FM11 - Tottenham Hotspur - Rise of the Triffics (take 3)

The club was formed in 1882 by boys of the Hotspur cricket club, adopting the name of ‘Hotspur FC’. First club matches were played on Tottenham marshes and in 1884 the club was renamed ‘Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’ to avoid confusion with another London based ‘Hotspur FC’.

In 1899 Spurs moved to the site of their current stadium, White Hart Lane.

The club have won 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups a European Cup Winners Cup, 2 UEFA cups and most importantly, 2 League titles. The first came in 1951 when Arthur Rowe’s push and run team revolutionised English football and set the stage for the legendary Bill Nicholson.

Billy Nic led the club to the Double in 1961, with Spurs becoming the 1st club to achieve this in the 20th Century. FA Cup glory came the following season and in 1963 Spurs became the first British club to win a European competition with victory in the Cup Winners Cup. That season Jimmy Greaves set the Spurs record of 37 goals in a league season. Nicholson’s teams were oozing with class, epitomised by Blanchflower and MacKay and the scoring exploits of Greaves and Gilzean.

After winning the 1972 UEFA Cup and ’73 League Cup, the 70’s went a bit downhill seeing us relegated for a season, but the decade did seeing the emergence of club legends, Steve Perryman (having made his debut at the end of the 60’s he established himself in the 70’s) and Glenn Hoddle.

Into the 80’s with Ardiles and Ricky Villa in tow, and the FA Cup was back on the agenda with wins in ’81 and ’82. The second versus QPR came in the clubs Centenary season.

1983 bought the dubious honour of being the first football club floated on the Stock Exchange.

1987 was bitter sweet with Clive Allen hitting 49 goals in all competitions but the club falling short in all targets, suffering our first FA Cup final loss. Other notable Spurs during the 80’s were Chris Waddle, diabetes suffering stalwart Gary Mabbutt , Richard Gough was outstanding for that ’87 season before heading home for personal reasons. The 80’s also saw the return of El Tel and he bought in the likes of Lineker and Gascoigne.

The 90’s were a tumultuous period with boardroom battles, court cases and nowhere near enough silverware. The ’91 FA Cup was bittersweet with Gazza’s genius knocking the Goons out in the Semi and his self destructive tendencies ruining his own Final. The likes of Klinsmann, Sheringham, Ginola and Darren Anderton (when fit) did provide us with irregular bouts of great football. We did at least end the decade with the ’99 League Cup.

Since 2005 we have built a strong squad and survived the Ramos debacle(although it did see the club win a 4th League Cup, beating Chelsea 2-1aet) to reach the Champions League for the first time this season. ‘Arry’s triffics have taken massive strides and become a truly rated squad by many leading football pundits. This season is vital in the club pushing on so as to keep the top players, Modric, Van der Vaart, Lennon, Huddlestone, Defoe, Bale and Gomes.

Goalkeeper: Heurelho Gomes – After a very shaky, injury hampered start to his Spurs career Gomes has now established himself as one of the very best in the Premier League, if not the World. The fact that only the phenomenal Julio Cesar keeps him out of the Brazilian national team says a lot.

Right Back: Alan Hutton – With Corluka injured, Hutton is trying to emulate Gareth Bales awesome rise over the last 12 months. Despite a couple of impressive performances the jury is still out on his long term future at The Lane.

Left Back: Benoit Assou-Ekotto – BAE on his day is up there with the best left backs in the EPL. However the laid back Cameroon international can get complacent and cost the team points. In his favour it must be said that he always gets himself up for the big games and even early in his Spurs career when no one rated him he was still capable of keeping the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in his pocket for 90 minutes.

Centre Back: William Gallas – The Spurs hardcore are still struggling to come to terms with his arrival, so much so that he is only ever referred to as ‘number 13’. Even so I firmly believe that once he loses his beach belly we can still see a fantastic, experienced centre back come to the fore and help Spurs push on to the next level.

Centre Back: Ledley King (Club Captain) – ‘We’ve got Ledley at the back’ has been a familiar refrain ever since Judas ran away down the Seven Sisters Road. Were it not for seriously dodgy knees I’m certain he would have been first name on every England managers team sheet for the last 6 or 7 years. The fact that Capello was prepared to gamble on him, says it all. Oozes class and with him in the side the whole team seems more composed and solid.

Right Wing: Aaron Lennon – Finally starting to show the form he was in before his injury last December. Has also had to cope with the fallout of a very poor, albeit injury hampered World Cup. Pace to burn and his final ball and decision making has improved no end, making him a real threat to absolutely any left back in the world. The likes of Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra have suffered against him in recent seasons.

Left Wing: Gareth Bale – What to say about the boy from the valleys that hasn’t been said this week? He’s dynamic, energetic and committed along with good technique and first touch, a great left foot delivery from open play and set pieces and as the likes of Lucio found out this week has a sweet shot on him. Fundamental for Spurs plans to stay in the CL and at the top table of English football. He’s not for sale.

Central Midfield: Tom Huddlestone – For so long he was the boy with potential. Over the last 18 months he has finally started living up to this and has pushed himself into the frame for a regular England squad place. Pleasingly he has added steel to his game and along with passing skills that haven’t been seen at The Lane since Hoddle he has confirmed his place in Redknapps first choice line up.

Central Midfield: Luka Modric – Luka has yet to hit his stride yet this season, not helped by niggling injuries, and he has been somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of Bale and arrival of Van der Vaart. Luka was criticised early in his Spurs career for being lightweight. His performances in centre mid against the likes of Chelsea, the Goons and City in the run in last year, confirmed that he can definitely mix it when he needs to and not many work harder than the little man.

Trequartista: Rafael Van der Vaart – It may sound clichéd but VdV was clearly born to play for Spurs and has very quickly gained the affections of the White Hart Lane faithful. Not since Ginola has a player truly embodied the Tottenham style as much as this Dutch master. There is much more to come from him, which is a scary thought for the rest of the EPL!

Forward: Peter Crouch – Great touch for a big man. Not the first time that’s been written about him but it is still resoundingly true. Despite his critics he really is enjoying life at Spurs and has forged a good understanding with VdV already.

Can you handle the pressure of competing in the Champions League as well as challenging for the EPL top 4 again? Not forgetting that Spurs cup pedigree means that the fans don’t take kindly to fielding weakened teams in the Carling and FA Cups, you’re in for a long and demanding season.

It’s also well worth remembering that the football must be played the Tottenham way, the fans will not tolerate teams that play ugly football, even if we win, just ask ‘the man in the raincoat’ about his time in charge.

The words of the great Danny Blanchflower should put it into perspective:

‘The great fallacy of the game is, that first and last it’s about winning. It’s nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It’s about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not about waiting for them to die of boredom.’

Glenn Hoddle has a similar take on it and this is why we called him God:

‘For me the ball is a diamond, if you have something that is precious, you don’t get rid of it, you offer it’

But I'll leave the final word on that to the one and only Bill Nicholson:

'We must always consider our supporters, for without them there would be no professional football. It would be better to have more fans watching football the way they like it played, rather than have a few fans watching football the way we would like it played.'

