Football Manager 2007

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

So, I got entered into the UEFA Cup which I'd have thought would have placated my tightwad board who are whinging about our wages (they could at least be happy about the fact that Gillingham are in the UEFA Cup!)

In the third round we knocked out Lille 6-2 on aggregate to get into the group stage and we've just beaten CSKA Sofia 5-0 at home! Also in our group are Athletico, Nantes and Ajax. I'm amazed we're doing so well in Europe as in the league we're sixth with our usual lack of goals. Weird.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

...and a draw away at Ajax puts me through the group stages with 7 points from my 4 games (I tonked Nantes 5-0 as well). My only defeat away at Atletico. Scored 12, conceeded 3. Second and third are playing eachother so I'm gonna come second in the group. I've definitely fulfilled my target for the tournament and any other victories are a bonus.

[TMM]

Well, Gillingham fought to a seventh place Premiership finish in our second season. Liverpool won the league and Newcastle finished fourth despite not really having a good squad at all.

Our reward? £1.3mil this season from the board which is £1.2mil more than I've ever had before. Funfun.

I've also just noticed how many free signings I've got coming for the new season - 17 year old attacking midfielder Alessandro Pellegrini from Milan who looks a class act, Scott Golbourne who's been at Reading, 28 year old defensive Midfielder Robert Zimmerman, a German who was released by Bayern, and Hatem Ben Arfa a 25 year old attacking midfielder released by Lyon.

Players about to retire from Gillingham are:

Goalie Kelvin Jack (hasn't played for about 4 seasons!), Gary Neville (central in our Championship survival and promotion), Keith Gillespie (same as Neville but also added to our First Division title), Damien Duff (just the one season with us and decided to retire. Good but plagued by injury), James Beattie (only scored 1 but didn't play all that much. I got annoyed when he decided to retire AFTER joining us).

Only one player scoring more than ten again last season - Jonny Dixon with 11. I need another striker as Torre, Aliadiere, Barnard and Pinto can't score. Gah.

Also, Anthony Le Tallec has become some kind of footballing genius.

Bob Dylan played for Bayern Munich? Mein Gott!

I'm seriously tempted to get FM2007 and just quit work, quit my band, quit my yet-to-start OU course and ignore my girlfriend.

Because that's what would happen if I did. :ohwell:

Girlfriends and having a life are WAY overrated...

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Whooo beat Genk in the second round proper of the UEFA Cup - 4-1 on aggregate (2-0 away, 2-1 home). Craig Bellamy finally got his debut in my last league game, away against West Ham. We were 0-0 at half time, Bellamy on, scores two in 8 minutes and we win 3-0. Shame that after I signed him he got injured for SIX MONTHS and is also retiring at the end of the season (at 33). Bummer. Still at least Aliadiere has decided to start scoring (9) with Dixon (8).

Ah bummer, just drawn Atletico in the next round - the only team in Europe to beat me so far.

[Lord Nibbler]

For some reason, the game loves to put me (Ajax) up against Arsenal. I was in their Champions League group last year, finished second in the group and drew Celtic. Beat them 5-1 at theirs, and my second string drew 0-0 at home to go through to the next round...where I met Arsenal. They beat me 5-4 on aggregate to knock me out.

This season, I've been drawn in a group with them (again) and Celtic. Lost 1-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates, beat Celtic 3-0 in Amsterdam (Celtic suck).

[Pesci]

Had a good start to the season so far... ish.

In the pre-season I absolutely dominated the French tour my assistant organised for me. I scored 25 goals in four games and didn't concede any. Three of them were Ligue 2 sides, true, but I had a match against Lyon too and managed to come away from that 2-0. I feel a bit sorry for Lyon actually, because the game hates Gerard Houllier and obviously thinks they're shite, so they got two finishes out of the top five over the first two seasons before they took the initiative and sacked him, then got Lippi in. Lippi took them to the league title last season with like five games left, but then he went to some German team (I think) and now they've got some no-name in. Then I beat Bristol City (away) and Fullham (away) both 2-0. New signing Okaka was on fire in the pre-season but he's only 19 so he'll spend time on loan and such until there's room in my team.

To welcome the opening of New Anfield as my stadium, I decided to hold a Liverpool vs. Liverpool Reserves match with a twist, as the first ever game there. I put half of my first eleven in the Reserves and took control of them as well, and made up the missing halves on both sides with the second string. I had Gerrard captaining Riise, Agger, Mura, Luis Garcia, D'Alessandro, Sissoko, Grygera, Babel, Bellamy and Carson. Alves captained Xabi Alonso, Carragher, Paletta, Gonzalez, Paul Anderson, Dirk Kuyt, Steven Fletcher, Joao Moutinho, Aurelio and Reina. Alves' boys won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kuyt in the first half. A close, solid match which is what I wanted. Only a 3000 attendance for that since the whole Reserves thing undoubtedly made the fans think it'd just be a pre-season thrashing for shits and giggles. Damn.

Managed to beat Man United 3-0 in the Community Shield, so Roy Keane must just be a shite manager.

