Heaven's Gate -Season 1-93 points, 96 goals. Negredo 34 goals,Aguero 32 goals,Nasri 33 assists

WAFFLE;

So my quest for a satisfying tactic continues.

Although i've been successful in my long term Tonbridge save and i've won the League with my testing team Man City with a number of different tactics i've been looking for something that ticks every box. Namely;

1. Real World formation and approach

2. High scoring whilst solid in defence

3. A tactic for all occasions, can blow away weaker teams but hold its own against stronger opponents

4. Be consistent, limit the inevitable runs of poor form to an absolute minimum

5. Be enjoyable and entertaining to watch

In other words a plug & play tactic for all levels.

I'll admit to getting a bit paranoid when i've taken a look at some of the prominent tactics on this and others forums and i've seen teams go unbeaten all season which i've never done.

For the first time i've downloaded them and tried them with Man City, they are certainly strong attacking tactics capable of good runs of goal scoring and results but i never made it to the end of September without defeat with any of them. Normally a pretty heavy defeat at this.

What is obvious is that the truly great results are achieved by teams which have been improved over 6 or 7 seasons and are now full of technically gifted footballers but seemingly more importantly with IMMENSE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES, i.e very high pace & strength to compliment there other attributes. In all areas of the pitch.

This can make a very good tactic appear to be a great tactic. As Brian Clough said, footballers win you matches not tactics (which i agree with only partially!)

I've tested some very attacking tactic's of my own, i abandoned 1 after 9 straight wins averaging 2.9 goals a game as i was conceding 15+ shots and 5 or 6 clear cut chances a game. I wasn't fooled, i'd been getting away with it but this is exactly the kind of tactic which will falls apart mid season when your luck runs out, morale takes a hit and your ambitions are derailed.

My current tactic

The results are very solid, plenty of goals, few conceded. I had an unusual sense of calm when using this tactic, not a lot was going to go wrong and would likely get at least 2 goals a game. Pretty stress free.

I would expect this to scale well with weaker teams as its a very well balanced tactic. Results will obviously not be as strong but you should comfortably meet/exceed expectations.

Tactical Observations

Target Men are good. In the tests i've done a Target Man on Support is more prolific than a Complete Forward on Attack. It might be related to their inherent physicality or the fact that they don't get isolated like a Complete Forward does but i've had a great return from mine as you can see below.

The Advantage of using only 1 (official) Striker. Anyone in a dedicated 'striker position' has a weight of expectation on them to score goals. The game doesn't care if he's had 10 assists in 6 games, if he hasn't scored you start hearing about 'goal droughts', his form drops, he misses sitters and this snowballs into a massive problem for him and the team as the goals dry up.

This is really over done in FM in my opinion.

Conversely when your Strikers starts scoring they can get on a massive roll as confidence gets high and they start smashing them in from all over the place.

With only 1 striker with the goal scoring burden, and a tactic which will feed him chances you can almost always stay on the right side of this mechanic. You can also put him as your main penalty taker and in a good spot at corners to feed him extra goals and keep his form high for most of the season.

Our other main goalscorer is the Trequartista, as he is in the AMC strata he does not have have pressure to score goals and we don't have to worry about goal droughts as this mechanic does not apply.

Sitting Deep with Attacking roles vs Pushing up with Conservative roles.

These approaches seem to be the way to go on FM. The former is more popular with both FB's on attack, with decent pace they are able to get back when attacks break down.

I prefer the latter approach with my conservative nature. We are 'risking' a high line but are set up to recycle possession and recover our shape quickly should we lose the ball, win it back and start again.

You are vulnerable to the ball over the top but strikers are woeful one on one, sitting deep you are vulnerable to crosses which are far more deadly.

Too many cooks.....

There is a temptation to throw lots of players into the box during attacks, these players bring defenders with them which causes the box to be over crowded and 'melee' type situations to occur. Our creators can pass and cross, all they need is 1 man in space.

