Going to cry :(

I've posted in a couple of threads over the past few days joining in with the ranting people about the match engine. I don't want to have a big rant but i'm looking for any advice to help me before I destroy my £40 mouse.

Basically my game has gone like this so far.

Season 1.

Sheff Wed

17th at Christmas

11th at end of season

Season 2.

Sheff Wed

1st at Christmas

11th at end of season

Season 3.

Sheff Wed

17th at Christmas resigned as couldn't get the team to win.

Tranmere

17th when took over

23rd at end of season

No tactic would work here. Kept getting teams coming back from 2 nil down to beat me and everytime i scored they scored straight away.

Season 4.

Tranmere

17th at Christmas. Sacked

Hartlepool

23rd when took over

23rd at end of season

No tactic would work here. Kept getting teams coming back from 2 nil down to beat me and everytime i scored they scored straight away.

Season 5.

Hartepool

14th at beginning of December. Sacked

Redditch

17th in Southern league division 1 when i took over only 10 games of season left. finished 17th.

Season 6.

Redditch

After 14 games had drawn 1 lost 13. Something like 7 games i lost 2-1 after being 1 up. Bottom with 1 point.

Here I had a day off and was thinking about deleting the game.

Changed to tactics creater 442 diamond, overload.

Had a run with some decent results, switching to counter when winning or playing away from home.

Finished 19th and went down on last day on goal difference.

Best 4 hours yet as i could see the team actually starting to play.

Switched the game on at half 4 tonight. Signed a couple of decent players and began the friendlies. Played well and looked good winning 4 drawing 2 and losing 1.

So onto an exciting season.

Game 1 Home lost 3-1

Game 2 Away lost 5-2

Game 3 Home (cup) won 3-0

Game 4 Home won 1-0

Game 5 Away lost 3-1

Game 5 Away (cup) lost 2-0

Game 6 Away (cup) lost 2-1

Getting annoyed at this point i returned to the tactics creator to start from scratch so went for 442 with standard instructions and everything on default.

Game 7 Away lost 4-0

So to sum up, i'm struggling with fm10. I only ever watch text commentry as i'm not interested in the other stuff but out of curiosity i put key highlights on in last game. First goal came from a cross unmarked player headed it in. So i went into tactics and put both centre backs on tight marking. Second goal striker has ball on edge of area, both centre backs stand looking at him, he whacks it into bottom corner. Third goal player knocks it to side of defender at an angle and thrashes across goal into corner. Forth goal midfielder trotts from half way line straight through whole team and slides ball into bottom corner.

I am now totally lost as to how the game works. I have probably the best team in the league as it's the same team that was starting to play well last year but inferior teams are slaughtering me.

Longest opening post ever but somebody please help.

lol, definitely your tactics.

Are you putting your players in individual roles that not only complement their own skill, but the roles of other players? Are you giving weird instructions (like deep defensive line but everyone on high pressing, so they abandon their positions)?

Nope no weird things. Leave all instructions upto the tactics creator.

Got players on stick to position and i can't give them any specific roles for their skill as they don't have any.

Well that in itself is a problem. The defaults aren't going to keep you winning. You actually have to invest some time into tinkering with tactics properly if you want to be successful. It took me 2 in game years and my 3rd club before I figured it out, but I'm playing decently now. Not amazing, but decently.

So all the pick up and play fun in every game since cm 97/98 is now gone. Thats sad .

I do sometimes spend a bit of time looking which players can perform better and adjust there roles slightly but the most annoying thing is the strategy. For me

Play overload = Have loads of off target shots while other team has 3 shots and score them all.

Counter = get outshot about 9 to 7 and lose 2-1.

Don't use any other strategies as none of my teams can ever score with any of them.

They say "misery loves company" and that's probably why I smiled when I read your thread!

I just switched from FM09 where I was generally able to get a poor team (in whatever division) promoted within two seasons - not an FM god, but a decent player.

Since I started FM2010, I am just trying to fight off relegation! I also have been conservative with tactics and rotation, basically sticking to my "proven" methods from FM09.

Would it be fair to say, that on balance, 2010 is a damn sight harder than 2009? Is that the general consensus?

PS: My pet gripes are opposition keepers in the Blue Sq Nth/Sth playing like Schmiechel, and opposition strikers regularly slamming in rotating volleys a la Zidane in the Champs League final a few years back!

PPS: Yes, yes, I am bitter ;-)

I have always been crap at managing big sides but pretty good at taking small sides up the leagues. I just can't seem to find a way of getting anything in this version.

