Counter-Intuitive Match Preparation

So, I'm in my first season with Blackpool, in 16th place with one match left.

We started off the season brightly, middled out but still got fair results, and late in the season we have just collapsed, only earning one point since I think February.

Early on, I had my Match Preparation set to "team blend". After the first match I switched it to "attacking movement" for a couple of weeks, before switching to "defensive positioning" and keeping it. Around January or so my team stopped scoring as they were but didn't really concede much. I also had a striker on a long goal drought so I figured I would switch to "attacking movement".

The result of this: my strikers begin to score even less, the one striker with the long goal drought still hasn't scored since November. A new striker I brought in as a back-up in his role has not scored a single goal since joining me in December. Not only that, but now my team are conceding goals like maniacs- I've switched back to "defensive positioning" lately and the same thing happens. There's really no point, it seems, in switching to the set-piece things as my team doesn't concede much from there and scores enough from freekicks and such to keep me happy.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Match Preperations arn't ment to be there to win you games. They simply solidify the specific area slightly. This doesn't mean your team will turn into Inter Milan for 1 game and shut up shop, nor will it turn you into Barcelona and make your strikers score 24/7.

There are a lot of factors that involve the success of your team, the most important being Moral and Team Talks, improve those and you shouldn't have a problem.

Lastly, you're Blackpool, a team expected to finish 20th. Be happy you're not in relegation. Just look at them now in real life, people were so shock and awe at them at the start of the season that they forgot that Blackpool have been playing like **** for the past 2-3 months, nearing closer and closer to relegation.

Match Preperations arn't ment to be there to win you games. They simply solidify the specific area slightly. This doesn't mean your team will turn into Inter Milan for 1 game and shut up shop, nor will it turn you into Barcelona and make your strikers score 24/7.

There are a lot of factors that involve the success of your team, the most important being Moral and Team Talks, improve those and you shouldn't have a problem.

Lastly, you're Blackpool, a team expected to finish 20th. Be happy you're not in relegation. Just look at them now in real life, people were so shock and awe at them at the start of the season that they forgot that Blackpool have been playing like **** for the past 2-3 months, nearing closer and closer to relegation.

Believe me, I understand that match preparation won't win me games, I understand other effects, and I understand that I'm Blackpool.

The problem is that NOTHING works and, even though I have strengthened the squad, they became utterly worthless. I won only three matches in 2011 and only earned one point after beating Birmingham in February during a 0-0 home draw against West Ham. It was pathetic- and it seemed that when my attacking was inept, I would switch to attacking preparation, resulting in my attackers being just as inept but then my defense playing like schoolboys. When my defense were inept, I switched to defensive preparation, resulting in my defenders being just as inept but then with my attackers playing like schoolboys.

Overall, I don't expect match preparation to work miracles, but you would think that there would be some sort of improvement on what my team was training on, regardless of whether they win or not.

Match Preparation was one of the silliest ideas yet. It just doesn't make much sense really. I mean there are some merits to it. But everyone just has it on Team Blend then swaps to something before a game. And there is no reason why a team, IRL, cant do more than one of those.

In training, a team might focus on all of the things. I highly doubt the manager goes "OK boys, lets forget everything else. For this game we are going to work on attacking movement!" (I do know that it only provides a boost, but stiill IRL you might want to have a small boost across all areas rather than giving it all to one area)

Also, how does the Team Blend thing work? You take them paintballing instead of training?

Match Preparation was one of the silliest ideas yet. It just doesn't make much sense really. I mean there are some merits to it. But everyone just has it on Team Blend then swaps to something before a game. And there is no reason why a team, IRL, cant do more than one of those.

In training, a team might focus on all of the things. I highly doubt the manager goes "OK boys, lets forget everything else. For this game we are going to work on attacking movement!" (I do know that it only provides a boost, but stiill IRL you might want to have a small boost across all areas rather than giving it all to one area)

Also, how does the Team Blend thing work? You take them paintballing instead of training?

From Personal Experience, I can only say positive things about the match preperation, yes I do tend to only have it on Team Blend, but as soon as a rival game, champions league semi or final or any other important cup game, I switch it appropriately. It's even more effective the worst your team is, as you can practice set pieces and those can win you games (Ask Wolves irl).

