SI`s best Tacticians

[kolly76]

Who are this forums yoda`s when it comes to tactics? Who have a reputation on being a tactic genious on this site? Maybe there are a new tactical star out there...?

It would be fantastic if those who have done it very well, could share with the rest of us . Please post results, tactics and general thoughts.

PS! THIS IS FOR FM 2011!

[crouchaldinho]

Anyone can be a tactical genius on FM10 or FM11. That's the beauty of the tactics creator.

Try it yourself. You might like it!

[MickeyFelipe]

Croat...............

[Ampalaea4]

Mr Hough ofc

[cjt_uk]

I've tried the Tactic Creator for the first time today and i'm having some success with it

[RyanBabel]

I would say Tyler bode, but he quit since the demo of 2010. so now it must be Mr Hough.

[wesswfc]

Does anyone know when Mr Hough will be releasing his winger tactic for 2011?

[Kung]

my votes goes to TBH and Lovesleeper TBH´s narrow diamond was a beast,and Lovesleepers set´s was really great too

[arsenal4life]

i have to say on fm09 I have to say either Tyler Bode or Knap and on fm10 mr hough

[Siven]

sFraser no question.

Its not about creating a tactic. Its about knowing what tactics are.

[Kazza]

I like to read about peoples' tactics but never use any of them. Part of the fun (!) or process for me is to try and understand the game and develop my own tactics, albeit influenced by some of the fine minds of the game that post on these forums.

I do use or did use the Tactical Theorms information and found wwfan a great source of useful information in developing tactics. Millie was also a great source of knowledge on possible tactical formations and systems. Cleon, Sfraser and Hough are great sources of inspiration, as is Heathxxx.

Once you have tried to absorb all that, then you are in my opinion, in a position to create your own tactics and certainly the TC is a great boon for people like me.

K

[Kawee]

The AI during "one of those games." Can't beat 'em

[Jenko_EFC]

Easily SFraser to be honest. Surprised only one person has mentioned Cleon though.

[Cerritos]

sFraser no question.

Its not about creating a tactic. Its about knowing what tactics are.

SFraser is terrific, but the rest of your post really gets to why SFraser was so good, and why so many others have been helpful: they help us learn about tactics, rather than just uploading presets. For that reason, I'd say Jonathan Wilson is my favorite FM helper of all ... I'm much better at FM for having read Inverting the Pyramid.

[dankrzyz]

I agree with what's been said: the best tacticians on the forum are those that teach real football tactics, then explain how they've translated that knowledge to Football Manager. I don't like downloaded tactics and I don't think that's an effective way to help someone create a specific tactic for a specific team.

[crouchaldinho]

my votes goes to TBH and Lovesleeper TBH´s narrow diamond was a beast,and Lovesleepers set´s was really great too

I do use or did use the Tactical Theorms information and found wwfan a great source of useful information in developing tactics. Millie was also a great source of knowledge on possible tactical formations and systems. Cleon, Sfraser and Hough are great sources of inspiration, as is Heathxxx.

The names mentioned in these two posts are much more worthy than some of the others suggested in this thread. Having success by exploiting the match engine isn't being a 'tactician' to me.

Kazza's complete post sums it up for me.

For what it's worth, the best 'tactician' is WWFan, far and above any of the names mentioned. TT&F and the tactics creator - need I say any more?

But as I said above, anyone can be a tactical genius on FM10 or FM11. That's the beauty of the way the game is now. Being a great 'tactician' is all about getting the most out of your playing resources and making the right decisions for your team and the scenario you find yourself in.

[wwfan]

The names mentioned in these two posts are much more worthy than some of the others suggested in this thread. Having success by exploiting the match engine isn't being a 'tactician' to me.

Kazza's complete post sums it up for me.

For what it's worth, the best 'tactician' is WWFan, far and above any of the names mentioned. TT&F and the tactics creator - need I say any more?

But as I said above, anyone can be a tactical genius on FM10 or FM11. That's the beauty of the way the game is now. Being a great 'tactician' is all about getting the most out of your playing resources and making the right decisions for your team and the scenario you find yourself in.

You are too kind.

