It feels like a long old time since I wrote one of these articles but, now that we know that Football Manager 26 is very much a thing and will be with us in less than a month, it’s time to start thinking about save plans for the next 12 months.

It’s been a long time coming, but Football Manager 26 will finally be available from 4 November. So now’s the time to put our thinking caps on to consider who we want to manage in our first FM26 sa…

It’s been a long time coming, but Football Manager 26 will finally be available from 4 November. So now’s the time to put our thinking caps on to consider who we want to manage in our first FM26 sa…

It’s been a long time coming, but Football Manager 26 will finally be available from 4 November. So now’s the time to put our thinking caps on to consider who we want to manage in our first FM26 saves and interesting challenges for the remainder of the game cycle.

I'm no expert on women's football but, with it being introduced to Football Manager for the first time in the upcoming Football Manager 26, I wanted to get myself up to pace. And, having done so, the women's game offers interesting new managerial experiences, a different way of playing the game, and opportunities to develop exciting stories in FM26.

Semi-professional Truro City sat in the Vanarama South, having never previously played at a higher standard of football in June 2023. But the arrival of hometown hero Perran Trevelyan marked a significant shift in fortunes as they blazed their way through the English football system to become the greatest club in the world over the next 24 seasons. Trevelyan led Truro into battle 1,267 times in his 8,362 days at the club.

Fifty-seven years ago, on his 39th birthday, Trebor Mahtal left the streets of Mazabuka, in southern Zambia, for the first time to board a flight to Germany. After studying a few languages, watching as much football as possible and earning his National C licence, he went in search of his big break in football management.

Truro City became the 10th most successful club in English history as they tied Sheffield Wednesday on four league titles in 2045. However, Perran Trevelyan's side suffered the heartbreak of back-to-back Champions League Final defeats.

Trebor Mahtal's Project X, his bid to tick off the final letter of his Alphabet Challenge, began pretty well as he led Neuchâtel Xamax to a 2nd-place finish in Raiffeisen Super League and caused a few upsets in the Europa League.

Cup success in Japan with Kawasaki Frontale saw Trebor Mahtal win a major trophy with clubs beginning with 25 different letters. That left just the troublesome X - which is actually impossible as there is no playable club beginning with the letter X - remaining to complete the Alphabet Challenge, which Mahtal had no dubbed as Project X.

Fans of Truro City had become accustomed to trophy celebrations, but nobody in Cornwall could surely have expected to see their heroes parading the famous European Cup around the country. Yet that was the case in the summer of 2043 as captain Alejandro Silva and manager Perran Trevelyan led yet another opentop bus tour and the mother of all parties.

South America’s premier football competitions reach the business end as Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana hit the quarter-final stage…

Two tense cup finals went all the way to extra time in 2076, and late goals saw 92-year-old Trebor Mahtal Dynamo Dresden to their maiden major trophy in DFB-Pokal. The Zambian stood down a couple of days later, allowing him to go in search of clubs beginning with K and X to try and complete his Alphabet Challenge.

Dynamo Dresden defied all expectations to finish 6th in Bundesliga and qualify for European football in 2074/75. Manager Trebor Mahtal now had to strengthen key areas of the squad to compete on all fronts, try and close the gap to Germany's big boys and, ideally, give them a more offensive threat.

The streets of Cornwall hosted the biggest party the county had ever seen as Truro City legend Perran Trevelyan and his team paraded the Premier League trophy around its towns and villages. The Truro board celebrated the success by launching brand new home and away kits with gold trim and local sponsors. Homegrown heroes like Euan Whyte, Frederick Adade and Dion Beeney joined the South American contingent of captain Alejandro Silva, Brazilian superstars Joao Paulo and Maurício Genofre, Enzo Parra and Gabriel Larrea in a fusion of pints of cider, mead and gin and Cornish pasties amid days of wild celebrations.

Dynamo Dresden lifted the 2. Bundesliga title for the second time in five years after Trebor Mahtal built a trademark exciting young squad in his second season in East Germany. The 90-year-old manager now had to strengthen key areas of the squad to try and battle Germany's best.

Eighteen years ago, little semi-professional club Truro City sat in the Vanarama South having never played at a higher standard of football. But the arrival of hometown hero Perran Trevelyan marked a significant shift in fortunes as they blazed their way through the English football system and, in their fourth season in the Premier League, became Champions of England in May 2042.

Unexpected cup success at Hannover 96 saw Trebor Mahtal tick off leg number 23 of 26 on his Alphabet Challenge. That left the veteran 89-year-old manager with just three letters remaining: D, K and X.

Little Truro City came so close to pulling off the greatest fairytale story in English football as they came 2nd to Newcastle United in the Premier League in 2041. That meant they secured not only the club's first taste of European football in its third season in the top tier, but went straight into the Champions League.

87-year-old Trebor Mahtal showed no signs of slowing up as he led Hannover 96 to their fifth 2. Bundesliga title and back into Germany's top tier. He was keen to build on a solid defence while adding a bit more of an attacking threat for the step up.

Trebor Mahtal led Hannover 96 clear of any relegation concerns as he returned to Germany for the first time in 24 years. But, going into the summer of 2070, the experienced Zambian manager knew he was under pressure to propel Hannover to the upper reaches of 2. Bundesliga. Indeed, he'd already signed several players who demanded the club gain promotion in the 2070/71 season, and more new signings would do the same.

Truro City established themselves in the top flight, securing yet another club-record high finish of 8th in the Premier League in 2040. The club was also preparing to move back into the newly expanded Truro City Stadium ahead of season three in the top tier.

An exciting Independiente side strolled to a Liga Profesional success in 2069, which saw Trebor Mahtal tick off 22 out of the 26 letters he needed to complete his Alphabet Challenge. He now only needed to win trophies with clubs beginning with D, H K and the particularly troublesome X.

Independiente finished second in both of Argentina's league competitions in 2068, in a season that was very much a case of "so close, yet so far." But manager Trebor Mahtal, now 84, chose to remain positive, especially given the high amount of potential at the club.

Truro City's exciting youngsters took the Premier League by storm in 2038/39, starting the season brilliantly before fading a little to finish in an impressive 9th place. And manager Perran Trevelyan was hoping for further improvement, given he had nine wonderkids at his disposal at the end of the campaign.