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Torquay), and Dobrev is already 67 skill (starting 49). These are 18 points, which he gained by training his GK ability and GK skill every week for 3 years.
Not bad, huh? Still, he's my substitute goalkeeper, since Man United were so kind as to sell Fabien Barthez to me :-)
And don't worry; you'll have enough prestige points later in the game for individual training. It's tough with only 1000, but if you do well, you'll get 4500 for the next year, which means a lot of training.
3.1.3. What should my squad look like?
First of all, it must be balanced. The "balanced" term depends on the particular tactic scheme you're using. My favorite is 4-3-3, but I have seen that a lot of people prefer 3-4-3.
Balanced team means: you must have a substitute for every player plus a few reserve players. For example, in 4-3-3 this means: 2 goalkeepers
At least 8 defenders
8-10 midfielders (to have reserves when there are a lot of matches in the several weeks that are coming)
At least 6 strikers and forwards
This is 2+8+8+6 which is 24 players. The max squad is 30, so plan carefully. Don't purchase too many midfielders and few strikers. If you make an unbalanced team, you'll suffer the consequences.
And never forget, that it is very tough to make a balanced team. You'll hardly be able to do it in the first year without a lot of planning and good transfers.
Why do other teams are always in good condition?
Because the game is based on making your going tough, why else? :-) Still, teams like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Manchester United and such have wonderful first-team and second-team players, which means that they will always be powerful opponents, regardless of the players' condition.
For example, sometimes when you enter the ECC, you must play 2 matches in 2 weeks with Arsenal, for example for the ECC with a match between them for the FA Premier League. This means 3 matches, in which Arsenal use exactly the same team, while you may have to swap several sets of midfielders, strikers and defenders. Nasty... But this is why you need to make a balanced team, so that you don't suffer from such occasions.
And come to think of this, this is our task: to create a team with equal first and second team players. This will help you throughout the game: you'll never suffer from any problems in the difficult weeks to come.
Always remember that a midfielder line-up of all 60 skill players is better than 40% 70 skill (because the 70 skill are much more expensive than 60) and 60% 50 skill.
Still, I am aware that this depends on the team, but keep this thought in mind when you're transferring players.
3.1.4. Time to pick the players for the match.
The most important thing here is to use players that are totally rested (0-
10 fatigue). They'll do best in the game, even if they are a bit weaker than their substitutes. You can count on such player to get on and play the entire match for you, rather than having to make 2nd half substitutes. In addition, it has another bonus here - by using this player, you ensure that your star player for this position will have rested enough as to participate in the next match to the best of his ability.
In a scheme with strong midfielders (those that actually enter the attack and participate in the defense), the most important thing is always to keep several sets of midfielders (I always have at least 9 midfielders in my squad for my 4-3-3 scheme), as they'll get tired very quickly. I'm positive that on Semi-pro difficulty, most people prefer scoring goals from slightly father than the professional difficulty. This calls for strong midfielders with good pace, tackling, passing and shooting skills. It's not easy to find such players, though... And definitely, not cheap.
3.1.5. The match itself.
I'm not going to tell you how to score goals in this chapter. This
Walkthrough is not designed to teach you how to play the match. We will rather discuss the behavior of your players, how quickly they get tired, and such.
First of all, the behavior of your players is determined by the tactical scheme you're using in the game. If the players aren't acting the way you want them to, simply change the scheme in the Team management.
The free kicks and the corner kicks are another thing. You can go to the
Set piece menu in the options settings and change the way your free kicks will be taken (there are a lot of options... So you'll have to check them all out, and afterwards decide which one to use). I personally, use the basic set. I've gotten used to it, and I'm not going to change the things.
As the match progresses, your players will get tired. This means they must be well rested for the match, or they'll cripple in the first 30 minutes.
This means they should have trained, you should have enough players for substitutions, and so on. Be wise. Create a team that has players of equal (or similar) strength. This way you'll always be sure that your team will perform the same way every match. There's nothing better than this. If you see that one of your players is getting to tired, substitute him, but first ensure that he is really tired! If a midfielder makes 2-3 consecutive runs at goal, he'll get tired. Still, if he stays out of the action for about 10-15 minutes, his stamina bar will get somewhat replenished (well, not entirely, but well enough).
