Football Manager Handheld.

[Fry Crayola]

I like scaling options to be honest. I even like the FIFA options of being able to do other "Club" related stuff. You don't HAVE to tinker with it if you don't want to, and it doesn't make that much difference...but surely it's nice to have/better to have than not?

See, I actually like that club related stuff more than I'd enjoy tinkering with training. Training isn't fun. It's never been fun. Nobody joins a local sunday league team so they can train.

But building a stadium is like playing with football lego. More of that.

[siread]

Yes the training is very dull. About the only "tactic" i use for training is making the Fitness preset ridiculously strenuous (have 3 intense settings and the rest medium) then sticking the slackers that never get in the team on it. Ok, so they get injured every now and then but they need to be working their socks off to get in my team.

[John0]

Football Manager Handheld - My first full season as manager of Sunderland and I kept them in the Premiership on goal difference. Second season started with a 7-2 demolition of Leeds Utd

It's quotes like this (from "What Are You Playing?" thread) that make me not want to play this game. FM05 produced some ridiculous scorelines. There were no 7-2s in 01/02 (or at least, there were only if you played it too much).

See, I actually like that club related stuff more than I'd enjoy tinkering with training. Training isn't fun. It's never been fun. Nobody joins a local sunday league team so they can train.

But building a stadium is like playing with football lego. More of that.

Yes, but I don't think there are many football managers who double as architects. When you can design a stadium in Champ (Football Manager) it ceases to be Champ.

[Fry Crayola]

In time, even Football Manager will have chairman modes. It's inevitable - there'll come a point where they can't add anything to the management section of the game, and people are going to get fucked off if they don't have more reason to upgrade than a data update.

Remember, there aren't many football managers who actually negotiate transfer fees, yet that's one of the defining features of every football management game ever.

[ryodi]

Football Manager Handheld - My first full season as manager of Sunderland and I kept them in the Premiership on goal difference. Second season started with a 7-2 demolition of Leeds Utd

It's quotes like this (from "What Are You Playing?" thread) that make me not want to play this game. FM05 produced some ridiculous scorelines. There were no 7-2s in 01/02 (or at least, there were only if you played it too much).

But that was a freak result. Remember Newcastle Utd beating Tottenham Hotspur 7-0 a few years ago and Liverpool thrashing Birmingham 7-0 in the FA Cup this year. Results that were not expected and can happen in the real game.

My biggest complaint about the game is the number of South American footballs with amazing stats that are signed by seemingly every Premiership team on either free transfers or ridiculous price tags.

[therev]

Argh! I've got a big League Cup match coming up against Leicester and I can't turn the PSP on. I switched off after my last League Two match (where we've gone eight games unbeaten to climb to fourth) and I can't work up the nerve to turn it back on.

[John0]

It's quotes like this (from "What Are You Playing?" thread) that make me not want to play this game. FM05 produced some ridiculous scorelines. There were no 7-2s in 01/02 (or at least, there were only if you played it too much).

But that was a freak result. Remember Newcastle Utd beating Tottenham Hotspur 7-0 a few years ago and Liverpool thrashing Birmingham 7-0 in the FA Cup this year. Results that were not expected and can happen in the real game.

Yes, after all, Forest won 7-1 a few weeks back! but I'm my opinion these unexpected results occurred too frequently in '05. Can't speak for for '06 or Handheld, but I'm still put off. My house mate should get the game soon so I can finally decide whether it's worth spending £200 on.

[ryodi]

Freak results will always happen in sports games, whether it is a 7-0 hammering or a Premiership side being knocked of of a cup by a team in the fizzy pop league. If they didn't it would just get predictable. Personally the amount of South American players in all the sides damages the realism for me and I am getting bored of being Sunderland manager and fancy a new challenge.

[Gigga]

Ive got ore too.. he's good but blows hot and cold..

baros shelleto was good too, 19yrs old and almost 20 stats on loads of stuff..

[therev]

Well, I should be happy. Two league wins on the trot have seen us go top of League Two. Priso got a 10 out of 10 rating in one of those matches, my first of the game. I've just won Manager of the Month for October. We've been drawn in the FA Cup against Cambridge City.

All good things. But putting a downer on all that is the fact that Jo Kuffour got a calf strain in the last game which is going to see him out for two months. I'm really not sure how we'll do without him. He always seems to be mixed up in the action, even if he's not scored an awful lot.