Although I can understand the motivation of those trying to produce 'killer' tactics, I don't think that approach best fits the tactical dynamism the TC has introduced and think it limits the tactical understanding and, ultimately, enjoyment of FM and real life football. There is no better feeling than trying to implement a system or idea you've seen in real life into the TC and seeing it pay off in the game. Likewise, watching a real game and seeing tactics perform in the manner you visualise your virtual tactic doing can be fun. With 'killer' tactics, that never happens.

Consequently, my own opinion is that anybody who tries to understand and explain how tactics work in a general or holistic sense is worth listening to. Personal favourites are those writing for FM-Britain, SFraser, TBH, Loversleaper, Heathxxx and Cleon, especially since he's moved onto writing about how to develop a squad-based tactical philosophy rather than how to build a tactic. I also think some of the FM fansites have some good tactical writers. Historically, I always had time for Neonlights, Sir Bobby Moore II and Asmodeus. Some of the people that tend to write in GD also produce good insights, such as crouchaldinho and SCIAG. I'd also agree with Cerritos that reading Jonathan Wilson can be very helpful in working out how the roles and duties in the TC interrelate. Although the role/duty system was designed before I'd read him, his book certainly influenced some of the later fine-tuning of the TC.

What needs to be understood though, is that not everything these people write is necessarily right or wrong in black and white terms (even the estimable Mr Wilson). Thinking that they can be is muddle-headed and short-sighted. What such contributors do is provide methods for others to take up and run with, to get people thinking in the right sort of way to overcome blind spots and develop their own tactical ideas. Some things can get played around with and discarded, whereas others might end up becoming cornerstones of one's tactic. The important thing is that people keep on thinking and producing.

My own lack of contributions in the last twelve months relate to two issues. One, I am very short of time. Two, because I designed the TC and know how everything works, I no longer have the capacity to produce original thought about how things might work. I could produce a top-notch mechanical guide, but I couldn't produce a creative interpretation any more, certainly not without expanding tactical design into concepts of squad management and manager development. I have ideas on how this could be done, both in written and game-development form, but just don't have the time to do anything about it right now. What I can do, and am doing, is to keep an eye on the ideas that people produce and collate them into a set of concepts that might be able to help game development in the future. Because this is my current motivation, I sincerely hope the current and up and coming tactical writers continue to produce the quality of work that has become commonplace in this forum over the last couple of years.

NB: My current formation for FM11, due to lack of personnel, is an asymmetrical 4-5-1: basically a narrow diamond with an AMR and a FCL. My best player is my DL, played as a Wing Back Attack, who has to contribute to all attacking and defensive moves down his flank. Been very successful thus far. Ideally, I'd like FM AI managers to also have access to such unusual formations and know how to make them work, but that is a project for another day.

[homerjnick]

Has to be Cleon....he actually explained in his Sheffield post his tactic and the reasons why he was doing things...everyone expects a tactic created by someone else to work with their team but it doesn't work like that and Cleon's post shows that...build your own tactic by knowing your team first.

[heathxxx]

Thanks for the mentions. I'll have to write something for FM11 now

I think that the single most important aspect of any tactics for me, is always the suitability of the players. There's probably two distinct ways to approach tactics. Either shape your tactics around your players and team, or shape the players and team around your preferred tactics. For the last three or four releases, I would say I've favoured the latter approach. Understanding what player attributes mean and how they work together and with different roles, positions and tactical instructions, not to mention preferred moves, it's feasible to explore lots of formations, styles of play and have as good a chance of success with many.

Although I often tend to chose a particular approach, then stay with it, it can be fun to pick a different tactical theme and then build a team of players to suit it.

Although I was a bit of a slider-holic, I have to say that since the introduction of the Tactics Creator, I've barely touched the sliders. Indeed, it would probably be difficult for me to go back to them nowadays. The most helpful part I think for any level of player of FM, is that settings are descriptive in terms we can relate better to the real game of football, than numbers of clicks on a slider. Although I think I could always pretty much "see" what the TC represents in slider settings myself, it was always difficult trying to explain specific combinations of slider positions to other people.

The added bonus of the TC is that key player attributes are also highlighted. This is another useful tool to use, when choosing players to suit a role, or shaping a role to suit a player. This game is much richer than that though and there's lots of additional attributes you can either disregard, or utilise, to fine tune things how you want them.

Touching on what wwfan mentioned at the end of his post though, no matter how hard the game may seem, or difficult the AI might seem, remember that you always have the ability to do much more than the AI as it currently stands. We're still a very long way off a master tactician AI. It doesn't cheat, it doesn't crack your tactics. It basically has a set number of options at its disposal that it will use based upon an AI manager's pre-defined preferences.