This is important if don't have a suitable substitute.
3.1.6. The hidden weapon - your substitutes.
Your substitutes are just that - a hidden weapon. You'll definitely have some matches that will go to penalties. In this case, you can do a little trick - quickly substitute some of your players with lower shooting skill with your substitute star players (even if they're very tired) somewhere in the second extra time period, including the goalkeeper, if you have a better one. Weaker goalkeepers may not save the penalty even if you guessed the place where the ball is put.
So, the morale from the story is as follows: don't underestimate the substitute players and take advantage of them regularly. They may save the game for you.
3.1.7. The Star Players.
Every team has a star player. He has the highest skill mark; depending on the strength of the team (could be 55, for example... Or it could be 97).
A star player is an important thing to have, but unless he's a goalkeeper (however, even goalkeepers don't play to the best of their skill if tired over 85) you can't use him all around, in every game. However, I'd still go for a team with equal strength rather than a team with a specific star player (He's 90, and the rest are 70 something).
3.2. Transfer strategies.
You have 2 transfer windows in a season (before the start of the season + the first month of the season) and from January 1 to January 31. Use them wisely.
3.2.1. Selling players.
In FIFA 2004 you can't just sell a player to another club who has lots of cash. Finally EA have done something about that - YOU CAN ONLY SELL A
PLAYER WHICH HAS DRAWN THE INTEREST OF ANOTHER CLUB TO HIM.
Still, you can do something about it - put this player in your team for several games, and if he does well, offers will start to flow into the Team
News menu. Now, you can sell him to the club that gives the most cash for him :-)
If you did that and there's no interest in him - well, this means that you'll have to sit with this player for years to come. Yet you may try to train him - Martin Petrov and Delroy Facey are a good example of people who never draw attention to themselves, but however, build-up their skills very quickly. Just assign 3 times individual training (although effectively losing prestige) and watch the results. Martin Petrov was 81 (starting 67) skill in Bolton at the end of year 5, Professional difficulty, and Delroy was 78 (although individually trained for only a season).
3.2.2. Purchasing players.
3.2.2.1. How to do.
Simple - you just enter the Transfer Market and choose a player from it.
Provided the other team is willing to sell him, and you have submitted a good offer, you'll strengthen your squad with another player.
NEVER FORGET THAT MAXIMUM SQUAD SIZE IS 30!
3.2.2.2. Info and considerations.
Every team has a few players that will be transfer listed. Just click the arrow next to "All" and it will change to "Listed" and you'll access only the people that are transfer listed.
The cash required for purchasing a player depends on his skill and importance for the team he's in. A first team player would require quite a bit of cash over his transfer price to persuade his current team to sell him to you.
Let's try to analyze.
A player, which is transfer listed costs his actual transfer price.
This changes after you purchase several players from this team - they'll be less willing to sell other players to you at cost. It may be so even if you add a million to the price.
A second team players which is not transfer listed will require some additional cash to his transfer cost (somewhere to 0.2 to 0.5M) in order to persuade the other team to sell him.
A first-team member is another thing, though. Sometimes even a million above his transfer cost may not do the trick. This goes especially to the high-rated players - I managed to purchase Oliver Kahn for 11.0M, which was actually 1.2M above his transfer cost. The next year I sold him for 12.5M: meaning that I even had a surplus of 1.5M for the next year. Sometimes it's real nice to start with 25M in transfer money thanks to a transfer made in the previous year :-)
But one way or another, after each season you'll get more transfer money, depending on the objectives completed. If you did not manage to purchase a player you wanted this season, you'll have to settle with the thought of signing another player or wait for the next season.
IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU SPEND _ALL_ YOUR TRANSFER MONEY, SINCE THAY WILL
NOT BE AVAILABLE AS AN ADDITION TO THE ONES YOU RECEIVE THE NEXT SEASON!!!
3.2.3. Transfer strategies: going in-depth.
The most important time of the year is not the season itself, but the transfer period. It is here where the faith of your team is being decided and this is the moment which will have great influence on the season games and the way your team will be going in the league.
