FM 2009 - Tottenham Hotspur

FM 2009 Facepacks

2009-01-22T11:58:00.000-06:00

Hello all, I have been asked a few times what facepacks I am using so I thought i would share and make it easy for you all to get them. My favorite face pack is made by Sneijder over at sortitoutsi.com His work is simply brilliant! Check out these examples:

English Premier Division Pack
I have put all of his current 09 work for the English Premier Division into a single file which can be downloaded from here:
Download the English Premier League FacePack (50 MB)

The teams included in this update are:
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Bolton, Chelsea, Everton, Fullham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Brom, West Ham United, and Wigan.

Bundesliga Pack
There is also a full Bundesliga pack as well, which can be downloaded from here:
Download the Bundesliga FacePack (26 MB File)

Champions League Pack
And last but not least is a UEFA Champions League pack that contains great images for ALOT of teams in Europe and will be a great start to adding images for a great number of teams. Thanks to RowRow78 at sortitoutsi for this work.

This pack can be downloaded from here:
Download the Champions League FacePack (40 MB File)

Teams included in this pack are:
AaB, Anorthosis, Arsenal, Athletico Madrid, Barcelona, Basel, BATE, FC Bayern, Bordeaux, Werder Bremen, Celtic, CFR Cluj, Chelsea, Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Fiorentina, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool, Lyon, Manchester United, Marseille, Panathinaikos, Porto, PSV, Real Madrid, Roma, Shakhtar, Sporting CP, Steaua, Villarreal, and Zenit.

Hopefully you enjoy these face packs!
You can check out the latest updates from Sneijder in this thread:
http://sortitoutsi.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=34849

Tips on how to install face packs:

1. Extract the zip/rar file into My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\graphics\pictures\players
2. You may need create the above folders, if they do not exist.
3. Load up FM, go to Options --> Preferences --> Display and Sound
4. Untick ''Use skin cache'' box
5. Tick ''Always reload on confirm''
6. Then click ''Confirm''
7. Then finally restart FM.

Thank you to Sneijder and RowRow78 for all the work you have done with these great facepacks!
Until next time.......

The Secret of my Success - Tactics and Formations

2009-01-13T18:08:00.001-06:00

Stokes's TT&F Diamond Set
Click here to download

Hello all, I have been using this tactic with Tottenham for a few years now and it has produced very good results for me. In 2012/13 I won the Champions League using this set. Most of these tactics are based on the TT&F thread and Matt's TT&F Tactics posted in the SI Games forum.

Important Note: This tactic uses a lot of width which means that is more suited for higher levels of football, and it will rely on long creative passes and through balls to be successful. I have not tested this with a lower league team however my assumption is that it would not work well.

There are a total of 4 tactical formations in this set, however the "Standard" tactic should be used to start almost every game. Here is a breakdown of the tactics:

Standard: 4-4-2 diamond formation that uses an attacking mentality with overlapping fullbacks that get forward to assist the wingers. I use the AMC as the playmaker and this player MUST be a very gifted and creative talent in order for this to work properly.

Attack: 4-4-2 diamond formation similar to standard with much more emphasis on attack. This tactic should be used late in games when searching for a equalizer or when the opposition has parked their entire team in front of their own goal in attempt to draw the match.

Defensive: 4-4-2 diamond formation that instructs players to stay in between the ball and their own goal, and uses a counter attack long-ball approach when possession is gained. Use this tactic when you are extreme underdog and would like to attempt to hold the game scoreless early on. I will use this for the first 20 minutes or so and if things are going well I may switch to standard.

Shut the Door: 4-5-1 formation using a very defensive mentality to close out a close match. This tactic has proven to very successful for me when leading by a goal and AI goes to a 4-2-4 formation.

Key Points:

- As always team talks are critical to making this tactic successful. Most often I use "for the fans" when at home and "wish luck" when the club is away. When complacency is a concern I will instruct a handful of players with Superb morale that I expect a performance from them.