Club Info

Founded: 1882

Reputation: National

Chairman: Daniel Levy

Chairman Happiness: Enjoying life at the club

Legends: Bill Nicholson, Glenn Hoddle, Steve Perryman

Icons: Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay, Gary Mabbutt, Ledley King, Jimmy Greaves, Ossie Ardiles, David Ginola, Jurgen Klinsmann,Teddy Sheringham, Harry Redknapp

Favoured Personnel: Jermain Defoe

Derbies: North London Derby (v Arsenal)

Fierce Rivals: Arsenal, Chelsea

Other Rivals: West Ham

Finances: Rich

Stadium: White Hart Lane

Capacity: 36,310

Average Ticket Price: £49

Average Season Ticket: £795

Season Ticket Holders: 25000

Estimated Value: £162m (£53m loan debt)

Continental Competition: Champions League

Media Prediction: 6th

Squad Personality: Ambitious

Captain: Ledley King

Vice Captain: Robbie Keane

Transfer/Wage Budgets

Continental Qualification: £16m/£1.2m

Title Challenge: £20m/£1.3m

Winners: £21.5m/£1.4m

Starting wage bill is £1.1m

The biggest question is how to line up? Once you’ve decided that then it’s fairly easy to identify the one or two transfer targets that are needed.

With the new Match Preparation section allowing your squad to learn 3 tactics at a time. I went with the following:

This formation not only allows VdV to play in the AMC role he thrives in but also allows 2 strikers to get in on the action. There is obviously a big burden placed upon the DMC, either THudd or Sandro will have a lot on their plate.

With this you can shoe horn VdV into MC if you want, with Bale LB and Modric LM. Instead of VdV you can obviously use a stronger midfield of THudd alongside Palacios or Sandro.

This is a very attacking formation that gets the most out of VdV with him taking centre stage and running events and also supporting the striker. It also allows Modric to flourish in his preferred AML position.

GK’s:

Gomes – Best Role: GK/Defend

Heurelho is far and away the best keeper in the squad and is good enough to help the club to glory. He’s not the best keeper in the world but will certainly earn your team a decent amount of points across a season. Main problem I’ve found is maybe a bit injury prone.

Cudicini – Best Role: GK/Defend

Pletikosa - Best Role: GK/Defend

Both Cudi and Stipe are competent, no more, no less. Cudi is certainly only useful for a season tops as a back-up, whilst I don’t think Pletikosa will ever provide sufficient competition for Gomes. Probably worth cancelling Stipe’s loan and getting a young talented keeper in to learn the ropes from Gomes and Carlo.

RB’s:

Corluka- Best Role: Full back/Auto

Charlie is one of those unsung hero types in my opinion. There are flashier full backs available but this guy is solid and will rarely if ever let you down. I’d happily have him as my 1st choice RB for as long as he lasts. Can also do a job at centre back in times of need.

Walker- Best Role: Full back/Auto

The more talented Kyle has the footballing world at his feet and would be the only reason in my book to ditch Corluka. Walker is more dynamic going forward and whilst at first probably not as strong defensively he should (if looked after properly) develop very quickly to push for a starting role.

Naughton - Best Role: Full or wing back/Auto

Decent utility full back but never going to be a definite starter for a title chasing outfit (and if you don’t think Spurs are title chasers then you can leave now!) Possibly worth keeping around, as he’s young and English, but best to try and move him on as soon as possible.

Hutton - Best Role: Full back/auto

Just not quite good enough IMO. He is probably more effective going forward than either Charlie or Walker but can be an absolute liability at the back. Definite sell in my book.

LB’s:

Bale - Best Role: Wingback/attack or Winger/Attack

Now this is going to cause controversy. This year Bale is a natural LM and accomplished at LB, LWB and AML. Personally I have retrained him at DL to get him natural and used him there. 2 reasons, firstly it gives you a potent extra attacking weapon and secondly there is so much talent in midfield that you would definitely have to sacrifice someone like Modric or VdV. Whatever you decide to do with him you have a fantastic player and someone who is only going to get better. Great free kick taker too.

Assou Ekotto - Best Role: Fullback/auto

Much like his real life self, I find BAE is great against the big teams but far too prone to complacency against smaller sides. An excellent left back on his day, but a liability when not up for it. This is probably another reason that Bale got the LB nod from me. I’d look to sell and get an older experienced left back or another stunning young talent to provide back up for Bale.

DC:

King - Best Role: Centreback/cover

If he’s fit he should play. Simples. Consistent and rarely makes errors. Can keep the best strikers quiet. I’d also make him Captain, but that may be my sentimentality showing.

Dawson - Best Role: Limited defender/defend

Much like IRL he plays with his heart and will put in blocks and can dominate aerially. I think he’s just a touch off being good enough as a 1st teamer for a title chaser/CL challenger, pace (or lack thereof, being the main issue). If you can keep him happy as a back-up I’d say he’d be perfect for years.

Gallas - Best Role: Centreback/defend or cover

Once he’s settled in he can form a really solid partnership with Ledley as long as you can deal with him being a bit moody. At his age though he’s not going to be around for ever but can definitely do a job for the first 2 seasons.

Bassong - Best Role: Centreback/defend or cover

As with FM10 this guy is the joker in the pack, potentially great for years to come. He has pace, strength, is good in the air and despite all the options at centreback I think it’s essential that Seb plays his fair share of games (shouldn’t be a problem with Ledley likely to be injured or need rotating) to keep him happy and developing. Can also be very effective at left back if needed.

Woodgate - Best Role: Centreback/defend or cover

Sadly injured for at least the first 4 months in game. The injuries seem to have taken their toll on Woody and I don’t think there is a future for him at Spurs.

Kaboul - Best Role: Centreback/defend

Younes can also be a useful defensive full back and is surprisingly solid in either role. Like Daws though he isn’t ever going to be the man to lead your team to CL glory and you can probably get decent money selling him at the end of the first season.

Caulker - Best Role: Centreback/defend

Criminally underrated IMO and I think you’ll be very lucky to have him develop to the level required. Probably worth loaning out for a couple of seasons to Championship level to see if he comes along.

Centre Mids:

Palacios - Best Role: Ball Winning Mid/Defend

The beast is overrated in a few areas in FM IMO, his passing is better than it should be for one. I also think his physical stats help him to perform better in the ME than he has done in the last 10 months for Spurs IRL. As the manager this is obviously to your advantage but even so I think he is not good enough for the long haul.

THudd - Best Role: Deep Lying Playmaker/defend or support

You can build your midfield around him. Strong in the tackle and with superb vision and passing ability. Doesn’t score as much as he should but when he does they are inevitably memorable. Can play equally well at MC or DMC.

Sandro - Best Role: Defensive Midfielder/Support

I really struggled to come up with the best role for Sandro. He is probably capable of fulfilling most of the DMC/MC roles with a little specialised training needed if you want him to be a playmaker. Needs a little time to settle in but once he has he will go from strength to strength. Great tackler, good passer, really good physically, a future great as long as you can keep him in check with regards to picking up yellow and red cards.

Jenas - Best Role: Box to box

JJ is pure marmite. You either love him or hate him. Very much like that on FM too. I don’t think he’s good enough and can be shipped out for decent money. Having said that I’m sure he can do a back-up job quite happily for some of you.

Livermore - Best Role: Centre mid/support, potentially box to box

Looks very promising and is definitely worth loaning out for the first season to a Championship level club to see how he gets on.

O’Hara - Best Role: Centre mid/support or attack

Jamie’s injured for the first 4 to 5 months of the season. Once fit I don’t think he’s ever going to rule the roost but could be a useful reserve. Either that or loan/sell him.

