Millie

I'm not convinced, take the 4-4-2 for instance, many teams play the formation although each with a different set of players.
It's the players skill & intelligence for position when on and off the ball that makes all the difference.
Ferguson has played 4-4-2 most of his career although if you do that in FM'07 then after 10-15 games you can no longer use it as the AI figures it out.
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But my point is that Fergie hasn't played the same 4-4-2 throughout his career. You would tell Ronaldo to run with the ball, take on players and bomb down the wing, cutting in to make chances. Tell Beckham to do that and you'll end up with egg on your face, despite both men being excellent playes.

Where you position men on the field is not a tactic. That's a formation. The tactical part is how attacking to play, which individual instructions to employ and getting the bost out of each man to benefit the team as a whole.

As for Ranieri, you may be right. However, he still had Veron, Crespo, Lampard, Cudichini and a whole host of other incredible players who did not play as well as a unit as Mourinho's team do. OK, Mourinho's brought in the right men, and well done to him. But his tactical work and use of substitutions has been spot on, which has turned a good side into a great side.

I agree with Cleon's point about international management - there'd be no point in appointing an expensive coach if it made no difference (no Sven jokes please ).

Perhaps there is an overbalance towards tactics in your view. But I think the tactical changes the game requires are pretty logical if you sit and think about them.

Lincoln Imp2

I'm not so sure the tactical elements of the game are quite as logical as you say...or perhaps I'm just really useless.
I've tried to replicate the Man Utd style of play. In general terms it's not that difficult....Giggs and Ronnie on forward runs often, crossing often etc. Scholes more attacking than Carrick and Neville and Evra getting forward.
You're right...that's all pretty intuative. But when I take over as Man Utd the "logical" tactical choices just didn't seem to work for me.... I end up mid-table.
I then start as a different team and watch Man Utd race to the top of the table!
And it's not as if the tactics I use are not "logical". Sure I may have a slider one or two clicks in the wrong direction here and there but would that really make Man Utd an average team?
I think you have hit the nail on the head...I may be wrong and luck plays no part..perhaps it is very subtle tactical changes that are my downfall and I'm blaming "random effects".
But would these small tactical shifts make Man Utd consistently average or a Watford top of the league?
Better players should do that. For me there is an overbalance towards tactics (or random effects or whatever) that make the buying of good players less effective and tbat is spoiling the game a little for me.