sposfan

Well, finally took the plunge and bought the latest version after years of justifying not buying it due to my lack of football knowledge. I did play the heck out of an old DOS game called one-nil (which gave me my strange affinity to Hartlepool <G&gt, which, besides watching the odd game on TV, is pretty much my entire knowledge of the sport but I've lurked on the boards for years.

I'm friendly with Amaroq from the forums through another game and while I will be pestering him with most of my obvious questions, i'll give him a break here!

Sorry in advance if some of these are obvious questions and if they've already been answered several times.

1. On the game pitch screen, between the players benches is a circle with a "p" in it, I can find no reference to this or to the 2 circled "+"s on the top right of the same screen

2.Subbing. I understand in regular league games, subbing is done much closer to the end of a game, but how is it usually done in friendlies? do you put your first team on for most of the game, or do you pull em at around the half and let the backups and younger players get some experience?

3. injury time. I understand the concept, but in the game it will say 3 minutes of injury time, but the clock will run to 4min 20 sec of injury time? (follow up football question: is the whistle blown at the end of the (in this case) 3 minutes of injury time, no matte what the situation?)

4. Can anyone recommend a good, easy to find book to help me get a better grip on positions and what their functions are? I have a basic grasp, but it's the intricacies and what's expected from some positions that throw me. For instance, is a fullback simply someone on the back line?

5. Until the patch is in, can anyone recommend an easier team to play to start out with, the get a better idea of both FM and football?

Thanks in advance, my wife already hates this game!

amack1n

Welcome to Football manager!

1) The (P) is either your physio or the opposing teams physio. I think they only do something when one of your players has a light injury and go over to your physio for treatment. The (+) are medics, and run onto the pitch when a player needs to be carried off.

2) Thats up to you. Sometimes in pre-season friendlies it's best to play your first 11 to make sure they're match fit, whilst sometimes you just want to play as many people as possible to get more people fitter. Or maybe you want to treat it as a serious game and tweak your formation and tactics. The choice is all yours

3) Injury time is worked out by adding the time the referee stops the clock for. If the ball goes out for say a throw in or corner, play will be resumed very quicky so the clock doesn't get stopped off. However, if some sort of delay occurs (whether it be a few heated words or kicking the ball away) the clock is stopped. Thats how the time added on is worked out.

So, if 3 minutes are added, AT LEAST 3 minutes stoppage time will be played. The final whistle will sound when the time added on has finished, and neither team is on the attach. The extra 1 minute 20 secs would have came from a team keeping an attack going beyond the 3 minutes

4) There are many different 'terms' for each position. The easiest way to learn this would just be to sit down and watch Match of the Day or Sky Sports News. A quick overview though of different names for positions:

Goalkeeper - Goalie, GK, Keeper

Defenders
Full back - A defender who plays on either the far left or far right side
Centre back - A defender who plays in the centre of the pitch
Sweeper - A player who plays behind the defenders, and clears away any loose balls
Wing Back - Like a full back, but this player is expected to play up and down the entire length of the pitch

Midfielder
Defensive Mid - Plays behind the midfield line, but infront of the defence
Attack Mid - Plays infront of the midfield line, but behind the strikers
Wingers - Midfielders who play on either the left or right, usually going down the line and crossing the ball

Strikers - Attackers, Centre Forward

5. Any team with loads of money and great players would be my guess. Chelsea?

Hope that helped

Rb

Firstly, welcome to the game and the scene, you've chosen the best game on the market in its category

1. The "P" is a physio, he will come on when injuries occur, other than that he's of no use to you. haha

The ones with the "+" are medics who would stretcher off a player if he's seriously injured. Again, thats all they're used for.


2. You are allowed to sub whenever you want, each manager to his own. In friendlies you have a lot more subs and you can use a lot more of them in game. Friendlies are effectively test matches, so I personally change quite a few subs to try things out.



3. The extra injury time eg : 4.20 in the 3 minute means that the 3 minute is only technically a guideline, the ref can keep it going for longer for whatever stoppages happen within injury time itself.



4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer this may help?



5. I would recommend one of the bigger sides in the English Premier Leauge. Manchester United are my personal favourite, have lots of good players and decent young ones. Should give you an easy enough challenge

sposfan

Thank you both very much for the prompt replies! Extremely helpful and I should have thought of a wikipedia! I'd still like to grab a good book as well, let's just say the desktop doesn't quite reach the room where I do my best reading!

Gooner Steve

Have a look here, pretty basic site but maybe of some help. It would be hard to recommend a good book because most of us on here grow up knowing the game. Maybe try one of the "for dummies" books. Dummies.com :thup:

isuckatfm

There's some good stuff on the game in here

http://community.sigames.com/eve/for...7/m/1632017743

Any other questions just post in this thread and someone will help if they can. Or alternatively get out while you still have your sanity (and a healthy marriage)

Also a good tip for figuring out attributes for positions is to use the player search and then arrange by value. This should give you a list of the top well known players in the different positions.

Dargone

Welcome! I was in your boat a few years ago and just keep asking questions and keep playing. Also, I bought Soccer for Dummies and it has the basics in there.

Amaroq

Elan!

Makes my day that you've finally taken the plunge!!

