These annoying bugs are ruining long-term saves in Football Manager, and they should be exterminated

We all know the immediate issues, and new features, that Sports Interactive need to fix for Football Manager 2025. The match engine and AI interaction being just one of many. We also know that Sports Interactive need to improve their communication. But lurking under the surface are some long-term problems that are going under the radar.

When you spend as much time on Reddit as I do, you start to notice the deeper issues that crop up in long-term saves. These aren’t just quirks, they’re full-blown immersion killers. They break the realism, and once that’s gone, so is the magic. And in a game that people play for decades in-game, that’s a serious problem. So, here’s everything I’ve found while trawling the forums, bugs and weird quirks that need fixing in time for Football Manager 2026.

All the AI’s tactics become the same

One of the most common things players notice in long-term saves is how all the AI’s tactics eventually become identical. After 15–20 in-game years, nearly every manager switches to the same formation, yep, good old 4-4-2. One player reported that in 2043, “nearly every other manager in the game seems to be using 4-4-2 now”. And it’s not just coincidence, regen managers and even ex-players-turned-coaches all default to it.

This causes two problems. First, it makes the AI easier to beat. If you know what you’re doing tactically, it’s simple to overload the midfield and pick them apart. But it’s also just boring. A world where every team plays the same way? That’s not football. That’s not even FIFA Career Mode. And it might be easy to dismiss as a one-off, if I hadn’t seen the exact same complaint again… and again… and again.

Dynamic youth ratings don’t work properly

FM24 brought in dynamic youth ratings with much fanfare. The idea was simple: if a country did well enough for long enough, their youth intake would improve over time. Except… it kind of doesn’t. One player summed it up best: “youth rating can change, but it does so at such a slow rate that it really doesn’t matter that much”.

Basically, even if a minnow nation wins trophies and develops elite players, their youth rating only increases by a few points over decades. In the long run, the same elite countries dominate youth development and building up a smaller nation feels near-impossible.

Some will argue that’s realistic. And sure, it’s not like San Marino are going to win the World Cup in real life. But this is Football Manager. Iceland managed it in real life over a decade. If anything, FM should allow some version of that story. It should be tough. But not impossible. After all, it’s not like Malta are lifting the Champions League in reality, but we’ve all done it in FM. Why sell us a feature that barely functions?

Regens attributes develop weirdly

There have been several concerns and complaints about the long-term development of regens, that fill the world as the real players retire. Players have noticed that many regens often have bizarre, skewed attributes. For instance, many FM24 regens come through with very low mental attributes paired with decent technicals. One user observed that “concentration in particular is always 5 on regens and never seems to improve much”. These extreme weaknesses create unrealistically lopsided players. Regens can also spawn with attribute combinations that just defy logic. For example, one user had a player that is a “5’7 left winger, who is also somehow an accomplished centre back. Despite 3 tackling, and 4 heading, they have a 15 jumping reach”. Just try to imagine that player in real life. It will make your brain hurt.

The physical traits of regens is also bizarre after a while. The height distribution gets shorter in the new generations. Within 10 seasons, players have found that there is an abundance of tiny, diminutive players in the top leagues. One player said “I feel like you get a lot more short kings five years into a save, many players with 4/5 jumping reach,” whilst another player in 2037 found “a lot of the strikers are really small with bad jumping reach”. In a world of Sergio Agueros, sometimes you want a Mitrovic. This can be particularly problematic with goalkeepers. As one player found, “the goalkeepers are just beyond ridiculous – every one is tiny with 1 First Touch and 1 Vision”. Many have also found that there are very few regen with high work rate, teamwork and aggression. That is literally the opposite of what is happening in real life and will make high-pressing tactics impossible after a couple of decades… not exactly realistic.

AI squad management is terrible

Even if you ignore the match engine, FM24’s long-term AI squad building is a disaster. There’s no other way to put it. It’s one of the biggest immersion killers in the game and it makes the AI a pushover in the long run. Here are the biggest recurring issues:

• Questionable transfers – top clubs often make illogical signings after a few years. One user found that “top/mid table clubs are signing average 29-31 year olds for a £40m+ for a position where they already have better players”. These expensive players then hardly play before being loaned out and eventually released for free. This might be realistic for Manchester United, but a lot of clubs in real life are a lot smarter than that and actually have sporting and financial common-sense.
• Stagnant wonderkids – a big long-term problem is how the AI handle youth prospects. They just let their wonderkids stagnate. Five years in you can find many famous talents that barely feature. In this case the AI doesn’t give them minutes or even loan them out. As one player says – “it’s 2027 and Mathys Tel has played 11 matches in 4 years for Bayern (with no injuries). Barcola hasn’t seen the light of day at PSG, same with Schjelderup, Vidović and many others”
• Lack of rotation – FM24’s AI managers are notoriously bad at rotating squads season-long. At the end of the season you’ll face AI lineups of tired players, even when they have quality backups available. This often makes it too easy to play against the AI when you get to the business end of the season. It can also have disastrous effects even more longer term. One report described how Liverpool in 203t lost half their squad due to playing-time unhappiness. That doesn’t exactly sound realistic does it.
• Squad hoarding – Because of the above transfer and rotation habits, AI teams tend to hoard oversized squas without a plan. A few years into a save it’s common to see teams with 40-5 senior players. It’s the same for us when we’re playing, but at least our 50 players are all South American wonderkids.

Cumulative effect of all of this

Put it all together and you end up with a completely broken ecosystem.

By the 2030s, top clubs are full of ageing players. Regens are either weirdly built or undeveloped. Wonderkids have stalled. Squad harmony is non-existent. Tactics are outdated. Financially, it’s a mess. Clubs are spending £500k per week on ageing mediocrity. Some even go bankrupt.

One player described it best: “If you play long enough, you will eventually win because the AI is just bad at everything.” It’s not a simulation anymore, it’s a slow, inevitable march to domination. Not because you’re a genius. But because the AI just collapses in on itself.

Final Thoughts

If this was the start of the game cycle, maybe I’d keep quiet. I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone from playing. But with FM24 wrapping up, and FM26 looming as the most important release in the series’ history, now is the time to get it right.

These issues don’t matter much to casual players. But the hardcore FM community, the ones doing 30-year saves, the ones making content, the ones fuelling the hype, do care. If the challenge dies, they’ll tune out. And once you lose realism, what’s left?

The beauty of Football Manager is that it’s both a challenge and a simulation. But if these long-term bugs aren’t fixed, we risk losing both.