Football Manager 2014 - Full Game Out Now!

[CAsterling]

Just got a weird press conference question.
It asked if I had further signings planned as I had signed 15 players in this transfer window...but I hadn't I had just signed my first player in this transfer window.
No big deal, just seemed a little odd.

[SirFozzie]

Tempted to do a FOFC Super League Draft.. create 2 ten team leagues (the Second League would draft after the first, and there would be promotion/relegatipon), and have folks draft from existing rosters, with a salary cap of say, 3 million a week in the top league and 1.5 million in the second league )

[CAsterling]

Does someone who programs this game hate Left Backs.....of 4 serious injuries I suffered this season during games, 3 have been left backs, 2 of which got nailed in consecutive games.
Currently having to play my 3rd choice LB for 5-6 weeks, somehow I don't think it is going to improve my chances

Love this game

[PilotMan]

So Linfield are the devils of Northern Ireland in my game. I've played them 14 times now and managed to beat them 3 times. They have won Cup after Cup, League after League, and single-handedly managed to either take me out of title chase, beat me in the Cup games and talk shit about me. Even in off years when they are way down, they always kick my ass. It sucks.

Such as this year when they beat me in the Finals of the Antrim Cup, then knocked me out in the Northern Ireland Cup. Two days after that NI Cup loss we had to play out invite game against Cork in the All Ireland Cup. It's a home/away series and they are 2nd in Ireland, a more prestigious league.

We should have been just waxed. Instead we pull out a 2-0 win on the road. I think Linfield just owns us. Talk about really getting into your head for real.

I can't think of another game that feels like this.

[Karim]

Is the "Bosman" rule still in effect? I guess it depends on the league but I was caught off-guard and should have been renewing contracts.

I like to play as a LLM so I took over Finn Harps in the Irish First Division. The day of the transfer deadline came, and one club offered a contract to my starting left back while another club made a transfer bid to my starting DC. Both had three months left on expiring contracts.

The DL signed but I rejected the transfer bid to keep my DC.

Why would one team make a transfer bid to a guy on an expiring contract? Couldn't the team just offer a contract like the other team did with my DL?

Do you guys renew before the 3/6 month deadline to avoid the situation I encountered?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Karim

Is the "Bosman" rule still in effect? I guess it depends on the league but I was caught off-guard and should have been renewing contracts.

I like to play as a LLM so I took over Finn Harps in the Irish First Division. The day of the transfer deadline came, and one club offered a contract to my starting left back while another club made a transfer bid to my starting DC. Both had three months left on expiring contracts.

The DL signed but I rejected the transfer bid to keep my DC.

Why would one team make a transfer bid to a guy on an expiring contract? Couldn't the team just offer a contract like the other team did with my DL?

Do you guys renew before the 3/6 month deadline to avoid the situation I encountered?

Always. I tend to renew 12 months out if I have any real intention of keeping the guy.

I've made offers to clubs for guys on expiring contracts before. Typically it's because I really really want them so I'm willing to essentially pay that offer price for the "exclusive negotiating rights" that I get when it's accepted.

[whomario]

There are special rules in England regarding this. Free Transfers within the same nation are only possibly with 4 (6 ?) weeks left on their contract, but teams from another nation can offer pre-contracts with 6 months left.

Quite possibly the same rules apply to Ireland as well.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

So Linfield are the devils of Northern Ireland in my game. I've played them 14 times now and managed to beat them 3 times. They have won Cup after Cup, League after League, and single-handedly managed to either take me out of title chase, beat me in the Cup games and talk shit about me. Even in off years when they are way down, they always kick my ass. It sucks.

When I did a game in the Welsh Premier League it was TNS that always got me. This, however, is one of the results of European football that FM simulates really well. In small leagues, the money from the Champions League, even if the top team survives only a game or two in European competition, is enough to set them above their competition. Since success (and money) begets success (and more money), you're starting to see a distinct lack of parity in some of these leagues. Hopefully the continuing expansion of European opportunities (CL & EURO Cup) will assist somewhat.

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Always. I tend to renew 12 months out if I have any real intention of keeping the guy.

I've made offers to clubs for guys on expiring contracts before. Typically it's because I really really want them so I'm willing to essentially pay that offer price for the "exclusive negotiating rights" that I get when it's accepted.

OMG YES on both counts.

