Second Season Expectations

I have not received the game yet due to Zavvi using Royal Mail during the postal strike but I did have a question about the new game.

I never usually have the problems that the rest of you have with the game and I am a pretty laid back gamer and so I am not that concerned with match engines etc (wouldnt even know what to look for if I am honest).

The one thing I have had issues with is that at the end of the first season and subsequent seasons, everything seems to reset in terms of expectations, the board remembering how good or bad you did last season etc.

What has happened for people who have started their second seasons or beyond?

Does the board and fans now take into account the past excellence or downfalls?

The reason I am asking is that I am struggling to understand how, as a player of the game, I could ever be the 'Alex Ferguson of my team' without the historical events being remembered. I have never felt the need to stay at one club because there is no reward. I can understand the fans not being happy after a long run of defeats etc, I have no complaints about that. It is just how I win a league and everyone is happy and then the start of the season I am back to square one, or so it seems.

Thank you for your responses.

I also have not got the game yet (zavvi) so can not comment on your question but just wanted to expand on it.

One thing that has annoyed me for years is the yearly expectations just being purely based on your last season. For example:

If I am promoted from the championship to the premiership one year, the expectations would usually be to try and avoid relegation or similar. Now if my team plays above expectations and somehow manages to get into the Europa league; by pure good luck more than anything and depsite not really having a good enough team on paper. The next years expectations are then to qualify for Europe as a the minimum option. This annoys me and although I am aware that it is all linked to reputation it just seems a bit unrealistic.

If for example Hull last year maintained their early season good form throughout and managed to scrape into a finishing position where they qualify for Europe, would I not be wrong in thinking that this season they would still primarily be aiming to avoid relegation (despite their better thanexpected previous season) ?

I just wish this could be replicated in the game as the over-ambition of the board based on one perhaps flukey/lucky season performance seems a tad unrealistic and is something that has bothered me for a while with FM.

Good point, and maybe this has been added into the game.

Anyone out there finished their first season, and give any feedback on what they have seen on this side of things?

I could not agree more with the first two posts;

1) Team and fans royality should not be resetted. I know that they have introduced last year an item called team statue in confidence screen but it could have even stronger impact.

2) Season expectations should not make massive changes in short time. Seasonal peaks and drops should have less effects. Just for this reason I sometimes prefer to lose last couple matches of the season if I have no way of Euro promotion or relegation risk, because basically falling couple of positions down on the table makes it likely for the chairman to demand less next year.

One other addition to confidence feature from FM09 is with signings; I think it is good that such thing is added to list but then again it is irrelevant to be blamed for not playing my new 17 year old prospect or a free transfer player who was signed as a backup in case of injuries and such. It should take team status into consideration.

Another good point. I think we can gather from this that what we three really want to know is if the everything within the confidence tab has now been refined and a bit more intelligence applied to the fans and board.

Anyone able to comment yet?

Has anyone got any comments for this yet please. I am really interested on what people have seen on this side of thing.

i'm guessing it depends on club/chairman

i'm at leeds under ken bates and i was straight up expected to win league 1 the first year, which i did

2nd year i was expecting a top half finish straight away

no real complaint

No eddi I understand that side of things. What I am concerned with is how in previous editions of FM it seemed that they would forget your past glories or failures and it would be, in essence, like you was starting the game from the start again.

For example. If someone takes over Manchester United after Alex Ferguson leaves then they will never be given the time that Alex would be given if they went on a bad run, based on the fact that Alex Ferguson had done so much for the club. In previous versions I could have had 10 years success and then a few bad games and I would be out.

I want to know if that is now included that they remember what has happened before.

i'm pretty sure that's what the job security feature is about

Is there a new feature this year? Or is that the same Job Security thing thats been in for a while. If so then that is where the problem is I think.

Maybe I am not explaining myself correctly.

nah i just didn't know how far back you were going

the simple fact is that i can only think of 3 managers in the prem that could survive a major dip in form

wenger, moyes, ferguson

maybe o'neill but not sure due to american owner

exactly...but imagine if we (in the game) have the success of any of those managers, or take a club from lower leagues to champions league. In previous versions (including fm09) it did not matter how much success you had. All the confidence bars seem to reset and all past achievements forgotten.

You never really get to become legendary like wenger, moyes or ferguson. That was a problem for me and several other people I remeber reading about, and that is what I want to know about in the new version.

ah

well on my leeds game, bates started the 2nd season delighted with me after first year promotion

(if that's what you're asking)

and where was all your confidence bars set? Was your job security at the average setting still or was you very safe (or whatever the very safe setting is called)

i haven't checked tbh

i'll check in an hour or so for you when i'm back from work :-)

It seems that what we are all asking for here is a ruling from SI on the interpretation of this as it relates to the game. Does the AI allow for us to have a 'string of success' or will it be virtually reset after each season with the 'win or you're out' garb?

in defence of SI, most managers have that kind of pressure

brown took hull to the prem and kept them up but looks like he's going to get sacked now

zola won't last long at west ham (which is a joke when you look at their team, he did an amazing job last year)

I just got promoted from Blue Square and the board expect me to win League 2 after going straight up!

oh of course I am not saying SI have done anything wrong on that front, far from it I think.

We all know that football fans have short memories and boards care about business and success. But for longer term games it feels (for me at least) a little less rewarding knowing that it does not matter what we do for long term games.

i believe the answer is just not to fcuk up :-P