FM13: GPTG General Advice & Tips - For those playing as clubs with no team guides!

[Jogo Bonito]

No worries mate, let me know how you get on and I'd be interested if you post back your squad when you're set to go.

Best of luck.

[Maestroik]

You're right regarding Andersen, neither he or Reading are interested in a loan. I'm attempting to beef up my defence with a couple of CBs and hopefully some WBs to attempt the changes you suggested. I've been a bit of a wally also and left myself without an assistant manager which has left me without any pre-arranged friendlies to generate some much needed revenue.

I see Jogo Bonito has done a good job advising you. My 2 cents worth will be check out all the linked threads whenever you're free. Sometimes posters suggest players which may be unknown to you and may prove to be of service.

[Jogo Bonito]

I'm enjoying my first season at Westerlo in the 2nd tier of Belgium. Now in December 2012, we are unbeaten in the League and got to the 7th round of the Belgian Cup (beating Genk away in Round 6). We only finished 2nd in the first of the three League stages but hopefully we will be able to achieve promotion (we beat the current league leaders and first stage winners a few weeks ago).

A specific mention for Devon Hodges. His 3 starts and 4 sub appearances for Jamaica (he has scored in all 7 appearances) have left my star free transfer signing with some rather impressive season stats.

I picked him up on a free from his club in Thailand and he immediately earned a recall to the Jamaica squad. He would be ideal for lower league clubs in England but I could never get a work permit for him (tried at 3 English clubs) so delighted that I could finally make this swoop after having him on my radar for some time.

My transfer business has been at the budget end, as I haven't had any takers for any of the over 30's yet. Ligot and Vanwildemeersch are joining permanently at the end of the season. Ligot (along with Wilmet) is leading the League's assists chart, whilst other loan strikers Adesanya (8 goals) and Schrijvers (3 goals) have been good acquisitions too.

[Jogo Bonito]

Well, Westerlo gained promotion to the Belgian top flight - but there was some late drama. After going unbeaten all season, we suddenly lost matches 31 and 32 (of 34), the latter against our only challengers putting them top ahead of us on goal difference. We finished off with two more good wins but lost out on GD (3 goal differential) so had to go through the play-off's. The results in that 4 team mini league went better though, with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, seeing us up to the top flight.

Our reward? Board minimum expectations of mid-table security, a transfer kitty of £55k, and wages about the same as before (£38k p/w). I've made 5 or 6 of my season 1 loans permanent deals and added a GK for free, whilst offloading the older and higher wage earners. I'm trying to loan in a decent RB and CM as those are our weakest areas.

The other bright spot is our U19 squad, where our 3 inherited strikers hit more than 60 goals between them. The club already had a couple of good U21 strikers so that part of the pitch should be well covered for a few years.

[lennon67]

Has anyone played as Deportivo in Spain, thinking of starting a save with them after having a break from FM.

[matty_boy]

Hi guys,

After gaining promotion to the premiership with my beloved Brighton, I always seem to struggle a bit in the debut season in the prem. I often see other players with small clubs smashing it in their debut seasons, Can anyone help me as to where I might be going wrong?

Thanks in advance

[Mayzie]

Didn't see this thread until now & I'm sure I mentioned this else where but anyway.

I started a game a few weeks back as Mansfield Town, since I enjoyed my save with them so much on FM11 or FM12 (can't remember which). Little did I know that the chairman just pumps endless money into the club.

I won the Conference, League 2, got promotion via playoffs in League 1 iirc then got a bit stuck in the Championship, finishing just above relegation. When I say he pumps in endless money, that's a little bit of a lie. He keeps you afloat & gives you money for players, which is good because the ground capacity is really low in comparison to other teams once you've got promoted a couple of times.

In League 1 I'd signed a regen called Ricky Butterfield from Sligo Rovers (Irish club) for 300k compensation, he topped my scoring charts in League 1, then the Championship before Burnley offered £8.5m, so I offloaded him hoping to sign someone better but no-one was interested because despite being a Championship club, my club reputation was still as low as some of the lower League 1 sides. Luckily, I'd signed 20yo Honduran international regen Alberto Zepeda the season before & had moved Butterfield to the LW position, so I still had my main forward.

