[Football Manager 2024 Official Feedback Thread]

38 minutes ago, NineCloudNine said:

Those players already have high CA / reputation at the start of the game. I have yet to see a single example of an AI club actively developing a high PA player from a low CA to first team regular through smart loans, appearences in Cups and gradual increase in minutes. That pathway behaviour by AI clubs just does not exist.

Nor is there any chance in FM of a player erupting into the first team like Pau Cubarsi has, because the AI Xavi would never, ever pick him over the other Barcelona CBs given his starting CA, no matter what his PA was.

It has definitely improved slightly from FM22/23, but that’s a low bar because young player development was essentially non-existent in those games. So while the improvement and attention given to this area is welcome, I personally think there’s a very long way to go.

Despite the illogical AI player development strategies, there ends up being more excellent players after 5-10 seasons of a save than there are at the start of a save. My theory as to why the amount of top talent increases is:

1. The game floods the world with an overwhelming number of high PA teenagers. A huge amount of them don't reach their potential, but there are just so many with high PA (170+) that we end up with more and more 160+ CA players as the seasons pass.
2. Any good young player at the start of the game who has playing time will develop to their full potential.

[[FM23/24] - Trying to build a tactic and picking appropriate roles (4-2-3-1)]

In summary, you really have to watch the match highlights and see what is and is not working for you. I think your AMR playing as an IW(s) will still stay wider if you give him that instruction.

As for your DMs, use the highlights to see how they position. You can afford a bit more aggression if you are keeping three defenders back. If you are using two attacking fullbacks then you will want one defensive duty DM.

Schjelderup looks great. If only he had more speed he would be unstoppable, but he will still score plenty for you if you unleash him into the box and have your wide players feeding passes into the middle.

WB and IF are great together. Having both on attack duty works in FM. If you only wanted one on attack, I would pick the WB. Then you would have the WB(a) and support duty AML/AMRs feeding an attacking ST/AMC combo in the middle.

[[FM23/24] - Trying to build a tactic and picking appropriate roles (4-2-3-1)]

Nice post. I agree with the choice of 4-2-3-1 because of how flexible it is. There seem to be endless combinations of player roles that can work in this formation.

My comments on your team and choices:

1. Your fullbacks are short. You will be killed by far post crosses in this match engine. I don't think Aarons is good enough. You need height for all defenders in FM24. Maybe you could make an exception for truly amazing attacking fullbacks, but you don't have those. Also, it's nice to have at least three giants for defending set pieces.
2. I like your idea of having one fullback attacking and one more conservative. An IFB(d) role on one side and WB(a) on the other would do that. The IFB(d) also allows you to be a little more bold with the DM on the same side, potentially freeing him up to be a SV.
3. Your attackers are short, and this will be tricky in terms of earning good match ratings. They will get crushed by missed headers, even with "low crosses" chosen.
4. The AF(a) is probably the right role for your striker, given how you want to use at least 1-2 of your other attacking players in purely support roles.
5. For your AMR, I would pick an IW on the right side rather than a winger. The IW role is more flexible, you can customize it with player instructions exactly how you want depending on the game, and your players trained to be IW will always be familiar with the role.
6. For your AML, I would pick an IF(a). I would want a second player seeking to get on the end of attacking moves. Alternatively, if you wanted to change your AMC to a more attacking role (as detailed below), You could pick a support duty AML who focuses on feeding the other three attackers.
7. For your AMC, I find the AM(a) is a great role in FM24. Support duties in this spot can work too, but I find it much harder to get them contributing this way. One of the best patterns of play in FM24 is when the AMC runs into the box and finishes a quick low cross from a wide player. This happens so frequently that I would want to encourage it by using an AM(a). I have seasons where my AMC outscores my ST all because of this move.
8. I love high tempo in FM24. I think it produces far more scoring chances. Lower tempo is fine if you have a game under control, but as soon as you need to score, I would raise the tempo much higher.

[Wage rise demands are ruining a small club which won the champions league]

A similar thing happened to me. Half of my team wants a <100% wage increase after winning the Europa League. I have regular starters asking for almost 10% of the total wage budget. I can't keep a full squad if I give them that money.

I would actually be fine with this scenario if we could react appropriately and avoid a purely adversarial interaction. We should be able to reject the wage increase with the reasoning, "The club cannot afford it." The player should understand but still want to leave the club. You then work on an exit plan (waiting for the end of the contract or pursuing an immediate transfer). Teammates should stay out of it.

