The Sheffield United Project FM 10

[Cleon]

PLEASE USE THIS THREAD FOR ALL DISCUSSIONS ON THIS THREAD - http://www.community.sigames.com/showthread.php?p=4561032#post4561032

The Sheffield United Project – The Complete Story!

During the Christmas and New Year period I decided to start the Sheffield United Project again and show how I gained promotion and discuss my game from the beginning rather than starting from the second season onwards. I decided to do this due to the sheer number of PM’s I was receiving on the forum asking me to go into detail about aspects of my game. However id already gone too far to go back and discuss some of the things I was been asked, so I thought that a fresh restart was in order. I also took the decision to only do it for Sheffield United as trying to find time to write about two teams was taking up too much time and probably would have meant I wouldn’t have had the time to finish two full seasons.

So I’d like to welcome you to the Sheffield United Project, if you have any questions on any of the things you see below don’t hesitate in posting them and I will try and answer and explain the best I can. Below you will find two full seasons of work and while I plan on doing a third season I can’t make any guarantees it will get posted up but I will try my best if I get a chance. If you don’t agree with how I play the game that’s fair enough as I don’t expect everyone to thing this is as simple as I find the game. But if you do disagree or want to question my methods then please ensure you do it in a constructive way and not just flame away. Any posts which are not constructive or flaming will be deleted as I don’t want it to turn into a massive argument. I’d prefer it if my methods/strategies were challenged in a constructive manner.

This thread is just my strategy for playing FM and while it works for me it might not for others due to a number of factors. Hopefully the thread will inspire people and show them it's not as complicated as we think or make out it is. I also hope it generates a lot of discussion. Remember though it's just one of a number of ways to play FM. There is no magical way to play FM and there are many different play styles and approaches that people use. This is just the method I prefer and find brings me the best results.

The first season will probably be a bit boring to read as I doubt many changes will be needed as I am supposed to be one of the stronger teams. I’m sure that will change drastically though if I do achieve promotion for the second part of this.

[Cleon]

There is no doubt that I have one of the strongest starting eleven in the league but I lack any real depth and a few injuries could prove costly in my promotion bid. So I need to bring a number of new players in. Some of them will be in my long term plans but others will be just players I use to get promoted and then look to offload again in the close season. I find getting slightly older experienced player in helps here. Especially as you can sign a lot of them on 12 month contracts which means they won’t be stuck in the reserves for a season or so if you can’t find them new clubs when you’re ready to allow them to leave. Here are the players I managed to sign to help me achieve promotion for this season;

Thomas Hovara

He’s not the best player I’ve seen but he can become decent on a lot of games I’ve seen. He’s only young so with the right training and a bit of luck he can become an alright player. I hope to play him in a few games this year but I see him as more of a gamble for the future rather than now. If it doesn’t work out it doesn’t matter too much as its only 190k, so for that price he’s worth a shot.

Jose Baxter

I am really short of right sided attacking players and with only £2.3 million to spend on players I found I needed to be wise and use the loans as a way of getting decent players in. Jose was the best player I could attract to the club without paying a fee for him and he was also on a nice small affordable wage. He’s also a player I’ve never used before so I have no idea how good/bad a signing this will be.

Marc Muniesa

As Matthew Kilgallon will be sold due to him becoming unhappy if I reject the offer I need to get some extra cover in. Not only that but Marc looked like a really good player. Seeing as I have an ageing squad in terms of defence he could be a good future investment. I doubt he’ll play much but he might get a handful of games throughout the season to help him fulfil the potential he seems to have. If not, I can always cash in at a later date and make a profit on him.

Nicolas Otamendi

This player is quality and would be a good signing for any Premiership side let alone a Championship side like myself. When I bid for the player a host of other clubs did too and I didn’t think he’d come to Sheffield United but he actually choose to come which was a surprise. Without even seeing him play he should be one of the signings of a season for us.

