FM 10 Official Thread

ok so ive just finished my first complete season in the game.

im playing as watford, and finished as champions for the season. i was pleasantly surprised at the ease of which my team seemed to stroll past teams like newcastle who i beat 3-1 away, scoring all three of my goals in the first ten minutes!

i suffered a drop in form about ten games before the end of the season which meant that the title race became a close run thing between me and reading, with my penultimate game being against them. a draw here guaranteed me top spot in the league.

the season started very well, with me picking up points very quickly. ross jenkins was sold to sunderland for 9m, thanks to a tip on here. with this money i bought in owen garvan, and funded a heidar helguson loan which was eventually turned permanent for 250k!!!!!!! i released most of my unwanted players and signed cleverley and lansbury permanently in january, along with james chester from man utd.

in the premier league i have just beaten fulham 3-2 in my first match, with free transfer signing louis saha coming off the bench to score the equaliser and assist the winner (the fans love him already). My only other signing of the summer was john bostock on a permanent transfer for 2.9m, after i had him on loan for 12 months with an agreed purchase fee. despite my good start to the season, i expect a long difficult season fighting against relegation.

i will post some screenshots later on.

 

I have just started my first FM game ever. Last time I played such a game was on CM3.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

I started by bucking up the backroom staff. I have demoted Dychie and brought in Gibbs as assistant.

But I have no idea as to what tactics to play, training to give or orders to give individual players.

I am losing my warm ups against lower league opposition because I tend to give all players a half each.

Any tips for me - not just for my Watford game but the game in general - and I don't mean this player or that but more tips on the general approach to the game.

 

I only started playing a month ago or so.

I got Watford promoted as Champions first time, and in my second season I am mid table Premiershyte, have lost 8-4 one game at home to Spuds and then won 3-1 against Man U away the next, with the same team. Its a strange game.

Good choice of assistant by the way, Gibbs is mine too. Good assistant he is. Boro nicked Dyche off me for £60k.

My broad advice would be to find out your team's strengths and stick to them. I.e if you have three strong CMs and no good wingers, don't play a 4-4-2 etc etc. If you chop and change the tactics and formation all the time, things tend to be shyte.

Bring it at least one scout who has 18-20 judging ability and potential so that you have an accurate idea of who to bring in, and you don't end up with somebody who the scout says is a 4 star player who ends up being 2, and shyte.

Go for loans - Febian Brandy from Man U for instance is a pacy b@stard who banged in 12 goals in 20 for me to secure my promotion at the end of the season, when Lansbury and Cleverly had gone back, Hoskins was injured and I'd got rid of Ellinglump on a free.

I don't really know what advice to give to be honest, I found it was a game that is sort of trial and error. what exactly are you having problems with?

 

I think mainly how to decide how to best deploy any given player (the role in their position along with the def/support/attack).

Also - the in match tactical changes - I don't want to do too much nor just sit on the fence till the 89th minute.

I have brought in 3 scouts with good ability/potential skills. I'd like to get rid of Kerslake and find someone else but what skills to look for in different personel is another challenge.

The transfer window has just opened and I have no idea what to bring in. It appears Dychie and Gibbs disagree about most things ...

 

I've attatched my in/out list from my first season to give you a place to start. Everyone finds different players, but generally everybody seemed to get Skacel and Viduka in. Be sure to offer out any players you don't want regularly or they generally won't shift. I had to offer Ellinglump out four or five times before Boro would take him for nothing.

Lansbury was amazing as an Attacking mid, sitting in the hole behind two strikers for me. Cowie was prolific on the right wing for me too that season. I think I usually played a 4-4-2 diamond, but it depends on preference and players:

------Hoskins------Viduka------

------------Lansbury------------

---Skacel----------------Cowie--

------------Hemdani-------------

Travner--Demerit--Dustcart--Doyley

For the January window, I would send off three or four scouts to go and scout a few regions/countries or whatever. They sometimes find some gems. On your team report Gibbs will give you his opinion of the weakest position in the team and give you some suggestions for new players (get them scouted though obviously). I would go have a browse through some free agents in the search for players thing too, their are sometimes some useful players there at the beginning of the window.

Some of the best players I have found have been from looking at the teams of random foreign clubs. I found a guy called Coro from Getafe and a guy called Popov from some Bulgarian club (this is in the Premiershyte mind you) who have been fantastic and cost me sod all. Take a bit of time browsing through Euro clubs if I were you.

