Football Manager 2014 - Full Game Out Now!

[PilotMan]

I can also do pretty good with a 532 counter, but the wingbacks and defenders have to be pretty good, especially the wingbacks. And in the middle ranks I can rock a 343 attacking game that will score a ton of goals.

[path12]

Board interactions crack me up sometimes.

I've got Stuttgart at top of table after six weeks with a better goals scored and differential than Bayern.

But my board is slightly disappointed because they want more possession soccer.

"Hey guys, our possession might be better if the ball didn't keep going into the net, let's back off that a bit OK?"

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

That's good info flere. I tend to play LL almost exclusively. I agree with what you are saying. Probably what is happening is that I'm too aggressive with my offense. I tinker quite a bit with small changes and have a good feel for the tactics that I feel work.

For example lately I've been very successful with a 442 setup using a control offense, retain possession, short passes, high tempo game. I generally let my defenders close on troublesome players and tackle hard.

Try and avoid really aggressive players as they will get carded significantly more, but rely on high determination and physical skill sets. It's also a plus if they have high workrate and/teamwork skills. I don't typically keep prima donnas on the squad. You have to be a cohesive unit to really find success.

I like to attack from the wings, so having speed there, from the wing backs and the wingers is prime. Good dribbling/crossing skills as well. My midfield have to be generally good physical guys with good dribbling/passing/technical numbers.

Up top it's not hard to find good target guys to go with good speed guys.

I was just wondering if anyone really goes to lock their opponent down every single game, or has really good directions. While I can be successful, it's typically offensively, but if I could also find superb defensive tactics it could be that much better.

high tempo is generally going to be tough at LL because players generally lack the decision-making to make the right play, thus leading to more turnovers and more chances against - particularly with short passing where you'll have guys more bunched closer together (and this more out of position defensively perhaps).

just a broad generalization, your team may very well buck the trend, but that might be part of your problem.

[Lathum]

So I may break down and get this.

I have never played either, is this better then champ manager?

Also, where does the depth lie? I am not a huge micro managing fan in these games. I like the team building aspect better. Is there an option to let the AI gameplan? Is the AI good at it?

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Lathum

So I may break down and get this.

I have never played either, is this better then champ manager?

Also, where does the depth lie? I am not a huge micro managing fan in these games. I like the team building aspect better. Is there an option to let the AI gameplan? Is the AI good at it?

There are tons of premade tactics that are very good. Once you find one you like, you can focus on finding players, selecting lineups, and interacting with your team.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I have never played either, is this better then champ manager?

Also, where does the depth lie? I am not a huge micro managing fan in these games. I like the team building aspect better. Is there an option to let the AI gameplan? Is the AI good at it?

This IS Champ Manager, at least in spirit. After SI went to Sega, Eidos kept the corpse of CM alive, but it's not the same dev team over there anymore. SI are the folks who created CM originally, and they now do FM.

As for micromanaging, there's a "Classic" mode that might suit your playing preferences. Cuts way down on the amount of micromanaging you have to do, and you can choose a formation and have the AI select who plays from the players you have if you want to.

[Jon]

How do I update the logos in FMH for the Ios?

[Coffee Warlord]

This seems...odd.

"Port Vale have been disappointing in the Sky Bet League 1 this season and find themselves below expectations in 12th place. Although they were expected to struggle to avoid relegation at the beginning of the season, Port Vale have managed to guarantee survival before the campaign has finished, an outstanding achievement."

Then, the next article is an old Port Vale supporter questioning our team's recent struggles and poor form. Our recent form? We've won 5 out of the last 6 games, drawing once.

Add to that I've had a couple players saying we're underachieving. Media still had us to finish 18th place, and the board expected us to survive.

WTF.

[PilotMan]

Maybe you need to be harder on the boys in the locker room? lol

I had something similar in my game. Playing Larne in NI, we are high in first, and yet a news story (rare, most have been the opposite) came out about us underachieving.

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

This seems...odd.

"Port Vale have been disappointing in the Sky Bet League 1 this season and find themselves below expectations in 12th place. Although they were expected to struggle to avoid relegation at the beginning of the season, Port Vale have managed to guarantee survival before the campaign has finished, an outstanding achievement."

