Virtual Arsenal: How I learned I was smarter than Arsene Wenger because a computer said so...

Thought I would start a thread for all of us mini-Wengers doing our thing on PES, FM or FIFA.

Last I saw, Arsenal were #14 in FIFA 13's club support measure. Anyone know how to see the ranking? Just curiouos how we are consistently between 14 and 20. Wondering if our support skewed older (due to a lack of recent success) and therefore outside the typical video game ages?

I prefer football manager and I just downloaded the demo '13 and I started off where I nearly had a First XI in injuries alone.

Is the new FM good?

From what little I have played, it seems good. Alot of different interactions and the graphics are good. Only thing I don't like is some teams aside from City and PSG have loads of cash to throw around more than recent years.

It is PC-based, correct? I think I am going to have to check that out.

I am basically using FIFA13 as a simplified FM. Playing the games is my least favorite part but they make it so hard to switch lineups (I carry two full line-ups plus subs in FIFA, not unlike a hockey line change) that I just end up playing.

Yeah FM is PC based. You can either download the game which I have never done and can't give you a time estimate or you can buy the disc. With the disc, after you install it, you are set up with stream as it seems that is the way most games are going. You can go the option of not streaming, but figured with stream you get the auto updates.

OK, I think I am going to get it. Can I get your email so my wife can scream at you when nothing gets done around the house?

footballmanageraddict@gmail.com


I am in the same boat and think I am going to get it later this month. You might have to get it off amazon or ebay as Gamestop doesn't carry it in stores.

I've got FM 2012 and love it. I have an Arsenal game into its 4th season. Doing very well, even picked up Neymar. Haven't played that one in a long time though. Currently I'm leading Salisbury City up the ladder. Won the Conference South in Season 1 as well as the FA Trophy. Currently it is March 1st in Season 1 and I'm top of the Conference National, into the last 8 of the FA Trophy, and made it to the 3rd round proper of the FA Cup before I lost at home (including knocking off Northampton Town in a home replay after being down 2-0 on the road, and Shrewsbury in a replay away from home!). The best guys on my team are all on season long loans for free from teams a few leagues higher up because the finances are terrible. The board also decided to expand the stadium after winning promotion but that still has 15 months to go until it is finished.

I got FM 2012 from Steam. You download it from them to install on your PC, no going to a store. You don't need to be online to play as well. Not sure if you have to be online for 2013.

Yeah, that level of detail is what I am interested in. Do you never get prominent enough that, like Wenger, you make decisions like stadium expansions, etc...?

2013 is available as a downloaded code from Amazon for $39.99. Nice thing is, they store it in your account so, if your computer were to die, you can get your access code back. I imagine you go the maker's website and use that code to download you game. $34.02 from a vendor with $4 in shipping. I'd just do the download to save myself the headaches.

I noticed there is a FIFA Manager 2013 which seems to be EA's stab at this space. Bad reviews however.

Deaner, if you're into the management stuff like you seem to be, nothing beats FM. The level of detail is incredible. You are basically responsible for everything a modern-day manager is responsible for. On top of that, the player database they have is crazy--it's f-ing huge, and super-detailed.

You can ask the board to negotiate transfers/salaries for you if you are over budget and want to sign someone. Not sure about stadium expansions. I think you can ask for a stadium expansion as well as youth facility upgrades, but the board has to approve those.

The thing that annoys me is some leagues/teams aren't official so they don't have the crests and some of the competition names are bunk. You can, however, download patches that have all the crests, corrected competition names, and pictures. I haven't done it yet though. I think my next game is going to be with Hadjuk Split and I'll download everything for that. If not Hadjuk I'm going to create myself as an American with a low level of playing experience and start without a job and see who offers me one and go from there.

edit: mistake in my original post, it is March 1 in SEASON 2! I'd like to promote every year, but I think once I make league football I'm going to aim for mid table in the first year and then try to promote.