[PilotMan]

Well we've made the All-Ireland Cup final after wins over 3 Ireland teams. We are going against the top team in NI and it isn't Linfield. We may have a chance, but their offense has been terrific. We are still in the hunt for the title too, but that very same team are riding high ahead of us. Either way, we've qualified for Europe again, and that should really help the finances for the team.

[PilotMan]

So I've kind of made this thread a little bitch session about my trials and tribulations with Larne in Norther Ireland. I've just finished my 2017-2018 season (the same season I've been complaining about in the last few posts.)

I believe this season and I know I said this last season too, but this was the single most frustrating season ever in FM. We finished in 2nd, qualified for Europe, and were the runners up in 2 Cups. Soooooo. Not so bad. Listen to this list:

1. County Antrim Shield - Lost in the Final to Linfield
2. League Cup - Lost in the 3rd Round to Linfield
3. Irish Cup - Lost in the 6th round to Linfield

4. We were still in the hunt for the title with Ballymena Utd, they had been free of us for most of the season when we played Linfield in a game at home in a game we were heavy favorites for. Lost 3-4.

Next game against Ballymena on the road. 0-0 tie, but they launch over 20 shots on goal.

We end up as the runners-up in the division......by 1 point with a +6 goal diff advantage.

5. And then the big one. We made the final in the All-Ireland Cup and get to play Ballymena Utd again. This game is on TV, our 3rd time this year. We strike first in the 4th minute and miss another chance just minutes later.

Ballymena ties it all up in the 38th minute, but just before half we take the lead again in injury time. Expecting a 2-1 lead at halftime, but nope, Ballymena levels up before the whistle blows. Unreal.

2-2 to start the second half. Oh, and this crap club has been knocking our guys out all over. We had to sub one out, and have 2 other guys carrying injuries into the second half. Fuckers. They nail another guy in the second half.

Anyway, 79th minute, Ballymena finally goes out in front. We are crushed. We pull out all the stops to attack. Ballymena is packing the line and with 3 minutes of injury time we hit the goal to tie in the 92nd minute. We now have all the momentum, tied the game, and we are going to extra time.

Or not......

Ballymena literally kicks off, drives, crosses and scores in the 94th minute. WTF. I have never seen a game go quite this way. We lost the title on 2 late goals. I almost cried. It was heartbreaking.

This season was about as close as you can get to success without actually having any success at all. Wait til' next year.

[flere-imsaho]

If I were you I'd start a Twitter / press conference war with Linfield's Manager.

[Groundhog]

After taking a Dutch side FC Zwolle from Jupiler league to Eredivisie in my first year, then finishing 2nd in the Eredivisie and qualifying for the Euro Cup in year 2, I got an offer to take over a Turkish premier division side for significantly more cash.

I took it. Regretted it straight away. Argh. I had such a solid foundation, now back to rebuilding an overpaid, aging squad.

[flere-imsaho]

Yeah, I tend to leave only when I am very certain I've taken the current club as far as it can go.... #frustration

[CAsterling]

I want the replay with the offside lines back.....I am being beaten by what look like some very dodgy offside decisions, and I want a second opinion

At the very least it would cut down on my swearing if I knew the goals were valid rather than my own biased opinion

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by CAsterling

I want the replay with the offside lines back.....I am being beaten by what look like some very dodgy offside decisions, and I want a second opinion

At the very least it would cut down on my swearing if I knew the goals were valid rather than my own biased opinion

Yeah - I want that too!

[Shepp]

Originally Posted by CAsterling

I want the replay with the offside lines back.....I am being beaten by what look like some very dodgy offside decisions, and I want a second opinion

At the very least it would cut down on my swearing if I knew the goals were valid rather than my own biased opinion

If you set your replay option to "goal action" it will show you the offsides lines on the replay.

[CAsterling]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Shepp

If you set your replay option to "goal action" it will show you the offsides lines on the replay.

Rad - I never knew that!!!

[Karim]

I've finally regained my love of FM! Although I've bought every version for probably a decade, the last one I actually played with enjoyment for any length of time was '11.

I tried Classic Mode since I agree with the concept but it was difficult to give up the control I'm used to. I couldn't see how Match Plans worked with my tactic so I switched over.

I started unemployed and got hired by Finn Harps in the Irish First Division. Long story short, I got them into a playoff with a $130k wage budget playing essentially the most boring style of football you can imagine. It's essentially soccer's version of the hockey "trap". Low tempo, short passes, retain possession, clog up the middle, nothing risky, and pounce when the opposition gets impatient and a hole opens up.

