Advice for someone new to football and FM?

[MotorVanMaiden]

I'm new to the game and football in general as well (ugly American here).  I thought the game might help me learn the ins and outs of football. It's a bit overwhelming.  Any advice for someone new to football as well?

[CARRERA]

Start slow and just play through the game. Click through all tabs step by step and learn what you can do there or which information are provided. 
 

if you look for a guide, this is proberbly the most complete one, as it also includes many principles of football. 95% is still up to date

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by CARRERA

[Grifty]

9 hours ago, MotorVanMaiden said:

I'm new to the game and football in general as well (ugly American here).  I thought the game might help me learn the ins and outs of football. It's a bit overwhelming.  Any advice for someone new to football as well?

I'm not sure of your level of understanding, but I'll assume you know the rules and how to play, etc its more the tactical side of the game you need to brush up on.

I'd find a Youtuber you does a let's play of a save and shows quite a bit of what they are doing in terms of signing players, setting up their tactics etc and talks through while they are doing it. I don't know of any particular ones who do this, however I'm sure someone else on here might.

[BuryBlade]

51 minutes ago, Grifty said:

I'm not sure of your level of understanding, but I'll assume you know the rules and how to play, etc its more the tactical side of the game you need to brush up on.

I'd find a Youtuber you does a let's play of a save and shows quite a bit of what they are doing in terms of signing players, setting up their tactics etc and talks through while they are doing it. I don't know of any particular ones who do this, however I'm sure someone else on here might.

I think @Rashidihas done something like this on YT where he talks through what he does from the moment he starts a new save. 

[glengarry224]

On 25/05/2021 at 16:21, CARRERA said:

Start slow and just play through the game. Click through all tabs step by step and learn what you can do there or which information are provided. 
 

if you look for a guide, this is proberbly the most complete one, as it also includes many principles of football. 95% is still up to date

 

Good advice.  And don't feel bad about losing at the start.  Also, try only making one or two changes at a time so that you can see what each change does:  if you make a bunch of changes, you won't be able to tell what happened.  I'd play a bunch of games and get a feel for the game before watching videos or reading, then you'll better understand what they are saying.

[IbrahimAliMaher]

On 25/05/2021 at 23:17, MotorVanMaiden said:

I'm new to the game and football in general as well (ugly American here).

Wow that's a bit like saying 'I'm new to movies and have never seen one before, I think I'll start with Inception, Tenet, or Lord of the Rings'. 

I think the game for you might be called FIFA my friend! 

[MotorVanMaiden]

16 hours ago, IbrahimAliMaher said:

Wow that's a bit like saying 'I'm new to movies and have never seen one before, I think I'll start with Inception, Tenet, or Lord of the Rings'. 

I think the game for you might be called FIFA my friend! 

Yes this would be me. All I know is you can't use your hands lol.

 

Thank you all for your help. I've been bitten by the bug for sure. I wish I had started watching years ago.

[Outsider23]

Be very careful about relying on your assistant manager since he tends to mix good advice in with absolutely terrible advice. Honestly, sometimes I feel like he's trolling me, especially when he suggests that I make a fourth substitution.

[glengarry224]

18 hours ago, MotorVanMaiden said:

Yes this would be me. All I know is you can't use your hands lol.

 

Thank you all for your help. I've been bitten by the bug for sure. I wish I had started watching years ago.

Like with any other game, watch a bunch of matches and see if you like it.  And yes, playing FM can increase your enjoyment/knowledge of futbol.  The Euros are about to start and it could be fun to pick 1-2 countries to root for.  If you don't know anything, read Soccer/Football for Dummies or look up basic articles/videos online.  If you like the game and want to know more, watch videos on the Tifo youtube channel, do some internet research, and/or read a book like Inverting The Pyramid or The Mixer.  There are lots of great videos about FM, too.

FM21 is an immersive, consuming game.  If you want to start off with something less immersive, try FM Touch, which (I think) comes with your purchase of FM21.

[isignedupfornorealreason]

On 28/05/2021 at 12:58, IbrahimAliMaher said:

I think the game for you might be called FIFA my friend! 

I dunno, what exactly would he learn from an arcade gamble box like FIFA?

Silly formations, dumb tricks, and exploit tap ins?

 

How would he translate that over to FM? Overload 4-2-4 formation, with everyone on attack and a topic bemoaning why CB's can't use attack duty? :P

[MotorVanMaiden]

On 29/05/2021 at 17:44, glengarry224 said:

Like with any other game, watch a bunch of matches and see if you like it.  And yes, playing FM can increase your enjoyment/knowledge of futbol.  The Euros are about to start and it could be fun to pick 1-2 countries to root for.  If you don't know anything, read Soccer/Football for Dummies or look up basic articles/videos online.  If you like the game and want to know more, watch videos on the Tifo youtube channel, do some internet research, and/or read a book like Inverting The Pyramid or The Mixer.  There are lots of great videos about FM, too.

FM21 is an immersive, consuming game.  If you want to start off with something less immersive, try FM Touch, which (I think) comes with your purchase of FM21.

Thank you, the amount of information online can be overwhelming. I read the Athletic, which has great sports journalism but is for the knowledgeable fan.  What other quality coverage would you recommend? I prefer professional analysis rather than hyped up talking head sound byte shows like ESPN and Fox (if you're familiar).

[Xfactor9600]

On 30/05/2021 at 22:54, MotorVanMaiden said:

Thank you, the amount of information online can be overwhelming. I read the Athletic, which has great sports journalism but is for the knowledgeable fan.  What other quality coverage would you recommend? I prefer professional analysis rather than hyped up talking head sound byte shows like ESPN and Fox (if you're familiar).

The Athletic has some great FM articles as well. Search for them. They can give you some basics. American, here as well. The more you watch, listen (I listen to podcasts), and immerse yourself the more the game makes sense. I've avoided specialty leagues in FM like MLS because their rules are quite different than most of the world in terms of contracts. 

[Platinum]

There is also an FM podcast on The Athletic

[glengarry224]

Guidetofm has good info about the game, incorporates game descriptions with other info.  For example, for each role/duty, it shares the game description, and hard-coded instructions, and lists complementary and contrasting player traits.

[wetfred]

Play along with a Let’s Play fm21 on YouTube.