Football Manager 2011

[Pesci]

Has anyone tried to overhaul their squad for the single purpose of playing a different formation before? I decided I'd like to start playing 4-3-3 instead of 4-4-2, for various reasons including easier selection for the subs bench, being able to cater to my very best players and so on.

The main difficulties with this is that need at least 6 strikers and 6 central midfielders to make it work. It also means my 3 winger (MRL) players become effectively useless...unless they can suddenly learn to play MC, which I imagine is near impossible. Two of these 3 wingers are arguably some of my more talented players in Paul Anderson and Donel McDermott.

I get a little confused by people's definition of 4-3-3 is...i've been told my 4 @ back, DMC, MC, MC, AMR, AML, ST is a 4-3-3, but I think of it as a 4-5-1.

My 4-3-3 is ML/MR/MC/ST/ST/ST - are you looking for MC/MC/MC/ST/ST/ST or something?

For simplicity's sake I am calling the formations what the game (FM11) calls them.

I was playing a Liverpool game yesterday and apparently my 4-2-3-1 was more of a "4-4-2 DM". I don't know what criteria they use but it seems strange to me.

Whilst that is a very strange way of putting it, I'm guessing they were saying that your central attacking midfielder was more of an attacker but your wingers were more midfielders whilst your 2 central midfielders were holding... But yeah, that's a very unspecific way of describing any sort of 4-2-3-1.

I could understand if the "2" were DMs but they were CMs and the two wingers had attacking roles with the AMC being a support role - yet push the wingers into the middle and it's a 4-2-3-1. Then from there pull the central midfielders into the DM position and it's a 4-2-3-1 DM. Then push the wingers back out onto the wing and it's a 4-2-3-1 deep, but move the DMs back into central midfield and it's a 4-4-2 DM! Madness.

[Summers]

Boo's and disowning? The chance to be at one of England's biggest clubs after earning stripes at the Baggies. Furthering my career, you fucks.

[stokeriño]

If I wanted to further my career I'd have taken the Chelsea job a year ago. That would have sucked.

Instead, I just beat Arsenal for the first time in this game, which I attribute to the badassery of the 4-3-3. It won me the Community Shield too, which was nice.

[Summers]

I didn't wanna stay at the Boggies! Villa got promoted, so the job wasn't available. :@

[stokeriño]

Had a busy pre-season. Finally got round to revamping my scouting/coaching staff which I'd had since the start of the game, having not been bothered to deal with them before.

Bought

- Nassim Ben Khalifa: £7.5m from Wolfsburg

- Gary Cahill: £7.5m from relegated Bolton Wanderers

- Henri Lansbury: £1.8m from Arsenal

- Didier Drogba: free transfer

- Josh McEachran: season loan from Chelsea, option to buy for £8m

Sold

- Paul Anderson: £9m to Lazio

- Wes Morgan: £1.5m to Coventry

- Marcus Tugay: £1m to Coventry

- Paul Smith: free transfer to Wigan Athletic

- Michael Owen: released

Nottingham Forest 25 Man Squad 2013/14

1. Vincent Enyeama (GK)

2. Lee Camp (GK)

3. Karl Darlow (GK)

4. Luke Chambers (DRC)

5. Nathaniel Clyne (DRL)

6. Brendan Moloney (DR)

7. Julian Bennett (DLC)

8. Ciaran Clark (DLC)

9. Gary Cahill (DC)

10. Kaspars Gorkss (DC)

11. Joel Lynch (DC)

12. Owen Hargreaves (DM/MC) - vice-captain

13. Henri Lansbury (MRLC)

14. Garath McCleary (M/AMRL)

15. Donal McDermott (M/AMRL)

16. Charlie Adam (M/AMC) - captain

17. Mark Byrne (M/AMC)

18. Chris Cohen (M/AMC)

19. Radoslaw Majewski (M/AMC)

20. Salomon Kalou (AMRL/ST)

21. Dexter Blackstock (ST)

22. Dider Drogba (ST)

23. Rob Earnshaw (ST)

24. Rob Findley (ST)

- Neill Byrne (DC) [u21]

- Josh McEachran (MC) [u21]

- Nassim Ben Khalifa (ST) [u21]

Full-backs are the next part of the squad that need refreshing but might not get round to it during this window. Might as well get rid of McCleary and McDermott at some point but I'm not going to get more than a couple of million for the both of them. Both of the Byrnes are shit but there to make up the home-grown numbers.

