Alright boyz, here we go!!! FM 2006 First Impressions

[MrBug708]

HEre is a quirk. WHen playing with MLS as one of the leagues, they dont follow the rules very tightly. Most teams are about 2/3rd's foreign players and there are multiple under 17 players which are never there when it's in detail

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

England!

well i was leaning towards italy as it's 2012 and they seem to have far and away the better caliber of players on their national team

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

I disagree!

What do you mean?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

dola

fellow FM-players, help me pick:

Italy, Holland, or England? Each FA has offered me their national team

Whichever you know the players from best imho (in game or irl depending on which is applicable at this stage of play) ....

[mooreadamc]

Few questions I had:

1) How hard is it to become the national team manager? Do you have to consistently be ranking high in your own league?

2) Do players on the national team change much throughout the year? I just saw the roster for England last night (in January in the game) and was wondering if that was the final roster for the WC?

3) When did WC qualifying take place? I noticed lots of call-ups for international duties but didn't pay much attention.

4) Can you watch the WC games (or any other games for that matter)? How is this done?

Thanks.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by mooreadamc

1) How hard is it to become the national team manager? Do you have to consistently be ranking high in your own league?

It depends entirely on which 'International' job you're after - if for instance you're a manager in the Premiership then you'll be able to look for a relatively minor interational job fairly quickly ... the likes of say Jamaica might consider you simply because of the prestige you have from your club job.

England, Italy, Brazil and suchlike obviously you need some serious experience to obtain a job with.

2) Do players on the national team change much throughout the year? I just saw the roster for England last night (in January in the game) and was wondering if that was the final roster for the WC?

They change during the year depending on the match and injuries at the time of the fixture. For instance for a friendly match far from a major tournament a manager might call up more kids to give them experience ..

The 'roster' you saw probably mimicked the real world cup squad fairly closely - however there might be different injuries or different player performances in 'your' world than irl (for instance Lennon and Carrick got their places because of their league form largely - if in your game they didn't manage to do as well another player (eg. SWP for Lennon) might have got the call up).

3) When did WC qualifying take place? I noticed lots of call-ups for international duties but didn't pay much attention.

WC Qualify takes place before the World Cup but after the European Championships - its like a 'sub tournament' almost.

4) Can you watch the WC games (or any other games for that matter)? How is this done?

Click on the 'vs' section of any match before it plays and you will then watch that match instead of just getting the result.

[ice4277]

I would go England, but mostly because that is the one country I have always wanted to manage, but have never had the opportunity.

[Butter]

How is the amount of dividends paid to shareholders figured? Am I right in believing that the dividend money is essentially money that is being flushed down the toilet as far as the manager is concerned? Or does it have some sort of benefit, like making the board happier to have you around?

[mooreadamc]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

It depends entirely on which 'International' job you're after - if for instance you're a manager in the Premiership then you'll be able to look for a relatively minor interational job fairly quickly ... the likes of say Jamaica might consider you simply because of the prestige you have from your club job.

England, Italy, Brazil and suchlike obviously you need some serious experience to obtain a job with.

How do you apply for these jobs? Is it possible or do you have to be approached by someone?

[Warhammer]

What is the best way to get out of a midseason slump?

I am still in the Conference North, and am playing Lancaster. We started out well and through the midseason point we were running a close #1 in the conference. Since then, we have won a single game, and dropped three to the cellar dwellers in our conference. I have lost a couple of my on loan players so that has hurt us a bit, but the rest of the team has just fallen apart. We can't sustain an attack, and we've been letting other strikers get behind us on defense.

Any thoughts on what I should do to shake things up?

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by mooreadamc

Anyways take a look at the image to see what happens next

I think your half time talk to Luque was a success.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

What is the best way to get out of a midseason slump?

I am still in the Conference North, and am playing Lancaster. We started out well and through the midseason point we were running a close #1 in the conference. Since then, we have won a single game, and dropped three to the cellar dwellers in our conference. I have lost a couple of my on loan players so that has hurt us a bit, but the rest of the team has just fallen apart. We can't sustain an attack, and we've been letting other strikers get behind us on defense.

Any thoughts on what I should do to shake things up?

When this happens to me, I tend to become very aggressive in the team talks. I think it works well for me because normally I'm very passive in the team talks during matches. I don't get overly excited or overly critical normally, so when it happens I think I tend to get the attention of the team. Once I ended up shipping a player off the team because I think he was the source of the problems and it turned the team around (and also gave one of my younger players a chance to shine).

[Bea-Arthurs Hip]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

HEre is a quirk. WHen playing with MLS as one of the leagues, they dont follow the rules very tightly. Most teams are about 2/3rd's foreign players and there are multiple under 17 players which are never there when it's in detail

I have seen this in the "preseason", in regards to the computer teams having more SI and YI players that the rules allow. These teams will have to release a boat load players before the regular season begins.

The under 17 thing is new to me.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

If anyone's interested: http://www.twyst.org/~pumpy/Cheltenham_vs_Arsenal.pkm I dunno how well this works, but feel free to look if you're interested.

Sweet game, Pumpy. Fun to watch.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Sweet game, Pumpy. Fun to watch.

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Arsenal should have blown me out (especially when I was playing with basically only two defenders), but it took 120 minutes for the Gunners to put us away. I'll probably find myself watching that match a few times myself just to remind me of how determined my team can be. I wish they'd carry this kind of attitude into league matches, but they don't. They're just not "up" for those games like they were for Arsenal.

I invite you guys to start saving some of your best matches for us to watch. I'd like to see what some of your teams are doing.

[MJ4H]

I will be saving some of my better matches. Might even make a website for them.

[Neon_Chaos]

Granted, neither squad sent their best players... but fuck it... they were tough to beat!

My Gillingham squad vs. Liverpool in the FA Cup, 2008 (I was holding on ever so dearly to the lead... and damn they just kept pummeling those shots in.) - http://rapidshare.de/files/24184068/..._2008.pkm.html

My Gillingham squad vs. Arsenal in the FA Cup, 2009 (My project German striker blossomed in this match, this is a FA cup replay after Arsenal came back from 0-3 down to tie our previous match 3-3) - http://rapidshare.de/files/24184242/..._2009.pkm.html

*edited

[stevew]

I am totally gay for this game right now, yet I don't understand anything.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Arsenal should have blown me out (especially when I was playing with basically only two defenders), but it took 120 minutes for the Gunners to put us away. I'll probably find myself watching that match a few times myself just to remind me of how determined my team can be. I wish they'd carry this kind of attitude into league matches, but they don't. They're just not "up" for those games like they were for Arsenal.

I invite you guys to start saving some of your best matches for us to watch. I'd like to see what some of your teams are doing.

