Football Manager 2015

[Soda Jerk]

Does the demo include the 3D rendering of the 'create a manager'?

 

No matter what I did, mine looked hideous. He looks like he has jaundice. Totally pointless addition. I prefer to just upload a picture. Normally I use Jason Statham, looking totally pissed off. Now I've got to use this distorted yellow ogre.

 

I think SI need to bin the 3D stuff. They're always going to be lightyears away from FIFA/Pro Ev graphics. It just looks really dated. I think even the first LMA Manager on the Playstation 1 had a better 3D engine.

 

Top down 2D, or ChampMan text-only is the way to go.

 

 

David Moyes has just won La Liga with Atletico. The FM alternate dimension is a dark place.

[Lemonade]

Yeah I had to do that nonsense too.

I've always played classic 2D but felt it was a bit of a waste having the 3D engine and not using it so I recently switched to zoomed vertical scrolling. Sensible Soccer view. I like it. TV for the replays. My first game was against some hellhole Eastern European team and their stadium was pretty much just a fence with a house behind it. I lolled.

[Moose]

FM alternative universe: this season, in my game, Leicester finished bottom and Chelsea won the title.  

[Moose]

Has anyone played much of the new game?  It's hard, you can't rest on any one tactics and have to tinker a lot more to get the wins, which I kinda like.  Playing a game with Blackburn: £130mm debt and a transfer embargo.  Actually ended up winning the Championship in my first season, whcih I've never done before in any fm.  Currently sitting 18th in the prem after 34 games though, so my future aint looking so bright...

[Soda Jerk]

I found that I was tinkering all the time when I wanted to use a possession-dominating tactic with Bayern, but it seems that counter-attacking is crazy overpowered. I have a hard-tackling, ultra-direct counter attack going on with Real Oviedo which is destroying everyone, and I don't really change anything game by game. I am bottom of the league in terms of possession, pass completion and total passes. Top of the league where it counts. 20 points ahead of the pack and just about clinched promotion, and reached the final of the Copa Del Rey, still to play.

Possession is rubbish. We win the ball back, give it to a winger, and he either lays it off to an overlapping full back, cuts in and smashes it at goal, or loops it in to the bigbastard centre forward. Front to back in 2 or 3 long passes.

[Lemonade]

I got 16 for Christmas. I'm in Scotland and my laptop is in Ireland. Hate my life. 

[Delboy1969]

Been enjoying a rollercoaster ride on my Cambridge game...

Season 1 - lost play off final

Season 2 - Automatic Promotion to League One

Season 3 - Won Play Off Final Promotion to Championship

Season 4 - Relegated last day of the season - was doing really well till a 15 games without a win spell which I played on xmas day whilst drinking heavily so no idea where it went wrong but that's where I fucked it up!

Season 5 - Nestling in the play offs after 12 games.

Been close to getting the sack a couple of times - hauled in the office and had to beg for my job!  Been head hunted a few times, went for interviews at Dundee Utd, Blackpool and Bolton but none of them offered me the gig!

[Moose]

On 12/26/2015 at 0:20 PM, Soda van Jerk said:

I found that I was tinkering all the time when I wanted to use a possession-dominating tactic with Bayern, but it seems that counter-attacking is crazy overpowered. I have a hard-tackling, ultra-direct counter attack going on with Real Oviedo which is destroying everyone, and I don't really change anything game by game. I am bottom of the league in terms of possession, pass completion and total passes. Top of the league where it counts. 20 points ahead of the pack and just about clinched promotion, and reached the final of the Copa Del Rey, still to play.

Possession is rubbish. We win the ball back, give it to a winger, and he either lays it off to an overlapping full back, cuts in and smashes it at goal, or loops it in to the bigbastard centre forward. Front to back in 2 or 3 long passes.

Can I have a look at your tactic.  I kept my head above water with Blackburn by utilising fast as fuck players in a very simple counter attacking 4-1-4-1, but it was far from devastating.  Signed some quality players so I want to try something more adventurous.  My tactic was counter attacking, structured, as so:

 

df-s

wm-s cm-s bbm-s wm-s

a-d

fb-s cd-d cd-d fb-s

gk-d

 

Edited December 30, 2015 by Moose

[Moose]

It was actually fairly effective in getting draws or 1-0 victories over bigger teams, but I was oddly getting humped by the teams around me.  I tried changing the bbm to a cm-d and replacing the anchor man with another striker, but it didn't really work out.  

The general ethos was to make it as basic as possible, total anti football, but I'm really struggling to come up with interesting and effective tactics in this game.  I've barely touched team instructions as the negatives of any change seem to outweigh the positives.  It worked fine in the Championship, but I can't find anything that works in the prem.  

 

...mind you, it was maybe more to do with my central midfield of jason lowe and danny guthrie...

