Too difficult?

Is anybody running into difficulty problems in this game like I am? So far I must have started at least 12 seasons with Bayern Munich, and on eleven of those games halfway through my first season I sat somewhere in the middle of the table - it's really frustrating; especially considering how I never had these problem with the 09 version. As it stands, I'm so tired and annoyed that I'm going to be taking a break for a while, it's just too draining to start a game, spend 10 hours on it, and then only be at the middle of the table. What's worse, is that my team constantly seems to struggle against weaker teams, like constantly drawing to team like Cologne or Frankfurt, presumably because of 'complacency' but no number of measures to reduce complacency even ever seem to work in stemming this tide of incessantly poor results.

I'm having the same problem with Port Vale, walked League 2 first season, second season supposed to finish 16th, can't win a game so save my life, can't keep the ball, can't shoot, can't do anything.

since when was management meant to be easy

Theres a lot of luck involved, mainly to do with tactics. I was lucky and my 4th tactic worked relatively well. If you just create loads of tactics, save before a game and eplay it, each time with a different tactic eventually you'll find one that works well.

Encore, management isn't supposed to be easy - but it should neither be so insanely difficult - especially considering the excellent players Bayern has. (As an aside, the current problems the real Bayern faces does not in any way bear upon what should happen in the game).

Silva Gunner, I have tried many tactics (albeit with the same formation) - and I'm quite convinced it isn't that. Moreover, I don't understand why the tactics for FM 2010 should be radically different than those of 2009, and I don't think they are. I was able to win essentially every single season with ease in the previous version, so I can't quite get why my team struggles so hard in this one. I mean, I'm pleased that it's more difficult (the older version was just too easy) but this just seems too difficult.

My advice would be to head over to the tactic and training forum, find the TTF guide, read it and then create your tactics. Not all 09 tactics work as many of the instrucion things have been changed (i think)

I presume you are using the wizard. Make sure the roles suit the side. Try Ribéry and Robben on the left and right wings respectively as inside forwards (support). Toni/Klose/Gomez as "target man" "attack". The rest I'll leave to you.

im doing well. im managing Millwall and i have beat Burnley 1-0 away in League cup and beat Birmingham 5-4 on pens after drawing 1-1 and dominating the game, and they were currently top of the prem, all be it they hit the woodwork 3 times an di scored from a corner, but they all count hey .

Just like real life tho i had 2 games against Gillingham that i was tipped to beat and lost both of them home and away, but over all im in the play offs after a hand full of games and in the next round of the cup againt the big boys.

all in all. if you studay the games and make the correct tactical choices it can pay off.

Encore, management isn't supposed to be easy - but it should neither be so insanely difficult - especially considering the excellent players Bayern has. (As an aside, the current problems the real Bayern faces does not in any way bear upon what should happen in the game).

Silva Gunner, I have tried many tactics (albeit with the same formation) - and I'm quite convinced it isn't that. Moreover, I don't understand why the tactics for FM 2010 should be radically different than those of 2009, and I don't think they are. I was able to win essentially every single season with ease in the previous version, so I can't quite get why my team struggles so hard in this one. I mean, I'm pleased that it's more difficult (the older version was just too easy) but this just seems too difficult.

It's very hard to get the difficulty just right!!

Is anybody running into difficulty problems in this game like I am? So far I must have started at least 12 seasons with Bayern Munich, and on eleven of those games halfway through my first season I sat somewhere in the middle of the table - it's really frustrating; especially considering how I never had these problem with the 09 version. As it stands, I'm so tired and annoyed that I'm going to be taking a break for a while, it's just too draining to start a game, spend 10 hours on it, and then only be at the middle of the table. What's worse, is that my team constantly seems to struggle against weaker teams, like constantly drawing to team like Cologne or Frankfurt, presumably because of 'complacency' but no number of measures to reduce complacency even ever seem to work in stemming this tide of incessantly poor results.

Must be something you're doing wrong... I had 6 seasons with bayern - 6 Bundesliga wins, finally won my first German cup in 6th season, 3 CL wins, one CL final loss, so it is a pretty successful era...wish they played like that IRL...

