I'll be getting it, the new network game thing sounds much improved - great for something to do at uni.
I don't have the urge to buy it as soon as it comes out, because I have so much yet to do on FM12, but I'll get it as soon as it's on sale. The networking sounds good, and the match engine looks better in a subtle way. Much less clumsy.
My old laptop died sadly, so I lost everything, but I'd just won the champions league and prem with saints with my player being the player of the year (53 goals 49 appearances). Only thing I had left was the triple .
It's Rickie I'm most interested in, he's never been properly represented on football manager in my opinion.
I've had Rickie playing well, but it's really important to get the tactics right. The assistant always says he's best as a target man, but that's not a good role for a team that wants to pass the ball. I could never get him scoring 20+ goals in a season, but he had great ratings for me as a deep-lying forward next to a poacher. They probably didn't make his finishing/composure quite high enough, which would explain the lack of goals, but generally in build-up play he's been really useful for me, and set up tons for Sharp and Lee.
Only once have I had Lambert do well in FM. It was back in FM10, when I had him and Lallana up front together. They scored 78 goals between them in the league. I've never got it right since. I'll try the demo out before pre-ordering FM13. It looks great, but something's just holding me back from getting it properly.
Lambert was incredible in FM10, and it's been so much harder to get him to play. Had success as target man before in 12 though. Gazzaniga will be interesting too.
Getting something for him would be a first for me; I got 30 goals out of him in the Championship in my last FM12 save, no production whatsoever in half a Prem season (though he was coming on as a sub much of the time), and then had to loan him to random clubs to get 40% of his wages off the bill for a couple years.
I don't think pace is as overrated as people make out. It's just that you don't really need to give a fast poacher a lot in the way of instructions. You just put him up front and he does his thing if the midfield is good enough to get the ball to him. It's impossible to get it wrong really. With other roles you need to take their connections with other players into consideration, and get the team instructions and player instructions just right. I'm sure slow target men and the likes can be just as effective if used correctly.
