anyone ever done a full career after starting unemployed

is it worth a go?

Never done it, but I'm sure it's worth the try, you never know where you'll end up so it might well be much fun

I actually started like this in my current save. I started with an automatic reputation and the only job i managed to get was Togo. I am now managing Leicester City after a couple of seasons managing Darlington and I'm hoping to move onto bigger and better clubs in my career =D

I always do it, well worth it.

Its fun to do, really challenging though. Depends on how much patience you have. I did Professional player rep and got a job MLS, then Holland. The goal was to be asked by Man City, which never won anything, but instead I replaced Wagner at Arsenal... So yea its fun.

done it a few times. if your starting rep is automatic it can be very hard getting into a job tho'

Does the automatic level give you a lower starting reputation than sunday leaguer?

I started as sunday league, and managed to get a job within the first week!

Yep, started automatic rep unemployed and Norway employed me. - after 4 months Pompey wanted me :confused: so I said "kay!" and that's my save

Yep, started automatic rep unemployed and Norway employed me. - after 4 months Pompey wanted me :confused: so I said "kay!" and that's my save

Pompey?! how the hell....

Automatic will set your reputation based on the first club that take you on. If you start automatic and then apply for an International job, you will get an appropriate reputation.

I really enjoy doing this and do this at maybe every 3 saves, my only fm09 one i ended up with Tenerife in the Liga Adelante...and then got poached by Valencia after i earned them a promotion....

I used to always play with one of my favourite clubs, or one of the 'big' teams in England, and i always found my interest lagged after a few seasons...

For my latest save I started unemployed and automatic rep and landed the Braintree job in the BSS halfway into the season. I then guided them to L2 and the Paint Trophy before upping sticks and moving to Crewe when they approached me. Just been promoted to the Championship with them and I retained the Paint Trophy with my new team!

Despite being 7 seasons in my interest is as high as ever and I am loving it!

I use to start as unemployed with Sunday League Player experience and obsucre nationalities (no nationalities which gives english, spanish, french, dutch, italian or russian as language)... It's really hard but also really fun!

Usually, the only jobs you can get is a bad national side (like Guam, Solomon Islands or similar) and a team in leagues around the class of Northern Irish Div 3, Norwegian Div 2 and Swedish Div 2.

Starting unemployed with automatic reputation will set your repution as low as the league with the lowest reputation which you have turned on.

When playing with all leagues on, you will get jobs on the NI 2nd division, lowest Swedish league or the lowest Indonesian league.

When turning on only the premier league, your reputation will be high enough to get a job at a premier league team.

Yeah...i took the job in Spain without speaking Spanish and picked it up fluently within 2 weeks (GO ME =P)

started unemployed,now i'm managing to keep the carari kicks (sudafrican second league) in the middle of the table..i'm in late march now but still i can't speak a single word of zulu..

i started my career game unemployed with international rep, and decided that i would not accept any job from a top flight team.

i was appointed the Birmingham manager in Nov and took them to the EPL by winning the play off final, only to be sacked in Jan 2010 whilst in 17th place, due to a bad run of injuries and i had no recognised strikers and only 1 fit keeper, i asked the board for that money and sacked me.

After a month unemployed i have just accepted the Getafe job,

Can I just say thanks to you lot on this thread for dispelling the myth for me that if you start Unemployed with Auto. Rep. you're pretty much screwed!

Definitely worth starting unemployed.. Loved it, its quite good to start with a higher rep too if you want to get to the top quicker.

Can I just say thanks to you lot on this thread for dispelling the myth for me that if you start Unemployed with Auto. Rep. you're pretty much screwed!

It depends on the league, in Brazil you can get a job after 1 day with lowest rep.

In the top division of the Brazilian league?

Yup. I don't remember the specifics because it was a while ago. But as a Swede i started with a low level Swedish side bringing them up a bit in the pyramid. I then moved on to a lower league french team taking them to Ligue 1. I don't remember what happened after that but it's fun to start unemployed. I usually pick a lower level team in sweden though to start with instead of getting that first low level team at random.

But i basically almost always play like that. The save i'm currently at i started of managing my hometown teams "youth-team" (they have a deal with a local low level team that had financial difficulties that they would get to use their league-placing, so the team is now used as a youth-squad but in the real league system) (PS! i did a little fiddling with the db since the club is one division lower than FM is playable in sweden). After a few years there i got tired of GIF Sundsvall (the big team) yanking my players all the time so i moved on. I tried looking for a job outside of Sweden but since my rep was rather low i was having a hard time of it. But finally after a few months i got an offer from Blue Square North team Solihull Moors which i brought up to League Two. I had won Promotion to League One when Coventry City approached me, they had sacked their coach after he had gotten them Relegated from the Championship. After a few seasons at the club (last night irl) i've managed to get the club promoted to the Premiership.

