FM2011 as Rovers

[RedJ]

What's the best formation any of you have had with the best players as Donny? and who would be good to buy? I've been working on it for about 2 months but I can't seem to get anything to work. We always drop to the bottom of the league...

[JS-Drfc]

im having the same sort of problem with mine! on a big loosing run at the moment. started pre season with a bang went undefeated but now in november and finding myself 22nd in championship...

tips, formations, buys needed.

[RedJ]

The guys who made this really underestimated us. The same's true of Blackpool. Both us and them get destroyed in our respective leagues.

[billdoor]

try loans Kyle Walker, right back from Spurs.Wood from WBA. Knocking them in when coming on as sub for me. 4th in championship.

[RedJ]

Cheers! will 4-4-2 work with that?

[JS-Drfc]

will consider walker when the loan window re-opens, just managed to get frank nouble from west ham for a few months, and mills from saints, i signed gary madine from carlisle hes so far struggled with the step up, giving time and maybe farming him out on loan will get some form out of him.

[RedJ]

Apparently Le Fondre from the Millers is decent. Gonna have a look at him in January.

[RedJ]

No matter what I do I keep doing unbelievably shite! I keep restarting because I refuse to allow us to go down when the creators so clearly and so massively underestimated us.

[JS-Drfc]

le fondre good shout, might have a look at him, ive sunk to the foot of the championship now

[RedJ]

I've not managed anything better than a draw all season. I'm on my 5th restart. Le Fondre turned out alright, but my shambolic defending let me down. Sully's a bit rubbish for me on this and I can't afford to bring anyone in.

[VikingJames]

José Gonçalves is an excellent free agent signing for the Championship. I'm not sure whether he fits within Rovers' budget on FM11 as I haven't played as them. I've signed him for Middlesbrough and he's excellent. Can play LB or CB, and has a weapon of a long throw.

Adriano Basso is another free agent. Decent keeper, good age at 34/35 ish and probably a bit sharper than Sully.

I'd advise people struggling for signings to ask the board for a parent club. If you manage to get a link with a top Premiership clubs, you can get their talented youngsters on loan deals without paying any of their wages. Even if you don't, it's worth having a look around the Prem clubs' reserve squads, the likes of Man Utd, City,, West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea are always willing to loan out their youngsters free of charge, even if there is no link between the clubs. (Try John Guidetti on loan from Man City - decent player and would probably be better than Le Fondre. Wouldn't cost a penny if on loan too.)

Another good signing for pretty much any Championship club on FM is Anderson Silva. Ex-Barnsley midfielder. He is a free agent and is a good player for the midfield.

Febian Brandy is a free agent on FM11 too. He was good on FM10 and is very quick. Not sure if he's got the quality for the Championship but may be worth a shout.

[RedJ]

VikingJames wrote:

José Gonçalves is an excellent free agent signing for the Championship. I'm not sure whether he fits within Rovers' budget on FM11 as I haven't played as them. I've signed him for Middlesbrough and he's excellent. Can play LB or CB, and has a weapon of a long throw.

Adriano Basso is another free agent. Decent keeper, good age at 34/35 ish and probably a bit sharper than Sully.

I'd advise people struggling for signings to ask the board for a parent club. If you manage to get a link with a top Premiership clubs, you can get their talented youngsters on loan deals without paying any of their wages. Even if you don't, it's worth having a look around the Prem clubs' reserve squads, the likes of Man Utd, City,, West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea are always willing to loan out their youngsters free of charge, even if there is no link between the clubs. (Try John Guidetti on loan from Man City - decent player and would probably be better than Le Fondre. Wouldn't cost a penny if on loan too.)

Another good signing for pretty much any Championship club on FM is Anderson Silva. Ex-Barnsley midfielder. He is a free agent and is a good player for the midfield.

Febian Brandy is a free agent on FM11 too. He was good on FM10 and is very quick. Not sure if he's got the quality for the Championship but may be worth a shout.