[therev]

Well, I should be happy. Two league wins on the trot have seen us go top of League Two. Priso got a 10 out of 10 rating in one of those matches, my first of the game. I've just won Manager of the Month for October. We've been drawn in the FA Cup against Cambridge City.

All good things. But putting a downer on all that is the fact that Jo Kuffour got a calf strain in the last game which is going to see him out for two months. I'm really not sure how we'll do without him. He always seems to be mixed up in the action, even if he's not scored an awful lot.

I was right not to be happy. We've died. End of December and we're down to 14th in League Two. We've won one league game out of the last eight or ten or so and lost all the rest. Even key players coming back from injuries haven't helped. And the captain - a rock in central defence - is still out. The other teams seem to have decided that rushing at us in an attacking style is the way to go and they're right, nothing I do seems to let us withstand that sort of assault. I've got no transfer budget and the wages I'm allowed to offer don't seem to be able to tempt anyone good. This season is turning from purest gold to purest shit.

...Except in the FA Cup and LDV Vans Trophy we can't seem to lose a game. We even just beat Swansea, who are a divsion above us. It's all very nice, but it just means more games to play and my players aren't getting up to 100% between games, so I really need to be playing fewer of them, not more.

The game is really pissing me off now. But in some weird, glorious way where I still love it even when everything's falling apart around my ears.

Maybe I need to see if I can get a job somewhere, anywhere other than Torquay. It's a pity you can't change countries in this version. Maybe a spell in South Korea or somewhere is what I need.

Or a miracle.

Or maybe 4-3-3 just isn't going to work any more.

[Fry Crayola]

*points and laughs because his Forest Green side are sitting in 4th place in League Two after 26 matches, and are therefore superior in ways therev can only dream of*

[therev]

*points and laughs because his Forest Green side are sitting in 4th place in League Two after 26 matches, and are therefore superior in ways therev can only dream of*

I'm going to the garden to eat worms.

[siread]

Well, after winning promotion from the Conf and taking the FA Trophy, Stevenage went on to take the League 2 title the following season 7 points clear at the top. Oh, and we took Vans trophy too. Two seasons in charge, two Manager of the Season awards. Is this game too easy?

Decided to take the West Ham job after Pardew got them relegated to the Championship. It was tough leaving little Stevenage but it was truly a case of 'managerial round-a-bouts' as Pardew went in the opposite direction and took charge of Stevenage!

Strange little bug i just noticed. Marlon Harewood was valued at 80K then Wolves came in with a bid of 550K.

[Mitchell]

Strange little bug i just noticed. Marlon Harewood was valued at 80K then Wolves came in with a bid of 550K.

I've noticed something similar......that the price of players reduces dramatically if you're not playing them. I can't work out if that's realistic or not.

Chris Brunt for Wednesday was valued at 1.5 million, even though he was valued at 2.5 million about 10 games previous (as I wasn't playing him after finding a great little Columbian youngster. So when Rangers came in with a bid for 1.5 for him, I negotiated 2.5 and they paid up.

So that might have been what happened with Harewood. Maybe he wasn't being played so his face value reduced, but his 'real' value was still half a mil.

Maybe!

[SomeNaiveChump]

Yeah, players' values waver dramatically if they have a few good/bad games or aren't getting picked.

If you know how good a player really is and ask for it, the CPU managers will usually cough up.

They'll also offer over the odds if he's clearly a key player for your side.

[Vorgot]

Am enjoying this, but it plays more like CM98 than FM2006. Not that its a bad thing for a handeld, its well made and reminds me of the blinding speeds I used to get on the earlier games. The less clutter is also making me focus on top team selection and tactics selsction, so I am really enjoying this. Am Southport in the Conference, so not had too much interaction with transfers!

[SaintM]

An annoying bug was when I had a player with a 40k valuation. A bigger club came in and the news item said I could not refuse the bid.

I pressed continue and the next news item said I had refused the bid, and the next one after that said the players was pissed off because I blocked the move.

I would of taken the money cos 40k is a lot to a conference team, but it ends up I don't have the money and I have a sulky player who seems to be missing easy chances now

Oh, and the assistant is an idiot. Ask him to pick and he chooses 4 strikers and a GK as my subs..

[therev]

Hmm, I got a news item saying Villa were rumoured to be seeing replacements for O'Leary whose job is listed as "Very Insecure".

Is there any way I can let them know I'm interested, or do I have to wait for O'Leary to be sacked before applying?

I doubt they'd take me, but I'd like to let them know I'd be willing to take the job, despite my Torquay side winning again with a new 4-4-2 formation.

