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Post by Matt on Jul 29, 2017 8:14:44 GMT
There's always a few that love this game on the old DC so I thought any related FM journey's let us all know in here  I've Just got the Macclesfield Job and steered them to safety and in my 2nd season I'm mid-table having Just taken League One Southend to a replay but I lost 0-1. |
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Post by Si on Aug 6, 2017 18:49:23 GMT
I do have the latest FM but sadly just don't have the time to play it and do myself justice. Used to love playing for hours on end and getting stuck into it but with a 2 year old running about it's a no go, and I can only squeeze the odd game of FIFA in.
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Post by Matt on Aug 7, 2017 10:28:46 GMT
I do have the latest FM but sadly just don't have the time to play it and do myself justice. Used to love playing for hours on end and getting stuck into it but with a 2 year old running about it's a no go, and I can only squeeze the odd game of FIFA in. I'm in the exact same situation, make the most of the time when he's a sleep! I'm in my 2nd season with Macc, top of the League having Just beat 2nd place Dagenham away also Just beat League One Oldham 2-1 at Home in the FA Cup. |
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Post by Blockhead on Aug 7, 2017 12:37:45 GMT
In my 5th season with Chester on FM17. Finished 4th and won the playoffs first season. Second season, the youth intake included a player I sold for £3.9m, which provided the basis for a solid budget and promotion to League One after 3 yrs in League 2. Quite lucky, really.
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Post by Matt on Aug 7, 2017 12:52:49 GMT
In my 5th season with Chester on FM17. Finished 4th and won the playoffs first season. Second season, the youth intake included a player I sold for £3.9m, which provided the basis for a solid budget and promotion to League One after 3 yrs in League 2. Quite lucky, really. Wow, that's incredible. Was it a generated player? and who did he go to? |
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Post by Blockhead on Aug 7, 2017 13:00:44 GMT
In my 5th season with Chester on FM17. Finished 4th and won the playoffs first season. Second season, the youth intake included a player I sold for £3.9m, which provided the basis for a solid budget and promotion to League One after 3 yrs in League 2. Quite lucky, really. Wow, that's incredible. Was it a generated player? and who did he go to? Yeah, it was a regen. Signed for Southampton with a 40% sell on clause. Also signed two other regens as free agents who I saw Championship clubs were interested in on the transfer rumours page, one went to Burnley for £500k and the other to Swansea for £1.6m! |
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Post by Matt on Aug 7, 2017 13:38:09 GMT
Wow, that's incredible. Was it a generated player? and who did he go to? Yeah, it was a regen. Signed for Southampton with a 40% sell on clause. Also signed two other regens as free agents who I saw Championship clubs were interested in on the transfer rumours page, one went to Burnley for £500k and the other to Swansea for £1.6m! Awesome that, it's great when big profits come around. |
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Post by Al on Aug 8, 2017 16:31:20 GMT
Got the latest version in the Steam summer sale a few weeks ago. Won promotion to the Championship in successive seasons as Chester boss in what is my first and only save on the new version.
It's been pretty straightforward at the moment. I'm currently sat in 3rd place in the Championship after 14 games. No real big changes in personnel. I still have Alex Lynch and Ryan Lloyd but they're more there as a backup. Main goal threat comes from the loan signings of Toni Martinez who led the scoring charts in League One, and some other kid from Liverpool (Gomez) who scored about 30 goals for Accrington in League Two then 20 odd goals for Fleetwood in League One both in loan spells.
I don't do anything fancy. I just went for the 4-1-2-3 DM Wide formation I used on the last version I bought (FM15) and play almost a sort of Barcelona style possession hungry game, and it works.
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Post by Al on Aug 8, 2017 16:34:17 GMT
How did you manage to sell that kid on for £3.9m?
All the talented kids I've had, and I've had a few, have been snapped up almost immediately for pittance - although I have had big sell on clauses added in to each deal. Doesn't look like they're developing quite as well as they would have done if they'd stayed put.
Sam Hughes was also sold to Barnsley at the end of the first season for 150k, again with a big sell on clause but he's been there just over 12 months now and yet to make a single first team appearance.
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Post by Al on Aug 8, 2017 16:36:48 GMT
My advice to anyone struggling in the lower leagues, make the most of the loan market. Use your scouts constantly to search out the best players.
