Supporters of Thespakusatsu Gunma were becoming all too accustomed to the feeling of being second best. They saw their side finish 2nd in J1 League for the fifth time in nine seasons in 2041, which, in fairness, they probably couldn't have dreamed of before manager Robaato Rasamu arrived at the club 16 years ago.

The Catalan Turf Wars rivalry was really heating up, as promotion meant Sant Andreu would be playing at the same level as cross-city rivals FC Barcelona for the first time.

Robaato Rasamu passed 15 years in charge of Thespakusatsu Gunma, fresh from leading the club to a fourth 2nd-place finish and a sixth top-four finish in J1 League. In those 15 years, Rasamu had led Gunma into battle 680 times, winning 332, drawing 163 and losing 185 en route to leading the club out of the third tier and competing with Japan's elite. And, ultimately, they achieved the pinnacle as Gunma secured their maiden J1 League title in 2038.

The new, true pride of Cataluña, Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu, consolidated their position in Spain's second tier for a third season, thanks largely to the goal contributions of their homegrown academy products. Manager Oriol Ribas now faced the challenge of reshaping the squad to try and build on two 15th-place finishes.

Thespakusatsu Gunma's first J1 League title defence didn't exactly go to plan as they suffered a slow start but recovered to the board's expected top-half finish in 2039. And manager Robaato Rasamu recognised it was time to shake things up a little.

We recently took a sidestep away from our primary focus of Football Manager to, for the first time in the 7 years of FM Addict, play another game. Shock horror! And I enjoyed the experience of playing Football Academy Manager so much that I wanted to continue playing. So I fired the game back up and made it through 20 seasons of our first save in the game.

In what is supposed to be an "In Real Life" FM26 save, since November 4th 2025 I have been playing catch up. Not because I'm not enjoying my save, but let's be honest, it's because FM26 has not delivered upon its promises and been a dumpster fire. Not wanting to sh1t anymore on SI and FM26 here, but like everyone else I'm not playing the game as before so the purpose of this blog post is simply record-keeping in not wanting to let my IRL save die having spent the past two years playing it religiously day-by-day.

The rapid rise of Barcelona's Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu continued as their exciting young team survived with relative ease in their first-ever season in Spain's second tier. And Ultras leader turned manager Oriol Ribas continued to focus on youth ahead of his fifth season at the helm.

The streets of Gunma Prefecture hosted the biggest party the region had ever seen in June 2038 as Robaato Rasamu and his team of homegrown stars were treated to an open-top bus parade. They showed off the Emperor's Cup and the J1 League trophies as they celebrated not only winning the club's first major honour but also an unexpected double.

To the surprise of everyone in Spain, let alone in Barcelona, little Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu secured promotion to Spain's second tier for the first time in club history in 2028. This saw the Turf Wars begin to simmer, with the club now just one league below their city rivals FC Barcelona for the first time.

Thespakusatsu Gunma finished 2nd in J1 League for the third time in five years as Robaato Rasamu's exciting youngsters excelled again in 2036/37. But, after 12 years in charge of Gunma, Rasamu was keen to take the next step and secure the club's first major silverware.

Oriol Ribas led Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu to survival in Spain's third tier, relying on young players to avoid the bookies' prediction of a surefire relegation. But Ribas' job wasn't getting any easier ahead of his third season in charge of the Barcelona club.

An improved season saw Thespakusatsu Gunma compete for the Japanese title for the second time in four seasons, two years on from a relegation battle. That improvement saw the club qualify for the Asian Champions League for the second time. Last season's record-breaking sales of star academy talents left Gunma in a very strong financial position, with £26m in the bank, £32m in the transfer budget and £37k spare in the £73k weekly wage budget.

If you've read any of our FM Stories, you'll know that one of my favourite elements of playing Football Manager is developing young players to become world beaters. I'd love the ability to get deeper into youth development in FM and gain more knowledge of youngsters coming through the system.

Oriol Ribas was the toast of every Catalan native as he led his beloved Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu to playoff glory and back into the Spanish third-tier Primera Federación. However, he quickly encountered a few challenges ahead of his second season in management.

Revolution was afoot in Cataluña as Ultras leader Oriol Ribas was elected as manager of fourth-tier club Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu. The rookie manager was entrusted with the mammoth task of restoring Catalan glory by leading the charge to usurp the mighty FC Barcelona.

Thousands of people descended on Camp Municipal Narcís Sala ahead of one of the most highly anticipated nights in recent Catalan history. The football culture in Barcelona had been shifting rapidly, as club memberships had increased 600% over the last five years, passionate fans created electrifying stadium atmospheres, and local vendors were completely sold out of replica kits. But this wasn't due to a surge in support for the club you might be thinking of.

After enjoying several seasons of success, Thespakusatsu Gunma and Robaato Rasamu came down to earth with a thump as they got drawn into a J1 League relegation battle in 2034. But, 12 months on from a title challenge, they finished the season well to maintain their top-flight status.

