retired_shortnsesie

Hi,

Very disgruntled FM player here. Having played Champ / Footy Manager in its various formats since day one I cannot help but feel that the newer releases are forgetting the games roots are going more and more towards those awful Fifa manager style games (I keep expecting a "set the price of the pies" feature on each new addition - which thankfully hasnt come yet), and I feel the game is losing its playabaility and fun factor!

This is not comign from someone who simply has not given the game a chance, and neither am I someone who has had no success with recent additions, and have to admit I feel FM 2006 got the blend of the fun factor / realism spot on. I feel though that FM 2007 and more recently 2008 have just gone over the top. I am not saying I do not want to be able to control ever aspect of how the team plays, and the way in which I coach each game but feel that the realability of the tactics / instructions and for that matter the team talks are seriously lacking.

If you intend to make the tactics so in depth and complex then surely you need to make sure that when you instruct a player to do something he will do it? and I am not talking about asking a conference player (no disrespect) to hit long shots often and expect them to score every time, or play short passes and move the ball around the pitch like Fabregas. But I feel that if you are asking players to play short passing, then short passing is what they should play all the time... even if it means they are not good enough and lose the ball, atleast they are following your instructions and it is then you who needs to play it. I feel that if you cannot create the game in such away then it is better to keep the instructions simple.

If any of your feel that what I have said is not correct at all feel free to correct my and explain what I am doing wrong, and while your at it explain when and how to give team talk regarding specific situations as I feel again this is somnething that is totally inconsitent!

For example, when 1-0 up against an opponent at home I give the 'encouragement' instruction which leads to me going on to win the game, however in exacty the same position the following week the same instruction leads to the opposition coming back? Again I am not naive enough to think that the same instructions to work every time, but feel that if it cannot offer and sort of consistency then why is it there at all (again in FM2006 this was perfect).

Finally, on a personal note I also feel there is far to much media interaction and feel the only way to avoid upsetting anyone is to remain impartial on every occasions but having to ignore the media before every single game (sometimes more than once) really becomes irratating after a while. I am all for media interaction but when it far exceeds anything seen in the real world of football and when the best appraoch to take is to ignore it completely it is yet again something I feel has simply been added unnecessarily and would be better of wthout (or atleast without so much).

Anyway rant over and I look forward to hearing what the rest of you think... or hopefully, show me that I am totally wrong and how I am going wrong (alas... I will not be holding my breath) as I feel the good old days of Football Management are gone forever. FM R.I.P

retired_shortnsesie

Just to prove my point I started a season with Chelsea as I figured if a consistant tactic is going to be found it will be easier to do it with a better team...

But... using a tactic that got me to the league 1 play off final with leeds (including minus 15) I tried with chelsea... and guess what, it did not work? How on earth can this be with better players? Better opposition maybe?

So I tried some rstupid tactic, 9 in defence 1 up front, and beat wigan 1-01 my own tactic again allowed me to beat man utd 4-1 then lose to sunderland 1-0 with the same tactic?

So, tell me this, is the answer to chop and change tactics for every game and during the match aswell cos if that is the case then I will not be playing the game again?

Or... is it not the tactic, not the players simply the team talks and media? If so then please I need some tips badly...

I really hope someone can give me some way whether it be a tactic or just advice that will allow me the same enjoyment as I have had with previous games as I am litterally about to throw my game in the bin!

retired_HAdvocate

Well, the issues that you are mentioning are nothing new on these forums as they started last year (around the same time or even a year before that <how time flies :cool:&gt. The modern FM gamer has to come to terms with what actually is going on in game terms.

The teams you come up against don't play the same way, and they change tactics during the game (as they do IRL). Appart from this they will also change tactics in conjunction with your winning/drawing and/or your losing form. It is recomended that one builds several different tactics to counter the different situations that the AI will throw at you (at least that is how I've interpreted it).

Getting a club to function is no walk in the park and one has to get all the different aspects right (training, coaches, assignments, shortlists, ect...). It can be hard, but it is not an impossible mission. You can save alot of time using the options in the game itself (F.ex. editing options in tactics, training and so forth). It also takes time (and practice) to adopt your ideologies into the club you are managing (finding the right players and training regimes in conjunction with style of play) and the bigger the club the more you must pay attention to the details.

"Why do my tactics work well against one team and not against another?" is a common question. Well, this should be common sense. Let's take Milan f.ex. They almost never play the same style every game and sometimes they play the "ruthless Italian Counter-Attacking" style away from home to get a result even though they are (on paper) better than their opponent (they'll even do this on home ground to grind a 1-0, and who could forget Juventus back in their dominant period <kings of the 1-0 result&gt. But if they need to attack they will play much further up the pitch and that is why I recomend that you have at least two (or more) tactics. Different situations have different solutions and it's about getting them right.

At the start of the game (with low manager reputation) teams will come at you thinking they have a chance against a rookie manager with little tactical knowledge, so it is recomended that you play more cautious. But when you do well you will scare your opponents into playing more tactical (defensive and/or tight) and that's where you must become more daring with your tactics. But you need World Class players (or with potential) to get away with this in the long run if you want to challenge for all honours.

Now, please remember, I am not claiming that there is a "magical" combination when applying the sliders in tactics, but you must keep the different styles of play in the same "mind-set" so you don't start to contradict your own instructions because that's when the AI punishes you ruthlessly (your players will be all over the place causing a total tactical melt-down).

I hope you can use this ideology...

retired_jackie726

I've been thinking the same thing. If fm is a realistic game good tactics from pervious versions of fm should work on the new game imo. Cause a good tactic is a good tactic. Arsenal and man united have prooved this season if u have a good tactic and players more often then not that will win you games regardless how the other team plays against you.

retired_leonard.tr

you have to consider the morale, form of the players and macro conditions like pitch size, weather and home advantage. these are all the random factors of the game and really need to go into details to make your tactic work and there is no one good-for-all games tactic i realise.

retired_nikkisto

I agree totally about fm2007 the ai changed tactics against you until it beat you simple as that. I also agree that fm2006 was the best in terms of the balance between realism and fun, in fact while i played fm06 all year fm07 just sat on the shelf but and here's the good news fm08 is back to football managers brilliant best try some of your tactics from fm06 some will be rubbish but some are once again consistently winners please don't judge fm08 by fm07 because fm08 is so much better lets hope they don't mess it up with a patch