ScotchWhisky

After 10 years with Flekkerøy Fotball, I finally achieved promotion to the Premier division. I've had a rock solid keeper, Richard Dønnum, for the past five years who has a year left on his contract. He is now 29. However, in the prior season, I was able to sign another top keeper, Kristoffer Drage, as his contract was expiring, so he joined after the season ended. They both have pros and cons, but before I say much more, here is their individual profiles, as while as direct attribute comparison: I wouldn't worry too much about Dønnum's injury. It's the only one he's ever had with me and it's a fractured finger, which is only a few weeks before returning to full health. When it comes to Drage, I really like the handling, reflexes, and lack of punching, while being more likely to rush out. However, his positioning and teamwork isn't great. And while he is willing to rush out, he is pretty slow. His kicking also stinks. Since I have him locked in for five years, one thought is to send him out on loan for a season... I have a Norwegian third division team as a junior affiliate, although it's probably be much wiser to send him to a much higher level team. The other option is to simply start him and bench Dønnum. He may get upset and is a team leader, though I've never had a major mutiny yet. One other point is that both of these players are on part-time contracts and I was just made professional. Would it be wise to renegotiate Drage's contract immediately as I believe that would impact training and development, no? Oh, and yet one other point is that I also have a very good prospect and supposedly my youth intake is bringing in another A keeper, though trials haven't occurred yet, so not sure who he is. I'll probably send this prospect to my junior affiliate... or is it better to leave him in my U19 team? What would you all do? Thanks in advance!

I'm amazed that after years of incremental changes, FM '24 actually sounds like it's implementing a lot of useful changes. Is this just part of the transition to whatever FM '25 is supposed to become? It feels like it's a way to gin up support for the changes that are coming next year. Either way, I welcome these changes. Though I still hope too much isn't dedicated to women's football in '25. Beyond the initial "let's check this out!", we all know it's barely going to be used.

I just had a streak of 11 matches without a loss snapped. Started the next match against a generally superior rival and quickly went down 1-0. Team came back and by about the 65th minute, was up 2-1. Dude gets a second yellow card. I go very defensive and use defensive tactics hoping to at least salvage a draw. Things are going well for about 10 minutes then I get a straight up red card. Now it's 11-9 and still up 2-1. I pull my forwards (I am not sure this is wise) and sure enough, I wind up losing 3-2 with a goal in the 91st minute. I get into the tunnel and first thing the reporter asks is "what happened?" Once again, no option to say "I was leading then got two red cards." Instead I have to say something about preparation. Another similar question before they finally addressed one of two red cards. Now, you may find this to be something about a lame interview. But, if the interviewers think this, then player morale is probably factored in the same way. And since morale is the most important thing in this game it seems, that IS important. I just held a team meeting and said don't worry about the last result. I'll give an example. The season is over and a player has a month left in his contract. No new contract has been offered. He then threatens to leave the team if his demands are not meant. So, I have the option to try and sell the player... ok, I am going to "sell" a player with a month left, sure. Or, he/I can threaten to run down his contract. Hey, you moron! You have one left then you are free of all obligations. Take your $500 per week and enjoy the time off!

I've attended every interview, but I don't know why. I should just send my assistant. Though the interviews can impact player morale. And you are right. If they use some AI bot, we probably will get better conversation. But then, you get an AI like snapchats AI that will (or at least used to) argue with you that Boris Johnson is the present PM of the UK. And I also don't get the point of gestures. Throw water bottle sounds pretty weak for a manager. At least they have "kick chair" in team meetings. I want "expletive filled rant." More importantly, I want a board that can assess the realistic future situation!

Thanks everyone for your detailed responses! I have read them all and it clarifies a lot. I really wish they would change the whole star system in the future to compare your player to the league. That is the only thing that matters/makes sense. One thing sticks out to me though and it's similar to what others of you have said: One question I had not asked is what importance does a role player have? When I moved from Göttne to Flekkerøy, there was one player I sniped from Göttne. A right winger with a relatively high corner attribute of 12 and he also had very good speed (Acc 13 and Pace 14) and good (11) crossing ability. Mediocre otherwise: He was listed as 2* with a potential for something like 4.5 or 5*. He never improved beyond 2.5* and regressed to 2* when I let him go, though he always seemed to play well. I finally "upgraded" his position, but based on scouted players, there are only six others I would be able to grab that potentially have a corner taking ability that high. And I wonder... how important is having a "specialist" that may not be the best, but can boost set pieces? My best corners guys now have a rating of 9.

