Isn't it fun managing a Scottish Club?

[Jay-Producer]

Just thought id share my enthusiasm with you lot.

I started unemployed and set my past experience as a pro-footballer (not international level). First lot of jobs I applied for I got offered everyone. I chose Greenock Morton in Scotland. First time ive started unemployed ever. So this is a new experience for me.

Only a £5k wage budget and £20k to spend. To make things worse I sell a bunch of players and rake in over £300k from them - which is a lot of money for a Scottish Club outside the old firm - and the greedy board only give me 40%, then 50, then 60% of the transfer money. Luckily I bought a bunch of players on freebies and a couple of loans. My squad is very short indeed no thanks to the pathetic wage budget.

First lot of games were against the predicted 1st and 2nd - what a tough start to the league and my first management job. Couldn't have asked for a bigger task.

Anyway, I'm sitting nicely at the top of League 1 on joint points after 10 games. I am predicted to finish 6th.

Isn't it so much fun playing when you do a new and different challenge?

[Jedzo]

Yeah, being from Scotland i've tried it out a few times and it can start off very good careers - my best career ever actually started off with Cowdenbeath! Consecutive promotions can be quite easy if you pick up good players (Gretna did it in real life - div3 to SPL). Loans from old firm reserves and other top half SPL teams are your best bet tbh. Not done this in a while but i think i might later on

[chob]

Never actually managed in Scotland but have got an interesting save in N. Ireland which I haven't actually played for a while.

[Müller1469564937]

Isn't it so much fun playing when you do a new and different challenge?

I agree. I'm quite enjoying my Dundee season at the moment. Got promoted to the premier league last year and we're sitting 4th after 12 games. Not too bad.

[TheMister]

I'd quite like to give it a go with a mid-table SPL side, but I couldn't get my head around playing each other 4 times in the league and maybe twice again in the cups

[Burscoughnian]

Got arguably my favourite ever career experience ongoing with Peterhead. We're a mid table Premier League outfit and haven't got another Premier League team around for miles and miles. Aberdeen were relegated and have never recovered. Got an excellent youth setup and 9,300 seater stadium.

Trying to build an entire squad of local lads, capable of bringing home a trophy or taking us into Europe.

[Burscoughnian]

I'd quite like to give it a go with a mid-table SPL side, but I couldn't get my head around playing each other 4 times in the league and maybe twice again in the cups

You play them three times now. The division splits into a Championship and Relegation group towards the end. Just to get your head even more baffled.

[TheMister]

Yeah but I'd hope to get my mid-table side to improve a little and always be in the top 6, so it'd still be 4 times

Maybe 'get my head around' was the wrong thing to say, I just meant being happy playing teams that often without getting bored.

I'm playing in Brazil at the moment, and if you choose a team in the Rio or Paulista champonships you could end up playing a few teams 5- 8 times a year (IIRC). So I've chosen a Gremio in the Gaucho and I just get Internacional a few times - the rest of the Serie A teams are 'fresh'.

I just don't like familiarity/repetitiveness.

[Welshace]

yup... always meant to start a game with all UK countries loaded and start unemployed... work my way around the nations until i could get a big job in the english prem.... awesome..

might start one today actually.. probably start in scotland if possible as wales will get me nowhere

[SeanNUFC]

have done it in cm01/02 a few times only to have my game dissapear after doing well cause my comp(old one) messed up, yet to do it on fm but might do now you've suggested it. I like being east stirling.

[Super Bladesman]

Yeah but I'd hope to get my mid-table side to improve a little and always be in the top 6, so it'd still be 4 times

Maybe 'get my head around' was the wrong thing to say, I just meant being happy playing teams that often without getting bored.

I'm playing in Brazil at the moment, and if you choose a team in the Rio or Paulista champonships you could end up playing a few teams 5- 8 times a year (IIRC). So I've chosen a Gremio in the Gaucho and I just get Internacional a few times - the rest of the Serie A teams are 'fresh'.

I just don't like familiarity/repetitiveness.

