Football Manager 2017

[Noah]

7 hours ago, Freelance Hobo said:

@TCO  I think I've had a USM game on every computer I've owned. I have USM 2 on my laptop at the moment and out not long ago and managed Oldham to the Premier League in an evening.

USM 2 was the best game. 

[Benji]

In my Kidderminster Harriers game, I got half way through the second season, got knocked out of the FA Cup qualifier second round by Salford, my only loss outside of a loss in the league to second place (I forget who that was, I want to say Boston Utd), and I've only drawn one other time, so now ten points clear at the top (over 20 from falling out of play off places) with just under half the season to go. Also beat AFC Fylde in the FA Trophy, despite them winning the league last season by a large margin and being mid-table in the league above me.

We finally got a cash injection which should help, but I can't wait for end of the season when I can drop a bunch of dead weight on contracts. I've got a lot of left over wingers from the previous manager who are playing out of position as defensive wingers, central midfielders and forwards (depending on the player) who aren't totally going to cut the mustard if I want to try for straight promotions. They're still very viable, but for their contracts and since they are playing out of position, I'm thinking I might let them go at the end of the season. There's one in particular who is valued at £100k (!!!!!!!), but I can't seem to offload him no matter how much I try. That'll free up a good £700 per week though, and to be honest I've abandoned hope of making money back through sales, it's got to be gate receipts through entertaining football, and a good league and cup run.

Meanwhile, star striker got injured twice more before new year. Think I will offload him in the summer, the youth guy does great and is far more worth the weekly wage since he is healthy.

Meanwhile I'm partly hoping a bigger club will notice how good we're doing and snatch me up so these financial problems become not mine I'm determined to finally get a game going where I don't just play one team and wind up abandoning it when I get fired/bored, and actually make a career of it.

[Benji]

15 hours ago, stokeriño said:

Not too many injuries accrued over the October international break... Only Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Pedro, Fabregas, Kante and Azpilicueta.

Fuck sake.

[9 to 5]

Unlucky Benji.

There are no bigger teams than Kidderminster Harries.

 

[Benji]

Psh, fine, another lifetime game it is. Debt for everyone!

[Just Joe]

37 minutes ago, 9 to 5 said:

Unlucky Benji.

There are no bigger teams than Kidderminster Harries.

 

Minster of Kiddies. 

[TCO]

Rigid counter attack and gegenpress the shit out of them!

Result!

 

[Benji]

Well, things went a bit pear-shaped with Kidderminster Harriers last night. The good news is that we're still top, and by seven points (three points down on the ten point lead we had), but the bad news is that we keep falling apart in the second half and it's only by sheer dumb luck that the gap hasn't been closed more, as we've now lost five total in the league and drawn four more. We're one point away from guaranteed play-offs in the league, and the money situation is lessened a bit as I offloaded some dead wood on frees (finally), but it's going to be vigilance and a lot of "last twenty minutes switch to overload, take risks, and shoot in sight" that sees us win the title.

In the FA Trophy, we only faced teams in the league above us at mid-table or above and won three, so I know for a fact we're pretty well set for the Conference National. The fourth round saw us winning at half time and fall apart in the second half as we have done too often in the league, and get knocked out, which was disappointing, but not really surprising and I can't say I was too disappointed considering how tired the players were.

Best news though is that I've locked down every key player in the team for next season, and managed to remove any sell on fees and minimum release clauses in the process. There's one player I'm not sure will be able to make the jump, but he's a fan favourite and he was my first signing with the club, so I gave him a pass because my heart won out over my head.

Oh, and of course, the star striker got injured again

[Noah]

You are probably cutting money from your physios to afford a desk for your closet sized office. For shame @Benji, luxuries like that are for football league clubs!

[Benji]

Nah, it's just that one guy. Pretty much everyone else who has been injured has only been injured once or twice for short term the entire time I've been there, he has been injured twice for around 2-3 months, and three times for a week or two.

[Benji]

Oh shit, winning the title allowed the board to double my wage budget. I guess those financial woes are a thing of the past >_>

[Arjen Robben]

That's unlike him.