I haven't posted on here for about 6 years until this week so things are definately getting bad, lol.

Don't use overload.

Thats the one point I have to make here.

If you use overload then you would expect to have more shots but then when you lose possession you are likely to be outnumbered at the back and so more likely to concede.

If you use counter then you are quite likely to have more shots against you than for you because you are sitting back and inviting teams to attack. Unless you have players who are capable of winning the ball back well then you will struggle.

You are best off trying Standard or Control to get a better balance.

Also, don't just stick with the same tactic all the way through a match. If you are 1-0 up then become a bit more defensive as the match goes on because the other team will attack more and so are more likely to score as the game goes on.

So all the pick up and play fun in every game since cm 97/98 is now gone. Thats sad .

I do sometimes spend a bit of time looking which players can perform better and adjust there roles slightly but the most annoying thing is the strategy. For me

Play overload = Have loads of off target shots while other team has 3 shots and score them all.

Counter = get outshot about 9 to 7 and lose 2-1.

Don't use any other strategies as none of my teams can ever score with any of them.

Have a look and download one of the sets from here:http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=167793

Done all that, I have to play overload as attack doesn't do anything for me. Control worked with sheff wed but with everyone since it has just meant go 2 up and lose 3-2. I have tried changing to counter or contain but the team usually loses a goal straight away so i change back.

WILL SI'S BUM BOYS STOP SAYING ITS DEFINITELY YOUR TACTICS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE NOTICED BUT FM 2010 IS A GAME. THAT'S RIGHT A GAME, NOT A SIMULATOR OF REAL LIFE. IT SHOULD ACT LIKE A GAME AND BE PLAYABLE WITH THE TACTICS CREATOR THAT SI SAID WOULD SOLVE PROBLEMS. THE ME IS A JOKE. A JOKE. TAKE A LEAF OUT OF CM'S BOOK AND FIX IT SI. FIX IT.

Glad to get that one off my chest.

Have a look and download one of the sets from here:http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=167793

Have already got some tactics from the forum. Tried a few but same thing happens instant reply goals and super comebacks.

Don't want to be too moany but you shouldn't have to download tactics to do a decent job with good players (or at least better players than most other teams).

And on another point whats the tactics creator for if you still have to move sliders and change player roles? It might as well have stayed the same as before but with strategys.

While i'm here can anyone tell me how to fix my ass man, he won't tell me what to do to opposition players anymore. (the buttons greyed out)

Stick with a general tactic, especially in pre-season -- the players need to get that tactic down, but make sure that the roles fit the player in that position and their skills (ie, make a player with low stamina an advanced playmaker, etc). As said earlier, stay away from overload and switch the mentality throughout the match. Use the sideline instructions -- unless I am chasing a goal I usually move from attacking to standard or counter after I score on the road. If you see players are shooting long shots, tell them to work it in. I actually find FM10 to be by far more rewarding than FM09. Here you can tell players to do what you want them to do as the play happens and you will see results. Maybe you should experiment with a team like Barca for a season -- take what you learn and move back to the lower leagues in another save. Good luck!

While i'm here can anyone tell me how to fix my ass man, he won't tell me what to do to opposition players anymore. (the buttons greyed out)

Make sure your scouts are scouting the opposition -- he needs reports to help on that.

Make sure your scouts are scouting the opposition -- he needs reports to help on that.

Yeh they are, my old ass man used to work but i sacked him and got a better one who appears to be broken .

And I might look into the barca suggestion, cheers mate.

WILL SI'S BUM BOYS STOP SAYING ITS DEFINITELY YOUR TACTICS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE NOTICED BUT FM 2010 IS A GAME. THAT'S RIGHT A GAME, NOT A SIMULATOR OF REAL LIFE. IT SHOULD ACT LIKE A GAME AND BE PLAYABLE WITH THE TACTICS CREATOR THAT SI SAID WOULD SOLVE PROBLEMS. THE ME IS A JOKE. A JOKE. TAKE A LEAF OUT OF CM'S BOOK AND FIX IT SI. FIX IT.

Glad to get that one off my chest.

Found a dummy on the floor. Is it yours?

By the way, writing in caps is considered shouting and therefore rude.

WILL SI'S BUM BOYS STOP SAYING ITS DEFINITELY YOUR TACTICS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE NOTICED BUT FM 2010 IS A GAME. THAT'S RIGHT A GAME, NOT A SIMULATOR OF REAL LIFE. IT SHOULD ACT LIKE A GAME AND BE PLAYABLE WITH THE TACTICS CREATOR THAT SI SAID WOULD SOLVE PROBLEMS. THE ME IS A JOKE. A JOKE. TAKE A LEAF OUT OF CM'S BOOK AND FIX IT SI. FIX IT.