Wingers:

Lennon - Best Role: Winger/Attack

Meep meep!! Our own roadrunner is once again a real threat to opposition defenders. I’d advise working on his finishing training because this is his biggest weakness and I’m a firm believer in having your wide players contribute in the goals department.

Bentley - Best Role: Wide Midfielder/support

If only he could perform to his FM standard IRL. DB provides a real challenge to Aaron for the right side of midfield in the first season and his set piece delivery can make it very tempting to give him the nod. IMO you need to judge your opponents very carefully and choose when it’s appropriate to unleash Lennon’s pace or Bentley’s consistent delivery.

Attacking Mids:

Modric - Best Role: Inside forward/support

Luka was one of the best players in FM10. Period. It looks like he’ll be the same this time around. As with ‘Arry IRL the conundrum is how to get him, VdV, Lennon, THudd and some strikers in the same team. Godric’s versatility means that although AML is his best position he will still do an amazing job in pretty much any midfield position as long as you get his role right.

Van der Vaart - Best Role: Advanced Playmaker/Attack or Trequartista

Rafael is vying with Modric for title of best player in this squad and it really is a close run thing. Not as disciplined as Luka but capable of more ‘magic’ moments. Best not to lumber him with too much defensive responsibility and just let him do his thing. Along with Bale and Bentley he is the best free kick taker in the squad and finally Spurs have someone in the starting squad capable of scoring from the penalty spot with regularity. Get it right and he will contribute goals and assists in phenomenal amounts.

Kranjcar - Best Role: Advanced Playmaker/attack

Niko is unfortunate that the squad have so much depth in midfield. Can cover for either Luka or VdV and at times can outperform them, scores more than Luka and is more of a team player than VdV. Another good set piece taker. Would be a certain starter for any club outside the top 4.

Giovanni Dos Santos – Best Role: Inside Forward/Attack

Will excite and infuriate in equal measure. A joy to watch when he’s got his dribble on, but can be muscled off the ball and out of games. If you persevere with him he could become a world beater but you may have pulled all your hair out by that point.

Bostock - Best Role: Attacking mid/attack

Please let this be the year he comes good! Starting attributes look better than last year and given the right development could turn into a top quality attacking mid. Is on loan at Hull for the first season.

Strikers

Defoe - Best Role: Poacher

Best finisher in the squad and his pace and off the ball movement can devastate defences. Will probably be the biggest loser if you decide to go for one up top due to that really not being his game.

Crouch - Best Role: Targetman/support

With heading working in FM11, Crouch is a potential world beater. Will dominate all but the biggest and best defences, getting quality flick on’s, holding the ball up and is also a really good finisher.

Keane - Best Role: Deep Lying Forward/Support

I’m not a Keane fan IRL and normally sell him straight away. However he is as good as the other strikers and offers a different option. Will score and assist in quantity if given the chance.

Pavlyuchenko - Best Role: Poacher or Target Man/Attack

Can be inconsistent, but when on form is unstoppable and his streaks can go on for a while. Good enough in the air and with a fearsome shot, he saves his best for the big teams.

Kane - Best Role: Deep Lying Forward/support

Worth investing some time in his development and sending on loan once he’s on a pro contract. Could develop into something special with the right care, attention and luck.

Potential Transfer Targets:

These are of course dependent on how you are going to line up but the areas you may wish to strenghthen are –

Goalkeeper: It might be worth moving early for a young back up for Gomes. Both Scott Loach and Alex Smithies look likely candidates. Both can be picked up for around £2m.

Left back: If you choose to use Bale as midfielder then this is a must improve area. BAE is ok but I just don’t trust him. Leighton Baines is a potential target and should be gettable for around £9m. Fabio Coentrao, Urby Emanuelson and Benoit Tremoulinas are other options.

Centre Mid: Depending on your formation and how you rate Jenas/O’Hara you may want to go for another central midfielder. Moussa Sissoko is an obvious candidate, with Steven Defour a more reasonably priced alternative (£6m-ish). If you want to keep it English Jack Rodwell can probably be prized from the clutches of Moyes but may cost in excess of £10m.

Striker: All 4 strikers are very much on a par with one another, it’s just none of them are quite world class. You could stick with them and still score goals or potentially upgrade one or more, if you can raise the funds. Edin Dzeko and Luis Suarez remain stand out choices but will cost. As will Neymar or Pazzini, but they will be slightly less expensive. Interestingly I have seen Alexis Sanchez move for £10.5m, I will definitely be looking into this because even if he’s only half the player he was in FM10 this is still an absolute bargain.

Other Advice:

I’d definitely ask the board for an English feeder club, preferably at Championship level. Once again first season there is still no reserve team football so with a large squad there are a number of players who will need to be loaned out. The board may initially baulk at adding a feeder club but with some gentle persuasion (no need for ultimatums!) will acquiesce to your request.

Use match preparation!!! I can’t stress this enough, it can make a massive difference if utilised correctly.

Unless you make massive changes to the squad, the new EPL registration rules are not going to cause you any grief. To the extent that you can probably get away with registering O’Hara and Woodgate if you want, even though they are unlikely to play until November at the earliest.

Apart from Kane, Bostock and Livermore there really isn’t much in the way of talented youths. The facilities are good enough though so it’s worth having a nose around for some young talents that can be picked up cheap and need developing.

Well it's over to you now to do the Spurs fans proud and deliver a the first EPL title since '61 and try to beat our rivals to become the first club from London to win the CL!!

This is going to be short and sweet and mainly concerns Gareth Bale. This is him on 11.2.1:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This is the tactic I am using on 11.2.1:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Bale is playing AML as an inside forward/support and with this role he is performing almost exactly like RL. See my updates on page 10 for detailed stats of his performances.

Van der Vaart is the other who needs updated info, I've found that he plays much better as an Inside forward from AMC than any other role. Again performs much like RL.

Pretty much everything else from the original patch info still stands.

Much of the information from the OP remains true.

These are the changes though:

Firstly, you will no longer have use of Bentley, GDS or Keane. None is a massvie loss although I liked GDS personally.

Keane's transfer to West Ham is now agreed as a future deal \o/

John Bostock is now not on loan at Hull. Good job too cos they never played him. Not once in about 6 different saves. Shocking. Personally I'm keeping him in the 1st team squad now, get him tutored and see what we can do with him!

Now the important stuff - upgrades

Luka Modric has increases in passing, teamwork and workrate with a tiny drop in influence. He is now capable of completely dominating games from the MC/DLP/support role I have him in.

Rafa VDV has increases in workrate, off the ball and finishing.

Gareth Bale now has a set PA of

and has increases in Pace, Stamina, acceleration, technique and composure. He's incredible. AML inside fwd/support.

Potential needs?

Possibly none. Many are already playing without buying anyone.

Areas you may want to look at: LB although Bassong has more than enough quality to do so along with BAE. If you are mental you could use Bale here too. Don't do it with 11.3. Just don't.

Back up GK, although Cudi and Stipe should do ok.

Striker, the 3 we have are all capable scorers, but if you plan on playing 2 or even 3 up top then you need more depth. I've bought Diego Tardelli in because JD has a long injury. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise. JD would have been my man.

Staff:

Most are poor, get rid of Bond (I promoted Joe Jordan to assman), Sherwood, Redknapp, Ferdinand from the coaching staff. Ramsey, McDermott from the youth coaches. I always promote Suckling and Inglethorpe to proper coach status with new contracts. Physios - you can probably sack them all, only Scott & Brown are decent. Keep both scouts, Broomfield is an excellent next oppo scout due to his tactical nous.

