Championship Manager Thread

[odg78]

--I've spent some time away from CM4, but finally started a new game this weekend. I'm playing as Barnet in the Conference. This will actually be my first game at the level. I've played as tons of D3 teams, but never in the Conference. As expected, I don't have any money, but I don't have any debt either. I sold one of my defenders to Gillingham for $60,000 and used half of that to bring in Hernan Medford.

[Bonji]

I've played with Barnet as well. I never took the game more then a year or two because I got a little bored. However, I think Barnet would be able to grow and get promoted because they are a London side and should be able to get some fans with promotion. Let us know how it goes.

[RalRhino]

Any advice for bringing along the U19 players?

I just got a big batch of young players promoted out of my academy. Some have some pretty decent numbers, but they are all 16 - 17 years old and couldn't hold a spot on my senior squad.

Is the best course in developing them to let them play on the U19 squad for a year or two, move them up to reserves, or try to loan them out to a lower division club (I'm currently in Div. 1)?

[Bonji]

Originally posted by RalRhino
Any advice for bringing along the U19 players?

I just got a big batch of young players promoted out of my academy. Some have some pretty decent numbers, but they are all 16 - 17 years old and couldn't hold a spot on my senior squad.

Is the best course in developing them to let them play on the U19 squad for a year or two, move them up to reserves, or try to loan them out to a lower division club (I'm currently in Div. 1)?

IMO you want all of your players getting regular PT. If that means that the youngest are playing on the U-19, then so be it. It is wise to loan players out if you think the team loaning them is going to play them. If you are a D1 team you probably want to loan players to D2 and D3 teams in your nation or another country. However, you don't want them to go to a better club where they might not get a chance to play.

You also want to make sure you have coaches who are good with youngsters working with the younger teams.

[amyep]

I just got CM4 and I'm going to download the Enhancement Pack. I was wondering; what is the difference between the normal enhancement pack, and the enhancement pack with "no data"?

[arzipper]

I believe the "no data" enchancement pack contains bug fixes and other program level stuff, but doesn't have the updates to player data and rosters that the full data version has.

If you want updated rosters but cannot find the full data version, just download the no data version, and get a more recent roster update, such as the one found on www.cmupdate.com. You might want to do that anyway, just because their update is more recent (from October 2003 I believe, right up to the release of 03/04).

[amyep]

Thanks for the help!

[mr magoo]

Anyone know where I can download an update patch for the 2003/04 season for the 01/02 version?

[Danks81]

Try www.cmsorted.net
If they do not have one give www.cmeuphoria.co.uk a try.

[Greddy]

Well, I just discovered this game and... WOW. I'm doing OK, with Barcelona in 7th, but undefeated in the Champions league. Plus we beat Real 4-1!

My only question is how can I affect player moods?

I signed a 13 year old Freddy Adu and put him on my U-19 team. He was averaging between a 7 & 8 match rating, while helping lead our U-19's to first and playing in some of my reserve team friendlies. I subbed him in 75th minute of our Madrid win(getting a 7), and started him in our 3-1 win over Dortmund(getting an 8) in the Champions league. Now, when I look at his moral, it says that he's "jaded". How can I improve the moods of my players?

[Spartak]

Originally posted by Greddy
Well, I just discovered this game and... WOW. I'm doing OK, with Barcelona in 7th, but undefeated in the Champions league. Plus we beat Real 4-1!

My only question is how can I affect player moods?

I signed a 13 year old Freddy Adu and put him on my U-19 team. He was averaging between a 7 & 8 match rating, while helping lead our U-19's to first and playing in some of my reserve team friendlies. I subbed him in 75th minute of our Madrid win(getting a 7), and started him in our 3-1 win over Dortmund(getting an 8) in the Champions league. Now, when I look at his moral, it says that he's "jaded". How can I improve the moods of my players?
Chances are he is just fatigued. Rest him a couple games and he should be better. At 13 he doesn't have ther stamina to play regularly yet.

[Bonji]

Originally posted by Greddy
Well, I just discovered this game and... WOW. I'm doing OK, with Barcelona in 7th, but undefeated in the Champions league. Plus we beat Real 4-1!

My only question is how can I affect player moods?

I signed a 13 year old Freddy Adu and put him on my U-19 team. He was averaging between a 7 & 8 match rating, while helping lead our U-19's to first and playing in some of my reserve team friendlies. I subbed him in 75th minute of our Madrid win(getting a 7), and started him in our 3-1 win over Dortmund(getting an 8) in the Champions league. Now, when I look at his moral, it says that he's "jaded". How can I improve the moods of my players?

I'd guess that he has been coming up in your physio's post match report as someone needing a rest. When you see that, take him out of the lineup for the next game and maybe put him into an easier training schedule. He should be back to normal for the next match, depending on how frequent the games are.