Glad to get that one off my chest.

Hahaha how embarressing for yourself!!

In all honesty though, i do know were he's coming from. Telford in my first season, i was unbeaten until around christmas/new year... and then all of a sudden my striker who was the leagues top scorer by ten goals couldn't score, i couldn't buy a win to save my life, i was at home to teams bottom of the league, with my morale as low as can be, telling them at full time after losin 3-0 that i was sympathetic, and spent game after game just trying to boost morale! It seems that second season syndrome happens during the first season, and the AI clicks on to tactics alot quicker maybe?

Nicksy, take control of Real Madrid. Whatever tactic you use won't matter (be sensible)

Well that in itself is a problem. The defaults aren't going to keep you winning. You actually have to invest some time into tinkering with tactics properly if you want to be successful. It took me 2 in game years and my 3rd club before I figured it out, but I'm playing decently now. Not amazing, but decently.

yes, need to keep varying tactics in this version, you might start 4-4-2, change to 4-5-1 then end the season on 4-4-2 asymentric (just my experience with plymouth)

this version more than any other is realistic in that unless you have exceptional players, can;t keep using the same tactics. in real life, even the likes of liverpool/man utd will use 2/3 different formations/tactics through the season - although with subtle changes so it may not always seem obvious,.

Just check out the odds and weather before the game and go from there. The strategies have explanations next to them so they speak for themselves. I never use overload. If it is dry and you are favourites then use attacking/short passing/closing down/higher def line. If it's wet play more direct. If you are underdogs then close down less and play deeper with counter maybe? It's all common sense when you get used to it really. There's lots of other ideas in the tactics forum.

I think i'm getting somewhere a bit. I'm using a tactic that i downloaded a while ago that is usually used for better teams. I think basically when my team was inferior I had to attack direct and try anything. Now that i'm one of the best in the league i can be creative and pass it around.

It's getting a bit complicated for me though now! phew

totally agree with this post, i was man city... 1st season finished 3rd only 2 points behind chelsea and man utd, for my second season i didnt really want to distrupt my team so i only signed lee cattermole (up and coming english star) and a young dutch guy windaljibum (forgive the spelling), so i fought my team spirit will be gr8 and i'd just go into the new season as i finished the last, WRONG.....

1st game away to wolves 3-0 up and de jong gets sent off in 78th minute, i ajusted my team accordingly to a 4-4-1 and kept at my usual standard to see how it panned out, 82ndd 3-1, switched to defensive 84th 3-2, 90+4 3-3, i was raging but put it down to de jong,

this form continued 2-0 up against everton at home, game finishes 2-3 everton, 2-0 up against birmingham, 2-2 finish, my team tactics, everything was the same as my 1st season and my record before i got sacked was p-17, w-2, d-10, L-5 compared to p-38, w-32, d-4, l-2, any opinion on that guys, couldnt buy a win against any1

Scottmp, have you been onto the championship manager 2010 forums recently. The game is bug ridden and without any depth at all but hey that's another story. FM 2010 is very playable with the tactics creator as a guide, not a bible.

To the op, I too only watch games in commentary and it does make it harder to read games and react to how they pan out but it can be done. Use the creator as a tool, that's all but you also need to assess your team and make sure you aren't expecting too much from them (especially important at a lower level). There is a lot to be said for playing very rigid, helps make you difficult to break down and keeps your shape. Also one defender as a stopper and one as a cover has worked really well for me. I am no tactical wizz but managed to go on a 27 game unbeaten run just by using coming sense and picking players in the right positions.

I do try exactly what everyone has said but it doesn't seem to help.

I've picked up a bit in my current game and i'm 8th.

Lead league in goals scored 27 and also lead league in goals conceded 23.

Well the downloaded tactic stopped working and i went on a run of 4 games without winning.

I changed to a 4132 tactic to play defensively.

Lost 4-0. Sacked.

I don't think i'll be able to get the hang of this it's too technical. Oh well I enjoyed playing for 10 years, shame it's been ruined now.

Good luck everyone.

Are you changing tactics everytime you lose or hit a run of bad form?

Nope, play same tactics for about 20 games. They need changing though as i'd get sacked quicker losing 3 or 4 nil every week.

I just can't work out the tactics system i've done all the things suggested in loads of threads on here and occasionaly they work for a few games but then i just go back to losing by loads of goals.

