Just started playing after putting off for a few years

I knew what this game would mean to my productivity levels. All fears confirmed.

I'm currently playing with Blackpool, trying to keep them up, and doing a bad job of it. It seems like my tactics are fine, I'm not giving up a lot of goals in the run of play, but I'm getting killed on set pieces. Any advice for fixing this?

My goals scored are getting better here in January a bit as I've brought some better midfielders in. My forwards waste a lot of chances. Are there some training things I shoudl be doing?

I have a ton of players with contracts coming due that want to be paid like stars without any ability. It seems like I can find better replacements at a fraction of the cost? Smart to turnover the squad like this?

Any must do tips for a guy only playing about a week? I know this game is about 10 levels deeper than I'm digging right now. I don't even know what all the screens mean.

http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php/18-Tactics-amp-Training-Discussion

The tactics forum is a good place to start you should be able to pick up some tips on creating your own training schedules or there are probably some downloadable ones in there already.

Might not be advisable to bring in too many players in January. What is your standing in the league do you think you will stay up? There is nothing wrong with making a big amount of signings at the start of a new season. I signed 11 players and moved out 15 for my Blackburn side and as a result they are playing a hell of a lot better.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/232930-The-FM11-Looking-For-Thread

As for new players and such the above thread is a big help with many experienced FM players willing to help.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/236922-The-Blackpool-Team-Guide-The-futures-bright...the-futures-Tangerine!/page2

No one has posted in the Blackpool thread for a while but at the end of your season if you write a brief summary and post it in there then I am pretty sure there will be some people available to give you advice.

Anything else just ask.

I like to think that defending set pieces is one of my strongest suits. However remember any advice is just that - advice. It can be harmful as well as helpful.

Defending Free Kicks:

> Make sure that you don't have anyone set to 'Mark Near Post' or 'Mark Far Post' as there is a substantial risk that your players marking the posts will keep everyone onside. Often the free kick taker will simply do a lay off and an opposition player will hammer the goals in unopposed.

> By default I think the instructions will put your DCs and STs in the wall, meaning it consists of five men or so. That's far more than you need. I find you generally don't require more than three. Your best markers should be, well, 'Man Marking', while your small but intelligent players should be set to 'Go Back' to cover any gaps. Meanwhile stick your biggest and least useful lumps in the wall.

> Finally you should leave at least two pacy attacking players who are useless in the air (wingers, usually) on 'Stay Forward'. Leaving players on 'Stay Forward' results in an n+1 situation for the computer; So roughly-speaking for every attacker you leave up the computer will leave behind the same number of defenders plus one extra man. In my experiance the less attackers there are up at your end, the less chaos there is and with that comes a greater likelihood of your defence prevailing.

Defending Corners:

> Stick your tallest and best player in the air on the Near Post. The Near Post is where most goals are conceded, so you want your strongest man here.

> You should also have between 2-3 additional players who are both good at marking and good in the air doing 'Man Marking'. That will generally be enough to pick up any goal threats.

> Stick anyone else who is intelligent, has any defence ability and is generally good at getting to the ball first (high stats in Anticipation, Positioning and Bravery help) on 'Go Back'. They will be doing mop-up duties and make your defence more flexible. Typically you will have at least 2 of these.

> Sticking someone on the Far Post is optional, but often worthwhile. I find you don't generally suffer from not having someone here, but every now and then a team will come along that exploits this more than once in a match, while can be very frustrating. Good candidates for this role include slow but tall strikers. I wouldn't waste a good defensive player here.

> Much more important in my view is having someone to 'Close Down Corners'. The ideal player for this role is fast, preferably at least average height, tenacious and a good tackler. DM's and Wingbacks are usually the best candidates.

What they do is repeatedly disrupt the delivery of the ball. Simply by being there they can usually put off a good delivery. (YOU try hitting a corner over someone standing ten yards away and then landing it on someone's head!). You might concede corners more corners from their efforts, but it's well worth it. They are also great at disrupting corners played short and at starting counter attacks down the wing. I can't emphasise how important this role is.

