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Greyfriars Bobby · 01-05-2015, 05:42 PM

I'm stepping out of character here to post about the formation and tactics I've been using with Rochdale.

In the past, I've almost always gone with the basic 4-4-2, figuring there was only so much I could do to mess up if I used a very, very standard tactic. I discovered there were plenty of things I could mess up. Before I learned how different roles and duties complemented each other, I would put together my starting eleven like this:

1. Pick the most talented player at each position, using the star ratings from my assistant manager. Since I've almost always managed teams at the lower levels, my assistant manager was often very poor at judging talent.

2. Assign each player the role and duty my assistant manager believes he's best suited for. The only exception to this rule: If two players at very similar positions are best suited for the same role/duty, give one of them his second best role/duty. I knew better than to have two strikers who were both Trequartistas, for example.

As you might guess, this didn't work well.

I've enjoyed watching matches on TV and reading about the tactical side of the sport, along with reading about Football Manager online. And, why I might not have learned nearly enough to call myself a tactical expert, I've learned enough to recognize just how crappy I used to be.

Here's the basic formation I use most often:

Steven Jackson usually plays the Target Man role, teamed with Advanced Forward Andy Sim. I signed Jackson specifically to play this role, and he's worked out extremely well.

I had never used formations with either an AM(L) or an AM(R). However, two of Rochdale's best players, Alan Foster and Joe Webb, were much better advanced midfielders than they were at M(L) and M(R). So I decided to play to their strengths. Having the left wing (Foster) on Attack duty and the right wing (Webb) on Support duty seems to give my side a better offensive balance, since the more attack-minded striker plays on the right.

I'd also never used wing backs; I'd always played a flat back four. With my wide midfielders playing higher up the pitch, I decided to try moving my wide defenders up, too. The formation looked more balanced on my screen, and it's worked well in matches, too. John Spendlove plays on the right side, and he's playing the Complete Wing Back role, which is automatically on Attack duty. Danny Clements, whom I've brought in on loan, starts on the left. He's on Support duty, playing behind Foster, who's on Attack.

One of the central midfielders needs to be on Defend duty, or my central defenders are way too exposed. I play Jack McGrath in this holding role, since he's the best defensive player among Rochdale's midfielders, by far. Sam Dawson starts in the Box-to-Box Midfielder role, and I put him on Support duty.

Center back Tomas Juozaitis is best as a Stopper, moving up to challenge attackers. That's why I need his partner, Andy Carr, to take a Defend duty (if he's on Cover, he's playing too far back, and leaving too much space between him and TJ). When Graham Somers plays, he's always on Cover duty, since he's so much better in that role--that means I pair him with Carr, or shift Juozaitis to Defend.

I also occasionally use a 4-5-1 formation, which looks like this:

Both Sim and Jackson are decent at the Complete Forward role. Max McKenzie or Johannes Scherrer play the AM(C) position, and they both work well as Shadow Strikers. The other starters are the same.

I wish I hadn't taken so long to discover how important it is to balance roles and duties.

At the same time, I've had a LOT of fun learning the tactical side of the game.

01-05-2015, 05:42 PM	#48
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	I'm stepping out of character here to post about the formation and tactics I've been using with Rochdale. In the past, I've almost always gone with the basic 4-4-2, figuring there was only so much I could do to mess up if I used a very, very standard tactic. I discovered there were plenty of things I could mess up. Before I learned how different roles and duties complemented each other, I would put together my starting eleven like this: 1. Pick the most talented player at each position, using the star ratings from my assistant manager. Since I've almost always managed teams at the lower levels, my assistant manager was often very poor at judging talent. 2. Assign each player the role and duty my assistant manager believes he's best suited for. The only exception to this rule: If two players at very similar positions are best suited for the same role/duty, give one of them his second best role/duty. I knew better than to have two strikers who were both Trequartistas, for example. As you might guess, this didn't work well. I've enjoyed watching matches on TV and reading about the tactical side of the sport, along with reading about Football Manager online. And, why I might not have learned nearly enough to call myself a tactical expert, I've learned enough to recognize just how crappy I used to be. Here's the basic formation I use most often: Steven Jackson usually plays the Target Man role, teamed with Advanced Forward Andy Sim. I signed Jackson specifically to play this role, and he's worked out extremely well. I had never used formations with either an AM(L) or an AM(R). However, two of Rochdale's best players, Alan Foster and Joe Webb, were much better advanced midfielders than they were at M(L) and M(R). So I decided to play to their strengths. Having the left wing (Foster) on Attack duty and the right wing (Webb) on Support duty seems to give my side a better offensive balance, since the more attack-minded striker plays on the right. I'd also never used wing backs; I'd always played a flat back four. With my wide midfielders playing higher up the pitch, I decided to try moving my wide defenders up, too. The formation looked more balanced on my screen, and it's worked well in matches, too. John Spendlove plays on the right side, and he's playing the Complete Wing Back role, which is automatically on Attack duty. Danny Clements, whom I've brought in on loan, starts on the left. He's on Support duty, playing behind Foster, who's on Attack. One of the central midfielders needs to be on Defend duty, or my central defenders are way too exposed. I play Jack McGrath in this holding role, since he's the best defensive player among Rochdale's midfielders, by far. Sam Dawson starts in the Box-to-Box Midfielder role, and I put him on Support duty. Center back Tomas Juozaitis is best as a Stopper, moving up to challenge attackers. That's why I need his partner, Andy Carr, to take a Defend duty (if he's on Cover, he's playing too far back, and leaving too much space between him and TJ). When Graham Somers plays, he's always on Cover duty, since he's so much better in that role--that means I pair him with Carr, or shift Juozaitis to Defend. I also occasionally use a 4-5-1 formation, which looks like this: Both Sim and Jackson are decent at the Complete Forward role. Max McKenzie or Johannes Scherrer play the AM(C) position, and they both work well as Shadow Strikers. The other starters are the same. I wish I hadn't taken so long to discover how important it is to balance roles and duties. At the same time, I've had a LOT of fun learning the tactical side of the game.