Jonathan Dos Santos

This is another player who as decent stats and looks like he has bags of potential. He was easy to attract to the club because he was on the transfer list. Signing him was a long term plan but I was also hoping to use him this season once he settles down.

Claudio Lopez

I lack wide player’s full stop so needed someone for just a season. Claudio is experienced and still has very good stats. He’s coming to the end of his career but I’ve no doubt that he can do a job for me if called upon during the season.

Richard Creswell

A pre arranged transfer before I joined the club. If it was possible to cancel it I would have but sadly there was nothing I could do. I’d just relist him and hope someone wanted him.

Douglas Costa

Another wide player to give me the cover I need. He also becomes a very good player in most of my other saved games so I signed him with the hope of making him a permanent signing at the end of the season. Although that was not arranged with the term of the loan deal.

All the other players I sold either didn’t feature in my plans or I decided to cash in and save the money. After all Sheffield United lose a lot of money the first season so I was thinking more long term by cashing in on Henderson and Kilgallon.

[Cleon]

The Tactic

In the original thread I was doing I was going to use the Syrup and Honey tactic I created for FM07 and redo that. But I’ve decided that would be better as a separate project with its own thread as it’s a very complicated tactic to get working. So with that in mind I have decided to use the tactic that I use on FML which is a 4-1-2-2-1.

The way I’ve set this up will probably seem a bit strange for many as it focuses on a strong defence with the DMC a more attack minded player rather than a defensive one. It also relies on the striker drifting wide to the channels so the attacking left midfielder and the right one can then cut inside and exploit the space the striker creates by taking his marker with him.

The team instructions will probably differ in some games but these are the settings I want to start within the friendlies and the first few games of the season. The focus passing option will stay mixed for now, although it will probably change to use the channels more depending on how I see the tactic playing once the season kicks off.

[Cleon]

Goalkeeper

]

The keeper is just straight forward and just a normal standard keeper set up I’ve decided on.

DR/DL

I’ve set them both up identical because the first season I want to play as a unit as I should have enough quality to walk the league and don’t need to squeeze every last bit of a performance out of anyone. Or at least I hope it’s that way once we get under way. I want them to be pretty creative and more attack minded and concentrate on going forward rather than been a defensive outlet.

They have hard tackling so they win the ball back high up on the pitch and start early attacks. This method does have drawbacks though especially if they miss time the tackle they will either give away free kicks, pick up cautions. Or they will leave space for the opposition to exploit should they miss the tackle. I wouldn’t get away playing this way if I wasn’t a strong side though.

[Cleon]

DC’s

The only difference between the 2 defenders is that 1 as 2 lower notches for mentality and no tight marking. Apart from them two minor things they are identical.

[Cleon]

DMC

No doubt this set up will raise a few eyebrows and questions. The reason I chose this set up was so the DMC is basically a MC but plays further behind everyone else and pushes up through the centre when in possession of the ball. Players running from deep positions can cause the opposition many problems as the player is hard to mark and always in a different area of the pitch. If needs be I can always make him a playmaker but I’ll see how it goes first before committing to something else.

[Cleon]

MC

The attack minded MC is allowed to roam from his position to create space for the DMC to run into. It also allows the MC to roam between the striker and midfield positions at times. Again he is hard to mark due to this fact and hopefully will provide a few goals and assists during the season.

[Cleon]

MC

The second MC breaks up play if it’s needed. He also holds the ball up allowing for attacks to happen around him. By holding the ball up he allows the fullbacks and the DMC to push high up the pitch and join in attacks.

[Cleon]

AML/AMR

These are both set up to be more like inside forwards. The reasons behind why I want them cutting inside is due to the striker rule. He is encouraged to drift wide and this pulls his marker away and creates a bit of space at times. This allows the AML/AMR to run into this space and hopefully score a few goals or at the very least help with the assists.

