Tactical Theorems and Frameworks '09

[wwfan]

Nooooooooooo. It's no biggie though, right? All i need to do is change the mentality settings to another, more defensive system!?

If that's the case, which system would you recommend?

Probably any of them is more defensively stable, although you will lose a bit of attacking sharpness.

[The Dolphinator]

wwfan

i'm a technophobe. and i've downloaded the free office 3.0 application, and your link, but i'm really struggling to open TTF. been trying for ages!! the closest i've come is getting 2265 pages of unreadable script. any tips please?

[rbnrbn]

right well i've changed to the 5X5 system. Can;t really see there being much of a difference with a few notches either way, but what the hey!!

[wwfan]

wwfan

i'm a technophobe. and i've downloaded the free office 3.0 application, and your link, but i'm really struggling to open TTF. been trying for ages!! the closest i've come is getting 2265 pages of unreadable script. any tips please?

The TT&F document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Wizard requires the Office related links in the OP.

[mushr0om]

First of all, really amazing article.I wonder the hours you spent around FM tweaking mazes ,editing and writing down clearly all the information.

We all thank you,i believe,at leat i do.Never seen such immersive work around FM tactics,and such a good one.

I've implemented your sugestions in a new season i started with Benfica.

Having one of the most enthusiastic line ups in the european football this year (thank god) i found it to be a great choice for some experimentations,with a relatively easy championship and great perspectives to the UEFA CUP.

The major problem in Benfica always was the defence,and i believe,dispiste some good names on it,it still is the main obstacule for a easy ride.In matter of fact,i started to believe in FM8 that there are no easy saves anymore in FM games.

Anyway,i decided i wanted to go with a great defence system and a solid but not that spectacular attack,so i've chosen the Mourinho method,because i thought with such names as Pablo Aimar,Reyes and Suazo attacking it wouldnt be much of a problem scoring goals.

But i was wrong (as you could predict from the beggining of this post).

Im playing with a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1.

My atackers,as my Coach said,are too far from the midfielders, and usually cant make more than 2 good chances per game.Most of them are from long shots.I've followed your recomendations about making an efective pair of forwards,with one staying deeper than the other.I usually play with Suazo,and Cardozo,deep and advanced respectively.

Im really struggling for goals,while my defense looks amazing solid,with just one goal conceded in 6 matches.Overall i can see that this is how i want the team to play,solid in the back and passing fluidly and having the right amount of possetion.

Though without goals,cant get no results.Plus,in that gap between attackers and midfielders is where all the oposition attack starts.

What advice would you give me for my lack of offensive efectiveness problem?

Sorry for the post's length

EDIT: and the bad english

[wwfan]

If you are getting the coach telling you there is a gap between Midfield and Attack then it is a mentality problem, which likely means your attackers are playing too far ahead of the midfield. I'd suggest reading about the FCd and Effective Forward Partnerships again, as it is likely that is where your issues lie. With the 4-4-1-1 I would have the FC playing as an FCd and one of the MCs (not the AMC) using the FCa mentality. For the 4-4-2 I would check that you haven't advanced the FCa too far and have the FCd dopping deeper as suggested in the Forward Partnershps section. That should begin to help.

[rbnrbn]

Well here are my tactics that follow the frame works of Role Theory and 5x5, yet neither works. Was wondering if someone could have a look at them and possibly give me a little insight as to where im going wrong?! I'm currently West Ham and have the likes of Asenjo, D'Allesandro, Cordoza, Scott Parker, Defour, Faubert, Mattock, Schneiderlin (next platini) Fuertes in my ranks. So yeah, my team shouldn't be losing 3-0 at home to Ipswich!

Would greatly appreciate any help :-)

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ygmmlmtomtm/Role Stan.tac

http://www.mediafire.com/file/yjxomdmtyww/Role Def.tac

http://www.mediafire.com/file/zqinyymtlzl/Role Attack.tac

-------------------------------------------------------

http://www.mediafire.com/file/r5hyumtgyw5/5X5 Def.tac

http://www.mediafire.com/file/tyzym3azjnk/5X5 Stand.tac

http://www.mediafire.com/file/zq3jyzwxy2z/5X5 Attack.tac

[wwfan]

Is it your opening season? You have a lot of new players in that squad. My first thought would be that you are suffering from an ungelled team in which language issues are causing communication problems. As with all the Spurs managers having problems, you will need to play conservative, low CF/free role football until your players begin to understand each other a little more.

