Alright boyz, here we go! FM 2010 first impressions thread

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by markprior22

I know this question has been asked before but I don't want to look through all these pages...I love sports text sims. I don't especially care for soccer but every now and then I think about giving this game a try. I don't know much about soccer and nothing about how leagues are set up (friendlies, loaning players, etc). Is there a place that would help me to understand this in a relatively short time?

We're pretty good about helping newbs, and this latest version is the most newb-friendly i think it's ever been.

[Blade6119]

My best formation, and it requires a talented team to pull it off, is a 3 DC, 1 DMC, 2 MC, 2 AMR/L, 2 ST, and when i need extra attack i swap the DMC for an AMC. In the online league me and my buddies are running I went undefeated in the Premier League last season running that.

In my lower league game with San Marino i am running a 4-3-2-1 Asymmetrical and it is doing a pretty solid job

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

My best formation, and it requires a talented team to pull it off, is a 3 DC, 1 DMC, 2 MC, 2 AMR/L, 2 ST, and when i need extra attack i swap the DMC for an AMC. In the online league me and my buddies are running I went undefeated in the Premier League last season running that.

In my lower league game with San Marino i am running a 4-3-2-1 Asymmetrical and it is doing a pretty solid job

You've got a San Marino game running too??

I just missed promotion with them after my first season. Came in 2nd in the league, but was crushed in the finals of the playoff. Retooling this year - beefing up my defense and GK.

[markprior22]

So, each nation has their own "league" so to speak? Is there a tournament every year to determine the best of these leagues or is that just done every four years with the WC? When and why do you play friendlies? They don't count for anything do they? I've always wondered about injury risk...are friendlies played before the regular season to prepare for the season like spring training? What about loaning players? And when are other teams able to swoop in and grab your talent? Is it just possible after the player's contract is up or do they buy out the contract and take the player? Sorry for the questions but these are the main questions I have for now. I think I'll pick up the game and try to learn as I go. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by markprior22

So, each nation has their own "league" so to speak? Is there a tournament every year to determine the best of these leagues or is that just done every four years with the WC? When and why do you play friendlies? They don't count for anything do they? I've always wondered about injury risk...are friendlies played before the regular season to prepare for the season like spring training? What about loaning players? And when are other teams able to swoop in and grab your talent? Is it just possible after the player's contract is up or do they buy out the contract and take the player? Sorry for the questions but these are the main questions I have for now. I think I'll pick up the game and try to learn as I go. Thanks in advance for your help.

1. Yes, each country has their own leagues, sometimes with multiple levels, much like a minor league setup.

2. There are various international leagues and tournaments set up that match the good teams from multiple leagues at different levels. You'll learn about those as you progress through the ranks.

3. Friendlies are very much like spring training. Chance to get a feel for new or young players while getting your regulars in shape.

3. Transfers can happen when a team offers to buy a player while he's still under contract or a free transfer occurs when you sign a player who is out of contract or soon to be out of contract, somewhat like a free agent.

[MrBug708]

Friendlies - They help you get your players fit (in shape)

League Tournament - The best of the Best play in the Champions League, the next tier plays in the Euro Cup. Placement depends on how you finish in the top level of your league.

Loans - Depending on the level, loans can save your ass. They can usually be had for free and you arent paying them anything. You can loan out your players so they gain experience instead of sitting on the bench.

Contracts - You can let them expire and they'll be signed during the last 6 months of their contract or you can sell them and get the money from the deal. Instead of trading player for player, you trade cash for player

[DaddyTorgo]

If you pick up the game I recommend starting a game as one of the biggest teams in the world - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan. Those are really the richest teams with the best players and best staffs. You won't get too discouraged by losing early and often, you can use your assistant manager to recommend what formation you should play, and can even use him to recommend which players to start while you work on getting a handle on different aspects of the game.

As far as your questions.

1. Yes, each nation has their own league (composed of several levels, think "minor leagues" except in most cases the "minor league" teams are not as tightly affiliated as they are in the USA).
2. The World Cup is for the national teams of the different countries, not the club teams of their league. Club teams within a league can sign players from other countries (subject to rules of the league). National teams are composed of people who are citizens of that country, no matter what league they play in. The best teams from each league compete in regional competitions to see who is the best club team in that region. These go by various names.
3. Friendlies don't count for anything, no. You play them typically before the season as a way to get your players back into game shape and get their confidence up and have them all working together well.
4. As far as injury risk with friendlies - it varies depending on the quality of your club and where you're playing the game, and the players involved, and a lot of other things. It's something to keep an eye on, but you don't want to keep your star players out of friendlies entirely.
5. Loaning players is a good way to get your young/unneeded players first team experience (if you might need them later make sure to have "can be recalled" checked), or to bring in players for a season if you can't afford a transfer fee or their full wage demands.
6. If you go to the "league table" page there's a menu item for "rules" that will tell you when the transfer windows for your league are. That's when your players can come & go (either because they're out of contract or because they get bought).