The most fun i've had with CM/FM is the careers where i would start as a nobody in a low level side (usually swedish for me since i am swedish) and first succede in Sweden and later move out to Europe. One famed save i had in FM07 i took my own club (that i played at as a young kid) to the highest division in Sweden and basically made them into a European CL-level team. Later i would move on to France before Barcelona approached me (they had almost gotten relegated from La Liga as i remember it). It was fun taking Barca back to the top where they belong. I later returned to Sweden and my old club to finish the job i started there.

Not with FM09 but I did with FM08. Here's what it looked like:

Season     Team                 Country    League                 League Finish    Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Started    unemployed
2007/08    St Albans            England    Blue Square South      15th             Took over in March
2008/09    St Albans            England    Blue Square South      3rd              Lost in playoff final
2009/10    St Albans            England    Blue Square South      2nd              Promoted via playoffs
2010/11    St Albans            England    Blue Square Premier    4th              Lost in playoff final
2011/12    St Albans            England    Blue Square Premier    3rd              Promoted via playoffs
2012/13    St Albans            England    League 2               14th    
2013/14    St Albans            England    League 2               7th              Promoted via playoffs
2014/15    St Albans            England    League 1               14th  
2015/16    Bassano Virtus       Italy      C1/A                   16th             Relegated, resigned  
2016/17    Notts County         England    League 2               9th          
2017/18    Notts County         England    League 2               3rd              Promoted  
2018/19    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           19th
2019/20    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           21st
2020/21    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           18th
2021/22    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           3rd              Lost in playoff semi
2022/23    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           4th              Lost in playoff semi
2023/24    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           3rd              Promoted via playoffs
2024/25    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Premier League         n/a              Left to join Deportivo
2024/25    Deportivo La Coruna  Spain      Liga BBVA              n/a              Sacked after 13 games
2024/25    Middlesbrough        England    Premier League         17th             Took over in February
2025/26    Middlesbrough        England    Premier League         16th            
2026/27    Middlesbrough        England    Premier League         7th              Qualified for Intertoto Cup
2026/27    Uruguay                                                                 Copa America losing finalists

I once started unemployed and got Åtvidaberg up to Allsvenskan. I have also been to watch Reading play Brage in Borlänge IRL.

This is how I always start my FM career every year. Personally, I find it more rewarding when you work your way up the rankings and to a World Class club.

Not with FM09 but I did with FM08. Here's what it looked like:

Season     Team                 Country    League                 League Finish    Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Started    unemployed
2007/08    St Albans            England    Blue Square South      15th             Took over in March
2008/09    St Albans            England    Blue Square South      3rd              Lost in playoff final
2009/10    St Albans            England    Blue Square South      2nd              Promoted via playoffs
2010/11    St Albans            England    Blue Square Premier    4th              Lost in playoff final
2011/12    St Albans            England    Blue Square Premier    3rd              Promoted via playoffs
2012/13    St Albans            England    League 2               14th    
2013/14    St Albans            England    League 2               7th              Promoted via playoffs
2014/15    St Albans            England    League 1               14th  
2015/16    Bassano Virtus       Italy      C1/A                   16th             Relegated, resigned  
2016/17    Notts County         England    League 2               9th          
2017/18    Notts County         England    League 2               3rd              Promoted  
2018/19    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           19th
2019/20    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           21st
2020/21    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           18th
2021/22    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           3rd              Lost in playoff semi
2022/23    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           4th              Lost in playoff semi
2023/24    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Championship           3rd              Promoted via playoffs
2024/25    Wycombe Wanderers    England    Premier League         n/a              Left to join Deportivo
2024/25    Deportivo La Coruna  Spain      Liga BBVA              n/a              Sacked after 13 games
2024/25    Middlesbrough        England    Premier League         17th             Took over in February
2025/26    Middlesbrough        England    Premier League         16th            
2026/27    Middlesbrough        England    Premier League         7th              Qualified for Intertoto Cup
2026/27    Uruguay                                                                 Copa America losing finalists

Did you ultimately regret going to Bassano Virtus? Talk to us about that move...

Did you ultimately regret going to Bassano Virtus? Talk to us about that move...

In my early career I was desperate for a move abroad, but just couldn't get one. Bassano Virtus were a newly promoted club and I jumped at the chance to manage them but they were so bad it was unreal. I just couldn't do a thing, they were awful. It knocked me back a bit in my career but at least I got to manage in Italy.

It was still more successful than my second spell abroad

I did a journeyman career game on FM08, starting unemployed and working my way up.

Got my first start at my favourite club, St. Albans City, after the current manager was sacked. Managed to get promoted into the Football League and spent one season in League Two before moving to Ireland.

