£0 Budget, Still Better Than You. Dover Athletic journey on Berserk v2 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.