[Lemonade]

I'm losing an incredible amount of players to training ground injuries, what can I change to cut this out?

[Lemonade]

I'm having a very fun first season in FM2016 as Hibs. Figured it would be a fairly easy introduction to take a Hibs team out of the Championship, and sitting 2nd behind Rangers currently. I'm playing the most hideous stone-age football, my central midfielders pick the ball up deep, balloon it in to the box and the rest of my team run like fuck in to the box to try and get underneath it. It seems to be working as I'm scoring a ton of goals, and took a couple of Premier League scalps in the cup. Had a slight blip when I went to Ibrox and lost 4-0 and the proverbial heads went down for a few games but come through it now. Haven't made many moves in the transfer market, picked up Tom Rogic on loan and James McFadden on a free, and a few youngsters on frees, the squad I started out with was pretty decent so I'm sitting on my transfer budget to make an impact signing. Peter Pawlett is bawling his eyes out in the Aberdeen reserves and I need a right winger so may snap him up.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Lemonade

[Soda Jerk]

On 30/12/2015 at 11:39 AM, Moose said:

Can I have a look at your tactic.  I kept my head above water with Blackburn by utilising fast as fuck players in a very simple counter attacking 4-1-4-1, but it was far from devastating.  Signed some quality players so I want to try something more adventurous.  My tactic was counter attacking, structured, as so:

 

df-s

wm-s cm-s bbm-s wm-s

a-d

fb-s cd-d cd-d fb-s

gk-d

 

I've got a 3-4-3 of sorts going on, with all the emphasis on the wide players, and not so much on the central midfield.

Target Man(a)

Inside Forward(s) ------------------------------------------------- Inside Forward(a)

Central Midfielder(d) ---- Box To Box(s)

Wing Back(s) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wing Back(s)

Limited Defender(d) Ball Playing Defender(stopper)  Limited Defender(d)

GK(d)

 

The two LDs are pure hoofers. Can't dribble, can't pass. They chop down the attacker and punt the ball away, anywhere. The ball player in the middle is central midfielder, but he's a decent tackler, so he steps out and wins the ball and does something with it. It works a treat, even though the game is trying to tell me he is ineffective at centre back. The wing backs overlap, the inside forwards cut inside. The central midfield have more defensive than offensive involvement, they win tackles and keep shape, but they don't score or assist very many. The attack bypasses them.

I have the lowest average possession in the top two tiers in Spain with 44.63%. I have the most fouls (420), the most yellow cards (59) and the most red cards (6) in 30 league games so far. I have completed the fewest passes in the league with 7888, the next nearest is 9454. top of the pile is Almeria with 14040. Nearly double my total! Also the lowest pass completion percentage, with 70%. Despite that, I've scored the most goals (83 in 30, nearly double the next highest, Osasuna have 43), the most shots on target (276 in 30, next nearest is Valladolid with 163) and I have the most clean sheets (20 in 30).

A back 3 with wing backs, and two midfielders with a high work rate seems to make a counter attack setup impenetrable.

[Delboy1969]

Got Cambridge back into the championship by beating that football giant Rochdale in the play off final.  Might be my tactic but I seem to get a heck of a lot of yellow and red cards this game.  Also won the Johnstone Paint Trophy so at least next time I get an interview I won't be asked why I haven't won any trophies!  

[Adam Easy Wishes]

I've given this a good go over the Christmas period and after much tinkering, have settled on this for my Aberdeen team:

The goal was to keep things simple with minor tinkering required game-to-game because, time innit? I play on a 'standard' strategy more often than not, with Closing Down More, Retain Possession and Look for Overlap as team instructions. If I'm playing away from home against superior opposition or tricky opposition (such as Hearts in the SPL), I will play a 'counter' strategy and remove Closing Down More. I will provide screenshots from my game later if folks care, but I finished second first season, pushing Celtic all the way to the end but missing out by four points. A 3-0 away defeat to Motherwell and 4-1 'title decider' defeat to Celtic post-split contributed.

 

The above formation allows the advanced playmaker to find more space from deep, and attack the box late. I have always struggled to get best value from someone in the 'number ten' position, so this has worked out pretty well. The only formation it seems to consistently struggle against is the standard FM formation like the above but with a player in the DM strata. Need to work out a way of dealing with it, I think it just provides their DM with a bit too much space to dictate.

 

In terms of lineup/players, it looks like this: 

 

Naismith is a recent signing and is on a whopping £6k a week, still in pre-season/early Europe of season two so need to work out the best way of getting the best out of him. Rooney is a goal machine as a target man and Peter Pawlett is unlucky to have been benched on Naismith's arrival because he's been brilliant for me too. McGinn a good off-the-bench option, and have been concentrating on finding and trying to develop young regens. In it for the long haul.

