Friday 26 June 2009

Oh No Wages at £230k!

But wait...

equivalent to an average daily profit of £104,929.

's current stadium and fan base brought in stadium income of £245,776 with general income being £73,351, bringing it to a total of £319,127.

So there it is the last stadium payment has cleared I could add a few more seats but I need very strong rep from here on in. Splashed out on Tadic £500k for a 27 yo £220k Aq Fee Left Winger. We've been lacking sparkle on the left since Gimmy went last close season. Tadic Wage Demand was £14k and have him on £11k so whilst the price was worse than wage auction (would have paid £220k + Sign on = £320k) I don't think I'd have got him for that wage.

Despite having this huge stadium the stadium payments have meant we've been working on a very restricted budget so far.

StJohn team is around a season or two being off this situation which would take us to season 5, literally just pressed the button on a £4m corporate box. I can't underline enough how it's been great to play teams my own level in the Casual FA and be cool calm and collected about the expectations of the team.

With a stable transfer market in a mature gameworld you don't have this feeling of racing desperately for players, I'll get cash in two seasons time and buy the players that I need.

Quite how we're 70th in world rankings I don't really know but it s pretty dam fine going if you ask me:)

Sunday 21 June 2009

StJohn My Third Season

Currently ranked 98th! Pictures say more so...







Very disciplined I've been in this gameworld season one wages £45k, Season 2 £55k and now just over £100k. Only bought when I thought it represented value and shopping for 30+ players, with a nice stadium these players are almost free (Stadium income rises as team rep rises).

This in my opinion proves it is easier to progress in an established GW than in an old one, I would NEVER have been able to get a squad that capable on such a low wage in a new Gameworld. My rep would not now been 3.1/2 stars.

This is no trading no DYM just pure focus on keeping wages low doing the best I could with the squad I had. Defeats we had a few and will still get then but I won't panic buy.

Will we ever catch other teams that are top? No but my focus here is on progressing.

Enjoyed it few gripes like there isn't much to do and AI rights are awarded very late but overall it's been great seeing the team come on.

Status Report

Shearer - Not setting the world on fire but we've a strong squad that pretty much is ranked where it should be if you look at Aq Fee / Rep. Starting dabbling in youths again nothing too serious but plenty of cash allows you to play around. I'm not playing stupid and doing the old £20k on regens but a measured approach. We'll see how it pans out, should have a million or so for wage auctions. Delgado is 33 still green arrows and no reds the next season will be his last for us.

I really enjoy the youth side of the game no pressure to win just try and filter the correct youths out.

StJohn - Little bump in form to be expected after reaching the top 100. Wages now over £100k but stadium / daily is doing well over £200k so investment continues. Pressure is on now to secure rep so progression might slow over next season or so.

Beta - Still horribly inflated this Gameworld my stadium generates a worhtless currency :( Forced really to invest in the 30+ players as in this market this is where the value lies. We've spent a season and a half in Division One of the four ladders and managed to win two titles so can't complain about that.

New match engine in beta really need to spend more time watching it, maybe I'll do a Video, wing play seems better would be my initial reaction.

Conspiracy Theory for FM Live

There is now a very strong undercurrent of unrest on the forums and in Gameworlds the managers left are smarting a bit. Pretty much you enter a gameworld with a long term plan only as it comes to fruition to see the gameworld dead or dying, at the very best limping along.

Yet SI have said there is a plan, only they can't say what it is they have to 'get permission'. Scratching my head what would you need to get permission for, reading between the lines it's an SI idea that needs to get approved by Sega.

This is part of the reason why I gave up being a mod i have no inside knowledge so I can just speculate. Ok lets have a think these are the possible ideas to encourage users into old worlds.

1) Discount the cost of the game
2) Boost - Cash or skills
3) Something else

Can't see a discount working it's been tried already and isn't that big a deal. I guess it could be a free trial that would work but eesh wide open to abuse.

A boost, maybe, but to really inject some life it would need to be a big one. There again it's much easier to build a stronger team in an old Gameworld compared to a new Gameworld, the main issue is the team relative to everyone else is weaker. I wouldn't have much of an issue with this although it kills off a part of the long term nature of the game. How far would you go to have a fighting chance of being top of the rankings you'd need £10million and I can't see that happening.

So far I'm thinking it's something else, so random idea time. The only thing I can think of is inactive teams and the ability to take them over. It really would add depth and perhaps the sense of hopelessness when things are going horribly wrong wouldn't be quite so bad.