Likewise, I've been short on time over the last year or so and haven't contributed as much, or participated in as many of some of the great discussions that have been present, as I would have liked. Hopefully once I start playing FM11, I'll ponder over some thoughts that have remained relevant for many releases now and perhaps along with Cleon, I'll get involved in the discussions that will come, regarding player attributes, what I look for and how I look to utilise them.

I think that what I would really like to do this year, is sit back for a little while, observe what the most "popular" tactics are, see what types of tactics/formations people struggle with most, then do something to show how they can be made to work, with the right types of players. I'll add a disclaimer though first... I've never liked, or managed to do well with, a three at the back system.

Overall though, enjoy reading the forums and look for whatever suits how you want to play the game.

[phnompenhandy]

What started off as a bit of a naive OP has evolved into a terrific thread since it has brought the tactical gurus out of their closets!

I never even look at the plethora of threads with titles like 'try my killer tactics that I won everything with managing Barcelona!!!' I want to be educated about tactical philosophy and use the ideas I glean from this forum to make my own critical judgments.

Furthermore, I manage very very lower league sides that have no resources, so I can't ship out poor players and I can't bring in new ones to fit a pre-determined tactic. What I do is find, through much trial-and-error the optimum tactic to meet the resources I have. This often results in me being in the relegation zone at Christmas as I try and abandon one formation after another until I get it right. And I love it! I don't want a quick-fix; I don't want instant success; I want to work at it and gradually mould a club in the image of myself and the players at my disposal.

Whilst I watch every match on TV with a tactical eye and read every article Jonathon Wilson posts, I can't overestimate the debt I owe to the gurus on this forum. They've been named already, so I just want to add my appreciation. It's a real shame what happened re. the FM-Britain team (but let's not resurrect that debate), but I look forward to another year of terrific FM tactical analysts provoking my old gray matter once again.

[heathxxx]

What started off as a bit of a naive OP has evolved into a terrific thread since it has brought the tactical gurus out of their closets!

Damn. I only wear the suspenders at weekends! Can't keep anything quiet around here!

[Flohrinho]

When it comes to tactics to beat the game you surely have to say Mr. Hough is outstanding in this department.

As far as RL tactics insight and philosophy goes I have to say SFraser was by far the most informative contributor at the forums.

So that being said it's their contributions to the FM11 that I'm looking forward to the most but naturally everyone that puts a lot of thought into their posts and shows me a side of the game or RL football tactics that I can learn something from is very much appreciated.

[Kung]

The names mentioned in these two posts are much more worthy than some of the others suggested in this thread. Having success by exploiting the match engine isn't being a 'tactician' to me.

Kazza's complete post sums it up for me.

For what it's worth, the best 'tactician' is WWFan, far and above any of the names mentioned. TT&F and the tactics creator - need I say any more?

But as I said above, anyone can be a tactical genius on FM10 or FM11. That's the beauty of the way the game is now. Being a great 'tactician' is all about getting the most out of your playing resources and making the right decisions for your team and the scenario you find yourself in.

so true,couldn´t agree more

[homerjnick]

Ahhhh CM03-04..Diablo Tactic....I remember when I was introduced to that tactic via a network game...my mate was destroying teams and had 97 goals from the central midfielder in a season due to that "expoit"...

..I was like "right what is going on..."

[bbuullddoogg]

What a great thread. Here's my story.

I've played this game since about 93. I used to make my own tactics and do well with them. One year in the 90's I made a 3-1-3-1-2 that worked beautifully, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment. But over the years, the game just got more and more complex and I became less and less able to make anything of my own work well. Every year I would have good intentions but things wouldn't work well and then I'd download something that always worked MUCH better. Well in the end I felt like all my success was down to whoever created the tactic. I've always loved buying players, finding hidden gems etc, but when you're just fitting them into someone else's tactic, what's the point? To each his own I guess but I just felt no sense of accomplishment and about 5 years ago I quit playing. I played the PSP version instead and had a lot of fun with it but not like the old days of PC FM.

