What is your most exciting poison?

We've had similar threads before, but not for a little while I don't think and people always have new anecdotes...

Which do you find more exciting - a relegation scrap or a title/promotion scrap? Note I use the world "exciting" rather than asking which you prefer since a vast majority obviously prefer winning titles (myself included).

The poll...are you someone who much prefers the thrill of fighting for a title or do you just love that tension of awaiting the results to see if your rivals have plunged you into the relegation zone? Or are you a Nomis07-type () who only ever manages the Bayern Munichs and Man Utds and hadn't realised that the league table has a bottom as well as a top and that this concept known as "relegation" exists? Or are you a purer than the driven snow type who shuns the corrupting influence of winning and has only ever been at clubs who are fighting for their lives? Or did you apply for your manager's job in a drunken stupour when really you have no interest in football, but realised it's a well-paid job and are too scared of the chairman and your wife to admit you hate football and want to resign so you wait eagerly for the summer holidays?

The obligatory accompanying anecdote...It's quite rare that I've been involved in a relegation battle, but my FM08 Scunthorpe team struggled 2nd season in The Championship so I found myself involved in one and I have to say the nail-biting excitement far exceeded that which I've had from a title battle. I don't know if it is because in a title battle it's a case of win almost every week and if you don't it's a downer because you've dropped points whereas in a relegation battle you expect to lose often and the points picked up are so much more exciting when you then look at results of your rivals.

We were on a 9 game winless streak, heading straight for the relegation zone with 8 games to play and a do or die 6-pointer against local rivals Hull who occupied the last relegation spot one place below us. Inevitably we drew 1-1 which did little for either of us, but then we both went bananas and put together storming unbeaten runs that dragged a startled Sheff Wednesday and Southampton into the mire from seeming safety and then plunged Wednesday into League 1. I kept pulling my hair out on finishing my match only to find Hull had won yet again, but then I realised the pair of us were reeling in the two teams above us and then we leapfrogged them and we both narrowly survived

Fighting for relegation

First 2 season,with my promoted Blackpool squad were effing awesome.Promotion race was not that much,as they were 6 spots

both the times,it went to the final day.Was 18th the first season,won my last game and survived.2nd season just needed a draw,if results wouldn't go my way,but they did,and I comfortably stayed up

Relegation battling is great but,the feeling you get after staying up is just awesome,infact more bettter than a cup victory.But,that aint for the faint hearted and impatient people

Sorry i know its not really helpful, but i noticed your header is poison, not position.

Sorry.

Sorry i know its not really helpful, but i noticed your header is poison, not position.

Sorry.

It's supposed to be poison

I have to say that my favourite type of game is managing a Greek side and trying to get through to the CL knockout stage. I don't mind who I put out in the process, but the more Bremeny the better.

Seriously though, I just don't have enough time or the inclination to play a game with a smaller team that may encounter a relegation battle and I like success. It sound sbizarre, but I genuinely find a relegation battle in FM stressfull It's irritating in a way because i'd love to play with smaller teams and try and make them super powers, but I just don't have the patience and admit defeat far too easily.

In my defence, I rarely manage a super massive team like Man United, and I try to stick to big teams in smaller leagues. I do this because I see the CL as the challenge, winning the league means nothing to me and my whole FM experience is based on the challenge of suceeding in Europe with a team that is unlikely to do so.

It's supposed to be poison

Yup! It's supposed to reflect the idea of both fighting at the top and the bottom being potentially nail-biting and stressful (hence the poison) and the choice being which "poison" you prefer

It's supposed to be poison

If it wasn't, i'd have to go with Cow Girl.

It's supposed to be poison

Yup! It's supposed to reflect the idea of both fighting at the top and the bottom being potentially nail-biting and stressful (hence the poison) and the choice being which "poison" you prefer

If it wasn't, i'd have to go with Cow Girl.

