Losing the will to live.

[TheUnderdog]

Man, am I getting frustrated with this game.

Despite trying everything possible, I simply cannot find a winning formula for my team, Leicester. I know that I should really start with a team where there's no personal connection but I'm desperate to find some way of bringing success to my beloved club.

Now I don't confess to being an expert by any stretch of the imagination when it comes to tactics. In all of the previous versions of the game, I've always struggled to make my own tactics preferring to download winning ones from the forums. Designing tactics was never my idea of fun. I got my enjoyment from the transfer market side if the game etc and all the other parts that go with football management.

So this is where my frustration starts. I've tried everything to get success with Leicester. I've tried nearly all of the tactics that have graced these boards over the last few weeks and also had a dabble at doing my own from scratch but no matter how many times I start again, I always end up sacked or hanging on to my job by the skin of my teeth.

I've even started games with teams other than Leicester but in my experience, with anything other than a top Premiership side, I struggle. I've got Notts County promoted and won the league with Liverpool, both with different tactics but whenever I try to use these tactics with Leicester it all falls down.

Has anyone had any success playing with leicester from the off? As a newly promoted team, am I asking too much for them to finish any higher that 20th? I know they're not blessed with the kind of players that will win the league or even a transfer budget but the players aren't the worst players in the league.

Can somebody please help so that i can look forward to at least mid-table mediocrity? At present, I'm not enjoying my FM2010 experience!

[Corkey]

4-4-2

Rigid

Evrything on Deufalt.

Have a Ball Winning Midfielder and a Central Midfielder (Attack) in the center.

Then have a Deep-Lying Forward and a Advanced Forward as Strikers.

Always play people with the Highest Condition/Morale.

Once you have player 5 or so games, start to experiement with the tactic creator........

Keep It Simple!

[thatdude]

Corkeys right just keep it simple first of all

[MilanBoy]

Use the prefered formation your assistant advises you at the start of the season and go from there. Think of the real life team at the moment, if you watch them play you should be able to transform that to your formation on FM. I had the same problems at first with AC Milan, but I am using a very basic 4-1-2-1-2 formation and they are playing out of their skin at the moment. It gets frustrating but thats what makes winning so enjoyable when you get there.

[TheUnderdog]

Ok. We're all set up with a standard 442. I've also set up an alternative 433 as advised by my assistant manager. Both have a rigid philosophy so they should mostly stick to their positions.

Do you change strategy depending on match circumstances or should I just leave it for now?

Do you guys watch the games in full in 2D mode to analyse your teams performance or do you take more notice of your assistant's advice?

Jeez, this isn't easy any more, is it?

[reo hustler]

Ok. We're all set up with a standard 442. I've also set up an alternative 433 as advised by my assistant manager. Both have a rigid philosophy so they should mostly stick to their positions.

Okay.

Do you change strategy depending on match circumstances or should I just leave it for now?

Of course.

Do you guys watch the games in full in 2D mode to analyse your teams performance or do you take more notice of your assistant's advice?

Elevated. Depends who I'm playing. If it's a top team, I'll watch the whole match . . .

Jeez, this isn't easy any more, is it?

No, but do you really want it to be?

[lam]

One of the key things in this game is to try and not to do so much from day 1.

My recomendations to you are the following (sorry if this seems like teaching you to suck eggs):

Evaluate your team:

Where are you strongest players? Where are you weak? Where do you have the majority of players? Are you players more physical or more technicaly gifted? Do you have a potential playmaker or target man in there?

In answering this questions, you can start to get a picture of what sort of formation you should be playing. I highlight the word should, because the next part has a large impact on your decisions.

Examples: If you have lots of decent/good midfielders then you might want to look at a 5 man midfield. If you then have 3 or 4 decent DC's but only one WB, then you may want to consider a 3 man defence. If you have just one decent striker, then you may only want one man up front. So, you then have a 3-5-1 and you can then decide where to put the last man....

What style of football do YOU want to play:

Calculating the above, will tell you how you should play, but how you want to play greatley affects your line up. Try and match the two as best you can to get the best out of your current set of players.

OR get rid of some players and bring in some new ones, that suit your style.

Use the wizard to setup the tactic:

This really does allow you to 'mould' your team both around your players AND you own chosen style...... just remember their strengths and weaknesses!

Readdress the instructions:

I feel this is a major part of the game that people are not doing, and thus, having problems. You must remember, the wizard creates a GENERAL tactic, this means that its a tactic that does not take into account your players abilities. THis in turn means that YOU have to!

Once the tactic is created, go into each player and remove the instrutions from players that are simply not capable of carrying out those instructions. Some obvious examples..... You have a WB that can not cross to save his life.... then leave all other instructions, but turn off crossing. YOu have a DM that is not to hot at passing and has low creativity, turn off his throughballs.

