FM scenarios

This is a little article I wrote a while ago on Throw-In, just thought i’d post it up:

Okay guys, this is my first ever FM article. I’ve been a longtime lurker, rare poster, but the muse has inspired me, so I’ve decided to write something. Hope you like it!

It’s mid-December and you’ve already exhausted all your game ideas. Maybe you’ve already taken Chelsea/ManU/Arsenal to Premiership and Champions League glory spending 100 million and buying every good player in the process. Maybe you’ve taken your local club from the Conference to the dizzing heights of the upper tiers of the Football League in successive seasons. Or maybe you can’t stick with a game for a long time and you play a couple of seasons at most before getting bored.

We’ve all had the feeling: sitting in front of the new game screen for hours on end wondering which leagues to load, which team to play as. With over 50 countries and thousands of teams, it’s certainly a difficult decision. However, I’m here to help! After a dull day at work with absolutely nothing to do, I’ve come up with a few scenarios, or storylines to add some interest to your game. So, without further ado, here are the possibilities (transcribed directly from my lunch napkin):

We’ll start in a familiar place: The Premiership.

Pompey’s New Life: Since Portsmouth’s great escape at the end of last season, the club has been steadily and quietly gaining power. With chairman Alexandre Gaydamak coming to the club, the team has a nice transfer kitty of 29 million. Better yet, he has no expectations the first year, only to save the club from relegation. With a decent squad led by defender Sol Campbell and midfielder Matthew Taylor, the team should do much better than the media’s 17th place prediction. It’s up to you, however, to strenghten the squad and use your skill in the transfer market to buy the right players to challenge the Big Four and fight for a Champions/UEFA cup spot. Definitely attainable after only one season.

Next, we’re onto Italy and Serie B. No, not to Juventus (that’s too easy) but to a more intriguing challenge. Yes, we’ve reached fair Verona.

Forza Gialloblu!: The only time Hellas Verona have won the Serie A title was in 1985, a season the locals refer to as “The Miracle”. Ever since that magical season, it’s been all downhill. The past five years have seen the team battle relegation in Serie A before being thrown into the abyss known as Serie B. Right now, it’s not looking good for Gialloblu. No good players of note, poor finances, and a stadium with no atmosphere. Your job? Make Verona a respectable club once more. Take them out of Serie B, a challenge that will take four seasons minimum. Once you’re in Serie A, who knows? You might just have another miracle season.

We’ll more across the Atlantic now, to the US. What? you say, they have a football league??? Yes, and it’s called the MLS. We’re in the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps, NYC: New York, home of the New York Red Bulls.

Youri’s Fantastic Finish: It’s been a long, successful career for the French international Youri Djorkaeff. He’s been capped for France 82 times, scoring 28 goals and has won his country a World Cup and a European Championship. He’s also won a UEFA cup with Inter and has played in England with Blackburn and Bolton. But after 22 years, his career is finally winding down with New York. In fact, he’s been playing longer than the entire MLS and the Red Bulls. New York has never won an MLS championship, let alone two playoff games. They are the perennial underacheivers, each year ending in bitter defeat, usually to DC United, New England or Chicago. Maybe, just maybe, with Youri’s help, the team can finally find their late season legs and win their first championship. Led by a strong core of American and South American players, including Amado Guavera and American starlet Marwell Wynn, your job is to win the championship with New York and win Youri one final piece of hardware.

I have two more, and if you like it so far I’ll keep posting, but right now, it’s a bit late so I think I’ll turn off the light and post them tomorrow. Good night all!

and the link:

http://www.throw-in.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13601