After winning the playoff, I thought I had won promotion only to realize I now had another playoff against the loser of the Premier League playoff. Starting away, with guys exhausted, down 3-1 with 30 minutes left, a hardly used 17 year old scores two after the opposition went down a man. We then trounced them at home 4-2 with a "disinterested" squad.

I found the end-of-season squad talk interesting. I was afraid of saying we need new players but choosing the alternative of saying we had what it took for a mid-table finish pissed everyone off except the five or six guys who had "professional" or "ambitious" personalities. Note to self... extend their contracts.

Suddenly, I've got a wage budget of $350k and despite many new signings, am only using $205k of that. The board is pleased but worried I don't have enough quality. I'll know soon enough once the season starts. I'll see how far boring football takes me.

Unreal what SI has been able to create. Here's hoping Francis Cole can proceed in this direction with BTS Football.

[Karim]

One question with this version...

I'm used to an influx of new youth players every season. I have a "Head of Youth Development" in charge of this but do not have any new players about a month before the season starts.

Has this changed? I'm a small club but I figured there must be some scrubs who would be willing to play. I've resorted to signing 16-year olds cast off by other teams to fill up the U-19 squad.

[JPhillips]

For English leagues at least, new players come in March.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Got some questions to run through.

1. When I give pre-game/halftime/post-game chats, what's the optimal result? Do you always want 'green' responses or are things like 'listens keenly' or 'deep in thought' OK?

2. I'm not sure I always know exactly what 'assertive', 'aggressive', etc. mean and how they affect the advice you're giving. I'm often noted as being very calm simply because I'm not sure that any of the other options are positive.

3. I seem to remember pre-signing players once they were six months from the end of their contract. I saw some discussion about it before, but didn't quite catch it all. Can I still do that? Also, does the payroll information take into account that players who's contract ends in June will not be on the payroll, which allows me to sign future players even though I don't currently have space on the payroll. If not, do I have to set players as unneeded or set for release to make that happen?

Thanks in advance.

[whomario]

@ karim: I am 99% sure that Ireland does get new youngsters from the 2nd season onwards. The date is Sept 20th for them and afaik all countries with dates like this (or august or july or sth) get new youngsters only from the 2nd season onwards.


@ Mizzou:

1) Anything that is not red is fine. Basically, the green responses increase as you get success and your team accepts you leading them. Also, youngsters are easier to get through to.
Anyway, i wouldn´t worry all that much. Although i found that a player seeming to be "deep in though" is a precursor of bad things to come. Better try some things with him and talk to him individually or see if his profile shows any problems.

Individual talks also often help, but be carefull not to be too weird here and too much off of your general talk.

2) For one the options vary a little (some are missing, others are added) but it is also more hit and miss. Say you agressively blast your team after a loss against an even oponent, then that might get a much worse reaction than you calmly telling them they did not take care of business.
Also, if you are always agressive or assertive, your team might switch off on you. Basically i generally talk in a calm tone as well, the other options much more rarely. It just depends on the situation. For example, before a Derby, talking assertive is imo much more appropriate than before a november game between the 10th and 12th team in the league.

Just try to experiment a bit with it.

3) Depends on the league. As said, in England (and propably Ireland et al) the rule doesn´t apply when the 2 teams are in the same nation. Rest of Europe works as you know it i think. But again, there could be exceptions.

I am fairly certain the game recognizes such things, but am not 100% here.

[PilotMan]

Assertive = Dad Voice. When they need to understand that you mean business and are clear about what your expectations are.

Aggressive = Just plain yelling and throwing things. Reserved for extreme disappointment or frustration.

Reluctant = Honestly, I don't think I've ever used it.

Cautious = That cross between calm and assertive where you need to remind them that they need to be careful.

Calm = Used most frequently. Provides the most central responses. However if used to much the players won't respond when you need them to or will just plain get bored of you.

Passionate = Just the ol football rah-rah-rah. Again, players will tire of it all the time, but you can pick the right moments and see good results. Certain personalities respond best to this than others.

IMO Green doesn't always equal good. If you go to your ass man reports you can see the result of your talks. He will give you the outcomes of how your talks went after the games. Frequently your team can play well, you can praise them and then watch them come out flat. For the response you see is great, but it can have a negative effect on their playing as well.