I took over at Derry City after they had just been relegated and managed a mediocre midtable finish after taking over halfway through the season. The board were very unhappy and my job was insecure but I managed to ride it out over the summer and the next year won promotion.

I didn't hang around, instead choosing to move to Germany. I took over Kaiserslauten and managed to get them promoted at the first time of asking. I had made it to a top flight league!

However, then Ghana came calling. I took over just before the African Nations tournament. I didn't expect to do much in it and an early defeat by Nigeria in the group stages had me feeling that the tournament was going to be a total disaster. However, the team got better and better as the tournament progressed and got to the final! In the final, we faced Nigeria again and this time got our revenge for the group stage defeat. We beat them 1-0 in a really tight game to win the tournament. My career had really taken off now!

Unfortunately, things went downhill from here. I failed miserably in my World Cup qualification bid with Ghana. I ended up resigning after an embarrassing set of results.

After this, I was looking for a move to Italy or England but I got knocked back by most of the clubs I was interested in. So, I headed back to Germany and took over at Leverkusen. I had a poor start there, failing to get the best out of a young team who just wouldn't gel, and I ended up in the lower half of the table. My job became really insecure and, having lost the magic, I resigned as manager.

I didn't carry on the career but I do still have the save. It was a good fun, with plenty of ups and downs. I do regret that I didn't have any success in the top flight of a big European league. I did plan to manage in Italy for a few years before returning to England. After winning all of the trophies I wanted to win, I wanted to return to where it all began (i.e. St. Albans City). But, alas, it never happened.

Good fun though. A journeyman career can be really rewarding.

Regards,

C.

I had never started unemployed until I bought FM09 and I gave it a go this time. Love it. Deffo do it. I set leagues in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Turkey and set my rep to International player. I applied for a few jobs and eventually was offered the post at Denizlispor in Turkey, which I took in Feb first season. We werent too good but managed to finish 12th out of 18 in the first season - we were 15th when I took over. Second season, we just flew and won the Turkish Premier Division by 1 point from Galatasaray after losing just 1 league game. I am now a world class manager and the club's stature is growing. I have been offered posts at Gladbach, Parma and Werder Bremen but turned them all down!! Holding out for Fergie's job when he retires in 2011!! In my current season (2010-11), we are doing well so far but only in October. Good stuff.

I did one in 07, started in Sweden's 2nd Division, then resigned because I got frustrated, moved to Germany and joined the bottom club in RDN, they got relegated, then I moved to Spain, they got relegated too. Same story in Turkey before moving to Verl, again in Germany's RDN. This time I got them up to the 1. Bundesliga, won the cup, but ended up getting sacked for an ill-timed ultimatum. Then Malmo FF took me on, won the Swedish League a few times (A 34 year old Bianchi got about 40 goals in a season for me ) but we just couldn't progress much in Europe because our best players kept getting sold. I gave up on that save because of that iirc.

My current game I started unemployed and took over Senegal and won the African Nations cup. During that time I was offered some lower league clubs but I was enjoying the international game the big club I wanted to take over, Wolves hired Neil Warnock the first time I applied. Then at Christmas in 2009 Wolves were 19th in the campionship and they fired Warnock, and I applied again and began my club career with Wolves while remaining as Senegal manager. brought Wolves back to 8th that season and then took Senegal to the world Cup and got into the quaterfinals and lost to spain. Resigned so I could concentrate on Wolves and we then won the championship the following season 9 points clear and we are about to begin our first season back in the top flight in 2011/2012.

I've always wanted to but can never find the motivation...

Heh, the memories xDD on Fm 07

First a long, sucessful time on Panathinakos (was surprised they picked me XD), then Lazio (not very sucessful there =( ) then Everton (where I did quite nice =) ), then a record 12-day stay at Newcastle, then back to Italy at Juventus, then At.Madrid, which turned into best-club-ever under my management

Good times ^^

I very rarely start a game any other way. My current game is with Dorchester Town after starting unemployed, my goal is always to reach a club capable of winning the English Premier and Champions League. My first big journeyman career saw me eventually take charge of Portsmouth in the Championship, after promotion I was offered the England job without ever managing in the top flight.

I think this is what's missing from my FM career(s) - starting out as a nobody and working my way up. I normally start at the top and work my way down

I started unemployed and was very unsuccesful with Carrara Kicks (or whatever the name is), in South Africa. Went on to Sweden with Mariehem, and 18 years later we're now in the Euro League. Although we we were completely demolished by Rangers in the last qualifying round

yep i've done it. Became St pauli manager. Won everything, moved to Everton (i support them) won everything with them. Was England manager then jumped from club to club because i got bored.