Non-League Management

[BristolCity1992]

I went on holiday 7 years and then got the Shrewsbury job in VNN. A club I like that were in turmoil, but it went badly wrong due to their finances and they were eventually relegated. 

I had unsuccessful stints at Poole Town and Kingstonian to follow up on this. 

Shrewsbury found their way back up and I got in again hoping to take them up the league. First season rebuild went well and we got in the play offs. The board expected this again despite taking 2k off the wage budget and we badly failed. Our wages were much less than other teams were offering. 

Biggest problems were creating chances and it does feel like this is generally hard on this game. Tried a number of approaches and keeping it simple, but no luck really. 

How have others found success at this level? 

[Marc Vaughan]

1 hour ago, BristolCity1992 said:

I went on holiday 7 years and then got the Shrewsbury job in VNN. A club I like that were in turmoil, but it went badly wrong due to their finances and they were eventually relegated. 

I had unsuccessful stints at Poole Town and Kingstonian to follow up on this. 

Shrewsbury found their way back up and I got in again hoping to take them up the league. First season rebuild went well and we got in the play offs. The board expected this again despite taking 2k off the wage budget and we badly failed. Our wages were much less than other teams were offering. 

Biggest problems were creating chances and it does feel like this is generally hard on this game. Tried a number of approaches and keeping it simple, but no luck really. 

How have others found success at this level? 

It's definitely possible to take teams from the bottom to the top in the game - it's how I play myself (Mighty Eastbourne Town for the win!).

One thing I'd suggest in the lower leagues is to skew your approach slightly differently - you can't expect fancy tactics to work when you have limited players (so less gengen press and more a slightly old fashioned solid approach) ... and look more for physical attributes than skill to some extent, simply put if you have a player who is a point or two better technically it might give him a slight edge in a match up again an opponent ... however if the same player has 20 pace against an opposition player who has 10 pace then he's gone with the wind and didn't even notice the opponent, similarly 20 stamina in the lower league will give you a player who is still runniing hard when everyone else is blowing chunks or 20 heading a dominant scorer/defender from corners etc).

PS - Also don't underestimate the value of OLD players, in the lower leagues someone isn't past it because they're past thirty ... if they're still good enough keep them playing ... I've had quality players at eastbourne who are 38 before, especially in goal or the center of the park spraying around passes.

[Navelgazer]

2 hours ago, BristolCity1992 said:

I went on holiday 7 years and then got the Shrewsbury job in VNN. A club I like that were in turmoil, but it went badly wrong due to their finances and they were eventually relegated. 

I had unsuccessful stints at Poole Town and Kingstonian to follow up on this. 

Shrewsbury found their way back up and I got in again hoping to take them up the league. First season rebuild went well and we got in the play offs. The board expected this again despite taking 2k off the wage budget and we badly failed. Our wages were much less than other teams were offering. 

Biggest problems were creating chances and it does feel like this is generally hard on this game. Tried a number of approaches and keeping it simple, but no luck really. 

How have others found success at this level? 

Welsh leagues . Started unemployed. Got Colwyn Bay job about end of November and lost first game 7-0, rest of the season just a struggle to keep my job. Next season I just kept it simple. 4-5-1. Narrow, deep, hit them on the break. Got promoted.

Always build from the back, I think  a good goalkeeper at that level is worth 10-12 points a season. Had 1 quick striker, played for 1-0s.

Try and keep a settled team, once those relationships build its easier and I try and keep a very traditional way of playing, a big man and a little man combo works wonders , or it did for me.

Massive disclaimer , after much success at Colwyn . I have failed everywhere else, just been sacked from Helmond Sport and likely to get sacked again in my new job. 

[StephenCronin]

One of my favourite saves from the past was down in the lower leagues - I played Long ball with a fast striker and he was just ran onto the ball in open space and scored for fun. 

That said, the real secret to doing well down low (or at any level really) is to build a better squad than the opposition. I know Marc says not to be afraid to use older players and there's a lot of truth in that (especially if they double as great mentors), but my biggest success has been with youngsters. Play an older player and he will help you now, play a younger player and he will level up and help you for years. 