And you can request feeder clubs ranging from loan, first option youth, expand the brand, etc...Usually get some decent clubs. A few FM years ago, it seemed like the first time you requested a feeder club, they said sure and then came back and said they couldn't find one.

One thing I liked in FM12 is after so long, you go to pick the feeder club.

For whatever reason I'm loyal to Fifa. I think I'm just a sucker. I've only played FM on a demo.

I'm currently playing Ultimate Team on Fifa 13 but I just sold my entire team to get ready for Team of the Year (TOTY). They release a team for the EPL. I'm hoping Santi is on it. I don't know what other Arsenal player would make the team or reserves.

I had an amazing Arsenal team. I had all the Team of the Weak (TOTW) Arsenal players and Man of the Match (MOTM) Gervinho. The entire team cost over a million coins.

I think I may go back to career mode until TOTY comes out.

I play FIFA if I want to control the players, FM if I want to be the gaffer

Had a blimp in form but tweaked by formation to Attacking from Control and dominated the end of the season to take the Conference National. Next up is the FA Trophy final against Wrexham. Salisbury City into the football league!

Won the FA Trophy (it was really weird having that match on when Arsenal played Swansea on Saturday because Salisbury wear white and Wrexham red). 11 matches into my first League season, currently in the top 10. Only 2 wins, but only 1 loss. Lots of draws. I can seem to score goals, scored the fewest but also conceded the fewest.

Do you guys normally play a save where you start as Arsenal manager in FM? I like it where I start somewhere else and they ask me to to manage THEM, from building up my stature to a position where that would be realistic. I've actually never managed Arsenal or Lyon, and I've played the game for 4 years. I prefer FM for the build up, in my current season I took Red Star Paris from a middling third tier club to a European powerhouse who has just won back to back Ligue 1 titles and a champions league by 2018-19. I've already turned down offers to coach Lyon, and France! Arsenal has not yet come calling. But I planned on staying with Red Star until the new stadium is built and angling for the France job when it becomes vacant again. Has anyone ever been an International manager in FM? What's it like?

I have normally started with Arsenal.

As far as a NT job. On an older FM version I have had it where after one really good season, I was offer a position. Normally I just wait until after the WC or Euros to see the results of a few teams I might want to consider coaching before even considering to apply for a NT job. A few times after applying I was given the job right away.

In the past you could do a dual role of Club/Country.

In FM 05 I took the England job after one year at Arsenal, in a dual role capacity.

Needed a win against lowly Crawley Town and gave up 2 late goals to leave it at 2-2. I'm 5 back of the last playoff spot with a game in hand. But lots of matches left. The new year just passed and I've got a trip to Charlton in the FA Cup. I'd take a replay, need the money!

I mean what do you do as national team manager? Do you watch a bunch of matches in between national breaks? Do you have scouts that just follow teams that most of your nations stars play in a read their reports to make decisions? I'm just confused how you decide to call up players for national duty in the game. Do you have training sessions? lol. It's seems a bit more boring than playing at club level.

I had scouts/coaches go and seek out who is of the nationality and could be called up. As far as training goes, there is none apart from the standard setting up match tatics/formation. You can choose if you want to go and watch matches or not. I normally don't if I am in a duel role.

Decided to re-start my LLM game and went with Fleetwood Town. They wear red with white sleeves and play at Highbury, had to go with them. Plus their striker is named Magno Vieira. Plus they aren't broke like Salisbury City.

Stormed to the league title and FA Trophy in year one. Bookies have us has third favorite for promotion in League 2 before the season started! Got rid of some deadwood, and picked up basically an entire new backline. Made a loan move permanent (Tendayi Darikwa, Chesterfield) on a player who scored 20+ goals for me. Magno Vieira ended the season as BS Premier POTY with 45 goals, almost one a game.

I know I'm the only one that plays Ultimate team on FIFA but I have to share this. I opened a pack today and pulled Messi. I don't know what the odds are but it's somewhere between slim and none.