[Cleon]

SC

It’s vital that he is allowed to roam from his position so that he does get in wide positions. Without him doing this the whole set up for the attacking midfielders would need altering and wouldn’t work as I intend.

Well that’s the settings I’ll be starting off with. It’s worth noting that I created this tactic and then saved it. Then after every game I will always revert back to this tactic no matter what changes I may have or may not made the game before. This way it’s always easy to follow what base was used. So this tactic will always be the base starting point on what any changes will be made on.

[Cleon]

Pre Season Results

All of these games were used to get players fitness up and didn’t really show me much. Although I was happy with the amount of goals scored and filled my striker Ched Evans with confidence as he grabbed 10 goals in total. I still find playing easy opposition before the season starts does wonders for morale if the strikers put the chances away. I believe it to be a vital strategy and have always approached pre season the same.

[Cleon]

Boro Vs United

For this game I started with the above tactic and all went well. The only note to make is that after 63 minutes my strikers rating was still 6.1 so I decided to sub him. It proved to be a good sub as his replacement scored the 2nd goal.

Carlisle Vs United

For this game I played the reserves to help them keep fitness and to see how they performed. I made no changes for this game and ran out comfortable winners in the end.

[Cleon]

United Vs Watford

Again nothing much to change, all I did for this game was so that every single player had direct passing. The reason for this was it was raining. A shorter passing style wouldn’t work as good due to weather conditions. So rather than give the ball away needlessly a direct approach was required.

United Vs Leicester

I stuck with the approach I used for the Watford game due to it been wet yet again. At halftime I also noticed one of my MC’s had low condition so I subbed him for a pair of fresh legs. This tactic is very demanding on the MC’s and AML/AMR so it’s vital I keep an eye on them during games and once they get to 70%ish condition they have to be subbed no matter how well they have been playing.

[Cleon]

Reading Vs United

[

Reading are my bogey team away from home on FM and no matter what I do I always struggle. It’s weird because they are the only team I consistently struggle against. I used the original tactic for this and during the game I tried a whole host of things like altering the tempo to a slower one and went for a less attacking approach. It didn’t seem to work and I rode my luck a lot here, I was lucky to even get a point. I should have lost this one and can count myself fortunate.

Derby Vs United (League Cup)

I played my reserves in this game with the original tactic and no changes. I was totally out played though but that’s because my squad just wasn’t good enough to compete. Everyone had a shocker and not surprising really as 9 out of the 11 players wouldn’t even get in the first team if everyone was fit. I could have probably done more during the game so I had a bit more impact but I was more inclined to believe I’d be better out of the competition so didn’t pay too much attention. I just don’t have the depth to go on a cup run and try and win the league. So I made the decision to prioritise the league.

[Cleon]

United Vs WBA

I went with the original set up here as WBA seem to be quite weak whenever I come up against them at home. I didn’t feel the need to make any more changes, I was happy to allow WBA the ball as they had possession in positions they couldn’t hurt me from.

Derby Vs United

I went narrow width for this game as I felt that was best to counter the attack threat from Derby. By staying compact I become hard to break down. The game was fairly even and a draw was probably the best outcome for both teams. Neither of us looked like we could win it, to be fair it was a poor game overall.

[Cleon]

Coventry Vs United

I went for it here and went all out attack from the start. It kind of worked but allowed Coventry to break and create a few chances. However my finishing was far superior and that proved to be the vital thing in the end.

United Vs Piggies

I went back to basics for this game as the result mattered and I had to win the game at all costs. Also local derby games all form goes out of the window and they become more like FA Cup games. The original tactic was used here and no changes made at all.

[Cleon]

Swansea Vs United

This game was always going to be tricky as I find Swansea to be really aggressive at times. So with this in mind I decided to use the first notch of slow tempo, first notch of narrow and first notch of short passing.. If I played the game at a faster pace; then I’d probably have lost as it would have allowed Swansea a lot of the ball. In the end it was a pretty even event.