[Vorgot]

Hmm, I got a news item saying Villa were rumoured to be seeing replacements for O'Leary whose job is listed as "Very Insecure".

Is there any way I can let them know I'm interested, or do I have to wait for O'Leary to be sacked before applying?

I doubt they'd take me, but I'd like to let them know I'd be willing to take the job, despite my Torquay side winning again with a new 4-4-2 formation.

I think you will need to wait till he gets the push, then you can apply

[Mitchell]

Oh, and the assistant is an idiot. Ask him to pick and he chooses 4 strikers and a GK as my subs..

Your assistant for a conference side would be an idiot!

Quick question: How do I get someone back off loan? I've tried everything. I'm presuming that you can't? That maybe when my players were loaned initially, there was no option to cancel the loan at my discretion? (assuming that doing this is an option in this version).

[therev]

Quick question: How do I get someone back off loan?

You can't.

[SomeNaiveChump]

After winning the Championship playoffs and having a manic close season, my Owls now sit 8th in the Premiership. Just thumped Villa 4-1. Not bad

First XI, most positions rotated

GK: Robert van der Linden (£1m)/Paul Gerrard (£750k)

RB: Lionel Scaloni (£2m)/Frank Simek (£800k)

LB: Gio van Bronckhorst (£1.6m)/Lewin Nyatanga (£400k)

CB: Diego Lugano (£2.8m)/Vagner Leonardelli (£5.25m)/Darren Kenton (£500k)/Cesar Rebosio (£1.1m)

RW: Steed Malbranque (£3m)/John Paul McGovern (£1m)

LW: Fernando Rodriguez (£2m)/Chris Brunt (£2.7m)

CM: Glenn Whelan (£1.6m)/Nathan Mulligan (£1.5m)/Steve Adams (£350k)/Isiah Osbourne (£1.3m)

CF: Victor Moses (£2m)/Pablo Oré (£6m)/Steffen Iversen (£2m)/Diego Belmar(£3.5m)/Aranda (£4m)/Tommy Hoiland (£6m)

Addiction: total.

[Fry Crayola]

What's that clicking sound?

It's Forest Green Rovers storming League Two now that everything has come together. The front line of Njazi Kuqi, Willie Morley and Ashley Chambers were banging in the goals on a regular basis, backed up from midfield by Louis Wood, Mark Cleverley and Chris Silvestre.

We're nine points clear with 26 games played, and we've got our eye on both the record points tally (since 2005/06 at any rate) and the goals. 3-0 and 4-0 wins are not uncommon.

What's perhaps more impressive has been our cup form. We reached the quarter finals of the League Cup, beating Championship sides Hull and Hartlepool along the way, giving us a showdown at Stamford Bridge against a Chelsea side still led by Jose Mourinho. In a very even game, Chelsea took the lead and in the dying moments twenty year old Tom Dickinson... hit the fucking crossbar. My mistake was surely accidentally leaving Chambers out of the squad. Two weeks later, Man City made an unrefusable £1.2m bid for him, and our key player leaves.

In the FA Cup, we defeated Boston United and Yeovil before facing Leicester City in the third round. Taking 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the game, we just couldn't hold on and Leicester forced a replay. At the Walker's Stadium we took a 3-0 first half lead and yet couldn't hold on, eventually losing on penalties. Arse.

Our record against higher division clubs bodes very well for us should we get promoted this season, which surely the bookies should be paying out on after a 15 game winning run.

[siread]

Great stuff Fry!

Meanwhile, West Ham finished top of the Championship in my first season since taking over from the hapless Pardew. Overtook Leicester in the top spot on goal difference in the last game of the season. Also knocked Liverpool (Premiership Champions) and Bolton out of the FA Cup, only to lose in the semis to Villa. 3 years in the game, 3 manager of the season awards.

Once again the board of directors predicted a relegation battle in the Premiership but we currently sit 5th after 10 games. West Ham's young, dynamic, hungry squad taking on all-comers.

[Fry Crayola]

Pah. Deserter. How'd Stevenage do in your absence?

[Fry Crayola]

Oooh.

So, I won League Two with a lovely tally of 110 points, with my team destroying allcomers. This was a good season, and we progressed to League One with high hopes. Our cup runs from last season indicated that we were capable of automatic promotion yet again, and I also had my sights on the Football League Trophy for added kicks.