It's not so much that I got fired. It's more the idea that they gave me a month to improve my results, were ecstatic after my win, then fired me because another team won as well. Granted, I am the dummy who made the promise without knowing the schedule (which would not happen IRL). But I'm far more likely to ask for three or four matches rather than a month. A month doesn't make sense when the first two matches occur within the two weeks then there is no fixture after that. I think the most frustrating thing is how so many of these things haven't changed in the past decade+. I mean, read their Future of Football Manager post. All they do is talk about Unity with enhanced graphics and animations. Those are great... FM has never been about graphics, but hey, a graphics upgrade is great. I remember when Tiger Woods (Rory McIlroy) golf went to the Unity engine. It made a huge difference graphically. Then they talk about the UI navigation. Sure, if there are improvements that can be made there, that is great too. Then they go on about adding Women's Football. Great, that shouldn't be that hard to add for those that want it. Just another set of leagues and players. But how about the meat and potatoes of the game? You know, the managerial aspect? *addition* Or the fact that the game doesn't distinguish the difference of getting a red card at 5' vs 85'. I just got one at 55'. I was already down 3-1, but the team was getting some chances (key plays). I get to the tunnel after a 4-1 loss. "What happened out there?" Gee... I don't know. I had a player sent off with a red card? "how come you didn't sub so and so?" Ummm... because I had a red card and it really didn't matter?

As a follow-up, I did have a save right before the 16th place team played their match. They won again. I reloaded again. They lost. Funny how my job status goes from stable to very insecure if they win. If they lose, it's stable. Gee, like the board couldn't see I won one, lost one, and probably should give me a couple more matches by realizing "give me one month" wasn't to be taken 100% literal.

How do you get those three tactic slots to have high familiarity values with a semi-pro outfit?

...And I don't mean for the match engine. I mean for the board and player personalities. Let's focus on the board. I leave my beloved football team for the greener pastures of Flekkerøy football. A team struggling to stave off relegation in the Norwegian Second Division with a few matches to play. I succeed and the next year I am promoted to the First Division. I am then relegated in a First Division where only two of 16 teams, including mine, were semi-pro. I come back for my third full season in the Second Division and am easily promoted again. A cinderella mid-table finish, one spot shy of a playoff for promotion, was my fourth season. Then a disappointing playoff victory to stave off relegation my fifth season. The sixth season, my goal was to stave off relegation. A good start that quickly turned poor. Finally, the board starts talking to me. "Improve or you're gone." I think they were more upset I lost to a lower league rival in the second round of the Norwegian Cup. The second time they talk to me, I tell them give me a month to improve. My next four matches contain two very winnable fixtures. Oh, but dummy me. I didn't look at the dates. After my second match, I go into a three week break! So, I lose my first match as expected then draw the second. Well shoot, the board is not happy. I get fired three days before the third match. I load the save before the second match. I'm trying not to cheat, but the open jobs I wanted stopped taking apps. So I replay the second match and this time I win! That puts me into a tie for 14th out of 16th. The board is so happy at the teams improvement, so I figure I will stick with it. What's a small bit of cheating after all? 10 days or so later, the 16th place team faces the 2nd place team and somehow wins (how come I never have any luck?). This drops me back into 15th. The board is suddenly mad again. "YOU DID NOT REALLY IMPROVE EVEN THOUGH WE INITIALLY BELIEVED YOU DID!" This time in a pre-emptive strike, I had applied for Tromsø and left three days before I was fired while taking every single coaching staff member with me, except one (I did save to ensure I would actually be fired. I was, again). Why does this bother me? Because I want to tell them: 1) We are one of five semi-pro teams in a league of 16. 2) Before me, you all had never been in the First Division. I've had you there four of six years and the first I couldn't control. 3) With me, you upgraded both the youth and main training facilities, and installed underground heating, while remaining cash positive. 4) You slashed my budget last year to $8k p/w because you were too stupid to realize the upcoming televised matches would make your "unstable" financial situation "okay". They weren't even cash flow negative. I could afford the players I had, but couldn't add anyone new of value. 5) You doubled my budget this year to $22k, with a record $150k transfer budget. Yet despite spending only $10k p/w, wouldn't let me sign the excellent striker who wanted $2500 p/w. For what it's worth, my budget with Tromsø is $53k per week with a $3.5 million transfer budget. And now I think I mistakenly saved over the autosave where I could go back and try again if I want. Now, it's either stick with Tromsø, or quit the game. I have vowed not to cheat, but it really pisses me off and makes me not want to play anymore. I get the whole "get better results, or you're fired." But I'd think at lower levels, loyalty is more important. Especially for a team never expected to do much. Hopefully when FM '25 comes out. Rather than worry about women's leagues (did anyone, as in a sizable number of people, really want this?) and newgen appearance, how about SI overhauls the AI that's been virtually the same since I first started playing in 2009? The match engine is vastly improved (no more alligator/roadrunner legs to ensure the proper player reaches the ball first), but all the backroom stuff is virtually the same and just as irritating as ever. Like I can't tell the media the reason I have so many center backs is because one is going to play left back and one is going to play right back? Instead I have to make some dumb comment about "depth."

