Why am I so bad at Football Manager

Okay I read these forums... I hear of people who drag there team up through the divisions and onto glory beyond my comprehension... Leaves me to think though - why am I so bad at Football Manager?

Okay let me start off by saying I'm not a lunatic who's playing 2-3-5 or some stupid formation... Normally I play a 4-4-2 with solid defenders, two wingers and an attacking and defensive midfielder. I also aim to have a pacey striker and another striker who's good in the air.

Despite this I continually under achieve and the reason I write this thread is that Man City have just sacked me in October whilst sitting 12th in the league

Here's a few questions I would appreciate answered:

1. I watch matches in text only because I don't get a whole load of time to play the game... is this affecting me?

2. I don't take any interest in training? Is this really bad?

3. I don't use any scouts like Genie people talk about... Am I stupid?

4. Who should I manage to give myself a little confidence booster!

Thank you...

Signed: The Les Reed of Football Manager.

As for question one, I believe it has no baring on your side's performance. I think it's safe to assume dabbling in the training would aid your players but of course success is possible when leaving this to your assistant. Scouts widen the search for players and unless you're playing LLM they're best used to asses players you've already earmarked as potential signings, you don't need to use them in much detail and they don't take up too much time.

Okay I read these forums... I hear of people who drag there team up through the divisions and onto glory beyond my comprehension... Leaves me to think though - why am I so bad at Football Manager?

Okay let me start off by saying I'm not a lunatic who's playing 2-3-5 or some stupid formation... Normally I play a 4-4-2 with solid defenders, two wingers and an attacking and defensive midfielder. I also aim to have a pacey striker and another striker who's good in the air.

Despite this I continually under achieve and the reason I write this thread is that Man City have just sacked me in October whilst sitting 12th in the league

Here's a few questions I would appreciate answered:

1. I watch matches in text only because I don't get a whole load of time to play the game... is this affecting me?

2. I don't take any interest in training? Is this really bad?

3. I don't use any scouts like Genie people talk about... Am I stupid?

4. Who should I manage to give myself a little confidence booster!

Thank you...

Signed: The Les Reed of Football Manager.

1. doesnt make any difference to the result

2. tweaking it will improve attributes over time but wont make a short term difference

3. lots of others are succesful without using the "cheat " programs

4. one of the top teams in either England, Italy or Spain

5. read some of the tactical threads in the Tactics forum

1. doesnt make any difference to the result

2. tweaking it will improve attributes over time but wont make a short term difference

3. lots of others are succesful without using the "cheat " programs

4. one of the top teams in either England, Italy or Spain

5. read some of the tactical threads in the Tactics forum

Cheers mate...

I feel like it's 'cheating' nicking someone else's tactic but I think it's the route I have to go down as I enjoy the game but don't enjoy getting pumped all the time!

I started a game as Feyenoord last night and won all my pre-season matches then got hammered 4-1 by PSV in the Johan Cruyff Shield!!!

Think I might bite the bullet and go Man Utd... surely I can't make a balls of that... surely?

McGeady10, every one sucked FM at some point hell I went my first 3 seasons with Arsenal trophyless. I couldn't keep them consistent and was doubting my abilities. It is not only you.

That being said, you are not gonna have much success if you just keep clicking the continiue button I can guarantee you. What you need to do is assess your team. That's all it takes to go from underachiever to overachiever.

The biggest task in FM is getting the right players for your team. You are not gonna win the league with Derby kinda players. Thats for sure. Look through your players and see which ones are the best and the worst. Compare your players to the teams that are expecting to be equal to you. Then buy the players you need the most. If you think your defence lacks pace then go ahead and buy pacey defender but don't ignore the other vital stats for a defender.

The second one is getting the tactics right. I will you in FM 08 there is no BEST formation that would win you trophy after another for every team. There is no reason to play with very attacking tactic when your team mostly contains defenders and defensive midfielders. Make use of the players at disposal if you can not afford to buy the ones you want. There are thousands of tactics downloadable to have success but, like me, if you want to use your own one then go ahead and read Tactic Bible thread and the other ones that explain the fundementals of creating successful tactics (usually found in the tactics forum).

Now answering your questions;

1. Nope. Matter of fact I do the same except I watch goal replys just for pleasure and also to see if there is any pattern on how I score/concede goals so that I can improve.

2. the defualt training are not bad ones. But if you want your youth players to improve and make use of your training facilities then it is good. It is not really difficult to understand how training works. Just go and see some topics on trainings. But I would advice you, specially if you are not managing team a top class team, to learn more about training.

3. Third-party applications are useful if you don't feel the guilty of cheating. There are many softwares you can download and determine players potential abilities and such. It is totally up to you to decide how you want to play.

4. A top class team. Managing a very low team can be irritating and disturbing so I would advice you to manage team like Arsenal, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, AC Milan etc...

Cheers

Cheers mate...

