Football Manager 2015

[Lemonade]

On 28/03/2016 at 8:40 AM, Adam Easy Wishes said:

Also, what happened to Niall McGinn?

He wasn't cutting the mustard so I punted him. You don't get many chances to impress me. 

I've started a new season so cannot provide screenshots I'm afraid. Only a few matches in but good start. First 5 matches were a 1-1 home draw then a 3-1 away win against AEK Athens in the Europe League to qualify for the playoff (I've drawn Midtjylland FC in the playoff) . In the SPL I opened with a 1-1 away to Hearts, a 3-1 win at home to Rangers, then a 3-1 win away to Celtic. Probably the toughest three fixtures out of the way first and I'm leading the pack so fingers crossed for a good season. I only signed two players in the summer, one a 19 year old Canadian midfielder who can play MC or AMC and who looks a real good player and went straight in to the first team. He was on a free transfer and I dropped my entire 5m budget on a centre back to replace Mark Reynolds who has been shipped out to Brentford. I've punted Kenny McLean's greeting face as well, moan moan fucking moan. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by Lemonade

[Soda Jerk]

Bombed out of Gothenburg. Fuck that place. Fuck that league. I've succeeded Phillip Cocu at PSV who are winless in the league and 2nd bottom at the start of November. Academy is chock full of talent and there's loads of money to spend for some reason. This one's going to be a doddle. I'll scoop a few pots and then try and get a job in Denmark, Belgium or maybe Switzerland.

 

[Soda Jerk]

I think my game has cocked up a bit. I raided Gothenburg in January for one of my best young players and brought him to PSV with me. Transfer went through, paid a couple of mill for him. He's registered in my league and Europa League squad. He's made a few appearances, scored goals, the lot. Then as I was about to play a Europa League fixture, this particular player was unavailable because he was playing for Gothenburg in another fixture that day(??). When I look at Gothenburgs squad, there he is. But when I click on his name, it brings up that he's a PSV player, but he's still playing games for Gothenburg as well.

So, it looks like we're sharing him, even though I'm paying his wages. Those crafty little shits.

[Adam Easy Wishes]

7 hours ago, Soda van Jerk said:

I think my game has cocked up a bit. I raided Gothenburg in January for one of my best young players and brought him to PSV with me. Transfer went through, paid a couple of mill for him. He's registered in my league and Europa League squad. He's made a few appearances, scored goals, the lot. Then as I was about to play a Europa League fixture, this particular player was unavailable because he was playing for Gothenburg in another fixture that day(??). When I look at Gothenburgs squad, there he is. But when I click on his name, it brings up that he's a PSV player, but he's still playing games for Gothenburg as well.

So, it looks like we're sharing him, even though I'm paying his wages. Those crafty little shits.

Had he returned to play in someone's testimonial by any chance?

[Soda Jerk]

3 hours ago, Adam Easy Wishes said:

Had he returned to play in someone's testimonial by any chance?

I thought it might have been, but it was a Europa League fixture for Gothenburg as well. It kept happening nearly every week, he was unavailable for selection whenever Gothenburg were playing at the same time.

I used the live editor to terminate his contract, making him a free agent, left it a couple of days, and then signed him for free completely unattached. Even that didn't fix it. He still kept getting selected to play for Gothenburg, making him unavailable for me. Something has gone awry somewhere, stopping the club from releasing him.

I had a quick Google and similar glitches had been reported fairly regularly, but no fix for it. So I conceded defeat. I got to the end of the season, and I sold him to Everton for £5m. Looks like the same is going to happen to Everton. Gothenburg's season is still ongoing and they keep selecting him to play whilst the rest of Everton's squad are on their summer holidays. Oh well. Don't care. He's their problem now.

I spent the cash on Ravel Morrison. It's about time a manager gave him his 6th and last chance. He looks good physically, but mentally he's garbage. Maybe I'll give him the armband, for lols.

 

[Adam Easy Wishes]

I guess it has to do with the fact that you qualified for the Europa League a year in advance or something? Still weird and kind of cool.

 

"I helped you qualify, now let me help you win the thing." Hero.

[Lemonade]

Assistant manager @Adam Easy Wishes.  I've noticed my team of spineless cunts have an annoying trait. Whenever they lose an early goal they just go to bits and concede a fuck ton of goals instead of fighting back. Whats missing from my team? Determination? Too many youngsters? 

[Soda Jerk]

Determination is usually the biggest cause for that. I try to avoid signing players lacking in it, or I try to at least have players with low determination in a stark minority in the squad. Too many just makes the team too soft.

