How do you play your game?

When you start a new game, how do you choose a club?

are you after instructions on how to do it? or are you asking us how WE do it?? sorry if im bein a tad thick, its kinda early in the am...

I personally start off unemployed and work my way up or at least plan to. What ends up happening is I spend my FM career in the lower leagues of Europe since that's what I find most thrilling, although once in a while I might take a job at a fairly big club if my reputation allows it and the circumstances are right.

Sorry, rinso... never made a poll before. Just wondering how others like to play.

lol no worries, seems i jumped in a bit quick!!! always start with me favourite club, and try and bring the glory days back to Anfield... more often than not it ends in tears though..

I always start in England's Conference North or South... and, I think I've always stayed with the same club until the next years game. Trying to get to the top from the bottom is the best for me.

I think I tried unemployed the first time I played years ago... now I just choose the team in Conference with the coolest looking logo/kit for that year. haha

Trying to get to the top from the bottom is the best for me.

definitely time for bed (or a stronger coffee), i mis-read that completely.. thought you said getting from the top to the bottom!!! really enjoyed having a bash at LLM as well, both on 07 and 08 with varying degrees of success... got a previously unplayable team up into league 1, almost into the championship on 08, and got Rushden up into the championship on 07!!

definitely time for bed (or a stronger coffee), i mis-read that completely.. thought you said getting from the top to the bottom!!! really enjoyed having a bash at LLM as well, both on 07 and 08 with varying degrees of success... got a previously unplayable team up into league 1, almost into the championship on 08, and got Rushden up into the championship on 07!!

In 05, played Notts to the Championship... 06, Stafford to League One... 07, Kettering into the Premiership... 08, I am playing Salisbury in the Championship, and not doing so hot. 05 & 06 are fuzzy... I think 05 is when I started??

I'm enjoying my current game more than I have enjoyed FM for quite a few years.

Started as Leeds, won many games in the first season and was offered the job at Reading in the PL with about 8 games to go, with The Royals in the relegation zone. Decided to give it a go, and managed to get back up to 14th, with only one loss (away against Chelsea, 6-5!). Now I'm just finishing the pre-season for Season 2 and madly trying to keep my squad together - when I inherited them about half of them were transfer listed by request and still are. Beat Port Vale 11-0 in a friendly, and drew 1-1 with AS Roma so looking alright thus far.

That's generally how I like to play, start off somewhere lowly and/or challenging and work my way up to the top. Already I'm being mentioned as a possible replacement for Ferguson at Man Utd!

definitely time for bed (or a stronger coffee), i mis-read that completely.. thought you said getting from the top to the bottom!!! really enjoyed having a bash at LLM as well, both on 07 and 08 with varying degrees of success... got a previously unplayable team up into league 1, almost into the championship on 08, and got Rushden up into the championship on 07!!

Coffee is horrible, I prefer tea.

Always in this order, Barnsley (my first love), then Wellington Pheonix (my local team), then Barcelona (the city my nana was born in). Then a random team from anywhere in the world. I also take other jobs after acheiving some success with my first team.

I always play my first game on any new version of CM/FM as Arsenal, as they are the team I support, and as an added bonus, they tend to always have a strong squad and good finances, which is fun.

If I get bored of my Arsenal save, I usually pick a lower-league team to play with, although I'm more picky about the team as opposed to the position. Usually that's been Reading in past games, in FM07 and FM08 I've not played with anyone other than Arsenal.

I went for random because in each CM/FM I have went with a team I liked the looks of and then fallen in love with them and find it hard managing anyone else. It was FC Bayern in FM08, I could never manage the team I support because it would hurt too much if I failed

I prefer to manage Scunthorpe since it's my hometown and i have always supported them since i was a young lad.

After i've had a decent career with them, I usually start a new game, I like to take on a struggling league 2 or BSP team, working with tight wage budgets and no free money for transfers. It feels much more rewarding to work your way up through the leagues, buliding your own team, rather than jumping straight to the EPL.