Try to find youngsters that are close to the same level as your existing team (attribute-wise). Play them and they will level up quickly. Try to pick youngsters who've been released by a top club or one who your scouts/staff suggest has room to grow (ie the CA is lower than the PA. I don't trust their opinion when it comes to the CA and PA values themselves as the scouts are often very wrong (as they would be in real life), but I do use them to identify if a player has room to grow.

I normally go overkill with this approach and just mostly have youngsters in the team - we struggle the first half of these season, but they level up and we make a late charge for the title or at least the playoffs. If we miss out, we'll dominate the following season as they continue to develop. Then rinse and repeat as you rise through the leagues...

[ElliottMS]

I actually find the lower leagues easier in many respects, I think there's less perceived pressure compared to managing one of the big clubs and getting it wrong. As Scratch says it's ultimately finding better players. Personally I search by attributes for the roles I want, and if I have attribute masking on I might spend a few minutes sending scouts to individually scout free agents (excluding those who would need a work permit unless they have 10+ caps).

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

Interesting discussion. Like Marc I am also Eastbourne Borough and at the moment I'm really struggling. Had a good start to the season but now I'm currently sitting 13th in the table after having played 24 matches. I've not won in seven also, I'm not trying to be Sherlock but this is down to my squad being poor and also not knowing what tactics are best for my team. I set up defensive most of the time due to my poor squad. This is still my first season also lol, I started it shortly after the game was released lol, I'm expecting to be thrown out of this forum now lol because I've been playing Soccer Manager 20 and 22 instead of FMM 22, I never criticise the mobile team but I have become slightly bored with this year's game due to simply just pressing continue all the time, in my opinion there ain't much happening between matches, maybe the 23 version needs more features, I play a match then press continue and all I'm doing between matches is checking the condition of my players, I believe the mobile game can do much more. I will always start out in the lower leagues obviously down to there being less pressure etc compared to being a big club. To answer your question though I am finding it to be fine in the non-league, although with that being said I'm expecting the sack as I have some tough games coming up lol. I hope I can make it through this bad patch and then bring in some quality after the season is finished. I do feel as though you can do well on this year's game compared to last year's which I found to be very hard. 

[Marc Vaughan]

36 minutes ago, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia said:

Interesting discussion. Like Marc I am also Eastbourne Borough and at the moment I'm really struggling. Had a good start to the season but now I'm currently sitting 13th in the table after having played 24 matches. I've not won in seven also, I'm not trying to be Sherlock but this is down to my squad being poor and also not knowing what tactics are best for my team. I set up defensive most of the time due to my poor squad. This is still my first season also lol, I started it shortly after the game was released lol, I'm expecting to be thrown out of this forum now lol because I've been playing Soccer Manager 20 and 22 instead of FMM 22, I never criticise the mobile team but I have become slightly bored with this year's game due to simply just pressing continue all the time, in my opinion there ain't much happening between matches, maybe the 23 version needs more features, I play a match then press continue and all I'm doing between matches is checking the condition of my players, I believe the mobile game can do much more. I will always start out in the lower leagues obviously down to there being less pressure etc compared to being a big club. To answer your question though I am finding it to be fine in the non-league, although with that being said I'm expecting the sack as I have some tough games coming up lol. I hope I can make it through this bad patch and then bring in some quality after the season is finished. I do feel as though you can do well on this year's game compared to last year's which I found to be very hard. 

One of the things with lower league management is that you'll get less 'player and media interaction' generally which is logical when you think about it (because at that level there is less media pressure and players are less likely to be outspoken) ... the higher up the leagues you go the more likely such things are to crop up.

This is somewhat intentional as is the speed of play, ie. I don't want to gum the game down with minutiae and make it play as slowly as the PC game, the concept is that if you have 10-15 minutes spare then you can dip into the game and feel that you made progress in it.

