How easy/hard do you find the game?

I'm playing with 8.0.1 and can't seem to get into the game. The only game where I've continued past about 4 months was with United, but found that a bit too easy. However I've tried a vast array of different clubs, ranging from Droylesden to Aston Villa, and find I'm now cr*p at the game.

For me odd little bugs in the game are not a major issue, however on this occasion it's simply getting results that are losing the game's appeal!

In previous games I've usually been able to find a system that works to some degree. I appreciate that it should be tough to create a winning formula, but it's been a lot different with 08, be it my own faults or the game's.

So what do you guys think? Do your tactics need a 8/10 games before you start getting consistency, or like me are you finding it hard work? The tactics and training forum is my new home

(Note: Before I get flamed, this is NOT a rant at the game, more to highlight my tactical pitfalls on the game and hope that I'm not the only one!)

I'm playing with 8.0.1 and can't seem to get into the game. The only game where I've continued past about 4 months was with United, but found that a bit too easy. However I've tried a vast array of different clubs, ranging from Droylesden to Aston Villa, and find I'm now cr*p at the game.

For me odd little bugs in the game are not a major issue, however on this occasion it's simply getting results that are losing the game's appeal!

In previous games I've usually been able to find a system that works to some degree. I appreciate that it should be tough to create a winning formula, but it's been a lot different with 08, be it my own faults or the game's.

So what do you guys think? Do your tactics need a 8/10 games before you start getting consistency, or like me are you finding it hard work? The tactics and training forum is my new home

(Note: Before I get flamed, this is NOT a rant at the game, more to highlight my tactical pitfalls on the game and hope that I'm not the only one!)

I'm loving it.

12 years in. Had many clubs at many levels - from Workington to Sevilla.

Finally had enough money to buy a player in my eleventh season.

Enjoying building up my reputation from nothing. Finally made it to the Premiership after managing in the Blue Sq North, Blue Sq, Championship, Serie B and La Liga.

Tactics are a big part of my game, I tinker before every match - tempo, passing style, etc. Even during the game I'll change things around 4 or 5 times.

Created my own training regime for each player position, also works well.

I'm really enjoying it. Having just the right amount of success in my Gillingham side. Although, in fairness, it's probably a little too much success, but then I've brought in some decent players (e.g. Aaron Brown from Reading reserves for £22K).

Haven't been this addicted in ages.

I've found the game, in general, to be a lot more difficult than previous editions.

My biggest problem is how a young midfield player had the ability to play delicous balls over the top or down the channels in pre season friendlies against quality opposition.

I've just released him at the end of his contract in Jnauary cos with the same tactic, same position and same two strikers offering he didnt pass the ball and was hopeless.

DVD anyone?

Same here, but that's a good thing.

FM is both a game and a simulation. It aims to be as realistic a portrayal of football management as possible while still remaining fun to play, which is harder to balance than it might sound.

For example, bringing Wokington to the Premiership in successive seasons isn't a realistic goal in the real world. Even something like winning the title with, say, Bolton within 10 seasons wouldn't be possible. But in order to make the game fun things like this have to be achievable because ending season after season with mid-table mediocrity wouldn't keep us coming back for more, despite being realistic.

I think they've balanced it nicely in this edition anyway, it is harder than previously but it still seems possible to achieve more or less anything with any club. It just might take a bit more effort and a bit more time, which in the end is more than a bit more rewarding.

found this, as the first poster said, very hard to find consistency

hardest game so far for definite...

having said that am currently a cool 3rd in the Championship with Charlton in the first season so hopefully i can close out and gain promotion!!

By far the hardest game so far (which is a good thing) - second season in after getting Charlton promoted Man Utd sacked Fergie and offered me the job!

Can't believe it.

