Bad results when holidaying

[JDhamm]

I've noticed that whenever I try holidaying past a run of games against inferior opposition, my assistant always does a bad job (despite ticking the options for him to use current squad and tactic). If I go and replay the games myself, I will usually get a much better result, without really making any big changes in-game. I know there's always a bit of randomness involved, but this seems to be a real pattern.

I'm wondering why that is? I've read before that match engine apparently simulates the game in the exact same way as if I'd play it myself, so why such a difference? Does assistant still make certain tweaks during games, despite being told to use my tactic? Admittedly, his Tactical Knowledge isn't the best, so could it be that? He clearly uses my formation, if I check the Formations tab, but there's no way of seeing any small tweaks he might make during the game, as far as I know. Also, does his Playing Style still matters, if I tell him to use my tactic? I'm wondering if he adjusts all that to his own preference once the game starts, which would of course result in a very disjointed tactic.

I've heard of some people testing their tactics with holidaying, but clearly that can't be optimal, if my assistant consistently gets worse results than what's realistically possible. Do I really need to fire this poor sod and get someone with better Tactical Knowledge in?

[HUNT3R]

Your assistant is left in charge. He may start with your tactic, but he will change things during the match. Your assistant just doesn't seem to be very good.

[JDhamm]

19 minutes ago, HUNT3R said:

Your assistant is left in charge. He may start with your tactic, but he will change things during the match. Your assistant just doesn't seem to be very good.

Do you by any chance know what attributes I should look for if I'm planning on holidaying through big chunks of the season? Tactical Knowledge and Motivating seem obvious, but do I need to make sure his Playing Style and Pressing Urgency match mine too? Just not sure what kind of changes he actually makes, if he goes and changes everything to his preference during games then "use current tactic" option makes no sense.

[HUNT3R]

6 minutes ago, JDhamm said:

Just not sure what kind of changes he actually makes, if he goes and changes everything to his preference during games then "use current tactic" option makes no sense.

You're leaving him in charge though, so he's not going to just mindlessly sit there. He's the manager for the day. I'm not sure how much they change overall, but he will change Mentality certainly during the match depending on how things go and his tendencies and he will change roles and duties.

As for who or what to look for, I have no idea. Maybe someone else can help with this. I know Rashidi used to swear by Bobby Mimms, but this was about 3 years ago and I don't know what that assistant has/had that made him so useful to Rashidi. 

[llDracoll]

I've kind of had the opposite situation in my save. Instant Resulting games in which I think I have no chance of winning, end up being won (at worst, losing by a much lower margin than I expected).

It kind of makes me feel I'm worse than I thought I was. I guess it's Mentality changes, but it's not a nice feeling.

[JDhamm]

Hmm, this is how manual explains Tactical Knowledge:

Quote

The tactical knowledge possessed by a non-player. This has many uses; from opposition and team scouting to training and match preparation focus and backroom advice, a higher rating will result in both more accurate and more detailed information being passed back to you.

No mention of it actually affecting manager's in-match tactical decisions, is that true? If yes, I suppose it's not the case of my assistant making "wrong" changes to my tactic, but rather changing it to his preferred style, is that correct?

@Seb Wassell, any clarification on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm basically wondering what influences what kind of changes my assistant will make to my tactic during games, when holidaying.

Edited June 12, 2020 by JDhamm

[JDhamm]

Bump, still looking for some clarification on this one.