Recently, for whatever reason, I thought I'd check out the FM11 demo. I discovered this thing called a tactics creator!!! I then browsed the forums and learned that the game has changed and it's not just all about "super tactics" any more. It took some adjustment but I started evolving and seeing the game in a whole new way. Now I'm completely hooked.

I haven't actually played many games yet. I'm a long time (since we were in the old second division) Chelsea fan and started with a 4-4-2 diamond and now realize I want to play as close to the way Chelsea play in real life as possible. I've made a 4-3-3 (that's really more of a 4-1-2-3/4-1-2-2-1) and played a few friendlies with mixed results. I feel like I'm learning how to be a Football Manager. I'm watching my team play and trying to figure out how I can be better offensively and defensively. I don't think I'm very good at understanding what changes I need to make and how they will affect my team. I'm not very good at spotting my team's weaknesses. I don't think I'm very good at understanding exactly how players attributes are affecting their play and what attributes (other than the basic ones) are important for each of my players. But I'm going to stick at it and learn!

I still browse the tactics forums, but only to look at people's settings and try to learn how they affect the way a team plays. Now I download nothing. I'd love to hire my own personal tactics guru (any volunteers PM me!) but maybe if I stick at it I'll become one myself in a few years.

Thanks to all the gurus who take the time to write out their insights. You inspire us and help us get better!

[wwfan]

I think what might be very useful for everyone is, if you have the time, for you to run a thread detailing your experience and experiments, successes and failures, decisions and panic attacks. Explain what you are trying to create and which bits are / are not working. Talk about matches that got away from you or about match winning decisions you made. I think you'll find a number of the better tactical minds on these forums will contribute feedback and advice on such a thread and it might become a classic.

Most of us are short of the time to manage our own threads, but I'd have no problem providing regular feedback on threads detailing the dynamics of TC based tactics.

[red rainbow]

For what it's worth, the best 'tactician' is WWFan, far and above any of the names mentioned. TT&F and the tactics creator - need I say any more?

But as I said above, anyone can be a tactical genius on FM10 or FM11. That's the beauty of the way the game is now. Being a great 'tactician' is all about getting the most out of your playing resources and making the right decisions for your team and the scenario you find yourself in.

TT&F and the tactics creator taught me how my ideas could become reality on a FM field.... nothing to add...

[Mr Hough]

Read through all of this thread and thought i'd add my opinion into the mix.

I just want to point out that i wouldn't consider myself a 'Tactician' I'm more of a person that tries to out do the opposition, See when i play my games i really look into the how the opposition play especially the top teams like Chelsea and Barcelona, How they attack and how the defend what there midfielders are doing how they pass the ball, Do they play with a slow tempo and keep possession or do they play quicker and try and counter often.

These are all the things i look at and more, I do this because i think if the AI can play like this and kick my arse, Then so can i. I try to emulate the opposition at times but my own twist on things.

People in the past have accused me of exploiting the ME, in FM10 patch 10.3 especially with my 4-1-2-3 tactic. Now i agree and disagree with these comments. I agree that i played the game to try and beat the opposition and studied how my tactic played by getting a good handle on the ME.

I disagree that i set out to do this and this was my main aim.

I think what Sfraser and WWfan Heathxxx and others are brilliant at are explaining these decisions on why they do things, I am no good at this i just look at my team and playing and see how i can change things, I am no good at explaining things although i do try sometimes.

[Kazza]

Read through all of this thread and thought i'd add my opinion into the mix.

I just want to point out that i wouldn't consider myself a 'Tactician' I'm more of a person that tries to out do the opposition, See when i play my games i really look into the how the opposition play especially the top teams like Chelsea and Barcelona, How they attack and how the defend what there midfielders are doing how they pass the ball, Do they play with a slow tempo and keep possession or do they play quicker and try and counter often.

These are all the things i look at and more, I do this because i think if the AI can play like this and kick my arse, Then so can i. I try to emulate the opposition at times but my own twist on things.

People in the past have accused me of exploiting the ME, in FM10 patch 10.3 especially with my 4-1-2-3 tactic. Now i agree and disagree with these comments. I agree that i played the game to try and beat the opposition and studied how my tactic played by getting a good handle on the ME.

I disagree that i set out to do this and this was my main aim.