That's why I love the new editor this year - first thing I did was change the Scottish setup to more of a pyramid system with normal sized leagues

[TheMister]

That's why I love the new editor this year - first thing I did was change the Scottish setup to more of a pyramid system with normal sized leagues

That's a good alternative. Especially if you fancy a 'smaller' club. IMHO it's not great for playing as one of the top 4-6 clubs, as there's not a great depth to the quality of the sides. I wish there was more depth, IRL too.

I'm going to stop now, because it must seem like I'm trying to run down what the OP had in mind, which isn't my intention :o Good luck everyone

[Dan BHTFC]

On my Greenock game a few months ago I sold the entire first team and reserve team squads and brought in all loan players, I didn't have to pay any wages and I managed to get promotion into the SPL with a healthy bank balance and a good transfer budget

[erik86]

I havent managed in Scotland on FM10.. Had a really good Save with Aberdeen on FM08, might give it another go.

[Jedzo]

Got arguably my favourite ever career experience ongoing with Peterhead. We're a mid table Premier League outfit and haven't got another Premier League team around for miles and miles. Aberdeen were relegated and have never recovered. Got an excellent youth setup and 9,300 seater stadium.

Trying to build an entire squad of local lads, capable of bringing home a trophy or taking us into Europe.

My town

[Cometdude]

I don't usually manage in Scotland but got offered the Celtic job, now on a 36 game win streak in all competitions and getting a bit bored now, I even put out a team with 6 under 19s in it and still won! I'm gonna finish the season then go back to a "proper" league where I can struggle!

[hannan300188]

I started as Airdrie Utd, 1st season finished 2nd (3 points off top), then 7th, 7th again, 2nd again (5 points off top) and in the 5th season I won promotion, winning the league by 10 points. Only problem is, I don't have 3 players under 21 to use in my match day squad in the SPL, it's gonna be a hard season, I'll keep you updated if the thread keeps active

[Bruce Drundrige]

Good to hear someone else playing as Morton, that's my home town team, the team I support, and the team I play as on FM.

I think a Scottish game, despite it's detractors, can be very challenging and fun indeed...mostly however if you _don't_ go as one of the Old Firm. Your challenge if you go Rangers or Celtic is basically to beat the other one (and beat them to trophies), and try and progress in Europe. The way the finances progress it's probably not that difficult.

The real challenge is to play as a non-Old Firm team and try and topple / split them. It's especially difficult when you know you have to play both of them at least 3 times each, some times twice away from home.

Try starting as a small club and the difficulty increases all over again, and there's not the large TV money to help you catch up. It's a great feeling to either split them or win the SPL if you're a club that is historically small.

In my current Morton save I won the 1st Division first time of asking (on 10.2 but it is possible) and now I'm about to start the 2015 season, and i'm basically the 3rd team in Scotland. Finished 2nd in season 2013/14 and won the Scottish Cup, finished 3rd in 2014/15 and lost in the Cup Final. I'm now close to having a Youth Academy and have good training facilities, so it's good times all round. Apart from when I have to play Dundee Utd. I HATE playing Dundee Utd.

[TheMister]

Nice going Edinton

What wage budget are you allowed now??

[Bruce Drundrige]

I'm just over 100k a month, had about 15m in the bank down to about 10m after signing some players and wages going up etc. Just increasing the capacity finally for the first time as well, because it's not all-seater so the first upgrade that happened was to put in extra seats but not increase the capacity

[Kickballz]

I found managing in Scotland to be fun for a while but ultimately unrewarding.

After a few seasons of success I wanted a bigger stage. Playing the SPL over and over just became too tedious.

[Bruce Drundrige]

It does get frustrating, certainly if you can't topple the Old Firm, although as a Morton supported it's always nice to take your local team to the Champions League etc. Fortunately I'm never short of job offers from more illustrious teams abroad.

Something the game has never quite got right in the SPL is the tedium of the repetitive nature of the league setup, and the financial status of the teams. By tedium I mean the stagnation of finishing mid-table in the SPL each year, never winning a cup, or anything different happening year to year other than the occasional relegation battle (see Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Aberdeen, etc). This affects attendances and they dwindle. In my current save Kilmarnock's avg attendances are in the 7k to 9k mark even when they finish in the bottom 6 each year and are generally average. This isn't the case IRL.

