|
Affi posted:This is interesting. Can we do this? I don't think I can make myself part owner, unfortunately. I'm not going to do it at the moment, but I can fiddle with FMRTE to see if it's doable. Also, you'd need to give me a lot more than 20% ownership in lieu of a salary. A girl's gotta eat even if I've set up a cot in my office. eta: Uploading video doesn't take that long and isn't appreciably harder than getting the match analysis stats. I've added highlight videos for the last update. Oh, and update and vote on the last page for anyone who accidentially skipped past it. habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Aug 11, 2018 |
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 16:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 22:57 |
|
|
Voting B, B. Also it seems my team has adapted too well to League One and we're now 2 points back from automatic promotion with 4 to play. How bad of an idea would it be to hit the brakes and consolidate for next year to ensure I go into the Championship more prepared?
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 16:35
|
|
|
Dreamsicle posted:Voting B, B. A bad one. Championship gives you SO much more money to play with, and so long as you don't get immediately relegated is a much better place to consolidate than League One.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 16:46
|
|
|
C, B You can't quit no matter how badly we paid you because doing San Marino is the whole gimmick of the LP 
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 16:58
|
|
|
Dreamsicle posted:Voting B, B. Yeah, building on what Coach said, you won't be any more prepared for the Championship next year than you are now. Because that requires lots of money, which isn't available to you in League One. Get promoted and then focus on surviving in the Championship next year--don't be afraid to take a couple loaners if you need, so long as they're not blocking good young players from playing time--and after you're established is when you can really build a strong squad. e: Plus if you fall just short of promotion this year, next year the board expectation may well be Win The League and it will be distressingly easy for a couple of ill-timed injuries to get you shitcanned.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 18:04
|
|
|
B) You deserve a raise, but so do our youth buildings A) Good with the way things are
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 18:49
|
|
+ 
= 
|
The jump from League 1 to Championship is much more significant in terms of money and reputation than it is in terms of quality, so you want to get there ASAP. It's only when you're looking at the EPL that you might want to delay promotion until you're 100% ready.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 19:27
|
|
|
BB
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 19:36
|
|
|
The issue with the Chanpionship isn't necessarily that the general gulf in talent between it and League 1 is so great, the issue is that roughly 5 or so of the teams in it are recent Premier League teams. See, teams that get relegated from the Premier League usually have much bigger wage and transfer budgets because of the amount of money you earn from TV rights. You don't earn TV money if you get relegated. To counter this, the teams who have recently been relegated get a sum of money that's not as good as Premier League money, but definitely better than Championship money, to help wean them off the tits of the stupid money you make. These are called parachute payments. In theory it's a nice gesture because fundamentally teams would basically have to firesale their team and destroy their club, but l it really does is ensure that some teams usually bounce right back up the next year. E: the traditional approach to the Premier League when doing an LLM run is a four year plan of Survive, Consolidate, Challenge, Title. If you're good enough at finding talents and tactics you can usually go Consolidate, Title. Sky Shadowing fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Aug 11, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 20:42
|
|
|
B, Abstain.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 21:03
|
|
|
Sky Shadowing posted:E: the traditional approach to the Premier League when doing an LLM run is a four year plan of Survive, Consolidate, Challenge, Title. If you're good enough at finding talents and tactics you can usually go Consolidate, Title. By way of comparison, Wrexham finished 7th in my first season, 4th in my second season (7 points back of title winning Manchester United, and we won the FA Cup), 2nd in my third season (same point total as year two and 10 points back of the winner, so a downgrade except that we made it to the Champions League quarterfinals), and finally 1st in year four (to go with a Champions League title).
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 21:10
|
|
|
Apropos of nothing but my new gimmick (and this time I’m Instant Resulting all but the most important matches to keep things moving along, though I do enjoy playing out the matches there’s only so much time in my life) is never signing a contract extension. I started unemployed and at each gig I just manage for the 2 or 3 years they inititally signed me for and then move on, and sometimes just stay unemployed for a while until the right job comes up (I’ll interview and then if it turns out a club’s board places max importance on High Profile Signings or Play Possession Football or such that I don’t want to do, then I ain’t working for them.) I started at Accrington, did two years there and got them promoted to L1, then jumped to Scunthorpe where I got them promoted to the Championship my first year, luckboxed a Carabao Cup win my second year and then left. Sat out a year then went to FC Porto where I finished 2nd in what is basically a 3 team league but also won the Europa League, now getting ready for my second and final year there. Actually thinking I might seek out a job with some random League 2 team next just for kicks. It’s kind of a fun challenge never being around long enough for your players to get to really trusting you and constantly dealing with unhappy players every time you switch jobs. But man, getting the coaching and scouting all set up at each new job takes up enormous amounts of playtime, it’s amazing the appalling mess the AI makes of it even at rich clubs.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 21:50
|
|
|
B, B
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 22:37
|
|
|
In multiverse news... I win, fucker. E: The dude basically bossed England before my 3rd season in the Premier League and since then I've been basically won everything... except matches against him, so much (never win at Old Trafford, but did win at Wembley 2x this year in the Community Shield and League Cup). 2E: I mean in the in-game Hall of Fame Mourinho is categorized as the greatest head coach of all time, beating out Sir Alex (though Sir Alex holds the English hall of fame from him). And he loving won so much poo poo before. And he's a club legend. I mean in-game there's probably noone better so... 
