Revive these 7 fallen giants in FM26 and drag them back where they
belong.
Football Manager 2026 is built for long-term saves, and nothing hits harder than a fallen giant rebuild. One club, one vision, and one season where you realise half your squad is on wages they absolutely do not deserve.
These are English clubs with proper history and proper stadiums, but the present doesn’t match the badge. FM26 makes it even more fun because the game bakes in expectations - predicted finishes, supporter culture demands, board restrictions, and facilities that either save you or expose you.
You’ll get real-world context, the FM26 starting situation, and a clear mission for each club so you know exactly what you’re signing up for before you hit “Start New Game”.
1. Blackburn Rovers - The Premier League champions who fell into the grind
Blackburn are still one of the strangest stories in modern English football. They actually won the Premier League, with Shearer, swagger, and Ewood Park feeling like a trap door for visiting teams. Then the years happened, the momentum died, and the club became one of those names that feels bigger than its weekly reality.
FM26 reflects that drop brutally. You’re predicted to finish 18th, which is basically the game saying: don’t you dare start slowly. But the foundations are far better than a relegation scrap club should have. Ewood Park holds 31,363, the owner loves the club, finances are okay, and both training and youth facilities are rated great at Brockhall.
The hook is the board culture. They want you developing youth, playing attacking and possession football, signing under-23s for the future, and not signing players over 30. In other words, you are forced into a modern rebuild. No comfort signings. No “experienced heads” to patch holes. If you try it anyway, you’ll feel it in the boardroom.
Make this a two-phase save. First phase: stabilise and survive the opening months without panicking. Second phase: build a young core that can actually play, then turn Ewood into a place teams hate visiting again. And when Burnley come up as a local rival, treat it like a statement match, not a fixture.
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2. Sheffield Wednesday - Administration, minus points, plus chaos
Hillsborough holding 34,945 tells you everything about Wednesday’s size. This club should not feel small. Historically it never was. But modern Wednesday has lived in that brutal loop of instability, pressure, and fan expectation that never matches the league table.
FM26 turns that into a nightmare start. Predicted to finish 24th, finances listed as “In Administration”, and a league points deduction of 18. That’s not a rebuild, that’s starting the season with your legs chopped off and being told to sprint anyway.
The board wants to stabilise the club’s finances. Training and youth facilities are only average at Middlewood. Supporters still want entertaining football, attacking football, and youth development, which is hilarious in the darkest possible way. They want you to play nice football while you’re basically trying to stop the club from sinking.
There’s also a nasty detail that will catch lazy managers: the club has a maximum of four ESC slots this season. Ignore that and your recruitment plan can die mid-window. Add Sheffield United as the local rival, and you’ve got the spiciest “save narrative” on this list.
Your mission is simple and horrible: make the points deduction irrelevant by staying up, then use season two to turn Wednesday back into a serious Championship club. If you keep them up, you’ll feel like you’ve won the Champions League.
3. Derby County - Build the academy pipeline and stop pretending
Derby always feel bigger than their current league position. Part of it is history - the 70s peak, iconic names, the idea of Derby being a proper English club. Part of it is the modern fan expectation that they should not be anonymous.
FM26 predicts them 13th, which is a perfect “project club” starting point. You’re not expected to walk the league, but you’re close enough that a smart plan can turn into a play-off push quickly.
The identity is crystal clear. Board culture and supporter culture both push the same direction: develop players using the club’s youth system. And the facilities back it up. Pride Park holds 32,944, the owner loves the club, finances are okay, training is excellent at Moor Farm, and youth facilities are great.
This is a save where you should act like a club with a plan. Build a spine, develop two or three assets properly, sell one at the perfect moment, and reinvest in the next level. Then circle the local rival match against Nottingham Forest, because those games can buy you patience and belief faster than any team meeting ever will.
4. Preston North End - Football royalty with a board that bans shortcuts
Preston are football history. The original invincibles, the early giants, the kind of club that should feel like a legend. And yet, modern Preston have become one of the most frustrating “nearly clubs” around - always close to relevance, never quite there.
FM26 predicts them 22nd, which instantly turns this into a survival-first save. You don’t get to roleplay romantic football heritage while you’re leaking goals and losing away at teams you’ve never heard of.