[FFFJeff]

Just finished reading the full TTF document, (during my night shift) and I'm so glad I did. I must admit that whilst I was not actually a super tactic kind of guy, I generally did not create my own tactics but now after increasing my knowledge and raising my awareness regarding the finer details of tactics, I feel I am ready to create my own tactic set.

*Cannot wait to get home and to start implementing some ideas, I may even abandon sleep for a little while*

Many thanks to all involved (Should have starting reading the TTF when it was originally produced!)

[Serpico]

Well I've used a bunch of tactics created using these theorems and my Hull side was relegated in season two, scoring less than a goal a game. A couple of times things seemed to come together, only to fall apart a little later. I've put an obscene amount of time into the game over the last few days and I probably should have done something that doesn't annoy me so much.

[wwfan]

Well I've used a bunch of tactics created using these theorems and my Hull side was relegated in season two, scoring less than a goal a game. A couple of times things seemed to come together, only to fall apart a little later. I've put an obscene amount of time into the game over the last few days and I probably should have done something that doesn't annoy me so much.

Sounds to me that you aren't actually too far off getting to grips with things, especially since you kept Hull up first season. I'd imagine if you managed to work out how to get the best out of your front players plus really got on top of the media/man-management stuff, so you could transform the coming together into a sustained run of form, you'd turn the corner and success and enjoyment would come with it.

[United__FM]

This is hardcore stuff. Appreciate the work putting it all together.

I read what Paul C had to say, and sounds like you guys have gotten good interaction with SI on this, so even more reason to reference your frameworks me thinks.

Good job.

[AvatarST]

I can't seem to get my FCd to perform. Often he just loses the ball or gets a bit isolated. He'll do well on the odd game, but more often than not he gets <6 ratings. Last season, I had Ruud score 28 league goals, but Higuaín was pretty rubbish, except when played as FCa. Raúl and Saviola did pretty well as FCas too, and poor as FCd. I've tried setting forward runs to rarely, but nope. He still doesn't see enough of the ball and does little when he gets it. He has the odd good game, but nothing more than that.

I've tried with global, role theory, and bands of two, with the suggested mentality, but I can't get him to work. I've now signed Benzema and tried him there. He is still so-so, and performs much better as FCa.

It's not an urgent issue because the team performs still, but I'd like to see him score more. Whoever goes on FCd gets long goal droughts for me.

Another problem is that I can't seem to set up a proper control tactic. Instead of getting more possession I lose possession when I do that. "Attack" works just fine, but a slow tempo approach would be nice to succeed at.

Perhaps it's a passing issue? What often happens is that my defense passes the ball around a bit until they finally give it to the midfield, and there either I lose the ball by getting closed down quickly, or they send a poor pass to the attackers after a while. Yawnfest ensues.

[wwfan]

Given that TT&F has been online for roughly a week now, I'd like to sum up our feelings about the past seven days and the user response to our work.

We have been staggered and humbled by the enthusiasm and feedback from the threads here and at FM-Britain, plus awed by the efforts of people to translate it into different languages. It has already been fully translated into Chinese and is on the way to being translated into Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Polish and Indonesian. Furthermore, Swedish and Norwegian fansites have hosted and are supporting it for their own fan base. Thanks to all the translators and host sites for their help and support. Given quite how difficult and frustrating the release week has been for the majority of users, we are totally flabbergasted at the overwhelming number of views of the threads, which are approaching 25,000 on the two English language sites alone, something we never expected in our wildest deams. It is that level of positive feedback, enthusiasm and excitement that makes our work and effort feel worthwhile, a joyful hobby rather than a chore. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to tell us how they feel and provide constructive feedback. It is truly appreciated.