Scunthorpe Vs United

I started off with the settings I used for the Swansea game but I quickly went 1-0 down after 17 minutes. So I reverted back to the original tactic and used that. I soon got back into the game but for the last 10 minutes Scunthorpe came on really strong. I ended up slowing the tempo down to the last notch of slow and passing to normal for the end of this game. Credit to Scunthorpe though and they should have got a point at the least, but they left it 10 minutes too late for the attack.

[Cleon]

Blackpool Vs United

It was raining for this game so I decided to go direct passing again so the ball doesn’t get hold up on the pitch. I could have won by a bigger margin but my striker didn’t have a really good enough game. He did alright but not as good as I expected.

United Vs Cardiff

Back to the original set up for this game and it worked out fine. My striker was in good form. I should have made some subs during the game due to players having fatigue but resisted and I was lucky I didn’t get punished for ignoring it.

[Cleon]

United Vs Newcastle

I was the underdogs for this game so I approached it as if I was the away side. I went slow tempo, short passing and deep defensive line. I went deep for the defensive line due to Newcastle having fast attackers, I didn’t want to allow them to get in behind my defence. It was also a top of the table clash. In the end Newcastle were limited to just long range efforts. 0-0 was a fair result as I didn’t do enough to take the game to Newcastle and win it.

Barnsley Vs United

My players are becoming really tired by now, the games are coming thick and fast. The injuries and suspensions have started to happen too. I have to field a side that isn’t quite at 100%. I started this game by using the original tactic but with direct passing for all again. Good job I had the better finishers for this game, on another day the result could have been different. Its games like this that you need the good players to show what they can do. The players took every chance they created luckily. So basically I did what the AI does to so many of you, just goes to show eh that you can win by playing poor.

[Cleon]

United Vs Peterborough

I used the original tactic here but for some reason I struggled to get a performance from the players. They just never got going. But to win the league you have to win when not playing so well and again I picked up another 3 points that I shouldn’t have. Its games like this that the 20k waged players actually earn the money they are paid.

United Vs Doncaster

It was important that I played well here because the last 2 games I’ve been **** poor. I decided to stick with the original set up but push the defensive line up to the very first notch of high. This was to hopefully limit the space Doncaster had to play in, it worked to some extent and the result was pleasing. I still see room for improvement though especially as the players should be gelling anytime soon.

[Cleon]

Bristol Vs United

The original set up was used here again, I ended up changing strategy here so much towards the final 15 minutes to get a result. I had played well in this game but missed too many good chances. I can’t complain though because I’ve had 3 victories I shouldn’t have, so in my books I’m still 3-1 up on that front. It was painful though because it was my first defeat of the season L

United Vs Ipswich

I stuck with the original set up again but went faster tempo and direct passing. I wanted a result here after losing the last game. It wasn’t to be though and I wasted a hatful of good chances but to be fair so did Ipswich but they seemed to down to my own defensive errors.

[Cleon]

Plymouth Vs United

I went narrow, short and slow here to retain possession and create quality chances. I created some good chances but they fell for the wrong players, had they fell for my striker I’m pretty sure he’d have buried them. But today just wasn’t that day. I also seem to have had a massive dip in form in the recent games. Every team has these dips and this seems to be mine.

United Vs Forest

I have to stick with the original set up here, I’ve not won for 3 games and need to start winning soon or I could drop down the table. I also played 3 reserve players just to freshen things up. Some players are starting to look a bit jaded so I need to drop them for a odd game or so in the hope they get back to form. Nothing to note during the game and a win was deserved.

[Cleon]

United Vs Palace

I used the same strategy as the game before as my team is now gelled according to the assistant. I think this was a fair result and a 2-0 win was deserved as I took the chances I created.

The rest of the results are pretty much the same and nothing really worth noting.

[Cleon]

Season One Summary

The league finished pretty much how I expected, once the team had gelled there wasn’t any real issues. Sure I was lucky at times but how many times do we see teams like Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea win when they shouldn’t have?!