I feel like it's 'cheating' nicking someone else's tactic but I think it's the route I have to go down as I enjoy the game but don't enjoy getting pumped all the time!

I started a game as Feyenoord last night and won all my pre-season matches then got hammered 4-1 by PSV in the Johan Cruyff Shield!!!

Think I might bite the bullet and go Man Utd... surely I can't make a balls of that... surely?

i do frequently I suggest you just read some of the threads in the tacics forum on how to build a tactic. Then build your own without pinching someone elses, if that upsets you

i do frequently I suggest you just read some of the threads in the tacics forum on how to build a tactic. Then build your own without pinching someone elses, if that upsets you

I got paid off from work on Friday and got 12 weeks pay... Decided I'm going to be a bum till the end of August so might build a tactic and start a proper game with a team who's a little tougher and try to do a proper job!

Teams I'm thinking of going are:

Newcastle United

Borussia Dortmund

Napoli

Any other suggestions

My favourite is Sevilla.

Imagine how much, alone, you would get from Daniel Alves transfer

Cheers mate...

I feel like it's 'cheating' nicking someone else's tactic but I think it's the route I have to go down as I enjoy the game but don't enjoy getting pumped all the time!

I started a game as Feyenoord last night and won all my pre-season matches then got hammered 4-1 by PSV in the Johan Cruyff Shield!!!

Think I might bite the bullet and go Man Utd... surely I can't make a balls of that... surely?

I got paid off from work on Friday and got 12 weeks pay... Decided I'm going to be a bum till the end of August so might build a tactic and start a proper game with a team who's a little tougher and try to do a proper job!

Teams I'm thinking of going are:

Newcastle United

Borussia Dortmund

Napoli

Any other suggestions

I started a new game with Marseille last night. Do have some excellent players!

deal with your training and tactics and at least watch the 2d match highlights. you will improve

I would definitely watch the 2d highlights to find out where exactly you are going wrong with your tactic.

Head over to the tactics and training forum where there are some superb threads on how tactics work in FM08.

1st check your reputationif you start as Sunday League rather than International, you will make the game a bit more difficult especially with a top team.

Easiest team - Oxford - see good player guide for who to buy.

Best tactic Kimz no tweaking required just download.

Once you win a few trophies then develop your own style.

Take an interest in 7 star coaches - you can also download training.

3. I don't use any scouts like Genie people talk about... Am I stupid?

Lol! Genie People

4. Who should I manage to give myself a little confidence booster!

QUOTE]

TNS. Welsh Premier...or Linfield (NI Premier). You cant lose! (or at least rarely)

I got paid off from work on Friday and got 12 weeks pay... Decided I'm going to be a bum till the end of August so might build a tactic and start a proper game with a team who's a little tougher and try to do a proper job!

Teams I'm thinking of going are:

Newcastle United

Borussia Dortmund

Napoli

Any other suggestions

Try a lower league team. Anyone just jumping right in to the highest leagues in Europe is probably going to struggle the first few times.

Lower leagues gives you a lot more wiggle room in terms of mistakes and figuring out tactics.

my opinion is to watch the games if you can - personally i make most of my changes from watching where my players are making mistakes and trying to fix it.

4. Who should I manage to give myself a little confidence booster!

QUOTE]

TNS. Welsh Premier...or Linfield (NI Premier). You cant lose! (or at least rarely)

Okay I read these forums... I hear of people who drag there team up through the divisions and onto glory beyond my comprehension... Leaves me to think though - why am I so bad at Football Manager?

Okay let me start off by saying I'm not a lunatic who's playing 2-3-5 or some stupid formation... Normally I play a 4-4-2 with solid defenders, two wingers and an attacking and defensive midfielder. I also aim to have a pacey striker and another striker who's good in the air.

Despite this I continually under achieve and the reason I write this thread is that Man City have just sacked me in October whilst sitting 12th in the league

Here's a few questions I would appreciate answered:

1. I watch matches in text only because I don't get a whole load of time to play the game... is this affecting me?

2. I don't take any interest in training? Is this really bad?

3. I don't use any scouts like Genie people talk about... Am I stupid?

4. Who should I manage to give myself a little confidence booster!

Thank you...

Signed: The Les Reed of Football Manager.

This post sums up my FM career!! I tried being TNS and in my first season was actually runners up to Llanelli!! Managed to win the league in my 2nd season though.

Experiment with the theories on the T&T forum to build your own tactic rather than borrowing one wholesale. It's far more satisfying.

I have been playing FM for ages and I am still very. very **** at it, despite spending many hours playing. Sometimes, almost at random, I do something well for a while, and this is why I continue to play.

For example, I started as West Brom. I raped everyone in the CCC and was crowned champions in April. However, I now lie 19th in the Prem in early-November. I think I bought wisely in the summer, with the exception of Christian Vieri, who I got on a free solely for that reason. I purchased Henok Goitom, for £6.5M. I did this purely on the basis that he was exceptional for Fulham on another save. He's been okay for me so far. I got Lee-Young Pyo for £700K, a short-term measure, he's better than Paul Robinson at least. Carl Medjani for £1.5M, he's been exceptional. Nedum Onoura from Man City for £5M. He's been poor for the money, but plays regularly. Nordin Amrabat on a free, a great prospect, not bad at the moment. Jose Nunes, good experienced CB, for £3.5M.

