The Realism Thread

[joshpmilton]

3 hours ago, Dagenham_Dave said:

Almost identical to my save. I had Stirling top of League 1 and was then approached by Tranmere around halfway through the season. Club was a mess, but after leading them to within a few points of the playoffs, board now expect me to win the league this season. Just about to start my first full season there in League 2. 

Funny how that seems to have mirrored our two saves. Weirdly we have a new stadium too, which I'm not sure was necessary but the club is in a good place aside from that. The club culture and visions certainly make it a lot harder than it needs to be. I've reached February of my season and sit just inside the playoffs, so might be able to fluke my way up before my first full season.

[Platinum]

36 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

Comprehensive always for me.  I would never finish a season using full match, I play slowly enough as it is.

Yeah comprehensive is what I usually play with. I think I'm now going to go for a mix of Full Match and Comprehensive, basically switching it during the game. I know this question doesnt really belong in this thread but just asking anyway, it seems you are only able to see your assistant advice during the time between match highlights, has that been the case for you too? as if so I definitely wont be playing Full match for the whole match

[Junkhead]

5 minutes ago, francis#17 said:

Yeah comprehensive is what I usually play with. I think I'm now going to go for a mix of Full Match and Comprehensive, basically switching it during the game. I know this question doesnt really belong in this thread but just asking anyway, it seems you are only able to see your assistant advice during the time between match highlights, has that been the case for you too? as if so I definitely wont be playing Full match for the whole match

I've had advice flash up in the bottom left hand corner during highlights mate, I think you're all good.  Besides, you're question is fine - it would be realistic to hear the assistant advice during the game.

[TokyoWanderer]

hace 4 horas, francis#17 dijo:

So I was wondering, do you play the full game on Full Match or do you sometimes switch to comprehensive? If you do Full Match for every match how long does a season take you? Do you make the game speed faster than the 'Normal'setting? Would love to hear your experiences and how you approach it

I play full match at one notch below the maximum speed with the 2D view. With that speed, my matches last around half an hour I think. At first it will feel too fast maybe, but your eyes will get used to the speed.

I much rather watch full matches and try to speed around the other parts of the game than taking a million years with transfers and training, only to then watch only highlights. To each their own obviously, but I always felt that the incredible depth of the game makes no sense if you don't watch the matches. However, I also have to say that watching the matches is what I enjoy the most about FM. 

I'm not one of those people who can play FM for thousands of hours and I also don't play FM for the entire year, so I rarely get to finish more than 3-4 seasons in a calendar year. When I'm fully enjoying the game and playing a lot, I take about one or two months to finish a season. 

[joshpmilton]

Comprehensive for me, slightly above the middle so it's sped up a little otherwise I find the tempo too sluggish. I have the between text highlights as high as it can go, which overall means each game takes me 20 minutes or so.

[swangin]

posted in wrong thread sry

Edited December 12, 2020 by swangin

[Junkhead]

October done - things are looking reasonable;

We have massively ridden our luck.  The two 1-0 wins were both late victories, with the Karacabey game settled with a penalty & the Mamak game with a defensive error.  We were second best in both games.  

A scout report indicated that Kirsehir conceded lots of goals early in games so I went at them from the off, with all three goals scored in the first 8 minutes.  We don't score a lot, but what this team IS good at is shutting up shop.  Three clean sheets in 5 games isn't to be sniffed at.

This run sees us sat 11th, and without the -3 deduction, we would be 8th.  I am not going to get complacent here though, because the game against Etimesgut was horrendous.  Long balls up to a tall striker was all they had and we just couldn't cope.  

November sees games against teams predicted to come 1st, 2nd & 4th, as well as a cup game against a SuperLig side.  No idea what that will do to the finances, but it certainly can't be a bad thing.  Bodrumspor appear to be another team who like to play route one, so we need to deal with that a lot better than we have previously.

As I said, I play quite slowly, but still massively enjoying the save and FM21.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Junkhead
Spelling

[bazhsw]

Looks a good solid month @junkhead.  The defensive solidity is a good place to build on and you may consider yourself fortunate with the late winners but at least you were still in the game late on to get them.

 

[Platinum]

Thanks everyone for the responses about the match highlights you play on. I'm going to test out Full Match at a slightly faster speed and seeing how long that takes. 

Also am I the only one having the issue of not being able to see the Dugout during highlights and thus never being able to see assistant advice if on Full Match. Also the touchline tablet is about 50% transparent during highlights which means I cant see it. These two things mean I might go back to comprehensive.

