[Player Search by Local Region and Previous Clubs]

I'm a stickler for recruiting talent from the local area. As such I'd find it extremely helpful if we had the ability within Player Search to filter by local region. For example, in England you have local regions such as South West, South East, East Midlands.etc

I don't think players are given a birth 'local region' in their data set but it could be inferred by referencing their Place of Birth.

 

e,g - Name: John McJohnson
         Place of Birth: Exeter
         Exeter = Local Region: South West.

 

Not all players have their birth city listed. To get around this we could filter by previous club then we could get some idea.

e.g - Name: John McJohnson
        Place of Birth: ?
        Previous Clubs: Truro

On seeing that John McJohnson had played for Truro we could assume that John McJohnson was based in the South West.

A third dimension to this would be the ability to filter a player's previous clubs by Local Region. So rather than laboriously trying every South Western club in the filter you could simply select the option to search for players who have a previous club based in the South West.

You could go even further and have various filter options for previous clubs.

Filter: Previous club by name: Truro

Filter: Previous club by local region: South West

Filter: Previous club in city: Truro

Filter: Previous club at level: 7th Level

Filter: Previous club in country: England

Filter:  Previous club by reputation: ***

 

 

[My guide to hoofball]

12 minutes ago, Brother Ben said:

Okay i've had a little crack at this with this tactic

 

It works off the same premise as johnny's but with a few tweaks here and there.  I found my strikers were always a little far apart so I decided to shift them over slightly which resulted in this kind of outcome which was very pleasing

These are his individual instructions

He runs late into channels really well and often puts really dangerous crosses in, either to the target man or the left sided DW arriving late in the box

There is still plenty wrong with this tactic but i'm really enjoying watching one or two of the outcomes I was hoping for paying off

The other most frequent type of goal is this one, from wide on the left

And of course one of these is always more than welcome

 

Have they changed the rules of football? In that last clip there must have be thirty odd players on the pitch.

[My guide to hoofball]

6 hours ago, johnnyyakuza78 said:

I have to say I'm very excited by my current hoofball tactic. I mean it's early days yet into my second season but so far the "results" have been great. My overall goal towards creating a reasonably effective, but ultimately ugly style of football is starting to come together in a way I hadn't quite managed before. Based on a few tweaks to my old ways of thinking, and advice I've garnered from this board I've got a tactic and a group of players that 'feel' very Pulis.

The basic aim of the tactic is to play in a split block. 8+2. In the Pulis mould I want my fullbacks to play like central defenders and my winger to play like wingbacks. The game plan is to keep things tight for 90 minutes and hope that the opposition will have a momentary slip and that is when I will score, possibly through a corner or long throw. The games themselves look exactly how you'd expect. The opposition have a lot of shots, not many of target, many highlights of scrambled defence with everyone parking the bus in our penalty area, a long ball out to our two strikers and occasionally a goal. 



442.
Defensive Mentality
Extremely direct passing
Play for Set Pieces
Be more disciplined

GK distribute quickly
Counter
Regroup

Defend Narrow
Low LOE
Get Stuck in.

Many of these instructions seem kinda obvious. I want to be playing Route 1 football, I want to stick to my tactics and I want to score more from set pieces. I want my team to counter when there is an opportunity (change this to hold shape at the end of games) but also keep shape most of the time.
The low LOE was a big game changer for me, usually it worries me but seemed to go well with a standard Defensive line even with a defensive mentality. It means my team sits back and keeps shape rather well.
Of course get Stuck in has to be there.


Goalie -Sweeper Keeper Defend
I want him to initiate counters with long kicks when he can, but also don't do anything fancy and mostly stay on his line

Central Defenders - No Nonsense
Of course I don't want any funny business here. I want my defenders to clear the lines and don't try and play out from the back. Ever. Unfortunately I have Oshilija in my side, who is my most highly rated defender, and he plays more like Lundstrum than I'd like with his 'play out of defence' trait which I can't get rid of. He will be replaced, but I have moved him to one of the fullback positions when I can.