Every team in the SPL also appears to have lots of money in the bank according to FMRTE. Aberdeen just spent 3.7m on an 18 yr old centre forward, and I don't think they'd sold anyone particularly spectacular to get the cash in.

[El_Ricardo]

The league structure of Scotland has always been a big drawback for me. Fortunately a great alternative was created and I always make sure Scotland is a loaded country within my career saves now.

[Guest leedsUnited-Beckford]

scotlnad sucks

[bat]

I've always found St Mirren to be the hardest gig in FM. Best I've ever done is to sneak into the top half of the split, only to be thrown back down due to last day results elsewhere

Apart from that, I play 3rd division sides - currently with Elgin (overachieving a wee bit), and have had great runs with Dumbarton before they were promoted IRL. Agree, great challenge and loads of addictive fun

[bat]

Ipswich Knights? That explains the drongo comments perfectly...

[Bruce Drundrige]

I've always found St Mirren to be the hardest gig in FM. Best I've ever done is to sneak into the top half of the split, only to be thrown back down due to last day results elsewhere

Apart from that, I play 3rd division sides - currently with Elgin (overachieving a wee bit), and have had great runs with Dumbarton before they were promoted IRL. Agree, great challenge and loads of addictive fun

I tend to find that the second tier teams in the SPL will be fairly realistic in that they'll all take turns as the '3rd team in Scotland' but none of them can ever prolong the challenge, which means 3rd place is usually fairly easy to take I find.

[Vermundr]

I'm working on restoring Dumbarton's old glory right now Promotion in the SPL is inevitable the next maybe 2 years.

[bat]

Go the Sons!

[Dean Gripton]

scotlnad sucks

It's about time you started leaving threads alone if you have nothing interesting or useful to contribute.

[Vermundr]

Go the Sons!

haha! Yeah! We are doing pretty well after 18th games and 3rd place in 1st division even won the Challenge cup for the first time in history. Parent club Celtic is investing 30k per year which is like 3xtimes my transfer budget

[JonnyGabriel]

.

[Vermundr]

I quit when they got promoted to the SPL because I knew they'd get slaughtered.

You gotta love the bravery and determination you put in there

[JonnyGabriel]

.

[FrazT]

scotlnad sucks

Almost as bad as your spelling does- cut it out please

[Jay-Producer]

Good to hear someone else playing as Morton, that's my home town team, the team I support, and the team I play as on FM.

I think a Scottish game, despite it's detractors, can be very challenging and fun indeed...mostly however if you _don't_ go as one of the Old Firm. Your challenge if you go Rangers or Celtic is basically to beat the other one (and beat them to trophies), and try and progress in Europe. The way the finances progress it's probably not that difficult.

The real challenge is to play as a non-Old Firm team and try and topple / split them. It's especially difficult when you know you have to play both of them at least 3 times each, some times twice away from home.

Try starting as a small club and the difficulty increases all over again, and there's not the large TV money to help you catch up. It's a great feeling to either split them or win the SPL if you're a club that is historically small.

In my current Morton save I won the 1st Division first time of asking (on 10.2 but it is possible) and now I'm about to start the 2015 season, and i'm basically the 3rd team in Scotland. Finished 2nd in season 2013/14 and won the Scottish Cup, finished 3rd in 2014/15 and lost in the Cup Final. I'm now close to having a Youth Academy and have good training facilities, so it's good times all round. Apart from when I have to play Dundee Utd. I HATE playing Dundee Utd.

I keep loosing 40k a month and I'm soon gona be in debt soon. The footballing costs are ridiculously high. My wage budget is well under what it should be. I am saving 2.5k a month on wages, but these hidden footballing costs are way too high.

[Jay-Producer]

Good to hear someone else playing as Morton, that's my home town team, the team I support, and the team I play as on FM.

I think a Scottish game, despite it's detractors, can be very challenging and fun indeed...mostly however if you _don't_ go as one of the Old Firm. Your challenge if you go Rangers or Celtic is basically to beat the other one (and beat them to trophies), and try and progress in Europe. The way the finances progress it's probably not that difficult.

