How to deal with a slump in team form? [iPhone]

I've been playing as Bury after getting sacked from LFC (thanks, Board).

Fantastic start to the season but after about 20 league games my team's form has gone downhill fast. In the last 5 games I've barely been able to score a goal.

There's been no change to my formation or my regular 14 or so that make up my usual starting 11.

What do I do?

Should I be shuffling the team around to get some fresh legs in? Have the AI teams learnt my tactic (the default 4-4-2) and are now actively combating it? Is this just something natural in the game engine I have to push through?

Any thoughts/tips highly appreciated.

I find it rather natural...

I usually go for a more trusty, reliable tactic such as Dec's 433

I think that in every single one of my saves (except Barcelona) I've suffered a mid-season slump. I'm adamant that it's predetermined and written into the game, because like you I have no idea why it happens. I'm in my 3rd season at Aberdeen right now and have signed Zhirkov, Berbatov, Santa Cruz, Henrique and Chivu (all free ) but I've lost my previous 2 games 2-0 despite being 8 points ahead at the top of the league...

This is all down to team form. It can switch on with a single disappointing result or build up over a period of about five games. You stop scoring, you always conceed first. What's annoying is that it doesn't matter how bad the team you are playing is, or what their form is. Their players can have awful morale but suddenly find the net against you and their goalie becomes world class. Until you get to the stage where your team is better than every other team in the league, this will happen every season. I don't think it's a level playing field at all. I've seen computer teams with bad players, playing in positions which are highlighted in red, with no energy left, score in the last 10 minutes when you are in the slump. It's the reason why it's so easy to sign great players and improve your squad, because until you do, the game does not take into account the relative player skill levels enough. When you have the best team in the league by some way, then it's just the odd bad result that comes through. The slump though is the most annoying feature. You can play the same tactics with the same players, that had been getting results, against identical quality teams, and suddenly, you hit the wall. The only way out of it that I found was to play your normal game, until losing, then switch to 4-3-3 with short passing and attacking play, or, 4-4-2 Attacking formation, with direct passing and attacking play. If you can then turn a couple of games around it restores team morale and breaks you out of the slump. The slump can come at any point, middle of the season or near the end, but if you get it at the start of the season, you need to break it quickly because otherwise it becomes a relegation issue with the team perpetually mired near the bottom.

lol it just happened to me for the X-hundredth time on my Newcastle save...we just lost to Stoke 4-0, who are currently 20th...

It's down to complacancy. After winning, the team thinks they can win giving 80% and maybe other teams are more understanding your weak points.

To solve try some of the following: Replace your underperforming youngsters with experienced guys, less talented, but more reliable.

Also you can build some more certainties into the team. Like change wingbacks to full backs. Change 1 or 2 midfielders from APM/BBM/CM to Ball winning Mids. Change defenders to limited defenders...

Newcastle lost to Stoke 4-0? Sounds about right based on this season's result at Fortress Brittania.