The most important thing here is to refrain from overlooking the transfer period. A lot of people make this mistake just because they want action.
Such people usually shun the career mode, since it requires more wits and patience than fast reflexes.
Transfers are important. For that reason, as an Appendix, I'll give you the development of Torquay United (from English Division 3) and Bolton
Wanderers (from the Premier League) throughout the 5 years of the career mode. In these two teams' development, I have tried to preserve the balance and I really did it :-)
Another important thing is to refrain from spending all your cash in the first transfer period. You have another one, and you may find better players there, as well as sell a few :-) to purchase others. I know it sounds difficult, but as long as you preserve the balance, all will be OK.
Still, of course, if you find everything you need in the first transfer window, spend them to the last dime!!! :-)
SO, why don't we point out the most important things to know when doing transfers?
1. Put the unnecessary players in the transfer list. Unnecessary players for one team are necessary for another.
2. Sell the unnecessary players as soon as there's an offer for them.
3. If you can buy a player, but don't have enough roster space, release some of the weakest players (or sell some of those, who have drawn the interest to them).
4. Purchase players accordingly to the tactical system you are using. No point in having too many strikers, too many defenders, or too many midfielders.
5. If you have a player with good skill, surrounded by players with low skills, consider selling the good player and purchasing 2-3 others with similar marks. This way your team will never suffer (albeit losing his star player).
A lot of examples may be given: just check out all teams and analyze those who have 1-2 star players (skill 80+), a couple 70+ and the rest are 50 or
60+. Such teams may try to sell their best players and aim at obtaining 4-5 70+ players effectively losing some of their strength in certain matches, but bettering the team's status overall. IF you're planning on playing more than 1 year... Having a team with good overall marks is better than a team with several key players and lots of supporters.
NOTE: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to be sure that every single player can score a goal given the chance. Sometimes, your technique in scoring doesn't matter, it's up to the player. Sometimes even a defender may find himself in front of the goal... And miss. This is why a defender must be trained in shooting and heading also (or find one that has high marks on SA&SP and Heading, as
Not bad, huh? Still, he's my substitute goalkeeper, since Man United were so kind as to sell Fabien Barthez to me :-)
And don't worry; you'll have enough prestige points later in the game for individual training. It's tough with only 1000, but if you do well, you'll get 4500 for the next year, which means a lot of training.
3.1.3. What should my squad look like?
First of all, it must be balanced. The "balanced" term depends on the particular tactic scheme you're using. My favorite is 4-3-3, but I have seen that a lot of people prefer 3-4-3.
Balanced team means: you must have a substitute for every player plus a few reserve players. For example, in 4-3-3 this means: 2 goalkeepers
At least 8 defenders
8-10 midfielders (to have reserves when there are a lot of matches in the several weeks that are coming)
At least 6 strikers and forwards
This is 2+8+8+6 which is 24 players. The max squad is 30, so plan carefully. Don't purchase too many midfielders and few strikers. If you make an unbalanced team, you'll suffer the consequences.
And never forget, that it is very tough to make a balanced team. You'll hardly be able to do it in the first year without a lot of planning and good transfers.
Why do other teams are always in good condition?
Because the game is based on making your going tough, why else? :-) Still, teams like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Manchester United and such have wonderful first-team and second-team players, which means that they will always be powerful opponents, regardless of the players' condition.
For example, sometimes when you enter the ECC, you must play 2 matches in 2 weeks with Arsenal, for example for the ECC with a match between them for the FA Premier League. This means 3 matches, in which Arsenal use exactly the same team, while you may have to swap several sets of midfielders, strikers and defenders. Nasty... But this is why you need to make a balanced team, so that you don't suffer from such occasions.
And come to think of this, this is our task: to create a team with equal first and second team players. This will help you throughout the game: you'll never suffer from any problems in the difficult weeks to come.
Always remember that a midfielder line-up of all 60 skill players is better than 40% 70 skill (because the 70 skill are much more expensive than 60) and 60% 50 skill.
Still, I am aware that this depends on the team, but keep this thought in mind when you're transferring players.