Defender Left - Defensive
I don't want my fullbacks crossing the halfway line. This is my more attacking fullback in comparison but I still have him on defend to keep him back. There are still more than enough crosses coming from him to make me happy.

Defender Right - No Nonsense
I want this guy to play more like a centre half, tucking in and getting headers, not offering much in support other than to give it to a winger. I have started to retrain central defenders for the role.

Central Mid left - Defend
Added press less and take less risks and dribble less to make sure that the guy sits in front of the defence and acted like a wall. I previously experimented with BMWs here because it felt more on brand with Wimbledon, but actually it leaves a lot of space in front of the defence and I want my centre to remain solid.

Central Mid Right - Support
This guy is pretty similar, but with a support role.

Wingers - Defensive Wingers
Bit of a decision as to whether to just go with standard wingers, maybe an inverted winger for variety. But this seemed to have go to the wide players to contribute to defence a bit more, whilst offering something in attack. I was worrying about them not getting to the byline to cross, but in a lot of cases I don't think I need them to. Much of the crossing I see is around the halfway point, is very direct. With 2 attacking strikers its a lot easier to cause more chaos when you hoof it into the mixer like that.

Striker left - Pressing forward attack
This could have been a poacher or attacking forward, someone to beat the back line and run in behind. But I went with pressing forward to harass any team playing out of defence. I've scored a couple of goals like this already.

Striker Right - Target man attack
Now I really held back from it being a TMA for a long time, I didn't like what I'd seen from two attack strikers in the past, I know its recommended on here for counter formations, but the big gaps I saw in my tactic really worried me. But I've given in and gone for it, and it has worked very well. It means I really am playing 8+2. However the 8 need to be very very solid to make up for the amount of space I allow in front of my midfield. The TMA doesn't track back as deep as I'd want but its ok because I can release it to him quickly. There is also a big difference having 2 up front when you counter vs one up front. 


So some of the results worth mentioning after only 12 games admittedly but:

Second least goals conceded in the league so far.

Coupled with the second least number of goals scored! Beautiful

Also, topping the shots on target ratio in the league. This means we aren't having very many chances, but the ones we do get are hitting the right place and are sometimes going in. Efficiency.

We are currently 8th in the table with 2 losses, both 0-1. We were predicted to go down. So that is good.

I'm also slowly bringing in the sort of players I want, even starting from a good base. My record signing Songo'o has been sent off twice, both before the 10th minute and has so far barely been able to play for me. Seems about right. 
All of my players need to have high levels of work rate, bravery and aggression. Height and pace are highly sought after and anyone who doesn't fit this style is shipped off. My best winger Mitch Pinnock was sold, he had fantastic crossing and pace, but didn't defend or work hard. I even loaned in what I assume is David Batty's son to add some bite to midfield. 

Long term I want to change the club personality to unsporting, and have an academy that creates players that suit my style, aggressive units. Then my long term ambition is to get them playing for England and win a world cup with a long ball side. I'll probably be playing FM2029 by then.
 

Absolutely the love the way you go about this. One question, what changes do you make if you find yourself chasing a game?

[The Mentality Masterplan and some FM basics revisited...]

Really interesting contribution and I'm going through it very slowly trying to absorb as much as I can. One thing though, and forgive me if I'm missing the obvious but there seems to be a bit of an emphasis on possession in your flow chart. I tend to play as massive underdogs with an emphasis on soaking up pressure and countering which means I don't expect to wrack up massive possession numbers. How would you suggest adapting the flow chart to this strategy?

[LLM - No Frills 4-4-2 (Very solid!)]

A couple of updates.

Okay, so first all my save corrupted, which is a real shame. No fixtures loaded for the second season. It does give me a chance to try this tactic with some other sides though. I think I'm going to try Alfreton of the Vanarama North next. For some reason I'm always drawn to Borrowash, Alfreton and Mickleover. All three are Derbyshire teams. I'm not from Derbyshire so I have no idea why.