The real challenge is to play as a non-Old Firm team and try and topple / split them. It's especially difficult when you know you have to play both of them at least 3 times each, some times twice away from home.

Try starting as a small club and the difficulty increases all over again, and there's not the large TV money to help you catch up. It's a great feeling to either split them or win the SPL if you're a club that is historically small.

In my current Morton save I won the 1st Division first time of asking (on 10.2 but it is possible) and now I'm about to start the 2015 season, and i'm basically the 3rd team in Scotland. Finished 2nd in season 2013/14 and won the Scottish Cup, finished 3rd in 2014/15 and lost in the Cup Final. I'm now close to having a Youth Academy and have good training facilities, so it's good times all round. Apart from when I have to play Dundee Utd. I HATE playing Dundee Utd.

I think the most fun I've had on FM10 was in Scotland with Clyde.

I quickly realised that in the Scottish leagues you can have an unlimited number of loans in your squad and your starting XI, my Clyde team stormed Division Two and Division One with players like Febian Brandy, Zavon Hines, Corry Evans and Davide Petrucci.

I quit when they got promoted to the SPL because I knew they'd get slaughtered.

Evans is excellent in Div 1. Just scored a hatrick for me

[Jay-Producer]

scotlnad sucks

Yip youve been told you noty boy. Scotland is a lovely country with beautiful scenery. You mean the league is pants which I'm sure everyone will agree with but I'm enjoying playing in a league in Scotland and since I'm Scottish I will continue to do so. Don't slate a country soely based on football please.

[gazzamark]

I started my career game with Clyde, which was a hell of a challenge. At the start the wage bill was double the budget, they team was substandard for the division and also expected to win the league!

What a challenge I spent so long trying to loan players off SPL teams to build my squad for a couple of years, then once I'd found my feet had to start the challenge of dislodging the Old Firm. Was a great way to start my career I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Bruce Drundrige]

I keep loosing 40k a month and I'm soon gona be in debt soon. The footballing costs are ridiculously high. My wage budget is well under what it should be. I am saving 2.5k a month on wages, but these hidden footballing costs are way too high.

As Morton!? I was losing money when I was in the 1st Division, and a little when I first went up and had to rely on loans as another poster mentions. A good source of players after first couple of seasons are the players Man. City and other big EPL teams release. I picked up Paul Marshall from City, Febian Brandy from Utd, and Abel Tarabat (sp?) and Pekhart from Spurs all on freebies in my 2nd season. Sold Marshall and Tarabat on for big fees as well.

[Jay-Producer]

As Morton!? I was losing money when I was in the 1st Division, and a little when I first went up and had to rely on loans as another poster mentions. A good source of players after first couple of seasons are the players Man. City and other big EPL teams release. I picked up Paul Marshall from City, Febian Brandy from Utd, and Abel Tarabat (sp?) and Pekhart from Spurs all on freebies in my 2nd season. Sold Marshall and Tarabat on for big fees as well.

Yeah mate. I'm now -120k in debt because of hidden footballing costs and ground maintenance which is ridiculously high.

I've already signed 28 players as freebies in January lol. So ill be seeing who is fit to play in the SPL and sell those that are gash. The problem is the hidden footballing costs and ground maintenance which is putting me in debt. I struggled to get full crowds even though I was top of the league for the whole season.

[Jay-Producer]

I sold 2.5m worth of players when I got promoted. I brought in around 40 new players - 30 of which are not good enough for the first team but at least I have a decent reserve team. The board only gave me 20% of the players I sold. I started with a bank balance of £0 and now have £2.2m thanks to me in the space of two months. They gave me a joking wage budget of £7k and only £20k to spend on players. What a joke - How am I supposed to get a team together for a total of £7k a month? Anyways the money I received from transfers I used for my wage budget. I'm 10k over at the moment and struggling to put a team together.

The club are now worth £7m which is way more than when I started. Cant believe the board will not give me more than £7k on wages. only £2k extra from last season. What a joke.

[Bruce Drundrige]

Yeah you won't get full crowds until you're established or doing really well in the SPL, plus there's the games against St. Mirren and Kilmarnock which will give you bigger crowds.