I often struggle to come back in games playing technical possession football too, so I pretty much don't bother using that kind of tactic at all anymore. Battering ram counter attacking football is the only way I go. Bypass the midfield, down the outside, front to back in a few passes, in tandem with lots of closing down and hard tackles. Tough guys through the middle, pace on the wings.

The media are always bitching about my style of football though.

[Lemonade]

Late goals as well. Fucking late goals are the bane of my life. If I'm 1 goal ahead I can pretty much guarantee I'm going to lose a late equaliser some time in the last 10 minutes of the game. Every time. 

[Adam Easy Wishes]

Yeah, sounds like a mentality issue. That will contribute to late goals too!

I also use conceding an early goal as an indicator that my tactic is unlikely to work in that game. I generally have two tactics (one is a 4-4-2, one is a 4-3-3) and if my standard 4-3-3 isn't working, or I concede very early I'll just change it. Basically don't be scared to make changes early if it's not working, it's one of the things that heavily contributed to my league win.

When you're winning, do you 'go defensive' to try and see it out? That often doesn't work, and invites teams on. I find that changing a formation (i.e. go five at the back) and individual players' mentalities seems to help this, but it's a pain in the arse and it's nearly always Celtic or Dundee Utd, the cunts. I would only ever go to a 'defensive' or 'contain' mentality with less than ten minutes to go, and bear in mind that if you have four players on 'attack' duty and change to 'defensive' overall that's going to fuck them up a bit. You should really not have any player on 'attack' duty if you're playing an overall defensive mentality.

For illustration, if you're playing your 4-2-3-1, I would have 'keeper, back four and your holding players on 'defend', change your striker's role to defensive forward or target man (on defend or support as it applies to each), wingers on support and I'd draw your attacking midfielder into the same strata as your holding players and make him on 'support':

Also, if you're playing defensively ALWAYS select 'waste time'.

[Moose]

https://sisportscentre.com/

This has kinda become my 'bible' for all things football manager.  Give it a good read and you'll understand player roles and mentalities a lot better.  

[Lemonade]

2 hours ago, Adam Easy Wishes said:

Yeah, sounds like a mentality issue. That will contribute to late goals too!

I also use conceding an early goal as an indicator that my tactic is unlikely to work in that game. I generally have two tactics (one is a 4-4-2, one is a 4-3-3) and if my standard 4-3-3 isn't working, or I concede very early I'll just change it. Basically don't be scared to make changes early if it's not working, it's one of the things that heavily contributed to my league win.

When you're winning, do you 'go defensive' to try and see it out? That often doesn't work, and invites teams on. I find that changing a formation (i.e. go five at the back) and individual players' mentalities seems to help this, but it's a pain in the arse and it's nearly always Celtic or Dundee Utd, the cunts. I would only ever go to a 'defensive' or 'contain' mentality with less than ten minutes to go, and bear in mind that if you have four players on 'attack' duty and change to 'defensive' overall that's going to fuck them up a bit. You should really not have any player on 'attack' duty if you're playing an overall defensive mentality.

For illustration, if you're playing your 4-2-3-1, I would have 'keeper, back four and your holding players on 'defend', change your striker's role to defensive forward or target man (on defend or support as it applies to each), wingers on support and I'd draw your attacking midfielder into the same strata as your holding players and make him on 'support':

Also, if you're playing defensively ALWAYS select 'waste time'.

In previous years I always switched to Contain or Defensive in the last ten minutes and it always saw the game out but I've found with this one that doesn't work. As soon as you switch to contain they come on to you and always score. I find counter works better in this one, or even standard but I still lose an alarming amount of late goals. I think it may also be a fitness thing, by the final whistle my whole team are down into the 60s which worse than in previous games but if I tweak the training to make it more fitness orientated the players complain. Maybe I should rotate more but I always get better results with a settled XI. 

[Moose]

I had a day off yesterday, recuperating from my stag do, and ended up playing FM for 6 hours straight. 

