Sheriff Skacel - Comments

Comments
#277699 Модерниот Александар (A Modern Alexander)
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I saw Ajax get relegated in my save game, soon after I removed the Eredivisie from my active leagues as I didn't fancy managing there. Ever since they've been real mid-table fodder, I think their current rep is 2.5 stars and I doubt that will ever climb back up unless I reinstate the Dutch leagues.
#277008 Nailing tactics
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
In a 433 for me its just the really basic fundamentals

GK; good reflexes and handlings

FBs; good tackling, work rate + physical stats

CBs; good in the air, tackling + positioning

DMC; good tackling, work rate + positioning

MCs; good mental and passing stats

Wingers; good pace and dribbling

STs; good pace, finishing and composure

Doesn't matter what level I am at they are the basics I look for, if a player doesn't qualify for those criteria then generally I'm not interested in him unless he's got the potential to be a superstar or signing him comes with minimal output (fee + wages)
#276996 Nailing tactics
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Throughout my time playing FM and CM I've always found one winning tactic and stuck to it, I only change when I'm bored of it. My primary tactic is a 433 featuring a poacher and two inside forwards, if I get bored of the 433 I switch to a 343 or a 352. FM14 was the first FM where I struggled to get into things tactically, took me a while, but on FM15 I created my first 433 and I've stuck with it ever since (across probably seventy seasons over 3 different save games). Its given me success everywhere I've gone.

I've never believed in all this home and away tactics shite, I've always done just fine playing one tactic all the time. All tactics in FM boils down to is experience of what does and doesn't work, common sense and having a poacher with good pace.
#276913 I cant help the Ranger...
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I say keep it here, its a good idea for a career and also rather entertaining. Hopefully others will attempt similar things with similar players.
#276875 I cant help the Ranger...
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Gahaha, this should be put in for the Hall of Fame

A for Creativity
A for Novelty
A+ for Entertainment Value
F- for Longevity
#276848 How do YOU keep yourself from losing money?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Spent the bulk of it in Iceland till about 2041, since then I've managed Toronto, Corinthians and Palermo. FM is the ultimate time killer.

Its a pain in the arse losing out on your main targets, I suppose it does depend on your playing style. I'm happy enough to stay with a club for 5, 10, 15 year, however long I'm interested in it for. So I can stay and build. If you want instant success though you'll always lose money until you start pulling in the big money from going deep in the Champions League.
#276841 New stadium
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
A few things could have happened;

1. The board cancelled the request once you left since it was your request
2. A new board came in and cancelled it
3. The stadium was cancelled due to a lack of funds

You'll get the option to request a new one in the coming months I'd say, the game is funny with that kind of thing
#276840 How do YOU keep yourself from losing money?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I too am managing Palermo (but in 2050 odd). I've been fine with money due to my income from the CL and also the fact I've been buying players young and selling them at profits. This season I sold one player at a £25m profit and another at a £42m profit, yes my team aren't doing as well this year (finished 3rd last year, currently 6th after 25 games but only 2 points behind 4th), but ultimately its been worth it I'd say as the squad has some great young talent.

Lower your expectations a little on the ST hunt I'd say, turning a profit won't happen overnight, it can take 3-5 seasons to get a club really stable. And even then it becomes a balancing act as inevitably player wage demands rocket. My wage bill has gone up by about £120k a week this season compared to last as I want to win Serie A soon (still only the 12th highest in the league mind you).

I have £100m to spend still and over 100k left in wage budget too thanks to me selling my players, I don't really want to burn into that as things become too easy.
#276682 My new football life
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I like this career, its old school and modern. Like an FM twitter kind of vibe.

I also enjoy the fact you are now managing in Turkey, a league I feel I need to venture into in the near future.
#276681 Модерниот Александар (A Modern Alexander)
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Ghana, interesting, plenty of young players to be had, you should get some solid options from your youth academy.

On a side note, I had stint with SonderjykE on an FM from yesteryear, rather enjoyable, 7 Morrisseys out of ten.
#276638 release all players
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
How you doing it? I'll admit to not looking at the FM editor since about FM13, but back when you could either go to a player individually and remove a club from his contract screen, go to the clubs and remove all players from their squad on the players screen or use one of the options at the top and just release all players
#276635 [FM14] Pentagon - Redux
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
This is always the beauty in non-South Africa FM, your youth batches are always cracking for the standard you are at. In FM14 I had a wander around various downloaded leagues in Africa I was fielding teams full of 16/17 year olds and we were holding our own.

