Can't get any consistency.

Ok for the first time on FM08 I am not Arsenal. I have chosen to manage Villa, In my first season I had finished 14th (I know rubbish). I made many changes for the start of the 2nd season, sold players and bought some good players. I won all my friendlies but now the league has started I have some weird results...

1-0 Loss to Bolton

3-1 Win OPR

1-1 Draw Arsenal

5-3 Loss Newcastle!

1-0 WIN yes WIN Liverpool!

I really don't know why, if i'm using almost the same tactics. I sometimes switch between 5-3-1-1 and 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 depending on who I have available.

Is this just something to do with managing a not so big team and I have to vary tactics alot more? I just find it VERY frustrating when I win against Liverpool but lose against most other teams, and the players I have brought in should have really improved my squad!

if you keep varying your tactics, your team will be even more inconsistent. Why not try to stick with something that works well and stick with it through the season?

And in any case, pre-match journalists question, pre-match/half-time team talks, with different answers and combinations, change the way your players play even if the morale is superb for all your players... Answer wrongly, or wrong combination, gives you a huge load of trouble.

If you're doing better against bigger teams than smaller ones then it will be down to the fact that your tactic is probably set up to invite pressure and then hit teams on the break. This will work against the bigger teams as they will be attacking you and giving you chances to counter them. But the smaller teams will most likely be sitting back and waiting for you to come to them, rendering your counter attacking approach useless.

Keep an eye on your results and if you find yourself often doing well against a big team and then not so well against a smaller team you probably need to re-think how you play against the smaller clubs.

I might try turning counter attack off against smaller teams then. I have never found a downside to counter, I always have it on every FM I have played and every team I manage. Thanks for the responses.

if you keep varying your tactics, your team will be even more inconsistent. Why not try to stick with something that works well and stick with it through the season?

And in any case, pre-match journalists question, pre-match/half-time team talks, with different answers and combinations, change the way your players play even if the morale is superb for all your players... Answer wrongly, or wrong combination, gives you a huge load of trouble.

This isn't necessarily true. In my Liverpool game that i am playing, i am known as the tinkerman because i am always changing my tactics. After 34 games, i am top by 12 points and i have only lost once. You can still alter your tactics on a regular basis, but you need to do it at the right times and choose the right tactic. I played 4-4-2 at home to Portsmouth and won 1-0. I then had spurs away and played 5-3-2 and i won 3-0. After the game, the press said i caught spurs unawares as i changed my tactic. I do beleive it can have a negative impact on results, but it also can have positives.

Mr Arsenal, do you use the corner tactic where you stick your best header of the ball on challenge gk and put nobody on front post and set your corners to 6 yard box??? Might help you a bit if you did that.

How many players did you bring in? It could be down to them not gelling yet.

if you keep varying your tactics, your team will be even more inconsistent. Why not try to stick with something that works well and stick with it through the season?

And in any case, pre-match journalists question, pre-match/half-time team talks, with different answers and combinations, change the way your players play even if the morale is superb for all your players... Answer wrongly, or wrong combination, gives you a huge load of trouble.

I agree, even if the team starts badly. I tried this with Man City and started badly as they were getting used to it and then we finished 7th, 3 points off 4th, second season 3rd, 2 points behind Chelsea

I think I may have it! *sigh of relief*. I was 3-0 down, changed to 4-3-2-1 and pulled it back to 3-3. I decided to go with this and now in my last 10 games I have won 7, drew 1 and lost only 1-0 to man u and chelsea. Ive gone from being relegation candidates to 7th place after 28 games.

Hope it keeps on working now! My striker (which the fans and board first said was a bad signing) has scored 24 goals. About 10 of them came in 4 games lol but still good average!

stick to one way of playing and kepe the same settled side for as many games as you can, im sure it will turn round. Players just need to learn how to play toggether

I think Neji was spot on with what he said. Now as the season has gone on your players have starting to gel.