retired_lvocampo

Hey to all.
I really love FM2007, however I have some problems, and I could use some help.

1. I have excellent trainers [4-5 stars in all categories.] Still there are time periods when ALL of my players are dropping in many skills in the same time. The board is delighted, also the supporters, the morale of the ream is good - superb, and still this happened in the last season, and now in my second season also. It is also interesting that the players are dropping their skills in the winter, just like in the last year, and I have matches on the whole winter in the Italian league. How is this possible? In fact there are more periods like this. It is like 1. start of the season: the players are gaining skills, than after that they are getting worse, after that they are getting better, and after that they are getting worse again.

So basically as it is now, when a season ends, my players have the same skills like at the beginning of the season. This is just not correct, since I have excellent coaches. Some players are slightly better at the end, but some players are the same or worse than at the beginning of the season.

Can anyone tell me that what am I doing wrong, or this is how the game works?

2. Should I use zonal or men marking? Which is better?

3. What closing down and tight marking means exactly? I am not sure about it.


This is all so far, I hope that someone can help.

Regards, Tormy.

retired_janellewood86

I shall leave point one as training is one of the few things I just set up and leave. Never really had stats terribly plummet, and I don't usually have the resources to develop youth talent.

However...

2. - Man marking is notoriously bad. In fact, on FM06 I used to specific mark opposition wingers from time to time to hold a lead. I can't even do that on FM07 because the "specific" man always resets. If the AI changes its formation in anyway it buggers up your team's shape. Therefore I never use man marking, but may specify in the opposition instructions certain men to harry or tackle hard. Others may do something different.

3. Closing down is, as I understand it, how willing players are to go into a tackle. By the "radius theory" you should imagine an invisible ring around each player. A player with closing down on 10 (the middle of the slider, 10 notches from the left) will go in for the tackle on a player when he enters a circle with a diameter of 10. Closing down 4 will have a much smaller circle of diameter 4, whereas 20 will have a much larger circle of diameter 20. This is just a rough guide.

It is advised by many that you have low CD on centre backs so that they only pull themselves out of position when the opposition is close, keeping a solid back line. Other players may need a larger CD so that they constantly harry and close down the opposition, giving them less time on the ball but tiring out and pulling apart the shape of your team.

Tight marking means that the player that a specific player is told to mark (be that the specific man or the player in his "zone") will be marked tightly. That sounds a bit simplistic, but basically he will stay very close to the man he is marking giving him very little space on the ball. Ideal for narrowing the options of the opposition, but a quick or creative player will easily skin him and leave him for dead a few yards down the field. I always employ it, but it may be best in times where you require more space or have very little pace to uncheck this option.

I hope that helps. You didn't seem to have many replies.

retired_lvocampo

Yeah Im new on the forum. :-)

thanks for the help..so you say I shouldnt even care about training that much? My only problem is, that I have decent training in everything, but my players just wont get much better for 3 years now. They keep gaining and loosing their stats all the time.

Saga

If you go to the "Bugs" forum, you'll notice that quite a number of people are complaining about those "unusual" stat drops. Word is that it will be fixed when the first patch is released.

That would depend heavily on the team you have, the tactic, and the player stats, but after reading Millie post, you may be better off with Zonal and wait for the patch.

Closing Down means your players will chase the opposition if they have the ball. The positive side is that you'll put more pressure on the other team and stop them from building a great move. The negative side is that your players will leave their original position to chase the ball, hence opening up temporary spaces in the team structure. In theory, it means Closing Down is excelent when you're facing Slow Tempo teams, but risky against Quick Tempo teams.

Tight Marking means you're always close enough to a player from the opposing team, to make sure you can anticipate his movement. Naturally, Marking, Anticipation, Acceleration and Pace are key stats for good Tight Marking.

retired_janellewood86

No, no, I'm not saying don't care. I'm just saying I don't.

Having looked at a few training threads I tend to train a little less intensely and a little more on the side of aerobic and strength than others, but I also tend to manage in the lower leagues so I've only ever got 3* or worse coaches and players with embarrassingly low PAs anyway.

If you want to develop a youth system and/or a career game lasting a few seasons, certainly take the time to hone your training. However, it sounds like it's best to wait for the patch before you put too much effort in.

retired_lvocampo

Thanks for the help guys! :-)