- You must close down the oppositions play maker at all cost. Most of the time your ass-man will tell you the proper MC or AMC to close down, however if you are losing the possession battle you should check the opposition stats and make sure you are closing down the midfield player with the most passes and key passes.

- Try to stay away from tight marking always setting in the midfield OI instructions as it will pull your side out of shape. The AMC and DMC in your squad will either move forward or retreat to ensure the tight mark is set however it will leave a large gap in your formation.

- You can use target man if you feel the need, however it is not necessary.

- You can reduce the forwards on the AMC to "Mixed" if you feel the player is not linking play effectively or if you feel he is getting to close the marking of the opposition DC's. I have good results when this setting is set either way however I think it can be changed based on the attributes of your AMC and the opponents tactics against you.

- When using the 4-5-1 formation make sure your side as the proper personnel at DMC and DC as the tactic is highly reliant on crowding the box, winning the aerial battles, and making quick clearances.

Most positions in these formations require standard attributes for their positions. I would however recommend the following:
FCd (striker with forward runs set to rarely): Technique, Creativity, Long Shots, Strength, First Touch.
FCa (striker with forward runs set to often): Acceleration, First Touch, Off the Ball, Finishing, Composure
AMC: First Touch, Technique, Creativity, Flair, Decisions. This role has been the most important one in my experience, and you must find a forward who can produce big time results from this position.

These tactics worked on 9.1 and 9.2.
Your feedback is welcome and I would love to hear about everyone else's results when using this set.

Download Links

Full Tactic Set
Standard
Attack
Defensive
Shut the Door 4-5-1

2011/12 Season Recap - Tottenham Champions League Winners!

2009-01-13T16:27:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since my last update so I am going to summarize the entire 2011/12 season in a single post. The season was highlighted with an incredible ECC victory that nobody could have predicted! I was able to get my club into a great run of form in the second half of the season and we were unstoppable in this competition.

English Premier League Finish: 5th

It was a somewhat disappointing league campaign for me, as I had hopes of winning the title this year. I got off to my usual horrible start but pulled back with a great second half of the season.

Notable Roster Moves:

David Bentley Out: He finally got his wish to leave the club, and my decision to hold on to him until the last minute cost me dearly as I only got 10 million for him.

Carlos Eduardo In: The talented Brazilian was bought for £24 million (which is a lot I know) and he played very well all year, and was a huge part of my success in the ECC.

Willians Santana In: Another big money Brazilian players comes into my club however he dd not play very well however I am hoping next year will be better.

Here is a summary of my transfer and finances:

Looking Forward

In 2012/13 I have decided to my squad fully intact and not bring in any new players. In years past I have made changes every year and I believe it has been the cause of my slow start each year. I ma going to keep the squad the same and see how the season goes. I obviously have the talent to succeed with this group as evidenced by winning the ECC, so I am gong to give them every opportunity to bring home domestic glory as well. My goal for the season is to win the Premier League. I would love to defend the ECC title as well but I think that may be an unrealistic expectation. Stay tuned!

2010/11 Season Recap - 3rd Place

2008-12-18T15:54:00.000-06:00

Well I did it much earlier than I expected. I have weaseled my way past the big 4 (or 5 with Man City now) and I have qualified for Champions League Group Stage play in 2011/12!

Here are the final standings:

Here is the final list of fixtures that show how I did it. I had to draw or win the final game versus Newcastle to secure my spot and I won 3-1 on the strength of a pair of beauty goals from David Bentley.

2011/12 is going to be an exciting year!!!!!!!!

April 2011 Update

2008-12-17T22:02:00.000-06:00

I haven't updated in a while, however I have been having a great season in 2010/11. I currently sit in 3rd place and the club is unbeaten in it's last 17 games!!!!!!!!

Check out the latest matches, including wins over Chelsea x3, Man U, Liverpool, and Man City. I also lost to Bayern in a Uefa Cup series that I thought I was going to win until a stunning 4-0 defeat.

A lot of my players are having a great season as you can see in the stats page. Bentley leading the way again but 22 goals from Pavs and 17 from Derbyshire has lead us to score a ton of goals.