Furthermore, in an exciting addition to the TT&F spectrum, one user has been inspired to start builing a TT&F tactics generator, which, if successful, will enable people to quickly and easily load in framework and strategy settings, making tactical design quicker, far less fiddly and much more user friendly. I wish him all the best for this project. I think it might well revolutionise the tactical side of the game above and beyond anything we have yet seen.

Thanks once again

Good luck and play well

wwfan and Millie

[wwfan]

I can't seem to get my FCd to perform. Often he just loses the ball or gets a bit isolated. He'll do well on the odd game, but more often than not he gets <6 ratings. Last season, I had Ruud score 28 league goals, but Higuaín was pretty rubbish, except when played as FCa. Raúl and Saviola did pretty well as FCas too, and poor as FCd. I've tried setting forward runs to rarely, but nope. He still doesn't see enough of the ball and does little when he gets it. He has the odd good game, but nothing more than that.

I've tried with global, role theory, and bands of two, with the suggested mentality, but I can't get him to work. I've now signed Benzema and tried him there. He is still so-so, and performs much better as FCa.

It's not an urgent issue because the team performs still, but I'd like to see him score more. Whoever goes on FCd gets long goal droughts for me.

Another problem is that I can't seem to set up a proper control tactic. Instead of getting more possession I lose possession when I do that. "Attack" works just fine, but a slow tempo approach would be nice to succeed at.

Perhaps it's a passing issue? What often happens is that my defense passes the ball around a bit until they finally give it to the midfield, and there either I lose the ball by getting closed down quickly, or they send a poor pass to the attackers after a while. Yawnfest ensues.

FCd: I am using a reasonably complete forward (for the level I'm at anyway) in the FCd position in a Role Theory 4-4-2. I've dropped his long shots to mixed and reduced his CD but the rest is pretty standard Support settings (without free role). He's got 6 goals in his last 360 minutes of football and makes 25-45 passes in a match. It might actually not be his settings, but those of the players around him, especially the FCa and MCa. I make sure my FCa is a Poacher and get the MCa to roam as much as possible. That seems to free up the FCd.

Control: Try to increase width and pay attention to the pitch size. If it is narrow, speed up the passing or you will get closed down too often. You should be able to tweak this to a decent level just by using the width and temp sliders. If the pitch is wide, then you can play the slow, patient game. If you want to play a more conservative game, drop Through Balls to mixed for the deeper players.

[AvatarST]

Yep, the FCa is a poacher (usually Ruud, and he scores for fun), but I think I had too low creative freedom for my MCa. That might've been the problem. I'll test it again later. Maybe I'll even use a 4-1-2-1-2.

About control though, I don't think it's a width thing. I've tried almost max width there, and home. Maybe it's a TTB problem...I'll make sure to check it, and if it's not a bother, ask again if I can't get it right.

[mancity12]

Having read through the TT&F, I made some tactics for Man City.

Had a rocky start with alot of draws, so decided to try some TT&F ready made tactics last night for a quick go before the missus tore me away from the screen .

Using the 4-4-2 standard and swapping to defensive and attacking when needed I won three in a row, 2-1 against Wigan, 2-0 against Fulham and then 1-0 against Liverpool. Average possesseion with a good count of chances .

Excellent tactics and (again) I would like to thank you.

I have now printed the TT&F off twice (one to read through at work - because IT IS more important than work) and one for home. Iv'e got some in-depth leaning to do .

God I hope my employers cant see this :o.

[tdc5013]

Can someone tell me what might be going wrong with this?

FCd FCa

ML(farrow) MCd MC(farrow) MR(farrow)

DL(farrow) DC DC DR(farrow)

GK

FCd = Low direct passes, hold up ball, mixed forward runs, man marking, mixed-high creativity, 13-15 attacking, high closing down.

FCa = Low direct passes, forward runs often, zonal marking, high creativity, 15-16 attacking, high closing down.

ML/MR = Mixed forward runs, high creativity, mixed-direct passes, 12-13 attacking, man marking, high closing down.

DMC = Mixed long shots, hold up ball, individual passing based on surrounding players (usually short-mixed), rare forward runs, man marking, low-mixed closing down. Normal mentality. Closing down 15.

