"This is Not a Circus: Dover Athletic's Journey to the Top on Berserk Pack"

Bored?

Me too. This is the reason why I decided to publish my journey with Dover Athletic.

This save is more difficult than the standard one. SirTavares created a pack to make things harder. I decided I will put it to final test. Already played with Sampdoria on Berserk v1.

💸 Berserk Mode – Survival Football

Berserk Mode takes everything from Hardcore Mode and pushes it further by attacking the financial foundations of football. Money is tight, budgets are reduced, and growth becomes painfully slow. Every contract matters. Every transfer is a risk. Financial mismanagement is no longer forgiven.

- Global financial nerf;
- Zero transfer and wage budgets;
- Removed sponsorship income;
- Slower club growth and harsher consequences.

This is survival football. Only well-run clubs endure.
Two paths. One goal. Survive football at its hardest.

This is my Journey with Dover Athletic until I either get sacked or achieve perfection (am I that good?)

Dover are predicted to finish 17th in the National League South.

I skipped media day. I’m not really a public guy.
My social media doesn’t exist. You won’t find my grumpy face anywhere. But who cares?



At my first meeting with the boss, he tells me we have to use a tactic created by one of the biggest FM influencers, Flashy Josh.

I won’t lie — I wasn’t annoyed… but I was getting there.
So I asked, why?

He said, “His tactics are always perfect. The best. Guaranteed success.”

I tried to stay calm, but this guy clearly visits FM Scout far too often.

“Listen, Jim,” I said. “I know I’m older and grumpier than him, but experience comes with age. I’ve got a tactic built specifically for your team.”

It’s a 4-2-3-1.
I’ve called it RAF 303 Squadron.

“What?” he asked.

Out of respect for the Polish pilots who fought against the Nazis during World War II. They were just as mad as I am.

Then he said, “I think we’ve made a mistake.”

“Give me time until December,” I replied. “Let me use my tactics. If I can’t convince you by then, I’ll walk away — no compensation, no arguments.”

He leaned back.
“Hmmm… OK. I guess there’s a reason people call you Grumpy Dwarf.”

"I understand the grumpy part,” he said, “but why dwarf?”

“You look like a washed-up middleweight boxer with that broken nose.”

Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy sarcasm, and somehow the dwarf description fits perfectly.

I told you, boss, I’m not selling dreams. I work hard every day to keep my word.

We’re top of the table, and we’re getting promoted.









I know you want me to avoid relegation next season, but we need more cash. Most of our players’ contracts expire at the end of the season. I’ve offered them new deals, but they’re asking for three times what they currently earn. We simply don’t have that kind of money.

He said, “If they don’t reduce their expectations, they can walk.”

Hmm. Easier said than done. What happens if we have to let them all go?

Jim replied, “We have youth players, don’t we? They can play too.”

Boss, I know this Irish lad, Finn, is quite good—and I will use him, even though he’s only 16. We still need more players.



Jim said. "That concluded our meeting. You can ask as much as you want—but my answer is no."


Honestly, this promotion has gone to his head. He thinks we can win things with just any players.

I’ll have to wait and see. Maybe they’ll reduce their expectations once their contracts expire.





The game time is not actual. I have a game running in the background most of the time.

After that chat with the boss, I definitely needed a drink—so I went clubbing with the fans. Judging by the chants, they’d also love Jim to splash a bit of cash.

A couple days after the celebrations, it was time to get back to business.

Jim called me into his office the very next day.

Jim: “I know you want more money, but we’re struggling to generate consistent income. I’m afraid giving you more funds for transfers isn’t an option.”

I replied calmly,
“Okay, boss. I just wanted you to know that I’ll meet with the players again and ask them to reconsider their demands. If they don’t understand the situation, we’ll have to part ways.”

Later that day, I met with the players.



“I’ve had a meeting with the chairman,” I told them.
“He made it very clear that there will be no increase in the wage budget. I could have been more polite with my words, but the message was clear.”

