Football Manager 2014.

Has anybody preordered this? This years looks to have improved on last years version, and if you have preordered then you get two week early access which is cool.

Hopefully I can repeat my success in getting Wrexham to the premier league.

When's the demo out?

I think it may already be available Olly, but I don't know whether its for those that have pre-ordered though, imagine it may be available for d/load to everyone once the games released

Quite looking forward to this years. Looks like there's been a few changes to the transfer engine and also the player and backroom staff communication tool

One thing they need to change is the press conferences though, for the last three years now all the questions are the same, they need to mix it up a bit. I know you can choose to send your assistant but I find that can be sometimes detrimental to the team morale if they answer a question negatively

I've got the BETA but haven't tried it yet, haven't watched last nights boxing so going to give it ago while I watch that this afternoon.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/football-manager-2014-new-features-2458964

worth a look over to see whats new

Got the beta yesterday, played until the first international break. Really impressed with it so far

The match engine is much better

Yeah I agree Gazzy, not a major thing but slagging rival teams players off is fun. I slated Gareth Barry before the Merseyside derby and he ended up getting sent off.

Cool, I hven't done anything like that yet but had to defend another managers criticism of one of my players

Out of interest do you just click on a player and interact with them to do that?

Surprised at some of the player ratings I must admit. I expect some players ratings will be boosted by launch. For example Ross Barkley is only 3 star potential yet everybody is creaming over him so i expect him to get a bit of a boost. Also Luke Shaw I expected to have at least 4.5 star potential considering before he'd played a game on last years he was 5 stars. He's hardly disgraced himself so was surprised he had 4 stars

I think it comes up occasionally during the press conferences, I'm sure a few things will get changed but so far it's a very enjoyable game.

what's the match day screen like? have they gone back to the old skool classic screen or it is all messed up & complicated again. As long as you can edit all the stuff & bring in stadium backgrounds then I might be getting it.

Anybody played the demo yet?

I think it's much improved, a lot simpler this year

Finished my first season on Saturday night, finished 5th. Quite dissapointed as I was in the title race right up until the end of March but just fell away with a couple of really bad results.

Only signed Xabi Alonso in the first season for £18m and he and Gerrard where fantastic in the midfield, both had season ratings of 7.8! Worryingly Gerrard got injured in April, cruciate ligament damage, and is considering retirement so I've signed Holtby from Spurs for my second season as a replacement. Just need a striker with 20 finishing and I'm sorted!

This years is the best in a while for me, not overly complicated and very user friendly.

Would totally agree Hampo, there is a lot less screens and it just seems less cluttered and easier to do things.

I'll certainly be purchasing the full game on Friday when it's out

Funny thing on my game, David Moyes couldn't buy United a win...he got sacked in November with them 16th in the league, Klopp came in and managed to get them to 2nd by the end of the season.

Someone at SCI Games got a crystal ball?

I've playedthrough a few months but I have witheld from getting too involved as I don't intend continuing this save when the full version comes out. I still think a few players may receive ratings boosts

Anybody found any decent young talent on it yet?

One thing if I had to pick that I find annoying, every game I must get at least 5 players pick up a knock during a game

So its definitely better than last years?

A lot better.

I've got through half the season with Arsenal. Currently a point clear of United. Signed Micah Richards, Hector Moreno and Rodrigo in January. Sold Bacary Sagna to Real Madrid after we had a falling out over his contract demands.

John it's much much better mate

I can't remember, on Football manager I think i remember that if you are managing a club you can get offers from other clubs too, is this correct?

Yes mate.

Thanks mate

I have FM 2012 and I am in season 2048 so I can't quit I am too involved lol.

Started my United save, got 40m for promising the title and then sold Young, Nani, Anderson, Buttner, Varela and Ben Amos raising just over a further 20m

Signed Julian Draxler, Luke Shaw and Ross Barkley - all of whom have 5 star potential so gonna have to be patient with them, but add Januzaj and Zaha who are alread 5 and 4 stars themselves and I have the foundations for a very promising team going forward

They're each getting game time as well, Draxler and Valencia will cover right wing and Januzaj can play across the field behind the striker so he is seeing a fair bit of game time whenever I want Rooney (AMC) or Kagawa (LW) to have a break

I'm currently in November of my second season, with Gerrard now 34 he's become much more of a back up player so I've signed Holtby and Sigurdsson from Spurs and Diego on a free transfer from Wolfsburg to add depth to the midfield.

I'm using a 5-1-2-1-1 formation with Xabi Alonso say in front of the defence and rotating Coutinho, Holtby and Diego while Henderson and Sigurdsson are solid in the middle. I've also kept Reina after his loan spell and started using him as first choice keeper.

Where did everyone get it from/how much for? Found it for 23 quid on Amazon which seems pretty decent, seeing if anyone knows any better offers for a poor, poor student!

http://www.idsports.net/shop/Football-Manager-2014.html

I payed £30 preorder about four months ago once they announced the early access to it, direct from steam.

hampo171 wrote:I payed £30 preorder about four months ago once they announced the early access to it, direct from steam.

My boss helps SI with SKRILL league scouting as he works for Southport goes to every games home and away and he gets loads of games to sell. Sells them for £13 which is less then half prices  

He's not back in until Tuesday so I've got to wait until then

So how is everyone getting along?

I've packed in my West Ham save. It was going badly and I was probably going to be sacked. I figure I'm going to start up in Belgium or something and just learn the game before I try and take on a team I actually care about.

Wolves.

Sold all the dead wood Prem failures and have stacked the squad out with hard working players. Going well - Leigh Griffiths is a machine - 17 finishing in League 1!!

Just purchased this today, a final treat to myself before Xmas and moving house in the new year, first time I've updated it since '11 felt I was due an upgrade

Got to say, as someone who has no desire to play online, this mandatory steam install is infurating, I just want to play the bloody game!

