Football Manager 2012

[Liam]

Finally picked this up. Bought a new laptop as well, arguably for work, but mostly to play this

Only had a little look yesterday. Like some of the new interface stuff, and features. Could be a good one.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

The game of course arrived when I'm at my parents and won't get home to play it until about 9PM tomorrow. I can sense it now, mocking me. Wrapped in it's cellophane, smugly taunting me from afar.

Think I've decided on Bayern as a game to ease me into it, then I'll be looking for a lower-league English team to manage.

[stokeriño]

Halfway through my first Basingstoke season (give or take a match)...

Finally crashed out of the FA Cup by losing 5-0 away to Colchester (League 1) in the 2nd Round. If they'd then been drawn away to Manchester United I'd have been annoyed, but their 3rd round tie is against Huddersfield, so eh.

FA Trophy run was far less impressive, getting through the qualifying round but then losing to Dartford in the 1st Round.

As for the league, I'm top of the table! Shame my squad is slowly disintegrating to fuck. Particularly the defence, wherein Callum Eagle has just broken his ankle to be out for 4 months. Gasson, Little, Adams, Rice etc. have all reached the stage where they become "jaded"/"in need of a rest" after every other match, even if I give them a week's rest from training inbetween. I've had to field a back four without a single natural defender in it more than once.

Boo. And when even a player from the reserve side of a Blue Square Premier side won't move to me on loan, it's not a quick fix.

[NobBe Nobbs]

DOWNLOADING NOW!

Quick primer - is there anything I should download before I start? Skins, bug fixes etc?

[Guest mr. potato head]

Sacked by Halifax due to not meeting expectations, 11th place with 33 points in 23 games. Not terribly upset as I was already over my wage budget and every single one of my players wanted a raise for next year so I'd have had to make some huge changes anyhow. Good thing I have a million leagues loaded, let's see where I end up...

[Benji]

Which 10 nations of the most unique set of rules?

[King Ellis]

Bloody Jelavic was bending me over the table for his new contract with 11 months left on his current one so I had no choice but to cash in. Everyone was being arseholes about it and bidding 3.1m over 48 months except for that one rich russian team who were willing to pay it all up front.

Really though, the guy wanted 30k a week which is 10 more than I am really budgeted for, I forget how much bonus for appearances and goals but quite a bit, like 500k after 15 goals, match highest earner, 3.5m minimum fee release claus, 250k loyalty bonus and 500k for his agent.

Fuck right off. Go get your megabucks from the oil barons.

Oh, what's that? Your contract with them is 13k a week, the same, if not less, than you were getting with me? You cunt.

[Benji]

Is anyone else's FM crashing like a teenage drunk driver this week, or has it just been me?

[MDK]

DOWNLOADING NOW!

Quick primer - is there anything I should download before I start? Skins, bug fixes etc?

Get the picture pack, Its mentioned somewhere in this thread.

[Guest mr. potato head]

Sacked by Halifax due to not meeting expectations, 11th place with 33 points in 23 games. Not terribly upset as I was already over my wage budget and every single one of my players wanted a raise for next year so I'd have had to make some huge changes anyhow. Good thing I have a million leagues loaded, let's see where I end up...

...Cherry Orchard, recently promoted to the Irish First Division!

[stokeriño]

Was 13 points clear with a game in hand at one stage, but spent a month doing my best to throw it away. 89th minute own goals and the like.

Second-placed Dover just got a loss and a draw from their last two games though, so I'm back up to being 11 points clear (no games in hand) with only 7 games left. Will be astonished if I don't win it now.

Bank balance in the red, of course.

My best find has been a young centre back named Luke Adams. He's bloody excellent and has pretty much kicked Eagle to the curb. Toby Little, who was always very good as a wing back, suddenly became astonishing when I let him be a proper winger. But then now that the also-wonderful Matty Warner is nearly back from injury, I'll probably have to shove him back down to DL again.

[MDK]

Martin Camano shored up my defence for me and Tim Sills has been banging them in at the other end. I'm only 2 points clear with just over half of the season gone.

[Benji]

Matter of interest to people like Stoker, Gazz and co. who're always winning - doesn't that get boring after a while? It'd drive me insane if every save I just overachieved constantly. I find half the fun is struggling like fuck sometimes, is that just me?

[stokeriño]

Oh and also, I've already made myself ineligible for the British Steel Challenge, having signed an Australian goalkeeper by way of Liverpool youth reject Dean Bouzanis.

Benji: I leave the inevitable struggling for after I get promoted...

[MDK]

Matter of interest to people like Stoker, Gazz and co. who're always winning - doesn't that get boring after a while? It'd drive me insane if every save I just overachieved constantly. I find half the fun is struggling like fuck sometimes, is that just me?

Usually I play as Orient and after a successful first season I struggle in the Championship. Losing isn't fun

[Gazz]

Matter of interest to people like Stoker, Gazz and co. who're always winning - doesn't that get boring after a while? It'd drive me insane if every save I just overachieved constantly. I find half the fun is struggling like fuck sometimes, is that just me?

Did you miss the bit where I spent three years in mid table mediocrity with A'erbin?

[Dingle]

Losing is definitely not fun! Had a stellar first season and did well for the first half of this second one after promotion. Although I finally got a win after 6 games without, so that felt good. In a period of transition with my new midfield of Coke-Lines (Didn't even realise until I'd bought them) and Michael O'Hallaran finally did something with a hat trick (but we lost 4-3) and then two goals in a 5-1 victory over bottom of the league Stalybridge.

Doubt I'll reach the play offs this time but I can deal with that. Need to strengthen in preparation for next season. [/liverpoolexcuse]

[Benji]

I did, I didn't read regularly until Gold Coast

[Timmoru Suzuki]

After four hours with the game I can safely say that I suck at team talks now. I'm sure I'll get used to them. Probably after I've alienated the entire first team squad.

I was also a douche and forgot to delete the file with the fake German International side names until after I'd already started as manager of Bayern. It shouldn't annoy me half as much as it does. Still, I suppose I can look on the positive that none of my homegrown players will ever get injured or fatigued while playing for Germany.

[9 to 5]

Don't worry, my teams are usually mid-table guff.