[ElliottMS]

2 hours ago, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia said:

Interesting discussion. Like Marc I am also Eastbourne Borough and at the moment I'm really struggling. Had a good start to the season but now I'm currently sitting 13th in the table after having played 24 matches. I've not won in seven also, I'm not trying to be Sherlock but this is down to my squad being poor and also not knowing what tactics are best for my team. I set up defensive most of the time due to my poor squad. This is still my first season also lol, I started it shortly after the game was released lol, I'm expecting to be thrown out of this forum now lol because I've been playing Soccer Manager 20 and 22 instead of FMM 22, I never criticise the mobile team but I have become slightly bored with this year's game due to simply just pressing continue all the time, in my opinion there ain't much happening between matches, maybe the 23 version needs more features, I play a match then press continue and all I'm doing between matches is checking the condition of my players, I believe the mobile game can do much more. I will always start out in the lower leagues obviously down to there being less pressure etc compared to being a big club. To answer your question though I am finding it to be fine in the non-league, although with that being said I'm expecting the sack as I have some tough games coming up lol. I hope I can make it through this bad patch and then bring in some quality after the season is finished. I do feel as though you can do well on this year's game compared to last year's which I found to be very hard. 

Tbh going defensive rarely works - often the best defence is going offensive. By dominating the play you restrict the other team's chances. 

Feel free to post your tactics, possibly you have some contradicting instructions which are reducing the effectiveness of your team, or your team just isn't very balanced in roles or formation. There are a few here who would be happy to give a new player advice.

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

I've only been playing Football Manager since the 19 version, strangely I finished second in my first season with Bath. I skipped 20 but bought 21 but I deleted that multiple times due me failing to win any games. Here is my set up ElliottMS, obviously I know I'm inexperienced when it comes to playing Football Manager, I only play on mobile anyway but I do prefer football management games where the tactics are basic. I know I may have the wrong set up lol. Going defensive worked a treat at the start of the season and I was in the top six of the table a lot of the time but I've fallen into 13th place due to not winning a game out of the last seven. Pulled off a great 1-0 win against the top of the table team lol, I did park the bus though lol. The passing style has me confused, I go direct but then some teams out pass me but then when I go short I out pass most of the opposition. Lastly the final third I've struggled with, I'm not sure if that's working or not as I've only scored 23 goals in 24 matches. Many thanks ElliottMS and many thanks also Marc for explaining things. 

Edited April 20, 2022 by Hummingbird Saltalamacchia
Spelling mistake.

[ElliottMS]

36 minutes ago, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia said:

I've only been playing Football Manager since the 19 version, strangely I finished second in my first season with Bath. I skipped 20 but bought 21 but I deleted that multiple times due me failing to win any games. Here is my set up ElliottMS, obviously I know I'm inexperienced when it comes to playing Football Manager, I only play on mobile anyway but I do prefer football management games where the tactics are basic. I know I may have the wrong set up lol. Going defensive worked a treat at the start of the season and I was in the top six of the table a lot of the time but I've fallen into 13th place due to not winning a game out of the last seven. Pulled off a great 1-0 win against the top of the table team lol, I did park the bus though lol. The passing style has me confused, I go direct but then some teams out pass me but then when I go short I out pass most of the opposition. Lastly the final third I've struggled with, I'm not sure if that's working or not as I've only scored 23 goals in 24 matches. Many thanks ElliottMS and many thanks also Marc for explaining things. 

I wouldn't call myself an expert. I do well enough at the game, but others I know are more in tune with tactics than me. Still, my thoughts:

1. Too much man marking. You want man marking to be on the odd occasion against a talented/dangerous player, not all the time and not more than 1, max 2, in your team doing it. Too much man marking means teams can play round you while your back line chases their forwards instead of covering space. In my opinion man marking generally works best for the DM area.

2. You're playing a deep defensive line but asking your semipro team to close down all over the pitch. They have too much ground to cover and it's likely wearing them out too much.

3. Early crosses and work into box seem contradictory to me. Also run at defence but you have a deep line - asking your players to run a long way. With direct passing through balls would make much more sense and direct passing also doesn't really compute with work into box. You don't need to pick options here, you can leave them blank - sometimes this can work best. But I might be tempted to try early crosses and through balls and leave the rest off. Experiment.

