Second Season Syndrome guaranteed?

A question/observation?!

Is SSS a guaranteed thing? I hear plenty of stories about people doing 20+ seasons with no real tactical changes, and doing well all of the time. Similarly, I hear plenty of stories about a successful first season, then a disaster of a second season.

Therefore, is the AI guaranteed to learn your tactic and adapt to it, or is it sometimes it will sometimes it wont?

I cant go on 2010 much as time limits how much I can play, I do remember 2008 doing 25 seasons with no tactical changes, and 4 clubs in that time I won the league pretty much every season.

I want to build a decent career save and have won the league with PSG in my 1st season, but would hate to think I'm set for a nosedive in season 2.

What are peoples thoughts on a guarantee of SSS? And if it is guaranteed, is a full scale change of tactics needed, or is it all about tweaking slightly to overcome any AI learning of your tactic?

I came 7th with Portsmouth first season and I didn't want to take the risk of SSS, so I set up 3 new tactics and adopted one of them as my main one.

I wasn't too sure if it was garunteed or not, with Man City I never changed my tactic from the 2nd season to the 4th and was completely fine. But I did have a god like team!

No guarantees. I did much better with my Utrecht team the second season, and my second season with Inter was better than my first.

I would'nt say its a guaranteed thing, but it can happen and as happened to me. I have had the best season ever and then the following season with the exact same formation i do bad and get sacked.

But it could have something to do with bringing in new players and letting some players go, than the tactic its self.

I have had the best season ever and then the following season with the exact same formation i do bad and get sacked.

But it could have something to do with bringing in new players and letting some players go, than the tactic its self.

That's exactly like what I've just experienced. And I put it down to 11 new players in the squad :o

I hope not going into my seond season now.

total opposite for me, 1st season I finished 7th with Derby (just missed play offs)

2nd Season I kept the same tactics and came 1st

So maybe its a "If it aint broke dont fix it scenario" - Wholesale changes to a successful first team just becuase you have cash to spend, coupled with the time taken for new players to gel in may well cause more damage than minimal transfer activity.

Ill keep you lot posted with how it goes, will be an interesting one!

No SSS for me. Signed 3 players in close season which made the squad better, got rid of some dead wood and finished just outside the play-offs after mid-table finish in first season. Same tactics, 8 of the same starting 11.

i havent witnessed this SSS in my current game and im 6 seasons in. i have indeed had to tweak my tactics slightly to suit the different calibre of opposition ive encountered as ive risen through the divisions but largely ive kept the basic structure the same. 442 with direct play down the wings. its worked well for me throughout.

Have a read of this and see how I got on second season http://www.community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=181444

A question/observation?!

Is SSS a guaranteed thing? I hear plenty of stories about people doing 20+ seasons with no real tactical changes, and doing well all of the time. Similarly, I hear plenty of stories about a successful first season, then a disaster of a second season.

Therefore, is the AI guaranteed to learn your tactic and adapt to it, or is it sometimes it will sometimes it wont?

I cant go on 2010 much as time limits how much I can play, I do remember 2008 doing 25 seasons with no tactical changes, and 4 clubs in that time I won the league pretty much every season.

I want to build a decent career save and have won the league with PSG in my 1st season, but would hate to think I'm set for a nosedive in season 2.

What are peoples thoughts on a guarantee of SSS? And if it is guaranteed, is a full scale change of tactics needed, or is it all about tweaking slightly to overcome any AI learning of your tactic?

Its more often a combination of complacency, tiredness/jadedness and repetative team/media responses. I find marque signings every season and ensuring you have a good solid coaching staff to increase your player's CA helps a lot.

In previous versions of FM there was definitely a blatant 'second season blip' but I would say its more likely to be the other way round now that you need time to impose yourself on a club/squad and tactics don't instantly effect results like they used to.

But thats just my own perspective ..

When I was MK Dons I had a bit of SSS but recovered at the end to finish 11th. Think it's quite variable depending on new signings/tactics and lots of other things.

i think you're right, i almost always make an excelent first season and if i use the same tactic and basically the same players it won't get me the same results