About Us

We know how tricky it can be to fine-tune a winning tactic, balance player roles, and adjust your strategy for every match. We created AssMan.AI to give every gaffer the tactical insight and honest feedback they've always wanted from a trusted assistant that will not make you want to throw your water bottle.

We are not just here to hand you answers. We believe the best way to improve is through real conversations, asking questions, exploring ideas, and understanding why certain decisions work. Our aim is to help you win in Football Manager while also giving you the knowledge to see football in a deeper way.

Who's behind it

AssMan.AI is built by John Brawner at 2nd Foundry, a small product studio that ships niche enthusiast tools rather than mass-market software. John started playing Football Manager during the FM24 cycle and built this site after FM25 was cancelled, because he wanted an AI-assisted tactical assistant good enough to replace the saved-game forum threads he was already living in. He maintains the FM26 tactical reference doc this site's analyser and guides are checked against, and he's the editorial owner of every page on the site.

Reach John at assman@2ndfoundry.com or @johnwbrawner on X.

How the AI analyser works

When you upload a tactic screenshot, the AI reads the image with an LLM that's been prompted to behave like a real assistant manager. It looks at four things: the formation shape, the role compatibility (which roles overlap, which conflict), the team-instruction set (which instructions contradict each other), and the mentality fit (whether your roles match the energy level of your selected mentality). It then writes a structured analysis and lets you ask follow-up questions in a chat thread.

We don't sell tactic downloads, we don't accept payment to recommend specific FM presets, and we don't run pop-up newsletter modals at you. The site is free to use for one tactic upload per session without an account. If you want to save analyses across sessions, you can sign in with Google.

Our Mission

To educate Football Manager players so they can enjoy their trophy lifts without ever needing to save scum.

With our tactical analysis, we help players:

Break down formations, player roles, and team instructions
Spot strengths, weaknesses, and hidden opportunities
Learn faster through meaningful, back-and-forth discussions
Make better decisions for both match days and long-term saves

Whether you are managing in the lower leagues or competing for the Champions League, your new AssMan will help you sharpen your strategy, experiment with confidence, and enjoy the beautiful game even more.

Editorial standards

We try to be honest about what the site is and isn't. The AI analyser is tuned for FM24 and FM26 screenshots specifically. Older versions usually work but role and instruction names have shifted enough that the analysis is less precise. We don't claim it'll win you the Champions League with Wycombe; we do claim it'll tell you why your front three keep getting cut off from your build-up.

The guides are written and edited against the FM26 reference doc John maintains. Where the FM match engine differs from real football, we say so. Real-world managers (Pep, Klopp, Simeone, Ferguson) are cited where they help explain a concept, not as a credibility prop.

If you are ready to take your tactics to the next level and learn along the way, we are here to help. Drop a tactic on the home page, or browse the tactical guides if you'd rather start with the theory.