Football Manager 2010

[Sam]

Midway through the season and the league is tight 1st to 6th is separated by 4 points, then there is a 10 point jump to 7th who are only 7 points above the relegation zone. I'm sat 10th, well exceeding my expectations, mainly due to fantastic home form where I have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Man Utd and Chelsea and won all the other matches, mind my away form still suffers; 9 games and 9 losses kind of speaks for itself.

Can't decide if I want to dip into the transfer market in January or not, happy with my squad and it's inability to win away! Also face a Semi Final League Cup match against Liverpool and a 1st Knockout Round in Europa League against Lyon, I expect to be out of both cups at those respective stages.

Edited July 16, 2010 by Sam

[Sick N Twisted]

Cleaned up all my older pointless saved files today so all I have left now is my Spain/Sevilla one and my Portsmouth one.

Making a few more changes in editor now, updating transfers and stuff, then I'm going to start a new game. Going to try bring in English players mostly though, rather than foreign. Thinking of getting Addison, Spence, Cattermole, Smithies and a few others. Hopefully this game keeps me occupied.

[Sam]

Anyone know if you can still do the online network games on this, or is it just too slow to bother?

In Newcastle news I'm about to finish my 2nd season, looking like I'll finish 7th, went out in 2nd knockout round of UEFA Cup, lost in final of League Cup to Arsenal and am in the Semi Finals of the FA Cup... again. All thanks to signing McGeady and Bent, going to have to revamp the squad next season if I want to take the next step up though as I feel I'm 7th thanks to other teams performing badly more than mine being a great team.

Edited July 19, 2010 by Sam

[Twist]

So, two games left and I am a point ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea with Man City. I proceed to lose to Aston Villa as my two rivals win - leaves me two points behind both teams with one game left. My superior goal difference leave some hope but with Chelsea at home to West Ham and Liverpool at home to Newcastle, hopes are not high!

Well, both teams draw their last games, I whooped Stoke and we all finish on 76 points and I win my second league title by goal difference. A week later a relegated Wolves defeated a Championship West Brom in the FA Cup Final. I go on to win the Community Shield 5-2. I commonly have high scoring games, so thought nothing of beating a second tier team in such fashion.

Welllllllllll ... first game of my third season as City manager and we are at home to Liverpool. You know, the team I finished on even points with? Premier League runners up, Liverpool? Well, I spanked them 7-1. And Defoe went and leathered four past them. Great game.

[Hobo]

Since I started the USM love in I will throw this in. The other week I saw on wiki that a USM 2000 game was planned but scrapped. As I was reading the article I went from to as my hopes for the possibility of a USM game I haven't heard of/played vanished. Although as I write this I realize I never played the original. I'm halfway tempted to see if I can find it. I assume I may need DOS-box to get it going though.

Back to FM, last night I played a League Cup game with Pats against Cobh Ramblers. Cobh aren't even in league. We struggled for the first half and went 1-0 down. Then we got an equalizer and I made them go hell for leather in the first period of ET. End result 6-1 to us.

EDIT: Something else I just thought about too, Ireland now has a three tier (kinda) league system. Yet SI have not included it in the game yet! I have yet to find a full Irish league database that includes the Newstalk A League. I found/have a custom version but not one as it really is.

[Hobo]

So I started a game as FC Bunyodkor of the Uzbekistan league and it's actually kind of fun. Really easy in league so far, but I am eager to see if my quality translates to the Champions League. FC Bunyodkor also have a VERY high transfer budget for an Asian team (Like 8 million USD) and you get to start with Rivaldo. Losing some players now, but I've still yet to taste defeat as skipper. I'd post a line-up, but I doubt people would recognize most of the names

I'm horribly tempted to get the data and do this now. I have fallen into a pattern of either managing in the US or Ireland.

I'd like a different, and somewhat interesting challenge.

[Sam]

3rd season at Newcastle, extremely busy summer window as I looked to really strengthen the squad after being given £30 million by a new board who had been looking at replacing me but decided to keep me (phew). Diouf was kinda crap so I didn't renew his loan nor was I interested in signing Maxwell or Naughton on a permanent basis.

Sold off Coloccini (too high wages) and Andy Carroll (gave me £8 million woop). Then agreed to loan out Nolan and Muamba (waste of £5 million...)

Transfers for the summer saw Luis Jimenez join on a free, Juan Pablo Carrizo (GK for Lazio) on a nice £2.2 million deal, Larry Barret (big potential according to scout) from Bohemians for £30k, John O'Shea for £2.2 million, Chris Smalling for £5 million (big waste again, not getting the more expensive deals right...), Kevin Doyle for £4.6 million from Fiorentina (nice!), Salomon Kalou for £5 million, Nedum Onouha for £2.6 million (great CB, always injured though), Taufic Guarch for £5.75 million (Mexican striker from Atletico, seems a good buy).