I think my Championship signings were Michalis Sifakis, Craig Eastmond, Simon Gillett, James Hurst, Rainford Kalaba & basically a load of Germans who I kept getting offered. All of those were free I believe.

After my season of consolidation in the Championship, my young players that I'd been trawling the globe for had developed really well. I signed a few more players and finished 2nd in the league in my second season. Just starting in the Premier League now in 2017 season & the board gave me £13.5m to spend, I've increased the training facilities a few times, the youth a couple of times, the scouting network and increased the capacity of the ground by about 2k seats. Hopefully I can stay up and the money from the prem will give me a healthy enough bank balance for the chairman to agree to further expand the ground.

I'll post up screenshots of my seasons transfers next time I go on. A lot of them are regens though.

Anyone else notice there seems to be quite a few quality Germans you can pick up for free and a few Jamaicans who are really good and cheap?

[Mihalis]

ANyone playing as Bari, they seem like the quintessential sleeping giant of italian football.

[smplfc123]

anyone playing as derby?

[Gungner]

anyone playing as derby?

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/322379-FM13-A-Derby-County-Team-Thread-Restoring-the-Pride

Anyone playing as Leicester?

How much do they get to spend in the first season?

[lucatonix]

ANyone playing as Bari, they seem like the quintessential sleeping giant of italian football.

I did in my current save but have moved on to Barcelona and now RC Lens (trying to win in each of the major leagues with 1 manager).

Bari are a great team as they have excellent facilities for their level thanks to using the national stadium for Euro Italia '90. Their squad is strong and a mid-table finish should be achievable first season. To push on for promotion you need to utilise loans and free transfers to bolster the midfield and add some needed creativity and technical ability.

The squad is a little unbalanced and I think a direct 451 works to utilise the pacey wingers; if you can pick up some extra midfielders (I got Simone Del Nero, Omar Milanetto, Zanetti and Luciano).

I would also say that you should think about cashing in on Ghezzal as he has high wages and can help to bolster your finances.

So my first team was:

----------------Caputo

Del Nero------------------------Luciano

------Sciaudone----Milanetto

----------------Zanetti

Claiton---Polenta---Borghese---Abel

---------------Lamanna

The first few seasons will be tough for money so try to keep wages to a minimum and get rid of or loan out unused reserve players. You will have to embrace being a selling club at first to keep financially afloat but by your second/third season in the Serie A you should be able to pick up quality bargains from the transfer list, on frees and from smaller nations. This should help you get to 2nd in the league behind Juventus who are hard to beat.

[Mihalis]

Thanks luca. i sold ghezzal and im hoping to increase money ill need 2 own my own stadium like juventus do. currently top unbeaten by 7 points. already looking for a good few free transfer for next season. but may have 2 wait on the loan and list..list 2 see what i can bring in. CUMON BARI!!!!

[lucatonix]

Thanks luca. i sold ghezzal and im hoping to increase money ill need 2 own my own stadium like juventus do. currently top unbeaten by 7 points. already looking for a good few free transfer for next season. but may have 2 wait on the loan and list..list 2 see what i can bring in. CUMON BARI!!!!

To be honest, there is not really a need to own the stadium as the rent is really low and as it is a new, big stadium anyway (opened in 1990) you won't get close to filling it for a while. The money is better spent on training and youth facilities for the foreseeable future.

As a tip, loans will be supremely useful in the second season as you probably won't have much money. Search teams like Udinese, Fiorentina and Napoli etc.. for possible loans such as Fausto Rossi and Odion Ighalo (ie promising youngsters).

Congrats on leading the league, keep me updated on how you're doing in your push for promotion.

[Mihalis]

thankx luca had a mare last few games drew 4 in a row. and now 2nd.

thanks for the tip. i usually do that when i take a giant into a new league (apart from monaco)

what save u doing atm?

[lucatonix]

thankx luca had a mare last few games drew 4 in a row. and now 2nd.

thanks for the tip. i usually do that when i take a giant into a new league (apart from monaco)

what save u doing atm?