With regards to positions, its a bit of a case of trial and error. 4-4-2 is a good place to start, but I have often found that leaves your defence a bit vulnerable so I usually try and play with a DM if I can. It gives you a useful explanation of each position and each Attack/Support/Defend utility that goes with it, from which you should be able to decide the best way to get a balance of attack and defence. Sometimes I play a 4-3-1-2 and play a narrow, possession game these days too, but other times I play with two up front, two in CM and two attacking wingers. Its pretty much trial and error, you should find what suits your players best.

I'm probably not being very helpful, I don't know much about the game myself. Other people will probably be better to ask.

 

I've started a Watford game with moderate success. I am using it to learn but one thing is weird. Cleverley is finding it difficult to get motivated to play for me because of my team talks. I've tried different things but I don't understand how this works. Help please!

PS - I had Doyley AND Hendo score in the same match - a 4-0 LC win against the Orient. Like that'll ever happen.

 

How do you enter the date editor if you have steam?

 

Also do the Bages for the preimer league and stuff like that word

 

Go to program files > Steam > Steam Apps > Common > FM2010 > Tools > Editor > Then it's the little football icon.

 

Thanks.. no More Duke for me:xmascheesy:

 

Only got this game at New Years, and hadn't played Football Manager since 07 so just decided to start with Man City...

Signed Daniele De Rossi and Maxi Rodrigez at the start and won the Prem on Goal Difference on my first year. I also sold Zabaleta...

Just started my second season and am off to a flyer. Top of the league after 12 games with 11 wins and 1 shocking loss away to Everton (4-1)

Also signed Modric and Phillip Mexes and got rid of de Jong, Kompany and those loanee's like Jo and Bojinov... Lots of money eh? :biggrin:

Team that won the league:

---------------Given---------------
Richards---Onuha---Lescott---Bridge
--------Ireland------De Rossi-------
Maxi Rodrigez----------------Robinho
---------Santa Cruz---Tevez--------

I had to play Onuha as Toure got injured for like 5 months. Pffft.




Think I may start with Watford now, as I'm used to the game again :biggrin:

 

have been too lazy to do updates but im now in 2015 turned watford into a decent mid table side 10th last two seasons and now pushing for the top half. no original watford players remain unsurprisingly but quite a lot of academy players have come through and been quality and i make it my plicy to buy at least a few 16-17year olds per season and thats where all my profit has been recently so far this season have sold 33.5 million pounds worth of players and only one was a first team player and one a fringe player and without them still 20mill worth of players out the door.

id do a massive update of how i got this far but i sense it would be horrifically boring! currently deciding wether or not to stick it out at watford where i am starting to his a wall with the quality of players we can get in bar youth players where as aforementioned there are some gems or move on to arsenal where ive been offered the job and 30 mill to spend

 

Have been too lazy to update mine to. Playing as Notts County, got them straight into League 1 in first season, followed by instant promotion to Championship. First season in championship was tricky and I stayed top half most of it until the final 10 games or so where I went on a great run of form and made it into the play offs. Beat Crystal Palace in the semis, and had to play Notts Forest in the final. :]] Was a tight game but I came out victorious with Danny Shittu and Willy Topp getting the goals to make it 2-1 :biggrin: So that was back to back to back promotions. In the Prem I made some new signings, Van Der Vaart came in, as did Felipe Caicedo and a few others. Been a struggle but after another good run recently I find myself 3 points clear of the drop zone, and in the FA Cup final. Highlights have been against the big 4. Got 3 points from Arsenal, 4 from Chelsea, and 4 from Utd, but unfortunately only 1 from Liverpool. Also beat Arsenal 3-2 in the FA Cup Semi final, Bernardo scoring a brace :biggrin:

 

Started with Watford there yesterday.

Main problem: Can't get rid of Ellington nobody will take him, even for free. Pfffft. His 10k a week is taking up a huge chunk of my wage budget.

 

Offer him out to clubs for free - and do it two or three times a week.

If its your first season eventually Boro should take him off your hands.

 

Or, judging from my experience, WBA or Derby also may have him.

 

Really? Thats never happened for me. WBA invariably have gone for Eustace though for me.

 

Cheers, I'll keep trying it so. Dying to get rid of Ellington, Hoskins and Eustace.

Seasons off to a pretty poor start, won one and lost two. I beat Donny at home 2-1, but then went on to lose heavily 4-2 away to Sheff Utd and 3-0 away to Forest.

Hope I can turn it around later

 

Derby took Eustace and Ellington off me. I even got about 100-200k for them and a sell on fee

 

Yeah, in former games he's gone to both of them. Planning on starting a new game tonight (thats what 2 days off work starting tomorrow does to you) so I'll let you know who I pack him off to, if anyone.

