Players on a hattrick and other small features

One of the things I've really liked with CM/FM throughout the years is that even after playing the game for many months and hundreds of hours, you still come across some new little feature you haven't seen before.

In my case that happened in a league game I just played with my Grosseto side away to Bari. In the 4th minute my star midfielder and captain Dario Chimini scores from the penalty spot. In the 8th minute Chimini swings in a corner for central defender Michel Filipponi to score. Then in the 30th minute Filipponi pops up again from a Chimini free kick to make it 3-0. So far nothing out of the ordinary.

The interesting thing comes in the 53rd minute when I get awarded yet another penalty. Chimini takes the ball and walks towards the spot, but then leaves it there and walks away, allowing Filipponi to take the penalty and score from it and get his hat-trick.

Probably old news to many of you, but this is the first time I've noticed and I thought it was a really neat touch.

Feel free to share other little things like this

Old yes, and it can be very annoying.

It's only a nice touch when the player scores, when you see your lumbering CB stepping up to take the penalty by virtue of having two crosses bounce of him into the opponents net it is certainly not a nice touch.

IMHO it should be restricted to attacking players who have a reasonable talent for taking penalties, in the case of defensive players it should only be used when the result is beyond doubt (ie last minute or more than 5 goals in front).

As for other features I smiled the first time I saw my players go to the away end & applaud our travelling support.

I agree with Barside, although this is how I say it should be decided...

If your player who is on a hatrick chance is on your list of taking penalties, he may take the penalty. If he's not, then it should be down to first choice penalty taker.

I think it's a nice touch, especially since in most of the games in which I've had players on a hat-trick it has been either:

a) A striker or attacking player with the goals, and thus not a problem that they take the penalty as they have at least some aptitude

b) I am already in a good position due to previous goals and so it isnt imperative that the penalty is scored.

But i can see how it could be annoying. Perhaps you could clarify it to the team in tactics, or fine players after the match for disobeying your explicit instructions?

Ugh I was 3-2 down in an FA cup semi-final against Tottenham and my CB who had scored once from a corner and once from a free kick came up for a penalty. I was fuming, my striker never misses 7/7 in the season.

Anyway my CB penalty taking 5, composure 14, finishing 4. Steps up and... SKIED. Ramos style.

Ironically the 87th minute equaliser for 3-3 completed his hat-trick getting on the end of a deep free-kick.

We won in extra time (He didn't get a fourth).

But still. ANNOYANCE. At least I could have an option to let him or not.

You shouldn't have an option to allow him or not, managers don't in real life. If Frank Lampard decides to let David Luiz take a penalty to get his hat trick, there's nothing Chelsea's boss can do about it at that time.

Probably old news to many of you, but this is the first time I've noticed and I thought it was a really neat touch.

I don't like it - I want my penalty taker to take my penalties. Not some Tom Noddy fullback with a penalty stat of 6 who just happens to have scored two freekicks earlier in the game.

Good penalty takers can miss, and bad penalty takers can score them. As a result, I'm more than happy to let the guy on a hat trick take the penalty - he's often won the game for me by then anyway.

Eh I'm positive I've seen it overruled by the captain when the scores were tied or close (i.e. 2-1). Which, is good because I don't care who is on a hattrick when that scoreline is on the board, I want my main penalty taker to whack it in.