Football Manager 2008

[Pesci]

Find out yourself by taking a gamble you cheat :@

[therockbox]

If you've still got Flamini and Fabregas then I'd keep Denilson, he's a much better foil for them as Diaby's just a poorer version of those two.

Edited April 24, 2008 by therockbox

[Fire Storm]

My season has picked up so much after a shocking 5-1 loss to Llanelli. We're now 5th in the league, still in all the cup competitions and are unbeaten at home in the league. I call that a damn good chance of getting a place in Europe this season. My signings are finally making impacts and are leading the team forward, especially the amazing young Michael Carvill, his stats are really bad but when it comes to performances and goals, in 19 games he's scored 12 goals, I love this guy, I think I might turn gay for him.

Last 5 results have been:

TNS 1-0 Caersws - League

TNS 2-0 Airbus - League

TNS 2-0 Haverfordwest - FAW Premier Cup 2nd Round

TNS 5-0 Porthmadog - Welsh Cup 3rd Round

TNS 1-1 Afan Lido - League

Afan Lido was really the last bad performance, but since then we've been rolling and we'll hopefully break into the top 3 sometime soon with this form.

[supergrass]

After successfully guiding Crystal Palace back to the Championship at the first time of asking, I'm now in the last play-off slot with 8 games remaining. Although my players stuck with me through the League One campaign, their desire to play at a higher level is starting to grate now. Ben Watson's refusal to sign a new contract saw him sold to Reading (Championship leaders - they're pretty much guaranteed champions anyway), picked up a better midfielder from Wolves for half the price anyway.

Bradley Wright-Phillips has managed to fall out with 4 players, that coupled with his shit form means his time has come and will be next. My strikers Charlie Sheringham and Clinton Morrison hate each other, but fire the goals together (a la Sherringtham Sr. and Cole). Took a gamble on Jermaine Beckford, hadn't really played him until three games ago. In his three starts he's netted one, one and four.

[Gazz]

I can't for the life of me keep a clean sheet, the last one was 17 games ago.

You'd think with a back 5 of Akinfeev, Richards, Corluka, Taylor and Enrique. It wouldn't be a problem.

Good job I average 2.7 goals a game at the other end.

[Pesci]

My team's form seems to be on its way to becoming officially "shaky", first I lost to Leicester at home, and then I couldn't even score against Coventry in the FA Cup (also at home). Niguez and Higuain have both been disappointing in terms of goals so far this season, and last season they were only good by real life standards, which is a big step below being good by FM standards . I'm scoring a fair amount of goals but they're coming from across the whole pitch as opposed to just one player. For the first time ever, my leading scorer isn't hailed as being in "lethal form" or "good form" or whatever, as DAS WUNDERKIND Holger Muller has 15 goals but is only announced as our top scorer; nothing more, nothing less . Clearly I need more FLAIR in my team.

[IAceI]

So after two seasons of average league finishes, something I'm happy with - I've decided it's better if I start trying to push towards maybe a play off spot, or at least becoming more active in the play off races I hope.

With about 6 players announcing their retirement in the next year I decided it was time to sort the team out a bit. A lot of my original players were old, and the players I brought in were old so I needed players with a bit more youth. I scoured the Serie A free-transfers for the youngsters that couldn't keep a contract. So 9 players later, plus a DM from Verona on a free transfer has my team looking a bit more youthful and pacey.

The opposite way saw a good defender leave on a free to a better team, and 7 players not offered contracts, one was snapped up quickly. He was a decent player but demanding too much money for his standard so I had to let him go. The other 6 are yet to find new homes, not surprising as their not good enough to play for us, there not going to get very far. It's made my squad quite youthful and gives me something to work with towards the future.

Friendly matches haven't gone to plan, losing 3 (2 of which I should have really won) but I'll put it down to the team gelling early on and players just getting the hang of it all. There only friendly matches. I've gone from the first season of expecting to finish rock bottom of 18th, to expecting to finish 15th to now finish 13th. Slowly rising up through the ranks at least. Here's to hoping for a good season.

[new_era]

I haven't really got a game going at the minute to myself...

I've not really ventured away from all English leagues, La Liga or Serie A yet.

Anything worth a challenge? I just keep looking at the rest of the leagues and none grab my attention.

Edited April 25, 2008 by new_era

[Hajjhowe]

Romania has a good league, and taking a Ukranian powerhouse (Dinamo or Shakhtar) is fun.

You could also do Rosenborg (Norway) Ajax/PSV (Holland)... there are a lot of good leagues who get two Champions League spots. Which will give you a nice break for the 1st season. The one's I listed above probably have the most money and likelihood of actually being able to compete in Europe. Personally I almost always play as smaller nation teams, and non-English sides.

It doesn't help that Coventry start with 0 Transfer budget in the game

[IAceI]

Just take a team like Hajduk Split/Dinamo Zagreb, Steau/Rapid Bucharest, Bratislava, Shaktar/Kiev, Dinamo Minsk

Take an Eastern European team and try and make them into a respectable CL team. You'll need to have mostly EE talent yourself as the leagues suck so no one good wants to come.