I find 3 in the box is ideal, maybe 4 with 'lurkers' ready and available outside the area to recycle possession win back the ball early of need be.

So in the end we have a tactic with 3 attacking mentalities 4 defend and 3 support (exc GK).

Following the rules

This tactic follows the various guides on the forum quite closely, with all duties present in both the defensive & midfield lines. This ensures you have depth in attack, a 'staggered' approach with multiple passing options and good defensive cover.

We have a team which transitions smoothly from attack to defence and back again, threatens equally from the flanks and through the middle, has depth in both defence and attack (attackers in the box, the rest 'lurking') and gives me what i have been looking for.......... BALANCE in all areas!

FORMATION

DOWNLOAD

https://www.mediafire.com/?jnuwm74tgybtrd6

Plug & Play, No OI's, Max pitch Size

TO COMPLETE THE TACTICS SET

Countering tactic for tough away matches.

And overload tactic for chasing a game or at half time when you have a team on the ropes but cant score.

DOWNLOAD

HEAVEN'S GATE 'COUNTER'

https://www.mediafire.com/?ret6d0xai0deu53

HEAVEN'S GATE 'OVERLOAD'

https://www.mediafire.com/?b32xz22c01ne71q

Screenshots

Our Target Man - 34 goals

32 goals from our Trequartista in the AMC position

33 assists..... from central midfield!

PLAYER ROLES

Player Roles.

As you probably know by now I like to shape my team by looking for key attributes for each role to maximise the effect of the tactic.

I have gone along these line again, HOWEVER if you are in a top Divison and are seeking to build a UBER TEAM having dominant physical specimens will help take you to that level.

UBER TEAM REQUIREMENTS - optional

All players minimum acceleration 15.

All players minimum strength 13.

(except GK)

Outside of that, these are the base requirements for each role & player description.

Target Man - Support

Strength, Jumping Reach, Finishing, Composure

Amongst other things this guy will be your main goalscorer. A highly effective creator as well. A focal point in the attack, linking play, upsetting defenders, creating space and getting on the end of chances. You'll grow to love him!

Trequartista - Attack

Off the Ball, Finishing, Composure, Passing

A maverick with licence to roam and do his own thing. Good movement is key, an unpredictable player for our opponent to deal with, difficult to pick up. A creator/goalscorer linking and building attacks before arriving late to finish them off.

Central Midfield - Attack

Acceleration, Off the Ball, Finishing, Composure

One of my favourite roles in FM14. An aggressive runner from deep, can be a creative force and goalscorer. Often finding gaps in defences with the ball at his feet, driving the team forward from midfield. Our 3rd attacker, a true goal scoring midfielder, expect lots of goals and assists.

Central Midfield - Support

Passing, Work Rate, Team Work, Determination

A hybrid player, instrumental in our attacks whilst remaining circumspect. Diligent in defense. Although cautious when he determines an sound attacking platform is in place he is happy to support attacks, link play, spread the ball wide and find space behind the forward line.

Central Midfield – Defend

Passing, Tackling, Marking, Positioning

A disciplined role, short of glory but vital to ensure we remain defensively solid. The last line of defence for our back 4. We need a good marker/tackler to sniff out and eliminate danger before initiating and supporting the early build up of attacks

Deeplying Playmaker - Defend

Passing, Positioning, Marking, Tackling

This guy builds our attacks from the back and is an easy outball for the Centre Backs. During sustained attacks is available to recycle possession from deep spreading play from flank to flank or hitting a runner from deep. Has a lot of defensive responsibility as well with his midfield partner often up the pitch. Direct passing is on, this guy will initiate some deadly counter attacks.

Full Back - Support

Tackling, Marking, Passing, Acceleration

We need this guy to cover for our absent midfielders with his nearest 2 on Support and Attack duty, we want him holding his position a little deeper. Available for an easy out ball if an attack runs into a cul de sac, able to hit our Target Man from deep if the pass is on. With our high line they need to be quick to cover for any mistakes.