I feel like FM pushes us into these unavoidable hostile interactions which produce unrealistic outcomes. If the player wants to leave the club, fine, but spare us the vitriol because our hands are tied when it comes to what the Board gives us.

[Regista & False 9]

I think 4-3-3 is the right formation for a F9, and you could adapt it to work for a regista by using three DMs:

1. ST = F9(s)
2. AML = IF(a)
3. AMR = IF(a)
4. DMCL = SV(a)
5. DMC = HB(d)
6. DMCR = REG(s)
7. DL = WB(s)
8. DCL = CD(d)
9. DCR = CD(d)
10. DR = WB(a)
11. GK - SW(s)

I would play this with shorter passing and higher tempo. I've tried it with lower tempo, but it is far too tame in this match engine. I would use mid-block against an equal or better opponent and high-press against a worse opponent. Either positive or attacking mentality works.

The one key issue to using a F9 is that they can run into goalscoring dryspells that affect how FM perceives their form. They do get involved in the action a lot, though, and if they are dribbling wizards then they can make a big impact. I actually find these F9 4-3-3 tactics produce really pleasing football in FM24.

[4-1-1-3-1]

The key issue to me is that it feels unrealistic. What real life team would line up this way on the pitch? It would break immersion for me to use this in-game because the midfield doesn't cover the pitch laterally.

The other obvious issue is the use of three advanced playmakers. That seems unbalanced to me. Of course, unbalanced can still work in FM, but it wouldn't feel very realistic either.

[What are your wonderkid legends from past football managers?]

My favourites who often ended up on my teams:

1. Martin Odegaard (FM15)
2. Guido Vadala (FM15)
3. Malcom (FM15)
4. Mikael Dorsin (CM3)
5. Kim Kallstrom (CM3)
6. Lorenzo Crisetig (FM11)
7. Matias Kranevitter (FM11)
8. Jack Wilshere (FM11)
9. Jack Rodwell (FM11)
10. Suso (FM11)

But Odegaard was the one who I enjoyed the most and then became a big of in real life.

[Control Posession 4-3-3 DM Wide Preset]

It's not the worst preset out there. The shape and team instructions make sense. The player roles are not great, though:

1. W(a) feels like a more direct tactical choice based around dribbles and crosses rather than controlling possession.
2. The only player attacking the box is the striker. A CM(a) or IF could help.
3. I would consider using a F9(s) and inside forwards with proper wingbacks and a halfback. Inverted wingbacks are a good alternative, but then you need to keep the AML/AMR wider or use mezzalas to maintain enough width.

But it's a solid base formation and team instructions to start with. You can adust player roles based on the plays you are seeing and players at your disposal. It's not always easy to find technically skilled players who can make a possession-based system work well. Typically, it's easier to find an advantage in lower levels by focusing on physical attributes and playing fast and direct.

[FM24 Player Development]

Out of curiosity, I counted the number of players within a certain CA range at the start of my England save in 2023 and later in 2029. The results surprised me, as there were more higher-rated players in 2029 than at the beginning of my save.

 

[Frustration with the loan system]

I agree with your observations.

For FM24, the loan market is the least useful it has ever been. You can still find some clubs willing to pay and play your youngsters, but you have to endure the AI spamming you with free loan offers. The biggest change is the difficulty in finding any loans for yourself where you don't have to pay fees on top of wages. I think this has made building a competitive squad with a newly promoted team much tougher than in the past.

In fairness, it never felt realistic that I could loan in a dozen quality players for very little cost. That exploit is mostly closed now. There are still free loans available for players who aren't atop the footbally pyramid, which makes sense.

[Help with motivation to play journeyman instead of staying 20+ years in a team]

I roleplay being offended/annoyed by my board. Some reasons:

1. They pay me the lowest wage of anyone in the league. This almost always happens after promotion, and it winds me up!
2. They block a transfer or force a sale I don't want. Can't wait to speak to the press about that one.
3. They reject my requests. Don't they know who I am?
4. They set ridiculously low wage and transfer budgets. Their lack of ambition is a waste of my time.

I also like taking on financially distressed clubs or clubs deep in a relegation battle and in hopeless form. Scraping a point with a terrible team is a different experience from winning games 5-0 with a team of underpaid wonderkids.

[FM Retro-Gaming... which old is the best?]