4. Passing style. In simplistic terms short means pass it to the nearest team mate, direct means pass it to the furthest available team mate, long means try and get it behind. Long passing might work well with a deep defensive line, wingers and an attacking forward, especially if they have pace - they could get in behind on a long ball with the space they've left behind as you sucked them in with your deep defensive line. 

 

I can't comment on the formation, I've literally never used that one. A 4-1-2-3 can be an effective formation, just make sure you have a balance of roles in midfield so at least one is defensive (e.g. DM, BWM, DLP could work too) and one is attacking (e.g. AP or RP).

Ultimately the other key thing is to find better players. Try looking for players you can loan in to improve your squad, sometimes you can get them for no wage contribution, particularly teenagers.

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

Many thanks for that ElliottMS, much appreciated and you have certainly given me plenty of food for thought that's for sure. I can see where I have been going wrong now lol. I might experiment with the 4-1-2-3 but for the time being I'll stick with the 4-2-3-1 and I'll adjust my tactics. I have an idea what could work now. May I ask what tactics you use? And are they effective? Have you had any success in the game? Good point regarding loan signings, I have a few already but I usually try and bring in one or two youngsters on a free who have been released from Championship clubs but as you know it's difficult with a very low wage budget, but I'll look more at loan signings now. Also do you and others on here change their formation for certain games? Or do you and others keep the same formation for every game? Thank you again ElliottMS for the advice/tips👍. 

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

Just got sacked as Eastbourne Borough manager. Just tried some new tactics which did not work as I lost away to Braintree 2-0. After the match the board requested an emergency meeting which I attended and I requested they give me more time but they sacked me lol, maybe a bit harsh as I was in 14th place but I hadn't won in eight games so it was probably the right decision. Love the choice of two options though when you have the emergency board meeting and the boardroom background lol, I should have just resigned as they wanted me to but I asked for more time but they wanted me gone lol. Not sure who I will manage now lol. 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Hummingbird Saltalamacchia

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

Applied for the Boston United job and got accepted lol, not sure why they needed a new manager when they are third in the table but it's a good chance to get promoted. And in the words of the legendary Mike Bassett, ladies and gentleman. Boston United will be playing Four-Four F.....g Two lol. 

[ElliottMS]

On 21/04/2022 at 11:06, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia said:

Many thanks for that ElliottMS, much appreciated and you have certainly given me plenty of food for thought that's for sure. I can see where I have been going wrong now lol. I might experiment with the 4-1-2-3 but for the time being I'll stick with the 4-2-3-1 and I'll adjust my tactics. I have an idea what could work now. May I ask what tactics you use? And are they effective? Have you had any success in the game? Good point regarding loan signings, I have a few already but I usually try and bring in one or two youngsters on a free who have been released from Championship clubs but as you know it's difficult with a very low wage budget, but I'll look more at loan signings now. Also do you and others on here change their formation for certain games? Or do you and others keep the same formation for every game? Thank you again ElliottMS for the advice/tips👍. 

I've used a variety of tactics, but I think my favoured shape this year is the 4-1-2-2-1 this year. The DM provides defensive cover but as a DLP or RP can start moves too, the full/wing backs can provide support to the attack, the inside forwards cause problems for defences. It allows for a midfield 3 which you can balance with the right roles. 

I rarely change tactics once I've set a team up, might tweak some settings as I see fit but rarely change the shape. I recruit players to suit the roles I want them to do which can then mean my team isn't versatile enough to change formations - but if it's working why change?

Finding the right players is the main thing. I search by key attributes for the roles I want (in the player search filter you can ask the game to do this for you). At your level I might suggest having the key attributes set to 10 or maybe lower if you can't find what you need. For each role I look for I do consider additional attributes though. E.g. for an advance playmaker, in addition to the passing, creativity, decisions and movement the game defines, I would also look for technique and teamwork in particular. Just think what does this role need considering what I'm asking the player to do. For a DLP at the DM position I do want him to defend too, so I'll add tackling and positioning to the attributes the game highlights as well as technique and teamwork.

