FM14: The Sky Bet Football League Thread - Sponsored by William Hill

[CityAndColour]

Meester - have you posted a screenie of your youth prospect that Chelsea are after?

[MeesterCat]

Meester - have you posted a screenie of your youth prospect that Chelsea are after?

I did further up, but I'll repost it here.

This was taken in the middle of close season, but I'm in mid-August now and he's got green arrows across the board.

Painfully slow progress in my save, but I've managed to play the first two games of the Premier season. A 3-1 loss at home to Man City on the opening day, then a 2-1 win away to Brighton a week later. Annoyingly, the patch seems to have buggered up my tactic, so I'm in the process of trying to work out what's changed. I'm seeing a lot of hopeless cross-field balls and 'hurried' play.

I finished my transfer deals for the summer by bringing in Oskar Larsson, an 18 year old GK from Gefle, for £575k and Gianluca Sansone, a 27 year old left winger from Sampdoria, for £475k. This means I've only spent £6.3mil this summer from a £21mil budget. I hope I haven't been too cheap! However, I'm loath to go nuts while I've still got this £200k of weekly wages going to deadwood - unsurprisingly, no one is interested in Best, Etuhu, King or Taylor.

[laneystain]

@smplfc123 - Good work with the back-to-back promotions! I like the approach you're taking by trying to keep the core of the squad together.

I did one season with Wolves when I first got the game back in November and won L1 with 116 but it just got boring and I never went back to it. I've started one on the new patch this afternoon with the aim of integrating some of the younger players (esp. now Jack Price and Lee Evans have been boosted). I don't think I'll do much to the squad over the course of the season, probably just a couple of loan signings here and there.

Just in pre-season so I'll update in the thread as I go along.

[DaveMUFC]

Was struggling for inspiration so I started a save by holidaying a season and seeing what was available after doing that. Derby finished 24th in the Championship and sacked McClaren, offering me the job in the process. I saw this as a nice little challenge to restore a fallen giant (hopefully).

Managed to retain the core of players that I wanted, as well as getting rid of the high earners and bringing in some of my own players. Still have a core to the side of Grant, O'Brien, Buxton,, Barker, Hendrick, Eustace, Hughes and Russell, and hopefully some of these will see me through to the Premiership if/when I get there.

Brought in £6.5m for the players I sold, and only spent £350k (on Jon Taylor) as well as a few frees, majority of which were for tutoring purposes.

Started the season with three wins, at home to Notts County, away to Braintree in the COCup, and away to Crawley in the league. Conceding too many goals still and that is something I need to sort, but luckily I'm creating plenty of chances.

Will hopefully update in more detail as I go on.

I do this, but I holiday it up until January, as I like to see teams who are unusually struggling and take over and try to rescue their season. Doing one as we speak as I've lost motivation for starts from the beginning

[CityAndColour]

By the way if anyone is after a real challenge, I'm just coming to the end of the fifth season and Bolton have been relegated to the Conference and are currently in administration.

[MeesterCat]

I've kind of lost interest in FM at the moment, as the last patch seems to have turned my team into a bunch of buffoons.

[Jogo Bonito]

MC, would you say I am wise to stick to the 14.2.2 patch then? I don't have any problems on that version and always resist the urge to update until I am sure it's the right thing.

[MeesterCat]

MC, would you say I am wise to stick to the 14.2.2 patch then? I don't have any problems on that version and always resist the urge to update until I am sure it's the right thing.

Gosh it's hard to say. I would be inclined to stay at 14.2.2 if you're happy with it. Personally I didn't see much wrong with that version despite the apparent complaining in GD.

I don't think it's my tactic per se, it just seems to be the sudden increase in individual errors, or strange decisions since the patch - for instance my full backs and wide players are attempting a lot of Beckham-esque lofted cross field passes which was a very rare occasion previously. From the little testing I've done it seems that slowing the tempo seems to help, but it's rather frustrating as I had them playing how I wanted them to.

