Casual Player or Not

I was wondering are there any casual players out there who are even reasonably sucessful as many on here seem to be struggling expecially it seems with tactics. I consider myself a casual player and have achieved a moderate amount of expected success on FM and I just thought I would outline how I play FM and hopefully others will do the same. Maybe there are more casual players out there than me.

Once I initially set up my game, I was going to put what I do when starting in but it made this post twice or even 3 times as long, , this is what I do and don't do:

• Rarely Tutor Players
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Moves
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Positions
  
• Generally only use player interaction feature if I criticise a key player who is on awful form.
  
• When buying players I always look at the player search feature but only buy players that have been scouted and if they have at least 4 stars of potential. I then get my assistant to scout them and if he thinks they are good enough I have a very quick glance at their attributes and then just keep them on my shortlist. Then when I need a player for a certain position I try and buy an appropiate player from shortlist.
  
• With the media I often sit on the fence and do no comment. The odd time depending on the question I give a positive or negative response.
  
• I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsongs Guide.
  
• I let my assistant pick the team and only make the odd change to the selection sometimes and only pick the team myself when I am Man United in the Carling Cup for example and want to give squad players a chance.
  
• I never use opposition instructions.
  
• Then at the end of every season I do a check on my players and staff and try and assess how to improve it based on the shortlist of players I have accumulated. I rarely buy players in the Winter Transfer Window, maybe if I just joined a club during the season I may and sometimes may buy a youth player but that is usually it.
  
• Only time I change tactics is when switching between my 5 saved tactics before a match (My tactics are far from brilliant by the way but are ok and kind of based on the Tactics and Frameworks Guide) depending on my opponent and whether I am at home or not and also during matches depending on the situation.
  
• I also look at matches with a very high speed in 3D and only key highlights and no replays.
  

So it is over to you. How do you play? And by the way, not just casual players but everyone?

• Rarely Tutor Players
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Moves
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Positions
  

I never do any of those, I also never touch training and never have.

I never do any of those, I also never touch training and never have.

Yeah the default schedules are enough to get along I think even though I just Seasoned Alcoholics schedules now which does slow me down a touch when assigning players to schedules and so on but once they are on one schedule they stay on it. I never use preseason ones or anything like that.

I do almost the same. Except for these:

I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsongs Guide.

I dont have the guide and I think Id better keep it that way.

I let my assistant pick the team and only make the odd change to the selection sometimes and only pick the team myself when I am Man United in the Carling Cup for example and want to give squad players a chance.

Damn Im not that lazy. I actually choose the squad (Best players for CL/League and U-18s for Cups/UEFA group phase)

Only time I change tactics is when switching between my 5 saved tactics before a match (My tactics are far from brilliant by the way but are ok and kind of based on the Tactics and Frameworks Guide) depending on my opponent and whether I am at home or not and also during matches depending on the situation.

I only have 1 tactic no matter which team I manage

Nope I have to say I agree with most of the things you have listed Jod. I tweaked my tactics it took me about a season and now I rarely touch them regardless of playing home or away. In fact the only time I do is when Im defending a big lead in the second league of a european game and im playing away.

I have never used oposition instructions, dont really understand how they work and the look like the take up far to much time to set up. I got bored of press confrences after 2 seasons and now my assistant goes to them all. I havent read either the team talk guide or the tactics framework. Ive downloaded it and had a quick glance but Im a pick up and play person, I hate reading and dont believe you should have to read a 3rd party guide just to play a game.

I do however use the January window if I need too strenghten or a player has become unhappy with his role at the club. I would say that most of my transfer business is done in the summer normally replacing 4 players from my first team squad with better players if possible.

Depends whether im enjoying the game, on my current game, i tend to holiday my matches, and dont' fiddle with tactics, training or anything along those lines. But i will sometimes change tactics, but atm, all my players are YTH or PartTime contracts, so i don't see the point. I've never used the, learn new move, thing, but i do ask them to learn a new position, if i need strengthening in that area, but can't find a replacement.

I:

• Often Tutor Players
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Moves
  
• Often Make Players Learn New Positions
  
• Use a lot of player interaction- it keeps morale up, which is crucial
  
• When buying players I always look at the player search feature but only buy players that have been scouted and if they have at least 4 stars of potential. I then get my assistant to scout them and if he thinks they are good enough I have a very quick glance at their attributes and then just keep them on my shortlist. Then when I need a player for a certain position I try and buy an appropiate player from shortlist.
  
