Football Manager

[calgaryballer]

Man, how low is West Ham? Demba Ba starts making noises about a bigger club when Wolves come for him (currently sitting 19th). Now Winston Reid wants a bigger club, and it's because Mallorca said their interested (13th in Spain). I am currently a comfy 5th in the league and in to the first KO round of Europa.

[Bigpapa42]

Nice player. Pretty little but if he can hold up, he could be a monster before long. I think I've had a regen with the last name Kooistra before with Ajax...

Speaking of which, back to my game-jumping ways. The HSV game was killed, partly cuz I got annoyed at my reserves having no matches beyond friendlies after seeing the lower leagues mod. Started up another try with Ajax but just can't seem to go far with an Ajax game at this point - its much like when I run Arsenal anymore, where I love the idea of managing them but actually doing so in the game never seems to live up to that idea. So I'm going back and forth between starting up with either Bayer Leverkusen or Bayern Munich. I like Bayer quite a bit, love that they've never won the Bunesliga, like a lot of their players and just love the club's potential. A more challenging and far more rewarding game than Munich. I'm not really a Bayern fan and they wouldn't be really challenging at all. Yet I'm still drawn to them - partly because I've never run a game of any real length with them and partly because I usually tend to enjoy non-challenging, big club games that most. In past versions, i've had some great games with HSV, Ajax, and Bayer, but really loved games I ran with Cheslea, Man U, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Valencia. Just something fun about the big clubs - they usually already have quality in the squad, plus money to add more. If I'm not really attached to any of the players in reality, then I don't feel bad at all about replacing half the squad in two seasons (something I always regret doing with Arsenal).

With Bayern, I might be able to land Akinfeev in the first season. Still one of my favorite players but he's been really expensive to pry away from CSKA these past few years.

[Bigpapa42]

I'm not sure how much longer I'll hold out at FCK since I've already got my eye on Ajax and Liverpool.

Edit- although, I might just wait until Pellegrini leaves Ajax and I'll try and get the job there in my FCK save. I really want to try and build a highly technical Ajax club full of Dutch stars.

Same. That's the appeal of Ajax - the history, the great youth system, the great Dutch technique.... Not even trying to replicate the Total Football of the 70s, which FM just can't seem to do, but recreating the CL-winning side of '95, or even the really class 2002-2004 squad with the likes of Ibrahomvic, Chivu, van der Vaart, de Jong, Sneijder... A few great foreign players with a core of Dutch stars, mostly home-grown.

The problem is that it just never seems to quite work that way. In large part is because they've become a pure talent feeder club. Even mid-level clubs from bigger nations will come for your players and they will want to go. So it makes it tough to hold together a quality side. Even moreso than running a mid-level club in a bigger nation, I find. As for developing future Dutch greats, its hit or miss, dependent much on the quality of regens you get, some of whom can be useless even with high PA.

The starting quality of the squad really isn't outstanding, either. There's isn't one Dutch player in the side who is a true building block of a great squad. Just a lot of pretty good players who could do well.

Its a lovely idea... but I just can't seem to make it work for me.

[Bigpapa42]

You've only managed to convince me even more to run with Ajax!

Wasn't trying to talk you out of it :-)

Its definitely doable. Its just going to take a period of sustained success to raise the profile of the club enough that players will stay longer, or somehow manage to replace each player that leaves with someone of the same quality.

Hoping you do make a run with them and make it work. That might hopefully inspire me to move past that impatience in the first season or two to try to stick with it.

[calgaryballer]

I always love running with FCK in Denmark. For some reason having Atiba Hutchinson makes that all the more enjoyable

[calgaryballer]

Just got the 'You're on Fire' cheivo, 10 competitive wins in a row. Woop!

[calgaryballer]

That's a Steam thing isn't it?

Yup. I've got 21 out of 84 so far. A lot of hte ones I need are longetivity related

[Bigpapa42]

Started messing about with a Bayern save last night. I've looked at the squad before, but never that closely... its not quite the quality and certainly not the depth that one would expect out of a "top" club. That's partly injuries. But their #3 CB is Tymoschuk, who is really a DM. There is decent depth in the center of midfield, though Ottl is pretty poor (he was really good in FM about 3 years ago), but the wings don't have that much after Ribery and Robben. Up front, you have 3 options, one of whom is injured long term. Its a good thing a few squad players are versatile. As they start, depth is a serious issue for the squad, as injuries are pretty much a given in FM.

I got 22m to spend and stretched it out. Grabbed Akinfeev, Moussa Sissoko, Varane, and Toro. Still had more than I expected, so I threw out a big bid for Sakho and had it accepted. Still trying to bring in a few more depth and developmental players.

[Bigpapa42]

You'll be happy to know that I'm currently messing about with an Ajax save.

Keep us updated. I'm quite curious on who you bring in, as I tend to get stuck on buying the same few players on every save that I can afford them...

[Fappin Raptor]

Wow, I have not played in a week or two. Time to end that drought.

[calgaryballer]

0-3 down at half time to Chelsea, 3-3 final score with Scott Parker just missing with a 92nd minute free kick. Great fight back

[calgaryballer]

Also, just got the irresistible force achievement. Goals in 30 straight matches! Wow, this West Ham team is playing even better than I thought

[Bigpapa42]

Nice. I can't see this Bayern game going too far, so its gonna come down to a choice of trying Ajax again or Leverkusen....

[mgoblue2290]

The board just gave me an additional 14.5 million for January window for doing so well. I don't really have anyone I want to go after though. I'm going to try and buy Wickham from Ipswich and maybe another midfielder. There are guys I want to go after but I'm going to have to wait for the summer to get most of them.

[mgoblue2290]

Just had a crazy game. Playing Man U at Old Trafford and Skrtel is sent off in the first minute. So I decided to take out Carroll and leave Suarez alone up top. About 20 mins on Gerrard hits a beautiful in air through ball to Kuyt who drills it in. We somehow hold off a barrage of shots and Gerrard gets another one in the 90th minute to win 2-0, down one man at Old Trafford.

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