The other thing I wanted to talk about is fullbacks. Fullbacks have always been a problem for me in FM. They're usually the weak link in any of my teams. They're in a crucial position, facing the paciest and trickiest player in the opposition team, the winger. They're also usually behind the least supportive player in my team (our winger, who usually isn't known for his teamwork and work rate). So they're isolated and under huge pressure. So, how does this tactic address that issue?

First of all I tend to think of fullbacks as fitting into one of three defensive categories. First, you have your good fullbacks, next you have your okay fullbacks and lastly you have your useless fullbacks. Everyone gets to put into one of those defensive categories. Useless fullbacks need constant support and babysitting. Okay fullbacks need support some of the time and good fullbacks can be mostly left to get on with their job.

Applying that scheme to my tactic works like this. If I have a good fullback then he goes behind the attacking winger to lock down that flank. If I have a useless fullback then he goes behind the WM(s) because that way we have a double banked flank and my fullback gets full protection. If you have two useless fullbacks then just try to do the best you can, play the slightly better one behind the attacking winger.

[LLM - No Frills 4-4-2 (Very solid!)]

Absolutely. It should work on any version, really. I developed the tactic in 20.1 and it doesn't use any ME exploits at all so nothing should have changed.

Just remember that its not plug and play. Plug and Play tactics are exploit tactics. No tactic should be immune to changes in opposition tactics. You have to watch the match (you don't have to watch it on Full, I watch in on Comprehensive but you can even watch on Extended.) Just pay attention to where and why your transitions are breaking down. If the opposition are pinning you back then raise your mentality, if the opposition are sitting in then put your fullbacks on support and go wider. If you're behind and need a goal quickly then fullbacks on support, WM(s) to Winger support, mentality on attacking, BBM to CM(a) or AP(s), go wider and you can also use counter-pressing. If you've had a man sent off then sacrifice one of your strikers, the deeper one if the opposition are pushed up and the more advanced one if the opposition are sitting in. If your advanced striker is constantly getting caught off side then change them to DF(s) or DLF(a). These are just some of the things that I do.

[LLM - No Frills 4-4-2 (Very solid!)]

Okay, so first season is in the bag.

Promotion is accomplished.

It was very tough in the second half of the season. Injuries hit us hard so we had to dig in and accept some draws that should have been wins. Squad depth was something I just didn't have. A couple of things to mention, first of all you'll notice our fantastic Goals Against column. Only 30 goals conceded all season, the best in the division. We also had the top scorer in the division with 27 goals in 38 games. The really interesting statistic, though, is that he should have had three or four times as many. His conversion % was so appallingly bad that he didn't even make it onto the division's top 20 list for conversion rates which means his Percentage was at least below 16% because that's what number 20 on the list has. We created so, so many chances every game. He's a superb all-rounder and can make things happen but his final ball/shot is just rank. I'm contemplating moving him out to the right flank where there will be less pressure to finishing 1 v 1's. We'll have to see though.

Basically though this tactic has been a beast for me. We're rock solid defensively and cut teams to ribbons on the break. You essentially create a front three of your strikers and your left winger bursting into space supported by your BBM and your WM on the right. That's a lot of bodies arriving in the box. The defensive structure works like a charm as well.

There's absolutely things you could adapt about it. Don't be afraid to experiment. This is a simple foundation to build off of although with very few changes I've taken a team expected to finish 16th/17th and won promotion despite the struggles with injuries in the second half of the season, and as I alluded to in a bug report on that subforum I also lost two very important players to sudden retirement (with no warning) with three games of the season remaining and promotion still very much on.