 

[Platinum]

21 hours ago, Junkhead said:

October done - things are looking reasonable;

We have massively ridden our luck.  The two 1-0 wins were both late victories, with the Karacabey game settled with a penalty & the Mamak game with a defensive error.  We were second best in both games.  

A scout report indicated that Kirsehir conceded lots of goals early in games so I went at them from the off, with all three goals scored in the first 8 minutes.  We don't score a lot, but what this team IS good at is shutting up shop.  Three clean sheets in 5 games isn't to be sniffed at.

This run sees us sat 11th, and without the -3 deduction, we would be 8th.  I am not going to get complacent here though, because the game against Etimesgut was horrendous.  Long balls up to a tall striker was all they had and we just couldn't cope.  

November sees games against teams predicted to come 1st, 2nd & 4th, as well as a cup game against a SuperLig side.  No idea what that will do to the finances, but it certainly can't be a bad thing.  Bodrumspor appear to be another team who like to play route one, so we need to deal with that a lot better than we have previously.

As I said, I play quite slowly, but still massively enjoying the save and FM21.

Loving the updates, what are your hopes for the end of the season now?

[Junkhead]

40 minutes ago, francis#17 said:

Loving the updates, what are your hopes for the end of the season now?

Will see how November goes. I've played the game against Bodrumspor who were 17th. We lost 2-0 and offered little. Just can't deal with those high balls. With games against 3 of the predicted top 4 still to come, I think things will look very different by the end of the month....

Glad you're liking the updates!

Won't get any play in until the end of the week but should be able to sink a fair few hours in next weekend 😁

[joshpmilton]

52 minutes ago, francis#17 said:

Thanks everyone for the responses about the match highlights you play on. I'm going to test out Full Match at a slightly faster speed and seeing how long that takes. 

Also am I the only one having the issue of not being able to see the Dugout during highlights and thus never being able to see assistant advice if on Full Match. Also the touchline tablet is about 50% transparent during highlights which means I cant see it. These two things mean I might go back to comprehensive.

 

No, I posted about this exact issue in the feedback thread the other day. I don't hate the UI, but there are a few areas that normally would be customisable, that aren't for some reason. This is a prime example where the feature just doesn't work if that's how you choose to play.

[PatrickReynolds]

Alright, comprehensive update time on my foray into the Canadian Premier League.

As previously noted, I took over the job 2 days before our first league game in the 2020 Island Games - a one off weird 7 game tournament hosted at a neutral site due to COVID. Cool that they put that in the game, but the league reverts to normal after the 2020 season. I used the tournament to evaluate my squad, and they didn't (er, did?) disappoint. 

Thanks to this short, weird season, FC Edmonton now own the CPL record for least wins in a season, least points and least goals scored. Nice.

The 2020 season finished in September, and the 2021 season wasn't scheduled to start until April 2021. At least I had lots of time to overhaul my squad! Throughout the next 4 months, i conducted many trials (I'd estimate 50 or so, tried not to abuse it as a scouting tool too badly), but most of the decent players wanted ridiculous wages. 

In the end, I completed 10 free transfers in, and released 7 players at the end of their contract, and 1 out on loan. While the turnover may seem high, I consider it completely realistic for the CPL, there is a lot of movement year to year as good players move on to better leagues and there are lots of young talent out there waiting to get their shot. Also true to the spirit of the CPL, of my 10 signings, 9 are Canadian. Throw in an Englishman for good measure signed on a free from Mansfield in League 2. He's one of my better players, so that gives you a good benchmark for quality in the CPL. Despite the quality (or lack thereof), I feel like financially the teams in Canada are fairly well off. My wage budget is about $700K USD/year. For those of you that think in GBP/week, that's about ~10K/week.

For my squad DNA, I've been reading Rashidi's books lately and am basing my tactic building (from scratch) largely on duties. Therefore, my primary DNA screen focuses on Off the Ball and Positioning. I need my support duties to be 10+ in both, and focus on OTB values for attack and positioning for defense. Physicals are next most important for me, and additional skill is a luxury!

Pre-season started in January, and some of my players rightly complained they thought Pre-Season started too early this year. Hey, I didn't set the schedule! But, I used the opportunity to play a lot of friendlies and hone my tactics (4-3-3 DM, with a compressed, counter attacking system).

I have finally made it to the first month of the season. The CPL operates like the Mexican league with a Spring and Fall season, with the winners of each half meeting in a two legged final for the championship. It's odd. Plus ,the spring season is 14 games, and the fall season is 28 games. Go figure. 

