Championship Manager Thread

[Spartak]

You can try CM God. But I warn you that when you use saved game editors there is an increased chance that the game will crash.

http://www.sigames.com/dl.php?id=285&version=CM 01-02&file=cm0102_editorother_cmgod_v02b.zip&type=6

[Lucid]

K, thanks, now the next question....

I just started a new CM game, and I chose to have a few leagues running in the background. I figured it might slow it down, but my god, it takes forever to go through a day now. Is it possible to remove those leagues from running in the background?

[slpsoccer]

I've been playing this game for 2 weeks now and my team cant win at all.

Does anyone have some tactics or general advice so I can get something going here.

My first game I started with Southampton (and i went 0-3-7 before I decided to resign and got a job at Hull City (3rd division). So far I am 0-1-1 there.

[Lucid]

My advice is play with an easier team.

I first started playing this game a few years back (98/99) but never really got back into it until a few days ago. First team I started with was the Wizards, they suck ass, and led me to go winless in I think 9 straight games. Yeah, it was pretty ugly, but then I picked the E-Quakes and thanks to Landon, not because of his play, but because of the $$$ I got from selling his ass I was able to go out and build my team the way I wanted it. Finished 5th in 2002 and then in 2003 I lost to Chicago on PK's. Pretty great game too, This Chicago team only lost 4 games all season, and they scored on me early, TWICE, so I'm thinking I'm completely screwed. Nope, Balboa gets sent off and leaves me 1 man down so now I'm not screwed, but ******************ed! But I threw every up there and scored two late goals (79th & 88th min.) only to lose on the 7th PK. Oh well.

So the Quakes, for MLS standards are a pretty good team, so that's my suggestion for you, pick a team that's good, and has some money, go out and buy yourself some players and you'll always overpay as a beginer until you start to figure it out better, and that's ok.

Hell... be Arsenal or ManU or someone.

[Spartak]

This is a tactic that a Panathinaikos fan made. I downloaded it from the SIgames website forum. But I think you have to register for it so I will just give a link to it http://users.otenet.gr/~aretussa/pao.zip

It is the best tactic that I have ever seen. I played Milan just to see how it worked and I went 30 W 4 T 0 L in my first season with it. It is a 3-1-3-1-2. You will need a good DM for the tactic to work well.

[Elwood]

For tactics, it's pretty much proven that 'narrow' tactics work VERY well on CM.

Best tactic I've ever seen is called 'Shiva2'. To give an example, I started a game, chose Leigh RMI (generally considered the worst team in the English Conference). Changed my tactic to use it, cleared the squad, and immediately went on holiday, choosing as my only option "always use current tactics". In 5 seasons they made it up to Division 1.

It almost feels like cheating (to me) to use this (or similar tactics) as there's almost no way for the comp to beat you regularly.

But it goes something like this (since I don't have a link).

1 FC
1 AMC
3 MCs, the 2 outer MCs going forward
3 DMCs, the 2 outers going 'slightly' forward
2 DCs
1 GK (of course)

I've always edited the runs/free roles/run with ball/etc options based on the players I have. If you find it downloadable (and www.sigames.com should have a link somewhere), it's set up for whoever designed it's team.

The 'narrow' theory goes like this:

No wide players are needed. No need to put anyone on the field who's in a left or right postion. Center players basically clog the middle and you'll generate a TON of shots. Not necessarily goals, but lots of shots. The opposing goal keeper will be MotM a lot, even if you win.

I've found it to be so successful that I have to intentionally limit myself to sticking with the 4-4-2 (or modifying that based on starting players). Problem I always run into is that I tend to buy central-only players, knowing how well it works.

[Spartak]

Elwood, your right about the narrow tactics working in CM3 00/01. I used a 4-2-1-1-2 and was almost unbeatable. But I don't think it works as well in CM3 01/02. I think SI changed the games AI a bit betweem CM 00/01 and CM 01/02.

[Elwood]

Well it's worked just fine for me!

I only played CM 00/01 for a few months, so most of my CM time has been with 01/02. I've taken some pretty crap teams to division titles using that Shiva tactic in the past.

I do hear that the narrow tactics don't work 'as well as in past versions', but I've not really played past versions, so can't comment on that.

[Spoon]

Here is the kicker though you have to switch up tactics or the AI will crack it and you will start to lose.

I play a 3-4-1-2 or a 4-3-1-2. Both work really well and I bang in lots of goals.

