Zealand, frankly I think the fact that you sim pre-season games is degenerate behavior...

FM Discussion

You tellin' me you just roll into the season opener not knowin' how the new team looks? C'mon man, you're my Football Manager hero. The man that's gently guided my hand from the very beginning. The man that took the Peacocks from semi-pro to glory. Man you got me namin' every stadium FAC Platz because damn it to me that's where dreams are made....

And you just roll into week 1 not knowing how your team's going to look.

C'mon man

in TheOldZealandby Maverick_Goose_

87%

Sumo_FM

I've always thought this and the lack of academy products coming in to the first team are unforgivable sins

Nomthejedi

Tbf I haven't been watching Zealand for much more than a year and yet even so during the one year he'd actually have an excuse not to use the graduates (As he moved clubs often enough that they never really got to develop to their full potential) he used a few throughout the save (Badboy being the obvious one but there were a few others that I can't remember too well, but who were definitely there)

Kitten_Mittons17

I used to use pre season to tweak for the season ahead etc but there is something in this games build that means however your team plays pre season is 80% different to how your team performs in the league.

I’ve had some incredible results and performances in friendlies and started the season like a runny fart.

I leave it to the ass man now.

kharris701

Sean Dyce never misses a game.

DaiWales

EBFM demonstrated that match sharpness is hugely influential on your team's performance. As a result you cannot take much away from pre-season when your players are still gaining sharpness. For this reason you should make unfit players available for your youth teams, or arrange friendlies for them to stay sharp so they are ready to rotate in to the squad.

dazabhoy67

Friendly suck.

I create friendly for both u18 and reserve teams and make sure my players are in shape going into the new season but I genuinely never play the friendly myself.

Maverick_Goose_

Whew, I stand by what I said but I might have had one too many edibles. I do not remember posting this lol

Physical_News_1962

I mean...pre season is mainly for the cardio. I was a preseason demon until I realized that there's not much to learn from a D tier team with no cardio playing away games. Any time I was confident, I knew I still had to do adjustement for the first month and a half of the Season. So yeah pre season is for pathologic tryhard but don't get me wrong I respect the hell out of yall.

One love ♥️

Pale-Piccolo9844

Apart from the fact that friendlies actually don't really tell you anything about how your team will perform, neither irl but also especially not in Football Manager, it is also that Zealand is a content creator and needs to get on with the essential parts of his saves and not "waste time". Friendlies are not that meaningful in FM they are only good for building match sharpness.

Cheaples

It does. It helps you to understand the team better, how each players plays, which set of players mix well together, know which players can be counted on

The problem is most people play 4th tier lower league teams throughout preseason. They end up getting easy win all the time and end up thinking it's a waste time.

When you play teams equal or better in quality. The result will give you a good assessment about your team.

Pale-Piccolo9844

19h

It doesn’t matter in the long run at all.

UKSaint93

If you manage friendlies you are a genuine sociopath and need help

GapToothL

Then have been a sociopath for the last 24 years.

How the hell do you not use friendlies to see what’s wrong/right with your tactic? Brother goes to the 1st match of the season, every season, knowing less from his team than the opposition manager.

StoppageTimeCollapse

I love using friendlies during international windows to do that mid-season as well. Just get some academy boys and mentors to go up against a local semi-pro side to see if I can improve passing lanes and practice full-send, 85th minute desperation tactics.

Numb_Onion

bro ate burnt toast for breakfast ☠️

Audiliciouss

I always do friendlies the way I do normal league matches, just on key highlights instead of full highlights. Don't tell me you don't want to see your new signing you're hyped about in first pre season friendly.

LewyEffinBlack

When you play as much FM as he does, I understand skipping friendlies tbh. We forget it puts money in his pocket. He's just trying to get his job done ASAP sometimes, and friendlies don't help with that 😂