Your biggest gamble in a big match

I'll start this of with a recent one of mine - having lost the first leg of the championship play off semi at home to Bolton 1-0, I decided to take some drastic risks in order to get the result. My home form was better than my away form, and whilst my philosophy is attacking football the facts were that my defence was much better than my attack this season (2nd best defensive record in division). I decided on a course of action:

- I would start with a very attacking mentality, despite only needing one goal.

- Two key midfielders were injured and my options to replace them were an out of form player past his best or youngsters who had been fairly solid all season but weren't top end players. So I decided on...playing a winger in central midfield who hadn't really played that position for me much before, just 10 minutes at the end of matches occasionally.

- I would give that midfielder a free role and lots of creative freedom, which I've never used before.

- I would name 2 strikers on the bench and have no sub keeper.

My plan started badly, we conceeded after only 15 minutes, possibly due to an oversight on my part after not assigning my defenders zonal marking instructions to cope with Bolton's 3-4-3 formation. I decided to persevere (after changing my marking) and just before half time my free role winger/midfielder scores from a rebound. After firing up the troops at half time, a fairly eventless second half is interrupted with a penalty awarded in the 75th minute. My defender steps up, hits the bar, then shanks the rebound wide with the goal at his mercy. Undaunted, I threw on two strikers and went with an untested 3-1-2-4 formation. One of my sub strikers levels the tie with 5 minutes of normal time to play, and I stick to my tactics until the other sub striker puts us 3-1 ahead in the first minute of stoppage time. After hastily rearranging my team the seconds tick by until eventually the whistle goes and Wembley glory beckons (until we lose to Leicester...doh!)

In summary, all my gambles paid off and we achieved a very unlikely result. Anybody got any similar inspired successes/failures?

I'll start this of with a recent one of mine - having lost the first leg of the championship play off semi at home to Bolton 1-0, I decided to take some drastic risks in order to get the result. My home form was better than my away form, and whilst my philosophy is attacking football the facts were that my defence was much better than my attack this season (2nd best defensive record in division). I decided on a course of action:

- I would start with a very attacking mentality, despite only needing one goal.

- Two key midfielders were injured and my options to replace them were an out of form player past his best or youngsters who had been fairly solid all season but weren't top end players. So I decided on...playing a winger in central midfield who hadn't really played that position for me much before, just 10 minutes at the end of matches occasionally.

- I would give that midfielder a free role and lots of creative freedom, which I've never used before.

- I would name 2 strikers on the bench and have no sub keeper.

My plan started badly, we conceeded after only 15 minutes, possibly due to an oversight on my part after not assigning my defenders zonal marking instructions to cope with Bolton's 3-4-3 formation. I decided to persevere (after changing my marking) and just before half time my free role winger/midfielder scores from a rebound. After firing up the troops at half time, a fairly eventless second half is interrupted with a penalty awarded in the 75th minute. My defender steps up, hits the bar, then shanks the rebound wide with the goal at his mercy. Undaunted, I threw on two strikers and went with an untested 3-1-2-4 formation. One of my sub strikers levels the tie with 5 minutes of normal time to play, and I stick to my tactics until the other sub striker puts us 3-1 ahead in the first minute of stoppage time. After hastily rearranging my team the seconds tick by until eventually the whistle goes and Wembley glory beckons (until we lose to Leicester...doh!)

In summary, all my gambles paid off and we achieved a very unlikely result. Anybody got any similar inspired successes/failures?

I dropped Adebayor because he had only scored 4 in 6 games, and Bendtner scored 6.

That was in the game I played him obviously, finished 7-1.

Thoring on John Fleck with 25 mins to go for a DC. He was 16.

This is a very long post. I got the facts from part of a story I never got around to submitting to FMS that I wroted based on my second ever FM save.

FM 07. February first season. Managing Liverpool. Cup semi final against Chelsea, managed by my friend. I knew how he was going to line up: 4-2-2-2, with the wingers barrowed to central strikers. I normally played the same formation with the wingers barrowed to wide strikers.

Anyway, I knew he was far stronger than me in terms of personel and would proberbly beat me if I played my normal tactic, so I used his. (I developed it for him, so I wasn't stealing...).

However, I was seriously worried about Ballack. Remember how god-like he was on 07? Exactly. I had Sissoko mark him tightly, though this meant I had to sacrifice Alonso's passing.

The team sheets came out. Mine featured 5 January signings,all in their first major match for me. Eto'o, who would be playing up frount, hadn't scored in his 5 matches for me, and had fitness doubts. His team had been playing together for seven months, and were above me in the league by 5 points. Anyhow:

-------------Cech-------------

Alves----Terry---Carvalho-Cole

------------------------------

--------Ballack---Makalele----

Robben--------------------Cole

-------Drogba-Shevchenko------

-------Eto'o---Crouch---------

Tevez--------------------Messi

------------------Gerrard-----

--------Sissoko---------------

Riise-Ferdinand-Carragher-Ramos

-------------Reina------------

Why did I play Tevez left wing? Well, all my left wingers were left footed, and therefore I reasoned they wouldn't be able to cut inside as well. Yes, I know, bad logic.