Just been beaten by Arsenal though which has not pleased the fans or the Americans...

oh - well if the same happens to me as did to Chappie i will be well pleased

Unfortunately atm i have slipped to 4th : (

i started life with leeds (-15 points!) and my first game i lost 7-0 to hartlepool! i was about to give up right that moment but i persisted and only just missed out on playoffs.

second season now and i am in top three although it is early days. i do find it hard to get some consistency also but i think that will change with practice and i know what works or not!

the game's a cinch, back to back promotions with Leeds, and 5th in Februray in the Prem. Most spent on a player is 250k on Zokora.

jeez! what's the secret instigator?!?!

by far the hardest fm yet... managed my local team barnet for a season and a half and had to quit because their inconsistency was driving me mad (very realistic with barnet though!)... then got sacked after only 54 days at crystal palace... now i'm in my 2nd season trying to get nottingham forest back up to the championship... with fantastic signings like dickson etuhu, marius niculae, richard wright, david prutton and thomas job we are still struggling to find our rhythm though we are battling for automatic promotion with a few games to go

Agree whole heartedly with the first poster.. I feel like claudio ranieri, the tinkerman!

Really hard.

Have those who have had sucess spent large amounts of time achieving this? And not just in terms of amount of seasons but time invested in each game etc

I find 08 very hard, a lot more difficult than 07. It's put me down a bit, and adding the game problems, it has got me to a point I'm currently stuck playing 07; I play mostly for fun and getting beaten every other match is not that much fun.

Its really difficult, i am enjoying it but the board confidence part is a complete disaster

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by patsyBlah:

Agree whole heartedly with the first poster.. I feel like claudio ranieri, the tinkerman!

Really hard.

Have those who have had sucess spent large amounts of time achieving this? And not just in terms of amount of seasons but time invested in each game etc </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Im starting to reach the upper echelons of English football with York City. I am currently releagetd from the premiership with 6 games to go, but on the flipside i havent went mad on signings, ala Derby County. Instead i have a squad of great championship players which means i should bounce straight back up next season. Ive found this is the best way to actually gain a foothold in the premiership, ive done it on another save game

much more difficult. funny enough it's actually more enjoyable now when I play the network with my missus and my friend. Because none of us three are running away in success. When I play the single player game though I find it quite frustrating sometimes so I can understand why so many people who play the game alone don't enjoy it so much

I am Bayern so for me it is hardly difficult although I am beginning to wonder if I will ever make it past the quarter finals in the Champions League.

I find success easy domestically but I have more than my fair share of troubles in Europe.

i find taht as you go through the game season by season it slowly gets easier and easier. i would like the difficulty to stay.

from the start of the season i'd say the difficulty is about right.

Its a JOKE!

I think this is the easiest game that SI games has produced.

Im in my second season at Arsenal and I have a squad with the following super-stars: Sebastian Frey, Dani Alves, Mascherano, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fred, Sergie Aguero. And ofcourse I still have Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Sagna, Denilson, Fabregas, Vela and Eduardo.

I'm enjoying it. I have two managers running in the same game at the mo.

Manager 1: Took West Brom to promoton in the first season and am currently 11th with 10 games to go. Highlight beating Manu Utd 3-2 at home.

Manager 2: Now this is the weird one. Started unemployed and in the past 2 seasons have been sacked three times from spanish clubs, but i have the following record. P 49 W 21 D 15 L 13, what more can i do!!

So sometimes its easy and sometimes its hard.

I've found this to be the easiest for a while.

I had loads of problem on FM07, I only won the prem something like 2 times in 7 seasons but now I just win it every year.

The AI teams get worse and worse as time goes on, even more so than FM07 - average ages of 29-31 all round at the moment on mine. With the massive attribute drops on FM08 for old players they just turn into garbage.

That is a bit further into the game though, but I went undefeated in the league with Leeds in my first season and went up as champions.

Never did anything like that before on any other versions/

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SALMAN:

Its a JOKE!

I think this is the easiest game that SI games has produced.

Im in my second season at Arsenal and I have a squad with the following super-stars: Sebastian Frey, Dani Alves, Mascherano, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fred, Sergie Aguero. And ofcourse I still have Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Sagna, Denilson, Fabregas, Vela and Eduardo. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't play with arsenal then?

I find it a lot harder but maybe thats because im harrow borough in the BSS, i've only been saved from relegation on the last day of the season both years.

It's a lot harder, but that makes it a lot funner as I like a challenge

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by asshole182:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SALMAN:

Its a JOKE!

I think this is the easiest game that SI games has produced.

