Football Manager, Part I

[Bonji]

Yeah learning the game should be your focus at the start. While the old CM03/04 game was so easy that anyone could sit down at the computer and lead a lower league team to top titles, the new one is more of a "easy to play hard to master" thing.

The link works for me just fine. I just got assigned Runcorn FC Halton in the English Conference North Division for my test of the latest patch.
I'll have to go back and try that link again.

The current FM is really hard to master. I am getting killed in Spain right now. My starting striker duo of Larsen and Eto get many shots on goal but never make them. I haven't scored a goal in 5 games. 5 games!!! I changed tactis to a 4-1-3-2. It was a super tactic in the version before CM4, but I don't think it is anymore. I've got to start winning or I am going to get the boot!

[Bonji]

Ok, I got the random team generator to work. Nice.

[JohnR]

From what I understand, one good thing about Football Manager is that you can finally use wide strategies. Right?

I love wingers and play 4-4-2 in Championship Manager as long as I am able, meaning at the lower leagues. But once I get to EPL and no longer have players who are sooooo much better than the opposition's, I can't win playing wide. I collected two beautiful outside mids with crossing 20 and 19, but eventually I caved and created a narrow strategy because if I played them in a 4-4-2 in EPL they never got anything done. I mean, it would be like 20 games, 0 goals, 2 assists. Whereas if I played them narrow they would get stats like 20 games, 3 goals, 4 assists.

[Bonji]

From what I understand, one good thing about Football Manager is that you can finally use wide strategies. Right?

I love wingers and play 4-4-2 in Championship Manager as long as I am able, meaning at the lower leagues. But once I get to EPL and no longer have players who are sooooo much better than the opposition's, I can't win playing wide. I collected two beautiful outside mids with crossing 20 and 19, but eventually I caved and created a narrow strategy because if I played them in a 4-4-2 in EPL they never got anything done. I mean, it would be like 20 games, 0 goals, 2 assists. Whereas if I played them narrow they would get stats like 20 games, 3 goals, 4 assists.
Yeah, you can set your team to play wide or narrow. There are so many things to change in FM 05 it makes the tactics part of the game very hard.

[ibreak4coffee]

I'll have to go back and try that link again.

The current FM is really hard to master. I am getting killed in Spain right now. My starting striker duo of Larsen and Eto get many shots on goal but never make them. I haven't scored a goal in 5 games. 5 games!!! I changed tactis to a 4-1-3-2. It was a super tactic in the version before CM4, but I don't think it is anymore. I've got to start winning or I am going to get the boot!

I've had my strikers and midfielders with three and two "Shooting" training times respectively, and they are still shooting for the corner flags more often than the goal... its frustrating. If I get promotion to the EPL this year, I'm toast with that finishing (two of my strikers have 18 and 17 finishing stats respectively). So I'm trying something different, and brought Tor Andre Flo in, who is rated at 20 for headers.

[Cannon]

Is there a 5.0.3 patch available now?

Not yet. I'm betatesting the latest build now. Its getting close though so just wait a little bit and you'll have it. BTW, it is a good patch and worth the wait.

From what I understand, one good thing about Football Manager is that you can finally use wide strategies. Right?

Yep. I use a wide 4-4-2 diamond a lot at all levels. I've also had some success with a counterattacking wide 4-2(DM)-3(AM)-1 formation.

I've had my strikers and midfielders with three and two "Shooting" training times respectively, and they are still shooting for the corner flags more often than the goal... its frustrating. If I get promotion to the EPL this year, I'm toast with that finishing (two of my strikers have 18 and 17 finishing stats respectively). So I'm trying something different, and brought Tor Andre Flo in, who is rated at 20 for headers.

There is still an issue with the stats that won't be changed for FM05. Basically a 16 finishing means one thing for a player with a CA of 80 and another for a player with a CA of 180. The problem is that unless you look at the player with FMscout you don't have access to CA so its misleading. This problem was raised with SI but they decided to leave it alone for this version (simple fixes breaks a lot of stuff and completely destroys game balance) and look into a better way of dealing with it for FM06 (already under development).

[Bonji]

There is still an issue with the stats that won't be changed for FM05. Basically a 16 finishing means one thing for a player with a CA of 80 and another for a player with a CA of 180. The problem is that unless you look at the player with FMscout you don't have access to CA so its misleading. This problem was raised with SI but they decided to leave it alone for this version (simple fixes breaks a lot of stuff and completely destroys game balance) and look into a better way of dealing with it for FM06 (already under development).
CA being current ability? Is there a WSM Scout out? I like using that. I know it is a cheat but it helps in figuring out a nice squad.

[Cannon]

CA being current ability? Is there a WSM Scout out? I like using that. I know it is a cheat but it helps in figuring out a nice squad.
Yeah current ability.

I don't think there is a WSM scout. I have FM so I've never looked into that. Have you tried using the latest FMScout on WSM? They are very similar and it might work. Just make sure you backup your savedgame first.