• I am almost always positive in the media- and I always agree with referees.
  
• I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsong's Guide- if I'm stuck, I'll check his guide.
  
• I always pick the side, but at a new club I'll rely heavily on what the assistant says.
  
• I use opposition instructions on goalkeepers only- "always" close them down, "always" show them onto their weaker foot.
  
• At the end of every season I do a check on my players and staff and try and assess how to improve it based on the shortlist of players I have accumulated.
  
• I often buy players in the Winter Transfer Window, particuarly youth players. Actually, tbh, I usually do better in January than the Summer.
  
• I have three or four tactics, and I switch between them when one becomes stale. I also have defensive tactics and attacking tactics to use during matches, a tactic for stopping Arsenal, and a tactic for stopping Bolton.
  
• I also look at matches with a high speed (second highest setting) in 2D and extended highlights and replays.
  

I assume you all don't do too badly on FM then which I find pretty strange considering people are complaining that it is very difficult for the casual player.

I think most people who feel like that may be complicating tactics far too much and are constantly changing them trying to find a formula when most tactics are good enough and probably ones they are using are good enough. They just change when the team is settling on them and then then they have to settle again and their morale goes down, one thing leads to another and frustration at bad results is the consequence.

Some people probably even overlook other areas and just blame tactics. I am not saying tactics are not important as they are but they are not the only factor to be considered when you are not doing well.

I would say I'm a casual player but an advanced one if you understand me. If I've created a tactic and is successful for a few games I don't tend to alter it till the end of season, I rarely modify my training schedule or spend a while answering the media. However, I do tend to watch all my league matches, perfect my formation and be cautious with signings and sellings and take my time.

Some people probably even overlook other areas and just blame tactics. I am not saying tactics are not important as they are but they are not the only factor to be considered when you are not doing well.

I agree with this. I rarely change my tactics, just stick with my two basic attacking & defensive tactics. I also consider myself a casual FM'er, & have had a decent amount of success also.

Regarding your opening post, I'm almost exactly the same as you, with the exeption that I do tend to buy players in the January transfer widow.

Hmm, I consider myself a serious player with a casual playing time if that makes sense.

I do the following:

• Rigorously make use of the 'Tutor Players', 'Learn New Moves', 'Learn New Positions', 'Criticise/Praise Players' Player Interaction functions
  

• Create my own detailed Training Schedules with some even tailor-made for certain individuals in the squad
  

• Attend all media conferences and thus far, have tackled about 80% of the questions raised. (The other 20% are either brushed away with 'No Comment' or to account for the two times when I requested for the conference to draw to a close as time is up)
  

• Pay strict attention to my team-talks and have the 'Motivation' widget up at all times. Depending on how motivated my players are, I would thus adjust my team-talks to hopefully get the maximum from my players on that day.
  

• Pay strict attention to the physical condition of my players and almost never start players who have less than 90% condition if I can afford to. I would also bring off players who drop below 70-80% condition during matches.
  After particularly exhausting matches, if there is only a gap of 2-4 days till the next match and that match warrants the use of my important first-teamers, I will give those players a rest from training for the entire duration of the gap. They get a chance to recover faster as well as avoid the risk of picking up training injuries.
  

• Use opposition instructions on every player in the opposing team religiously. I really would appreciate if SI were to grant us the capability to save OI templates for this reason.
  

• Made two sets of four tactics (eight in total) when I first started the game, one set a 4-4-2, the other a 4-5-1. The motivation for this came from reading wwfan's excellent T&TF thread and I had set out to create my Attack/Control/Normal/Defend tactical sets, tweaking everything to my liking.
  I am currently into the start of my third season and somehow though, I have only used four out of those eight pre-made tactics. I used the 4-4-2 Attack and Control tactics extensively during my first two seasons, often starting with Attack and after grabbing a two goal cushion over my opponents, would switch to the Control (and thus be forced to redo all OI settings...) I used the 4-4-2 Normal tactics on just three separate occasions when faced with opponents that attacked relentlessly.
  Now at the start of my third season, I had just switched over to the 4-5-1 Attack tactics and have played 6 games with it.
  Never have I touched the Defend tactics as I am playing as Arsenal and so there is less of a need to be too defensive.
  