Some lesser examples..... If you have a winger that is great at crossing but lacks pace and dribbling abilitiy (Beckham) then do not ask him to RWB often and cross from the byline..... the simple fact is, its not going to work, A) he can not dribble and B) he does not possess the ability to get to the byline. So, you would turn crossing to mixed or deep and either turn RWB off or at least have it on mixed (let their decisions stat guide you).

Read scout reports:

This is one of the major keys in understanding how to play against an opposition. Check how they play, check their key players and adjust accordingly. If they play counter, then you might want control (assuming you are stronger). Most adjustments can be handled through the use of the wizard - control, attack, counter etc etc. But if you find something that is working but has a few issues, then adjust it personaly through the sliders. ie, control is working well for you as possession is up and you are getting some decent shots off, however, you have been caught on the break twice in a row, then adjust the defence line back a little..... just one example.

If you do these things, you should find yourself getting into the game.

One MAJOR peice of advice..... you must start watching the whole games!! Do not expect to master the game, especialy if you do not have a grip on it to start with, by watching highlights only!

Hope some of that helps.

LAM

[ZdlR]

I agree with almost everything that lam has said. However, the only slider I ever touch is the tackling slider once a player has been booked. I do agree with tweaking sliders to cope with your players limitations, but in-match changes are largely covered by the touchline shouts.

If, as in lam's example, you are playing control but still being caught on the counter, rather than manually alter the d-line slider, just shout 'drop deeper'. In a single match I could start with counter + player wider, drop deeper, pass into space and, once we've scored, switch to counter + get ball foward and pass into space. If I got two up I play standard + retain possession and pass to feet. At three up it's contain + retain possession, pass to feet and take a breather.

All that, of course, is specific to my current team.

[lam]

If, as in lam's example, you are playing control but still being caught on the counter, rather than manually alter the d-line slider, just shout 'drop deeper'.

Spot on!!!

[TheUnderdog]

Thanks for the input so far. It's absolutely inspiring to read.

I've become lazy I think and just wanted to plough through the game and got obsessed with buying players rather than addressing my own team's strengths and weaknesses. I don't think I'm alone either - I'd imagine that there's quite a few people that come to these boards to download someone else's success rather than put the shoe leather in.

I think my concern is with evaluating. It's easy to imagine in your head what you want your players to do, but how to assign them the correct roles and duty based on their performances will be the tricky part. This is something I've got to work on.

I'm getting myself a pen and paper.

[lam]

Thanks for the input so far. It's absolutely inspiring to read.

I've become lazy I think and just wanted to plough through the game and got obsessed with buying players rather than addressing my own team's strengths and weaknesses. I don't think I'm alone either - I'd imagine that there's quite a few people that come to these boards to download someone else's success rather than put the shoe leather in.

I think my concern is with evaluating. It's easy to imagine in your head what you want your players to do, but how to assign them the correct roles and duty based on their performances will be the tricky part. This is something I've got to work on.

I'm getting myself a pen and paper.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to 'plough' through the game. Its your game and you can play it how you want. Though, if this is how you want to play it, you do need to start with a strong team OR download one of those tactics that allow you to beat everyone.

If however, like me, you want to understand how to play the game, then it is a long road (not that long though) and its about reading threads that support game play rather than download tactics. Its about reading the game most importantly, you must watch the games.

In one of my previous posts (in my signature) I go into detail about how the game presents information to us, but in most cases we ignore it! Its all there....... you just gota learn to read it and translate it!

Keep posting your triumpths and upsets and there are many of us here who will be glad to help where we can!

LAM

[thnigelfc]

I agree underdog,can't seem to get a decent tactic working for Torquay in League one.Have even downloaded tactics (which has been a 1st) that other people say are doing the business for them.Nearly get me relegated.Have never been a quitter but am seriously thinking of going back to my fm09 saved game.

[TheUnderdog]

Do you guys have a different set up for home and away? I'm looking at sticking with a 442 for both but changing the wingers to wide midfielders with a support duty for away games. I know I wont create as much but hopefully I won't commit as many men forward and get caught on the break. I'll also change the strategy too.

I've just started a new savegame as Leicester as I wanted a pre-season to start my crack at my own tactics. Anyone have any advice as to what I'm looking for regarding tips? I've looked at each players attributes, do I change their personal settings based on these attributes? For instance crossing, if a winger only has 10, do I change it from often to sometimes? If so, once I've set this up as default for my first team, all I'll have to do is amend the settings when a replacement comes in. Am I getting carried away here?

As for OI, rather than let my assistant do it, which has always been the case so far, do I do these manually based on weak foot, composure, bravery? Does having several OIs prevent your players from playing their usual game?

Sorry for all the questions but I fancy having a proper crack at this now and learn what to look for rather than having instant success like I did with previous versions of the game. I'll then be able to apply these theories to any other teams that I manage.