[Moose]

I’ve had a huge turnaround in my 3^rd season with Blackburn.  Just missed relegation from the prem in my second season, coming 17^th (albeit 8 points clear of the relegation zone).  This season, so far, I’ve already won the shitty cup and look poised to finish in the top 4!  I almost can’t believe how well we’ve done and its mostly down to constant tinkering.  So far, this season, I’ve played 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 5-2-3, 2-3-2-1-2 and flat 4-3-3.  A lot of them are based around two similar mentalities, on to focus on hitting teams on the counter and another looking to win the ball back, higher up the pitch, and control possession.  Players were moved around a formation accordingly to counter specific threats.  The board have started showering me in money and I’ve taken in some big names, like Sami Khedira, Stevan Jovetic, Fabian Delph and Dani Alves (at Blackburn Rovers, remember…).  Jordan Rhodes is immense and Lewis Cook (£8.5m from Leeds) has been pivotal. 

I read this blog a lot over Christmas: https://sisportscentre.com/tag/fm16-fm16/page/4/ .  It helped me to understand the match engine a lot better and how to utilise it in order to reach what I want.  Keeping it simple at the start of each game and changing things to counter/take advantage of specific strengths/weakness in the opponent. 

I’m still getting totally ruined at set pieces , however. 

[Moose]

Finished my 3^rd season at Blackburn with a 0-3 trouncing from Man City.  Had I got a point from it, I would have finished 4^th - above Liverpool – but as I lost it, Man City leapfrogged my into 4th^th and I finished 6^th.  A fine line indeed.  I was all nice, for once, like ‘unlucky lads, it just wasn’t our day’ and it wasn’t. 

 

The Venky’s have just sold out to a very rich consortium who gave me a new contract and a £100mm transfer budget.  I didn’t really know what to do with it but as a number of my key players are coming to me and moaning that I won’t let them leave to bigger clubs, I’ve spent a bit (Jordan Rhodes was giving me grief for asking AC Milan for £40mm for him.  I says to him, £40mm or GTFO).   So I brought in a few players to replace my squad players (Kevin Strootman, Aaron Cresswell, Saido Berahino,  Ricardo Kishna, Lucas fae Monaco) which gives me a stupid squad.  My first big buy was Fabian Delph, a key player in my second season, who’ll barely get a look in now.   

 

My Blackburn squad, going into its 4^th season, includes: Asmir Begovic, Keiran Trippier, Sami Khedira, Stevan Jovetic, Kevin Strootman, Fabian Delph, Eric Durm, Dani Alves, Gary Cahill and – of course – Ben Marshall.  I don’t know how I’ve done it, but I’ll probably now win the Prem, with these guys and my other – lesser known - stars. 

 

It gets a bit boring when you are given stupid money, tbh. 

[Lemonade]

Finished my first season with Hibs. Finished a comfortable second in the Championship, albeit about 30 points behind Rangers, who creamed everyone and only lost one game all season (which was against me). I went up via the playoffs, beating Ross County in the final, and also won the Scottish Cup, also against Ross County. That was weird. I played a two legged final and a cup final against the same team in the space of a week. Lost 3-2 at home, beat them 1-0 in the Scottish Cup final, then beat them 3-0 in Dingwall to secure promotion. Annoying season, so inconsistent. eg in the space of a week I beat Rangers at home, knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup at Parkhead, then got beat 5-1 by Dumbarton. Had a few of those weird heavy defeats against lower teams, lost an early goal or two and made changes to chase a goal and just went to bits. James McFadden was a liability on the pitch, was never fit and tore his ACL after only 10 games so I tore his contract up. My other signings were mostly young guys on free transfers. I've decided I'm going to be that sort of manager. Come to Easter Road to get your big break. Some of them have really stepped up. I picked up a left winger called Omar Rowe who'd left Southampton without ever making a first team appearance anywhere, and he finished his debut season with me with 10 goals and 16 assists.

Into the SPL and I've spent some money for the first time, bolstered my midfield with Peter Pawlett for 300k since Rogic went back to Celtic, young Irish winger Dylan Connolly from Ipswich on a free, and Paul Quinn at the back for 60k. Other than those three I'm sticking with the team that got me up, they proved in the cups they can mix it with the SPL teams. First season back in the SPL and the board's minimum expectations are a top half finish, and the semi finals of both cups. Nice realistic goals, fuds. Spending the summer fending off interest from shithawks like Sheffield Utd and Millwall bidding for my players then their agents demanding better contracts. Like Joe mentioned above, there's a massive increase in player power in this game. I'm forever dealing with unhappy players who aren't getting a run out, even my backup youngsters and you can't just tell them to STFU and get on with it or it causes unrest in the dressing room. Basically if a player wants to leave you've got little choice but to let him go. Traditionally I always play with a squad of 23, 2 senior players for each position and 1 extra striker, but I think I'm going to have to cut a few off that and have versatile players who can cover a few positions as backup, which will be funny given how many injuries I got last season.