• I am impatient when it comes to watching matches and thus set speed to maximum with key 3D highlights and replays on.
  

• I am somehow patient enough to control my reserves though, which is a first in my many years of playing FM. I found that I wanted more control over the playing time of my squad and youth players and decided I will not trust the AI with it, so I manage my reserves team matches and play it the exact same way I play my first team matches, i.e. team-talks, OI, tactics, watching over condition, etc.
  

So maybe it is because I spend too much playing time engrossed in the managing aspects of the game, rather than zooming ahead in terms of matches played, that I am only in September 2010 in my second save game (first died from the Serie C bug) since I bought the game on release date.

But I did mention at the start that I consider my playing time to be casual and I still maintain it is so. I put in up to a couple of hours during each playing session, and can go days without playing the game at all. When I play, I play in windowed mode so I can surf the net at the same time.

I feel that there is a lack of real physical addiction, unlike that felt during my earlier days of playing Diablo II and WoW, and to me this is great. I am not saying FM cannot be compared to those games in terms of pulling power, rather an equally enjoyable experience minus the unwanted attention-craving portions. If I wanted to, I can always pull myself away from FM at the drop of a hat, and when time allows, get right back into the thick of it just as easily.

People often bring up the argument that the path to sophistication and complexity SI are driving the FM franchise towards will detract the game from the casual gamers, those who do not have vast amounts of time to spend playing the game. Well I consider myself to be part of that category and I am loving the complexity of the game. The nature of it is that once you grasp the concept of the game, you will settle into a routine and thus what seems complex at first, ceases to be.

I spent quite some time tweaking my tactics at the start of the game, tweaking my training schedules, deciding on which type of players I want in my squads. But once I had finalised all my decisions, I never had to do it ever again. Nowadays, it is as simple as seeing who is fit, selecting those that are to start, starting the match, going down the list of OIs and doing what has come to be rote work and then press play. All done in a matter of a couple of minutes at most. No sitting in my chair, racking my brains to crack the game.

Thus I firmly believe being a serious player or merely casual, all it takes is just some learning to be done at the start and then it should be smooth sailing from then on. A good majority who complain, merely lack the patience to invest a little time and energy into learning how to enjoy their game I feel.

I assume you all don't do too badly on FM then which I find pretty strange considering people are complaining that it is very difficult for the casual player.

I think most people who feel like that may be complicating tactics far too much and are constantly changing them trying to find a formula when most tactics are good enough and probably ones they are using are good enough. They just change when the team is settling on them and then then they have to settle again and their morale goes down, one thing leads to another and frustration at bad results is the consequence.

Some people probably even overlook other areas and just blame tactics. I am not saying tactics are not important as they are but they are not the only factor to be considered when you are not doing well.

Well it depeneds on your defenition of not too baldy?

8 x Prem

7 x CL

4 x FA Cup

7 X CWC

4 X ESC

3 x LC (And yes you can with it with kids )

OK So I took over one of the "Big 4" but they hadnt won the prem until I moved in. Ive just started a new save in the BSN and im gonnna see if I can reach the same levels with this club.

I got the game on release day. Due to work and other commitments I don't have as much time as I would like to have to spend on this game. Sofar I'm nearing the end of the 3d season, that is how much I've had time for.

I started the game with Lincoln in league 2, playing a rather basic 4-4-2, with the default personal instructions for each position. I have changed a few sliders here and there but not too much, mostly mentality to get rid of them too much space things. I hardly ever change anything in my tactic, I sometimes move one MC to DMC position or go on the attack if down but that is pretty much it.

First two seasons I got promotion. Third season (championship) got a lot harder and my team was tipped to finish last. Still playing the same tactic as in the beginning, but slightly more defensive I'm sitting 17th with two games left of the season. Team had an awful start since I had to get a bunch of new players in since the gap between league one and the championship was kinda big. I have put down quiet a lot of time looking for free players and I have also put down abit of time on the training to get my players to train their weak spots.

If my sofar short carreer can be deemed successful or not I will leave for others to judge as I got no trophies to show off. I think I have done pretty well with a team noone believed in in any of the seasons sofar and I have done so without going into micromanagement.

Well it depeneds on your defenition of not too baldy?