Sky Shadowing fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Aug 12, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 03:43
|
|
|
lol Hasenhüttl at Real, Babbel employed at all
|
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 12:51
|
|
|
frankenfreak posted:lol Hasenhüttl at Real, Babbel employed at all Hasenhüttl isn't at Real any more, guess who Man U just hired as their new manager?
|
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 13:01
|
|
|
Markus babbel?
|
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 18:17
|
|
|
I'm going with Soccer Luminary Stephen Pressley.
|
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 21:53
|
|
|
Chapter the Sixth: Frustrations Galore. November 28, 2019-January 1, 2020 The board, in its farsighted wisdom, have agreed to extend my contract at €2,500/wk, with a 30% promotion raise, through 2022, and to also improve our youth recruiting. I've also decided to include some video when the game gives me the option, and get rid of the shot map.      Though it does take some begging on my behalf to get the board to put pen to paper on the deal.  I could have asked for a lot of things instead of a much larger contract, but the ingame board shut down requests like “build me a new training facility” because we're in the red. It took some effort to get the board to accept my request to improve recruiting.  No need to change our previously agreed upon goals. I don't need any more money and I don't want to be judged on how I do my job.    : Glad to have you back. : Glad to have you off my back. The crowd goes mild. And if anything, are slightly disappointed with giving me a three year deal. What the heck, guys?  I'm pleased to be back, as Rarity pointed out when voting that I shouldn't get a raise the gimmick of this LP is the San Marino Challenge and I don't have much option if the board tells me to pound sand.  Minelli comes back from his injury, but won't be starting against Vicenza tomorrow.  I bring in another thirty-something free agent on trial, but I doubt I'll sign this one since I want to ensure I have money at the end of December to extend our best young players.  Speaking of our thirty-something, it turns out that we could immediately register Schiattarella for Serie C. He's got excellent mental stats, his technical stats are solid, and he hasn't lost too much of a step physically. Pasquale is only signed until the end of the season, and gives us additional depth and quality in our already deep and high quality midfield. I signed him primarily so that we can weather Enrici and Pazzi both being sold off by our untrustworthy leadership. He'll also make a good tutor for someone. vs Vicenza Serie C/B November 30, 2019  Vicenza are in a rut, losing their last three in a row. We drew both times we met last season, though, and we're also not 100% fresh having just played Arezzo three days ago. As I mentioned, I was able to register Schiattarella despite the game telling me he'd join us in January, so he's joining the bench as he doesn't have the fitness to play much of a role other than super-sub. He's also not yet blended into the squad. Minelli makes his way back onto the bench as well, he's available for about one half of play according to the medical staff. Formation: 3-5-2 Wingback Counter Starting 11: Melgrati; Punzi, Prestia, Vogliacco; Carissoni, Morotti, Conti (c), Ranelli, Enrici, Belkheir, Stecca. Substitutes: Cataldi, Quaranta, Vanzetta, Iotti, Caldore, Ghiotto, Colonna, Schiattarella, Pazzi, Matera, Manara, Minelli. The rain is pouring down when play begins. It slows the match considerably, and our best chance all day comes when Conti sends a corner out to the far post, which Belkheir smartly heads down to Enrici at the top of the box. Enrici's drive pongs off the crossbar, and close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades. It's the only promising shot all day,, as Vicenza are looking better than us throughout but playing very defensively. I bring on Minelli in the 59th minute, and push the lads to attack, as we've only had four shots all day. We end up with seven, and only two on target. It's a boring draw, where we looked listless and uninspired. The match is so dull I don't even have the option of sharing a highlight video. Player of the Match: Davide Bianchi   San Marino 0-0 Vicenza   You said it Signore Lizzio. We were uninspiring.  Uninspiring beats dreadful, though, as we take the top spot in the league because Ascoli lost to relegation bait Ponsacco!   Manara is going to get himself some additional playing time if Stecca can't turn things around.  (THE COACH approaches PESTRIN from behind as PESTRIN surveys the OFFICES on his FIRST DAY)  : Welcome back, Manolo! : … : Uh. I said welcome back, Manolo.: …(THE COACH grabs PESTRIN by the SHOULDER)  : HEY, WELCOME BACK!(PESTRIN turns and removes his EARBUDS) : Oh, hey Coach. You don't need to shout. That determination will keep him from being a terrible coach, but hopefully he can improve that motivating stat!  And that's why you accrue depth. Poor Carissoni.  Enrici gets over my refusal to let him go just a few short weeks before teams will be trying to turn his head again during the winter window.  Let me see if I can sign him to a new deal while he's in this window of not being mad at me.  He's good, and would be cheap, but I need to hand out new contracts at the end of the month to a bunch of our U20 squad and also try to sign Enrici to a new deal.  