Lower League Newbie

Hi guys, I thought i'd say hi to my fellow lower league managers.

This is my FIRST time managing a lower league side, I'm starting off with Bromley on BSB South, I really would appreciate any tips and advise on managing a lower league team.

I've really gotten bored managing the bigger teams and I'm sure this will prove to be a big challenge for me.

Hi and welcome to FM Scout.

I recommend that you read joannes3000's guide on lower league management:
LLM Guide

I reckon you'll find managing a lower league side much more fun and intriguing compared to managing a top flight team, but you should know it requires patience.
On FM11 I managed Redditch (BSN) and got them to EPL with consecutive promotions. Sadly I don't have time to play FM this year to repeat a similar challenge.

Good luck!

Hey mate and welcome to our world of lower leagues!
I started playing with Thurrock in the BSS, so Bromley were better than Thurrock. I got the media prediction of finishing last in the league. Bromley as as I remember were somewhere in the safe mid table zone, if you take the first media prediction.
I played 4 years in the BSS till I managed to win promotion in the play-offs and then 5 years in the BS Prmemier till I won the League. Check what Stam said and read that analyse.

Personally I followed my own tactic. Better said what was more suited for my players. I sold all attacking midfielders, actually free transfered them because I had only 3 and they were useless. Then I foucussed on the system 4-1-2-1-2 with narrow width and balanced play. Instruct your groundsman to choose a narrow pitch while playing at home with this system. Its the best possible if you are a small team and play a counter style. I have played it now for years in FM and for us smaller teams with low budget its the best. Of course you can choose your own tactic depending on the quality of your players.
Martin Reilly, Phil Younghusband and Hicham Abdellah are good strikers. The last two have helped me very much in the BSS. Both of them are poachers. Aaron Carter released from City is another good central defender. Train his heading attributes and he scores goals at corners.
And very important try to sign James Gilpin as goalkeeper.
I have signed also Gherasim and he develops well as goalkeeper. I play him now in the League Two. And important send your scouts to Ireland or Northern Ireland. You find there great free players!
I wait now to become bored to start again with another team but this time in the English 8th tier. Check the download link to play that league too. Must be more fun than the 6th league. Sadly I don't have much time and you see since October (the release time of the game) I have barely managed a team and I have played only 10 seasons. But its good because I'm sure playing less I'm going to enjoy the game till the next release in 2012.

Stam - Thanks I will definitely check out the guide, I need all the help I can get. So far it has been very testing, whatever preconception I had of what a good player should be has been thrown out the window. A player with double digit athletic attribute now is a godsend.

Vladsofro - I have been having trouble with tactics, I think I'm still far too adventurous.Of course all may archived tactics has been based on MUCH better teams and so far Bromley players simply cannot apply it properly, which is expected of course, lol. I actually tried playing a high defensive line AND constant pressing, haha.. I think I will have to create a new tactic, I will try your suggestion with the 4-1-2-1-2 as I am trying to build a solid counter attacking team.

So far I have managed to sign Martin Reilly, Aaaron Carter and James Gilpin. I've also found some pretty decent players, this guy Conrad Balatoni from Hearts is AMAZING, haha.. a week ago i would consider him a rubbish player, now he is my favorite defender.

Right Now i'm 16 games into the season, 15th position W-3 D-10 L-3. I'm not losing that many games but i'm struggling to score, my tactic right now is VERY defensive, I'm looking to implement a new one over time.

Anyways thanks for the inputs, I'll keep updating as I go along. Hopefully I can put in some time this weekend and finish my first season.

Well done carefreeblue. The first season is the most difficult.
But its so much breathtaking and more fun to try to work in the lower leagues.
Here are the best managers working...Like us..lol...
Its far more harder to work your way through with a poor squad than to play in the higher leagues with teams that want to gain promotion and win easily everything.

After 1-2 seasons you will se that the counter tactic 4-1-2-1-2 is great away from home.
And if you play against a very good team, the leader or the ones who fight for playoffs
you can play it at home as well. Against similar teams like yours just go for it at home!!
Play an attacking style no matter your formation looks like. And up to overload in the second half if you don't lead!

Don't forget to send your scout to Ireland!

Around March send him to scout England. He will get back to you with some interesting players.
The free transfer deadline is around March and many players try to find a club in order to gain match practice. And ask your board to arrange a trial day at your club.
What is your objective? Safe mid table?
Have fun!
Cheers!

I finished my first season, and amazingly, I won promotion through playoffs!

I found some really great players in addition to the ones you suggested. Medi Abalimba, Rhys Murrell-Williamson and this Irish left back Ryan Casey is very good.

I'm 7 games into the BSB premier, 19th position W1 D3 L3. It's going to be a struggle it seems, but I did find this player called Tito Abie, he is great, I got him for free and he's worth 170k!!! lol, and he's an international for ivory coast u21! I am so happy about that..

BTW Vlad, how does a team turn professional?

For becoming professional you need to play in the League Two.
Only the first 4 leagues are professional in England. Of course there are other professional teams in the Blue Square Premier as well. First you need to gain promotion from the BSS or BSN in the BSP. Than its up to your board. Usually for teams like ours ist not so easy to become professional. When I was playing in the BSP I kept trying to ask the board to become proffesional but the link wasn't functioning. That means that the board had no intention to turn the team professional. So you need to be in the League Two. Only now when I play in the League Two the board transformed the team professional.

By the way if you play a counter style tactic employ balanced play, the passing more direct, zonal marking (if you don't have good marking attributes to your defenders), more roaming and very important play a Quick tempo. And at home if you instructed your groundsman to create a narrow pitch play narrow. Be careful while foucssing on passing. Sometimes its not so good to play through the middle as its difficult to break through. Keep a mixed passing.
Corners mixed as well and bring your best headers to attack far post or near post and to have your strikers to stay on both posts.

Cheers!

Been away from the scene again, must keep remembering to come back..

carefreeblue welcome to a spot of LLM its the best you can get in this game for me now, i dont think i will ever play the game from the league 2 or above again, this is a challenge like no other.

Hope you enjoy..

You are right wayupna! Its very difficult in the lower leagues. When I managed to gain promotion with Thurrock in the League Two (after 5 seasons in the BSS and 6 seasons in the BSP) the game became surprisingly easily. I won the League from my first season. The League Two is far more easier than the BSP and BSS. I had good players but.... I want hard challenges.
After I played a couple of matches in the League One I decided to abandonne the game. After 12 games I sit comfortably on the 11th spot.
Need another challenge my second for the FM manager 2012. The first one lasted till 2023. The second?

Any links with backgrounds which include the stadiums from the 8th tier teams? I have the link with the stadiums till the 7th League.
Or facepacks which include lower leagues players?
Thanks.
Cheers!

Iv got some good facepacks for the Lower Leagues which i have built up over the years..

Well done wayupna! Any link to some facepacks to BSP and the lower leagues?

I downloaded a few from various sites over the years but most of the time i make my own up..

Im not sure how any files there are but i can try and zip them if you are interested ??

Cool, can you share a link to some site? Thanks a lot!
I would be interested to downloading some facepacks for the English lower divisions.
Its good that thanks to a great work we have the stadiums of the teams till the 7th tier.
Of course it dosen't have much effect on the game but it's more attractive to take a look where you are virtually playing and the guys you are managing. Especially for us who enjoy managing only lower league teams.

vlad in fairness links i dont have anymore FMBase use to be the main site i got alot from but most of mine i downloaded were for FM10 and i have copied over since to the new games..