Full Back – Attack

Acceleration, Crossing, Dribbling, Work Rate

Positioned next to our most defensive minded midfielder this guy has a licence to bomb on. We need a speed merchant to get up and down the flank all day. With no wide player in front of him he will get very far up the pitch, often. We want him pinging crosses onto the head of our target man.

Centre Backs - Defend/Cover

Tackling, Marking, Positioning, Acceleration

As we are likely to be defending break away's rather than a lot of crosses i've prioritised 'acceleration' over 'jumping reach'. However its pretty hard to find centre backs who are poor in the air, best avoid the one's who are. Other than that, we just one competent defenders with the pace to get each other out of trouble. Put your fastest one on 'cover' duty.

Goal Keepers

One on Ones, Concentration, Reflexes, Aerial Ability

They will be one on one a lot! Need to be 'specialists' in this area, it helps a lot. Other than that, get the best you can.

testing with Leeds just now will update when im in January

got sacked in October.....thought i had a good enough squad

ok going to try again with leeds....wish me luck

Looks interesting Mr Rosler. Never really got on with Arte et Marte but that is in no way a criticism as I haven't used it enough to form a genuine opinion. Still enjoy XXX though. Think I will plug this in for Season 2018/19 with my Everton team.

One of the big things that drew me to your FM14 tactics was the attention to detail that you have done with this and the others. Bravo sir!

Looking at the player descriptions I think my squad is pretty sorted with Gabriel Barbosa, Jay Rodriguez and Michy Batshuayi in the target role. Jaun Mata and Ross Barkely for the Trequartista. Giuliano Victor de Paula Lorenzo Crisetig, James McCarthy and a few others should finish the midfield.

Defense should be pretty well covered too. I'm waffling on a bit now but the squad looks good for this formation.

Looks interesting Mr Rosler. Never really got on with Arte et Marte but that is in no way a criticism as I haven't used it enough to form a genuine opinion. Still enjoy XXX though. Think I will plug this in for Season 2018/19 with my Everton team.

One of the big things that drew me to your FM14 tactics was the attention to detail that you have done with this and the others. Bravo sir!

Looking at the player descriptions I think my squad is pretty sorted with Gabriel Barbosa, Jay Rodriguez and Michy Batshuayi in the target role. Jaun Mata and Ross Barkely for the Trequartista. Giuliano Victor de Paula Lorenzo Crisetig, James McCarthy and a few others should finish the midfield.

Defense should be pretty well covered too. I'm waffling on a bit now but the squad looks good for this formation.

Good team that. You should do well.

My newly promoted Tonbridge team are holding there own in the Prem. Media prediction is 18th so i'll be happy just to stay up. Bit different than being Man City but we're still carrying a good goal threat.

Going to try this in my next season. Currently with Pipsons Masterpiece so its going to take a bit of moving players about

Have you considered testing this with a weaker side to see if it performs well with smaller clubs?

Have you considered testing this with a weaker side to see if it performs well with smaller clubs?

I'm back in the Prem with my Tonbridge team with a media prediction of 18th. So a weaker team.

27 points after 20 games and 12th position. So pretty solid.

Having a go with Ajax. Committing about 20 fouls a game and getting cards all over the place including 2 reds in two games for rash tackles.

Didn't sparkle pre season and just lost 1-0 in 2nd game of the season to Den Haag. I doubt my boys are either robust enough or good enough tacklers for this one.

Another great tactic, and good explanation. Question is which one/set do you think is the best?

Another great tactic, and good explanation. Question is which one/set do you think is the best?

No idea to be honest!

I'm lazily just plug and playing this tactic at the moment.

In reality I know it's not really cut out for tough away games. Even with Man City I lost to Man U, Liverpool and Chelsea away (didn't lose any home games) and threw away a 3-1 home leg advantage in the champions league losing 2-0 in Paris to go out on away goals.

So I should really add a counter/control version and then an overloading version to complete the set.

Hand on heart, the DOM or XXX sets used properly will likely yield better results until I complete a set around this.