[Lucid]

Originally posted by Spoon
Here is the kicker though you have to switch up tactics or the AI will crack it and you will start to lose.

See... I was wondering about that, cause if you throw a good tactic out there, you do really great to start out with but slowly it just because less effective and it was starting to piss me off.

[Lucid]

Another question.... what's the deal with scouts? I know you can go have them scout a player, but is that their only function? Does it serve any purpose to have more than 3? Can you have them go find players for you?

[Spartak]

Originally posted by Lucid
Another question.... what's the deal with scouts? I know you can go have them scout a player, but is that their only function? Does it serve any purpose to have more than 3? Can you have them go find players for you?
You can scout players, leagues, tournaments, clubs, youth players, specific regions of the world, and your next opponent. Obviously, the more scouts you have the more scouting you can do so it is good to have seven scouts. I usually have one scout the next opponent and one scout youth players through out the whole season. And I switch up on the different regions of the world so I usually have about 4 or 5 scouts always working. The remaining scouts I use to scout specific players.

[Lucid]

Originally posted by Spartak

You can scout players, leagues, tournaments, clubs, youth players, specific regions of the world, and your next opponent. Obviously, the more scouts you have the more scouting you can do so it is good to have seven scouts. I usually have one scout the next opponent and one scout youth players through out the whole season. And I switch up on the different regions of the world so I usually have about 4 or 5 scouts always working. The remaining scouts I use to scout specific players.

Whoa... wow, ok, that's what I expected to do with scouts, now tell me then... how do I do that?

[Elwood]

Yup, scouts rule!

1 on next opposition, 1 on youth, a few on different leagues (depending on where I'm playing and what the foreigner restrictions are) and 1 free to scout a player when needed.

[odg78]

Originally posted by Lucid


Whoa... wow, ok, that's what I expected to do with scouts, now tell me then... how do I do that?


In the Player and Staff search menu, click on one of the scout tabs, I forget the exact name of it but I belive what you'll look for then is the Action tab, it'll be on the left hand side of the scout's screen. Click on it and a menu will pop down and one of the choices will be assign. You'll get a list of nations, regions, teams, etc. When a tourney is in progress that tournament will be listed at the top and you can assign them to scout there.

[Playable Back]

Hmm... that scouting info could prove very useful.
Thanks for posting that!

As for tactics, I've taken 3-5-2 attacking and modified it this way:

.........F..........F
..........AM
LM..............RCM......RM
......LDM
.......D.....D.....D

A good attacking mid will have a field-day. You need a good DM and will need a solid back line since the midfield is essentially pressing a lot. My forwards don't score very often but I think they threaten often enough that the opposing D is occupied and the AM is freed-up to just dribble straight down the middle of the park and fire shots on the poor goalkeeper.

I've been alternating between Roberto Baggio and Thornton Mokoukou (Swedish youth international) at the AM spot and they have had a field day for Crystal Palace.

[Lucid]

God that pisses me off. I managed to sign a lineup in Chicago without cheating that had Wolff and Dema as forwards, Nowak, Beasley, Reyna, John O'Brien, and Chris Klien as mid's. They were scoring goals left and right, but I had no defense at all. I was working on a great youth system and boom, I'm fired cause I lost 2-1 to LA.

Bastards.

[Lucid]

haha... idiots, so after they fired me the final 8 game went like this
0-1
0-5
0-0
1-4
2-1
0-2
0-2
0-3

Well this sucks, cause considering I didn't run any other leagues along with the MLS, I have to wait for an MLS job to open up and hope they hire me. Screw it, I think I'm just gonna start over yet again.

[Lucid]

K, well bored with the MLS, I'm off to Europe. Figured I'd go deep into the depths of English divisions, I decided to take control of Spoon's beloved Halifax and take them further than he has. :D

Any diamonds in the rough out there to pick up? I got $16,000.

[Playable Back]

I can relate to your MLS misery.
I took DC United back to the playoffs and they fired me right before the first playoff game!!! That's the thanks I get???!!!

Sheesh.

Am dealing w/ Crystal Palace now (of course I had to start over because who in Europe is going to hire an American who got fired by an American club?).

Looking to start another game soon w/ a team in Brazil since the Campeonato begins this weekend.

As for diamonds in the rough, try to get some free transfers and hope you can afford their salary demands....
Good luck!