No matter what

Lets face it in football manager no matter what you will win everything, even if you was lets say brentford football manager. In my view does get easy most of the time, i was fulham i won the prem within 5 seasons, the fa cup, league cup. I mean im a fulham fan but i will also say winning the prem is abit over the top anless a billionaire came in and brought us, and said heres 300 million buy who you want just win us the premiership. But i think fm needs to be more realistic, more harder, where fighting to stay up and stay up, at the end of it is just as good a feeling then winning it. if that made sense hahaha. probley in my lifetime fulham will never win the league its very slim and it should be like that in the game!!!

At the risk of being called a "prat" (See the now defunct Meathead and Meathead II threads) - that post took me ten times longer to read than if Mr Barrs had used some commas and full stops!

I'm still not even sure if I understand it!

I see your point Barrs, but some people find the game too hard! Should it be made easier for them?

It's impossible to find a balance that pleases everyone.

In a way i agree... but then what would be the point of playing?! ALthough there are a lot of people who struggle... me for one.. only won the league and champs league in first season with real madrid and FA cup with spurs in 2nd season... only trophies ive won on 09 lol

i just think it needs to be harder, if i got the fulham job 2mora i would be in a right 2 an 8 with the team,samuel what are you talking about???

i just think it needs to be harder, if i got the fulham job 2mora i would be in a right 2 an 8 with the team,samuel what are you talking about???

Your OP was a bit hard to rid. It was a bit like a wall of text, and when it's written like that most people won't even respond. You should just structure it a bit better.

I'm not being ignorant, I'm just trying to help.

i just think it needs to be harder, if i got the fulham job 2mora i would be in a right 2 an 8 with the team,samuel what are you talking about???

Yeah sorry Barrs, wasn't trying to be too critical but a bit of punctuation goes a long way to help other forum users understand the point you are making. You'll usually get a lot more discussion and feedback to your post too.

I'm sorry it sounds so pedantic.

Being a Fulham fan myself, and always playing as Fulham in FM I don't think I agree with you Barrs.

We finished 7th last year, part luck I'll admit but also down to great squad mentality and a solid defence and home record that gave the team confidence, plus an absolute genius of a manager. Granted, we may never win the league, but that goes for any team outside Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea (Sorry Arsenal fans).

I don't think it to easy at all to beat. I've had some great success, and I've had some pretty shocking results. For me it's all about how you build and manage your squad, and how you set out your tactics. Get it right and you'll have success (just like us beating Man Utd 2-0 at home last year), get it wrong and you'll soon be embarrassed (Wolves away this year springs to mind).

Plus it's a game, and I doubt anyone would continue to buy it each year if the only success you could have was if you choose one of those three team when beginning a new game.

It is pretty easy if you know what you're doing/how to find good players and the right time to buy and sell. In FM09 as Middlesbrough, I won the league in my 2nd season, then won the next 8, so 9 in a row, factor in 5 Champions Leagues and numerous F.A and League Cups...

samuel no problem, an cheers! haha, fulham mic i understand what your saying about the last bit, about people won't buy it but i think it needs to be much more realistic!

I agree with Wee Aja in terms of the difficulty because its hard to get a balance. Some people think it is too hard and others too easy. But don't forget if your in your 5th season then maybe you have started recently in real life. I.e. you have more experience with FM09, you know who the best players are and especially the players that turn out to be gems, and you've got used to training and tactics etc. I would like to think the more I play FM09 the more I improve. (or so I hope!)

But like in real life it would be boaring if you were a random club in the blue square north division and has no realistic prospects of getting promoted, not year after year but gradually advancing through the leagues, but this is possible in FM but I would certainly not say that it is easy to get instant success, its more of a gradual process.

just make it harder

just make it harder

Manage a Blue Square team, then you'll see how hard things can be!

i have, i won the league first season, then the play offs to league 1, then gave up and i can prove it

How about different levels of difficulty: default, hard, extreme, practically impossible. This would keep the challenge.

Try a lower league game and your game will become really hard all of a sudden

When you loose a game don't reload and play again

I would say that 5 seasons to win prem with a mid ranking Prem Team is a good level of difficulty for the game, or indeed any game. I think a lot of players may be put off the game if they knew it was impossible eg to win the prem with Fulham in less that 6 seasons. I agree with you that may be unrealistic although I cling to the dream that Al Fayed backs them if they look like making the top 4 on merit.

Not in lan. I play with 5 other friends here and we all choose teams from the same league. It is very hard to even challenge for the title let alone winning it. For example, we all chose Seria A (Fiorentina, Udinese, Ac Milan, Juve, Roma and Napoli). Juve got it the first season and normally the top 4 clubs were Juve, Inter, Ac and Roma. 2nd Season Napoli and Udinese climbed up to top 4 knocking Roma and Inter out of the Champions league spot while Fiorentina getting the trophy. It's much more fun in lan and online.

