Every new year it is tradition to set yourself a number of resolutions not to keep to past February, they usually include signing up for the gym, dieting and giving Levo more money donating into his account every payday. Our calendar begins at the stroke of midnight October 30th when the latest Football Manager title is released and just like any New Year it is time to set some resolutions.

Adopt a Minnow

Lower League Management has always been a way of playing that had appealed to me, but each time I have tried it I have lacked the commitment or the will power to keep going through the poor string of results that I often find myself under, struggling to sign any quality players and having no money at all to actually get myself out of a rout at such a level. So this year I have decided to adopt a much needy minnow club, I haven’t decided what team it will be or even what country but once I do I am going to become an avid supporter of that team, whoever it is to I will feel the pain when they lose and the delight when they win, hoping that will motivate to take such a club through the turmoils of lower leagues. I think an interesting way to grab an insight of football in other leagues across the world than the Premier League, maybe I might wear the shirt down the pub and show some real loyalties.

Why don’t you give it a try, randomly pick a country by what means that is up to you. Look in the lower leagues of that country and the pick a small team in that league that isn’t even expected to last. That can be your team, all you need now is the ability to lose and enjoy it.

Starting the proper way?

I am all for the Lower League Management this season, but this is another way that I am going to try and play the game this season to offer something new. Starting unemployed at the start of the game with a Sunday League reputation, applying for jobs as they come about and not knowing where I am going to land. It is something that a few of the guys from FM-View will be trying, so why not try it yourself and I would be interested to know how you get on, comparing each others success and failures. So visit the forums for moral support, and help in trying to achieve your dreams, I think with a few of us doing it, the sense of a little competition might be what is needed to spur us on to the next game season.

This is for those who are looking for challenge, playing by LLM rules which can be found down at FM-Britain who have a close knit and thriving LLM community themselves. Pick and choose those rules, I will essentially be picking them up by the letter, using my scouts to full affect within the game. But feel free to play the way you want these are just guidelines for the FM View games. This years game should be made a little more straight forward to play this way as you will have the benefit of good feedback from your coaches, although do remember the standard of coaches at your club will affect the feedback you get. But also the new tactical creator should allow you to develop those tactics that could carry you far in the Lower League realm.

Proving my tactical credentials

I have been playing Football Manager long enough to surely be able to produce my own tactics? I have read constant guides and tactics analysis surrounding Football Manager games. I know what a sweeper keeper is and what sort of formations it may help to deploy a full back or wing backs to greater affect. But still in 2009 I was using the tactics laid down by the TT&TF templates and tweaking them here and there till they started producing results, often moving the sliders and not really fully understanding what I was doing. But with the new tactical creator there is little excuse, I know longer have to learn what happens when this slider is 5 and the other slider is 14. No I can set the players how I would do if they were a real life team, telling each player what their role is within the squad and bam a tactic is born. Maybe I can even pass on some of my tactical learning onto yourselves, all I need to prove is that I know something about footballing tactics in the real world.

Achievements

The only reason that this year I will be installing STEAM into my computer is to pick up the achievements that have been laid down for the new game in the system. I am sure in an attempt to gain each and every achievement (which I am sure won’t be possible) I will encounter adventures and different challenges through the game, keeping me glued away from my girlfriend for hours on end. I can’t wait to find out what I need to do to become The Professor, or will I have be proclaimed an England legend? Plenty of game playing hours lie ahead of me till I find out.

A New Year, a new challenge, this is the most hotly anticipated Football Manager game in it’s history. I am as much excited as anyone after playing the demo it is looking as if it maybe living up to the hype. But with this years release I will have a whole year to commit to it, not like I did last year when a University dissertation amongst other things stopped me from really getting into the game, New Years day could be a day of celebration or looking at the way I will be playing this years game it could all end in tears.

Do you guys have any plans for the new game, a new way of playing or a challenge you are going to set yourself? Please comments below or visit our forums and discuss it here.

I have lost count the amount of times I have restarted this game, but I thought that I would start one more St Helens FC game before I lock the 09 disk in the draw of forgotten games, then I most probably will start it all over again for FM2010. I do enjoy starting with a blank canvas seeing if I can compete with the power houses of the Premier League on a modest budget, demanding Russian chairman and a non-existent Premiership reputation. Building a squad that then you feel is yours and a relationship builds between your virtual team.

