FM21

[Stellaboz]

Yesterday I embarked on a San Marino challenge. Try to take them from serie D to the top and try and get the international team to qualify for a tournament.

[Cyclizine]

31 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

Yesterday I embarked on a San Marino challenge. Try to take them from serie D to the top and try and get the international team to qualify for a tournament.
 

It's absolutely soul destroying, I take it you're not planning on having San Marino Calcio only signing Sammarinese players? I started like that and gave up pretty quick, it took about 15 years to get them to the point of being vaguely competitive in Serie A and over 20 to win the Scudetto. I think this was FM15 at the time.

The national team does naturally improve really slowly. I never managed to qualify for a major tournament, but would be competitive in the groups. The U19 and U21s were looking half good and I think managed to qualify for the Europeans one year. I think if I'd stuck it out another decade, the national team would've had some decent quality.

You don't get too many Sammarinese players through in your club youth intake, but I had a mod that added in the Campionato Sammarinese so the amateur teams produced more players. The majority were still dross, but there was a bigger pool and the league actually got better as well, one of the clubs went professional and built a new stadium. They start signing non Sammarinese players too though.

After typing all this I'm really tempted to try it again, although having googled San Marino Calcio, I see they've gone bankrupt in true Italian style... maybe I'll try Andorra instead.

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Cyclizine

[Stellaboz]

Aye screw just signing San Marines, I've already got a couple of Tongans on board. Calcio start with no players so first season is all about finding what level serie D really is and second season really building towards promotion. Hopefully get a money spinning cup tie at some point.

[oneteaminglasgow]

1 hour ago, Stellaboz said:

Aye screw just signing San Marines, I've already got a couple of Tongans on board. Calcio start with no players so first season is all about finding what level serie D really is and second season really building towards promotion. Hopefully get a money spinning cup tie at some point.

Does the team still exist? I was under the impression that they’d gone bust and the challenge was no more?

Very tempted to give it a try at some point if I’m mistaken. 

[Stellaboz]

Does the team still exist? I was under the impression that they’d gone bust and the challenge was no more?
Very tempted to give it a try at some point if I’m mistaken. 

Got it from steam, but yeah I heard that too.

[Richey Edwards]

6 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

Yesterday I embarked on a San Marino challenge. Try to take them from serie D to the top and try and get the international team to qualify for a tournament.
 

Not quite the San Marino challenge, but I started a save with the San Marino national team. I managed to win the Nations League group, but the World Cup qualifying campaign was absolutely brutal with some absolute hidings taken. Setting up a team to try not to lose an avalanche of goals is alien to me, as I usually set up in an attacking and high pressing style.

[Stellaboz]

2 hours ago, Richey Edwards said:

Not quite the San Marino challenge, but I started a save with the San Marino national team. I managed to win the Nations League group, but the World Cup qualifying campaign was absolutely brutal with some absolute hidings taken. Setting up a team to try not to lose an avalanche of goals is alien to me, as I usually set up in an attacking and high pressing style.

I'm really excited to see how far up the rankings I can take them. Immediately sorted out a couple of friendlies against other diddies such as Pakistan and Bhutan ( @DA Baracus) before the nations league group with Gibraltar and Lichtenstein.

[Aufc]

Currently got a fulham save on the go. On about my 7th season. Signed leyton stewart a couple of seasons back and he has turned into a machine. This is his current stats for the season. He has just stuck another 4 past bayern in the CL semi final first leg against bayern munich

[Aufc]

Stats for him for the season. Won the league and champions league. Delightful

[GOURDiiEE]

Hey folks, im needing an save idea to help me get back into this game. i've tried starting with teams ive been in previous games but then i just go actually naah fant be bothered lol

so i'm hoping you folks can inspire me with some suggestions 

[Stellaboz]

San Marino, it's great fun!

Or Kaiserslautern. Bring back a sleeping giant, that's my next challenge once I get bored of this.