How about different levels of difficulty: default, hard, extreme, practically impossible. This would keep the challenge.

FM already IS practically impossible

Barrs - out of curiosity do you use the player search function?

The reason I ask is I used to find previous CM/FMs too easy - I used to set up my favourite tactic and search around for players I could realistically buy and I found I could achieve success quickly and easily.

However, now I tend to follow some simple rules such as not using the search function and relying on my scouts, always using FOW etc. A certain level of success can still be attained but it does tend to take longer and feels more earned.

Otherwise, what do you think could be done to make things more difficult?

At the risk of being called a "prat" (See the now defunct Meathead and Meathead II threads) - that post took me ten times longer to read than if Mr Barrs had used some commas and full stops!

I'm still not even sure if I understand it!

I got that a bit too! Lack of full stops!

I started a new save with Fulham (with weegie update) as an obscure manager. What a load of rubbish they are when you start!! No wonder the real team only has 7 points from 7 games. Certainly not a top half team in the game even though that's the expectation. As some have said, they massively overachieved last season. Had to bring in some other players fast but it's not going to work and I'm bottom and will get sacked shorty. It's always tough when you start because there's not that many free signings and your potential signings haven't had an in game track record. Flippin' Fulham!!

I started a new save with Fulham (with weegie update) as an obscure manager. What a load of rubbish they are when you start!! No wonder the real team only has 7 points from 7 games. Certainly not a top half team in the game even though that's the expectation. As some have said, they massively overachieved last season. Had to bring in some other players fast but it's not going to work and I'm bottom and will get sacked shorty. It's always tough when you start because there's not that many free signings and your potential signings haven't had an in game track record. Flippin' Fulham!!

It'll probably be easier for 2010, as their stats have been properly updated by then.

As for the game being easy, that can't ever be avoided in a simulation if you're good at it. In sims, the only person who can make it harder is you. Don't buy the best players, don't use certain tactics. Because a simulator like FM takes the team and tactics and simulates a game between them. It doesn't matter how artificially difficult they make the game, when you in principle "break" it by signing players who'll be monsters 3 years ahead of time and set a winning tactic.

It's sort of like arguing that FIFA is easy because you've learned how to dribble around the players and how to shoot with the greatest accuracy. All you can do to be challenged in a sim you're good at, is either stop trying to do so well (ie. don't sign the best players) or by making it cheat. And having it cheat would result in you losing every time, so that doesn't seem viable. In essence, stop being good at FM!

Barrs - out of curiosity do you use the player search function?

The reason I ask is I used to find previous CM/FMs too easy - I used to set up my favourite tactic and search around for players I could realistically buy and I found I could achieve success quickly and easily.

However, now I tend to follow some simple rules such as not using the search function and relying on my scouts, always using FOW etc. A certain level of success can still be attained but it does tend to take longer and feels more earned.

Otherwise, what do you think could be done to make things more difficult?

I was going to make the same point: to give yourself more of a challenge you can set certain limitations on yourself. For a start make your job more realistic by banning the player search and use scouts to find players. FoW is a good suggestion too. Ensure you keep to realistic formations and tactics and avoid ME-exploiting ideas such as the infamous corner routine. Being a Premiership side, you probably know the player's abilities in real life, so avoid signing those players who you know are gods in FM but rubbish in real life (well, nothing as good as they are in the game) - players like Veloso and Love, Fazio and Breno. As Fulham, you could set a limit of say 15 million for your highest transfer.

Since you complain it's not realistic for Fulham to keep winning the EPL, constraints like these will make your game more realistic and probably as impossible to win the league as it is fo rthem in real life. Try it!

When you loose a game don't reload and play again

Ive only done that once

I think they could make the game harder, by only showing the ratings of world class players that people no of, for other players it shouldnt show all there ratings. maybe some that people are familier with i.e delap has a long throw and every one who watches football knows that, soo it should show that, but i think they should make it where you have to do top notch research on the player, like getting a scout out and searching a couple of times to know what he is actually good at. its just a thought, and sorry if the threaddidnt have fullstops and all the rest of it haha, Cheers people for your ideas .

Why would you want to play the game if there was a slim chance of being relatively successful? I understand and see your point but half of the fun in the game is taking your favorite club and making them the best club in the world. Why would you want to get rid of the fantasy for an Oxford Utd. fan getting the chance to get his club into the premier league?

Would you still buy the game and be happy if you took control of Bury and I after spending 10 years as manager and only got promoted to League 1, got relegated straight away and never got promoted again. It's like Rochdale irl who have spent the last 2 or 3 decades in League 2 ( and the old 3rd division). Would you honestly play the game if you knew you would most likely be stuck in the same low division for your whole career? where's the fun in that?