I find it better to mix up my styles. Try not to be too critical, because when you break it out if you really need it, it can have an amazing effect. Match the quality of your talks to the general personality of your team (if you have one), like FOF good chemistry can take you a long way.

[Karim]

I'm on the verge of a winless season in the Irish Premier Division. I've set a new division record for consecutive winless games. I'm surprised I haven't been fired yet. When I go to the confidence page, my status is "Stable" even though the "blue bar" is all the way to the left.

Mistakes and things I have learned through this misery...

1. I relied on a 34-year old striker potting 25 goals to get me promoted. I was hoping he could still be relevant but his declining skills means he has only scored six times all year.
   
2. My "retain possession", "ball control", "low tempo" tactic was ripped to shreds by every team who had superior players at their disposal.
   
3. I swear this is a bug. My DL and DR when on short passing, retain possession instructions, will, at some point during a crucial part of the match, track back toward their own goal lines and blindly cross right in front of my goal gifting a ball to the opposition striker. I've lost games on this. Giving the DL and DR a "cross less" instruction has helped somewhat but they still do it instead of simply kicking it out of bounds when in trouble.
   
4. I swear this is a bug. My goaltender will try and catch a ball wide of net and inevitably step out of bounds gifting a corner. It happens too often and also has resulted in games lost on subsequent set piece goals.
   
5. An aging DC with really low pace and acceleration is useless. I brought in one after promotion thinking that experience and mental attributes would put him in the right position 9 times out of 10 but even average strikers just blow by him.
   
6. I've literally seen my players watch the opposition go in on goal without any attempt to close him down. It seems they've given up. At the start of the season, I pressed dangerous opposition players. After getting carved open too many times, I've avoided opposition instructions since I don't think my players can walk and chew gum at the same time. They should still instinctively press when they are the last man and a striker is going in on goal.
   
7. For anyone like me who is struggling with tactics and not familiar with "football", SI's forums have a lot of great information. Here are some links:
   

   Creating A Tactic - Design, Create and Maintain

   Ajax - When Real Life Meets Football Manager - FM14

   The School of the Defensive Arts

   The Mentality Ladder: A Practical Framework for Understanding Fluidity and Duty

   Unfortunately, after reading all that, I can come up with what seems like a sound starting tactic but have difficulty seeing what needs to be done to alter things pre-match and during the game. My Assistant Manager will suggest things like "x needs to be closed down" but I know if I do that, my defensive positioning will leave holes.

This is easily the most frustrating season I've ever played. It's probably a combination of wrong tactics and wrong players. But as a small club, there aren't a lot of across-the-board "double digit" players wanting to sign.

[Karim]

Officially relegated and everyone's bailing. I accepted everyone's transfer requests as I'm sure I'll be gone shortly as well.

One question to the successful players out there... Do you use Opposition Instructions? I set tackling to hard on players with low bravery and with players who look like they are good crossers, passers, or long shooters, I set to opposite foot.

I have no idea about closing down despite comments from the Assistant Manager. Technically proficient players probably are not affected and it only serves to get you out of your defensive shape. What about closing down low composure players instead?

[whomario]

I use oposition instruction, but not very extensively. IMO setting it up for too many players disrupts your own "team scheme" on defense. In general, i use it on 2 or 3 players at most.

Also, it has to fit with your players. Hard tackling a central midfielder only makes sense if you have strong tackling central midfielders.

Closing down i generally apply to players that are either poor technical defenders or midfielders/wingers that can shoot or cross very well but are not great dribblers.

[Flasch186]

Along with the bugs mentioned above that Ive seen... I just had an opponent give me the lead just before half by scoring an own goal. Halftime comes and the commentators state that the players first goal of the season has given them the lead.... not only false but embarrassing for the commentators and the player to make the statement.

[PilotMan]

Alright, I'm stuck. I need some input on a decision.

I just completed my 6th season @ Larne in Norther Ireland. We just qualified for the Euro Cup for the 3rd year in a row, and I have lived up to my expectations every year. I'd like to keep playing with the club, but my latest contract offer was for $375 for 1 year. Last year I made $1100. What gives?

I'm seriously considering walking away. That's crazy.