I’m happy with the average ratings for the players I used, they did well. If I had better wingers I’m sure I could have got them to contribute more in terms of goals and assists. I should note though that Henri Camara ended up playing the AMR role for me.

[Cleon]

Season Two

I had £23 million to spend this season as I told the board that I would finish mid table. A big ask, I know but I managed to bring a few good players in. Not as many as I would have liked because in all honesty I needed a full team of new players. So instead I invested in quality players for the positions I identified as a priority. But I still lack good fullbacks. Here are my signings;

[Cleon]

Pre Season Results

Exactly same tactic as I used in season one. That will be my base to begin with for this season. I’m happy with the goals I scored in pre season again and the morale is high at the moment.

[Cleon]

United Vs Sunderland

For this game there is no way that I can stay attacking as I just don’t have a squad capable of taking the game to teams just yet. I’m at least 4 players short of been able to do that. So with that in mind I drop the attacking mentality to normal, use the first notch of direct passing. The fullbacks also need to be restrained more or they’ll get murdered, so I make them normal mentality too. I won’t be dominating games like I did last season this is a much harder league and I’m now one of the weaker teams. It’s the total opposite for me than last season was.

Substitutions are probably one of the most important weapons I have this season. They will need to be used every game, some will need to be tactical substitutions and no doubt a lot more will be due to players having low condition.

During the game I notice Sunderland are all over me to begin with, so around 12 minutes I change my tempo to a slower one but keep everything else the same. I notice that I am causing them trouble but they seem to have a lot more pace than my side. So I decide to use the counter attacking option to give me a chance of also breaking away quickly should a chance arise.

They are the only changes I do during the game. It was a pretty even affair but Sunderland wasted a few of their shots by either hitting from distance or hitting the ball straight at my defenders.

[Cleon]

United Vs Fulham

The changes I made in the Sunderland game to mentality and the fullbacks before the game started are something I will keep to the base tactic as it just makes sense to be more cautious.

For this game I listened to my Assistant Managers feedback and he advised me to play a slow tempo, narrow width and a short passing game. He told me that Fulham struggle against teams who play this way, so hopefully I can take advantage of this. I also took the decision to play on the counter attack as Fulham are a very good side and very physical.

I just rode with it for this game to see how good my tactic really is, I've seen some good signs but I am still vulnerable about some aspects of the tactic.

[Cleon]

United Vs Liverpool

For this game I listened to the Assistants advice again for tempo, passing and d-line. So I started off deep d-line, normal passing and slow tempo.

Things got off to a good start, Liverpool had a few shots early on but that's expected as they have a great side. Mainly most of their shots were from range but still hitting the target. I'm not too bothered about that as I believe my keeper is good enough to deal with most of them. It also shows that I am keeping Liverpool away from the dangerous area's if they shoot from range.

I took the advantage early on and scored and seemed to be having the better of the game.

On 74 Minutes I scored the 2nd goal, so I went into the tactics and started to timewaste a lot. I also made the DMC and attacking MC play slightly less advanced by altering their mentalities to normal. This was so I didn't over commit now I had a 2 goal cushion.

Pool pulled a goal back on 83 minutes but that was the only real chance they created in the final 15 minutes.

Overall I was pleased with the win and thought my players played very well

[Cleon]

Tranmere Vs United (League Cup)

For this game I started with the old original tactic from season 1 and went attacking. I felt I had enough to win this game by only playing my reserves and it turned out true. Nothing to report here really as I didn't do much. I just wished I could have scored a fw more with the chances I had and created.

[Cleon]

Man Utd Vs United

Like the Liverpool match I decided to keep the same formation based on the Assistants feedback but this time also use the counter attacking option. I also watched this game in full mode to begin with as I feel it's probably the biggest game I'd play all season and I didn't want to be embarrased.

