So my time with the domestic side of Career Mode on FIFA 19 has come to an end, I will still be blogging about my exploits with England in the European Championships when I return from my holiday in 2 weeks, but for the journey I embarked on with a mid-Championship Notts Forest back last October, it has all come to a finish with the climax of season 11.
To summarise, the treble was on, League, FA Cup and Champions league, but unfortunately this accolade still eludes me in FIFA, as we lost the FA Cup Final 1-0 to Chelsea in a very frustrating game.
It was another of those fixture pile up matches, so having to field a weakened team comprising of youth players and tired first teamers was a handicap from the off, plus Chelsea owed us one, as we’d beat them in the league a few matches before, ending their title chase, and also beat them in the Semi finals of the UEFA Champions league, so this was their revenge.
Once Chelsea scored midway through there second half, they sat back in midfield and packed the defence, and was literally all over me like a rash as soon as I got near the ball, 2,3 even 4 players harassing me and chasing me down, I just didn’t have the stamina within the team to be able to compete, and the treble dream was dead.
However, still a big double to play for with the Premier League and UCL still to go.
We once had a 7pt lead at the top of the table but Man City managed to claw back some points after my simming of games saw us lose 2 and draw 2 of the previous 5 games, so there was only 2pts in it with 2 games to go, and our penultimate fixture…..
Man City away.
A true title deciding match, away at the Emirates.
A well earned 2-1 win over City cemented the title, back to back premier League wins.
Proof that we were the strongest team in the league as 80% of the seasons matches were simmed, whilst I concentrated on blogging about the UCL, the simmed results had us top all season, I only actually played key games to keep the momentum going.
On to the UEFA Champions League Final, and guess who?
Yep, Man City. Here we go again.
I thought as per the Chelsea FA Cup final, that City may owe us one and get their revenge in this match but in a surprisingly straightforward match, we dominated, and ran out 3-0 winners to lift club footballs biggest trophy, ol’ big ears comes home.
So that concludes it, the double of sorts done, back to back Premier League wins, having now won every trophy available domestically, heres the breakdown:
FA Cups – 2
League Cups – 3
Premier League – 2
EFL Championship – 1
Community Shield – 3
UEFA Champions League – 1
Europa League – 0
13 trophies in 11 seasons, not a bad haul, returning Nottingham Forest to their historic perch at the top of European football, Cloughie would be proud.
Have to say the 11 seasons I’ve played on FIFA’s career mode have been 11 of the most enthralling and enjoyable seasons in any footy game I’ve ever played, possibly the best.
The presentation, atmosphere, beefed out Career Mode, options at your disposal, commentary, it may sound like fluff to some, but when you are trying to create your own little fantasy footballing world inside a game, these things are just as much factor as the actual on pitch game play, maybe even more so.
I could easily play on and hit the 15 season ceiling EA Impose but I feel this is the right time to end career mode in terms of club football.
I fly off on holiday Friday so will be sunning myself in the Med for 2 weeks, but will try and drop in on comments and post when I can, and upon my return we will pick up with the national side and try to steer England to Euro glory.
See you soon!
FIFAFX.com 
Paul – great stuff, and you’ve really done this game justice on your blog this year. Having belatedly come to FIFA19 over the past few weeks I can well see the qualities that have kept you at it through 11 seasons.
Re. the AI in FIFA19, it is a curiously passive one at times, but after a good number of games now, I can see that’s a conscious choice by the makers. When it comes to life it is formidable, the only wrinkle is that it seems strangely quiet in matches you’d expect it to be pumped for action. I’m playing with a middling L1 team in the Championship and coping quite well.
I’ve had the ‘rainy night away at Stoke’ experience (literally) now. I also met a Premier League team in the Carabao, and was blown away by them.
I think I like it – the AI, and the game – after 15 seasons of hyperactive frenzied AI on the other side. Which has its place of course. There is clear blue water between the two franchises and footy gaming is all the better for it.
