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Post by coffers on Dec 16, 2010 11:15:12 GMT
Sounds good, but I won't be in as I won't be buying FM2011. I'm too far into the FM2010 save game that I've got going and am quite enjoying it still. I still haven't loaded up the TW game I've been hankering after playing for a while. So something on the Alghero save is keeping me interested, though it isn't managing Holland. I can tell you. The quality of players available there is going downhill fast, god help them when Huntelaar and Babel retire as the strikers are pretty crap without them around.
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Post by Narcizo on Dec 17, 2010 10:35:28 GMT
It might not be totally impossible moo, if you're interested. As long as I'm allowed to CRT-ALt-Del when I lose like I normally do.
Doh!
However I'm used to a pretty slow pace and I wouldn't imagine more than 2-3 hours a week would be on the cards really.
Anyway, speaking of losing I decided to emulate my managing hero Kelvin Koolgan during the January transfer window. Sitting as I was at the top of the table with a fairly settled side but a few question marks in my defence I decided to sign a flashy foriegn forward - with similar results to the, erm, can't remember his name now farago. Anyway, it's tooth and claw to stay in an automatic promotion spot as we've lost all the consistency we had before Christmas and every point is a struggle. No matter who or where we're playing.
Most exciting game was when we went down 2-0 in the first half and then had a man sent off (probably because I told the pantfish to get out there and make an impression). However a cunning bit of tictacal jiggery-pokery/just plain luck saw us get back to 2-2. Imagine my joy when we went 3-2 up in the third minute of injury time when we were supposed to have 3 minutes to play. And imagine my horror when our opponents scored almost immediately from the kick-off to make it 3-3. What fun.
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Post by Moo on Dec 17, 2010 11:41:58 GMT
That's not horror, Narkle, that's just standard. I look forward to moments of mediocrity after Santa has emptied his sack. In related news, online games are real fun, but do take their time to complete a season, but I'm willing to give it a go. i would imagine starting at a suitably silly place would be in order. How about Luton and AFC Wimbledon in the Conference? ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png)
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Post by Narcizo on Dec 19, 2010 19:25:04 GMT
Probably best off somewhere with a small league. Jockland has a fairly small league doesn't it? Hence it being the choice of CotD I. And probably best off not in the bottomest division - for downwardly mobile reasons.
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Post by Narcizo on Dec 21, 2010 7:31:17 GMT
Despite being patched I'm surprised at how many glaring bugs there seems to be in this here game. Which probably just goes to show how long it's been since I played a SpInG product. My favourite is when the two teams are kicking the ball around in midfield, some geezer hoofs the ball into touch and you get "Surely a penalty! Player X is furious with the referee. He feels that was a blatant foul". And then you get asked after the match if you felt the referee got the decision right. Umm. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that he got that one right actually. It's also nigh on impossible for a goalkeeper to get a decent rating if you're playing well (I remember that happening in every version of C/FM I've played) so you can never praise your keepers for their performance and your staff keep on advising you to drop the keeper for poor form. I mean really. How difficult is it to have all players start the game with a 6.0 rating and have that set as the base - neither good nor bad - then alter it from there.
On the plus side at long last they've managed to (half) sort out the joke that was the transfer system. Admittedly it's still way, waaaaay too much dependent on the players potential ability and blithely ignores how the player is actually playing but, wow - you can actually offer players you aren't using to other teams and occasionally they'll buy them - particularly if you slash the asking price. And you can negotiate with teams to reach a decent deal. Crikey! It took ten year but at last SpInG have managed to nearly get back to the system that worked in CM3, all they need to do now is sort out value being more based on current ability and form and cut back on how important potential is. At the moment I hardly ever play my top four valued played because they're currently pants. Meanwhile my best performers are worth tuppence ha'penny. It also means that you don't really have to scout players for potential abilty - because you just have to look at their valuation. Silly SpIng.
Anyroad I'm into the second season after getting promted in second place in 2011 and continue with my perfect cup record. Played 5 - lost 5. Although I'm not having the greatest of luck with the ties I get, it has to be said. We've yet to have a home game in any cup. And/or play a lower division team. The board were particularly unimpressed with a 4-1 tonking at Selhurst Park. And who can blame them.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Dec 21, 2010 12:31:16 GMT
I think the only feature that's interested me so far about 11 is the built-in ability to upload highlights to the net. Marlon Harewood scored a 30 yard screamer in off the bar for me the other day, but I can't be bothered to put in on youtube for Moo's christmas present.
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Post by Moo on Dec 21, 2010 13:27:01 GMT
You're horrible.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Dec 21, 2010 14:56:01 GMT
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Post by Moo on Dec 21, 2010 15:10:48 GMT
:thumb:
Yes I am.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Dec 21, 2010 15:15:38 GMT
Turns out it wasn't Harewood, which doesn't surprise me as he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.