I don't consider some uses of FMscout to be cheating. For example, I use it to export my player's data to a spreadsheet to help me manage and track improvments over long periods and get my set piece takers figured out. As long as you don't use it to check hidden stats then it is not cheating.

However, I do use it to export one hidden stat: free role. There is no way to determine a player's ability to work in a free role within the game (although it has some correlation to a few attributes and is more common with certain positions). Even watching entire matches doesn't really work. I think this is a missing feature within the game so I use fmscout to fix it. Probably cheating but its my game and I don't feel like spending hours trying to figure out something that a real life manager would be able to determine after watching training and a few matches.

There was also a problem with scouts that caused them to miss entire groups of good players. I used FM scout to put together a shortlist with them until the bug was fixed. I consider almost every other use of the scout program as cheating.

[gaijin]

These keepers are just plain annoying sometimes. I can't tell you the amount of games where a keeper gets a 10 rating.

btw: Is the next patch save-friendly or not?

[JohnR]

TheseI can't tell you the amount of games where a keeper gets a 10 rating.

In ChampMan, I never see a 10 rating.

Opposition keepers -

9 25%
8 50%
7 15%
6/less 10%


My keepers (assuming that I buy one of the league's top keepers) -

9 5%
8 20%
7 60%
6/less 15%

[gaijin]

In ChampMan, I never see a 10 rating.

Opposition keepers -

9 25%
8 50%
7 15%
6/less 10%


My keepers (assuming that I buy one of the league's top keepers) -

9 5%
8 20%
7 60%
6/less 15%

I'm telling you I see keepers with tens.......My keepers never get 10's only the opposing teams. Happens about 6 or 7 times a season. And its so ********ing annoying having 26 shots and have a 0-0.

EDIT: Sorry this is for FM2005. But yes, it is a rarity in CM

[Cannon]

btw: Is the next patch save-friendly or not?

Still in development so can't say whether the release version will be for sure. Right now it is but only some changes work on saved games. The most notable being a correction to regens that will appear instantly and really improve longer saved games. However, there is so much changed that I'd recommend starting a new game if at all possible.

[Bonji]

Still in development so can't say whether the release version will be for sure. Right now it is but only some changes work on saved games. The most notable being a correction to regens that will appear instantly and really improve longer saved games. However, there is so much changed that I'd recommend starting a new game if at all possible.
Good to know. I'll try not to get too hooked into a career before the next patch. Is there an extimated arrival date?

[JohnR]

I'm telling you I see keepers with tens.......My keepers never get 10's only the opposing teams. Happens about 6 or 7 times a season. And its so ********ing annoying having 26 shots and have a 0-0.

EDIT: Sorry this is for FM2005.

Reason #1 not to play FM2005! Nobody should ever be beaten more than once per year by a Kasey Keller/Gold Cup/Brazil performance. Since those performances in real life are great rareties.

[Cannon]

Good to know. I'll try not to get too hooked into a career before the next patch. Is there an extimated arrival date?

Nope. They got killed for missing an estimated release date in the past and now aren't going to say its coming out until its on the way out the door.

[gaijin]

Reason #1 not to play FM2005! Nobody should ever be beaten more than once per year by a Kasey Keller/Gold Cup/Brazil performance. Since those performances in real life are great rareties.

yeah I loved the old CM games, but the updates are crap.

I just hope they tweak these flaws out in FM2005. Pre-first patch, shooting was abysmal.

[JohnR]

I just hope they tweak these flaws out in FM2005. Pre-first patch, shooting was abysmal.

You know what's weird?

I have FM2005, no patch. I've trotted it out a couple of times, played half a dozen pre-season games as Man U and Arsenal. Just to see what it looks like. And the game has been perfect! I didn't do squat with tactics, just let the assistant manager picked the squad and hit Go. But the games were great. My guys mostly won, by reasonable scores like 2-1, the action was terrific. Not a hint of all these weird things that everybody else has encountered.

OK they're easy teams to play, but go figure. I'd play the game more, but the pace is too slow. I want my seasons to pass faster.

[Bonji]

Just got the dreaded board vote of condfidence. I'm on thin ice at Barca. I don't think I am going to see next season.

[Bonji]

Strange thing just happened. In the first match after the board vote of confidence. The game froze at 4 minutes and I couldn't do a thing to get it back. So I lost all the games I'd lost. Ohh well.

[johno]

not a bad game... I wont be bothered to read all the other pages though... i'm a fan not a game lover so i play how i want to play... w/ ManU... rarely lose with a great formation i have and have managed to do the impossible in my first season... acquire Julio Baptista, Giampaolo Pazini, Stuart Downing and... and... Dennis Bergkamp... i know.. i know, he's 80 but he's a damn good passer and a perfect fit for my formaiton.... i play a weird line-up... It allows for most of my chances to go to a target man who works well off the ball that opens up sitters and occupies the defence to allow wingers to wreak havoc on fullbacks... it sucks against the 3-5-2 though.
it goes...
------------FC
-----AMC--------
^^-------------ARM
LM------CM
----DM----------
LB---CB---CB---RB