Also get a tactic and stick to it. Bring in players who can slot in effortlessly. For instance. If you play with 2 wingers in winger roles, bring a lad or two in who are best at being Wingers. Don't buy Inside Forwards or owt and hope they adapt.
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Post by Al on Aug 9, 2017 12:00:44 GMT
I'll post a summary later of it if anyone is struggling?
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Post by Blockhead on Aug 9, 2017 13:28:07 GMT
How did you manage to sell that kid on for £3.9m? All the talented kids I've had, and I've had a few, have been snapped up almost immediately for pittance - although I have had big sell on clauses added in to each deal. Doesn't look like they're developing quite as well as they would have done if they'd stayed put. Sam Hughes was also sold to Barnsley at the end of the first season for 150k, again with a big sell on clause but he's been there just over 12 months now and yet to make a single first team appearance. He scored 6 in 12 at the end of my first season as a 16/17 year old. Board tried to sell him in the next transfer window, but I kicked up a fuss and they let him stay. Still had lots of offers in the same window, so was resigned to selling. Negotiated well and got a good deal. |
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Post by Al on Aug 9, 2017 15:37:41 GMT
Right so two things, when you start out as Chester boss, as in real life we struggle in the middle of the park and with depth upfront. Akintunde is ok and Richards as in real life, is a bit crap. So 2 signings I brought in from the outset. Alex O'Hanlon, young Irish centre midfielder who is a free agent following his release from Liverpool, and Lateef Elford-Alliyu, another free agent following his release from Coventry. The idea was to adopt a similar 442 to that employed by McCarthy in the earlier part of last season, look to make the side solid, not concede many goals etc etc.
First couple of games showed that the 442 didn't work, whilst it created chances its inflexibility also meant that the opposition were also creating and converting a lot of chances.
Opening day of the campaign was an epic 4-5 defeat away at Gateshead, followed by a 0-3 mauling by Dagenham. This was then reversed by a 3-2 win at home to Maidstone, but then a 2-1 defeat away to Barrow and then a 4-0 defeat away to Borehamwood meant I had to make a change.
So out went the 442, and in came the 4-1-2-3 DM Wide.
Nothing over complicated.
GK (Defend)
Left FB (support)
CD (Defend)
CD (Defend
Right FB (attack)
DM (Defend)
CM (Support)
AP (Attack)
LW (Attack)
RW (Support)
TM (Attack)
I use 13 instructions.
Team Shape - Fluid
Tempo - Normal
Time Wasting - Fairly Rarely
Width - Fairly Wide
Defence - Slightly Higher
Use Offside Trap
Closing Down - More
Prevent Short GK Distribution
Tackling - Get Stuck In
Build Up - Play out of Defence, and Exploit Left and Right Flanks
Pass Into Space
Shorter Passing
Work Ball Into Box
Dribbling - Run at Defence
And then I generally go Counter away from Home, and Control at home.
That's about it really.
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Post by Maravilla on Aug 10, 2017 18:37:41 GMT
Agree with Al that you should buy players who not only fit the formation you want to play, but the specific role.
I also believe the most common route to scoring goals is through crosses. I always play with two wingers and if you want to get crosses in then make sure your wide players aren't inside forwards or have the trait 'cuts inside from left/right/both wings'. I also, as a rule, ignore left footed right wingers and vice versa.
I'm a fairly negative manager, give me a 1-0 over a 4-2 all day long.
I tend to play a 4-2-3-1, but change my tactic if the opposition is especially weak against certain formations. The good thing about the 4-2-3-1 is that it is easily interchangeable with a 4-1-2-3 or a 4-4-1-1 (away against big teams) and you keep the majority of the roles the same.
I like possession football and like having my front 3 pressing high up the pitch to force errors and win the ball back. I tend not to push the defensive line too high up the pitch though, as regardless of how fast your defenders are you still get caught out with balls over the top. Sweeper Keeper is a must for my tactics on FM.
I like experimenting with tactics and have enjoyed success using a 5-2-3 (or 3-4-3) a la Antonio Conte. However, this formation offers you much less flexibility to change formation as you have to acquire wing backs and you usually have to have at least 5 Central Defenders in your squad as you play 3 every game.
Advice for managing in the Vanarama National League (or any leagues lower) is to buy fast wingers and a fast striker who can also win headers. Not far off what usually proves successful in real life in this league.
