Thoughts after completing my first season in FM26

I just completed my first season in FM26 (I know, I'm slow - I don't get a lot of time to play...but if the game was better I would probably make more time...)

I'd normally start as Montrose for a long-term career save, but decided to try a game as Everton because I didn't want to invest too much time in my first save if the game was going to be a janky mess.

First season, an Everton side with not much spending power, relatively few 'star' players, a new stadium, tipped to finish 14th. I finished second. 20 points behind league champions Arsenal, but still way above expectations.

No major signings - Patrick Berg in as midfield cover, John Souttar as CB cover, Kasper Hogh as cover for Beto and Barry. O'Brien and N'Diaye both sold to Saudi Arabian clubs for a combined £56m.

Playing a basic 4-4-2 with both CMs sitting deep, wingers high, a target forward and a channel forward. Never changed my tactics. Had a couple of heavy defeats, but was never out of the top five.

And we finished second. I won manager of the year, despite Arteta winning the league by 20 points to give Arsenal their first title in 22 years.

The last day of the season, Spurs were second and I was fourth. Winner would finish second. Pre-match interview: "As this is an end of season dead rubber, will you be playing the kids?"

I've been playing since CM2, almost 30 years in the bag as a CM/FM player. And this version just lacks something. There's no immersion. Way back in the CM2 days, I'd be walking to and from school pondering tactics and signings in my head.

Now, with infinitely more options available, I'm not even thinking about FM while I'm playing the game!

The UI is a mess, and that's a major part of the failure - clicking around helplessly trying to find things that have been in (roughly) the same place for the past 20 years. Clicking into the league table and seeing it mysteriously split into two columns. Clicking on the Player Of The Month news item and being taken to the Player Of The Season award from the previous year. Clicking on the post-match stats for the match you've just finished, and being taken to a different match from a month earlier.

Being unable to give pep talks to subs before putting them on. No shouts during the match - basically just watching the highlights and making occasional substitutions.

I could go on and on.

I was a Day One Beta player. Gave SI the benefit of the doubt: "They'll patch it by release day, it'll be much better once it's on official release."

But if anything, it feels like it's getting worse. I enjoyed CM4 more than this buggy mess.

It's sad, but in its current form, this doesn't feel like FM, and definitely not a game I'll be coming back to without a huge revamp.