A big part of my success this year has been many new signings that have just been playing very well for most of the year. Marquinhos and Alex Teixera from Brazil are both you and both great players. I also added David at DC who is a very consistent and reliable CB, and a young talent in Sotiris Ninis who hasn't done much yet, but I am hoping for big things from especially if some of my star playersd want to leave this summer.

I also picked a young winger by the name of Ian Hughes for really cheap and he is looking really good for such a young age.

Check out my finances & transfers this year it has been record setting for both money in and out!

Hopefully my next update will show Tottenham gaining a place in the Champs league!

January 2010 Update

2008-12-02T09:02:00.000-06:00

Hello all, it is now just about January of 2010 and I have my club sitting in 7th place in the Premier Division. The team has played A LOT better this year and the results are becoming more consistent as the season moves along.

Current Premier League Standings:

The season got off to a rocky start as Jonathan Woodgate went down with a broken leg just days after I sent Corluka to AC Milan, which meant that newly signed Kacar was pressed into immediate first team duties at center back, which is not is preferred position. Both Kacar and Michael Dawson have been very good for me in the absence of Woodgate. I have suffered other big injuries as well this year with Modric and Gomes missing 2 months each, and Derbyshire suffering a torn calf muscle which will shelf him for virtually the entire season.

Here is my current injury table:

So far this season I have several players that have been performing very well compared to the first season. Roman Pavlyuchenko heads that list as he has been dominant so far this year with 14 goals already and a 7.31 rating. He is also second in the Premier League in goals with 11. David Bentley has been very good as well this season and currently leads the Premier League in assists and is in 6th place in overall rating with a 7.31 rating. The biggest surprise of the year for me has been Assou-Ekotto at left back, who has filled in for the injured Gareth Bale (out for 7 months at the end of last season) admirably. The return of Bale has created some selection decisions for me at LB. My new singing Chris Porter has been simply amazing since joining the club. I singed him as a backup that would be unlikely to see much action in the first team, however he has done nothing but score every chance I have given him and now that Derbyshire is gone for the year he is my first choice to play alongside Pavlyuchecnko.

Current Stats:

Current Board Confidence and Competition Status:

Looking Ahead

With no European completions this year all I have left is to focus on the league position and hopefully get a good result in the FA Cup. I am just beginning the January transfer window and I am looking into the possibility of selling some of my big name players. I have accepted the fact that Modric and Bentley are both going to be leaving the club within the next couple years and I am beginning to explore options to sell them. In the case of Bentley, I am hesitant to sell at the current moment due to his importance and stature with the team, so I will likely hold off until the summer. I have singled out 2 players on my want list for replacements for this duo. Alexis Sanchez is a stud winger from Udinese that I am veyr high on, although his price tag may be higher than I am wanting to pay for a young and largely unproven player. The other target is Nuri Sahin from Dortmund who looks to be a very skilled winger as well.

In my next post I am going to show the current tactic set I am using, which as been very successful so far, as well as show my training programs.

Start of the 09/10 Season - Transfer Craziness!

2008-11-28T17:13:00.000-06:00

I have just started the 09/10 season, and although I have played a couple games the big news is the transfers both in and out. In FM 08 they had major problems with the transfer engine and they said it was going to be fixed, but to me they have gone to the exact opposite extreme with the changes. There is just simply way to many bids for all kinds of players for my liking. Almost half of my team is unsettled right now due to the bids coming in and it seems that I have ZERO loyalty in any of my players. The first bid that comes in will immediately cause them to be unsettled, even when I negotiate a high price rather than just flat out reject the bid. Based on what I have seen so far I am really not a fan of the transfer system in 09 at all. Evidence of the problems is my £29 million pound sale of Corluka to AC Milan (which smashed their record BTW). I sold him reluctantly but for that price it was an easy decision.

I really didn't find a suitable replacement for Corluka which is of great concern for me now. I was close to getting a couple star Brazilian defenders but they both had work permits turned down. I also tried to get Kompany but City's price was just too high.

