|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Mar 14, 2009 12:31:56 GMT
This is going to be little more than an update thread, at least at the moment. It's also going to be slow, because currently I'm watching all games in dots version. Football Club Latina aren't one of the best teams in Italy, (I wouldn't be here if they were, natch), but they can see a few of them as they live next door to Rome and Roma and play just down the road from Lazio. Found in 1996 as Associazione Sportiva Latina they followed the now customary Roots routes by going bankrupt shortly thereafter, being kicked out of Serie C and forced to start again in the Lazio regional leagues as FC Latina, from where they fought back to Serie C again. After taking over the first two things I learned are; 1) they're suitably awful - possibly the worst team I've taken over since Pivara and 2) you shouldn't do a Google Image search for "Latina." Off we go.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Mar 14, 2009 12:37:56 GMT
Pre-Season In the pre-season we weren't exactly an exciting team to watch as we played a collection of other C teams and a couple of amateurs and came away with one win and four draws, the only interest coming in the game against Mestre where we fought back from 1-0 down at the break to lead 3-1 with ten minutes to play, only to lose two late goals for a 3-3 tie.
Formation Thus far it's a vanilla 4-4-2, in an attempt to not tax the players too much.
The Squad I don't think I've ever taken over a GR team with zero obvious talent before. Normally you can see one or two hidden gems who'll be around long enough for you to become unreasonably attached to them, but here... not so much.
36 year old forward Edoardo Artistico looks like he could have some idea of what to do, but in pre-season he looked lazy and old. Which is exactly what his stats say he is.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Mar 14, 2009 12:57:56 GMT
Serie C Cup FC Latina vs Sassari Torres 2,204 people pack into the Domenico Francioni to see us run out as serious (7-1) underdogs against the visiting C1 side Torres (1-3).
The first ten minutes of the game features not much as the two sides look faintly bored in their first game of the season, but then we accidentally take the lead.
Under pressure on our right side we concede a corner which is defended pretty nicely and then hoofed clear. Old fella Edoardo Artistico sprints after it and somehow outpaces his defender despite being old enough to be his dad.
Artistco carries the ball into the left front corner of the Torres box angling toward the goal, angles toward the near post drawing the keeper a couple of steps and then chips the ball across the box for Enea Parma to head into the undefended net!
Torres don't look exactly happy about that and they pus from a 4-4-2 to a 4-1-2-2-1 with two AMs behind a loan striker, but almost get caught on the break again as Parma is away only to see his short turned around the post by the Torres keeper.
From the corner the ball breaks out of a pack to a spot about 30 yards out, from where DM Gianluca Corbani lofts it back into the area only to see it drop into the net.
Corbani is on his debut for the club after being our sole off-season purchase so I'm almost as delighted as the kid is himself.
Torres aren't delighted though and things get physical from there, as they break three of Francesco Azzarelli's ribs, then lamp Corbani and finally they break Edoardo Artistico's nose.
Which is nice.
They're all over what's left of our team for the final 25 minutes and grab one goal back on 71, but our centre back pairing of Ghislaine Akassou and Eddy Mengo really step forward after that and we've a win against the odds!
Of course, we have another cup game in three days and a league game in seven and we're down two injured players already. :humb:
|
|
|
Post by Sonic on Mar 14, 2009 15:49:41 GMT
Wow, really. Every team I've ever reported at(with the exception of Foggia) has been without any, any talent. Did I mention the absence of talent? My tactic is to throw wages at good players who will get me to the top. It's never failed, and always got me consecutive promotions. I though we all did this.
My tactic to get good players in previous CM games was to give obvious good players(Zidane to the second league of England) monthly contracts. It also got me Totti to Liverpool too. He never leaves.
FM is stupid, and takes too long. Hence why I've never really given a story about it. I really should play FM06. It is the best so far. At least without playing the last version.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Mar 14, 2009 17:18:23 GMT
I'm not talking about the next Pele. But normally there's someone who can jump, or pass, or shoot. I usually have someone who can't run, but who I can bounce long passes off, for instance.
This time... nada. When I get injuries like I did in the first game I'm down to less than nada. Starring Jamie Gertz.
|
|
|
Post by Sonic on Mar 15, 2009 2:22:30 GMT
That's a youtube clip right?
|
|
|
Post by Moo on Mar 15, 2009 11:44:24 GMT
Excellent stuff, s1ut. Nice to know you like to suffer like the rest of us.
|
|
|
Post by Narcizo on Mar 15, 2009 18:48:17 GMT
I rate you lack of Kylie references :moose:
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Mar 25, 2009 2:13:37 GMT
Safe to say that this isn't going well.