Then, the next article is an old Port Vale supporter questioning our team's recent struggles and poor form. Our recent form? We've won 5 out of the last 6 games, drawing once.

Add to that I've had a couple players saying we're underachieving. Media still had us to finish 18th place, and the board expected us to survive.

WTF.

was it your 1st season in the game. had that happen in my initial season in league 1. havnt had it since

[JPhillips]

There are always a handful of minor bugs in FM. I've seen players praised for scoring own goals and assists given for them as well.

[flere-imsaho]

I have found, for quite some time, that if you use fictional players, much of the media will be nonsensical for the first season in charge, as reputations are already coded, and then screwed up due to the fictional player thing.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

I have found, for quite some time, that if you use fictional players, much of the media will be nonsensical for the first season in charge, as reputations are already coded, and then screwed up due to the fictional player thing.

Doesn't the game just take existing players, move the attributes around a bit, give them new names and add faces?

I've seen some weird stuff using fictionals.

[JPhillips]

I signed a guy solely because his last name was Hodor.

I also have a youth player named Cormac McCarthy.

[flere-imsaho]

I had a star striker in the Welsh Premier League who came up through my (disastrously poor) youth system called Jimmy Page.

[korme]

What kind of system specs would I need to play FM on a laptop and get a good amount of leagues and a good amount of stars for performance?

I'm in the market for a new laptop and I don't play any graphics heavy games, but FM is always molasses and it really hinders my enjoyment of the game. I'd like to get something to change that.

[PilotMan]

Speed is all relative I guess. I'm running 28 leagues with 50,000+ players on a Core i7 with 8 GB RAM and a dedicated graphics card. But I only paid about $750 for this laptop from Micro Center. It takes some time between days. I think I play slower than most people though. I'm comfortable with the pace of it. It doesn't feel like I'm waiting that much, but it could be faster.

edit to add that the nice thing with this version is the ability to change all that on the fly during the game. Taking out or adding leagues won't screw up your game.

[korme]

That sounds amazing. It took some time between days when I was running one league and a small database.

[Groundhog]

Out of interest, how do you folks mainly play? Fast sim with goal highlights, or watch the games? I've been watching the full games on 2 speed notches down from the max.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Out of interest, how do you folks mainly play? Fast sim with goal highlights, or watch the games? I've been watching the full games on 2 speed notches down from the max.

Watching the full games is fun, but I can't do it for every game. Maybe for like...one big game a season or something.

[JPhillips]

Just saw a new event. The keeper walked the ball out to just behind a central defender. The keeper drop kicks and the ball bounces off the defender and rolls into the goal.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Out of interest, how do you folks mainly play? Fast sim with goal highlights, or watch the games? I've been watching the full games on 2 speed notches down from the max.

I play on extended highlights and watch/coach every game. I started with full games, but you'll find that you won't miss much with extended. You can still get a feel for which of your players are doing well and who is just not. In the higher levels I had to dial down to key plays because extended was just about the same as the entire match.

Extended will stop any time there is a play where a keeper touches the ball, a sho/goalt is made or a card is issued (I think, red for sure). Key is primarily shots and goals.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Just saw a new event. The keeper walked the ball out to just behind a central defender. The keeper drop kicks and the ball bounces off the defender and rolls into the goal.

Stupid keeper. I had one keeper that fumbled a ridiculously easy ball that resulted in a goal. That one pretty much cost him all of my faith in him. He went to the B-Team after I had made him a key player, and eventually I was able to loan him out for the rest of the year. He will get another chance next year depending on how our younger keepers progress this year.

[PilotMan]

I swear this game just breaks your heart in the smallest ways. We are losing in the first half and get a breakaway. He gets a hard shot away at a tight angle. It beats the keeper but bounces off the underside of the crossbar and bounces on the line, not once, but twice. The keeper is out of position, there is nobody around. It bounces just away but still close and one of my guys is there first. He shoots from the tight angle toward a wide open goal. Alas, he hits the post and it goes out. fml

[chesapeake]

The constant heartbreak makes it an authentic soccer experience.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I play on extended highlights and watch/coach every game. I started with full games, but you'll find that you won't miss much with extended. You can still get a feel for which of your players are doing well and who is just not. In the higher levels I had to dial down to key plays because extended was just about the same as the entire match.

