My Favourite Shouts

FM10 has probably become my favourite ever version of the series and it's largely because of the tactics creator and the tactical shouts, which have really changed the whole emphasis of the game for the better. I absolutely love it and I hope that the tactical side of the game continues to head down this route.

I just thought I would share some of my favourite tactical shouts and when/why I tend to use them. Hopefully some of you will share yours too and we can all exchange some tactical hints and tips.

Some of my favourites are:

Retain possession - good for when you are the superior team, especially when you are attacking, as it slows things down and shortens passing. I'll generally start a game with it at home most of the time (as I usually look to build a good technical, passing team), and away if I have a lead I'm bound to use it. I don't use it so often when playing defensively though.

Get the ball forward - increases passing range and tempo. Good for when you are a poor technical side and want to make the most of your physical attributes. Especially good if shorter passing really isn't working and you need to take a more direct approach.

Pass into space - when I've got high possession but I just can't seem to break through a stubborn defence. This increases through-balls and can often help create more chances.

Pass to feet - mainly for when I'm in the lead, or not keeping possession very well. It reduces through balls. If I'm, say, 2-0 up away from home, I'll be use this and retain possession to keep the ball and kill the game.

Shoot on sight - increases long shots. I usually use it when facing a dodgy keeper (especially if he is carrying a knock!) or if I am just a bit desperate because my team isn't having enough shots.

Work ball into box - mainly when the long shots count is too high, especially if I see my team running out of ideas and a midfielder blasting it wide or over on a regular basis.

Take a breather - when I have a comfortable lead and I want to cruise through the rest of the game. Usually used on the 'control' strategy. Reduces forward runs and tempo. I usually use this in conjunction with 'retain possession' and 'play to feet'. The whole team becomes much more patient in their build up and focuses on possession. You can well and truly kill a game with this.

Play wider - when not breaking a team down and especially if the opposition go down to ten. Make the most of the space available and really spread the opposition as much as possible and make them work harder.

Push higher up - especially useful when going to 'defensive' or 'contain' strategy and finding that you are sitting too deep and allowing the opposition to get too close to your goal.

So those are my favourites. What are yours?

By the way, I wholeheartedly recommend downloading and reading the T&T '10 for a full analysis of what the various shouts do and when/why you might use them. It's a really excellent guide and while I was first learning about the shouts, I would often have it open to quickly consult for ideas.

When I use the shouts, I basically use the "lower risk" shouts (retain possession, take a breather, work ball into box, etc.) and the "go for it" shouts (the opposite), as applicable. Occasionally I'll throw in the shouts relating to defensive line as well, depending on my defenders and the opposing attackers.

Push higher up - especially useful when going to 'defensive' or 'contain' strategy and finding that you are sitting too deep and allowing the opposition to get too close to your goal.

Isn't it pointless going defensive then, seeing as the whole point is to sit deep and soak up the pressure?

Nice thread btw.

Isn't it pointless going defensive then, seeing as the whole point is to sit deep and soak up the pressure?

Nice thread btw.

Sometimes I find, especially when playing with DMs (which makes the defensive line automatically a little deeper), that my side are sitting far too deep on the Defend and Contain strategies and therefore allowing the opposition too much space close to goal. Therefore, using the 'push up' shout will just get them to position themselves that little bit higher and reduce the space the opposition have.

The defence will still sit relatively deep anyway. The shout increases the defensive line but it is still connected (for want of a better word) with your overall mentality/strategy.

Thanks for the comment Cleon.

When I use the shouts, I basically use the "lower risk" shouts (retain possession, take a breather, work ball into box, etc.) and the "go for it" shouts (the opposite), as applicable. Occasionally I'll throw in the shouts relating to defensive line as well, depending on my defenders and the opposing attackers.

That's good advice SCIAG.

I use pretty much all the shouts (not in every game!) - love 'em!