Huh, for almost a cool million and half of any future transfer fee I might actually make that deal. vs Bassano Virtus 55 Soccer Team Serie C/B December 8, 2019  Bassano sacked their manager last week, they've been awful compared to last season's promotion challenging club, so let's give the caretaker a warm welcome. Formation: 4-4-2 Attack Starting 11: Cataldi; Vanzetta, Punzi, Vogliacco, Quaranta; Colonna, Conti (c), Enrici, Morotti; Stecca, Minelli. Substitutes: Melgrati, Caldore, Iotti, Prestia, Ghiotto, Matera, Schiattarella, Pazzi, Tesoro, Ranelli, Belkheir, Manara. Eduardo Vergani is doing everything but finishing for Bassano, he breaks cleanly away twice in the first ten minutes and would have scored on both if he hadn't hit the ball straight at Cataldi. Minelli shows the crowd how it's done by running onto a killer ball from Stecca for first blood. Vergani learns from that, and knots things up at one-all not long after. It doesn't help that Punzi and Vogliacco have both picked up very early yellow cards, making it harder to defend with authority as they're at risk for being sent off. I pull both of them at halftime, they've been completely at a loss in dealing with Vergani. Stecca earns a free kick from only 20 meters out shortly into the second half, and Enrici proceeds to find Minelli in the six yard box on the ensuing kick to put us back atop a surprisingly spry Bassano. The Bassano keeper has to go off in the 66th minute due to further aggravating a pre-existing hand injury, forcing them to bring on their backup. Not ten minutes later we salt things away with a well taken Stecca effort after excellent team vision and passing and I use my remaining substitutions to pull off Enrici, Conti, and Stecca to give them as much rest as possible. That's a mistake, as Bassano storm back with two goals in the final ten minutes to earn a deeply frustrating draw. Player of the Match: Federico “Feddy Wap” Minelli   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9e3ZnB4BEk San Marino 3-3 Bassano   I thought so too, Signore Assirelli. I thought so too.  Can you blame me? We just dropped points to a team playing so poorly they sacked their manager a week ago!  We're giving up a brutal number of late goals, six in the last fifteen minutes and stoppage time over this season. It's cost us six points so far, with Ascoli, Viterbese, and now Bassano pulling out draws despite being outplayed for most of the match. That would put us at 40 points through half the season, and with our closest competition at 33. I might need to start changing our late game tactics to something far more defensive, rather than expecting our players to smother the game via possession and lower tempo play. Stadio Olimpico Offices December 9, 2019 (PASQUALE SCHIATARELLA, ALESSANDRO CONTI, STEFANO MOROTTI, and GIUSEPPE PRESTIA sit on one set of chairs outside of THE COACH'S OFFICE, while JONATHAN BUONAGRAZIA, DIEGO DE MEO, DANILO QUARANTA, and LORENZO CARISSONI sit across from them)  : Did Coach tell you why she wanted all of us here? : No, but I'm sure she's got a good reason. : Bah, I've got rehab to get to, and I can't sit comfortably with this supportive girdle.(The PERSONAL ASSISTANT steps into the hallway from THE COACHES OFFICE, and motions towards SCHIATARELLA)  : Signore Schiatarella? Allenatrice will see you now.     : Ok, my first lesson for you, young Jonathan, is to always bring your own wine to away matches. You can't trust the bartenders to not spike your drink. Especially in Turin, they're famous for it.: Signore Morotti?     : I'll see you tomorrow, Stefano. It's time for me to relax! : Si, no need to get started right away.: Alessandro, good to see you, come right this way.    : Bah, I can see where this is going.: Giu-: Yeah, yeah, I get the picture.     (From inside the office THE COACH can be heard) : What was that all about?!: I believe Giuseppe may have just broken up with Lorenzo's sister.: How was I supposed to know that?: If you would only hang around the water cooler more often, Allenatrice... : Ok, go find Ghiotto.    I finally got around to setting up some tutoring links. A tutor needs to either be 24 or older, or the captain. Tutored players have to have lower influence than their tutors, and it works best when you match players who have similar personalities and are already in the same social group. The tutored player will then see improvements in their mental stats where the tutor is better, but can also see declines as they pick up bad habits like decreased determination if their tutor has worse stats than them. If all goes well the players are thick as thieves with improved rapport on the pitch, and in six months you get a note saying that the tutored player has gotten a lot out of the arrangement. Sometimes it doesn't go well and the two players end up hating each other and there's no improvement.  Fingers crossed that Pescara want to send Minelli out on loan again next season.  10 fans? For a match against Ascoli? Did we forget to let people know there's a game on? vs Ascoli Picchio Serie C Cup, Third Round December 11, 2019  Ascoli aren't making much of an effort in the Serie C Cup, only three of their regulars is starting. Meanwhile we're running out a full squad, even though many of them are tired. I want a trophy, even if it's a trophy no one else cares about. Formation: 3-5-2 Flat Control Starting 11: Melgrati; Punzi, Prestia, Iotti; Vanzetta, Matera, Conti (c), Enrici, Morotti, Manara, Minelli. Substitutes: Cataldi, Quaranta, Caldore, Vogliacco, Ghiotto, Pazzi, Schiattarella, Tesoro, Ranelli, Colonna, Belkheir, Stecca. Prestia picks up a yellow card less than a minute in, tripping the Ascoli striker on a goal kick. It's a stupid and unnecessary trip, but it was no cause for a caution. We strike first, though, when Minelli breaks into the penalty area and passes up a narrow shot to instead put the ball on a platter for Vanzetta, who's playing as a defensive minded winger. Ascoli strike back quickly, equalizing when Melgrati gets beat at the near post. The see-saw battle continues when Matera plays a ball to Morotti, who then places the ball just inside the far post and well away from the pesky keeper. The ref has it out for us, though, taking the names of Morotti, Enrici, Prestia, and Vanzetta all before a half hour has passed. We've committed six fouls, and earned four cards for our trouble. That doesn't stop our offense, we pile on two more before the whistle blows on the opening act, one from Minelli and one from Manara. I make changes to our playing style, pushing our wingers back into wingback positions and dropping us deeper, and I'm able to bring on fresh legs to replace most of our yellow carded players. Marco Caldore still gets shown a yellow within minutes of being brought on, as we've committed eight total fouls and been carded five times. We win easily, and thankfully no one sees a second yellow. Player of the Match: Antonio Matera   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cw_BjrO4cA San Marino 4-1 Ascoli   Beats the heck out of the Bassano match, let me tell you.  If we're lucky we get drawn at home against Siracusa or Bassano. If we're unlucky we visit Avellino.  