Here are the transfers I made:

Players IN:

Porter: He will act as a backup striker for me and is actually off to a great start.
Haruna: A young player that I got on the cheap and he could be a good player in a couple years.
Saviola: I got him on loan from Real Madrid. it was a 1.2 million loan fee with a 4.5 million option.
Wagner: A young DC that I needed for depth. He looks to be OK for 2.5 million.
Kacar: My big purchase with the Corluka money. I paid way to much but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Players Out:
Corluka: As I mentioned 29 million was just too good to turn down. I am sorry to see him go.
Hutton: Not needed.
Jenas: Unhappy and I got 9 million for him.

My preferred starting 11 is now:

My start to the season looks like this:

08/09 End of Season Report

2008-11-27T16:18:00.000-06:00

The 2008/2009 season has concluded and my Tottenham squad finished a disappointing 13th in the English Premier Division. The season started with a poor run of results and just when it looked like my team was about to turn the corner mid-season I will slammed with a series of poor results in the final 10 games.

There is no doubt that the 09 version of Football Manager is much tougher than 08. I spent virtually the entire year trying to find the right mix of formation, squad selection, and tactic. I have never switched my tactics more in a single year than I did in my year playing this game.

Here are the final EPL standings:

Arsenal captured not only the league title but the League Cup AND the FA Cup as well. No doubt a great year for them. The ECL was won by Chelsea who beat Liverpool 2-0 in the final. the EPL is not exactly an easy league to manage in considering I am just learning the game!!!!!!

My manager's position at Tottenham for the time being is stable, however you have to figure that I need better results next year if I want to stay on at the club. Others managing the Spurs have said that it takes almost a full year for the team to gel which hopefully is the case, however I am planning some big off-season moves which may delay the squad harmony even further. One notable injury that I will carry with me into the new season is Gareth Bale broke his leg in the final game of the year and will miss 5-6 months.

Here are my squad stats for the year:

Notable Performers:

Bentley: My most consistent player had a decent year. He is attracting huge interest from many big clubs.

Moutinho: Got off to a slow start upon his arrival but later in the year turned in several great performances. He will be a good player for me.

Modric: Was largely inconsistent and he needs to get better next year. Hopefully he will settle in a learn the language soon.

Pavlyuchenko: He had a very disappointing year stats wise, but I am chalking it up to tactics, or lack there of.

Derbyshire: My key singing this year scored 6 times and play fairly well in his short time here so far. I am hoping to find the proper game plan to allow him and Pav to score big in 09/10.

Jenas: Had a very poor year and will likely be sold in the summer.

Woodgate: Had a very poor year as well, wants to leave, and will leave to the highest bidder in a couple months.

Some other screens of interest:

Downing Signs with Tottenham

2008-11-27T13:00:00.000-06:00

Middlesbrough was just recently relegated from the Premier League and their troubles turned out to be a substantial gain for Tottenham. Middlesbrough offered out a number of players at discounted prices and I was able to snap up Stewart Downing for a low sum of £6 million. There were 26 teams that offered him a contract however my offer of £37,500/week with a £2.5 million singing bonus was the winning offer.

Although I am fairly strong on the wings I am predicting the loss of Bentley, Modric, or even both in the near future. Bentley in particular is sure to attract a lot of big offers this summer and it is unlikely I will be able to hold him for the long term. I also felt that the chance to get a good, experienced winger for only £6 mil was too good to pass up.

Stewart Downing's Current Profile

Darren Bent - Enjoying Life @ Arsenal

2008-11-25T13:09:00.001-06:00

In January I sold Darren Bent to Arsenal for £10.25 million due to the fact he had zero goals for me this year and was playing very poorly. Well I guess it really was my tactics as he is absolutely lighting it up for Arsenal so far since the move. Here is the comparison of stats:

With Tottenham: 0 Goals in 21 appearances

With Arsenal: 14 Goals in 7 Appearances

January 09 Transfer Update

2008-11-24T22:59:00.000-06:00

I had a lot of offers for many of my players in this transfer window. I got good offers for Jenas, Huddlestone, King, Bent, and Woodgate but in the end I sold Bent to Arsenal for £10.25 million and Ledley King to Everton for £10.5 million. Bent had an awful season for me and had ZERO goals in 21 appearances for me and a 6.12 rating. He had to go. I figure that with Corluka, Woodgate, and Dawson I had enough cover at DC for now.