This is common in some 'nearly' teams irl - some of the perennial Championship underachievers for instance can regularly play well against Premiership opposition in Cup-ties but lose interest and motivation in the 'grind' of week to week league football against smaller opposition ...

The trick is to not carry too many of these sort of players and to pack your team out with players who are determined to succeed while in the lower divisions as opposed to players who believe they're too good to lose ...

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

This is common in some 'nearly' teams irl - some of the perennial Championship underachievers for instance can regularly play well against Premiership opposition in Cup-ties but lose interest and motivation in the 'grind' of week to week league football against smaller opposition ...

The trick is to not carry too many of these sort of players and to pack your team out with players who are determined to succeed while in the lower divisions as opposed to players who believe they're too good to lose ...

Thanks for the tip, Marc. With any other game, I'd think that I was just imagining these attitude changes from my players, but I had a feeling that this game was seriously modeling it.

My problem is that my team doesn't have enough depth to allow me to use players who are more motivated for league matches. The Arsenal match wore my players out, and I had a league match 3 days later. I ended up playing with a squad that was barely at 70% fitness by the time we had to play again. I benched a few guys, but I just didn't have enough players to be competitive. Unfortunately, I have no transfer funds available for the rest of this season, and I refuse to sell our best players to make money. Loans are an option, but I'm not entirely sure that I want to do that yet.

The Championship is HARD!

[MJ4H]

I finally made the finals of a cup competition today! If you are interested in seeing how I did:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UFY7BYPR

you can watch the game by loading that file up in FM 2006!

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

I finally made the finals of a cup competition today! If you are interested in seeing how I did:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UFY7BYPR

you can watch the game by loading that file up in FM 2006!

When I'm done playing my game for the night, I'll watch. Thanks.

[MJ4H]

My team is Huddersfield, in case you've forgotten.

[vex]

I just don't understand my board opinion I guess.

I have had Enköpings SK(Sweden) promoted both years before that I have managed them. From the Second Division, to the First Division, and we're now in First Division Elite.


Here's what the Board Opinion says:


The Enköpings SK board are delighted with your performance as manager.

They are concerned about the club's longterm financial future.

The board are disappointed with the team's performance in the First Division Elite this season.

The team was expected to stay clear of relegation from the First Division Elite this season.
---------

We finished 4/16th. Why more do they want when I haven't had transfer funds the past two seasons and no wage increases ever.

[Recoil]

Okay, so I just picked up this up. I'm a complete soccer newbie. I know absolutely nothing about positions, tactics, etc. I've read Marc Vaughn' hints and tips guide, but it really didn't help much with understanding the game of soccer. Anyone help me out?

[BigMak]

Originally Posted by Recoil

Okay, so I just picked up this up. I'm a complete soccer newbie. I know absolutely nothing about positions, tactics, etc. I've read Marc Vaughn' hints and tips guide, but it really didn't help much with understanding the game of soccer. Anyone help me out?

I am in the same boat as you. Bought the game last week and have no clue what to do.

[daedalus]

When I got my first game (01/02), I was completely confused by soccer as well. I pretty much played off of Marc's hints and tips guide with occasional questions to bbor. My biggest suggestion would be to not try to understand and know EVERYTHING right now. In Marc's old hints and tips guide, he had a short section on what basic qualities to look for in each position (ie, marking, tackling, positioning, strength for defender). Go with that to start with. As you play the game more, watch soccer more and gain better understanding of it, you will naturally pick up various secondary qualities that are ALSO important to those positions (ie, anticipation, composure, work rate, team work for defender). It takes time.

Also, what do you still not understand? Give us specific questions so we can help you.

[sovereignstar]

Here is a post that helped me out tremendously. What I ended up doing is creating a spreadsheet that broke down each position and contained primary (bolded) and secondary ratings. It made it a lot easier for me to tell who's valuable at what position.

Originally Posted by Desnudo

I can't look at your team since I don't have Belgium active. However, I'll try and give you a rundown on how you might choose to start out.

If you don't know what you're doing, I would recommend starting out with the default 4-4-2 tactic. That's the standard soccer tactic.

What you want in a flat 4-4-2 positionally:

Strikers: A common tactic is to pair a small, fast striker with a tall striker who is a good header. For a small, fast striker you want Pace, Acceleration, Off the Ball, and Finishing. Big +s are Technique, Dribbling, and Composure. For the big striker, you want Strength, Jumping, Heading, and Finishing. There are a lot of other stats you want ideally, but those are the basics.

Midfield: The two wingers should have Pace, Acceleration, Dribbling, Crossing, and Creativity. +s are Work Rate, and the small striker stats, among others. If they can tackle and mark well, that's a very nice thing to have, but not essential.

One center mid should be defense focused, generally a DMC. Look for Strength, Positioning, Tackling, Marking, Anticipation, Work Rate, and Stamina. Aggression, Bravery, Team Work, Determination are big +s. If he can Jump and Head, that's great too.

The other should be more offensive minded, generally a MC or AMC. Mental stats are huge, as this guy is your field general who should dictate the play from the center of the pitch. Work Rate, Team Work, Determination, Creativity, Decisions, and Passing are huge. Pace, Acceleration, Off the Ball, Dribbling, Technique, are +s. This position is key, so really you want this place to be filled by one of your best players (meaning spend money here).

Defense:

For fullbacks, see the DMC overview, but add in Crossing and Pace.

For CD, Stength, Jumping, Heading, Positioning, Anticipation, Tackling, Marking, Determination, and Bravery are all important. +s include Passing and Concentration


This list isn't comprehensive by any stretch, and at the level of your team, it'll be highly unlikely to find players that meet all, or many of those attributes, but hopefully it can serve as a guide. An easy way to see what is really important to a particular position is to look at the stats of the top players in the world.

Tactically, I would start out with the base 4-4-2 and then try and mold a formation to your team strengths once you develop a better understanding of the game. FM06 is pretty complex tactically, so it does require some patience. At that level, I would keep things simple anyway though, as the more specific instructions you give your players, the better they have to be to be able to implement them, if you follow.

Edit: Definitely get the Hints and Tips Guide if you haven't already.

[mooreadamc]

Does anyone know if you need to apply for national team vacancies or does someone approach you about the opportunity?

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by mooreadamc

Does anyone know if you need to apply for national team vacancies or does someone approach you about the opportunity?

unless you are many seasons into your career, you will have to apply to National Team vacancies as they will not see you fit for the bill right away. Once you've won a few titles and you've worked up your reputation to at least National, maybe more like Continental, then some countries could come and offer you the job. This is what happened in my first career when Ivory Coast approached me in the 2008 season (in FM2005) but in my latest career, I had to apply to be the manage of Team Canada in 2010...