Almost to the halfway point of the Spring Season and I am sitting near the top of the league on 9 points, but undefeated after alternating draws and wins. The media prediction has me finishing 7th at 250-1 odds, and my 1-0 win over Forge was especially nice as they are favored to win the league (1-3). I also eked out a point against Albertan rivals Cavalry with a 92nd minute equalizer in Al Classico. Things are all going a bit too well, so I'm waiting for the inevitable drop in form once the league figures me out! I'm in the midst of a tough 3 game road trip out east with games in Toronto (0-0 draw @ York9) Ottawa and Halifax. For those keeping score at home, Halifax is a short 4,800 Km (3,000 mi) from Edmonton. 

And yes, Atletico Ottawa is owned by Atletico Madrid. It's only their first season, so not sure what to expect out of them yet.

I've also managed to pick up 2 coaching badges (started with none), another perk of starting in a financially stable league.

I don't know what my reasonable expectations should be at this point, but I was always aiming to overachieve vs projection. The board thinks I'll finish last (this is North America, so there's no relegation), so I guess I'm on track?

Ultimately my goal at FC Edmonton is to win some silverware and get in to continental competition to raise my profile internationally. I'm giving myself a 3-4 season max on that though, as I do want to eventually move abroad and experience the thrill of promotion/relegation that my continent seems unable to have any desire to adopt.

Until next time!

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by PatrickReynolds

[Junkhead]

@PatrickReynoldsgreat update, really pleased to have Canada included in the base game now.

What is it with lack of promotion and relegation over there though?! Even Mexico with it's two divisions seems to be closing up shop.

[PatrickReynolds]

7 hours ago, Junkhead said:

What is it with lack of promotion and relegation over there though?! Even Mexico with it's two divisions seems to be closing up shop.

I'm not sure about Mexico, but in the US and Canada it's completely financial. The only way to get in to the leagues is via expansion, and owners pay massive fees in order to put a team in the league. Those owners would flip out if there was a chance they could eventually be playing in a lesser division. For example, Cincinnati, Nashville and Austin MLS teams payed $150 million each just for the pleasure of joining the league. 

Expansion is weird, it would be like a new team just randomly joining the EPL because they paid a massive fee to the league.

Since teams don't start small and join at the bottom in North America, the investment up front is too high for any of the leagues to consider moving to pro/rel. The system would require a massive overhaul, which I don't ever see happening, sadly. 

I support Whitecaps FC, so this is probably a good thing, because we'd certainly be relegated by now! Kind of boring after the first half of the season when you realize you can't make playoffs and you're just existing for another year.

[joshpmilton]

I find the franchise system in North American football fascinating. I'm a big NFL, MLB & NHL fan, so familiar with the concept of franchises, draft and minor leagues but how MLS (& CPL by the sound of it) operate feels like it doesn't quite fit the same model. Unlike those other three leagues + NBA, the football system also operates outside of North America in a much more prominent and global fashion. As a result, it doesn't naturally fit that the worst team in MLS will be able to pick up the best upcoming talent to naturally redress the balance. Therefore, unlike say the New York Jets, or Detroit Red Wings, who may suck for a year, but know they could have a generational talent at the end of it, Whitecaps could suck for a whole year only to find themselves with a mediocre MLS player - decent depth, but not nearly the same reward. I say the having lived through Minnesota United's debut year and absolutely recognise how much a terrible team losing every week gets particularly old when there isn't even a threat of relegation at the end of it.

[Junkhead]

Interesting insight. Confirms what I had always believed - it is a financial decision rather than a sporting one.

There have of course been tentative steps to form a closed system in England with a "Premier League 2".  Let's hope it never happens.

[Brother Ben]

27 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

Interesting insight. Confirms what I had always believed - it is a financial decision rather than a sporting one.

There have of course been tentative steps to form a closed system in England with a "Premier League 2".  Let's hope it never happens.

Can you imagine?  Would take away the dream for all the small clubs.  I'd sooner see the big clubs go and create their own European League than that

[Junkhead]

1 hour ago, Brother Ben said:

Can you imagine?  Would take away the dream for all the small clubs.  I'd sooner see the big clubs go and create their own European League than that

I remember Phil Gartside (not a player so I'm ok lol) being a big advocate for it. Wonder what Bolton fans would think if it happened now.....

[theaub5]

The plan for the Canadian league is to eventually go to pro/rel, but there's not enough markets to support a full league system now (especially considering the three major ones are already occupied by MLS and would struggle/are struggling to support a second team).  Can't exactly have pro/rel if there's only eight teams in the structure.

