Pre-match Interview question about Players to Exploit

[wjones852]

I just thought I'd start a thread regarding the persistent pre-match question that asks about weaker players on the opposition side to exploit, or something similar. I think this is wholly unrealistic and opposition managers would never discuss such a thing. I persistently have to either stick up for players that have been ripped apart and/or be asked once, or twice if I decline to comment, on who I think is weakest on the opposing team? I don't see the realism here at all. This is not even a question the press would ask in real life, let alone a question dignified with an answer by the likes of Wenger, Mourinho, Pep et all

I LOVE FOOTBALL MANAGER. After playing every version since I can remember, for a worrying amount of hours it has to be said, so I'm really fed up of this question..... Anyone else agree?  
 

[Pow4FM]

I never answer the "who's the weak link in the opposition" question because they tend to have an amazing game against you. 

Though, I always answer if an opposition manager slates one of my players by using the "It raised a few smiles in the dressing room" answer.

It's very hard to add mind games and the psychology of a sport into a text based game. Although, I agree it's not a realistic question, it's just SI's way of creating a cause and effect which may happen in real life. 

Put pressure on a player, they might play amazing or buckle under it. 

Personally, I feel after several hundred hours of game play - all media questions get tiresome. 

Hence why I send the assistant manager most of the time. 

[MrPompey]

It does happen, additionally a manager says something innocent which is completely over egged by the press or selectively edited

In terms of Mourinho I believe he did make comments prior to the UEFA cup final 2003 - he has also engaged with Wenger calling him a voyeur (with undertones).  I suspect in terms of singling out a player the reaction will that he will either over perform or under perform as a result subject to player traits and hidden stats. Sometimes in football any advantage for a high profile match or big event will be taken

You mention 3 managers above in the EPL, not all of us play at this level ;)

That said some of the reporter pre and post game questions can get monotonous even after a recent update. I suppose when a season for most is 40-50 matches or more, multiply the matches by the seasons you play and this will be the reason why the question appears to pop up quite often. I personally ignore it, its pain and a single click to get away from.

PS - It appears we share the same first initial and surname

[rdbayly]

I mentioned this persistent question in a media overhaul thread recently. You can't site extreme real life examples (such as the whole 'specialist in failure' business) to justify in-game norms.

Somewhere down the line, the developers thought 'I know, fans like mind games in football, let's create some drama!'. The problem is, it's achieved by a random selection of a manager each week to make a ridiculous comment. 

(Eddie Howe thinks you're a rubbish manager etc) 

If someone can present me with regular footage of managers calling next opposition players weak, I'll gladly hold my hands up to being wrong.

My opinion is to have the ability to turn the entire media module off (I know some people like). My issue is being 'judged' as 'media shy' in my stats if I send my assistant due to massive boredom.

 

[MrPompey]

Here is a good example....2001/2002 League Cup Final Spurs v Blackburn. Spurs Manager was an open critic of Cole. Cole scored the winning goal so Blackburn lifted the cup. 

@rdbayly I agree. Perhaps the answer is to save these questions for the big games such as club rivals, club derbies, finals, key matches etc

[wjones852]

I guess, as you say, all media questions do eventually become tiresome, and I usually breeze through them all in auto-pilot... but when Sam Allardyce is slating Mark Noble as a weakness in my dressing room to the press, well, as a West Ham fan, right or not, I'm simply not going to have any of that. ;-)

I just think it needs re-working a tad, except, I agree, for club rivals etc. - it's literally every single pre-match press conference. I simply cannot trust my AI assistant. They go barmy from time to time.

I like the simple change of integrating the conferences into the inbox - remember when we had to load up a separate screen and it was a big hoo-rah every time. Sometimes I think it's easy to forget how far the little things have brought this game on and kept up it's popularity, but press conferences could do with some updated questions, variation. Hopefully something we see on 2018