Having said which, as proof I'm cheating Harewood does have 18 goals in 17(10) appearances. Despite missing four penalties. :moop:
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Post by Moo on Dec 21, 2010 16:01:05 GMT
You might want to change your penalty taker list, Stu.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Dec 21, 2010 16:11:39 GMT
For a while it was him or Central Defender Damien Delaney with double figure penalty stats. Sadly Harewood's 9 composure and 0 testicles seemed to cause an issue.
Now I have a big Austrian fella who likes to actually score penalties.
In fact my front line comprises The Big Lad Harewood, The Big Lad Walters, The Big Austrian Lad and The Big Dutch Lad. Then I have Big Connor Wickham loitering in the reserves.
The smallest player I've started up front this season was Vaz Te, before I sold him, who's only 6'1".
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Post by Narcizo on Dec 22, 2010 8:33:03 GMT
I can't seem to get the Big Lad tictac working in FM11. (Because I have tried all of two minutes to do so) - which must make it the first C/FM where having a big lump to ping crosses off hasn't been dejour. Whatever will these SpInG blokes come up with.
I've come up with a couple more advantages over the last iteration of FM I played - 1) it seems a lot easier for me to get comebacks after going 2-0 down. In previous versions I remember just about giving up once I'd gone 2-0 down because the AI would switch to a 6-3-1 type affair and you'd basically watch time tick away without any commentary at all. I think I've staged three three-goal comebacks so far. Which is mice. 2) The all-conquering 2-5-3 last minute tictac seems to have been removed from the AI repoitore, meaning you can rest easier with your one goal lead in the closing stages.
The mind games stuff hasn't actually developed at all though, I note. In fact you seem to have fewer choices than what my aged brain can remember. Still it's a load of pantfish anyway. Praising/threatening your players depending on the circumstances is where it's at.
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Post by Narcizo on Dec 23, 2010 9:32:35 GMT
My perfect cup run came to a sudden end as we stuffed some non-league tossers, erm, 2-0 to advance to the second round of the not completely useless cup. It proved to be a temporary hiccup though as we crashed out 4-3 thanks to my tosswitted midfielder first giving away a penalty when we looked to be in control and then getting himself sent off a couple of minutes later. My fullbacks rank inability to defend against wingers and my centrebacks tendency to bunch in an unhelpful cluster near the near post saw Yeovil, for it was they, go from 3-2 down to 4-3 and win the game. Which was a tad annoying.
Still we're doing quite well in league 1, which is nice - although it's coming up to Christmas, so we're due our/the usual post-New Year tailspin.
The goalposts and crossbars seem to be a lot thicker in SpInG-land then in reality. I seem to be regularly hitting them 3-4 times a game nowadays. And there seems to be an awful lot of shots hitting the post, pinging off the diving goalkeeper and going in for an own goal.
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Post by Moo on Jan 4, 2011 10:49:57 GMT
Forgetting that Narkle and myself might be about to endure Scotchland, I started a save in Berwick. Then realised why I disliked lower league Scotchland. I got £400 for losing a cup match. £400! Count it! ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) No money at all unless you're in the top half of the top flight, it's just awful. Still, I'll give it a go. As for the game itself, the GUI is taking a little getting used to, even if I do think it has improved over FM10. Lots more little tabs about the screen, meaning that you sometimes do miss things that you would normally just glance at, but it means the rest of the screen doesn't appear as busy. First impressions (as they normally are with me and FM) are favourable.
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Post by coffers on Jan 4, 2011 11:03:14 GMT
Sping whore. :checkit:
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Post by Moo on Jan 4, 2011 11:04:50 GMT
Yes. Yes I am.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 4, 2011 14:59:42 GMT
Hey up Moo. I don't mind playing anywhere you feel like playing. I was thinking about lower level Brazil but I've no idea about the size of leagues there and if it's anything like the last version I played in Brazil all the teams get shuffled around after the first season (although I might be being a bit optimistic about longeivity there). Time may be a bit of a problem though as I normally go to bed at 9:30 English time but you know whatever.
Into my 3rd season with Crewe now and losing every cup that we're in has become sooooo 2011 as, in the Pointless Cup, we've beaten Arsenal (reserves) and some Championship teams on the way to a quarter-final showdown with Man Utd (reserves). We're also in the Regional Semi-Finals of the Ultimately Pointless Cup and should be in the Third Round of the Not Completely Pointless Cup. All this Cup action has hit us in the league as we started off near the top of the league only to plummet down to just outside the play-off spot but with a couple of games in hand.
