Most difficult FM so far?

[Mattyc]

Now I know that difficulty is a subjective sort of thing, but for me I've really struggled so far.

This may be down to a couple of factors that are causing this:

1. I'm trying to succeed with Newcastle, and as we know this is a near impossible task. I've had two new starts at succeeding using different match tactics, selling & bringing in different players, etc. and on both attempts after 10 - 15 matches I was near bottom if not at the very bottom of the league. Some will say that this just shows the game is very realistic....

2. I'm not very good at FMT! But this is strange considering the success I've had in the previous versions.

I've tried a few formations, my trusty 4-1-2-2-1 (4-3-3 DM) doesn't seem to work for me at all, as well as the well used 4-2-3-1 which brings the same sort of unsuccessful results.

Any thoughts? Has anyone else tried to give the Newcastle job a go and seen any sort of success?

[RTHerringbone]

In very broad terms, FM has become harder if you have become accustomed to playing in an aggressive, attacking way down the years. There are a few defensive bugs about, but the main influence on matches is the impact that counter attacking can have. If you have an imbalance in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 variant, then you can easily get caught out on the flanks or in behind midfield. I'd suggest posting more detail of your systems in the Tactics forum if you want specific advice.

[paulw4ke]

I'm playing as Newcastle and have got to 6th after 12 games. Sold Janmaat and bought in Douglas (DR) and Cristian Zapata (DC). I usually play 4-2-3-1 wide (Perez up top) but found early success with 4-4-2. I've kept changing tactics during matches when things aren't going well and it seems to have worked so far. This post will probably jinx me!

Isn't it usually harder to start with top clubs in Football Manager games though?

[bababooey]

I'm playing as Newcastle and have got to 6th after 12 games. Sold Janmaat and bought in Douglas (DR) and Cristian Zapata (DC). I usually play 4-2-3-1 wide (Perez up top) but found early success with 4-4-2. I've kept changing tactics during matches when things aren't going well and it seems to have worked so far. This post will probably jinx me!

Isn't it usually harder to start with top clubs in Football Manager games though?

Well you'd get less time from the board if things aren't going well, especially if you've picked former international player as your background. More is expected of you.

But I'd say that starting out as a small club manager is much harder in terms of getting results.