I think the game should be as real as possible, but in the end it's a video game and it's meant to be fun and entertaining for the player. No one would play it if it wasn't

Title pun intended?

FM is definitely not too easy. I haven't won many trophies. I have never won the Champions League (well the UEFA one anyways...). My best achievement in FM is winning the Eredivisie with PSV.

It's just right imo.

At the risk of being called a "prat" (See the now defunct Meathead and Meathead II threads) - that post took me ten times longer to read than if Mr Barrs had used some commas and full stops!

I'm still not even sure if I understand it!

stop acting like a gramma policeman its only a online forum not a freeking english test like wtf how can that annoy u so much lol

I'm in my 15th season with Villa and have never won a European Competition...

But I'd love it if the game got even harder...

Because I worked hard for my 3 league titles & 4 or 5 cups

looking back... I'm probabaly the least successful, successful manager ever

(Yes... It makes sense)

fm 2010 should be a bit harder and more realistic in fact clubs will now hotly pursue young up and coming wonderkids and future stars which should mean clubs will remain competitive and just as hard to beat as time goes on

Why would you want to play the game if there was a slim chance of being relatively successful? I understand and see your point but half of the fun in the game is taking your favorite club and making them the best club in the world. Why would you want to get rid of the fantasy for an Oxford Utd. fan getting the chance to get his club into the premier league?

Would you still buy the game and be happy if you took control of Bury and I after spending 10 years as manager and only got promoted to League 1, got relegated straight away and never got promoted again. It's like Rochdale irl who have spent the last 2 or 3 decades in League 2 ( and the old 3rd division). Would you honestly play the game if you knew you would most likely be stuck in the same low division for your whole career? where's the fun in that?

I think the game should be as real as possible, but in the end it's a video game and it's meant to be fun and entertaining for the player. No one would play it if it wasn't

Schweddy, I agree with your points. I would add that to manage a team for several seasons with no improvement (no promotion, only just meeting board expectations) CAN be "fun", it depends on how you want to play the game. It amazes me when posters say the game is "easy" or that they have not lost a match for serveral seasons. I have just sorted my tactics for FM09 (4 days before FM 10 is released - typical!) but I still lose matches sometimes.

I was going to make the same point: to give yourself more of a challenge you can set certain limitations on yourself.

The only FM game that I've found too easy was FM07 - and by setting some personal limitations I found that the game had a lot more mileage left in it.

I set myself a sliding scale nationality limit (forget 6+5, this was harsh!) so that by the end of the third season my Aston Villa side had to have 9 English players, 1 home nations player and 1 EU player maximum. If I had played into a 4th season the requirement was for a matchday squad to be made up entirely of English players. It was difficult but a lot of fun!

You could always try some of the challenges in the CSE forum too.

Why would you want to play the game if there was a slim chance of being relatively successful? I understand and see your point but half of the fun in the game is taking your favorite club and making them the best club in the world. Why would you want to get rid of the fantasy for an Oxford Utd. fan getting the chance to get his club into the premier league?

Would you still buy the game and be happy if you took control of Bury and I after spending 10 years as manager and only got promoted to League 1, got relegated straight away and never got promoted again. It's like Rochdale irl who have spent the last 2 or 3 decades in League 2 ( and the old 3rd division). Would you honestly play the game if you knew you would most likely be stuck in the same low division for your whole career? where's the fun in that?

I think the game should be as real as possible, but in the end it's a video game and it's meant to be fun and entertaining for the player. No one would play it if it wasn't

I do understand what your saying mate, but i just think they need to make it that touch harder, make it more involed with the day to day basis.

stop acting like a gramma policeman its only a online forum not a freeking english test like wtf how can that annoy u so much lol

A failure to use adequate punctuation makes a message that much more difficult to read. With that in mind, many posters will decide to not read it, or not comment even if they do read it.

I do understand what your saying mate, but i just think they need to make it that touch harder, make it more involed with the day to day basis.

I think the game is as hard and challenging as you make it. If you want to be basic and basically just press continue and play games, the game won't be very challenging. But if you set up tactics for every game, look at all the advice from your coaches, scout and look around for players, do research, manage your players, and just in general get involved with the game and making use of all the options, then the game will be more fun and challenging. There are a lot of options that are day-to-day already in the game, you just need to utilize them all. Yes the game doesn't incorperate everything that a real life manager does, but it's getting close. Personally I would like to see training become more in depth and have the user be more active it in.

