Managing in Lower Rep Countries

hi guys, after 2 weeks without any FM at all, I am back into it thank god! I decided to start a new save, I wanted something different, something I have never done before, managing in a country I know very little-nothing about, In the end I just went for Santos, I don't know the Brazilian league very well but the things that tempted me were the amount of quality young players with high PA in Brazil and they have to stay in Brazil until they reach a certain age and of course Neymar

now I have started the save, I am thinking maybe Santos was the wrong way to go for what I wanted and am thinking about starting all over (again!) and maybe doing a different team in a country that I wouldn't even think of managing normally and also where I in the future could have many of my players in the nation team (Santos a little unlikely to have many players in the Brazil team

I am not asking for a suggestion of which team/country to manage in but I am asking if anyone here has managed or is managing in a country you knew nothing about when you started, what is it that made you choose that country and I also want to know if the save turned out to be fun or did it get boring

I'm managing a team in MLS at the moment. I certainly knew of the league but I didn't know all of its rules. I figured it would be a nice challenge, to learn the rules and play in a league that is different to the typical European leagues (Regular Season and Playoffs leading to the MLS Cup).

I am near the end of the first season (it is a multiplayer network game) and I am thoroughly enjoying it, I have a better understanding of the rules although I have yet to participate in my first SuperDraft.

I'm attempting to win the Champions Leagues in all 5 continents on my current save, so my first 2 clubs were Dynamos and Orlando Pirates in South Africa. It was surprisingly fun too, and so many of my Champions League winning side went on to have amazing careers in Europe later.

I later left for FC Seoul and managed to win the Club World Championship with them too, which was awesome.

If you wish to have a squad made of Internationals of that nation what about Russia?

If you wish to have a squad made of Internationals of that nation what about Russia?

thanks but I'm looking for a league I know nothing about outside of Europe, I know Russia too well, thanks though

The Indian League is awsome. Any players with attributes in double digits are gods!

What about Mexico then?

I found the Portuguese League interesting.

I recommand the Polish league, I have a thread on it on the main page here, check it out. Its quite challenging. If you want most of that challenge dont start with Legia, Lech or Wisla

Hungarian league. Besides regular league and fa cup, interesting DOMESTIC champions league format and a real fight to qualify for the group stages of european champions league and europa league.

Plenty of options. Starting in Belgium div2 and opening all English leagues to introduce yourself in England as a manager with an in game experience i guess

Slovakia is great fun. You got the tycoons, Slovan, always winning the championship. Then you got Zilina and Spartak Trnava competing for the second place. All the other teams compete to avoid relegation. I dunno if this is the exact situation at the start of the game, as I joined the league in 2016. But just so you figure it out, Slovan has a wage budget 3 times bigger than the second team, Spartak Trnava. Zilina has about the same as Spartak. All the other teams are very poor. So I suggest you pick a team that is not Slovan, Spartak or Zilina. Preferably in the Second League too.

What about Mexico then?

Go to China.

It's quite a bit of an unpredictable league as quite a few of them have money now, and only 4 of them go to the Champions League in Asia, or 3 and the Cup winner. Would definitely be worth a crack at in FM13 with the amount of well known players going there, and the likes of Shanghai Shenhua, Guangzhou Evergrande, Beijing Guo'an, Tianjin TEDA, Dalian Shide, and Henan Jianye all have the resources to get really good players, Chinese and foreign. I won the Club World Cup with Henan in FM11, one of the best moments I ever had in FM.

If you don't want to start in the top tier, the second tier Jia League has a couple good teams who can challenge for promotion in Chengdu Blades and Guangdong Rizhiquan.

I just started a new save in Tahiti, why? Because the winner of the league (as in New Caledonia) gets seated in the french cup. + i loaded the Faroe Islands as well.

I've decided to go to Malaysia, don't know anything about this league so it will be a challenge which I am certainly up for! I am doing Kuala Lumpur (the capital), they last won the league in 1988 and have been in the lower division occasionally through recent years, I have accidentally started the season in July and they only have 3 games left and Kuala Lumpur are already relegated, 13 points from safety

however I won my first game 3-2 at home to the team currently top of the league (the fans were only satisfied with this, only their 3rd win of the season!), the finances are good and we have a good transfer budget and wage budget, I am certainly going to try and get them back to the top league next season and then bring the top division title back to the capital!!

I finished my first season in Belgium, managing FCV Dender. The league is separared in 3 periods and the teams who win any of them secure a playoff position. I won 2nd period and overall i was first in the league during most of the season, fm is highly demanding in my opinion(i like this), so i ended up second and played the playoffs where i reloaded to use more tactical weapons and win them comfortably. The point is i opened around January all English leagues and at 24th of june they appeared. I moved forward and i found out that i can get offers fron blue square premier(for dovers and an other). I am thinking i should rebuild FCV Dender and challenge in Belgian super league while waiting for an offer of a bottom team in English league 2

a quick update if anyone is interested!! the season finished at the end of July and the new season didn't start till mid January which is a bit annoying, I decided to add new manager and be the England manager at the same time so I didn't get bored waiting, anyway, I am now in March, Kuala Lumpur are currently top of the league, the 2nd place team have a game in hand and are only 2 points behind us, its good fun, I'm enjoying it but I think I will only stay here one season.

there is a max of 3 foreign players in the starting 11 but there are not many Malaysian players about and you have to play at least 1 under 20 player at all times.

I will try to get them promoted, the season finishes in July, just in time for the new season in England so I may look for a new job in England then!

good fun though trying something else once in a while!!