Football Manager 2011

[edcq]

I always thought that was a good thing. They might get first team football for a year or two so they're development should speed up a bit

[Timmoru Suzuki]

And the goals have dried up, almost entirely; a fact that would be less frustrating if Gerrard didn't insist on shooting on sight from just about anywhere despite what I instruct him to do. Woe is me. I have £5M left to spend in January, and It's going on a striker.

Have noticed that we ONLY score 25-yard screamers, which is nice but I'll never find the words to describe how infuriating it is watching us miss over and over and over and over from a few yards out.

[Hobo]

Finished 7th in the league. Now looking to trim the squad of dead weight/aging players. Bring in some new players. Hopefully get some kind of decent budget from the board in order to build the squad up a bit.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Woo, got the board to increase my transfer budget to £10m. My plan is to put in increasing offers for Rossi and Obasi and see which one, if any, I get first. I have yet to formulate a back-up plan.

[Baddar]

David Bellion should be your back-up plan.

[Benji]

Does nobody else rely on the youth team when their players aren't doing well? I find it makes players realise they're being challenged to step up their game a lot more, plus it gives a lot of players big match experience and a chance to impress.

[brenchill]

Mike Ashley was kind enough to give me £750,000 for the second season after keeping Newcastle in the Premier League.

What a guy.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

I think resignation would be a safer bet >_>

[YI]

2nd season with Man City is not going quite as swimmingly. Sitting in 6th but have 2-games in hand and will more than likely move up into 3rd, where I'll be 4-points off the pace of Chelsea (already got a draw at Stamford Bridge, and pretty much outplayed them). I've played 10, won 6 (Cardiff, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Wolves, Stoke, Liverpool), drawn 2 (Chelsea, Sunderland), lost 2 (Tottenham, Hull - lol I know, it was at home too...but those were the first 2-games of the season).

Champions League is going grand. Pretty much guaranteed to top my group, which isn't bad as it has Werder Bremen and Galatasaray in it. Lost to Bremen at home, but got my win back away. 9-points in 4-games (actually it's Partizan who are 2nd in the group). Out of the League Cup in the 4th round, away to Arsenal (who have conceded like 2-goals in 12 league games...fucking beasts), but went out at the same round last year (to Chelsea).

Signed Kaka, purely for shits and giggles. He's been playing well but not scoring, finally got 2 against Sunderland (but the cunts got 2-late goals and we ended up drawing 3-3...grrr), Sunderland have been amazing this season, currently 3rd. Milner's been fucking shit this season, Park Ji-Sung is still the best signing I've made. Adam Johnson's stepped up this year though, and Silva's still being a bit shit and getting injured every 3-games like last year.

Basically, I haven't looked as comfortable as I did last season. Not scoring anywhere near as much (used to be amazing from set-pieces, don't think we've scored from one yet this season). I had been playing 4-2-3-1, but I've been fiddling about, trying variants on 4-4-2 some games, but it's not really helping.

Still think I'm going to leave at the end of the year, but it's annoying, I've brought in a bunch of youth players, I want to see them develop.

That stuff about not being able to score goals...ignore;

Edited January 13, 2011 by YI

[Benji]

Yeah, I find that too. On the plus side, if you buy the players when you move to a new club they;'ll be more loyal to you from what I gather.

Question: What does a wage increase for yourself achieve? Besides getting rid of your club's money faster?

I ask, because I had a year left on my Telford contract, then the board decided to offer me a new one at double the wage... but it lasted the same length as my original contract.

[Benji]

(N)

[stokeriño]

Question: What does a wage increase for yourself achieve? Besides getting rid of your club's money faster?

I ask, because I had a year left on my Telford contract, then the board decided to offer me a new one at double the wage... but it lasted the same length as my original contract.

I know. I remember in FM08 thinking "PAY ME LESS, IT'S NOT REAL MONEY!!", but they wouldn't listen.

[Benji]

I presume it's something to do with a boost in reputation for yourself, but I'd rather have the extra £300 or so a week in my budget to be honest.

EDIT: Ah, found out why. It's basically the compensation factor. The higher your wages the more they'll have to pay out if they choose to fire you, so it's basically to decide your stability with the job.

Also, I never knew staff wages don't count towards the wage total your board sets. I was a coach short because of my massive squad size last season taking up the bill >_>

[YI]

And dominance is restored;

Halfway through the season, just in the January transfer window. (I was 10 games, won 6, drawn 2, lost 2) Now I've played 19, won 15, drawn 2, lost 2.

Making a few sales.

• Hugo Almeida is out (I signed him last January to keep someone happy).
  
• De Jong is out, he never gets a game, I have more than enough cover for his position.
  
• Cedric Bakambu is out too...this might comeback to bite me in the arse one day as he's only 20, signed him summer 2010, hasn't progressed at all and he can't score for shit, whether in the main team of the reserves. Wish I had the foresight to sell him last January to Barcelona for like £8m, now I can only get about £4m (a loss on what I originally got him for...hey, that sounds a lot like Man City )
  
• Contemplating offing David Silva as well, he keeps getting injured and is a bit shit, but I just look at his stats and think "How the fuck can I get rid of him?"
  
• Salomon Kalou may be on his way too, I only signed him in the summer for cover, but I've realised I don't really need him.
  
  
  
  • Coming in I have Daniel Schwaab, a right back from Leverkuson who apparently spunks all over Micah Richards (who had a nightmare start of the season, but has since become one of my best players. That's right, become good after I've already agreed a £15m transfer for your fucking replacement, cunt)
    
  • Got some random Norwegian guy called Jo Inge Berget in on a free, I have no recollection of signing him. He's 21, so at least I won't have to register him for the rest of this season.
    
  • And Pato from AC Milan for £22m...I tend to play 1-up front, so just sign 'moderate' strikers to accompany Tevez, but now I've thought fuck it, I'll sign someone good.
    

  Might do another year.

[Hobo]

I decided to holiday a little post season. And I put on 'apply for jobs at higher rep clubs' for some reason and I got sacked. Although I am now manager of Viking in the Norwegian league. I have been at 3 clubs in 2014 now.

[Meacon Keaton]

lol hobo

I'm struggling to get into any game that isn't MLS, for some reason. I think it's because I'm respected in America, but people laugh at my accent when I manage overseas.

[Hobo]

I will stick with Viking until at least 2016! I swear it!

[Szumi]

Got that same problem, Meacon. I took Philly to the MLS title in their first two seasons, and won the Champions League too. 3 major trophies in 2 seasons, but I can't get any love across the pond.

[Jimmy]

This finally came through. Started a game with Ipswich and I've drawn my first three games. My pre season winning streak was deceiving, but I hope it'll pick up from me. Waiting for Wickham to come back from injury, because I'm hoping he brings some flare up front.

[Benji]

Bastard. Going from promotion candidates to relegation candidates always sucks. I managed four games without defeat... but without a win either. Then I lost by one goal 0-1 in the dying seconds against the team expected to be bottom. Then I faced AFC Wimbledon who are expected to be second, I'm in the middle of that game now and am 2-0 down. Thankfully my squad has plenty of depth so I can tinker around a lot... only problem being that my team IS performing, they're just not getting the wins. It's not an issue of not scoring nor of bad defending, they just can't seem to go ahead. Every match that we've had a score draw it's been after we've come from behind. I'm struggling to find what will motivate them to take the lead. Ideas?