So So Close.

I’d already mentioned on Twitter that I was in two minds about promotion, on the one hand we have a handful of quality players, and a number of decent prospects, but on the other I just don’t think that we have the strength in depth to even battle for survival in the top flight. Of course I said that at Strasbourg too, where we promptly had a good run at European qualification two seasons running, but that was after I’d spent two or three years moulding my squad. 

Realistically I was looking at this season at Kalrsruhe being one of finding my feet, and preparing to build a squad for a promotion push next time around.

Diamonds Are Forever... Annoying Me (Pt 1)

I’m not sure what it is about a 4-4-2 diamond formation, but for some reason I struggle to deal with it. Whether it’s a wide diamond (DMC, ML, MR, AMC), a narrow one (DMC, MCL, MCR, AMC), or even a non-diamond narrow formation (2x DMC, 2x MC) it seems that my sides struggle to carve out chances against them compared to the more familiar flat 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 type of shapes. Defensively we don’t necessarily find it any tougher than any other match, but up front it’s another story and we’ve been frustrated on a number of occasions.

I’m not sure why that sort of shape change should impact our attacking, the most likely thing being that the addition of that pesky DMC makes all the difference, but I can’t say that I’ve noticed the same issues against a pair of DMCs in 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 variants - perhaps as those shapes then tend to leave a lot of space in the middle of the park?

Whatever the reason, with my Karlsruher SC side sitting in a very nice spot as the season closes out, and the visit of Union Berlin and their wide diamond, I decided that it’s probably time for me to have a go at seriously analysing their approach and working out what to do about it.

Early Progress With Karlsruher SC

Hi folks, after a week of sunshine, and destroying my ‘better living’ regime thanks to all-inclusive hotel tariffs, I’m back in the FM saddle. Purely fortuitously the holiday came at a good time, giving me an opportunity to reflect on my first half-season with Karlsruher SC – a run of 18 league games (plus an early German Cup exit) which has seen us win 10 matches and lost the rest; still no draws for us.

Starting Over. Karlsruhe, Baby!

(WARNING: PICTURE-HEAVY POST)

Following the loss of my RC Strasbourg save the consensus, albeit narrow, seemed to be to start a new save; thanks everyone for your input. 

So, without further ado I’m off to Germany, with a team picked on the basis of:

1. Decent facilities 
2. The fact that a mate of mine moved out to live there about a year ago.

Welcome to Karlsruhe SC

Let That Be A Lesson To You. Autosave Is Your Friend.

So my PC just did one of it's occasional 'crash & reboot' routines, something I've been trying to get to the bottom of for a while, and when it came back my FM14 save-game is corrupted. The issue is that I've not been maintaining a rolling backup, and the last accessible save I have is three games into the 2017/18 season.

I'm feeling rather deflated, as you might imagine, but also somewhat torn about how to proceed. On the one hand I would love to turn this save into a success story for Strasbourg, on the other I'm not sure how I feel about replaying the season over.

It's not that I don't have the time or the inclination, but rather that there are decisions that I'd probably want to make differently. Signings I wouldn't make, etc.

So I'm going to sleep on it, but I'd also appreciate your input here guys. The way I see it there's three options, and I'd like to know what you think...

Should I replay the last season, or start a new save?
	Replay it, but try to make all the same decisions around signings etc.
	Replay it, and pretend the first play through never happened.
	Don't do it, a fresh start is the only way.
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