Ultimatums are useless

Does anyone else think that giving the manager the opportunity to give the board an ultimatum when it comes to a request is pointless. I have tried numerous times to give the board an ultimatum and each time I get sacked. Its not like im an out of favour manager, the board are delighted with me and Im listed on the clubs favoured personnel, I would like to see something implemented where they dont sack you but rather discuss it with you further until you reach an agreement. What do you guys think?

I agree. I heard that if you have a really good connection with the board, than your utimatum will work. But now when you said that they're delighted with you and that you're on club's Favoured Personnel list, I must say Ultimatums are useless (N) And watching videos from tonights blog, there was no improvment on this...

Like many features in the game, this one seems to be useless. If it can't be used constructively and only leads to destructive results, then remove the feature. Because everyone will find out quickly that it can only result in disaster, so no one will use it anyway.

I've succeeded with this once, but I had won everything for a very long time.

Well this is the thing that annoys me the most, ive taken my St Albans City team from the BSS league to the CCL1 and i still cant seem to get anything out of the board, in my opinion managers should be rewarded for their good performance and not treated like crap everytime they demand something.

You're not going to be successful with an ultimatum unless you've got serious weight behind you. I don't know what the exact type of criteria are, but if you've had sustained success over quite a few years, you will be in a much better bargaining position. If you've only got a few years management experience, then you'll just get sacked. That said, it would be useful to have some kind of indicator of how likley you are to succeed (i.e. something like an Assistant Manager comment saying you would be unwise to proceed as the board don't think well enough of you, although it's probably not ideal to have it coming from your AM, so maybe your agent or something?).

I could understand the board playing hardball when it comes to actual contract matters but surely their should be some give when it comes to ultimatums regarding team matters. As i said i dont mind if they dont accept my ultimatum but at least offer something different than getting sacked so we dont have to go back and reload our last game again.

Surely it is OUR ultimatum anyway? The board should not sack us, if they say no then fine we then resign or they call our bluffs? By us offering an ulitmatum we are saying "we will resign if you say no", not "sack me if you say no".

The Board sees it as causing Trouble and showing your disloyalty to the Club thats why you get the sack. Its them saying 'Oh your threatening to leave if i say no. Well let me help you there YOUR FIRED!'

I agree though that perhaps this should not always result in this default option. Perhaps the chairman could call your bluff and just say no again and see if you will actually leave

This is truly one of the most useless features in the game, I only really use it when I get ****ed off enough to have had enough. It just seems illogical though that after spending years with a team, having a financially sound club and winning trophy after trophy that your board will insta-sack you without thinking twice if you dare ask for more money...

An ultimatum is basically a threat to the board. The reason they take it so harshly is because it undermines their authority. You wouldn't go up to your boss and say "Give me a raise or else" unless you carry quite some clout.

Though I agree, there should be avenues where proper discussions with the board can be made, instead of issuing threats or ultimatums when we want something.

I agree though that perhaps this should not always result in this default option. Perhaps the chairman could call your bluff and just say no again and see if you will actually leave

Back in CM 01/02 this was possible, I remember playing a Lazio game and demanding more money for transfers, then issuing an ultimatum and the board refused but did not sack me.

Well, the way I see it is that the request feature is the proper "discussion" that you refer to (even though you're not technically discussing it) and if you issue an ultimatum then it has to be "either give me what I want or fire me". If they don't fire you after you issue an ultimatum (that is rejected obv.) then it's not really an ultimatum is it?

Also some requests are just impossible to meet, like a new stadium or a stadium expansion when there is no space for one. Things like improving youth academy are much more likely to be accepted, especially if you have a good balance.

Often you don't tend to get sacked the first time you try - I get something like 'willing to overlook your outburst' but warn me I'll be sacked next time.

It's never worked for me, despite success on the pitch for year on year.

The worst is when you ask for more money, and they say no because they havent seen a return on their investment (ignoring the fact that despite spending pennies, I am top of the EPL), and even then an ultimatum does not work.

