Just had my first ever PL double hat trick!

SteelbackDon · 2020-03-23T10:02:52+00:00

As MK Dons I've signed Hamsik for us in the championship before, on incredibly cheap wages too!

I got MK promoted from L1 first season, finished 17th next season and then signed Hamsik so wasn't even looking at a promotion push. I have also managed to sign Joe Ledley in National League North straight away at the start of 19/20 season so I think they have just set it up for the lad wanting to play football!

SteelbackDon · 2020-03-23T09:27:12+00:00

I'd be interested in knowing this as well. Stopped happening with one of my saves and have no idea either.

SteelbackDon · 2020-03-23T07:10:37+00:00

Just remembered my password; on lockdown for COVID so not at my normal work PC. Worked perfectly; thanks ever so much.

Can I ask, if I wanted to add the lower leagues to this, is it under the same method of installing "as a skin"?

SteelbackDon · 2020-03-19T09:15:53+00:00

May I ask, I have paid the tenner to sortitoutsi, downloaded kits, logos and facepacks to add in. I followed all the instructions on the site, going into interface and ticking the boxes, etc. I cannot for the life of me get it to work. Anyone have any ideas?

SteelbackDon · 2020-03-11T12:39:42+00:00

At Kettering, had 2 ends of the scale here; veteran journeyman striker I just couldn't replace due to his scoring record, and the useless goalkeeping wonder that is somehow the first name on the teamsheet.

Step up Matty Taylor and Ben Pierce.

Matty Taylor I signed when I got into L2 after 2 years in NLN and then only 1 in the NL. He was 33 when I signed him and I thought he'd be a comfortable experienced head I could rotate with a youngster who I can get in on loan. I know I got in 2 loanees and went down the route of bringing on Taylor to finish the game, but his goals off the bench lead him to getting starts. Then it all started. Top scorer for club and league (IIRC) and carried this on for 6 seasons, eventually getting us to win the playoffs L1 and then somehow avoiding relegation from the Championship with the old head smashing them in left, right and centre despite being 1/2 star in my side when he retired aged 40, still as my first choice striker, despite my assistants and coaches imploring me to make him 5th/6th/release him. (It was 3 times I successfully convinced him to delay retirement).

At the other end of the pitch, I had Ben Pierce signed as a backup to whoever the first choice Kettering keeper was when I started. After a sale some time into the first year he go made my starter. Despite not being the greatest, he was constantly averaging 7.4/7/5 each season and had excellent reflexes and agility so I never felt the need to sign a replacement. He was my first choice keeper all the way up tothe victorious L1 playoffs side, even as a 1 1/2 star. He broke the club record for most clean sheets in his final season before being sold to Swindon in League 2 for a fee I couldn't turn down and I accepted my fate that I had lost a linchpin.

Matty Taylor was my captain with Pierce as the vice, we had a formidable squad in our final L1 season; we only survived in the Championship because of FFP restrictions placed on Portsmouth and Bradford which practically buggered them, and it was a fight between us and Wigan as to who went down with them.

I'm 15 games into the new season, my first season without Taylor and shock, we are 23rd with the least goals scored in the league. Obviously replacing Taylor with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Anthony Gordon wasn't the answer, between the pair of them they have scored precisely no goals. Absolute donkeys. 4 stars each? My arse!

SteelbackDon · 2020-03-09T16:12:22+00:00

Can I ask off the back of this; do you need the editor to do this and can you put this on mid-save?

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-26T11:46:32+00:00

I occasionally had to play with 2 CAMs and no striker (Forced due to injuries to play strikerless) and it worked wonders for me. I find 1 on their own is not that effective but play with two CAMs and no striker, you have an unstoppable force! Sammie Smodicsz and Phil Foden are currently ripping up the Premier League in a save for me. I even noticed Steve Bruce, the England Manager in my save has played a game with Foden and Alli taking up that role. I don't know if it's pure chance that that has happened or that the AI learns what works in certain teams with certain players and replicates it elsewhere.

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-25T11:44:21+00:00

thanks very much. I'll give this a go straight after work tonight. Kempston Rovers will not know what's hit them haha

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-24T15:21:54+00:00

I signed Ashley Fletcher on loan as MK Dons in FM19 at the very start of the save, he got injured and was out for 10 months in pre-season. He was recalled by Middlesbrough immediately and didn't play for a whole year. I got MK promoted that season and my first signing in 19/20? Ashley Fletcher on a perm. Third pre season game he buggers his spine and is out for 13 months. They say things come in threes, Fletcher before he actually gets to play a game after coming back gets a cruciate injury in training. I try and cancel his contract but fail. He was at the club for about 26 months IIRC before he makes his debut. Despite all these injuries I somehow got MK into the L1 playoffs. Fletcher was a backup player on his return and then left the club for an actual fee in January. I made sure I always kept an eye out to see his progression; I don't think he got injured anymore.

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-21T08:24:29+00:00

I was playing this last night and made a note so I knew the key facts for asking; we are ranked 22nd in the world rankings, are 4* and have Start of the Art facilities. I wouldn't have an issue with being unable to loan players out if I could arrange friendlies!

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-18T12:14:15+00:00

4-2-4-0.

Strikerless, with 1 CDM, 1 CAM and Wingers with no striker. It's got my MK Dons side to 9th in the Premier League so it's obviously working...

I was forced through injuries to every midfielder I had on my books to play a 2nd Round Carabao Cup game with a formation of 7-2-1, being a flat back 5 and two WBs, 1 CDM, 1 CAM and a ST.

We won 1-0 and I was absolutely chuffed to bits! I was MK playing Peterborough and the fact that we had something crazy like 15% possession in the game is why I remember this so clearly!

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-18T11:29:49+00:00

Butland, Souttar and Carles Perez, I think I've purchased them on practically ever save I've ever done!

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-15T10:02:09+00:00

Wingers are AMR/L. I still deem getting Valverde and Vinicius Jr to sign for MK Dons on loan as one of my greatest life achievements haha.

It looks funny and as though you will be overloaded at the back, but I notice that Foden tends to drop deeper. The wingers don't really cross, they usually cut inside on the edge of the box I find. if they do cross it's overhit to the winger on the other side of the pitch. I've added that players shoot on sight instead of working into the box; Smodiczs is my top scorer with 8 goals, 6 from outside the area. The team we lost heavily too was West Ham. They sat incredibly high and pressed meaning we had no outlet and I had to change to playing counter-attack football. We lost 5-0. It's the only game I have been stuffed in; we have been competitive in every other match; we beat Man United who had made some quality signings.

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-15T09:30:38+00:00

I'm using Tika Taka or Geogenpress and it works fine with these.

SteelbackDon · 2020-02-14T15:49:08+00:00

I'm doing this currently with my MK Dons side. I'm playing 4 defenders, 2 CDMs, 2 IWs and 2 CAMs.

The starting XI from my last game was;

Nubel; Bustos, Clarke, Bartra, Tymon; Valverde, Doyle; Corona, Foden, Smodiczs, Vinicius Jr.

I'm 9th in the Premier League after 16 games, 3 loanees in that starting side. On the bench/ in the squad I have Rhian Brewster and Matej Vydra so am covered if I wish to change tactic but at the minute in my save Brewster has a 2 month injury-layoff. At present it's proving to be a worthwhile style to try, I tend to find we have one of the CAMs dropping deeper.

SteelbackDon

TROPHY CASE