[DaddyTorgo]

damn you two!

[Eaglesfan27]

I have no idea if they are as good as they were before, but my very first game was starting at Hull City. They were recommended to me because they had some very good players for their league and they had more money than teams in the league at the time (was around 2003-04?) In any case, if possible I think a team like that is better than starting at one of the richest clubs for 2 reasons:

1. It feels really great when you eventually earn that promotion to the richer club.

2. Richer clubs have higher expectations right off the bat, that can be hard for a rookie manager to achieve.

Edit: I still have some very fond memories of Stuart Elliott.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Hull is not a good option anymore, EF27, but similar teams (in England) might be Newcastle or Leeds.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I have no idea if they are as good as they were before, but my very first game was starting at Hull City. They were recommended to me because they had some very good players for their league and they had more money than teams in the league at the time (was around 2003-04?) In any case, if possible I think a team like that is better than starting at one of the richest clubs for 2 reasons:

1. It feels really great when you eventually earn that promotion to the richer club.

2. Richer clubs have higher expectations right off the bat, that can be hard for a rookie manager to achieve.

Edit: I still have some very fond memories of Stuart Elliott.

I don't think you should start and always stay with the richer club, but start with them and play a year or two just to get a feel for all of the different options and parts of the game.

Then quit that game and start a new one with a different team.

[Passacaglia]

Or you could start coaching a dominant national team like Brazil, then try to get hired by whatever small club team you can, so that you experience varying levels of success and size (since I think that coaching a small club is easier financially than coaching a large one).

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

You've got a San Marino game running too??

I just missed promotion with them after my first season. Came in 2nd in the league, but was crushed in the finals of the playoff. Retooling this year - beefing up my defense and GK.

Ya, im in my third season with them. First season i snuck into the playoffs in the 5th and final playoff spot but wound up going on a nice run and got promoted. Last year i finished 13th up in C1B, and this year im sitting in 6th one spot out of the playoff zone in February but on a run of form up the table I am hoping will carry me higher...brought in American GK Bill Hamid on free and he has been stellar in net, and my second season "abroad signing" was rabiu ibrahim on free and he has been the key playmaker for my attack lately.

[Eaglesfan27]

Does the steam version already have the latest patches? It really is time to get sucked back into this wonderful game and I've avoided doing so for too long.

[SirFozzie]

steam version is fully updated when downloaded/purchased

[markprior22]

Thanks so much guys. I think I'll pick this up and give it a whirl.

[cougarfreak]

If you purchase through steam, do you have to be connected to the internet to play?

[SirFozzie]

No. You can set steam to "offline mode" and play without an active Internet Connection

[Passacaglia]

You don't even have to set it. I mean, if you're not connected, a window pops up asking if you want to set it, to which you say yes.

[cougarfreak]

Maybe I'll get lucky and catch a sale here in the next week or so. If not, I'll take the plunge after I get back from vacation.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

Maybe I'll get lucky and catch a sale here in the next week or so. If not, I'll take the plunge after I get back from vacation.

They had a 50% off sale a few weeks back and my buddy picked it up, id be surprised if they have another one so soon, but ive been wrong many times before

[SirFozzie]

That was because they were pushing the update of Steam that allowed folks to buy FM for Mac

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

They had a 50% off sale a few weeks back and my buddy picked it up, id be surprised if they have another one so soon, but ive been wrong many times before

Yeah, I meant to buy it then but spaced and missed it. Then again, this is one game that I know I will get great value out of at full price. Download finished a while ago and I'm looking forward to really diving into the game this weekend.

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

I play a narrow 4-1(DM)-2(MC)-3 formation. Combined with some of the other stuff I play, it just bags tons of goals

Same formation I ended up getting to after half a season of middling 4-4-2 play with Millwall. Once I finally settled into it, I jumped 6 spots, won the league, and earned promotion to Championship. How do you play your 3 forwards? I've had the same setup that NeonChaos mentioned early with a Poacher, Deep Lying Forward, and Advanced Forward. Have really had a tough time finding an above average DLF though? The guys I think should excel there, are just not. Any ideas?

