Two things that drive me crazy

1) You start up a match and your team look like they barely know each other. Before you know it, you find yourself 2 or 3 nil down with absolutely no idea what has gone wrong. Off you go to the 'assistant manager team talk feedback' section after the game. Sure enough, you've screwed your team out of three points with your team talk. 'Seemed demotivated, looked delighted' is the effect you've managed to generate by showing a bit of faith in your players. And the worst thing is that there is nothing you could have done about it. The motivation panel in the match display is worse than useless and doesn't give you any indication at all as to what is going on. Your only clue is that your team are just chuffing awful.

2) A highlight pops up. All of a sudden, you can see that the opposition are attacking in numbers and pegging you back in your half. They are throwing caution to the wind and trying to get back into the game. You realise that you probably need to be more cautious, so you click on the touchline shouts button, change to counter or perhaps defend, and relax knowing that your changes are bound to take place shortly. But what is this? The opposition striker closing in on goal. The ball hits the back of the net and you feel it as though it is choking you at the back of your throat. It's either the same highlight, or perhaps even the highlight afterwards, and your change still hasn't happened yet. How can that be!

These issues seriously need looking into as they have been here for several editions of the game now.

I still think team talks are a great idea but poorly implemented at the moment. It tells you everything you need to know about how poor they are when you read Wolfsong's thread (which is an excellent guide by the way, I recommend it highly) and some of the options are just totally the opposite to what you would expect (e.g. you have faith for a player who is playing well? For the fans is neutral? :confused: And so on). Also, the tactics creator is great and the touchline shouts wonderful, but why can't the changes happen straight away? I hate having to wait so long and, as in the example above, sometimes it's too late by the time it happens (if watching on key highlights, especially)!

Sorry chaps, just needed a moan.

Grumpy Crouchaldinho.

I never understood why players would 'seem demotivated, look delighted'. Do they think the manager has just given them permission to party?

My advice

1) You must not be implementing team talks correctly. You have already read one guide. I would have another read through it.

2) If you think that the touchline shouts aren't working correctly then don't use them. Go into your tactics and do it that way.

Brookie, thanks for your advice.

I've read several team talk guides (some better than others) and I now feel that I understand how to get the most out of the system. To be quite honest though, I don't think I would have ever managed to work it out without the Wolfsong guide. Some of the choices that work best make absolutely no sense to me personally. But I have to put in the correct input in order to get the results I want. It shouldn't be like that and that's really the point I am making in point 1.

As for the point 2 regarding the tactical changes, it doesn't matter whether you change the tactics he conventional way, or use the shouts, the same thing happens.

Touchline instructions work the same way as tactics...they normally come into action when the whistles blown to stop play.

I agree that it is quite hard to get the results that you want from teamtalks. I also have read a guide on them and it is puzzling some of the reactions from players. But I suppose I justify it by saying that every action has a reaction so it's down to me to try and get the right one. In real life it can't be easy to motivate players as a manager and get the exact result your looking for unless you're a top manager. I just try to read as many tactical and motivation threads as I can.

Crouchy, I'd recommend you Bubbytuna's (sp?) team-talk thread. It helped me A LOT to understand all the team talks thing in FM. And I can say that I really can manage my players in that way very well. I also don't have complacency issues. Must say though press-conferences are also very important when it comes to complacency and team morale.

As for the second thing you mentioned, I really know how you feel. It's the same for me. I guess we just have to react earlier and make tactical changes.

I agree that it is quite hard to get the results that you want from teamtalks. I also have read a guide on them and it is puzzling some of the reactions from players. But I suppose I justify it by saying that every action has a reaction so it's down to me to try and get the right one. In real life it can't be easy to motivate players as a manager and get the exact result your looking for unless you're a top manager. I just try to read as many tactical and motivation threads as I can.

Or maybe that in real life they dont need to know exact player reactions and fiddle with teamtalks the extent you do on this game, managers irl have different teamtalks some might get angry 2-0 down some might say aomething different, but when you try to bring a different theory on motivation into fm, youll get twatted by every team. imo irl players can motivate themselves and probably do, i doubt rooney needs to be told he can win today for him to play well.

