***The Official Football Manager Thread***

[steelerfan]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I just got FM14 for $13.60 from Green Man Gaming using Voucher Code OQE4LG-WEQPSE-SMCME1. Thought I'd share it here, in case anyone else is still looking to pick this up.

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/115314/green-man-gaming---football-manager-2014-pc-digital-download?utm_source=android_app&

[steelerfan]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Nevermind.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Play City, Arsenal, and Chelsea in a 6-day stretch. Suarez injured in training for 7-10 days. I see you, Troll Manager.

[Leon]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Play City, Arsenal, and Chelsea in a 6-day stretch. Suarez injured in training for 7-10 days. I see you, Troll Manager.

Try your first-choice GK getting injured while lifting weights 5 days before the Champions League final. Out for 6 weeks. Who does that?! Then I had to insert my backup who's unhappy and has already requested a transfer.

Damn backups need to know their squad status is set to BACKUP for a reason.

[ubernoob]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Naturally I lose this match 2-1.



However, it's been a pretty good season so far. I only chose Europa League qualification as a goal, because I wasn't sure how the tactics side of things would work out in my first season.

It's Jan 1, 2014 now.

European Golden Boy

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FIFA/FIFPro World XI of the year.

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My only transfers came from raiding Southampton, who 20 games in are in title contention with myself and Chelski. (Ward-Prowse was sent on a season-long loan back immediately upon purchase.)

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Table after 19/20 games.

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Goals/Assists Leaders

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[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

That feeling when you spring a tactical surprise on a rival that bounced you out of the FA Cup in dominating fashion, and blow them off the pitch 2 weeks later in a huge league match.

Spoiler

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

It took 15 matches, but I've guided Rangers to first place in the First Division and now that my young guns are starting to gel, this team is starting to take off (and a trophy by winning the Challenge Cup, my first and hopefully last). The second time through the league saw me go 8-1-0 and open up a 7 point lead on Falkirk.

And goal scoring...oh the goal scoring. These kids can score. Last four matches have seen us outscore our opponents 18-0.

Goals
1. Thomas Reilly - 18
2. David Templeton - 11
3. Liam Polworth - 10
4. Daniel Powell - 10
5. Artur Azevedo - 7

Assists
1. Liam Polworth - 14
2. Lewis MacLeod - 11
3. David Templeton - 8
4. Daniel Powell - 6
5. 4 players - 4

[gopher_guy]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

How do you guys set up tactically against good teams?

With Tottenham, I generally have no trouble with playing teams that I am clearly better than. I can dominate bottom of the table teams, and generally have solid victories against mid table squads (despite a slip up here and there, obviously)

But I really struggle against teams like Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, Man City, etc.

Against the lower teams, I control the play, with a possession game. Against the better teams I try to counter, with more direct passing, pass into space, more disciplined positioning, play out of defense, and a couple other instructions that I am probably forgetting.

Is there a better way to deal with the better teams? I think it's time to rework my tactics, I just don't really know how to change them...

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***



Happy with the first season considering I didn't enter the transfer market outside of a $3 million buy for depth on the left wing. Almost parted ways with Lucas, but couldn't get PSG to pay enough up front money to allow a couple moves. Now with that sweet CL money on the way, I'll be going for Papadopoulos to set my center back situation for the next 8 years or so. Sakho and him - yes please. Agger or Skrtel will be sold.

I'll probably be looking at Luke Shaw as my LB of the future as well. We'll see what Southampton wants for him. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the way we're set up for next season. But honestly, I can't wait for FM15 so Suarez and Sturridge are actually rated correctly :wink:

Favorite match of the season:



Our last home match of the season with Arsenal and Chelsea away to finish it out. Really needed the win, and boy did the team respond. Lost 2-1 to Arsenal, and drew 0-0 with Chelsea to finish 2nd.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

How do you guys set up tactically against good teams?

With Tottenham, I generally have no trouble with playing teams that I am clearly better than. I can dominate bottom of the table teams, and generally have solid victories against mid table squads (despite a slip up here and there, obviously)

But I really struggle against teams like Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, Man City, etc.

Against the lower teams, I control the play, with a possession game. Against the better teams I try to counter, with more direct passing, pass into space, more disciplined positioning, play out of defense, and a couple other instructions that I am probably forgetting.

Is there a better way to deal with the better teams? I think it's time to rework my tactics, I just don't really know how to change them...

