retired_hmacdonald

Hello everyone, my first thread on here, I hope you'll forgive what must be a well trodden question in these parts.

I'm running Football Manager 2007 7.02, and encountering a problem with leads. Regardless of formation, tactics, team-talks or brick walls in front of my goal it seems as if I can't maintain a lead.

An example: playing Tottenham at home, and i'm 2:0 up my 20min, but they pull one back. I score again, and then they proceed to demolish me with two goals 3:3. Then they score a free-kick, 90th min and i'm stuffed.

Now that above example happens so often that it makes me scream. I'm a Champ/FM veteran, I know how to play, but with this game it seems nigh on impossible to prevent mass conceding of goals following a lead. Please help me.

KeriLynn

If you take the lead in second half I always move to:

(I play 442)

Very defensive
Very Slow Tempo
Very narrow width (Then if the have a lot of crosses I move to wide and counter attack)
Give wingers farrows and free rolls

Often enough then I maintain the lead. Even though im currently relegating with Falkirk (but they're expected too)

retired_hmacdonald

As an experiment, I saved before the game and played 5 separate games, each with different tactics, players and approaches. Every single game resulted in a 2-3 goal lead that was eroded to either a draw or a loss, even after employimg extreme defensive tactics on some.

Statistically, the chances of this are improbable to say the least, and frankly it ruins the entire game.

KeriLynn

Dont just full defend... I put it on 2 notches before the end and turn on counter and play Both Wings and give them free roles and the MC's though try through balls.

firefighterhilf

Not really. What team are you just out of interest?

What you've got to remember is that when you go into the lead, particularly by two goals, the opposition is going to start throwing caution to the wind and attacking you like crazy to try and get a goal back. Unless you can successfully counter these AI changes then you're going to lose goals, there's nothing unrealistic about that. Especially when playing against a team of similar or better ability than your team.

There are many things you can do to hold onto a lead. Have a read through this first and anything by wwwfan.

If neither of those help come back and give some detail about what tactics you're actuallt attempting to use and we'll be able to help you.
Take it from someone who used to also have these problems, it can be overcome.

retired_hmacdonald

I'm Manchester United in this game.

I don't mean to sound all angry, just frustrated, you know? My apologies.

OK general tactics. I'm playing a modified 4-2-3-1, short passing, mixed tempo, with always pressing and slight attacking mentality, mixed to little creativity, zonal marking.

GK - Edwin Van der Sar.

DR - G. Neville - Defensive stance, deep crossing, attacking runs, run with ball, zonal marking.
DL - Mikael Silvestre - Defensive stance, deep crossing, attacking runs, run with ball, zonal marking.
DC - Rio Ferdinand - Ultra defensive stance, man marking.
DC - Nemanja Vidic - Ultra defensive stance, man marking.

MC - Michael Carrick - Defensive stance, Hold up ball, zonal marking.
MC - Arteta - Team stance, forward runs, Team creativity.

AML - Ryan Giggs - Team stance, forward runs, mixed crossing, run with ball, through balls.

AMC - Wayne Rooney - Attacking stance, much creativity, free role, forward runs, run with ball, long shots.

AMR - Christiano Ronaldo - Team stance, forward runs, much creativity, mixed crossing, run with ball.

SC - Louis Saha - Attacking stance.

Main tactics I employ when in lead 2-3 goals : slight defensive counter-attacking, and/or a move to a standard 4-4-2 diamond, and/or a drop in tempo and effort to keep balls low, and/or drop creativity down, and/or man-mark key opposition players.

I hope somebody can help, as the core of the game is great, and I love FM, and I tend to let my temper get the better of me and neither my keyboard, mouse or door can take it any more

retired_hmacdonald

Sorry for double posting, but check this -

I go 1:0 up. Faultless the entire match, defense solid, good cretivity, everything.

93rd minute, they score from a corner. Let me clarify this, nobody touched the ball, it simply sailed in from the boot of the corner taker. I mean what...? I know it happens, veeeery infrequently, but for god's sake

retired_makena123

first of all get a soft toy to beat up!!!!!! and not ur pc lol

u know watching utd beat roma 7-1 with the 4 2 3 1 inspired me to but getting it to work in this game isnt the same as real life!

before the game did u do the game review like,we will win today,u might inspire the other team to play better!.i always find making no comment makes a easy game also where are they in the league if they are close to u then u always get a harder game and it doesnt matter which team they are!!!!

i played a 4231 i won my first 14 league games but i lost to chelsea and asrenal away from home,being 10 points clear i thought i could hear the fat lady singing!.
with chelsea and arsenal winning everygame they became unstopable and my 10 point lead and my season dissapeared up the fat ladys backside.
u really wana know how mad i got i was so xxxxed off

this game is all about the momentum effect,just one good save or pass means ur up against it and if they score and start to dominate they have already cracked ur tactic!or maybe its not meant to be?

btw tottenham are a tough team to beat in the first season,saying that i just beat them 4-0 on there turf,a saha hatrick!! lol :thup:

retired_janellewood86

Couple of pointers that I seem to have found playing in season 4 with Barcelona (I'm getting this quite a bit, but I know it's my own fault a lot of the time).

Don't change tactics during the first half unless the other side are coming back at you.

If I'm ahead at half time I play a "counter attacking" tactic, that is medium mentality, medium width, counter attack checked and fewer forward runs (see wwfan's Play FM thread).

At 70 minutes, be prepared for the opposition going to their 4-2-4 or equivalent, which they will do if within 2 goals of you. You should have a tactic to counter this, and you therefore shouldn't let in more than one unless you're unlucky.

Don't be afraid to use a "control" tactic or an attacking tactic. Sometimes it's possible to play too defensively. You usually find that deep crosses and lots of passing on the halfway line are symptomatic of you playing too deep (or not closing down enough).

Get rid of forward runs on fullbacks!

I can't think of much more off the top of my head, but usually I will try to play as attacking as I can for as long as I can to keep the opposition pegged back (if I'm the better team). The minute I stop properly dominating and I concede a couple of chances, I look to change things. I'm usually using extended highlights.

retired_hmacdonald

Yeah I'm finding with the 4-2-3-1 my full backs are put under a lot of pressure, especially as with an attacking mentality they are pulled out of position frequently (especially with closing down on). I flipped both of them down to defensive and no forward runs and we were much more able to deal with attacks from good passing sides.

I'll follow that advice about "no comment" with the media news, I tend to go for the "hell yeah we'll beat em" purely to build confidence, but I can see how that would affect the opposition.

I'm not one of these guys who needs a win every game, but when every game sees teams coming back, usually from extremely flukey goals or from the computer trying to simulate completely stupid mistakes in your team, I get red mist.

In general if I stay with one tactic, I concede. If I change it, I concede badly. And if (God forbid) I score three goals, I can predict the score right away; 4:3 to the opposition with the winner past 90mins. I kid you not, it is almost clockwork.