3.1.4. Time to pick the players for the match.
The most important thing here is to use players that are totally rested (0-
10 fatigue). They'll do best in the game, even if they are a bit weaker than their substitutes. You can count on such player to get on and play the entire match for you, rather than having to make 2nd half substitutes. In addition, it has another bonus here - by using this player, you ensure that your star player for this position will have rested enough as to participate in the next match to the best of his ability.
In a scheme with strong midfielders (those that actually enter the attack and participate in the defense), the most important thing is always to keep several sets of midfielders (I always have at least 9 midfielders in my squad for my 4-3-3 scheme), as they'll get tired very quickly. I'm positive that on Semi-pro difficulty, most people prefer scoring goals from slightly father than the professional difficulty. This calls for strong midfielders with good pace, tackling, passing and shooting skills. It's not easy to find such players, though... And definitely, not cheap.
3.1.5. The match itself.
I'm not going to tell you how to score goals in this chapter. This
Walkthrough is not designed to teach you how to play the match. We will rather discuss the behavior of your players, how quickly they get tired, and such.
First of all, the behavior of your players is determined by the tactical scheme you're using in the game. If the players aren't acting the way you want them to, simply change the scheme in the Team management.
The free kicks and the corner kicks are another thing. You can go to the
Set piece menu in the options settings and change the way your free kicks will be taken (there are a lot of options... So you'll have to check them all out, and afterwards decide which one to use). I personally, use the basic set. I've gotten used to it, and I'm not going to change the things.
As the match progresses, your players will get tired. This means they must be well rested for the match, or they'll cripple in the first 30 minutes.
This means they should have trained, you should have enough players for substitutions, and so on. Be wise. Create a team that has players of equal (or similar) strength. This way you'll always be sure that your team will perform the same way every match. There's nothing better than this. If you see that one of your players is getting to tired, substitute him, but first ensure that he is really tired! If a midfielder makes 2-3 consecutive runs at goal, he'll get tired. Still, if he stays out of the action for about 10-15 minutes, his stamina bar will get somewhat replenished (well, not entirely, but well enough).
This is important if don't have a suitable substitute.
3.1.6. The hidden weapon - your substitutes.
Your substitutes are just that - a hidden weapon. You'll definitely have some matches that will go to penalties. In this case, you can do a little trick - quickly substitute some of your players with lower shooting skill with your substitute star players (even if they're very tired) somewhere in the second extra time period, including the goalkeeper, if you have a better one. Weaker goalkeepers may not save the penalty even if you guessed the place where the ball is put.
So, the morale from the story is as follows: don't underestimate the substitute players and take advantage of them regularly. They may save the game for you.
3.1.7. The Star Players.
Every team has a star player. He has the highest skill mark; depending on the strength of the team (could be 55, for example... Or it could be 97).
A star player is an important thing to have, but unless he's a goalkeeper (however, even goalkeepers don't play to the best of their skill if tired over 85) you can't use him all around, in every game. However, I'd still go for a team with equal strength rather than a team with a specific star player (He's 90, and the rest are 70 something).
3.2. Transfer strategies.
You have 2 transfer windows in a season (before the start of the season + the first month of the season) and from January 1 to January 31. Use them wisely.
3.2.1. Selling players.
In FIFA 2004 you can't just sell a player to another club who has lots of cash. Finally EA have done something about that - YOU CAN ONLY SELL A
PLAYER WHICH HAS DRAWN THE INTEREST OF ANOTHER CLUB TO HIM.
Still, you can do something about it - put this player in your team for several games, and if he does well, offers will start to flow into the Team
News menu. Now, you can sell him to the club that gives the most cash for him :-)
If you did that and there's no interest in him - well, this means that you'll have to sit with this player for years to come. Yet you may try to train him - Martin Petrov and Delroy Facey are a good example of people who never draw attention to themselves, but however, build-up their skills very quickly. Just assign 3 times individual training (although effectively losing prestige) and watch the results. Martin Petrov was 81 (starting 67) skill in Bolton at the end of year 5, Professional difficulty, and Delroy was 78 (although individually trained for only a season).
3.2.2. Purchasing players.
3.2.2.1. How to do.
Simple - you just enter the Transfer Market and choose a player from it.