I think what Sfraser and WWfan Heathxxx and others are brilliant at are explaining these decisions on why they do things, I am no good at this i just look at my team and playing and see how i can change things, I am no good at explaining things although i do try sometimes.

tut tut too modest. If you want a challenge look at my thread based on 442variations for nufc and try and help me sort that mess out (joke)

K

[bbuullddoogg]

Read through all of this thread and thought i'd add my opinion into the mix.

I just want to point out that i wouldn't consider myself a 'Tactician' I'm more of a person that tries to out do the opposition, See when i play my games i really look into the how the opposition play especially the top teams like Chelsea and Barcelona, How they attack and how the defend what there midfielders are doing how they pass the ball, Do they play with a slow tempo and keep possession or do they play quicker and try and counter often.

These are all the things i look at and more, I do this because i think if the AI can play like this and kick my arse, Then so can i. I try to emulate the opposition at times but my own twist on things.

People in the past have accused me of exploiting the ME, in FM10 patch 10.3 especially with my 4-1-2-3 tactic. Now i agree and disagree with these comments. I agree that i played the game to try and beat the opposition and studied how my tactic played by getting a good handle on the ME.

I disagree that i set out to do this and this was my main aim.

I think what Sfraser and WWfan Heathxxx and others are brilliant at are explaining these decisions on why they do things, I am no good at this i just look at my team and playing and see how i can change things, I am no good at explaining things although i do try sometimes.

Great post, Mr Hough. If you read my post above, I am trying to work out my own tactic. I don't have very much experience/knowledge. I know you're well regarded and that you made a popular tactic but I didn't realize it was a 4-1-2-3. This is exactly what I'm trying to create (Chelsea style). Per wwfan's recommendation, I plan on making a thread on this at some point when I've settled on what I want to do and started to test it. Maybe you and others will be kind enough to give your input. Do you have a thread that discusses your 2010 4-1-2-3 theories/strategies? I thought I did read one at one point but it didn't have tons of analysis and had some pictures missing.

P.S Way too much modesty going on in this thread

[Mr Hough]

Great post, Mr Hough. If you read my post above, I am trying to work out my own tactic. I don't have very much experience/knowledge. I know you're well regarded and that you made a popular tactic but I didn't realize it was a 4-1-2-3. This is exactly what I'm trying to create (Chelsea style). Per wwfan's recommendation, I plan on making a thread on this at some point when I've settled on what I want to do and started to test it. Maybe you and others will be kind enough to give your input. Do you have a thread that discusses your 2010 4-1-2-3 theories/strategies? I thought I did read one at one point but it didn't have tons of analysis and had some pictures missing.

P.S Way too much modesty going on in this thread

If you have the patience, This thread should help you out.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/194951-Mr-Hough-10.3-Tactics

There are 56 pages lol, It has had over 414 thousand views and is my most popular thread/tactic.

[Kazza]

If you have the patience, This thread should help you out.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/194951-Mr-Hough-10.3-Tactics

There are 56 pages lol, It has had over 414 thousand views and is my most popular thread/tactic.

I don't suppose you have a similar one or indeed advice for a nufc side that has ambition but lacks overall quality?

K

[Mr Hough]

I don't suppose you have a similar one or indeed advice for a nufc side that has ambition but lacks overall quality?

K

Well it all depends on the way you wanna play to be fair, Take the current Newcastle side, It's obvius the way they are gonna play and that is to try and aim for Andy Carrols head as he is a big target man.

I'd look at playing direct with a high tempo try and play down the wings with the crossing going to the target man (Carroll)

Another thing i have looked at is making the other striker play maker and try and get the ball to him deep, This way it will drag opposition defenders out of position and free some space for mnidfielders and striker.

You will need to work on this but it should be good if you can crack it.

[bbuullddoogg]

If you have the patience, This thread should help you out.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/194951-Mr-Hough-10.3-Tactics

There are 56 pages lol, It has had over 414 thousand views and is my most popular thread/tactic.

Thank you. I'll review that when I have a week to spare

It seems to me, and I'm only a beginner, that a lot of the success of tactics is down to how well you tweak the sliders so that they fit the attributes of your players and so that your team is well balanced between attack and defense. The basic settings are all well and good but you don't necessarily want your anchor man to roam as much as your wingers etc etc. You don't necessarily want everyone to take long shots or man mark. Would anyone agree? Or is it possible to create a "great" tactic without touching the sliders?

