I love FM2005

[illinifan999]

Just a few questions, how long does it take to retrain a player?
And if a player who has been a first teamer all year, and wants reassurance at the club but it also unsettled by first team football asks to be listed and you reject does that make him feel that you want him more?

[WSUCougar]

Hey Guys

I have tinkered with CM4 a bit in the past, and am wondering what the substantive differences are in FM 2005. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Hey Guys

I have tinkered with CM4 a bit in the past, and am wondering what the substantive differences are in FM 2005. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

Huge difference from CM4 -> FM, a few of the bits and pieces (apart from the general difference in maturity of the game engine itself), I'm lousy at this sort of thing as all the versions tend to blur in together for me - but here goes a few off the top of my head:

Loads more leagues
Pre-game database editor
View previoulsy saved matches
Improved media
Numerous small UI improvments (ie. Players past matches visible on their profiles)
Split screen match UI (so you can watch the 2D in one section and have stats in another if you like that sort of thing)
Pretty player photo's visible (hurrah )
Team Coach reports (ie. a coach report on your teams overall strength/weaknesses)
More tactical options and flexibility
Agents sending video clips of players
Chairmen interference (ie. certain chairmen will suggest you purchase a big-name player, don't do it and they'll take matters into their own hands, in a similar manner more conservative chairmen may sell players from under you if they feel the club needs cash)

[WSUCougar]

Thanks, Marc.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Hey Guys

I have tinkered with CM4 a bit in the past, and am wondering what the substantive differences are in FM 2005. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

It's not perfect, but the 2D engine is SO much better. Shots get deflected by defenders more, passes get deflected more, etc. The game seems much more realistic than CM 4 did when watching a match.

[SunDancer]

Agree with EF's...It will get better for the next version (though it is pretty damn good). Also, it's also alot more "heart-wrenching" and you can really get a feel for the players more. This game is a major improvement from CM4, much more then you would expect for a typical game "version update".

[Pumpy Tudors]

I've started a new game with a new team (I had too many leagues loaded for my last one, and it went far too slowly), but I just can't seem to remember how to get to know all of my players. I have so many plpayers and no way to distinguish them all right now. I mean, sure, I could look at their attributes, but I need a decent way to get every player's attributes in front of me at once so I have at least some idea of how to use my team. Any suggestions?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I've started a new game with a new team (I had too many leagues loaded for my last one, and it went far too slowly), but I just can't seem to remember how to get to know all of my players. I have so many plpayers and no way to distinguish them all right now. I mean, sure, I could look at their attributes, but I need a decent way to get every player's attributes in front of me at once so I have at least some idea of how to use my team. Any suggestions?

Easiest thing to do this with a brand new team is to uss a combintation of:

- Initial asssessment of players
======================
* Use view which show the attributes you're interested in (ie. defensive/attacking) and then sort by a few of them to get a feel for who the strongest in your team are in each area).
* Coach report
* Assistant Manager squad selection
* Play some friendlies and try some players out

[SunDancer]

Marc, does the game have a "left wing" bias in the game?

How do you guys build your teams, when you intially take one over, and most of us take over the struggling or financially limited, regulation battlers? Do you try to implent a "rebuilding" plan to turnover the staff and roster over a year or two? I notice that you can re-sign all the staff to deals that expire at the end of the season.

[illinifan999]

Striker is the first place I go to. Then the midfield, and then keep and finally defense. I figure if I score 5 goals and they score 4 we still win.

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by illinifan999

Striker is the first place I go to. Then the midfield, and then keep and finally defense. I figure if I score 5 goals and they score 4 we still win.

I'm pretty much the opposite way. Quality goalkeepers and defenders are tough find, and I think a strong defense can carry you more. Just my thoughts though.

[condors]

I go with the midfield first, feel the see the most of the ball and get the best bang for the euro. I try to get "promising" players with good determination and workrate and coach them up.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I've started a new game with a new team (I had too many leagues loaded for my last one, and it went far too slowly), but I just can't seem to remember how to get to know all of my players. I have so many plpayers and no way to distinguish them all right now. I mean, sure, I could look at their attributes, but I need a decent way to get every player's attributes in front of me at once so I have at least some idea of how to use my team. Any suggestions?

I use FM Scout. It has filterable and sortable columns so that you can see your summarized player ratings all in one place. You can export to various formats. Be warned that some of the columns contain hidden information and you'll want to remove them from the view if you don't want to see them.

http://www.nygreen.net/program.php?id=3

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Marc, does the game have a "left wing" bias in the game?

Hmmm not sure what you mean - but not.

If your plays always seem to be down that side then there's probably a reason for it if you look through your squad and tactics.

PS> Both in the game and irl there is a shortage of GREAT left footed players, so you'll find a slightly higher percentage of left-sided players are right footed than vice-versa - this will cause them to be less likely to cross than a normal winger as they'll have to cut-back onto their stronger foot to do so.
(random odd fact - not sure why I've thrown it in )

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by illinifan999

Striker is the first place I go to. Then the midfield, and then keep and finally defense. I figure if I score 5 goals and they score 4 we still win.