Then Agger got injured for 4 months which is horrible because him and Carragher are consistently my best players every season and I've always got the best defense. I'll try Paletta there for the first few games but if he's not up to scratch I'll bring in Michael Dawson for what will probably be a ridiculous sum of money knowing me.

[estebanmon]

After my save was corrupted I started again with Chelsea. This time my pre-season sucked. Won 1, tied 1 and lost 2. And that's against very unknown teams. Well, I either became a good manager in a day or just got bad luck on the first 4 games, because I beat Liverpool 4-0 for the community shield, with 2 goals from Shevchenko and 2 from Trezeguet(I signed him again). Then comes the first season game, which I win 5-0 against a team I forgot... Then I play Watford at home, I think it ended 6-0. Hat trick from Shevchenko and 1 goal each from Trezeguet, Ballack and Lampard. Watford also got 2 red cards, one from a keeper fouling Shevchenko in the area and the other from a midfielder elbowing Ballack.

This game is really starting to be fun for me. =p When I get bored with Chelsea I'll have a go with a 2nd division team.

[Kanegetshighbysmellinhisarmpits]

What formation do people play? I currently have to play with a 4-3-3 formation, but it isn't that great, and I can't seem to find another formation that works on a consistent basis.

Any suggestions?

[therockbox]

3-1-4-2 is working for me, my line up at the moment is;

GK. Ben Amos/Ben Foster

DC. Micah Richards

DC. Luizao

DC. Karl Svensson/Didier Digard

DMC. Denilson/Tom Huddlestone

MR. Augusto Fernandez/Camach

ML. James Milner/J Hernandez

MC. Kaká/Tom Huddlestone

MC. Mark Noble/Neil Sainsbury

FC. Peter Crouch/Danny Haynes

FC. Will Pearson/Morten Christensen

I'm in 2014, so there's a few regens there, but basically you want quick defenders with high stamina, and a DMC who can close down almost all the time. Doesn't hurt if he's a decent passer, either.

Wingers should be quick and able to track back, whilst at least one of the MC's should be able to slot in the DMC slot. I've found that any type of striker will work (except Darren Bent, what a pile of shit), but it helps if you've got one that can create goals as well as score them - Crouch fills that role for me, he got 16 assists and 11 goals last season.

Edited March 3, 2007 by therockbox

[Buford Ripley]

Any chance that you could host that tactic somewhere so I could give it a whirl with my Palermo side? >_>

[therockbox]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TWPIHEW0

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Gillingham are an English club. We play 4-4-2! And attacking, with two attacking central midfielders...

[Buford Ripley]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TWPIHEW0

[therockbox]

Let me know how you get on >_>

[Buford Ripley]

So I've played my first game with trb's tactic and it's done quite well. Obviously it's only one game but I think an extensive run with it could prove to be quite successful. The game in question was the Euro 2012 Qtr. Finals, England against Fake Holland.

I find the defense makes a good job of clearing out attacks although on one or two occasions the Fake Dutch got a little bit too close for comfort. The midfield works hard and that DMC guards the defense with his life. I was pleased with the amount of attacking opportunities that were created and a number were quite varied in deliver which was great. It was, however, a shame that I only had three English strikers since it seems that most of the current batch of players are shite and I'm not patched up so I don't have good ol' Wayne.

The game goes to extra time thanks Alan Smith and Michael Owen being unable to capitalize but Nathan Jarman comes on to save the day nodding in a brilliant cross from Aaron Lennon. I'll give this tactic a try in pre-season with Palermo and if it's proven to be successful there I mgiht carry on with it into the league.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Just finished 6th in the Premiership so that's Gillingham's best ever finish.

I also SOMEHOW beat Betis 5-2 in the UEFA semis to get me into the final against Barcelona. I've been massively over-achieving in Europe (I think my midfield suits the European game) so who knows, but I'm not holding my breath

Bah. 4-2 to Barca. They went 1-0, then 1-1, then we scored 2-1 then they scored after an hour 2-2. Extra time, they score three minutes in then a dodgy penalty is araded and Eto'o (my new least favourite player) completed his hattrick to make it 4-2. The scoreline flattered them in the end and I'm proud of the lads.

Edited March 4, 2007 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[Buford Ripley]

So it's now the pre-season in my game and I've only just been knocked out of Euro 2012 by eventual winners Italy thanks to a 1-0 loss in which Italy played my England side off the pitch.

The transfer window has opened and it seems I've over bought once again in certain positions whilst lacking in one or two key positions. I only have two strikers and with only £3M to spend I may have to loan someone in. A lot of big teams have been targeting my extremely promising 22 year old midfielder and it seems he'll be gone in the next few weeks, I just hope that I can fleece these bigger clubs out of £20M or so.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I just got 23 year old Daniel Sturridge on a free transfer. Does he normally turn out to be any good?

[therockbox]

Not particularly, at least in my experience. Has scored 8 goals in 25 apps for Sunderland this season (2013/14) and has an average rating of 6.86

Last season it was 1 in 16 (6.31 average rating), and even worse before that.

[Buford Ripley]

He's turned out very well in my game, it's 2012/2013 here. I was tempted to bring him into my Euro 2012 England squad and in hindsight it might have been better if I did.