8 x Prem

7 x CL

4 x FA Cup

7 X CWC

4 X ESC

3 x LC (And yes you can with it with kids )

OK So I took over one of the "Big 4" but they hadnt won the prem until I moved in. Ive just started a new save in the BSN and im gonnna see if I can reach the same levels with this club.

That is brilliant especially since I assume it is Liverpool which makes it an even bigger achievement managing to be make them as good as that.

I got the game on release day. Due to work and other commitments I don't have as much time as I would like to have to spend on this game. Sofar I'm nearing the end of the 3d season, that is how much I've had time for.

I started the game with Lincoln in league 2, playing a rather basic 4-4-2, with the default personal instructions for each position. I have changed a few sliders here and there but not too much, mostly mentality to get rid of them too much space things. I hardly ever change anything in my tactic, I sometimes move one MC to DMC position or go on the attack if down but that is pretty much it.

First two seasons I got promotion. Third season (championship) got a lot harder and my team was tipped to finish last. Still playing the same tactic as in the beginning, but slightly more defensive I'm sitting 17th with two games left of the season. Team had an awful start since I had to get a bunch of new players in since the gap between league one and the championship was kinda big. I have put down quiet a lot of time looking for free players and I have also put down abit of time on the training to get my players to train their weak spots.

If my sofar short carreer can be deemed successful or not I will leave for others to judge as I got no trophies to show off. I think I have done pretty well with a team noone believed in in any of the seasons sofar and I have done so without going into micromanagement.

That is definitely a big success and it is especially good at is lower league management.

Jesus jod, I hadn't realised you were so lazy when it comes to FM

If I read it all correctly, the only 2 that I do the same as you is to watch games at high speed on key highlights and I also very rarely buy players during the Winter window. Other than that, I do virtually the complete opposite to you

You a hardcore FM'er then ftg?

You a hardcore FM'er then ftg?

I wouldn't necessarily class myself as hardcore, I just like clicking all the buttons and pretending that they really make a difference

You a hardcore FM'er then ftg?

Either that or some of us on here are ridiculously lazy.

Either that or some of us on here are ridiculously lazy.

*cough*jod*cough*

*cough*jod*cough*

You said the other day that every thread I post in that you post in I make a fool out of you. You trying to get your own back or something.

By the way I will be more careful not to continue this conversation in this thread as I don't want my thread closed.

(Note: The above is only a joke. I don't want to see any thread closed regardless of who created due to ftg veering off topic. )

ou said the other day that every thread I post in that you post in I make a fool out of you. You trying to get your own back or something.

By the way I will be more careful not to continue this conversation in this thread as I don't want my thread closed.

(Note: The above is only a joke. I don't want to see any thread closed regardless of who created due to ftg veering off topic. )

Oops, sorry about hijacking this thread (and maybe one other today), I shall be nicer (just like you ) in future, my humble apologies sir

May the discussion that I so rudely interrupted continue

Haha, jod has ruined many a good thread in his time aswell

edit: sorry if im now bringing this thread down.

OnTopic: I would say im a casual player, and have little success well, on 09 anyway. 2020 and STILL in BSP

Oops, sorry about hijacking this thread (and maybe one other today), I shall be nicer (just like you ) in future, my humble apologies sir

May the discussion that I so rudely interrupted continue

Thank you.

Haha, jod has ruined many a good thread in his time aswell

edit: sorry if im now bringing this thread down.

OnTopic: I would say im a casual player, and have little success well, on 09 anyway. 2020 and STILL in BSP

Point one out.

Actually why am I continuing this conversation after saying I don't want my thread ruined?

Point one out.

I can't find one off the top of my head, but im sure you have

Actually why am I continuing this conversation after saying I don't want my thread ruined?

Because saulty was right with his 1st point?

To get back to being on topic: I have done a little thinking over the past however many minutes it has been since jod asked if I was a "hardcore FMer" and I suppose, in a way, I might be. I mean, I have been playing SI's games for the best part of 15 years now and have always been intrigued as to what all the options I have at my disposal actually do, so I suppose that I do throw myself into the game with a fair amount of gusto

At the same time, however, I am by no means an FM expert, there is plenty that I don't know about the game and I am still learning a lot by being on these forums almost every waking hour

I think the big point being missed here (and most other threads discussing the difficulty of the game) is the squad you're managing. It's easy to be casual and still successful if you're managing Manchester United. It requires a bit more time if your in charge at Notts County and looking towards promotion. For example.