Not much suspense to the draw, this ended up being the first matchup drawn. Pisa are a good team, and we're playing them in two days on their turf. We can beat them, but it's not going to be a cakewalk.  Lump it to the fast lads on the wings who can put in a cross!  Take a long walk off a short pier, Nicola. at Pisa Serie C/B December 15, 2019  As I just said, we can beat Pisa, but it's not going to be a cakewalk. They're three points back of us and four off of Ascoli's pace. But man what I would give to get 6,234 fans to walk through our stadium's gates. One reason we're poor is because so few people come to our games! Starting 11: Melgrati; Punzi, Prestia, Vogliacco; Vanzetta, Morotti; Conti (c), Matera, Enrici; Stecca, Minelli. Substitutes: Cataldi, Quaranta, Caldore, Iotti, Ghiotto, Pazzi, Schiattarella, Tesoro, Ranelli, Colonna, Belkheir, Manara. Stecca earns a yellow for tripping the defender who nicked the ball from him, and I'm wondering if we have the same ref from the Cup match. Pisa put the ball into the net from a set piece for the first time in what seems like forever, but the goal is called back thanks to no fewer than three Pisanos being offside at the time of the kick. Pisa have something close to 65% possession, but can't break us down. Mewanwhile, our counter attacks all come to naught. Something is going to give, and I don't know which way things will fall when we reach the final whistle. It turns out we're the ones who topple, thanks to yet another late game goal. It's our second loss of the season, but as Ascoli drew with Latina we remain in second and just two points back. Player of the Match: Ignacio Battista   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXReu9UtO8A Pisa 1-0 San Marino   I generally agree with you, Signora Cruciani, but we were not at our best today and the possession numbers are indicative of that.  Colonna has been excellent for us, I'm not surprised that our coaches think he could end up a Serie A player. If he can develop even moderate defensive skills he's going to be a fantastic wingback. vs FeralpiSalo Serie C/B December 21, 2019  FeralpiSalo are exactly what they were last season, a mid-table Serie C squad. Meanwhile, we're vastly better. We need a bounceback win here, and make sure we don't slip down the table. Formation: 4-4-2 Attack Starting 11: Melgrati; Vanzetta, Punzi, Prestia, Quaranta; Colonna, Conti (c), Schiattarella, Morotti, Stecca, Minelli. Substitutes: Cataldi, Caldore, Iotti, Vogliacco, Ghiotto, Ranelli, Tesoro, Matera, Pazzi, Enrici, Belkheir, Manara. Either the refs have it out for me, or they're trying to tell me to stop always using the “get stuck in” instruction, as Vanzetta picks up a card in the first minute. We score first, as per usual, and once again it's the Stecca/Minelli show. I warn the players against complacency, but they spurn my wisdom and allow only our second goal from a set piece this season just three minutes after play restarts. We go on to lose via an 85th minute goal, and I'm now thoroughly enraged by our inability to prevent late goals. Player of the Match: Guido Turano   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJqa9S2BLuE San Marino 1-2 FeralpiSalo   We've lost two matches in a row after having lost only one of our first seventeen. We're five points back of Ascoli.  This is unacceptable. It's time to sit the squad down and explain how things are supposed to work.     Get your heads on straight, lads. We're days from starting our three week midseason break and I do not want to drop points to flippin' Unione Sanremo.  I'm guessing that Captain Foo and company are pretty broke. Even Luca Mancini could scrounge €50,000 more from underneath the couch cushions. But I'm glad they found some money because...      It's time to sign some contracts! All these kids were entering the last six months of their current deals, meaning that someone could swoop in and sign them starting January 1st. All are earning the minimum wage, except for Marco Vannucci. at Unione Sanremo Serie C/B December 29, 2019  There's nothing to be said. We need to win this match if we want to win the title. It's almost a month before we play again, absent potential friendlies, and I want to end the year strong. Formation: 4-4-2 Attack Starting 11: Cataldi; Vanzetta, Punzi, Vogliacco, Quaranta; Colonna, Conti (c), Pazzi, Morotti; Stecca, Minelli. Substitutes: Melgrati, Caldore, Ghiotto, Prestia, Iotti, Tesoro, Matera, Schiattarella, Enrici, Ranelli, Belkheir, Manara. Salvatore Colonna is a star in the making, finding net on a rebound from a Minelli effort. We continue to be vulnerable to almost any counter attack, but in the 10th minute Conti scores on a deflected ball to put ourselves up two. Sanremo are gifted one back by a ref when they score from an offside position, but they're struggling mightily. We appear to regain a two goal advantage as the heavens open up and rain begins to fall, but see our goal called back for offside. It's bullroar, while Morotti was offside the least the ref could do is give us a make-up call. The final score still sees us win by two goals, though, as for once we don't collapse at the end and instead get insurance from a stoppage time corner. Player of the Match: Salvatore Colonna   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzLS1Kmk-QA Unione Sanremo 1-3 San Marino   Colonna was a quality signing. I didn't expect him to be this good, this early, and we were able to sign him for free.  And Enrici is now signed to a new contract after marathon negotiations, which should stop him from moping about. We've got a two year team option on Enrici atop the extention, so he's locked in for the long term. At least until he gets sold for well less than his actual value in the coming transfer window.  You'd expect folks to be more excited about this coup!  We were due for a loss, and not being able to beat Pisa on their own turf is no shame. But that second defeat, at home and to a mediocre team like FeralpiSalo, hurts. Something's wrong with us when the end of the match arrives, and its causing heartburn for both myself and the fans. 
habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Aug 13, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 22:10
|
|
|
I meant to say something about this before but it seems like Stecca must have some lousy hidden stats. What do his scouting reports say about consistency/temperament/ambition/etc. for him?