[Benji]

Finished Season 2 (2017/18) with Kidderminster Harriers and got promoted at the top. Suffered a total of six losses in the season but still won by seven points after mixing up the formation (the flat 4-3-3 worked for the most part, but any team with pace and decent crossing just basically played a long ball past my defenders and had free shots on goal), which wound up the FM classic mixed 4-3-3/4-5-1 with flat back four, a DMC, 2 MC, 2 attacking wingers/inside forwards and a lone striker, and playing more of a control and possession game instead of the counter I had been largely using for flat 4-3-3. It was also nice as it allowed some fringe players and generally out of position players to get the playing time they probably deserved in positions more suited to them.

As I said before, my wage budget doubled upon promotion (a lot was taken up by promotion based incentives though), which allowed me to buy a better goalie, since the two I had were decent, but prone to some howlers (one in particular saw the goalie boot a perfectly safe ball at a full back, rebounding it back into the net through no error of the defender, probably the worst gaffe I have ever seen in FM), as well as improve our staff. Still struggling to find a Fitness Coach to replace the current one, but I can just let his contract roll until I find someone better.

Also lost my best midfielder as his loan has finished and I'm not sure they'll let me loan him again or sell him to me for the amount I want to pay, so going to have to really work to plug that gap, and whilst I bought someone in that's better than the other MC's, he's not as good as that guy. Going to have to get the loans in again to fill that void probably. Also running out of time on finding a new captain, as we have little leadership in the squad and the man currently doing a great job is 32 years old.

So yeah, goals for Season 3 (2018/19):

1. Get a new superstar centre midfielder
2. Get a fitness coach that's up to scratch
3. Find a new captain (if he can be said superstar centre mid, all the better)
4A. Get minimum of 50 points to beat relegation (that's only sixteen wins and two draws, totally do-able and could get us mid-table depending on how the league goes)
4B. Make a top half challenge, maybe even play offs based off of last season's cup run

And a lesser unofficial goal to lower the clubs debt for stability, but that's a long term goal and will not be done in a season. Also an even lesser goal to find a good defensive formation for the third slot that we can switch to when we need to shut up shop. I was thinking of trying out the classic Catenaccio, as I saw a sweeper/central defender who could suit our system.

[9 to 5]

1 hour ago, Benji said:

Also running out of time on finding a new captain, as we have little leadership in the squad and the man currently doing a great job is 32 years old.

[Benji]

2 minutes ago, 9 to 5 said:

Psh, you can't talk, you aren't captain of anything. @Stevie B and @Cymbols are our captains!

[Arjen Robben]

[TCO]

Jamaal Lascelles is unhappy at me not letting him sign for Swansea because it's a step up a division and they can help him achieve his aim to win trophies. I was there was a conversation option to say.

• We're 12 points clear of 2nd and 16 points of 3rd. You'll be playing in the Premier League in 7 months time
• They're 3 points outside of the relegation zone, they may not.
• We're in the semi-final of the EFL Cup, they're not.
• We're safely through to the 4th Round of the FA Cup and they got knocked out in the 3rd.
• You're club captain at 23.
• Shut your stupid mouth you moany bastard. 

 

[Just Joe]

Ah, disgruntled players. 

Cristian Riveros bitched and moaned about mine and the squad's lack of professionalism because Cattermole kept getting sent off (never). He was playing brilliantly and requested a move. Board told me I had to get rid, received bids from teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Dortmund, Bayern and Man Utd... 

So I sold the little shit to Panthanikos. 

[Arjen Robben]

I just cut them out of the squad completely until they decide they were being shits and don't want to leave. I had Coutinho moaning about wanting a move to PSG, and he was our best player but I still just dropped him for like the last four months of the season. Don't test me, fucko. 

[Rocky]

I've set up a game with FK Crvena Zvezda Beograd in Serbia. I always start off with them when I get a game going. I won the pre-set Friendly Cup by defeat Ajax in the final 2-1 and am about to start my Champions League run with the Group Stage qualifiers then the Season proper.

I'm thinking about trying EPL. Usually Chelsea But I'm thinking I might try get Nottingham Forest up. Or try an unemployed start.