Here are our picks of five clubs with whom you could start a new unemployed save challenge on FM22.
Here are our picks of five clubs with whom you could start a new unemployed save challenge on FM22.
One of the most popular Football Manager challenges is the unemployed start in which you start as a rebel without a cause, ahem, I mean a manager without a club. But in each FM version, there are plenty of clubs without a manager at the start of the game, so depending on your selected leagues, coaching badges and past playing experience, you will have several options to land your first job in football management. To help you out, here are 5 (well, 6 actually) clubs without a manager to take over at the start of your new FM22 unemployed save.
1. Rostov (Russian Premier League)
The club founded in 1930 is based in Rostov-on-Don, plays in the Russian Premier League and hosts its home games at the 45,000 capacity Rostov Arena. To land the Rostov job, you will need a Continental Pro License and at least Professional Footballer (national level). In recent years, Rostov had its ups and downs, mostly finishing in the mid-table of the league but achieving a club-record 2nd place in 2016. The squad is quite well balanced, and the club has decent finances, making Rostov a good choice for your first team in an unemployed save, and mount a challenge against the likes of Zenit or Spartak Moscow for the title before moving on to another country. The Russian Premier League has an impressive reputation, making this a fairly easy start as you will probably be able to get a job in one of the top 5 leagues of Europe if you are successful at Rostov.
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Ludogorets has dominated Bulgarian football for the past decade, winning 10 consecutive league titles. Founded in 1945, the club plays its home games at the 10,471-seat Ludogorets Arena in Razgrad. To get the job straight away, you will also need Continental Pro License and at least Professional Footballer (national level). Winning the Bulgarian First League should be a no-brainer, but the real challenge in this role would be to make a real impact in Europe, where Ludogorets best performances were reaching the group’s stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2014 and 2016, and the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 in the 2013-2014 season. Surpassing any (or both) of these stages should be your goal as manager of Ludogorets before moving on to a better reputation league. The Bulgarian First League is ranked 25th in Europe, meaning that you will probably have to take another job in a mid-level European league, such as Turkey, Ukraine, Scotland, Belgium, or Russia, before landing a job at a club in the big 5 leagues.
2. Ludogorets (Bulgarian First League)
Ludogorets has dominated Bulgarian football for the past decade, winning 10 consecutive league titles. Founded in 1945, the club plays its home games at the 10,471-seat Ludogorets Arena in Razgrad. To get the job straight away, you will also need Continental Pro License and at least Professional Footballer (national level). Winning the Bulgarian First League should be a no-brainer, but the real challenge in this role would be to make a real impact in Europe, where Ludogorets best performances were reaching the group’s stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2014 and 2016, and the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 in the 2013-2014 season. Surpassing any (or both) of these stages should be your goal as manager of Ludogorets before moving on to a better reputation league. The Bulgarian First League is ranked 25th in Europe, meaning that you will probably have to take another job in a mid-level European league, such as Turkey, Ukraine, Scotland, Belgium, or Russia, before landing a job at a club in the big 5 leagues.
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The oldest and most decorated football club in Israel, Maccabi, is without a manager at the start of the 2021-2022 season in FM22. Just like with the previous clubs on this list, you will also need Continental Pro License and at least Professional Footballer (national level). Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv is Maccabi’s home ground, having a capacity of 29,108. After winning two consecutive titles in 2019 and 2020, Maccabi failed to win the Championship in 2021, meaning that you will only be playing in the Conference League in your first season. The best continental performances of the club are reaching the group stage in the UEFA Champions League and the Round of 32 in the Europa League. Reconquering the Israeli national title and getting into the later stages of European football should be enough to enable you to move at a club in a better-ranked league like Turkey, Ukraine, Scotland, Belgium, or Russia, as a stepping stone before getting a job in the top 5 leagues in Europe.
3. Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israeli Premier League)
The oldest and most decorated football club in Israel, Maccabi, is without a manager at the start of the 2021-2022 season in FM22. Just like with the previous clubs on this list, you will also need Continental Pro License and at least Professional Footballer (national level). Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv is Maccabi’s home ground, having a capacity of 29,108. After winning two consecutive titles in 2019 and 2020, Maccabi failed to win the Championship in 2021, meaning that you will only be playing in the Conference League in your first season. The best continental performances of the club are reaching the group stage in the UEFA Champions League and the Round of 32 in the Europa League. Reconquering the Israeli national title and getting into the later stages of European football should be enough to enable you to move at a club in a better-ranked league like Turkey, Ukraine, Scotland, Belgium, or Russia, as a stepping stone before getting a job in the top 5 leagues in Europe.
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Charlton Athletic FC is an English football club based in Charlton, south-east London. They currently compete in League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905. Their home ground is The Valley, with a capacity of 27,111. To get the job, you will need to start the game with a Continental A coaching badge and a past playing experience of at least a Professional Footballer (regional level). There are two ways of trying out this challenge, either by staying at Charlton until you reach the Premier League, or using the club as a stepping-stone and getting a job at a better club (in England or elsewhere) as soon as you get the Continental Pro badge and build up some reputation. Regarding the club, in recent years, Charlton has sunk from an established Premier League club in the early and mid-2000s to a yo-yo club bouncing between the Championship and League One ever since. Whatever road you choose for this challenge, staying long term at Charlton or taking another job as soon as you can, your first objective should be winning a promotion to the Championship.
4. Charlton Athletic (English League One)
Charlton Athletic FC is an English football club based in Charlton, south-east London. They currently compete in League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905. Their home ground is The Valley, with a capacity of 27,111. To get the job, you will need to start the game with a Continental A coaching badge and a past playing experience of at least a Professional Footballer (regional level). There are two ways of trying out this challenge, either by staying at Charlton until you reach the Premier League, or using the club as a stepping-stone and getting a job at a better club (in England or elsewhere) as soon as you get the Continental Pro badge and build up some reputation. Regarding the club, in recent years, Charlton has sunk from an established Premier League club in the early and mid-2000s to a yo-yo club bouncing between the Championship and League One ever since. Whatever road you choose for this challenge, staying long term at Charlton or taking another job as soon as you can, your first objective should be winning a promotion to the Championship.
READ ALSO: League One Teams to Manage in FM22
The fastest route to one of the top 5 leagues in Europe starts in the French Ligue 2. Two very similar clubs are available to manage there, so both are included for the 5th and last entry of this article. Both Nancy and Valenciennes have been Ligue 1 clubs at some point during the past decade but have fallen to the French second division. Also, both are predicted to finish in the second half of the table in the first season, so pushing for promotion might be a realistic objective only in your second season. After reaching Ligue 1, do your best to stay up for one or two seasons, then move to a bigger club in France or elsewhere. Alternatively, stay loyal to your first club and build them up into a top French club. To get either job at the start of the game, you will need a Continental A coaching badge and a past playing experience of at least Professional Footballer (national level).
5. AS Nancy or Valenciennes FC (French Ligue 2)
The fastest route to one of the top 5 leagues in Europe starts in the French Ligue 2. Two very similar clubs are available to manage there, so both are included for the 5th and last entry of this article. Both Nancy and Valenciennes have been Ligue 1 clubs at some point during the past decade but have fallen to the French second division. Also, both are predicted to finish in the second half of the table in the first season, so pushing for promotion might be a realistic objective only in your second season. After reaching Ligue 1, do your best to stay up for one or two seasons, then move to a bigger club in France or elsewhere. Alternatively, stay loyal to your first club and build them up into a top French club. To get either job at the start of the game, you will need a Continental A coaching badge and a past playing experience of at least Professional Footballer (national level).