In the backroom meeting when the assman tells me the oppo score most of their goals in the period xx - yy minutes, I'll retain possession and slow the game down during that phase, not just at the end of a match. In addition I shout in response to my assman's in-match advice.

playing defensive makes your players more inclined to play it backwards, asking your backline to push up with a defensive mentality is more likely to put more pressure on the opponent and hold them in their half if you are the superior team, especially with the retain possession shout

Nice thread.

I only use "Push higher up" when I am a goal or two down.

Most other time I rather leave the leds to do their job

This is my favourite FM in a long time too due to the touchline shouts. I tend to use my assistant feedback and scout reports to decide my touchline shouts. E.g. If the opposition strikers are quick, use drop deeper, if my Assistant says we should try more crosses, I exploit the flanks, etc. I always start with work ball into box because I feel my team try too many long shots otherwise.

The TC and touchline shouts have really helped me enjoy this version.

My fav shout has to be "MY MUM COULD HAVE SCORED THAT !!!"

thx for making this thread. i might start using some of the shout. because i doesnt really know what those shout does. but u have enlighten me ^^

Agree with dogs - they are a truly great addition to the game and you really miss out if you don't use them.

Agree with dogs - they are a truly great addition to the game and you really miss out if you don't use them.

I'm amazed at how many people use the tactics creator but don't use shouts in games. There are a couple of threads on this forum that claim they can be ignored or are optional. And people complain they don't get results when they should. They are vital for all people who use the tactics creator and anyone not using them is a little mad:D

You don't necessarily need to use them, as long as you chenge what you want in the sliders. Bt I don't think people is doing that either. I use the shouts and the sliders when I not happy. And I've been lerning everything here in the forum thanks to you Cleon, Crouchaldinho and many others. Nice work.

I'm Liverpool. I'm 2-0 up at home to Fulham. It's raining heavily. Should I switch to control (and the relevant shouts) or stick with counter?

I'm Liverpool. I'm 2-0 up at home to Fulham. It's raining heavily. Should I switch to control (and the relevant shouts) or stick with counter?

Personally, I'd certainly go to control in that case.

I tend not to take too much notice of the weather unless it is clearly impacting upon the game in terms of passing percentages and possession.

If it doesn't seem to be impacting on the game then I would retain possession to shorten the passing and lower the tempo. Pass to feet might be a good precaution too.

If the conditions are forcing you to go more direct (look out for assistant manager comments and also judge for yourself while watching the game) then I would advise going more direct with the passing but still using the control strategy. You could also use the pass to feet shout to instruct the side to play 'safer' and less adventurous passes. In addition, if you have reached a point in the game when you want to kill things off, you can reduce forward runs and reduce tempo more with the 'take a breather' shout.

I have/had two favourite combinations.

1. (dont really use this anymore as I setup better after doing this for so long). I would determine how best to attack the team, either through the middle or down the flanks and then would assing the following:

Down the flanks: Play Narrower & Exploit the flanks. This would squeeze the team inwards, thereby making you more defensively stable and it would open up space on the wings for your players to run into which the flanks instruciton complemented.

Through the middle: I would do the opposite as above. Play wider & Exploit the centre. This would push the team apart and create space through the centre, which you would then exploit.

These also worked very well when utilising a playmaker too.

2. My current combination:

Pass to feet

Get ball forward

Work ball into box

Wair for overlap

Lower crossing (needs to be done in tactics screen).

I now have a very strong team and most opposition will setup somewhat defensively against me, this then allows me to get men forward BUT importantly keep the ball. I lower crossing to stop wasted crosses into a very busy box, I lower through balls as again, the box is to busy for them and I push my wingbacks forward to ensure there are always passes 'on'.

Basically, I turn of the things that I think will be tough to do through a busy box (there 8/9 men and my 8/9 men make for a busy box).

LAM

I'm Liverpool. I'm 2-0 up at home to Fulham. It's raining heavily. Should I switch to control (and the relevant shouts) or stick with counter?

