Football Manager 2014

[Jimmy]

Got my Auxerre team promoted with 5 games to go! The team's starting to look good and will hopefully be ready for Ligue 1. Lost one of my best midfielders cos he wouldn't sign a new contract as he wanted to move to a bigger club, so he's off to Genk. The club is massively in debt, and while I won't lost anyway else, a lot of big stars contract run out next year and I can't afford to give them news ones. Hopefully the promotion will sort some finances out. I've sold about 4 mil's worth in players and bought none. Refused a 5 mil offer for one 16 year old who has 5 star potential and is already worth 2 mil. It's a fun file, and I'm really enjoying bringing through the youth. I barely have anyone in my squad over 28.

I doubt I'll be able to hold on to Tom Ince. He's scored 25 goals in 33 games. And he is one whose contract will be down to a year at the start of next season. I got him on a free though, so it'll be nice profit, I just can't reinvest at the moment as I only get 10%.

Was the Auxerre team decent enough to start off with?

Yeah. Could've got promoted in the first season had I not gone on a horrible run. Likewise, would have in the 2nd if I could've been consistent. There are barely any stars in the team, and instead has a lot of players with potential. But, as someone's said, more importantly, you get fantastic regens. It's actually been good to be in Ligue 2 because they develop quicker.

I'm only on my 3rd season but I already have 4 regens in my team. They're good enough for Ligue 2 in a formation that compliments them and they have huge potential. It's a really fun way of doing things, cos I like breaking the youth in, and to be able to have three of four 17 year olds in your team is pretty cool. You have to take a chance on them and all that, but it's working out nicely enough for me.

Only annoying thing is my academy keeps producing really good wingers, but I don't use them in my formation. My first 18 months in charge just had under-performing wingers. Instead I have over performing complete wing backs. Just means I have to keep finding way to incorporate them. My biggest potential is a winger, but I'm now using him in attacking midfield behind Tom Ince and it's starting to work.

So, this has really started to work. This regen Mouffolk is meant to be a winger, but I altered mt 5-3-2, replacing a striker with an attacking midfield player in the space the other striker should be playing. And this guy is superb. He just scored his first hattrick for the club, in Ligue 1 at 17, taking his total to 7 goals and 5 assists in 10 starts with 2 sub appearances. Justifies turning down 5 million for him at the start of last season, as he's now worth that in his valuation. I'm hoping he can keep this up, would be really cool to actually bring through a really good player on FM from my own academy. In terms of my team he's 3 1/2 stars now, with 5 star potential. Already capped for the Under 21's, too.

Season started hard, 2 points in 6 games, but we've turned things around and after 12 games, we now sit 8th with 17 points.

[TCO]

Another tip for the MLS would be to use allocation funds to increase your salary cap number. The fund isn't that useful for trades anyway, so get as much room as you can. Use any bit of excess funds you have to build the youth academy. The regens through the club are generally terrible but I've been consistently upgrading them at Toronto and I manged to get this guy.

Made it all worthwhile, then he goes and breaks his leg

Just won the CONCACAF Champions League for the 2nd time in a row too! The financial benefits of the World Club Championship are so sweet, even if it means being spanked by Barcelona and Messi again!

[Benji]

Finally, I have discovered the ultimate tactic.

[9 to 5]

Don't remind me of Paul Ince.

[Fudge]

Started a journeyman game unemployed with the intention of winning everything I've loaded. England & Scotland (Premier League to League One), Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Holland (L1, L2) and Russia and Turkey (L1).

First job was at Girona in Liga Adelante. Told the board I could get a top half finish, but won the league pretty easily first season and got to the semi final of Copa Del Rey. Second season I lost to Atletico again in the cup semi final and finished 7th in La Liga thanks to everyone but Barca and Real underperforming, so qualified for the Europa League. The squad was quite weak and getting old with contracts expiring, and I wouldn't have had enough money to strengthen the team properly so I resigned.

I didn't want to waste another season not winning anything, but the only job I could get was at Rijnsburgse Boys in the Dutch second division. I was expected to get a mid-table finish, but when it came down to the last 3 games I was top, level on points with second and third. Thankfully we all managed only 1 point out of a possible 9 and I won the league with the help of a late goal from whoever second place were playing. Knocked out of the KNVB cup at the first hurdle too.

Again no chance of winning anything, so I resigned immediately and got the job at Rostov in Russia. Didn't have a great league season with my two best players getting injured for the second half, but finished 7th anyway. I won the Russian Cup after a fairly easy run of games, but the team was in a bad financial state, and there were no good Russians available so it was gonna be impossible to compete against the likes of CSKA who walked the league.

Shopped around for a job, applying at realistic targets aswell as the likes of Monaco, Sevilla and Arsenal just for the hell of it really. Shockingly Premier League runners up Arsenal offered me the job! The Russian Cup must really be something special considering I couldn't get a job in League One this time last year.