Staff to look at - Coaches - Tosh Farrell, Bobby Downes, Julio Tous, Bryan Klug, Ian Woan. Fitness coaches - Paul Winsper, Joao Aroso, Steve Black. Physios - Danny Murphy. Scouts - Laurent Viaud, Oliver Bierhoff, Don Mackay, Dave Fallows, Sixto Alfonso, Txema Noriega, Jack Chapman, Barry Whitbread.

There is also an excellent discussion on staff on pages 6/7 of this thread.

On to tactics.

The squad offers quite a lot of tactical flexibility but I think its crucial to capitalise on the talents of Bale, VDV and Luka and have therefore set up like this:

Player roles are as follows:

GK: Keeper/defend

DR: Fullback/auto

DCR: Centreback/defend

DCL: Centreback/cover

DL: Fullback/auto

MCR: Ball Winning Mid/defend

MCL: Deep Lying Playmaker/support

AMR: Winger/attack

AMC: Inside forward/attack

AML: Inside forward/support

ST: Poacher/attack

Luka is playmaker, the striker is the target man, JD = run onto ball, Pav = run onto ball or mixed, Crouch = to head.

With these settings the team plays very similar to our RL style and can be a joy to behold.

I have 3 copies of this tactic saved, one with attacking mentality, one with control and one with counter, these are all set in match prep allowing me to alter the mentality before or during a game without fear that they are going to struggle. Attacking is used for most home games, big big teams being the exception. Control is used for most away games except again for the really big teams who get the counter treatment.

Other:

It is now not possible to get any stadium expansions as is the case IRL. Therefore to really reach the top top level a new stadium is needed, you'll need to be prudent with your cash (thats me stuffed) and win a lot to get this happening.

Good luck and don't forget to let us know how you get on!

Its worth noting that the old Spurs thread which went awol was 18 pages, the 2 added together make it the 3rd most popular thread currently, only behind Liverpool and Utd. Good work Yids!

These are 2 subjects that seem to cause a lot of confusion for a number of managers. They could also be the difference between success and failure for you. So here are my thoughts on them.

Match Prep There are 3 main approaches to this:

1) Major micro managing, reacting to every eventuality and changing match prep on a game by game basis.

2) Take a more global view and focus on a couple or even just one option.

3) Forget about it and let your assman deal with it.

My 1st few FM11 saves I was very anal about my match prep and with certain teams on certain saves (mainly lower division teams) I still am.

My strategy on this is very much influenced by wwfans thinking in this excellent thread: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/242575-How-to-Play-FM-A-(Very)-Short-Guide-to-Match-Preparation-Strategies-and-Motivation

I strongly advise a read of that but I will summarise wwfan’s thoughts:

•Match I expect to dominate: Team Blend (should win anyway, so spend some time building the team understanding)

•Match I expect to win: Attacking Movement: Make sure I have the best chance of converting attacking sequences of play

•Match I hope to win: Defensive Positioning: Make sure I keep it tight at my end and hope to snatch goals on the counter

•Match I expect to be a struggle: Attacking Set Pieces: Try to keep things as tight as possible and score form a set piece

•Match I expect to lose: Defensive Set Pieces: Try to frustrate opposition in open play and then successfully defend the resulting set pieces

•Match I expect to be dominated in: Team Blend (very little chance of a result, so work on team understanding)

This is a guide only and I often found that I wouldn’t follow it to the letter.

Lets take a game against Stoke or Blackburn as an example:

These are games I would expect to win, so wwfan would advise ‘attacking movement’ however as my scouts tell me and anyone with any knowledge of real football will know that these are big physical teams who are likely to rely on set pieces for success against me. So I would choose ‘defending set pieces’ as my option and hope not to suffer on this front.

Another example:

1st season, away to Man Utd or Arsenal. Now with the best will in the world I rarely go into these games, expecting a win and it is more likely to be a struggle. As you can wwfan would suggest ‘attacking set pieces to take advantage of these opportunities. However as my scouts and I know, these teams will play good attacking, possession based football. Therefore I would choose ‘defensive positioning’ to ensure that my back stays tight and reduces the space they have to play in and take advantage of.

Important points to note when using the micro manager style. The 2 set piece options & team blend have a cumulative effect, your team will remember what they have learnt and become more and more proficient the more you use it over time. The other options are not cumulative at all, their proficiency will not build up, they will be effective for that one game only, its as if they forget it when not constantly banged into them!

Taking a more global, less labour intensive view:

This is simply a case of choosing one instruction and pretty much leaving it there the whole season. Team blend is a favourite for this. At the end of the day the better your players get on and know each other the more likely they are to die for you, the club and each other out on the field. This is the approach I’ve taken on my current save. My players love each other and this really shows on the pitch. Particularly when we score, they all join in the celebrations, every time!

I have however had saves where I have left it on ‘attacking movement’ or ‘defensive positioning’ for a whole season and this works also.

If taking this approach and you’ve decided to leave it on ‘attacking movement’ then don’t be stubborn about it. If you are going through a bad patch and conceding too many, change it to ‘defensive positioning’ or whatever is needed for your circumstance.

Taking the easy way out:

Assign your assman to do it in team settings.

Match Prep: Learning formations –

The workload slider on the match prep screen is for this part, how much they are working on learning your tactics. There are 3 slots available, the more slots you fill the longer it will take them to learn as they are learning 3 separate tactics as opposed to 1. They do however ‘share’ learnings from each tactic, so if your passing style is the same for each one, then it won’t take them as long as if it were 3 separate passing styles.

My personal style is to make 1 tactic and save it 3 times with different mentalities, one attacking, one control and one counter normally. This means I can change mentality mid match with no effect on fluency.

When I take over a club or anytime I have a new tactic I put the slider up to ‘high’ workload until they are 100% comfortable with it, then slide it back to ‘average’.

The downside of a ‘high’ workload here is that individual training takes a little back seat for the sake of the team. Personally I’ll take the hit on a couple of attributes not rising on getting a happier, settled group.

This area causes more confusion, heartache and hair pulling than any other on FM.

There is no real hard and fast rules to team talks and there are a number of approaches. I’m going to talk about mine that was devised after reading 2 excellent FM10 threads, the info is still valid now, these are the threads:

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/194179-FM2010-Zero-Sea-s-Team-Talk?highlight=team+talk

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/183599-WoIfsong-s-Teamtalk-Guide-2010?highlight=wolfsong

So lets talk about my pre game team talk strategy:

Here I normally go for an actual ‘team talk’ whereas you will see later that half time and full time things get a little more individual.

There are 5 basic options although as the context of the situation changes the wording may also. These are (please forgive me I don’t have FM open, so I may make an error, I am sure you know what I mean though)

1) ‘You can win this’ – This talk I use when we are slight underdogs home or away, it’s the collective version of ‘you have faith’ or ‘encourage’.

2) Wish luck – This I very rarely use, only when we are massive underdogs and as Spurs that rarely happens to such an extent as to warrant this. If however I went on a really poor run of form then came up against a big side away I may well take this option.

3) ‘For the fans’ – it’s a little known fact that this team talk is actually neutral and doesn’t have much of an impact on players. I use this a lot though, once the team are at a good level of morale, it is a talk that won’t impact too much one way or the other on their confidence. Mainly used at home when we are evens or favourites (not massive favourites) but can be used away in similar circumstances

4) ‘Expect a win’ – Should be used when you are big favourites for a game, mainly at home, but we all know there are games away from home where the odds are 1-4 or better and this should be used.

