Frustrating end of season...

(I did embed the pics but they were huge and I cba to resize now)

I have just endured the most frustrating end to any season I have completed. I took over a failing AC Milan in 2011, who were in 9th place at the time. I then finished 7th that season despite being 4 points off the top. This season I have built my squad up well with many great free signings such as Yury Zhirkov, Tim Wiese, Cedric Mongongu, Taye Taiwo, Michael Carrick and Fernando Gago plus I bought Alexis Sanchez.

Unsurprisingly my team were dominating the league, barely conceding and scoring plenty with Pato and Ibrahimovic in fine form throughout the season. However, towards the end of the season, the results started to slip and although I barely lost, the team drew several games they should have won. This allowed Palermo and previously failing Inter (under Wenger who was threatened with the sack not too long ago) to catch up dangerously close.

Final day of the season the table looks like this:

http://img690.imageshack.us/i/seriea1z.jpg/

I needed to win against Cagliari at home. This shouldn't be a problem, we just need to play well and score and we're sorted.

BUT NO. Dominated and yet failed. Pato hit the post. Zhirkov had a stormer. So many one on ones go begging. 1-1 Final score. I'm fuming.

http://img148.imageshack.us/i/cagliariv.jpg/

Inter win the title. I'm angry.

http://img10.imageshack.us/i/seriea2w.jpg/

But as a consolation, I couldn't help but laugh at DENNIS WISE (yes, really) taking Blackburn up to 4th to qualify for the Champions League (again, yes really) with a terrible squad. Also, Stoke are in the Europa League after winning the League Cup while 4th placed in the Championship and West Brom could make it as well if they beat Spurs in the FA Cup Final while being 16th in the Championship. England's contribution to UEFA is priceless.

http://img576.imageshack.us/i/rofleyd.jpg/

I've had this problem for a number of seasons where results become hard to get towrads the end of the season. Though in a way this does resemble real life as presure mounts towards the end of a season. But I think the main reason is that the AI gets use to your tactics. I don't know if its a myth but I've noticed alot of threads about tactics getting cracked by the AI.

I had the same thing with my PSV team for two seasons in a row now. For some reason I manage to only get 2 points out of 9 in the last 3 matches to lose the title to Ajax. Against relegation teams that is... A lot of ccc's for me, but I lose by a corner or a screamer... Frustrating

"squeaky bum time"

it's a known phenomena, it's how you deal with it that matters...

my team bottled it at the end of the 7th season, i was fuming, lead the league most of the season and did well in all competitions but it backfired i had the scottish cup, league, and euro cup to deal with and it ruined my squad, got hit with a few key injuries and had to play youth players, ended up losing the euro semi's finished second in the league and lost the scottish cup final

Ah, I know the feeling. My PSG team bottled it in the last 2 matches and I ended up third when I actually should have won the title.

Happens every times. 100x more in Serie A.

Thats why I made a topic about it being less optimises somehow.

Premiership is a million times easier. (Please no-one talk rubbish about how it is because I know the players better)

Next game. Missed 6 CCCs.

My new 16m striker is an absolute joke.

Please no-one talk rubbish about how it is because I know the players better

Oh know, of course not. It's because you're better than 99% of other managers.

Oh wow, it just got worse.

I still had the Italian Cup Final against Sampdoria, so I went about it in my usual way - had a couple of suspensions but oh well. We're playing poorly, they have a guy sent off for a last man challenge and after a couple of tactical changes and Robinho puts one away in the 83rd minute. Now I have my highlights on key and we all know what it means when there's a highlight of the opposite team at about the 93rd minute....don't we?

Sampdoria equalise. FFS.

My team decide to lose all of their discipline and the screenshots really speak for themselves. Embarrassing.

I had to play 3-2-1 in the end and nearly scored a couple of times as well...

now there's a thing...

isn't a game supposed to be abandoned if one team has less than 8 players on the pitch?

I remember Warnock? allegedly telling a player to feign injury once when his Sheffield Utd team had had 3 men sent off so the ref had to abandon the game...

anybody?

Its no less than 7 players i think.

It should be abandoned if one team has less than 7 players.

It should be abandoned if one team has less than 7 players.

so it is, my bad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bramall_Lane

Take the pressure off your player in the final ru-in of the season if you are challenging for the trophies and especially if you are favoutites to win them. I found that very useful and effective instead of pushing them and demanding wins.