They've got Suarez too! Should be a nice change from managing a bunch of nobodies.

[Berober]

I've never had anyone fail FFP yet. Is it commonplace in your game?

Apparently so in 2019...

[JasonM]

So after winning the MLS Cup in my first season with the Impact I have thrown my team around to give more depth and a lot more talent in the fold. Most kids signed on 5 year deals, to make sure they're staying cheap for a long long time.

Also got 3 really good Mexican players and 2 Jamaicans who seem to have lots of potential.

Also with Di Vaio retiring (and becoming staff) I signed a new designated player in Anouar Kali who looks phenomenal as a playmaker.

So in the end of it all, I got 23(!) players in my team and I am still around 30K under the salary cap and I got a DP spot open if I feel fancy and can find a top class player.

Here's my team, after a few games.

spoilered for size

[RoyWill Rumble]

It was only the first leg of the Canadian Championship, but Jonathan Osorio just had a brace and an assist in a 4-0 stomping of the Impact—his assist was a thing of beautiful with an aweeeeeseoommmeee, pin-point through ball to Freddy Adu (got him for hella cheap, so why not?). He's really, really been impressive. I'm super stoked to see him improve.

[Gorka]

I hate playing Spurs and Lamela so, so much.

[Baddar]

I hate playing Spurs and Lamela so, so much.

I'm on the Vita version, and while he hasn't scored against me, he seems to be scoring week in, week out for them.

[Hobo]

Failed to get West Ham to the play offs because our form dropped off majorly in the last 4 games. Including a 4-1 loss to Birmingham.

Teemu Puki, Cisse and LaFondre all forgot how to score goals and our full backs forgot how to defend. Also Declan Rudd forgot how to goalkeeper.

[Whisper]

Good formation for the lower leagues anyone?

I'm currently playing as Ischia in Italy's bottom tier. Playing a direct, counter attacking 442, and have started reasonably well with 2 wins, 3 losses. Normally I'd be satisfied with that, especially as my target is to avoid relegation, but I've just noticed that the Italian league gets restructured after this season. The top 8 go up, 9-12 have to play off, and everyone else is relegated. I'm now targeting a top 8 finish for a 'promotion' that would be seen as a massive overachievment. 442 is a bit restrictive going forward though so I'm open to suggestions. The only position I cant really incorporate is an AMC as I only have one in my squad.

[TCO]

Somehow managed to convince this guy to sign for me on a free..

He is going to wreck shit in the MLS!

[King Ellis]

I started a new game on 13 with Romanian team Vitorul, purely because they have crazy good training facilities and the like. I am without a win in 6 league games but it's still relatively tight at the bottom of the table. I predict this will go poorly.

[Liam]

Is there a benefit to playing Canadian teams in the MLS, or is it just a coincidence that people on here seem to play as them?

[METALMAN]

Free healthcare for your injured players.

[9 to 5]

Is there a benefit to playing Canadian teams in the MLS, or is it just a coincidence that people on here seem to play as them?

Canadians count as homegrown.

[TCO]

Is there a benefit to playing Canadian teams in the MLS, or is it just a coincidence that people on here seem to play as them?

Canadians and US players count as homegrown.

Free to sign players from Canadian teams without drafting them

Takes 3 years to become a Canadian citizen and not count as an international anymore, takes 5 for US teams.

It's oddly satisfying winning the league with a "foreign" team.

I've really gotten into this because I'm also manager of Canada and I'm slowly getting them stronger by beefing up Toronto's youth academy and using players who gained Canadian citizenship while playing for me. My Peruvian regen striker who I signed 7 years ago just declared himself eligible and now I have a quality striker who just turned 24 that I had no right to!

It's fun in Canada!

[JasonM]

Is there a benefit to playing Canadian teams in the MLS, or is it just a coincidence that people on here seem to play as them?

Canadians and US players count as homegrown.

Free to sign players from Canadian teams without drafting them

Takes 3 years to become a Canadian citizen and not count as an international anymore, takes 5 for US teams.

It's oddly satisfying winning the league with a "foreign" team.

I've really gotten into this because I'm also manager of Canada and I'm slowly getting them stronger by beefing up Toronto's youth academy and using players who gained Canadian citizenship while playing for me. My Peruvian regen striker who I signed 7 years ago just declared himself eligible and now I have a quality striker who just turned 24 that I had no right to!

It's fun in Canada!

Also, which I have noted. Better tax laws for players. A player earning 4K a month at a Canadian team will keep 3.4K, whilst at the American club they keep 2.9K.

No clue if it has any effect, but I'd assume it would be more interesting for players in a bidding war.

[Rich]

I just had a penalty shoot out where I apparently had a miss, even though the ball went in to the net, I hate glitches.