Then I was given a further £10 million as the board produced it from nowhere (improved finances my arse, spending it put us in the red...) so I used that to sign Ochoa for £10 million (got criticised by Shearer for overspending, has proved to be a TOP class buy, so he can eat his words.) As well as spending another £1.2 million on a young French boy (14, I was told I HAD to buy him, so I did...). Which made my summer total spending of £38.5 million, pretty good for a total squad revamp.

I play 4-5-1 at home and 4-4-2 away and it's worked wonders, unbeatable at home and now winning away and picking up points. Currently sat 4th after 14 games on 29 points, just beat Chelsea 3-0 at home Vuckic tore them to pieces (only his 2nd game of the season, only fits into my Home system really well). Now aiming for a top 6 finish and hopefully building on that next season. Will be selling off Wayne Routledge and an Argie I bought for £5.5 million in January (another waste). Smalling has been a poor buy as well, I am certainly getting better value out of my cheap buys (O'Shea has been great!).

I really like my squad at the moment and will probably only add big signings that really improve the team from now, especially as it is a really young squad anyway (average age of just 22!)

[Sandars]

Like Sam, I am Newcastle... However, I cheated and gave them money and Newcastle were promoted... This is valid to the question I wish to ask...

Who is better on FM10... Peter Crouch or Dirk Kuyt?

[The Quasi Juice]

Like Sam, I am Newcastle... However, I cheated and gave them money and Newcastle were promoted... This is valid to the question I wish to ask...

Who is better on FM10... Peter Crouch or Dirk Kuyt?

Just scout them and you'll see what they say. Crouch is obviously a better target man.

Started a game with Barcelona, trying to buy like Barca and play like Barca. It's actually pretty tough because oddly enough their squad isn't balanced at all. They play with wingers but they hardly have any, but I only have 20 million euro so I can't really buy a top notch winger. Perhaps Di Maria...

[Sam]

God this game is being harsh with my cup games this year! League Cup 3rd Round was against Middlesbrough at home, comfortable 4-1 win, 4th round, MANCHESTER UNITED, thankfully was a home game and I beat them 2-0, so what is my reward? Chelsea away, 0-0 draw, we won on penalties 5-6, then I had Sunderland (who are a Championship team) did them 3-2 on aggregate. (My team is crap against lower rep teams, anyone know how to combat that?). So now we have a League Cup final against Man City, the very same Man City who thumped me 4-0 in the FA Cup final last season. Also it's my second League Cup final in a row, which I'm very pleased with.

In the FA Cup, 3rd round was at home to Middlesbrough (3-1 win, I then played them in the league 3-0 victory, think they will want to avoid coming to St James for a long time!), so who do I get in the 4th round? Manchester bloody United! Again it was at home and again it was a 2-0 win for us, so who do I get as a reward in the 5th round? Only Manchester fricking City! At least I'm at home, hopefully I can put them out and make the Quarter finals for the 3rd year in a row and then hopefully yet another final!

Still sat 4th in the league, can't quite believe how good my game has been going as Newcastle, 1st season was promotion and FA Cup final, 2nd season was 7th and League and FA Cup finals with a Europa League 2nd Round Knockout apperance, 3rd season another League Cup final, 5th round of FA cup and 1st knockout round of Europa League and sat in 4th. My contract runs out this season though and I haven't been given a renewel yet, hopefully I can stay on, I love this club now ha!

My squad looks like this:

GKs

Juan Pablo Carrizo (summer signing, was initially going to be my number 1 but is now number 2)

Stever Harper (contract runs out this season, won't be renewing it.)

Guillermo Ochoa (Superstar GK, £10 million = great buy!)

Defence

John O'Shea (a steal at £2.2 million, has been filling in at left back for most the season.)

Nedum Onuoha (really good CB, a little bit injury prone)

Steven Taylor (my captain and rock!)

Danny Simpson (injury to Enrique means he has played a lot this season, I was going to replace him with O'Shea but he's proven himself to be a good player)

Támás Kádár (solid enough)

Chris Smalling (improving, started badly but is now probably my 3rd choice CB)

José Enrique (quality left back, has been injured for much of this season though )

Midfield

Dan Gosling (good back up player, rarely plays, often injured)

Mahamadou Diarra (perfect player for my system, gets a lot of bookings though.)

Rodrigo Possebon (good rotation midfielder)

Danny Guthrie (Always in my midfield, really reliable)

Matt James (Signed from Manchester United and is another solid midfielder)

Jonás (player of the season, for 2 seasons running and has been great again this season, always seems to create chances for me and score goals)

Wayne Routledge (lack of decent players in the transfer market means he'll be staying until next season at least, hardly plays but is okay cover)

Aiden McGeady (best buy ever, gave Celtic two players in return for him and £5 million which is a ridiculous steal, so talented)

Saloman Kalou (couldn't believe my luck when Chelsea listed him, away at African Cup of Nations at the mo, but he is a top player)

Jano Anandidze (recommended by a scout, I've drafted him into first team whilst Kalou is away, verdict is still out.)