[vex]

Originally Posted by vex

So I'm completely addicted again after purchasing during the Steam sale. Playing as Granada C.F. in Spain's 2nd Division we just missed going undefeated as we had one loss somewhere in the last 5 games of the season. We won the 2nd Division Championship and promoted to Liga adelante where I'm hoping we can get a mid-table finish. Fun to have a game again where it's all I think about during my down time

Update: It's 2018 and I'm still at Granada. We are now in La Liga and won the League and Spanish Cup last year. Transfer budget was $109 mil after selling a few players this year so needless to say its been a little different than when I started as my budget was about $60K or so.

[SirFozzie]

Not at home, I'll check late tonight.

What my tactic focuses on is the killer through ball. We don't have a lot of running at defenders, either in the middle or out on the wings..

Usually the only time where the guy holds on to the ball for more then 2 seconds is where he's through on net

[RainMaker]

I've been meaning to start up one more league and just stick to it without simming ahead. The one thing I'm seeing is that a lot of you seem to be having an easy time at it. Are there some house rules I should put in place?

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I've been meaning to start up one more league and just stick to it without simming ahead. The one thing I'm seeing is that a lot of you seem to be having an easy time at it. Are there some house rules I should put in place?

To be fair I know speaking for myself I have been playing FM since the 01/02 version, so I just know enough about how everything works and what is needed to succeed that I can turn things around quickly. My roomate is in his first year with the game and he is getting ripped apart. Until you start really having an easy time of it I wouldnt worry, most people I know seem to struggle more often then not unless you pick a team expected to dominate

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I've been meaning to start up one more league and just stick to it without simming ahead. The one thing I'm seeing is that a lot of you seem to be having an easy time at it. Are there some house rules I should put in place?

I personally have to find house rules for the AI to not beat me senseless.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

To be fair I know speaking for myself I have been playing FM since the 01/02 version, so I just know enough about how everything works and what is needed to succeed that I can turn things around quickly. My roomate is in his first year with the game and he is getting ripped apart. Until you start really having an easy time of it I wouldnt worry, most people I know seem to struggle more often then not unless you pick a team expected to dominate

Gotcha. Is there anything though that is considered blatant abuse of the AI? For instance in OOTP, relievers have been so undervalued in the game that I would always make a rule limiting how many I could take in the later rounds.

I've read something about 48 month contracts being sort of exploitive of the game.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

Same formation I ended up getting to after half a season of middling 4-4-2 play with Millwall. Once I finally settled into it, I jumped 6 spots, won the league, and earned promotion to Championship. How do you play your 3 forwards? I've had the same setup that NeonChaos mentioned early with a Poacher, Deep Lying Forward, and Advanced Forward. Have really had a tough time finding an above average DLF though? The guys I think should excel there, are just not. Any ideas?

He is more of a "safety" guy for me, as my Poacher and AF are the ones nailing the goals (either from throughballs, crosses, or just out-and-out pace)

Pull the DLF's mentality way down, around three notches below normal. That should remove the overcrowding in the box and allow your Poacher and Advanced Forward to do their thing.

My key DLF traits are Strength, First Touch, Technique, and Passing. Preferrably Long Shots too. He will be the player the midfielders pass to if the Poacher and AF are not available, and he will also be receiving back-passes from them. I want him to be strong enough to handle himself against any DMCs or DCs and be able to accurately pass the ball back to the MCs or strikers to recycle possession

[SirFozzie]

My center and Right ST are Deep Lying Forwards, and the left one is Advanced Forward.

I set them to take rare shots, and often try through balls (that last killer ball that gives someone a 1v1 against the keeper), they're also allowed to run with the ball often, try to get the D to over commit before putting someone else in.

[PilotMan]

I almost always find some level of success with the 5-3-2 when taking over a team. I have started with Brays Wanderers in Ireland, a no talent team with hopes to avoid relegation. We brought in something like 15 free transfers. Some guys have worked out some haven't and I am still dealing with guys not adjusting well to the team. We started off by setting the league record for most games without a win, but now have completely turned it around and haven't been beaten in 10 games.

Our team is still far inferior to some others that we are playing, we never win the possession battle, and foul like crazy. We close aggressively, and counterattack constantly. There is no real key to winning with it though, except that your wingbacks work very hard going up and down. It hides weaker CD's by shear numbers. I like big tall CD's who can jump, that seems to really mess up the defense, and we work on set pieces a ton. As for the top, speed is needed.

[DaddyTorgo]

With my San Marino team I've been alternatingly playing a

4-1-2-2-1 or a 4-2-2-2 (swapping the DMC and a 2nd striker based on matchups or game situation).

This was more to maximize player talent than anything else. I find that a nice speedy attacking winger with pace, crossing and decent dribbling can really tear open a lower level defense and expose them. Especially with my fullbacks having the pace to come up and overlap with them - it can result in a lot of overloading situations.

