Late Night Rant about the effects of morale

I just wanted to have a quick moan about morale, so far i have strugled with FM10 having had previous success on all previous versions, so i started a game with Man Utd to try to make it easier for me.

It all started well with 15 wins in a row in all competition.

Then out of the blue lost at Home to 10 man Stoke, a lucky penalty a corner and a 30 yard screamer they had 3 shots on target and 3 goals. I accepted this loss, it happens to everyone, and my coach had been warning me about complancy, (by the way if any one knows how to deal with complancy let me know)

Any way next game home Lyon, i loss again this time 2-0. Again i accept this loss, team in shock after lossing what should have been a win against Stoke.

However after 2 Losses my team starts to loss moral fast, several players go from superb to poor in just two game.

I then go on to take 1 point out of my next 9 league games, a draw at home to wolves. Rooney who had 15 goals in 11 games goes 923min without a goal. Ferdinand and Vidic both forget how to head a ball, and my midfield is no where to be seen.

To top if off at xmas Man city and Liverpool are still unbeaten and Chelsea have one loss which was to me.

I really wish that a drop in morale or a freak result like mine agaisnt stoke would happen to one of them

Anyway rant over, there isnt a point to this, i will analyze my game in the morning just wanted to share this before going to bed.

goodnight

Thanks for reading

All teams go through slumps in form> Previous FM versions were easier. The current version is more of a challenge, not allowing a single tactic to be dominant over seasons, allowing you to fine-tune your tactics based on your opposition. Which should be the way.

Regarding complacency, if there are warning signs from your assistant manager, you have to be careful in press conferences and team talks. Press conferences - choose options against complacency; Team talks - your ass man finds one or two players over-confident, tell them you expect a performance.

If you are suffering from loss in form, it might warrant a change in tactics, if you know where is going wrong. If your players can't score due to poor confidence, you can try a more rigid / direct / 'safer' approach (dependent on opposition). Once you've scored, switch to a counter-attacking formation. If Rooney isn't scoring, it may be time to rest him and bring in the options. Play players who have better morale. Praise players with good form and criticise players in bad form.

What I'll also do when my team is in poor form, is to play mind games. If you can identify players who can't handle pressure in the next opposition, tell the press they are the dangermen. Watch how their own morale (and performance) drops.

And remember that your rival teams will sooner or later experience a drop in form too.

However after 2 Losses my team starts to loss moral fast, several players go from superb to poor in just two game.

That's not a good thing.

All teams go through slumps in form> Previous FM versions were easier. The current version is more of a challenge, not allowing a single tactic to be dominant over seasons, allowing you to fine-tune your tactics based on your opposition. Which should be the way.

Regarding complacency, if there are warning signs from your assistant manager, you have to be careful in press conferences and team talks. Press conferences - choose options against complacency; Team talks - your ass man finds one or two players over-confident, tell them you expect a performance.

If you are suffering from loss in form, it might warrant a change in tactics, if you know where is going wrong. If your players can't score due to poor confidence, you can try a more rigid / direct / 'safer' approach (dependent on opposition). Once you've scored, switch to a counter-attacking formation. If Rooney isn't scoring, it may be time to rest him and bring in the options. Play players who have better morale. Praise players with good form and criticise players in bad form.

What I'll also do when my team is in poor form, is to play mind games. If you can identify players who can't handle pressure in the next opposition, tell the press they are the dangermen. Watch how their own morale (and performance) drops.

And remember that your rival teams will sooner or later experience a drop in form too.

That's not a good thing.

Too much hassle for me.

I just tell them to win and blast them if they don't. Black and white - simple. I can't be arsed with prima donnas and if they don't like it they're out - gone - bye bye.

And guess what - it works.

Too much hassle for me.

I just tell them to win and blast them if they don't. Black and white - simple. I can't be arsed with prima donnas and if they don't like it they're out - gone - bye bye.

And guess what - it works.

I tried something like that in FM06 and all it led to was a shattered disc on the floor. I made sure to get FM10 via digital download .

I tried something like that in FM06 and all it led to was a shattered disc on the floor. I made sure to get FM10 via digital download .

I can understand that.

It's worthwhile if you are building a team to last. There is nothing better than a team of players who are hard working, determined and loyal. It's the team you need to win both home and away.