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Post by mrburns on Aug 19, 2017 19:56:47 GMT
Maybe you could give jonny mac a copy!
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 19, 2017 20:04:14 GMT
I see that Sports Interactive have recently revealed FM 2018. I'm considering having a go on it this year, if only to see what the fuss is about!
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Post by Matt on Aug 21, 2017 7:54:33 GMT
It will be the end of FM for me until I upgrade to a new computer, it gets more advanced each year and my Laptop is dire!
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Post by Al on Aug 21, 2017 8:21:20 GMT
Aye it won't run on my laptop, but I got the desktop PC that I built a couple of years ago and runs just nicely on that. You can build a desktop now for peanuts. Usually shop around online or in the like of CEX in town for parts. I recommend if you do build on you purchase an SSD and stick your OS on it.
Managed to get Premier League in successive seasons by winning the Championship Play-Offs.
First season in the Premier League - 6th place finish.
Managed to purchase Che Adams - scored 26 goals in the Premier League, Ademola Lookman - 17 goals from the left wing, and Sergi Canos, 10 goals and 18 assists.
Kristoffer Ajer (DM,CM,AMC) was a club record signing.
Had mixed results to start but just changed it from 'Control' to 'Counter' and had Adams play as a Advanced Forward (attack) and the goals just flowed.
So now in a healthy position where I have loadsa money in the bank, a new stadium being built (The Harry McNally Stadium, capacity 20,200) and European football to look forward to!
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 21, 2017 18:19:14 GMT
Aye it won't run on my laptop, but I got the desktop PC that I built a couple of years ago and runs just nicely on that. You can build a desktop now for peanuts. Usually shop around online or in the like of CEX in town for parts. I recommend if you do build on you purchase an SSD and stick your OS on it. Managed to get Premier League in successive seasons by winning the Championship Play-Offs. First season in the Premier League - 6th place finish. Managed to purchase Che Adams - scored 26 goals in the Premier League, Ademola Lookman - 17 goals from the left wing, and Sergi Canos, 10 goals and 18 assists. Kristoffer Ajer (DM,CM,AMC) was a club record signing. Had mixed results to start but just changed it from 'Control' to 'Counter' and had Adams play as a Advanced Forward (attack) and the goals just flowed. So now in a healthy position where I have loadsa money in the bank, a new stadium being built (The Harry McNally Stadium, capacity 20,200) and European football to look forward to! Just out of interest, how much does it cost to build you own PC and is it actually that difficult to do? |
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Post by Al on Aug 24, 2017 10:13:00 GMT
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 26, 2017 18:49:30 GMT
Cheers for the information there Al. I know it's not always the best of places to start, but I took it upon myself to watch some YouTube videos so that I have an ounce of idea where to start. It's quite a complex process isn't it? A sense of achievement once it's all completed I'm sure, but I doubt that I've got the time, nor patience, to actually take on a project like that and actually get it all working! So, I downloaded Steam before in the hope that Football Manager 2017 would be going cheap. Got a real appetite to play it. That appetite soon disappeared though when I saw it priced at £34.99. You can pre-order the 2018 version for £38.99! I'll be stuck into FIFA by then so looks like my craving of sorts will have to stay the way it is, a craving! |
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Post by Deva Chanter on Aug 26, 2017 21:42:08 GMT
Cheers for the information there Al. I know it's not always the best of places to start, but I took it upon myself to watch some YouTube videos so that I have an ounce of idea where to start. It's quite a complex process isn't it? A sense of achievement once it's all completed I'm sure, but I doubt that I've got the time, nor patience, to actually take on a project like that and actually get it all working! So, I downloaded Steam before in the hope that Football Manager 2017 would be going cheap. Got a real appetite to play it. That appetite soon disappeared though when I saw it priced at £34.99. You can pre-order the 2018 version for £38.99! I'll be stuck into FIFA by then so looks like my craving of sorts will have to stay the way it is, a craving! Steam is always very expensive - I usually buy Football Manager from CDKeys. They send you the Steam activation code via email, you just enter it into Steam and hey presto, FM17 will start to download - its on sale at CDKeys for £12.99 at the moment - FM17 - £12.99  |
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 26, 2017 22:32:42 GMT
Brilliant Chanter! Will try that now, can justify it at £12.99 rather than £34.99 that's for sure!