[joshpmilton]

Lengthy end of season update: I'd reached the final five games of the season with Tranmere, but hadn't managed to find the time to play out the remainder of the season. We sat in the playoffs in League Two with 1st place pretty much sewn up by Shrewsbury Town and 2nd was for Leyton Orient to lose. That left Notts County in 3rd, and then within three points of them were five clubs all vying to steal that last promotion spot, whilst also making sure to secure at least a play-off berth.

We won the first fixture against Grimsby, which whilst we dominated, needed a bit of luck to get the goal with a long range shot hitting the post, then trickled in off the goalkeeper's back. Next up was a nervy game at home to Oldham, who came and parked the bus. Unfortunately, we lacked the cutting edge we needed and played out a scoreless draw. With three games to go we now played Notts County, who still sat third, but now had a three point advantage but a slightly weaker goal difference. They too parked the bus, but we played with a bit more swagger but fell behind just after the break. Knowing that a loss would likely condemn us to the play-offs, so I went for broke. Delighted to say that paid off and we equalised and kept the pressure up. We did get the ball in the net in the 93rd minute, but it was ruled out for offside. Two games left, three points behind third and three points ahead of 8th.

In the penultimate game we fell behind after 2 minutes to a free kick at Newport County, which felt like it might be the nail in the automatic promotion coffin; however, we rallied again and turned things around to win 3-1. In the midst of trying to win that game I hadn't noticed that Notts County had lost, and miraculously with a game to play we found ourselves 3rd and on the verge of promotion. That wasn't all though, because whilst we were in the driving seat there were still a number of people on board that promotion train. I think three teams entered the last day on 74 points, two teams on 73 and another on 72 and a final team on 71.

Our final game was away mid-table Bradford City, whilst Notts County had an easy home game against Stockport and found themselves 2-0 up at half-time. Meanwhile, we were continuing to create chances, but just struggling to convert them and fearing the worst each time a highlight began with a Bradford City attack. Then, on the 78th minute, up steps Tranmere's tricky winger/striker, returning from injury to put us 1-0 up. Suddenly, it was happening. A minute later, he finds himself in space again and doubles the lead! 10 minutes to see out a 2-0 win and secure promotion. Whilst I'm fiddling with the tactics to sure things up i.e. drop fullbacks to defensive, waste time etc and by the time I've come back out of the tactics screen they've already pulled one back. Crikey. Each passing highlight is filled with dread, with any shot in goal carrying the potential to be the dagger to the heart. Finally, after holding on we finally make it across the line; however, it occurs to me that whilst my goal difference was better, I had seen Notts County had scored a few - would it be enough? The wait from exiting the dressing room (which hadn't mentioned anything about promotion) to the final league table was excruciating, but eventually we had the confirmation we needed - promotion!

Not really sure how we did it in the end. I sold our best/most promising player for £2.5m as his contract was running out and he had no interest in extending, but that left us with no real senior striker options. We had a pretty mixed start with a tough Christmas period playing many of what turned out to be our promotion rivals away from home, but as we Stranraer we hit a good run of form from February onwards. Unlike Stranraer though, I wouldn't say we were playing well and it felt like I was really having to earn my wage was we were stealing wins. Then our tricky winger/striker picked up a 4 week injury, which meant playing some promising, but not quite there yet, youth players who did just enough but it felt like we were always one result away from the wheels coming off. By the time we finally came up for air we had a promotion in our lap.

Time to re-assess the squad entirely, as I'd been previously looking at re-shaping the team to get us up and out of League Two. We have a million kids hanging around due the club's vision to develop youth players and sign young players to sell on at a profit (plus they want high reputation signings) - no wonder they've been through so many managers. As a result they have a lot of deadwood, which whilst not expensive on their own, contributes to a large chunk of the wage bill. I've brought in some new scouts, which should help replace the squad players and land us better young players. A reputation boost for the club thanks to the promotion will also help in my goal to improve the backroom staff as their contracts expire.

So, what's the goal for next season then? Frankly, stay up. At this point it's been about 10 years since Tranmere had back-to-back seasons at this level so remaining in the division is essential. The board have decided all the transfer visions aren't enough, and I have something like 6 or 7 visions for next season. I did try to negotiate some of those off, but apparently they just outright refused to budge on any of them.

TL;DR - Up the promotion winning Whites!

[DementedHammer]

Good job. The promotions that go right down to the wire are always the most satisfying ones. 

Edited December 16, 2020 by DementedHammer

[joshpmilton]

Thanks! To be honest I'd given up on the idea as we'd been playing terribly, so the elation of game managing each minute to get it over the line was incredibly satisfying.

