Football Manager 2014

[Ribanjo Fuller]

The worst thing about FM, and it has been for years, is how world class regens become more and more common as time goes on. Everytime I've got 10-15 years into a save Real Madrid have a team full of players better than Ronaldo stats-wise.

I'm in January 2024 on my new save, left Stoke after 5 years (3 PL titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup), took the England job for 4 years (won Euro's, lost in QF of World Cup, which Australia went on to win ) sat out for a year then had a strange 9 months at Fiorentina. Now I'm at Dortmund building a ridiculous team of youngsters and watching David Moyes utterly destroy the Stoke side that have been dominant for almost a decade

EDIT: He's just given a 32 year old Phil Jones a new 5 year £180k a week contract, fuck off Dave.

[Rory Delap's Smirking Revenge]

I'm at a stage on this career where I'm struggling to enjoy it, but feel I can't leave through some ridiculous sense of loyalty. Been at Stoke for 8 seasons, in the year 2027. Started at CSKA Moscow, joined Real Madrid in 2018, and then moved to Stoke after Paulo Sergio was sacked for being in a relegation scrap, and I couldn't see them go down (Stoke had been a consistent top 8 team under Michael Bloody Appleton!)

Now I'm at a stage where we dominate all competitions, and it's no challenge. They've become an all powerful club, and I want to see them beat. May leave at the end of the season, but any recommended clubs?

[Deleted]

How the fuck do you get through seasons so quickly? The last one I played was 2012 and it'd take me fucking weeks to get through less than a year.

[Ribanjo Fuller]

Fucking hell, do you watch all 90 mins of each game or something? I can do a season in anything between 10-18 hours.

[Deleted]

On the fastest setting, which always seemed pointless as you can't see what's going wrong / right in a match. I think it's because I'd just be on it an hour / few hours here or there rather than big sessions.

[SamTheLost]

Using key highlights, a decent match speed and not getting very involved in the club you can do a season in half a day easily. I like to get involved in the club at a deep level though (I often take clubs with massive debt), so I normally take about 2-3 days to do a season.

[SuperRickyFuller]

I've been using the Extended highlights to try and see what's occurring with my tactic but when most of the goals I'm scoring, and conceding, are from set-pieces, first touch mistakes and garbage keeping, I have no idea anymore.

[Ribanjo Fuller]

Be better?

[SuperRickyFuller]

How'd you get on first season banj?

[Ribanjo Fuller]

Awwww I was hoping you'd take the bait and go off on one ;D

With Stoke? I finished 3rd, can't remember how I did in the cups but I didn't win either.

[SuperRickyFuller]

I know, I aren't that fucking dim ;D

Same here, got to the Quarter Final's in both cups, got knocked out by Chelsea and Reading (fucking Reading..). Managed to finish 2nd when the Beta was out though.

Anyone else found Chelsea to just walk it to the title as well? Happened in both saves.

[Ribanjo Fuller]

Yeah Chelsea are definitely the team to beat, Mourinho is still there 12 years in on my save too.

[SuperRickyFuller]

What tactics are you using?

I'm playing a 4-2-3-1 with wingers and 2 CM's as opposed to 2 DM's. Control and Rigid but I switch to Counter when I'm holding on for dear life.

GK - Defend - Distribute to defenders.
RB - Fullback/Support
CB - Central Defender/Defend
CB - Central Defender/Cover
LB - Fullback/Support
CM - Deep Laying Playmaker/Defend
CM - Ball Winning Midfielder/Support
AMR - Winger/Attack
AMC - Advanced Playmaker/Attack
AML - Winger/Attack
ST - Advanced Forward/Attack

Then playing at a lower tempo, retain possession, shorter passes, pass into space, drop deeper, clear to flanks, hassle opponents and float crosses.

At home it's really solid but away from home, games become proper score fests.

[Ribanjo Fuller]

I'm only just over halfway into my first season with Dortmund so I'm still messing about with this new one but it's basically direct passing, rigid, attacking, hassle opponents and play out of defence;

3 CB's - (middle one set to Cover)
RWB/LWB - Sit narrow and then run wide with ball, cross from deep
2 CM's - one as BBM playing short simple passes and the other a BWM(D) with no instructions
CAM - AP(A), roam from position, dribble more, shoot less
2 ST - One as a false 9 and the other a Poacher

It's working alright but I'm mainly using it because I got sick of the 5221 I made in the beta that's worked pretty much everywhere. Wing backs running wide and inside forwards flanking a poacher, simple but it always worked a treat.

[SuperRickyFuller]

I just wanted to create a tactic that was simple enough to maintain, play decent football whilst attempting to understand the ME.

Seem to have a little bit too much room between the midfield and defence though which is a pain. I can't make both CM's defend because that'll nacker going forward as you need one to do the defending then the other to support the attack.

I'm tempted to try 2 DM's, go with N'Zonzi and dos Santos (got him on loan again from Barca, he's brilliant) to see if it plugs that gap. Might change the AM to Support, letting him drop back into the CM part of the pitch.

Well, that's the logic behind it, depends on the ME letting me do it ;D

[SuperRickyFuller]

Scrap that, I've just given Southampton a 3-0 beating at home with Lewis Holtby running the show ;D

[SamTheLost]

Drop one of the CM's back (side depends on who's your best attacking fullback) as an anchorman, then change the fullback on the same side to a wingback. Should give you a solider defence while also having the wingback provide the extra man in attack.

Worked a peach on FM13, no idea if it'll work on 14 though. I haven't got players to really test it at the moment.

[SuperRickyFuller]

Cheers Sam, I'll give it a whirl and see what occurs.

Seen a lot of people on the SI Forums talk about direct, counter attacking football being rewarded too much so that's got me scratching my noodle..

[SamTheLost]

Also, someone really fucked up the budgeting.

I have £11k pw spare in wages.

However I can only offer a backup player £650 a week.

So someone's set the cap for each squad type to work out of your remaining budget. Rather than the total.

I've found this out in 13 hours of gameplay. What the fuck do the play testers do?

[Chairman Meow]

Just qualified for Champions League in my second season.

The transfer budget given to me?

£8m

Bloody joke! Fucking stupid board. Stoke have also been labelled as 'rich'.

I've requested more money but they continue to be right wankers.