What I love about this tactic and what it has over lots of other tactics that I see is that its so basic that pretty much any side can use it. You don't need Inverted Wing Backs or False 9's or Segundo Valante's or any of that jazz. Just common or garden, run of the mill, bog standard, bloke down the pub roles and duties. Everyone should be able to field a team with a goalkeeper, a central defender, a limited defender, two defensive fullbacks, a defensive ball winner and a box to box midfielder,  a wide midfielder on support and a winger on attack and a couple of defensive forwards, one on attack and one on defend.

[Bottom half teams too aggressive?]

9 minutes ago, Seany101 said:

Thanks for the replies. You make some interesting points Rashidi (big fan of your channel btw!).

By aggressive I meant high pressing, seemingly higher mentality, with full backs bombing up and defenders on the half way line. It just seemed a little out of character for some of the weaker PL sides. To be honest I play exclusively in the PL so it might be a local phenomenon since there is a lot of money flowing and squads are stronger. You can also definitely tell when the AI flips a switch at 60 minutes and starts to attack you. It does make the game more challenging though, which I like (as long as I'm winning ).

On the long ball point, I have focused my recruitment on pacey defenders such as Chris Mepham, Tyrone Mings and Ben Godfrey who have around 15 pace/acceleration and decent mentals, but they still get done over the top regularly. It might be because almost every PL striker also has 15+ pace. But even the slower ones just seem to get a head start on the CBs with a nicely timed run and then there is no catching up.

I am a big fan of vertical compactness so I despise dropping the d-line while maintaining a high LOE. It stretches the team out too far. That's why I begrudgingly play with a mid or low block nowadays.

I do think there should be an element of risk associated with playing with a higher or much higher d-line, but they should maybe tweak their accuracy a touch? If the other day's IRL City vs Leicester game happened in this version of FM, Vardy would have scored about 5 when in reality he only got through on goal once. City were playing with a much higher d-line and a much higher LOE. I do understand that this is a game and not a simluation but these are just my thoughts. 

 

Its definitely not a Premier League phenomenon. I see the same thing happening at level 9 and 10. It does seem a tad counter-intuitive to have terrible teams tearing into you and playing hyper aggressive. I guess all you can do is see it as a challenge and try to adapt to it. Just remember that eleven players can't cover everywhere. If they're deep in your half then there's an absolute ton of space behind them. Its your job to punish their recklessness.

[Bottom half teams too aggressive?]

I don't think its a new thing. It used to happen to me in FM18 & FM19 as well.

[LLM - No Frills 4-4-2 (Very solid!)]

I think this might be my first ever tactics upload and I've been a member on here for a good few years.

As the title suggests this is a rock solid 4-4-2 for any level of football but I'm using it in the 10th level of English football.

Your board probably won't give you any awards for entertainment but in terms of grinding out results they won't have much to complain about.

 

Link below

Rock Solid LLM 4-4-2.fmf

The main principle behind this tactic was simplicity. My players are dreadful. My PF(a) has finishing of 4. Yes, 4. He's currently the division's top scorer with 18 goals from 18 games. The  fullbacks stay back to protect the flanks. The RM is a winger with terrible dribbling so I've got him staying deep and tucking in but still utilising his decent crossing. He links quite nicely with the BBM who links the play and arrives late into the box. All of my BWM's have tackling of under 5 so when I tell you that we have the best defence in the league by far that tells you that this tactic is pretty decent. We win the ball and it usually goes straight over the top for the DF(d) to act as a pivot or it goes long and the PF(a) goes one on one with the keeper. His 25% conversion rate would be a disaster if we didn't create so many chances. Our other main approach is to get it out to the left wing where he gets forward quickly and combines with the two strikers. None of my midfield have more than 1 goal so this tactic is heavily weighted towards the strikers getting the goals.

