[4-2-2-2 With Rotherham 121 Points, 120 goals]

I'm playing with Hereford United. I have my own set of tactics and I was sitting third in the league comfortably. Early December however, my team started losing and I couldn't find an answer.

10 games without a win later, (9 losses, 1 draw) I dropped into 18th place.

I was looking around on the forum to find a good tactic from someone else.

I looked into this topic, first, it's a good read, secondly, despite some silly comments I'ml glad people like Jamesh2k are willing to share their tactics, no matter what others may say.

Well, it was early January, I was in the FA Cup's third round, a home tie against Burnley and as my tactics weren't working any longer, I've used yours.

I've lost 0-7, no matter I met "counter" or "control", goals flew in too easy.

However, as said by a very intelligent person earlier in this topic, a team needs time to gel, to adapt to a tactic, instant success is nearly impossible, so the next league game we went to high flying Gillingham (5th in the league), and we went down 3-0, still, I've noticed slight marks of improvement in positioning.

Next game, at home against Bradford (17th), and yes, my team got a bit used to the new tactic, we won 2-1 with 10 men (red card after only 1 minute for my right back Greene), and from that point on, we're on a run of 7 undefeated games now, rising up the league again, we're 10th now, and I have this funny feeling we're going to beat the odds and finish in the Play Offs.

(automatic promotion is too far away as Rotherham and Barnet (!) are on fire actually.

My team, well,,it's pretty poor, Connor-Greene-Kanouté-Rose-Werling-Stratford-Lunt-Colbeck-Yao-Fleetwood-Johnson.

I've bought 2 players during the summer, both on a free, first Yao, a young winger, and Eddie Johnson (striker) on a free. Johnson arrived on the first of November after his contract with Austin expired.

However, the main conclusion to me is that your tactic is a slow starter, but if you give it some time, it starts working nicely.

I switch from control to counter when I'm 2-0 up or when I have a 1 goal lead and we need to play another 20 minutes in which the opposition gets stronger.

Only if I have to play a team from a higher level (cup competition, friendly, whatever) I switch early in the game to counter, but I always look first how my team's doing in control. If they're doing fine, I don't change anything.

Anyway, this boring post just to thank you, and to say that it is a shame not more people tested this tactic for you.

Like said before, if this topic was started by Mr. Hough, it would already have 3000 replies.

(Btw, no hard feelings towards Mr. Hough, not at all, as he's a fine gentleman himself who gave me a lot of fun in FM 2010 with his brilliant tactics)

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Mr. Hough, I have to congratulate you with your tactic. It's not unbeatable (luckily enough), but the results I got were absolutely fabulous, and more important, I've tested your classic tactic with a small team. I've started with Crystal Palace FC in the English CCC. A 10-point deduction, no money, but a reasonable good but very small squad.

Throughout the season I was forced to play the youngsters regularly as first team players were tired or injured, and even with 3-4 of them in the team, the tactic gave me good results. (despite some of the youngsters not up for the task if I looked to their stats)

I finished 7th, only because I lost on the final day of the season 1-0 away to Sheffield Wednesday as my team was struggling, so I dropped a place from 6th to 7th only missing out on the Play Offs by one single point. (in fact, without the 10-point deduction I would have finished 3rd!)

About the goals the following remark, I've scored a rather fantastic 111 times in 46 league games but I conceded also 68 goals (which is pretty fair I think) especially because I had only one good GK who was injured for quite a long period in which I had to play with a 18-year old goalie that I bought on a free transfer just to have a second GK in my squad.

Second season and most financial problems are solved, with a bigger wage budget I was able to attract more quality players on a free so I have a much better balanced team. Also some of the youngsters developed themselves into first team players and currently I'm top of the league after 29 games. 20 wins, 6 draws and only 3 defeats.

Again my frontline is scoring at a fantastic rate, however, with a better defence I'm conceding much less, until now it seems I'm on my way to win the Championship.

Fred Sears, Zavon Hines and Sean Scannell, those 3 did it for me in my first season, Sears and Hines both loaned from West Ham season long without paying any percent of their wages. Second season Sears and Hines are again at Palace, again on a season long loan, again without West Ham demanding to participate in their wages, so again 2 fantastic strikers who cost me nothing at all. Scannell's the 3rd man but in case of injuries I now have Marlon Harewood, Andras Simon, Febian Brandy and a well developed Calvin Andrew to play up front, and more important, to score loads of goals.

My best team if everybody's fit looks like this: Speroni - Comley - Cathart - McCarthy - Hills - N'Diaye - Danns - Ambrose - Scannell - Sears - Hines. Other players who play regularly are Carle, James, Davis, Hill, Koumas, Hewson, Ertl and Evans.

Like you see, not a world class-team tbh, but your tactic (and I didn't used another one until present) is proving his worth.

My own tactics helped me winning all French cups + title in my first season with Olympique Marseille, being easily Italian champions with AC Milan for many successive seasons but for smaller teams however I've never achieved to manage a tactic that was as good as yours.

So, thanks, I'm now going to test it with a mid table-team in the Belgian First Division.