By having a quick look at the stats above it looks like Man Utd hammered me, but look closer and most of thir shots were from rangeand not even on target. Infact we had the same number of shots on target.Man Utd had 3 CCC's which was expected, I actually thought they would have a lot more than they did but I kept them at bay for most parts of the game.

After watching 15 minutes of the game I switched back to highlight mode as I felt I was playing alright and I'd not witnessed anything out of the ordinary. Not long after I took the lead and my side seem to grow in confidence, we were making Man Utd run a lot for the ball.

I honestly didn't change anything during the game for this apart from subbing Diaby on 74 minutes as he didn't have the best of games and never reached over 6 average rating. I would have subbed him earlier but the rest of my subs were untried at this level so I decided to stick with the expereinced players.

Man Utd got a late goal in th 86th minute to equalise. Nevermind I was still happy with my players and the result. I had expcted to get hammered in this game so I saw it as a point gained.

[Cleon]

United Vs Spurs

Going into this game Spurs were in fine form and unbeaten in 21 games. So seeing as I'd got a result against Liverpool and Man Utd playing the same way, I used the same for this game.

I can't believe how easy this game seemed. Although Spurs scored first I always seemed in control. Infact when Spurs scored I went slightly more attacking as we were playing that well. I raised the mentality to first notch of attacking for my fullbacks. Apart from subbing 2 tired players on 76 minutes the game was pretty much straight forward.

[Cleon]

Wolves Vs United

For this game I decided to use the original tactic but with counter attacking ticked due to me playing away. I felt I had the better side here so it made sense to play my natural game.

This was another game where I felt I kept the opposition away from dangerous area's. Yes they had a lot of shots but majority of them all long range again.

The only change I did for this game was sub my left winger on 60 minutes as I felt he wasn't performing (6 rating) and that a fresh face might do better. He did he was only on the pitch for 30 mins and got a 6.9 rating.

[Cleon]

Bristol Vs United (League Cup)

I gave the reserves a run out here again. I used the default tactic but with direct passing for all players due to the weather and it raining again. I made no changes here I didn't even use subs as I wanted the fringe players to keep their match fitness so gave them all the full 90 minutes.

[Cleon]

West Ham Vs United

My assistant was advising me to play narrow, slow and short passing. Seeing as it had worked so well for me on three other occassions I decided to use it yet again.

It started off alright but West Ham seemed to be having a few shots and I was mis placing alot of short passes it seemed. So I changed the passing from short to 'normal' just to try and retain possession a bit better.

On 48 minutes I noticed my defender had a 4.8 rating, so I subbed him straight away. He is my best defender by far but his rating is just too low and no doubt would have cost me had I kept him on longer.

That's all I did for this game

[Cleon]

United Vs Blackburn

I started with the original tactic here as I thought I was the better side.

I thought I played alright in this game but it just wasn't to be. I didn't change anything even though I was chasing the game as I felt I was already doing enough. The strikers just couldn't put the ball away but that happens and due to the start I've had I can't really complain as this was the first time they had let me down and we'd already played some big games.

[Cleon]

United Vs Hull

Again started with the original tactic. However I had decided to rest my striker for this game as he looked a bit tired in his last game. I drop players every so often to keep them fresh and shake things up.

All I did in this game was change the tempo to make it slower during the end of the game as I felt someone might do something stupid in the final minutes and lose me a point. So as a precaution I slowed it down and accepted the point. Apart from that I can't really complain as I'd scored my clear cut chances.

[Cleon]

Newcastle Vs United

Even though this was an away game I decided to ignore my assistants advice and use my own judgement. Based on my overlook of the Newcastle squad we seemed pretty evenly matched so I thought using my normal game would work.

I only had 1 real good effort which I scored from, but sadly for me Newcastle also scored their only good effort. Again though I can't fault the effort of my side and they seem to be gelling really quickly.

