The Project - Syrup & Honey Revisited - A strategy for playing FM10

Why is the thread locked?

The thread is locked so that all the information is available without scrolling through lots of posts by people asking questions. This isn't done to discourage discussion far from it; a separate thread will be available for the discussion side of things. The link for that can be found here; http://www.community.sigames.com/showthread.php?p=4297025#post4297025 - DISCUSSION THREAD LINK

What is the Project?

Well I've done one every year for the last 4 years or so, basically I select a team (normally Sheffield United) and then discuss all the elements of my game. Things from why I bought certain player, tactical changes, tweaks in game and anything else I can think of.

For anyone who might be unfamiliar with what I'm banging on about, here is a link to last year’s thread to give you a better idea; http://www.community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=86542

How will this year’s thread differ from previous versions?

Normally I just take one team and focus on that, however this year to give a wider insight to creating and maintaining tactics I've decided to use two teams. The teams will be Sheffield United and Sheffield F.C.

The reasons for selecting these teams are simple, I support both and they were my local sides. It's also so I can highlight how you can play the same way at lower level as you can at a higher standard. The teams will be using more or less the same tactic which will be created from scratch using the old slider system and not the tactic creator.

Why not use the tactic creator?

I find it better to create my own tactics and implement my own style of play. I also find it allows me a more creative role in creating a tactic and allows me to play exactly how I want.

What size database do you use?

A large data base is used and also a small update to activate all the English leagues. More info about that can be found here http://www.community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=159082

What's the purpose of this thread?

This thread is just my strategy for playing FM and while it works for me it might not for others due to a number of factors. Hopefully the thread will inspire people and show them it's not as complicated as well thing or make out it is. I also hope it generates a lot of discussion. Remember though it's just one of a number of ways to play FM. There is no magical way to play FM and there are many different play styles and approaches that people use.

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In the first season it'll be more a summary of Sheffield United's season as the tweaking and changes are very minimal in the Championship I find. As we are a strong side and people come and play defensive against us. So there isn't much discussion stuff really. Plus the first season I'll only be controlling one team but before the start of season two a new manager will be added so I can take control of Sheffield F.C.

I'll find it easier to discuss in detail once Sheffield United are in the Premiership (which should be achievable first season) about both clubs.

Day One

The first day at any new club is always a busy one; there are lots of things to sort out. I like to sort out everything from new staff to selecting a tactic all in the first day before I move forward. I already have a tactic in mind as I used it on a previous version of FM and it proved very popular. It was called Syrup & Honey and was a 3-2-2-2-1 consisting of 3 central defenders, 2 wingback, 2 central midfielders, attacking midfield right, attacking midfield left and a striker. This will be the tactic I use and maintain throughout my saved games. I'll discuss the tactic in a lot greater detail a little later.

Training

The biggest decision I've made though as to be to ignore training the first season. Now I know that sounds a bit extreme to some but after looking at how poor my coaches are and how poor some of my players stats are I feel it’s the correct decision. This will allow me to concentrate and spend my budget on bringing new player in with the stats I need to help me get promoted.

It will also give me a season to figure out what sort of schedules I'll be creating after seeing my squad perform throughout the season. If I had good coaches or didn't need to bring four or five new players in, I'd have probably done the training schedules now. But I just don't have the resources to do both, so it’s a major decision that could haunt me and prove a mistake. I guess only time will tell.

Transfer Market

Looking through my squad it's quite obvious that I need to bring quite a few new faces in. I badly need two left sided attacking midfielders, goalkeeper and possibly two better defenders that I currently have, seeing as I will be playing three at the back. I also need a right attacking midfielder and fullbacks. However I don't have a big budget so I need to identify which positions I can manage with and which ones I have no choice but to bring new people in for. I've identified my targets based on their stats and I'll update as to why I sign someone once they sign for me.

This is my first signing and is a goalkeeper.

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The reason's I signed him is because he is totally different from my other keepers and has a lot better stats. He's good in the air, good at organising his defence and pretty good for one on ones too. All stats which are vital for how I will be playing and ideal for how team set up in the Championship. There are lots of players who will cause an aerial threat for my side, so having a good keeper who I can hopefully rely on will be a major step to winning games.

Youth is also on his side and while his mental stats aren't good enough to play in the top league I see him both as a short term fix for this season and also long term. If he develops well over the next few season then should prove a good cheap buy. My aim at the minute is just to get promoted and I feel he's good enough to help me with that. He won't be for next year but I'll come to that if I get promoted.