FM

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Recoil

Okay, so I just picked up this up. I'm a complete soccer newbie. I know absolutely nothing about positions, tactics, etc. I've read Marc Vaughn' hints and tips guide, but it really didn't help much with understanding the game of soccer. Anyone help me out?

Right in the words of a famous (now retired) English player:

Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win



A simple explanation of the game rules can be found here:
http://www.thecoachingcorner.com/soccer/game_rules.html

As far as the deeper elements of the sport go, I'd pick it up as you play to be honest, keep the tactics your team use simple and watch some matches using the 2d and you'll get used to the players movements etc. fairly quickly - remember even if you don't understand the sport the players on your team do - so keep things simple and let them do what they know how

[Bea-Arthurs Hip]

Originally Posted by BigMak

I am in the same boat as you. Bought the game last week and have no clue what to do.

Mr Vaughn's post was what I was going to attempt to say....

Also, here is a link to a page on the MLS site. It has a link to the FIFA Laws
of the Game. It is a little bit much but if you really want to understand the game then give it a read. I read through it and got a lot out of it when I first got the game.

http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/about/rules/

[TazFTW]

Not '06 but I thought I'd share.




Holland beat me in group play so I was expecting a similiar result. They were missing Robben and Tim Howard came up huge.

[MJ4H]

I just finished 7th again in 2011 (3-6 make the playoffs). 1 point out of 6th place. SIGH. I hate (love) this game.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

How is the amount of dividends paid to shareholders figured? Am I right in believing that the dividend money is essentially money that is being flushed down the toilet as far as the manager is concerned? Or does it have some sort of benefit, like making the board happier to have you around?

Anybody got any info. on these questions?

[Johnny93g]

I have another question for the FM experts. I have a 21 year old midfielder who has a year left on his contract. He is demanding his new contract includes a minimum release clause, and he want it at 10 million. What does this clause do, and what is it for?

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I have another question for the FM experts. I have a 21 year old midfielder who has a year left on his contract. He is demanding his new contract includes a minimum release clause, and he want it at 10 million. What does this clause do, and what is it for?

Means that if someone offers you 10 million for him, you have to take it.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I have another question for the FM experts. I have a 21 year old midfielder who has a year left on his contract. He is demanding his new contract includes a minimum release clause, and he want it at 10 million. What does this clause do, and what is it for?

It allows any team that wants to buy him to do so for $10 million. If that team offers $10M, you are forced to take the offer for the player, and allow him to attempt to negotiate a contract with the potential buyer. In my experience, if you set the min. fee high enough, it rarely comes into play. I always bump it up a few million from what they ask for.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

It allows any team that wants to buy him to do so for $10 million. If that team offers $10M, you are forced to take the offer for the player, and allow him to attempt to negotiate a contract with the potential buyer. In my experience, if you set the min. fee high enough, it rarely comes into play. I always bump it up a few million from what they ask for.

Thanks, i offered him a a amount around 2-3 million before i quit yesterday...I guess i should pull that offer then...lol

[Bea-Arthurs Hip]

I have never used the official editor that comes with the game...I am wondering if I can edit team names for saved games. For example, I want to change the San Jose Earthquakes to the Houston Dynamo. Can this be done?

[Butter]

Scariest moment ever from about 15 minutes ago. I decide to start saving the game (having only advanced about 2 weeks from the last save)... and my boss comes in and tells me to shut down my computer. What am I to say: "Can you wait about 5 minutes while my FM game finishes saving?" No. She's standing there waiting, so I have to shut it down MID-SAVE. HOLY FUCK WAS I SCARED.

But having just started the game back up, it looks like everything is ok, it hadn't started saving yet, it was still "compiling". So I'm headed back to 2 weeks ago, which is better than heading back to 2 seasons ago, which was my last "safety" save. So, I'm making another safety copy now so as to head off such unpleasantness in the future.

[MalcPow]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Scariest moment ever from about 15 minutes ago. I decide to start saving the game (having only advanced about 2 weeks from the last save)... and my boss comes in and tells me to shut down my computer. What am I to say: "Can you wait about 5 minutes while my FM game finishes saving?" No. She's standing there waiting, so I have to shut it down MID-SAVE. HOLY FUCK WAS I SCARED.

But having just started the game back up, it looks like everything is ok, it hadn't started saving yet, it was still "compiling". So I'm headed back to 2 weeks ago, which is better than heading back to 2 seasons ago, which was my last "safety" save. So, I'm making another safety copy now so as to head off such unpleasantness in the future.

I just started reading your dynasty and it's great. Now that I realize you're writing it from work, I'm truly in awe. I also love that you are scared shitless that your game is going to be corrupted, not that your boss has walked in on you. You truly give the rest of us hope.

[Butter]

Well, yeah. I guess I should be scared about losing my job, but what's really important here? I think we all know the answer to that one.

[scooter]

Originally Posted by Bea-Arthurs Hip

I have never used the official editor that comes with the game...I am wondering if I can edit team names for saved games. For example, I want to change the San Jose Earthquakes to the Houston Dynamo. Can this be done?

The editor that comes with the game is a PRE-game editor. It allows you to change things in the database before you start a new game (beware - the changes that you make to the database with this editor are permanent, so backup your original if you ever want it back again). I would think you could change the name of a team with that editor, and probably the location of where the team plays. I'm not sure what other issues that may create though.

There used to be saved-game editors out there for previous versions of CM/FM. I'm not sure if there's one for FM06. In any case, I don't know what they were capable of changing. Look around a little bit and see what you find.

[Karim]

Originally Posted by MalcPow

I just started reading your dynasty and it's great. Now that I realize you're writing it from work, I'm truly in awe. I also love that you are scared shitless that your game is going to be corrupted, not that your boss has walked in on you. You truly give the rest of us hope.

Classic. Almost as good as CM being cited in divorce proceedings.