AMC = Long shots often, zonal marking, forward runs often, normal-high creativity, mixed-direct passes, closing down 16-17.

DR/DL = Closing down high, high creativity, normal mentality, low-direct passes, forward runs often, long shots mixed, man marking.

DC = Man marking, high-short passes, high defense mentality, low creativity, man marking, low closing down, rare forward runs.

I'm not sure what to put for the keeper, if anyone could add anything to that I'd be very greatful.

[DAC75738]

Blimey, this is the first time I have stumbled across this in all my years of CM/FM play, and I can't believe I haven't before.

Looks absolutely amazing, and exactly what I was looking for. I'm at work atm, so can't really read through it all properly, but will as soon as I get back this evening and then hopefully get involved.

Well done everyone involved in making this, best thing I have ever found on these forums by a long way! (and will hopefully help me turn around my Luton team!)

[Guest Julian H.]

Hi

First of all, it's a very, very interesting guide. I'm a currently managing Man Utd and all is going okay. I play the standard 4-4-2, with Rooney/Tevez the Fd and ronney/Berbatov the Fa. But at first the Fd wasn't really that involved in play, sometimes lower than 20 passes a game. The same thing sometimes occurs with my wingers in the attacking tactic, especially against weaker sides (Wigan away, Blackburn away) and I've been seing some sad 0-0s against those two.

The other problem is getting Ronaldo playing up to his potential (Free role and full creative freedom) - he doesn't seem to recieve the ball enough and often passes the ball back to Neville/Md instead of changelling the defender, like I want him to do. And then he crosses too often - I want to go inside the box, so I'm thinking of reducing his crossing to rarely/mixed.

Do you have any tips to OI when playing a 'control' tactic? Should I close down on defenders and goalkeepers to lure them out of their holes or is the best way to force them out by themselves? And that is another thing I don't fully understand, why the control tactic seems to be more cautious than the attack (the amount of attack roles), which has made my team control possesion but being very predictable up front and not creating chances.

[20LEGEND]

I have been trying the TTF 4-4-2 tactics with my Altrincham side in the BSP, mainly using the defensive and standard ones as my team is rubbish. Lowered closing down and width, and increased the length of passing and also tempo slightly. Not doing too well though, stuck in 20th after 40 games . Don't know what I am doing wrong tbh. Really struggle to create any chances at all. I was predicted 21st at the start of the season so it's not that bad, but I would have hoped to be doing better, especially as I got some decent players in on loan.

Anyone got any tips for altering the TTF tactics for LLM ?

Sorry to be a pain but can anyone help me with my problem above ? Specifically looking for advice on how to adapt the TTF09 tactics for LLM - I am Altrincham who are one of the worst teams in the BSP.

[PaulC]

I've taken the liberty of making this thread "stickied".

[TanO]

Am I right in thinking that you shouldn't necessarily always try to eliminate messages such as "the gap between our midfield and forwards is too big", for instance playing as a lower league manager my strategy is to hoof it long and let my lone striker run onto the ball if the oppo are playing a high line or hold it up for my wide midfielders if opposition are playing deep.

In this situation I don't see much point closing the gap since I am not trying to play in that area of the pitch and I don't mind giving the oppo time in that space since it is in their third and has their worst players in that zone. Do people agree with this theory ? It has worked quite well for me (snatching victories where I was a 50-1 shot) but I'm wondering if they are just freak results or is the logic sound ?

[Serpico]

Sounds to me that you aren't actually too far off getting to grips with things, especially since you kept Hull up first season. I'd imagine if you managed to work out how to get the best out of your front players plus really got on top of the media/man-management stuff, so you could transform the coming together into a sustained run of form, you'd turn the corner and success and enjoyment would come with it.

Maybe. All I know is this constant boom and bust of my emotions can't be good for my blood pressure.

[Guest]

I've taken the liberty of making this thread "stickied".

Took too long to sticky it to be honest, should have been stickied before it was created

[supersaint]

Maybe. All I know is this constant boom and bust of my emotions can't be good for my blood pressure.

If thats all you worry about, you are truly lucky:)

[mancity12]

Hull are Championship material though aren't they

[davrana]

Hey guys.

