Football Manager

[Guest bigmatt]

Cheers for that. I bought it in the end but still haven't played it yet. I'm looking forward to giving it a go over Christmas now.

[Guest Jamster26]

How you finding FM, Matt?

 

I must have had to start a new Bolton save atleast six times now, as I am always relieved of my duties before I reach December!

 

However, a fools hope, I started a new Bolton game on Sunday. First thing I did was to let go Wheater and N'gog for a combined fee of £6.7M plus the wages saved. I then loaned Casado (left back) from Madrid for the season (like I always do), I purchased James Henry and Kazenga Lua Lua from Millwall and Brighton respectively, both talented wingers, both with allot of promise and both for cut price deals. I then bought a really promising right back from Tranmere (I forget the name) but according to my scouts he could become a Premier League rated full back in the years to come, and he's only a bit worse off (rating-wise) than Mears at this stage so a good bit of business there I thought.

 

I started the season with a 4-1-4-1 formation with Medo holding, Spearing and Pratley as the two centre midfielders, Eagles on the left, and Lee on the right, with Beckford up top on his own. The first thing that struck me straight away after playing this formation for five or so games, was how much better Eagles was performing, which was surprising as apparently his best position was Attacking Mid-Left and he never did sod all for me there! He scored 2 goals from set-pieces, three or four assists in them five games aswell, so I think I have finally got the best out of him.

 

So after five games, I have three wins (1-0, 2-1, 2-0) and two draws (1-1, 2-2), so long may that form continue.

 

If I am going to be playing three centre midfielders every week in this formation, and it is definitely working at the moment, then ideally I need one or two more centre-mids for depth. There is an Aston Villa player currently available for loan (20-21 years old), who has a good rating and can play in the middle so will try a loan attempt for him shortly. (Again, I forget the name).

 

Currently third in the league after the five games, hopefully we can keep it up. Just need my strikers scoring now!

[Guest bigmatt]

I've still not played it yet mate!

 

I'll have to give it a bloody go at some point. Reading about your game has made me want to play it but I think I'll have to have a go in a few weeks when I've got more time.

 

I remember a similar situation to yours but with West Brom after they got relegated. I tried about a dozen times to get them back up into the Prem (when was that 09/10?) but was sacked every time by about November. I tried everything with that team!

[Guest Magic]

I've recently started an Arsenal game against my mate who is Liverpool. Absolute wholesale fire changes throughout the entire squad. We've started slowly because of all the new faces but when it clicks I think I have a serious squad capable of damage. Team is:

 

Schzezny

 

Sebastian Corchia/Sime Vrsaljko -------Mertesacker/Papadopolous -------Koscienly/Vermaelan---------Ben Davies/Nacho Monreal

 

Lars Bender/Flamini/Lucas Romero ------- Wilshere/Ramsey

 

Walcott/Oxlade Chamberlain/Agustin Allione ---------- Ozil/Cazorla---------Andre Ayew/I think someone else here but I cant remember who

 

Diego Costa/Giroud/Sanogo

 

Another centre back, left back and top drawer keeper next summer.

[Guest CMHunk]

still playing FM 2013 (I'm always one or two games behind), but recently started an Ajax game in an attempt to re-create what he did in the mid 90's with the club.

 

Have the following two formations depending on opposition...

 

http://s28.postimg.org/q94kyw57x/AJAX.jpg

 

Against any side who play with one striker it's the first line-up.

 

Vermeer is the sweeper keeper, offering an additional passing option for our defenders.

Moisander the traditional sweeper and strongest natural defender, picking up the opposition's lone striker

The full backs get forward whenever we have the ball, but pick up the opposition wingers one on one when we're defending

Clasie is the playmaker, helping out defensively and orchestrating from the back, basically the Rijkaard role.

Diarra and Jander look to keep the ball in midfield

Chipciu and Duarte try to play as high up the pitch as possible, and stay as wide as possible, so as not to clog up the space in the middle giving Bojan and de Jong room to operate

De Jong is the trequartista, roaming, finding space, and doing damage

Bojan is the poacher, trying to stretch the opposition defence as much as possible to create space for de Jong

 

when we play sides who have two strikers, the full backs play as ball playing centre halves. They pick up the two strikers which leaves the sweeper to pick up any loose balls. The central midfielders, Diarra and Jander, are tasked with tracking the oppositions wide midfielders, assuming they have any.

 

Working surprisingly well so far. I have mixed success with FM when trying to recreate systems from the past but this one's working which makes me smile.

[Guest CMHunk]

playing 2013 with Man Utd (data accurate up to the start of this season, so they have Fellaini but no Mata), in an attempt to re-create Arrigo Sacchi's compact pressing Milan 442.

 

Just coming up to Christmas in first season, smashing it so far.

 

Players in

Cheick Tiote - still can't decide whether he's a starter or a squad player

Nathaniel Clyne - squad player and one for the future

Marco Motta - squad player

David Alaba - quickly becoming starter ahead of Giggs on the left

Arturo Vidal - first team player

Luke Shaw - in reserves at the moment, long term replacement for Evra

 

Players out

Tom Cleverley

Anderson

Fabio

Shinji Kagawa -loan

Nani

Wilfried Zaha - loan

Jonny Evans

Ashley Young - loan

Darren Fletcher

 

My best first XI at the moment is...

 

Sweeper Keeper - de Gea

Full Backs Support - Rafael / Evra

Ball Playing Centre Backs - Vidic / Jones

DMC Supports - Vidal / Tiote /Carrick (any 2 from 3)

Wingers (playing as RM and LM) - Giggs / Valencia (Alaba starting to push Giggs out now)

Complete Forward - Rooney

Advanced Forward - Welbeck found such form when RVP got injured it's been hard to drop him now

[Guest Jamster26]

Has anyone bought FM 2015? I played for the first week, loved all of the neat touches added to it, but then my PC bloody blew out on me! Gutted but will definitely be giving this allot of time when my PC gets fixed.

[Guest Steely]

After not playing this for years and years I finally got back into fm 14 when I bought a new laptop earlier this year, my God have I missed this game, those lonely nights lying in your bed thinking of how your gonna get your team out of trouble while trying to blood youth at the same time are the real decisions a man must face in life! Was given fm 15 at Christmas there but haven't played it yet as i still had to avoid relegation with sheff utd in my current game, two successive promotions to the prem after I was sacked by Sunderland after ten games and I've kept them up on the final day of the season

[The Fury 65]

Still playing. Onto 2016/17 season with Bournemouth in second place in premier league and won the capital one cup.

 

There are some cracking players to look out for to start with like.

 

Network game?

[Guest Jamster26]

I'd be up for that once I get my PC fixed, but I think the timezones could be an issue, depending on where people live.

[King 277]

I think more or less everyone is UK based bud.