Which league is the most challenging to manage in?

Guys, taking into account all your vast experience of working in every league across the globe (that are available on FM), which league has proved the most challenging?

Are there any leagues where, despite countless attempts, you've never quite cracked it?

I must hold some kind of a record, as I played about 7/8 seasons in a row with Real Madrid and never once won the title, taking in 4 or 5 sackings along the way (then retiring and rejoining the team as a new manager to keep up my 'good' work).

I don't really venture beyond the big 3 European leagues (because I'm weak - and I'm not afraid to admit it) and I'm just wondering if any leagues are particularly difficult even for some of our more successful managers on the forums here.

Aja.

MLS. the player rules and salary caps make it hard. even if you are the best team in the league then u can end up losing in the playoffs....but then again i suppose you can be rubbish all season and fluke winning the title in the playoffs

For me it is the Premier League (cue mocking laughter). the best I've managed is 5th:P

I like playing in Serbia because if the challenge in Europe (which I've also never won)

Hmm makes ya wonder why I even play the game:P

MLS. the player rules and salary caps make it hard. even if you are the best team in the league then u can end up losing in the playoffs....but then again i suppose you can be rubbish all season and fluke winning the title in the playoffs

I'd like to try MLS some time. Is it a totally different system to European leagues?

Somewhere from the old USSR.

Reading the names is a task in itself

Possibly the Brazilian Serie C, need to go through all this to get promoted:

First Stage

Second Stage

Third Stage

Final Stage

120 odd teams and four of them get promoted

Christ on a bike!

Sort of like cup final after cup final. I don't think I could cope with that stress

I'd like to try MLS some time. Is it a totally different system to European leagues?

completely different. the league is split into eastern and western conferences and then the best teams at the end of the season have to play eachother in the playoffs to decide the champion.

the transfer system is a challenge too. mls players are owned by the league rather than the clubs so player trades between mls clubs are common. give it a go. you will pick up the rules along the way and its definately a challenge...just don't be LA Galaxy ;P

MLS is difficult. I mean, real difficult. There's a cap on how many internationals you can have. There's a cap on how much you can pay in wages. I mean, there's caps on everything but the amount of games you can lose. -.-

I think I'll agree with dafuge. Playing in Brazil can sometimes feel like having several seasons rolled into one and geting one of those four promotion spots from Brazilian Serie C... well...

just don't be LA Galaxy ;P

Why not? Are they the best?

Why not? Are they the best?

because of a certain mr beckham

because of a certain mr beckham

Is he still there? I thought he was in Milan. Or has that not been added, or is the deal even finalised for real?

I'm intrigued by MLS tbh.

Why not? Are they the best?

Not by a long shot, they seem to be one of the weaker teams at the moment.

Is he still there? I thought he was in Milan. Or has that not been added, or is the deal even finalised for real?

I'm intrigued by MLS tbh.

hes at LA galaxy on the game but at Milan IRL...they didnt include the loan on the patch i dont think

Possibly the Brazilian Serie C, need to go through all this to get promoted:

First Stage

Second Stage

Third Stage

Final Stage

120 odd teams and four of them get promoted

I had a go at this once on FM08, and really enjoyed the challenge. Somehow managed to get promoted in my first season, and found the second season to be quite boring as it's just a normal league structure, kind of wished I hadn't got promoted!

I've only managed in 4 leagues on fm09 so far. SPL, English Prem, Liga BBVA and Serie A. Out of them I found Serie A most challenging due to the lack of a reserves league.

Guys, taking into account all your vast experience of working in every league across the globe (that are available on FM), which league has proved the most challenging?

Are there any leagues where, despite countless attempts, you've never quite cracked it?

I must hold some kind of a record, as I played about 7/8 seasons in a row with Real Madrid and never once won the title, taking in 4 or 5 sackings along the way (then retiring and rejoining the team as a new manager to keep up my 'good' work).

I don't really venture beyond the big 3 European leagues (because I'm weak - and I'm not afraid to admit it) and I'm just wondering if any leagues are particularly difficult even for some of our more successful managers on the forums here.

Aja.

I started a game with Real Madrid last week and I have found it very easy so far. I am unbeaten in 30 games, and cruising the league.

Barcelona draw half of their matches which makes it a walk in the park.

malaysian league anyone?

toronto if you are gonna go the mls route

but the league of ireland is ultra competitive and its a big challenge in europe too

but be shamrock rovers ye

malaysian league anyone?

Malaysia is not hard. Challenging for the title in my challenge with a team I started from scratch after only 5 years at the club.

And in MLS, TFC would be the easier option. The LA Galaxy are horrible. They don't have anyone decent outside Donovan and Beckham.

depends on what you mean by difficult...

coz most foreign leagues are much like lower divisions of england... everyone is rubbish so if you can bag a tiny bit of quality you move up quite fast..

i always manage at least 3 clubs at a go to make it challenging, if you want difficult then try win the EPL with someone like newcastle! whilst maintaining Inter Milan as a top european team and getting Bristol City Promoted...

I'd say the Brazilian from what i've played. Most of the clubs have at least *some* good players with good technical abilities so you're always vulnerable.

Spanish league is too easy with a big team like Barca, Real and to a lesser extent: Valencia, Atletico and Madrid. You can average over 50,000 a game, far more than your lesser rivals so your spending power is obscene after a couple of years because of your greater income (as an example in 2014, my Barca side takes £74mill per season in merchandise alone)

Belgian is tough at first. Getting ahead of Bruge, Anderlecht and Standard isn't easy with your initial squad and with the finances of the Belgian clubs pretty poor, it's difficult to break their hold on European football.

I'd imagine the Italian league wouldn't be easy, there seems to be a lot of clubs with some class players, Roma, Inter, Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina.

But then in the long-term, with a good youth policy, you should always be dominating whatever league you play, so theres no excuses

I wish they'd put the USL into the game, its the league below the MLS, its mirrored itself on the European model instead of the salary cap stuff.

I always find the Coca Cola Championship quite challenging.

Personally, i think managing one of the serie C/B teams really challenging. I've only ever managed to win the league (serie A) once with Napoli in FM06 and often don't attempt at managing there anymore (even though i always load the Italian leagues). I think what makes it difficult is the lack of a reserves league and the signing of one foreigner per season rule. Also, a lot of transfers include buying/selling 50% of players. IMO anyway.

Any league can be easy or difficult, it all depends on the team you select. Try one of the challenges in the CSE forum. I like the look of Dafuge's challenge, definitely for hardcore FMers only.