Sorry to hear it didn't work out at Eastbourne, hope you have better luck at Boston. You're learning the game and you will get better!

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

I appreciate the help and advice ElliottMS but I'll most likely be deleting the game I think. I just lost at home to Gateshead 1-4 and the game is proving to be frustrating rather than fun, in that 1-4 home defeat there was literally nothing I could have done to stop them from dominating me. Started off well with Eastbourne but obviously got sacked and now I'm struggling with Boston although I have much better players at my disposal. I changed formation to 4-2-3-1 but nothing seems to be working. Maybe I'm just not good enough. I think I'll stick to playing Soccer Manager 20, 21 and 22. Maybe I need to choose a tactical style? Maybe I'll give your formation a go and see what happens as that sounds like a good set up and one which works well for you. Maybe I'll start a new game and if I keep struggling I will definitely delete the game lol. Thanks again and best of luck 👍.

Spoiler

 

 

[ElliottMS]

6 hours ago, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia said:

I appreciate the help and advice ElliottMS but I'll most likely be deleting the game I think. I just lost at home to Gateshead 1-4 and the game is proving to be frustrating rather than fun, in that 1-4 home defeat there was literally nothing I could have done to stop them from dominating me. Started off well with Eastbourne but obviously got sacked and now I'm struggling with Boston although I have much better players at my disposal. I changed formation to 4-2-3-1 but nothing seems to be working. Maybe I'm just not good enough. I think I'll stick to playing Soccer Manager 20, 21 and 22. Maybe I need to choose a tactical style? Maybe I'll give your formation a go and see what happens as that sounds like a good set up and one which works well for you. Maybe I'll start a new game and if I keep struggling I will definitely delete the game lol. Thanks again and best of luck 👍.

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That's a shame but I too had to have a break with FMM22 as I was getting frustrated with it back when it first came out. Went back to it a few weeks later and then enjoyed it once I got to grips with it. I might suggest searching for other forums focused on football manager mobile for tactics, or if you'd like to join a discord group I am part of for help then send me a DM and I'll give you an invite.

[Zoot]

@Hummingbird Saltalamacchia

You want to win almost always?

I have a tactics for you without cheating or anything. But it will kill you the fun in game.

If you want it write to me and i will ahow you how. 

[MatiasDFS]

hace 5 horas, Zoot dijo:

@Hummingbird Saltalamacchia

You want to win almost always?

I have a tactics for you without cheating or anything. But it will kill you the fun in game.

If you want it write to me and i will ahow you how. 

Please dont spread the "perfect tactic" myth, its already hard enough to explain to new players this game isnt like others and doesnt have a 'meta', success depends a lot on morale, how you rest your players, the quality of your squad in comparision with your rivals, playstyle of the league, etc.

Edited April 27, 2022 by MatiasDFS

[Zoot]

Its not a tactics only its the system i use in the game and it works for every team in every country in the game. Some teams need 2 seasons to implement it sone need 1 season and some can go from a start. But it works every time.

[Marc Vaughan]

1 hour ago, Zoot said:

Its not a tactics only its the system i use in the game and it works for every team in every country in the game. Some teams need 2 seasons to implement it sone need 1 season and some can go from a start. But it works every time.

Raises an eyebrow - feel free to PM me details ..

[Zoot]

On 05/05/2022 at 01:15, Marc Vaughan said:

Raises an eyebrow - feel free to PM me details ..

As soon as i have enough free time as its a bit longer writing.

[Vossenoren]

27 minutes ago, Zoot said:

As soon as i have enough free time as its a bit longer writing.

When you do, can you send me a copy?

[Zoot]

On 05/05/2022 at 01:15, Marc Vaughan said:

Raises an eyebrow - feel free to PM me details ..

If its possible can i send you the save game from 2-3 teams i play and from those save games explain the system i am using coz it is easier like that as you can already see many things from previous games i play etc etc

[Marc Vaughan]

1 hour ago, Zoot said:

If its possible can i send you the save game from 2-3 teams i play and from those save games explain the system i am using coz it is easier like that as you can already see many things from previous games i play etc etc

That would be perfect - thanks