Crouchy, I'd recommend you Bubbytuna's (sp?) team-talk thread. It helped me A LOT to understand all the team talks thing in FM. And I can say that I really can manage my players in that way very well. I also don't have complacency issues. Must say though press-conferences are also very important when it comes to complacency and team morale.

As for the second thing you mentioned, I really know how you feel. It's the same for me. I guess we just have to react earlier and make tactical changes.

Crouchy, Bubbaraytuna's thread is very good. Highly recommended, though I'm sure you will have read it.

As for the 2nd issue, here are my observations. Firstly shouts are like changes in your tactics in that they won't kick in until the ball has gone out of play (unless its a corner or dangerous free kick against you). Secondly, and this may just be me being mental, but I find if you close the shout window before they have been applied they can sometimes not kick in at all. So I always keep the window open until they turn white and the 'pending' disappears.

Crouchy, Bubbaraytuna's thread is very good. Highly recommended, though I'm sure you will have read it.

As for the 2nd issue, here are my observations. Firstly shouts are like changes in your tactics in that they won't kick in until the ball has gone out of play (unless its a corner or dangerous free kick against you). Secondly, and this may just be me being mental, but I find if you close the shout window before they have been applied they can sometimes not kick in at all. So I always keep the window open until they turn white and the 'pending' disappears.

That issue is fixed in 3rd patch, though it was a rare issue TBH. Never happened to me for example.

1) You start up a match and your team look like they barely know each other. Before you know it, you find yourself 2 or 3 nil down with absolutely no idea what has gone wrong. Off you go to the 'assistant manager team talk feedback' section after the game. Sure enough, you've screwed your team out of three points with your team talk. 'Seemed demotivated, looked delighted' is the effect you've managed to generate by showing a bit of faith in your players. And the worst thing is that there is nothing you could have done about it. The motivation panel in the match display is worse than useless and doesn't give you any indication at all as to what is going on. Your only clue is that your team are just chuffing awful.

This is my biggest irritation and why I stopped playing the game for a while. I don't know if it is just the 3d display poorly showing what is going on, or it is a failure of the match engine, but when your team is struggling to play well, it is rediculous to watch.

All of a sudden, a player with 2 or 3 options for a pass will simply stand in place and get tackled, despite having run with ball set to rarely. Players will stand still and not go to the ball, completely ignore marking instructions, or my personal favorite, watching both MCs and my DMC run together to the sideline to close down a winger.

Maybe its me, but I dont feel that teams go from dominating 15-18 shot games to completely useless 2-3 shot games and back with such regularity. The statistical changes between games, and often between halves, is very frustrating.

At its best, Football Manager is a game of strategy, where you have to carefully consider your tactics, your players and your long-term plan in order to achieve success.

At its worst, Football Manager is a game where your team get beaten because you have selected the wrong option out of five things to say before the game, none of which make a great deal of sense, and none of which particularly do what they say they do!

imo irl players can motivate themselves and probably do, i doubt rooney needs to be told he can win today for him to play well.

Which is why, somewhat strangely, "none" has been incredibly useful for me in team talks. If the players are anywhere in the 6.6-6.9 range, I normally don't give them any team talks. At worst they don't get any positive effect (but nothing negative either), and best case scenario being that when I do compliment players, they seem to be more responsive (happy, delighted, etc.)

At its best, Football Manager is a game of strategy, where you have to carefully consider your tactics, your players and your long-term plan in order to achieve success.

At its worst, Football Manager is a game where your team get beaten because you have selected the wrong option out of five things to say before the game, none of which make a great deal of sense, and none of which particularly do what they say they do!

There are certain matches when your team will just play badly, no matter what you have said to them. That's just sporting life. What you have to do is learn to quickly recognise those moments and strategically alter things to stop the opposition taking advantage. AIm to get to half time without conceding. You then have the opportunity to sort things out.

