First Post, Or, LLM: How To Enjoy Being Awful.

By: Dave I | February 27th, 2009

So, first things first, I’m Dave (Hi everybody). A little bit about myself, so that you will understand what will probably be an erratic posting schedule. I’m a second semester senior in high school (yay!), so I’ll probably post whenever I can find some down time to get a few games in and jot something down (weekends, history class, all of the above?). I am definitely a FM Addict, though only recently (just started with ’09), and since there are an abundance of other FM blogs here at The Offside, I though I might start one that’s a little different. Namely, a game that is governed by the rules of LLM (that’s Lower League Management for those of you not hip with the lingo out there—I know, I’m cool). Anyways, lets start with the basics. I have posted the official LLM guidelines, as per the FM 2009 Forum below, with my changes for the purpose of better blogging in bold.

The Guidelines to playing an LLM game

The ideology behind playing LLM is to play a game as realistic as FM allows. (Check)

This means doing it yourself, using your own mettle, succeeding or failing, but using no outside help. (In my perfect little world, I’ll just set up polls for various major decisions in the game, and we’ll watch together as my quest to become the greatest [virtual] manager in history succeeds or flames out brilliantly!)

Outside help means anything not included in the game. This specifically includes “real life” knowledge. Just because “Wullie Hackum” is good in real life doesn’t mean he’ll be good in FM. (I intend to solve this problem by using fake players, and to stop all of you from making it too easy for me by telling me all the great buys out there.)

For this reason we rely heavily on the Scouts. We trust them. They may be rubbish, but they’re all we’ve got for “first hand” experience.
Players may be identified from media reports…and scouted, from games played against us…and scouted. (Can I get a yay or nay on scouting players?)

No-one will be banned for scouring the transfer list, but it’s generally frowned upon by LLM players. Players found that way would be scouted or trialled by the club, no manager in their right mind would sign a player based on a name on a list. (Transfer list will be avoided like the Bubonic Plague for all intents and purposes. Period.)

LLM doesn’t mean leaving a team just because it’s been promoted. A career should be followed like a real life one. Would a manager leave a club just because he’s got it promoted? Maybe because another club comes in for him, but not because he’s reached the Football League. (Of course I won’t leave when… thats when, not if… I’m promoted. )

Lower League Managers means, by definition, that players start in the lowest possible division in any given Nation. (We’re going to go either Italy, England, or Germany… so if you know ofany interesting lower divisions clubs, let’s hear it!)

Parent/Feeder Clubs — Please note, although they seem to be allowed in the game, that in the Home Nations and Germany Parent/Feeder Clubs are specifically banned by the FAs (within and between UK Home Nations), all Clubs must be independent to compete in the Leagues and Cups. This isn’t an LLM Rule this is real life. (I do plan to cancel all of these relationships with any club I choose.)

So, there’s the basic rules that I’ll be abiding by on my quest for greatness. What do you think? Ready to help me win some silverware? Think I’m crazy to put myself at such a disadvantage that can only lead to ruin? Know a club that would be perfect for the job? Let me hear it, and in the meantime I’ll set up the game and my manager, and next time we’ll be ready to pick a club!