As often happens adjustments are needed. If you find yourself not breaking through (first of all, remain patient) I tend to go one of two ways. If we're getting into dangerous areas but getting outnumbered then I change my fullbacks to Support. If we're not able to get out of our half or the ball just keeps coming back then I move from Standard mentality to Positive mentality. If you're playing against a narrow side then also Go Wider (only if you're not having any luck), I also use this TI if the opposition has a man sent off. I start all games on Standard. I've found that that works well against all opponents. You can drop back to Cautious mentality if you're ahead and approaching half time or trying to see out a result at the end of a game, I do.

the only PI's I'm using are Cross from Deep, Cross More and Sit Narrower for the Right midfielder. I'm not using OI's. You can if you want to but be careful, don't overdo it. If the opposition have a playmaker that's causing me problems then occasionally I'll press him harder but I prefer not to do that.

In terms of what to look for in your players, I'll say it again, my squad is dreadful. That said, you want centre backs that are strong and can jump. Positioning is a must for all of your defenders. Your fullbacks need to be defenders first. If they have a little acceleration then all the better.

In midfield you want acceleration, pace and dribbling for your left winger. Passing, Vision and crossing for the RM would be preferable. He doesn't need to be quick or good at dribbling. Your box to box works best if he can pick a pass and hit a long shot but failing that just someone who has stamina, teamwork and workrate. Your BWM would work best with good positioning and tackling but mine don't (unfortunately) so just play your most aggressive midfielder here. for your DF(d) you want your strongest striker here and preferably someone that has first touch. Your PF(a) just needs pace and acceleration. Dribbling, Finishing, Composure.etc are a bonus. As I've said my PF(a) couldn't finish his dinner let alone a 1 v 1.

Something to bare in mind when looking over these results (League only) is that we were predicted to finish 17th or there abouts.

Try it and let me know what you think.

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

2 minutes ago, Zanman777 said:

Then I'll need to upload an OpenOffice version for you :P Give me some time, I can't at the moment

No rush mate.

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

Apache Openoffice 4.1.5

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

When i try to use the calculator I select a position from the drop down menu but when I try to select a role and duty the drop down list just has #REF!

Any suggestions.

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

8 minutes ago, FabianJonsson said:

What exactly is the aim of this? To make a balanced tactic? If so, the excel sheet fails to take the perhaps most important aspect of all into account; relative positions of your players.

Example 1: you have a "penetrating" player and a "supporting" player trying to occupy the same space, the penetrating player will generally stay back (since the space is already occupied) - and thus should get a low penetration score.
Example 2: you have two attack duties on one flank and two defend duties on the other flank. This would be an unbalanced tactic. It could (perhaps) work, but it is most likely a risky setup, still the "score" in the excel sheet would not reflect this.

These sorts of issues should be reflected in the score if it is to help us create something that is balanced, right?

You're right, although the guide does point out to the reader that every area of the pitch needs to have a balance of penetration, solidity and support, its not included in the method.

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

I think it'd maybe be a bit more understandable if it was explained in simple steps, like for example...

Step 1: Assess your squad to decide which styles your players are suited to by using the list of suggested attributes. (in your version you choose a style and then assess your squad, which seems the wrong way round to me).

Step 2: Set your Mentality to accomplish your Core style.

Step 3: Set your pressing style to accomplish your Defensive style.

Step 4: Set your passing Directness to accomplish your Attacking style.

Step 5: Choose the formation that suits your Style of Play.

Step 6: This is where I get a bit lost. The flow charts are a little hard to follow (maybe not for everyone but certainly for me as I have mild dyslexia). Maybe a text based list. I tend to use Windows Notepad and Windows Calculator to keep things simple when I'm assessing my squad.

So maybe think about how you get from Step 5 to Step 6 and beyond.

 

When I was going through your flow charts I wasn't sure what connection it had to the steps before. What target scores should I be aiming for? Do the target scores change if you change style? It wasn't very clear. So I think that's something that needs to be clearer.

Again, not everyone will have the problems understanding that I have but I definitely found it a little hard to follow.

Still, really appreciate the work you've put in.

I think we're all looking for that holy grail that is a structure, a system that we can use in all tactical scenarios. Just plug your situation into the tactics machine and let it print out the perfect strategy. I'm doubtful that such a thing exists but I'm definitely intrigued.

