Football Manager 2008

[naut]

Quite the competition. If Eto'o is fit for the final you should do well.

I gave Pribram a go, start with €85K to spend, and in debt. Not a good situation, also there's pressure for me to get promoted straight away. But, the squad is too small, only 17 players, 2 of which are on loan from other clubs. My reserve goalie is injured aswell.

[edyzmedieval]

FIFAM marathon in the past week.

I won everything with Ajax, and I did the following in the summer transfer market:
- Theo Walcott - 14 million euros
- Andrea Barzagli (Palermo, CD, 26 years old) - 9 million euros
- Mario Ballotelli (Inter, ST, 17 years old)

Bomb transfer which I want to do: Diego. But they refused a 39 million euro offer so I'll have to go for someone else.

And in FM08, Huntelaar baby - 51 goals in 55 games.

[Craterus]

Quite the competition. If Eto'o is fit for the final you should do well.

I gave Pribram a go, start with €85K to spend, and in debt. Not a good situation, also there's pressure for me to get promoted straight away. But, the squad is too small, only 17 players, 2 of which are on loan from other clubs. My reserve goalie is injured aswell.

No, Eto'o is injured for another few weeks yet. It's a shame because the 4-5-1 had worked really well so far. Ah well, there's always the world cup

As for your new campaign, I'd say loan players are the key for such a small squad. Try and get yourself a parent club and ask for some of their youngsters to fill your weakest positions. Also, try and use a formation that plays on the strengths. If you don't have any good wide players, use a narrow diamond and play strictly through the middle. Change your home pitch to as narrow as possible as well, if you can. Good luck.

Another question, when my Koblenz contract runs out, should I look for a new job or stick to international for a bit. Bearing in mind it's a year and a half till the world cup

[naut]

39 million euro offer

@ Craterus: Being a national team manager only can get a bit dull. Especially the wait for the next major tournament. The games are a bit too far apart for my liking. It's all on personal taste I guess.

[edyzmedieval]

Can someone please host somewhere or give links to the FM08 patches? Thank you very much.

[naut]

Here.

Or here.

[Herkus]

Another question, when my Koblenz contract runs out, should I look for a new job or stick to international for a bit. Bearing in mind it's a year and a half till the world cup

Are any clubs interested in you? How many leagues you run?

[Craterus]

It's actually only half a year to the world cup, I made a slight error.

Leagues I added:

French - Ligue 1 and Ligue 2
Spanish - La Liga, Liga BBVA
Dutch - Premier Division
German - Bundesliga, 2.Bundesliga
Italian - Serie A, Serie B

Left out the English and Scottish leagues because I was so sick of them after my 4-season Oxford game.

[Craterus]

Guilherme is a player to get early on. If you can afford it. He's even fairly expensive then.

[naut]

Beat Tottenham in the League (Carling) Cup, 3 - 2, nervy, nervy game. Walcott scored a double. But, Van Persie's hit a dry spell, and the fans are irritated that I still give him games. Only "difficult" team left in the League Cup is the 'pool and I beat them 3 - 0 earlier in the season, so I hope to meet them in the final.

[Craterus]

What's happened to Arsene since you dislodged him?

[naut]

Wenger is currently unemployed. I wish he was a staff role other than manager, because he's got some impressive stats.

[Craterus]

Wenger is currently unemployed. I wish he was a staff role other than manager, because he's got some impressive stats.

Hehe, definitely.

I'm playing FM a bit less. Hit a bad run of form and got a bit annoyed with it all so I'm taking a break for the obsessive play. However, World Cup 2010 soon so that will be good.

Also, Jens Lehmann is the favourite to replace me at Koblenz

[edyzmedieval]

Does anyone have the patch 8.02? It's only on torrents and there's a firewall that blocks any torrent downloads and I can't get it.

Thanks.

[Craterus]

Does anyone have the patch 8.02? It's only on torrents and there's a firewall that blocks any torrent downloads and I can't get it.

Thanks.

Yes, I have it.

[edyzmedieval]

Can you please upload it on MegaUpload please, so I can download it?

Thanks a lot.

[Craterus]

Zipped?

[Craterus]

Alternatively, edyz, give this link a go. That's where I got it from.

It's just uploading it slows my computer down so much that I can't play FM!

Or try this. I uploaded it for you anyway.

