Please stop me from quitting Football Manager!

Hi all. First off, i've been registered on these forums for many years as you can see from my registration date and was a lurker for few years before that. I've been playing Championship Manager/Football Manager since the Amiga days in the 1990's and have spent a staggering amount of time playing each and every version of the game. Despite all of my years of experience i'm really,really struggling with FM10.

I have no issue scoring goals, i just cannot seem to stop them being scored against me. I've played two seasons as Shrewsbury finishing 11th and then 16th. I was sacked for the first time on any version of the game by Valencia after being 9th in February and now in yet another new game i'm struggling as manager of FC Bayern...

I've posted a few threads regarding my lack of success and not being able to keep a clean sheet, the constant injury time goals i conceed and the shocking defending yet most of the replies have been along the line of 'i'm doing just great in my game...ect'

My question is this. Would someone who has been having success be willing to help me by uploading their tactic and giving a brief desctiption of their achievements with it? I'm fully aware that someone elses tactic is not a magic wand but i just want a base/platform to start from as i've failed miserably creating my own tactics and i'm on the verge of uninstalling the game for good..

Many thanks in advance.

Hi all. First off, i've been registered on these forums for many years as you can see from my registration date and was a lurker for few years before that. I've been playing Championship Manager/Football Manager since the Amiga days in the 1990's and have spent a staggering amount of time playing each and every version of the game. Despite all of my years of experience i'm really,really struggling with FM10.

I have no issue scoring goals, i just cannot seem to stop them being scored against me. I've played two seasons as Shrewsbury finishing 11th and then 16th. I was sacked for the first time on any version of the game by Valencia after being 9th in February and now in yet another new game i'm struggling as manager of FC Bayern...

I've posted a few threads regarding my lack of success and not being able to keep a clean sheet, the constant injury time goals i conceed and the shocking defending yet most of the replies have been along the line of 'i'm doing just great in my game...ect'

My question is this. Would someone who has been having success be willing to help me by uploading their tactic and giving a brief desctiption of their achievements with it? I'm fully aware that someone elses tactic is not a magic wand but i just want a base/platform to start from as i've failed miserably creating my own tactics and i'm on the verge of uninstalling the game for good..

Many thanks in advance.

Have a look in the tactics forum since theres now a few tactics that can be downloaded. I'd also suggest that you have a read of the fm2010 tactics theorums. You should be able to get this in the same forum.

The standard tactic works quite well, I am onto my third season with Tottenham having used the standard wizard with shorter passing, and a controlled style of play with man marking - the rest I have left as it was, playing a regular looking 4-4-2 formation. Have managed to finish 2nd for the first two seasons and won both the fa cup (season 1) and league cup (season 2). It has been a great tactic, and has served me quite well in a very similar guise in previous versions.

Stick with it, you'll get there...

Ive been playing nearly as long as you have and I think you should keep going. I tend to have ups a downs when a new FM comes out but over time it tends to iron itself out and you are playing as you we're in previous versions. This experice of FM happens to be one of my better ones, but I was literally pulling my hair out when playing FM 09 a wanted to throw it out the window. Basically just keep going! it'l be sweeter when you do succeed

Have a look in the tactics forum since theres now a few tactics that can be downloaded. I'd also suggest that you have a read of the fm2010 tactics theorums. You should be able to get this in the same forum.

Hi there. I should have mentioned that i have done after failing with my own. They all seem super attacking and regardless which on i use i still leak at the back....that's with the 3 teams i've played with so far.

With Bayern i've drawn my last six games...

I have said it before, you need to leave a lot of the team instructions to default in order to have the match shouts working effectively.

Thats why people who use the wizard to a lot better than those who don't.

It is sad when someone is playing "contain" in the shouts, only to find out they are really still playing attacking football as their team/player settings are all fixed.

I had serious issues at the start with this version too and have had quite a few restarts, simply because I failed to noticed the painfully obvious.

To me, the painfully obvious thing is that you either use the wizard and tweak very very little other than shouts, or you use the tactics the old fashioned way and ignore the wizard option. Mixing the two is a recipe for disaster.

I started a new game and have stuck to using the wizard almost completely and am having a much better experience. In fact, I've got the team playing the football I always wanted to get them to play before, but couldn't because I couldn't find the magical slider balance. I had a lot of success in the older versions so I'm not tactically inept, but to me, the wizard is a fanatasic addition and it's brilliant to see your shouts actually making an impact.

Follow Marek's instructions and you should see improvements.

@ Marek_Hamsik and Fabregas_04, yeah i'm already aware of this but cheers for the replies.

If a mod could close this thread i'd be grateful. Just uninstalled the game after losing at home to the 19th placed team in the league, conceeding the losing goal deep into injury time scored from 35 yrds out by a defender with a stat of 2 for long shots. The current ME is diabolical, well it's either that or i've suddenly become really **** at this game after having success with clubs of all levels in all the previous incarnations of the game.

I'll reinstall when the next patch comes out

If the match engine was diabolical surely everyone would be unexplainedly losing?

Appreciate it's hard to comprehend but you're probably doing something fairly simple wrong with your tactics. You're also managing a pretty ordinary team that isn't going to steamroller people.

I've started a couple of saves so far and done what I've always done - set up a nice simple set of four four two tactics (attacking, neutral, defensive) and only really tweaked a couple of player roles to suit my staff. I don't really see the point of sending you my tactics given that they're so basic.

Ive been playing nearly as long as you have and I think you should keep going. I tend to have ups a downs when a new FM comes out but over time it tends to iron itself out and you are playing as you we're in previous versions. This experice of FM happens to be one of my better ones, but I was literally pulling my hair out when playing FM 09 a wanted to throw it out the window. Basically just keep going! it'l be sweeter when you do succeed

I have to agree. I've been habitually hopeless at CM/FM over the years (played CM3, 00/01, 05, 07-10), with only a couple of cups to my name (one FA Cup and a Copa America or something like that) and something like one league title (I know, it's bad). This year, and part of last year, I put a lot more effort in to my games and it paid off with some better results, especially in the training department.

FM10 seems to be less reliant on team talks and other factors, and more to do with the skill of your team. My advice (apologies if you're doing these things already) is listen to the pre-match advice of your staff, make small tweaks to the formation now and again, use touchline shouts, ad don't be afraid to go defensive after you've scored a goal. I used to think that was a load of nonsense, but it really does help.

I had one of my best seasons yet by doing the simple things right. I started off with Aberdeen, and lost 4 out of the first seven games, then I only lost 3 out of the next 29. I did leak almost two goals a game though, and the CPU still freakishly seems to score a couple of minutes after I have done.

one thing i found thats had considerable differences is the style of play. I am playing as wolves and set it to fluid and my defenders were all over the shop, i have sinced changed it to rigid, this keeps your shape but still lets the roam slightly to start attacks. You also need to have very creative cm's and give them more of a free role. Also your defenders concerntration and composure could cause the late goals, a defender with low concerntration is less likely to be alert in the 92nd minute, there are so many factors that effect the results etc that no one can pinpoint it here. What i think would help is that you upload YOUR tactics and i/we will have a look and see what your doing wrong, i know its a common (stupid) joke on here, but in these cases more often then not it is infact your tactics

Link to screenies of my tactics

I can't claim to be doing outstandingly well, but a Serie B title and an 11th place finish out of the box isn't that bad.