Heh I'm the opposite - I get the defense tight and then slowly look to score goals, I'm very much a - if we don't conceed we don't lose kind of chap (speaking as someone who's made the play-offs with only just over a goal a game scored before ).

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Hmmm not sure what you mean - but not.

If your plays always seem to be down that side then there's probably a reason for it if you look through your squad and tactics.

PS> Both in the game and irl there is a shortage of GREAT left footed players, so you'll find a slightly higher percentage of left-sided players are right footed than vice-versa - this will cause them to be less likely to cross than a normal winger as they'll have to cut-back onto their stronger foot to do so.
(random odd fact - not sure why I've thrown it in )

In my dynasty thread, it seems like Stewart Downing is just absolutely dominating. Also, Damien Duff is doing very well. I've also heard several other places where people have mentioned that left wingers seem to get very high "form" scores. Downing has been averaging close to a 9 for me for the past 2 seasons. Of course, I focus my passing to him and give him plenty of opportunities to make plays. Also, his attributes are outstanding so it is not surprising that he makes so many good plays. However, Duff isn't as good (but does have outstanding physical attributes) but still has an average form of over a 8. So, I wondered about a "left wing" bias as several other people have in various spots on the forums. I think that was the impetus for the question.

[Katon]

I'm experiencing something similar in my dynasty. I just got appointed as England manager and while Downing is great, there are no really good right wingers. In fact, the right wing has about the same available talent as the left wing does irl - a couple of people playing there regularly but not particularly well and a few promising-looking prospects. I don't think other countries are having the same problem, though, so I don't think it's a gamewide situation.

[Ajaxab]

In my Ajax career, I got the England manager's job in '09 and took them to the World Cup in '10. I played Downing on the left and used Shawn Wright-Phillips on the right. They both performed really well, but I think our midfield of Lampard and Gerrard was getting a bit too old to compete at their peak and we lost in the quarters. I subsequently got sacked as England manager. Wright-Phillips is one of the better right wingers I was able to find though. I ended up buying him for my Ajax squad and he has continued to do well.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I've also heard several other places where people have mentioned that left wingers seem to get very high "form" scores.

So, I wondered about a "left wing" bias as several other people have in various spots on the forums. I think that was the impetus for the question.

My dynasty also contains a left wing player who has averaged around an 8 for 2+ seasons in League One and the Championship... he is dominating in my attacking scheme and I'm not really doing anything special for the guy. No one else on my team has even come close to the form he's displayed.... he is a left winger with a strong left foot.

[WSUCougar]

Since this thread has some good info flowing I'm gonna piggy-back another CM4 (gasp!) question: why do some teams have such a huge discrepancy in number of players under contract?

Example: I wanted to start in a 2nd Div German club, and started out looking at St. Pauli (yes, largely because of the beer name, shaddup!). Their opening roster was HUGE. They had something like 48 players under contract. No reserve team, and the "Draft A" team roster (or whatever it's called) was totally separate. Anyway, I was overwhelmed and had no idea how to approach management of such a beast.

So I restarted with Lűbeck, and their roster is much much smaller...maybe around 20. This is more to my liking, but why the big difference? What should I generally be looking for in terms of roster size?

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Katon

I'm experiencing something similar in my dynasty. I just got appointed as England manager and while Downing is great, there are no really good right wingers. In fact, the right wing has about the same available talent as the left wing does irl - a couple of people playing there regularly but not particularly well and a few promising-looking prospects. I don't think other countries are having the same problem, though, so I don't think it's a gamewide situation.

Depending on what year you are in Shawn Wright Phillips and Stephen Gerrard (if you want to let him out of the center) perform very well down the right for me. Also check out Jermaine Jenas and Pennant (sp? - the guy who just went to jail IRL).

[MikeVick7]

Marc or anyone for that matter - In using a Target Man or Playmaker...can only one be specified while on the pitch? Or if I pick three to be playmakers...for example...in my team instructions would the team then seek out any of those three players if they are all on the pitch at the same time? Or will they only seek out the top Target Man/Playmaker that is listed?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Katon

I'm experiencing something similar in my dynasty. I just got appointed as England manager and while Downing is great, there are no really good right wingers. In fact, the right wing has about the same available talent as the left wing does irl - a couple of people playing there regularly but not particularly well and a few promising-looking prospects. I don't think other countries are having the same problem, though, so I don't think it's a gamewide situation.

I'm in 2012. Christopher Eagles has developed into a very good right winger for me. Actually, both of my wingers are performing better than everyone on the team (although Rooney is finally having a good season.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Since this thread has some good info flowing I'm gonna piggy-back another CM4 (gasp!) question: why do some teams have such a huge discrepancy in number of players under contract?