Im in my second season at Arsenal and I have a squad with the following super-stars: Sebastian Frey, Dani Alves, Mascherano, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fred, Sergie Aguero. And ofcourse I still have Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Sagna, Denilson, Fabregas, Vela and Eduardo. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't play with arsenal then?

I find it a lot harder but maybe thats because im harrow borough in the BSS, i've only been saved from relegation on the last day of the season both years. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

don't play with arsenal? it's all relative in terms of the league your in.

arsenal shouldn't be easy. arsenal shouldn't be able to by christiano ronaldo

Think it gets easier each time you play it, each time you will know about more good players to sign and which tactics work and dont work. Im a bit bored of my current save, 22 points clear in 2010-11 with 9 games left, 27 games unbeaten in SPL with DUFC.

I've personally found it the hardest FM in a while. I've got into a habit of always starting my first game as Arsenal and, for the first time in a while, really struggled the first couple of seasons. Injuries played a part but things like tactics and training seemed to take more perfecting. After a few seasons it did start getting easier, or maybe my squad just started getting better. Either way, I won the league three years running from 2013, having only done so in 2010 up until then. Won the Champions League in 2011, as well as 2013 and 2014. Went to Madrid and am in my 2nd season here, having so far not won a thing.

It was my game as Colchester that really showed up how hard the game is, went down really without much of a fight and have struggled mid-table in the second season. I think some of that is because my tactics were far, far too attacking, I mean I scored the 4th or 5th most goals but conceded by far and away the most. I do think there's more of a learning process to FM08, and personally I welcome that. It's more fun when it's more challenging, as much as I enjoyed FM07, it wasn't exactly tough to be successful. Of course, you never want the game to be too difficult and, if FM09 comes out and is that much harder again, it might start being too difficult. As long as it's around the same area FM08 is, I'd be happy.

I'm finding it hard and frustrated with the lack of consistency. Away I can thrash a team 4-1 using a defensive orientated tactic, but at home games using the same formation and more attacking minded I lose 2-0.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SALMAN:

Its a JOKE!

I think this is the easiest game that SI games has produced.

Im in my second season at Arsenal and I have a squad with the following super-stars: Sebastian Frey, Dani Alves, Mascherano, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fred, Sergie Aguero. And ofcourse I still have Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Sagna, Denilson, Fabregas, Vela and Eduardo. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

How dumb. Of course it's easy when you choose to go Arsenal and own 15 superstars.

The game just doesn't suit the casual player at all!

Think it is far too easy, started with Gainsborough in the Blue Square North, using a very basic tactic based on the 4-4-2 with short arrows on the wingers, let the ass man handle team talks, not done a lot with training, promoted from Blue Square North as champions, and then from the Blue Square Premier via the play offs, despite still being part time and many of the other clubs being fully professional. In two seasons I have still not spent a penny on players.

I was kinda bored with FM (struggled to get into games for a while) and decided to be Chelsea... basically had a massive clearout of 'stars' who had 'lost their motivation' and 'wanted a new challenge'... first season finished 2nd behind an awesome Man Utd team, i signed some fantastic youngsters in Aguero & Javi Martinez, aswell as adding players such as Daniel Alves, Goran Pandev, Ledley King, Nicolas Anelka to the team. For once in a while im actually enjoying the game, its far from easy and i actually find it quite a challenge to try to gain the premiership crown again from an awesome Man Utd team and battling with an improving Arsenal & Liverpool teams.

The game is hard, they have the ballance right however. The top clubs are easy, some even veryr easy, but they should be, they allready have the top players!

Mid table clubs and lower division clubs find it much harder to break into higher years, and so they should.

Take my game with Plymouth. I took them over and got them promoted in the first year. The second year in the Premiership was extremely hard, I have in fact basically mirrored Derbys season this year, im now back down in the championship, rebuilt my team with the parachute payments and should go straight back up.

In my opinion this is a part of the game which has never been right until this version. In general people which feel the game is too hard or too easy really stick to their respective idea's on what the game should be.

The People who find it much to easy are more than likely always Arsenal / Chelsea / Manchester United.

The People who find it too hard are people who used to be teams like Fulham and within 2 years win everything. Without real luck and talent with signings and tactics, in this version it isnt that easy to acheive this, and rightly so!