[Hajjhowe]

You can take Levski or CSKA Sofia too. Everyone loves Bulgaria

[Sam_Van_619]

Well, for the first time, I've actually finished a season on this version of the game. Not just one season, I've also finished another and started a third! Amazing.

Harrogate Town 2007-08

Started here as they're my most local club in the Blue Square North. Immediately established a link with Sheffield Wednesday who provided me with five loan signings: Sean McDonald (central midfield who was brilliant at this level), Jason Bradley (striker who played a few games but never slipped down the pecking order), Luke Potter (centre back), Liam McMenamin (centre back) and Luke Boden (striker who I mostly played out on the left-wing, he did well). I also picked up two loan boys from Leeds, Jonny Lund (became my first-team goalie from the seventh game onwards) and Tomi Ameobi (striker who was eventually one of the nominees for divisional Player of the Season). I also picked up James Knowles and Amjad Iqbal on frees from Farsley Celtic, and I also had a striker - Danny Holland - who scores 20-something-silly goals for us.

Our league form wasn't outstanding as we floated around the mid-table for most of the season. What really put us on the map were some great cup runs, getting to the quarter finals of the Setanta Shield and the Semi Finals of the FA Trophy. Towards the end of the season we had a good streak of wins and eventually ended up in 7th, one point off of a Play-Off spot. If only I'd won my final game...still, at the end of the season I was being linked with some Blue Square Premier and League Two jobs, so I decided to put my name in the hat on some of them and ended up plumping for...

Stockport County 2008-09

Stockport had been the unlucky team to finish in 23rd in League Two in the previous season so I was given the unenviable task at steering them back to the football league at the first attempt. I picked up two players I had on loan at Harrogate Town - Tomi Ameobi and Liam McMenamin - on free transfers, along with Shaun MacDonald from Swansea and Derek Stillie from Gillingham (also free). On loan I brought in Jordan Robertson from Sheffield United (striker who didn't score many but made a good second man) and Keith Quinn (who I hardly played).

We started off terribly, bottom of the table after six games. However after that the season picked up and I went undefeated for twenty games, shooting up the league into a position just below the play-offs. The board were not satisfied as they had expected me to run away with it at the top and, with ten games left, they fired me. My successor took them into the play-offs (where they lost) with only a few games left, so I must not have been too bad. In the cups we were knocked out early in the FA Trophy and I got them to the semis of the Setanta Shield before I was fired.

I applied for a lot of jobs at the end of the season and, to my surprise, was offered the job by Serie A outfit Empoli. At the time they were still flirting with relegation so I decided to wait until the end of the season to see if they survived, which they did, before I took the job.

Empoli 2009-10

I still, after three seasons, have not spent even £1 on a player, using free transfers and loans to my advantage instead. I snapped up a few who names are far too long to remember on free transfers, and also got some top-class loanees: Luka Modric (from Roma), Godwin Antwi and Kristian Nemeth (both Liverpool), Rey Volpato and Jonathan something (both Inter). We've started alright, grabbing a 1-1 draw at Juventus on the opening day and beating some jobbers to get to the First Round of the Italian cup. It's looking quite good and hopefully I can stick with this job for more than one year!

Edited April 25, 2008 by Sam_Van_619

[estebanmon]

Napoli's a blast to play as. Every player I've gotten has played well, except for Cristiano Zannetti. I bought Matias Vuoso from Santos Laguna, Samba from Blackburn and something Salami from some Denmark team. All have been pure class, along with the awesomeness that is Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Had a good start to the season, winning 6, including Fiorentina, drawing once with Empoli and only losing to Inter on the opening day. After that I had a shit schedule of Juventus, Palermo, Roma, Milan and Udinese out of which I got only 2 points. Now I'm 7th with an extra game, but only 3 teams that can pass me.

Seriously though, I change anyone on my first team other than the strikers and it all goes to hell. Against Genoa I took out Domizzi to give someone else a run out, 2 minutes later and they score. I also hate how the press keep saying we're destined to be at the bottom and use any draw as proof that we're about to be relegated.

[Hobo]

Just won my third Copa Del Rey in a row! To add to my third La Liga. Torres and Coppolla partnership has gotten me 80 goals between them. Best signings ever

I've seen out 2 Real bosses too. I'd make the switch but I know my team is too good .

[IAceI]

One of the teams in my league sacked their manager on the 13th, on the 20th they hired a new manager - on the same day sacked him, and on the 28th just hired a new manager.

Anyone know why the hiring - firing in one day may have happened?

[King Ellis]

Ask Leroy Rosenior.

[IAceI]

Ah, well he came from Assistant Manager to Manager, before being sacked completely. That may affect it in some way, not entirely sure how but maybe?

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

He was appointed interim manager, and then the new manager came in and didn't want him around at all.

Unless the game already has an 'interim manager' designation, in which case that's probably not it.

[Grounded Wingman]

One of the teams in my league sacked their manager on the 13th, on the 20th they hired a new manager - on the same day sacked him, and on the 28th just hired a new manager.

Anyone know why the hiring - firing in one day may have happened?

If a board takeover was completed on the day after he was hired then he could be fired.

[IAceI]

He was already fired the day after he was hired ¬_¬

I'm not sure there was a board takeover either. As I'm sure I read the same chairman's name when I saw the original manager sacked before the one day hiring/firing.