Secrets to massive success in FM08

I have been fairly successful in bringing up lesser teams through the leagues, but some stories I read here at the forum (supported by screenshots) are simply amazing. I wonder what "secrets" are out there to achieve success like that. I know some of them myself but I'd like to hear more.

I don't care if your way of playing is realistic or could be considered cheating. I just want to know more ways to improve my game.

Here are some basic elements to success:

The corner bug - I personally don't use it, but I guess it can make tons of difference.

Acting on the transfer market. For most teams I have tried playing - I find it optimal to keep very few (sometimes none!) of the original squad. I know replacing the whole team is "unrealistic", but in order to get the best possible outcome, it is actually the most rational way to go in most cases.

Signing young players with high potential. This is my number one success factor. If I keep these players, they develop very well, and can typically follow the team as they advance up through the leagues. If you sell them you typically get so much money that you can afford equal or better replacements.

Training - Optimise your coaching staff and try to improve training facilities. Young, high potential players develop fast, and even faster if they get good training. They also need first team football, so I try not to sign anyone just to send them to reserves and keep them on the bench.

Knowledge of potential signings. Some real gems are actually willing to sign for you, even if they are filtered out by your assistant, and some might claim not to be interested when you win the bid for them, but will eventually sign after some negotiation.

Knowledge of who gets work permits and not. WP's are still a big mystery to me, but I have at least learned a few names of players that will actually get them.

When you sign young players with high potential, make sure they have at laest some quality already when you sign them. I find it very hard to get the potential out of players who are not very good at the start of the game.

Timing of signings. Some names that are mentioned on this forum are great signings, but only if you sign them at the right time. Because of their contracts, club situation et cetera, they are cheaper and/or more willing to sign for you at one point in time than another.

Those are my best ideas. Does anyone agree? What else can we add to the list?

I have been fairly successful in bringing up lesser teams through the leagues, but some stories I read here at the forum (supported by screenshots) are simply amazing. I wonder what "secrets" are out there to achieve success like that. I know some of them myself but I'd like to hear more.

I don't care if your way of playing is realistic or could be considered cheating. I just want to know more ways to improve my game.

Here are some basic elements to success:

The corner bug - I personally don't use it, but I guess it can make tons of difference.

Acting on the transfer market. For most teams I have tried playing - I find it optimal to keep very few (sometimes none!) of the original squad. I know replacing the whole team is "unrealistic", but in order to get the best possible outcome, it is actually the most rational way to go in most cases.

Signing young players with high potential. This is my number one success factor. If I keep these players, they develop very well, and can typically follow the team as they advance up through the leagues. If you sell them you typically get so much money that you can afford equal or better replacements.

Training - Optimise your coaching staff and try to improve training facilities. Young, high potential players develop fast, and even faster if they get good training. They also need first team football, so I try not to sign anyone just to send them to reserves and keep them on the bench.

Knowledge of potential signings. Some real gems are actually willing to sign for you, even if they are filtered out by your assistant, and some might claim not to be interested when you win the bid for them, but will eventually sign after some negotiation.

Knowledge of who gets work permits and not. WP's are still a big mystery to me, but I have at least learned a few names of players that will actually get them.

When you sign young players with high potential, make sure they have at laest some quality already when you sign them. I find it very hard to get the potential out of players who are not very good at the start of the game.

Timing of signings. Some names that are mentioned on this forum are great signings, but only if you sign them at the right time. Because of their contracts, club situation et cetera, they are cheaper and/or more willing to sign for you at one point in time than another.

Those are my best ideas. Does anyone agree? What else can we add to the list?

i know its not a secret, but not manay managers do it, 9 times out of 10 a season for me turns out really well regardless if im Arsenal or Brighton.

I never play players thats are under 95% fitness, even my greatest players, i noticed in previous games that the players that come in now and again do much better than a superstar that starts at 90%, i usally put them on the bench and put them on at 70 mins, as thier quite fresh (90%) they do fine, and when the final whistle blows thier back at 88-90% again and ready to be fully fit again for next match, excluding my keeper, the max games a player has played for me in a season is 40, including cups, champs league ect ect.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I never play players thats are under 95% fitness, even my greatest players, i noticed in previous games that the players that come in now and again do much better than a superstar that starts at 90%, i usally put them on the bench and put them on at 70 mins, as thier quite fresh (90%) they do fine, and when the final whistle blows thier back at 88-90% again and ready to be fully fit again for next match, excluding my keeper, the max games a player has played for me in a season is 40, including cups, champs league ect ect. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do exactly the same.