5) ‘No pressure’ – This is mainly to be used in friendlies. Competitively I will only use this in a 2nd leg match if we have been battered in the 1st leg and a victory is most unlikely.

Before proceeding though it is important to look at what your assman has seen in the warm ups and consider your last matches and the players form.

Anyone looking over confident should be given an individual team talk of ‘I expect a performance’. Anyone looking nervous, can be given a ‘no pressure’ talk if their mentality is up to it! Some players interpret this as ‘no effort required’!! You also want to seriously consider the future of players that are continuously nervous, at a young age not such a biggie but older more experienced players shouldn’t suffer this constantly and they may not have a future at a title winning club.

If a player came on as a sub last match and did great then ‘pick up where you left off’ is usually right.

There are some other context sensitive ones, if a player has had a mare then you may have the ‘expect better’ option. Use it when you need to!!

If you are using ‘expect a win’ yet you have some players whose form/morale is only ok/good then you may want to give them an individual ‘you have faith’ chat but I try to avoid too many individual talks before a game.’

Half time:

I very rarely give any kind of ‘team’ talk at half time, if anything is said it is individual unless we are performing absolute rubbish all round when they will get a team ‘I expect better’. Alternatively if we’ve just been slaughtered in a 1st half and its pretty much sealed our fate in a 2 legged tie then I may tell them all ‘the pressure is off’.

The important info you need at half time is what each players individual motivation and rating is because this is what I base my talks on.

If the player is ‘motivated’ or ’playing with confidence’ and their rating is between 6.8 and 7.4 they get ‘none’. If their rating is 7.5 or above they get ‘pleased’. Very, very rarely if they are above 9.0 they will get ‘delighted’

If a player is ‘nervous’ they get a ‘no pressure’ or subbed off(Usually I’ll give them 10 mins of the 2nd half to see if they’ve manned up or not) regardless of rating.

If a player is playing ok (I can’t remember what the neutral one says right now) then they will get a ‘you have faith’ regardless of rating.

If a player is ‘having a bad game’ and their morale is good or above they will get ‘expect a better performance). If their morale is below good, they will get a ‘you have faith’ or subbed off.

If a player has ‘mistake led to goal’ and a rating of below 6.2 then its ‘no pressure’, rating above 6.3 then its ‘you have faith’.

If a player is ‘complacent’ then they get the ‘don’t get complacent/let your performance drop’ talk. The only problem with this is its not available as an individual talk so you have to do it as a team one then change the others to ‘none’ or whatever else you’ve decided for them.

Full Time

Generally back to ‘team’ talking again although individuals will be singled out as needed.

Game we win: 99% of the time its ‘pleased’, unless we were massive underdogs or have seriously layed the smack down on a big team, in which case its ‘delighted/fantastic/thrilled’

Game we drew: This is based purely on how we played, if we were really good but unlucky then I will most likely ‘sympathise’, if we should have won then its generally ‘not good enough’.

Game we lost that we should have won: Generally ‘not good enough’

Game we lost that we expected to lose: If we’ve put up a battling performance then it’ll be ‘good effort’, otherwise ‘sympathise’.

Now once the ‘team’ talk is done its time to praise/slate a few individuals.

Any individual who is more than 0.3 or 0.4 above the team average should get a ‘pleased’. If you have the man of the match then he should get a ‘delighted’ as should anyone over 9.0. The only time I don’t give the man of the match a ‘delighted’ is if his rating is under 8.0, then it’s a ‘pleased’.

Anyone less than 0.4 under the team average gets either a 'none' or 'disappointed' dependent on personality ( a strong character can handle being slated, a pussy can't)

Anyone less than .5 below average or under a 5 overall is getting either 'disappointed' or 'angry' again, character dependent.

This is my approach, but there are so many factors to consider that this should not be taken as an ‘auto win’ guide. You also really need to learn more about press conferences and player interaction.

Those are 2 subjects I won’t be having my say on, because I don’t feel confident in advising you all.

As before I am happy to answer any and all questions that you may have.

WOW, awesome thread there mate.

--*------

Massive apologies to everyone who posted in the previous thread, when a certain unnamed mod (probably Heath or Gillsman, most likely canvey) tried to merge the old one into this new one, well it got deleted. Administrators are contacted and hopefully it will be resolved.

Anyway this will be the new thread to use from now on.

Hope you all enjoy like you did the old one.

Thanks mate

This is how to dominate games. VdV with a goal and 2 assists <3

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Just entered the New year unbeaten in all comps in my first season!

Best results so far have been beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, Arsenal 3-0 at The Emirates and United 4-2 at WHL.

Beat Bayern 3-1 at WHL!

Jermaine Defoe is my top scorer with 17 goals, unfortunantly hes just injured himself and is out for 2-3 months! Im also having no luck with Bale, he injured himself at the end of September and returned at the begining of December. He played 3 games before injuring himself again and now hes out for 5 weeks! Got the semis of the Leage Cup against Southampton coming up and Dinamo Kyiv in the 1st kncokout round!

Nice work ballsinahabit. Imagine what you'll do when you do get to unleash Bale.

I am confused.com.

Anyhow, i'm having trouble getting VdV to score more goals in his second season. We're not goal shy exactly, but i want him to be a 15-20 a season man, and to boss the midfield more often- any advice on this particular?

Hmm in the handfull of appearences he has made his been average so hopefully hell up his game. Its the same thing with Lennon, Bentley is outperforming him!

I play him as inside forward/attack behind a lone striker. And he's almost a carbon copy of RL. I've tweaked the role so that he has easy tackling, very low pressing, moves into channels and roaming always yes. Everything else is default.

As for the confusion, hopefully that can be sorted by the admins.

EDIT: The other confusion may be me of course, but yes rest assured I did use to be Edgar.

Its taken 39 games but weve finally lost, 1-0 to West Ham in the 4th round of the FA Cup!

Were really missing Defoe up front, Pav and Crouch are just not doing it for us. 2 goals in 5 Premiership games since hes been injured says it all.

Got the return tie against Panithinikos-we were utterley complacent after taking the lead, and lost 2-1. But an away goal was vital and pretty confident we will turn it on at the Lane. Lot's of injuries however, but am closing the gap on Le Arse who are in 1st. Gonna be tight! Loving Bale as an inside forward btw, i feel this guy can go on to become one of the most versatile players on fm-If only he had a better right foot he could play anywhere.

Its taken 39 games but weve finally lost, 1-0 to West Ham in the 4th round of the FA Cup!

Were really missing Defoe up front, Pav and Crouch are just not doing it for us. 2 goals in 5 Premiership games since hes been injured says it all.

Yeah, Pav can be brilliant or awol. Very true to life. I always though his stats were completley overrated in FM11, yet he somehow manages to play almost exactly as he does in life-occasionally fantastic, but mostly just not really there./

Loving Bale as an inside forward btw, i feel this guy can go on to become one of the most versatile players on fm-If only he had a better right foot he could play anywhere.

It's weird you should mention that. I think Bale scores about 1/3 or so of his goals with his right foot in my save. There was one against Chelsea that hit the top corner from 25 yards out. :confused:

Just had a massive summer clearout of the squad bringing in £22m plus future transfers when loans finish (hopefully) and got my wage bill down to a healthy £1m p/w. Pretty happy with that as I have kept all my superstars happy as well.