My 2 signing to replace them were Matt Derbyshire from Blackburn for £9 million and Seitaridis from Athletico Madrid for £4.2 million. Derbyshire suffered an injury in his 2nd game so I haven't had a chance to evaluate him much yet.

Transfer History

Players In

Spurs Update - February 2009

2008-11-24T22:28:00.000-06:00

My squad currently sits in 12th place in league due to a largely inconsistent first year. I have been getting some good results with 2-0 wins over both Arsenal and Chelsea but it has been a struggle to get anything out of most away matches. Recent injuries have taken out almost my entire strike force which has lead to some poor form recently. In the Euro Cup I failed miserably and was knocked out in the group stage. The board weren't too pleased about it.

League Table

Euro Cup

Fixture List

Current Squad

Stats

Update - September 2008

2008-11-19T13:38:00.000-06:00

Well the 2008 season is underway and the my Spurs club have had a lot of difficulties in the first month. Our season started with an impressive victory at West Ham however a run of very poor away matches and some difficult ties versus Arsenal and Liverpool have left the club in an unfavorable spot to start the year.

The club has also suffered an early exit in the league cup (which they are holders of) at the hands of Arsenal in the 3rd round. An unfortunate draw of the Gunners early in the competition has left confidence low on the squad.

The main reason for the run of bad defeats has been low morale and the fact the club has not yet gelled with each other at all yet. The new signings of Modric, Moutinho, and Bentley have disappointed so far although they are still working their way into the Spurs system. A lot of the players have low morale due to the belief that their "manager's lack of experience may hinder the club's progress" which is something that hopefully will get better as we get some results. The next match sees Tottenham in Vaslui Romania with hopes of locking up a spot in the Euro Cup group stage. We won the first leg 2-0 at White Hart Lane.

Recent Fixtures

Premier League Table

Current Squad Status

Fans have been disappointed with the signing of Moutinho so far as you can see his form has been awful to start his career at Tottenham. Fans are also displeased with the play Darren Bent, Fraizer Campbell, and Ledley King, who has made several mistakes that have led to goals recently.
I am looking for some improved form from these players as we get into some matches that we have a good chance of winning in the next few weeks.
One bright note so far this season has been the start of Roman Pavlyuchecnko. The big striker has got off to a decent start with the new club netting 3 goals so far and has been playing well in the role of target man up front.

Transfers in AUG 2008

2008-11-18T23:25:00.000-06:00

Before the season started I made a few dealings in the transfer market.

Moutinho is a nice pickup as I thought the squad was a little thin in the center midfield. He will likely assume the role of first choice CM with Jenas playing DM in a rotation with Huddlestone when he returns from injury.

There was some interesting world transfers as well, with Man City of course leading the way in spending.

Season Expectations

2008-11-18T21:13:00.000-06:00

I have agreed with the board that a top half finish is the most likely result this season. I do have a nice budget to work with though!

Formation & Tactics

2008-11-18T20:34:00.001-06:00

I am going to start with a 4-1-3-2 formation using fairly conservative instructions to start the season. I want to play it safe and get a feel for the squad before I give use much of an attacking formation.

I am using Pavlyuchecko as a target man and will be feeding him with balls in the air.

My instructions are to use a slightly defensive mentality and not take too many chances. I am giving fairly high creative freedom to all my players however.

Team Instructions

Individual Player Instructions

Initial Squad Assessment - Forwards

2008-11-18T19:58:00.000-06:00

2008 Tottenham Forwards

Up front we have some decent talent lead by the addition of powerful striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. He will be relied on for much of the scoring this year and will be supported by the quicker strikers on the squad.

