***The Official Football Manager Thread***

[Whitesox]

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

I will use a 4-3-3 in desperation mode but usually role with a 4-3-2-1 depending on my club/players.

I should finally get my computer back tomorrow and can get back into my FM.

Well, almost halfway through the season and I'm tied for second least goals conceded, and second most goals scored. Things are going pretty well, I can't complain, but I think I'm gonna start using a 4-4-2 more, specifically for most away games and games against the Greek giants.

[Whitesox]

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



Well, here we are. A game past halfway through the season, and sitting atop the world. Will it last? I have my doubts. But I do believe, and maybe this is just your typical case of FM-induced delusion, that we have a respectable chance at playing Champions' League football next season; Should we fail to qualify for even the Europa League, I will be devastated.

For a team that runs a 4-3-3 for a majority of the time, I think our defensive record is astounding. I do have some complaints about the offensive production, however. Still trying to figure out the optimal arrangement of my strikers. Koke is not the best finisher. He has the PPM to pass first, and he's better at passing than shooting, so he's a better player for it. The problem is this: how do I play him, and how do I play his partners to best utilize his talents? I've been playing him as a deep lying striker with the support role, and his teamates with attacking forward roles. I've also toyed with using him as a Trequartista, or maybe using his two partners as Poachers, and relying solely on him for a link between the midfield and the forwards.

Anyone have any suggestions? We're having trouble producing consistent offense. It might also just be a personnel issue, but I can't fix that, I've got no money. Trying to fix that this window; the board offered me a chance to change my expectations to title challenge/winner, but I was able to resist temptation.




I'm currently in the honeymoon period, as it were. It's only a matter of time before the cycle restarts, the question is how well I can do before the tension starts to build.

[Hunkerdown]

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

Beware, frantically switching to new tactics without giving your team a chance to learn them is a bad idea. You will never get results.

Speaking of tactics, have any of you guys ever used a 4-3-3? I've crafted one and I feel it's working great, despite the apparent lack of defensive responsibility. I'm still only in preseason, but we're playing great with it, and the team haven't completely learned it yet.

I am sticking with same formation, just working on team for match prep and individual tactics.

[Whitesox]

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



One game later, and I've entered the tension building phase of this abusive relationship.

[ImTellinTim]

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

FM tracks your OS posts to do that when you start pumping up your squad in this thread.

[Whitesox]

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

FM tracks your OS posts to do that when you start pumping up your squad in this thread.

Ain't that the truth. I swear, FM is a sentient program.

[MachoMyers]

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

FM tracks your OS posts to do that when you start pumping up your squad in this thread.

Here here...Whenever I go on a winning stream in FM or OTTP I start posting some running diary of my manager prowess. I tend to lose the next month of games.

Bud Fox's boss in Wall Street sums it up best. "You're on a roll kid. Enjoy it while it lasts. It never does."

[Mo]

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

I hate when I leave a team in great shape(Like I did with Inter and QPR) and the new guy does his best to **** it up.

At Inter I left him the best Young Keeper in the world(22, had WC experience for France), the best LB(20),CBs(22 and 25), and best player in the world(26 scored 40 the year after I left) yet they havent won the league in 2 seasons.

At QPR, they moved the CB that scored 20 goals to MF. Benched the Wingers I had, that produced 20 plus assists.(They are currently 6th, and the manager was on the verge of being sacked, who ironically took the Madrid job when I turned them down, and then left after a year to take the QPR job)

[Whitesox]

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

We're slipping. Or rather, we've slipped. Should still be able to make Europe, though. The two striker injuries are absolutely killing us.

[Whitesox]

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

Well, the season is finished.



I'm ecstatic about being in European competition. It's great to go from managing MLS bottom feeders to being in the Europa League, and on the fringe of the Champions League.

By that same token, I'm kind of disappointed; and how could I not be? We were 89 minutes from Champions League football, before Panathinaikos predictable overtook hopeless Ergotelis, but we were still 45 minutes form a direct group stage entry. Often when one is on the fringe of success, their thoughts become clouded. I was clouded by the thought of an improbable direct entry, and let a 2-0 lead slip out of my grasp in 45 minutes. I stuck with the 4-3-3, when obviously I should have collapsed back into a 4-4-2 and set the wingers to defensive wingers. Ah well, no use living in the past. I should have no trouble in the qualifying round, just more gate revenue for me!

This match, and this little round robin in general, got me thinking about FM philosophy, though. Do teams get used to your tactics? For example, if a team plays a flat 4-4-2 all year, will it lose effectiveness over time? I decided to leave it all on the pitch in that last match with a 4-3-3, and to my jubilation, we catapulted into a 2-0 lead. If I were to mix and match the 4-4-2 and the 4-3-3, being truly unpredictable, could I potentially improve my results? Could the ad nauseum (albeit forced) use of the 4-4-2 be part of my poor run of form near the end of the season?

Regardless, I'm excited to be in European competition.

[Mo]

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

Now this is how you end the season. I won vs Stoke 5-1. And Arsenal did that

[Whitesox]

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

Drew Baku in the second qualifying round. I thought we were entering later than that.

Greece lost its only group stage Champions League spot. I might be moving on from Aris, potentially to Sao Paulo.

[Mo]

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

So I destroyed Barca in the CL Semis 8-2, and my opponent is Arsenal. Not Bad Huh? Well the final is held at the Emirates. My Number 1 goes down 3 days before the game to an injury. my Paul Scholes type then goes down as well.

Highlights from the Final.

Spoiler

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TorCi4ifZMg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

End of season Stats

Spoiler

[ImTellinTim]

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

I'm going to start an unemployed save today.

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, USA are all loaded. All at least to the second tier if available, and a couple are farther down.

I think I'm going to go with Professional Player as my experience level. Let's see where I land.

[Whitesox]

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








One day I'm gonna put the SI logo over the assailant's face in that .gif.