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 03:32
|
|
|
Eric the Mauve posted:I meant to say something about this before but it seems like Stecca must have some lousy hidden stats. What do his scouting reports say about consistency/temperament/ambition/etc. for him? According to all the coaches he's got pretty normal ambition, and one of his strengths is his consistency! I might not be using him perfectly, he's best as an advanced forward but he's been used mainly in a poachers duty to work alongside Minelli as the AF. He's also not great at teamwork, but he's leading the team in assists. habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Aug 13, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 13:04
|
|
|
see, i can be reasonable!!
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 14:20
|
|
|
Do we have a mid-season update on average performances?
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 00:47
|
|
|
I've played through the next update, but I'll include those screens as of February 16th.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 00:53
|
|
|
I haven't watched football since 2014. I don't even care about it. But somehow, I can't stop reading this thread. It's inspired me to late night Wikipedia jaunts reading about Europe's professional league structures and all of the weird controversies. I'm American, dammit. What are you people doing to me?!
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 01:06
|
|
|
You people? I'm a red blooded American! There's nothing more American than going into something that we know nothing about, and proving that we're still better than the rest of the world!
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 01:08
|
|
|
habeasdorkus posted:You people? I'm a red blooded American! There's nothing more American than going into something that we know nothing about, and proving that we're still better than the rest of the world! that's why i'm the president of this drat team lol
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 02:11
|
|
|
Captain Foo posted:that's why i'm the president of this drat team lol Foo out
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 04:07
|
|
|
Campaign time, hi, I'm Sky Shadowing, I am also American but I've played Football Manager since 2011 and know how to roll with this pitch! The secret sauce to unlimited Football Manager power is South American regens. Also sometimes Eastern European regens.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 04:49
|
|
|
stab posted:Foo out stab out with the garbage
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 18:46
|
|
|
Chapter the Seventh: A Quiet Window. January 1, 2020- February 20, 2020 Happy new year, everyone. I'm going to be spending the next month making sure we're ready for the home stretch, and also for next season. That means some activity in the transfer window.  It also means we might see Captain Foo and company trying to sell players to reduce our debt load.  Thanks, Dancer. That's real nice of you.  First things first, though. Kylian Mbappe has succeeded Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world, blowing past his teammate Neymar. Alisson wins best keeper, which would bode well for my Liverpool Reds if they'd signed him away from Roma.   We're also reaching the point where players can line up their next contracts. I don't see any need to extend any of our senior team yet, and I've already extended the U20 players that I deemed worthwhile.  More importantly, there's a number of players on my shortlist who we could sign to pre-contracts, so that will be my second action as the transfer window nears.  My first action is to bring in some money via friendlies, as both Serie B and the German Bundesliga are on winter break. Cesena and Genoa are happy to visit.  Bayern, not so much. You'll rue the day you refused to come earn me some money, Bayern!  None of the other major German teams want to spend their break coming to us, so in the end we're going to be facing entirely Serie B clubs.  I had originally intended to sign Kwame when his contract with Olympic Charleroi was up at the end of the season, but it turned out to be €16,000 cheaper to just do a transfer now.  The young Ghanaian is already an accomplished defense first fullback, but with training he'll be able to get forward and cause some havoc as a wingback. His “Driven” personality and Determination of 18 makes it very likely that he'll max out his potential given enough playing time, and if he improves his Leadership stat he could very well become our captain at some point.  Vanzetta's contract with Chievo is also up in June, and I attempt to grab him on a pre-contract as well. He's not interested, which is annoying given that he's now spent the past three seasons with us.  My scouts turn up Guennoui, the rare prospect who would be “extremely interested” in joining us, but he tore his achilles and won't be fit until the spring at earliest.  Fingers crossed that we don't lose anyone important.   The very first thing I do with the window open is lock in Minelli and Stecca for another year. Ideally we'll be in Serie B next year and they'll get even more opportunity to develop.  What is wrong with you, Signore Regoli? Do you even watch any of our games?  Manchester United loan-listed Jean-Luc Adam, but then won't let him come on loan with us. Between this and Bayern tossing off our interest at a friendly I've got some fuel for future grudges.  Bologna wastes no time making a lowball offer for Pazzi.  : Quelle surprise.  : Fine, send Pazzi in.   I expect to hear about this in the local press no later than a week from now.  Enrici got hurt while Perugia were thumping us 4-0. At least we don't have any competitive matches until the 18th.  We reverted to form against Cesena this time around, and were lucky to draw. I'd be worried if we weren't using mostly substitutes and U20s and focusing on staying fit over the three week break in league play.  I brought Bovy in from his tiny club in the Netherlands on a four week trial at about the same time as Kwame. Now he's refusing to talk about a contract with us.  Instead, all I've done is get a whole bunch of bigger clubs interested in the 19 year old striker.  Get thee back to thy sunken home, Bovy, and ne'er darken my door again!  Like clockwork, Pazzi whines to reporters about how mean I am for not letting him sign with Bologna.  