Edit: I'm wondering if it's in part due to SI tweaking things to make the differences between elite players and the not-so elite players noticable? Either way, I'm tempted to do a small 'Moneybags' Save in FMC just to muck around with tactics and see if I can see where I'm suddenly going wrong.

[Jogo Bonito]

Cheers. I took a look in GD and it's all the same people in there moaning, but that was the case in the last patch too, which I find fine. I prefer to ask people in here, like your good self, as I have more trust in the views provided. There will come a point where I will want to try, because of the updated DB (player upgrades as much as transfers), but maybe I will stick where I am right now.

[CityAndColour]

If you enjoy every cross hitting the cross bar or getting the "he didn't mean it!" commentary then you'll love 14.3.

[Jogo Bonito]

Cheers CityAndColour, if anything there are too many of those moments even in 14.2.2, so for now I will stick where I am!

[setzel]

I've kind of lost interest in FM at the moment, as the last patch seems to have turned my team into a bunch of buffoons.

Hehe i feel ya mate

I cannot promote via playoffs to Premier League its so frustrating and demoralizing.

[pedromanuelpinto]

Hey,

Want to start with an historic England team with a good academy in League 1, League 2 or Championship and that's very ambicious.

Sheff United, Notthingham, Boro, Sheff Wed? Or other?

[laneystain]

Hey,

Want to start with an historic England team with a good academy in League 1, League 2 or Championship and that's very ambicious.

Sheff United, Notthingham, Boro, Sheff Wed? Or other?

Why not give Wolves a go? They get a healthy budget on the latest patch and the squad is capable of competing in the Championship if you get promoted first season.

[MeesterCat]

Right, I've spent a couple of weeks away from FM. I've spent ages today reading and rereading THOG's amazing mentalities thread in the Tactics Forum. I'm going to make this work!

RAWR.

[MeesterCat]

Bloody hell, this is going to be a long, tough season.

Five games played, and I'm 17th with 4 points. I'm slightly encouraged because the opening fixtures were:

Man City (H) Lost 3-1

Brighton (A) Won 2-1

Liverpool (H) Lost 2-1

Newcastle (A) Lost 2-1

Arsenal (H) Drew 0-0

I'm also encouraged because in both the Liverpool and Newcastle games we were leading 1-0 before suffering the losses following a 10 minute blitz near the end of the game. I think it's probably partly my strategy and partly the issue with having a very young squad.

However we've just been destroyed 4-2 by a very attacking Spurs team in the 3rd round of the League Cup. Hopefully I can pick up some points in the upcoming fixtures as they're against theoretically beatable teams like Fulham and Hull.

As I've changed to a hopefully more solid (ha!) 4411, I finished off the transfer window by bringing in Matt Jarvis on loan from relegated West Ham. This allows me to move Rochina into a more central position.

[Jogo Bonito]

Good luck MC. Hopefully it will settle down and you give yourself a chance of avoiding the drop. At least a relegation battle is realistic!

[MeesterCat]

A little more progress (though I forgot to take screenies).

We're now 14th, with 11 points from 11 games. We actually went unbeaten for 5 games, but only one of them was a win (a jammy 3-2 win against Stoke).

I've made another tactical change, but one I'm happy with and seems to be starting to pay dividends, 3-0 thumping at Old Trafford aside.

I've managed to get Leon Best, Dickson Etuhu and Jordan Slew to mutually terminate their contracts which cost a total of £4.5 mil, but it's really improved our financial outlook. Scott Dann wants too much to renew his contract and Paul Robinson expires at the end of the season so that will be another £100k p.w off the wage bill.

Sadly, Grant Hanley is out for the best part of a year with an ACL injury and Rochina is out for 4 months. Hanley might not recover attribute wise, but I'm keeping fingers crossed. Still, I've got £12mil of transfer budget and £120k p/w wage budget to play with, so strengthening will occur in January.

Finally, star of the Autumn is Gianluca Sansone. The guy cost half a million and was bought as a backup, but he now has 3 goals and 6 assists from 8 starts and has made the ML position his own.

