retired_jackie_t09

Hi all,

Im Utd in my 1st season on FM2008. All is going well, top of prem and through to the quarters of the CL. Got knocked out in FA Cup and Carling cup quite early though : (

Anyway.......I am in March 2008 and a news story has just popped out saying that Man U are in a financial crisis. I have only made 1 signing, Defoe for 4 million. Nothing else.

This thread does not exist to cause discussion about the Glazers getting Utd in to debt. I just want to know if the situation will improve? Because currently Utd are in the red!! About a minus 5 million balance. Will I have a transfer budget in the summer? Is this the norm on everyones game?? Do I need to reduce wages to get out of trouble?? Please help.......

retired_mssa007

Nerve improves in my experience. Never managed them, but in my current game they are still £204m in debt, and it's 2022. They've been finishing 11th-15th for a good few years. Not the team they once were. I think you're always gonna struggle with Man Utd because of the way they are at the start of the game. Poisoned chalice...

retired_mssa007

*Never
Not nerve

retired_alphonsia

It is possible to keep them out of debt. The best way is to a few of the reserves and then if you win the league that helps a lot. I've had my balance over 100million a few times even with the loan. After a few seasons when the stadium get expanded you make quite a bit more money from that.

retired_rangelaa

you just have to do really well with them. Now your in the red you will have to sell some of your better players and try and bring up some of your youth players because you will still have to keep winning the league/champ league

retired_w0lfpack1

There was a bit thread on this back in October - it basically amounts to:
- you need to stay well under wage budget
- you need to sell players intelligently
- you need to stay in the C.L. positions and get through the group stage.

By selling players intelligently, I don't mean you need to dump Rooney, Ronaldo, et.al - but you may need to sell some of your Reserves and over time you'll want to buy low and sell high.

retired_aries

It's a frustrating aspect of playing as Man Utd for me as it's unbalanced compared with the real financial situation at United. Wonder if Liverpool's "finances" with their very own American owners will be tweeked... (Sorry could'nt help the little moan )

Anyway, when I play as Man Utd, like Amaroq said:

I clear out as many of the dud reserves as soon as I can to get them off the wage bill. There are alot of better youngsters in the game available who will demand less wages and cost less than the ones you've got rid of.

Sell Darren Fletcher - he never makes the team for me but is worth a few bob. (There's a few players like this...)

Trimming the squad is important long term. I find that for my first team, with cover, I have no more than two players to cover each of the 11 positions available. This makes for a combined 1st and reserve team of 22 players. The rest of the reserve match squads are often players from the u-18 squad.

This does occasionally give more opportunities to my younger players, but also aids their development - very important anyway for a long-term game.

Something I also do, since the debt problem in the game, is bring in decent youngsters I "know" won't make it in the first team, but develop them for a couple of years, then sell them on once their value has increased significantly.

Sometimes you can sign a decent teenager for a couple of 100k, train them up for a couple of years, then purely out of the fact they're at a high reputation club like Man Utd, their value can be a couple of million, though they've never played in the 1st team. Once they're worth a bit, sell them on. :thup:

retired_w0lfpack1

Yep. You're last two paragraphs are exactly what I meant by "Buy low, sell high". You can turn a profit on those, and it helps a ton.

One other thing to mention is make sure you keep up the feeder-club architecture. Its not as overpowering as it was on FM'07, but getting a couple of financial feeders can help keep the club from bleeding to death.

retired_w0lfpack1

We may not speak the Queen's English over here, but I do know the difference between "your" and "you're".. I read "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves", I promise!

retired_reyes01

I've managed Man Utd for 4 seasons now and financially very strong.

As mentioned before, sell your surplus players like Darren Fletcher. He'll fetch a fair amount but don't forget to add sell on clause and minimum of games clause. Say 20 appearances, $10mill or something. I forgot to add those when I sold him. Sell Saha, he's getting old and will attract interest too.

When renewing contracts, don't offer them what they ask for, try to lower it so it's in between what they currently get and their demand. But closer to current if they're just backup players.

Try signing good players on free transfers or quality potential for free/bargains. Man Utd have good facilities to develop these guys into leading Premiership players.

My squad is quite strong atm and most of my players were free transfers or developed. My remaining transfer budget is around $350mill and wage bill is $1.3mill under the budget.