The Mind of a Low-Tier Manager - An Introduction
By Tom Delgado (Red Devils USA - GW Miller)
e-mail: tomdelgado@gmail.com
When there are managers who are blessed with great players, tons of money, immense tactical knowledge, and a huge stadium in which to make even more money on, there will always be the manager who isn’t blessed with any of those. They are the manager who will have to work with everyone else’s rejects, a small stadium, a very tight budget, and . Basically, for all the winning managers, there are losing managers, and for all the losing managers, there is always going to be one that stands out. The one in question, just happens to be the one whose article you are reading right now.
Having just gone out at the first hurdle of all my official comps for the 5th time in 6 seasons, and being winless in Overnight FA competitions this season, I know plenty about losing. I know plenty about being in the helpless position of not being able to afford game-changing players, not being able to come up with a competitive tactic, and rarely having the money to expand the stadium. The frustration of having everything you throw at the game be thrown right back in your face keeps mounting and mounting until you want to just throw the computer out the window. To some, it’s just a game. To those who are always struggling to compete on a regular basis, it’s a game that you play to win.
If you’re one of these managers, you’ve probably already asked for help from people in your GW, and you’ve tried everything they’ve suggested to no success. You’ve probably gone to the SI forums, and gotten some ideas, along with the occasional troll that tells you to “go read a tactical manual and stop begging for help like a sick dog”. You’ve gone to other FML forums where the atmosphere is more friendly and asked for advice there. Then when all else fails, you’ve hit the reset button on your team in the off-season and tried a totally different approach, and had that blow up in your face. That, my friends, is the story of the low-tier manager.
What to do now that we’ve classified you as one of these low-tier managers? Well for one, let’s figure out what your strong points and weak points are. Let’s find a tactic to build on, and let’s dip into the transfer market to find that game-changing player that your team so desperately needs. All the teams that are successful have more than one franchise player, but we’re not worried about that right now. Let’s get just one franchise player and go from there. What do the low-tier managers need to do? They need to roll up their sleeves, get down into the trenches, and get to work. Hard work and simple logic will always win out in the end no matter how overwhelming the odds are. Even when you’re struggling on your new plan, don’t worry. Even when it looks like logic is going to take a backseat to nonsense, stay the course. Eventually, if you make the right decisions, the manager will always get the nose back up on the team, and if nothing else, the team will be more competitive, and you’ll be back on the right track towards enjoying this great game we call Football Manager Live.
In closing, no matter how doom and gloom things look on your team, every dog has their day. One day, you could be like me, a low-tier manager. Next thing you know, you could be winning trophies left and right and attributing your success to simple logic and good decision-making. I believe FML is like a championship boxing match: You could struggle early and get your butt handed to you, but as long as you’re still standing and still breathing, you’ve got a puncher’s chance to steal an upset win no matter the odds. Hang in there, my brethren!
07/05/2009
OFA League Recap
The second season of the Overnight FA brought about a new Championship division. It also saw an exciting title race that went down to the final games. The battle for safety was also a thrilling one to watch. Let's recap it.
After finishing runners up last season, Wilson Ng's Troopers finally got over the hump, edging out the Rookie's Leeds Knights by one point, and Kevin Barnes' C.F. Relleu by two points. Last season's champions Africa Proconsularis finished a very disappointing 5th. The manager of that team, Mary Krania, has left for EEFA. We wish her the very best.
Unfortunately, teams have to go down because of suckage, and there are three. The New Saints of Liverpool could not beat the drop, missing out on safety by one point. Red Devils USA dug themselves a hole early in the season and could not recover, finishing 15th on 24 points, and Anagennisi finished bottom on 19 points after an especially rough campaign. Anagennisi also left for EEFA at the end of the season and we also wish them the best of luck in their new FA.
A note on the table: If a team finishes higher than 65% AI, they are relegated. Thus, Sublime FC (4th), Aladdin (12th), and Granning UK (13th) will also be taking the drop.
FC Adelaide won the Championship in a bit of a runaway by 7 points and will be playing in the Premiership. Normally, 2nd and 3rd would also be up for promotion, but their poor AI % might leave them out. In fact, that leaves all but two teams left who can be promoted. 10th placed Chelsea Australia FC and 11th place Anfield Faithful. We will have to see what kind of ruling will be made, but smart money is on the teams with bad AI not being promoted.
After finishing runners up last season, Wilson Ng's Troopers finally got over the hump, edging out the Rookie's Leeds Knights by one point, and Kevin Barnes' C.F. Relleu by two points. Last season's champions Africa Proconsularis finished a very disappointing 5th. The manager of that team, Mary Krania, has left for EEFA. We wish her the very best.