Just something to keep in mind.

I think the big point being missed here (and most other threads discussing the difficulty of the game) is the squad you're managing. It's easy to be casual and still successful if you're managing Manchester United. It requires a bit more time if your in charge at Notts County and looking towards promotion. For example.

Just something to keep in mind.

Yeah I would agree it requires a little more effort but not a whole lot. Someone in here has said they are a casual player and have led Lincoln to back-to-back promotions. I have managed several teams in lower leagues in FM08 and have got promotion for example but as I said I think it is expected success is a more realistic target for the casual player. For example United are expected to win all the time but Notts County are not expected to come all of a sudden from nowhere and storm up the leagues or anything like that but it does not mean you should struggle with them by being a casual player.

Fair enough. I'll agree with your general premise, to a degree.

Of course, I am an example of how one can put countless hours into the game and come away a total failure.

Fair enough. I'll agree with your general premise, to a degree.

Of course, I am an example of how one can put countless hours into the game and come away a total failure.

Do you want to expand on total failure? (I understand if you don't. :o)

Also have you created your own tactics?

Well, I'm generally an LLM'er, so no specifics on tactics/players/etc.

By total failure, I mean that I've been playing CM/FM for nine years now (real-life years, not in-game years) and only gained promotion once, back on CM 03/04 I believe. Ahh, the glory year

Still having fun, though.

At least you are having fun then.

I would like to try and help but since you are a LLM'er I know you don't want help.

Good Luck.

I would like to try and help but since you are a LLM'er I know you don't want help.

You mean, you don't know how to help, and don't want to look daft

You mean, you don't know how to help, and don't want to look daft

I am not sure but that is why I said try.

If you ever venture into the LLM forum then you would know the rules. No tipping is one.

I am not sure but that is why I said try.

If you ever venture into the LLM forum then you would know the rules. No tipping is one.

is that tipping as in giving tips

i thought it was some reference to fly tipping, like, talking rubbish or summat.

• I tutor all my promising youngsters. Sometimes I even buy veteran players just to tutor.
  
• I rarely make players learn new moves, only if I think ut's absolutely necessary.
  
• I often make players learn new positions
  
• I use player interaction feature if I criticise a key player who is on awful form or fine players who have fights or get red cards or, as I said, for tutoring purposes.
  
• I build a strong scouting network and buy players from the pool my scouts make. I make the final decision myself, I don't put too much emphasis on the scouts' opinions for mature players. I slowly build my squad, and dream of one day reaching the CL final with most players coming from my academy. Playing with Panathinaikos, I have achieved this only once with FM07, and I also reached the UEFA cUp final in FM08.
  
• I put medium effort in press conferences.
  
• I am very careful and methodical with my team talks.
  
• I design player-specific training schedules.
  
• I pick the team myself and rotate a lot, to keep players fresh and give youngsters first team playing time.
  
• I always use opposition instructions.
  
• I usually buy young promising player in the summer and exactly one player for the first team, but only if he is an unquestionable improvement over the player who used to play in that position. In the winter, I buy more young players and I only buy a first teamer if I have noticed a big gap in my squad.
  
• I watch full matches on medium speed and change tactics a lot. I design my tactics myself, but do check the TT forum for theoretical discussions on tactics design.
  

So it seems I am not the only one who plays casually and can still do well on the game so I emphasise once more that people who are struggling should concentrate on other areas as well as tactics.

That is brilliant especially since I assume it is Liverpool which makes it an even bigger achievement managing to be make them as good as that.

Yup it certainly was

Yeah I have to say I often wondered if I was the only one but im glad to say im not. I am doing pretty well in the BSN at moment am top of league after 14 Games so Im hopeful of BSP next season ATM.

• Rarely Tutor Players
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Moves
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Positions
  
• Generally only use player interaction feature if I criticise a key player who is on awful form.
  
• When buying players I always look at the player search feature but only buy players that have been scouted and if they have at least 4 stars of potential. I then get my assistant to scout them and if he thinks they are good enough I have a very quick glance at their attributes and then just keep them on my shortlist. Then when I need a player for a certain position I try and buy an appropiate player from shortlist.
  
• With the media I often sit on the fence and do no comment. The odd time depending on the question I give a positive or negative response.
  