St Helens is back and at FM-View, for the next two months at least. Hopefully now with a little more experience of 09 I will be able to put that to good use in order to pick out the best players in the game and a chance to win a cup or two, but I won’t be holding my breath as this game does take time before success comes about and I have had limited amount of time this year to get to grips with this great game.

So setting up the game it is basically down to have some realistic aims for this game, the first being avoiding the drop, my first attempt at the game the bugs in the database and the FM game meant that it can be hard to set up finances within the game that actually with translate when playing, it is simply not a case of sticking in millions and millions into the balance. Instead a fine balance needs to be found which I haven’t found just yet in setting the balance and the transfer budget within the editor. These bugs put the club in a financial spiral and administration giving me docked points and sending me down before  an investor saved the day to help us compete in the Championship.

I am looking for big names that can fit into the Premiership straight away to keep up a float, as obviously there is no time for players to sit around developing, they will be thrown into the deep of a relegation battle, meaning gelling quickly is a must. Mixture of old and young will be needed to give balance to the squad and a little depth to cope with injuries, not an easy challenge with only weeks before the first game against my supported team Liverpool FC, an easy game to introduce ourselves to the Premiership. So the first major move will obviously be for a scout that will help me make any important decisions.

At the start of the game I have a players in mind the first one being my biggest target.

David Beckham

We all know that Becks has still got what it takes to play at the highest levels in the European game, he might not have pace he might not be getting any younger. But has he ever been any of these two things? with amazing technical skills, able to take free kicks and cross the ball to within a blade of grass he will be an ideal starting point for this ambitious project. if I am manage to persuade such a big player to the club it will make a moment of intent and bring a very good captain into the club early to drive the team on.

Davide Santon

There hasn’t been a game that I haven’t bought him, even when I started at AC Milan he was one of the first players I ever bought, making the unpopular move from Inter. Even at 17 he is still a good starter for any lower Premier League side giving much in terms attacking spirit when playing as a forward as well as a defending the same position when as upon with his pace, skill and ability to cross a ball.

Vincent Enyeama

It is so important to get someone between the sticks that will give the defense confidence, a good keeper can save 12 valuable points a season, the difference between going up and down. The Nigerian is still a youngster so he will be a good place to start with trying to build a defense.

Other targets include Palacios, Riquelme and Buonanotte.

So with the team ready and setup a player yet to sign, it will be a exciting two game months.

Following on from the other day where I updated you on the latest preview blogs that Sports Interactive are doing at Mirror football, here’s the latest round-up.

Blog #5 was a round up on how crowds, weather and pitch degradation in general will not only be noticeable but also pointing out how it will affect your tactics. Read it here

Also posted was the following video of the match engine as it looks at the moment

For those wanting to know about the match engine and what effort goes into it’s evolution, make sure you read blog #6 as it involves a Q&A session between Miles Jacobson and Paul Collyer (Co-Creator of the game and the man behind the match engine. Read it here

Day 7′s blog covers one of the biggest announced new features for Football Manager 2010 – The Tactics creator. The one feature which seems to be exciting as many people as it seems to be making people wary. Click here to read the blog.

The following video previewing the tactics creator was also posted

Hopefully you’re all enjoying the preview blogs as much as I am and I’ll update you all in the next few days of the latest blog postings

For the launch of the blogs, Mirror Football’s Football Spy led an interview with Sports Interactive’s Studio director Miles Jacobson. Click here to see the video.

The first blog announced the new feature of backroom advice and also had an interview with Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers. Click here to check it out.

The second blog expanded on the announcement of backroom advice from the day before. Click here to read it

The third blog concentrated on the improvement made to Assistant managers in Football Manager 2010. Click here to read it

Now for what I promised you at the beginning! The fourth blog introduces us to the new match engine

Video one shows a few different matches, weather effects, stadiums and goals.

Video two shows a match between Sao Paulo and Vitoria

Over the next week, we’ll be revealing lots of information about the new match engine in Football Manager 2010, and also looking at the new tactics creator which makes it much easier to create and change match tactics.

Today, I’m going to be a man of few words.

I’m just going to show you two videos of the match as it currently stands. Please note that they are very much a work in progress, as there is still a bit of work to do on animations, stands and crowds, which I’ll go into in more in tomorrow’s more wordy blog!

Cheers
Miles

Stay tuned folks if these are the beginning what more delights do we have to look forward to?