Darren Bent: The speedy striker Bent needs to improve on a dismal first season and he will be given a chance to prove himself again this year. Hopefully I can find a tactic that gets the best out of him.

Fraizer Campbell: On load from Man U the young striker will get plenty of playing time as the #3 striker on the club.

Giovani dos Santos: The newly acquired youngster will be slowly brought into the first team and limited output is expected during his first season at Tottenham.

Initial Squad Assesment - Midfielders

2008-11-18T17:19:00.000-06:00

In the midfield I feel that I am little thin on DM and on the left side, so I may try to add a player or two immediately to help out at these positions.

Defensive Midfielders
Tom Huddlestone: The 21 year old English DM will be my first choice to start the season. He is a talent that hopefully will develop nicely and he will definitely get a big chance to prove himself under my spell at the club.

Jermaine Jenas: The solid midfielder will see action at the DM role as well as CM. He will be counted as a leader of the club and will be a very important player.

Didier Zokora: The reliable utility player will see plenty of action in multiple positions and hopefully can fill in nicely when called upon.

I plan on starting with a 4-1-3-2 formation which will require a solid DM and suitable depth players. I feel I have the players necessary to start with to make this formation work and it is unlikely I will add any DM from the transfer market early on.

Midfielders

David Bentley: The young 23 year old star is obviously a great talent and I am hoping for an immediate impact from him. He will start at RM in the first 11.

Luka Modric: Another of the big signings for Tootenham will start at LM and will be a key member of the squad.

Jaime O'Hara: The young 21 year old midfielder will play in rotation at CM and LM and is expected to gain valuable experience as he develops this year.

Aaron Lennon: The speedy RM will see time in a rotation and I would like to see his development increase at a steady rate this year. He obviously possesses great pace but needs to round his game in order to become a valuable member of the first team.

Adel Taarabt: The 21 year old Frenchman is a promising player for the club but is unlikely to see much action in the first team this year. I may look to loan him out and get him some competitive football this year.

Kevin-Prince Boateng: Another young midfielder in the side is unlikely to see a lot of action and may be loaned or even a transfered out of White Hart Lane this year.

I will be starting with a 4-1-3-2 formation and I feel my crop of mid fielders are established enough to make an impact this year. I may look to add a depth player but it is unlikely any big money will be spent in the midfield this year.

Initial Squad Assesment - Defenders

2008-11-18T14:52:00.001-06:00

Before I get started with my career I am going to go over my squad in detail and develop a plan for improving the quality of the side. Here is the default squad I am presented with at the start of the game:

My assistant manager (Kevin Bond) has this opinion of the side:

His assessment doesn't really tell me much so I am going to have a deep look at my entire squad.

Goalkeepers

Gomes: The 27 year old Brazilian is a recent signing for the Spurs and will be the heart of my GK for the foreseeable future. He has tremendous skills and should be just fine in all competitions.

Cesar: The 36 year old Spanish keeper is another recent signing for the Spurs at GK however he is nearing the end of his career and will only serve as depth player.

Ben Alnwick: The 21 year old keeper has limited experience and will not figure much into this season's plans.

Fullbacks

Vedran Corluka: The young exciting signing from Man City will be given every chance to earn a first team spot at RB. He is also a very capable DC and will cover in that role as well.

Gareth Bale: The young left back will start the season as the first choice at LB and it is expected that he will develop early into a great player.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto: The 24 year-old left back from Cameroon should see some time in the squad this year and should be a fairly reliable backup for Bale.

Gilberto: The aging LB is unlikely to figure much in the plans this year and will be limited to backup duties only. I will likely look to offload him at some point this season.

Alan Hutton: This promising young fullback from Scotland will definitely see first team time this season and my hope is that he can develop into a full time player within the next couple years.

Center Defenders

Jonathan Woodgate: The reliable English defender will feature this year in the DC role, however this is a position that I will immediately look to upgrade.