[kristian60]

The one thing i enjoyed the most was cleons Sheffield thread for the FM08. really tought me alot. ive had a long break with FM, and now im back. what is good reading for understanding the FM11 ME? any good threads, or e-books? thanks.

[Mr Hough]

Thank you. I'll review that when I have a week to spare

It seems to me, and I'm only a beginner, that a lot of the success of tactics is down to how well you tweak the sliders so that they fit the attributes of your players and so that your team is well balanced between attack and defense. The basic settings are all well and good but you don't necessarily want your anchor man to roam as much as your wingers etc etc. You don't necessarily want everyone to take long shots or man mark. Would anyone agree? Or is it possible to create a "great" tactic without touching the sliders?

It depends with a great team i think it could be done using the tactic creator, If you want to dominate and lower leagues and such, Then some slidder action is needed.

Another thing that people forget is getting the 'Right' attributes for each player for each position.

When i was making my 4-1-2-3 tactic i looked at midfield as being a Key part of the tactic because i only really had 2 players there with a DM as a mop up player. there is no point in putting creative players in midfield i thought because i have 3 strikers and all my creativeness should come from there.

What i wanted to do was hunt the ball win it back as early as possible and try and play a simple ball to the attackers to carry.

People forget that and think that players have to be creative in midfield.

[Mr Hough]

The one thing i enjoyed the most was cleons Sheffield thread for the FM08. really tought me alot. ive had a long break with FM, and now im back. what is good reading for understanding the FM11 ME? any good threads, or e-books? thanks.

Not that i'm aware of, Your best off having a play with it yourself and the Tactic Creator, thats the best way to work it out.

[wwfan]

Tactical Theorems 10 is still completely relevant for the FM11 tactical module. It was written during and in conjunction with the design of the TC and explains it in detail. Nothing in the tactical module has changed since it was written.

[bbuullddoogg]

It depends with a great team i think it could be done using the tactic creator, If you want to dominate and lower leagues and such, Then some slidder action is needed.

Another thing that people forget is getting the 'Right' attributes for each player for each position.

When i was making my 4-1-2-3 tactic i looked at midfield as being a Key part of the tactic because i only really had 2 players there with a DM as a mop up player. there is no point in putting creative players in midfield i thought because i have 3 strikers and all my creativeness should come from there.

What i wanted to do was hunt the ball win it back as early as possible and try and play a simple ball to the attackers to carry.

People forget that and think that players have to be creative in midfield.

Hmm interesting. I know you linked the page that has the download link and tons of discussion for your tactic but I didn't see anywhere in there a screenshot of the formation. You talked about having 3 strikers. Are they all level with each other? My plan was to have one striker and 2 wide wing forwards (like RL Chelsea) but in the game I had them one slot deeper than the striker. So I was planning on making my most attacking midfielder be pretty creative (Lampard) to support the forward 3 players.

[bbuullddoogg]

Tactical Theorems 10 is still completely relevant for the FM11 tactical module. It was written during and in conjunction with the design of the TC and explains it in detail. Nothing in the tactical module has changed since it was written.

I have been meaning to check that out. I will now do so. Thanks!

[higgins]

I can't help wondering why some people just don't try to do their own tactical tests, this is the only way to finally understand how the match engine works.

Instead of looking for exploits it could be more interesting to build solid and balanced tactics to suit the players you have.

Every year there will be a tactic that will capitalize some ME weaknesses, but next year you will have to restart from scratch, waiting for the next diablo-esque super tactic to come.

Do you remember tylerbode tactics 2 years ago?

Now it's gone.

And Mr. Hough's tactics?

Maybe it's time to raise the bar, adding some tactical knowledge that won't disappear when FM 2012 will be out; the TC is a big help, building a consistent tactic, without too much micro-management, is easier than you could think.

[crouchaldinho]

Spot on Higgins.

[heathxxx]

Agreed. If even a self-confessed slider-twiddler like me prefers using the TC, then it's something everyone should try and experiment with. It really is the biggest tactical aid anyone could ask for.

It saves me a great amount of time, because it's both descriptive in football parlance and simple to tweak.

I see a lot of people looking for a single "plug and play" tactic. You can create this with the TC and if you have the right players, or build your squad around the core of your tactic, you really don't have to change much. Seriously, I create a tactic with the TC, set up the roles I want to use within it, match players to those roles, then just use shouts during matches, or make substitutions depending on what I see happening. Because I know that with the right players, pretty much any sensible tactic can and will work, given the right players, I'm comfortable that whatever patch changes are made, or with each release, I've something constant I can comfortably work with.