[edyzmedieval]

Thanks a lot Craterus!

[edyzmedieval]

Darnit!!!!

For some reason my CD stopped working. It's not scratched or something and the shape appears to be normal. My DVD Drive works perfectly.

Any idea?

[Craterus]

There is software you can buy that allows you to play games without needing the disc but I don't know too much about it, sorry.

[naut]

What's wrong exactly Edyz?

Do you get the SecuROM message saying insert the disc when the disc is in? I get that pretty often sooooooooooo frustrating. I just reboot and try again, that usually works.

[edyzmedieval]

I put my CD in, it starts to spin (the sound) but it doesnt spin completely I think and it keeps trying and trying again. And when I click on the DVD Drive it says Insert Disc. It can't read it. It won't read on Mac or another PC either, and I don't know why!

The CD is not scratched and it's not bent or anything.

[Craterus]

World Cup (very quickly before I sleep)

Group with France, S.Korea and Scotland. Lost 2-1 to France, as expected. Beat S.Korea 2-0 and needed a draw or better against Scotland to qualify for the next stage. It finished 0-0 but I probably should have won.

2nd round - Brazil

This was a very strange experience. I wasn't expecting to win, I actually thought I'd be defending for most of the game and lucky to get a goal. But, after 16 minutes, CMR went 1-0 up and we continued to have the better game, more threatening and much better possession. Then, just before half-time, Samuel Eto'o scored the best goal I think I have ever seen on FM. It was a cross from the left-wing and, from just inside the area, he put an overhead kick into the top corner. Game finished 2-0. However, it was a young Brazil team, probably one to watch for the future. In this game, they barely threatened and even Pato, who led the attack, was poor.

Quarter Final - England.

Interesting game, wasn't expecting to win this one either. Can't remember it too well either but scored early and the final score was 1-0, despite England being refused a penalty and hitting the post. They dominated for much of the game so it was quite tense waiting for the final whistle.

Semi Final - Romania

Thought this would be an easy one but turned out to be very close. Finished 2-0 but didn't score until the 83rd minute as the Romanian defence proved extremely difficult to break down. Chivu is incredible.

Final - Spain

Scored first from a penalty, converted by Eto'o. Spain were the much better team though and the 4-5-1 didn't seem to work very well. Eto'o just didn't have any support on the break (which was my only hope really). They came back to win 2-1. Should have been 3, Torres missed a sitter.

However, as runners up, I was really pleased. I seem to have been very lucky throughout the tournament, especially the win against Brazil which I really didn't expect but actually turned out to be the most comfortable game. On the attack, I was weak. Scored less goals in the tournament than a lot of the other countries and I may have to look for a decent strike partner for Eto'o and alter the formation a bit.

However, I have to recommend Kameni as a goalkeeper. He is immense. In both tournaments, he has been completely solid between the posts and he also has quite a low value: €8m at most, I think. Reflexes 20, One on Ones 18.

[Craterus]

September 2010: My game's started to get a bit buggy again.

I was replaced as Cameroon manager but their fixtures were still listed under my own. Then he got fired so I applied for my own job, as it were. I may continue, I may start a new game. This is with 8.0.2 as well.

[naut]

September 2010: My game's started to get a bit buggy again.

I was replaced as Cameroon manager but their fixtures were still listed under my own. Then he got fired so I applied for my own job, as it were. I may continue, I may start a new game. This is with 8.0.2 as well.

Weird.

[The Stranger]

oh hhaha just noticed... I'm still playing 07


FM is one of the best game ever made... it can take 3 hours to get tru a month... but it never bores :"P the one thing that annoys me are the trainingdowns... you just got a players stats up with 2 points allround and for no reason a month later it plunges back 2 points allround.... that always frustrates me.

if you know all the tactics and countertactics it gets even better, I starting to develop a real tactical skill at this game... 5-4-1 gets beat by 4-5-1 or 3-4-3. 4-4-2 attacking gets beat by 4-5-1 etc :P

players to get easy and cheap and are good for an impressive team in 2-4 years if you train m good are