Extended will stop any time there is a play where a keeper touches the ball, a sho/goalt is made or a card is issued (I think, red for sure). Key is primarily shots and goals.

+1. Love that you can get through stuff quickly while still seeing the important action.

[path12]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

The constant heartbreak makes it an authentic soccer experience.

So true. I posted a few days ago about the great start my Stuttgart team had but now can't buy a goal, am dropping like a stone down the table and am getting drubbed in Europa group play when we should easily be the best team in our group.

Stupid game. I love it.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Just saw a new event. The keeper walked the ball out to just behind a central defender. The keeper drop kicks and the ball bounces off the defender and rolls into the goal.

Not exactly the same, but close enough...

Instant Karma: Indoor Soccer Goalie Throws Ball At Opponent's Head, Scores | Extra Mustard - SI.com

[JPhillips]

I detest the orange FA Cup ball. I can't follow it visually for some reason. Is there any way to change that?

[Grover]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I detest the orange FA Cup ball. I can't follow it visually for some reason. Is there any way to change that?

are you red/green colorblind? I have the same issue.

[JPhillips]

Not that I know of. I can see the ball when it's stationary, but I can't follow it when it's moving.

[Toddzilla]

if only televisions had some kind of tuning ability to change the hues and shades of colors....

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Not exactly the same, but close enough...

Instant Karma: Indoor Soccer Goalie Throws Ball At Opponent's Head, Scores | Extra Mustard - SI.com

We won a 7 a side championship a few months ago in a manner very similar to this - forward would stand outside the penalty box for goal kicks to block where the keeper wanted to go with the ball (which is a completely standard strategy in these leagues with small penalty boxes), keeper eventually gets pissed off and kicks it at him, hits him in the ass and goes in for the only goal of the game.

[Marmel]

Playing in Brazil is so annoying. All you do is reject bids day after day after day. It doesn't even matter if it is a transfer window or not. And everyone has a minimum release clause that cannot be changed or negotiated.

[larrymcg421]

My first career has been interesting. I took over Bromley in the Skrill South. After struggling at first, we won 14 of 17 matches to take the league title and autopromotion. In the Skrill premier, we again went on a crazy run and were in 3rd position until a late season collapse saw us finish one spot out of the playoffs. Next season we struggle at the beginning again. I'm told I have to get 10 pts in 5 matches. After a draw, loss, draw, I get fired. Now I'm in Scottish League 2.

[Ryche]

14 is definitely kicking my ass much harder than 13 ever did. Went through multiple starts in multiple nations, never surviving for longer than 3 seasons. Finally found success in Scotland with Brora, getting two promotions in my first two seasons up to the Scottish Championship. Now I've managed 1 win in my first 14 league games and am digging a bit of a hole in my fight to avoid relegation. Such addictive, maddening fun though.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Ryche

Such addictive, maddening fun though.

+1; I've never said "no fucking way," or "that motherfucker," or "you have got to be fucking kidding me;" more times than while playing this game.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

+1; I've never said "no fucking way," or "that motherfucker," or "you have got to be fucking kidding me;" more times than while playing this game.

Even more than talking to dispatch or ATC?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by cartman

Even more than talking to dispatch or ATC?

haha! Yeah, even more than that. Scheduling comes close though.

[flere-imsaho]

"Come on, dumbasses" is the phrase I say more than any other when playing FM.

[Coffee Warlord]

"PAY FUCKING ATTENTION, DEFENSE."

[PilotMan]

Season 2 (2017) in the NI Premiere Division. First year we were relegation candidates and finished mid table. This year we were expected mid table and lead most of the year.

FFWD to the final game of the year playing Linfield who own us. There are 3 teams essentially tied for the lead (Linfield and Portadown.) Playing on the road we fought back from 0-1, and 1-2, but after half Linfield put 2 more on us and we fell just short losing 2-4.

