Huddersfield 2012
I just got FM2012 for Christmas and started playing Huddersfield. Several years ago in FM10 or FM09, I noticed that almost all the players in the English Premier have an acceleration and pace of 12 or above, so I have tried to build teams since then with good results. This year, when I got FM2012, I decided to play Huddersfield. I found it is tougher to get the better players in FM2012 than in FM2011, so I don't have a full roster of high speed players.
But to start off, I took a cold blooded course and tried to fire most of my players (I did the same thing with the staff). As for players, excluding goalies, if a player does not have 10 in both pace and acceleration, they are released from the club or if they won't go, moved to the reserves. My goal was to have all players at 12 & 12, but I couldn't come up with enough players who would sign at prices I could afford (or who would join the club, I went through a LOT of NO's both from loan players and free players).
I kept Smithies, McDermott, Robinson(think he was a Hudderson), Gudjonsson and dumped most other players. This freed up a lot in salaries, so I could bring on speedier players.
Those I couldn't dump and were slower than 10 & 10, I put on the reserves. Then I went to borrow players. I landed borrowed players: Liam Copper, Tom Soares, James Perch, and Jose Baxter. I also landed a dud, who has not received much playing time, Adam Drury. Then I went to the free market and offered jobs to some players. I got a good goalie, Kevin Ellegaard, who is one of my best players. Then landed a very good attacking mid/striker, Lomana LuaLua. After that I went for speed at forward and got Abdou Dieye and Ahmed Soukouna (can't remember if Jordan Rhodes was a signing or from the original Huddersfield team). Added Yakubu, Mitreski, McClenahn, Diarra, Jlloyd Samuel, Stephen Jordan, and Pichot on D. Then beefed up midfield with Andrea, N'Diaye, Namouchi, and Sousa. My assistant manager says we are low in quality at DC and DR (only 3 stars), but I put the whole transfer budget into salaries and have hit my salary limit. The only player I don't recommend is Drury.
This team is in first at the end of January 2012 with 68 points out of 28 games. 2nd play are Sheff Utd and MK Dons at 56 points. I am also in the Paint final. We lead the division in goals scored and goals against.
Disadvantages of the team seem to they are injury prone (a couple of times we don't have any forwards available). Plus, the team is tired a lot. I have to rest LuaLua so that he only plays 1 game a week and he is constantly complaining about practice being too hard. I am thinking these problems are either due to training levels or age. So I am not sure what I will over the summer break. I might need to let some of the over 30 players go and find speedier young players. Hopefully, if we get promoted, I will be able to afford to bring in youth.
Smithies so far has been a non-factor as he was injured until January and thus I am now just putting him in games. So make sure you sign a good goalkeeper! I have never had a goalie with a average game rating over 7, but Ellegaard is very close at 6.96. Early in the season he was pulling a much higher rating, but then the offense started scoring and he didn't get as many shots against him.
Best 5 players are LuaLua, McClenahan, Diarra, Jordan, and Soukouna.
Good luck. I am now trying to beef up the staff, but very few coaches with 3.5 stars or better want to come join us.