All in all, not a bad summer, but now I can't buy a win - or even a clean sheet.

What I would normally do now is leave the game for a few days, and hopefully, when I return to it. I'lll somehow be brilliant.

Good Luck.

I raped everyone in the CCC and was crowned champions in April.

What? I didn't realize that helped with titles.

I certainly concur with those who recommend watching matches in 2D - extended highlights too. That way you can see the weaknesses in your team and do something to fix them.

For me, your core problem is that you don't have time. In any serious enterprise time and commitment is key to success, and FM simply isn't a shallow 'pick up and play' game. I found the T&TT forum invaluable - not for downloadable 'cheat' tactics, but for sensible advice on tactics (hat tip wwfan) and team talks (hat tip wolfson). You don't need to 'cheat' with Genie or GPG, rather do the homework.

Finally, for a team to pick, you could either go for one of the 'easy' options already suggested, or pick a team like East Stirlingshire because the chairman will never sack you or put pressure on you, so you have infinite time to experiment with tactics etc. until you start to get success.

What? I didn't realize that helped with titles.

It a lesser known side of lower league football.

1. You don't have to watch the matches. The game uses the same match engine regardless. However, you will certainly learn a lot about what is working (or not working) about your tactic by watching matches on, for example, Extended. If you're crunched for time, you might view Extended until you are happy with your tactic, and then cut down to Key or Commentary Only.

2. Training, you don't have to do .. but I do recommend that you set up a couple training schedules (attacker, defender, goalkeeper, at a minimum), assign players to them, and at *least* click the "Auto Assign Coaches" button every couple of months. Once you've got it set up, you can let it run indefinitely .. but it helps to do at least a little bit!

3. Not using Genie isn't stupid, its honorable, just, and right!

4. I'm not going to recommend a specific team, but my confidence boosters tend to be "The biggest club in a tiny league" .. you should wipe the league with your side, but will struggle in Europe, and that's about perfect for building confidence.

There are a couple of other things which I'd direct your attention to:

5. Tactical changes throughout the match. Okay, so you're playing Commentary Only and can't see what the other side is doing. Where do you watch from? I'd recommend watching the "Formations" screen, and responding to changes you observe in the other team's formation. For example, lets say you use a 4-4-2, but let your fullbacks and wingers get forward into the attack. Once you have a 1-0 lead in the second half, you might want to cut them back a little bit, especially as you see longer forward arrows appearing on the opposition's formation. When the oppo. goes to a 4-2-4, you need to shift your 4-4-2 to something in which the fullbacks and central defenders never ever go forward. Simply: if they have four guys up front, you need four guys to stay back at all times.

6. Corner Kick and Free Kick instructions. The defaults for these aren't really "right", and it can help to create your own. I probably spend more time on this than any other aspect of the game, simply making sure that I have the right (tall) guys attacking during Corners, the right guy taking Free Kicks and the right Long Shots expert "With Taker", etc. Defensively, I've found the "Back" instruction to be pretty useless, and I get a lot more mileage out of explicitly setting up "Mark Tall", "Man Mark", "Mark Small", and the "Near Post", "Far Post" options. Having a central midfielder on "Outside Area" will also dramatically help you retain possession after corner kicks, as he tends to pick up a lot of partial clearances.

Those two go hand in hand, too.

If I'm managing a 4-4-2, I tend to have five saved tactics I can switch to:

- 4-4-2 Defend: No arrows. Forward runs "Rarely" for all defenders. All defenders on "Stay Back" for both FK's and CK's.

- 4-4-2 Counter: No arrows. Forward runs "Mixed" for fullbacks and wingers. Counter-attack ticked.

- 4-4-2 Standard: Forward arrows for the wingers. Forward runs "Often" for fullbacks, "Mixed" for wingers.

- 4-4-2 Creative: Forward arrows for both fullbacks and wingers. Forward runs "Mixed" for fullbacks, "Often" for wingers

- 4-4-2 Attacking: Fullbacks at WBL/R position; wingers at AML/R position.

As those instructions get more and more attacking, so do the "Mentality", "Creativity", etc, both for individual players and for the Team Instructions.

Then, when playing a match, its a quick click to load the new tactic depending on the situation. I might start out "4-4-2 Standard", go a goal down at the 19th minute, switch to "4-4-2 Creative", tie it up by halftime, and take the lead in the 53rd minute. Then I'd switch to "4-4-2 Counter" .. and around the 78th-80th minute, whether the AI has gone to a 4-2-4 or not, I go to "4-4-2 Defend" just to make sure I don't get caught out when they do go all-out attack.