Simple rule of thumb:

Player is nervous: Reduce pressure

Player is playing badly but has no motivational issue: Tell him to pull his socks up

Player is playing well: Tell him he can make the difference here (if it is an option)

Player is complacent: Bit of anger can work wonders here

Player has scored: Tell him you have faith in his ability to 'do it again'

Player is playing OK and no motivational issue: Leave him be

You should see a markedly different second half performance.

I have to say, "Seemed demotivated, looked delighted" has confused me for a number of years now. Surely you're not going to be happy that you're lacking motivation?

Is that what it actually means, or am I just being a plank?

I have to say, "Seemed demotivated, looked delighted" has confused me for a number of years now. Surely you're not going to be happy that you're lacking motivation?

Is that what it actually means, or am I just being a plank?

He's happy because you've praised him, but demotivated because he thinks he's done enough.

Don't know about team talks tbf, the most I ever appear to get is "Nothing specific noted"

Of course I don't check most of the time, and the teams performance appears to randomly rise or drop... well, until the last 10 minutes, always drop then, but that's a different topic lol

Its the old problem of Press Conference and Team Talk, puzzle game.

Anyone remember those old adventure games on the Amiga? Where there was one specific solution to a problem and nothing else would work? That is what moral feels like in this game at times.

Its the old problem of Press Conference and Team Talk, puzzle game.

Anyone remember those old adventure games on the Amiga? Where there was one specific solution to a problem and nothing else would work? That is what moral feels like in this game at times.

Like 'Throw gnome at gate' - yes, those old text based adventure games were fun.

I think media/team talks are areas which need work. It's too much like having to break a code!

It really shouldn't be necessary to have to read long detailed guides written by third parties in order to avoid messing things up. What thoroughly confuses me is when you read two threads about this (Wolfsong's and Bubbatuna's) where different advice is given. How's a poor girl to know what to do?? :confused:

I tend to use 'none' a lot in team talks and 'no comment' a lot in press conferences. At least you don't seem to make things worse that way!

I guess I'm just guilty of having a bit of a moan here. :o

It's just sometimes the team talks can feel a bit like a 'you win' or 'you lose' button.

That's what I dislike about the system as it stands.

As you're watching a highlight you are watching the past. You can't expect the changes you make to take place until after the highlight - if you feel that this isn't happening then yes there is a problem but I am fairly sure that my changes get made the next time the ball goes out.

Try pressing pause first to make sure you change your tactic during a highlight and not run the risk of it not being implimented for 10-15 minutes.

As for team talks - what a treacherous area that is. Pfft. Will have a look for that thread you mention as I could do with reading up on it!

Which is why, somewhat strangely, "none" has been incredibly useful for me in team talks. If the players are anywhere in the 6.6-6.9 range, I normally don't give them any team talks. At worst they don't get any positive effect (but nothing negative either), and best case scenario being that when I do compliment players, they seem to be more responsive (happy, delighted, etc.)

IMO: this = correct

You can always use the "you have faith" approach.. even though i've stopped using it since it's almost cheating IMO

Always say you have faith, doesn't seem to have negative effects and very often inspires the players to a great performance.. there was a thread from zerosea about this on the tactics forum.

You mean this thread - http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=194179&highlight=faith

Where the advice is basically just to say 'you have faith' all of the time!

You mean this thread - http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=194179&highlight=faith

Where the advice is basically just to say 'you have faith' all of the time!

Exactly

And it often inspired 3 or 4 players to a great performance per match.. seems a bit unrealistic.

He's happy because you've praised him, but demotivated because he thinks he's done enough.

I'm not sure that's a "normal" reaction to being praised at all, in real life that is. Praise is generally used as a motivation method - people usually come out more motivated after receiving praise, not less. Given that complacency can kick in after excessive (and undeserved) praise over a longer period of time, but I can't see a genuine praise having that effect on most personality types.

I do understand the balancing reason behind that particular team talk in game mechanics, but it does seem a bit unnatural that praising your players is rarely - if ever - the right thing to do.

I see. So 'we can win today' is the 'lose button' and 'I have faith' is the 'win button'.

Complicated stuff.