It's the same save but moved from Bari to Barcelona after winning the Champion's League. I just felt that I couldn't progress the team much further any time soon with so much less money than other big European teams; when Barcelona offered me the job it was hard to turn it down.

Barcelona's ex-manager had done a poor job of squad building and although the 1st XI was still great there was very little depth. So it was quite fun to rebuild the team and try to utilize an ageing but still impressive Messi. It also allowed me to get creative with tactics moving from a 451 to a 3421 to a strikerless 343. Once I'd constructed a stupidly good team with Barcelona where my team was just a step above every other team in the world quality-wise and I was a legend at the club I felt it was time to move on (but I created an alternate save before doing so).

So I resigned and took the job of RC Lens because I had a supremely fun save with them in FM12. They have great facilities, a large stadium but a one-dimensional uncreative squad full of DMs and were struggling to stay in Ligue 1. Since then I've turned them into a team capable to fight with PSG and OM for the league. I've splurged out this season in an attempt to add some creativity and defensive quality to the team. With the current team, I believe they have potential to win the Champions' League in 2/3 seasons if all goes well.

Once I win the Champions' League I'll see how much fun I'm having but I still have Germany and England to conquer before moving to my beloved Arsenal at some point and also trying out Athletic with their transfer policies making a great challenge. So lots to do before FM 14

[Mihalis]

very nice. im currently on my valencia save. 1st season beaten barca 3-1 but still 3rd 10 points behind them, but like 6 behind real. bring ospina in end of season. free transfer, whilst selling guita or alves. not decided yet. on a gud run after goingt ape sh*t at them for losing home against getafe NEVER AGAIN! lol

thinking europa league semis and champs league. Bernat has been a surpise for me. super sub. may even give him more starts next season then sell piatti or feghouli depending on how i develop him.

This has been one of my better more interesting saves.. Currently have a nice one with Steaua and also Bari

[Mihalis]

oh and had a vitesse save i started a while back but not done anything on it yet started it, chose the team then saved a quit. might ive them a go. ahhh the joys of being off work sick LOL

[Mihalis]

Lever is an amazing save!!

oops replying to a post on page 1 lol

[Babak G]

I introduced both of the them into the team straight away in the first season even if they weren't ready.

I'm in the 3rd season now and both players are progressing well, if anyone wants screenshots, let me know.

My strongest starting lineup in the 3rd season is:

Mulder

Janmaat De Vrij Kongolo Masilela

Clasie

Mokotjo Vilhena

Achahbar Boetius

Schalk

Are you enjoying the Dutch league? Is it fun down the line?

[MeesterCat]

I've taken over at Schalke near the end of 2015. They've been under performing in the league (took over with them in 14th), but doing well in the Champions League. The squad was in disarray when I arrived with several of the bigger names on the transfer list at their own request. The finances are a bit shonky too, but as long we remain in the Champions League for a little longer and I can sort out the squad over the next summer things should be fine.

Luckily all of the decent players rescinded their transfer requests after I took over, but Maximillian Meyer has announced he is leaving on a free in the summer

I'm trying a sort of 361 formation and it lines up, with strongest 11 like this:

----------------------Baumann

---------Howedes------Matip-------Viergever

--------------Neustadter

Ramires--------------------Garmash----------Fuchs

--------------Ilcic-------de Jong

-------------------Pukki

(I also have Fer, Draxler, Meyer and Barnetta in the squad)

So far things have been going ok, considering the players are adapting to a new system and their morale is a bit shot. 4 games players and these are the results:

(BL) HSV - 0:0 (Home)

(BL) Dortmund - 0:1 (Away)

(CL) Man Utd - 3:0 (Home)

(BL) Mainz - 4:1 (Away)

The Man Utd result secured us a place in the knockout rounds of the CL. I've agreed the signing of Marco David Faraoni from Inter for £5.5mil in Jan as back up to Ramires, and I'm hoping to shift some of the deadwood in a pretty bloated squad, priority being Farfan as I have no use for him, he's about to turn 30 and he's on £84k p/w!

Finally, Draxler is causing me headaches. As on paper he's a cracking player, but I just cannot seem to get a performance out of him. The more workmanlike Ilcic has taken his place for now.