smith02

this is my tenth season in game and with my current team, i brought them up from the 3rd div of scotland, and i've won the SPL twice in the four seasons i've been there, but in the last summer transfer window i lost 8 starters who all declared they must move on (and they are all riding the benches of their respective teams...) i could not find great replacements for them, but i still found replacements that should be good for the SPL. Yet my team has really collapsed this season. My team has gone bipolar, I am getting destroyed by awful teams after playing very well against good teams.

I feel like my tactics are right, I don't really know how I can improve them, and my players are fine. But it seems that I am getting stuck against super keepers and also my teams decides simply not to try hard some times.

I just lost a game 2-1 at home (2 goals in the last 6 mins, that was fun), when I had 18 shots, only 2 on target though. My team doesn't listen to me, I saw them fire away from long distance yet all my players have long range shots set to rarely, and few have the creative freedom to disobey that order.

I really used to think I was good at this game, and I used to look down on people who would complain about this game. I don't want to sound like those people but I really need help reconstructing this team. I am seriously about to crack if I don't start getting good results soon.

Can anyone suggest some ways to rebuild my team? I have a pretty huge transfer budget, US$30mil, but tbh, despite how well i've performed, and my near 7000 reputation, my assistant shows me that my only realistic players I can target aren't that good. I don't know how this has happened because since I've gotten better I've been able to attract less talented players, a problem I ran into trying to replace almost my entire first team this past summer.

I feel like I have problems all over the field, my defense sometimes plays great other times they get burned like crazy by slow forwards, they give up easy goals from long range passes, etc... It's really getting bad.

My midfield, I don't understand them either. Sometimes they maintain some great possession and really hammer away at the opponent, but many times they give up possession really easily, they don't make smart passes, they take long shots even when I tell them not to. They play a quick tempo when I have set it to slow... I dont know.

My forwards, well, like the rest of the team they are bipolar too. Sometimes they are really good, they score a ton, other times they simply cannot get their shots on target. The forwards are the only players I didn't have to replace, they set the league on fire last season, I don't know what is going on with them now.

I know this is a big request, but I am really addicted to this game, and I am at my limit. If I cannot get some help, I will probably quit because the frustration and confusion is simply not worth it. I really like the game but I am at a loss as to how to fix my team. I have read the unofficial tactics bible (for the most part) which is why I feel my tactics are right but something obviously isn't

retired_B-Scott

My guess is everyone who gets into the tactical side has a major headache at some stage or other when a previosuly good method goes sour.

There are a lot of different solutions on this site alone, ranging from theory based approaches to tactical sets, to tactics beased on the players themselves, all of which you will with support. I suggest you explore some of them, but perhaps with another game, as you will find that you may have to try a few solutions until you find one that fits.

Regarding the player issue - to some extent you are a victim of your success. Based on what you say, it seems you want to attract players that arent intersted in your league at all, regardless of the staure of your club. All you can offer them perhaps is European football at a high level. They wont be so intersted in playing St Mirren on a Sunday in -3 degrees - especially if they are Brazilian.

On the other hand, you could concentrate on a strategy of bringing talented young players through and then sell them when you absolutely have to. So invest in good scouts, and establish a framework of developing starlets.

Its always tricky here to know a solution to anyones problems (but you wont be short of opinion), but I hope this is of some help.

socks