 

UNF'INGBELIAVBLE.

I've only gone and won the FA Cup with Coventry! We're all going on a European tour!

 

Smooth. Shame it wasn't with the mighty 'orns! I won it with Man City by going on holiday for the whole season. Just bought a world class squad with my £80m, shifted about £30m of players the other way and then went on holiday because I couldn't be arsed to play them.

Won the FA Cup, went out in the Semis in the League Cup, and finished third in the Premiershyte.

Man City are dull.

 

Into 2013/2014 with Watford and won my first EPL last season, got quite a lot of money to strengthen the squad for another go at it.

So far I've signed two regen goalkeepers, Nemanja Matic and Albin Ekdal on a free, Jack Rodwell for £19M and I'm looking at Richard Sukuta-Pasu to partner Vela in attack.

Daniels/Loach
Hodson/Stearman Rodwell/Spence Kryvtsov/Morrison Ibanez/Parkes
Dzagoev/Cowie Gosling/Lansbury
Obertan/Cleverley..........Ekdal/Shelvey......Barazite/Thornberg
Vela/Soder​

Daniels, Thornberg and Ibanez are regens and Parkes is there just because I don't have a better second left back at the minute.

 

I finished 16th in the Championship, had a poor season overall (Cup run may have taken the players minds off of it). Looking forward to testing myself in the Europa League next season.

 

I'm in my third season with Watford, my second in the Premiershyte, have £5.7m unspent from the summer as well as over £50k on the transfer budget.

Struggling, sitting lower mid table, I wobble from 14th to 17th on a weekly basis. I keep buying players rated 4 or 3 and a half stars, and then they come to me and suddenly they are two and a half. Its annoying.

Really need to strengthen wisely in the summer.

What formation are you playing? is that a 4-2-3-1 with attacking wide and centre mids?

 

Yeah,

GK
DR DC DC DL
MC MC
AMR AMC AML
ST

Will soon be changing as soon as I find a good striker to partner Vela though.

 

I don't play very often and when I do it's isn't for long durations. I am in my first season and am currently 5th in the championship.

I haven't spent anything on transfers but are using short terms loans most times. I got in Fabien Brandy on a season long loan though and along with Graham and Hoskins we're doing okay up top. But it is my defense that has seen me to my current position with a limited amount of goals shipped in.

I usually play 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 (4-2-2-2).

Highlights on the season was Doyley scoring and the first round exit from the League cup. Came back 4 times in a 4-4 draw only to go out on penalties. Was a great shame.

The January window is coming up and I am unsure what to do. Would like to sell Demerit, Harley, Eustace, Hoskins etc. to get some cash before their contracts run out but I fear it will hurt my chances of going up.

I want to bring in a defensive midfielder as I have none in the side. Also I'd like another forward (I cheated at the start and forced Ellington to Skoda Xanthi)... though Sordell have been coming in as sub lately and has done quite well.

I have a lot of youngsters turning 17 and being rated from 1-2½ stars - do I offer them contracts or let them slip into oblivion? I have done the latter recently.

 

Nobody will buy them if you offer them contracts, they will just end up being either loaned out or signed on a free at the end of the contract.

 

Any idea when the January transfer window patch will be out?

 

Is being released in the next week or so.

 

I'm still in my first season. Currently leading the CCC with 4 points and a GIH on Brizzle and Brom.

Also I have just beaten Blackburn 2-0 in the FA cup semi. I have had a fairly easy way to the final but I have beat Villa as well.

I have a few good loanees which make my squad decent and gives me depth. I have Liverpool in the final - they're 5th so should get Europa League from league position - does that mean I will get to Europe even if I lose?

My top scorer is Fabien Brandy with 21 goals so far in the league. I made the mistake of not getting him and Clevercloggs avaiable for cup ties so Brandy plays most league games with Hoskins and Graham playing in league and Cup. I have a few good forward prospects I whose names I cannot recall. My best players so far are Cleverly and Cowie.

 

Yeah you'll be in the Europa league if Liverpool qualify from the Premiership.

 

I am surprised at how I have been able to achieve this. I have had many short term loanees (1-3 months) but have been riding a high of team spirit. It has dropped recently and I have seen my lead drop a bit but the ship has steadied (helped by Brizzle and Brom dropping points often).

I use squad rotation heavily which seems to be working okay though I wonder if I couldn't get even better results if I lowered my training intensity and fielded the best 11 every time?

 

I'm playing with Watford at the moment, meandering towards a mid-table finish in my first season. Flirted with the playoffs briefly but injuries/suspensions cost me dear.