The board will be partiularly frugal as well until you're well into the black. It's fun though, just qualified for the Euro Cup group stages for 3rd year in a row, and trying to change from a 4-4-2 to more of a 4-2-3-1 setup which went well in pre-season but needs games to get sorted.

[MCL8]

Scotland is quite a lot of fun. On two different versions of the game I've taken Hibbees to win the prem. On the 2nd time, (FM09 as I recall), club got sold to some Brazilian tycoon and I slowly established myself as the new powerhouse in the SPL.

Which reminds me, the last title I won was probably the most nerve-wrecking in my entire career. Playoffs begin, I'm 2nd 3 pts away from Celtic and visiting Celtic Park' somehow, my team (which has been on a bad run) thrashing them 4-0. Next week, them morons lose at home to Motherwell 3-1 bringing Celtic back to 3 points on top.

Basically I reach last game of the season playing vs Hearts away, when Celtic and Rangers meet up and I have to win and see them to draw to win the title.

Celtic 0 -0 Rangers. The only goal in my game is an own goal by Hearts from a corner on 92' min. Holy...

[Katarian]

I've just had my first taste of Scottish football. Took over Inverness CT in the First division when their manager moved to Ipswich. Normally I draw a lot of games, but the defences were so rubbish my team was knocking in goals for fun. It's the first time I've had a player with a goals to game ratio of 1:1. It got a bit boring towards the end of the season when I wasn't mathematically promoted but I'd have to lose the last 10-12 games. A severe injury to my top scorer did liven things up a bit though.

Not looking forward to a season of struggling/obscurity in the SPL. Didn't there use to be a relegation playoff? I'm pretty sure I won't finish bottom so most of the season will be fairly boring meaning less matches. No offence to Scottish supporters but I can't wait for an English or European team to offer me a job.

[Jay-Producer]

I've just had my first taste of Scottish football. Took over Inverness CT in the First division when their manager moved to Ipswich. Normally I draw a lot of games, but the defences were so rubbish my team was knocking in goals for fun. It's the first time I've had a player with a goals to game ratio of 1:1. It got a bit boring towards the end of the season when I wasn't mathematically promoted but I'd have to lose the last 10-12 games. A severe injury to my top scorer did liven things up a bit though.

Not looking forward to a season of struggling/obscurity in the SPL. Didn't there use to be a relegation playoff? I'm pretty sure I won't finish bottom so most of the season will be fairly boring meaning less matches. No offence to Scottish supporters but I can't wait for an English or European team to offer me a job.

You went the best team in Div1 so no wonder you found it easy.

[Katarian]

You went the best team in Div1 so no wonder you found it easy.

I was four years into the game before I took over Inverness, they were predicted 5th and hadn't been promoted once since the game began. The SPL is going just as I thought it would, a good start gaining a lot of points and now the second half of the season is meaningless as I won't be relegated unless I lose every game. Suppose I might sneak a Euro place with a great run of results.

[phnompenhandy]

It's about time you started leaving threads alone if you have nothing interesting or useful to contribute.

If you want to make him go away, just delete him from the FM11 database.

[phnompenhandy]

That's why I love the new editor this year - first thing I did was change the Scottish setup to more of a pyramid system with normal sized leagues

Did you really?? We all know you for your sterling work with the English lower leagues, but I don't recall you mentioning this.

With help from you I created a 1088 club 10-tier British league, and I've started in the lowest tier/rung in the Scottish ladder. At the lowest level I've created a number of teams including mine, Drumnadrochit Thistle (home of the Loch Ness Monster) where my star player is new Scottish sensation, 13-year old Islam Feruz.

I doubt I'll ever make it far up the pyramid, but I'll note developments at the top with interest. Tier 1 is the British Premier League, which equates to the EPL at the start. Tier 2 has 3 subdivisions, England South, England North, and Scotland. Doubtless the first season will see the Old Firm promoted; after that, how will they fare? And who will follow them the next season? The fouth tier contains the Highland League and top Junior sides - how will promoted sides do alongside the established league sides in tier 3? Yup, Scotland is brilliant!

[Suggy33]

Irish clubs are better imo.