I'd actually love some good books on football tactics and strategy - something a step above the "Dummies" books, maybe going through the history and evolution of formations, etc. All we get here in the States is aimed at providing parent-coaches with "drills" for youth rec-league practices.

Regarding your questions, I think you've got answers for most of 'em:

2) For the first friendlies, I play 45 minutes, sub out eleven players, and have the "second team" play the second half. Then I play them longer and longer as the preseason wears on, closing up with a final friendly about 10 days before the first "real" match in which I play almost every starter for 90 minutes.

4) Yikes. What is each position responsible for? Woof.

GK - Goalie - Uses his hands to keep the ball out of the net.

SW - Sweeper - Tends to be a central defender given a lot of freedom to roam around the back line, wherever he thinks he's needed. Not much used in modern formations, was very popular ten to twenty years ago, I think. I haven't used one in FM.

DC - Central defender - Typically tall strong players, who can muscle an opponent off the ball and win aerial crosses. Would tend to "man mark" the opposition strikers. Should "stay back" even when the team is attacking, though many managers send them forward on corner kicks.

DL/DR - Fullback - The "wide" defender. Typically a bit faster and shorter than the central defender. Tends to "man mark" the opposition wingers. Might or might not be given the freedom to get forward into the attack.

WBL/WBR - Wingback - Used in place of a fullback, and man-marks the opposition wingers.. but is expected to get forward and into attack much more. Attacks like a winger, defends like a fullback; therefore needs a ton of stamina.

DM - Defensive midfielder - I've been using this a lot in my games; its a midfielder who sits in front of my central defenders. He's a double threat - to intercept low passes for the opposition strikers, or to "close down" any opposition midfielder. Sometimes ranges sideline to sideline to break up attacks - but the fact that he's doing so means my defense can "hold their shape", and be better positioned for opposition attackers.

MC - Central Midfielder - Depending on your instructions to him, he's most likely a "box to box" midfielder, meaning he'll range from your eighteen to your opponent's eighteen. Ideally a hard working (Work Rate) player with plenty of stamina, responsible for both attack and defense. Two good central midfielders and you can really dominate a lower division!

ML/MR/AML/AMR - Wingers - By attacking the flanks, they either get one-on-one treatment with the opposition fullbacks, or they drag somebody else out of the middle. Typically very fast, good dribblers, who can cross the ball very well. Like an MC, though, a true winger is expected to track back and contribute in defense.

AMC - Attacking Midfielder - Typically the Creative playmaker whose brilliant Passing will rip apart the opposition defense, making chances for his teammates.. and ideally, one who can score Long Shots if nobody closes him down. Probably not expected to play too much defense.

FL/FR - Forward - Wide attackers, who will attack somewhat like a winger, but will also need to be able to cut inside and shoot. Not expected to track back in defense.

SC - Striker - Striker. Finishing. The man who bangs the ball into the back of the net, by hook or by crook. There's plenty of different ways to do it: the tall Target Man who scores plenty of goals on headers, the short speedster with blistering Pace, the artiste whose breathtaking Technique and Flair astounds and confounds defenders, and the goal-poacher who just hangs out in the box looking for rebounds.

If you imagine your attack looking something like this:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> DL AML DC MC SCGK DC MC SC DR AMR</pre>
You can see how almost every player has three options in relatively close proximity to him: the DC has the other DC, the DL, and the MC... the MC has a DL, an AML, and the other MC... the AML has the SC, an MC, and the backpass to his DL...

A typical attack might build up as follows: GK to DC(r) to DR to MC(r) to MC(l) to AML to SC(l) to SC(r) - shoot, score! .. but you can see on the little map that none of those passes had to be too long. That's not to say the DR didn't think about hoofing a long ball for the SC(r) to run onto...

If you're trying to design your own formation from scratch, that's the sort of thing you want to remember: keep people providing options for each other!

Look how the "diamond" midfield provides its natural linkages:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> DL ML DC SCGK DMC AMC DC SC DR MR</pre>

5. I'd recommend starting with Ajax (Holland). The expectations will be very high, but in the Dutch divisions you should be able to stay in the top three pretty easily, while also getting a real challenge in the Champions League encounters. Plus they have such brilliant attackers that its always fun to watch them play. Man-U is also a good place for beginners, and their debt structure will teach you to watch your finances, which is good practice for lower leagues.

Amaroq

Okay, the rest of these lads can tell you that's probably more smilies than I've used the whole rest of my posting career.

sposfan

Thank you gents and amaroq!

Thanks to my old one-nil game (still have the darn 5 1/4 diskette, can't bear to part with it!) I have a basic understanding of formations (who plays where, not strengths and weaknesses).

I did print out some of amaroq's posts, the FM07 hints and tips, and rashidi's tactical bible and have read them all through more than once and am muddling my way through Amaroq's rusty blade story for the second time.

As for the healthy marriage, it's way too late for that, between Eastside Hockey Manager, Front Office (american) Football, Diamond Mind Baseball and Puresim Baseball and now FM... let's just say that when my wife tells my 5 year old to go see daddy, first stop is at the computer Luckily my wife is understanding enough to tolerate my sports gaming, besides procrastination and general laziness, it's my one real vice!

Thanks again, for both putting up with the really basic questions and for taking the time to help! Expect many many more, but now it's time to turn on the world series and start a new short term fm career!