[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

On 10/10/2018 at 01:30, Experienced Defender said:

Flair represents a player's tendency to try (and do) something unpredictable, so it's not only about passing but also (and even more so) about dribbling, shooting, crossing... For a def mid flair is nowhere near as important as for more advanced players, even if he is a playmaker (DLP). In order for a DM to play good and useful through balls, more important than flair are his vision, technique, decisions and anticipation (in addition to passing of course). And if he also has good flair, the better (but again, flair is not necessary for this type of player).

Awesome. Thanks for the help!

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

I've got a question - how important is flair, and how does it influence a player's decisions? I can understand its importance for creative, attacking players (eg. advanced playmakers, trequartistas, etc), but I've found a defensive midfielder who looks amazing (15+ first touch, tackling passing, anticipation, decisions, etc), but he's only got 2 flair. I'm assuming that this will mean that he'll generally only play short, safe passes and rarely seek to unlock defenses with through balls? How will this affect his general play on the ball?

 

Cheers

[In Honor of Sir Alex Ferguson -- Reviving the Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge!]

Thanks @jaysdailydose! I've scrolled through the thread and there's some awesome stuff in here. Anyway, I present the world of 2029 (I know I said 2027 originally, but I wanted to make the save pretty much all newgens):

Long gone are the days of Messi and Ronaldo - the best (or rather, the most expensive) players in the world are now Di Giacomo and Rodriguez. Belgium won the 2026 World Cup and Bayern won this years Champion's league. 

This is what the Premier League looks like as of November the 6th:

Spoiler

Yes, Crystal Palace is coming second.

So, looks like I'm managing a remarkably lackluster Everton. Their best player seems to be this bloke here, who's alright. They have a pretty poor financial projection, but a strangely large transfer budget of nearly 50M   I'll post further updates soon.

 

Edit  - just realised I haven't removed the non-English leagues from my save. I'll keep them as I'm not technically competing in this challenge, if that's ok.

[In Honor of Sir Alex Ferguson -- Reviving the Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge!]

5 hours ago, jaysdailydose said:

I quite hope you do your idea and participate, anyway!  It isn't like the leaderboard is some sacred shrine, and it would certainly be interesting to see how you got on 10 years down the road.  

Just because I can't count them for achievements doesn't mean I wouldn't love to read the posts, so definitely let us know if it is something you are going to pursue!  I can only speak for myself, but I know I'M interested.

Could I post in this thread? I obviously wouldn't compete or be on the leaderboard.

[In Honor of Sir Alex Ferguson -- Reviving the Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge!]

4 hours ago, jaysdailydose said:

I'll have to say no on 2027.  The idea behind starting as close as possible to the same date (with small variation as not all of us play on FM18) -- as well as having the same small databases, is for multiple reasons.  I want the database kept as small as possible so that anyone, on any level of computer, from potato to quantum, is able to participate and be in approximately the same situation, for competitive balance.

As someone who always loaded more European leagues, as well as using "Load players from clubs in continental competitions" in the advanced database, it probably is a touch less competitive at that absolute highest level, but it really isn't that noticeable.  

While I certainly don't think you are trying to game a competitive advantage on the start date, I have to say no to keep the competitive balance as close as possible for all challengers, and that is the only reason I'm saying no.  If you still want to do it, and add the extra leagues or database options, you would still be welcomed to participate in the thread, you just wouldn't be eligible for the challenge leaderboard.  I really like your idea, personally, just want it to be fair!

All good  

[In Honor of Sir Alex Ferguson -- Reviving the Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge!]

I'm really keen to take part - one twist though, I want to start my save in 2027. Is that alright?

 

Edit - Also, why should we only load English leagues? Doesn't that make continental competition less competitive?

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but I've noticed that poaching other clubs' youth intake prospects is a lot harder this year (the players tend to not enter contract negotiations). Are there any strategies for signing them? I'm playing as Ajax, so I usually don't, but there's a newgen with 3.5* CA at 15 years old...

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

Cheers herne. Another question, sorry - how wide do mezzalas drift? Do they push out to the half-space, or all the way to where a winger would operate? I'm trying to figure out whether to partner one with a IF or a winger. 

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

What's the difference between a DLP(D) in the midfield strata compared to one playing in the DM strata? I'm playing with a midfield three, and I've heard previously that playing with the holding mid in the midfield strata (and no-one in the DM strata) pushes the LCM and RCM further apart and makes the space between midfield and defense more compact? Is this true? And would a holding midfielder playing in the DM strata drop deeper in both possession and in defense?

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

4 hours ago, Snorks said:

Is he worth that much? Are they overpaying for him?Do you have a replacement coming through?

 120mil + extras is hard to turn down.

With Ajax, I would probably sell to be honest, execially if that is the first offer - you have an  opportunity to bump the price up a bit more here.

 

Yeah, thanks for the advice  I did end up selling him - I have another, younger regen coming through who should be able to fill his shoes in a while. I watched Moneyball a while ago, and I'm determined to not get too attached to these sorts of players and remain calculated with my transfers (and ship players off when they hit max value) 

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I've got a question. In my Ajax save I've got a player that's been immense for me this season (he's pretty much single-handedly carried my team to the Champion League semis), and he's my best player by far (my scouts rate him 4.5 stars and say he can still improve a bit as he's 22). United have swooped in and offered 120M+ for him, and I'm unsure what to do. At what point would you sell players, even if they're the backbone of your team? As I'm doing a youth challenge, I'll probably be facing this problem a lot, so I'm interested what other people do in this situation?