Michael Dawson: The once promising defender will likely see a lot of duty under my time at Tottenham however he may be forced out of the first team if I can acquire a player of more quality.

Ledley King: The oft-injured center half will be used in a rotation and his fitness level will be very much in question throughout the year. I will keep a close eye on his progress however I cannot count his availability.

Also seeing time at CB in a depth role will be Vedrun Corluka and Didier Zokora.
This wraps up the initial assessment of my defenders. Stay tuned for my assessment the attacking squad and midfield next!

FM 2009 Club: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

2008-11-18T14:36:00.000-06:00

I am going to start my first FM 2009 career with the Tottenham Hotspur. This club should give me a good chance to get familiar with the gameplay and tactics while giving me a reasonable shot at becoming a very successful club. My tasks will of course include toppling the big four in the English Premier League, as well as hopefully finding my way to success in Europe.

To get started I will give you a bit of info about the Tottenham setup in the game. They are a fairly rich and prestigious club so cash shouldn't be a limiting factor in my quest for success. Here is quick look at the club information screen at the start of my game:

Here is a quick overview of my starting finances:

As you can see the club is pretty well off and this should give me a great chance to bring in some players that I feel can help me reach the teams expectations. Stay tuned for the initial squad assesment coming up shortly.

Demo BUGS!

2008-11-05T13:45:00.000-06:00

Well the FM 2009 demo has been out for a few days now, and it has given users a good chance to test the game and and a great chance to voice their opinion about the gameplay. (which is mostly negative) There are several very known bugs in the demo release that are making the game virtually unplayable for some people.

The biggest problems wit the demo are:

1) There are way too many injuries.
2) Players are becoming much too fatigued to the point that they cannot recover fitness by the next match.
3) Many people are having great difficulty with the installation, crashes, and meeting system specs. In general the hardware compatibility is very poor.

The injury bug is something that SI has said will be fixed in a patch that will be released on or near release day. Users have seen the total amount of injuries become unmanageable and in certain instances the amount of injuries in a league is much higher than it actually is in real life.

The screenshot on the left shows a sample of the amount of injuries that are happening in the demo. It is definitely something that needs to be resolved as does the fatigue issues that may be one of the leading causes of all of the injuries. If SI can fix this issue with a patch on release day it will go a long ways to making the game much better.

Aside from the major show stoppers, there are the usual host of small bugs that seem to appear every year when the game is first released. These will no doubt be fixed in future patches and I although some of the bugs can be slightly annoying none of them will cause too much of a negative affect on the game. The list of small bugs are:

Keyboard bug - doubled letters
Too many long shot and free kick goals, and not enough from close range and one-on-ones.
Penalties and the never ending game after extra-time.
Strange moves of goalkeeper in 3D mode.
In 3D match engine screen sounds of kicking ball comes 2 seconds earlier than the actual shot goes.
Some widgets in TV view forget their position
The 3D engine will sometimes show a goal in the commentary before the ball has actually gone into the net.

It should be interesting to see which bugs are fixed by SI in the first patch. It has basically been confirmed that they will fix the injury and fitness problems, which is the major item that they need to fix for release day. In my opinion if they resolve this issue we will have a great game on our hands come release day!

FM 2009 Demo Download Information

2008-11-05T13:03:00.000-06:00

The demo has been released and you can download it from these locations:

Vanilla Version

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/

Strawberry Version

h ttp://www.gameshadowbeta.com/fm2009/strawberry/index.asp

or

http://www.steampowered.com

if you are going to use Steam you must download their client and install it from there.

FM 2009 Preview Videos

2008-11-05T12:58:00.001-06:00

Here is a collection of videos about the upcoming release of Football Manager 2009.

Official Trailer:

3D Match Engine Footage:

More 3D Match Engine Footage:

Football Manager 09 Information

2008-11-05T12:50:00.000-06:00

On November 14 2008, the newest version of the Football Manager series is set for release. This year the biggest addition to the game will be the option to view matches in a 3D engine. This is a giant step forward for the series and it will hopefully be a sign of great things to come.