[MeesterCat]

So.. Er... Inter came knocking and I couldn't resist the urge to try and rejuvenate a fallen giant (poor league position, old squad), so I've bid adieu to Blackburn, though I have kept the save should I want to carry on at some point.

The board replaced me with Pardew.

[MichaelBrown]

This thread has moved on since I last posted

[Jean0987654321]

I need to get back on my Brentford save. Almost on the way to promotion.

[Hoarau]

Well this thread has went pretty well..

I'm back & ready to climb the FL72!

[MaxeyN17]

After a hiatus from FM due to starting a new job and just generally being distracted, I'm ready to start a new save as my beloved Posh on the update! Bit of a shame we don't have Nugent or McQuoid in on loan as they've both been very good so far in reality.

[Jean0987654321]

Finally, more money on the way

[cjgoodsell]

I started a Birmingham save mainly because they have financial troubles and in my previous saves they always get a take over of some sort...

Finance

Transfer budget 0

Wage Budget 210k (9k left)

Staff in

Garry Pendrey (Ass Manager)

Lee Carsley and Arthur Albistion as coaches

Formation

I'm using Seatons Invincible tweaked from the tactics sharing page.

Training

General Training - Team Cohesion, Very High, Match training - Team Work 40% of this is spent on match training. I allow rest after game.

Transfers Out

I had a clear out of the big wage earnings and fringe youth players. In Summer I lost:

Jean Kalenda Paul Robinson for 94k. several loans out.

January Transfer window I ultilised the Unwanted list and set as sell or release the following:

Zigic (60k wages freed up) Sodje, Howard, Reira. David Murphy (bid 125k from boro excepted).

Transfers In

I brought in a few players on free's to try and shore up the team and some went in the jan window.

Albert Reira, Damien Johnson, Sam Sodje in the summer and as you can see only Damien Johnson survived all be it a squad player.

In Jan Window I brought in:

Osman Sow and Paddy Mccarthy on loan, Vicente (free) David Bentley (free) Simon Davies (free) Anthony Wordsworth (300k package deal 100k upfront).

My aim is to be wheeling and dealing for now.

Had a transfer embargo once for about a month take over failed but 6mil in the red. So this wont be long.

Line up

GK Randolph

RCWB Caddis

CDR Blackett

CDL Martin

LCWB Ferguson

CM Adeyemi

CM Allan

IF L Vicente

AMC Shinnie

R IF Bentley

F Macheada

Currently 3rd (8 points off 2nd) with media prediction in the lower half of the table.

I will update at end of season of where I finish!

[cjgoodsell]

End of Season Update

Managed to win promotion against all odds on the last day of the season. It was on goal difference and into 2nd. I got my take over so on a sound financial footing nothing special ex footballer leading a consortium. I will be back once Pre-season is over!

[Jean0987654321]

End of Season Update

Managed to win promotion against all odds on the last day of the season. It was on goal difference and into 2nd. I got my take over so on a sound financial footing nothing special ex footballer leading a consortium. I will be back once Pre-season is over!

Either way, the financial situation would've been sorted as EPL money is pretty big in real life and this game.

[cjgoodsell]

END OF PRE-SEASON

My aim is to bolster the squad with very few 1st team players leaving.

Knowing the 1st season in the prem will be hard so I reviewed my players contracts and added in clauses of 50% wage drop should we get relegated from the league. I also was given a transfer budget of 17mil and Wage Budget of 300k

Staff in

Coaches - Ray Wilkins, Clive Allen and Tim Flowers

Transfers Out

Free transfers given to the fringe players that are good for the championship and below: Higgins, Asante, Ambrose, Mullins, Eardley and few others. Sold Colin Doyle to Arsenal for £250k and a few loans around the divisions.

Transfers In

i have spent 12mil bought both Macheada and Blackett from Man Utd after their loans expired, Sam Byram my record signing for 9mil, Valeron and Ben Foster. Picked up Harte, Thorpe, Diarra and Bellamy on free transfers. brought them in so they can tutor the young ones.