I agree with Crouchaldinho - Go 'control'.

However, I do take the weather very seriously.......

If its a downpour, I play direct for two reasons. Firstly, The ball gets stuck in puddles when its really wet which makes short passing a nightmare. Secondly, Even on short pitches, Direct passing works well because balls will be played over the top and they will NOT run out of play.

If its windy, I play mixed or short. Playing Direct with lots of wind cause you to lose possession way to much. You give needless fouls away as the ball moves in the air and causes your players to miss their headers and the balls, at least for me liking, runs out of play to often.

ps. If its a gale AND a downpoor then you gota go mixed, which is generally how I will start a match. Even without looking at the weather report (in match or before) you can tell very quickly what its like when you view your passing ingame.

LAM

Balls are more likely to run out of play if the grass is wet actually. Its if the pitch is really boggy that they won't but at high levels that is unlikely.

I think the shouts are a great addition to the game, even though I use manual inputted settings so I cant really use them.

Im guessing there isnt a way you can create your own shots? I dont know if it would be possible but it would be a great addition for those who dont use the TC.

I have read a post here on this bord long ago. I shout accordingly checking the gam AND assistan's report constantly. If he says to many bad passes, i say pas to feet, if he says we have too many long shots i say work ball into box, etc.

if i am using manual settings for my players i am assuming the shouts wont work?

They'll work unless you're using a 'classic tactic' (ie there's only sliders, no player types like 'advanced forward' etc)

i thought they would only work if you had some players on "team" settings. In my tactic i am not using "classic" and used the tact maker to make it but I have each players on individual settings???

They'll work unless you're using a 'classic tactic' (ie there's only sliders, no player types like 'advanced forward' etc)

To add to the opening post, another of my favourites is:

Stay on feet - Lowers tackling intensity of pretty much every player in your team. Really useful for when you are making too many fouls!

Hassel Opponent, Pass Into Space (only sees regular use if i have a pacy team, which i often do after a while, and i often like my team to play a lot of thro balls by defult), Work Ball Into Box, Pump Ball Into Box, Get Ball Forward, Look for Overlap, Take More Risks, Retain Possession

supose those are the once I commonly use

I think its easier for me to tell you what I dont use instead of what I do use as I tend to use most of them depending on the opponents tactics and tend to change it during the game. I truly lack consistency!

Hassle Opponents - I like my players to keep their shape and retain stamina. To counter I make it a priority to get players with good physical capabilities to be able to stand them off well.

Get stuck in - i honestly rarely have a need to tackle harder (possibly my tactics)

play even safer - i have a firm belief that attack is the best form of defense

counter attack (not strictly a shout) - id rather be on control and vary my tempo than give the opponent the ball

look for over lap - i have two AMR/L and see no need to expose my flanks any further

Personally, I'd certainly go to control in that case.

I tend not to take too much notice of the weather unless it is clearly impacting upon the game in terms of passing percentages and possession.

If it doesn't seem to be impacting on the game then I would retain possession to shorten the passing and lower the tempo. Pass to feet might be a good precaution too.

If the conditions are forcing you to go more direct (look out for assistant manager comments and also judge for yourself while watching the game) then I would advise going more direct with the passing but still using the control strategy. You could also use the pass to feet shout to instruct the side to play 'safer' and less adventurous passes. In addition, if you have reached a point in the game when you want to kill things off, you can reduce forward runs and reduce tempo more with the 'take a breather' shout.

I agree with Crouchaldinho - Go 'control'.

However, I do take the weather very seriously.......

If its a downpour, I play direct for two reasons. Firstly, The ball gets stuck in puddles when its really wet which makes short passing a nightmare. Secondly, Even on short pitches, Direct passing works well because balls will be played over the top and they will NOT run out of play.

