Football manager 2012 -IPad

[RonnieTodger]

Didnt win for the first time in all competitions. Drew 1-1 at home to Spartans in the Cup. Amazing, we beat Celtic 2-0 but draw with Spartans. Won the replay 4-0 but also lost to Dundee Utd in the League Cup quarter finals.

[marty78]

But that's because as you so often state, this is a game of numbers. A player's ability or potential cannot be made into simple numbers in real life. No-one can argue that Man Utd have just about the best platform infra-structurally and financially in the world to be the very best. What makes management at that level tough these days is managing egos and the press, both of which are trivial, mundane job in FM. Taking Man Utd in FM will likely ALWAYS be easy...

The problem is that the game has to cater for a new market every year and novices need to be able to get enjoyment from managing their favourite teams and players or they will lose interest and not become annual customers. The only part of the game that can improve the challenge slightly is the starting reputation but even that levels out after a cup win or league title or two. The only real way of making the game more difficult is to impose rules on yourself otherwise a human player will always be head and shoulders above any AI manager.

I personally change my tactics every year, spend more money on the upgrading of facilities to bring through my own youth rather than just buying the best players and I only use scouts for buying players instead of using the player search function which makes it ridiculously easy to find the best players in the game. I also sometimes work with constraints like only buying home-grown players or under 18's and I have even played a save where I didn't sign a single player and relied completely on my own youth intakes for players. I know we shouldn't really have to implement our rules to get a challenge but the reality is we do otherwise the game becomes easy and repetitive.

[Finnegan]

But that's because as you so often state, this is a game of numbers. A player's ability or potential cannot be made into simple numbers in real life. No-one can argue that Man Utd have just about the best platform infra-structurally and financially in the world to be the very best. What makes management at that level tough these days is managing egos and the press, both of which are trivial, mundane job in FM. Taking Man Utd in FM will likely ALWAYS be easy...

But it needn't be quite so easy to buy every good regen in the game and to put together a side that's so vastly superior to everyone else come five or six years in.

I should be able to start a game as, for example, Dortmund and have the likes of Bayern, Schalke and HSV stay with me domestically and always be fighting to get ahead of Real, Barca, Man Utd, Man City and co on a European level but after a few seasons I'm always going to be ahead for having signed all the best regens and youth prospects and the AI is still going to be stuck behind, slowly slipping down hill because it thinks spending fifty million on Andre Schurrle is a better idea than trying to tap up Mario Gotze.

It also doesn't help that the AI is so disastrously bad at developing players stats that even if they do make an early move for the likes of Fierro and Torres, or do sign a few good regens, they only ever waste them anyway.

Hervin and Ongenda and Mbyae Niang are two of the best examples of this. They're possibly the two best strikers on the game, besides Fierro, yet you leave them in the hands of the computer and search for them in 2020 and their stats are absolutely embarrassing.

I'm sorry, but until SI embrace this and try and do something about it then there's always going to be a roof on how far you can take a save until you've just "won." Not everyone wants to take Hinckley United to the Champions League Final to get their kicks.

[Teapot.]

I am now at Arsenal in the 2014/15 season after I got Sheffield Wednesday promoted from League 1 to Premiership in 3 years (2 years in Championship) & I have had a blistering start as Arsenal's manager! 10 wins from 11 & 1st is good considering they came 9th last season I think. However I have been baffled by Nicklas Bendtner's form, 11 goals in 6 games & he is now keeping Van Persie out of the team, I am amazed.

[Dan LCFC]

Seriously fvck off.

Bayern also beat Inter 4-0 on mine.

They ended up losing 7-4 on aggregate

I'm 4th in Serie A but not far behind the top 3, I'm closer points wise to 1st than 5th.

Drew Celtic in the Europa (I draw them so often as Napoli it's amazing, I make that 4 times), won 1-2 & 3-1 and just lost 2-1 at Sevilla, second leg on its way but we'll go out. I think literally EVERY time I've lost the first leg away by one, I've drawn at home. Literally every time without fail.

We can win this.

EDIT;

Just drawn Spurs in quarters, FVCK. At home first which tends to benefit me though for some reason. The semis will see me take on either Villarreal or Marseille. The other semi is PSG/Porto vs Palermo/Kyiv. Happy PSG/Porto drew each other, probably the two strongest remaining sides although we've definitely drawn the third.

Had another bash, Spurs knocked us out, 2-4 at our place and 1-1 at theirs, we were very unlucky tbh.

But in the league we're unbeaten in about 10, we keep scraping wins away and thumping people at home. 4 games left and I'm somehow up to 2nd, AC Milan & Udinese (who were 2nd & 3rd) have completely lost form and I've just slapped Udinese away (like they did at our place - our only home league loss). If Inter Milan lose form, we can win the league, 6 points behind (7 because they're above us on H2H on away goals, bastards) and we've got winnable games. 3 of our last 4 are at home.

[Dan LCFC]

Inter win league but I come 2nd, I'm actually pleasantly surprised, considering how abysmal I've been at this game so far I can't complain at that, Champions League next year and should have a decent budget to boot.

Funnily enough the exact same scenario as my first year at Napoli on 11.

I apologise for absolutely spamming this thread

[Dan LCFC]

I want the title. No excuses.

[Craig]

I bet.

[marty78]

I've got a young Leicester born lad coming through the ranks, possibly the best youth player to ever come through the ranks for me. Started in last season Champions League final, which we won.

[Dan LCFC]

He's quality, on 11 he would be my perfect forward, literally ideal, I'd get 50 a season from him.