Unfortunately, teams have to go down because of suckage, and there are three. The New Saints of Liverpool could not beat the drop, missing out on safety by one point. Red Devils USA dug themselves a hole early in the season and could not recover, finishing 15th on 24 points, and Anagennisi finished bottom on 19 points after an especially rough campaign. Anagennisi also left for EEFA at the end of the season and we also wish them the best of luck in their new FA.
A note on the table: If a team finishes higher than 65% AI, they are relegated. Thus, Sublime FC (4th), Aladdin (12th), and Granning UK (13th) will also be taking the drop.
FC Adelaide won the Championship in a bit of a runaway by 7 points and will be playing in the Premiership. Normally, 2nd and 3rd would also be up for promotion, but their poor AI % might leave them out. In fact, that leaves all but two teams left who can be promoted. 10th placed Chelsea Australia FC and 11th place Anfield Faithful. We will have to see what kind of ruling will be made, but smart money is on the teams with bad AI not being promoted.
XFA Season Round up
The Season has come to an end. We have seen tears of joy and tears of sadness. The stars of tomorrow has shown themselves over the last 21 days while yesterdays stars are walking out the back door.
As all the players go on a well deserved vacation the rest of us will round up on the many
matches we have seen this season. Surprises aswell as expected results.
The XFA Premier League ended with what was expected. Excellent FC J-Ilves took the championship again, making it a hat-trick.
And not to anybodies surprise, Woking went on to claim second place for the second time in a row.
Relegating clubs will be HughDemen, Clockwork Orange, JK Tallinna Piraaja and Parkside Football Club.
I think we are all a little surprised to se JK Tallinna Piraaja go down.
In the Championship FK DAC 1904 had no problems showing everybody how it is done. 48 matches won out of 76.
Calcium Santos 1.1b settled in well and took the second promotion place while 3rd and 4th spot had some struggling to do, before they finally secured their promotion.
Going down this season will be some well known names. Dundee FC, Spam City, Braggs babes, 11 Sexy Wizards, Kapuk Utd and Fluminense Ska.
The surprise this season is Burnley Lads finishing 10th. I had them on as title contenders.
Going up from XFA Divison 1A cannot be a surprise to many. Wigan Athletic FC won the league and will be taking FasTeam with them into the Championship. There was not many points between the top teams, so we should expect a great fight for the title next season.
XFA Divisoin 1B was a bit more intense with teams fighting for every point. In the end it ended up with Steaua Alexandria and Freelancers going up. Brayton fc will most likely not be going anywhere as they managed to lose all 60 matches.
In XFA Division 1C it was no surprise that Dyslexic Academicals took first place. It is an excellent team, and I expect to see a great performance in the Championship next year. Going up with them will be Capetas Team, sending BRESIL down to third. This league is full of excellent teams, which are fighting for the spots, so I will not be betting on a winner here for next season. We also had a record with 64 loses in a row by Worsley Woods FC.
In the youth department, where XFA is showing of their promising future there was no real surprises.
JK Tallinna Piraaja was a clear winner with AZ Bruntsfield in second and Angels Advocate in third. The great once form of Mumbai Town XI ended up in a 6th place. Will they be able to pick them selves up for next season?
XFA U19 League was won by FOOTBALL KILLER with FK DAC 1904 in second place. XFA U17 League was also won by FOOTBALL KILLER with Mental Militia taking second place.
To no surprise, FC J-Ilves succes did not just end with the league as they also was victories in the XFA Premier Cup, beating OM Corleone 0-1 in the finale.
The XFA Non-Premiership Cup was won by FK DAC 1904 by beating Calcium Santos 1.1b 3-1 in the finale. A Truly great year for manager David Pasztor.
During this break away from the season we will also be finding out, which players actually performed on such a high level they deserve some appriasal, so stay tuned for the next XFA follow up.
19/04/2009
GW Miller Topic of the Week for 4/19
As several have reported, a bug has been found where tactics points have been refunded a second time. This is a perfect time to start the GW Miller Topic of the Week! It's an ethical question, so whether you're gonna play it honest and not use your points, or if you're going to be a cheating bastard and exploit the bug to get more skills, I wanna hear from you!
Have you gotten greedy and spent your second batch of refunded points?
I'll give you my take: I held the temptation off for nearly 2 hours. Could not hold on any longer. Used the bonus points. I hope this bug is fixed and they can properly punish all the users who did use them. Maybe a skill embargo of a few days as punishment. That, or a cash fine. I'll gladly pay it.