I downloaded the guide yesterday and can't wait until my exams are over, so I can sit down and read with good conscience.

I have one question however. I was looking through the tacticals formations included and it strikes me as somewhat odd that all the "classical tactics" you propose seem to very attacking. An example is "The Pyramid" which one my screen translates to a 2-3-5 formation. Has there been some inversion somehow, so that what in fact should be a 5-3-2 formation translates into 2-3-5? One thing that might suggest this is the fact that the WW tactic on my tactics screen becomes a MM tactic.

Or are things as they are supposed to be?

[mancity12]

Regarding players being instructed to 'hold-up ball', is there a maximum number of players this can be assigned to?

Im looking at a 3-3-3-1 strategy -

........................Robinho (freerole)

..............Diarra...Elano...Johnson

Bale..................Veloso...............Zabaleta

...........Kompany..Dunne..Richards

The wing-backs would be almost attackers with alot of FWR's. Veloso is in the DMC position and with hold-up ball, but I want Diarra & Johnson to act as box-to-box midfielers. The guide suggests then that box-to-box midfielders should also hold-up ball, meaning id have three in a team.

Is this ok? - Obviously I need to give it a try, but just wondering if three hold-up players is too many :confused:

[h@@kon]

wow! Great document! Thanks!

[DagsJT1]

Superb work, many thanks for taking the time to put all of this together

[prinz poldi]

Thanks, it really is a superb work and makes it fun trying to set up a tactic.

Still I have some questions :

* what kind of attributes are needed for the most defensive DC in a Nike-defence? I thought for the most attacking it should be a tall breaker (so good at heading, tackling,...). In the guide is said that the most defensive should be athletic, but what is ment by athletic?

* a poacher? what is a poacher? I'm a Belgian and I do not know the meaning of a poacher, you see my English isn't that great.

[rbnrbn]

Given that TT&F has been online for roughly a week now, I'd like to sum up our feelings about the past seven days and the user response to our work.

We have been staggered and humbled by the enthusiasm and feedback from the threads here and at FM-Britain, plus awed by the efforts of people to translate it into different languages. It has already been fully translated into Chinese and is on the way to being translated into Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Polish and Indonesian. Furthermore, Swedish and Norwegian fansites have hosted and are supporting it for their own fan base. Thanks to all the translators and host sites for their help and support. Given quite how difficult and frustrating the release week has been for the majority of users, we are totally flabbergasted at the overwhelming number of views of the threads, which are approaching 25,000 on the two English language sites alone, something we never expected in our wildest deams. It is that level of positive feedback, enthusiasm and excitement that makes our work and effort feel worthwhile, a joyful hobby rather than a chore. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to tell us how they feel and provide constructive feedback. It is truly appreciated.

Furthermore, in an exciting addition to the TT&F spectrum, one user has been inspired to start builing a TT&F tactics generator, which, if successful, will enable people to quickly and easily load in framework and strategy settings, making tactical design quicker, far less fiddly and much more user friendly. I wish him all the best for this project. I think it might well revolutionise the tactical side of the game above and beyond anything we have yet seen.

Thanks once again

Good luck and play well

wwfan and Millie

A tactics generator sounds fantastic!

Clicking notches for hours ain't no fun!

[crazy gra]

Hey guys.

I downloaded the guide yesterday and can't wait until my exams are over, so I can sit down and read with good conscience.

I have one question however. I was looking through the tacticals formations included and it strikes me as somewhat odd that all the "classical tactics" you propose seem to very attacking. An example is "The Pyramid" which one my screen translates to a 2-3-5 formation. Has there been some inversion somehow, so that what in fact should be a 5-3-2 formation translates into 2-3-5? One thing that might suggest this is the fact that the WW tactic on my tactics screen becomes a MM tactic.

Or are things as they are supposed to be?

I think the 2-3-5 is an over-loading tactic for when the opposition are just plainly defending against you.

Regarding players being instructed to 'hold-up ball', is there a maximum number of players this can be assigned to?