[marty78]

He's quality, on 11 he would be my perfect forward, literally ideal, I'd get 50 a season from him.

The fact he is Leicester born makes it all the sweeter. Have sold a senior striker over the summer to give him more chances.

[FoxesFan100]

Some how managed to land Yaya Sanogo on loan to Swindon for 3 months so so happy.

[EnderbyFox]

I've got a young Leicester born lad coming through the ranks, possibly the best youth player to ever come through the ranks for me. Started in last season Champions League final, which we won.

What skin is that?

[EnderbyFox]

If anyone is starting a new game and wants the new transfers from this summers window, you can get them here

Knockaerts potential looks promising

[marty78]

What skin is that?

It's was called Plainskin but I edited it myself and added my own background pictures.

[Dan LCFC]

If Knockaert has FLAIR of under 16 I refuse to touch FM13.

[EnderbyFox]

If Knockaert has FLAIR of under 16 I refuse to touch FM13.

His flair is only 13 on this update i'm using, the news thing keeps describing him as the next "Michel Platini" though

[Ozwin]

marty78 your skin is awful. Sort it out.

[marty78]

marty78 your skin is awful. Sort it out.

My favourite ever skin, I love it.

[Ozwin]

Those green numbers are seizure inducing.

[Dan LCFC]

His flair is only 13 on this update i'm using, the news thing keeps describing him as the next "Michel Platini" though

I hope they mean footballing-wise rather than personality wise, if it's personality he can retire tomorrow.

Got bored of Napoli for some reason, just think there's a lack of challenge in using players like Cavani and Lavezzi who are already signed. Started again as Leicester and tried a 4-3-3 with three centre forwards, two centre mids and one holding, my first ever proper effort without wingers and it's ridiculous, we're third but literally half of our goals have come from Bamba, the attacking trio of Nugent, Dobbie (loan) and Beckford have been wank, Nugent in-particular, just signed Cox on loan.

Drinkwater's been quality, King's been average, enjoyed Bostwick at holding mid though, even though the game reckons he'll never play there despite the fact he's naturally a centre half and naturally a centre mid, you'd think it was a tailor made position for him, odd.

[FoxLAD]

I hope they mean footballing-wise rather than personality wise, if it's personality he can retire tomorrow.

Got bored of Napoli for some reason, just think there's a lack of challenge in using players like Cavani and Lavezzi who are already signed. Started again as Leicester and tried a 4-3-3 with three centre forwards, two centre mids and one holding, my first ever proper effort without wingers and it's ridiculous, we're third but literally half of our goals have come from Bamba, the attacking trio of Nugent, Dobbie (loan) and Beckford have been wank, Nugent in-particular, just signed Cox on loan.

Drinkwater's been quality, King's been average, enjoyed Bostwick at holding mid though, even though the game reckons he'll never play there despite the fact he's naturally a centre half and naturally a centre mid, you'd think it was a tailor made position for him, odd.

I always wonder this, i always sign him for champ/lower prem clubs!

[Dan LCFC]

I always wonder this, i always sign him for champ/lower prem clubs!

He's been one of my best players, he's strong, breaks up play very well, links up very well with the other centre mids and ironically the full-backs and he's got a superb shot on him too.

I'm getting increasingly furious at my "attack". There's three of the fvckers and they're utter shit. Beckford hasn't been too shabby but Nugent's the most average forward on this game in history, Schlupp's been crap, Simon Cox was worse than the lot of them, Dobbie's turned awful. Literally what the hell to do? Actually tempted to sign Emmanuel-Thomas, struggling to resist after seeing GLC's record with him in the same formation Bear in mind I tend to try and use a trequartista too.

I'm off form atm but I think we'll still come top 6. I'm actually very bad at this game compared to most on here and I'm getting absolutely sick of the squad harmony. The wages are an absolute hideous embarrassment, getting rid of Mills, Gallagher, Danns, Vassell and St Ledger would save us £5mil a year+ on wages, it's completely worrying. Maybe I'm taking wages too seriously as we can actually afford it (looking at the budget) but I cringe when I see us losing £2-3mil a month, laughable.

Oh so Ipswich want £5mil for JET and now Wellens also wants to leave. This is ridiculous.

EDIT; Wellens on £20k as well?! Seriously what the hell is going on?!

[FoxLAD]

He's been one of my best players, he's strong, breaks up play very well, links up very well with the other centre mids and ironically the full-backs and he's got a superb shot on him too.

I'm getting increasingly furious at my "attack". There's three of the fvckers and they're utter shit. Beckford hasn't been too shabby but Nugent's the most average forward on this game in history, Schlupp's been crap, Simon Cox was worse than the lot of them, Dobbie's turned awful. Literally what the hell to do? Actually tempted to sign Emmanuel-Thomas, struggling to resist after seeing GLC's record with him in the same formation Bear in mind I tend to try and use a trequartista too.

I'm off form atm but I think we'll still come top 6. I'm actually very bad at this game compared to most on here and I'm getting absolutely sick of the squad harmony. The wages are an absolute hideous embarrassment, getting rid of Mills, Gallagher, Danns, Vassell and St Ledger would save us £5mil a year+ on wages, it's completely worrying. Maybe I'm taking wages too seriously as we can actually afford it (looking at the budget) but I cringe when I see us losing £2-3mil a month, laughable.

Oh so Ipswich want £5mil for JET and now Wellens also wants to leave. This is ridiculous.

EDIT; Wellens on £20k as well?! Seriously what the hell is going on?!

To be honest i think one of the better lower teams to be is stevenage, you have good players i.e bostwick, freeman ectt.. not much money but also low expectations!