I want all answers via in-game Mail due in by April 23rd. I will then take the best three responses and post them the next night. Those three will be eligible to beat my reserves in a non-friendly game whenever they want.
Send your responses in now!
Until we meet again, god bless all the little children in the world. Thank you.
Have you gotten greedy and spent your second batch of refunded points?
I'll give you my take: I held the temptation off for nearly 2 hours. Could not hold on any longer. Used the bonus points. I hope this bug is fixed and they can properly punish all the users who did use them. Maybe a skill embargo of a few days as punishment. That, or a cash fine. I'll gladly pay it.
I want all answers via in-game Mail due in by April 23rd. I will then take the best three responses and post them the next night. Those three will be eligible to beat my reserves in a non-friendly game whenever they want.
Send your responses in now!
Until we meet again, god bless all the little children in the world. Thank you.
Beating the Teams You're Supposed to Beat - Is this logic nonsensical in FML?
Tonight I asked the entire Miller lobby this question: Do you believe in the logic that there are just certain teams that you really should beat?
My take on this: Yes, there should be teams that you really should beat, like teams at least 200 ranks behind you. For top teams, I'd say at least 300 ranks because any of the top 300 can spring an upset on a top team at anytime. I throw not only the teams in those ranking ranges into the mix, but also the teams that don't have a bonafide star or recognizable name, teams that have just restarted, teams two stars rep or less, or teams that have just joined the gameworld. No matter how good a tactician a manager is, sometimes the player quality has to supercede all in this case. Anyone who tries to tell me that if you give Jose Mourinho a Blue Square North/South team, he'll turn them into a team that will beat a top Premiership side is out of their mind. Tactical strategy is great and all, but in the end, quality will always win out.
Here are some of the answers I have received.
William Hall: Yeah I believe in it but it really is lottery.
Abdul Muizz: I used to think that all the time. Now, I am not so sure.
Rajesh Borah: There are no certain teams, except the ones that have the GW title. It happens to me too, but that's football.
Simon Witt: There are teams with weaker players that play with "unrealistic" formations that I don't see how can dominate my team and yet get so many chances, so yes. I fail to see how a 6 man midfield creates 20 shots in a game. I can understand having all the possession, but if no stikers, how do they get into advanced positions?
THIS POST WILL BE EDITED THROUGH THE NIGHT AS I GET MORE RESPONSES!
A big thank you to all who have responded so far. I will be asking this question throughout the night while I'm on Miller. You may also reply by posting a comment, in which case I will post a counter-comment to reply to your opinion :)
Because I'm in the mood to do so, every sunday afternoon/night US Eastern time, I will post a Topic of the Week, also seen on Fox Soccer Channel's Fox Soccer Report. Of course it will be Miller-related. I want all responses via the way of in-game mail. I will post the best three in a friday response post. Those three winners will get mentions in the blog, and MAYBE a free win against my reserves :P
Until next time, god bless all the little children in the world. Thank you.
My take on this: Yes, there should be teams that you really should beat, like teams at least 200 ranks behind you. For top teams, I'd say at least 300 ranks because any of the top 300 can spring an upset on a top team at anytime. I throw not only the teams in those ranking ranges into the mix, but also the teams that don't have a bonafide star or recognizable name, teams that have just restarted, teams two stars rep or less, or teams that have just joined the gameworld. No matter how good a tactician a manager is, sometimes the player quality has to supercede all in this case. Anyone who tries to tell me that if you give Jose Mourinho a Blue Square North/South team, he'll turn them into a team that will beat a top Premiership side is out of their mind. Tactical strategy is great and all, but in the end, quality will always win out.
Here are some of the answers I have received.
William Hall: Yeah I believe in it but it really is lottery.
Abdul Muizz: I used to think that all the time. Now, I am not so sure.
Rajesh Borah: There are no certain teams, except the ones that have the GW title. It happens to me too, but that's football.
Simon Witt: There are teams with weaker players that play with "unrealistic" formations that I don't see how can dominate my team and yet get so many chances, so yes. I fail to see how a 6 man midfield creates 20 shots in a game. I can understand having all the possession, but if no stikers, how do they get into advanced positions?
THIS POST WILL BE EDITED THROUGH THE NIGHT AS I GET MORE RESPONSES!