Our great hope at Latina is olde forward Edoardo Artistico who's the only thing we have approaching someone who knows what to do on the football field and so I'm unimpressed when he suffers a broken nose in the first game of the season.
Unimpressed turns into suicidal shortly afterwards when Artistico returns from his nose injury and, the very next day, slips a disc in his spine and will sit out of the next three months.
:moop:
This leaves us beyond toothless up front and with the window in Italy shut for both new signings and loans there's little I can do about it. Out on the left wing we have Domenico Costanzo who is technically gifted, (for this level at least), but lacks the pace to be a decent winger, so I being to retrain him as a forward.
Without a forward worthy of the name the result is predictable and we go three games on the spin without scoring a goal, losing to Olbia and Rieti in the Serie C cup and holding on for an incredibly dour 0-0 in the league with Cisco Roma.
Of course, have gone three complete games without troubling the scorers, we then find four goals out of nowhere in the cup and spank Gubbio 4-0 to confirm our progress out of the first stage.
Then it's back to reality in the league with a 1-1 with Taranto and then a terrible 0-2 defeat to bottom side Viterbo, at home. Viterbo just spend the day madly attacking us and ignoring our forwards, knowing that it's likely to create more chances for them than us and that's exactly how it works.
If I can't find a forward to come in from somewhere by Christmas I could be out of a job before I get going.
|
|
|
Post by elth on Mar 25, 2009 2:21:09 GMT
Well, if you get fired at least you can concetrate on your other games.
The thing that generally annoyed me most about the newer FMs, I think, was that there wasn't really a lot you could do if you didn't have the players, so with very poor clubs it seemed pretty much impossible to get anywhere - no money, no fans, no players and no hope. On the older ones you could usually scrounge up a few free transfers and some kids, stick them in a crazy tactic and just about eek out a gradual improvement. I never felt like I could do that in FM06, and didn't even try 07 or 08.
Good luck, looks like you'll need it!
|
|
|
Post by Sonic on Mar 25, 2009 7:58:05 GMT
I did it on FM08. I've only cracked the championship after somehow getting straight promotions. I've stopped playing because of the time it takes to get to this spot. I basically lived off loans, and even then it was pissing me off. I did have a pretty decent side, somehow, that was wanting to be bought be every Tom, Dick and Harry with the usual results :moop:
I'm now back playing CM00/01 and enjoying it much more. I've got through more seasons than it took to get quarter of the way through a season in FM08. Stupid.
|
|
|
Post by Narcizo on Mar 25, 2009 19:21:34 GMT
Ah but FM08 is more realistic so it's much better.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Mar 25, 2009 19:29:32 GMT
I found 08 to be much less realistic. I think only once in five seasons on the game did I see one forward even attempt to pass across the area for another to shoot.
And don't get me started on the closing down and the players with ADHD.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on May 30, 2009 0:04:49 GMT
I'd forgotten just how bad these guys are, which means it's prime time to go back and pick up the game again.
The first game back goes almost exactly as planned as we turtle in a very defensive formation and sneak away for the only goal in a 1-0 over Vigor Lamezia.
30 year old Ivorian Sweeper Ghislain Akassou wins man of the match honours for a 9 in central defence and continues to look the class of our team. I wish I had someone half as good to play up front. Amusingly our other centre half breaks his arm in the game.
A week later we stumble to a 0-0 at home to Rieta in a game in which precisely nothing happens. 0-0 is going to be our preferred result for a long time, I can see, as we never look like scoring.
At the end of September our board are still confident that made the right decision in giving me this shower to babysit, although our accountant might be less convinced as we shipped €160,000. :humb:
|
|
|
Post by Sonic on May 30, 2009 4:19:16 GMT
I have this picture of you playing this with your baby on your lap I forgot how funny point two was about things learned after taking over the club too :humb:
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on May 30, 2009 11:34:54 GMT
When even your own manager is shouting "BORING!" at you, you know things aren't going too well. Our most recent game was a 1-1, which makes our for/against look more exciting.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on May 31, 2009 21:13:20 GMT
October 2005 October is not a happy month unless you're a fan of the more colourful vernacular, as fans sitting within earshot of my dugout through the first three games will have earned enough Swear Miles™ to fly to the moon.
Any of the 63 around Jupiter, that is.
And back again.
The first curse alert comes in the 1-1 mentioned with the screenshot above, as we take the early lead against Potenza and look set for a coasting victory as the visitors are reduced to 10 men. Of course, a coasting victory would rely on me having people who actually know where the goal is, which means anyone but us and there's not a great deal of surprise when Potenza's ten men equalise in the 89th bloody minute.