SCIAG - I use Robben and Ribery as wingers or Right/Left midfielders but functioning as wingers (respectively), but in the system I use their role is to cross from the byline, not to cut inside. Also, I don't just use the wizard - having played FM09 I'm fairly comfortable with tweaking the settings a tad (and don't worry, I know I'm not messing it up horribly). However, thanks for the advice, I'm not trying to be dismissive, but it just doesn't seem to be a tactical problem (and I've played probably nearly 1000 between FM09 and 10) - but maybe I'm wrong.

BayernMB - Hmm, that's interesting. It's how it used to be with me in '09. I guess I'll just have to keep trying, clearly, as your experience shows, it's perfectly doable to have Bayern play well.

Annoying, Frustrating, Anger disorders, pain, occasional trashed up room

the game makes all of this and more...

BUT THAT'S WHY WE LOVE IT

Okay

I do think Ribery and Robben have the potential to be devastating.

What about motivation? What do you do for press conferences, player interaction, and team talks?

Press conferences are the usual middle-of-the-road-but-positive comments. Team talks are "For the fans" at home and sometimes away when playing against rivals (although in all honesty, I'm not sure if the fact that one is playing against rivals would have any effect). Against little teams at home it's "I expect a win" or wishing them luck (I don't want to overdo on the "For the fans"). And player interaction is a negative comment for perfermances averaging somewhere around 6.80 or less for the past 5 games - I never have any problems with those either, the players always respond well. The thing I find strange is, I don't seem to be doing anything obviously wrong, my tactics and whatnot are very similar to '09 where I had no problem - and yet it's really difficult. My only 'successful' save so far has been a game where I won the Bundesliga on the last day of the first season, and finished 4th during the second season - the third season was going so bad that I gave up and started all over.

I had the same problem with my Arsenal game until I changed my starting stance from balanced to attacking. Now I stroll through most games scoring 3,4,5, even 6 against the majority of teams.

I've started two games since i bought it. 1st at Rangers won the league and made Uefa Cup QF saved and started new game halfway thru 2nd season as walking the league.

Started new game as Fiorentina for challenge (break big four, Juve Milan Inter Roma) 1st season won Serie A and Uefa cup.

http://s966.photobucket.com/albums/ae150/Replay1972/

I think that this game is harder than '09 but I like that. I just had a European Champions League qualifier (finished 4th as Liverpool) against Athletico Madrid and I lost. It was refreashing that it wasnt just a walk in the park to get through to the group stages, but I'm now in the Euro Cup

I think the tactical part of the game is just way too hard. Not everyone want to spend five hours creating a tactic as it will still be well-thumbed after ten games and not work anymore.

If you have decent players for your league you don't really need a good tactic to do well as im not really a tactical magician and got merthyr promoted in the first season in BSS

As usual it's the old debate about how much time should it take to develop a tactic and how much should you have to tweak it. Most people don't have the time or the patience to make fine adjustments for each match. Overall I'd say the game is ok tactically (at the moment I'm struggling to score, but player quality and morale have had a lot to do with that), but may have a couple of other issues that could be tweaked in patches. In particular the tendency for previously indomitable teams to suddenly stop playing sometime between October and January and the fact (partly related) that it seems a large number of good teams get complacent against weaker sides (great that the assman tells you this, but how exactly am I supposed to prevent it?) is, in my opinon, making the game slightly too frustrating/baffling to be completely enjoyable. This isn't to say it's a worse game overall than 09 by any means, but some aspects like the one I've just mentioned may be a backwards step.

Should be different options regarding tactics then... A completely realistic one (like the one we have now) which requires 5h development of each tactic and 45min tweaking before each game to work properly, like some people enjoy... And another one more in the previous games' style which won't require all that much work, for those of us that enjoy to play it in a fantasy way, rather than a completely realistic way... Since I actually want a game where I can be successful with most teams, not a game where I can get it proved that I'd not be able to manage a swedish div 4 team properly.

Nothing to do with tactics, its all about morale and what your playing staff think of you as a manager.

