Football Manager, Part I

[hoanger]

how do you request to the board for training facilities? like where do i go?and when is a good time for me to enquire about a player?

[hoanger]

how do you request to the board for training facilities? like where do i go?and when is a good time for me to enquire about a player? man...i offered 19 mill for rosicky but his club is not allowing him to leave...how can some of you guys get 13 mill for him?

[TheImposter]

BTW, sorry to hear about the end of your CF Badalona game. Sometimes your stuck with a poor team, bad rep, limited fans, small stadium with no expansion, etc that make it impossible to get too far. I usually do what you did and start over. I find the initial success (first promotion, first great cup run, first big win over huge club) more fun then later rewards unless you can really get to the ultimate rewards of top division champs, CL, etc.

I'm glad FM makes it more difficult to take a club from nothing to world renown but I hate some of the artifical restraints due to bugs and poor research. I'm hoping that FM06 keeps the increased difficulty while getting rid of the bogus restraints on advancement.
I agree on the increased difficulty.

I kinda hated to give up the Badalona game -- at one point I was offered the job at Getafe, and after some hesitation decided to turn it down. But the game just seemed stuck in a kind of twilight zone. By most criteria things were going quite well -- team played above their heads most of the time, my attendance went from about 2K per game the first season to 8500 when I got promoted, but then stayed at that level when I got relegated again, we were millions of dollars in the black and flush with cash to spend on new players, had better training facilities. But all that meant nothing to the guys I tried to sign. It wasn't like I expected to suddenly attract top-level talent, but I should have been able to sign some players who were slightly better or at least equal to the guys I had (the average age of my squad was over 30, so sooner or later they would have all died off and I would have been left with nothing -- with injuries there were already games where I couldn't even fill the subs bench). It got to seeming too unrealistic.

I went back to Frank the Llama, and just started a game with Bocholt VV, Belgian 3rd division B. Little 2200 capacity ground (300 seated, or something like that), but 20K to spend on players, and a decent wage budget, and everybody on the team is already better than the guys I had at Badalona. Have already made a couple signings to deepen the defense. I've even managed to hire a new coach who's 15 for outfield, and a scout who's 15 for judging both ability and potential, so better days are ahead. We'll see how it goes.

[Cannon]

Just making sure you all get the news.

It can finally be said:

From SI about the new patch (http://community.sigames.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/521102691/m/6612037801/p/1)

Second and (hopefully) final patch to be released on Wednesday, with an added early Easter present!

Fans of Football Manager 2005 are about to receive an unexpected gift in the form of a free data update, which will be made available by Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe on Wednesday, March 2nd to co-incide with the release of the second and hopefully final patch for Football Manager 2005.

The data update, which will be available free-of-charge from www.sigames.com, brings the game right up to date by including all changes in personnel that have occurred in the world of football since the game's initial release on November 4th 2004 and the closure of the recent transfer window on January 31st (a total of more than 160,000 change of player, coaching and managerial staff and stats).

"We are very happy to offer our fans this 'thank you' in recognition of the support that they have shown to us and it's great that SEGA has given us the green light to do it," says Miles Jacobson, Managing Director of Sports Interactive. "Football Manager has become the game of choice for all football fans because of the level of realism that it offers its players and this update can only enhance the experience."

The update will be available in a number of forms, combined with the latest (and final) FM 2005 patch in standard, RAR and Torrent format (the patch will also be available as standalone file for those who do not want the update). The patch will be about 15MB without the data, and 80MB with the data. The torrent version will go live early on Wednesday afternoon, with the other versions to follow later in the day. It will be available for both PC & Mac, with seperate patches/updates for Worldwide Soccer Manager. The version being released will not work with the Korean or Czech/Polish versions of the game, and we'll have more information on versions for those as soon as we are given it!


Good News!

[DutchFootballRulez]

Great News. But unfortunately I have to hold off on FM till the patch.

[TheImposter]

Woohoo!. I guess I'll put Bocholt VV aside and start them anew next week. Or maybe even give Badalona a second try.

[Bonji]

Well, my trip to the Bernabeu has done it, I've had my first loss. Real Madrid came out shooting and it was never a contest. Ronaldo burried a screamer in the 4th minute. As I tried to correct the team and get something into their goal they got another one from Raul. At the half it was 2-0. I tried to tell the boys to attack more but they didn't work. Guti ended my hopes in the 75th minute and a fourth nail was added to the coffin in the 83rd minute by a 24 year old Egypitian, Zidan. I haven't won at the Bernabeu yet in my career.

The frustrating thing was the ease with which Ronaldo got that first goal. No one could stop his run. I've never seen one of my guys go on a run like it, but Ronaldo can go on one to end my unbeaten season.