Now dont i feel stupid

In my defence, I rarely manage a super massive team like Man United

This court has already stood and does not allow you the right of defence. The verdict has already been passed

Incidentally I meant to put "Title/Promotion" as the first option in the poll rather than just promotion. Nomis07-types don't start in leagues that are low enough down the ladder to have promotion

This court has already stood and does not allow you the right of defence. The verdict has already been passed

Incidentally I meant to put "Title/Promotion" as the first option in the poll rather than just promotion. Nomis07-types don't start in leagues that are low enough down the ladder to have promotion

And by the way...option 4 was supposed to be the Nomis07 option. You spoiled it all

Fighting for relegation

First 2 season,with my promoted Blackpool squad were effing awesome.Promotion race was not that much,as they were 6 spots

both the times,it went to the final day.Was 18th the first season,won my last game and survived.2nd season just needed a draw,if results wouldn't go my way,but they did,and I comfortably stayed up

Relegation battling is great but,the feeling you get after staying up is just awesome,infact more bettter than a cup victory.But,that aint for the faint hearted and impatient people

Blackpool went down first season in my Scunthorpe game, which was sad on a few fronts - I like Blackpool and they were the only club in the league with lower attendances than us! They had a ridiculous season though. They lost their first 11 games, failed to win in something like the first 20 and then launched an astonishing fightback that only just faltered in the dying weeks to send them down.

Media predicted us 24th first season (we finished 16th) and undaunted by our exceeding expectations they had us predicted 23rd behind all the promoted clubs in the season I mentioned (we finished 19th). Now into the new season we are one of only two clubs with Regional reputation and are again predicted to finsh 24th

And by the way...option 4 was supposed to be the Nomis07 option. You spoiled it all

I realised that afterwards and was going to mention my mistake, but decided to leave it and hope nobody noticed.

The creation of FM and the increased difficulty has put me off managing smaller teams, because I just can't be bothered. Pre FM I had very enjoyable career games with Bolton, Wolves and Cambridge, but I know that if I tried to recreate these saves with FM i'd turn grey over night.

I've gone with relegation simply because my mose exciting and enjoyable game of all time was my Gateshead game on FM08.

Before then I'd had a few forays into the lower leagues but that was my first real LLM game and it was bloody hard, but absolutely brilliant at the same time. It took me 20 seasons to get to the top of the Premier League, with plenty of relegation scraps along the way, but when I finally did make it the sense of achievement was immense. I ended up playing that save for nearly a whole year and got upto around 3035 in the end.

However, I only ever start a save in the lower leagues once I've had a game with a larger team to get to grips with the game and learn the ropes. Because, for the first time in ages, I'm finding the tactics so hard to get right in FM09 it may be a while before I start an LLM save this time round, if at all

I ended up playing that save for nearly a whole year and got upto around 3035 in the end.

128 years!

128 years!

Whoops, I meant 2035 :o

128 years!

super maths there, really, just super.

Whoops, I meant 2035 :o

Well, I should hang my head in shame too...I may have a maths degree (or half of one at least), but I still can't subtract two dates properly

Well, I should hang my head in shame too...I may have a maths degree (or half of one at least), but I still can't subtract two dates properly

I blame the forums, it seems the lack of intelligence that's in evidence may be contagious

i love a relegation scrap. it can be very stressfull at times but to try and avoid the drop is such a great challange and if you make it its so rewarding and if you drop it makes you love the game even more and want to win promotion . for me it a win win situation..... except for the very stresfull part were i scream at everyone in the house to shut up and leave me alone!

To be honest, I have never been in the situation where I could get relegated. So therefore: "What the heck is relegation?"

i love a relegation scrap. it can be very stressfull at times but to try and avoid the drop is such a great challange and if you make it its so rewarding and if you drop it makes you love the game even more and want to win promotion . for me it a win win situation..... except for the very stresfull part were i scream at everyone in the house to shut up and leave me alone!

Aye. Pride and the pig-headed determination that next year we'll somehow be better meant that I would not accept relegation without fighting to the bitter end, but I've got to admit, when we were on our losing streak, there was a small part of me thinking "Well, if we get relegated at least we might actually win games next season and start to look good!".

As an aside the media took a surprisingly upbeat view of my situation at one point. At 9 games without a win they were pointing at that record constantly, but the 8th and 9th were draws so after we then drew the 10th the media suddenly started saying we were unbeaten in 3 instead of winless in 10 I do love the pivot effect of a bunch of draws though because after we finally won the next game we were suddenly 4 unbeaten from 10 without a win in just 1 game!

To be honest, I have never been in the situation where I could get relegated. So therefore: "What the heck is relegation?"

Before Scunny it was a while ago that I was last involved in a relegation battle too. I got Stockport relegated from the Premiership in FM07 the first season after promoting them, but that could in no way be described as a relegation battle, more of a meek surrender that began taking place around 5 games in and saw us comfortably relegated with ~6 games to spare

I normally not win many things (useally 1 price during a save game) but always around mid table/top half finish so my answer: You mean there are titles to be won?