Just claimed my first bit of silverware by beating Man City 3-1 in the League Cup final

Oh boy, i really shouldn't have stayed up till 4:30 playing this game but it comes with the territory!

I just beat Bayern 2-1 at WHL, CL QF 1st leg. Disappointed to concede but i think i can cancel them out in Germany. My players are dropping like flies, so many injuries, Carroll is on injections to get through the next week. 6 games left in the league, i just don't think i can catch Arsenal, they have been unstoppable this season, hardly conceding, hardly been beaten all season. Why god why?!!

Shame, as i really wanted a prem title this season, but our form of late has been dodgy, culminating in a 3-2 defeat at Stoke. I think maybe i should do just enough to get 2nd/3rd, and concentrate on winning the CL instead, hmmm.

Still unbeaten and have increased my lead over City to 6 points. VDV is on fire scoring and passing for fun. He needs time to settle me thinks, but now he's performing the way I want him to and he's got 4 goals and 5 assists in his last 5 games

Just thrashed West Brom 7-1 for my biggest win of the season. VDV had a pair while Defoe had 3 and Bentley had 3 assists!

I'm weighing up a massive bid for Pastore and will be offloading Jenas and Pav to raise some funds. I'd probably let Bentley go too if I decide to go for Pastore as I'd likely move VDV to the right as an inside forward to take advantage of his left foot and crosses

I'm hoping that selling some of my unused players will keep my finances in order.

Oh lordy, just played Bayern, 2nd leg of the champions league quarters. In the first leg, We snatched a 2-1 win at WHL courtesy of a late Michael Dawson special, meaning we needed a a draw at the Allianz. I set the lads up somewhat defensivley, but allowed them to get forward when the opportunity arose, using Carroll as a defensive forward, harrying and hustling the midfield and back four. We defended valiantly for 40 minutes, but were undone by an unstoppable Juarez shot just outside the area, after Robben got inside of Corluka and layed the ball off to him. No matter, a more adventerous outlook after the break would suit us better. However, we were looking tired, and could not find a break through. Going into the last ten minutes it looked as though we were not going to find a way past bayern, as our forwards were just not clicking. Lennon looked lively but Defoe was not getting in behind the defense and got barged off the ball.

Then, with 3 minutes remaining, who else but the Superlative Rafa Van de Vaart but to pop up after an anonymous 87 minutes to pounce on a loose ball, and bury the ball in the back of then net with venom from just outside the area. We defended excellentley througout, rode our luck at times, but are now through to the semi's, the last English club standing!

We can face either O'm(last yrs winners), Athletico madrid or Barca in the semi. But my plkayers are exhausted and injuries are popping up, especially in defense. Gallas and Dawson are a great partnership-I wish i could give ledder a proper CL send off, but the poor lad cannot even last 45 minutes now.

I've gone into the 2011 Jan transfer window unbeaten in the league with this tactic: http://img510.imageshack.us/i/tacticso.png/

Here are my results and team: http://img152.imageshack.us/i/premleague.png/ http://img221.imageshack.us/i/squadf.png/

Prem league table: http://img835.imageshack.us/i/leaguetable.png/

And CL results: http://img88.imageshack.us/i/champsleague.png/

Got AC Milan in the next round of the CL

Oh lordy, just played Bayern, 2nd leg of the champions league quarters. In the first leg, We snatched a 2-1 win at WHL courtesy of a late Michael Dawson special, meaning we needed a a draw at the Allianz. I set the lads up somewhat defensivley, but allowed them to get forward when the opportunity arose, using Carroll as a defensive forward, harrying and hustling the midfield and back four. We defended valiantly for 40 minutes, but were undone by an unstoppable Juarez shot just outside the area, after Robben got inside of Corluka and layed the ball off to him. No matter, a more adventerous outlook after the break would suit us better. However, we were looking tired, and could not find a break through. Going into the last ten minutes it looked as though we were not going to find a way past bayern, as our forwards were just not clicking. Lennon looked lively but Defoe was not getting in behind the defense and got barged off the ball.

Then, with 3 minutes remaining, who else but the Superlative Rafa Van de Vaart but to pop up after an anonymous 87 minutes to pounce on a loose ball, and bury the ball in the back of then net with venom from just outside the area. We defended excellentley througout, rode our luck at times, but are now through to the semi's, the last English club standing!

We can face either O'm(last yrs winners), Athletico madrid or Barca in the semi. But my plkayers are exhausted and injuries are popping up, especially in defense. Gallas and Dawson are a great partnership-I wish i could give ledder a proper CL send off, but the poor lad cannot even last 45 minutes now.

Good job mate

Don't know how often you rest players from training but I am obsessive about it and keep my team fresh all year round.

August to November if we play Saturday, midweek, sat or sun I will rest any starter or anyone who played more than 60 mins 1 day off. Come December this becomes 2 days rest and this continues thru to the end of the season. However I have no qualms about resting everyone for a week at the back end of a season to keep them fresh. It really pays off and some of my best work has come late in games in March, April, May as others have players on 60/70% fitness at the 70 min mark while mine hover in the high 70's or even 80's.

I'm religious about resting players

Anyone who plays in a game get's 1-3 days off depending on fixtures/condition/time of season ect, and every man in the squad get's atleast 1 day off a week. The only player i don't rest are the reserves and u'18s because i cannot be bothered going through it all for every squad. There should be an easier option, say on the individual squad page, where you can rest the whole squad.

The players are recovering well, but i've just had quite a few injuries here and there, usually during a match. But i've been easing off the pressing more recently, which leaves us abit more loose but it's alright. I might give the whole squad a week off actually, good idea

Just completed the first season winning the League Cup and Premiership going undefeated along the way!

Transfers

Premiership

League and FA Cup

We won the League Cup beating Man City 3-1 in the final. West Ham knocked us out of the FA Cup in the 4th round, this was also our first loss of the season in all comps!

Champions League

Knocked out in the Quarter Finals by AC Milan, we lost 2-0 at WHL and Won 2-1 at the San Siro.

Squad Stats

Well done ballsinahabit. Undefeated is awesome.

Cheers Jedi Spur formerly edgar right?

What does everyone do with their squads in the second season? Its so big and theres so many quality players that i surely wont be able to keep them all happy! I need to sell some players but i really dont know who, i need help!

Unbeaten is a great achievement there mate!

Crikey, what a season this is turning out to be. Needed a result against Villa to stay in the title hunt, but since we have the CL semi in spain on tuesday i rested key players, and boy did it back fire.

Unbelievabley, after some shocking perfomance, we were 3-0 down within 30 minutes! I bought lennon on, told him to cut inside, and he scored one tap in and one great left footed striker from the edge of the box to bring it back to 2-3. 20 minutes after the break, Cuellar scored an own goal after being pressured by Defoe, and with 9 minutes to go Modric scored a fierce goal from just inside the box to make it 4-3, and keep us 2nd. What a game! Loving Lennon at the moment, he is a great player at times.

Cheers Jedi Spur formerly edgar right?

What does everyone do with their squads in the second season? Its so big and theres so many quality players that i surely wont be able to keep them all happy! I need to sell some players but i really dont know who, i need help!

Yes mate, formerly edgar. Don't ask.