Im looking at a 3-3-3-1 strategy -

........................Robinho (freerole)

..............Diarra...Elano...Johnson

Bale..................Veloso...............Zabaleta

...........Kompany..Dunne..Richards

The wing-backs would be almost attackers with alot of FWR's. Veloso is in the DMC position and with hold-up ball, but I want Diarra & Johnson to act as box-to-box midfielers. The guide suggests then that box-to-box midfielders should also hold-up ball, meaning id have three in a team.

Is this ok? - Obviously I need to give it a try, but just wondering if three hold-up players is too many :confused:

Nothing wrong with having more than 1 person holding up the ball, just depends how you're trying to play. The HuB instruction is best used where you're trying to keep possession a lot and not needing to attack too much.

Thanks, it really is a superb work and makes it fun trying to set up a tactic.

Still I have some questions :

* what kind of attributes are needed for the most defensive DC in a Nike-defence? I thought for the most attacking it should be a tall breaker (so good at heading, tackling,...). In the guide is said that the most defensive should be athletic, but what is ment by athletic?

* a poacher? what is a poacher? I'm a Belgian and I do not know the meaning of a poacher, you see my English isn't that great.

An athletic player, or for the most defensive DC in the Nike defence, needs to have good stats in acceleration, pace and positioning, but without lacking too much in tackling, marking and strength.

A poacher is a type of striker that looks to be the furthest forward player and to get onto long passes and stretch the opposition defence. They're called a poacher as they're also meant to be good at finishing chances rather than creating them.

[DANNY1000000]

Hey wwfan,

If I set my dc to normal on the mentailty slider does this mean they will maintain their position no matter what and if I set them fully to the left (1) they will play from inside own box? If I set all my players individual instructions does the team instructions have any effect e.g. I have set up my team each player with 2 click spread of mentality, if I am losing a game and want to attack does changing the team mentality have any effect?

[moj]

If anyone wants someone to test their tactics out, then post them in this thread or PM them to me. I'm good at FM, I've read the guide, I have a good team with high morale, I just don't want to make a tactic.

[googoo56]

Hi

First of all, it's a very, very interesting guide. I'm a currently managing Man Utd and all is going okay. I play the standard 4-4-2, with Rooney/Tevez the Fd and ronney/Berbatov the Fa. But at first the Fd wasn't really that involved in play, sometimes lower than 20 passes a game. The same thing sometimes occurs with my wingers in the attacking tactic, especially against weaker sides (Wigan away, Blackburn away) and I've been seing some sad 0-0s against those two.

The other problem is getting Ronaldo playing up to his potential (Free role and full creative freedom) - he doesn't seem to recieve the ball enough and often passes the ball back to Neville/Md instead of changelling the defender, like I want him to do. And then he crosses too often - I want to go inside the box, so I'm thinking of reducing his crossing to rarely/mixed.

Do you have any tips to OI when playing a 'control' tactic? Should I close down on defenders and goalkeepers to lure them out of their holes or is the best way to force them out by themselves? And that is another thing I don't fully understand, why the control tactic seems to be more cautious than the attack (the amount of attack roles), which has made my team control possesion but being very predictable up front and not creating chances.

Having the same issue with the Fd

No matter how low I drop his mentality, no matter if I set his forward runs to rarely, free role or no he just gets isolated.

[moj]

There's three 4-4-2s already uploaded, moj.

I download them in the pack and I've won the PRM with Arsenal by using the attacking and defensive 4-4-2 provided, I would just like some more tactics.

[Tottiseiya]

We have been staggered and humbled by the enthusiasm and feedback from the threads here and at FM-Britain, plus awed by the efforts of people to translate it into different languages. It has already been fully translated into Chinese and is on the way to being translated into Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Polish and Indonesian. Furthermore, Swedish and Norwegian fansites have hosted and are supporting it for their own fan base. Thanks to all the translators and host sites for their help and support.

Yeah, I've translated it into Chinese. Hope it could be known by all the FM gamers.

However, I can't believe that I missed something important and surprising when I was translating, wwfan...

[MCMXXVII]

like i said before in this topic..

playing Isola Liri, lowest division in italy.. media prediction 10th.. i promoted, being nr.1 + supercopa serie C..

winning 24.. drawing 8, losing 2.. now in serie C1.. media prediction 14th..

well.. using the 4-4-2 defensive nike tactic..

i even won at home against heavily favoured frosinone 3-1.. although being far less better.. but I must admit, i bought loads of very usefull players for a team like Isola Liri..