[Karim]

This is parts of posts from WWFAN on SI's board. This is what I found to be extremely helpful when I started out so hopefully it will be a guide for newbies.
http://community.sigames.com/groupee...7512000571/p/1

~~~~~
This thread is designed to offer some tactical basics for anyone wishing to implement their own tactics in FM06. Although all my experiments have been performed using a standard 4-4-2 system, I believe that the base frameworks I use for different scenarios will translate to most formations. Before talking about the team strategies I will outline some of the theories in terms of how to set up specific player instructions. In all of these theories I have found a lot of the information in a variety of excellent threads and I hope those involved will accept my thanks alongside my apologies for not being able to reference them.


Mentality

One of the key elements in setting the mentality sliders is to remember that too extreme differences in attacking/defending instructions will result in huge gaps all over the pitch with your players failing to find easy passes. For example, if your defense is set at ultra-defensive, and your attack at ultra-attacking, with the midfield somewhere in between, a short passing game becomes difficult, for as soon as you get the ball your team will look for attacking options which limits options. If one of your defenders (mostly not so great at passing) has the ball and finds that all his advanced team mates are rushing headlong up the pitch while at the same time he is being pressured by opposition players, he will do one of two things. Firstly, if the option is available, he will hit a long ball forward to clear his lines, thus contradicting any short-passing instructions you may have set him. Secondly, if his decision making is poor, he may hit a cross field ball into his own area that is hugely dangerous in that it may be intercepted and cost a goal.

Therefore, it is imperative that when setting up tactics and formations, the manager consider the passing options available and set mentalities and passing instructions accordingly. This becomes more so if decision making and passing stats are bad, as passes will be intercepted and the short passing game will be abandoned due to lack of options. When setting up your tactic, consider how many options your weakest passing defender will have when he has the ball, and try to ensure he will have a few players near to him, so he can make an easy pass. Thus, having one midfielder on defensive mentality, and at least one more on normal will help. A second option would be to have only one midfielder on defensive but increase the wing/full backs mentalities so the central defenders have the option of a pass forwards down the wing, forward to the defensive midfielder, or the easy ball to the other central defender.

Once the ball moves to the midfield, it is likely that more options will become available, but mentality still plays a huge role, and if your forwards' mentality is too attacking, a quick ball up the pitch will leave them isolated and they will lose possession. Ideally, split the mentalities for the strikeforce, with one forward coming deeper and holding up the ball so the midfield can get into position, whereas the other can continuously look to get into position for the killer ball. Following this kind of thinking will ensure that your formation holds its shape and that on most occasions easy passing options are available.


Closing Down

Closing down is another issue that causes problems and needs to be evaluated quite carefully before deciding on how to employ it. In basic terms, the closing down instruction will tell the players to move towards the player who is carrying the ball/has it in his possession. Thus, in the 2d match engine, you will see a player with high closing down instructions moving towards the opposition player as soon as he has possession. Its strength is that it stops opposition players having much time on the ball, but its weakness is that it often leads the opposition players get goalside easily, as it draws players out of position. Logic suggests that it shouldn't be employed with tight man-marking for central defenders, as it will put the player with high closing down/tight man instructions marking in an untenable position, in that he is supposed to stay with his man but also close down a different player who has the ball and has got past the midfield line. If his decision making is poor he will invariably take the wrong option and holes will appear in the defense.

Players with low closing down instructions will invariably stay between the man in possession and the goal. They may not make a tackle, but they will try to force the player to make a difficult pass, take a long shot that isn't on, or dribble past them to create a chance. Thus, possession is won by intercepting passes, forcing an overambitious long shot which results in a goal kick, or by tackling the player as he tries to dribble past. It places the initiative firmly on the attacking team, asking them to break down the defensive unit that is massed between the ball and the goal, rather than trying to win the ball quickly.

High closing down can be employed in certain circumstances and work extremely effectively. However, it will require the right type of player for it to work. It is pointless assigning it to very slow players, as they will take too long to reach the man on the ball, giving him plenty of time to pick a pass. A slow player will also be unable to make up ground if he is skinned. It is also pointless assigning it to players who can’t tackle, as they are likely to be beaten by the man with the ball, or foul him as he goes past them. The best ways in which to employ heavy closing down are by 1) instructing your hard-man, aggressive central midfielder to man mark and close down the opposition’s playmaker, who likely to be creative but soft and cowardly, or 2) using a hardworking, fast, fit striker to close down the opposition’s defense, forcing them to hit hurried passes forward.

Likewise, make sure your two most creative players are on low closing down. By doing this you will ensure they are in more space to receive an easy pass when you gain possession, and thus more likely to set up a successful counter attack. If they are set to high closing down, they will be right next to an opponent, who will likely crunch them, so the best you will get is a free kick. Furthermore, who has ever seen creative players close down anyway?


Width

Width is important depending on the type of team you have. If you have a team that can easily dominate possession with short, low tempo passing, then you should use a wide formation. Players will tire more easily when chasing the ball than when in possession, and if they have to chase over a wide game area, will tire even more, making mistakes more likely. However, if possession is a problem, and you feel that your team is under a lot of pressure then you should narrow your width. This will put a lot of your players in the middle of the pitch, which will limit space for the opposition and ensure you have plenty of men between the ball and your goal.


Tempo

Again, important depending on team type. A team with good passers can use a slow tempo system to dominate possession and wait on their chances. If chances fail to materialize, then they can switch to a higher tempo system for short bursts to try to create some chances. High tempo would usually be best employed for teams that need to get the ball up the pitch quickly because of a lack of quality in midfield. When used with a direct passing system it will get the ball to the forwards quickly once in possession. However, it will tire the team heavily if used all match.


Passing

Here, I am treading on Cleon’s ground and suggest that all those who want to understand more about passing go here:

Cleon’s Passing Thread


Time Wasting

Possibly tweaked a little high by the match engine, but speaks for itself. Don’t time waste when chasing a game; time waste when defending a lead.


Creative Freedom

I am treading on dangerous ground here, as creative freedom seems to be a hot topic on the forum. Personally, I believe creative freedom doesn’t stop players obeying instructions but must be employed carefully. Most teams will only employ one or two players in creative roles, and I think that FM06 thinking follows that. If too many players are on high creative freedom then everyone is looking for the killer ball, which means the true creatives rarely have the chance to influence the match. Tone it down for most people, set it high for the special talents.


Defensive Line

A deep defensive line, in my opinion, is asking for trouble and should only be used with extreme caution. This will basically tell your players to retreat to the edge of the box when not in possession. It can be used with good defensive midfield cover when trying to see out a tight game, but be careful. A high defensive line, alongside at least one quick centre back is the way to approach most games. It will condense the pitch, force the opposition to hit hurried balls and keep a large percentage of play in the midfield zone. As long as one central defender is quick it can be employed with the offside trap to continually keep the opposition trapped in their own half.