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

2 hours ago, Zanman777 said:

Ok. First off, I'm going to asssume you have Microsoft Office in your computer (inlcuding Excel).

Which Football Manager do you play? 2018 or 2020? 

Download the right file for your FM.

Open it.

The only sheet that matters to you is the Tactics sheet (the first one). Forget everything else!

 

in that sheet, the only cells you change are the "Position" and the "Role - Duty" columns. The others are only for you to read data from.

 

First, select a slot's Position.

An arrow pointing down will show up. Click it.

 

There will ve a list of positions for you to choose from. Pick one.

 

AFTER you have picked a position for tht slot, do the same thing on the Role - Duty column: click the cell; then click the arrow button that shows up next to it:

Pick a role - duty from that list.

This order is important! The available roles duties depend on the position on that slot!

Repeat for all 10 positions of the tactic you're designing.

After you've picked all 10 positions + roles duties, the total scores will show at the bottom.

 

And that's it.

 

I hope that makes it clearer

That's great, thanks.

Its a very unintuitive approach to tactics building, for me at least, but I'll give it a go. I'm always happy to try different approaches to the game.

[The Player Roles & Duties Map]

I am absolutely bamboozled. How do you use the calculator? When you give your explanation Imagine you're talking to a small child. I can't use these new fangled spreadsheet things.

[So 4-3-3 in non-league]

I would say probably yes for the simple reason that it places a lot of responsibility on your fullbacks to defend the flanks and non-league fullbacks tend to not be very good. If on the other hand your fullbacks are good at your level then you might get away with it. Personally I always try to protect my fullbacks because they're often the weakest link in my team. Fullback is such an important role. They're often up against the most dangerous opposition player (the winger) and face being overloaded more than other players. They need to be able to defend, transition the ball from defence to midfield and if at all possible offer support and width.

So, for me, take a good long hard look at your fullbacks.

[My guide to hoofball]

9 hours ago, Peljam said:

I agree that the match engine has tended to favour short passing. I think the ME has always favoured what is in favour so gegenpressing recently, tiki taka before that. And almost always short passing for some years now, just because thats how modern football tends to be. Direct doesn't get the same love as it's not as common at the top and just isn't as fashionable. I think Wilson refers to it in Inverting the Pyramid as 'the right of the weak'. Even when it's working youll still get the ass man saying you should pass it short!

On the other point though park the bus is pretty different even on just the TI's. You can't see the PI's above in mine but they are a bit different as well.

 

 

Less flexible, more defensive by default, lower tempo, time wasting, slowing pace down, less urgent etc. There's some overlap but the park the bus default is slow and safe. The one I've gone for is more blood and thunder. Risky passes, more pressing and tackling, no wasting of time, quick transitions for the long ball. It does work well in the lower leagues. I've had almost the same tactic work in FM19 in the EPL and SPL.

 

Defensive Wingers over standard wingers (on support and attack) really change the transitions and attacks as well. I end up with the MR often scoring after picking up the ball from the TM. Having a BWN and DLP in the park the bus leaves the team deeper. Having a box to box again gives you an attack man in attack or for the second ball. With hoof harder hoof longer you can end up with 4 up front or 3 with one in the hole fairly often.

 

Park the Bus preset is more try not to die. The one I've been using is more die trying.

Interesting. This is very, very similar to the tactic that I've just developed for my new save. Out of curiosity what are your PI's?

[How to create a solid 4-4-2?]

27 minutes ago, TottenhamBoi90 said:

442 is pretty much the only formation I can get working every time and you selected similar roles to what I would use.

I’d have the winger on the dlf side on attack duty though so the dlf has a man left and right to link with and to transform you into 433 in attack. I’d also have the left back on attack just so you can stagger your 442 as much as possible and utilise the systems strengths which are out wide. 

Nearly every sitter runner combo works in midfield and creator/scorer upfront. As for tactical styles I am largely favour possession based but I’m sure counter based would work well too.