[wwfan]

@ tdc5013: No support players. Everybody is either Attack or Defend.

If I set my dc to normal on the mentailty slider does this mean they will maintain their position no matter what and if I set them fully to the left (1) they will play from inside own box? If I set all my players individual instructions does the team instructions have any effect e.g. I have set up my team each player with 2 click spread of mentality, if I am losing a game and want to attack does changing the team mentality have any effect?

Not quite. It would if d-line was very low, but d-line determines their defensive position. If you set individual, team is disabled. You need to create different tactics and load between them.

FCd Issues: It seems that athleticism and mobility are fundamental to getting this position working properly with no FWRs. If you don't have such a forward, you will need to give him mixed forward runs to ensure play doesn't pass him by.

Am I right in thinking that you shouldn't necessarily always try to eliminate messages such as "the gap between our midfield and forwards is too big", for instance playing as a lower league manager my strategy is to hoof it long and let my lone striker run onto the ball if the oppo are playing a high line or hold it up for my wide midfielders if opposition are playing deep.

Millie and I had a defensive tactic working very well with the gap message between the midfield/attack, playing kick and rush, so I think you are probably right. However, the defensive gap will cause chaos.

Sorry to be a pain but can anyone help me with my problem above ? Specifically looking for advice on how to adapt the TTF09 tactics for LLM - I am Altrincham who are one of the worst teams in the BSP.

Narrower and deeper than TT&F suggests, longer passing and less CF/CD. Getting a tall or fast TM will also help. Avoid playmakers like the plague.

I have one question however. I was looking through the tacticals formations included and it strikes me as somewhat odd that all the "classical tactics" you propose seem to very attacking. An example is "The Pyramid" which one my screen translates to a 2-3-5 formation. Has there been some inversion somehow, so that what in fact should be a 5-3-2 formation translates into 2-3-5? One thing that might suggest this is the fact that the WW tactic on my tactics screen becomes a MM tactic.

Or are things as they are supposed to be?

They are faithful renditions of how tactics used to look. At some point in the past, tactics began to be described from the back upwards. However, the Pyramid and the WW were desribed from the front backwards, so look inverted to the modern eye. In modern terms the Pyramid would be 2-3-5.

[Guest pacoshoreroad]

Cant get my strikers to score when trying my own tactic. probably cant understand your instructions to well. Rooney 28 games 7 goals, berbatov 25 games 7 goals and tevez 24 games 8 goals and this season is worse sold berbatov to barca for 35mil and bought huntelaar 10 games 1 goal. what am i doing wrong? GK 8 FB 12 CB 10 DM 9 WG 12 AM 12 TEVEZAND ROONEY 13 AND ST 18 NEED HELP OR IM GONA FLYKICK THE PC.

Striker CF 14

PASSING 4

CD 10

FWD RUNS MIX AND OFTEN TRYED BOTH,

RUN WITH BALL MIX AND OFTEN.

LONG SHOTS MIX

THROUGH BALLS 0

AND CROSS BALL 0

CANT SCORE. WHEN I SAID STUFF IT AND PLAYED BOTH FORWARDS 18 MENTALITY I SCORED 5 GOALS BUT HAD A BIG GAP BETWEEN MID AND FWDS

[googoo56]

"FCd Issues: It seems that athleticism and mobility are fundamental to getting this position working properly with no FWRs. If you don't have such a forward, you will need to give him mixed forward runs to ensure play doesn't pass him by."

Rooney should be fine, right? Still it doesn't work with him

Thx for the response though

[Relaxing]

Yes, My Rooney has also struggled in the FCd formation, actually, anyone who plays in it does so.. so i guess my settings are wrong?

Mentality 11

Creative freedom 11

passing style 10

closing down 12

tackling easy

forward runs, run with ball, long shots, thru balls cross ball -- All MIXED

cross from mixed

cross aim mixed

marking zonal

free role - yes

hold up ball yes

pls help me!! thnks for the guide:)

[googoo56]

More or less have the same settings, but tried it without free role and hold up ball as well...