2nd season I strip the squad. Anyone i can't sell is either loaned or left to rot in the ressies (I always choose the reserve league from season 2 onwards) offered out at £0 if I have to.

The ones who usually go are O'Hara, Woody, JJ, GDS(big maybe), Bentley, Keane (if I haven't got rid already), one of the other strikers as long as they are not called Defoe, a right back (normally Hutton), Cudi, as well as some of the youths. Most of the youth team players I don't renew their contracts and just release.

Cheers Jedi Spur formerly edgar right?

What does everyone do with their squads in the second season? Its so big and theres so many quality players that i surely wont be able to keep them all happy! I need to sell some players but i really dont know who, i need help!

I sold Crouch/Keane, Bentley, Gio and Nico, o'hara, let Cudicini and Woody out on frees. Many people like Gio, but i did not want yet another tiny, skillfull player, and he never would have forced his way in.

I would have kept Crouch but i bought in Carroll instead who has been a very good aqquisition, although i only bought him because Samp wouldnt sell pazzini and Cavani was too expensive.

The only player i've missed out of them is possibly Kranjcar, but i let him go because he was not needed in the first season very much and i got very good money for him. I don't mess with the squad too much, just preferring a steady evolution. Besides, there is not enough money to spend really to bring in tons of players. Got some good freebies though-Pienaar, a good squad player, and i have Sahko coming in on a free. I also bought in Alou Diarra from Bordeaux and Asmir Begovic as cover for Gomes. Oh and Vaclav Kadlec who is a promising youngin. I think i will tie Defoe and Pav down to contrcts so they can see out their careers with me, but am tempted to buy a fast striker, and, whisper it, may even let Rafa go(!)

It depends how you like to set your team up. Who have you bought so far

Just got to 1st January 2011 and im unbeaten in the league and sitting 2 points in front of the Goons and 10 points in front of Liverpool who are 3rd.

Dzeko has scored 17 goals in 26 games and Defoe has scored 9 in 14 games but Defoe has performed poorly lately so ive dumped him on the bench.

Took a chance with Dos Santos in his place and boy hes been on fire. 7 goals in 10 games since he came in.

Well, just finished the CL semi final 1st leg, Athletico Madrid won 2-1. Forlan scored two in the first half, but we performed very well in the second, Rafa getting a vital away goal just after half time. We could've...should have atleast got an equaliser, but Defoe's finishing was woeful and he kept getting himself offside, but our direct through balls kept them on the back foot. Had to re-shuffle the defense which didn't help, Bringing Corluka in at centre back and he had a poor game. Then Gallas went off injured, and not another fit centre back in sight i put Thudd back there as a ball playing defender which worked well. Bale was electric down the left hand side, but unfortunatley i had to bring him back to a wing back position because Bassong, despite being told to defend deep, was caught out again and again By Ath.Madrids passing.

Still, if we get through to the final i am wearing a suit. No joke

My plan is to let Pav, Jenas, and Keane go at the end of the season. Jenas just hasn't been doing it for me this weekend and I'm planning a big move for Pastore which would shift Jenas further down the order. I barely use Pav as I have Babacar and Crouchy has performed better for me, especially in Europe.

Just got drawn against Real Madrid in the knockout round

Just completed the first season, managed not too win it and lost to Chelsea in the final game which pushed me down to third. Another thing i found this season was i was constantly playing Arsenal, all the cups including the champions league, this wasn't as bad as i expected when i found that they couldn't defend either managed to beat them six times on the trot and with different formations each time. On a bad note i've not got to grips with Chelsea yet, they can defend and attack Have won the CL though against Real Madrid, 2:1 goal in the 90min by King from a header, he's now promptly got himself injured for 3 months, VDV was good but injured too for the latter part of the season and suprisingly Modric has played the most games , 52, with an average of 7.13 not many goals though, 4.

As this seasons finished i'm considering losing most of the present strikers, i've bought Lukaku who's beginning to warm up, 21 appearances 10 goals, and i'll keep Defoe (for poaching); the rest haven't inspired me and i've got Babacar joining for 52k a week so that should be the target man dealt with. Also got Sanogo in the reserves (i have a feeling he's going to be a problem player), and now Huddlestone is demanding a new contract, told him to prove he's worth it, seems to have worked. I've had to play Bale as a left back all season so i may try to buy a decent left back so Bale can move up the pitch, also got a couple of Brazilians joining, Lucas (ML/AML, 17 from Internacional) and Luciano (DM/MR, 17 from Cruzerio), don't know if these are newgens (what with the weird season start dates in S.American anythings possible), i've also got Galvan (Mexican) from Cruz Azul coming, am a bit wary about him though i bought in FM10 and he can get a bit funny about waming the bench.

Incredible scenes at White Hart Lane here, as we're through to the Champions League final!!!

We lost the first leg 2-1 at Athletico Madrids ground, which meant although we had an away goal, we would need to find a goal at the Lane whilst not conceding. Well, i thought to myself, 'What would Billy Nick do?', and decided to put out a fluid attacking set up, but with Carroll upfront because i needed him to hustle, hold the ball up and lay it off down the wings to Bale and Lennon, or to Rafa.

Anyway on a rainy night in North London, the whole team absolutley nailed it. A few hairy moments, but a wonderful through ball to VdV, who promptly nestled it in the far corner on the half hr mark put the game in our hands. Not content to sit back and grind it out, i decided to stick with the attacking notions. After the break, Athletico were starting to come alive, almost scoring and but for the titan-esque kaboul, Gallas, Dawson, Bassong and Gomes would have sent us crashing out. I then reasoned that, since we have lost a bit of fluidity in attack and are looking stretched, it would be wise to to have some balance in our play, and counter attack when we could. Godric, for he is a God of sorts, broke away-a lovely one two with Bale and he broke into the box, lashing the ball across the goal and for none other than the Dutch Wizard to tap in at the far post.

We were on top of the game now, and the fans were pushing the team on. What the hell i thought, and neglected to click on the contain button, instead letting them do their thing. We etched forward, and 7 minutes put the game beyond Athletico when Bale cut inside the box and carressed a right footer past De Gea's left hand side. 3-0, and 4-2 on aggregate.

There were more thrills and spills however, and in a cruel, cruel blow, a vindictive ref saw fit to give Rafa a yellow card, which will ban him for the final. He played on however, showing true determination and leadership. Ten minutes later, in yet another cruel twist of fate, Gallas was shown a second yellow, and was sent to the dugout. Of all the players who deserve a Champions league final, it would be Rafa and Gallas, who have been exceptional. on 85 minutes, Forlan contrived to miss a penalty, Gomes guessing right as he did Drogba the other week. It would have made for a tense final ten minutes!

Anway, with Gallas out, and Bassong probably getting the nod at left back over an ever improving BAE, it does leave the remaining question of just who the hell i play alongisde dawson. Diarra could play their, as could Thudd. However, and this would raise some eyebrows, what would be more fitting than to send our King off into sunny retirment with a CL winner medal round his neck? Leds has been injured or just horribly unfit all season, can hardly last 45 minutes and also has not even played 10 league games all season. Maybe i should neglect sentimentality and put someone else in, but can't help feeling that Ledders deserves it....

Guys, it's not just a game.

I'm going to get my suit out EDIT;Barcelona in the final

What role do you guys give VDV? I'm really struggling getting the best of him. I play him in the AMC role in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but no matter what role I give him, he seems to finish every game with a 6.40 rating.