[Miguel Sanchez]

21 hours ago, Baptiste Bourgeois said:

I'm into 2037 in my Auxerre career. It's gone pretty well, 9 Ligue 1 titles and 4 Champions Leagues.

 

 

Actually named myself after this legend. Great player and an even better name

Why is your right back wearing the number 9?

[GOURDiiEE]

5 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

San Marino, it's great fun!

Or Kaiserslautern. Bring back a sleeping giant, that's my next challenge once I get bored of this.

i thought about doing a national save for san marino as i downloaded a database from steam that was a world cup with a twist nd looked intresting to try 

yeah i started one with 1860 on last years i think, was going to to la coruna but i couldnt get into it 

[Armand 2]

I'm finding that players retire quite abruptly in this edition. Was just about to sign Stephen Dobbie on a free and then got a notification that he was going to retire the following week. Also getting some players retiring at oddly young ages, e.g Mark Whately left Arbroath, wouldn't even discuss a contract with me and then just retired at 31. Brian Graham is retiring at 35 despite his physical stats still being decent which is a pain as I could get two good seasons out of him as a poacher. Would be more realistic if players retired from full time careers and reverted to part-time only when they are getting older - I know this is already a feature in the game with some players retiring from senior football, e.g. Steven Saunders.

[Stellaboz]

I'm really enjoying my San Marino save. Still first season but I'm thinking of writing it down in a story thread. Instant promotion is possible with around 8 games left, but it's a 3 way race. And the national team have moved from worst team in the world to around 188!

[GOURDiiEE]

So after much thinking about a save  (And the idea of san marino save) i decide to start a new one last night in my edited scottish leagues as Raith as i wana see if i can keep them up and also added a second manager to become manager of san marino

Posted a screen shot for anyone intrested on how the edited database looked 

Edited April 14, 2021 by GOURDiiEE

[Stellaboz]

My first three qualifiers saw me ship 7, 5 then 8 to Portugal, Greece then Bosnia.

[GOURDiiEE]

2 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

My first three qualifiers saw me ship 7, 5 then 8 to Portugal, Greece then Bosnia.

I've downloaded this database called max's world cup edits so i'm not sure how the qualifaction works just yet lol

[GOURDiiEE]

First game of the season start's  with a nice win for Raith

First game with San Marino not as bad as expected 

[DAFC.]

Won League 2 at the first attempt last night with Stranraer. Would have won it at a canter but drew lots of silly games against the likes of Cowdenbeath and Brechin. Queens Park, with their mental budget, finished a paltry 4th but went up via the play-offs. I think next season is going to be a struggle to stay in the league tbh as I lost my best striker and centre-half. Striker I got on a free called Yannick Becker, German boy, can play on the wing and up front - 30 League 2 goals in a shortened season. Beast. Ended up going to St. Mirren as did my centre-back, a French boy called Guillame Vacter, who is comfortably Premiership standard. The transfer fees have helped the coffers which is good. Feel like a lot of these signings are just pure luck though unless I'm a beast at scouting players myself?

I'm not looking to stay at Stranraer forever. Hopefully can keep them comfortably in League 1, build my stock and see if anything comes up at the end of the season, hopefully in the Championship. Pars job would be ideal to try and take them to top half of Premiership. Not played FM in years that's why I'm quite surprised how well I done at the first attempt. 

What to do others do for scouting techniques when the scouting range is as poor as it is at clubs like Stranraer? I've had success taking under 21s on trial from big, lower-league German clubs such as Bochum, Nurnberg, Hamburg etc to get an idea how good they are then getting them on loan or keeping an eye on them via shortlist if they end up getting punted. Majority never got a contract renewal so a few ended up signing with ourselves. Feels like a cheat code. Signed a guy called Gabriel Cavar from VfL Bochum. This boy is honestly a beast at the age of 18 and can easily play lower-end Premiership football at this point in time. I have him for next season so looking forward to how that one pans out. Well over £1000 free in the wage budget too so I I'm not crippling the club's finances.