Good Luck.

easiest one i have played for a long time

It is november 2009 and I am at the edge of the sack, playing AEK Athens and being in 7th position. Also, half the players have lost confidence in me. Isn't this wonderful?

With the previous versions of FM I would have won the league by now.

Sure ain't too difficult to me. In my first Everton season finished 4th in Premier league, got into semi-final in both FA-Cup and Europa League. Now in second season at top of the league after 16 rounds, Chelsea second 6 points behind and they've played one game more.

In first season I bought Riquelme and sold out Saha. In pre-season I got rid of Neil, Nash, Anichebe and Heitinga. Bought van der Vaart and Milevskyi. So my team still isn't anywhere near best of the league. But still, without stupid and easy mistakes from my defenders I wouldn't have lost any games so far. Have lost twice 0-1 against Arsenal and 0-4 against Chelsea in away games...

In Champions league I got into group stage by winning Rangers 3-0 at home and drew away 1-1. I had the toughest group as I had holders-Juventus and Atletico along with AaB in same group. Draw against Juventus in last match was enough to drop them off from the knock-out rounds. (The game ended 1-1 and ofc Distin missed one easy interception)

So I think that I can win Premiership this season and guess that I'll be going far in Champions league also. Not to mention the fact that I still am in Carling-cup's semi-final and in FA-cup's third round.

Certainly not too hard I guess...

I don't know.. i've been very disappointed.

I've been playing since FM 05 and i have to say that the game is.. well, not fun.

Red cards, long shots, no marking, the mystery of team talks, who is to say.

All i know is that we used to have a 50 man FM league here in California during the FM 06 and 07 days, with a waiting list.

No one plays anymore. I have been buying out of habit.

I've followed these boards daily for years, but its tough to spend hours setting things up preseason only to find yourself frustrated and losing.

Oh well.

SCIAG - I use Robben and Ribery as wingers or Right/Left midfielders but functioning as wingers (respectively), but in the system I use their role is to cross from the byline, not to cut inside. Also, I don't just use the wizard - having played FM09 I'm fairly comfortable with tweaking the settings a tad (and don't worry, I know I'm not messing it up horribly). However, thanks for the advice, I'm not trying to be dismissive, but it just doesn't seem to be a tactical problem (and I've played probably nearly 1000 between FM09 and 10) - but maybe I'm wrong.

BayernMB - Hmm, that's interesting. It's how it used to be with me in '09. I guess I'll just have to keep trying, clearly, as your experience shows, it's perfectly doable to have Bayern play well.

Just keep on trying Altough I have to admit, that I had quite an average 1st season with 68 points and have to thank my rivals that their lost points enabled me to be champion, because you usually need more than that...

I find it slightly harder than 2009 but that's a good thing IMO. I won CL with Wolves in 3 seasons, that's how easy it was in 2009.

im thoroughly enjoying this game

however have certainkly noticed morale ets playing a large part in things this year.

can anyone explain how to have any real impact on morale?

i think if morale is to play such a major part in performance, we should have a reasoonable chance of impacting morale and not the hit or miss mystery box it seems to be atm.

I think the best thing to do is pack your midfield, and play a bit cautious.

Manchester United does not have a great team from the start of the game, and as I chose to not have a transfer budget at the start of the game, I knew my best chance of success in the first season (which you want being a novice manager at a great team expected to win the league and reach the CL final) was to not play any fancy open tactic (like 4-4-2).

So I opted for 4 - 3- 2-1, that means 3 in center midfield, two attacking wingers and only one striker.

Which should work a treat at Bayern, with Robben and Ribery flanking right behind Gomes/Toni. Set the striker in poacher mode, and have one of the CM as ballwinning and defend-attitude, the other two as central midfielder and box-to-box respectively. I used Fletcher/Hargreaves as bw mf, Carrick as cm and Anderson as box-to box, and they were great, Anderson sinking Real Madrid with 2 goals in the CL final, and scoring 16 goals in total. Your striker will score loads, and your midfielders will contribute, while your defenders will keep out the opposition because they're well covered by central midfield.

Hope this helps.