Tuesday Club | FM2012 at Euro2020 (part 1)

Hello! Welcome to the #FM2012TuesdayClub. This will be the first of (I hope) many coming features that links my favorite Football Manager title with the real-world.

We’re coming in off the back of an incredible four weeks of tournament football. Our Three Lions heroes MADE HISTORY by getting to the FINAL of Euro 2020. As the disappointment dulls, let’s appreciate and savor the achievements of Gareth Southgate, his backroom staff and players!

Fast-forwarding to May 2020 see’s a man who’s managed both clubs in the Second City derby, Tyne-Wear derby, and the Steel City derby take the England reins. Ironically, in-game, he has followed the same pathway as Gareth Southgate, and that’s getting promoted via the England u21s job.

Lets escape the foggy haze for a few minutes as Euro 2020 gets the #FM2012 treatment. Can the AI have the same success as Gareth’s lions? The task is simple. Run the unedited, unchanged, 12.2.0 version of the game through to 1st May 2020. Then follow the progress of the AI’s chosen England team as they navigate through the tournament.

The in-game press pack are excited as Brucey names his 30-man preliminary squad. Two names mentioned, Jack Rodwell and Tom Cleverley, perhaps give an insight into what’s to come. Younger readers may never have even heard of either… Cleverley played for England 13 times from 2012-2013, and Rodwell 3 times from 2011-2013. Perhaps they are worthy of their in-game inflated potential ability?

The good news is, there are only four regens in the squad, so the majority are established players. The bad news… only two of the real-life 26 from the Euros are in it; Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling. Dan Gosling, George Thorne, Craig Dawson, Ryan Bennett and Ryan Shawcross are England-regulars in #FM2012 saves. In real-life they have one cap between them – that belongs to Shawcross.

Ryan Shawcross’ one appearance was in November 2012. A game Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to mock the English team and press, by scoring four goals at Wembley including *that spectacular overhead kick. Manager Roy Hodgson would actually admit years later that Zlatan ended Shawcross’ England career before it started – ouch!

Bruce looks to have opted for experience with Ashley Young, Tom Huddlestone, Joe Hart, Daniel Sturridge, Aaron Lennon, Ryan Bertrand, Ryan Shawcross and Wayne Rooney all being selected past their 30th birthday.

I could also insert a cheap Phil Jones gurning gag, but will leave that to your imagination! Phil Jones’ ability in this game is immense. Coming off of a £16million pound transfer from Blackburn Rovers, and growing reputation he always develops into a top class player in #FM2012 playing either CB or DMC. Sir Alex Ferguson said of Jones, “Arguably the way he’s looking, could be our best ever player”. He will be a key player in this squad.

The other key players will be Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – both at Arsenal. The get the Wenger treatment from the in-game researchers and, like Jones, have wonderful potential ability.

BTW, Wayne Rooney is still at Manchester United in-game and has reached an impressive 86 goals. Those stats are still insane for someone real-life batting out in Derby.

For some strange real his also been re-trained as a goalkeeper during the last nine seasons. Very odd!

Anyhow, the groups are drawn and England will play the Czech’s, Wales and Romania and what could be a tough group F.

Brucey plays some friendlies and axes seven from his squad to make a final 23.

One of them, inexplicably, being hero of 2021 Raheem Sterling! We’re left with just two regens – both are strikers playing for Southampton. Daniel Sturridge, Craig Dawson, Dan Gosling, and Aaron Lennon are the others put on standby. Bruce names Ryan Shawcross his captain, and Wayne Rooney his vice. Connor Wickham is a surprise, as is Jonjo Shelvey.

The first game is against Romania. Brucey opts for a 4-2-3-1, with 34 year old Wayne Rooney occupying the left wing… Saints regen Holt leads the line ahead of Wickham.

Its Romania who get the campaign underway with a goal on the half-hour. This apparently stirred the England team to life, who equalise through regen Darren Holt. Wickam has the last laugh.

Wales will offer a different test, as they too have some familiar names in their team. Talisman Gareth Bale – not converted to a striker/right winger in this edition – plays comfortably on the left side of midfield.

Wales score early- who else but Bale? Smalling and Oxlade-Chamberlain struggle to cope with him down the England right but they can’t score another. England test Wayne Hennessey again and again but the Bangor man has the game of his life (getting a 9.2 rating and MoM) and Wales see the game out. Loud Boos hiss from the England fans as the lads trudge off.

The result means England must get something from their final group game to progress.

Bruce gambles by leaving Wayne Rooney on the bench in favour of Connor Wickham. He should have taken Raheem Sterling!

Darren Holt does the damage again helping see this mismatched England side progress to the second round! Phil Jones does his ex-manager proud by scoring a major tournament goal from defensive midfield. Nathaniel Chalobah scored the other goal. A player with (in real life) one England cap and bizarrely zero ‘official’ minutes in the tank. In actual fact he was on the pitch for six minutes 54 seconds after a Nations League fixture against Spain in 2018.

Wales top the group with seven points leaving Bruce and England a tough fixture against France.

Bruce opts to switch around his left wingers again for this one – this time leaving Tom Cleverley to take on Mathieu Debuchy down the France right.

It’s not to be for Brucey’s men. A Kevin Gameiro goal enough for the victory for a pre-Mbappe France. The veteran forward, who kept Karim Benzema out of the team, lifts the French mood, bettering their own real-life tournament progress. For Bruce, it’s one left winger rotation too many and defeat. That was short and sweet!

Bruce is duly dispatched, his short England rein coming to a dissapointing end.

Its Holland – armed with plenty of regens – who take home the trophy defeating a Ronaldo-less Portugal. (He retired in-game from international football in 2018). Football in #FM2012 will have to wait a few more years to ‘come home’…

This opening #TuesdayClub feature was shorter than I’d planned, but I hope you like it none-the-less! If you have any screenshot requests fire them over via @FM2012Social on twitter, and i’ll try to dig out the players/squads you’ve asked for.

Join us next Tuesday for part 2; as I take the real-life squad (or those available in the #FM2012 DB), to the tournament, and try to better Brucey’s AI performance!

Until next time, Lions.