Also, your team could of practiced and improved during training, but if the opposition is simply on their game, your defense will always be made a joke of. Unless you are seeing Own Goals, pass-backs that get intercepted or anything stupid, I wouldn't expect Blackpool to do any better, but it's safe to say that blackpool's back-line is just prone to making mistakes so you can't expect much. Same thing goes for your forwards, if their defense is simply better, well, your out of luck. ( Don't forget to look at your team talks, pre-game player interactions, press conferences, tactics, opposition instructions, starting philosophy, etc. All of those have A LOT more influence on the outcome than "match prep").

@Sheva, you're awfully miss-interpreting what match prep's are. A manager would never say "lets forget everything else" but they would certainly spend an hour extra doing set pieces, attacking plays, defensive plays. Hence, "Specialized Focus Areas"

For team blend, i wouldn't be surprised if clubs did team activities but the most probable way they do it is by plaiyng inhouse friendlies, 5 v 5 or something of the like. Put players that you want to gel together and "blend" would be on the same team. Its simply logical if you think about it from a Manager perspective.

I don't want to seem like the guy that thinks FM 11 is perfect, because i think there are plenty of issues. But simply put. This isn't one of them. At least in my opinion it isn't.

Edit: Just as a side note, using blend all the time and switch right before a game will actually bring you no more benefit than not using Team Blend. Since to my knowledge, it actually only interprets your "match preperation" instruction right before the match.

From Personal Experience, I can only say positive things about the match preperation, yes I do tend to only have it on Team Blend, but as soon as a rival game, champions league semi or final or any other important cup game, I switch it appropriately. It's even more effective the worst your team is, as you can practice set pieces and those can win you games (Ask Wolves irl).

Also, your team could of practiced and improved during training, but if the opposition is simply on their game, your defense will always be made a joke of. Unless you are seeing Own Goals, pass-backs that get intercepted or anything stupid, I wouldn't expect Blackpool to do any better, but it's safe to say that blackpool's back-line is just prone to making mistakes so you can't expect much. Same thing goes for your forwards, if their defense is simply better, well, your out of luck. ( Don't forget to look at your team talks, pre-game player interactions, press conferences, tactics, opposition instructions, starting philosophy, etc. All of those have A LOT more influence on the outcome than "match prep").

@Sheva, you're awfully miss-interpreting what match prep's are. A manager would never say "lets forget everything else" but they would certainly spend an hour extra doing set pieces, attacking plays, defensive plays. Hence, "Specialized Focus Areas"

For team blend, i wouldn't be surprised if clubs did team activities but the most probable way they do it is by plaiyng inhouse friendlies, 5 v 5 or something of the like. Put players that you want to gel together and "blend" would be on the same team. Its simply logical if you think about it from a Manager perspective.

I don't want to seem like the guy that thinks FM 11 is perfect, because i think there are plenty of issues. But simply put. This isn't one of them. At least in my opinion it isn't.

Edit: Just as a side note, using blend all the time and switch right before a game will actually bring you no more benefit than not using Team Blend. Since to my knowledge, it actually only interprets your "match preperation" instruction right before the match.

As far as Blackpool's defense being error-prone, I agree. Though, part of this has to do with Ian Holloway's attacking approach, while I used different tactics. Further, three of my four regular full-backs were new signings in the summer as well as one of my regular central defenders (who played nearly every game).

That being said, it was the native Blackpool defenders who played the worst, but what they usually did was jump for headers near mid-field, miss, then stand around while an opposing attacker jumped on the ball. Only then would they start to half-heartedly jog after him. I believe this is much worse than the IRL mistakes Blackpool has been making.

As far as Blackpool's defense being error-prone, I agree. Though, part of this has to do with Ian Holloway's attacking approach, while I used different tactics. Further, three of my four regular full-backs were new signings in the summer as well as one of my regular central defenders (who played nearly every game).

That being said, it was the native Blackpool defenders who played the worst, but what they usually did was jump for headers near mid-field, miss, then stand around while an opposing attacker jumped on the ball. Only then would they start to half-heartedly jog after him. I believe this is much worse than the IRL mistakes Blackpool has been making.

Easy fix would be not to play with such a high line, or not to play with offsides.