Unfriendly Friendlies

Is anyone else struggling from overly competitive friendlies? Every pre-season, I get friendlies where my players start dropping like flies because the opponents just don't hold back their tackles. I've seen red cards, and players complaining their heads off to the refs. This is just not realistic.

I can see how it might happen in the final friendlies, when teams give it 100% before the start of the season, but these things are happening even in my intra-squad friendlies. My first-teamer got himself sent off for making a two footed lunge on one of my reserve player! That did not make sense at all.

I set most of my players to easy tackling, save for in key areas like CM where I have them on normal, don't really have any problems

The AI certainly takes friendlies more seriously than I do but in general the matches are pretty placid.

One time the other team just went psycho for some reason and got a red and six yellows. I guess they just got wound up. I think IRL we would have picked up the ball after twenty minutes and gone home.

Is anyone else struggling from overly competitive friendlies? Every pre-season, I get friendlies where my players start dropping like flies because the opponents just don't hold back their tackles. I've seen red cards, and players complaining their heads off to the refs. This is just not realistic.

I can see how it might happen in the final friendlies, when teams give it 100% before the start of the season, but these things are happening even in my intra-squad friendlies. My first-teamer got himself sent off for making a two footed lunge on one of my reserve player! That did not make sense at all.

I've referee'd friendlies where the red card has to come out due to some shocking tackles. Last year a pre-season friendly saw one player go in with two feet at knee height. Not impressed, sent him off.

It does happen. Why it happens I have no idea, usually friendly matches are quite nice to take charge of. Especially because the cards can be kept in the pocket and most fouls are just because the players are rusty -sigh-.

The AI certainly takes friendlies more seriously than I do but in general the matches are pretty placid.

This. I see no problem with pre season friendlies how they are currently.

I dont mind friendlies against other teams, what they do is their affair. But I do object to the stupitity of inter squad friendlies. I set my reserve team to easy tackling, and my first team, start the match, but then my AssMan decides he wants to hobble the first team and suddenly it was a bloodbath, 3 injuries (2 first team, 1 res), 4 yellow cards. In reality the manager (ie. me) would have stopped the match and given the whole sorry shower of them the hairdryer treatment.