Killing Off a Game

Many people seemed to have experienced a series of near miraculous comebacks by AI teams and find it frustrating and unrealistic. However, it is simple to stop. The assumption here is that the half-time team talk makes a huge difference to the second half performance. In the case of the AI manager it must be assumed that he will try to get them to score quickly in the second half to give them a chance, and change formations to try and make that happen. He will also try to give them hope in the half-time talk.

Thus, the human manager must proactively set up a system to stop this happening. The assumption is that if the AI team fails to score in the first 15 minutes of the second half they will suffer a morale drop and can be picked off again. So, the human manager must time waste, narrow the formation, set the team to a slightly more defensive mindset and counter attack. Passing type and tempo will be altered depending on the player abilities. This should kill off the game, and chances may start to appear for you gain near the end.


For the rest of this post, I will focus on some tactical frameworks that can be used by correctly employing the above theories. In these frameworks the team quality is related to the relative ability of the squad in the division it is playing in, not in the more general sense that Barcelona are quality and Maidenhead are not!


Framework One: High Quality Team Playing at Home

This requires a framework that focuses more on attacking than defending and is possession centric. Thus, the team should employ a wide formation, with wing/full backs on a reasonably attacking mentality to provide support for the midfield, with only the central defenders needing to mop up the ball at the back. Possession is important, so a slow tempo, short passing game should be employed for most of the match, but the manager should be willing to tweak to a higher tempo for short bursts to create chances if none seem forthcoming.

In general, the midfield need not close down hugely, but it may be worthwhile to man mark/close down the opposition’s most dangerous midfielder and rush their defense with the strikers when they have the ball to force hurried, aimless clearances. The midfield should also look to push forward, with one more defensive minded player covering the back line. To help the midfield get into position to help the front line, it would be worthwhile having one forward hold the ball up, which allows the midfield to get in front of him and into space.

Once the game seems won, up the time wasting level, narrow the formation and tick counter attack. If your team has excellent passers use slow passing and just let your wide midfielders and forwards break, with the rest of the team staying back. With slightly less talented passers, switch to direct, high tempo passing and play down the channels. That way you will quickly get the ball down the pitch and force them to build again.


Framework Two: High Quality Team Playing Away

This requires a framework that is defensively sound but lethal on the counter. The team should employ a slightly narrower formation than at home, with a more direct, higher tempo approach to passing. The wing/full backs must be almost as defensive as the central defenders and get forwards less often. Counter attacking must also be ticked from the start. All mentalities must be toned down from the home framework, but not hugely. One of the centre forwards can stay on a high attacking mentality to provide availability at all times when countering.

Based on the assumption that the opposition will attack, use the best, most aggressive central midfielder to close down their playmaker. The rest of the midfield/defense needs to stay behind the ball, so closing down must be low for them. As the quick break is the key to scoring, don’t hold the ball up but try to get the ball to the forwards quickly so they can work in any space there may be before the opposition can get back.

Time wasting can be high from the start as it will limit the amount of time the opposition has on the ball, and can be maxed when defending a lead. Again, depending on the player types, passing can slow down when defending a lead to try and get more possession, or speed up to get the ball up the pitch and away from danger as quickly as possible.


Framework Three: Low Quality Team

Obviously the game is harder when you have a poor team. Thus, the framework for such a team follows the framework for a high quality team playing away to an extent.

Keeping the players between the ball and the goal is the key to this framework. Hence, nearly all your players must be no more than normal mentality and on low closing down. One of the strikers can be on attacking and high closing down, but that is about it. You must play a narrow formation, with high tempo, direct passing to get the ball up the pitch and away from your goal as quickly as you can. Play down the flanks to stop the ball moving across the pitch too much, as interceptions in central midfield can be calamitous. Man-mark the opposition’s forwards and wingers with your defenders and play a high back line to ensure the ball stays away from goal and the opposition’s most dangerous players are always assigned a marker.

To try and grab a goal on the break make sure your wingers are set to zonal marking/low closing down, with forward runs high. Thus, a quick, direct ball down the flanks is likely to be picked up by a winger or a striker, and your team can exploit any space there may be. This is not sexy football, and is designed to stop the other team from playing, so don’t expect wondrous passing moves. It should stop you from being relegated though.

[MalcPow]

Here is another post from wwfan over on the SI boards. A lot of it is similar to what Karim just posted, but it also explores some other concepts as well, and digs into things a bit more. It is long, but it's invaluable to get you thinking about what your tactics are actually doing. The thread is linked here: http://community.sigames.com/eve/for...7/m/8132082102


Summary of Previous Tactic Building Threads


Player Definitions

When tactic building it is imperative that the construct follows a set of pre-defined rules or the tactic runs the risk of becoming illogical and full of holes. My tactics focus on player positioning above all else. They define player mentality, creative freedom and closing down as they all impact on player positioning. All other individual settings are more down to user discretion.

The following document lists pre-defined terms for player types and a set of rules to be followed by anyone wishing to build a TT&F style tactic.


GK: Goalkeeper

DC: Central defender

FB: Full-back

WB: Wing-Back

DMC: Defensive midfielder

MCd: Central midfielder with defensive responsibilities

MR/L: Deep lying wingers

MC: Central midfielder

MCa: Central midfielder with attacking responsibilities

AMC: Attacking Midfielder

AMR/L: Advanced wingers

FR/L: Wing forwards

FC: Deep lying striker

ST: Advanced striker


Home & Away

There are some basic assumptions I have made in relation to home and away systems. Some are explained in detail later on, but in simplistic terms, here they are.

Home: A good home formation should be wide with low time-wasting. Closing down should be mixed to high at the back, unless you are playing very low level management. This will focus your defenders on winning the ball quickly while your attackers are still high up the pitch. Forward runs should be high for all players except the DCs (rare) and MCd/DMC (mixed). In a 4-4-2 system wingers should be long farrowed. Creative freedom should be high up front, mixed in midfield and low at the back. Tempo is optional depending on personal preference. Passing focus should be mixed to provide the most options for players in possession.

Away: A good away tactic should be narrow with high time-wasting. Counter-attacking should be on. Closing down should be mixed to low, with my personal preference being at the higher end of rarely. Forward runs should be rare for defenders, mixed in midfield, high up front. This will ensure the team becomes a tight unit when defending rather than only relying specifically on the defenders to break up moves a lá home tactics. In a 4-4-2 system wingers should be short farrowed or no-farrowed. If no-farrowed, sarrow the FCs. That is my preferred option. I tend to use the same creative freedom settings as I do for home tactics as I want the forwards to move into space and exploit the channels. As before, tempo is optional depending on personal preference. Passing focus should be down both flanks in order to exploit the channels on a counter and to keep the ball away form potential dangerous interception positions in front of goal.


