s not Archie’s) is all about fun as well. We’re both playing on easy mode essentially to fill in the time between the release of FM16. Then he decides to throw caution to the wind and take over at Bournemouth.
• George remembers the important part of the game – fun. He’s all about the big bucks, the big kicks, and spend spend spend.

There’s a lot more in there too, and you can listen to it all in the SoundCloud player below. Or if you’d prefer head over to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.

 

 

Ed’s throat has sealed up, so George takes over the host role on his own. This time he’s joined by James Beedie of FM Whizzkids.

After last week’s announcement, the listener question this week is all about the first team you’re going to play in FM16. James goes Greek, while George looks to the lower leagues to try and find a team that’s too good for the level it’s in.

Then James tells a little story about his love for Red Bull Leipzig, and a tragedy that spoiled his three seasons in charge. Then we get to hear a bit about the teams that you, our lovely listeners, want to play as.

And if that wasn’t enough, well how about all of this as well –

• James tells us about how he just can’t get to grips with Newcastle after an epic 12 season save in an earlier edition. George mentions Leeds and groans.
• The duo discuss how they feel about the first season, and why it can sometimes be the worst way to start a game. George complains about unreasonable digital bosses.
• George has given up serious saves and has taken over PSG. It might not be the most competitive side, but he’s having a lot of fun thrashing everyone.
• Then James talks us through his plans for the upcoming FM16, involving sorting out a database as soon as the editor lands, and spreading the word about Whizzkids.
• And in an exclusive, James reveals the team he’s going to recreate the first time he gets a go on FM16.

There’s a lot more too, so why not give it a listen in the SoundCloud below. Or if you’d prefer head to iTunes and search for Deep Lying Podcast.