Details[]
Interviewee - "Brum Town" (Brum Town)
Interviewer - Johan (IFK)
Forum Post Date - 19th September 2009
Original Thread - Click here
Interview[]
Next up is Division 4 club Brum Town who also wrote an excellent newbie guide which you can find here:
1. Who are Brummie Bulldog?
I’m a 29 year old Brummie, and have a season ticket at St Andrews.
2. When you started out in TM did you have any early plans and did they go like you wanted?
When I first found TM it reminded me of the old Championship Manager games, which I loved. But the biggest twist was the youth system. I loved the idea that I could plough my money into youth, and hopefully reap the rewards in the future. So decided early on that this would be the route for me to follow. I loved the game from the start, so decided I'm going to be in this for the long run and am prepared to bide my time (which I’m still doing). I think it’s all slowly but surely coming into place.
3. If you started again with a new club would you do the exact same things?
NO!!!! Now I think if I was to start again I would only increase my TG. I'd hire an army of scouts and search out youth on the transfer list. As more and more people start to play, I think that they, like me, find the youth road the most exciting. But as its so expensive many find the need to sell, so more and more bargains are out there if u use your scouts wisely. I’ve witnessed many players getting brought for peanuts pre-bloom, then getting sold for silly money after blooming.
4. Any advice for a new manager starting the game today?
The best advice would be to be active on the forums. Not just posting, but reading as many topics as possible. And if they have a problem/unsure about something to search the forum. If they can’t find what they are looking for then post in the help section and it won’t be long before someone helps out. TM has a habit of changing aspects of the game and not updating the user guide which can become very misleading for new players. I’ve been playing over a year now, but I’m still finding new stuff out about this game :)
5. Happy with your YD so far and the results from it?
Is anyone ever happy with there YA? It gets annoying when other people get all the luck, and u see lower levels consistently getting better youths, but actually I got some "ok" players coming through, not superstars, but I’m sure once they have bloomed it should work out cheaper bringing them up through the YA then actually buying them fully devolved. Season 17 will see me fielding 3 home-grown players, and hopefully next season this will double.
6. YD or TG what’s the most important in your opinion and why?
No matter how u look at it it’s the TG. For the YA to work u need a TG, but u can have just a TG by its self. It’s a bit like toast and marmite. You can have just toast, or put marmite on it......but u can’t have just marmite lol
7. How much time do you spend on TM every day/week?
Hmm I guess about hour and a half before and after work. So 3 hours a day.
8. If you could hack Thomas account for a day and change TM at your will what would you change and what things would you implement?
Uh oh don’t get me started :) The main thing which id love to change would be to create a new country called B Team. Then put all B Teams from around the world into an international league.
9. Tactics do they matter or is it only down to having the best players available?
Yes they do matter. It’s about making your players play to there strengths. Like if your FC's are great at heading, but poor at finishing (like mine) then u need to make the right tactics to suit the players. But I’d always play to your strengths, and not worry about the other team, unless u have lots of good players and can change your formation easy.
10. What is the most important position and why?
Anyone down the spine of the team. It’s a team game so I don’t want to single anyone out :) But you’re only as good as your strikers.
11. What key skills is needed for that position(s) and why?
Finishing - To score
Positioning - To have more chances per game
Heading - Opens more attacking options Strength - To win more chances
(Plus I love work rate in all of my team)
12. You have any training tips to share for your players?
Yeah. Keep an eye on the attributes that your players are training in, and if they stop going up in something’s, perhaps they have "maxed" out in that and need a different kind of training to maximise there potential.
13. TM is a great game, what do you like most about it?
Money, I love making money :) Ask me that in a few more seasons though and ill probably say developing home grown players, as my first batch are just about to finish blooming, with more on the way.
14. New ME on the way are you looking forward to it?
Yeah. I’m not really against the current one, although the AI does do some stupid things. Like taking off your best player and putting in a crap one in the same position. Any improvement is warmly welcomed.
15. You wrote a really good newbie guide (link is above) do you think we should have more topics like that helping new managers out from the start?
Definitely. The guide I wrote was just from what I could remember from starting. It could be vastly improved, and more items like that are good. I also did one for understanding Youths and bloom (if u can find it) The reasons why I did this was because before the help section got linked to the quick menu on the club house, I used to go in there and try to help people, and the same questions were coming up over and over again. So made them guides to help answer questions with one link instead of repeating myself again and again.
16. Any suggestions on how and what subjects?
Not really. Just keep an eye out for questions that people need help in. Then try and answer them as simply as possible. Don’t forget the age range in here is huge, and people have short attention spans, so massive posts often don’t get read.
(If you’ve read down this far well done)
17. You finished 9th last season and have the same position with one game to go. Will we see a push for promotion season 17? (This interview was sent with one game remaining of season 16)
Season 15 and 16 were very similar for me. I struggled for the first half of the season, nestled nicely in the relegation spots. Then after a few buys managed to claw my way out of trouble. I expect exactly the same this season. There’s no way I’m going to get promoted, especially with the 2 teams who have come down to my league from div 3. The one has a squad of 450,000 ASI. That’s 3 times more then mine. The plan is.....mid table again. Then Season 18 I should have a few good players coming from my B Team to fill in at problem positions I have, so then ill be looking to push for the top half.
18. Where will we find Brum Town in 5 season’s time?
Hopefully Division 3 and pushing for Div 2. I’m going about this game the long way to make sure I have the infrastructure in place to succeed in the long run. I haven’t been relegated yet, and don’t want too either. I’m trying to build little by little each season.
19. You have lots of young players, who is the future Brum Town star, the one to watch?
I have lots of young players, but no one special. Although my best youth is Bellamy. Was pulled at 17 years old....an 18* and his first training session he clocked up 32.4TI, so an early bloomer. His TI has dropped alot since then though and is now around 24/25.
20. You started in division 9, do you feel it’s the 4th division where the game really start to be competitive with more managers being active?
Personally yes. However there are some really hard division 5`s which would take alot to get out of. But then there are also alot of crap/inactive div 5`s. I think that Div 4 is where it really starts getting tricky. Not that many teams are inactive, and there are some very strong teams.
21. If you could pick one club from anywhere in TM you would beat 5-0 who would it be and would you rub it in completely?
Haha so many to choose from. But would definitely have to be Borussia Munchenbadback. He started playing 2 weeks before me, and we have been comparing each others squads and clubs ever since.
22. What’s your happiest day in TM so far? Was it a special game, season or a certain youth pull?
That would have to be the day I sold an American. I brought him for 75 million....although he played fantastic for me, and had in fact the 2nd best rating for the whole of div 5 (season 14), I sold him for 125 million. I think it was the first time that id had over 100 million, and after 2 more sales I was up to over 200 million in my bank. I just loved clicking on my finance and reading that, and also looking at the interest.
Thanks a lot for doing this interview and good luck this season!