Not only that, but (for the most part ) we are more intelligent than the artificial intelligence of the game. We can change more things than an AI "manager", ever will. We can be more accurate in using the right players with different tactics. We have the upper hand, always. Our ability to observe is far superior to that of the AI too.

The main difficulty in more recent years I think, comes from the man-management and motivational aspect of the game. Managing morale and the different mentalities of different players. But that adds depth that provides more of a challenge in my opinion. A tactic can remain constant. Player abilities will grow and change with training, but not to such a huge extent. This too can be aided though, with good coaching staff.

My biggest "tip" to anyone, is actually hiring the best assistant manager you can find. If someone is struggling with opposition instructions, team-talks, suggestions for PPM training, general advice during matches, then a quality assistant manager is essential. I look at them as a built-in "help" tool. Not only are they there to help with decisions and advice, but people can actually learn from the suggestions they make, if they take the time to look at why they're making the suggestions they are.

What I class as a good assistant manager (at the highest level), is one with the following attributes:

15+ Man Management

15+ Motivating

15+ Tactical Knowledge

Anything else, such as training related attributes, judging player ability or potential, are a bonus as far as I'm concerned. But if they have those three key attributes at least, then you have a great "helper". It's not hard to get an assistant with those attributes either. There's plenty of staff in the database and albeit with a bit of luck, you can even get one to sign for clubs at some of the lowest levels of the game.

The motivating helps with team-talk suggestions, because the AI will most often choose the more appropriate thing to say, the higher their motivating attribute. Tactical knowledge and to some extent judging player ability will help them provide good assessments of what's happening during matches for their feedback. It will also help, in tandem with man management and judging player ability, with opposition instruction suggestions.

All the tools to make this game quite easy to play, are all there at our disposal.

[Bruce Higham]

For those who have played the game a long time, do you have a basic team approach that you end up with every time, regardless of your intentions? For example, probably since 01/02 I always seem to end up with a 433, one striker formation, with an attacking wingback on one side, covered by a defensive midfielder and an inside forward, and on the other flank a normal full back, a creative midfielder with a straight out winger to his side. No matter what my intentions are, I always seem to end up with a similar formation/method. I don't think I could play a counter attacking formation if I tried.

Pretty realistic I guess, in that most managers IRL have a basic approach.

The tactical/fm guru's, in my opinion, would be those who can mold a team which can play different styles at the flick of a hat.

[crouchaldinho]

I play whatever suits my team but pretty much always four at the back.

During my time with FM10, I tried pretty much everything, but my main formations of choice were: 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2, 4-1-3-2 and 4-3-2-1. I particularly loved playing 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-1-2.

I adjust my strategy depending on the match situation.

[kingjericho]

I like to read about peoples' tactics but never use any of them. Part of the fun (!) or process for me is to try and understand the game and develop my own tactics, albeit influenced by some of the fine minds of the game that post on these forums

Exactly. I've been trying to get my own perfect tactic for the last year and a half

I play whatever suits my team but pretty much always four at the back.

Playing with 3 CBs is a blast, you should try it sometime!

[crouchaldinho]

Playing with 3 CBs is a blast, you should try it sometime!

I have tried it but I find the way that the wide players (wingbacks or wide midfielders) play in a three at the back formation is flawed on FM.

[frozenshade]

Crouchy, can you tell something about performance and gelling when you switch between certain formations? I mean in previous versions of FM i always had the ' feeling' that switching is just NOT good and that you get better results if you switch between attack, counter, balance etc.. It looks like FM 11 gives us 'better' oppertunities to swich because of match preperation, but maybe im just off here?!

thanks

Frozen

[higgins]

Crouchy, can you tell something about performance and gelling when you switch between certain formations? I mean in previous versions of FM i always had the ' feeling' that switching is just NOT good and that you get better results if you switch between attack, counter, balance etc.. It looks like FM 11 gives us 'better' oppertunities to swich because of match preperation, but maybe im just off here?!

thanks

Frozen

Correct, the match preparation screen let you have 3 main tactics that your players will learn , so you could rotate them during your season without losing effectiveness

[crouchaldinho]

Yes, Higgins sums it up there.