There are definitely different set-ups you can use. I've gone for the combos I have largely because...well, those were the players that I had but there were also some tactical considerations as well. The supporting fullback is there to give the attacking winger a safe passing option. The defensive fullback on the right is therefore needed for balance so he's on a defend duty. Centrally I wanted my supporting CM to combine and support with the attacking winger to create a pocket of possession on the left and enable us to better work the ball across the box if the left flank attack petered out (which I had noticed happening in pre-season). The DLP gets shunted to the right side as a result. The strikers were a slightly more complicated decision as I had to decide whether I wanted my PF(d) dropping off into my possession pocket or not. I decided that that would be overkill and instead put him on the right where he could give the supporting winger a shorter passing option. The PF(a) can then operate on the left where he can make himself available for a short cross into the near post although because the PF(d) has vacated the penalty box the PF(a) can pretty much drift wherever he wants and does. Swapping roles around is still on the table if changes need to be made but at the moment the tactic is working wonderfully given the limitations of my squad. I'm not expecting miracles and we still come unstuck every now and again but by and large what I'm seeing is a very satisfying foundation to build on.

[How to create a solid 4-4-2?]

Uncannily I've literally just posted this in another thread...

 

[Tactic for lower league]

I thought I'd throw this into the mix. Its a really basic LLM 4-4-2 that I've found plays really nice (and realistic) football whilst getting results.

Mentality: Standard (Defensive if you want to tighten up)
TI's: Regroup, LLOE, Tighter Marking (If you're struggling to break the opposition down then increase your attacking width)
PI's: None. If you have a player that would benefit from one then go for it but bare in mind the impact that this might have on the rest of the system)
OI's: None. Same as above. If you identify the opposition's playmaker then you could target them but its not mandatory.

Requirements:

Just use your best goalkeeper. If your left back is your better passer then just lay out your team like this. If your right back is the better passer then flip the tactic.

Just choose your two best centre backs. Your right midfielder should be your best crosser (unless you've flipped your tactic), your left winger should be your best dribbler. Your DLP should be decent at passing and be your midfielder with the best positioning. (Don't worry if they're a DM, AM or CM they'll be fine). Your CM should be your other best midfielder. The kind of player your CM is will define to some extent how your tactic plays out. My CM is decent at arriving late and getting goals. Yours might be be more creative or more of a ballwinner. Your DF(d) should be your strongest striker and preferably have a decent first touch, your DF(a) should be your quickest striker.

Obviously Determination, Bravery, Work Rate, Teamwork, Acceleration, Stamina as well as Anticipation, Concentration, OTB and Vision will always help but I've tried to give you the absolute minimum requirements that you need.

My team is absolutely dreadful and we're doing pretty well. Its early days but the system works well, has balance and keeps things really simple and plays to our players' strengths.

We're playing in the 10th level of English football and are predicted to finish 14th out of 18.

If you're struggling and want a simple template that even a poor team can adapt to then this is for you. 

[My guide to hoofball]

1 hour ago, Experienced Defender said:

Well, a low(ish) block does make more sense when it comes to hoofball than a high one.

Only if you've got pace up front. If you've got big men then you need to get them as close to goal as possible because they can't run in behind. The English leagues are perhaps best known for their use of the hoof. Traditionally you'd either have a big lump and a little speedster in which case you'd go for a mid-block. If you had two little speedsters you might well go for a low block. If you had two big lumps you'd use a high block.

[Dominating Tactic goes to Disaster tactic?]

The AI has noticed your form and decided not to do what it was doing any more. Have a look at your opponents. See if you can spot a change. Have they started sitting in and hitting you on the break? or are they getting in your face and disrupting your build up?

[Very Basic Question: Changing The Role Of A Staff Member]

Yes. Offer him a new contract. He may not be interested in negotiating because he's only recently signed one but you could try. If not then you'll just have to wait a while, six months should do it.