What match prep do you use, once the tactic is fully fluid?

What match prep do you use, once the tactic is fully fluid?

Attacking movement.

Do you not use any of the scouts advise for match prep or do you leave it on att movement once its fluid

Just leave it on AM permanently.

Can you suggest anything for coming up against strong teams? I've only lost to Derry & Sligo since i started using this tactic but won every other match

Can you suggest anything for coming up against strong teams? I've only lost to Derry & Sligo since i started using this tactic but won every other match

Just finishing my season in the Prem with Tonbridge, just to prove to myself this tactic can be used with a weak team.

After that i'll do a counter attacking version for tough away matches as well as an overloading version to use to chase a game or to plug in at half time if you're drawing against a team you should be hammering.

In the short term, if you want to change the team instructions to 'drop deeper', the mentalities to Counter/Fluid and remove 'higher tempo' for big away matches it should help.

Thanks - I'll certainly try.

I'll give this a test once my current season ends and report back

OK, ran with the basic tactic all season, 1st year in prem (2nd time round!). media prediction 18th.

35 points at home, nearly 2 points a game at home is excellent for a weak team. Only 12 points away so lots of room for improvement here.

Hence, countering tactic for tough away matches.

And overload tactic for chasing a game or at half time when you have a team on the ropes but cant score.

DOWNLOAD

HEAVEN'S GATE 'COUNTER'

https://www.mediafire.com/?ret6d0xai0deu53

HEAVEN'S GATE 'OVERLOAD'

https://www.mediafire.com/?b32xz22c01ne71q

Havent tried the counter or overload but with the main tactic i've hit a poor form patch 6 losses in 10 games and at the moment lost 4 matches in a row. Going to bed with a sad face

Finished the season in 2nd even though we could have won had it not been for that dip in form Towards the end it seemed like the players didnt know how to play the tactic, im not sure if that was due to low morale or what?

And have asked board to go pro twice and they have agreed but nothing has come of it even though we have the money. Wont even scout to the UK ffs!

Had the lowest goals conceded which is something to be proud of. Going to test how it is after it has been bed in for the second season along with the counter and overload.

Finished the season in 2nd even though we could have won had it not been for that dip in form Towards the end it seemed like the players didnt know how to play the tactic, im not sure if that was due to low morale or what?

And have asked board to go pro twice and they have agreed but nothing has come of it even though we have the money. Wont even scout to the UK ffs!

Had the lowest goals conceded which is something to be proud of. Going to test how it is after it has been bed in for the second season along with the counter and overload.

Time for a new club?

Yeah the thought has crossed my mind a few times but I managed to win the CL with Limerick in FM12

Which one of the set do you tend to use for games at a neutral venue for like a cup final?

Looks like the rough patch of form is happening again, same thing happened roughly the exact time as last season just after we were knocked out of european competition hope i dont lose title now as we definitely deserve to win it. Team has played consistently well since the start of the season with high ratings of 7.5+

Won the league and we are now professional. Looking to sign players from UK but are asking colossal wages and the agent fee's are shocking!

Just to ask you, if you still use the same training as below or is it different?

General = 2 weeks Fitness pre-season. Then 2 months on Team Blend.(very important) Then 'Balanced' all season.

Match = Tactics till fully fluid then leave on attacking movement.

Slider- Maximum match training until tactic is fully fluid then half way.

Same training.

Big tip on wages, offer them half what there asking but up the 'sell on percentage' to 35%.

Normally does the trick. Go to 50% if you have to. Works a treat.

Really want to try this tactic but my two best players are a aml (draxler) and amr (rebbah - wonderkid)

Same training.

Big tip on wages, offer them half what there asking but up the 'sell on percentage' to 35%.

Normally does the trick. Go to 50% if you have to. Works a treat.

Nice one!

Really want to try this tactic but my two best players are a aml (draxler) and amr (rebbah - wonderkid)

I retrained a superb AMR into DR. Attributes for this role are similar as the DR is very attacking. Took a while to get familiar but performed steadily throughout.