I issue the standard denunciations. vs Alto Adige Serie C/B January 18, 2020  Alto Adige have been a tough out for us. In our four matches across the last two seasons we've lost twice, drawn once, and won once. They're in 10th right now, but the middle of the table is so packed that they could jump up as far as sixth if they beat us. Formation: 3-5-2 Wingback Standard Starting 11: Melgrati; Punzi, Prestia, Vogliacco; Vanzetta, Morotti; Conti, Matera, Enrici; Stecca, Minelli. Substitutes: Cataldi, Kwame, Carissoni, Quaranta, Iotti, Ranelli, Schiattarella, Tesoro, Pazzi, Colonna, Belkheir, Manara. We've got 57% possession, but don't get a shot off until the 30th minute. It's not like Alto Adige are doing much either, they have two shots with neither on target in that same span. By the time the first half is mercifully blown dead we've been offside as much as we've been able to take a shot. The lads can't get anything going offensively, our passes are regularly to the opponent and Minelli has been offside at least four times this match. So it's no surprise to me when give up a 74th minute goal due to a mental error on the part of our back line. We meekly submit, not even threatening to grab an equalizer. Player of the Match: Giuseppe Prestia   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmmxuZbdj5M San Marino 0-1 Alto Adige   What makes it worse is that we were at home. Perhaps I should have come out more aggressive, but I'm not sure that would have helped any.  Other than the single offer from Bologna, no one has tried to horn in on the talent pool I've developed. If we can get through another week we'll escape unscathed.   Pazzi, they haven't even made a renewed offer for you. All you're doing is pissing me off. at Padova Serie C/B January 26, 2020  I'm glad we're on the road, because we've been awful before the Sammarinese crowd. We've won one of our last six at home. I was hoping the win against Sanremo and the time off after the new year would shake us from our malaise, but clearly that hasn't happened. Formation: 3-5-2 Wingback Counter Starting 11: Melgrati; Punzi, Prestia, Iotti; Vanzetta, Quaranta; Conti (c), Schiatarella, Matera, Stecca, Minelli. Substitutes: Cataldi, Kwame, Carissoni, Morotti, Vogliacco, Ranelli, Enrici, Tesoro, Pazzi, Colonna, Belkheir, Manara. Punzi saves our blushes just seconds into the match by stripping the ball from the Padovan striker just before a shot. It's all Padova early. It doesn't help that a soft penalty is given in the 10th minute, which Padova easily converts. I move Conti up the pitch in the second half, we're not getting Stecca or Minelli enough support and they're not breaking through Padova's defensive line. We look a little better with that change, but none of our defenders mark the far post on a 54th minute cross that results in us falling behind by two. Padova are doing an amazing job keeping both Minelli and Stecca from breaking free, catching them from behind and putting in a perfect tackle on more than one occasion. We scratch one back when substitute Manara five-holes the keeper after being sprung by Minelli... and then our best opportunity to draw level goes begging when Matera fails to hit a wide open shot with enough authority to prevent the keeper from getting to it. Vanzetta ends our comeback attempt in the 89th minute when he's sent off for his second yellow, minutes after he misplayed a breakaway and let a pass from Pazzi right to his feet go into touch. Padova caps things off with a third goal, yet again because our centerbacks usher the Padovan Cabezas into perfect position at the far post. We've lost four of our last five league games and the division title is slipping rapidly beyond our of reach. Player of the Match: Bryan Cabezas   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApHleLLGc8E Padova 3-1 San Marino   The worst part about this loss is that it was a lot closer than the scoreline indicated. Padova scored three goals on five chances, and one of those clear cut chances was the penalty. Meanwhile, we created the same number of chances and could only convert one of them. Our players have lost their edge, and it's going to cause us all types of trouble.  Vanzetta was sent off at the very end of the match for a second yellow. I'll have to watch him, I don't want him to start making this a regular occurrence.  It's been a drab window. We extended Minelli and Stecca's loans, but only added one player in Kwame and I didn't have to run around with my hair on fire at any point because a key player was sold without my assent.  Hahaha, poor Manchester United. Denied twice, while their rivals Liverpool get their man. Bite me, Mourinho.  Latina are going to be tough, especially with how pathetic we've been the last two months, but we should be able to beat Imolese. Sambenedettese will be a tossup, winning there could signal us getting back to our early season form. Pisa, I have no idea about. We'll win in a walk if the Pisans run out a youth and backup squad, and we'll have a tough fight to advance if they play their regulars.  I'm still untouchable despite recent struggles. That's surprising, as I'm disappointed in this team and my recent lack of success. It's time to yell at the players.   : SHAME. : SHAME. : SHAME. : SHAME.  I'm not sure about that first headline, we've lost four of our last five and only won one of our last seven league matches. That doesn't scream “good times” to me.  On the bright side the players love me even more now, and we've got a bonafide Team Leader in Alessandro Conti.  Our cohesion has taken a hit in the last month, though, which is part and parcel of our poor results. at Latina Calcio 1932 Serie C/B February 2, 2020  I'm making some changes, and going with what might be a suicidal attacking strategy. But I have to do something because the league has clearly cottoned onto our counter-attacking style. Formation: 4-4-2 Attack Starting 11: Cataldi, Kwame, Punzi, Prestia, Quaranta, Colonna, Conti (c), Enrici, Morotti, Manara, Minelli. Substitutes: Melgrati, Carissoni, Vogliacco, Iotti, Schiattarella, Ranelli, Matera, Tesoro, Pazzi, De Deo, Belkheir, Stecca. We jump all over Latina in the first two minutes. Quaranta narrowly misses net, we keep the pressure up, and Morotti follows with a header just over the bar. For all that effort we see no joy. Things slow down after the frenetic start. We've been the better side by a bare margin in the first half, but no goals for anyone and no shots on goal for us. Stecca goes off the post in the 55th minute as we keep knocking on the door but just won't invite ourselves in. Cesena loanee Alessandro Carnicelli then breaks my heart with a great free kick goal in the 68th minute, and we're sinking without a trace. It's a sign of how bad things are that Minelli is able to sneak himself into position to take a wide open shot... and can only shank it high and wide. He's still Feddy Wap, though, and makes up for that in the 83rd minute with a perfectly on target shot to salvage the draw. Player of the Match: Alessandro Carnicelli   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAAsF68Fc8g Latina 1-1 San Marino   At least we were the ones with the late goal this time around. Thank goodness for Federico Minelli.  : What is it now, Vincenzo?    You are this close to being sent to the U20 squad, young man.  : What happened?! : Sorry, Allenatrice, I just wanted to get strong so that I could carry the team on my shoulders through this difficult time.: Oh, my sweet, silly bambino. I better win this anniversary match. Even without Minelli we should have more than enough firepower. vs Imolese Calcio 1919 Serie C/B February 8, 2020  If we can't beat lowly Imolese, I'd fire myself. Formation: 4-4-2 Attack Starting 11: Cataldi; Vanzetta, Punzi, Prestia, Kwame; Colonna, Conti (c), Enrici, Morotti, Manara, Stecca. Substitutes: Melgrati, Carissoni, Iotti, Vogliacco, Quaranta, Ranelli, Matera, Tesoro, Pazzi, Schiattarella, Belkheir, De Meo. We trade missed chances at the start of the match, theirs on a breakaway and ours when Manara can't sneak it inside the near post. We're dominating possession and shots as expected, but with Imolese playing 10 men behind the ball we can't crack the defense. The few open looks we get we scorn, until Enrici finally finds the back of the net with five minutes left before the half. The goal was a long time coming, and deserved. The second half sees our visitors fall apart, with Stecca adding a second thanks to Salvatore Colonna's excellent pass, and barring another collapse we're finally on the cusp of a win. Imolese make things worse for themselves by committing a penalty in the 64th minute, which Conti icily converts, and between the three goal lead and the fact that Imolese can't convert their chances to save their lives, we finally take a win, capped by Sammy Stecca's second goal of the match. It's an excellent day right up until the final moment when Stecca gets trampled and ends up having to be helped off the field after the whistle blows. Player of the Match: Alessandro Conti   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apljBc2xSps San Marino 4-0 Imolese   We got the display that we needed from our Capitano.  Arrrgh. You've got to be kidding me. Stecca gets unstuck finally and then goes right on the shelf? Well, Manara and Belkheir sure have a chance to impress me.  What could his problem possibly be?   : Send Pasquale in.(THE COACH cracks her knuckles WITH MENACE) : Si, Signora!   You jerk. You've been with the team for all of three months, have played in seven of the twelve competitive matches in that time, and have the unmitigated gall to complain about your playing time? You are not getting a new contract from this club, mister.  Fingers crossed, we're getting deep enough into the competition that teams might take it more seriously than they have been. at Pisa Serie C Cup, Quarterfinal February 12, 2020  We're lucky. Pisa is taking this as lightly as Ascoli did, while we'll play mostly regulars and hopefully walk away with a trip to the semifinal. Really doesn't help that both Stecca and Minelli are injured. We've also got five players in our lineup sitting on yellow cards, if they get carded again they'd miss the semifinal. I'd rather that than have them miss the final, though. Formation: 3-5-2 Wingback Counter Starting 11: Cataldi; Prestia, Vogliacco, Iotti; Vanzetta, Quaranta; Conti (c), Schiatarella, Matera; Manara, Belkheir. Substitutes: Melgrati, Carissoni, Kwame, Punzi, Morotti, Ranelli, Tesoro, Enrici, Colonna, Pazzi, De Meo, Celli. Every single one of Pisa's attacks in the first 20 minutes are building down the flanks, they've spent zero time contesting the middle of the pitch. Meanwhile, we steam forward only for Belkheir to see the ball knicked from his feet at the edge of the box. It rolls right to Manara, and the Cesena youth product doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth. One-nil, Titani. Twenty minutes later Vanzetta launches a diagonal cross to the six yard box that apparently flat foots the Pisan keeper, because he can't get to it before Belkheir does. Our defense stays alert after we've gained the two goal lead, snuffing out crosses to the far post. Danilo Quaranta has been especially good, getting back to fulfill his duties despite playing so much of the match up the pitch. The best chance Pisa has all night is in the 89th minute, and even then it's from long distance and Cataldi is able to get over and slap it away. Other than Vanzetta earning a yellow that will see him suspended for the semifinal it's a delightful outcome. Player of the Match: Danilo Quaranta   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgFmTKP3OCo Pisa 0-2 San Marino   Our backup strikers were more than enough to handle Pisa. Maybe they'll play like this when we face them in the league next time around.   No one cares about this competition other than me. That's fine, hardware is hardware.  The semis are a two legged, home and away, tie. We'll finally be able to advance on away goals and/or penalty kicks!  