Luis Jiminéz (free signing but a disappointing buy, prefer playing James over him)

Haris Vuckic (has broken into the team and is FANTASTIC! What's best is you don't even have to buy him!)

Strikers

Kevin Doyle (went 13 hours without a goal and has only netted 4 times, hoping he'll have a better end to the season)

Xisco ( 8 in 15 games, scores BIG goals, he's won me about 12 points this season)

Darren Bent (17 in 23, bangs them in for fun!)

Taufic Guarch (signed from Atletico and has 5 in 10 which isn't too shabby at all.)

I have really got into this game this time, really enjoying FM2010, don't like the press conferences so much but the depth of scouting and stuff is great, I waste ages scouring through players trying to pick the right one for the right position. I got really into the tactical bit of the game which really means you can get the best out of the players available to you.

[Hobo]

Went back to my game where I was pretty much the most local team to me in real life. Parkvilla FC, of Navan (the town that brought you Dylan Moran, Tommy Teirnan and Peirce Brosnan). I've had it edited so the club was run by a tycoon and the database was a fantasy Irish League where the divisions have been expanded (yet oddly, first division relegation is gone dunno why). Oddly enough my team don't enter the FAI Cup but we do enter everything else. Not sure why that is. We do enter a redone Setanta Sports Cup though

With a team including the likes of Dean Kiely, Lee Trundle and Ian Ashbee we've gotten promoted to the Premier Division after a season with about 10 points separating us from the rest of the league.

[King Ellis]

John Fleck is a whiny bitch. He's got like 17 assists for me as Pompey in the Championship (got him on loan) yet he still has poor morale and is noted as playing without confidence.

[IAceI]

It's because he's a cunt who thinks the world revolves around him. Probably.

[Sam]

I hate when the players say they're going to teach the fans what real football looks like, makes me wanna boot them out straight away, egotistical wankers. And usually they;re not even that great of players.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I have somehow steered West Brom to the Champions League.

[Sick N Twisted]

I have somehow steered West Brom to the Champions League.

What's your team look like? Hopefully Mattock is still there.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

No, I sold Mattock because I was just feeling my way blindly in the early years (it's now 2013) and made a lot of change.

My lineup varied a lot this year, but it would look something like this at a norm.

GK: Scott Carson (backups insignificant)

DR: Mouhamadou Dabo (picked up from Saint-Etienne in 2011, DL by trade but I use him on the right a lot because Adam Johansson, my latest stopgap, isn't that good)

DL: Kieran Gibbs (came from Arsenal before 2012-13)

DC: Ayila Yussuf (after a long courtship, got him to leave Hoffenheim around Christmas)

DC: Timmy Simons (nabbed him in 2010, backups include Eddie Nolan, Leon Barnett, Matthew Killagon)

DMC: Julian De Guzman (backups include Marquinhos, Youssuf Mulumbu)

MC: Robert Koren

MC: Graham Dorrans (interchangeable, also have Luis Ernesto Perez, and the DM backups)

AMC: James Morrison (backup, Simon Brenne)

ST: Joffre Guerron (backup Anelka, who I got on a free for this year)

ST: Felipe Caicedo (backup Ishmael Miller)

So the originals still left are limited pretty much to Carson and the midfield, though there's names like Neil Clement and Simon Cox hanging around as reserves as well. The all-Ecuadorian striker combo is lethal.

And for what it's worth, Mattock just scored the winning penalty in the FA Cup final for Villa.

[DavidMarrio]

Arteta bitching about lack of discipline on my FM....kinda annoyed me

Also funny was the fact that due to the league being so close and 3rd/4th champions league spots available Man.City got 3rd, Me (Everton) got 4th and in the Europa League next season is Man.U, Chelsea and Liverpool while Spurs, Arsenal, Man.City and Everton are in the Champions League

[Hobo]

A fine margin to win any league by.

[Hobo]

...And we've signed Steve Finnan. I seem to have a knack for getting players I probably shouldn't be able to get.

Parkvilla are turning into Ireland's answer to Man City in my game as well. Having a €9 million budget means I can just go up to Irish clubs wave my cheque book and they sell up (meaning that unlike 90% of the time I play as a team in this league I can actually lure players from their teams). And it doesn't cost me any more than €1 million. As a result I've bolstered my squad with Irish league types Eamon Zayed, Dan Murray and Joseph Ndo. Although I think I got two of those on a free.

What makes me sad is that I won't have a fit Lee Trundle to use for ages yet. He's still 4 months from being fit thanks to a ligament injury.