The past versions I most enjoyed at the time were:

1. CM3 -- It was text, but it was still fun. It was a lighter version of the current FM series, but it was still easy to get addicted.
2. FM15 -- Lots of fun. The two broken bits were that there were way too many goals and the loan system was easily abused (ex. perpetual free loans of wonderkids).
3. FM11 -- First version that felt "advanced" to me. The main flaws were the ease at which a poacher on attack could dominate and the excessive amount of near post corner goals.

[[FM 24] the difficulty of defending]

So much gaslighting in this thread. If people aren't seeing gegenpress/high-press tactics performing better than others then I don't know what game they are playing. And yes, defenders in FM really do struggle to follow dribblers. They are like traffic cones out there, and the game doesn't accurately depict how much clutching and grabbing modern defenders are doing in real life in order to slow attacks.

[Can't get the most out of my star player]

My suggestions:

1. Give him an IF(a) role and give your central striker a DLF or F9 role.
2. Train him to be an AMC and let him be a SS(a) in a 4-2-3-1 with a support striker ahead of him.
3. Play him as an AF(a) with a support striker in a 2-striker formation.

[Help with a 4-3-1-2]

I love these narrow formations, but they are a struggle in FM24. My thoughts:

1. You need at least one excellent attacking fullback, and preferably more since they will tire out and be injury prone. They need reasonable winger-like attributes or else your attack will be weak.
2. At least one of your strikers should be great in the air. It really helps make the deliveries from the fullbacks more effective. Similarly, your strikers should have good quickness and anticipation to latch onto risky passes.
3. I like using 3 DMs in this formation instead of 3 MCs. That allows me to use segundo volantes, which I find provides an optimal mix of defending and attacking threat.
4. I find an AM(s) gets lost in the shuffle. I would much rather use an attack duty on the AMC and a support duty on one of the strikers. A DLF(s) helps link up everything.
5. Better teams will kill you down the flanks. You might want an alternate formation for those matches.
6. Work ball into the box is going to limit what your fullbacks can do in terms of crosses. They'll probably cycle possession, which isn't ideal for creating chances.
7. In a two-striker formation, I would rather play higher tempo and use counterattacks. Lower tempo cancels out a lot of the advantage to having two guys starting that far forward in the first place.

[What do y'all want to see removed/upgraded in FM25?]

1. Remove player role stipulations from loan negotiations. It is unrealistic and unfun to have someone tell you to play a player as a mezzala, as if that's a thing in real life.
2. Make player form less predictable -- or its impact more subtle. Players don't often cycle up and down in form in 5-8 game increments in real life like they do in FM.
3. Match ratings need to better reflect player performance and be more forgiving when playing aginst much better teams.
4. A player's unhappiness about their contract should not impact the rest of the team unless they are a true team leader. Salah shouldn't badger Klopp because Bajcetic wants more money.
5. Scouts should be less lazy on their assignments. Micromanaging scouts should not dramatically improve/increase their report output.
6. Team training time should be allocated on a percentage of weekly training time basis rather than as three daily sessions that you have to micromanage with every schedule change.
7. Improve newgen attribute distributions. Give us more attacking wingbacks and fewer short central defenders.
8. Match engine -- This has improved in recent years, but we still have pass completion percentages that are too high and other deviations from real life that throw off the balance of the game.
9. Add some variety to goal and trophy celebrations.

[Football Manager 2024 Official Feedback Thread]

My lingering nitpicks for this game:

1. Players should wait at least 10 months after signing a contract before demanding a new one. Stop hounding me 6 months into a 4-year deal.
2. Player form irritates me. If a ST/AML/AMR goes 4-5 games without scoring then their finishing attribute of 15 seems to drop to 1 until they score again. The impact of form is too severe.
3. Loan player role stipulations need to disappear. Unfun and unrealistic. Just make the stipulations all about playing time.

I am enjoying most of the rest of the game. It has improved enough that the thought of playing an older version really does not appeal to me.

I'd love it if the next version of this game had more "fun" parts in it. More variety in title-winning celebrations would be a good start. I don't want to see the identical cut sequence every time I win something. I'd also like a bit more variety in job interviews and player interactions. Anything to make the game less predictable would be a win.