Anyway, if the game still isn't enough, take control of a club that will be hard to be successful with. For some the game might be easy, and it may be down to the fact they are really good at the game, or they are playing with an easier team. But I think it is down to the player to make the game challenging or hard for himself. I understand you are frustrated because you want something that challenges you, but maybe look more into what the game already has and use it all making sure you get all what is available.

Someone mentioned knowing all the players and such makes the game easier. Just play with all fictional players as I do. It's a different experience all around.

Someone mentioned knowing all the players and such makes the game easier. Just play with all fictional players as I do. It's a different experience all around.

yep thats another way to make the game more challenging. good point

Not everything is 'perfect' in life, most people don't realise that these days.

Try being a club thats not in the top nations.

Or maybe dont buy all the best cheapest players listed in whatever part of the forum they're in? Or even dont buy the same great players you discovered in a different save.

edit: if you really want a challenge be a Northern Irish team, sure dominating Norn is easy, and even dominating the R Irish teams is doable within 10 seasons, but winning anything in Europe is probably the hardest challenge in the game (ive not even come close, my best result ever was a qualifier for the champs league against some Slovenians which we won). - Or dont do that, but the point is the game is very open-ended in terms of challenges.

At the risk of being called a "prat" (See the now defunct Meathead and Meathead II threads) - that post took me ten times longer to read than if Mr Barrs had used some commas and full stops!

I'm still not even sure if I understand it!

i counted 8 commas and 5 full stops, im confused?!

I took over Morecambe in the BSPL in FM09. The team went bankrupt a week later. Over a million in debt. There was no transfer budget. The wage total needed to be halved to just stay within budget (they had about 5 top players on £1000 a week which realistically all had to go) and so no signings were allowed at more than £90 a week - youth players basically. Also the club periodically released players without my say-so to reduce the wage bill.

I left the club soon after as it just wasn't much fun and relegation seemed inevitable if I was forced to get rid of the few key players but it was certainly a challenge. After I left I checked on their progress. They were about half way in the table but I'd noticed even more players had been released. They must have been using greys to get by.

Game doesn't seem too easy to me!!

Might be easy for those who like to reload games!!!!!

In my current FM09 game I have gone from Blue square north manager too premiership manager in 11 years at 3 different clubs without reloading any games.

Now I'm sure with a bit of luck and a bit more skill this could be done much faster (I lost two play off finals) but although unlikely this is certainly possible in real life for a manager ?

I think the fact is that if it was made harder (And I wouldn't think that was a bad idea) then alot of people would enjoy the game a lot less because lets face it most managers that start around the Blue square never make it that much higher , And I like realism so I start at the very bottom with a dream to get hold of rooney and walcott ect in there last days. As someone already stated it is very hard to please everyone and S.I would probably lose alot of customers if they struggled as much as most real life managers and couldn't ever get a team promoted.

In my current FM09 game I have gone from Blue square north manager too premiership manager in 11 years at 3 different clubs without reloading any games.

Now I'm sure with a bit of luck and a bit more skill this could be done much faster (I lost two play off finals) but although unlikely this is certainly possible in real life for a manager ?

I think the fact is that if it was made harder (And I wouldn't think that was a bad idea) then alot of people would enjoy the game a lot less because lets face it most managers that start around the Blue square never make it that much higher , And I like realism so I start at the very bottom with a dream to get hold of rooney and walcott ect in there last days. As someone already stated it is very hard to please everyone and S.I would probably lose alot of customers if they struggled as much as most real life managers and couldn't ever get a team promoted.

why cant they do modes, semi pro and have a mode called manager or somthing, its not hard.

why cant they do modes, semi pro and have a mode called manager or somthing, its not hard.

Because the game is meant to be a straight forward simulation of real life. Difficulty modes would mean that various events were "created" or "overlooked" to alter the effect of what the user does.

Difficulty levels would be a terrible step for the game. If you want a difficult challenge, take over Basingstoke Town and take them to the Champions League or try and win the World Cup with San Marino. There are countless scenarios, some true to life, some self imposed (see examples in the thread) which will set the level appropriate to you.

If that isn't enough for you then there's always the editor for shaking things up a bit. Take on a top team and saddle them with unmanageable debt. This is only off the top of my head but the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Because the game is meant to be a straight forward simulation of real life. Difficulty modes would mean that various events were "created" or "overlooked" to alter the effect of what the user does.

Difficulty levels would be a terrible step for the game. If you want a difficult challenge, take over Basingstoke Town and take them to the Champions League or try and win the World Cup with San Marino. There are countless scenarios, some true to life, some self imposed (see examples in the thread) which will set the level appropriate to you.

If that isn't enough for you then there's always the editor for shaking things up a bit. Take on a top team and saddle them with unmanageable debt. This is only off the top of my head but the possibilities are pretty much endless.

ok mate, i played fm 10 it looks much more better then 09, so hopfully it will be more harder