“I appreciate what you’ve done for the club last year, but we’re still a semi-professional club and we lack financial stability. Therefore, you have two choices:

Reduce your demands and we can discuss new contracts, or You will be released.”

This is going to be a very difficult transfer window. If we want to be competitive next season, the squad needs improvement. Unfortunately, some of you will be released at the end of the season, as I don’t believe your performances have been good enough to justify staying at the club.

The meeting didn’t go according to plan. I don’t think they understand that we’re on a journey. If we want to reach the top, sacrifices have to be made. I made several players unhappy.



In the end, they didn’t lower their expectations, which meant I had to rebuild the entire team. So, I went hunting.

I always look for free agents, especially players released by bigger clubs. With the financial restrictions in this save being significantly tighter, I have focus on signing young players who can later be sold for profit.



Contract Tips
• Avoid the “Match Highest Earner” clause at all costs.
• Try to avoid yearly wage rises.
◦ If unavoidable, cap it at 5% - 15% and make it non-negotiable.
• Limit wage increases after promotion.
◦ I use 15% maximum, or turn this clause off completely if possible for players which are not in demand (you can always improve the offer later on).

Finding Free Agents
• Go to Globe icon → Continents → Transfers → All Transfers → Released Players.
• Searching for players in this version is very annoying:
◦ Search filters keep changing.
◦ Creating custom views is more time consuming, etc.
• Because of this, I’ve turned off player attribute masking.
◦ If you keep it on, use trials as much as possible.

Lower League Transfer Strategy
• In lower leagues, target free agents released around 30 June / 1 July.
◦ This is when clubs officially let players go.
• Don’t spend all your budget at the start of the transfer window.
◦ Free agents often lower their wage demands the longer they remain unsigned.
• In lower English leagues, you can sign players all year round.
• Always watch out for work permit rules in England.

Top Division Transfer Strategy

▪ 1. GS Scout – Contract Expiry Method
• Use GS Scout to create a shortlist of players whose contracts expire within 1 year at the start of the season.
• Throughout the season, simply monitor interest and approach players who are willing to negotiate – January next year.
2. Manual Shortlisting (Old FM vs FM26)
• In older FM versions, it was possible to manually add all players from top teams to a shortlist using keyboard shortcuts and later filter free agents.
• In FM26, this method is no longer practical or even possible, making manual shortlisting very time-consuming.
3. Loan Strategy When Lacking Funds
• When you don’t have transfer budget:
◦ Loan players out with an optional (not mandatory) future fee.
◦ This keeps flexibility in case the player improves, declines, or no longer fits your plans.
4. Target Transfer-Listed Players
• Always look for transfer-listed players.
• These players usually:
◦ Accept lower wage demands
◦ Are easier to negotiate with
◦ Can often be signed below market value
5. Exploit Release Clauses
• Go through teams manually and check for players with release clauses, especially:
◦ Relegation release clauses
◦ Clauses active when the club fails to qualify for continental competitions
◦ Clauses triggered by promotion/relegation status
• These clauses often result in significantly reduced price tags, making them excellent value signings. You can use a view for that and just import it when looking at the team.





You can create the same view for you shortlist (add all known player to the list and filter them out).

Life as a low-league manager is very stressful. I had to do something to improve my morale. I had two options, but due to the fact that there are kids here, I was left with only one. So I went… bungee jumping.



I will upload the transfer tomorrow.

Reporter: People say you’ve lost the dressing room. Is that true?
Me: People say a lot of things. Most of them are wrong.
I know I might not look like the typical manager, but the irony is that I’m well-educated and a man with manners. So let’s start properly—good morning, everyone.
I’ll take your questions now.

Reporter 2: A month ago several players appeared unhappy. Managers who lose the dressing room usually don’t last long.

Me: That’s true—for managers without conviction.
I don’t manage emotions, I manage standards. If some players are uncomfortable, that usually means standards have finally arrived.