A big thank you to all who have responded so far. I will be asking this question throughout the night while I'm on Miller. You may also reply by posting a comment, in which case I will post a counter-comment to reply to your opinion :)
Because I'm in the mood to do so, every sunday afternoon/night US Eastern time, I will post a Topic of the Week, also seen on Fox Soccer Channel's Fox Soccer Report. Of course it will be Miller-related. I want all responses via the way of in-game mail. I will post the best three in a friday response post. Those three winners will get mentions in the blog, and MAYBE a free win against my reserves :P
Until next time, god bless all the little children in the world. Thank you.
15/04/2009
14/04/2009
Overnight Premiership Title Odds
Based on my analysis of every team, I have decided to put up some odds for this season's Overnight Premiership title run.
Africa Proconsularis - Even
The Troopers - Even
The Leeds Knights - 4/1
C.F. Relleu - 5/1
Sublime FC - 8/1
BB City - 12/1
Amygdala - 15/1
Lawick FC - 15/1
The New Saints of Liverpool - 25/1
Southern Star - 30/1
Anagennisi - 50/1
Azzuri - 75/1
Chilacayotes FC - 75/1
Granning UK - 150/1
Aladdin - 250/1
Red Devils USA - 1000/1
The title race looks to be a 4-team race
Africa Proconsularis - Even
The Troopers - Even
The Leeds Knights - 4/1
C.F. Relleu - 5/1
Sublime FC - 8/1
BB City - 12/1
Amygdala - 15/1
Lawick FC - 15/1
The New Saints of Liverpool - 25/1
Southern Star - 30/1
Anagennisi - 50/1
Azzuri - 75/1
Chilacayotes FC - 75/1
Granning UK - 150/1
Aladdin - 250/1
Red Devils USA - 1000/1
The title race looks to be a 4-team race
12/04/2009
Red Devils USA Team Preview (Season 5)
In season 4, Red Devils USA limped home to a 23rd place finish in the Overnight Premiership, only avoiding relegation due to the amount of teams that finished with 65% AI games. They struggled in the cup competitions, losing at the first hurdle of both the Miller World Cup and the Miller Grassroots Cup. They fell in the second round of the Overnight Cup for their only cup victory of the season. This team are a far, far cry from the team they were in season 1, when they almost won the Morning Premiership. Will things get any better for beleaguered Red Devils USA manager Tom Delgado? Can he oversee a turnaround for the ages that could make him the first 2-time winner of the Manager of the Season award?
* = Denotes potential starter
X = Will also play in reserves
Goalkeepers
-----------
* Scott Fox
Carlos Espinoza
Defense
-------
*Alvaro Ormeno
*Per Kroldrup
*Yoon Seok-Young
*Pablo Alvarado
Patric
X - Lloyd James
Nathan Sturgis
Midfield
--------
*Leon Andreasen
*Martin Retov
*Samuel Holmen
*David Montoya
Dean Marney
X - Yoon Bit-Garam
Forward
-------
*Marco Perez
*Julio Nava
X - Givestin N'Suki
Paulo Cesar
Lionel Ainsworth
X - Roberto Grimaudo
Players to Watch
----------------
Marco Perez - 51 goals in 152 games since joining the club. Considered by many to be a player to watch in the next few years, Perez has shown signs of promise. Could this be the year that he puts it all together? If he struggles, veteran Paulo Cesar will be looking to take his spot in the team.
Per Kroldrup - 7.09 rating in 137 matches since joining the club. Expected to be the leader of a $1,150,000 defensive renovation. Considered the face of the Red Devils USA franchise, it will be Kroldrup's responsibility to play like the top flight defender manager Tom Delgado brought him in to be.
Leon Andreasen - Season 5 will be the time for Andreasen to prove himself. Struggled to a 6.79 average rating in 108 matches. If he continues to struggle, supporters will really begin to turn their back on him.
Alvaro Ormeno - 7.10 average rating in just 51 games. Ormeno is already a fan favorite at the club for his unwillingness to fold up against superior opposition. Can he continue to hold off Patric and keep his spot in the team?
Scott Fox - The official successor to the goalkeeping throne once occupied by Juan Ojeda, the 25-year old Fox comes over from Sune Nielsen's Dream Team. He holds the record for most appearances at the club (2,611).
Prediction - The team looks stronger. Unfortunately, so does everyone else. Considering they were not very competitive last season, they should be considerably better. However, their increased ability to compete will not be able to save them from not only the drop, but from bottom. It doesn't help their cause that they are the lowest team to avoid relegation last season, finishing 23rd. They were saved due to other teams playing more than 65% AI matches. One thing Red Devils USA does have going for them: They were top of the AI% table, only playing 4% of their OvPrem matches with the AI manager. The only way they will be able to have a moderately successful season is if they get fortunate and can feast on opposing AI, like they did in Season 1 when they almost won the Good Morning Premiership in the now-defunct MFA.