Went back to Blackburn game in the 18-19 season.  Finished 6^th in the prem on my 17-18 season, and won the shit cup.  I then got bought by some mad billionaire in the summer, so we’re actually in a really good place financially; having been close to administration at the end of my first season (despite being promoted).  I also managed to sign up some chaps at the start of this season, after I was given a £100mm war chest.  My side is absolutely ridiculous and competing for the top 4 and the Europa League, after a dodgy start due to the number of new players I brought in.  Starting 11 as follows:

Asmir Begovic

Keiran Trippier – Gary Cahill (c) – Lucas – Aaron Cresswell

Sami Khedira – Nick Powell – Kevin Strootman

Gokhan Tore      – Jordan Rhodes –          Ricardo Kishna

Bench: Jason Steele, Terence Kongolo, Juan Sanchez Mino, Lewis Cook, Fabian Delph, Serge Gnarby, Stevan Jovetic

Pretty cracking 1^st 11…  Nick Powell, Jordan Rhodes and Gary Cahill aren’t particularly highly rated but their form is incredible.  Nick Powell is my top rated player with an average rating of about 7.9!  (He’s that guy Fergie signed from Accrington Stanley, or something, that has barely played for united)

Playing a fairly standard 4 -3 -3/ 4-2-3-1 (as above) against weaker opponents and a counterattacking 4-1-4-1 against stronger opponents and sitting 4^th with about 10 games left.  The biggest thorn in my side is my players like Jordan Rhodes coming to me and claiming Real Madrid want to sign them and then going in a strop when I tell them that’s ridiculous.  Another one is ‘I want to play in the Champion’s League’ when we’re sitting bloody 4^th as it is!  I’ve had a number of player mutinies, actually, as they all reckon they’re Billy Big Bollocks.  That’s always the problem with signing big names to a small club, but I’m gonna go all the way with these lads.  They’ll see. 

[Lemonade]

My new challenge:

Started a new game from the beginning and took over at Hillsborough. Pleasantly surprised to find a pretty decent squad in place and ready to go, so much so that I was able to move a few players on to raise some funds. I raided the SPL for much cheaper talent and improved my squad while also knocking €50k off the wage bill. Brought in Blair Spittal from Dundee United for €600k, Ali Crawford from Hamilton for €1.5m, and Jason Brown and Calun Ferguson from Inverness for €500k and €700k respectively. The latter two are mostly benchwarming at the moment with an eye on the future but Crawford and Spittal have made an immediate impact. Ross Wallace on the left wing is my star man, neither of my strikers are really performing though, I'm going to have address my tactics.

Playing my usual mad attacking football, Pretty promising start. Beating dirty f*cking Leeds 5-0 away from home has been the highlight.

[Lemonade]

I'll admit to some very slight stats fuckery. If a player can play naturally in a few positions I slightly downgrade his ability in the positions I don't plan to use him in just so when I'm sorting my team by best position everyone is the position I want them to play, and I'm not having to search in my defence for my right winger etc. That's just tidying though, I don't touch any stats and it doesn't improve or alter them as a player so I don't consider that cheating, although I may have upgraded Barry Bannan slightly (like half a star), and tweaked my assistant manager, which is definitely cheating. So basically my accomplishments mean fuck all and I'm a cheaty cheater. I haven't replayed any matches yet though. 

Edited April 26, 2016 by Lemonade

[Gypsum_Fantastic]

You have gone full native with your euros.

[Soda Jerk]

GBP or GTFO.

[Lemonade]

It's been 5 years. I work in Euros now. When I'm back home looking in shops I mentally convert the pounds to Euros. I also say kurb and hurbs and purfect instead of kerb and herb and perfect. Which is funny actually because Dublin people say korb and horbs and porfect. 

Edited April 27, 2016 by Lemonade

[Moose]

I had a rad Sheff Wed game on FM15.  Promotion in first season of Championship then a good few seasons in the prem, a Capital One cup an then I stopped because the new one came out.

 

I’m on the verge of getting the sack in my current game with Blackburn.  2019/2020 season and I have them in the blooming Champion’s League after a 4^th place finish in the previous season.  I’m having a bit of a player’s mutiny and they aint performing.  Some aren’t turning up for training, which has resulted in 2 weeks of wages and a stint with the U21s, much to their team mates’ horror.  I think it’s a lot to do with having an over-inflated squad and lots of people complaining about their match time.  A lot of people seem to want to leave as other clubs are interested and end up having a huge strop when I deny them this. 

 

I’m at the end of November, so might try and slim down the squad by cutting out the main offenders and use the proceeds to buy a word class centre back, which is much needed to compete.  Otherwise, I think I’ll be out on my arse before long, as I’m sitting 10^th after 14 games, with a run of 4 losses.  Hey, perhaps its just my time to move on to something else.  All the other teams in England have improved immensely and have ridiculously good squads, so I don’t think there’s much else I can do with Blackburn. 

 

I’m also the Poland manager and just qualified for the 2020 Euros, from a group including Portugal and Holland (the latter didn’t make it).  They probably have the least well balanced squad in history and basically no left sided players. 

[Lemonade]

Which Poland? 

[Moose]

Just regular Poland, I'm afraid.  

