Football Manager 2010

[naut]

-9. So pretty good.

[naut]

Is it just me or is FM10 so much harder than 08 was?

[Craterus]

Only got the demo and only played a few games (W2L2, friendlies) so I can't comment.

I've heard target men are worth having though; little and large partnerships supposedly work well. I imagine that once you've found a tactic that works and built up some consistency, it'll all fall into place.

Also, I reverted my tactics to the classic (slider) system. Not a fan of the touchline instructions or any of that stuff. I would have settled for FM2008 with updated squads and teams to be honest. A lot of the new features are going to take some getting used to.

[edyzmedieval]

I always hated it in FM when you had a good tactic, it all went well, then it suddenly collapsed, making it useless until you changed something or met a really bad team. I hope it's not the case in 2010.

[AggonyDuck]

There really were really two reasons why tactics suddenly stopped working in previous versions:
-Teams started playing more defensively against you, which reduced the efficiency of some tactics.
-The team became complacement, which tends to occur every now and then.

[Craterus]

I always hated it in FM when you had a good tactic, it all went well, then it suddenly collapsed, making it useless until you changed something or met a really bad team. I hope it's not the case in 2010.

Always thought that was quite realistic. Just the AI working out your weaknesses, every tactic has one.

[AggonyDuck]

I just personally never really encountered that issue. If my squad was good enough to win the league, then I could keep using the same tactic several seasons in row.

[edyzmedieval]

Always thought that was quite realistic. Just the AI working out your weaknesses, every tactic has one.

Yeah but you don't win one match 3-0 and the next one you lose it by 5-0...

[naut]

Player exchange?

Anyone ever really got any luck with this feature. Even when a club needs a CB and I offer a CB in exchange for an equal value player they never accept.

[Craterus]

Seems a few people here play this.

So, I started a 'journeyman' game. Minimum past experience and started unemployed. Aim is to work your way up - I'm hoping to find myself in La Liga at some point. It took me a few months to get a job, but I was eventually hired by Olimpo de Bahia Blanca in the Argentine Second Division. I only had a few games of the season to play. They were a few places above the relegation zone when I took control so I just had to steady the ship and avoid a total collapse.

In my first full season (still in the Argentine Second Division, didn't get relegated), I got promoted. Funny system in South America though, I don't totally understand it now but I won the right games and I'm in the Premier Division. Problem is, I did a bit of a Harry Redknapp to get them promoted. The club has lost a fortune since I took charge and it's £1.1m in the red. I signed a lot of players in my promotion bid, but most were for free - I guess signing on fees do catch up with you in the end. Anyway, for my 'consolidation' in the top division, I have a transfer budget of £2.5k. Looks like I'll have to abuse signing on fees and the instalment payments a bit more. Puts the long-term financial security of the team in jeopardy but I'll be long-gone by then. I hope

[johnhughthom]

Player exchange?

Anyone ever really got any luck with this feature. Even when a club needs a CB and I offer a CB in exchange for an equal value player they never accept.

Nope, gave up trying ages ago.

[naut]

What are your aims for the current season? Not get relegated or better? Are you going to jump ship at the first better offer?

I played a journeyman game once, ended up in the Swedish second division with the worst team. Struggle doesn't even describe it.

I've been playing as Derby County. I managed, with some luck, and shrewd signings to get promoted to the EPL, by winning the CCC. Lucky for me I got a £18 million transfer budget and have been able to offload alot of rubbish players for alot of cash so I've still got £10 million if I need it. I probably do, this season looks bleak, staying up will be nigh impossible.

[johnhughthom]

Love this thread at the SI forum, shows how gaming and the gaming community can be of benefit to society:http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=178664

Pah, Swedish or Argentine second division is no journeyman game, get yourself down to the NI second division for some hilariously bad players and no money.

[Craterus]

Well yeah but I'm already stretching my computer with the current amount of leagues. Can't afford to load any more leagues that I have no interest in just to use a springboard for bigger and better things.

Plan is to stay for one more season and then get something better unless something really good comes along - I never usually accept jobs mid-campaign, the confidence feature always seemed buggy and you would end up being blamed for the poor performance of your predecessor. Not getting relegated is the only realistic aim, the club isn't high profile enough to attract the kind of quality I would need to stay up. Having said that, I've done surprisingly well so far. Having played 3 of my fellow promoted sides in the first 5 games, I've already got 2 wins under my belt. I also led at River Plate for 91 minutes before conceding a late equaliser - the fans weren't happy but they'd have taken a point before the game

If all else fails, I will go for international jobs, a bit of success with national teams seems to boost your rep much quicker than anything you can do at club level.

What's your transfer policy with Derby? Going for the wonderkids or signing experience? In Argentina, it seems you can get away with signing players aged 35+, the average age of my first 11 must be over 30. On FM08, once a player hit 32, they were pretty much done for. Immediate loss of all physical ability and the technical stats took a hit too.

[naut]

Well yeah but I'm already stretching my computer with the current amount of leagues. Can't afford to load any more leagues that I have no interest in just to use a springboard for bigger and better things.

Same. Risk of crashes is quite high. Auto-save is a vital feature.

Not getting relegated is the only realistic aim, the club isn't high profile enough to attract the kind of quality I would need to stay up. Having said that, I've done surprisingly well so far. Having played 3 of my fellow promoted sides in the first 5 games, I've already got 2 wins under my belt. I also led at River Plate for 91 minutes before conceding a late equaliser - the fans weren't happy but they'd have taken a point before the game

Same. I haven't got the squad to do much more. And making too many changes to the squad could be detrimental. Luckily Derby has a fairly good reputation so I can attract decent names. I've picked up a Polish international striker in my first season (Smolarek) and a couple of bargains from the EPL and a French forward of Europa League level on a free (Briand).
Similar for me I lost 2 - 1 to Arsenal and the fans were disappointed!?! because I went ahead and then lost.

