retired_ohioprettygurl

I am really struggling with the game, I am absolutely dreadful at it. I've read through the ideas on this forum and implemented them, sometimes exactly (or even downloaded tactics) that work for other people, yet I am in the relegation zone with teams that shouldn't be anywhere near the relegation zone.

I'm not one of these people who says "the game's crap, etc", I just want to know how to play it. When I make my tactics, am I perhaps making them too complex? I change the team instructions and also many individual instructions (for nearly all settings). Is that too much? Perhaps because I don't fully understand them, I'm giving contradictory settings which is causing problems?

Also, I put all my emphasis on the tactics. Perhaps they are not as important as I think and players, morale, team talks, news items, etc are more important?

I hope someone can help me because I love this game and I just want to be able to have fun with it

retired_monica90

Try starting off with very basic settings, then watching as much pre-season as you have time to. Then start your adjustments based upon what you see. If you make them complex from the outset then it will be harder for you to find the problem.

Bear it in mind too that you're correct in thinking that other external factors are more influential now than before.

retired_ohioprettygurl

Thanks, so what non-tactics factors would you say are the most important?

retired_monica90

You pretty much nailed it with morale- all the other factors you mentioned are basically tools for affecting morale outside matches.

retired_janae55

Start off simple. Think of you like your team to play. You like to see your wingers dribble past players and score. Play a 4-4-2 with wingers dribbling down the flanks. You like to have lots of players charging down the centre. Play a 4-3-2-1 or whatever. Start off with basic instructions of how you would like your players to play. Then as you play through the pre season friendlies, observe how your team does during the match highlights. Look at where your team needs improving and tweak accordingly. Tactics don't need to be too complex.

retired_mgavlick

How long is a piece of string?

For those struggling I would advise designing one simple home and one simple away tactic that you can then change slightly if players aren't performing. Once you are more au fait with the systems you can experiment more and more.

retired_kellyk

When you're struggling with the game, the most important thing to do is to tackle "morale problems" in the game. This is something you want to avoid.

When you go on a long run of defeats, for instance, your focus should be on getting at least a point in the next game. I prefer to keep tactics simple when things like that happen. I have a bog basic 442, the only adjustment I will ever make with the tactic is to either increase width or to increase team mentality without making one change to the individual settings.

For me at least, and I know that this debate is raging on the boards, team mentality affects how the team plays overall. The more attacking the more they will move forward, now if I increase width, I do get more attacks down the flank as well. My crosses can increase. But what's important to know is that this is a numbers game.

Now lets say you come off the back of long run of defeats, and then pull off a 4-0 win in your next game. What do you do? At the end of the teamtalk, I tell them I want a performance like this every week.

Why say that? Cos that line, literally means, you've been playing like nutters last couple of matches, this is the way you should be playing.

Like Asmodeus says, there are a wealth of factors that can affect a game. wwwfan's advice is not far off, if you're not a tactic tweaker. Having a home tactic and an away tactic can work. But most people sometimes foul up, using the away tactic against a team that is way down in the pecking order.

retired_kjcurnyn

Sometimes a single tactic, tweaked when players aren't performing, is equally successful.

I guess mainly if you're very big or very small though, so equally likely to win/lose home or away...

retired_tamara3047

Really good point regarding the "I want a performance like that every week" manager comment. I stumbled upon the benefit of that and it really made me appreciate the morale factor more. Yes the team often drops in morale but I found it makes them up their level of expectation, perhaps, or be shaken into focus. I don't think it's a comment that should be used often, but as a measure of "tough love" it can be a watershed for your team's season.

I'd like to add another question to the complexity issue, and I hope it's not diverting too much from the thread...when making adjustments or tweaking, how much of a factor does "gelling" play in the game? In other words, how long to give the players until they adjust to changes within a tactic?

retired_ohioprettygurl

Well just a quick update, after taking 2 points from 11 games (yes really) with my custom made heavily tweaked tactic I resorted to a default 3-4-1-2 and went on a great run, ending up 13 points clear of relegation and getting some great results.

Only thing I did was give Eddie Johnson targetman status. So I've decided to build in small steps, what should be the next step for me do you think?