Anyone playing A-League?

Gday guys,

Just wondering if anyone is playing the A-League and if so how your going and how you approach it.

Im playing with Melbourne Victory and find it a good challenge.

Finished 3rd after the 1st season and made the grand final but lost to Central Coast.

I find the key here is with getting players off contract as there isnt much money around.

Newcastle just realeased Mark Viduka so I grabbed him quick smart but am paying him $5000 a week. Its all about the free players!

I am played the A-League for a season. Dissapointing that the ACL doesn't work because the wrong teams are entered from Australia this disrupting the ACL, there is no youth marquee and the other teams regulary do not register key players to their teams. Also, the other teams do not top up their youth squads.

Regarding players, after season one, scout every Australian player under 16 ("Report Card Only" option is fine) and sign anyone with 4 stars or more

I haven't yet got FM09, but was looking forward to the A League being vastly improved. However, it sounds worse than ever, which is really disappointing. Fortunately, I didn't have my hopes up too much, after hearing of the shambles from the NZ data scouter.

Is it at least relatively playable?

I myself had a great game in the A-league back in FM 07 and also managed Melbourne. It was my favourite save in recent FM games as I had never managed in the A-League before and now I am attracted to that league, or at least managing in. Once I pickup an FM 09 copy than I will definitely give it a shot, but I hope it is not as bad as it's being mentioned to be.

I myself had a great game in the A-league back in FM 07 and also managed Melbourne. It was my favourite save in recent FM games as I had never managed in the A-League before and now I am attracted to that league, or at least managing in. Once I pickup an FM 09 copy than I will definitely give it a shot, but I hope it is not as bad as it's being mentioned to be.

Aside from it effectively being my "home league" (with New Zealand's Wellington Phoenix in the League), I love the fact that there is little more than 20 games in a season, so you can rip through seasons really quickly.

However, I cannot bring myself to be the Phoenix, as they are just researched too poorly. I had a great game with the Mariners in FM08, topped the league but lost the final in first season, and won both cups, but did the triple in season 2. Picked up some brilliant unknown players, from south america and europe.