I was wondering if this had been improved for FM10, have asked the question but as yet no answer. The video on the blog shows an ultimatum resulting in the sack. So I hope it doesn't mean the same thing will happen again whereby all ultimatums result int he sack.

It's a stupid feature. We should be able to persuade the board to release some funds or whatever instead of having to issue an ultimatum as a first resort which never works. I think it worked more on 07 and 08 for me but on 09 it is essentially useless. There should be far more interaction with the board. I'm sick of having to adjust my budget and all that rubbish. I can see there's money and I have some money coming in from structured payments yet I can't persuade my board to give me some money in light of this future income. Board interaction and player interaction are pitiful.

I was listed as a club legend and it still didn't work for me when I tried it, luckily I was experimenting so had saved it just before I tried.

You're listed in the club's favoured personnel? I've won virtually everything like 9 times each at Chelsea and have the stadium in my name, nowhere to be seen in the FP

It worked once for my mate, he was at his club for 20 years and needed a stadium expansion, got it with an ultimatum somehow.

You're listed in the club's favoured personnel? I've won virtually everything like 9 times each at Chelsea and have the stadium in my name, nowhere to be seen in the FP

It worked once for my mate, he was at his club for 20 years and needed a stadium expansion, got it with an ultimatum somehow.

Favoured Personnel is for peasants and unskilled managers, I sir am a Legend lol.

Will the ultimatum perhaps have something to do with the chairman's/rest of the board's patience stats? If it's a less patient board they'd be more inclined to fire you, but more patient boards might more often overlook or even give in for the ultimatum? I haven't done any experiments on it, but the thought has crossed my mind sometimes.

I've had an ultimatum be successful in the past.

I've had an ultimatum be successful in the past.

Clarify succesful. Is it that board overlooked your outburst, or did they cave in to your demands?

It does beggar belief that it has been kept in the game so long unchanged when it does sweet FA.

I managed to bankrupt at least 3 sides in one save game in CM01/02 by using this feature "successfully".

Ultimatums have never worked for me! I do not know why!!

Worked for me.... in FM05 while managing... Kidderminster (after winning everything with Chelsea )

Other than that... years and years in the same club (Benfica, Chelsea, AFC Wimbledon, etc...) and nothing..

IRL how often would a manager be able to hold his board to ransom?

Even if you'd been very successful for them, it's not like the squad you've assembled would leave with you. They could hope to attract a decent manager afterwards.

If they are refusing money to a successful manager that they trust, they probably think they have a very good reason for doing so. To get them to change their minds by what amounts to stamping your foot should be a very rare occurrence.

If you were really successful (Sir-Alex-esque success) then they'd reason with you instead of sacking you, I agree; but for most managers a relationship would not be salvageable after you've taken the nuclear option. That's why it's called an ultimatum - it's the FINAL option, not an everyday part of board negotiation.

Clarify succesful. Is it that board overlooked your outburst, or did they cave in to your demands?

They overlooked my outburst but then two days later another message said that due to overwhelming demands of the fans they were going to go ahead and expand the stadium anyway.

I had taken Billericay Town to the Premier League and had kept them there for three seasons. The ground had already increased from 3500 to 16,000 when this further increase put it to 21,500 (which is about half the population of the town).

I have to say i have never used this option on any version of the game CM/FM, simply becuse i have read there little joy in trying as 70% of the time you get the sack, 29.9% of the time they over look it and maybe 1% of the time you will get what you want.

(those figures may not be totally correct)

70% of statistics are made up.

I succeed only once with an ultimatum (More transfert cash), in FM05 or 06. And never succeeded after that.

the more you spend the more the board expect from you, if the club had loads of cash and you met there expectations from spending little then i think an ultimatum may or may not work.

Giving them an ultimatum, why moan if they say clear your desk? it's like telling your gf you dont want her and when she says ok you cry about it...

this feature used to occasionaly work. now it is impossible for it to work so it is a broken feature. might aswell take it out unless their gonna fix it.

It is better than the way it was in CM01/02. After finishing mid-table with Manchester United, I demanded more transfer funds but was turned down, then issued about 30 ultimatums until the board eventually caved and gave me more money.