[Summers]

- Gary Cahill: £7.5m from relegated Bolton Wanderers

- Henri Lansbury: £1.8m from Arsenal

- Didier Drogba: free transfer

- Josh McEachran: season loan from Chelsea, option to buy for £8m

great deals there. Cahill is brilliant. Lansbury has always been solid for the flanks. I've not seen McEachran develop as he should so far, hope he does for you. Drogba is 35? He and Lamps went to Bolton the same year in my game - his stats still look very impressive.

[stokeriño]

Drogba is 35, yes. He's still better AND cheaper (£24kpw) as a veteran backup striker than Michael Owen was.

[Summers]

Like I said, his stats look impressive for his age still in my game. He should be a difference maker for any team still.

[Plubby]

The three stretched midfielders are ok if your three strikers are relatively tight and two are happy to track back.

I don't think my strikers are the back-tracking type.

I only use it in games where I am expected to maul the opposition. I was tired of not winning Cup ties against lower-league teams (and even Friendly) where I was expected to absolutely belt the other team. So I just jammed three up the top.

[NobBe Nobbs]

I got relegated with the Baggies. I resigned. I tried but ultimately failed. Still ranked as World Class, I got offered the Roma job. I delayed my decision - glad I did. Fergie was fired for finishing sixth. Say hello to the new United boss!

You'll last about seven weeks, at which point the fact all of your messages from staff and players have been replaced with hate mail from fans reading 'FUK OFF CNUT YOURE NOT FERGIE!!!!!!!!111' will wear you down and cause you to take to the rooftops of Old Trafford with a rifle.

[Summers]

All but like three staff members left with Fergie. I've also shipped out a few players that didn't wanna be there - Nani, Valencia and Anderson. Ferdy retired and joined as a coach, which helps.

[stokeriño]

That reminds me, I signed Mark Viduka as a coach. Awesome.

Shame he's more suited to being a Ball Control rather than Shooting coach. I want him to be shouting at the kids in the youth team, "NO, LIKE THIS!" *blasts ball through net/window/brick wall*

[Ben E.]

Just have to make sure you don't accidentally hire Viduka as a fitness coach.

[Benji]

How do you guys speed through the seasons so fast? >_>

[Gazz]

How do you guys speed through the seasons so fast? >_>

We don't level up from 20 to 47 in two days on Mass Effect. Yeah, I'm watching you on Xbox live...

I'm only 7 league games into my fourth season and I've been playing the game for at least a month. It depends on how many games you get in a season, last year, due to winning both domestic cups and the getting to the semis of the Europa League, I had 67 games, season took forever.

[Benji]

How do you guys speed through the seasons so fast? >_>

We don't level up from 20 to 47 in two days on Mass Effect. Yeah, I'm watching you on Xbox live...

I'm only 7 league games into my fourth season and I've been playing the game for at least a month. It depends on how many games you get in a season, last year, due to winning both domestic cups and the getting to the semis of the Europa League, I had 67 games, season took forever.

Ssshh, I needed to complete it, else it'd be another game on my shelf that I got half way and didn't complete since LA Noire is out soon

Even on weekends I spend all of my time on it, I only manage a season, if that. You guys seem to breeze a season in half a week, and that includes those of you with jobs or other responsibilities. Do you guys turn off the 3D pitch or something?

[Baddar]

The people who don't even manage and skip the matches to see the end result suck - YI, I'm looking at you.

[Gazz]

I have the 3D engine off, I got bored of my computer thinking about it for 5 minutes at the beginning of every match.

I prefer the top down view anyway, gives a better impression of the players positioning and movements.

[Twist]

The people who don't even manage and skip the matches to see the end result suck - YI, I'm looking at you.

Uhm, when have you ever been able to do this on FM?!

[stokeriño]

I have the 3D engine off, I got bored of my computer thinking about it for 5 minutes at the beginning of every match.

I prefer the top down view anyway, gives a better impression of the players positioning and movements.

Same.

I also have only a couple of nations' leagues going, which theoretically helps with the speed, but really it's because I play on the laptop which is a bit naff and even that gets like 1 star system performance. I could sim as many as I pleased if I played on the desktop and still go very quickly, but that uses the main TV as its monitor which is not practical for FM (I really struggle with the text, even on a generous resolution).