• I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsongs Guide.
  
• I let my assistant pick the team and only make the odd change to the selection sometimes and only pick the team myself when I am Man United in the Carling Cup for example and want to give squad players a chance.
  
• I never use opposition instructions.
  
• Then at the end of every season I do a check on my players and staff and try and assess how to improve it based on the shortlist of players I have accumulated. I rarely buy players in the Winter Transfer Window, maybe if I just joined a club during the season I may and sometimes may buy a youth player but that is usually it.
  
• Only time I change tactics is when switching between my 5 saved tactics before a match (My tactics are far from brilliant by the way but are ok and kind of based on the Tactics and Frameworks Guide) depending on my opponent and whether I am at home or not and also during matches depending on the situation.
  
• I also look at matches with a very high speed in 3D and only key highlights and no replays.
  

Sounds a really boring way to play - you don't appear to do very much!! I wouldn't trust my scouts or Asst Mgr, they usually get it wrong and don't have the depth of knowledge I do (e.g. they don't consider the home grown rule for Europe when evaluating purchases).

I was wondering are there any casual players out there who are even reasonably sucessful as many on here seem to be struggling expecially it seems with tactics. I consider myself a casual player and have achieved a moderate amount of expected success on FM and I just thought I would outline how I play FM and hopefully others will do the same. Maybe there are more casual players out there than me.

Once I initially set up my game, I was going to put what I do when starting in but it made this post twice or even 3 times as long, , this is what I do and don't do:

• Rarely Tutor Players - I never ever do this
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Moves - Occasionaly do this
  
• Rarely Make Players Learn New Positions - Depends if I hav a massive injury crisis
  
• Generally only use player interaction feature if I criticise a key player who is on awful form. - Never used, ever
  
• When buying players I always look at the player search feature but only buy players that have been scouted and if they have at least 4 stars of potential. I then get my assistant to scout them and if he thinks they are good enough I have a very quick glance at their attributes and then just keep them on my shortlist. Then when I need a player for a certain position I try and buy an appropiate player from shortlist. - I probably spend 90% of my time trawling for players I can play 2 hours and never play a game
  
• With the media I often sit on the fence and do no comment. The odd time depending on the question I give a positive or negative response. - Am always positive, but answer each and every press conference with the same answers
  
• I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsongs Guide. - Assman does them
  
• I let my assistant pick the team and only make the odd change to the selection sometimes and only pick the team myself when I am Man United in the Carling Cup for example and want to give squad players a chance. - I always pick the strongest team in my opinion and this rarely changes
  
• I never use opposition instructions. - never ever used
  
• Then at the end of every season I do a check on my players and staff and try and assess how to improve it based on the shortlist of players I have accumulated. I rarely buy players in the Winter Transfer Window, maybe if I just joined a club during the season I may and sometimes may buy a youth player but that is usually it. - Again spend hours trying to find players
  
• Only time I change tactics is when switching between my 5 saved tactics before a match (My tactics are far from brilliant by the way but are ok and kind of based on the Tactics and Frameworks Guide) depending on my opponent and whether I am at home or not and also during matches depending on the situation. - I have two tactics and these are the only ones I use
  
• I also look at matches with a very high speed in 3D and only key highlights and no replays. - Usually watch games like this unless my team are playing exceptionally well
  

So it is over to you. How do you play? And by the way, not just casual players but everyone?

I think I am a casual player with a Harry Redknapp obsession with buying and selling players.

on my current game, i tend to holiday my matches,.

This, I found very odd. The matches are the biggest part of the game:confused:

Rarely Tutor Players

1/ Rarely Make Players Learn New Moves

2/ Rarely Make Players Learn New Positions

3/ Generally only use player interaction feature if I criticise a key player who is on awful form.

3/ When buying players I always look at the player search feature . I never trust the opinion of scouts or assistant managers. I always go back to the search function as new players become interested/available all the time

5/ With the media I send my assistant.

6/ I do team talks loosely of based on guess work.

7/ I always pick the team, don't quite understand people who don't, that's just beyond lazy.

8/ I often use opposition instructions.

9/ Then at the end of every season I already know who I want to move on and have a good idea who I want to sign. I usually have at least 1 Bosman lined up to replace a squad player that I can make money on. I use the winter window if I have the funds, which I don't very often.