All I ever see flashing up is "instant reply", "What a comeback!!" and "Unmarked".

Finally had enough and come to the forums for help.

Took Newcastle up, built a pretty good team(3rd season) Sahko, V.D.Vaart, Van Nistelrooy, Gago, Di Maria etc. Just cant find consistancy.

See if any of this sounds familiar;

.Teams coming back from 2-0 to win, not just the best teams but ANY team.

.Teams hitting back immediatly after you have scored, SI do know that in normal football there is a frigging Kick-Off after a goal so you cant be caught on the break!?

. Playing Ultra-Defensive tactics and being hit on the Counter(usually within 5 mins)

.Changing Tactics Mid-game seems a sure way to concede.

Tactics seem completely redundant.

Tested this against Tottenham(home);

4-4-2counter lost 4-0

4-5-1counter lost 4-1

4-4-2diamond lost 5-0

4-3-2-1counter lost 4-0

4-3-2-1contain lost 4-0

Nicksy and Damon why don't you upload your save games so we can have a look and see if we can start winning?

76mb + not got any web space. I'm sure other people would be able to win. I just need someone from SI to come round to my house and explain what i'm doing wrong as i do it.

You never mentioned your team talks. What are they?

1 up - encourage

2 up - nothing (pleased = draw or lose)

3 up - nothing (pleased/delighted = draw or lose)

drawing - you can win

losing but playing well - pleased

losing and crap - you can win

before game - major fav - expect win

slight fav - you can win

not fav - you can win

no chance - pressure off

players morale is always ver high or superb.

On split screen during match it says players are playing well or with confidence.

I can win games, just not consistant enough. I feel my team should be doing much better.

Really hoping for a decent season, yet im 13th having just drawn 1-1(was badly outplayed) and 2-2 with Burnley and Wolves.

I cant upload my game but if its any help team & tactics;

Home:

4-4-2 Balanced-Control

Harper

Jose Enrique

Sahko

Collocini

R.Taylor

Di Maria(attack)

Gago(Dm)

V.D Vaart(Advanced Playmaker Support)

Jonas(Support)

Van Nistelrooy(Complete)

Carroll(Target man)

Tiger fan. What I would say is that all of the teams that you have mentioned at the start of the thread are pretty average so to get consistent decent results you would need to build a strong squad over a period of time or hit the money shot with the tactics for each team. The fact that you were top of the table in your 2nd season shows that you can create a winning tactic, perhaps you need to become better at reading how the AI managers respond to your tactics, home and away. Nothing stays the same in this game.......

Damon, it seems the case in FM2010 that playing too defensive or sitting too deep without the correct individual player instructions can be very problematic. In the game against Tottenham you have to consider so many different variables such as press conferences, team talk, league positions of both teams, morale, players in form - sometimes even the best tactics go out of the window if a team is confident and taking more risks that come off - replaying the game multiple times with multiple tactics doesn't prove anything

Good news for Redditch fans. After I was sacked they went on a 14 game unbeaten run because they've got the best players in the league. They are now top and going up.

Weird thing is though, looking through their games and most players are getting 5.5 - 6.5 ratings and they're winning 3-0. When I was manager they were getting 6.5 - 7.5 and losing 3-0.

Damon, it seems the case in FM2010 that playing too defensive or sitting too deep without the correct individual player instructions can be very problematic. In the game against Tottenham you have to consider so many different variables such as press conferences, team talk, league positions of both teams, morale, players in form - sometimes even the best tactics go out of the window if a team is confident and taking more risks that come off - replaying the game multiple times with multiple tactics doesn't prove anything

So basically you have no control over the actual match because of all these other variables.

DamonKillian

Head over to the tactics forum, upload your tactic and the pkms of the Wolves and Burnley matches. Maybe someone who knows what they are doing with the shouts etc. might give you a hand.

Daryn,

For all the games i replayed, Morale was superb/very good, Press was handled the same way, same responses. I agree it doesnt really prove anything, but come on, it is a little funny how close the results were. With that said i think your right about being more aggressive and attacking more, rather than just sitting back.

"So basically you have no control over the actual match because of all these other variables"

I wouldn't say that at all, I think you need to take into consideration as many of the variables as possible and then form a flexible match strategy around them. Might be difficult to play an attacking home strategy against a confident team if you are low on morale yourself etc. The game can be as straight forward or a complex as you want to make it.