If its windy, I play mixed or short. Playing Direct with lots of wind cause you to lose possession way to much. You give needless fouls away as the ball moves in the air and causes your players to miss their headers and the balls, at least for me liking, runs out of play to often.

ps. If its a gale AND a downpoor then you gota go mixed, which is generally how I will start a match. Even without looking at the weather report (in match or before) you can tell very quickly what its like when you view your passing ingame.

LAM

Interesting analysis, both.

I think I switched to control, but changed back to counter after half time, then back to control for the last fifteen minutes. We won 3-0 according to the fixture list. My change to "counter" was because too many of our passes were getting stuck and intercepted. Changing back to "control" was because Fulham had a couple of chances on counter attacks of their own. I think, in the future, I'll use "control" with "get ball forward".

I nearly always use more direct passing strategies when it is raining (even only drizzle) as getting the ball to "hang" behind the defensive line makes it easy for the striker to get on the end of balls into the deep. To be honest, I've not noticed many gales, and when I have played in them I've never observed them affecting the ball, but I'll keep an eye out for that from now on.

I have noticed that, like myself, some of you use more than one shout at a time. For instance, keep possession, work the ball into the box, push up. It has got me wondering whether or not you can use too many shouts, thereby causing a "too much information" situation. Anyone any thoughts about this?

I'm going to shamelessly bump this thread for further discussion of the touchline shouts!

Just wondering what people are finding to be their favourite shouts for FM11? When I've been playing, I've generally been sticking to my favourite shouts from the opening post.

You can really turn a game around with a good combination of shouts to change things for the better.

One shout I have found particularly important for me is the 'retain possession shout' when playing an inferior side at home. It helps to slow things down, keep the ball and create quality chances while still playing with a very attacking strategy.

I'd also reiterate the point in the opening post about having the T&T '10 PDF open to quickly consult for ideas while playing a match. Even though I feel I have a certain amount of 'expertise' regarding the various options now, I still find it useful to recap before making important decisions!

It's a very satisfying way of playing the game, in my opinion, and it can really make you feel amazing when you get those three points due to your touchline shouts making the difference.

Mine are:

Work ball into box. (Hate excessive long shots)

Get ball forward (When trying to get a goal or the AI teami is pressing like crazy)

Play narrow (If being hit through the middle)

Play wider (If facing a barrage of crosses)

These are the main ones, I use the shout to ease off on the tackling if the ref is card happy, and if I want to hold a lead (which I'm not a fan of, I like to keep the AI team stuffed into its own half) I use the shouts WWfan posted a while back.

(take a breather, clear ball to flanks, pass to feet, etc)

I tend to not muck about with the defensive line to much.

Managing in the Blue Square North (on FM10) my most common shout is perhaps Pass Into Space, to try and get the play into the opposition half when they are pushing up/pressing me, by playing in behind their defence and getting them to turn on themselves.

I also tend to use a variety of Play Wider/Play Narrower + Exploit Flanks/Exploit Middle combinations depending on the situation. I would say i tend to mix them rather than use Wider+Flanks or Narrower+Middle. I do use them separately as well. I find myself using Exploit Middle most as working chances through the middle are more dangerous than crossing from the wings. That's why i like Play Wider+Exploit Middle to stretch teams wide and create more space through the middle to exploit. I found this to be very effective in Portugal where i managed Boavista and played a 4-3-2-1.

I also like playing "Defend" or "Counter" and pushing up and playing a more pressing game. I don't think you have to play deep and submissive to be defensive. I like trying to be compact and aggressive and win the ball higher up the pitch, exploiting errors with fast countering. Defending too deep can hurt your attack a lot and i rarely find the need or will to be that defensive that i'm not looking at all to hurt the opposition.

I don't really use shouts that much only one I really use is work ball into box if the team are shooting from distance too much. I do switch between the different mentalities but I am not sure when to use certain shouts and end up not using them out of worrying I will mess it all up.