I've actually been toying with the idea of making it more of a 1-4-2-2-1 though if I can find a nice sweeper-capable player. Cut down on the dangers in the back a little more, and I don't get the impression that my DMC is doing that much (need to check on this).

[markprior22]

I picked up the game last night. Thanks again for the advice. There is so much to learn that it is mind boggling. I read these posts of the different attributes/positions...so damn much to learn.

Quick question-how many friendly matches do teams play. I don't have the game in front of me but, as a default, it started in January. I am playing as Barcelona and if I remember correctly, my schedule doesn't start until August. For that span of several months, how often do teams play?

[whomario]

that´s a weird starting point, do you then really have no league games for half a year ? You should just start over and set the starting point to Spain.
Then i´d try to just train for 2 weeks and then schedule 2 friendlies every week (saturday-wednesday f.e.) so that every player on your team gets a few games in.
(do you have training schedules ? If so then put them on a preseason schedule there. Forgot the names of the schedules that you can download for some reason ... Someone in here will tell you, otherwise i´ll do when i´m home tonight)

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

You should probably start in July rather than January. I'm surprised January was the default. From what I've seen, teams play around 6 to 8 friendlies before the season.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

My center and Right ST are Deep Lying Forwards, and the left one is Advanced Forward.

I set them to take rare shots, and often try through balls (that last killer ball that gives someone a 1v1 against the keeper), they're also allowed to run with the ball often, try to get the D to over commit before putting someone else in.

I've been going with my outside ST's as advanced forwards, and my center ST as the deep lying. It's worked pretty well historically, though my team is just struggling mightily in the English Championship. (Though I am attributing this more to the fact we just don't have a good enough squad to compete).

[markprior22]

Ok...I'm just running through this to get a feel for things. I'll start a "real" game after I get more familiar (like FM2011 or 2012 lol)

[whomario]

you won´t get familiar with the cycle and tasks if you don´t start your gamne at the proper time for the league you are playing in though.

[Passacaglia]

Yeah, the January start is definitely weird. You must have included some oddball country for that to happen. Also, in your options, you can choose to have your assistant manager arrange friendlies for you (provided you have an assistant manager) -- although, in the first season, I believe they're arranged for you no matter what.

[markprior22]

Originally Posted by whomario

you won´t get familiar with the cycle and tasks if you don´t start your gamne at the proper time for the league you are playing in though.

I'll restart tonight and see what I did. I have Spain, US and England as my 3 countries.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Yeah, the January start is definitely weird. You must have included some oddball country for that to happen. Also, in your options, you can choose to have your assistant manager arrange friendlies for you (provided you have an assistant manager) -- although, in the first season, I believe they're arranged for you no matter what.

I've had the default as January every time. I think it's because I list my nationality as American and include the U.S. as one of the playable options.

[Coffee Warlord]

I think it defaults to whatever country you choose as playable first. So if USA is the first, that's the default start date.

[MrBug708]

IIRC, the US is one of only countries to start in January. For future games, remember to check start date. Always safe in picking July

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by markprior22

I'll restart tonight and see what I did. I have Spain, US and England as my 3 countries.

Definitely change it. You can still include the US, but choose the start based on the country you're going to start playing in. If you play in the US, maybe a January start is more appropriate, but I've never played in the US).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Definitely change it. You can still include the US, but choose the start based on the country you're going to start playing in. If you play in the US, maybe a January start is more appropriate, but I've never played in the US).

U.S. season runs from March to October, so January is a good starting date for that league.

[markprior22]

One more question and I'll try to refrain for a while. How often are subs made in soccer/how many minutes do typical players play in a match?

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by markprior22

One more question and I'll try to refrain for a while. How often are subs made in soccer/how many minutes do typical players play in a match?

No need to refrain -- I think people here genuinely like talking about the game. It depends on the rules of the league you're in, but for most, you get to name 5 subs at the beginning of the game, and you get to make 3 substitutions throughout. Personally, I just make two per game, since I'm deathly afraid of a guy getting hurt and since I don't have any more substitutions I can make, I have to play with 10 men, or that a star player will get a 'green-cross' injury (meaning he's playing hurt, and leaving him in could cause further injury).

[Blade6119]

In Italy and England, the two leagues im playing in, you get 7 subs. I like to have 1 goalie, 1 CB, 1 FB, 1 MC, 1 L/RW, and 2 ST. Usually i toss all 3 subs in around the 65th minute, pulling players who are playing very poorly first then just the most tired players. And I use all three, and the rare time i do get an injury after that I just deal with it.