My main tactic for last season. Will probably have to dial the attacking back a bit now I've gone up a league.

-----------------AF(A)---------------

LW(A)---------AP(A)--------RW(A)

-------BWM(D)-------DLP(S)------

CWB(S)--CD(D)--CD(D)--CWB(S)

------------------GK------------------

Edited January 13, 2016 by Lemonade

[Gypsum_Fantastic]

This game had me almost punch my laptop to death last night, Big Bastard style. Was doing OK as Newcastle, overhauled the squad and have some good players but on a 12 match run without a win (including about 5 from last season) Not sure if its tactics or the team haven't gelled. Can't even beat Sheffield united in the cup and stuggled against Yeovil the round before. I hate this addiction.

[Adam Easy Wishes]

When that happens to me (normally because of said 'squad overhaul'), I do this:

1. Go back to absolute basics with formations. Remove all team instructions, stick to standard strategy and a 'fluid' team shape. Stick two central midfielders on a 'defend' duty. Then react with team instructions to how the game is going. Note that on 'standard' strategy, I will only ever have two players on an 'attack' mentality.

2. Despite them perhaps being better players, don't load my team with all of the new players. If possible, strip back and play at least eight players that were with the club last season and over the course of substitutions/about 10-15 games bring the new signings in gradually.

[Moose]

1 hour ago, Adam Easy Wishes said:

When that happens to me (normally because of said 'squad overhaul'), I do this:

1. Go back to absolute basics with formations. Remove all team instructions, stick to standard strategy and a 'fluid' team shape. Stick two central midfielders on a 'defend' duty. Then react with team instructions to how the game is going. Note that on 'standard' strategy, I will only ever have two players on an 'attack' mentality.

2. Despite them perhaps being better players, don't load my team with all of the new players. If possible, strip back and play at least eight players that were with the club last season and over the course of substitutions/about 10-15 games bring the new signings in gradually.

 

Testify!

[Lemonade]

I try to limit to three new first team regulars in the summer and one in January, maybe one and a fringe player. Even if it means leaving a poor player or two in my team for a year. The GK, CB and CM are my priority and I'll sign players for those positions first to make sure the spine of my team is solid. The wide players are less important and I'll be happy to play a youngster there, or a poor senior player rated at least 2 stars, as a stopgap. Too many new signings at once costs more points that playing a questionable left back.

[TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH]

Does anyone play more esoteric leagues like Japan or the MLS?

[Soda Jerk]

I did a New York Cosmos save on FM15, in the NASL. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Drafts and designated players and such. It was a whole lot of noise.

[Adam Easy Wishes]

I FINALLY WON THE LEAGUE WITH ABERDEEN! YAY!

[Delboy1969]

After a couple of mid table Championship seasons with Cambridge, I decided to retreat to my villa in Spain for a few weeks and ticked the 'apply for managerial positions at higher reputation clubs' options.  I'd hardly had the time to get a tan when the phone rang and I was hauled to Craven Cottage for an interview at Fulham.  I never bothered to do any homework so just went in and answered their stupid questions, thinking I would never in a million years get the gig.  So I trundled back to Spain to finish off the tan but once more it never had time to develop as the phone rang and they offered me the job.

It was only when I arrived first day, I realized I had taken over a newly relegated club and this is a most refreshing challenge.  This is a first for me in a long and varied career playing football manager.  And a rather fun one so far.  Every single fucking day I am getting players knocking on my door wanting to move to a bigger club.  Fine I say so I offer them out for slightly over what their worth and managed to get rid of a few.  However the one time I refused a paltry offer from the only slightly bigger and destined for a relegation dogfight in the Premier League next season Sunderland, the squad turned into a bunch of moaning minnies saying I was out of order for not letting the player go!  I like the option where you tell them to go find a club themselves after you've offered them out for way over their asking price!

Now the door is getting hammered down by might be good one day kids who have never been near the first team!  Its hilarious.  I got a transfer budget of 14 million and I am way under the wage budget as most the first team moaning minnies have gone and taken their over inflated salaries and egos with them.  All this has happened over the course of about three weeks!

Surely my season expectations would be challenge for automatic promotion?  My players are on around 25-30 k a week whereas at Cambridge my top earner was on around 15k a week, my top earner who is 33 and a door knocker is about to leave!  So that's another 35k a week off the wage budget!!! No my season expectation is finish mid table!  We had a team meeting and I said I think we could challenge for the play-offs and most the squad agreed but a few thought I was being too ambitious!

Signed a couple of players - the type I am looking for - mid 20's from prem league clubs with a point to prove by dropping down a division.  Fulham have an excellent youth set up as well so this journey of my 2016 adventure I am looking forward to!