All of a sudden Madrid is 4 points behind me, but I have a game in hand. I bettre not lose this great season to those scum.

[DutchFootballRulez]

As a tried and true Barca supporter. That's grounds for Quit Game > Reload.

[Bonji]

As a tried and true Barca supporter. That's grounds for Quit Game > Reload.
I don't think I need to react that extremely. In the next match I've come back and put 4 on Racing in the first half. Keeping this win in the bag will keep me 7 points up on Madrid. If no one else can bring a real challenge, I'll be good.

[DutchFootballRulez]

I'm debating whether I should play FM at all since a patch is coming Wednesday Morning. I wonder if the Patch will have the transfers Hardcoded into the game. Because it urks me to see players on clubs in Aug/September who didn't join till Jan of the next season.

[eneste]

I'm debating whether I should play FM at all since a patch is coming Wednesday Morning. I wonder if the Patch will have the transfers Hardcoded into the game. Because it urks me to see players on clubs in Aug/September who didn't join till Jan of the next season.

I'm trying to hold off until Wed when I'll start a new game. It's been tough so far.

They are all on the teams in August. For instance, Morientes will be in Liverpool when the game starts. No big deal really, just happy to have an update.

Any suggestions for European leagues where I can sign a bunch of Americans? Belgian League?

[Cannon]

I'm debating whether I should play FM at all since a patch is coming Wednesday Morning. I wonder if the Patch will have the transfers Hardcoded into the game. Because it urks me to see players on clubs in Aug/September who didn't join till Jan of the next season.

You don't have to update the data. You can just download the patch. For me, I'd rather have the 160k data changes even if it means the first few months have players on the wrong team. I guess it would depend a bit on which team you want to start as and whether changes made in January are a problem if pushed to the prior summer.

[DutchFootballRulez]

Well I figured. Its just that I'd like the realism. Donovan's return to Leverkusen had been hardcoded in previous versions. I'd like both the Data Update and the Patch. I went to buy Maxi Lopez in the current FM and he doesn't have his EU passport which I forgot to look into before purchasing him.

I think this has been brought up on the Official FM Forums; but I'd like SI to include the rules/regulations from EU Nations which have limits on Non-EU players some sort of way to request that player receive an EU passport; and/or stipulate the securing of that passport in transfer negotiations.

[johno]

HAHAH... laid 5 on Arsenal today... Rooney was amazing and Ruud netted a hattrick, but the highlight was Rio picking up the ball around the center circle, running away from 2 chasing defenders, weaving around one more and then cooly slotting home from about the penalty spot... for his first ever ManU goal!

[DutchFootballRulez]

HAHAH... laid 5 on Arsenal today... Rooney was amazing and Ruud netted a hattrick, but the highlight was Rio picking up the ball around the center circle, running away from 2 chasing defenders, weaving around one more and then cooly slotting home from about the penalty spot... for his first ever ManU goal!

Burn down SI!
Unrealistic crap! Rio dribbling through the team Maradona-style to score; minus the necessary handball required. Bah! I deride the realism of this Football Manager. What's next? Mikael Silvestre world class defender?

[JohnR]

The awards are just broken. I've seen guys with average ratings on average teams who've missed most of the season win them.

I must agree. My mediocre goalkeeper with the 7.06 average rating who cost me the EPL championship and Champion's League by losing key games when we outshot the opposition by a 2 to 1 margin ... just was named runner up for "European Goalkeeper of the Year" award. Based on his international success, you say? He's never been capped.

[Bonji]

I got distracted from my FM game this weekend by my wife and Star Wars: Knights of the New Republic. I'm inching towards the La Liga title. I'm in the semis of the Spanish Cup again. If I can get the double I'll be happy. Real is 9 points behind me. Franco continues to be a monster in goal.

It is too bad the awards are so broken. I think that is a fun part of the game and wish they were more accurate. I knew there was something off when I came in second for Spanish Manager of the Year when I was about to be fired for weeks of last season.

Cannon, if I install the patch and data update, will players in my saved game be moved around? Or does the data update only apply to new games? My wife has class Wednesday nights so I'll be able to get some game time in.

[JohnR]

I knew there was something off when I came in second for Spanish Manager of the Year when I was about to be fired for weeks of last season.

I won EPL four years running, never won Manager of the Year. Last year, I finished second in the league and yep, Manager of the Year.

[ibreak4coffee]

I'm mid-table with Nottingham Forrest in my first year behind the bench in the English championship... yet I just signed five new players all worth over 2 million euros... its a little too easy to get out of debt.

[hoanger]

my chelsea team keeps on giving up penalty kicks..anyone have any info to get them to not give penalties? and for the new patch coming up will it fix the awards problems with the accuracy? etc