retired_elpata

Yes you could win the league with Newcastle with a good tactic by spending very little money. Why do people always assume you cannot do anything without cheating? When you started the game you should have played to your strengths the best you could and bring in a few additional players who can make the difference.

By playing to your strengths I don't mean attacking football either, I think this is a mistake lots of people make as they go too attacking and expect to play like this every game. What you should have done is played on the counter attack the first season in most of the games until you could bring in worldclass players. Games at home against the Watfords, Sheff Utd's etc you can play attacking if you choose as they are weaker teams than yourself.

Patients and an be willing to read lots of threads to get an idea of how others play the game and combat such problems. I always believe the more you put into the game the more you get out of it. The unofficial tactics bible is a ood starting place to learn a basic understanding of the match engine.

Why?

One tactic is more than enough in my opinion. All the people who use 1 tactic just adapt in on a game by game basis. I find this method much easier than using several variations of a tactic. But thats just my preference really, id rather tweak the odd thing here and there every game.

You probably don't adapt it right at the minute. It might looks same and instructions might be simliar but the changes people make on a game by game basis and actually in the game are the important changes and probably differ from yours quite substantially.

If you want to win keep it simple, watch games plenty of them in full and look for little mistakes that happen and write them down on a piece of paper. Thn if you notice these mistakes are heppening regular then try and do something about it by changing the settings and see what effects that does.

I always use the preset tactics as a starting base and work from them. I never change too many instructions in 1 go either, as if something does go wrong in a game how are you to know what caused it?

retired_janellewood86

Because the style of play is completely different. You may have a system which frustrates better, more expansive teams and exploits the space they afford you and you give the opposition no time on the ball.

Play the same way against Watford and it won't work. Watford will be playing a similar style (if not even more defensive) to you. Your team gets frustrated and loses for the very reason that Arsenal lost to you.

I know Cleon prefers the one tactic method, but I'm more of a "variants" fan. I have 4 or 5 tactics which I use for each situation, and in most cases I only switch between 2 or 3 in a normal game.

If you check wwfan's Play FM thread, you'll see what I mean.

So, against Arsenal I'd be tight, counter attacking, looking to keep Arsenal out and nick goals on the break.

Against Watford, I'd be wide and creative, keeping an eye on defence but mainly trying to break them down. Once I'd taken the lead, I'd sit back more and make Watford do something and hopefully nicking a goal or 3 on the counter.

It's probably worth mentioning that those styles are pretty much the same tactic (same philosophy, same formation, same players) just with slightly different team and individual instructions to suit the moment. I find this easier than tweaking in-game, personally, because I can just flick between pre-set plans. Others prefer to make these small changes on the fly. I suppose it's up to the individual.

retired_adriana6

The thing it has taken me the longest to accept about this version of the game, is probably that tactics are less important than in previous versions. By that I don't mean you don't need a decent tactic, but that if you are losing don't necessarily blame it on your tactic as I think other factors, particularly morale play a huge part in your results.

I witnessed this again in my current game recently, when I was going along nicely at the top of the table, and then I lost a crazy game away to Portsmouth, when we were 2-0 down, came back to lead 3-2, only to eventually lose 4-3 thanks to two injury time goals.

That was only my second defeat of the season (in January) and after that due to a big drop in morale we lost 5 of our next 6 games.

I am confident that this was not down to my tactics, as results have since improved again.

The danger is that you do blame your tactics, and change them to something less effective than you already had.

retired_adriana6

Definitely, that's why a lot of the guys that are successful spend a lot of time on the media and team talks aspects of the game

retired_elpata

Too true that comment, too true

The main reason I play with just 1 tactic and adjust it on a game by game basis is, after a while when I got a decent squad I like to enforce my style of play onto teams instead of always changing to suit them. Instead I force the AI to change and adapt to me.

retired_SpartanPride

You sound like a m8 of mine, who sayd he wants teams to break him down. thing is. he's not very good. lol

So if it's more media based, how do you know what to say and when to say it.?

janisfit

Excuse me, but teamtalk seems rubbish to me. Players pay a bit attention during friendlies but then they just don't listen anymore. I find that to be a major flaw in the game!

Paulo1975

cleon - how do you force the AI to adapt to your tactics and not the other way round?