Chuck him and the other two 1 CA players straight into the first team. Caution to the wind, load of 16 year olds running amuck.
#276633 Domination
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
85 points is absolutely obscene, its a tough situation you find yourself in. Do you capitalise on CL money and strengthen the squad? (risking the squad becoming unsettled and it hurting your performances) or do you just add a handful of players and keep the faith in the current lot? (and risking this season being down to luck)

How old are your key players? I'd say if you have a youngish side stick with them and only add to a few key positions, some of the average ratings in your squad are abysmal so there's definitely room for improvement. I'd say you are right to hang around, see what budget you get, see what players are available, reassess again in pre-season.
#276629 How do YOU keep yourself from losing money?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
What league are you in? This will dictate as to how best make money and save money for you, here are some general tips;

1. Keep the wages under control, don't splash out willy nilly, pointless bringing in players on obscene money to just sit on the bench
2. Be wary of contract clauses (10% yearly wage rises, appearance fees, signing on fees, etc)
3. Spread your transfer fees out over 48 month, make use of extra clauses like arranging friendlies and payments after X amount of games played
4. Sell players if clubs are interested, my general rule of thumb is anything above 1.5x the players value, unless I feel like I can make a lot more off him. One step backwards to take one forwards. Selling players is the best way to make money outside of TV money in Europe
5. Arrange money spinning friendlies in pre-season
6. Keep staff wages under control, again don't just go splashing out for the sake of it. Put some actual thought into all contract negotiations
7. Cancel any feeder clubs deals that provide no value
8. When signing players avoid giving them (or their clubs) a cut of any future transfer fee, this is just lost money for you

Again, more info on your club will help. The main two expenses are transfer fees and player wages, get those under control and you'll control the expenditure. To boost the income you need to look to sell players and get into Europe / continental competition. I never, ever have any trouble with money anymore as my whole transfer strategy revolves around signing players under the age of 25 and selling them after 2-4 seasons for a big profit.

I always keep an eye on player contracts too, when a player is coming to within 18 months of his deal expiring I enter negotiations, if his wages are above what I am willing to offer I usually sell him before the next season starts.
#276628 release all players
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
1. Are individual players shown as having no club in the editor?
2. Have you got your saved DB ticked when you load a new game?
3. Are you using any other custom DBs at the minute?
#276627 Good and Challenging BPL Teams?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
What team you opted for?
#276356 Good and Challenging BPL Teams?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I say screw the BPL and hit up one of the following;

Serie A -> The league can be split up into title challengers from the off (Juve, Roma, Inter), clubs one or two seasons away from pushing for the title (Lazio, Fiorentina, Napoli), clubs looking at pushing for Uefa Cup slots (Sampdoria, Udinese, Torino), the rebuild jobs (Genoa, Atalanta) and finally the relegation scrappers with the players who could surprise (Palermo, Chievo, Empoli)

MLS -> You are possibly American as you refer to the EPL as the BPL, or maybe that's what all the kids are doing nowadays. If you are American then disregard this, if not, then get in the MLS. Its the most unique experience in FM, wage cap, squad restrictions, designated players, etc

K-League -> The wacky world of Korea, best league in Asia in my eyes when it comes to FM. Plenty of big guns with relative riches (Seoul, Pohang, Jeonbuk) and you can build up lesser clubs in no time if you combine your domestic scouting with bringing in the right foreigners. You also have to deal with players leaving on military service and a silly playoff for the title system.

Brazil -> Not for the faint of heart, the seasons are long (60/70 games) due to the State Championships (basically a regional league that takes place before the real domestic league kicks off), plenty of talent and you will never struggle to sell players as pretty much everyone loves a Brazilian.

And if I still, STILL, haven't convinced you then I say try for Villa, Southampton or Newcastle. Villa and Newcastle are clubs with good history but nothing of note recently and Southampton have a great young squad and a top notch academy.
#276352 Feeder clubs question
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I do think you'll get one eventually, it would make sense with the dynamic rep. I find it quite shocking the calibre of club I can attract as feeder clubs with my Palermo side (Steaua, Stuttgart, Estudiantes, Santos, etc). So eventually you will land something in Europe.

I left Corinthians three seasons ago, I can't mind all of the feeders we had but they still have feeder clubs in South Africa and Mexico which I definitely set up. Gremio and Santos also have a few in Asia, racking my brains and I possibly had the option for some Scandinavian feeders whilst I was at Toronto but I just never took them up, not 100% sure mind.
#276238 3 Quality young affordable Germans
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Stendera looks very interesting, potential for him to be a decent wing option or an alternative upfront if you want something a little different.

In FM15 I've found myself signing hordes of players from one nation. In Iceland I raided Spain, in the MLS I was snapping up players from Brazil on the regular and now that I'm with Palermo I'm starting to build up a little Portuguese contingent. No doubt it helps the players settle, but its 100% fuelled by AC Milan's Dutch trio of the late 80s/early90s.
#276188 Feeder clubs question
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Waiting game really, all you can do is try to pick a Euro club with a lower rep (but who would still bring some sort of loanee / scouting knowledge value) and keep building your own clubs reputations.

Usually when you manage a European team its piss easy to get feeder clubs, but outside of Europe it can be a bit tougher in FM. I got myself a few feeders with Toronto and a few decent South and Central American ones with Corinthians. But when I was managing Goyang in South Korea I just couldn't get a feeder club outside of Korea for love nor money.
#275621 Welcome to Odessa
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Reis and Krasic are two fascinating signings. In real life Reis looked to be a real find for PSV, a mini-Ronaldo of sorts, drugs and injuries totally ruined him though. Krasic too was unbelievable for Juve in his first season but after that he's been a consistent shadow of himself.