Inside forward/Trequarista/Advanced playmaker. He has agreat 1st season with me, but the goals dried up in the second. Then Edgar told me the slight tweaks he uses and it makes a difference. He haqs 16 gls in 30 apps for me, which is not bad for a midfielder.

Make sure he has creative freedom, low pressing, easy tackling, long shots to sometimes or preferably often etc. He can do everything pretty much, except muscle people off the ball, so let him get on with it.

VDV same as Spud, just let him do what he wants in the AMC (for me) position, usually i've got at least one MC behind him or if playing a diamond a DMC. One formation i found worked for me was:

-GK-

DL - DC - DC -DR

ML - MC - MR

- AMC- AMC -

- SC -

Thats with one of the AMC's being Modric with a support role and the other being VDV with basically Spud's settings, with that i've got 24 appearances out of him (injured every now and then), 8 goals, 14 assists, 6 MoM, and average rating of 7.53

Thanks, I'll experiment a little bit. Too bad he's just got injured for 3-4 months...

Same thing happened to me, he got injured just when i needed him. Actually that formation i listed won't have ever been my preferred choice at the beginning of the season, i normally like two strikers but i made a decision to try to use VDV in a position thats better suited for him (used him in past FM incarnations at HSV among other clubs). If you use the 4-4-2 diamond then stick Defoe as a poacher with a target man for support (as mentioned in the old Spurs Thread) and VDV just behind he's good at moving the ball, free kicks, and for me was lethal around the 25 yard mark with whizzing shots. Another thing i found was that Bentley really is quite useful particularly at direct free kicks.

Same thing happened to me, he got injured just when i needed him. Actually that formation i listed won't have ever been my preferred choice at the beginning of the season, i normally like two strikers but i made a decision to try to use VDV in a position thats better suited for him (used him in past FM incarnations at HSV among other clubs). If you use the 4-4-2 diamond then stick Defoe as a poacher with a target man for support (as mentioned in the old Spurs Thread) and VDV just behind he's good at moving the ball, free kicks, and for me was lethal around the 25 yard mark with whizzing shots. Another thing i found was that Bentley really is quite useful particularly at direct free kicks.

Its still in the OP of this thread too!

Bentley is decent, probably good enough but he's not Aaron is he?

I also have VDV take all my penalties and free kicks. I play him now as an inside forward cutting inside from the right to take advantage of his left foot. BTW - I loved your update Spud and good luck against Barca!

Right, you may not hear from me for the rest of the night. As Fergie would say, its squeaky bum time.

And indeed Spud, props for your update and you are correct, this isn't just a game. Hope the suit brings you luck.

thanks, i used to have VdV as my free kick taker, but now it's Bale all the way. He powers them in! Although in real life he actually places/curls them as far as i can see. The Welsh Roberto Carlos indeed.

True Bentley's not as good as Lennon, but they are different types of players, Lennon speed and attacking Bentley i prefer for my more defensive matches, mind you i am having thoughts about Dos Santos taking over. Starting the second season soon, club have set my coach limit at 23 and 14 scouts, finally going to have enough coaches to double up on schedules I've now listed Crouch and Pav, bids in for them already though loans with buy options, also hopefully soon to get rid of Keane to Aston Villa for 2 mil'ish, still trying to get of Jenas, O'Hara, Naughton, and Khumalo Also looking for a decent left back, my assistant reckons Bassong if so he'll have saved himself for the moment. Trying to decide if i should keep Corluka and Hutton or replace one with Walker, think i may rotate the three of them till Jan and then decide.

Another thing has anyone been getting much luck with the networking for young and feeder clubs, the board told me that they'd prefer me to buy talent rather than train it! Not the best of ideas i thought with the league rules. For feeder clubs other than the original i've only managed to get one in the first season, that being Hib's in Scotland. I have been given though a budget of 89 mil, can't believe it, and i've only said i'd get continental qualification, must be a fluk, of course its wasted on me anyway as i only tend to buy youth (cheap youngsters if possible); i suppose it could be due to me signing a 4 year contract and reducing the wage to the minimum possible, the board was very happy about that

Purely because this thread is absolutely superb and the best one Ive read in years I will be starting a spurs game tonight

Also down to the mention of legendary Dave Mackay

thanks, i used to have VdV as my free kick taker, but now it's Bale all the way. He powers them in! Although in real life he actually places/curls them as far as i can see. The Welsh Roberto Carlos indeed.

VdV still has seniority over Bale for me. And rightly so, Bale's still a bit hit and miss.

True Bentley's not as good as Lennon, but they are different types of players, Lennon speed and attacking Bentley i prefer for my more defensive matches, mind you i am having thoughts about Dos Santos taking over. Starting the second season soon, club have set my coach limit at 23 and 14 scouts, finally going to have enough coaches to double up on schedules I've now listed Crouch and Pav, bids in for them already though loans with buy options, also hopefully soon to get rid of Keane to Aston Villa for 2 mil'ish, still trying to get of Jenas, O'Hara, Naughton, and Khumalo Also looking for a decent left back, my assistant reckons Bassong if so he'll have saved himself for the moment. Trying to decide if i should keep Corluka and Hutton or replace one with Walker, think i may rotate the three of them till Jan and then decide.

Another thing has anyone been getting much luck with the networking for young and feeder clubs, the board told me that they'd prefer me to buy talent rather than train it! Not the best of ideas i thought with the league rules. For feeder clubs other than the original i've only managed to get one in the first season, that being Hib's in Scotland. I have been given though a budget of 89 mil, can't believe it, and i've only said i'd get continental qualification, must be a fluk, of course its wasted on me anyway as i only tend to buy youth (cheap youngsters if possible); i suppose it could be due to me signing a 4 year contract and reducing the wage to the minimum possible, the board was very happy about that

Yeah, I just meant I prefer Aaron IRL(actually its more of a <3 thing) so tend to favour him in game.

As for feeders, don't be scared to push the board a litte, particularly if you're doing well. I often give them the 'we'll be left behind' line and they acquiese.

Purely because this thread is absolutely superb and the best one Ive read in years I will be starting a spurs game tonight

Also down to the mention of legendary Dave Mackay

Thankyou for your kind words.

And you were always going to like a mention of the legendary Dave Mackay with your name.

And good luck.

Good luck, Mackay used to be my favourite defender on the Legends Database last year.

The strength of the teams in its creativity, speed, and of course goal scoring ability the thing is that you really have to find a way to use all these creative players, VDV can be a key player, though i found Modric more reliable (in part because he was injured less), i used him as a ML, MC, AMC, AML, his ability to "fit in" to positions is his strength though as most people have found to have successful season you'll have to work out the best way to use VDV, for me this meant at times sacrificing my preferred two up just to make sure i could have Lennon/Bentley, Modric, VDV on the pitch at the same time (with a holding midfielder behind e.g. Huddlestone, Sandro, or Palacios) with Kranjcar on the left wing.

Not the toughest opposition, but just beat Blackpool 9-0 in my first game without VDV. Currently in 3rd place in January. I plan on posting a nice long update at the end of the season. This is really a great thread.

Not the toughest opposition, but just beat Blackpool 9-0 in my first game without VDV. Currently in 3rd place in January. I plan on posting a nice long update at the end of the season. This is really a great thread.

1st season? That really is an impressive performance. Any 9-0 in the EPL is phenomenal.

And thanks to you for your kind words about the thread. I'm glad there's a good bunch of people enjoying Spurs.