10/ Only time I change tactics is when I'm either playing a very easy team or a very difficult one away from home. I'll change tactics mid game to another saved tactic, should I feel the need.

11/ I look at matches with a high speed (2 from the end) on 2D on key highlights

Sounds a really boring way to play - you don't appear to do very much!! I wouldn't trust my scouts or Asst Mgr, they usually get it wrong and don't have the depth of knowledge I do (e.g. they don't consider the home grown rule for Europe when evaluating purchases).

7/ I always pick the team, don't quite understand people who don't, that's just beyond lazy.

Both of you, thanks for that.

I do a lot. The only reason I posted this though was as people are complaining that you cannot be successful without micromanaging and being indepth which is not true.

About picking the team. I ask my assistant and view it myself then. If I disagree with a player based on their condition, form or want to give a squad player a chance then I will change. I don't stick rigidly to what he says.

#

# Only time I change tactics is when switching between my 5 saved tactics before a match (My tactics are far from brilliant by the way but are ok and kind of based on the Tactics and Frameworks Guide) depending on my opponent and whether I am at home or not and also during matches depending on the situation.

I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsongs Guide.

doesnt sound like a casual player tbh.

#

# Only time I change tactics is when switching between my 5 saved tactics before a match (My tactics are far from brilliant by the way but are ok and kind of based on the Tactics and Frameworks Guide) depending on my opponent and whether I am at home or not and also during matches depending on the situation.

I do team talks loosely of based on Wolfsongs Guide.

doesnt sound like a casual player tbh.

Why not? :confused:

I set up my tactics just for FM09 at the start and then just always use them for every single save. I read the TTF guide when setting them up. I never tweak away from them.

I read Wolfsongs guide once for FM08. I did not study it in detail just a quick glance through for 5 minutes and got 1 or 2 tips from it.

What do you consider casual?

casual players don't read guides or frameworks IMO.

casual players don't go on football manager forums [you have 5000+ posts lol].

casual players don't read guides or frameworks IMO.

casual players don't go on football manager forums [you have 5000+ posts lol].

Fair enough.

I admit there may be more casual players than me but I don't even pick my own team as somebody highlighted further up.

I've casually made my way from Blue Square South to League 1 in first 4 seasons. Not too hard, but the talent level seemed to take a huge jump when I got to League 1, and I've been just outside playoff places for the first two seasons there. I get the sense to keep moving up I'll need to get more involved with tactics, but I can't be bothered. Mid-table League 1 is OK by me, for a recent BSS side.

This is what I do:

• I never tutor players
  
• I only ever retrain "sensible" positions, ie ML to AML, DR to DWBR, etc
  
• I only use player interaction for praise on form
  
• For the carling cup, I always send assistant for PC's to show my lack of interest in the competition
  
• I use the "Inform the press officer that you won't take anymore questions" box after I've said "I predict we will do well"
  
• Use Wolfsongs for TT
  
• I'll download a training schedule, but with regens I'll copy the position and adapt it to strengthen his weak key attributes
  
• I always pick the team
  
• Never use OI
  
• I'll make / download a tactic set, tweak it in the first season and then never change it again for the rest of the save
  
• During matches I use "Only Commentary"
  
• I go by my scout's recommendations on real players, use my own for regens. Even if they're not brilliant I usually make a profit
  

Good thread , I didn't know you could make a list thingy

casual players don't read guides or frameworks IMO.

casual players don't go on football manager forums [you have 5000+ posts lol].

Hmm to be honest, those do not sound like the hallmarks of a casual player, more like an ignorant or indifferent one.

What I feel is that being active on the forums does not mean you cannot be casual about the game.

And why can you not read guides to be considered casual? You might like to read up on what you are not familiar with and try to apply the concepts to your game in an attempt to do better. Now say if we have a person who participates vigorously in a technical discussion on the game, or who has written a guide about some aspect of the game, I would then consider such a person non-casual.

i consider a casual gamer to be someone who just picks up and plays the game out of the box.

i consider anyone who takes it seriously via reading frameworks, guides etc. [including myself] is more than just a casual gamer.

i consider a casual gamer to be someone who just picks up and plays the game out of the box.

i consider anyone who takes it seriously via reading frameworks, guides etc. [including myself] is more than just a casual gamer.

Let's just say there are different levels of a casual gamer and they are more casual than me.