The mainstay of our team is some Berkani Fusini (or some such country I've never heard of) forward who was offered to us by a pushy agent. These agent chappies normally offer a load of old toot but this bloke has lit up League One and there's no greater compliment than that. The Youth Academy has churned out a player my coaches reckon will be good enough to play in the Permiership in the future, so that's a FM first as well - getting a youth academy player who isn't a horrible pile of pish. He's actually playing pretty well already so I don't know how long I'l be able to hold onto him. I've just given him a new grown-up contract and that seemed to put the crappier Premmy sides who had been sniffing around him off, so that was nice. At least we'll get a decent wodge of cash for him when he does bugger off.
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Post by Moo on Jan 4, 2011 15:33:35 GMT
Good stuff there, Narkle.
Seeing as we were originally thinking of Scotland, and I went there for my game (like an idiot) and then the other obvious choice would be Engerland, and you've gone there and as you say, Brazil would be a bit random because even though we might pick teams from the same State championship, they won't necessarily be in the same 3rd Div group. We're probably best of going somewhere like Holland or "Belgium". Second division, natch, would give us something to aim for, rather than relegation.
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Post by coffers on Jan 4, 2011 15:46:50 GMT
That sounds like a great job done Narkle, have one of these: :thumb:
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 4, 2011 21:18:15 GMT
"The fans are slightly concerned following our 3-2 League Cup Quarter-Final defeat to Man Utd."
Yeah well fuck em then. "slightly fucking concerned"? Cocks.
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Post by coffers on Jan 5, 2011 9:24:39 GMT
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 5, 2011 13:49:30 GMT
Nothing like beating local rivals 4-3 when two of your goals are a bit on the fortunate side. I particularly liked www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj0mucz6ilEIt looked like the ball hit the bar, banged onto the keeper's back, hit the bar again, hit the keeper's head and bounced into the goal. But it actually bounces behind him the first time. Still I like how he collapses after the ball hits his head. We won 4-3 after another own goal in the 3rd minute of injury time.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Jan 5, 2011 14:35:18 GMT
Those are turning into my favourite kind of goals. Along with the ones from free kicks that smash a defender in the barnet and fly in the far corner with the keeper diving the wrong way.
Jason Koumas scored about three of those for me last year. Although that was on 2010, which is the easy version, natch.
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Post by Narcizo on Jan 13, 2011 10:03:15 GMT
So with 5 games left one away to league leaders Dipswich and one at home to the rampant Mickey Mouse Dons and ten points adrift I didn't think much to our chances of automatic promtion. However a 4-0 tonking of Ipswich at their place put the cat among the pigeons as they lost all confidence and fell 5-0 to, erm, someone else. Unfortunately in the last couple of game both my strikers got "Nervous that a mistake will cost teh team promtion" or some such and they started hammering the ball into the stands left right and centre in the last few games resulting in a draw. Still on the last game of the season we were level with Ipswich on points and goal difference but they had scored more. Still we were at home and they were away so I thought we had a good chance.
A 0-0 draw against Bristol Rovers later as one forward peppered all manner of shots into the stands behind and the other scuffed all his shots into the welcoming arms of the goalkeeper and we had to go into the play-off anyway as Ipswish broke out of their nosedive to win 2-1 away at some useless tossers of other.
So, pissed off with my forwards and their lily-livered ways I put in some other ones (some young Italian AMC play-maker type that Man Utd released and, erm, someone else) and hey-ho it did the trick as we beat Doncaster 2-0 at their place and 1-0 at ours to line-up a meeting with Colchester for the right to get hammered in the Chumpionship next year. Should be an exciting game for the nuetrals as the two stingiest defences in the league face off against each other. TONIGHT!
In other news we lost 3-2 to Bolton at their place in the 4th round of NTP Cup (fans - slightly concerned again. Cocks. Again) and beat Leyton Orient at Wembley to take the UPC - so that's two trips to Wembley in one year which is nice. Thinks our bank manager as we skirt around the £0 balance despite the board trying to force me to spend more cash. I am quite pleased with a Finnish new-gen D/DM/MC I got for, well, quite a lot of cash actually (they wanted 100k and a 25% sell-on clause, they got 150k). My scouts and coach think he's good enough to be a good Permiership player so I was quite pleased at getting him. He's short-arse so I should really play him in midfield but he toadally rocks as ball-playing defender with cover duties. All those balls through the middle of our defence that were torching us before are a thing of history as he is Non the ancient god of tackling and interceptions. Unfortunately his agent wouldn't budge from a £500k min release fee for higher divisions so I don't expect to hold onto him for very long. Probably can't reneg him now either as he'll be asking for too much.
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