The Rule of Two

The Rule of Two is based upon the assumption that players must have a variety of acceptable passing options available to them. If players are too close together they are too easy to contain, and passing breaks down. If players are too far apart, too many ambitious balls are hit, and passing breaks down. Therefore, each player must be able to pick out someone to pass too who has a mentality within two positions of his own.

Thus, in a 4-4-2 normal tactic, the system would run as follows:


CDs: Mentality = 6

FBs: Mentality = 8/9/10

MCd: Mentality = 8/9/10

MR/L: Mentality = 11/12

MCa: Mentality = 13/15

FC: Mentality = 15/13

ST: Mentality = 17


Obviously, barrows and farrows can be used to tweak the settings further, but the basic setup must follow the above. Furthermore, individual users can tweak settings for some players, as long as they don’t stray too far from the original plan. For example, a user may want the FC to drop deeper, and for the MCa to support the attack. The MCa and FC mentalities could then be switched, with the basic rule remaining intact. This rule can easily be implemented into all formations and systems.


Radius Theory

Radius Theory assumes that creative freedom and closing down work by setting up a virtual circle around a player. Thus, if a player has a closing down of 15, he will close down any player who enters the virtual radius of 15. If he has a closing down of 5, the radius is smaller, so he will only close down when the player is on top of him. In relation to creative freedom, a player will wander around the pitch trying to find space within the defined radius of his creative freedom settings.

Logic suggests there shouldn’t be too many people on the pitch with high settings for either creative freedom or closing down. It is important in default tactics that the defence is set up correctly, with closing down/creative freedom between 3 and 5 for all defenders. However, we must assume that certain types of players have a role that employs higher settings for creative freedom/closing down. Thus, the following settings will apply to certain types of player.


DMC: Closing Down to First Notch of Often

MCd: Closing Down to First Notch of Often

MCa: Creative Freedom to First Notch of Often

AMC: Creative Freedom to First Notch of Often

FC/ST: Creative Freedom to First Notch of Often


The logic behind these settings is that the DMC or MCd will sit in front of the back four and close down opposition players before they can get too close to the last line of defence. The MCa or AMC needs to find space behind the front man, as they will be looking for opportunities to play killer passes. The FCs have high creative freedom as it will allow them to exploit the channels and pull the opposition defence out of position.

There are two types of defensive systems, one employing high closing down, the other keeping men between the ball and the goal and not committing them to the tackle unless it is absolutely necessary. I will explain this in more detail later in the post.


5x5/Defensive Line Theory

5x5 or Defensive Line Theory assumes that most teams will have a basic philosophy of five attack and five defend. Originally, the thinking here was that 5 players should have an equal defensive mentality, and five should have can equal attacking mentality. There were problems employing this type of system as there were big gaps between the attacking players and defensive players. The solution was to ensure the defensive line setting was equal to the mentality of the attacking players. Thus, attacking mentality is 15, defensive line is 15.

However, this must be slightly re-evaluated in conjunction with the Rule of Two. The Rule of Two insists on individual mentalities throughout the team, but in its normal setup has 5 players with mentalities of 10 or less, and 5 with mentalities of 11 or more, so still follows 5x5 thinking. Thus, the defensive line must be set to the same mentality as the most advanced midfielder. This will ensure the tactical framework remains tight and difficult to break down.

If employing a DMC the defensive line needs to be readjusted. Testing has indicated that the defensive line gets too close to the DMC when set above 14. If it is set higher the DMC becomes part of the defence rather than offering protective cover in front of it. The ideal settings are between 10 and 14.


Level Assumptions

The previous section of this post provides a set of simple rules for player positioning and instructions. However, in order to continue it is important to work from a set of pre-defined assumptions before designing and testing tactics at all levels. Although some may disagree with my assumptions as to what should work at certain levels, I believe them to be logical and concurrent with the generalities of how real life football works.

LLM Assumptions

This definition is for poorer quality teams in L2, plus all the Conference National and the Regional Conferences. For this level I believe tactics should be long/very direct in terms of passing style. Such a style will minimise the chance of losing the ball in build up play and will allow the team to constantly pepper the opposition area, hopefully forcing the defence into making mistakes. A quick/tall striker partnership would be ideal, as one player will win balls in the air while the other runs onto missed interceptions/headers from the defenders.

In terms of defence, keeping the defenders between the ball and the goal is more important than committing them to tackles. Thus, closing down is generally low (with the exception of the MCd/DMC, as detailed above) as it forces the attacking team to try and either score from distance or get past the last line of defence via quality through balls or breaking tackles. The emphasis is on the skill of the attackers to create chances rather than the ability of the defenders to efficiently read the game.

Mid-Quality Team Assumptions

This definition is for higher quality teams in L2 through to the poorer Premiership teams. At this level passing should be direct. In recommending this I am assuming the long ball game to be easily dealt with by higher quality defenders as their better positioning attributes will allow them to comfortably mop up aimless punts into the box. The direct balls will ensure the team will not over complicate passing moves and lose possession before the killer ball is played. Direct passing gets the ball quickly forward to the strikers who can then use the midfield for support. Strength and speed up front will be important to get the best from this tactic type as the forwards will be able to hold up the ball and let the team catch up with play or run at a retreating defence.

Defence is more down to the individual user at this level. Both closing down and sitting back defence options could work. My ideal would be to close down to mixed at home, which forces the attacking team to make quick passing decisions when trying to break down the defence as they are soon put under pressure if they hold on to the ball. The higher positioning and decision making stats at this level (speed, acceleration and bravery also being important) make this possible and it allows for your team to regain possession quickly and higher up the pitch than the LLM system. This works in conjunction with passing type, with the long ball being less useful in a tactic that is trying to win the ball high up the pitch. When playing away it would be better to close down slightly less as you will force the attack to break you down to make chances. Keeping men behind the ball will be useful as the home team is likely to have a fair amount of possession so massing the defence is a better option than trying to win the ball early.

High-Quality Team Assumptions

The definition for high quality teams is those that should be challenging for the European qualification slots in the Premiership. For this level passing should be short or mixed. My own preference is for most of the team to be set at the first notch of mixed, with the exception of the front two who are two notches less. This type of system is possession-centric (can be close to 70% against poor teams) but still offers players opportunities to pick longer balls when they are on. Obviously, passing, creativity and decision making are the most important attributes here as they will enable the player to hit the right ball at the right time more often then not. If a through ball is not on, the player will lay off an easy pass to keep possession and allow others to look for the killer ball. My preference for success with this tactic is having attacking players with pace, acceleration and good off the ball skills. One tall centre forward is also preferable, but not a must.