The board culture makes it even sharper: do not sign players over the age of 30. No veteran rescue signings. No easy fixes. Deepdale holds 22,941, the owner loves the club, finances are okay, and training facilities are excellent at Euxton. But youth facilities are only average, so you’re not relying on a magic intake to save you.
This is a “coaching club” save. You win by improving players, finding undervalued signings at the right age, and building something repeatable. Blackpool are the local rival, and you’ll need that derby energy when morale dips in winter.
5. Portsmouth - The FA Cup winners who became a survival story
Portsmouth are pure drama in real life. FA Cup winners in 2008, big personalities, big nights, then the financial collapse and the long climb back. It’s the type of club where the history feels recent enough that fans still expect “big club moments”.
FM26 predicts 17th, which frames your first season perfectly. Not glamorous, not comfortable - you’re expected to scrap, stabilise, and build slowly. Fratton Park holds 20,927, the owner loves the club, finances are okay, training facilities are great at the ROKO Health Centre, and youth facilities are average.
Board culture is listed as none, but supporter culture wants youth development. That matters. Pompey fans don’t want you treating the club like a short-term ladder climb. They want a project that feels like Portsmouth.
Set the save goal properly. Year one is survival with identity - make Fratton a miserable away day again. Year two is your push towards the top half. Southampton are the local rival, so you’ve got a built-in storyline match that can turn your season around emotionally.
6. Bolton Wanderers - Promotion pressure with the right foundations
Bolton in the Premier League used to feel normal. Proper mid-2000s energy - big characters, big days, and a club that felt established. The fall into the lower divisions is exactly why this is such a satisfying FM save. You are trying to drag a familiar name back into relevance.
FM26 predicts them 6th, which is the perfect zone. You’re not the obvious favourite, but you are close enough that promotion is the expectation once you find your rhythm.
The foundations are there. The Toughsheet Community Stadium holds 28,018, finances are okay, the owner is enjoying life at the club, and training facilities are great at The Eddie Davies Academy with good youth facilities too.
Culture wise, it’s a clean brief. The board wants youth development, supporters want entertaining football. So don’t build a grim survival machine - build a team that can actually play, while still being ruthless enough to win the ugly games. The rivals list is elite for narrative: Man Utd, Blackburn, Wigan - all local. Bolton becoming relevant again means stepping on toes.
7. Leicester City - The recent champions with zero patience
Leicester are a fallen giant in the weirdest way because the peak is still fresh. The 2016 title isn’t ancient history, it’s a living memory. That makes expectations sharper. People don’t look at Leicester and think “nice little club”. They think “why aren’t you back where you were?”
FM26 predicts them 3rd, which is the game telling you promotion is the minimum. And Leicester’s club culture is basically a tactical manifesto. The board wants attacking football, entertaining football, possession football, and youth development. Supporters also want entertaining football, youth development, and direct football. Yes, they want you to dominate the ball and still be vertical when it matters.
The infrastructure is ridiculous for this level. King Power holds 32,273. Training and youth facilities are both state of the art at the LCFC Training Ground. Finances are okay. The owner is enjoying life at the club. You do not get excuses here. You get pressure.
The save goal is to go up quickly, but not stupidly. Build a squad that looks like it can survive in the Premier League, not just escape the Championship. If you go up playing pretty football and still looking solid, you’ve done it properly. If you bottle it, the whole save turns toxic fast, because Leicester is built for expectation.
Which one should you manage in FM26?
If you want the cleanest “back to the top” path, it’s Leicester. Elite facilities, heavy expectations, no sympathy.
If you want a modern youth-driven rebuild with board rules that force you to be smart, Blackburn is the best story. Great base, scary prediction.
If you want a proper academy pipeline project with strong facilities and a big stadium, Derby is the structured rebuild.
If you want hard mode survival with restrictions, Preston will test whether you can actually coach and recruit, not just buy.
If you want atmosphere and emotion, Portsmouth gives you the best “club feeling” on the list.
If you want promotion pressure with real foundations and a brilliant regional narrative, Bolton is the sweet spot.
And if you want a save that feels like you’re fighting the universe, pick Sheffield Wednesday. Administration, minus points, and still expected to entertain. That’s not a rebuild, that’s a personality test.
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