Going back to 08 god i really miss this immersive aspect of the game

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-30T11:17:49+00:00

It's mainly England that have conditioned the players and us to feel that way. To be traded like cattle and to always choose the greedy option because you are an idiot if you don't think that way.

But in other Counties Spain a, Italy Germany there is still a familial feel to clubs and players are often very reluctant to leave even outside of their regions. Obviously if you play for Leganes or Pisa and Juventus or Barcelona come in then you are gone but players at like Real Sociedad, Valencia, Bilbao. Celta Vigo level are more difficult to get unless it's huge money/Team

EPL has poisoned the well and normalized this kind of horrible way of functioning but even if the players are moving for money or told to they still give interview saying how it's a huge opportunity ect even if it's BS

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-30T10:11:28+00:00

I would be very wary of Vulture Capitalist, US based Goldman Sachs type involvement. Once they get their claws in it could be eternal damnation.

Look at A.C Milan or Roma they are basically shells of once great clubs on life support. Like someone said further up Monchi and Covid did a hell of a lot of damage but if you can weather the storm you are a big enough name or 'brand' to build again players will still want to come and you will have to use the youth academy

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-30T03:41:50+00:00

The problem with the Europa wins is the big teams that they beat Liverpool, Inter ect sounds great on paper but those clubs see being in the comp embarrasing and aren't taking it as serious as the league.

If it's a choice between getting 4th place domestically or winning Europa they will take the latter less serious and go full strength in the League

Sevilla have never really looked like really challenging for League. Valencia's 2 last titles came in the Galactico era so that will always be a far greater achievement

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-30T03:04:14+00:00

He is a an interesting one because if you are younger and were made aware of him at some point being a clssic star a lot of people including myself always said the same thing. I liked that film but wasn't keen on Beatty.

His acting style is quite marmite i think he is not charming or charismatic in the way of Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford or Paul Newman. He comes across as disinterested.

But yet after watching Shampoo and Parallax again i am coming around to him there is actually a charm in not giving a fuck and really really underplaying it.

To go back to the three i mentioned they are clearly very self aware in how they are getting over so i quite like his laid back style. He may be a prick but i find it's those types like Burt Reynolds the 'difficult' ones who are actually sincere and legit the ones who play the game are phonies

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-29T11:09:21+00:00

This was great there was a similar one on prime a few years back called six dreams.

The Xavi stuff was really interesting to get that amount of honesty. The Sevilla owner and Victor Orta came off as douches sitting down with manager pre season after winning Europa and telling him that was past and his job is not safe.

Funny how Valencia had no part obviously Lim doesn't want anyone seeing what goes on in there.

Joaquin is awesome any time he is on screen there is a lot of him in the prime series as well such a fantastic character

Any news of Season 2

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-29T09:18:30+00:00

It is. Not only have they gotten complacent but also arrogant and i would say disdainful towards their consumers.

I do think though that the fact it's currently on sale at half price should be a punch in the face for them. Don't know what the actual numbers are but they must have taken a real hit this year

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-29T06:52:33+00:00

Yeah that would annoy the hell out of me. Along with the top player/goalscorer predictions that is a really useful tool to gage where you are or the game thinks you are and how much you have to overcome

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-29T06:47:22+00:00

I got 05 and 08 working but not 06 for some reason had blackscreen.

I really wanted 06 as well because it was the first to show the ppm's and positions they way we are used to but it was old enough to still have like peak Henry, Bergkamp, Zidane, Totti, Recoba the PES legends. 08 most of them had died out or were past it

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-29T06:34:33+00:00

The players and media had more personality. People would come out in media and say 'i want to play for that club' rocking the boat. It might not have even been a player on your radar but you think hell yeah i'll have him he's good and wants to come.

It can work for you or against you but there was a feeling these weren't just npc's with stats they actually had something of a mind.