Bugs aside, it's as enjoyable as ever.

I think it's more difficult but this makes it more enjoyable. The people who complain about it being too easy are the same people who play as Real Madrid and Arsenal etc along with the people who are irritated that they can't get Derby into the CL in the first season. The relegation battle is actually more fun than the push for the elague.

It is frustrating when you lose a couple of games but it all adds to the realism and gets you addicted even quicker.

I think ever since SI started making the game on their own it has become a lot harder. I'm having middling succes with different teams, it takes me more and more time to do well!

I would prefer if tactics were a little bit less sensitive but I do understand some people really enjoy that side of it. I have been playing this game since I was about 12-13 and I had a lot more time to spare. I'm 25 now and trying to find the time can a bit harder.

I think eventually the game will just become too hard for people who have less time to play, maybe they could put a difficulty setting, not sure if that would wotk.

The main thing is I find 08 more addictive than ever but yes I do find it a bit too hard but thats me!

In regards to how difficult it has become, I have definately seen a rise in the amount of people complaining they cant win over the past few years, and I personally have noticed the game become more difficult, but at teh same time, more realistic.

In previous versions its was all too easy to go unbeaten throughout the season - something that very rarely happens in real life (although I know it does eg arsenal/chelsea). In the latest versions the game has been more realistic and it does take time to transform a relegation threatened side into a champion, its not overnight success obviously.

The main problem I see is the increasing difficulty people are finding with tactics, and perhaps this is where SI need to concentrate their efforts? I feel the assistant manager has a majorly undervalued role in the game, and could possibly be the solution. There is currently the option to go on holiday for each match and leave them to your assistant, but perhaps the way forward would be to allow the assistant manager to make substancial suggestions in regards to tactics, and therefore those who need the tactical help can recieve it, and those who are happy with how the game plays can simply not ask the assistant and play it their own way.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In regards to how difficult it has become, I have definately seen a rise in the amount of people complaining they cant win over the past few years, and I personally have noticed the game become more difficult, but at teh same time, more realistic.

In previous versions its was all too easy to go unbeaten throughout the season - something that very rarely happens in real life (although I know it does eg arsenal/chelsea). In the latest versions the game has been more realistic and it does take time to transform a relegation threatened side into a champion, its not overnight success obviously.

The main problem I see is the increasing difficulty people are finding with tactics, and perhaps this is where SI need to concentrate their efforts? I feel the assistant manager has a majorly undervalued role in the game, and could possibly be the solution. There is currently the option to go on holiday for each match and leave them to your assistant, but perhaps the way forward would be to allow the assistant manager to make substancial suggestions in regards to tactics, and therefore those who need the tactical help can recieve it, and those who are happy with how the game plays can simply not ask the assistant and play it their own way. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think thats a great idea, the assitant manger is deffiently undervalued, it would be great if he said, "hink your playing your defence incorrectly with the way the midfield is set up maybe you should consider player a lower defensive line etc"

im loving it, not too hard not too easy it can be a challenge i have resigned from everton after the 4th season, havin spent 2 years at arsenal previous i am now managing AFC Hornchurch! how crazy am i? going from premiership to BS South!

This game is not very hard I found fm 2007 harder then this version.

I'm playing currently on the third division in Belgium with turnhout and I playd champion the first season and with fm 2007 this could be only a dream.

Maybe its luck but normally I had to wait two seasons for heaving succes in the third divisions with a club that has simular reputation.

The game is as hard as it should be IMO.

I like the challenge I hate the transfer system I wish you could confornt the board when they sell a key player for peanuts though and get sort the shots on goal problem out to

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SWaRFeGa:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SALMAN:

Its a JOKE!

I think this is the easiest game that SI games has produced.

Im in my second season at Arsenal and I have a squad with the following super-stars: Sebastian Frey, Dani Alves, Mascherano, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fred, Sergie Aguero. And ofcourse I still have Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Sagna, Denilson, Fabregas, Vela and Eduardo. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

How dumb. Of course it's easy when you choose to go Arsenal and own 15 superstars. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

but then how easy should it be to be able to buy all these star players he's mentioned in 2 seasons?