My second signing is a defender;

I've used him on previous games and he can become really good and is normally a consistent performer. I already have three experienced centrebacks so someone a bit more youthful who should get better can only help my side. I like to go for a mixture of youth and experience.

His stats lack somewhat but he's still better than the back up I have available in my side and is decent and heading and jumping something which two of my other centrebacks lack. So again I'm going for a mix of things in the terms of players I bring in. I like variety and player's who complement each other and not all good in the same key areas.

My thrid signing;

I think everyone knows who he is and how good he can become.

The main reason I got him was his versatility, as I'm unsure if my MC's will be defensive minded or attacking. So by signing him it gives me options to change and mix things up from time to time. He can be good in any of the positions I have in mind for him. Plus he has decent mental attributes, something which is needed. He's brave and has high concentration, so he should be a ball winner and rare swich off during a game. He should be focused for the full 90 minutes.

My fourth signing;

I'll be honest here and say I didn't really want to sign him as he's got rubbish stats. But I desperatley need left midfielders and other targets either turned me down or accept bigger clubs offers. The reason I panicked and got him was the left winger I had onloan got injured for 8 weeks so I had to cancel the loan. I can't really bring any more loans in either as Sheffield United start with too many to begin with.

He has okay dribbling and is fast and fit. Hopefully he can do an alright job just for this season before he's shown the door. Again he's only a short term solution and cost nothing, so I haven't really lost anything taking this gamble on him.

And finally my last signing ;

He looks alright for a free agent, it's just a shame he doesn't have the legs to run up and down all day down the left. But I'm sure he will prove a usefull squad player.

I've also sold Matthew Kilgallon for £2million after an offer was put in. While he was my best player the money was used on the above players and allows me to bring one more decent player in, in the January window to give me that boost for promotion if needed.

Syrup & Honey

Now on to the good stuff the tactic. This is the current shape;

That is also my preferred line up when everyone is fit. I actually don't have a squad capable of playing this formation to its full potential so some positions are a bit make shift for now. Especially the wingback as this is a vital part of the formation but is probably the weakest area of my squad

I don't want to mess around too much first season as I don't have the players I want and I'm just rushing so I can get started on season 2. That's when it'll become more detailed and the tactic will really evolve and change based on who I play. So bear with me please

I'll just give you a quick rundown of what settings I am using. It'll change drastically next season so don't want to discuss stuff I won’t be using anymore.

Individual Instructions

My side aren't the most gifted in the league but playing with Cotterill and Mitea on the flanks I have lots of pace. Ched Evans is also powerful up top and has a bit of pace. That's my reasoning’s behind going quick tempo. It allows me to go forward a lot more at pace and really exploit the flanks.

My keeper is just set up with the basics really, I don't expect anything special from him. I've set it up for the defender to collect as he's pretty rubbish at the minute for throwing quick balls out.

All my defenders are set up the exact same for now. Not really recommended but like I stated above I don't really want to be over complicating things just yet when most of the team will be shipped out at the end of the season.

Both the wingbacks are the same too.

This is the more attack minded MC

This MC id describe as cautious rather than defensive.

Both attacking mids the same, except the left one is asked to hug touchline instead of cutting inside.

Striker

Pre Season

As always pre season isn't that important for me in the sense of results. I've brought it quite a few new players and started using a tactic that isn't familiar to the team yet. So there is a lot of gelling needed which can take anything from a few games to 15ish.

The main aim of pre season for me is to get players match fit as quick as possible in time for the seasons kick off. This means I play everyone. It's no good only playing your best eleven because what happens if they get injured once season starts?! You'd have to bring someone unfit on or someone whose condition isn't quite ready yet. So for me it's important for everyone to be fit and ready to step onto the pitch if needed.

You'll see that the results were a mixed bag, but that's fine. I saw enough good things during the games to see my tactic will be alright once they players adapt to playing with each other in this formation. All the settings used in these games are the ones I posted above yesterday. I didn't change a thing.

I also like to play my last friendly game against easy opposition for two reasons. Firstly I like the players to play without any pressure which means less likely to get hurt or tired before the opening game. Secondly I hope my strikers grab a few goals to get their confidence up before the first game. I've always tried to use this approach whenever I can and always seems to work well for me.