What's your transfer policy with Derby? Going for the wonderkids or signing experience? In Argentina, it seems you can get away with signing players aged 35+, the average age of my first 11 must be over 30. On FM08, once a player hit 32, they were pretty much done for. Immediate loss of all physical ability and the technical stats took a hit too.

Loans and frees in my first season, as I set to no starting budget and anyway I had no cash regardless. Good cup runs, including a semi-final loss in the FA Cup boosted my cash flow. This season I've got 300K wage budget and 15-18 million for transfers. I've basically balanced the inflows and outflows so I've still got a sizeable portion left. Mostly I've been renewing contracts as many were running out. But, I've been signing a lot of youth and improving aspects of the team fairly reasonably. Picked up Diaby for an absolute bargain 3.5 million and Joe Hart for even cheaper 1.8 million.

Yeah, I've noticed the age thing too. Older players can actually improve, Robbie Savage for me has improved hugely despite being 35, probably has something to do with the Imp. Matches stat. As long as they play the decay is slowed.

Going alright though. Drew with B'burn(H), lost to Arsenal(A) and beat Chelsea(H) in my first three games so I'll survive most likely and hope to build on it the following season.

[Craterus]

I've picked up a Polish international striker in my first season (Smolarek) and a couple of bargains from the EPL and a French forward of Europa League level on a free (Briand).

Heh, Smolarek is usually very good on FM. And what can I say about Jimmy Briand? A starter in my Fiorentina side of 08 days

Picked up Diaby for an absolute bargain 3.5 million and Joe Hart for even cheaper 1.8 million.

Another two very good signings. I've heard Joe Hart becomes one of the best keepers on the game, usually ends up in Madrid or Milan.

[naut]

How's the relegation battle going?

I'm doing well, above all expectations!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Mostly its because of the work of Diaby and Zimling in the middle of the park. Zimling, what player, Udinese had listed him so I picked him up for 375K on deadline day and on a tiny contract too. My youth team is stacked with quality, things look to be on the up for Derby County.

[Craterus]

I haven't played for a while. Partly because I've gone 5 games without winning and 4 without scoring so the pressure is starting to mount. I've found out that the relegation in Argentina is decided by an average points table (done over 3 or 5 years) but promoted teams are only scored on their current season. This is how I understand it anyway. The bottom 2 teams of the average points table are relegated. The next 2 teams play in relegation playoffs, with teams from the lower division. I'm not sure if this system benefits the smaller sides. If I have a good season now, in my first time up, I'll be better able to stay up next season, I think.

Who knows? I need to get to a European league where I understand everything ASAP.

I'm doing well, above all expectations!

Never thought I'd see Rob Hulse as a starter in a top 5 team

[naut]

Coming 6th with 23 games played. I've got a game in hand though, so I should overtake Man City if I win.

And this feature is old, but new to me. Cheeky sod. That's nearly the whole of the transfer fee.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Of course I rejected it, just to spite him. He can rot in the reserves for the next 2.5 years for all I care.

[johnhughthom]

10.3 patch has been released, time for my long term 30 odd season career from the dredges of Northern Irish football that will take me to FM 11.

[naut]

Hehehe. Hilarious bug in my game.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Check-out who is in goal. And who is one of the 4 strikers....

[johnhughthom]

And you only won 2-0? Did it happen when they went 3-2-4, or was Berbatov in nets all game?

[naut]

I was on the defensive, then Evra got a red card at about 75 minutes and then it happened. Scored 2 in quick succession.

[naut]

Lol:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Edit - Man United offered me the manager spot. I will be rejecting. My work with Derby is not yet done!

[Craterus]

I've stalled in my game. After being promoted to the Argentinian Premier Division, I managed to survive the drop, but finding it hard to progress beyond lower mid-table. It's an impressive achievement given the resources available but, sadly, I don't think the game's reputation system has much respect for my Tony Pulis-esque skills so there isn't really a route out of South America at the moment. Will have to win something before I get the reputation increase that will make Europe a realistic option.

[Jolt]

I've stalled in my game. After being promoted to the Argentinian, I managed to survive the drop, but finding it hard to progress beyond lower mid-table. It's an impressive achievement given the resources available but, sadly, I don't think the game's reputation system has much respect for my Tony Pulis-esque skills so there isn't really a route out of South America at the moment. Will have to win something before I get the reputation increase that will make Europe a realistic option.

Really? Well, in my multiplayer game as Sporting CP (My colleague is Porto), I ended first season in 2nd (While he won the Portuguese Liga), and yet, I'm the one being pointed into major Spanish teams, as rumors of managers about to be released are broadcast, so far. I'm the major target for At. Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia in case the teams do not renew their managers contracts. Or so the media reports. My champion friend, despite having won the league and gotten further than me in every competition, is only lauded as a substitute in case I don't take the aforementioned spots.

[Craterus]

Did you start with different levels of past experience?

[Jolt]

No experience.

[Jolt]

No experience.

Teehee! I just found a bug in FM 2010 which I shall exploit to my teams greatest benefit! :D

Next season playing with my friend, I bet I'm going to win the league, if not the Champions League as well with Sporting! ^_^

[johnhughthom]

Corner exploit?