Football Manager 2012

[Lineker]

Well yeah but hockey is a game for girls.

[Benji]

I start season three tonight, so I'll give that a go and see what happens. I never ever play a flat midfield, it's like chickening out on making the decision on if your team is attack or defence minded. Think I'll go with a 4-2-3-1 tonight, since my DMs are generally good at Deep Lying Playmaking and see how that plays...

STR

AML-AMC-AMR

DMC-DMC

DL-DC-DC-DR

GK

I've also got a hot 5* sweeper waiting to develop, so that might add to my options.

[Plubby]

To tie this back into FM, thanks to FM I had my girls that I coach playing next level tactics though - back four (wing backs rather than full backs) and the rest basically line up in the 4-1-2-2-1, same as Stok's Chelsea diary. We kicked ass after I implemented that!

[9 to 5]

Jesus Benji, who is that sweeper? I don't think I have seen anyone good in that position for yonks and not many now can even play there.

[Benji]

He was a regen that I found whilst scouring through what youth players to sign. I was shocked to all hell. He's not at that level at the moment, but he can be trained to that level with the right encouragement. I'm going to be closely following his development and giving him plenty of matches against low threat teams and in cup ties.

[9 to 5]

On older versions, I adored playing the sweeper formation but it only ever seemed to work in Germany when you had either Matthaus (who was about ready to retire) or Sammer to play there. Such a sexy position that has been lost in the modern game.

[stokeriño]

It's got to be pretty difficult to become naturally gifted in a position that's largely died out since the 1990s. Maybe he was a maverick on the school field.

[9 to 5]

To be a sweeper, you have to be someone who can defend, has alot of pace and energy and can ping passes to anywhere on the field. Few players who are very good at all that and they tend to be re-trained or made to be attacking playmakers from the off. Next we will be moaning about the lack of half-backs in FM.

[stokeriño]

I've just had an image of David Luiz playing as a sweeper, and it scares the bejesus out of me.

[MDK]

Speaking of things we miss from football, I miss Carlos Valderrama's hair. Honourable mention to Ruud Gullit as well.

[stokeriño]

It's the moustache that completes it.

[MDK]

Yeah, it'd look silly without the 'tasche.

[brenchill]

A consortium has targeted the club in my Newcastle game. If they're successful in their bid... they are going to out me for Roy Hodgson .

Does this kind of thing ever come to fruition? I don't think I've ever been at a club that gets bought out.

[MDK]

In my Orient game towards the end of the first season a paris based businessman tried to buy the club and install a new dictator. Then a few games into my second season, a group of fans are trying to buy the club. It's getting a bit annoying that I can't happen to get a Dubai based oil tycoon or Saudi royal to buy my club and give me millions to piss away,

[Meacon Keaton]

I had no idea a flat midfield was so frowned upon...

I always used just a basic 4-4-2 until just recently. Finding myself playing a 4-3-2-1 more and more and it's worked wonders so far. Been incredibly busy over the last week so I haven't been able to play as much as I'd like. :/

[Berober]

I really need to write another chapter to my 4-6-0 diary...

[brenchill]

Tevez hasn't kicked a ball for 3 years for Man City in my game. If only the club would have the conviction to do this in real life...

But on the flip side, he's getting paid 180k a week for doing fuck all.

[NobBe Nobbs]

This game is mental. 4 games into my season and Blackburn are top, recording an 8-0 win over Newcastle, 6-1 against Newcastle and they beat Arsenal 3-1. Rochina's top scorer with 6 goals and Pederson's also got 6 assists. I'm sure things will eventually evan out, but it definitely made me raise my eyebrow about how well they were playing.

Blackburn beating Newcastle 8-0 is pretty strange. I've only had one weird result yet and that was Chelsea beating Norwich 12-0.

Weirdly, I would be a little annoyed with that scoreline: Chelsea's record win is 13-0. "Could you not just have scored a couple more?"

But then it still blows our record league win (8-0 v Wigan) out of the water, so hey.

Feh. NEVER satisfied, are you?!

[stokeriño]

Not when I'm an inch away from a record, no.

And I say that having just struggled to beat Norwich 1-0.

[MDK]

I'm playing Norwich and they are beating me 1-0 at the moment, but my keeper has made two penalty saves in the first half. My strikers couldn't score in a whorehouse right now, I don't know what to do.