Reporter: Some players have called your approach extreme. Madness, even.

Me: Madness? No. Clarity.
Football is full of excuses and comfort zones. I remove both. That scares people.

Reporter: You’ve signed twelve players aged 23 or younger. Critics say they’re too inexperienced to succeed.

Me: Critics always confuse age with weakness.
I signed hunger. I signed ambition. I signed players who still listen.
Experience is useless if it comes with complacency.

Reporter: People say you’re arrogant.

Me: Of course they do.
When you don’t ask for permission and you don’t apologize, people call it arrogance.
I call it knowing exactly who I am and what I want.
I’ve succeeded my whole life by trusting myself when others doubted me. This job is no different.
If the players want comfort, they should find another club.
If they want history, they stay with me.
That’s all. I have work to do.


Transfers:



In some cases, when other teams showed interest in the same player, I had to return to the negotiating table and improve my offer by increasing their wages.

TACTICS:

The 4-2-3-1 (Raf No. 303) was quite successful last season, so I won’t be making many changes. However, there are a couple of issues that need addressing.

The new signings are not natural inside forwards, so one of them will be used as a winger.

Ideally, I prefer a tall striker who can score headers, but unfortunately I don’t have someone like that available at the moment. As a temporary solution, instead of a Complete Forward (CFD), I will use a Channel Forward (CHF).

The transfer window is still open, and I am currently targeting a striker on loan. My wage budget is limited to €400k per week, so I will only be considering loan options with the lowest possible wage contribution.











I used also Grumpy Dwarf 343 downgraded slightly.

During the meeting with the players, I showed them a picture that hangs in my house. It represents the mentality and values I want them to embrace.



I don’t care about winning big right now.
I care about three points. It is all about progress.
When we go two goals up, we start enjoying possession.
Matches are won with effectiveness, with consistency, with decisions.
This is how you win titles.

Tips:

Stopped jumping from tactic to tactic just because someone posted a new one on FM Scout and claimed it was “the best” or whatever. You need to give your players time to learn a system first. Any tactic you download should be adjusted so it suits your players.

Top teams usually have players who are comfortable using both feet. Lower-division teams don’t, so stop forcing roles that don’t fit. For example, don’t use an Inside Forward on AML and ask him to cut inside if he can only use his left foot. If he can cross, make him a winger and allow him to carry the ball forward naturally. Small changes like this can make a big difference and help a tactic work much better.

This version of FM is missing quite a lot of data, but you should still use the League Stats screen to compare your team’s performance with others. Look at:
• Crossing accuracy (if it’s low, adjust players who cross too often)
• Shooting
• Passing
• Yellow cards (if the number is low, you might be able to play more aggressively to get the ball back)

The Match Engine sometimes lets you win games without making any changes to your main approach, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes adjustments are necessary. That doesn’t mean you need a completely different tactic. Instead, create a variation using the same formation but with a more aggressive setup (for example, a gegenpress-style version used when you need score a goal).

Normally, in lower leagues (weaker teams) I usually play slightly more counter-attacking football and switch when needed.

THE IP OP INSTRUCTION IN MATCH I ADJUST DEPENDS WHAT THE STATS SAYS
TEMPO, TIME WASTING and DRIBBLING (when want more possession) , PATIENCE and PRESS MUCH MORE to MUCH MORE OFTEN.

I talk to players when they perform badly/good in the last match. I’m not sure how effective it is, but it’s fun to say a few words to those who did/don’t meet the standard. I do the same when their form increase/drops. Add last match performance into you tactics selection.

The match engine still isn’t perfect. Sometimes it feels like we’re just playing a crossbar challenge in-game.

At some point, when you stop being the underdog, the match engine will adjust.
Teams will defend deeper, and you’ll need to play more attacking football against defensive sides.
You can’t rely on the same approach every time.

I will also post screenshots from matches. I didn’t plan to make this post originally, so I didn’t take any during my first season.