At home the defence should close down heavily. This is a direct contradiction of previous thinking but has method in its madness. The most frustrating issue for FM addicts seems to be the second season slump. This happens when a team has enjoyed considerable success in its first season, often overachieving, and as a result gains a higher reputation. The easiest way to gauge your reputation level is the pre-match odds screen. If you are nearly always the bookies’ favourite, and have ridiculously short odds against poorer sides, then you have a good reputation. The direct result of this is you will begin coming up against the dreaded 3-3-2-1-1 defensive system that nearly all high-level managers seem to employ against better sides. Note, teams may not start with that formation but will often switch when a goal is scored or due to other in-game factors. This system has been the bane of many a tactician’s life and is the key reason for the second season slump. So, how does high closing down counter it?

The key element in the thinking behind a high closing down defensive system countering the 3-3-2-1-1 was making a logical assumption about how often the system allowed for forward runs. I assumed that such a defensive system would tune forward runs down to a minimum and thus the single forward would have to hold up the ball for a considerable length of time before support arrived. My original thinking of low closing down for defenders fell down against this because the defenders would back off as soon as I lost possession which would allow the forward to easily hold on to the ball before laying it off to the midfield. As the 3-3-2-1-1 system has so many deep lying players, once I had lost the ball I struggled to win it back because the opposition played possession football between its two defensive lines of three without ever trying to get the ball forward. By upping the closing down for my defenders I began to pressurise the single forward as soon a she got the ball which invariably won me possession back immediately, either high up the pitch due to winning the tackle or via a throw in as the forward booted the ball out of play to relieve the pressure. As a rule of thumb I mirror the closing down with creative freedom, so the total of the two equals 20. Thus, if a player has creative freedom of 3 (standard for my DCs) then his closing down should be 17.

Although I believe away tactics, even at this level, should follow the basic premise of keeping men between the ball and goal, as your team’s reputation grows you should find yourself employing a high closing down system away against more and more sides, as they will invariably start with conservative formations. It must also be remembered that high closing down is likely to come unstuck against quality sides playing attacking football. This is because they will quickly get men forward to support the forwards which will allow them to exploit the gap behind the defensive line as it closes down space. Good sides will also have forwards of sufficient quality and technique to hold on to the ball, spin and lay off dangerous through balls.


A Brief History of Time-Wasting

With apologies to Sir Stephen Hawking

Sir Bob was the original instigator of maximum time-wasting. The best thing to do here is look at his original post and then update with our current thinking about this.


Sir Bobby Moore’s Original Time-Wasting Post

When I first saw this instruction on FM 2006 I kind of dismissed it as something which would not come in as much use. I thought it would be an unsportsmanlike like style of play, killing the game by smacking the ball out of play.

BUT ....

As I was looking through my recent results hoping for inspiration on how I could improve my tactic I noticed that I was having reasonable possession, generally between 48-52% so most games were balanced and but my attacks seemed poorly constructed and I gave the ball away a lot, mainly in the middle of the pitch. In my experience, counter attacking is probably the most effective method of attack but it forfeits possession so you spend a lot of time defending. I decided to try out time-wasting and it made a huge difference. I played a few games on full match and was seeing definite benefits, so I decided to test it out.

I started a new save game, with West Ham as I know them best. I got to the start of the season and saved the game 3 times: V1, V2 and V3. This way there will be minimal influences on results from other areas as I was using the same tactic (apart from time-wasting), the same coaches, schedules, injuries, etc, etc.

In V1 I used no time-wasting. I noticed that I was not having very much possession at all, roughly 45% each game, and was giving the ball away here, there and everywhere. I played 15 games, mainly losses and draws. In V2 (mixed time-wasting) we were having 48-52% possession but were still losing the ball fairly often and not creating the best of chances. Finally I tested V3, with time-wasting on full. We dominated games and created loads of chances. We played fantastic football and comfortably beat sides like Man Utd and Newcastle in a way I have not done with West Ham since CM4

Time-wasting seems to be an excellent foil for wide, high-tempo football with a lesser skilled side or counter attack. The midfield have a lot of the ball when playing it and the build up is methodical and precise, some of the passing is beautiful to watch.

NOTE: Creative Freedom is important when playing with high time-wasting other wise players will knock the ball around all day and not create anything.


Sir Bobby Moore’s Second Time-Wasting Post

I have recently thought more about time-wasting.

For you to understand we are going to have to change the way we think about sliders. Instead on having 0 to 20, change your way of thinking to -10 to 10.

Now, if you imagine that 0, smack bang in the middle, is the standard amount of time-wasting, the player will not hurry himself, nor particularly take his time. Then, for example, -1 makes him slightly more hurried so he will pass the ball quicker and try not to stay in possession of the ball for any longer than needed.

Therefore when you start to think about -5 to -10 you'll realise that the player wants to get rid of the ball at all costs and just pass, no matter if it puts another player in trouble or gives away the ball all together. So you can imagine that any attack set up in this manner will be very unlikely to score, with passes going astray extremely often and the striker trying to shoot before he has composed himself etc.

Now if you imagine a time-wasting of 3, the player will be slightly more laid back. He will have time to think about the pass he is about to make, therefore low anticipation players will be able to keep up with the game, and players with a poor passing stat will not have to make a tricky pass as it is the first he sees, he could hold on to the ball and wait for something else to arise.

The conclusion of this is that time-wasting should rarely drop below the centre unless you have extremely good players and even then they would struggle. The worse your players, the further to the right you go. It is not necessarily the worst, if you are going for a real upset, i.e. trying to win the Premiership with Sunderland then time-wasting must be high to allow your players to play to the best of their ability.

Current Thinking on Time-Wasting

Sir Bob’s second post is the key to how time-wasting actually works. It is a fantastic tool for teams with low reputations or for counter-attacking tactics in away games. What it does is ensure the team keeps possession at all costs, rather than hitting risky attacking balls to the front men. When used in conjunction with a tight, sitting back defensive system it ensure your team is exceptionally hard to break down and will counter-attack only when obvious chances present themselves. If a Rule of Two system is being employed, the defensive mentality of the back line will also ensure possession is maintained as they won’t hit aimless through balls unless under considerable pressure, but instead play simple, possession friendly football across the back line.

However, high time-wasting falls down against teams that are playing with an exceptionally defensive tactic. They too will time waste, so both teams will be concentrating on holding onto the ball in the back line rather than trying to attack. This is fine if playing for a draw or trying to sneak a one-nil win against a better side. It is not fine if you are the superior team and need the win. In such a situation time-wasting should be very low, as then your team will look to get the ball into danger areas as quickly as possible and won’t worry so much about holding onto possession in defensive areas. One of the main reasons behind the success of the 3-3-2-1-1 is the user team being too focused on time-wasting. This will be especially relevant for those built tactics related to the theories in Sir Bob’s or my threads as we were both big advocates of high time-wasting.


Other Factors to Consider When Building Tactics

Creative Freedom

Many posts on the forum are of the assumption that the creative freedom slider stops a player from obeying other individual instructions. If it is set high then a player will be more unlikely to do what he is told, if set low then he will adhere to instructions. I believe there are elements of truth to this, but it is not the whole story.