We made no new signings in pre-season, preferring to stick to what we had and build a financial base for the Championship. Things kicked off in style as we won our opening 13 league games to establish a commanding lead that we never once surrendered, though we managed to fall out of the League Cup with a 4-2 home defeat to Hartlepool. Undeterred, we pressed on through the season.

A blip came at Christmas when all three of our first choice strikers (I play a 4-3-3 to take advantage of their genius) - Morley, Kuqi and Howson all fell foul of injury, with fourth choice Dickinson doing likewise. We forced our way through the haphazard time, suffering the occasional draw or loss with only one recognised striker in the squad in the shape of Ben Moses. Who was pretty crap.

Thankfully, Howson and Morley returned for the FA Cup 3rd round, which was against some League Two side and we gave them their bum on a platter. Then the FA Cup run became interesting. In the fourth round, we met Championship side Burnley, grabbed a 1-1 draw and then took the initiative by winning the replay by an unknown scoreline. I forget. That led to Wolves in the fifth round, who were mid-table in the Premiership.

Again, we grabbed a draw before winning the replay. Quarter Finals. Sunderland, 7th in the Premiership at the time. They take control of the game and knock in a goal, but suddenly Morley finds himself clear in the their half and slots the ball into the net. 1-1! Fucking ay! We take them to our third successive FA Cup replay and show them how to play football, destroying them with a 5-1 win. Our reward is another meeting with Chelsea who dumped us out of the League Cup at the quarter final stage last season.

Before the game, we had clinched the title in mid March (a result never in doubt) but lost in the Football League Trophy South Final, 2-2 on aggregate with Gillingham (who we crushed in the league). I was gutted - this was my chance for a first cup win.

Still, Chelsea. With a Merseyside Derby being played in the other semi final and Liverpool guaranteed a place in the Champions League, we knew that if we managed to overcome Chelsea there's a great chance we'd qualify for the UEFA Cup, which would be unbelievable. I went into the Chelsea game on the defensive, knocking direct balls up to the strikers. I was all too happy to let the game run to penalties, but that script got changed on the hour mark when my left winger, Louis Wood, cracked home a shot on the rebound. Nailbiting stuff but Chelsea failed to make any mark and we did it. FA Cup finalists! Liverpool beat Everton! UEFA Cup next season!

The next few games as we wrapped up our league campaign (115 points, surpassing our previous tally with the same squad in a higher division), January signing Greg Parkinson finally getting his first goal for the club with ten minutes remaining of the last league game - he would be cup tied against Liverpool, so this was quite fitting. He's only 16.

Liverpool then. They clinched their third successive title, two points clear of Manchester United, so we were up against the best team in the country. I figured that the tactic that worked so well against Sunderland and Chelsea - the 4-3-3, defensive game with direct balls, would be ideal here. Up front, we had Morley on the left, hoping to add to his 24 goals this season. Howson in the middle, with 30 goals to his name, and Kuqi on the right with a relatively modest 22.

Liverpool scarcely contributed in the first half, although we were no better. It was a knife edge, a goal either way would swing the game dramatically... and that goal came. 25th goal of the season for 22 year old Will Morley, giving the League One champions a 1-0 lead in the FA Cup final! Nervewracking stuff followed until ten minutes from time, when Morley hit a second to kill the tie. The chants started, the guys on the bench reached for a well placed bottle of champagne - except for Tom Dickinson who was thrown into the fray as a reward for his contribution over the last two seasons. With the game ticking away and Scousers preparing themselves for a downbeat journey North, Morley grabbed his hat trick and dived headlong into the crowd. Not the best celebration, but a worthy one. The whistle blew, and that game was saved quicker than you could cry "fucking hell!"

In six seasons, I have taken Forest Green Rovers from non-league football to Europe. We've won two leagues, the FA Cup, and have done it whilst maintaining Chris Silvestre in midfield, the only surviving player from the original squad and an almost permanent fixture.

I celebrated by having a piss, finally clinching the signing of Gary Bradshaw from Cheltenham Town, turning off the PSP and going to bed. Well, it was 3am and I had to be up this morning for work.

[Asura]

Holy thread necromancy batman!!

Just thought I'd bump this as I bought it on the PSP in York last week. Normally I don't go for footy-related games, but just to let everyone know, this is currently 4 quid in both GAME and Gamestation, so you can't go wrong.

I quite like it so far. The last management game I played was CM97/98, and although the PC versions of CM and FM have advanced a lot since then, this game seems to have kept the core elements that were so good in the CM2/97-98 era.