The pick - 16th in Overnight Premiership (Relegated)
Why am I posting this? Simple, because I want to see what everyone thinks of their teams for the upcoming season. Also, I think it would be fun to see what every manager realistically thinks of their chances :)
* = Denotes potential starter
X = Will also play in reserves
Goalkeepers
-----------
* Scott Fox
Carlos Espinoza
Defense
-------
*Alvaro Ormeno
*Per Kroldrup
*Yoon Seok-Young
*Pablo Alvarado
Patric
X - Lloyd James
Nathan Sturgis
Midfield
--------
*Leon Andreasen
*Martin Retov
*Samuel Holmen
*David Montoya
Dean Marney
X - Yoon Bit-Garam
Forward
-------
*Marco Perez
*Julio Nava
X - Givestin N'Suki
Paulo Cesar
Lionel Ainsworth
X - Roberto Grimaudo
Players to Watch
----------------
Marco Perez - 51 goals in 152 games since joining the club. Considered by many to be a player to watch in the next few years, Perez has shown signs of promise. Could this be the year that he puts it all together? If he struggles, veteran Paulo Cesar will be looking to take his spot in the team.
Per Kroldrup - 7.09 rating in 137 matches since joining the club. Expected to be the leader of a $1,150,000 defensive renovation. Considered the face of the Red Devils USA franchise, it will be Kroldrup's responsibility to play like the top flight defender manager Tom Delgado brought him in to be.
Leon Andreasen - Season 5 will be the time for Andreasen to prove himself. Struggled to a 6.79 average rating in 108 matches. If he continues to struggle, supporters will really begin to turn their back on him.
Alvaro Ormeno - 7.10 average rating in just 51 games. Ormeno is already a fan favorite at the club for his unwillingness to fold up against superior opposition. Can he continue to hold off Patric and keep his spot in the team?
Scott Fox - The official successor to the goalkeeping throne once occupied by Juan Ojeda, the 25-year old Fox comes over from Sune Nielsen's Dream Team. He holds the record for most appearances at the club (2,611).
Prediction - The team looks stronger. Unfortunately, so does everyone else. Considering they were not very competitive last season, they should be considerably better. However, their increased ability to compete will not be able to save them from not only the drop, but from bottom. It doesn't help their cause that they are the lowest team to avoid relegation last season, finishing 23rd. They were saved due to other teams playing more than 65% AI matches. One thing Red Devils USA does have going for them: They were top of the AI% table, only playing 4% of their OvPrem matches with the AI manager. The only way they will be able to have a moderately successful season is if they get fortunate and can feast on opposing AI, like they did in Season 1 when they almost won the Good Morning Premiership in the now-defunct MFA.
The pick - 16th in Overnight Premiership (Relegated)
Why am I posting this? Simple, because I want to see what everyone thinks of their teams for the upcoming season. Also, I think it would be fun to see what every manager realistically thinks of their chances :)
09/04/2009
World Cup
Miller is currently having some probs and I got time to write a bit :-)
We had as you probably saw a World Cup for National teams last Sunday. It was huuuuge success all over!
The team that won was Turkey, Volkan´s team won against Mexico in a thrilling penalty shootout. Unfortunatly I missed it, due to a "real life" must do ;-)
Its a must do to do this over again! On a Personal note, my team Sweden did go without a loss until the Semi-Final against Mexico. Due to a stressful situation just before I handed in the first 11 to the referee, I ended up giving the ref the wrong list of players and I got disqualifyed :-)
Such is life, but my team deserved a better ending, and I feel for the guys that really wanted to reach the final and got disapointed by the Manager, "aka" me :-)
Happy Easter folks!!!!!
We had as you probably saw a World Cup for National teams last Sunday. It was huuuuge success all over!
The team that won was Turkey, Volkan´s team won against Mexico in a thrilling penalty shootout. Unfortunatly I missed it, due to a "real life" must do ;-)
Its a must do to do this over again! On a Personal note, my team Sweden did go without a loss until the Semi-Final against Mexico. Due to a stressful situation just before I handed in the first 11 to the referee, I ended up giving the ref the wrong list of players and I got disqualifyed :-)
Such is life, but my team deserved a better ending, and I feel for the guys that really wanted to reach the final and got disapointed by the Manager, "aka" me :-)
Happy Easter folks!!!!!
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