The Difference Between a half decent side and a good side is.......

it seems to me that difference is a fantastic set piece taker. Direct free kick goals are less common in this version of FM, but someone who can whip those corner kicks or indirect free kicks seems to make the difference in your team going up that one level.

I'm not making any comments about whether this is realistic a not because there are certainly teams in real life that seem to punch way above their weight just because they can score from set pieces (Everton and Aston Villa in recent EPL seasons come readily to mind).

What I want to know is whether anyone else realise that you can make your team that extra lot stronger just by getting someone who can whip those balls in.

Yes, I have noticed that set pieces (especially corners) have helped my team so much. In my current, and past 2 seasons, my top goalscorer has been the centre back who I tell to 'challenge keeper' from corners, and I instruct my corner taker to put the ball into the 6 yard box.

In my first two seasons, at championship level, I used Cesar Navas, and now I use Andreas Granqvist in the premiership and he is doing me a brilliant job:

Not a world class goal ration, but certainly enough to keep my side in mid-table.

I had one of my centre-halfs getting almost a goal per game using the above technique with Arsenal, it's verging on an exploit I'd say.

It's cheating.

Btw SnakeXe, i lived in Bath once.

argh....I don't score corner kicks with that kind of regularity like you guys. But both my centre halves tend to get around 5 each a season. That's not an insignificant impact when you consider that's like close to 10 extra goals. Timed correctly, it could be worth something like maybe an extra 10 or so points....enough to help your team up the table.

It's cheating.

Btw SnakeXe, i lived in Bath once.

I don't know exactly whether that's actually considered cheating. Obviously, it's difficult for SI to get the balance right. You need the match engine to simulate some goals from corner kicks, but yet you cannot make it too easy as an exploit. I mean if you look at real life, Vidic has already 7 goals this season in all competitions and I believe Terry has close to 10 goals in two straight seasons some time ago and Steve Bruce famously had 13 league goals in one season (though I believe he took penalties as well).

My corner taker isn't very good so even though I have a guy challenging the keeper I've only scored a couple this way so far. I suppose it is an exploit but I wouldn't call it cheating as such.

You have to take what the CPU gives you.