Help needed from you Journeymen chaps

Hey guys i am about to embark on what will hopefully become my save up until FM13, so what i would like to do is see just how far i can go as a manager from starting as unemployed. But i have a few questions that need answering please.

1. What Leagues would you advise to load up at the start?

2. How long on average should i stay at a single club?

3. How much work restructuring a club do you guys do whilst climbing the managerial ladder?

4. Is it advisable to set out goals before starting or is it better to just go with the flow?

5. Does Nationality have a detriment effect as to what jobs you can get at start (say i am English yet i load up S.Africa, China, etc will i not ever get offered a job as i don't speak the lingo)?

Any other advice you can give would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

1: As many as your computer can handle. I usually load England and then whatever takes my fancy. Where do you want to manage? What interests you?

2: Until you feel the need to change. I either leave when I get an offer I can't turn down, get sacked, or feel I can take a club no further.

3: As much as necessary. If I don't plan on being somewhere long, I don't. If I enjoy the club I try to build a dynasty.

4: I go with the flow. I feel setting goals makes my career less dynamic.

5: I find you get job offers anywhere, irrelevant of your nationality.

1. Some from every continent.

2. Depends how you play, you could accept jobs that you would accept in real life if you were in that position or you could only move if something caught your fancy or move when you are bored.

3. I don't do much, in a journeyman save I spend as much as I can because the long term effects are not my problem because I will be leaving the club within 2-4 years.

4. I do my goal is to win every continents Champions League trophy, when not playing that sort of save I tend to just go with the flow and see where the game takes me but having a couple of long term targets can help.

5. Nationality has no effect on club jobs, I am English and have managed in South Africa and Spain despite only speaking English, I also have had several offers from other clubs based in non-English speaking countries.

1. Personally I'd really recommend at least all of the Swedish leagues, found them really fun to manage in.

2. Stay as long as you want, if you're really enjoying managing them why would you want to leave? But if your team start to go backward instead of forward and/or have a board who constantly reject your requests, I'd recommend considering leaving.

3. Usually replace the staff as soon as I join, good Assistant Manager and Scouts are really useful. Also check out what the report of your team, see where your weak links are, where your team is strongest etc, from this evaluation you should pick a formation which suits your teams strengths and weaknesses or one which will work once you sign a good player in position x.

4. It's usually a good idea to set yourself goals for the upcoming season, don't aim too high with these goals, set ones which you think are perfectably achieveable.

5. I don't think it plays a big role what your nationality is or what languages you speak

1. What Leagues would you advise to load up at the start?

As many as you think you can handle, definitely need quite a few smaller ones to give you options early on.

2. How long on average should i stay at a single club?

Completely depends, when I'm on something good (usually winning trophies in a small nation) I'll bide my time, and wait for something really big rather than take many small steps up. If you keep on progressing with a club it's good to see how far you can go to get better options when you leave.

3. How much work restructuring a club do you guys do whilst climbing the managerial ladder?

Not too much, though will often have to spend time getting in a far better squad, and as good a set of staff as you can get is vital.

4. Is it advisable to set out goals before starting or is it better to just go with the flow?

I don't often arrive at a club with big goals in mind, that risks being frustrated at the lack of strong progress far too easy. Take it as it comes and enjoy what you managed to do, have fairly reasonable long-term goals in mind though as it gives you a goal without the pressure of feeling you have to do a certain thing within a year or two and feel you've messed it up too early, and it doesn't hurt to dream.

5. Does Nationality have a detriment effect as to what jobs you can get at start (say i am English yet i load up S.Africa, China, etc will i not ever get offered a job as i don't speak the lingo)?

You're more likely to be linked with English clubs if you're English (sometimes no where else until you hit it big) but even lower down you can get jobs all sorts of places abroad.

1. What Leagues would you advise to load up at the start?

Where you want to play, In themed mine to be Eastern Europe this year so I only loaded those leagues. The "load as many leagues as possible" answer isn't great in ym opinion as the game slows quicker which will make you loose interest faster.

2. How long on average should i stay at a single club?

3-5 years unless you have a good reason.

3. How much work restructuring a club do you guys do whilst climbing the managerial ladder?

Complete, often only 1-2 players are left after 3 years of me in charge.

4. Is it advisable to set out goals before starting or is it better to just go with the flow?

Depends on your personality, do you like goals or not?

5. Does Nationality have a detriment effect as to what jobs you can get at start (say i am English yet i load up S.Africa, China, etc will i not ever get offered a job as i don't speak the lingo)?

No.

Thanks guys i have just been offered a job as Orebro SK Ungdom in Swedish Division 2 North Gotaland. It is a Semi-Proffessional club and unfortunately only 6 games left of the season and no chance of promotion so short term plan is to stay in the Division and then put my stamp on things during the end of season. The Chairman is 'Willing to listen to offers' but the real surprise is the size of the stadium. It is a whopping 14400 (8550 seated) capacity with under soil heating!! With no debt whatsoever and only being founded in 1998 i am already starting to think i will stick around for a few years to see if that stadium size can help me propel this club to greater things. I have not loaded any of the bigger European Nations yet but i will add/remove as needed.

Heres to what i hope will be a heck of an adventure and once again thanks guys for your help

Be careful with adding and removing leagues, there is a thread in GD and I have experienced it myself, when you add leagues it can result in a bloated database that adds too many players. That then makes the game run slower and slower until it is virtually unplayable.

Be careful with adding and removing leagues, there is a thread in GD and I have experienced it myself, when you add leagues it can result in a bloated database that adds too many players. That then makes the game run slower and slower until it is virtually unplayable.

Oh thanks for the warning maybe i will quickly add/remove Leagues now so i can plan my route to the top more strategic.

May you be so kind as to link the thread you mentioned please? Also has anybody went as far with a Semi-Pro club that they became a Full-Time Proffessional club and what exactly happens during the transition as i have visions it could be rather expensive regarding the new contracts.

Full time clubs can still have part time players until contract renewal. You wont really notice much change in all honesty...

Full time clubs can still have part time players until contract renewal. You wont really notice much change in all honesty...

Thanks for info i was quite worried about that part. Phew. But alarm bells are ringing as i am in the process of having a takeover and not being in the job long am fearing for my future haha

No problem I haven't had one of FM12 but I did on 11 and I highly doubt its change massively since then. Often takeovers happen and you stay so don't worry too much!

Takeover complete and still have a job but from being in the black i am now in the red

From my own personal experience, you'll usually be in the red while you're in the Swedish Second Divisions, that's what I've found, hoping that when I'm promoted we'll start to make a profit. JackJCFC is another user who I know has managed in Sweden, not sure if he was making a loss every month.

From my own personal experience, you'll usually be in the red while you're in the Swedish Second Divisions, that's what I've found, hoping that when I'm promoted we'll start to make a profit. JackJCFC is another user who I know has managed in Sweden, not sure if he was making a loss every month.

Thanks for the warning i will just keep the wages as low as i can possibly manage but with players only asking for 7-8 quid p/w its gonna be a struggle to ask hem to sign for less hahaha

Getting players to sign for £7/8 p/w is really good. Some of mine are on £45+ p/w

Into the transfer window now so will have to see how i can improve/increase the squad whilst managing to stay within limits. Not going to be easy but my first 'challenge' at the club should be interesting.