The team is starting to reap the benefits of a much improved youth coaching system that I coaxed the board into. Last year we sold a player for $230k, smashing the previous Division record for a transfer. The current board aren't willing to really give me anything else though. It's a little frustrating, but challenging all the same and our success has been rewarding.

So I'd want to stay, but I just am not sure if that kind of a pay cut, considering all I've done for them, is justified. What do you guys think?

[bulletsponge]

is your club in debt? thats the only reason i could fathom such a pay cut

[Barkeep49]

How are you thought of by the club? I assume you've tried negotiating? I've never had the scenario come up so I'm no help. In my current game (2.5 seasons in) I was on two one year contracts, but I insisted a multiyear deal after winning the club promotion. I didn't want to risk bad things happening if we were relegated again. Turns out I needn't have worried as we're comfortably midtable halfway through the season and are starting to play better football.

One year contracts seem to be quite in though as many of my players want them which is nice for me since I'm being able to see who works and doesn't at this level.

[Tekneek]

FM14 is currently available through Steam for $12.50. A 75% reduction in price. I had not bought it, mainly because I have barely played FM13 at all (still playing an FM12 career that I have not wanted to abandon), but $12.50 was too good to let pass.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

is your club in debt? thats the only reason i could fathom such a pay cut

About 4 years ago the club went through an ownership transfer to a fan group. The last 3 years have been under the new management. The club has been in debt, and the ownership has had to put money into the club with the exception of last season. So I went back and dug into the financials. The club is still in debt, with about 15k owed on a loan from the new ownership. The total debt is like 34k. Probably about a third of what it once was as we've turning profits thanks to the Euro Cup exposure.

The club also recently put the squash on my staff salaries as well. I assume that my players will follow. So our good players won't be here much longer. It kind of sucks. But I think it's all about the bottom line for the team.

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

How are you thought of by the club? I assume you've tried negotiating? I've never had the scenario come up so I'm no help. In my current game (2.5 seasons in) I was on two one year contracts, but I insisted a multiyear deal after winning the club promotion. I didn't want to risk bad things happening if we were relegated again. Turns out I needn't have worried as we're comfortably midtable halfway through the season and are starting to play better football.

One year contracts seem to be quite in though as many of my players want them which is nice for me since I'm being able to see who works and doesn't at this level.

I've only ever gotten 1 yr contracts with this team and I did try negotiating but it was kind of like that negotiation scene from Bad Santa. No matter what I said they weren't changing for anything. I assume that they hold me in good regard with the exception that we haven't won anything. We did just win our first Euro Cup match though, so cha-ching! Oh well, it sucks, but I've got it in my mind that maybe this is my last year here. I need to see what my solid reputation will get me on the open market.

[Barkeep49]

When I played FM12, I got into a contract spat with my board. In the end we came to terms but it wasn't until after my contract had run out and I reapplied for the position. Not sure how much that logic has changed since but perhaps yours will be similar?

I think it's the mark of what a great game it is that I would care enough about my own fake contract to draw a line in the sand about it. Gotta be respected.

[Young Drachma]

I always end up buying at the end of cycle, 14 is the first version I haven't bought in a while...not sure if I'll plunge this late in the season or if I'll wait for 15.

[Karim]

I agree. It is tough switching version after the number of hours FM gets out of you. I'm already approaching 100 hours and I've only gone through two seasons. I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface of what this game can provide.

[PilotMan]

Agh. Just had my first crash. Lost 3 games in the preseason. Now to remember what the hell I was doing. I hate losing that much time and who knows if the board are going to help me out again. Crap. Probably 90 minutes of playing time down the drain.

[Fidatelo]

I just picked this game up last night due to the 75% off sale on Steam. I only did the tutorials last night but I look forward to starting up a career tonight. Anything super important I should know before I start it up? I haven't played since 2010 and even then I was pretty bad at it.

[korme]

Research tactics

[Fidatelo]

I don't think I fully grasp the consequences of playing 'Classic' vs the standard mode. If I choose one is my career locked into it? Is there any kind of quick reference sheet that kind of lists the pros and cons of each mode or a little table of "you should choose classic if..." bullet points or anything?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I don't think I fully grasp the consequences of playing 'Classic' vs the standard mode. If I choose one is my career locked into it? Is there any kind of quick reference sheet that kind of lists the pros and cons of each mode or a little table of "you should choose classic if..." bullet points or anything?

Yeah you're locked in.