[Soda Jerk]

12 hours ago, Lemonade said:

I'll admit to some very slight stats fuckery. If a player can play naturally in a few positions I slightly downgrade his ability in the positions I don't plan to use him in just so when I'm sorting my team by best position everyone is the position I want them to play, and I'm not having to search in my defence for my right winger etc. That's just tidying though, I don't touch any stats and it doesn't improve or alter them as a player so I don't consider that cheating, although I may have upgraded Barry Bannan slightly (like half a star), and tweaked my assistant manager, which is definitely cheating. So basically my accomplishments mean fuck all and I'm a cheaty cheater. I haven't replayed any matches yet though. 

I have to admit that I tweak my staff a bit as well. One part of the game I am just totally not interested in is hiring and firing staff, it's tedious, but if I delegate it, it turns into a mess, or they start letting staff go without replacing them. So I get it set up as quickly as possible. I nearly always bin the assistant, as they're usually crap, and I bring in someone dependable who won't bullshit me about players performances and abilities, but he's always someone who isn't considered 'unrealistic'. I then plug gaps with staff who against aren't considered unrealistic. I do it all by using "Move to my club" on the editor, keep them on the same contract they were on before. Fuck staff. I'd do it all if I could. I pretty much do anyway, but the game says I have to have staff as useless as you all are.

Scouts especially are the worst.
 

We've finished scouting the Premier League. Here's a player that fits the profile you might be interested in signing.

Name: Eden Hazard

OH THANKS GUYS. I'D NEVER HEARD OF HIM BEFORE. MAYBE WE CAN GET HIM ON THE CHEAP?

A bid of around £78m should be enough to convince Chelsea to sell

You're sacked, mate.

[Lemonade]

58 minutes ago, Soda van Jerk said:

I have to admit that I tweak my staff a bit as well. One part of the game I am just totally not interested in is hiring and firing staff, it's tedious, but if I delegate it, it turns into a mess, or they start letting staff go without replacing them. So I get it set up as quickly as possible. I nearly always bin the assistant, as they're usually crap, and I bring in someone dependable who won't bullshit me about players performances and abilities, but he's always someone who isn't considered 'unrealistic'. I then plug gaps with staff who against aren't considered unrealistic. I do it all by using "Move to my club" on the editor, keep them on the same contract they were on before. Fuck staff. I'd do it all if I could. I pretty much do anyway, but the game says I have to have staff as useless as you all are.

Scouts especially are the worst.
 

We've finished scouting the Premier League. Here's a player that fits the profile you might be interested in signing.

Name: Eden Hazard

OH THANKS GUYS. I'D NEVER HEARD OF HIM BEFORE. MAYBE WE CAN GET HIM ON THE CHEAP?

A bid of around £78m should be enough to convince Chelsea to sell

You're sacked, mate.

Staff is a pain in the arse, especially on that day every year when you have to renew all their contracts. I do sign all my staff legitimately, but I rely on my assistant for player opinions, opposition instructions, and feedback during the match, (and occasional team talks)  and finding someone who has high ratings for judging ability / potential, tactical knowledge, motivating and man management is impossible so I do pump those up a bit. I consider that acceptable cheating. I'll sometimes dial up a young players potential as well. Again acceptable cheating. It's nice to have some promising youngsters to bring through, but there's still every chance I'm going to fuck his career up and he'll end up at FC United of Manchester. I'm really bad at bringing on youngsters. It's my biggest failing as a manager. 

[Moose]

I always give a player in my U18s a massive potential, but don't update his current ability.

[Soda Jerk]

48 minutes ago, Lemonade said:

Staff is a pain in the arse, especially on that day every year when you have to renew all their contracts. I do sign all my staff legitimately, but I rely on my assistant for player opinions, opposition instructions, and feedback during the match, (and occasional team talks)  and finding someone who has high ratings for judging ability / potential, tactical knowledge, motivating and man management is impossible so I do pump those up a bit. I consider that acceptable cheating. I'll sometimes dial up a young players potential as well. Again acceptable cheating. It's nice to have some promising youngsters to bring through, but there's still every chance I'm going to fuck his career up and he'll end up at FC United of Manchester. I'm really bad at bringing on youngsters. It's my biggest failing as a manager.

Same. I hate kids. I hoard loads of the best ones, but I don't put much effort into bringing them along. 29 year old superstars are where it's at. I even prefer washed up superstars who still have all the technical ability, but their bodies are garbage. I remember always nabbing Rivaldo as a free agent on FM12 or 13. his technique was stupid, but he pretty much hobbled through games. If you got the ball to his feet, he'd scream it in from 40 yards, but he won't run on to a through ball.