ultraslan1988

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I really want to manage a smaller team but I don't have the nerve to start. Everytime I play in a weak league I get my *** kicked, I play defensive,attacking,counter attacking I just can't manage it I downloaded one of those Ebooks on FM 10 from the forum but I still suck at the game when managing smaller clubs in lower divisions.

For Example I was managing a Mexican team think it was Atlanta they were predicted to finish 3rd in the league yet I finished 14th barely avoiding relegation WTF am I doing wrong :mad:
 
Stick with one formation that suits your own personal preference (attacking for me), then look for free or cheap signings that fill your holes. A bad first season is acceptable as a small team as long as you bring in the players to make a run in your second year. Sometimes you just have to swallow the medicine and come out swinging the 2nd year.
 
normally you have to let your *** get kicked, stick with same tactic, and use your scouts for players, scouts are more important in lower league as you are not sure on who to buy
i have been sacked in lower league games many a time, adds to the fun especially when you get a new club and beat the team who sacked you
 
You can do it one of three ways really:

be exceptional in the transfer market and have players of far greater quality than you should have in the league you're in which will mask a multitude of sins on the manager's part

or

learn to make the best out of limited resources and fitting the tactics to the players you have available

or, the best way,

blend the above two ways and do a bit of both.

Tbh, I'd actually say that it's an easier way to learn how the game works if you're playing a small team with useless players. You start to see the importance of each individual player attribute more and how to fit tactics to players (and vice versa) and you can do it in a way which won't get you sacked after one poor season.

Take your time while you play and try things out - watch the matches on full and learn to recognise how attributes and PPMs and instructions change how players behave. Best way to play the game IMHO.
 
lower sides are the most fun to manage. Look for transfer listed players in the league above you, loan signings from 'Big' Clubs, and a bit of knowledge of the free transfers helps. Also dont be afraid to sell a 'star' player, if it will give you cash to bring in players where you need them.
 
I'll start managing with a weak team in the coca cola 2nd division then, if I fail I fail I will try and develop a decent tactic for once in my life. My friend said it took him 1 full season before he got going, I suppose I have to make changes to make the perfect system. I think I fail because I play too attacking lol, probably too much player creativity messes me up.
 
in the blue square, pace and acceleration are most important attributes, my star striker at basingstoke scored more than 50 blue sqaure goals in 2 seasons with finishing and composure of 3., but his pace and acceleration were 12 and 14 fast for blue square players
 
I'll start managing with a weak team in the coca cola 2nd division then, if I fail I fail I will try and develop a decent tactic for once in my life. My friend said it took him 1 full season before he got going, I suppose I have to make changes to make the perfect system. I think I fail because I play too attacking lol, probably too much player creativity messes me up.

The best way to get better is to make the mistakes. Then learn from them.
 
i suggest everyone take heed of zebedees words, hes one of the most vauable fmbase members in terms of knowledge and input.

you could try my counter attack based tactic taken from my story (all links in my sig below) it got me promoted from the spanish equivalent of league 1 in the first season when i was predicted low to mid table. 6 seasons in and im just starting my second year in the spanish top flight, having hardly changed my playing style and having a had a total of around 5million to spend from all those seasons put together.
 
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When I started my first ever FM game, I started as an italian Serie C2 side. Learned a lot about being frugal and patient. Also try to get a big parent club. More than once I've used a bunch of loan players to thrust me into promotion. Once as Atletico CP in Portugal, it was first year in Portugal's 2nd league, so I got a bunch of loanees from Sporting, essentially my entire team, and I literally bulled my way to the promotion and into the top league. I then had enough money to buy players to keep me competitive.

But loans and free signings are absolutely KEY imo, also if you plan to stick with the club, every few months you should manually search the world for a cheap future star. Just someone you can sell in a 2-4 years for a few million.
 
I think 1st things 1st. Get yourself a tactic and stick with it, let the players addapt to it.
Dont set your short term goals too high. Try to look for players with good physical attributes on free tranfers and as you bring in cash look for more technical players.
 
it always helps looking for a free signing that is technically skilled, even if he is over 30. It usually helps a lot if I can find a free AMC with 15+ corners,crossing, passing, or free kicking. Preferably all of those stats. A player like that can seriously increase your chances of winning a game. One Free kick goal, or a great cross could be the difference between winning a couple games and losing them.
 
I think the main thing I would say about LLM is not to be afraid to sign a player of 30+, purely because his experience will count for alot in the lower leagues, as long as you have a team with younger legs around an older more experienced head, it usually works well.

Also as others have said, pick a tactic, stick too it and don't be afraid of a crushing defeat every once in a while (I for example have just lost 4-1 to York on my Kidderminster game!! shocking)
 
obviously a good formation as far as transfers you won't have a lot to work with so stick to free's and loans you can always get good loan players from a couple of divisions above. Older players are cheaper and add experience to the younger players that you already have. I have had a lot of success from following those type of rules although i have only managed in league 1 but still.....

Edit: get a parent club
 
Another thing I learned was to low ball your expectations to the board. I pitched for a mid pack finish and then (to my surprize and every one elses) spent most of the season in first place and ended up promoted to BSP. The board loved me. I'm doing the same for my debut BSP season. I think keeping the board on your side is better than the few more bucks you get by saying you're going for promotion or whatever.

Also, I, like everyone else, got spanked in their first season. Look for good cheap players, but I wouldn't listen to hard to my scouts. They tend to turn up mediocre players for the most part.
 
Actually you should be investing in good scouts and good assistant managers at this level. Scout anything and everything. Hold regular backroom meetings (you're assistant manager and coaches and scouts will have advice on who to scout). You don't have a youth system so you'll be reliant on the transfer market. don't just scout England, you should be at least allowed to scout France and so you should have a scout based there.
 
I Actually do a challenge with a friend, im doing one with my brother atm, we both start in the lower league in different countries, i am lop leipzig in germany, and he is some team in spain, its more fun because you want to beat your friend so you dont lose motivation
 
just try signing fast players and play attack from begging to about 60min the switch to contol depending on u winning or not
 
Mexican League ain't weak :p The top teams over there are very strong...anyway I do LLM a lot and basically what i do is I hire the highest ability at CA + PA judging for scouts and Assistant Manager. I scout any countries available and normally re-structure my whole first team with new signings.
 
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