As someone whose football experience is limited to watching the Men's World Cup and playing Football Manager since '09, it's obvious I don't understand what most of the tactics... hell, most of the game means. It's like reading about attributes nothing is as it seems. Finishing supposedly isn't how good a striker is at scoring goals. It's how good their accuracy is (which seems the same to me). Thus my tactics are always designed by taking educated guesses. For example, a cautious approach (remind me... why did SI change it from Counter to Cautious?) tactic tends to have counter options selected. An attacking approach, on the other hand, would be silly to have things like "play out of defense" and "work ball into box" selected. Then again, maybe I am wrong on that. Anyways, the main thing is it seems every time I get promoted from a lower league to a higher league, in this case, Norwegian Second to Norwegian First division, I have a flying start to the season. It then slows down to where I wind up with a mid-table finish. And finally, the next season I fight a closely fought battle for relegation. It seems once they learn my tactics, they beat my tactics. Fair enough, but what does it take to reconfuse the AI? Just changing a few settings or should the formation be completely overhauled? The difficult thing is that alternate tactics cannot save different players. Only different roles. So if I go with a classic 4-4-2 formation with a 3-1-3-1-2 formation, then it won't necessarily default to the right players in the right spot. As a result, I usually stick with one formation. I just change roles slightly or tactical options. But then I wonder. What does familiarity matter because it is very hard to be highly fluid with a semi-pro team on more than one tactic. TL;DR (actual questions): 1) When you make your tactics, do you use alternate formations or the same formation with altered sub-settings (Get stuck in, play out of defense, etc) 2) How important is familiarity? Does going from near 100% familiarity to 60% make a massive difference to where it's always a bad idea? 3) If a player is estimated to be 3.5* based on being a Box to Box Midfielder (support), but only had around 30% familiarity in that role, yet is 3* as a Ball Winning Midfielder (defend) with a near 100% familiarity, is it better to play them in the defend role even if you prefer more support? 4) I used to think a coaches estimated player ability was in relation to the league average. However, it seems it's actually in relation to the rest of your team. Does that mean it's impossible to have all 4*+ players? I had a player young player with a 4.5* potential. Got him as a 2*. Worked him up to a 3.5*. Always turning in 7.5+ performance ratings. Then despite continued good performances and little (if any) attribute decline, he suddenly worked down to a 3* and now a 2.5*. Is that just from signing better players in a similar position? 5) How do you make a player fully familiar in more than one role? it seems I can set their training for one role and they will become great at it, but they magically lose the rest. My goal is always to sign players who can play multiple positions (preferably all the midfield role, all the defense roles, or all the center roles), but if they can only be familiar in one at a time, maybe that's the wrong approach? 6) As a non-footballer, if you can have only one legitimate top player at any position, what would it be? I've always assumed striker. A great striker beats a great goalkeeper most times is what I've always thought, but maybe I am wrong? Maybe a star goalkeeper out positions the star striker? Or maybe a star center midfielder not only prevents plays from materializing, but also sets up goals.

I am playing FM '22 and I just I transferred jobs to a Norwegian second division team last season and narrowly avoided relegation. This year, my team is on fire and presently in second. However, I am very confused about the league rules. Here are the standings: Here are the rules: Traditionally, I've always thought the green highlight indicates automatic promotion and the blue highlight indicates playoff for promotion. However, the rules clearly state 1st is promoted and 2nd goes to a playoff. It further states that the second tier teams are ineligible for promotion, which means my team should be on pace for automatic promotion. Yet, Molde 2 is highlighted in green and the board vision suggests they are pleased I am challenging for a playoff spot. Media interviews, as wonky as they are, hint at the same thing. Any ideas? Definitely a little different for me playing in a league with secondary teams involved.

After over a year hiatus, I returned to this game. Playing as Göttne, I got promoted to the Swedish First Division after my fourth season. I had a great campaign in the First Division and finished 9th. Not bad for the first season. Despite resigning almost all my players (young and improving) and supposedly making some upgrades, my second season was not as successful and was a battle against relegation all season. I almost left for a Norwegian Second division team that was pretty safe, but contract discussions broke down. No big deal... in the end, I barely got relegated. I wasn't fired immediately, but a good time to move on in my career. Since I wanted to try Norway, I applied for another division II team. This time, they were guaranteed relegation and I was hired. I had searched this thread and realized it would be ok. I joined them and in my only two games with them, I beat the top team and drew with another. Not bad! Something was weird though. All staff was listed as allowing zero members. When I convinced them to add more scouts, the number never increased. Yet as the season ended, I wasn't immediately sacked. I figured I just needed the season to reset. When I spent 45 minutes clicking continue, it finally advanced to the new season in mid-January and I got sacked. As it turns out, apparently you cannot play as the Norwegian Third Division afterall. By then, all the jobs I wanted were gone. The few other teams in leagues I was willing to try did not accept me. Pretty much, my game was entirely screwed. It would have been nice to know this as I possibly could have stayed with Göttne since my goal was to bravely battle against relegation. I vowed to never cheat this time, but something was fishy about this, so I had wisely saved my game before the transfer was completed. Due to that, a whole new set of autosaves was created. Bottom line is I have three saves before the transfer goes through. One the day before... useless. One a bit sooner and one three matches sooner. With the three matches sooner, I could theoretically avoid relegation (I would have in the first run had I beat Pitea). I feel it's cheating, but it's the only option or else the game is ruined. Bottom line... Getting relegated into the Norwegian Third Division did not work!