Ustari or Akinfeev (both for 10-20M but are worldclass goallies)
Vandenborre (3-4M) Ratinho (4-6M)
Micah Richards (15M)
Chrychinsky from Shaktar (6M)
MARCELO!!! (5-7M) best one you can get
Modric (2.5M) Eduardo (2.5M)
Huddlestone (10M) Denilson (6M) Gago (7-9M)
Iakovenko (1M)
Freddy Adu (4M)
Guardado (4M)
Esparza (4M)
Raul Garcia (15M)
Lebohang Mokoena (0.5M)
Hleb (140K)
Aguero (16M after a year)
Walcott (12-15M)
Vela (4-12M)
Merida (3M)
Gourcuff (6M)

My current Ajax Team is:

GK: Ustari (15M)
DL: Marcelo (6M)
DC: Kompany (20M)
DC: Heitinga
DR: Vanden Borre (3M)
DM: Gago (9M)
MC: Elano (14M)
AMC: Sneijder
AML: Guardado (4M)
AMR: Aguero (16M)
ST: Huntelaar

Subs:
GK: Stekelenburg
DL: Emanuelson
DC: Micah Richards (30M) the bastards didn't want to sell... but he is worth it
DR: Ratinho (6M)
DM: Denilson (6M)
MC: Esparza (4M)
AMC: Gourcuff (6M)
AML: Adu (4M)
AMR: Modric (2.2)
ST: Babel

[naut]

I had to share this, since it's so uncanny:

[naut]

Double post:

Seems misfortune has struck my squad, Bendtner was hitting his stride replacing Eduardo, then he tore ankle ligaments. This was quickly followed by Ade breaking his arm. Walcott came to the the rescue with a hat-trick against Tottenham and a vital goal against Reading, only to pull a leg muscle. My next game is against Newcastle, and I only have Van Persie, all good you might say, but he's badly out of form. I need a replacement striker, and not too expensive either, since I don't have all that much money as Arsenal.

On a lighter note I enjoyed ripping Blackburn apart in the League Cup, using Wenger's policy of youth and fringe players in that comp. I won 3 - 0. With a line up consisting of:

--------------Almunia

Traore--Senderos--Nordtveit--Eboue

--Modric--Diaby---Banega--Ponzio--

--------------Barazite

--------------Walcott

I have since offloaded Eboue (he was whinging about being a fringe player) to Inter, for a sum of £5.5 million. I bought Gianni Zuiverloon, for a hefty sum of £6.5 million (plus £1 million after 1 international appearance and £1.5 million after 40 League appearances). He was my fourth choice to replace him, (Heitinga being my first, Castro my second and Flano my third), he's a decent lad, but I'll probably regret the price later.

So any striker suggestions? (Huntelaar is too expensive, so is Aguero at some £20 and £30 million respectfully).

Edit: Bayern Munich have accepted a £8 million bid for Podolski, but he's not that great in FM08?! Oh noes!

[Craterus]

Well, I know of one striker but I don't know if he'd be good enough for Arsenal.

2010/11 season with TuS Koblenz in the Bundesliga.

Poor start to the season and still haven't recovered so I'm currently in a disappointing mid-table position and it looks like I'll finish with that (below last season's achievements and also below what I told the board I'd achieve ). About 10th as of mid-March.

In the cup I am through to the semi finals but have to go to Werder Bremen after a penalty win against HSV who've knocked me out in the cup on 2 occasions, I think. Bogey team anyway.

Got to the second knockout round against Lyon in the EURO Cup. Drew 1-1 in the home leg and lost 2-1 away. But had a shot cleared off the line in the 93rd minute. Had it gone in, I would have been through on away goals.

However, the highlight of the season, far and away has been the form of Guillaume Hoarau. I may have mentioned my purchase of him but he REALLY came into his own this season. €1.9m from PSG in Jan 2009.

In this 2010/11 season (which still hasn't finished), here's the stats:



I think that must be a record for goals in a season and there's still 11 league games to go, bear in mind.

Combined goals for all other players is probably between 10 and 15 but he's been an assassin this season. And it also means I'll probably stay in the German league another year just to see the follow-up even though I'm getting pretty tired of it.

Can't think of much else interesting that's happened. Walcott went to Chelsea for €55m and I think he's pretty mediocre on FM. Benzema went to Juventus for a similar fee.

Still occupying my non-existent role at Cameroon but I intend to take another international job as soon as one becomes available.

EDIT: Just realised it'd have been easier to just screenshot from the game but nevermind. Would PrintScreen work or would I have to download something?