So I just can't see any solution now...

[fkristan]

Quick n stupid question here, What do you mean as in "mentality 11" in team or individual instruction. Does it mean 11 clicks from the left end of the slider or what? thanks a lot

[lyw_85]

Hi wwfan,

I have been playing FM for a very long time and have read the TT&F for the past few FMs etc, but this is the first time I have been applying it. The reason is there were so many theories thrown about that I was confused, and just stuck to my own philosophies.

However, this time round, with a stamp of acceptance from Paul Collyer, I have begun to accept TT&F in my gaming.

I begun as lowly Derby and struggled to 2nd place in the Championship. I used the word "struggle" because despite winning games, I wasn't dominating them and having as many shots as I like.

In the 2nd season, I was getting thrashed left, right and centre. I had followed TT&F very very closely, but still could only win a few matches. Furthermore, those matches were won by luck rather than by tactical acumen.

I decided it was time to change things abit. As I had used the "Role Theory" before, I wanted something more defensive and organised. So I combined "Role Theory" and "RoO" together to make a hybrid. I had 2 tough matches up - Liverpool and Chelsea, so I took the chance to experiment with the new tactic. The Result? A 3-0 dominating victory over Liverpool.

I have posted the screenshot before, but here is it again

However, I got thrashed 5-0 by Chelsea in the next game. This was due to my stubbornness not to change tactics due to the 3-0 victory.

Fortunately, I survived relegation by 15 points.

Currently, I am trying to smooth my 451 tactic to get ready for the next season. However, I have a few questions I hope you could help me in.

In your TT&F, you mentioned that if playing a lone striker, it would best to give the striker a Support role. My striker is Daniel Sturridge, who has good striker stats, and seem more of a poacher rather than a striker fufilling the support role.

How should I configure him?

Secondly, I have abit of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. I'm obsessed with everything being SYMMETRICAL. When I play 451, the AMC is on the right side of the pitch while the SC is on the left side. This happened on FM 07 & 08 too. Am I just being too paranoid, or does this works better than the AMC being behind the SC at all times?

Sorry for the questions asked, this was meant to be a post praising yours and millie work, but I couldn't help it!

To wrap up the post, I have a little tip. Don't configure everything similar to the instructions given in TT&F! It's meant to be a guide, not an instruction booklet!

[tdc5013]

@ tdc5013: No support players. Everybody is either Attack or Defend.

Does this mean that I should change the attacking mentalities of some players so they are in a more supporting role for the forwards, or that I should make everyone either attacking or defending against the opposition.

[wwfan]

FCd: Try to increase CF, have TBs on Often and encourage him to run with the ball by increasing RWB and/or Cross from byline. This should get him to either lay the ball off, turn and play a TB to the FCa or drive at the defence, which are the three things you want him doing (similar to the advanced playmaker settings on Attack). It seems to me that it is creative forwards in the FCd spot that are causing this issue, so use the Advanced Playmaker options as a guide and tweak until you find something that suits the player.

What do you mean as in "mentality 11" in team or individual instruction.

Far left on the slider = 1, far right = 20. Count the clicks.

Does this mean that I should change the attacking mentalities of some players so they are in a more supporting role for the forwards, or that I should make everyone either attacking or defending against the opposition.

Read the Player Roles and Forward Runs section. One of your midfielders needs to be playing deeper and you need a forward to drop back into the hole.

[wwfan]

In your TT&F, you mentioned that if playing a lone striker, it would best to give the striker a Support role. My striker is Daniel Sturridge, who has good striker stats, and seem more of a poacher rather than a striker fufilling the support role.

How should I configure him?

It should work if you give him an FCd mentality but with Poacher settings.

Secondly, I have abit of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. I'm obsessed with everything being SYMMETRICAL. When I play 451, the AMC is on the right side of the pitch while the SC is on the left side. This happened on FM 07 & 08 too. Am I just being too paranoid, or does this works better than the AMC being behind the SC at all times?

It will be something to do with player footedness. I don't know which position takes preference though.