Time out between seasons

I've never met another FMer who does this, so I wonder if there's anyone else out there who does this? I tend to play FM at quite a slow pace, it will take me 2-2.5 months to complete a season based on looking at the dates of my save games. Once I finish a season, i.e. all my fixtures are over and all the other major club competitions are done and dusted, I like to have a bit of a break between seasons to reflect on the achievements of last season, what went right, what went wrong, who should come in/go out etc. To this end I tend to force myself not to play for at least an entire day. I've tried steaming straight into another season once before and found it all merged into one and I lost focus quite quickly. Anyone else do anything similar or have any other rituals like this?

I tend to do something similar actually. I too find that continuation seems to cause me to miss things or make errors, ie: bad signings. I stop playing and come back to it as if it were a new game, new season and need to sort things and check everything out and sort it for the season, otherwise like you, I plow into the next season and and it turns into one, where errors become apparent and become quite annoying. A break is good to help re-focus for sure.

interesting thread when playing i do the exact opposite to you guys and just on playing through like most people do. Also i find my signings are good and do the job that i bought them for. I occasionally sign a hot prospect who i think will be an extremely good player and they turn out the exact opposite but thats just part of the game.

No.

Every so often - especially after a draw or loss - I stop and reflect on my squad. Specifically in what my weaknesses and strengths are. If I need a signing, I consider "tapping" him up. If I want to get rid of a player I would consider playing him less or more depending on the interest potential generatable.

The point is by the time the first of June comes I have a crystal idea of who is in my plans, who are tentative, who are on borrowed time. The same is true on staff who get worse (You did know that staff get worse before they retire right?).

Look at his example:

You made a bid for a Forward in September to join your team at the end of the season. This is 10 full months away. One of your current forward is ageing and currently has 2 years left on his contract; this forward would have one year left next year. Your plan is to sell this forward (to re-coup) on transfer fees at the end of the year - just as your new Forward joins the club.

What you have done is given your squad time to "get over" the loss of a faithful team mate. You've given your new Forward 3 healthy months to adjust to his new surroundings before the new season begins. You did not have to worry about having two many players "itching" to play for the same position.

In addition, you save on transfer fees and wages. As this new forward plays games, he would grow, his performances would in turn increase, which would in turn increase interest, which would in turn increase his value, which would in turn increase his value to the club because of fan interest, which would in turn increase his his affection for the club, which would in turn increase his wage demands should he leave... presuming his agent isnt a complete "a hole" and insists that the only club his client would join is his favourite club... sigh!

There is nothing wrong with taking out time to plan, there is a problem in thinking that planning stops, it only pauses.

I tend to consciously slow my play right down at three points: (1) right after the last game before the winter break, when I want to make sure there are no contract expiries I am going to miss out on, and I want to do some intensive training; (2) right after the last game of the season, when there are so many transfer possibilities, contract negotiations, etc. to be addressed that rushing might cause me to miss something, and (3) at any stage where my current set-up is clearly not working and I need to rethink my tactics, my personnel, my motivation methods, or all three.

I don't take a break, though. Just try to think of any excuse, however small, not to click 'Continue'.

I normally tend to take a break between seasons because I've found that if I try and play through straight away I tend to rush through and end up panic buying players that aren't good enough or don't fit into my team.

The point is by the time the first of June comes I have a crystal idea of who is in my plans, who are tentative, who are on borrowed time. The same is true on staff who get worse (You did know that staff get worse before they retire right?).

Look at his example:

You made a bid for a Forward in September to join your team at the end of the season. This is 10 full months away. One of your current forward is ageing and currently has 2 years left on his contract; this forward would have one year left next year. Your plan is to sell this forward (to re-coup) on transfer fees at the end of the year - just as your new Forward joins the club.

What you have done is given your squad time to "get over" the loss of a faithful team mate. You've given your new Forward 3 healthy months to adjust to his new surroundings before the new season begins. You did not have to worry about having two many players "itching" to play for the same position.

In addition, you save on transfer fees and wages. As this new forward plays games, he would grow, his performances would in turn increase, which would in turn increase interest, which would in turn increase his value, which would in turn increase his value to the club because of fan interest, which would in turn increase his his affection for the club, which would in turn increase his wage demands should he leave... presuming his agent isnt a complete "a hole" and insists that the only club his client would join is his favourite club... sigh!

There is nothing wrong with taking out time to plan, there is a problem in thinking that planning stops, it only pauses.

You sign players an entire 10 months in advance?! There's planning and then there's too much planning - anything could happen in that time. He could get a serious injury, his form could nose dive, he could train poorly and his stats don't develop/drop. I never sign anybody more than one transfer window ahead of when I want them to join the club, that just seems crazy.

If I make my decisions there and then based largely on what just happened I might still be caught up in the end result of the season, be it relegation, winning trophies or middling seasons. Of course I have a fair idea of what will happen to my squad, but I find a bit of emotional detachment from the events of the last season helps me make better decisions in grey areas. It's also good to stop and enjoy achievements rather than just picking up yet another trophy, it allows me to build up a sense of hunger to win more next season too.