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 27, 2017 13:39:26 GMT
All downloaded and good to go. Now, I'm a Football Manager rookie, so where the hell do I start?!
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Post by Al on Aug 27, 2017 18:24:22 GMT
Completely up to you fella.
I'm going to start a new save as an unemployed boss with the aim of always rescuing sides bottom of the table. Rules are I can only ever join a club bottom of their division, if a bottom club offer me an interview I have to take it, if a job comes up I have to apply for it no matter how well I might be doing at my current club.
The Big Sam Challenge
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 29, 2017 18:31:30 GMT
15 games into my first season then on a Football Manager game and it's not going too bad (I've never really played FM before, always considered FIFA as the only football game I need, but age does strange things to you, doesn't it?
I'm currently sitting 13th having played 15 games, winning 6, drawing 2, losing 7. Goals have been all over the show though, I have a GD of -1, scoring 26 goals yet conceding 27! Started the season with a 2-1 win over Gateshead, this was followed up with a 3-2 victory over Dagenham. Then it's been a bit hit and miss. Progress was secured into the First Round of the FA Cup after an 8-1 win over Newcastle Town in the 4th Qualifying Round. I've not really got rid of any personnel, I have added to the squad however with the loan signings of Ethan Jones from Shrewsbury and he's scored 8 goals since joining so I'm happy with the contribution he's made.
4-4-2 seems to be working for me too. I'm probably only scratching the surface though and the more I play, the more I'll pick it up. I'm really enjoying it though!
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Post by Al on Aug 30, 2017 10:48:52 GMT
Yeah it's good. Just about finding a system that suits you and the players and then tweaking it slightly. Keep hammering the loan market, and make sure you get your scouts sent out scouring the divisions for talent.
Alex O'Hanlon is a must to sign. plays centre of midfield.
Matty Waters is also class at that level. and surprising Will Marsh also contributes a lot from the middle of the park. O'Hanlon as a DLP (S) or CM (s) and Marsh as a CM (A) role are a cracking combination.
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Post by Little Blue Boy on Aug 30, 2017 13:43:34 GMT
15 games into my first season then on a Football Manager game and it's not going too bad (I've never really played FM before, always considered FIFA as the only football game I need, but age does strange things to you, doesn't it? I'm currently sitting 13th having played 15 games, winning 6, drawing 2, losing 7. Goals have been all over the show though, I have a GD of -1, scoring 26 goals yet conceding 27! Started the season with a 2-1 win over Gateshead, this was followed up with a 3-2 victory over Dagenham. Then it's been a bit hit and miss. Progress was secured into the First Round of the FA Cup after an 8-1 win over Newcastle Town in the 4th Qualifying Round. I've not really got rid of any personnel, I have added to the squad however with the loan signings of Ethan Jones from Shrewsbury and he's scored 8 goals since joining so I'm happy with the contribution he's made. 4-4-2 seems to be working for me too. I'm probably only scratching the surface though and the more I play, the more I'll pick it up. I'm really enjoying it though! Good to see you are enjoying it. I played Tom Shaw as a box to box midfielder (Support duty) and I took him all the way to League 2 and he scored me 6-10 goals each season. Retired at around 34 and he had 9 goals and 6 assists in League 2 in his last season. Astles also had no problems in League 2, averaged a rating of over 7 in every season for me. Generally I find that it is worth keeping a bit of your wage budget aside until later in the season (January onwards), as the longer players are without clubs the more likely they are to sign for you on reasonable wages. If you are willing to wait a bit longer you can get much better players. |
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Post by Al on Aug 30, 2017 13:55:35 GMT
Oh aye, little bit of advice, if you search the free agents list and come across Dale Jennings... don't sign him. He's crap.
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Post by Paul Da Part on Aug 30, 2017 16:56:30 GMT
Can you search for players by name? What I've done is seen who other clubs are interested in on loan and tried my luck with an attempt to lure them. It's worked for Ethan Jones & he's done well for me. James Alabi has notched 15 goals already for me & our passage into the second round of the FA Cup was pretty straightforward. Beating Brackley 3-1 in a televised game which saw the club get £70,000 for the TV showing & £18,000 for the win. In the second round we are away to Braintree so provides a great chance to reach Round 3 & hopefully get a plum draw. League form is ok too, currently 12th. For a first attempt at the game, I'm enjoying it & doing a lot better than I thought I would!
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