How do I get my selfish players to stop shooting like morons?

So many times, while playing this game, I have had a player running down the left or right flank with the ball, at an awkward angle from the goal. Another player will be running down the middle, in open space, with a chance on goal. But instead of the passing to the open player, who will have a clear shot once he has the ball, he takes a shot from a stupid angle and misses. It happnes so many times and it has cost me many goals and many games.

Is there a way to tell you players to stop being ******* and start passing more often?

Teach them the "looks for the pass rather than the shot"

I had the same problem with idiotic long shots - went some way to solving by telling everyone not to shoot from distance!

I guess things like decisions might come into it...better decisions might mean less stupid shots??

what level are you managing at?

Im managing Arsenal.

Then you would expect your team to have decent players - i feel your frustration!

Stevie-G's suggestion seem's logical but could take a season and there is only a slight chance they will even learn the skill - let alone allow you to see an impact on the ME.

I set Long shots to 'Rarely' for every player that does not have a high attribute for that. Seems to work ok. I still get Long shots, but not all the time.

One of the problems can be the tactics. The reason they shoot, even when you tell them not to, is because there are no one to pass to. So if they are at the edge of the box, they tend to shoot if no other options.

You could also try to use the Shout 'Work ball into the box', which should cut down on long shots also.

You can never completely eliminate them, but even at PRL level i then real world, they tend to shoot quite a bit when there are no real openings.

I use the quick tactic "work ball into box"

I use the quick tactic "work ball into box"

It's a shame that things like this can't be set on the main tactic page.

It's a shame that things like this can't be set on the main tactic page.

If my understanding from the blogs was correct, this functionality will come with FM2012

Re the original question: If you have a selfish player that always shoot like a moron, the guaranteed way to stop it happening is to stop selecting him. Not the answer you wanted but it was my first thought, in a lateral thinking king of way

Lower their mentality.

Arsenal? Shouldn't be that much of a problem. Liverpool got like half the players in the world who have the "shoots from distance" PPM which is basically the most devastating drawback ever designed in a computer game.

I try to avoid signing players with that PPM.

If that is not the problem, there can be a couple of things at fault with the tactic:

1. When on highly Attacking duties, players tend to shoot more even when that is not the wisest choice.

2. When his teammates have already finished their runs and "bounce" into the offside line and/or opposition players, they are not available for a pass and so he decides to shoot. In other words, if all your attacking players are set to Run From Deep Often, they are less inclined to drop deep in order to find space, this eventually leading to long shots or loss of possession.

3. When the tempo is set to quick, the team will generally seek to get the ball forward quickly... and finish the attack quickly as well. If the opposition defends well and with many people, your team will be less patient, so if the initial quick attack comes to nothing they finish it anyways - from distance. Playing with a slow tempo doesn't mean that your players won't attack quickly when they have the chance (especially if they have mixed or even more direct passing).

The same thing has happened to me a few times in different saves. Ayew was my worst.

It is their ambition. You could also ask him in 'have a private chat' not to have long shots and if he argues dont start him for a while or just sell him.