You legend  B)

[VikingJames]

Try Chris Smalling on loan from Man United too.

[RedJ]

Cheers :-) 7 million for a youngster, though? Christ... glad he's so easy to loan!

[RedJ]

It seems no matter who my keeper is we always ship loads of goals, even when the defence is sound... the one thing that eases the pain is seeing Leeds and Barnsley below me.

[VikingJames]

RedJ wrote:

It seems no matter who my keeper is we always ship loads of goals, even when the defence is sound... the one thing that eases the pain is seeing Leeds and Barnsley below me.

Too attacking, tactically?

[RedJ]

4-5-1 with everything set to default, but the philosophy (or whatever the top thing is) is set to counter

[DonnyHodge]

4-4-2 got me promoted in season 1 via the playoffs. Mindset was Counter.

I simply spent an age on training tactics and played around with set pieces til i found a suitable tactic.

As mentioned, some key freebies at the start and complimenting them with loan signings throughout the period help. I signed Basso and also had Wood in on loan, though the key man for me was Billy Sharp. Constantly speaking in private with him after every match keeping him on edge and gagging for his next match to impress, he scored an impressive 27goals in season 1.

Loan signings are good but be warned, despite making the prem and banking £22m for the club, i was sacked the following season for being relegated from the premiership!

[RedJ]

Basso's been dodgy as hell for me - although a lad called Frank Fielding's been ALRIGHT - and then you find some of the younger players in the Prem's reserves. Immense.

That's a bit harsh? do they not realise the Premiership's kinda hard?

[Mark DRFC]

1st season i signed le fondre, basso,andy van der mayde and season loan full back greg cunningham & stephen darby from man city and liverpool and fabio borini a striker from chelsea,i also asked john ryan to sign Mark Howard from a danish club AGF for 600k. in january i got callum davenport as a free agent who is solid at the back, i finished just above relagation playing 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 depending on who i was playing.
im in my 2nd season now im 11 points off the playoffs but relatively safe with 12 games to go, im in the 6th round of the fa cup and made a couple more signings....
GK...david gonzalez.... david healey, kevin phillips for the bench, christian nanetti, andrew tutte and keiron dyer all on free transfers, they have boosted the squad but all seem to blend well, also in my 2nd season i got Arsenal as parent club.

[Mark DRFC]

my usual starting 11 is now
gonzelez
friend, howard, davenport, o'connor
sheils, stock, payne, nanetti
healey, sharp

im doing ok.

[RedJ]

Some quality names there! sounds like some quality advice. Tip for anyone looking here - don't sign Shittu. He wants relatively high wages, and he's shit by name, shit by nature, I've found (even though the coaches' reports all say he'll be amazing for us).

[JS-Drfc]

ive almost accepted relegation, i cant see myself keeping us up im a good 11 points adrift i see the restart button calling my name, and will take a few tips from other users on here as reguarding players tactics etc and hope for a more reasonable era with rovers take 2.

[RedJ]

The first time I tried it, I got 10 points from the whole season. I felt like throwing the computer at the wall I got so frustrated

[RedJ]

Finally started to get our act together. 3 wins on the bounce. Billy's firing on all cylinders.

[RedJ]

Finished the season one point adrift. If only Leeds had f**king won.

[Mark DRFC]

gutted mate, i finished 2nd season in 12th, got to the quarter final of the FA cup beaten on pens by arsenal, my 3rd season expectations are higher, i now need mid table at worst, ive taken 2 points from my 1st 4 games and squeezed through in the league cup 3-2 aet vs L2 stockport.

[Mark DRFC]

i have got a couple of gems in on loan though, kid called gohkan tore from chelsea and ryhs murphy and jet from arsenal.

[RedJ]

I signed some decent strikers and even got Shsckell and Davenport at the back :-( I still got hammered by bloody Crewe Alexandra in round 4 of the FA Cup...

[Mark DRFC]

davenport takes a while to settle in, in the 2nd season he will be quality.