Football Manager legend breaks ‘broken player ratings’ and it’s a game-changer

If you’ve ever scratched your head at your full-back getting a 6.2 despite dominating his flank, certain positions never getting a high rating, you’re not alone. Player ratings in Football Manager 2024, even if not many people focus on it compared to other problems, have been a small long-standing source of frustration. But the latest update from the FM Match Lab team might just be the fix you’ve been waiting for.

They’ve introduced a new version 1.4 of their mod which introduces a completely rebuilt player ratings file, aimed at making match performances feel more fair, balanced, and realistic. It’s part of their wider mission to “overhaul the FM experience without breaking what already works”.

While you’re here, don’t forget to check out our articles on the Ultimate FM24 mod list, or read about the wonderkids that never made it.

Why This Matters

While working on their match engine tweaks, the FM Match Lab team noticed something deeper was off. Ratings just didn’t add up.

Defenders were being punished for minor offensive errors. Midfielders were under-recognised. Goalkeepers were a mystery. And strikers… well, let’s just say if your number 9 didn’t score, the match engine often didn’t care what else they did.

The team trawled community feedback and decided this wasn’t something to ignore. FM24 deserved a mod that didn’t just change animations or stats—it needed to make the entire gameplay ecosystem feel more believable. That meant tackling the player ratings system head-on.

How They Did It

The FM Match Lab team took the same trial-and-error, data-led approach they used for reworking the physics engine. But this time, they were venturing into mostly uncharted territory, no one had properly modified the player ratings file before.

Here’s how the process worked:

• They ran extreme test cases by tweaking parameters dramatically, then observing the in-game effects.
• This allowed them to reverse-engineer how different values actually influence match ratings, even without access to the game’s source code.
• Every parameter was tested over long-term saves, ensuring tweaks wouldn’t only work in the short term but also scale well as regens take over your squad.

The goal wasn’t just surface-level improvement. They wanted a system that rewards players more accurately across all positions and roles, reflecting what actually happens on the pitch.

What’s Changed

The new file touches every position and role in FM24. The key principles behind the revamp:

Defensive Players

• Defenders now get proper recognition for their off-the-ball work.
• They’re no longer excessively punished for offensive errors (e.g., a misplaced long ball or a speculative shot).

Full-Backs

• These players finally get balanced treatment, whether you’re deploying them as inverted wing-backs or classic wide runners.
• Mistakes are judged in context. A wing-back bombing forward won’t be slaughtered for a missed cross.

Attackers

• Attacking contributions are now more accurately rewarded.
• Minor defensive lapses won’t tank their ratings, bringing a fairer assessment of roles like AMCs and wingers.

Midfield Balance

• Central and defensive midfielders are given more nuanced evaluations, whether they’re deep-lying playmakers or ball-winning terriers.

Problem Positions Addressed

Two roles stood out during testing:

• Strikers: Ratings are no longer overly goal-dependent. Combined with tweaks to the match engine, forwards now get recognised for their all-round play.
• Goalkeepers: After several iterations, the team feels they’ve struck a balance, but note that due to the nature of the engine, some statistical outliers may still appear.

What’s Next?

This isn’t the end. The revamped player ratings file is part of a modular system that FM Match Lab is slowly building:

• Match engine tweaks
• AI adjustments (with a second AI patch due later this month)
• Player ratings (v1.4 live now)
• A fully rebuilt training module—coming soon

They’re not trying to reinvent FM—they’re building a smarter, more rewarding version of the game we already love.

Follow updates on their site – https://fmmatchlab.co.uk

Download and full install guide here:
https://fmmatchlab.co.uk/fm-match-lab-mods

How to Install

Installation Instructions
Replace your simatch.fmf file with the new one. Here’s where to find your directory depending on your platform:

Steam
Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Football Manager 2024/data

Epic Games
Program Files/Epic Games/FootballManager24/data

Mac
~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Football Manager 24/data

Gamepass
YourGamepassDirectory/Football Manager 2024/content/data

Linux
~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/FM24/data

Rename the downloaded file to simatch.fmf and replace the existing one. If you want to keep the original file, back it up elsewhere first. You can always recover the default by verifying your game files.

Final Thoughts

This update from FM Match Lab might just be one of their best yet. By reworking how players are judged by the match engine, they’re closing the gap between what you see and what the game recognises.

For those playing FM24 with a long-term vision or those who care about getting ratings that truly reflect performance, this mod is essential.

More updates are coming this May, and if this release is anything to go by, they’ll be worth your time. At the moment, modders are absolutely carrying this game.

Download the mod here