We defended poorly. Ferdinand couldn't cope with Drogba aerially and Carragher was outpaced by Shevchenko . Sheva scored from a Drogba flick on within 14 minutes. Drogba extended their lead with his head, from an Alves cross. I switched Ferdinand and Carragher, but Drogba continued to dominate. Carra bought him down outside the box. I knew what was going to happen. Up stepped Ballack. It was a goal before he even started his run up.

Half time. Reina had played well, but the defence hadn't, though Ferdinand did a good job on Sheva after I switch the 2. Sissoko had done very well on Ballack, who had completed no passes, done no dribbles, won only 3 headers out of 7 (I'd expected him to get all 7) and had only had one shot: the freekick. Gerrard had been unspectacular as had Messi. Tevez was a little boy lost. Eto'o and Crouch had squandered one chance apiece. I moved Tevez and Messi inside (with sarrows to the wing) and had Sissoko move up next to Gerrard. More attacking, faster, directer, passing through the middle.

It only took 3 minutes for Eto'o to score. Tevez played a delightful through ball, and Eto'o just tucked it past the 'keepr. 3-1.

Another 10 minutes past. Tevez and Messi were getting no joy as AMCs, so I moved Tevez to MC, Messi to AML and Gerrard to AMR.

It wasn't long before a cross from Gerrard was knocked down by Crouch. Eto'o shot, it hit Terry, and bounced into the other side of the goal to Cech. 3-2.

Then disaster struck. Eto'o got injured. Terry was booked for it, but he proberbly thought it was worth it. Eto'o off, Alonso on, Tevez up front, his fourth position of the day.

Chelsea were buoyed by it. Robben won a corner and swung it in to Ballack's head. It beat Reina, but not Riise, who cleared it off the line...

... up to Messi, who turned Alves, and knocked in a lovely through pass to...

...Gerrard, who sprinted between Cole and Makelele, and was one on one with Cech. Despite being a long way out, he tried his luck, the the ball rocketed into the top corner, for 3-3! I was ecstatic! I was effectively winning on away goals.

The rest of the match was largely boring. Gonzales came on for Messi and Garcia for Gerrard. Chelsea bought on Bridge, de Guzman and Cambiasso for Ashley Cole, Robben and Makelele. Then, in the 92nd minute, Sissoko went on a surging run past Ballack, and then Terry... before being bought down by Cech! Penalty and red card. Terry in goal. Tevez holding the ball (had higher composure than Riise, who was the better penalty taker). I won't wqaste any more of my time. Tevez scored, the second leg was also 4-3, we won on penalties and beat Spurs 2-0 in the final.

In short, my gambles paid off... just.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SCIAG:

Tevez and Messi were getting no further joy as AMCs, so I moved Tevez to MC, Messi to AML and Gerrard to AMR. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

After 20 minyes of a Champions League final I was losing 2-0 and getting no luck at all, thought sod it and played 4-2-4 with mentality all the way to attacking until the end of the game, ended up winning 6-4.

I always play with no keeper on the bench

I was Coventry in the Final of the Carling cup against Chelsea and was 3-1 down with 20 minutes to go, and I decided what the hell so I went all out attack 2-4-4, I took both full backs off and replaced them with stikers, I got it back to 3-3 and ended up winning on penalties.

i'd used 4-4-2 for 4 and a half seasons when it came to barcelona in the champions league quarter final 1st leg. i had kept 5 clean sheets in my previous 6 games, yet i was 0-4 down by half time!

i decided to take off gael clichy for a striker, going 3-4-3 then 3-3-4 all-out attack when it wasn't making a difference. we drew that match 4-4 (the equalizer was well offside too), went to the nou camp and won 0-1! i went on to win my first CL title after that.

I picked Fraizer Campbell ahead of Tevez for the Champion's League final, thinking he'd give the Barcelona defence a tougher time. I was right. Campbell scored a hat-trick, Tevez came on after 65 minutes and couldn't get into the game.

Changed my team's tempo from 5 to 15 2-0 at half time against Inter, and then Digao (Kaka's lesser-known brother) scored two from the far post from a corner and two 30-yard strikes. Game finished 4-3 but what a game...

Brought on Lasse Qvist in the 70th minute of the FA cup final in the first season (FM2007). It was his fourth sub appearance all season - He scored the winner, of course.

Probably the last trophy I'll ever win with Reading as well. My second season has been going terribly.