Which touchline instruction do you use least?

For me it is take a breather. Tried it once or twice but saw not much difference. BTW what does play wider and narrower do?

Not 100% sure but I think it changes the focus passing tactic instruction. When you play wider it will set it to down both flanks and when you play narrower it will focus it through the middle.

Not 100% sure but I think it changes the focus passing tactic instruction. When you play wider it will set it to down both flanks and when you play narrower it will focus it through the middle.

Aren't those shouts called "Exploit the flanks" & "Exploit the middle"? I'm at work so can't remember.

Play wider & narrower will increase the team setting for width at a guess.

yeah you're right cheers - at work as well so was just going with off the top of my head but got it mixed up

stand off opponets.

i have never used `take a breather`

Stand off Opponents

Ive played about 17 seasons and never used any of them.

Ive played about 17 seasons and never used any of them.

why? they are there for a better more immersive match day experience.

why? they are there for a better more immersive match day experience.

If you say so .. I mean what do they add? I dont use em tbh. I just change to a different tactic from my set. They dont really have any function unless you are a casual player ..

Ive played about 17 seasons and never used any of them.

Doesn't that completely defeat the object of using the TC?

I use "Take A Breather" all the time- it's an extension of "retain possession".

Now, "clear ball to flanks"...

Stand off opponents is the best shout by far. Starting as rangers and not signing any players I can go undefeated against the likes of man u and inter in the champions league groups in the first season.

I have the best tactic for shutting up shop that works 9 times out of 10

Narrow is good on a narrow pitch

I never use the one associated with the ultra defensive setting "play more carefully". The only concession I have to defense is to go control at 2-1 up, it seems to shut up shop and gvie me a c.75% chance of getting the third. The other one I don't even think of using is "get ball into the box", as I'm fairly patient.

Clear Ball To Flanks & the two Extreme Shouts as I never play the extreme stratagies,

I use "Take a Breather" all the time as it lowers the tempo if I want to kill the game. "Stand off Opponents" too when I want to play defensively, but don't need anybody selling out or getting sent off.

I've never ever used "Shoot on Sight"...

I don't use any!

My team don't need touchline instructions! They're independant enough to play football properly themselves! (I am in the Premiership with Nottm Forest)

Reading this thread I had a bit of an epiphany re: touchline shouts

As a style of play are you advocates suggesting you load a default formation, make no changes or tweaks to it and simply 'play by wire' using the touchline shouts?

Because that has its appeal I reckon .. but does it really work? Obviously if you change _anything_ the shouts dont work, in fact they are more likely to work against you ..

So can you really be successful and enjoy the game playing defaults + shouts? Is it a viable method?

I'm sceptical tbh.

Works for me most of the time.

I create a tactic to start with, make small adjustments before kickoff, then just use shouts & subs.

I always use the play more safely and hassle opponents when closing out a match in the last ten minutes.

Have never used Take A Breather as it suggested to me that they just chill out and not play. Might give it whirl though. Never use shoot on sight as my players appear to do that anyway especially when I don't want them too...

Shouts can make or break your game. The lack of tactical knowledge and what they actually do is not an excuse I can suggest to everyone who doesn't know what tactics are working, what does roles do and how to pick them, and when to use which shouts - to read Tactical Theorems from here:

http://www.fm-britain.co.uk/tactics-ebooks/tactical-theorems-10/

It's immense and since I read it it made me understand the game that much better and more fun.

But as I understand it 'small adjustments' are not going to be overidden by shouts? So you still need to access the tactical manager during a match anyway ..

Also, do shouts stack? And if they do, how well do they? It looks to me like they let you use contradictory shouts concurently instead of making them mutually exclusive in the drop down menu etc.

Some stack and some don't. 'Retain possession' and 'get the ball forward' cancel each other out. I think one of the issues with the shouts is that some of them don't do what you'd think they would. A bit like the obfuscating nature of the team-talk options.

Some stack and some don't. 'Retain possession' and 'get the ball forward' cancel each other out. I think one of the issues with the shouts is that some of them don't do what you'd think they would. A bit like the obfuscating nature of the team-talk options.

Same old story then really ..

When I first got FM I used them quite a lot. But I've got into a game (I'm in about Dec '09, which is quite long for me ) and only realised yesterday that I've never once used a Touchline Shouts. Tbh, I don't support the idea of them being in the game, as it's too LMA for me. Like some others said, surely the team is clever enough to know when to pump it long or whatever, and if there not, can't I just use the Team tactics to tell them so?

But, no I hardly use any now because I don't really see the point of them.

Stand off opponents

But as I understand it 'small adjustments' are not going to be overidden by shouts? So you still need to access the tactical manager during a match anyway ..

Also, do shouts stack? And if they do, how well do they? It looks to me like they let you use contradictory shouts concurently instead of making them mutually exclusive in the drop down menu etc.

Why?

All the shouts do is make "adjustments" to the sliders, you just need to understand what each shout does.

As has been said some stack and some don't. The ones that don't grey out the opposite option once selected.

What shouts they should have:

1.) Play the offside trap

2.)Players stay onside!

I actually use them quite a lot because I feel like I can react quicker if my Ass Man tells me my long passes are connecting well or our crossing is doing well. Straight away you can get them to pump the ball long or exploit the flanks. I like them and use them, but they're probably not for everyone.

What shouts they should have:

1.) Play the offside trap

2.)Players stay onside!

Use playmaker

Use Target man would be good ones. You could set up for the possibility before the match and then use or not dependent on the match.

I started using them in the beginning, but not anymore.

I don't touch the shouts at all.

So i guess all of them

Play even safer and Take more risks - I never use overload (tend to lose ball too much) or contain (too defensive, begging the team to put pressure on you).