Football Manager 2023: 5 Sleeping Giants to Manage Groups

[David76]

There's something thrilling about a sleeping giant save. A club with huge potential, relying on you to drag them up the pyramid and into the spotlight. But where to start? I've compiled a list of my five favourite sleeping giant clubs for you to awaken in your next Football Manager 2023 save.

NOT a fallen giant​

Let's start with some semantics: I'm not looking at fallen giants here (that can be found here). I'm strictly looking at sleeping giants: clubs with huge potential who have NEVER enjoyed any prolonged success at the top level. Usually, a sleeping giant is either from a fairly big city in their country, has few trophies (if any), and has a loyal support with big potential to grow. They also usually have some kind of pedigree, producing players or managers who have gone on to enjoy far greater success elsewhere. With that in mind, let's crack on with the list.

1. Plymouth Argyle​

Arguably the most asleep giant on this list, Plymouth is, of course, the largest English city to have never hosted a top-flight professional club. While this is undoubtedly not a source of pride for supporters, what a huge achievement it would be for the club and the city to reach the summit of English football. An 18,500-seater stadium awaits whoever takes this club on, and a loyal fanbase who hasn't had much to shout about. With ex-players including Paul Mariner, Ashley Barnes, Bruce Grobelaar and Championship Manager legend Taribo West, there's plenty of football pedigree to build on at Home Park.

2. Partick Thistle​

"Partick Thistle FC. I say that because most Englishmen think they're called 'Partick Thistle Nil'" was Billy Connolly's famous quip about the Jags. While harsh on the surface, it shows the struggles faced in Maryhill, a club long overdue for a sustained period of success. Based in Glasgow, with a huge potential fanbase despite competing against Celtic, Rangers and Queens Park for the city's affections. Despite producing players such as Alan Hansen, Mo Johnston, and Alan Rough and boasting former managers such as Bertie Auld, the Jags have only two major trophies to their name. This hasn't disheartened their dedicated fanbase, which includes Mhairi Black MP, Robert Carlyle, and even David Hasselhoff. Can you be the manager to finally unlock the massive potential at Firhill?

3. Toulouse FC​

The fourth biggest city in France? With a 33,000-seater stadium? And a club who has never won Ligue 1? That's a textbook sleeping giant in my book. Toulouse are the absolute definition of a club with limited historical success and huge potential, and no lack of footballing pedigree to boot. Counting World Cup winner Fabien Barthez among their former players, and French football legend Just Fontaine among former managers, there's some serious potential in this club to be realised. Not to mention a beautiful kit that you'll enjoy watching as you tear up the French pyramid.

4. CS Maritimo​

Based on the island of Madeira, Maritimo are something of an anomaly to Portuguese football. Despite island teams historically being barred from national competition, in recent years, Maritimo have been a fixture in the Primeira Liga without challenging the top sides for silverware. With a stadium of over 10,000 - but potentially support from all over the island - this is a small club on the rise who are more than capable of taking the next step.

5. Brescia​

Not unlike Plymouth Argyle, Brescia are well-known for their time outside of their country's top flight: Brescia have spent more seasons in Serie B than any other club in Italy. While Brescia have enjoyed some time in Italy's highest league, these have been rare and a sustained period in the top flight is long overdue. With a history of producing players such as Andrea Pirlo and Sandro Tonali, as well as managers such as Roberto Baggio, Brescia are deeply rooted in Italian football culture and have massive potential if you can get them up the leagues.