Let me see if I can find a bullet point list for you...hang on.

Classic mode:

- no team talks
- training is basic: just select: balanced, attacking, defending, etc. and the intensity; individual training is handled by the assistant
- no match preparation, no tactic familiarity
- basic staff: you have one chief scout, one physio, one assistant manager, one DOF, one head of youth development who handle their areas
- scouting: depending on your club you get to assign scouts to different regions/competitions (I have seen as many as 7 in Napoli)
- layout: very efficient and simple, gives you most of the important information that you need
- no opposition instructions
- registration (someone can correct me here) but it seems you don't need to follow home grown rules for CL and EL registrations.
- media, interviews: very basic interviews, usually one question
- instant results: you can set up a match plan and if you don't want to see the match have it resolved instantly
- analysis: no heat map and limited tools to analyze how your players or opposition did. Stats are there and it does give you an idea what formation they are successful with and which they are vulnerable to.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Yeah you're locked in.

Let me see if I can find a bullet point list for you...hang on.

Classic mode:

- no team talks
- training is basic: just select: balanced, attacking, defending, etc. and the intensity; individual training is handled by the assistant
- no match preparation, no tactic familiarity
- basic staff: you have one chief scout, one physio, one assistant manager, one DOF, one head of youth development who handle their areas
- scouting: depending on your club you get to assign scouts to different regions/competitions (I have seen as many as 7 in Napoli)
- layout: very efficient and simple, gives you most of the important information that you need
- no opposition instructions
- registration (someone can correct me here) but it seems you don't need to follow home grown rules for CL and EL registrations.
- media, interviews: very basic interviews, usually one question
- instant results: you can set up a match plan and if you don't want to see the match have it resolved instantly
- analysis: no heat map and limited tools to analyze how your players or opposition did. Stats are there and it does give you an idea what formation they are successful with and which they are vulnerable to.

Interesting, thanks for the information! Some of that I find intriguing (limited staff, scouting, instant results) but some of it sounds a bit like a bummer (no team talks, limited interviews, less analysis tools). I think maybe I'll try to start on 'full' and if I feel too overwhelmed maybe fall back to a Classic career.

Thanks!

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Interesting, thanks for the information! Some of that I find intriguing (limited staff, scouting, instant results) but some of it sounds a bit like a bummer (no team talks, limited interviews, less analysis tools). I think maybe I'll try to start on 'full' and if I feel too overwhelmed maybe fall back to a Classic career.

Thanks!

There's a lot of that stuff (training, scouting) that you can designate to assistants in full mode.

I know I'm not getting full benefit out of it, but aside from coaches recommendations for new player-specific training in my meetings with my coaches I don't even really touch training these days.

I probably SHOULD - my youth players would no doubt be better, but I just...haven't.

[lighthousekeeper]

When managing a team in England, at what time of the year do you do most of your:

A. Signing new players
B. Renewing contracts of existing players


Since you can basically do these at any time during the year, I'm wondering if there is a time of the year when it is more economical to do these things.

[MrBug708]

Renew in fall

[Barkeep49]

In FM14 I find that I'm reneweing far more often in December than normal because my players are all wanting 1, or max 2, year contracts and I'm tight on salary space so I want to hold off paying them any increased amount of money as long as possible or need to have had time to see if they're worth renewing.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by korme

Research tactics

What's a good place to start learning about tactics?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

In FM14 I find that I'm reneweing far more often in December than normal because my players are all wanting 1, or max 2, year contracts and I'm tight on salary space so I want to hold off paying them any increased amount of money as long as possible or need to have had time to see if they're worth renewing.

I'm doing even less than that. I'm in Skrill North right now. I sign 4-5 key players in December and just try to pick up the pieces in May outside of that. Salary budget varies far too much to do anything else.

[Fidatelo]

This might be a really dumb question, but I'm trying to set up a starting tactic (4-1-3-2) and an alternate one (4-5-1). So I set guys into the appropriate positions for the 4-1-3-2, fiddled with all the various options etch, then added a 4-5-1. Now a couple of the guys don't make sense in their positions in the 4-5-1, so I move them around or switch them for other guys. But then when I go back to the 4-1-3-2 it's all messed up, with guys moved around etc. How do I manage two different formations without messing up one whenever I change the other?

[path12]

Didn't Japan used to be available in FM? I had a hankering to try a career there and just noticed it is not an option.