Here is a list of the well known features that will be in the game:

• Improved development of youngsters. Wonderkids will play flamboyantly since very young age.

• Attributes of players will depend more of trainings.

• Distance running statistics for each player within every game will be available.

• In FM 09 B Teams will be distinct football clubs. But it is still unknown whether there be possible to load the first team players to B team.

• Stadiums will expanded between seasons which is more comfortable because it doesn't cause you loosing money when seats are not available during matches.

• Retired Squad Numbers - You can retire squad numbers after a number of years a players been at the club but the number was not revealed. Also any squad number retired in real life will be retired in the game ie Man City 23 in memory or Marc Viven Foe and West Ham number 6 for Bobby Moore.

• Inactive Team Improved - If you do not select a league any player in that league will now play the full season and the number of games will be correct in thier history instead of playing 10-15 games.

• Player Nationality Improved - Real Life Nationality Laws for different countries cahnged so they are correct with real life. ie A player can qualify for national citzenship after 2 seasons but cannot play for the national team for another 2 years instead of just being 4 years to become a national of the country they play in.

• Referee Watch - Pundits comment during the post game analysis on how refs proformed during the game.
• Pre Game injury history - Players injury history from real life is in the game where possible ie major injuries
• Ability to reject all loan offers - You can now reject all loans offers from different clubs for one player instead of rejecting them individual.

• TV View – Watch your matches in new full screen TV view and customise your match day screen with widgets to view the information you need as a football manager, be it player performance, match action zones, pitch radar, latest scores and many more.

• Assistant Manager Feedback – Pre-match and in-match feedback from your Assistant Manager on how the team is performing and your player’s motivation levels, as well as hints on how your tactics are working and how you could outwit the opposition’s tactics.

• Improved Media – SI have worked hard to reflect the greater impact the media has been having in recent years on the world of football, in the in-game dealings with the press. The game now features more news stories, more detail and greater media interaction than ever before, creating an even more realistic simulation of the football world.

• Press Conferences – Attend pre-match and post-match press conferences with local and national journalists and build up relationships with them over time, but choose your answers carefully because they could come back to haunt you in the media at a later date.

• Transfer System – Completely new and re-written transfer system code, providing an even more realistic simulation of real-life football transfers.

• Transfer Rumours – View the latest news on what players are being speculated on, and who’s said to be interested in securing their services.

• Board Confidence – Following on from its addition in Football Manager™ 2008, board confidence has been expanded and improved. In addition, the board will now also feedback to you on your squad harmony and the club’s stature in the football world.

• Preferred Moves – Train your players to learn ‘preferred moves’ to add to their game. For example, train central defenders to not dive into tackles, or wingers to do stepovers before crossing the ball.

• Female Manager – For the very first time you can now play as a female manager. All of the text in the game now also has a female gender so the game represents female managers and staff in the game in the correct gender.

• Realistic Finances – SI have listened to feedback from all of their researchers to try and model every single financial area of the game correctly for each country, including transfers, staff wages, budgets, ticket prices, season tickets, competition bonuses and club sponsorships.

• Updated Competitions – Fully updated for the new 2008/09 football season with all the latest league, club and player data, featuring over 5,000 playable clubs from over 50 countries, and around 350,000 players and staff from around the world, drawn fresh from the famous Sports Interactive database.

• Widescreen Support – As a result of usability testing on Football Manager™ 2008, this year sees widescreen support for the game for the first time, as well as lots of tweaks to the user interface for easier navigation.

Details about 3D Match Engine

- Players will be differentiated by skin colour, hair colour, weight and height.

- 3D view is only method of match representation. It will not influence on speed of match calculation.

- When goal is scored there will be several variants of goal celebration by team. There will not be individual goal celebration.

- Goalkeepers and their saves will have quite good animation because it's very important part of football game.

- There will be zoom in 3D mode but not very close one. Because SI Games doesn't implemented face textures for players.

- Detailed visualization of stadiums is not in the plans for FM 2009. It can be developed in future versions of the series.