Here's how I set up in those 3 tough final matches. Enrique was injured for all 3, Johnson just for the final match. In general, this formation is your friend for matches where the other team has a lot of skill going forward. You can adjust your full backs to go forward if you need to at some point, but you really want to have a DM fully committed to defending to muck things up for them in the middle. You can also add another full DM if you have a good one and only have one support mid.

[rsnomar05]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

As many others have echoed, the new match engine makes FM14 playable again, so I'm resuming my Arsenal career that I bagged after 1 season after becoming way too frustrated with the endless long shots that had no chance of going in, even with "work ball into box" selected. Thankfully, those have been fixed.

Also, that's a ridiculously tight final league table, Tim. One of the closest I've ever seen in FM in regards to that 4th CL spot. You must have really been sweating it out.

[ubernoob]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Happy with the first season considering I didn't enter the transfer market outside of a $3 million buy for depth on the left wing.
Almost parted ways with Lucas, but couldn't get PSG to pay enough up front money to allow a couple moves.

Interesting, I got 32mil straight up for Lucas from PSG.

Now with that sweet CL money on the way, I'll be going for Papadopoulos to set my center back situation for the next 8 years or so. Sakho and him - yes please. Agger or Skrtel will be sold.

I'm looking to sell off Agger (who has been kept out of a regular job by the play of Sakho and Skrtel) as well. Hopefully I can find someone solid for the future, as I'm not sure about CL money yet in my season and won't have the funds for Papadopolous otherwise I'm guessing.

I'll probably be looking at Luke Shaw as my LB of the future as well. We'll see what Southampton wants for him. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the way we're set up for next season. But honestly, I can't wait for FM15 so Suarez and Sturridge are actually rated correctly :wink:

I paid 24m for Luke Shaw, but I don't remember how much was upfront and how much was over 12 months or so. They kept asking for 35+ which was crazy.

Sadly, I'm leaking goals now and dropping points to teams I have no business dropping points to.

[ubernoob]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***



Couldn't quite pull it off at the end of the season. I was 24W-6D-8L (92 for, 41 against +51) while Chelski went 25-6-7 (74 for, 31 against +43.)

Sturridge up front was pretty "meh" for me, I think I may be moving Coutinho and playing Sturridge at AML. Coutinho was very inconsistent over the course of the season. My SAS was definitely Suarez and Sterling.



Plaudits:
Raheem Sterling - FWA Footballer of the Year
Luis Suarez - PFA Player of the Year, Barclay's Golden Boot
Daniel Sturridge - PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up (Eden Hazard won)
Coutinho - PFA Young Player of the year third place


PFA Premier League Team of the Year (5 players from my side):


Won the FA Cup 1-0 over City continuing my dominance over them this season. (Beat them 4-1[Home], 5-1[Home, Capital One Cup], 2-1[Away] and 1-0[FA Cup Final.])

As for the future... My scout found a gem of a regen winger (AML) in Denmark, of all places. He's 15 and coming in for 500k from Esbjerg fB so I'm super excited about the future of that position as well - he'll be with us as soon as the Summer window opens up, so he's going to be my pet project for grooming. I'll be particular with my loans for him. Scout gave him a 4* potential and says he could be a star EPL left winger.

His attributes currently (got nice physical stats for a 15 year old, though his determination worries me a bit):

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He's not quite at the point where I'd feel comfortable having him as an emergency player off the bench while stashing him in my U21s, but I'm sure he'll be up with us by the time he is 18/19.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Oh I hate random drops in form...team was on cruise control, and then we got knocked out of the Scottish Cup in the 5th Round by Ross County (shouldn't feel too bad, they knocked out Celtic in the quarters). Followed that up with an appalling 4-1 loss to Dundee FC where anything that could go wrong did. Then a scoreless draw against Hamilton at Ibrox where my team thought the goal was up in Row Z. Last five matches have seen us collect 8 points.

Good thing though that Falkirk is having similar problems and we actually extended our lead by another point to 10 over that stretch. Schedule makers were friendly for the last quarter of the season, I get Dundee FC, Dundee United, and Falkirk all at Ibrox. The Scottish Premiership is within my grasp.

[gopher_guy]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Kind of interesting how Man City never really does that well as a CPU team in FM. Just looking at the screen caps of your guys' games, and my games, seems like they usually finish in that 4-6 range. You'd think with all their talent they'd do better.