[PatrickReynolds]

On 15/12/2020 at 05:51, Brother Ben said:

Can you imagine?  Would take away the dream for all the small clubs.  I'd sooner see the big clubs go and create their own European League than that

Exactly why I find the rest of the footballing world so much more appealing than North America's interpretation.

[Platinum]

On 13/12/2020 at 15:39, joshpmilton said:

No, I posted about this exact issue in the feedback thread the other day. I don't hate the UI, but there are a few areas that normally would be customisable, that aren't for some reason. This is a prime example where the feature just doesn't work if that's how you choose to play.

I've figured out a workaround. Change to Only Commentary and have it at normal speed and that way you will be able to see the the tablet and the dugout with all the previous assistant advice with no transparency.  If you regularly change to only commentary throughout the game or even pause the match and change to only commentary then you can get all the info you need.

[Junkhead]

So I have a fair bit of time off work coming up, and although I won't be playing FM all Christmas, I should certainly get some decent time in.

I'm almost certainly going to start afresh. I was enjoying my game but this patch has fixed so many competition issues that I just can't resist. Don't know if I will go unemployed or my most local lower league side.

I had got halfway through that scary looking month with Karabükspor and hadn't scored a single goal and conceded loads, so still not too easy. Sat in 16th and heading downwards at probable close of play 

[Platinum]

1 hour ago, Junkhead said:

So I have a fair bit of time off work coming up, and although I won't be playing FM all Christmas, I should certainly get some decent time in.

I'm almost certainly going to start afresh. I was enjoying my game but this patch has fixed so many competition issues that I just can't resist. Don't know if I will go unemployed or my most local lower league side.

I had got halfway through that scary looking month with Karabükspor and hadn't scored a single goal and conceded loads, so still not too easy. Sat in 16th and heading downwards at probable close of play 

Im about to start my main save in the next few days too. Exciting! Will start of unemployed and with no experience or badges. One thing I always wonder about though is if I should add semi-pro as my past experience, as I played semi pro youth football haha, but if Im honest that doesnt count!

I'm hoping to get a job in Scotland, Ireland or Northern Ireland and eventually dominate, and then move to England a some point in League 2 or so and take them to the Prem and dominate. Will probably take  years but I always play one FM save for a couple years anyway. Also I've only ever managed in England.

Glad to hear its not to easy, how much do you think people finding it easy is due to 'gaming' the system?

Also what are all the mods you use? Im thinking of using realistic injuries (although unsure because it only affects full detail leagues), smarter ai and the youth rating one.

Edited December 18, 2020 by francis#17

[Junkhead]

48 minutes ago, francis#17 said:

Glad to hear its not to easy, how much do you think people finding it easy is due to 'gaming' the system?

Also what are all the mods you use? Im thinking of using realistic injuries (although unsure because it only affects full detail leagues), smarter ai and the youth rating one.

It's not too easy when playing as an awful Turkish side with no money, rubbish players and who are expected to struggle, put it that way!

I think a fair bit of it is down to finding a way to "beat" the game. I've personally never thought about it like that - I just pick the option that I believe I would pick in real life and deal with the consequences. I'm sure there are patterns, but they are only going to be there if you look for them.

i use pretty much all of @majesticeternity& @Daveincid's mods, and had one of @Weiry's leagues running in my other save. Didn't get far enough in to make a proper judgement, but will probably run with a couple this time. Will also be giving @Robbles Quin ®™'s Japanese leagues a go as well I think, although some previous Japanese files have messed English regen names up so will do a quick test run first.

I've created myself a quick file with recent UK manager changes to freshen up some lower league available jobs too - Spennymoor and Billericay available IRL so may end up at one of those two 👍👍

[WilsonJuve]

8 hours ago, Junkhead said:

So I have a fair bit of time off work coming up, and although I won't be playing FM all Christmas, I should certainly get some decent time in.

I'm almost certainly going to start afresh. I was enjoying my game but this patch has fixed so many competition issues that I just can't resist. Don't know if I will go unemployed or my most local lower league side.

I had got halfway through that scary looking month with Karabükspor and hadn't scored a single goal and conceded loads, so still not too easy. Sat in 16th and heading downwards at probable close of play 

Sadly im in the same boat as you, Im really enjoying my current save but due to work etc haven't had a great deal of time to play it. Im almost finished my first season but the new update and what it could potentially bring is really making me want to start fresh. I would much rather lose less than a seasons progress and make sure all the features work as planned than carry on and run into some of the more annoying bugs later on. 