[352gialloblu]

For various reasons*, I am still playing CM 99/00, and I wondered if anybody could remember enough about it to answer these questions:

1) I've noticed that after a season where a player plays a lot of games (40 or so), the player doesn't recover as quickly between games, even if his stamina is really high. Does anybody know how to rest him and take this long-term fatigue away? It lasts over summers and everything, and it really screws up your team if you can't play a guy more than once a week...

2) Do peoples staminas ever get more than a few points better? I don't like playing people into the 70% during games, and that basically means I can't use anybody with under 15 fitness without subbing them every game. And very very few youth players ever seem to work out, because they're stats just won't get that much better.

Anyway, I think I've worked out most things about the game, and I won't go on a rant about it's shortcomings, because I'm sure a lot of them are fixed in later versions.

* Reasons? I played the CM4 demo, and there were soo many options that it would take far too much time to play, and I spend too much time as it is. Plus, I like using the players of that era, before they got old and whatnot. The whole alternate history/future thing is fun. (I've done a lot of editing to the database, too.) I'll probably upgrade when I finally graduate in a few months...

[Cannon]

Originally posted by 352gialloblu
* Reasons? I played the CM4 demo, and there were soo many options that it would take far too much time to play, and I spend too much time as it is. Plus, I like using the players of that era, before they got old and whatnot. The whole alternate history/future thing is fun. (I've done a lot of editing to the database, too.) I'll probably upgrade when I finally graduate in a few months...

I never played the older versions so I can't answer your questions but I have to say that your point about CM4 is certainly right. I find myself tweaking every little thing with responses that seem fairly random. It took me half a season to find a training plan for all of my players that worked and I still don't have reliable tactics.

[352gialloblu]

Some of you must have played 99/00...

I read somewhere that you should give players a summer break after the season by removing them from training for several months. This doesn't seem to be the answer to the fatigue problem I'm having, though. Anybody know anything? It's hard to find old CM faqs/guides/etc. anymore... :(

[Bonji]

Originally posted by 352gialloblu
Some of you must have played 99/00...

I read somewhere that you should give players a summer break after the season by removing them from training for several months. This doesn't seem to be the answer to the fatigue problem I'm having, though. Anybody know anything? It's hard to find old CM faqs/guides/etc. anymore... :(

No matter what version you are playing you want to give your players an off-season break. In 99/00 I used to give a month of no training. It depends when your season ends and the next begins. I'd give at least one month off training every off-season.

[Peakite]

As far as I'm aware in the versions of CM3 a break from training during the close season is factored into the game itself. Hence the players not having full fitness when you start friendlies or competitions like the Intertoto. I've certainly given players off any extra time during the summer months.

As for players with fitness problems when playing a lot of matches (and 40 isn't really for a season), I've noticed some players that do suffer like this, and unfortunately seem to crop up more frequently as the original players retire. And I'm not entirely cnvinced it is down to the stamina either, most of those I remember have been comparable to the rest of them. Does seem to occur more frequently with midfielders in my experience though.

Ways to get round it? Well certainly try not to have a packed team of such players (and you'll only find out by using them); don't play them in every game (you can't really); avoid pressing. But unless they are really good, take the money and run.

[352gialloblu]

Thanks, guys. The fatigue problem has happened a bunch of times to me, usually to my best players (for Parma, both Cannavaro and Thuram!). I swear it's the 40+ game mark that does it, and I'm not sure it ever goes away, either.

What is the general opinion on what fatigue percent to take a player off, or when they stop being effective. Mostly, I take them off to have them ready for the next game.

I'm thinking about buying a good striker, but his stamina is only 13. He will last about 60 mins and then he'll be down near 70%. I don't think it's worth it. Maybe I press too much! ;)

[Greddy]

Originally posted by Bonji
I'd guess that he has been coming up in your physio's post match report as someone needing a rest. When you see that, take him out of the lineup for the next game and maybe put him into an easier training schedule. He should be back to normal for the next match, depending on how frequent the games are. Thanks for the advice. He never came up as in need of rest, but I decided to put him back with the U-19's anyway. Good news is that after a few weeks, he was back to his old self. Enthusiastic and in a good mood. Not to mention bringing in 8, 9, and 10 ratings in the 3 subsequent matches. Now I just have to worry about winning in the league:rolleyes:.

P.S. Are the player ratings randomized for each new game? I ask because my Freddy Adu has a 16 for dribbling, but when I started a game with a different team and searched his name, he had (IIRC) a 7.

[Peakite]

Originally posted by 352gialloblu

I'm thinking about buying a good striker, but his stamina is only 13. He will last about 60 mins and then he'll be down near 70%. I don't think it's worth it. Maybe I press too much! ;)
Thankfully at the moment I only have one player who'd fall into this sort of category, a central defender with a stamina of 16, which is the same as pretty much everyone else. Indeed it is two higher than that of his partner in central defence, who doesn't suffer from problems like that. Perhaps due to the injury proneness stat, but nothing my physios have picked up on.