Not got Draxlers stats to hand but can maybe retrain to DL or one of the midfield roles/support/attack. I find retraining quite satisfying.

I'm going back to the start, glutton for punishment i know! Want to see what success it might bring from the start before I had a good team. Got any more tips like the one with the wages - i cant believe that actually works!

Went back to the start and got sacked half way through the season

Started again though and i'm in my third season and we seem to be going backwards instead of forwards, strikers not scoring as much as they should based on their stats. Losing & drawing games we should be winning, the style of footy is nice but it aint getting me results.

Want to have faith in the tactic but i'm starting to lose faith quickly

Well I have started a new save using this tactic and having pre season to get used to it well all three tactics but my main is the attacking one so far so good possession not so good but limited my opposition team to less than 10 shots a match were my team are having over 20 shots and we have played 4 matches in pre season unbeaten including beating a championsleague team at home good tactic so far!

Gonna give this a go with my newcastle team from january second season ill let you know how they perform

Ive had excellent success so far ive made it past Man City to get to the league cup final against chelsea finished my european group top ahead of lyon which is an accomplishment because i was definately gonna come second to them if i kept my old tactic. The big thing ive noticed is i am probably averaging a penalty every other game has anyone else come accross this that they win a lot of penalties. Ill post some screenshots at the end of my season ive just gotten to february so wont be long now

Its a good set of tactics but as i've come to realise FM14 is a game of team/squad building rather than finding an uber tactic and just plugging it in.

There is a sliding tactical scale from defensive to attacking. Somewhere within that is the level which is suited to your team at that time.

If you're weak in your division and you go too attacking you'll get ripped apart. If you're strong in your division and you go too defensive you'll draw too many games. No matter how good those tactics are.

If you're somewhere in the middle you can go either route dependent on the type of football you like to watch i.e consistant with lots of draws (defensive) or hammered one week, hammering someone the next (attacking).

My Tonbridge Team is in the mid range, i decided to go attacking, conceded 60 league goals! which sounds like a recipe for disaster, but scored 82 and finished 5th in the Prem. The world has never seen such entertaining football, i was on the end of a few hammerings but dished out a few more of my own. Great to watch and I finished the season comfortably exceeding the clubs expectations and with the leagues leading goalscorer.

I've strengthened my squad in the summer, this season, with that little extra quality i'm expecting the goal difference to increase, score a few more, concede a few less, over the next couple of seasons, slowly improving the team i'm expecting to concede less than 50 and score over 100. At that point i will be strong title and champions league contenders.

Improving defense and attack by improving the team not by messing with the Tactic.

There is a very strong case for utilizing both a defensive and an attacking tactic based on the opposition you face as per the tactics in this set, but frankly, at the moment i cant be bothered and i'm just plug and playing an attacking tactic, sitting back and enjoying the show.

Its not any of these tactics by the way, its a new one. if anyone wants to try it let me know and i'll put it up here, its not for the faint-hearted though!

you might as well put it up as al give it a go

Its a good set of tactics but as i've come to realise FM14 is a game of team/squad building rather than finding an uber tactic and just plugging it in.

There is a sliding tactical scale from defensive to attacking. Somewhere within that is the level which is suited to your team at that time.

If you're weak in your division and you go too attacking you'll get ripped apart. If you're strong in your division and you go too defensive you'll draw too many games. No matter how good those tactics are.

If you're somewhere in the middle you can go either route dependent on the type of football you like to watch i.e consistant with lots of draws (defensive) or hammered one week, hammering someone the next (attacking).

My Tonbridge Team is in the mid range, i decided to go attacking, conceded 60 league goals! which sounds like a recipe for disaster, but scored 82 and finished 5th in the Prem. The world has never seen such entertaining football, i was on the end of a few hammerings but dished out a few more of my own. Great to watch and I finished the season comfortably exceeding the clubs expectations and with the leagues leading goalscorer.

