Playing with a Big 'Un up Top ?

Hi,

Have just completed my first season in FM2010. I'm playing as Blackpool and tried to get the Big Target Man / Swift & Skill poacher front-man combination to work.

I had Big Ben Burgess set to Target Man (Support) but it just wasnt working. He got the preferred move of 'play with Back to Goal' and it didnt seem to make any difference, his games were awful, despite having high jumping, heading, strength, determination stats and being told to Hold-up the ball.

I replaced with with Chris Iwelumo of Wolves who was better in that he would score and provide knock-downs on occasion.

However, it just wasnt enough in my opinion.

Chris was good at winning the headers as the stats at end of game always showed, the thing is.... he would win the header and the ball would almost ALWAYS be snapped up by an opposition player and often lead to a counter-attack against me. I very very rarely saw one of his 'won' headers leading to a good goal attempt by my quite resonably statted Attacking Poacher striker, so what is the point ?

These Target men invariably are slower than the other players and often they seem a liablity really.

Their other use as target men for free-kicks and corners seems to be a LOT less usefyl than I would expect too as I can never get them onto the end of these things.

For corners I've tried having them on the Far Post (and setting the Team to aim the corners at the Far Post) or the same with the Near Post but it always seems to be my Central Defenders who ending having a go (and still not converting many, is this a bug ?), so another one of the reasons for having a big lump of a target men seems redundant too.

Is this just me, are you chaps finding having the big men (in the Championship this) up front a waste of time too ?

I've noticed that the AI teams that do well are deplyoing a pair of very pacy strikers up front, whilst this is aan obviously good idea is it the only way to win ?

(Also - a LOT of the goals scored against me are from shots outside the area, WAY WAY too many I think, whether I play a high or a low defensive line), my own paocher striker (next to the big lump) tends to get shots on target from too close it seems which the keeper always saves depite my strikers 15 finishing, 15 technique (in the Championship).

Help !

No ideas anyone ?

Are you patched up to 10.2? That made the long shots far more realistic for me.

I'm playing as Athletic Bilbao with Fernando Llorente as a support target man, with mixed results. He wins a lot of headers, but I find my poacher is rarely in position to run onto flick-ons, which is quite frustrating. Personally I'm contemplating trying him as an attack target man, alongside a deep-lying forward, and see if that helps.

Yeah 10.2

Have tried what you are about to do and it wasnt any better. What is annoying is that my poacher has got great off the ball and anticipation stats too.

I can't say i've noticed my target man struggling. Although scoring and assisting stats are better with a Deep Lying and a Poacher.

I use a big 'un up top, and he has been my top scorer for the past two seasons. I do however use the classic tactics system not the new creator.

I use Nikola Zigic as my target man and he is brilliant. Scores goals, gets good ratings and wins lots of flick ons for my advanced forward. Works a treat

I've been playing dafuge's challenge with Oxford City and we've been doing extremely well in the BSS with Danny Hockton as an Attack-minded Target Man and Craig Faulconbridge as a Support-minded Deep Lying Forward... At least, that was until all my loan players from Watford left. Now I've got about sixteen players pushing the wrong side of 35 and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hi,

Have just completed my first season in FM2010. I'm playing as Blackpool and tried to get the Big Target Man / Swift & Skill poacher front-man combination to work.

I had Big Ben Burgess set to Target Man (Support) but it just wasnt working. He got the preferred move of 'play with Back to Goal' and it didnt seem to make any difference, his games were awful, despite having high jumping, heading, strength, determination stats and being told to Hold-up the ball.

I replaced with with Chris Iwelumo of Wolves who was better in that he would score and provide knock-downs on occasion.

However, it just wasnt enough in my opinion.

Chris was good at winning the headers as the stats at end of game always showed, the thing is.... he would win the header and the ball would almost ALWAYS be snapped up by an opposition player and often lead to a counter-attack against me. I very very rarely saw one of his 'won' headers leading to a good goal attempt by my quite resonably statted Attacking Poacher striker, so what is the point ?

These Target men invariably are slower than the other players and often they seem a liablity really.

Their other use as target men for free-kicks and corners seems to be a LOT less usefyl than I would expect too as I can never get them onto the end of these things.

For corners I've tried having them on the Far Post (and setting the Team to aim the corners at the Far Post) or the same with the Near Post but it always seems to be my Central Defenders who ending having a go (and still not converting many, is this a bug ?), so another one of the reasons for having a big lump of a target men seems redundant too.

Is this just me, are you chaps finding having the big men (in the Championship this) up front a waste of time too ?

I've noticed that the AI teams that do well are deplyoing a pair of very pacy strikers up front, whilst this is aan obviously good idea is it the only way to win ?

(Also - a LOT of the goals scored against me are from shots outside the area, WAY WAY too many I think, whether I play a high or a low defensive line), my own paocher striker (next to the big lump) tends to get shots on target from too close it seems which the keeper always saves depite my strikers 15 finishing, 15 technique (in the Championship).

Help !

The ME needs more work,every time someone plays a long ball to my Target Men if he headers he always give the ball to the OP goalkeeper or defense.And this bug is in the game since FM 08.In FM 10 he does the awkward flick on to a team mate but not often enough.

I've also had problems getting a big man small man partnership going.

Big man had good enough stats to create dangerous flick ons, but he just kept on heading it to close to the opposition Keeper.