A little update from my seriously addictive offline ML. Boro ended their first season in 14th place, with a record of Won 12 Lost 18 Drawn 4. It was a tough season, but the Chairman, much in the Steve Gibson mould, appreciated my efforts and understood Rome wasnt built in a day. Emnes finished Club Top Scorer with 18 goals, and Shimizu earned a place in the Best Championship 11.
Serious work within the Transfer Market was required, but with very little money available, I needed to wheel-and-deal in the Loan Transfer scene. I re-signed Mandelli from Chievo, which was a major boost, as he was outstanding last season. I also took Tamudo on Loan for a year, as well as Ramage, a CB/RB, and a chap called Dannis who can play all over the middle of the park. I bought Petrov as well from Bolton, he was a huge signing, a guy I know and love from my PEEL Domestic Team. I also brought in a player called Jenkins on Loan, a DMF with the Enforcer Card with an overall of 66. Matty Bates has progressed massively due to my Technique work on the Training Ground, and currently sits at 81 Overall. Shimizu is up to 83 Overall, and with Petrov on 82, my Midfield is looking solid, albeit short on quality numbers. Out went Joe Bennett ( A young Boro kid that I wish now I hadn't sold. I thought I needed the money.
) Also, Link, Bailey and Robson. I managed to secure Silvestre's services as well for his final year in Professional football.
Boro kicked off their new season with a 1-0 win at Derby. I've decided to go 4-2-3-1 away from Home, with two DMF's, Bates and Williams keeping everything tight. My play-maker supreme, Julio Arca, opened this season's account with a beautiful placed shot into the corner after a threaded Emnes pass.
YouTube - Arca Strike
Next up was Blackpool at home, but with Tamudo on another Purple, I opted for the same 4-2-3-1 formation. Blackpool dominated the first half and went ahead after 20 minutes from a corner. Boro changed their Possession Game to Quick Counter, and got the equaliser on 84 minutes, after a Petrov cross was smashed home on the half-volley from Shimizu, adorning his new number 10 shirt. The game ended 1-1, and Boro were happy with the point.
Next up, and my last game, was an away match in Cardiff. Emnes had picked up a knock in Training, so Tamudo earned his first start, thankfully on a Green. It didnt take long for Tamudo to make his impact. Some nifty footwork in the box drew a rash challenge from the Cardiff CB, and the Ref pointed to the spot. Arca stepped up and pulled off a cheeky dink straight down the middle. 1-0 Boro. Within 20 minutes, Tamudo had made a nuisance of himself again in the Cardiff box, another rash challenge, and another penalty. Arca pulled a double-bluff, and again, dinked another down the middle. 2-0 Boro. This seemed to knock all of the wind out of Cardiff, and with only minutes remaining, a chipped through ball from Arca, beat the Offside Trap, and Tamudo raced clear on goal. A cool placed finish into the bottom corner later, and Boro were cruising at 3-0. And that's how it ended.
A great start to the season then, Boro in 5th and unbeaten. But there is a long way to go yet.......
A couple of tips that have certainly helped me so far....
Shot Cancel is the most effective trick in the game. This takes out the very pressuring CPU with ease, and they dont seem to have an answer for the old drop of the shoulder. Both penalties against Cardiff came from those. Pressing Shoot then X and a direction of which way you wish to move is pure Gold.
Holding R2 when pressing Circle for a lobbed, floated High-Pass is beautiful. Much in the same way R2 and X produces a controlled pass along the deck, this does the same but in the air. It takes alot of sting and pace off the pass, but is very accurate, especially when using Zero Assistance.
Slide-Tackle is my new best friend. After years of using the simply the Pressure or X buttons, this has massively changed the way I defend. When attempted with decent defenders, the success rate is very high. Mandelli and McManus love them.
Also, I played out the last 3 League games of my first season on 5 minute games. There was nothing to play for, and I wanted to get back into the Transfer Market asap. What I noticed on 5 minute games is how ridiculously unbalanced it is. Every pass the CPU makes is a forward one. I expect that 10 minute matches are only slightly better in this regard. 15 minute games are so much more balanced, and I implore anybody that is playing on 10 minute games to change. The difference is huge.
This ML has got me by the balls, I'm loving this challenge and I'm preferring it to Online. Which is crazy for me.
Edit- Taylor, I'll have a look for some Chants Pack links and get back to you.
http://kitanamedia.c...php?f=11&t=5444
. I'm still waiting for Ettori to come back. I think he must now have 3 or 4 weeks left. I'm certainly missing him. He's still the team's top scorer with 2 goals. I'm sure he would have netted a few more times for me since and set up a few. I guess my squad rotation means i get goals from different players.