If anything I just can't start a new game in the EPL, it just feels wrong... like i'm cheating or something.

As each game has so many improvements to the previous incarnation, I always play a quick 5 seasons as Man Utd/Chelsea etc - big teams, big rep, lots of money - just to get used to the new game mechanics, etc, and work out how everything fits together.

I then play through 10-15 seasons as the 'best team in the history of the world': Reading.

I then start completely afresh, start unemployed, go on holiday for a season, and then take over one of the newly promoted (previously unplayable) sides in the lowest league of a country of my choice - normally England, to be fair.

I then play til my computer breaks (normally as I get so frustrated I kick the thing to bits).

As each game has so many improvements to the previous incarnation, I always play a quick 5 seasons as Man Utd/Chelsea etc - big teams, big rep, lots of money - just to get used to the new game mechanics, etc, and work out how everything fits together.

That's what I usually do too, although with FM08 I started managing Bayern immediately and given the Bundesliga was able to find my feet with them and enjoyed it so much I started my career game with them.

I think a lot of the people who find the game too hard, throw themselves in at the deep end and begin with LLM, even CM/FM veterans need to take their time to work out each new game.

Always unemployed - I go on holiday to apply for jobs from the start, with my reputation set to 'Automatic'.

lazio,cesena always

then mayby paris sg,ajax,sunderland

in every version since cm italy 95/96

Ooh, I'm the first 'other'. I used to be a LLaMa for years, but lately I've set my own challenges by either creating a club or adapting one in the editor.

I either choose Liverpool or Swindon (my 2 favorites) but sometimes I start unemployed and always end up at blyth spartans for some reason!

I'll always start with my team, Chelsea, and then I'll choose all the teams I've got soft spots for, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham (I'm Welsh and have a house in Shropshire), and then I'll LLM or start unemployed.

me and my mate are doing the ukranian league and i'm arsenal kiev and he is shakhtar. I got £150m and he got about £100m with other teams like Dnipro and Dinamo Kiev getting loads of money making the league competitive. We also have 4 champions league places too. We always do this sort of game because its good to see how a low league can be changed into the best league

i usually have three options which i consider:

Go my favourite team

Unemployed

or i go my favourite team, but add another manager and i start from the lowest league with a team, usually in the same country so we have the chance of meeting, gives me the best of both worlds i suppose.

but more often i just go my favourite team.

Lots of ways, as I have lots of saves.

Usually my favourite team (either Liverpool or Ipswich).

Sometimes just randomly or a challenge though.

If anything I just can't start a new game in the EPL, it just feels wrong... like i'm cheating or something.

I feel the same way. I don't want to be in the Premiership unless it is my own little team I brought there. I've only ever accepted another job once, and didn't enjoy it. Now, I just stay with the same team until the next FM comes out... then start with a new club at the bottom again.

Ooh, I'm the first 'other'. I used to be a LLaMa for years, but lately I've set my own challenges by either creating a club or adapting one in the editor.

I forgot about creating a club in the poll. I've done this a few times, but never stuck with it for long. Usually, I'll make a club in England's lower that is affiliated to an American club somehow... like Red Bulls UK. haha

It seems like half the posts play with Reading at some point, whether they are your favorite or not. Is there a secret about them? ...other then a great American keeper, of course. Oh yeah, and Convey too.

I always start with Everton though they arent my favourite team (one of the favourites though). Then I play with them until I win everything or until Man utd or Valencia get relegated. Then I quit Everton and take charge of one of them and then when all my work at Everton is undone and the team starts to fall to pieces, I take over at Everton again

i always play with my favourite clubs, Dinamo, Porto, Werder Bremen and someitmes Arsenal

I choose Mid-Table Premiership clubs

I usually randomize a lower league team.

I start at the lowest possible team and then work my way up through the ranks generally ending up at my favourite team Arsenal.

Usually begin as Rushden in one save, a team from the lowest league(in England it's Maidenhead) and sometimes feel like starting unemployed

im normally a mediocre team in the championship and build my reputation up from there.