Boro vs. Sheff Utd

The first game is upon us and we did well, I went into this game as the underdogs and was unsure which way the result would go. We did well though and Boro allowed us to play our natural game. In the end we should have won the game and missed a hatful of good chances. The only fault I could really pick out was the amount of crosses my wide players made. It was really low and something that needs looking at. My wide player's don't have good crossing at all so the number will naturally be low, but I think I can get it slightly higher in future.

I'm just going to do a brief summary to get the thread up to date of where I actually am in game and get the first season over with. For people who might b new to this thread you might want to look at one of my other versions I've done in the past to see more detailed posts about the first season. But seeing as most people know what I do now it’s easier to start the real discussion for season 2 when I'll be underdogs and my side will be weak compared to most sides in the Premiership.

Burton game - This game was difficult and the pressure was definitely on my side, as the fans and media expected me to win by a big margin. I did dominate the game and should have scored more but we looked vulnerable at the back. I put this down to playing 2 new defenders in my back 3, so the understanding between the players just isn’t there yet.

Watford game - I was really pleased with this game and played some good football. I was expecting a draw before the game but I totally outplayed Watford and they were lucky to even grab a goal. If my strikers didn't have an off game this could have been a very high scoring game.

Leicester game - I created 5 clear cut chances here and like the game above I could have won by a much bigger margin.

Reading game - I was outplayed here in terms of shots but unlike in the other games I actually scored my best chance luckily enough.

Blackpool game - Played my reserves here as it was a cup game. It seems like Camara and Evans my strikers are finding the back of the net. It's hard to choose who to play when both are scoring.

West Brom game - This game should have been tricky, but I limited them to just long range shots so in the end it turned out an easy game. I also got my first clean sheet of the season which was a bonus.

As for the rest of the games it's just pretty straight forward and I'm playing the way I've set up. There are definitely issues with the tactic though but I’ll iron them out next season. Things like my MC's could work better maybe and I might have them both defensive minded. This would allow me to be more attack minded elsewhere but all this depends on the money I have to spend next season.

I am scoring quite a few goals and actually keeping clean sheets which is always pleasing.

Take a look at these stats from a game I was in. I'm the stats which are on the right and Watford is the ones on the left.

Judging by them stats alone you'd think the game was pretty much an even affair (if you ignore the average rating bit at the bottom) as only the crossing is the only real stand out stat which differs drastically.. But far from it I actually won 1-5 which then brings me onto the next bit about looking at stats. Stats can be misleading if you only view 1 aspect of them. Go a little deeper and into the individual stats from the games and you'll see how it was won and lost. It’s these stats what are vital and you should judge on and alter things based on these. After all they give a much clearer picture as to what really happened in a game.

I'll go into more detail season 2 about these stats and what we can do to improve them if needed. I just want to highlight the fact while I remember and maybe get a few of you thinking about them as well in a bit more detail.

Here are Watford’s stats;

You'll notice the passing completion for Jon Harley and Don Cowie is a bit low.

The look at the tackles column and you'll see Watford made 18 tackles in total winning 12 of them. None of them were key tackles.

If we then take a look at the heading you'll see their MC's and strikers hardly won anything all game, so they offered very little in terms of an aerial threat.

They also made 24 interceptions which isn't all that bad.

Now look at the runs and you'll see not many is there. You'll have an idea of the picture I'm painting here.

Here are my stats from this game;

Straight away it looks like I've misplaced more passes but I still had a 70% completed rate just as Watford did. But I also passed it a lot more than they did so was always bound to be more stray passes.

There is also 1 key point to the 1-5 score line in terms of passing and heading judging by these stats can you see what it is? Look at Watford’s passing for their keeper and defence and you'll see the DC's kept it simple same as mine, but their fullbacks wasn't as involved as my wingbacks. Then look at the heading and you'll my 3 defenders and the wingbacks coped extremely well with the aerial threat.

I made 30 interceptions but look at the contributions from the wingbacks again, heavily involved in attacks and defensive duties when required.

Look at the runs of my front 3, which must be hard to defend against.

I got a few offsides but that's the price you pay sometimes and something I accept as long as I produce results like this.

The first season is now over and it went pretty much how I expected. I could have had the league table stats looking a lot better if I paid a little more attention to the games but what's the point if the end product would have still been the same; promotion.

I had lots of injuries and suspensions and let a few of the loan players go back. This resulted in my squad been very thin and weak when I got an injury and suspension.

Now we can look at the detailed stuff, SEASON 2!!!!!!!

The keeper I found is coming on really well, I still don't think he has the experience I need but if he keeps developing how he is then I will find it extremley hard to drop him.