Carissoni must not have very good health stats, this is the second time he's missed a month of play. at Sambenedettese Serie C/B February 16, 2020  At this point, ten back of Ascoli with only a dozen matches remaining, we're essentially marking time until the playoffs. The higher we finish in the league, the later we enter the bracket, so there's still a lot to play for, but automatic promotion doesn't seem like its in the cards. Formation: 3-5-2 Wingback Counter Starting 11: Cataldi; Punzi, Prestia, Vogliacco; Vanzetta, Morotti; Conti (c), Schiattarella, Enrici; Manara, Belkheir. Substitutes: Melgrati, Kwame, Iotti, Quaranta, Ghiotto, Caldore, Tesoro, Matera, Colonna, Pazzi, Ranelli, De Meo. It's a turgid affair in the first 15 minutes, the only shot being an extremely optimistic effort by Conti. We show some life with a bit of pretty passing that results in a shanked shot, but have to weather a five minute spell where Sambenedettese look good, but it looks like it's going to be all even at the half. Then Schiatarella finds an open Morotti on a diagonal bomb, and Morotti gets the ball to Belkheir who scores an easy header in the 43rd minute. It's a great bit of play, which makes giving up a stoppage time equalizer all the more frustrating. That goes double when the score remains the same at the end of a back and forth second half. Player of the Match: Stefano Morotti   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x5S5JclSPA Sambenedettese 1-1 San Marino   The Titani are not yet in good form, but a win and two draws beats the heck out of four losses and one win.   It's hard to cite any one cause for our problems. None of our regulars have been bad, Morotti, Enrici, Quaranta, and Manara have all been excellent, Minelli's been Minelli, and Colonna has been even better than Minelli. If I had to pick a disappointment it's Stecca, but then he's still creating a bonkers number of chances for himself and other players.  We're nine points back of Ascoli with only nine matches to play. We can cut that down to six points if we beat them in March, but that's a mighty large deficit. More likely we're playing for position in the promotion playoffs. Finishing second would give us a bye to the quarterfinals, where we'd only need to win three more games to earn promotion. We still have everything to play for this season. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 18:58
|
|
|
first you're complaining at me for sellin' players then it's drab when i don't hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 20:25
|
|
|
Kwame looks like he'll be amazing with that Work Rate and Teamwork. And he's already getting international caps, too. Whatever club Foo sells him to for a couple grand next year will be very lucky to have him.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 01:43
|
|
|
Is this level of player whining normal for Football Simulator? Feels like a quarter of each update is some dude complaining about play time or transfer. Still fun to read but... drat.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 01:51
|
|
|
It does seem like players are getting more annoying in each iteration. My absolute least favourite, these days, is the old contract promise - you promise to give a contract, the player rejects it and then acts like you lied to him.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 02:08
|
|
|
Ye gods, my avatar is ugly. If I ever get a boon, I'm asking you to make me pretty. Make me look like Obama...
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 02:29
|
|
|
At least you didn't lose your eyes like Coach Brown did halfway through the update.Jason Sextro posted:It does seem like players are getting more annoying in each iteration. My absolute least favourite, these days, is the old contract promise - you promise to give a contract, the player rejects it and then acts like you lied to him. And you can totally still promise to offer a new contract after a new one has been agreed but not yet signed. But yeah, if you're a small club players will want to leave as soon as a bigger club promises to put them on the bench once a season, maybe. And if you're a big club and things are going well they'll ask for a new contract at least once a season. I had a player come back from a long term cruciate ligament injury, play 5 matches, and ask for an extra million per year. You don't always need to give in to these demands at least, and telling a player to just shut up and leave works surprisingly often.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 02:40
|
|
|
Dancer posted:Ye gods, my avatar is ugly. If I ever get a boon, I'm asking you to make me pretty. Make me look like Obama... Unfortunately the boons have to be physically possible within the game engine.  Seriously, though, the fact that they not only decided to use a worse face-gen system this year (or maybe a previous year, I'm not sure when they switched over), but also decided to make it mandatory (when previous games allowed you to use your own picture if you wanted to) is just inexplicable to me.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 03:08
|
|
|
The one thing I quickly learned in FM18 at least is to never promise anyone anything, because the way promises are evaluated is bugged all to hell in almost every case. A particular rookie mistake is to promise a player you're pretty okay with selling anyway that you'll sell him. That will guar-an-loving-tee you'll get nothing but non-negotiable clearance-rack offers and then the player will get pissed off at you for breaking your promise when you refuse them. Just tell the player to shut the hell up and then sell him whenever someone makes you a serious offer. Viscardus posted:Seriously, though, the fact that they not only decided to use a worse face-gen system this year (or maybe a previous year, I'm not sure when they switched over), but also decided to make it mandatory (when previous games allowed you to use your own picture if you wanted to) is just inexplicable to me. It's very explicable: slightly but noticeably better facegen pictures will be a selling point for FM19, which looks to have few selling points even by recent FM standards. It will probably continue to be a selling point for the next ten years, until the facegen finally gets back to about where it was for FM14, at which point they'll reset it back to sub-Oblivion levels again. Also, strangely, it's true that if you use fictional players at startup those players' faces cannot be overwritten with photos, but you *can* overwrite a newgen's face with a photo or whatever else. Because of this there are photo packs strictly for newgens that just pull thousands of pictures of lesser-known players from lower leagues, or use hockey players and poo poo. Which are still worth using because the FM18 facegen is just THAT drat ugly. Eric the Mauve fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Aug 20, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 03:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 22:57 |
|
|
The habeasdorkus mid season curse strikes again, it seems.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 07:06
|
|