Line Up

GK Foster

RCWB Byram

CD Martin

CD Blackett

LCWB Harte

CM Adeyemi

CM Davies

R IF Burke

AMC Valeron

L IF Vicente

F Macheada

Ive managed to keep most of the squad together going to be a tough time in the Prem.

I may up date you... Can I still post in here now I'm in the prem?

[Jean0987654321]

Of course.

I see a few on here posting after they got promoted to the EPL

[Jogo Bonito]

It's good to see people still enjoying FL72 clubs, even if they get promoted.

@ Jean: Was that Brentford on the 14.3 version and latest database? Could you let me know what the transfer budget was to start with? I'm still on 14.2.2 and when my time in France comes to an end,I'll be looking for a fresh FL save. How does the latest version compare? I made the mistake of checking GD on the forum and saw many people moaning, so am cautious to update unless I hear people in this thread who convince me it's a user friendly update.

[Jean0987654321]

It's good to see people still enjoying FL72 clubs, even if they get promoted.

@ Jean: Was that Brentford on the 14.3 version and latest database? Could you let me know what the transfer budget was to start with? I'm still on 14.2.2 and when my time in France comes to an end,I'll be looking for a fresh FL save. How does the latest version compare? I made the mistake of checking GD on the forum and saw many people moaning, so am cautious to update unless I hear people in this thread who convince me it's a user friendly update.

Yes. They start with 0. However, they get a good lump of cash coming in since they are a sugar daddy team.

The new version is ok I guess. Leaking late goals a bit more but I implemented a strikerless tactic to help out the defense

[Jogo Bonito]

Thanks Jean. I can imagine that's a good save, especially starting with no funds (but a strong squad). I'm a 'defence first' type of manager, so that's the element that concerns me on 14.3.

[Fanatical Ollie]

Hi guys, I'm a long-time Birmingham City fan, used to play a load of FM. Haven't played since FM11, but 66% off FM14 over Easter was too tempting! So, I'm back!

I've just started my 1st season with BCFC. As many have said, it's extremely challenging because of the lack of finances. I'll update fully later, but I've started pretty well! After 12 games, I'm sitting in 7th just outside the playoffs

[Gungner]

Anyone playing as Middlesbrough?

If there is, do you have any advice on the best tactic to use and who to sign?

I've always wanted to do a 'Boro save this year, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

[Sami Hyypia]

Anyone playing as Middlesbrough?

If there is, do you have any advice on the best tactic to use and who to sign?

I've always wanted to do a 'Boro save this year, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I'm currently playing as Boro I'm using Abomination V3 tactic from here http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/388471-Almighty-weirdo! post #18, have had a fantastic season so far after taking over in December they were in 17th and now I'm 1st with 3 games left and 5 points in front. Signed Vellios on loan from Everton and he's been a god!

[MichaelBrown]

It's good to see people still enjoying FL72 clubs, even if they get promoted.

@ Jean: Was that Brentford on the 14.3 version and latest database? Could you let me know what the transfer budget was to start with? I'm still on 14.2.2 and when my time in France comes to an end,I'll be looking for a fresh FL save. How does the latest version compare? I made the mistake of checking GD on the forum and saw many people moaning, so am cautious to update unless I hear people in this thread who convince me it's a user friendly update.

I'm 17 years in with Yeovil

Worth £1b now.

[MichaelBrown]

Anyone playing as Middlesbrough?

If there is, do you have any advice on the best tactic to use and who to sign?

I've always wanted to do a 'Boro save this year, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I'd just mess around with different tactics if I was you. Don't download them - you don't learn how to tweak positions and instructions and simply plugging a crap 4-2-3-1 in ruins the game imo

[MeesterCat]

@ Jean: Was that Brentford on the 14.3 version and latest database? Could you let me know what the transfer budget was to start with? I'm still on 14.2.2 and when my time in France comes to an end,I'll be looking for a fresh FL save. How does the latest version compare? I made the mistake of checking GD on the forum and saw many people moaning, so am cautious to update unless I hear people in this thread who convince me it's a user friendly update.

