suggestions for learning the game?

Hi there everyone,

New to the game here but need some help from the community. Basically, I am looking for some sort of guide/walkthrough/video or anything that shows someone playing the game and talks about his decisions. I have seen plenty of blogs that just say something to the effect of "I did this, here are my results, etc" but dont really show you the process. The reason why I am looking for this is because I have begun to play the game with a team from the Mexican first division. I have a good team, and i believe I have set them up with a formation that benefits the team (4-3-3), however, I am not getting the results that I hoped for. My strikers are not scoring the goals I would like, and I generally feel like my actions have little to no impact on the game (shouts etc). Perhaps I am missing something tactics wise, which is why I wish to see someone playing the game, to see what kind of things they pay attention to, and what kind of actions they take at certain points (but most importantly, WHY they do these things).

If anyone has any suggestions, I would greately appreciate it.

try downloading some tactics from the tactics forum.

you can then see what other people have used and base your tactics around theirs. make a few changes, if it works well then save, if not revert back. then repeat if you think it can be improved.

i always use classic tactics as i feel i have more control.

My personal suggestion is to start off at a very low level of football. There you will learn everything you need to know.

- Use the analysis after each game to praise/critise players on their a) shooting b) passing c) tackling.

- Read your assistants tactical advice in-game, and apply it to your formation. ie. "Player X is used to playing a more direct game".

- Have a list of pre-set shouts so that you can instantly change your approach if things are not going well. A defensive set and and attacking set.

I personally would start with a big team, or your local team, whoever you know the most about at the start, it will make selecting a line up and identifying potential weak areas easier as you will already have an opinion on that from real life. From there i would use the game tutorials as much as possible to find your way about the game, there is a lot to find out about and work your way through. I would also highly recommend heading to the tactics and training forum on here, there is a lot of very very good advice from experienced FMer's who know their stuff and are usually more than happy to help out any new comer. I would also suggest not going overboard tactics wise early on, unless you have a fantastic grasp of tactics and more importantly the FM ME then you could be doing things that are actually harming your teams chances rather than improving them. Stick to a standard set up, small adjustments where needed because of players and build it from there with experience.

Most important of all, dont get frustrated!!! FM can be a very frustrating game at times, especially if things are not working the way you want, be patient and keep working at it, when you get it right there is not a better game out there for feeling satisfied you have accomplished something.

Agreed with everything said previously. Also have a look through SFraser and Cleons threads on the Tactics and training forum. There is a link to all of SFrasers threads stickied at the top of the page and and Cleons thread titiled "The SI Sports Centre" some excellent pieces in there. Helped me massively when I first started

First, read TTF'09 and TTF'10, it's a tactical guide who push SI to create the tactical wizzard in the game. it's talking all about tactic and player you need.

Don't download pre-made tactical, as tactic is different from one club to another cause players and leagues are all different. Read also an old guide from Vaughan " hints and tips" if you can find it where you can find some interesting things to understand how works FM.

Posts from SFraser and Cleon are also interested.

I would start with a big team with a big budget, maybe City, PSG or Malaga. That way its easier to work out the basics of the game.

So I believe I have joined the masses in being addicted to the game. I read through the SI center link that was suggested and wow is it ever helpful. That is exactly what I was looking for, and fount I wasn't too far off already. I fount that I had landed at a very similar formation that was explained, the 4-3-2-1. Some of my duties are different, as I don't think I have the proper players to match it exactly (kind of like how my LAM is my Advanced Playmaker right now), but it really helped in terms of my strategy and setting up my shouts (some of which I was already using together).

I played for around 4 hours earlier today, finishing my first season (technically half the season, the mexican soccer league is split into two smaller tournaments) and ended up in 2nd place at the end of the regular season. In the playoffs I was at the edge of my seat; after cruising through the round of 8, i was down by one goal on the second leg in the quarter final. The match was at home, and all I needed was one goal to tie the aggregate score and make it through thanks to away goal/table position. It didnt come until minute 87 when my team scored its only direct free kick of the season from outside the box.

Despite loosing in the semi finals, I've been secured another season with my club and with some transfer cash, I have already managed to land a second great offensive/creative player to use in the midfield and feed my forwards. Once I round out a good backup defender or two, I think my team will be much stronger (which will be needed thanks to participating in the upcoming Libertadores tournament). I still have trouble noticing exactly how some of my shouts/tactics are affecting my players, but I think that I am slowly grasping it.

Thanks for the help folks!

Your welcome keep us updated how it goes and if you need any advice etc etc.

Good Luck