Tactics - I always change them slightly before kick-off during team talk - to confuse the AI. Often pick my fast striker, target man or AM in wrong positions then swap them to right positions just before kick-off.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mr Ash:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I never play players thats are under 95% fitness, even my greatest players, i noticed in previous games that the players that come in now and again do much better than a superstar that starts at 90%, i usally put them on the bench and put them on at 70 mins, as thier quite fresh (90%) they do fine, and when the final whistle blows thier back at 88-90% again and ready to be fully fit again for next match, excluding my keeper, the max games a player has played for me in a season is 40, including cups, champs league ect ect. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do exactly the same.

Tactics - I always change them slightly before kick-off during team talk - to confuse the AI. Often pick my fast striker, target man or AM in wrong positions then swap them to right positions just before kick-off. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Interesting. Do you put them in the wrong position at "submit team"? And when do you switch back? A few seconds into the game? How do you know whether it is useful or not?

Nice tip about the fitness. Can't do it in my game though where i am playing without signing any players, just nurturing youth and what i've got. Hence the 2nd X11 are mainly tripe.

Wrong position before match day then switch during the team talk phase

***Commenting to make my mark on the post. Will read this when I get home from work.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mr Ash:

Wrong position before match day then switch during the team talk phase </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I see. But again: does it make any real difference, and how do you notice the difference? I would see the use of it IRL, but does the AI engine really adjust anything based on which player you submit for each position?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Burscoughnian:

***Commenting to make my mark on the post. Will read this when I get home from work. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Why bother commenting ? Almost as pointless as commenting why bother commenting!

I forgot to mention another "secret". I typically include another league than my own which has an earlier starting date. This way I have more time to complete the rebuilding of my squad.

I forgot to mention another "secret". I typically include another league than my own which has an earlier starting date. This way I have more time to complete the rebuilding of my squad.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Burscoughnian:

***Commenting to make my mark on the post. Will read this when I get home from work. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The correct term is "bookmarked"

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Spanky:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Burscoughnian:

***Commenting to make my mark on the post. Will read this when I get home from work. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The correct term is "bookmarked" </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yet another secret is to load players from certain nations. BUT NOT SOME NATIONS (important): I have some key players that I really need. And if I load all players from their nation, they suddenly become much more expensive to sign than if I don't load all players. It is usually the Wonderkid-type players that are affected, while some lesser players may sometimes be cheaper if all players are loaded from their nation.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by skogmantore:

I forgot to mention another "secret". I typically include another league than my own which has an earlier starting date. This way I have more time to complete the rebuilding of my squad. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Won't it ruin your finances though? You'll still be paying wages without getting any revenue

Not unknown but signing players for free in January or the summer transfer window, then selling them on for as much as you can, usually I'll make around £50m minimum doing this, most I mad was £140m but that was a lot of topplayers that could of been in first team if I wanted them too.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by liam_everton89:

Not unknown but signing players for free in January or the summer transfer window, then selling them on for as much as you can, usually I'll make around £50m minimum doing this, most I mad was £140m but that was a lot of topplayers that could of been in first team if I wanted them too. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good one. It goes a bit on the "unrealistic" side, but it's definately a way to make some extra money.

another tip for you is when you pick your nationality say English make sure your 2nd pick for nationality is say Romania because we all know in fm08 they got some great players then load all the Romania players because its your 2nd natality you start with knowledge of Romania when you do your player sort plus they more likely to come to a fellow country man

Somebody metioned about putting one of their players in the wrong position, then changing him back to his correct one before the game starts to confuse the opponents

would that actually work or is it something that the computer would just automatically change to understand?

What i like to do when i get to the premier league is steal youngsters from other teams. On the day you receive new players i go to every premier league team and check their transfers/promoted youth players and sign everyone my assman thinks is a good player (when you have a good team scouting assessments get totally messed up and this is the best rating any player can receive). Its important to offer them a bigger wage than what they want or else they will just sign with their team.