Football Manager 2009

[METALMAN]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bw1rqMlPY7M&...feature=related

[Matt]

Wow. And I thought I got pissed off at FM...

[Scott McFly]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bw1rqMlPY7M&...feature=related

Think I've seen that before, but it's still quite funny. I'd shout at Bradford too.

If you didn't know Matt, the kid's actually playing/screaming at Unreal Tournament, but someone's just subtitled it differently. As a loving tribute to Bradford's Premiership superiority obviously. >_>

[Matt]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bw1rqMlPY7M&...feature=related

Think I've seen that before, but it's still quite funny. I'd shout at Bradford too.

If you didn't know Matt, the kid's actually playing/screaming at Unreal Tournament, but someone's just subtitled it differently. As a loving tribute to Bradford's Premiership superiority obviously. >_>

Meh. Still playing a game, so essentially the same thing.

[Scott McFly]

Well after I tried out having a defensive midfielder to aid my defence and pushed my wingers up the field a bit and I snuck in my last minute goal against Kilmarnock, I stuck with it and lost 2-0 to Hibs. Figured it maybe wasn't to be, so I would give it one more game and see how that went and noticed Aberdeen were going to play 5 in midfield, so moved my defensive midfielder up to central midfield (although still defensively minded) and kept my two wingers up ahead (with 1 striker, since I have 1 good striker, 1 OK striker and 2 kids) but allowed my full backs to run forward to fill the wide areas. And we won 1-0 despite having a defender sent off (for the second game running...). So my next game was against Celtic and I really wasn't expecting anything good at all since they'd won 10 games in a row(!), but we got an early goal before Hesselink was sent off which means they couldn't really threaten too much up front, and I snuck in two goals in the last 10 minutes to win 3-0. The fans loved it (superb feedback in the confidence section), the board loved it, I loved it and... we're still in 10th place, but on the right way now! Although my good striker did get injured late on so he's out for 2-4 weeks. Boo.

So yeah, try tweaking the old tactics a bit is my advice if anyone's having trouble winning.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Scott McFly

[METALMAN]

Well I(Kilmarnock) just beat Hibs 3-1. So there! That's for taking Bobby Williamson from us.

[ZJ Penn]

Been playing as Aston Villa for a while now and am quite enjoying it. Brought in Belleti and Rat on season long loans and they've been inspired signings if I may say so. We're a bit short at the back in terms of quality full backs and Belletti especially has good versatility for if we lose a centre mid. Gets a fair few goals from distance too. Also brought in Baha (I think that's it) on loan and although he can't hit a barn door in the Premier League, he's doing well in the domestic cups and Europe, which is fine as Carew is my main man for the league.

That said, I've just lost Young for 3-4 months, Carew is now out for a month and Agbonlahor is too.

[Liam]

I'm struggling so far in my second season. I did my usual, where I bought in several million players, but I'm still struggling on a system that works for me.

What formations do people play, or tend to find success with? I know it all depends on the players you have, but just was hoping to see some ideas bandied about.

[Scott McFly]

Well I had no luck with the classic 4-4-2, so swapped one of the my strikers for a defensive midfielder and pushed up my wingers and that didn't particularly work either. So I moved that player into midfield alongside my regular two, still with him rarely on forward runs and that seems to be working so far (only 2 games mind you!). My wingers are my best players though, so I would only try it if you have good players for those positions and a fast striker since he'll be on his own. So I'm now playing a 4-3-2-1 technically.

Only thing I can suggest is to make sure all the individual player instructions are as you want them, as I tweaked them too when I realised some of them looked like they could be causing me problems, like long shots for people that clearly shouldn't be taking them.

[Matt]

All 4 of my strikers have decided to forget how to score... Beckford briefly decided that he was going to start again scoring 2 in 2 games but then broke his leg... I also can't keep a clean sheet all of a sudden.

[Matt]

I'm struggling so far in my second season. I did my usual, where I bought in several million players, but I'm still struggling on a system that works for me.

What formations do people play, or tend to find success with? I know it all depends on the players you have, but just was hoping to see some ideas bandied about.

4-4-2 with 3 CMs and 1 DM was very successful for me for the best part of 18 months, but this is in the lower leagues. Forward runs on all 3 CMs and the 2 full backs. Backward runs on DM and the two CBs

[Farmer Reil]

In the lower leagues I almost always play either 5-3-2 (two FB's with lots of forward runs so they almost play like wingbacks, a defensively minded CM with two "central wingers" (i.e., CM's with lots of creative freedom, crossing and forward runs on often. Usually these'll be MRC, MLC, etc type players) or, if my defence is quite good, 4-4-2 with a defensive MC and an attacking MC.

Further up the pyramid, I try to play a sweeper system if I can find a decent sweeper. Because sweeper systems are cool. Usually just 4-4-2 though, tweaking the team/individual options as necessary. Sometimes I'll move the wingers to AMR/L positions (instead of MR/L with arrows) and play narrower if I find I have trouble scoring (effectively giving me three strikers when we attack; the two ST's and whichever winger doesn't have the ball).

[MDK]

I've only just started playing this seasons offering and so far I am enjoying it. My Orient team are doing better than expected, hovering somewhere near the play-offs.

Hail 4-4-fucking-2! God bless David Prutton! And all praise be to Gabriel for coming back to Brisbane Road on loan!

[METALMAN]

Has anyone had a manager relationship that is something other than"no opinion", "feels the two of you could become friends" or "has a poor opinion of you"? Those are the only ones I have ever had.

[NotoriousGTT]

Another season with the Blue Brazil and another disasterous outing.

Finished 8th, a 1 place improvement from last season with a record reading...

Played 37, Won 8, Drawn 14, Lost 14

Still got 2 years left on my contract though...

[Zeel1]

Weirdest thing. I'm from America, so I barely know the sport itself, let alone the teams (or Clubs, as they seem to be called) and yet I keep playing this game, and I really like it. I guess I'm just a sucker for good simulation games, but I suppose that speaks on how good the game is made, that someone that is by no means a follower of the sport can find entertainment from it.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Its something that makes these games brilliant. No matter how much you know about football, if you haven't played FM before you've got LOADS to learn. Plus the learning curve isn't that hard, mostly trial and error, it's just a case of trying to remember which game save had that awesome Peru under 21 player.

EDIT: By the way the torrent of this goes at a speedy 2.3kb/s which will take until after Christmas to install (providing it's correct) and stands a chance of filling my computer with spyware that i've agreed to install. So yeah I just went out and Steam'd it, I'm starting to love how convenient the Steam system is now I can buy a new game and have it in my hands within the hour.

Edited November 25, 2008 by The General

[DavidMarrio]

Well i was doing well in October but my bitch of a sister decided to restart the computer and not tell me so i loose most of the game just so we get a pointless iTunes update even though she has a laptop?!!

I battered Motherwell second leg, won few games in the Prem and picked up a valuable point against Man.U even though i should of won if gomes didn't cock up...Not happy but maybe i should save my game more often and not bugger off and do something else and leave it on

[Crybaby Bunting]

I can't get out of the cycle of picking an Argentinian 2nd Division team, bringing in as many players on loan as possible (there's no limit) costing absolutely nothing before picking up the Argentinos or Boca job. Then I just do exactly the same thing there until i'm known well enough to join a Spanish/English club only to fail because I've got so used to the Argentinian players who can't get work permits and can only loan 3 players >_<

[destroyed]

Anyone managed to sign Micah Richards from Man City? I'm playing as Spurs, and he is interested in joining my club. However City are refusing to sell him, no matter how much I offer for him.