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A couple of days ago, I updated you on how things were going in the world of lower league football. It was definitely a challenge mentally as well as a challenge of skill and a way of really learning how Football Manager should be played. I have finished my first season and managed to stay in a job with Southport FC, so I thought that I would have a quick review of my thoughts on my first lower league challenge.
The Learning Curve
Throughout my Football Manager career, I have rarely gone beyond the top divisions in a given country, usually pickings games with Liverpool, Madrid or even Celtic at times. These teams give you money, a structure and team that are already established in the league they are competing within and making any sort of challenge, to collect as much silverware are you can while unearthing the talent of tomorrow. Why did I do this? Well mainly because of my own inability to to learn tactics and sliders. Cramming my team with the best players always seemed to compensate for the lack of tactical ability.
At the lower leagues and in a certain sense with the new Football Manager game, your ability to deal with what you have got in front of you really does determine whether you succeed or fail. But not only you ability in tactics, but that ability to learn. I have learned a huge amount from just watching my games, and playing at the lower leagues in just one season more then I have done in about 3 years of Football Manager games, the tactics creator has made it so much easier this year to setup my tactics and free me up to analyse a little better and actually see what changes I make interpreted upon the pitch.
Learning to Lose
But the most important thing I have learned, is patients, with myself and my Football Manager team, not to throw the disk out the window each time I lose that final minute goal that costs me 3 points. I will post another blog in the next couple of days about how to beat the rotting that will occur in your team as form dips and players become demotivated to play. But I have never done so much searching before then when I was looking to see how the hell to get out of that position that cost me my season, 12 games with only 2 wins and 2 draws and seeing my job in jeopardy, I learned to lose and enjoy it as the challenge got greater each of my achievements seemed to grow in magnitude.
Making the decision early on that I would see myself out of this, even if it seen getting sacked I was going to make a real go of the game and even pick it up a job somewhere else it was about learning failing until I got it right. Fortunately it didn’t get down to that I managed to keep my job, even earning a new contract to see me thought for another three years at Southport. But even missing out on promotion by a single point, under achieving with the talents that I had in front of me I feel that I have grown as a Football Manager and really had one of the most enjoyable games in a very long time because it was all my efforts that got me to where I was.
After playing just one season and learning so much, I can see why many people and realism protesters make a big shout for any body starting in the game to always start at the lowest possible level and then progress from there. It will certainly get you to grips with tactics, player management and keeping a good grip of near enough every aspect of the game as detail is key when every little thing can give you a major advantage over the opposition.
I finished the season with great form as I concluded my season of learning, it was like an exam the final 5 games of the season which saw me back in contention with a play off place and it went down to the final game of the season, I needed to win my game away at the team one place below me Eastwood and hope that Stalybridge get one up at Fleetwoods home. I did my job coming from a goal behind to win 2-1 keeping one eye on what was happening at Fleetwood, but late into their game Fleetwood put the promotion out of my reach or the season. heartache, but jeered up for the season ahead.
How are your own challenges going this season, be that at the highest reaches of the professional league or struggling in the cold depths of Iceland. Have you found yourself learning anything in this years series? Please leave a comment below or join the conversation
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