You could have a managerial career, well I won't warble on about it I've done that before. It's late and far out ideas make sense:)

Friday 12 June 2009

Shearer Season 8 Squad and Stadium

I let Gimmy go on the left wing as he was 34, a cheap DC secured and a few bench players.


Wage Bill now £200k, ohhh scary but here is the stadium.
High End Corp Boxes, it scales up quite well to around £280k a day if I was a 5star team so main focus now isn't the stadium but the teams rep. So how do I cope with £200k wages, well check this out despite still have two big payments on the stadium left:-


That DOES NOT include any FA Prize Money (currently close season) and as you can see pretty secure now from a finance point of view. Despite this being one of my best teams on paper they do under perform if you ask me, currently just inside the top 50.

I seem to be able to put cheapish squads together and become pretty successful (relative to wage) but once we go Galacticos it all seems to go horribly wrong.

Thursday 11 June 2009

Progress

Phew, I think fingers crossed, touch wood, the dentist has finally nailed my teeth issues. A week of almost constant pain and very little sleep hopefully comes to an end.

In the meantime close seasons in StJohn has seen the team been strengthened and Shearer has now all but paid off stadium so a very healthy projected there. I continue to pick up the odd cheap youth and one of these went for £500k in StJohn which will be a huge help.

Neither team really are going to be winning every game but both teams are competitive and we'll do the best we can. Season on season is overall better squad.

Wednesday 10 June 2009

Teeth

I know odd subject just thought I'd share that's all.

I have a monster filling in a tooth and the dentist has warned it could kick off at any time. Last week it started went to dentist started Antibiotics.

The pain has slowly evolved into something that is quite bad, sleep for 48 hrs went out the window. Their not 100% sure which tooth it is either so more Antibiotics and stronger painkillers, these painkillers are a bit weird though.

Not really with it currently.

Wednesday 3 June 2009

The SI Compass - Time to forget Fred

There is a website called the Political Compass. As you can see it's a pretty simple concept. I tried to do this in a forum post but don't think anyone got it.

Ok basic concept you have long term and short term managers and you have casual and hardcore managers. Lets use a few samples, I'm going to use Myself, Millie (hope he doesn't mind) and Fred and plot them.

Jakswan - I play a fair bit but like a long term game, not really bothered about success but progressing. So I'm more hardcore and Long Term.

Millie - Doesn't play quite as much but again a long term manager.

Fred - Plays loads but if he's not winning he's not playing.

That's easy to understand I think. Now I must stress Long Term DOES NOT EQUAL Lower League Manager, those guys are into the sim aspect of FM09.

So here is a fairly subjective bit where are the managers that are currently playing FM Live as a population, I'll guess and plot them in red....

That's a pessimistic view I actually think there are a lot more long term managers. Ok here is the point this is where SI are aiming the game:-


It's not a good shot is it?

Now you know Fred, forget him he's never going to play FM Live, he will play in new worlds put a short term strategy in place and enjoy the first few months.

Even if you come up with a GW that resets every 2 months he's very unlikely to get the success that he needs as what really works is short term strategy in a Gameworld where a mass of managers are playing long term.

Here is the other thing how do you cater for Millie and Me...? No problem this is no longer an issue, I'll progress faster but Millie will still progress. We both interested in progression, if you like the journey is the game not the destination, if you play more you can progress faster and it's happy days all round.

Monday 1 June 2009

The Shuffle

My Shearer team is awful, not one of the players is less than high profile and I think there are five world famous but eesh they lose a lot!

Last throw of the dice put a couple in £1 auctions. I can't see me getting it really but if Shearer team doesn't start doing better in a couple of seasons we'll move them on.

The beta and StJohn teams despite having much worse players fair much better, StJohn now has 3.1/2 star rep (wages £56k) and the Beta team has taken the NFA Div1 title twice this season. I guess I'm a better manager in those worlds? I do know I'm a more casual manager in those worlds!

Anyway as it turned out I got a combined £3m for Wendell and Luiz I had already shortlisted Welbeck who was on a £2m auto. This kid who is 24 now in Shearer and seems to tick all the boxes. It was from a team that had left the GW so the money should be dead now.


I also noticed M'Villa in auction starting at £500k, don't think I'll get him for that but at 22 he's not much use to youth teams and probably won't do much for senior teams until 26/27 so you never know.

Always worth trying something and I do have some cash for wage auctions now unless I spot a steal.