Interesting to read peoples takes on 'take a breather' - i always thought that was generally a bad idea unless we're home and dry, leading or losing by a very big margin and the game is already won or lost - then i'd use it so the players are less tired for the next game, save their energy. That has to be 4 or 5 goals though as I always believe i can get back into games, and often do with the help of my shouts.

I generally only use shouts from 60 mins onwards, barring any unusual events or red cards etc. My most common shouts that seem to work for me are...

Narrowly leading: Retain Possession / Pass To Feet

Leading by 2 or 3 goals: Drop deeper / Clear ball to flanks (counter mode)

Home and dry: Take a breather

Drawing to inferior opposition: Get ball forward / Push Higher Up

Drawing to superior oppostition: Get stuck in / Hassle Opponents

Narrlowly losing: Get ball forward / Work ball into box

Losing by 2 or 3: Get ball forward / Pump ball into box / Push Higher Up / Take More Risks (Overload only)

Game is lost: Take a breather

Very nice ideas guys, i'm going to take notes from this... i'm a newbie

Good job!

Where can i find T&T '10 PDF ?

nm i got it

I'm giving this old thread a little bump with a view to generating some discussion on the new tactical shouts combinations that are possible with shouts customisation on FM12.

I've managed to put together a small amount of customised shouts using some of my favourite shouts detailed in the opening post. Just wondering what ideas others have had for custom shouts combining some of the original touchline shouts?

I'm giving this old thread a little bump with a view to generating some discussion on the new tactical shouts combinations that are possible with shouts customisation on FM12.

I've managed to put together a small amount of customised shouts using some of my favourite shouts detailed in the opening post. Just wondering what ideas others have had for custom shouts combining some of the original touchline shouts?

What have you put together?

I'm really interested in this. Haven't used them before but after reading this thread, I may start having a dabble with them. I am Swansea and trying to get them playing like the real life team only much better, so I reckon these shouts will help me with that.

i have a whole bunch of them ready to go.

need a goal, shut out, run down the clock and possession. then i have some that are specific to my tactics that i start every game with.

the shouts are probably the best addition to FM by far. love em

My most favourite shout is Play out of defence. I use it almost in every game. It slows the game down and lurks opposition to my half of the field. Then I hit them with quick attack. I like to combine it with Pass into space or sometimes with Get the ball forward or Retain posession. But it depends on weather, players and their pass accuracy.

And then I use the obvious ones: "YEEEEEEEEEEEEES", "NOOOOOOOOOOOO", "SHOOT/PASS YOU MOTHER-!@#$ER" and "WHYYYYYYYYYY".

My fav shout has to be "MY MUM COULD HAVE SCORED THAT !!!"

Pass Pass Pass......................

Please........ Put the ball in from atleast 6 yards

I always use "Retain Possession" and "Work Ball Into Box", always. I like to start the matches with "Pass into Space", then remove it once I take the lead by a goal or two. Then in the second half, if all is going positively still, I select "Pass to Feet".

For even higher possession game I like selecting "Play Through Defense" and "Play Out Of Defense". If I'm playing a lesser team or any game at home, I like using "Hassle Opponents" as well.

i have a whole bunch of them ready to go.

need a goal, shut out, run down the clock and possession. then i have some that are specific to my tactics that i start every game with.

the shouts are probably the best addition to FM by far. love em

What shouts do you use?

What shouts do you use?

i'm at work and cant remember all the shouts exactly but when i get home i will post them all

What have you put together?

As I said, it's mainly some of the ideas in the opening post.

For example, I have one that I call 'cruise control' - retain possession, pass to feet, take a breather.

Another example is 'break down stubborn defence' - pass into space, play wider, work ball into box.

I usually start a game with "work ball into box" "play through defence" "Drop Deeper" (as I have slow defenders) and "pass into space".

Not sure if these all go together but i will remove some and add others as the game goes on and depending on the opposition formation.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do when trying to keep a game tight? When your fav to lose?