[433 FM24]

General things I have noticed from using a 4-3-3 on FM24:

1. The AML/AMR spots work better in support roles. Relying on them as main goalscorers is unwise. They work better in creative roles in FM24, dribbling and playing cutbacks to scorers in the middle.
2. At least one of the MCs should be given a CM(a) (or maybe MEZ(a)) role. These attacking central midfielders will score as many goals as the AML/AMR will, often latching onto the end of cutbacks.
3. The DM can be a HB if the wingbacks are particularly aggressive or a DLP otherwise. High decisions and composure are vital here.
4. The wingbacks should be WB(s) or WB(a). You can go with CWB if you are really aggressive or FB if you aspire to be dull. I have messed around with inverted wingbacks, but I would only do this if playing a winger role on the same side as the IWB.
5. I find an AF(a) for striker works best. In principle, a DLF or F9 role should be fine, but the AML/AMR players just don't score enough to make this approach reliable enough in FM.
6. As for team instructions, the usual gegenpress instructions work great. Even when attempting to keep a lead late in matches, I will still press high and try to score insurance goals rather than sit back and hope to kill time. Again, that's an FM thing more than a football tactical thing.
7. You will also be able to win lots of corners, so make sure you have a good corner delivery specialist and 1-2 players with very high jumping to head home near post corners.

[Building around an enigmatic 10]

On 18/02/2024 at 12:07, ElJefe4 said:

Definitely need to make it more solid defensively if I do stick with Inter for season 2. Conceding 43 in 38 league games isn't terrible given the amount of goals we score, but it makes life very difficult in Europe.

In total in the Champions League we played 12 games, scoring an impressive 32 but conceding 19. We simply can't win the biggest prize in European football if we can't shut up shop more effectively against the top sides.

You could keep the attacking trio the same and swap out an MC for another CD in matches against high reputation teams. I have also had some success with a 4-3DM-1-2 formation, but that requires 3 DMs and isn't always viable when you have pure MCs in the team.

Have you tried a narrow 4-3-2-1? I gave that a shot in FM24 but never found the right combination. Maybe your two creative AMCs would pair well together in that formation.

[Football Manager 2024 Official Feedback Thread]

Please remove this from the match engine:

1. Corner taker takes the corner.
2. Defense heads it clear.
3. Offensive player passes immediately back to the corner taker.
4. Corner taker is whistled for offside.

At the very least, please remove it from the "key highlights."

[Football Manager 2024 Official Feedback Thread]

Wage negotiations can be completely illogical:

1. A 22-year old free agent fullback asked me for 2.5k per week + bonuses to equal 3.4k total per week.
2. I countered with an offer of 2.0k per week and 3.2k total.
3. His agent countered with 4.8k per week and 6.5k total.

I wanted to see if this was some sort of bug, so I reloaded and tried it again:

1. Once again, the fullback wanted 2.5k wages and 3.4k total per week.
2. I countered with 2.6k wages and 3.5k total per week -- objectively more than what they asked for.
3. His agent countered with 4.8k per week and 6.5k total and the message: "Your opening offer is too far apart from my client's demands."

[Football Manager 2024 Official Feedback Thread]

Please get rid of the player role stipulation in all loan negotiations. It is incredibly unrealistic and super-frustrating for gameplay -- the worst combination for a feature in a simulation game.

[Maximum number of Foreign Players]

I think you mean Match Rules. Select your Nation in Advanced Rules editing, and expand the options for that Nation to see "Match Rules" as a subheading. Then you will need to select which Match Rules to edit, since you can have multiple versions of the rules within each nation. Finally, select the "Squad Selection Rules" subheading and add/edit particular rules.

To activate these rules within a particular competition, you refer to them in the "Match Rules" subheading of each competition b the index value of the set of Match Rules that you created. You can have every comptition refer to the same index value or have different indices created for each competition.

[FM24 - Need help setting up. Playable / Playable-View Only / View Only]

On 27/11/2023 at 07:02, oi_oi_ginger_roy said:

Maybe its just me being thick but what is the difference between continental and nation reputation when adding in the players from that menu?

Continental reputation players are more widely known and are generally better. National reputation includes a lot more players.

[Second season never starts]

I have this same issue when editing Ireland's advanced rules. The season update day never happens despite all of the competitions completing as expected. I know the default Irish season update day is in the winter, but I moved the start dates of the league and the Editor seems to hate it. After a lot of experimenting, I am ready to give up.

Sorry I couldn't help you. If you find a solution to trigger the update day then please share it.