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p.s. and watching your highlights, struck by two things:
1) EA were always going to wrest away that CL license from PES. It was only a matter of time. And the license does seem more at home in FIFA. I hope I can get enough seasons in to take this CCFC all the way there.
2) The reflections in the trophy are all wrong! Details, EA, come on! You should be able to see the distorted reflection of the players, the TV cameras and the massed ranks of photographers reflected in the trophy as it’s hoisted aloft by the captain and then while it’s being carried around. Not impressed at this FIFA fail! 🙂
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NG – PES and FIFA are 2 distinctly different games, so isn’t wise to compare them as a whole, different mechanics, AI, controls, and feeling, at the end of the day its all down to what you prefer, but hopefully you’ll see that those labels of empty and hollow couldn’t be further from the truth with FIFA 19, once you get deep in, it really is very very good.
Haha you know what my comment will be to your smarky trophy reflection comments ……
AT least there is a trophy !!!!! 🙂
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Paul – While I’ve not commented much, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed cadging a lift on your CM journey. Congrats on that impressive cup haul.
FIFA 19 looks very impressive in its presentation and I have a sneaking suspicion I might be giving it a whirl soon as midi-Shed dropped a big digi-dowload hint ahead of my birthday in a couple of weeks.
Have a good holiday and no doubt I’ll be tapping you up for camera settings and a few tips by the time you get back. I’ll still have PES5 on the go in the shed but I’m hoping this might be the FIFA that finally doe it for me over nuPES.
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Congrats Paul, the treble is always a push but a shame that the initial bug of fixture insanity intervened at certain times in your journey.
Anywhere nice?
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Paul – Brilliant stuff and 13 trophies is some going there. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best FIFA I have played and our combined seasons total is testimony to that. Also like the Cloughie picture.
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Hey guys, plan to try and get a new post up (play time permitting) this Thursday resuming the England internationals in the Euros element of my CM.
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Welcome back Paul, and in your absence finally I got my fibre broadband to the house, making it feasible for me now to upload larger files etc. Currently getting 75 mb down, 20mb up. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I should get my first full-length match uploaded sometime soon.
In proper news, I just want to say that FIFA19 is everything you said it would be and more. Except for one thing! You often said that there might not be many /any fouls, but the ones that did happen were always called. I find this not to be the case at all. Quite often play will carry on without even an advantage. Other than that, the gameplay is a solid, consistent 8.5-9/10. For all our moaning this is actually a decent time to be a footy gamer.
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Ng – Glad you got some decent broadband installed, and that reminded me, I need to get on to Vodafone as I’m only getting 600MB down / 600Mb up, I’m meant to be getting 900MB. Bloody poor service.
Glad you are enjoying FIFA 19, and such a shame its let down by the low fouls count, even with that being said, and with what you said you are finding, I’ve still had more penalties in my 11 seasons than I had on PES 15/16/17/18/19 combined.
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Paul – I’m just happy to have the currently best in my area, and it’s a relief to finally be shot of great-in-2008 broadband speeds. I checked, and I can upgrade it as the network expands. I remember you saying you’re in one of those 1Gbps test areas aren’t you? 16 cities? (Coventry’s not one of them.) I read up about it all before committing of course and salivated over the possibilities, and the cost isn’t bad at all considering.
I’ve had more penalties in my 1 and only CM season than in the same 5 editions of PES combined. Off the top of my head that’s about 50 ML seasons with fewer penalties than 1 of CM.
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Yes Ng, City Fibre laid all the gigabit cabling around our area before xmas, I get 900MB+ up and down.
NO New post today unfortunately – just didnt have time this week to get any gaming in after having loads to sort out after my holiday.
Might get something up over the weekend.
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You’ll be disappointed by Rafa moving to China I assume? No place for a man who could happily do a job for many of Europe’s top clubs. Wonder if the Ashley association has lowered his stock? – if anything it should be higher. I didn’t particularly like his defend and let the opposition have the ball tactics, or some of his signings, but he was the difference between safety and yet another relegation. Any interest I retained IRL football is of course now dead.
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