This is the one area of the game that needs looking at. Teams like Man Utd don't go into slumps IRL and so shouldn't in the game. Full Stop. Period.

They have lost games and had a bad run this season because of injuries, especially to their defence. This is an area that the game can add to the challenge; you should have to build a squad capable of sustaining injuries. There is also the fact that Man Utd will lose games to the other big 4 and top European sides. This is where the challenge for the top sides is. You may finish in the top three but luck with injuries can/should affect your chances of winning the silverware as much as the abilities of the team you are fighting with.

Liverpool is a fine example of this. Take out Torres and Gerrard and their attack is pretty bare. Both players have had injuries and so Liverpool's league position had suffered as their replacements haven't been up to the task. But these two players when fit and in form will raise morale regardless of recent form.

Sure have morale drop because key players are out and results have been dropped but to have key, consistant players who are fit suddenly become parks players is unrealistic.

Ok 8 hours later and i think im ready for another crack at the game, but i think i will try a team with less pressure so that if i go into another slump it will not be as much as a problem in relation to expectations.

On reflection of my late night slump i think that i got complacent as well as my players, i got over confident and did not fiddle with formations as much as i could have and did not read the warning signs i normaly do with players. I think this has something to do with it being 1.30am when this slump occured.

But let me pose a question, in the game if you have Wayne Rooney who has 15 goals in 9 games has superb morale and is 100% fit on game day due to squad rotation, and suddenly he goes 3 games without scoring, (more down to the teams bad preformance than his own) and then has poor morale. What would you do?

Im thinking the only options are

Tell him you are resting him

Put him in the reserves to get him to score some goals agaist weak teams to boost morale

Blast him in the press

Try to mention him in a press conference

Give him specific team talk to encourage him.

Or a mixture of the above

I don't think a player like Rooney would need anything said to him after just 3 games without scoring. Sure if it was 10 or 15 I would say something, but 3 games is a little knee-jerk and not something I would try to manage, i'd just let the lad get on with it and find his own form.

I don't think a player like Rooney would need anything said to him after just 3 games without scoring. Sure if it was 10 or 15 I would say something, but 3 games is a little knee-jerk and not something I would try to manage, i'd just let the lad get on with it and find his own form.

I forgot to mention, he then went 800 odd minutes without a goal, at what point would you have intervened

One thing I've found that seems to consistently work well was when I lost a game I should've won, I'd make a comment to the head coach after the game.

For example, my PSV side lost 3-1 to McClaren's Twente side. We didn't play to our potential and it was a tough away fixture that they edged with some amazing goals. After the match, I sympathized with the team, and I also released a comment to the media that "McClaren's side wouldn't be so lucky next time."

All in all, my team were left feeling as though it wasn't their fault they lost. McClaren didn't react angrily to my comment. And we went out the next week and hammered Ajax 3-0. Tut tut.

I forgot to mention, he then went 800 odd minutes without a goal, at what point would you have intervened

Well that equates to around 8 matches, like I say 10 or 15 would be a worry but all strikers go through lean patches.

This is the one area of the game that needs looking at. Teams like Man Utd don't go into slumps IRL and so shouldn't in the game. Full Stop. Period

Chelsea are doing well arent they...

United never nearly blew the league last season..

Im thinking the only options are

Tell him you are resting him

Put him in the reserves to get him to score some goals agaist weak teams to boost morale or rest him for a few matches

Blast him in the press if his rating over the last 5 matches is close to a 6.5 or below

Try to mention him in a press conference

Give him specific team talk to encourage him.

Or a mixture of the above

I forgot to mention, he then went 800 odd minutes without a goal, at what point would you have intervened

If he has a rating of ~6.5 or lower for the last 5 matches. 800 minutes IS bad. That's like a quarter of the league.

Chelsea are doing well arent they...

United never nearly blew the league last season..

But that's entirely my point.

Chelsea's lack of form has corresponded to injuries to Essien, Drogba and Anelka. This is a perfectly acceptable reason for a drop in form both IRL and in the game.

Both Chelsea and United have suffered from fatigue towards the end of the season but still win games/silverware due to the quality of their players. Have they ever gone 10-15 games barely winning in the last few years?

I don't think so.

This is the one area of the game that needs looking at. Teams like Man Utd don't go into slumps IRL and so shouldn't in the game. Full Stop. Period.

i agree with you