Football Manager Discussion Thread

[Kizza]

Surely I am not the only guy who thinks this game is seventy five different kinds of awesome? I'm not a big football guy by any means, but this is seriously so fun. I currently have two games going, my second season at Man City, and some custom thingo I found where you control a "super team" and need to promote it from BSP all the way to Premiership.

In my first season at Man City:

I finished 4th, after being 2nd most of the season, and lost my last 2 games, and Liverpool & Chelsea beat me on goal difference. I could have also won the league, but Arsenal always had a game in hand. I won the League Cup, got knocked out in the Final of the FA Cup to Liverpool, and came second in the EC to A.C Milan.

My best eleven was:

GK: Shay Given
DC: Vincent Kompany
DL: Wayne Bridge
DC: Nedum Onuoha
DR: Micah Richards
MC: Stephen Ireland
ML: Yury Zhirkov
MC: Gelson Fernandes
MR: Shaun Wright-Phillips
ST: Vagner Love
ST: Robinho
S1: Joe Hart
S2: Daniel Sturridge
S3: Elano
S4: Dirk Kuyt
S5: Richard Dunne
S6: Daniel Agger
S7: Craig Bellamy

I've made some signings since then (Rossi, Arteta, Bale, Delfouneso, Bent in a transfer deal) and got rid of a few (Elano, Bridge, Bellamy). I'm spewing cos I paid 88 million AUD for Bale, and he hasn't really done much. I paid 59 mil for Arteta, and he's played well. I want Sergio Aguero though .

So, anyone else play FM09, and feel free to share your storiez~!

 

[Italian Outsider]

honestly, fm 09 kinda sucked to me. even with the 3rd patch injuries are still fucked up. you need 25-30 players to finish the season. realistic yea, still annoying.
also signings are fucked up. teams waste money on players they don't need, then don't use, or sign at very low prices godlike players.
i tried QPR (loads of money for a championship club, signed lots of young stars), 2 seasons (1st in championship, 6th in the epl), then Man city again 2 seasons (4th, 1st), then Ac Milan,stopped at the second year there, after i won every competition.
then a more random adventures through Galway utd, Dinamo Minsk, Basel, Estudiantes, Sp. Moscow and Russian national team.

as for Aguero, from what i saw he is generally signed when his contract has a low release clause, so keep an eye on it.he is one of the 3 godlikes after 2-3 seasons, with Pato and Bojan.
looking at your team, you may need a high quality MC.
also Zhirkov is pwnage.

edit: where is Michael Johnson up there? he was the new Gerrard in my game.

 

[Kizza]

I got rid of him right at the beginning.

My current team:

Given
Hart
Onuoha
Richards
Agger
Dunne
Kompany
Zabaletta
Bale
Zhirkov
de Jong
Fernandes
Arteta
Ireland
Wright-Phillips
Kuyt
Rohinho
Rossi
Love
Bent
Delfouneso
Jo

Also, how would you rate Berbatov? Apparently, he'd be really interested in joining my club, and is valued at 28.5 mil AUD, which is 12.75 mil Pound Sterling.

 

[Italian Outsider]

Rossi is Giuseppe one? if so you don't really need any striker, he becomes Italy top striker after 2 seasons. robinho+ rossi, short passages, if the opponent team has slow central defenders they are dead.
Berbatov is very good, but he is at Man utd, your arch-rivals, i doubt they'll sell him to you. As tall stiker he is one of the best around, but he isn't really that young, consider that from 31 years old he'll start becoming shit. He doesn't have more than 2 good years left.

Also Jo is another one that becomes a top stiker after 2-3 seasons, send him on loan or keep him as second choice

Looking at your team you may need a good reserve for Bale, UCL and EPl together are tough.

Also did you sell Sturridge? Long term he is England National team worthy.

 

[Kizza]

Yeah, it's Giuseppe Rossi.

I've got plenty of backup for Vagner Love & Robinho though. Kuyt, Bent, Delfouneso. And Sturridge is in the reserves, i used him last season as left winger when Zhirkov got injured/suspended. But when that happens, I just slot Rossi & Vagner as strikers, and Robinho as left midfielder.

Just beat Newcastle 4-1. Ireland got 2, Robinho & Love 1 each.

 

[Italian Outsider]

i'd say, send Delfouneso on loan, a championship team should be good. young bitches need to play to improve.
Vagner Love (185 ability)+ Robinho(188) is potentially better than Tevez(185)+Rooney(186). so yea, screw Berbatov.
Bent is a good back.

What version of patch are you using? depending on it Rossi has a potential of from 174 to 184. if it's the 3.0 it's not worthy keeping him as first striker.
Wright-phillips is another one who got turned shit in the 3.0

 

[Kizza]

Yeah, the 3.0. My poor form is annoying though. I've beaten teams like Barca, and drawn with Cardiff & Sheffield United, and just lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, with Bale getting sent off . So now i'm 4th, and slipping away from Arsenal, Chelsea & Liverpool. I'm already 11 points behind Chelsea after 12 games.

 

[Italian Outsider]

yea, that's why i told you to get somebody as Bale's reserve. having 2 important matches per week requires at least 11 good back ups, other then your top 11 for very important matches.

forgot to say, Robinho is wasted as winger, and you may want someone better than Wright-phillips (only 162) as first choice. so yea, that's what you should truly focus on. If i remember correctly Ireland is more a central mid than winger.

 

[Kizza]

Well, Zabaletta can play at Left Back, so that's fine. When I look over my team, it just reeks of average, besides a couple of players, so when I play Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea, i'm just expecting to get smashed.

Beat PSV 3-0 though, on the back of me giving them a 5-2 smashing last time. de Jong will be getting game time instead of Fernandes, scoring in his first game back from injury.

EDIT: Beat Liverpool 2-0, with Wright-Phillips & Robinho scoring. Wewt.

 

[Italian Outsider]

Well, Zabaletta can play at Left Back, so that's fine. When I look over my team, it just reeks of average, besides a couple of players, so when I play Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea, i'm just expecting to get smashed.

well yea. In terms of Godlike players, you are as good as any top teams, Robinho, Love, and Richards. Your defense and attack are solid, with good replacements, apart the left back. You can definitely tie top teams. Midfield is mediocre compared to them.
I haven't checked all the players, but your best midfielder is probably Zhirkov, with a potential of 175, which is good for him, but bad for the rest. To be as good as Arsenal, Manutd, Chelsea and Liverpool, you need guys from 174 or higher as first choices, so yea, that's where you should waste money on.

edit: checking your mids: arteta 168, elano 168, fernandes 165, ireland 170, wright-phillips 165, de jong 171. all good second picks, not world class.

 

[Kizza]

How do you see potential by the way? That'd be incredibily handy.

 

[Italian Outsider]

open the editor, and load the database, under ''player data''.
you have the ''current ability'', the ''potential ability'' and other shit. don't change anything if you aren't sure what you are doing (and changing is aka cheating lol).
if the potential says -7, -8, -9 it's because the player is very young, so there is no way you can determine how good they will grow up. anyways -8 is good, -9 very good, often wonderkids, -10 future godlikes, e.g. Pato and Bojan.

 

[Kizza]

My form is a bit up and down. Well, mostly up now. My last few games:

Hull: 2-1 (4th round league cup)
Man Utd: 1-0 (PRM)
Besiktas: 3-0 (Champions Cup Group H)
Arsenal: 1-1 (PRM)
Arsenal: 3-1 (league cup qtr final)
Bolton: 1-1

Next up I got Barca at Barca, then Sunderland, then leaders Chelsea at Stamford. Hmm.