> As usual, make sure you have a minimum of 2 pacy, composed players on 'Stay Forward' ready to counter attack. I find that their presence ties up 3-4 computer players, reduces the pressue on your goal, helps you win possession back, and occasionally gives you goals.

---

Hope that helps.

much appreciated. Thanks!

Not-so-objectively speaking I like to think that defending set pieces is one of my strongest suits. However remember any advice is just that -advice. It can be harmful as well as helpful.

Defending Free Kicks:

> Make sure that you don't have anyone set to 'mark near post' or 'mark far post' as there is a substantial risk that your players marking the posts will keep everyone onside. Often the free kick taker will simply do a lay off and an opposition player will hammer the goals in unapposed.

> By default I think your instructions will be put your central defenders and strikers in the wall, usually meaning it consists of five men or so. That's far more than you need. I find you generally don't require more than three. Your best markers should be, well, 'Man Marking', while your small but intelligent players should be set to 'Go Back' to cover the gaps.

Your biggest and least useful lumps should be stuck in the wall, while you should leave at least two pacy attacking players who are useless in the air (wingers, usually) on 'Stay Forward'. The rule for leaving players on 'Stay Forward' results in an n+1 situation for the computer. So roughly for every attacker you leave up the computer will leave behind the same number of defenders plus one extra man. As a general rule, the less attackers there are up at your end, the less chaos there is and with that comes a greater likelihood of your defence prevailing.

Defending Corners:

> Stick your tallest and best player in the air on the Near Post. The Near Post is where most goals are conceded, so you want your strongest man here.

> You should also have between 2-3 additional players who are both good at marking and good in the air doing 'Man Marking'. That will generally be enough to pick up any goal threats.

> Stick anyone else who has any defence ability, and or is intelligent and good at getting to the ball first (high stats in Anticipation, Positioning and Bravery help) on 'Go Back'. They will be doing mop-up duties and make your defence more flexible. Typically you will have at least 2 of these.

> Having someone on the Far Post is optional, but often worthwhile. I find you don't generally suffer from not having someone here, but every now and then a team will come along that exploits this more than once in a match, while can be dead frustrating. Good candidates for this role include slow but tall strikers, as I wouldn't waste a good defensive player here.

> Much more important in my view is having someone to 'Close Down Corner'. The ideal player is fast, preferably at least average height, tenacious and a good tackler. DM's and Wingbacks are usually the best candidates. What they do is is repeatedly disrupt the delivery of the ball. Just by being there they can usually put off a good delivery. (YOU try hitting a corner over someone standing ten yards away and then landing it on someone's head!). You might concede corners more corners from their efforts, but it's well worth it. They are also great at disrupting corners played short and at starting counter attacks down the wing.

> As usual, make sure you have a minimum of 2 pacy, composed players on 'Stay Forward' ready to counter attack. I find that their presence ties up 3-4 computer players, reduces the pressue on your goal, helps you win possession back and is also an occasional source of goals.

---

Hope that helps.

Big thanks, exactly what I'm looking for. Makes sense.

I read a statical analysis about marking posts basically being a waste in football as you give up too much to mark a small area.

From real life or in the game? In my experiance in-game, marking the Far Post is almost always a luxury, while the Near Post is vital. I have no statistics to back this up unfortunately.

I suspect it's more important to have a working and consistent system that is flexible enough to deal well with most situations, than to try and do the statistically optimal thing with every player (which seems to be the way managers like Allardyce operate).

sorry, real life. Basically the theory was that a very small percentage of balls were covered by the post markers, and they are better served trying to deny service.

sorry, real life. Basically the theory was that a very small percentage of balls were covered by the post markers, and they are better served trying to deny service.

This is true. Commentators like to say "he should have been on the post", but someone like Drogba trying to clear the ball before it gets in the danger area will probably prevent more goals than putting a man on the post.