With regards to your last post, yeah it is difficult to explain why all the results led to an easy tottenham win unless you just changed the formation but kept the d line, closing down, roaming etc the same. Some games are very difficult to win (not impossible) and sometimes you have to take those defeats on the chin and move on. You're 3rd season line up looks decent but by now means unbeatable

I've pretty much given up with this game, even if I don't do well I enjoy the game as it's a challenge to turn it around.

This time, I just want to chuck it at a wall. I've got no enjoyment out of the game so far, so many ridiculous little bugs that kill the game. So frustrating.

"He's taking no chances there" is my favourite, you're in their bloody half, why are you hitting it 40 yards into touch?

what I meant by the CM comment is that the game vastly improved from the last one.

Can someone answer this:

Is the ME rewritten here and then or is it always improved, because it was hell better last year, and even then it was a joke.

They will need to rewrite the ME because it seems they won't move forward by just adding animations and fixing bugs. It looked ok 2d but when it's 3d this way it seems very primitive.

From your posts Nicksy, I think I my current tactics will suit your style of play. I don't use the touchline shouts at all and I don't go in for all the iterations of control, defend or counter and all the other different variations that the tactics guide states. Mine are simple and consist of two methods in the same formation.

The formation is 4-1-2-2-1 narrow. One tactic is to smash the ball on the ground through the middle, overload the defence and grab goals. This can fail against a well organised defence but is excellent if against a worse team. If that isn't working the other tactic tells my FB's to overlap and the 2 AMC's to drift outside, play the ball around a bit more and look for the cross. This draws the defence out of position and makes it easier to split with a through ball.

I can always tell if the central tactic isn't working because my team won't be getting past the opposing CB's, if so, I change to wide play and pretty much always have success. So it's easy - start with central play if not getting results, switch to wide play.

Just finished my 3rd season as Bristol City, finished 11th in the Prem, my striker has 33 goals and the two AMC's also have 33 goals between them. On a massive positive note though I beat Man City (Prem winners) 5-2 in the FA cup! Well happy with that and glad I bothered having a mega session on FM tonight. (7am here now!)

Total goals for = 73, goals against = 62. BCFC aren't the richest club and I have had trouble attracting decent players espec. defenders to play for me so I guess that explains the number of goals conceded. Most of my signings have been end of contract free deals.

I don't pay any attention to the match stats at all and prefer to watch the game in extended or key highlights and read things from what I see on the pitch, I would be interested in feedback from your different playing style tho.

I've never uploaded a tactic before and from what I see it's quite time consuming, but if you are interested I'll do it and I'll be happy to offer advice regarding tweaking it to your specific players.

sounds exactly like my barnsley game

1st season

christmas: 2nd

finish: 11th

2nd season

christmas: 4th

finish: 13th

3rd season

christmas:9th

sacked in april pos 17th

i get worse every season with better players!!!!

I honestly think its your tactics, my brother has been raging about it all week and I am quite fed up hearing it.

I always tell my players something at half time. Never say nothin unless your unhappy with them. I kick off with have faith 98% of the time. always try an keep player moralee high. half time encourage all you can, the odd point to prove, and carry on. Tactics side im like you strugglin in fm10 but am findin less is more. 4-4-2 standard for a game. see what workes. then minimal tweek at a time to see whats workin. with loewer league teams i find tellin some1 to run with ball, take long shots, take on players is harder cause there stats are not good enough. also lower laegue stamina is not that great so at about 70ish mins players are tired and make mistakes more often. but this just my opinion. hope it helps

I have donwloaded "the better half" tactics set from the tactics forum and i'm doing ok.

I'm now merthyr in blue square south. Winning an drawing more than losing but still finding decision making impossible.

The tactics set has attacking, counter, balance and defend plus a few more.

I play away games on counter and have been 2-0 up at half time 3 times. Have won 1 out of the 3 games. Tried leaving tactics on counter and my team doesn't touch the ball in the second half until the equaliser goes in then the game becomes fairly even again on possession and i slightly edge the chances. Tried switching to defensive and the opposition score straight away so tried switching to attacking and they score 2 in 5 minutes.

My players are always playing with confidence when they start to concede.

I get the feeling that somewhere in the coding of the game theres a line that says "comeback probability 12" and it should read "comeback probability 8" (out of 20 for fm continuity)

Can anyone answer me this question too.

How do you improve teams performances against teams with higher or lower reps. My ass man always says we are overawed by teams with higher reps and underperform against teams with lower reps.

it's easy to say it's your tactics. how about letting a thew people play your save game and see if using there own tactics they can change the bad luck that you have been having?