I know I posted here a couple of months back with less than kind words about 14.3, but actually it was just my tactics all along. :o I still dislike the amount of "He certainly didn't mean that!!" chances, but overall I'm very happy with it now.

[JenniferGarnersEars]

Decided to start a game in the Championship as Charlton - started with first transfer window budgets disabled, playing a 4-1-2-2-1 formation

I want to try and use the youth that are currently at Charlton and bring them through to the first team. I will also try and buy predominantly British players when and if the budget allows.

The only changes I have made to the back room staff is to replace all the Scouts with one's that know a decent footballer when they see one.

Currently near the end of the January transfer window first season

Sitting top of the Championship 4pts clear of QPR and 5 ahead of Brighton in 3rd

Just lost away to Everton 2-1 in the 4th Round of the FA Cup

Leon Cort, Callum Harriott and Jordan Cousins are doing very well with each of them averaging around 7.4 per game. Leon Cort despite his stats is very solid.

January signings - Kasper Hansen on a Free and Dedryck Boyata from Man City for 150K

I have let a host of youngsters leave on free's and loaned out the more promising. I have also just sold Chris Solly to Stoke when he started complaining and wanted to leave for a bigger club, got 4.5M for him so that was pretty good business.

Have a host of British (realistic for a club like Charlton) transfer targets for the summer if we get promoted to the Prem.

[Jogo Bonito]

@ Michael: 17 years? You were starting new saves every 17 minutes not so long ago if memory serves me right. Well done on that, just don't tell me that Mr Brown is still patrolling the midfield for you and putting people on stretchers in the elite competitions.

@ Meester: OK, that's quite encouraging. A couple of the regular posters in the 'Skrill' thread suggested it was a nightmare at that level, whilst others have said elsewhere that defensively it's a bit of a mess. I've got one or two clubs to try on 14.2.2, but then I might well take the plunge to 14.3. I'm happy with the version of ME that I'm on, just getting to the point where I feel I need the database update for (a) transfers (b) player stat improvements.

To the others joining in with this thread, or returning, it's good to have your contributions.

[MichaelBrown]

@ Michael: 17 years? You were starting new saves every 17 minutes not so long ago if memory serves me right. Well done on that, just don't tell me that Mr Brown is still patrolling the midfield for you and putting people on stretchers in the elite competitions.

@ Meester: OK, that's quite encouraging. A couple of the regular posters in the 'Skrill' thread suggested it was a nightmare at that level, whilst others have said elsewhere that defensively it's a bit of a mess. I've got one or two clubs to try on 14.2.2, but then I might well take the plunge to 14.3. I'm happy with the version of ME that I'm on, just getting to the point where I feel I need the database update for (a) transfers (b) player stat improvements.

To the others joining in with this thread, or returning, it's good to have your contributions.

I'm in 2031 and I haven't skipped a season or anything. My team is comfortably challenging for the league, however it alternates between me and Arsenal who have the best striker I've ever seen.

I'm having to invest this season in some new blood (I have a transfer budget of £140m) as my old guard (Ward-Prowse, Shaw, Zouma, Patrick Roberts*) are coming to the end of their careers. I've had around five players who've had their testimonials for me as well; one player, Bustos, has played around 450 games in all comps for me. Another, Fernando Gaona, has played 380.

*I found an absolute gem in Patrick Roberts. He starts at Fulham IIRC and he's a winger/forward. He's 33 now, yet he's comfortably one of my best players and he would be an absolute steal if anybody could sign him in the lower leagues. Check him out

Unfortunately MichaelBrown retired some moons ago haha, I'd love him as an anchor man.

[Nottingham Forest]

Just love playing FM as a lower league team. Started as Dagenham & Redbridge looking to keep things tight. We kept 5 clean sheets in 7 games. As the season goes on we're consistently inconsistent but if we could string together a few wins, we'd have pushed on and had a chance to finish in the play-offs.

From the 11th January through to the 3rd May we win two more games in the league and finish 20th. Never in relegation trouble but all throughout the season I've had players telling me we're not doing that well and that we're underachieving. We're not though. We have the smallest wage budget in the league and I have done a great job.