Provided the other team is willing to sell him, and you have submitted a good offer, you'll strengthen your squad with another player.
NEVER FORGET THAT MAXIMUM SQUAD SIZE IS 30!
3.2.2.2. Info and considerations.
Every team has a few players that will be transfer listed. Just click the arrow next to "All" and it will change to "Listed" and you'll access only the people that are transfer listed.
The cash required for purchasing a player depends on his skill and importance for the team he's in. A first team player would require quite a bit of cash over his transfer price to persuade his current team to sell him to you.
Let's try to analyze.
A player, which is transfer listed costs his actual transfer price.
This changes after you purchase several players from this team - they'll be less willing to sell other players to you at cost. It may be so even if you add a million to the price.
A second team players which is not transfer listed will require some additional cash to his transfer cost (somewhere to 0.2 to 0.5M) in order to persuade the other team to sell him.
A first-team member is another thing, though. Sometimes even a million above his transfer cost may not do the trick. This goes especially to the high-rated players - I managed to purchase Oliver Kahn for 11.0M, which was actually 1.2M above his transfer cost. The next year I sold him for 12.5M: meaning that I even had a surplus of 1.5M for the next year. Sometimes it's real nice to start with 25M in transfer money thanks to a transfer made in the previous year :-)
But one way or another, after each season you'll get more transfer money, depending on the objectives completed. If you did not manage to purchase a player you wanted this season, you'll have to settle with the thought of signing another player or wait for the next season.
IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU SPEND _ALL_ YOUR TRANSFER MONEY, SINCE THAY WILL
NOT BE AVAILABLE AS AN ADDITION TO THE ONES YOU RECEIVE THE NEXT SEASON!!!
3.2.3. Transfer strategies: going in-depth.
The most important time of the year is not the season itself, but the transfer period. It is here where the faith of your team is being decided and this is the moment which will have great influence on the season games and the way your team will be going in the league.
The most important thing here is to refrain from overlooking the transfer period. A lot of people make this mistake just because they want action.
Such people usually shun the career mode, since it requires more wits and patience than fast reflexes.
Transfers are important. For that reason, as an Appendix, I'll give you the development of Torquay United (from English Division 3) and Bolton
Wanderers (from the Premier League) throughout the 5 years of the career mode. In these two teams' development, I have tried to preserve the balance and I really did it :-)
Another important thing is to refrain from spending all your cash in the first transfer period. You have another one, and you may find better players there, as well as sell a few :-) to purchase others. I know it sounds difficult, but as long as you preserve the balance, all will be OK.
Still, of course, if you find everything you need in the first transfer window, spend them to the last dime!!! :-)
SO, why don't we point out the most important things to know when doing transfers?
1. Put the unnecessary players in the transfer list. Unnecessary players for one team are necessary for another.
2. Sell the unnecessary players as soon as there's an offer for them.
3. If you can buy a player, but don't have enough roster space, release some of the weakest players (or sell some of those, who have drawn the interest to them).
4. Purchase players accordingly to the tactical system you are using. No point in having too many strikers, too many defenders, or too many midfielders.
5. If you have a player with good skill, surrounded by players with low skills, consider selling the good player and purchasing 2-3 others with similar marks. This way your team will never suffer (albeit losing his star player).
A lot of examples may be given: just check out all teams and analyze those who have 1-2 star players (skill 80+), a couple 70+ and the rest are 50 or
60+. Such teams may try to sell their best players and aim at obtaining 4-5 70+ players effectively losing some of their strength in certain matches, but bettering the team's status overall. IF you're planning on playing more than 1 year... Having a team with good overall marks is better than a team with several key players and lots of supporters.
NOTE: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to be sure that every single player can score a goal given the chance. Sometimes, your technique in scoring doesn't matter, it's up to the player. Sometimes even a defender may find himself in front of the goal... And miss. This is why a defender must be trained in shooting and heading also (or find one that has high marks on SA&SP and Heading, as
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- FIFA 2004 trainer by System on 14/03/2006, 06:30
Trainer for money / points - FIFA 2004 document by System on 14/03/2006, 06:30
Unlock all teams - FIFA 2004 FAQ by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50