Just can’t win

[TMitC]

Hi all. 
I started as Peterborough and won promotion in my first season. I then had one and a half decent seasons in the championship, before moving to premier league Newcastle. We had about 12 games left and it was tough, but i took them from 15th to 11th. 

i had a big clear out over the summer and brought in some quality - Nick Pope, Tammy Abraham, Rhian Brewster, but we are having a stinker. Routinely getting beaten 3-0, 5-2, 7-1!

I’ve tried loads of downloaded tactics, tried playing defensively, attacking, balanced - we win the odd match, so I think I’m onto something, then we get thumped at home by the bottom side.

 Has anyone got any ideas?

[DimitrisLar]

49 minutes ago, TMitC said:

Hi all. 
I started as Peterborough and won promotion in my first season. I then had one and a half decent seasons in the championship, before moving to premier league Newcastle. We had about 12 games left and it was tough, but i took them from 15th to 11th. 

i had a big clear out over the summer and brought in some quality - Nick Pope, Tammy Abraham, Rhian Brewster, but we are having a stinker. Routinely getting beaten 3-0, 5-2, 7-1!

I’ve tried loads of downloaded tactics, tried playing defensively, attacking, balanced - we win the odd match, so I think I’m onto something, then we get thumped at home by the bottom side.

 Has anyone got any ideas?

did you try to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of every opponent and do your mojo? i experiment in that department lately, with average results, but it pays out some times.

[GianniM]

8 hours ago, TMitC said:

Hi all. 
I started as Peterborough and won promotion in my first season. I then had one and a half decent seasons in the championship, before moving to premier league Newcastle. We had about 12 games left and it was tough, but i took them from 15th to 11th. 

i had a big clear out over the summer and brought in some quality - Nick Pope, Tammy Abraham, Rhian Brewster, but we are having a stinker. Routinely getting beaten 3-0, 5-2, 7-1!

I’ve tried loads of downloaded tactics, tried playing defensively, attacking, balanced - we win the odd match, so I think I’m onto something, then we get thumped at home by the bottom side.

 Has anyone got any ideas?

Evaluate your players, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, based on that build your own tactic instead of just downloading one that doesn't universally work for every team.

Make sure you have a good balance between attack and defense, and a plan of how you want to attack and defend. 

When you finish that, come back here and post a screen shot of your tactic and players, only then we can give you feedback. 

Other than that your team needs to get familiar with a new tactic, so you can't just try something totally different every game. 

[TMitC]

Thanks for replying - much appreciated.

I disagree, though, that a downloaded tactic can't work.

I've been using downloaded tactic since they were a thing - in my last version of this game, FM18, i took a team from League One to Champions League Winners and won the World Cup twice. Before I moved to Newcastle, I used a downloaded tactic to turn an average League One side into a top Championship side in two seasons.

I think it's more likely that there's something built-in to the game that makes certain clubs just a bad fit for you.

I understand that creating a tactic is more realistic and satisfying, but I wouldn't know where to begin and I only play this game to unwind in the evening. I've played FM/CM since the beginning and I love the pick-up-and-play aspect of it.

 

[GianniM]

2 minutes ago, TMitC said:

I think it's more likely that there's something built-in to the game that makes certain clubs just a bad fit for you.

Then there's nothing we can do to help you, is there?

[DimitrisLar]

8 minutes ago, TMitC said:

Thanks for replying - much appreciated.

I disagree, though, that a downloaded tactic can't work.

I've been using downloaded tactic since they were a thing - in my last version of this game, FM18, i took a team from League One to Champions League Winners and won the World Cup twice. Before I moved to Newcastle, I used a downloaded tactic to turn an average League One side into a top Championship side in two seasons.

I think it's more likely that there's something built-in to the game that makes certain clubs just a bad fit for you.

I understand that creating a tactic is more realistic and satisfying, but I wouldn't know where to begin and I only play this game to unwind in the evening. I've played FM/CM since the beginning and I love the pick-up-and-play aspect of it.

 

im playing since 2003 this sick game  but you know i just realised what hold shape does. also whats with defending width, both for my team and the opponents and you know something, i'm starting winning games, not my players, not the "tactic" but my choices. it just takes a while more than everybody woyld like.

[TheGoodRebel]

Do you have an example of a recent tactic you have used that you can share? It’s a bit difficult to point you in the right direction without knowing your current setup. 

[crusadertsar]

Just don't use plug and play tactics. FM has changed. The game got too complex. Now it's more important than ever to understand the attributes of the players on your team and create a tactic to fit them perfectly. This way when you take time to assess your team you can create a tactic that suits it. So even with an average team you could overachieve.

Edited April 9, 2020 by crusadertsar

[Chip]

5 hours ago, TMitC said:

I think it's more likely that there's something built-in to the game that makes certain clubs just a bad fit for you.

 

This most definitely isn’t the case. The game is evolving every year and the AI is becoming more and more clever. No more can you expect to use 1 tactic against every team you play as they all play differently 

From your OP it also sounds like you’re changing your tactic a lot which won’t be good for your teams familiarity with it. Your team needs to learn your tactic as much as possible and get used to the way you want to play, even if that is a downloaded tactic. 
 

Remember also that even though you’re using a “plug and play” tactic you will still need to make changes during the game when you see fit. It’s not all on cruise control for you

 

Good luck

[TMitC]

2 hours ago, Chip said:

This most definitely isn’t the case. The game is evolving every year and the AI is becoming more and more clever. No more can you expect to use 1 tactic against every team you play as they all play differently 

From your OP it also sounds like you’re changing your tactic a lot which won’t be good for your teams familiarity with it. Your team needs to learn your tactic as much as possible and get used to the way you want to play, even if that is a downloaded tactic. 
 

Remember also that even though you’re using a “plug and play” tactic you will still need to make changes during the game when you see fit. It’s not all on cruise control for you

 

Good luck

Thanks. Just feels weird that I used a downloaded tactic at one club and it was an instant and consistent hit, but at my new club it's just not working

[crusadertsar]

40 minutes ago, TMitC said:

Thanks. Just feels weird that I used a downloaded tactic at one club and it was an instant and consistent hit, but at my new club it's just not working

Well that just shows that maybe because of your players in that club the tactic fit it. But then it probably wasn't suitable for the other club.