[Junkhead]

32 minutes ago, WilsonJuve said:

Sadly im in the same boat as you, Im really enjoying my current save but due to work etc haven't had a great deal of time to play it. Im almost finished my first season but the new update and what it could potentially bring is really making me want to start fresh. I would much rather lose less than a seasons progress and make sure all the features work as planned than carry on and run into some of the more annoying bugs later on. 

I'm not convinced I will be starting my long term save at this point tbh... Not convinced on the youth intake issue...

[WilsonJuve]

14 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

I'm not convinced I will be starting my long term save at this point tbh... Not convinced on the youth intake issue...

Has anyone ran any tests on the new patch? The notes said it was improved again

[Double0Seven]

18 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

I'm not convinced I will be starting my long term save at this point tbh... Not convinced on the youth intake issue...

You arent wrong. Its not fixed completely yet. 

Doesnt look good. 

AI not attacking, doesnt look good either? They acknowledged the issue, but nothing was mentioned in the patch notes. Neil told me to just look at it myself, but well if thats the answer to a simple question and from the observations of others I think it hasnt been fixed.

Bit annoyed here at least to say...

[Junkhead]

16 minutes ago, WilsonJuve said:

Has anyone ran any tests on the new patch? The notes said it was improved again

A few are doing it now. I'm doing one myself. I am not seeing a drop in player totals but youth teams with few players.

I am using a few additional files for the test (rookie error, I know) so may well do another tomorrow with no editor files just to be sure.

The thing is, the rate I play at it probably won't affect me anyway.

[Junkhead]

13 minutes ago, Double0Seven said:

AI not attacking, doesnt look good either? They acknowledged the issue, but nothing was mentioned in the patch notes. Neil told me to just look at it myself, but well if thats the answer to a simple question and from the observations of others I think it hasnt been fixed.

Bit annoyed here at least to say...

This is a strange one because I can assure you that my Karabükspor team get constantly attacked against for most of the 90 minutes.  This is not something I have seen myself tbh. Not to say it's not happening, I have only played about 20 competitive games on this version.

[WilsonJuve]

2 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

A few are doing it now. I'm doing one myself. I am not seeing a drop in player totals but youth teams with few players.

I am using a few additional files for the test (rookie error, I know) so may well do another tomorrow with no editor files just to be sure.

The thing is, the rate I play at it probably won't affect me anyway.

I wonder if the fact people are simulating also effects numbers? Whenever I  simulated for whatever reason in last years game less transfers etc seemed to be made.

[Junkhead]

1 minute ago, WilsonJuve said:

I wonder if the fact people are simulating also effects numbers? Whenever I  simulated for whatever reason in last years game less transfers etc seemed to be made.

It doesn't seem to be an issue with transfers. In my test, for example, just after intake in 2032, Newcastle have a single youth player in the u18s.  They are getting 2-3 youth players per season. It simply isn't enough.

I cannot image what happens at lower levels with poorer youth recruitment.

[Platinum]

26 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

This is a strange one because I can assure you that my Karabükspor team get constantly attacked against for most of the 90 minutes.  This is not something I have seen myself tbh. Not to say it's not happening, I have only played about 20 competitive games on this version.

Apparently it happens when you are in the lead and at home, the other team wont change there tactics to at least try and get a draw

[Stevo_99]

First season on FM 2021 an I am managing Colwyn Bay in the Welsh Cymru North (second tier.) They have recently re-joined the Welsh system after playing many years in the English non-leagues mostly due to operating costs.

I was champions and promoted in my first season which was expected as our wages were 3X the closest side, this current season (2022-2023) is the clubs first in the Welsh Premier division.

[TokyoWanderer]

hace 1 hora, francis#17 dijo:

Apparently it happens when you are in the lead and at home, the other team wont change there tactics to at least try and get a draw

Maybe it happens sometimes, but in most of my matches the opposition goes more attacking when I take the lead. Just had a 2-2 draw at home where I took a 2-0 lead, they other team went from defensive to attacking, and they tied it.

From what I see, the opposition is too defensive to start matches when playing away, but they will definitely shift to attacking if they get behind in the score.

 

[Platinum]

17 minutes ago, TokyoWanderer said:

Maybe it happens sometimes, but in most of my matches the opposition goes more attacking when I take the lead. Just had a 2-2 draw at home where I took a 2-0 lead, they other team went from defensive to attacking, and they tied it.

From what I see, the opposition is too defensive to start matches when playing away, but they will definitely shift to attacking if they get behind in the score.