I've strengthened my squad in the summer, this season, with that little extra quality i'm expecting the goal difference to increase, score a few more, concede a few less, over the next couple of seasons, slowly improving the team i'm expecting to concede less than 50 and score over 100. At that point i will be strong title and champions league contenders.

Improving defense and attack by improving the team not by messing with the Tactic.

There is a very strong case for utilizing both a defensive and an attacking tactic based on the opposition you face as per the tactics in this set, but frankly, at the moment i cant be bothered and i'm just plug and playing an attacking tactic, sitting back and enjoying the show.

Its not any of these tactics by the way, its a new one. if anyone wants to try it let me know and i'll put it up here, its not for the faint-hearted though!

hi i want try your tactic i wait the link

As promised, my current tactic.

Not going to make any wild claims, its probably no better than anything else i've put up but its very entertaining, i've over achieved, plenty of goals and i'm really enjoying FM.

In FM14 there will always be those games when your team is flat and cannot perform in odd games, not much you can do about that but enjoy it when its going well and take a season long view.

The Tactic

Familiar set up for me, the old 4132, but a very attacking version from me. Front 2 operate as roving False 9's feeding our runners from deep, namely the 2 cm/a's and the Wingbacks. With a Box to Box supporting and a Half Back covering the centre backs.

We combine a high line with a slow tempo, we dont want to lose possession when building from the back or we're in trouble.

Although the 2 forwards are set up to feed chances, they feed each other a lot and will still be your top scorers, all your midfielders will chip in, expect double figures from both your cm/a's.

As mentioned its good going forward, on bad days you'll get caught out but you should have a lot of good days.

You will create a lot of chances and as usual you probably wont score as many as you deserve but still a lot.

Some results. Media prediction with Tonbridge was 14th.

Did quick test with City, looking good at this point, 9 wins out of 10 league games. (the obligatory ridiculous defeat against a crap team)

At this point i've accepted there will never be a truly dominant tactic on FM14 simply because there are many factors outside of the tactic itself which influence match results.

But its still possible to overachieve by a long way and with good team building and recruitment make progress season upon season to reach your goals.

This is the tactic i'll be using myself for a good few seasons so might as well put it up.

Would recommend it for medium/strong teams. Weaker teams should probably use one of the sets.

The Tactic

Fire Guided Light

https://www.mediafire.com/?eqvyimlgqcvjyak

Are you gonna put up any position important attributes or is that just for us to figure out this time around

Are you gonna put up any position important attributes or is that just for us to figure out this time around

just make sure your cm/a's are finishers and your wingbacks can run and cross.

rest should be fairly obvious.

1 thing i've noticed is powerful strikers seem to perform better than small, agile strikers regardless of striker roles.

ah thats good cos ive got riviere and ferreyra as my 2 strikers

Another nuts season.

Conceded 60 goals but scored an extra 13 league goals.

Picked up the FA cup beating Chelsea in the semi's and Man City in the final.

60 goals conceded is too many to win league, gonna try dropping the defensive line and changing to fluid to tighten up, hopefully will still score a lot.

hey mr rosler since switching to this tactic i have never seen so many high scoring games 3-3 draws 4-4 draws 5-3 wins 6-4 wins 9-0 win but on downside 1=6 loss 1-4 loss 4-8 loss its crazy any tips on maybe any changes so not as losing so many goals im currently in 2nd season with psv

hey mr rosler since switching to this tactic i have never seen so many high scoring games 3-3 draws 4-4 draws 5-3 wins 6-4 wins 9-0 win but on downside 1=6 loss 1-4 loss 4-8 loss its crazy any tips on maybe any changes so not as losing so many goals im currently in 2nd season with psv

As ever, whatever you add to defensive you take out of attack.

If you change the defensive line to drop deeper and the mentality/strategy to control/fluid it calms down a bit.

rosler i changed the half back player to anchor man kept on more direct passing it has helped and not taken away any attacking sense at all and your 2 central defenders dont go wide apart as no half back