End of the season and half of my key players want to leave or have teams interested in them. One of my assets, Rhys Murphy has just picked up an injury so will be out for 3 months.

[jac4121993]

Really need to get back into this (Colchester save). Had preseason all completed about a month or so ago, just haven't gotten around to starting the main season yet. Got a reasonably solid team to start with, which is probably lacking quality upfront and any sort of real strength in depth. On the plus side though, stable finances, excellent facilities for this level and a solid selection of younger players to use from the off means that we have a lot of potential to grow into.

[Gungner]

Anyone playing as Wigan? Who is realistic in signing for them?

IMO, they need a new striker and a new back-line all over...

Playing with the january update

[MichaelBrown]

Anyone playing as Wigan? Who is realistic in signing for them?

IMO, they need a new striker and a new back-line all over...

Playing with the january update

Jean-Louis Akpo-Akpro. You could spend a lot more money on a better striker, however he'll definitely get you promoted. Scored nearly 30 a season for me in the Championship, whilst scoring a few in the Prem. Well worth the £200k-ish I spent on him

[Hunter Lionheart]

I suppose this is where my Preston North End chatter should go.

Currently coming up to the end of the 2016/2017 season.

2014 saw me just miss out on the play-offs

2015 promoted as League 1 runners up

2016 I overachieved and finished a very comfortable 9th in the Championship, even flirting briefly with the play-offs

This season I'm 2nd, 1 point clear of Notts Forest behind me, who have played a game more, with 9 games of the season left to play.

The club isn't wealthy, but picking up free transfers and a couple of cheap signings seems to have done good work for me!

Squad:

GK:

Charlie HORTON

Christopher DILO

DF:

Scott WISEMAN

Mark O'BRIAN

Bailey WRIGHT

Scott LAIRD

Ben McLAUGHLIN

Reece BROWN

Mathias BOSSAERTS

Ben DAVIES

Dan BUTLER

MF:

Andy NAJAR

Alan BROWNE

Conor COADY

Kris COMMONS

Milan LALKOVIC

Thorgen HAZARD

John WELSH

Kevin NOLAN

Ryan FRASER

Marcos LOPES (On loan at Bolton)

FW:

Mark BECK

Will GRIGG

Florian NEIDERLECHNER

Tom HOPPER

Islam FERUZ (on loan at Rochdale)

A lot of my inherited squad was released at the end of their contract, the only sale was Josh Brownhill who went to Celtic for £2m, whilst sticking around on loan for my promotion season. The club was taken over and floated on the stock market last season. Not sure if this has helped or not, to be honest, but I had a little bit of a budget to play with this year, so I can't complain!

Exciting times, though the idea of getting promoted actually scares me!

[Hunter Lionheart]

And we're up!

Sorry for the double post, but after we battered Forest 3-0 at their place, the morale put us on a great run which got us promoted wiith 2 games to go. Then... well they performed a little less well, and let the title go to Watford without a whimper. Mark Beck's 30 league goal season was excellent, but I worry now that I'm gonna have to hunt out some new recruits. Time to get scouting!

[Jogo Bonito]

Nice one Hunter, welcome to the thread and congrats on your two promotions!

Gungner, I'm not on the 14.3 yet as you know, but I'd look at some of the best Championship players for your defensive options - e.g. Trippier, Cresswell, Shackell. Do Wigan still get upwards of £15m on the new version of the game? They've been tempting me on the previous database because of that - I don't like much of their squad but think I could assemble a really good side (for the level) with that kind of money.

[Gungner]

Yeah, you get between £14m and £17m depending on your ambitions.

I chose the lowest and received £14 million... Which is pretty good for a Championship side. And they do need a new backline imo., and a striker. But yeah, with 14mil, you can assemble a really good side. Even on 14.3, I managed to sign Büttner from Man Utd.

[Jean0987654321]

Midway through the season and I can tell you guys that I'm struggling with Brentford. Players are not living up to the price I pay for them and they are getting pissy every time I address that to them