 

Good to know, with these type of things you never know what else the person is doing e.g. exploits

[Junkhead]

7 hours ago, francis#17 said:

Apparently it happens when you are in the lead and at home, the other team wont change there tactics to at least try and get a draw

My home form is worse than away. I am wondering if this is a reputation based thing. Teams "shutting up shop" against the bigger sides.

All in all, I would love to start my long term save today but dunno if I will. Really wanna play, but can just as easily see me reinstalling FM20.

 

[Junkhead]

6 hours ago, Stevo_99 said:

First season on FM 2021 an I am managing Colwyn Bay in the Welsh Cymru North (second tier.) They have recently re-joined the Welsh system after playing many years in the English non-leagues mostly due to operating costs.

I was champions and promoted in my first season which was expected as our wages were 3X the closest side, this current season (2022-2023) is the clubs first in the Welsh Premier division.

Good luck, remember them being in the conference north not too long back!

What are your hopes for the save?

Keep the updates coming, they are a lovely silver lining amongst the worry over bugs 🙂

[RandomGuy.]

Using the no attribute skin this year, and changed the colours so there's not even a guess at the attributes. No star ratings either.

Can see the numbers in player search but I don't use that function at all, so that's fine.

Means I have to plan signings for next season during the season, otherwise I won't be able to see their radar and rate them against their fellow players.

First transfer window about to come up to test it, as I need a back up LB, but high chance I end up signing a dud. I'm verging on going for an experienced player who's played at the same level as me this season and done alright, rather than a 18yo kid I can't tell about, as the experienced player is cheaper and less of a risk. This feels realistic to me?

Started with the club i support so I had a vague idea of how to start off in terms of tactics/line up, and since then just gone off experience. A youth player id usually have written off by now is on the verge of the first team as he's performed really well in Cup games. We sit 4th just before Christmas, closer to 6th than 2nd though in terms of points. Beat Rangers 2-0 in the Cup, then got thrashed 4-0 in the league by them a week later.

Edited December 19, 2020 by RandomGuy.

[Junkhead]

2 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

Using the no attribute skin this year, and changed the colours so there's not even a guess at the attributes. No star ratings either.

Can see the numbers in player search but I don't use that function at all, so that's fine.

Means I have to plan signings for next season during the season, otherwise I won't be able to see their radar and rate them against their fellow players.

First transfer window about to come up to test it, as I need a back up LB, but high chance I end up signing a dud. I'm verging on going for an experienced player who's played at the same level as me this season and done alright, rather than a 18yo kid I can't tell about, as the experienced player is cheaper and less of a risk. This feels realistic to me?

Started with the club i support so I had a vague idea of how to start off in terms of tactics/line up, and since then just gone off experience. A youth player id usually have written off by now is on the verge of the first team as he's performed really well in Cup games. We sit 4th just before Christmas, closer to 6th than 2nd though in terms of points. Beat Rangers 2-0 in the Cup, then got thrashed 4-0 in the league by them a week later.

100% more realistic.  Disappointed that attributes are visible, even if it is in an area that I don't use.  Might try this skin, still on the fence over starting a new game.

[RandomGuy.]

26 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

100% more realistic.  Disappointed that attributes are visible, even if it is in an area that I don't use.  Might try this skin, still on the fence over starting a new game.

Its easy to avoid them, you have to change the view in player search to see them, apart from that they're invisible. 

If you advertise for staff, you see their attributes too, but I leave my DOF to do that to avoid any issues there too.

[joshpmilton]

27 minutes ago, Junkhead said:

100% more realistic.  Disappointed that attributes are visible, even if it is in an area that I don't use.  Might try this skin, still on the fence over starting a new game.

If it helps, I think I am starting over or at least parking my current save. Unsurprisingly taking the job of my favourite team has somewhat impacted my willingness to even consider taking up jobs elsewhere when that arises. Getting a surprise promotion and now having some cash in the bank means it's probably the best set up I'll ever get with Tranmere, especially as I feel like I actually earned the job!

I've downloaded the England Step 10 database, and going to start out properly at the bottom at English county level, and then see where that takes me. I've also re-evaluated the performance of my laptop based on the FM21 Benchmark thread, and have added in all nations so that my game has a greater chance of variance and jumping around the globe. I feel with my Tranmere save I'll have UK/Europe nicely squared off.

Also, realised I allow myself to make it a bit easier than I should be still using the Staff Search function, which I won't be using going forward. Not sure why I persisted on using it, when I don't use the player search tool for realism sake. Just adverts for me going forward, which will add to the difficulty. 

As far as I can tell, the Youth Intake will be fixed by the team it is really relevant for me, or it won't be fixed at all, but that would also mean just not playing which doesn't really feel like much of an option!