[Cleon]

United Vs West Ham (League Cup)

Like the previous rounds I'll continue to use the reserves and fringe players to keep fitness levels up. I'll also stick with the original tactic for this. I took the chances I created but on the day West Ham deserved the win and seemed more up for it. I didn't make any changes due to me thinking we played alright at the time. I just don't see the point of chnaging how you are playing aslong as you feel the side are playing well.

[Cleon]

United Vs Chelsea

I've not won in the last 4 games and now I have to play Chelsea. I decided to watch this match on full to start with so I could see how my formation was playing and be able to be in a position to react quicker to any changes I need to make.

Based on the feedback I got from the Assistant I decided to go slow, short and deep again. Playing deep I would have done anyways as Drogba is unmarkable at times. I also decided to use counter attacking just incase.

After watching the game for about 20 minutes I'd seen enough to know I wasn't going to get hammeredand was playing some good football. At half time I decided to go a bit more direct and play slightly faster. This allowed Chelsea a few more shots and a bit more of the ball. But I was also creating chances now and looked like scoring. Which I did on the 61st minute.

Drogba did me on the 89th minute and got the equaliser. I was glad of a point but because it as a laste goal I also felt it was 2 points lost rather than 1 gained.

5 games without a win now

[Cleon]

Everton Vs United

Everton are a good side when playing at home and can be very dangerous when attacking. But I thought I'd have a good crack at this game and played how I normally do away or against the bigger teams. So I go slow, short and narrow.

Playing this way doesn't always create many chances but normally the chances it does create are good opportunites to score. I think this game shows that more than any other I've played so far.

After 43 minuts I wasn't happy with the attacking left midfieldlers contribution and thought he was been marked out of the game. So I tried to change things and swapped the player for someone who had less pace but would maybe bring others into play.

So for this I dropped his mentality by 4 notches and asked him to hold the ball up.

This didn't work so good either, but atleast we gave it a shot and tried to mix it up.

6 games without a win, morale is slowing dropping. But atleast I'm not losing in the league and still picking a point up i games.

[Cleon]

United Vs City

I decided to play the same as I did the last game. But to be honest I can't ever remember playing Man City before so I couldn't remember what to expect, but I do know they have pace all throughout the squad so that alone will be a key issue.

Early on in the game it was apparent Man City would see mos of the ball and chances fall their way. I just couldn't get near them or get the ball off them. I had a dilemma for the first time this season, do I try and match them and go gung ho like they seemed to be or just be patient and let the game play. Based on what I had seen against Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea and Liverpool I allowed things to stay the same, although City seemed relentless with the shots at times. Luckily most were long ranged though.

I managed to create 2 very good chances from 3 shots and scored one of them. Again proving it's not the amunt of shots you have, its the quality and the ability to put away the CCC's yourside is presented with.

Some may say this is a lucky win, but I don't think it was. I maybe wasn't adventorous going forward but I got the result and 3 points by been patient and wating.

[Cleon]

Arsenal Vs United

Arsenal were top of the league and pretty much in cruise control before we even kicked off. They seemed to be playing really good at the moment and were strolling in the league.

I began the game as I did against all the top teams, short, slow and narrow. It was clear after watching the game for 10 minutes that it wasn't working. So I had to change how my DMC was set up as he was becoming isolated too far up the pitch and losing possession in important areas. So I instructed him to be defensive (last notch on the slider). I also gave him a direct passing game. I was hoping he'd stay in position and help the defensive out by protecting then and mopping up any balls.

It worked to some extent but I couldn't get the ball off Arsenal they were just far too good. I tried everything, I used counter attack, direct passing and quick tempo at tims through out the game but nothing was working. It was the first time this season that I had been proper hammered and you could see the massive gap in terms of quality. Every weakness my tactic and players had, Arsenal exploited.

I was very fortunate it finished 0-0 I could have lost this game by 5 or 6+.