Looking at their stats they should both be able to rip it up for you, especially Reis if he settles ok in Russia.
#275581 FM Classic way easier than normal FM?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I find it way too light and fluffy for me, I can normally blast through the FM seasons so it doesn't make too much of a difference. I haven't looked at it in a while but I think it was the reduced scouting that eventually turned me off for playing it for any length of time.

I like the overall idea of it however, especially in regards to you acting more as a Director of Football rather than a Football Manager. If we could specify what detail we wanted the features to have (Light, Medium, Full) then I'd probably give it more of a chance, as I'd strip away the tactics and press conferences and go full in on scouting and contract renewal side of things.
#275572 Welcome to Odessa
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Aye I used to have to combat similar rules in Korea, usually I'd just make sure I had a great core. So if I were you I'd be looking at 1 great CB, 1 great MC and 1 great ST. 4 or 5 foreigners tops as you can just sub in the other guys to give them their time without going over the limit.

In Korea I was struggling that bad to find a decent foreign Asian player (they have a designated slot for one extra Asian player in your squad), I ended up going through all the national + youth teams of the Asian teams and scouting all of their players. It was a bitch of a process but really did throw up some great prospects.

Worst comes to worst 100% target Scandinavia and some of the weaker Eastern European nations, there are always bargains to be found.
#275569 Welcome to Odessa
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
What database size have you loaded? When I've managed in Asia in the past (which you basically are) I've managed to pick up some great players for next to nothing from Kazakhstan, Australia, Iraq, Iran, etc

Just be smart with your scouting, you're better off targeting individual countries rather than whole regions as scouts can be wasting their time in backwaters with no players.
#275534 Very nice!
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
Finish what you've started, hollow victory if you go to Chelsea and win.
#275434 The Flight of the Griffins
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I dig a Serie A career. I'm into my second season with Palermo and I inherited a similar squad (in 2050). A real mix of overpaid decent players and some solid youngsters.

First thing I did was make a conscious effort to cut the wages, I just wasn't comfortable spending 40k+ a week on any player. I sold a few of my star players just to make way for the youth and players who I could sell at a profit. I sent the scouts out looking for players U25 and it paid dividends from the off, I managed to finish 4th last year even though we were predicted 16th.

This season I've continued to ship out a few of the older players and I also specifically targeted strengthening my defence. I'm hoping for a top 7 finish as I think it will be hard to replicate last years efforts.

Get out there, scout for some young bargains, nurture the squad and don't be afraid to sell players to build for the future.
#275365 FM16 Training Overhaul?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I feel this is long overdue, when they brought the new training system in I thought it was a temporary fix, it was nice to see everything stripped back and the training sliders shifted. I personally thought SI would (and still may) do what they did with scouting, rework it, rejig it, advertise it as one of the main selling points for a new FM.

The current system is easy and breezy, but I want a bit more detail. Nothing drastic, just the simple things.

The current focus strategies are solid (Ball Control, Tactical, Defending, Attacking, etc) but why don't we break these up further and have the ability to schedule specific training focuses for days + players. Monday morn after a game you could have all the players rewatch the game, then in the afternoon you could have the midfield and strikers work on scoring from crosses and the defenders either defending against them or working on their own little drills in regards to setting the offside trap. Rotate the players between drills if you have 2 or more on the go, full exposure for all.

The focus strategies could be easily broken up, Attacking for example could look like;

- Shooting
- Movement
- Crossing
- etc

Tactical;

- Watching video of opposition
- Training matches to work on your own tactics + instructions
- Watching videos of past matches (could cut out players making persistent mistakes and also lead to players gaining some PPMs, if a player sees in a few games his long balls really help the team, he could do them more and more, etc)

Furthermore you could pick specialist coaches to lead the sessions and that could influence what players learn, the quality of the sessions and all that jazz.

All of this can still be stripped back too, you can either let a member of staff handle it all or you can pick the general point of focus and let a coach sort the specifics. That will ensure that it doesn't go too far the other way and become too time consuming.
#275036 FM16 section
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
A sub-forum for FM16 ideas / things you'd like to see in the game could be good, used to work quite well on Susie a few year back + on GK/LW. Needs the staff to submit a few ideas to start with and to reply to other peoples ideas though.
#274985 Worst Player You've Ever Had?
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
He's just got an assist + a goal vs Roma. Di Martino, I know you're out there, you're sound as anything son.

My worst player is now Leonard Trgovcevic. A Croatian AMRL ST whom I nabbed on a free from Liverpool, just turned 24 and pace to burn. Hasn't caught any sort of form since joining and I had him pegged as my starting AMR. Hoping he comes into his own in the second half of the season / after reading this.
#274970 Pre-season fitness
Sheriff Skacel
12 years ago
2 years ago
940
I arrange friendlies and I let my ast man handle them (playing my tactics).

I arrange around 12-16 to make sure all of my players are fully match fit, I also arrange 5 for the reserves towards the end of my pre-season and set anyone in the first team squad who still needs match fitness as available.

Doing this I've never had any problem with fitness, tiredness, injuries, etc so don't worry about over-working the players.