A jumper knitted by your Nain, maybe some socks, almost certainly a tangerine. These are what most people think of when they imagine their Christmas presents.
But for football fans alike there is one gift they’ll be hoping for above all else. Made up of spreadsheets and full of fake Serbian and Argentinian regens, we are of course talking about Football Manager.
Like the most recent editions this year’s game: Football Manager 21 has the Cymru Leagues fully licensed, so we take a look at some of the most interesting Welsh clubs for you to take to the top.
Connah’s Quay Nomads
The most obvious save we could think of, the Nomads won the aborted Cymru Premier last season taking the crown from previously supreme TNS. As any FM player knows this was no mean feat and TNS are again the clear favourites for the title, in real life and in game.
Can you repeat the success and claim a second league win? £50k is yours to spend, as well as a £7k wage budget. Adding some pace to the Nomads back line is key, as is utilising their impressive academy to make this a long term success. Keeping hold of Sameron Dool will be your biggest task.
Flint Town United
Connah’s Quay’s Flintshire rivals, Flint Town United are back in the big time for the first time in 22 years. Possessing the worst facilities in the division and no transfer budget to work with this is a role not for the faint hearted.
A lot of Flint’s players are misrepresented in FM21 so relying on your welsh football knowledge will be tricky. Finding a tactic that works and sticking to it would be our advice on this one, survival should be your main goal. On the bright side Aaron Jones does offer great potential in goal and you should enjoy bedding him into the side.
Barry Town United
Seven times Cymru Premier winners Barry offer an intriguing possibility to a manager looking for a different sort of challenge. The Linnets have one of the best youth facilities in the Premier and if properly made use of, could propel Barry to be the dominant force in Welsh football once again.
Improving their academy setup will be crucial to your success, but with a third European competition on offer, money should be easy to come by and deep runs into the ‘Euro Cup II’ should be your aim.
Maybe even getting some European silverware back to Jenner Park? To play this challenge on hard look to Cardiff Met who own the best facilities in Wales, but are coded to always remain amateur.
Carmarthen Town
The Old Gold lost their ever-present status in the Cymru Premier last year and will be looking to bounce back at the first attempt. Boasting a league leading £3k transfer budget and good training facilities this is an attractive prospect for any manager.
Cameron Berry, a 20-year-old midfielder is the stand out man, but with the likes of Lee Idzi, Liam Thomas and Lee Surman still on their books, challenging for a European place in a few years should be the aim. Keep an eye on young Noah Daley who could lead the line for years to come.
Trefelin Boys and Girls Club
Trefelin B.G.C are newly promoted to the Cymru South after winning the Welsh Football League Division One last year. This is their first season in the Cymru leagues and according to FM21 their odds of staying up do not look good.
A very modest £880 balance is available to you, with no transfer budget and only £640 ready to stretch on new signings. To make matters worse training and youth facilities are non-existent. This would be a tough challenge, but one with high rewards. Getting in quality players on amateur contrats is key for this one.
Lower league clubs
For those seasoned Football Managers who are looking for more of a challenge, I’d suggest accessing the FM Editor. This wonderful tool comes with the game and can be used to edit the database before starting. Want to manage your local village side in the 6th tier? Want to add Gareth Bale to Ystradgynlais? – Well it’s all at your fingertips. Alternatively you can just download the lower leagues from a workshop.
For those looking to take the splash, we recommend Pontardawe Town who have a setup that could see you shoot straight to the Cymru Premier. If you fancy more of a challenge, Chirk AAA, five times Welsh cup winners in the 19th century, could prove a great story if you lead them to cup glory after 125 years.
We’d also feel remiss if we didn’t mention CPD Y Rhyl 1879, the fans led phoenix club set up this year after Rhyl’s liquidation. Could you lead Rhyl back to where they belong?
(Featured Image: Sports Interactive)
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