[Cleon]

United Vs Villa

Villa are a good side at home but had been playing poor away. So I decided to go at them and use the original tactic. I did however play with a normal tempo rather than a fast one due to Villa having a lot more pace in attack and midfield compared to my side.

After seeing the highlights for 10-15 minutes I noticed I was giving away too manydirect balls at times so I decided to make the tempo even slower, drop the passing for except the defenders to the last notch of short. I also dropped the overall attacking mentality for the AML/AMR and MC so they were all on last notch of normal. I did this to try and limit the gaps and space Villa had to play in.

In the end it worked out well by doing these changes and I picked up the 3 points.

[Cleon]

United Vs Pompey

After looking at the Pompey squad they seemed weak compared to my squad, so I ignored the assistant advice and decided to use the original tactic. But one change I would make was push the defensive line up to 3 notches inside the push up option. As I felt I had enough to dispose of Pompey I felt that by playing higher up the pitch would be a good way to try and dominate in all areas.

Nothing else needed to be changed during the game, I just wish we'd have scored a few more. I was pleased with keeping a clean sheet though as I had let 7 goals in, in the last 8 games.

[Cleon]

Stoke Vs United

I decided to approach this game the same way as I did the game before and kepy the same changes.

I was happy with how th game played out but around the 40th minute I dropped the defensive line back to the last notch of 'normal' as Stoke were sat too deep and I needed to draw them out more so I had some space to play it. This change was the changing point and then I began to take the game to Stoke a lot more.

[Cleon]

Ipswich Vs United

Ideally I would have liked to play a short passing game here but it was too wet to play an effective short passing game. So I used a more direct approach.

It wasn't until 25 minutes into the game I realised I wasn't using the original tactic. I'd kept the changes I had for the last 3 games as I'd forgot to change back at the end of the last game. Once I'd realised I dropped the defensive line back to first notch of normal. This was one reason Ipswich had lots of shots early on and I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong.

That'll teach me to paymore attention.

I also noticed after 35 minutes that my direct passing just wasn't working and I kept giving the ball away. So I changed from direct to normal and it seemed to keep possession slightly better.

We were a bit fortunate to win here but I took my chances I created better that Ipswich on the day.

[Cleon]

Bolton Vs United

The aim here was to keep possession and play a slow, narrow and deep game. By doing this I would hopefully pass the ball about rather than get into a physical battle which no doubt Bolton would win as they have a very pyhsical side. Probably the most physical in all the league.

My attacking players had a lot of headers during this game and I lost out heavily on that front. The Bolton defence were just too good in the air.

My DMC was instrumental today though and was involved in everything. Look at hs contribution compared to the rest of my team. He was always crating little triangular plays and allowing players to pass and go via him.

[Cleon]

Sunderland Vs United

I used the original tactic here but I went 1-0 down just before half time. So I started to chase the game and ticked the counter attacking option, instructed my players to play a lot quicker tempo. I got the goal back on 50 minutes but then things took a twist on 58 minutes.

I had a player sent off my right attacking midfielder. So what I had to do here is move the AML to the AMC position and change the teams passing to short, slow tempo and played with the last notch of narrow. I did this to retain the ball as I needed to be wary of any space Sunderland would get as I was a man short.

Things got even worse 3 minutes later when my cental defender got a straight red card, I was down to 9 men

So I had to centralise the last DC so he was playing on his own. I also asked him to zonal mark rather than man mark now along with both the fullbacks. I couldn't afford them to stick to man marking because if they made a mistake I'd have been punished.

The changes I made seem to work and I scored the 2nd goal on the 81st minutes and then got a 3rd on 86. Sunderland got a goal back on the 89th but that was an own goal.

The changes made after having th first player sent off no doubt won me this game by allowing me to play more cautious but still attack fast should a good opportunity arise. It was also the most effort I had to put into a match this season in regards to changes made.

[Cleon]

Watford Vs United (FA Cup)

As usual I use th standard tactic and play my reserves. I made no changes during the game as I expected to win this one.