[Junkhead]

2 minutes ago, joshpmilton said:

If it helps, I think I am starting over or at least parking my current save. Unsurprisingly taking the job of my favourite team has somewhat impacted my willingness to even consider taking up jobs elsewhere when that arises. Getting a surprise promotion and now having some cash in the bank means it's probably the best set up I'll ever get with Tranmere, especially as I feel like I actually earned the job!

I've downloaded the England Step 10 database, and going to start out properly at the bottom at English county level, and then see where that takes me. I've also re-evaluated the performance of my laptop based on the FM21 Benchmark thread, and have added in all nations so that my game has a greater chance of variance and jumping around the globe. I feel with my Tranmere save I'll have UK/Europe nicely squared off.

Also, realised I allow myself to make it a bit easier than I should be still using the Staff Search function, which I won't be using going forward. Not sure why I persisted on using it, when I don't use the player search tool for realism sake. Just adverts for me going forward, which will add to the difficulty. 

As far as I can tell, the Youth Intake will be fixed by the team it is really relevant for me, or it won't be fixed at all, but that would also mean just not playing which doesn't really feel like much of an option!

Staff search is a funny one because you can't advertise for positions already filled.  So you would need to go assistant-less for a period of time, for example.  I will likely still use it.

I am 100% starting again, but I am unsure when.  The youth issue seems to be an issue even in playable leagues, so I'm not sure what to do.  As you said though, it will be fixed eventually or it won't - I would rather play than not.  So that is great advice!

[joshpmilton]

Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. Maybe impose more of a restriction myself and rely on suggestions from staff & adverts more, but completely stitch myself up when replacing staff.

[Platinum]

4 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

Using the no attribute skin this year, and changed the colours so there's not even a guess at the attributes. No star ratings either.

Can see the numbers in player search but I don't use that function at all, so that's fine.

Means I have to plan signings for next season during the season, otherwise I won't be able to see their radar and rate them against their fellow players.

First transfer window about to come up to test it, as I need a back up LB, but high chance I end up signing a dud. I'm verging on going for an experienced player who's played at the same level as me this season and done alright, rather than a 18yo kid I can't tell about, as the experienced player is cheaper and less of a risk. This feels realistic to me?

Started with the club i support so I had a vague idea of how to start off in terms of tactics/line up, and since then just gone off experience. A youth player id usually have written off by now is on the verge of the first team as he's performed really well in Cup games. We sit 4th just before Christmas, closer to 6th than 2nd though in terms of points. Beat Rangers 2-0 in the Cup, then got thrashed 4-0 in the league by them a week later.

So can you only use scout reports, stats analysis, watching games yourself and the hexagon thing to judge a player?

I'm curious at what made you want to remove the colour grading for the attributes and why you think that's more realistic? Wouldnt a scout be able to tell you a player is a good dribbler, good passer, good at free kicks but poor at heading etc

Edited December 19, 2020 by francis#17

[Junkhead]

So I have decided to put my save in Turkey to bed and, in the spirit of Christmas being cancelled & not moving between tiers, I will be managing the club which is closest to me in the lowest playable division in England.  I'm actually pretty much smack bang in the middle of two, but Kidderminster Harriers have shaded it over AFC Telford by about three and a half miles.  Quite looking forward to having a go with them because they have a club vision to play attacking, possession football which is the complete opposite to my usual counter attacking kick & rush, so I will either have to adapt, or annoy the board by playing direct football against their wishes.

They also want me to develop players using the club's youth system which is fine by me.

Gonna give the no attributes skin a go, but I suspect I will find it too restrictive.  I have to be in the mood for it and I just want to crack on and get a decent save going to be honest.  I don't really have the time to do the extra stuff which that skin will require me to do, as much as I love it from a realism perspective.

Fully loaded up with all my favourite realism files from the usual suspects, and have added a few leagues made by Weiry, Timo & Lukafanzer which all look like they satisfy my realism requirements.  I have also used the Japan file by Dosukoi which was all good last year.  It includes Karim's excellent players database.  Currently running 75 nations & 156 divisions. I haven't added players to playable leagues so, those leagues will be a bit messy to start with, but if I ever end up there they will have sorted themselves out.  It's all about the balance of an active game world vs realism for me at this stage because my time is so precious.  If I notice anything terribly unrealistic, I will remove the leagues from the save.

Everything else will be as realistic as possible, of course, playing as myself and as per my usual rules.  Aim of the save is simply to have fun.  Hoping this is a bit of a long term one, but I do have a habit of thinking the grass is greener, so we will see!