I still haven't won a cup or competition with this team, but at least we managed to qualify for Europe. Hopefully the money will start coming in, because the board are serious tightwads. Plus our fans suck. Our attendance has been creeping up, but we are only 14% capacity after all that. COME ON PEOPLE!

Linfield has a player worth more than our whole team, and our highest paid player would be on the their bench so I guess I shouldn't complain. We did clean up on the end of season awards though, with one of our young strikers earning Young Player of the Year. Our best midfielder won Premiere Players of the Year and I earned Manager of the Year.

No titles, no Cups, and we did all that. Maybe I'm too hard on them, but to get that close to all the marbles and lose just sucks. Maybe next year can be the year for Larne.

[whomario]

Nice to see that quite a few people enjoy this years version, even if it is not allways easy to keep ones temper

Am sorely tempted to start in a low level league myself, but as of now am still finding plenty of challenge in my ManU run.


Just had another thrilling finish, this time Arsenal got the better of it with a last second goal to snatch the title out of our hands. Well deserved as well as they beat us both games in the league. My defense was just too bad in the big matches. At least nationally, cause internationally i managed to lift the champions league trophy

Current season has me in an early hole as my defense once again is porous. Of course, i should probably consider a more conservative approach, but wheres the fun in that ? My league goal difference last 3 seasons: 101-45 / 100-39 / 107-49. Current season at 46-19 after 16 games (and 22-13 in the group stage of the CL). 13 points back from Arsenal with 2 games in hand.

[Karim]

I'm just getting into this version and am trying the 'Classic' mode. I'm about to manage my first game but don't see a way to give instructions on how to handle specific opposition players. In previous version, I'd press players with poor decision making and composure, or tackle hard on low bravery players.

I'm guessing these options are not available in 'Classic' mode?

[mrtourette]

Yeah classic mode is the stripped down version, you can do that in the full mode.

[PilotMan]

Saw something funny today:

Jurgen Klinsmann gets canned in 2017 after the USA doesn't even make it out of the group stage of the Gold Cup. The write-up goes on to say; "Presumably once the U.S.A. have got rid of the usual 'Football Manager' applications, they can proceed with the view to appointing someone with real-life experience.

Lol.

[SirFozzie]

Wow, really, Mallorca, I lead you to about a 10 point lead for promotion from the spanish 2nd division, I reshape the team, get it under budget, and bring in great stars for the future for cheap.. and you won't give me a new contract?

(I admittedly then escalated by leaking to the press, and then they called in, argued with me and fired me.)

I had the last laugh, a week later I took the job at the 3rd placed team in Ligue 1, Olympique Marseille

[Critch]

Two leg League Cup semi against Chelsea followed by a League game against Chelsea have given Jose Mourinho the chance to unleash his famous mind games against my team, all three times he's pinpointed my reserve goalkeeper as my team's weak link.

It could have been a masterstroke, if he ever got a game.

[Ajaxab]

Why do I get tempting job offers when my team finally gets rolling? My Stuttgart team is finally in a groove climbing off the bottom of the table after a bad start and rising all the way to 2nd in the Bundesliga. We've taken 25 of the last 27 points and sit 8 back of Bayern Munich. We also thrashed them 5-1 during this run beating them for the first time in 3 seasons.

Of course, now I get a job offer from Liverpool that would double my salary. They're in 9th, but they have a really solid squad that I think could do better than they are doing now. Decisions...

[CAsterling]

Finally had some time to spare to start playing FM 14.

Currently 2 seasons in with Bath, and just lost in the playoffs for the 2nd year running (2nd time in extra time)
A couple of things I have noticed.
The number of errant crosses that hit the crossbar seems way too high, (mine and the opposition),I don't mind the crosses going all over the place, but too many are hitting the woodwork.
When the ball is going a long way before it goes out of play it doesn't slow down, in fact it is like watching a golf ball bounce down a fairway....doesn't affect the play, just looks odd.

I think I have sworn more in the last 2 days than I have in the previous 6 months