Example: I wanted to start in a 2nd Div German club, and started out looking at St. Pauli (yes, largely because of the beer name, shaddup!). Their opening roster was HUGE. They had something like 48 players under contract. No reserve team, and the "Draft A" team roster (or whatever it's called) was totally separate. Anyway, I was overwhelmed and had no idea how to approach management of such a beast.

So I restarted with Lűbeck, and their roster is much much smaller...maybe around 20. This is more to my liking, but why the big difference? What should I generally be looking for in terms of roster size?

As far as the ideal roster size, I think there are different views of thought on that. Some people like a small tight knit group in which you only have 16-20 good players. The downside to the small roster is that guys can get jaded at not having enough competition or they can become tired from playing too many matches.

Other people like to have huge rosters in case injuries hit. I've been guilty of having 40 good guys on a team before. The downside to that is that guys can get angry at not having enough PT. Also, they tend to get rusty.

I've sort of settled on a good middle ground of aiming for 25-30 guys which many people would say is still too high. I tend to try to get a complete first team and a complete 2nd team that become comfortable playing with each other and try to rotate in both teams regularly with the "2nd team" playing against weaker opponents. I think this sort of depth is vital in the higher leagues where a team will play many cup games.

[Katon]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm in 2012. Christopher Eagles has developed into a very good right winger for me. Actually, both of my wingers are performing better than everyone on the team (although Rooney is finally having a good season.)

I'm also in 2012, and Eagles has a ton of talent, but he never gets good ratings for Man U. I'm normally wary of that sort of player. If my job was riding on one match, he'd start, but I'm using my easier group matches to look for alternatives. Wright-Phillips never really took off in my game and he's currently playing in the Championship, while Gerrard is a bit too old. Thing is, there's basically the same situation on the left except that one player, Downing, just happens to be incredibly good. Apart from him, England is having a real winger shortage. Fortunately, we've got vast hordes of forwards, so goalscoring is not impossible.

[Desnudo]

I think the ratings balance is a little out of whack. Forwards don't receive a high enough rating, I've seen two or three goal scorers receive only an 8, and wingers are getting too much credit for whatever they're doing. I've noticed the dearth of quality right wingers as well.

I've noticed the lack of quality at the right wing position for England. Of course with my patched save game, the larger problem is that 99% of all the good regens are coming from Brazil. I think every team in the EPL has at least 3-4 in their line-up. Maybe it's because players like Beckham are still playing at 37. I started trying to "convert" Brazilians to Englishman, but unfortunately they get capped before they get their dual-citizenship.

Anyway, I use Shawn Wright-Phillips on the right wing, in 2011. If he went down with injury, I'd probably consider using Rooney. Jermaine Jenas seems to be more suited for the middle of the park. I prefer Joe Cole to Downing on the left due to his high flair skill, which is so rare in an English player.

[condors]

I like to get 22 guys on the main squad (although lately i have been having 24 a couple young wingers to sub in every game as my tactic seems to wear them out and i like to use young guys as subs).

I like to have 11 young guys in the reserve team and transferlisted players there.

I normally empty my under 18's squad before the end of the year (to make sure i have the best chance of getting a new batch) so 35 players is when i have all the pieces + transfer listed guys

[WSUCougar]

Thanks for the input, guys.

Can you create a reserve team if you don't have one? Also, how do you conduct "actions" with players that are not on your senior squad?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Thanks for the input, guys.

Can you create a reserve team if you don't have one? Also, how do you conduct "actions" with players that are not on your senior squad?

I've never heard of a team not having a reserve squad. It might be all guys that are non-professionals, but you should have one. On the left hand side of your team screen, there should be an option under your team's main name that should say your team name and reserves after it. Also in the upper right hand corner of that screen, there should be a tab for filters. You can change your filters and show your U18, reserve players, and main players all on one page if you wish.

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I've never heard of a team not having a reserve squad. It might be all guys that are non-professionals, but you should have one. On the left hand side of your team screen, there should be an option under your team's main name that should say your team name and reserves after it. Also in the upper right hand corner of that screen, there should be a tab for filters. You can change your filters and show your U18, reserve players, and main players all on one page if you wish.

In some of the leagues, I think the teams are handled differently, and you may not be able to have direct input on all of them. I'm not sure about Germany though, I've never managed there.

[WSUCougar]

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, Eaglesfan27, that was my experience as well, but not for Germany, apparently. There is a minor team called a "Draft A" (or something like that - I don't have the game in front of me) which may equate to the Under 18 team (and is run by the Assistant), but no reserve team. Same was true with a Danish team I tinkered with awhile back - no reserve team.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, Eaglesfan27, that was my experience as well, but not for Germany, apparently. There is a minor team called a "Draft A" (or something like that - I don't have the game in front of me) which may equate to the Under 18 team (and is run by the Assistant), but no reserve team. Same was true with a Danish team I tinkered with awhile back - no reserve team.

I guess I need to get out and manage in more countries