A player on high creative freedom will inevitably look for options in attack as soon as he gets the ball. If he decides that the creative/killer ball is on he will play it. Sometimes it will come off, sometimes it won't. That is the very nature of creativity in all walks of life. If he decides the creative/killer ball is unfeasible, he will play a safe ball and move into position to try again. Hence, decision making is also key to a truly great creative player. A creative player with good decision making will invariably choose the right time to play the right ball. Other factors will influence whether it comes off, such as the defensive stats of the opposition players trying to intercept the ball/tackle the creative player and the off the ball/decision making stats of the player trying to pick up the pass, but on the whole a player with good creativity/decision making will create chances. Alternatively, a player with good creativity/bad decision making will often try to play unfeasibly difficult balls that will result in interceptions and counter attacking moves more often than creating chances for his own team. When setting instructions for such a player, be aware that giving him total freedom will likely result in you losing possession and having to defend quick countering moves as often as getting into scoring positions yourself.

Creativity is not flair and must be managed accordingly. A creative player creates chances for others; a flair player creates chances for himself. Thus, whereas a flair player can be closely marked and looking out of the game, only to do something extraordinary and score out of nothing, a creative player needs time and space in which to operate, so he has more opportunity to spot the creative pass. Thus, when positioning a creative player, make sure he is loosely zonal marking with closing down set to a minimum, so that he is always in the maximum amount of space to receive a pass. If he has excellent decision making/teamwork/workrate/off the ball, he could also be assigned a free role, which would allow him to rove about the pitch looking for space and thus become more useful. Creative players are often low on bravery, so can be marked out of the game by hard-men opponents. Be aware of this if you feel your creative player is not performing, and possibly look to play him deeper which will draw his marker out of position and create space in front of him for others to exploit.

Finally, in terms of creativity for the whole team, be careful setting it too high for too many players. If you do this, too many people will be looking for the killer ball, and your truly creative players will have less opportunity to influence a game. Also, too many passes are likely to be intercepted as they are being hit from unfeasible positions on the pitch, and possession will turn over almost the second you have the ball. Tweak it high for a few players, and let the others focus on more mundane tasks, such as defending or scoring goals.

Off the Ball

I have read a fair number of posts complaining that the FCs refuse to stay in the middle of the pitch and drift wide. The standard response to this is to reduce creative freedom to the lowest notch for the front men. This is nonsensical. Forwards drift wide to find space to get the ball. If they stay in one position all match they are too easy to mark out of the game. Forwards and attacking-minded midfielders need to be encouraged to look for space. In this respect, a high level of creative freedom alongside excellent off the ball stats will be extremely beneficial. If one FC moves wide to pick up the ball it won’t matter as long as other players have the requisite creative freedom and off the ball to move into the space he has created. Higher levels of creative freedom have to be regarded as optimal for forward players in order to create space and move the defence around.

Teamwork

A player with high teamwork attribute will religiously obey the manager’s instructions, whether they are appropriate for the situation he is in or not. Teamwork is great when you have applied the optimum settings for the tactical situation your team is in, but will actually be disadvantageous if you have set inappropriate instructions. For example, if you have set closing down to 20 then a player with good teamwork will constantly close down, no matter what position/situation he finds himself in. This is where the maximum or minimum slider settings begin to fail and why moderation must be applied. If a player with high teamwork is told to close down to 20, then he will do it without fail; if he is told to close down often but not always, his decision making becomes more important, as he then has to decide on the appropriate moment to apply the closing dsown instruction.

A player with low teamwork is obviously more difficult to manage as you can never be sure whether he will obey instructions or not. This will be doubly difficult if he has bad decision making, as he will regularly do what he wants, no matter if it is a good decision or not. All a manager can do with this sort of player is try to ensure he is in a position that won't cause huge harm to his own team, but where his unpredictability will sometimes come off and create chances/opportunities to score.

Decision Making

Decision making is hugely important in how you instruct a player. The higher the decision making stat, the more mixed instructions you can give him, as you are sure he will take the right option at the right time. Thus, a central defender with good defensive stats and high decision making can be asked to close down to mixed, as you can trust him to apply the instruction when required. A central defender with bad decision making should be told to close down rarely, which will keep him between the striker and the goal and thus make the attacking player try to go past him, rather than committing himself to a rash challenge. This can be applied right down the line for every position on the pitch. If a player has poor decision making, give him firm instructions to do a job; if he has good decision making, trust him to do the right thing. For a winger, for example, you could tell him to choose between through balls and crossing; with them both set to mixed, as you believe he will invariably pick the right option. I could go on and on about this, but I'm sure it is pretty obvious by now.


Multiple Tactics

Although it is very possible to win continuously while only using one tactic, my own penchant is to employ a system of three. My formation preference is to use the 4-1-2-1-2 Diamond for a standard home and away system, with an alternate 4-2-3-1 for away games. I prefer to use direct tactics away from home, even when I am in charge of a quality side, as, in reference to Cleon’s guide to passing types, direct is designed to get the ball to the forwards quickly and is thus ideal for counter-attacking. My 4-1-2-1-2 away is therefore direct and counter-attacking, whereas the 4-2-3-1 alternate is more focused on possession and thus uses shorter passes at higher levels.


Testing and Results

The tactics here have been hugely tested during my FM career game. The LLM tactics were tested with Vauxhall Motors, the Mid-Quality tactics with Huddersfield Town and the High-Quality tactics with Lyon and Juventus.

Vauxhall Motors: 5 seasons. League Positions: Nationwide Conference North 1st, Nationwide Conference National 7th, 1st, Coca-Cola League Two 1st, Coca-Cola League One 2nd. The team also reached two FA Trophy finals, winning the non-league double in the third season. In the first season in the football league they won the LDV Trophy.

Huddersfield Town: 3 Seasons. League Positions: Coca-Cola League Two 1st, Coca-Cola League One 1st, Coca-Cola Championship 1st. The team also reached two FA Cup finals when in L1 and the Championship, winning it in the second appearance.

Lyon: 1 Season. League Positions: French Ligue One Orange 1st

Juventus: 1 Season: League Positions: Lega Calcio Seria A TIM 1st. The team also won the UEFA Cup, having failed to qualify for the Champions League under the previous management. They also won the Coppa Italia.

[Chief Rum]

I used the posts MalcPow posted above (the original ones at sigames, I mean) to develop my current 4-4-2 tactic that I have used at Sheff Wed to great success (see my dynasty if you want to see more). Those tactical posts are a very good read for anyone involved in FM (and actually, even a good read just as a footy fan).

[daedalus]

If Cleon's passing thread contains an easily repostable post (as above), could someone post in please? My username/password seems to have gone away when they updated the site/forum and I do not necessarily cherish the idea of waiting for registration to go through again (given that I needed Marc's intervention last time).

[jbmagic]

Is there any Super Tactic that makes any team win regardless of talent.

I hope not.