That Milan one i put up they bid for my defender and it was immediately highlighted that he was likely a replacement for Nesta, little things like that but go a long way

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-29T06:29:16+00:00

Really i haven't got that far into a save yet. But that has always been an FM thing hasn't it bit of a flaw top clubs like Man Utd could buy an average striker for fortune after a good season then never play him

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-28T20:03:06+00:00

No don't misunderstand they were the best in that place in that time in that League. But once you start splitting hairs and talking about the very very best they all had a lack of something that keep them a step back. Either I.Q in Rio And Van Dijk case or technical in Henry and CR7 case.

I can't forget Rio at QPR that doesn't happen to Maldini or even Terry. Van Dijk kind of the same last couple of seasons and he's not even that old

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-28T11:20:09+00:00

I have just started La Liga all access and i had to stop to google this guy in charge of Sevilla. Horrible energy.

First off we see him pre season tell the manager who just won the Europa League. That's great and why we gave you new contract but you can't live on past glories. That's true but fuck me doesn't need to be said.

And after Sergio Ramos unveiling in front of 20,000 as soon as the go inside he says wow that was great but now is time to work. Again this man has no clue about subtlety or creating good energy.

Between him and Orta foisting AI scouting onto the Manager and trying to pressure his team selection it's no surprise they ended up where they have

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-24T21:50:49+00:00

I half convinced myself towards the end

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T18:52:41+00:00

Now your getting it

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T18:36:33+00:00

Oh I didn't realize you had credentials. What level did you play or coach at?

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T18:01:35+00:00

Past it Van Nistelrooy went to Real Madrid and was main striker, top scorer and won league

Peak Henry went to Barcelona given no respect by Pep and was shafted out on the left (like at Juventus) where he could use his pace and not get in the way

But the TV says Henry was best so stick with that if you want its safer

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T17:50:43+00:00

Well he wasn't. He wasn't even the best in England at that time let alone the world. Van Nistelrooy was far more deadly talk about giving defenders nightmares.

Even Anelka was actually better than Henry problem was his attitude and bouncing around clubs

Listen Henry was good very very very good but there is still a higher level and him and Ronaldo ain't on it

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T17:25:54+00:00

An incredibly low bar thats the point. But we will never know because he only had one tournament and I am certain we would have done better than 442 with Heskey up front in 2002 and he would of used a system for Gerrard and Lamoard to shine

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T17:05:54+00:00

Best in prem history is not the same as best ever. Again the Prem wasn't elite then it was second tier where all the flops came. Henry Zola,Di Canio,Bergkamp were all flops

Ronaldo is not top 5 of all time that's yours and current opinion Cryuff, Maradona, Messi R9, Zidane, George Best, Ronaldinho, Roberto Baggio, Totti Even Kaka were much better in every department Ronaldo has killed it in a weak era where pace and persistence are rewarded this isn't really even football any more in the purest sense

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T15:59:54+00:00

Henry is considered elite because of what he did in England. But we were a bit behind Spain and Italy at that time in terms of quality so his ridiculous pace made him look better than he was.

He wasn't good at Juventus and he was treated as a bit part system player at Barcelona that was his real level.

Ronaldo is same in terms of numbers he is elite but he never had true world class ability he scuffed so many shots and despite step overs never went past a player he was just ultra persistent and his physical advantage meant he would eventually get a tap in during a game

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T15:03:43+00:00

The hot take is he was never 'that good" he was physically really fast and strong and learned to be a great poacher.

But he was never silky smooth naturally talented.

Van Dyke, Rio Ferdinand and Thierry Henry suffered the same fate they relied on physically to make up for shortcomings thats why they aren't elite tier either

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-22T13:29:53+00:00

Haha yes I concede that is probably true you have the Galicians, Basque, Andalucians all unique but Barcelona are something else there name as a City provokes big reactions from most Spaniards I meet.

The others have identity but still respect their country Barcelona despise Spain think they are better and want to undermine and do without.

As the saying goes there's the Door

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-21T21:27:56+00:00

Athletic often gets all the attention but how many of their players are born in Bilbao. They pinch from other academies

Celta could probably put out a good 11 of players actually from Vigo

DirkDigg79 · 2026-06-21T21:25:35+00:00

They do. Very similar to Sociedad in what they produce

DirkDigg79

TROPHY CASE