The toughest job on FM08

[triple-j]

Real Sociedad? Anyone tried managing them?

The board expects you to win the league in your first season, unfortunately most of the players are **** and the good ones are too young. And you get given £60k to spend, and not allowed more than 2 foreigners. Plus most of the other best players are on loan, and like nearly all loan players, play like they couldn't give a sh*t.

Basically, if you're not in the top 4 by December you get sacked.

I tried twice, the second time I only lost 2 in 18 games - granted I drew too many and was 9th by mid-December, but still only 3 points behind 3rd place and 5 from the top. Still got sacked.

If anyone can win the league with Real Sociedad, it's a real challenge - hardest I've ever known. You're talking to a man who went 2 seasons unbeaten with Arsenal in a row, so I know my tactics.

[Richie Brill]

I saw the AI get them promoted in the 1st season and then go on and get 2nd in La Liga in the 2nd season and THEN went and bought Tevez for £55m! Obviously the AI is better than any other manager with R. Sociedad!

[triple-j]

Yeah - I also saw the AI win the Premier League with Blackburn in the third season, as if.

[wardog]

On Fm08 id think manageing Gretna would be hard. Never tried it personally because i never could be bothered. Could see Annan a difficult task on 09 when it arrives.

[steve.rush]

I managed to get them promoted at the first time of asking and also got to the Spanish Cup Final in the same season, losing to Barcelona. I managed to beat Real Madrid along the way though, I think it was something like 6-5 on aggregate.

The best players for me were Xabi Prieto, Gari and a left winger Nacho

I got quickly bored of the save so didn't pursue the next season in La Liga

[trekman]

On Fm08 id think manageing Gretna would be hard.

I think it would be bloody impossible since they don't exsist any more! Sorry I couldn't resist.

[dibbers]

hardest game i've played was in the northen irish 2nd division.
can't remember team names but the club was losing money hand-over-foot, was part time with terrible players and no-one wanted to join.
what are you supposed to do?

[triple-j]

I managed to get them promoted at the first time of asking and also got to the Spanish Cup Final in the same season, losing to Barcelona. I managed to beat Real Madrid along the way though, I think it was something like 6-5 on aggregate.

The best players for me were Xabi Prieto, Gari and a left winger Nacho

I got quickly bored of the save so didn't pursue the next season in La Liga

I'm thinking you need a bit of luck to achieve it, like getting to January in the top 4 unscathed so you can buy some badly-required new players when the window opens. I only lost 2 in 18, and it still wasn't enough simply because of my league position. Realistically, I don't think a manager should be sacked whatever the expectations when he is only 5pts from the top in December - even if 7th in the league.

I hope this will be addressed in FM09, with much more realism in respect of board expectations. It seems to be all about league positions rather than how close to the top you are, run of form you are in, etc. And also cup competitions, if you are a mid-table team and are drawn away to the top team in your country how can you be sacked for failing to win a cup. A lot of it's down to the draw - you can just say we expect you to get to round whatever and make that a big reason to sack someone.

[damienroden]

leeds united are pretty hard. pre patch near impossible.

[glamdring]

There are a huge number of small clubs with crap players who I'm sure are more difficult to manage than Real Sociedad, expectations or no expectations!

[LLM'er]

I've just done a season with Redditch from blue square north predicted 22nd, i came 2nd and got promoted through play-offs, Leeds united got promoted from play-offs even with there 15 point deduction.

[DrEdwierd]

Whatever team gets promoted from a league thats not on the database lol..
Never move to pontypridd if they get promoted

[SilentBob]

Athletic Bilbao!!

[Nomis07]

For me the toughest job in FM is any team outside the top division in any nation.

[damienroden]

redditch are far too easy, not sure why, everyone says they did really well with them, i have had 3 saves with them, getting promoted each time with a lot of points, 3rd time with a squad of under 23's (to make it more challenging).

[srwlml23]

I saw the AI get them promoted in the 1st season and then go on and get 2nd in La Liga in the 2nd season and THEN went and bought Tevez for £55m! Obviously the AI is better than any other manager with R. Sociedad!

sorry but was does the AI stand for

[Domix]

Artificial Intelligence...commonly known as "The Computer"

[glamdring]

For me the toughest job in FM is any team outside the top division in any nation.

Every division has big teams and small teams! Even in the lowest divisions in any nation there are easy jobs because the team in question is a lot bigger/better than the rest. Most obviously if you manage a professional club in a division full of semi-professional clubs!

[Domix]

I always wondered...what is the most weakest club of them all that you can manage in FM08 in first season?
I mean the very weakest club in the game.

[glamdring]

Impossible to say - it depends on your criteria. There are plenty of teams who start the game with no players, some probably also have debts, but how weak they are depends entirely on the strength of the other clubs in their division.

[Domix]

Agree on that.
But I was thinking if there is some kind of a way to check average Current Abillity of all the players in one club and by doing that find the most lowest current abillity of them all...

[glamdring]

Mebee through 3rd party software...again though a club with no players would have an average CA of 0

[Nomis07]

Every division has big teams and small teams! Even in the lowest divisions in any nation there are easy jobs because the team in question is a lot bigger/better than the rest. Most obviously if you manage a professional club in a division full of semi-professional clubs!

