What I've learned during FM14

FM14 is my first Football Manager game since FM10. In fact I was still playing playing FM10 up until about a few months ago when I bought FM14. FM10 I had played for so long that I knew it like the back of my hand. FM14, well, that was a different beast entirely These last few months with the game have been trying to say the least. I've certainly had my ups and downs (I think it's fair to say more downs than ups), and while my experiences with FM14 overall haven't been the best, I have learned a great deal. A lot of the credit goes to this forum in particular so I'd like to share some of the things I've learned during my time playing FM14.

-An Appreciation For The Match Engine

When I first started playing FM, I did so on a terribly slow computer. So slow it would take me an hour to sim through a week in game. Back then I had the free time to do it so I spent hours on end only to get through a month or 2 at a time. I remember the first time I came to the forums and I saw people knocking out seasons like it was nothing. I was certainly jealous of those folks. So since then, on of my goals has been to try and play through the game as quickly as possible. Because of that I've really only ever viewed matches on 'key'. Now that changed when I happened upon the Sports Centre thread. After that, I decided to give the 'full match' option a try in my own saves.

What I witnessed was pretty eye opening to say the least. I saw my tactical system working. I saw my players following the instructions that I had given them. I saw how it all worked together. And you know what? It was incredibly pleasing. It was genuinely the happiest I'd been playing FM in a long time. I also saw the weaknesses of my system and immediately contemplated how I could potentially address those during matches. I also saw players not doing what I'd envisioned them to be doing and thought of what I could change to make that happen. I saw football. And it was brilliant. Watching the matches, seeing how they played out was an absolute joy. For the first time I really got an understanding of how good the ME is. It has it's quirks and issues certainly, but I have undervalued and under appreciated it. It deserves more credit than I've given it before.

-Sometimes It's Best To Take A Step Back

When things don't go well, it can be frustrating. When things don't go well when you've read all the threads, asked for help etc., it can be even more frustrating. FM isn't meant to be easy or walk in the park. After all it's football; it comes with it's ups and downs. But at the end of the day, it's something that is meant to bring us enjoyment. So if you begin to find that it's becoming more of a chore than it is an enjoyable experience, take a break. When you have gotten to a place where all you see is your frustration with whatever is going wrong, when you've become so focused on the problem, you need to do yourself a favor and take a step back. Because at that point you've become so consumed with the problem that you're not actually looking for any solutions. Because all you can think about is the problem and the frustration attached to it (if that makes any sense). So take as little or as much time away from the game as you need. Whatever is right for you. I took 3 weeks off from FM and it certainly helped me in the grand scheme of things.

-Sometimes There's A Difference Between What You Think You Want And What You Actually Want

When I switched from FM10 to FM14, it took me a little time to realize I couldn't go about things the same way I went about them in FM10. Actually I was rather stubborn about this. Even after I was given advice on different aspects of the game. Eventually I realized it would probably be best for me to start over completely. I picked a formation I liked, roles based on what I wanted my players to do, and instructions to tailor the roles to my liking. And when I sent my team out there, some of them behaved the way I wanted them to and others did not. At all. So I made changes accordingly. Some helped some did not. My experiences definitely reinforced the fact that real life football doesn't directly translate into FM.

What I really learned was that sometimes, whether by stumbling upon it by yourself or by following the advice of someone else, you may end up utilizing something different to what you originally had planned and find that it is way more effective (and more in line with your tactical vision).

-Your Players Have More Influence On Proceedings Than We Sometimes Realize

Obviously this goes without saying; your players influence how the match actually goes. They are the ones actually on the pitch passing, shooting, and tackling. This has been something I've had in the back of my mind for while (and has some influence on how I set up my tactics) but there was a time I fully expected my players to do exactly what I wanted them to (regardless of how much creative freedom they were given). While I've always thought that players would behave differently, within reason of course, because they have different attributes, FM14 opened my eyes to how far players can go to express themselves as individuals on the pitch. It was actually one player in particular who showed me this. One player named Sven Bender.

Now after I signed him and started using in my team, I began to notice how incredibly aggressive a player he really is. I used him as a CM-d and a DM-d with the hope that he'd be that defensive minded midfield who would sit in front of my back line. After a few games of him closing down almost like a BWM, I blamed the CM-d role as it has the PI 'close down more' active. So I gave him the 'close down less' PI hoping he'd keep his position better. Afterwards watching him on the pitch was interesting. At times he seems so conflicted, almost caught in 2 minds; between what I told him to do and what his very nature is to do. And that's to go and get the ball back. 19 aggression 19 bravery 17 determination 20 work rate. That's who he is. And when I realized this, really realized this, I looked at my other players to see what else I had missed about them.

Because what I've said about Mr Bender I think I can say about basically any other player, especially the ones who are afforded greater creative freedom. Attributes, both visible and hidden, as well as PPMs paint a portrait of who the player is as an individual. Of course players are going to follow instructions, but their tendencies, their personalities are going to come out on the pitch. Sometimes the issues we are having with our tactics may not be the tactics themselves, but the players we are using and who they are as footballers.

-Don't Get Caught Up Trying To Find The Perfect Tactic

When you are making your tactical system, you have to consider your players and how they are likely to perform given the instructions that you have given them. You have to understand that what you want them to do may not be viable in every situation. All you really need to do is find a good starting point and adjust accordingly. FM has become such a situational game now. You can't just go out there with one tactic and expect to always do well without having change something at some point. Something that I've had to realize is that the more time you spend sitting around theorizing and conceptualizing a tactic, the more demoralizing it will be when things don't go to plan some time down the line. And one thing that I'm constantly reminding myself of is this. Just because things went wrong in a match or 2 or 3, it doesn't mean your tactic is broken. All it means is that it didn't work in that match or 2 or 3. If you have a good tactical base, one that you know plays good football, don't fret if things start looking like they could be going downhill. Keep your head up, do your best to keep morale high, and address each match (and each situation) separately. And if you find you do not know how to react to a certain situation, ask for advice.

And that kind of leads me to the last thing I'm going to mention.

-Always Try To Understand Why Something Is Happening

Whether it's good or bad, whether it's in regards to a strength or a weakness, always try to have some kind of understanding why something is happening on the pitch. If it's a strength you're starting to notice in your own side, maybe you will want to then try and figure out how to maximize said strength. A weakness? Maybe you'll try to minimize that weakness. If it's a strength/weakness against a particular opponent/formation/manager, figuring out why certain things happened will leave you in a better place when you play against it/them again. By no means am I saying you have to watching every match from beginning to end on full match. I don't have the time for that and I know many people don't have the time for that either. What I'm saying is, early on, if you can pay extra attention to your team, how they play, and how they react, it will help you in the long run. Because you'll have a better idea of what is within your control and what is just another part of the chaos that we call football.

Those are just a couple things I've picked up on my own and with the help of others. This game has been frustrating but at the same time very rewarding. Because, at the end of the day, there's nothing like the feeling of seeing everything come together beautifully.