The week after we manage to fight back from a goal down against Igea Virtus thanks to Gennaro Mascaro's fifth of the season. A point at home against one of Serie C's strugglers isn't great, but it's better than what we eventually come away with as Igea sneak away for the winner in the 92nd minute.
If anyone around the club does still, somehow, have ear drums left, then they lose them the week after, as we're actually in danger of winning a game thanks to Matteo Anania's penalty, when visitors Modica scramble an equaliser. In the 92nd minute.
These setbacks don't fill me with enthusiasm or expectation for seven days later when we travel to face the league leaders; Galipoli. We're handed an early advantage though, as Alessandro Turine is sent off for dragging down Enea Parma when the forward was clear through on goal - clearly Alessandro has never seen one of my forwards try to score.
So, for the next hour we're pinned back and hammered by ten men as the league leaders keep the ball for long spells and make us look daft, even though we have more players. I keep fiddling with the tactics trying to close down Galipoli's midfield space and control their wingers until I'm playing a very defensive 4-4-2 with a deep defence and counterattacking against a team playing 3-4-2.
Then on 67 minutes midfielder Manolo Manoni finds himself with the ball on the edge of our area, turns and punts it upfield without really looking and Enea Parma is away... One on one he fakes out the keeper and slots the ball home.
What follows is 20 minutes of swearing as my team completely fail to follow my very specific instructions - a centre half with low creative freedom, no forward runs, no running with the ball and stay back instructions for free kicks and corners...? Why! Sure! You should feel free to run further forward than our attacking midfielder and get trapped upfield!
Somehow we completely fail to allow a goal for the rest of the game though - even in the 92nd minute - and after thre really annoying games, we somehow dig up a win against the division's best team.
I love hate love FM.
|
|
|
Post by Moo on Jun 1, 2009 10:18:30 GMT
I agree with the last bit.
I'm not sure I could watch the full 90 on FM though, that would bore the tits off me. And I'm a Newcastle fan.
My Huddersfield game is progressing nicely though, thanks for asking.
In other news, you should really try to convince your lass that you read about a scientific study that encouraged fathers with restless newborn babies to sit in front of monitors with lots of green on it as that colour is therapeutic for them, thus sending them to sleep.
KUTGW! :thumb:
|
|
|
Post by coffers on Jun 1, 2009 11:26:05 GMT
Aye KUTGW! You might even encourage me to dust off Paranoa again.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Jun 3, 2009 14:29:58 GMT
I appear to have travelled back in time. I'm at work and want to go home and play FM.
Just when I thought I was out... They drag me back in!
November was a horribly rough month too. :cab:
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Jun 3, 2009 20:37:56 GMT
November 2005.The eleventh month of 2005 had a good start and a good end, but what came inbetween was less than stellar. In the first week we landed some giant French fooker in the shape of the 6'4", 16st Thierry Louison, who'll be stood up front for me to bounce 60 yard cultured upfield punts off of. He'll cost me €14,000, although €10,000 is over the next 12 months. The day after that, the board decided to inject €55,000 into the club, which will a) take a big forking needle and b) mean we only lose a slightly-astounding amount of money this month. Then the games started, which is when things went off the rails. First of all we had the Serie C Cup which featured an abject capitulation to Frosinone who thrashed us 1-0 and 2-1 home and away. Their forwards almost made mine look useful however, as they should have caned us by a lot more. We continued the inspired Serie C Cup run into Serie C itself, losing 1-0 away to Giugliano managing zero shots on target and then drew 0-0 with Andria Bat - that would be our third scoreless draw against a team with ten men. :moop: After going four games without a win we went on the road to face playoff chasing Nocerina and miraculously turned November into a repeat of October, where we're awful to start and then stick a surprise win on a good team at the end. For no reason I can determine, Nocerina just can't handle us on the flanks and Domenico Costanzo on the left and Francesco Azzarelli on the right put in excellent performances. In the 8th minute Costanzo slides a sweet pass through to Gennaro Marasco and our top-scoring forward is dragged down inside the box. He dusts himself off well enough to spank the spot kick right down the middle for a goal that makes me feel more nervous than I did when it was 0-0, as I've 82 minutes to defend a one goal lead. The response from Nocerina is expected, as they up the tempo, but they don't really look very dangerous at first as they seem cautious about chasing the game and suffering the ignominy of allowing us to score two goals in the same week and so we reach the break still with the narrow lead. At half time I get all nervous ninny and changed systems from our open 442 to a tight, closed one with counter attacking figuring I could let in my regular 92nd minute laugher and still come away with a point. So Nocerina kick off, push forward down the wing, swing over a cross which their forward leaps to meet and... bangs his header against the crossbar. The rebound falls to centre back Eddie Mengo who hoiks it up the park. Goal scorer Gennie Marasco latches on to it and sprints away down the left, then thumps a low pass across the box and boom! Enea Parma is there to smack in his fourth of the season! After that Nocerina mount exactly zero threat and the game whimpers to a close without the home team managing another shot on target... The three points delights the board, which means that they stay pleased, even though we're burning through money like an American car company.