A strong season back in her homeland of Sweden saw Freja Holm tick the Damallsvenskan title off her list with Malmö FF. That wrapped up an eighth top-tier title of the 11 playable women's leagues in Football Manager 26, leaving Holm with Australia, Denmark and Germany to tick off.

Freja Holm finally ended Arsenal and Chelsea's domination of England's WSL as she led Manchester City to their first title in 29 years. Now 20 years into her Trailblazer challenge to win the top 11 women's football leagues, Holm had ticked off seven.

Manchester City Women finished as best of the rest behind Arsenal and Chelsea and lost Freja Holm's second FA Cup Final to Arsenal in 2044. And it was safe to say the Swedish manager was a little sick of the two London clubs' domination in England.

Thespakusatsu Gunma recorded a fifth successive record high finish under the tutelage of Robaato Rasamu, who led the club into the Asian Champions League for the first time by finishing 2nd in J1 League in 2033. However, Rasamu was a little concerned about how well his youthful homegrown team would cope with domestic and continental matters.

Madrid CFF stormed to a goal-hungry maiden Spanish title led by serial title winner Freja Holm in 2043. But, with her sixth of 11 possible domestic titles in the bag, Freja Holm left Madrid with a heavy heart and went in search of her tenth job as a Football Manager.

Swedish manager Freja Holm led Madrid Club de Femenino to its first major trophy, lifting the Spanish Cup against city rivals Atlético. An exciting young squad also racked up the club's highest-ever finish to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. And that gave Holm the challenge of usurping a dominant Real Madrid.

Thespakusatsu Gunma upset all the odds to not only avoid relegation but finish 7th in their first-ever season in the Japanese top tier. Robaato Rasamu was excited about the potential at the club as his promising youngsters continued to deliver.

Freja Holm rebuilt a Wrexham AFC Women squad to claim a historic Welsh treble and add the Adran Premier title to those won in Italy, Japan, France and USA. A few days on from that success, Holm resigned yet again and went in search of her ninth club.

Intro Figueres is my hometown—where I was born, raised, and where I fell in love with football. I don’t live there anymore, but I still follow the football club from my city. A small city in northern ...

A dramatic injury-time winner saw Bay FC claim their maiden NWSL Championship and Freja Holm become the 11th greatest women's football manager in November 2039. The 49-year-old Swede added the American title to those won in Italy, Japan and France, leaving, in theory, titles in Australia, Denmark, England, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Wales to tick off her Trailblazer challenge.

A narrow victory saw Thespakusatsu Gunma end their playoff hoodoo to earn their first ever promotion to the top tier of Japanese football in 2031. Now the hard work began for Robaato Rasamu to build a side capable of survival.

Intro Figueres is my hometown—where I was born, raised, and where I fell in love with football. I don’t live there anymore, but I still follow the football club from my city. A small city in northern ...

Freja Holm brought ageing superstar striker Barbra Banda back to the NWSL in 2038 but it didn't quite provide the spark that the Swedish manager was hoping for. Her Bay FC side finished in a record-equalling 5th, but finished the season in really poor form. But Holm had her sight set much higher than 5th place. She began the 2038 offseason by selling on underperforming players, including starting goalkeeper Thyrrestrup to Leicester, for a profit of £1.1m.

Having decided to jump ship from OL Lyonnes, it takes until January 2038 for a job that was interesting and she could actually apply for. And that arrived in the form of an offer from the USA.

How I'm using the Football Manager 26 new transfer feature TransferRoom (In) within the save with Lokeren.

For the second time in 12 months, Thespakusatsu Gunma suffered promotion playoff heartache fresh from recording the best position in club history in 2030. Their overachievement saw manager Robaato Rasamu interviewed by relegated J1 League side Cerezo Osaka, but he remained committed to the Gunma cause.

An eight-time European champion invites Holm for an interview and swiftly offers her their vacant manager role. So Holm is off to her sixth club in six different countries.

Swedish manager Freja Holm was back on the job hunt after a successful 12 months in Japan, leading Urawa Reds to their first league title in 11 years. That added the Japanese title to the two in Italy, as Holm looked to tick off all 11 playable nations in Football Manager 26.

Just six minutes separated Thespa Gunma from a surprise promotion to the Japanese top tier. However, the J2 League's silly rule that the home side gets promoted if a playoff final is drawn meant they missed out, which, in hindsight, was probably for the best given they'd just recorded the club's record high finish.

After wrapping up consecutive Serie A successes, including an invincible campaign in 2036, Freja Holm resigned as manager of Fiorentina and went in search of a new challenge. Upon resigning, very few opportunities were available, but Holm applied for a vacancy in Japan. And she was quickly given the chance to move to a new continent.

This is the third part of my Football Manager story about a football journey in the Faroe Islands. You can read the first and second parts…