Don't think Steam has anything to do with playing online, it automatically downloads the updates for you and adds the game to your library so if you get a new computer then you can just download it, as the product code will only work once.

I haven't played this for a while due to waiting for my new computer to arrive, I'd recommend raiding Southampton for any youth players you want though, most of theirs have 5 star potential and are decent back up players for most squads as well.

My new computer arrived yesterday so I quickly set up a game last night as Liverpool. I'm trying to go down the Arsene Wenger route by signing young players and turning them in to first team footballers, so last night I signed Andros Townsend for £11m which considering he will go straight in ot the first team is a steal, Southampton held me to ransom a little bit of Ward-Prowse who cost me around £18m however has 5 star potential and is already a 2 star quality at the moment at just 18 so he'll be used in squad rotation with the view to him replacing Gerrard in the next two seasons.

My formation is;

Mignolet
Johnson/Agger/Sakho/Enrique
Gerrard/Lucas
Moses/Coutinho/Townsend
Sturridge or Suarez

ive just completed my 2nd season with West ham. Finished 7th in this 2nd season, didnt get very far in the cups though.

This is currently my side

------------Butland----------

--Demel---Tomkins--Cahill---Fabio---

--------Diame----Noble----------

---Dembele-------------Collison------

---------------Sigurdsson-----------------

---------------Carroll-------------------

I just can't get the hang of this game!

What tactics do people use? Do you utilise the instructions bit (exploit the flanks, high tempo etc.)?

Yeah I use all the instructions basically, I try and play a possession game while exploit the flanks with Moses and Townsend.

When did you sign Sigurdsson CF? On one of my previous games I managed to pick up both he and Holtby for a combined £10m after the first season.

I signed him at the start of my 2nd season, i needed to replace Nolan who had gone right off the boil

hampo171 wrote:Yeah I use all the instructions basically, I try and play a possession game while exploit the flanks with Moses and Townsend.

When did you sign Sigurdsson CF? On one of my previous games I managed to pick up both he and Holtby for a combined £10m after the first season.

Are you more plug and play or do you match up to opponents formations too?

sodhat wrote:

hampo171 wrote:Yeah I use all the instructions basically, I try and play a possession game while exploit the flanks with Moses and Townsend.

When did you sign Sigurdsson CF? On one of my previous games I managed to pick up both he and Holtby for a combined £10m after the first season.

Are you more plug and play or do you match up to opponents formations too?

I don't really change my formation, just the players. Using the control and the fluid tactics means that my team can pretty much match 99% of teams and have control of possession.

I have a second tactic which is predominately counter attacking for use against the big sides, United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, however that is still the same formation.

That's where I need to get to I think. I've struggled with three seperate teams so far!

I started a game with Coventry last night, got them out of minus points quickly and then couldn't buy a win. I got so angry when we conceded 2 in stoppage time to lose 3-2 that I slammed my laptop shut. I guess it'll serve me right if I've busted the screen.

Yeah it can get like that, I've learnt over the years not to let it bother me. I had a period where Suarez, Sturridge and Aspas couldn't score a goal and Sahko was my leading scorer!

Looking forward to giving this game a good go though, my next target is Luke Shaw from Southampton and then getting the board to agree to improve the youth facilities.

I just can't get any sort of consistency from my Ipswich side. I'm firmly in 11th place mid table. I'm amazing on the road, but I can't buy a point at Portman Road. So frustrating

Played about an hour last night, and got my first four league games done and the first round of the league cup.


Signings so far;

James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) 18
Jese (Real Madrid) 20
Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain (Arsenal) 20
Andros Townsend (Spurs) 21


First 5 games.

Fulham (a) 1-4 W
Cardiff (h) 4-1 W
Aston Villa (a) 1-0 L
Oxford United (a) 1-3 W
Manchester City (a) 2-1 L



After a good start to the season I suffered the shock loss at Villa, I had 73% of the possession, 29 shots on goal to their 5 shots and lost 1-0. Suarez is still suspended, and neither Aspas or Sturridge can score. Following that league game another defeat in the league to City, I switched to a more defensive tactic for this game. Trying to contain their midfield while attacking on the break with the spead of Oxlaide-Chamberlain, Townsend, Coutinho and Sturridge. It was 1-1 going into injury time before Dzeko scored with the last kick of the game.


If you've seen the advert for this game, the part where the guy is going mental and smashing up his front room is exactly how I was after that goal!

Nothing makes you angrier than football manager, seriously.

I had about an hour on it last night too, and I picked up a good win at home to Brentford, then drew at Stevenage and got beaten by Portsmouth in the FLT and Sheff Utd in the league.

Still, from -10 points we're up to 6 points so I won't get sacked yet.

I decided to go defensive with my base tactic. I've set the team up rigidly and dragged the winger back to form a flat midfield 4 with a deep defensive line and looking to retain possession. Seems to be working well enough.

Relegated with Coventry, but they didn't sack me

I've had to cut the wage bill even more and I've not actually got any money to spend either, so everything is a free transfer and I basically have to get promoted at the first attempt or I'm out.

 

Don't envy you pal!

Just an fyi for you guys

On the game lewandowski is committed to keaving dortmund but has no agreement in place to sign with another team. After january 1st you can negotiate a precontract with him

Also dont know if this was just on my game but Valdes was the same

I had some spare change in my steam wallet so purchased the in-game editor, started a game with Wrexham to give it a test run. Haven't improved any players stats or anything like that, just put a sugar daddy in control of the club. The first message I got after doing that was "Due to our improved financial position, we're able to increase your transfer budget to £160m"

You have to buy the editor now?

I thought it was like a free add on?