That says it all though, I struggle no matter what. I've tried with various teams outside the top division and it just becomes embarassing after a while, my tactic in 08 only seems to work with teams in the top divisions It doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the game all that much, but i'm still slightly jealous of those capable of managing in LLM.

[glamdring]

Lots of people "capable of managing in LLM" get relegated regularly - they just have a strange kind of enjoyment of the game that means they enjoy doing that as oppose to me who punches the settee and flies into a rage

[daemonic]

Start in the bottom tier of Danish or German football (probably others, these are the ones I know about) and all the clubs are amateur so no wage budget, no transfer budget and any team can approach your players at anytime.

[King Babel]

I took the reigns of Real Sociedad just after chris coleman got the job and feel by all accounts did a lot better than the sun bedded welshman.

I used Xavi Prieto in a free role as a pivitol part of my 4-2-3-1 formation buying Damien Escudero for the left wing position and pulling of a master stroke by singing Mauro Zarate (before Birmingham did) and rescusing the lad from his nightmare in Al Saidd. In January i asked the board for more cash and they duely obliged enabling me to sign the promising centre back Gustavo Cabral.

With a strong argentenian influence in my team albeit Zarate holding an italian passport i went o to win he league in my first season. Mauro Zarate was an absolute beast and after a slow beginning went on to score more than a goal a game, the guy was amazing. I played him as a targetman with supply set to run onto ball with my two wide men pressing 75% and creative freedom 15%.

After winning the league in my first season i went on to take the spanish premier division by storm beating both Barcelona and Real madrid playing counter attacking at home and A strong Valencia side at the mestalla by the same counterattacking ploy. By this stage Zarate was scoring free kicks, headers, long range drives and his young understudy Iñigo Díaz de Cerio coming on nicely as a quality back-up. I retrained Imanol Agirretxe Arruti to be able to play anywhere in the attacking mid roles and brought in some stability in centre mid. John Obi was a good loan signing as well as Alumina from arsenal. Second season i finished a remarkable fourth in the league and then the bombshell hit.

I had set my favourite team as Real Madrid and at the end of the season they made a bid for me. At this stage i wouldnt have left by beloved san sebastien club for all the tea in china but Real madrid!!! I guess i should have saved the game twice but i didnt think and took the job without hesitation. First siging Zarate for 32 Million, also raided my old club for Cabral and a young Cahais. Playing the same formation with Werder Bremens Diego in the hole i won the spanish premier leaga at the first time of asking but unfortunately got beat by arsenal in the champions league semis. I got bored soon after and left spain for the delights of the russian premiership.

[stelly]

Going unbeaten with Arsenal isn't really the sign of a tactical mastermind. It's easy to do it with any of the top four English clubs. Try doing it with Everton or something, now that would be tactical genius.

[Golaxi]

theres no such thing as a tactical genius on fm

[Geronimo360]

If you want a tough game on FM 2008 try Norwich. AI always manages to get them relegated and if the game gave you realistic funds instead of 2M it would be even harder.

[Jack Rudd]

Mebee through 3rd party software...again though a club with no players would have an average CA of 0

No, it would have an average CA of undefined - not the same thing.

[lolgasm]

I think it would be bloody impossible since they don't exsist any more! Sorry I couldn't resist.

He says FM08, and on there, they exist.

[Herter]

Vecindario in spain was quite a hard challenge... No money, (almost) no stadium, no reputation (means no-one is interested in joining you) and your team generally sucks

However, it isnt impossible, just quite hard to do well from season 1..

I highly recommend trying though.. I had lots of fun with them..

[jasewood]

He says FM08, and on there, they exist.

They actually still do exist in the Scottish lower leagues.

[Blackmama]

toughest job on FM is being my assistant - damn I keep him busy.

[Kriss]

When you start a new game choose Nueva Chicago or Alte Brown in the Argentinian second division, it doesn't get any harder than that

[senorcoo]

toughest job on FM is being my assistant - damn I keep him busy.

Same here. Between scouting players and opposing teams AND running the Reserves and Youth teams, it has to be the toughest job around :-)

[bsmaff]

Trying to get Spurs relegated just like Ramos in real life.

[homerjnick]

I'm playing with Haukar, an amateur lower league club in Iceland............there seems to be no money in Iceland, wonder why?

[Rushers82]

Looking forward to FM09, I imagine Luton might be a pretty tough ask. -30 points in League 2 to begin with, not a particularly large squad and I dont imagine there will be a lot of money to throw around considering the recent multiple administrations.
I'm looking forward to trying this one in a perverse kind of way!

[elgreenio]

Athletic Bilbao!!

agree there, picking from only basque players, continuing a clubs tradition. Although a few games ago you could get them absolutely brilliant after a few seasons

[Wee Aja]

On Fm08 id think manageing Gretna would be hard. Never tried it personally because i never could be bothered. Could see Annan a difficult task on 09 when it arrives.

Haven't read all the posts yet, so sorry if it's been said but..
I'm sure Annan wouldn't be that difficult a job, seeing as you will have no expectations and can't get relegated?

You'll just be told to "Enjoy the experience" of participating in any competition you are in.

[AndreVeloso24]

Gimnastic! In Spain, so hard! Once i got promoted to the spanish first division (which as quit easy) and than sent down to the spanish third division 2 years later. Only got sacked after i fell to the third division

[jsolloso]

Most Spanish Second Division teams have high expectations but Real Sociedad are former Liga Champions having won in twice so the pressure is understandable.