|
|
|
Post by Moo on Jun 4, 2009 8:42:10 GMT
Tough times for Igea. They need a manager...
|
|
|
Post by coffers on Jun 4, 2009 16:09:54 GMT
I agree.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Jun 6, 2009 17:25:59 GMT
December 2005
Into the last month before the window reopens and I can flail about, kidnapping anyone with legs like a drunken press-gang.
The month starts well with a home match against Rende in which midfielder Davide Carfora wakes up. After a season of being mildly effective in midfield without showing any offensive threat he opens the scoring against Rende with a powerful header and then scores the second with a spanker in off the inside of the post from 25 yards, as you do.
The Rende game also marks the return of Edoardo Artistico from his broken spine injury and my great white hope up front achieves precisely nothing.
Still, it's not like I've been looking forward to his return for 2+ months or anything. :moop:
We get two points from our next two games, with a 0-0 against Pro Vasta and a 1-1 away to Vittoria thanks to a last minute equaliser from Gennaro Marasco.
So remember October and November where we started poorly then sprung a surprise win at the end? December is like that, only backwards. After stretching our unbeaten run to five games we slump at home to Melfi to conclude 2005, as none of our players manage to show up, eliciting me to up the Swear Miles further with the end of game hairdryer treatment.
Five points from a possible twelve for the month isn't awesome, but it consolidates our position in the middle of the table, edging toward safety. The disappointment really is Edoardo Artistico who has come back from injury a shadow of the player that looked so difficult to defend at the start of the year.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Jun 6, 2009 18:20:34 GMT
January 2006A new year, a new chance to buy players no one else wants and first to climb through our now open window is giant Frenchman Gerard Depardieu who, at 6'4", doesn't need a ladder. (Yes, I've started nicknaming new arrivals.) I then send out a million offers for new players at such grand clubs as AC Milan and Stevenage Boro. Our first game of the new year is the visit of Taranto who feature the aggressive midfield stylings and comedicly-named "Vagnasti" - an appropriate name, as he's a dirty cunt. He's also related to the referee, as he manages to go through nine fouls in 90 minutes without even a booking. :moop: Still, Vagnasti's red streak isn't going to stop us this month and early goals from Gennaro Marasco and Enea Parma put us ahead 2-0 at the break. In the second half we look quite comfortable until we give up a free kick 20 yards out and it's hammered past Orlandi in our goal for 2-1. With 14 minutes to go and a single goal still the difference Gennaro Marasco is tiring, so I put up his number and send on Depardieu. Shortly after, two crosses are hoiked into the box, Depardieu soars for two headers and scores two goals. So not a bad debut there. The board are delighted by the win and show me exactly how delighted by sticking €270,000 into the club, so that we're only €500,000 in the red now. I respond to being seriously in debt by splashing out on three more players - Cat Stevens up front, Midge Ure to play in the middle at the back and the versatile Russell Harty, who can play in the middle of defence, at defensive midfield or on either side of the midfield. The following week we travel to play Real Marcianise and get done by a player we tried to bid on but who turned us down; midfielder Raffaele Cortese, who dribbles around two of my players and slots home from 16 yards. An 0-1 isn't the best way to continue the form shown in the 4-1 to open the month, but we're quickly back up to speed as Gennie Marasco opens our account in Viterbo and then Russell Harty scores on his debut with a low lashing shot from the corner of the box across the keeper. We close out January with an eventful half away against Cisco Roma. No goals at the break, but in the second half I throw on Cat Stevens for his debut and he misses a sitter from five yards with his first touch, then cracks in a rising shot from 22 to open the scoring. He then sets up Ronnie Barker for a second and is on the pitch for a third, scored by David McCallum before he gets sent off for going in two-footed about thirty five minutes late. We win 3-0 and the peace-loving Cat Stevens gets a goal, an assist, a red card, the man of the match award and a three match ban. :thumb:
|
|