lied90

As requested, tested with the original players, a 424 preset gegenpress. Set pieces routines are also default, which matters a lot in terms of goals scored/conceded.

I got some replies and simulated another season based on that. Some said that it might just be the tactic and not the high pace. I subtracted all players by -2 pace/acc. To compensate I have +1 to all other highlighted role attributes. So for a wingback or Volante they lost -4 and gained +16 total attributes, roles with fewer highlighted attributes gained less. This gave the players roughly the same CA as before I subtracted pace/acc. It could have been done more accurately I'm sure, but I don't have the patience for it, and didn't get any better suggestions so I had to be creative. League table: Still a good results considering how bad the players are. Obviously a lot of randomness in a single season, but I think a gap of 32 points is more than can be contributed to randomness. I removed unhappiness and injuries from both tests. I was also suggested to test the same players with a different tactic, so I'll do that also.

Unrealistic yes, but not a bug.

I understand the confusion. It's not meant as a challenge, it's meant as a guide, hence the "How to....." "A section filled with useful hints and tips on how to get the best of out your Football Manager team, be it tactically, with player development or with any other strategic discussion. " I understood this as broad enough to post my topic there. People go to the tactics forum to learn about the game, how the game works, how tactics work, how attributes work etc. So for me it looked like the right spot to highlight how easy it is to overachieve by only focusing on pace. FM has been like this for a long time now, and a lot of players are unaware.

The thread was moved. I don't agree with it as it's not a challenge or experiment. I just ran a test season to show what I alreaady know, which is hardly an experiment imo. Filling a squad with pace and acceleration is a strategy. It's ridiculous and unrealistic, but it is a strategy that is only viable because of how this game works.

Alternatively, other attributes just doesn't matter enough. Even in a tactic with high press, high tempo, high lines etc. A bunch of players with the football brain of Ted Lasso should not be able to perform this well, despite their pace.

Index Original test/post (you are here already) Test with adjusted attributes to prove it's not the tactic Test with preset gegenpress Season 2 test - does it work long term? Adama Traore - The GOAT It's the summer transfer window You analyze your squad, filter out unwanted players, look at scout reports to find the player that perfectly fits your tactic. Defenders so smart that they can predict everything the opposition does, DMs with perfect positioning and passing, creative wide players with lots of flair, strikers who can smell a goal from miles away. Your players have high decision making, they are composed, have excellent technique, the vision of an eagle etc. You have used very tool at your disposal, compared the players, asked scouts, used the squad planner, analyzed every strength and flaw in your team, created a tactic that fits your players so well you can't even believe it yourself. Finally, all your hard work and several hours spent do get ready for the new season is about to bear fruits! How I do it: Goes to player search *Filter by pace* *Buys all the fasted players* Finished Testing: I took over Nottingham Forest and removed all their players. I replaced them with players with high acceleration and pace, and added jumping reach on CBs. All players had 100-115 current ability at the start of the season. We now have the lowest average of every single mental and technical attribute in FM (except long throws). Common sense would imply that we are destined for relegation as our players should simply be no more than championship level players at best Squad comparison: Results:

Does the man City tactic defend like Man city at all? I see how it can play out like Man City in possession, but not without possession.

I honestly really dislike the TF role, they drop deep all the time regardless of having supporting or attacking mentality, and I need them to lead the line and be in position to receive the long ball.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Summer transfers - 25/26: Loads went out (not in the screenshot) , loads went in. We now have a few options for long throwers, so hopefully we get some long throw goals this season. Big center back Goode and no nonsense fullback McIntyre both have the ability to get the ball into the box by hoofing it with their hands. Jason Molumby is our biggest improvement in terms of quality and will fill the role of the brute in midfield. He dives into tackles and winds up the opponents. Rothwell is a short sighted signing, he still has a lot of pace and can be used to turn a match out on the wing. The rest is a mix of bench players and youngsters. McNeilly will probably get his fair share of game time in order to develop. Warburton was a steal for 300K: Transfers out, not much to say here except Lavery had to go after demanding to double his wages. Loved his mental attributes, but 8 goals in 36 games just doesn't justify the wage demand. He will earn his trade at Blackburn for now. Starts of the season: I decided to get a few games in to see how the team shaped up. First game of the season was big one away against Swansea, and McNeilly decided it with a memorable goal as he heads it into goal from outside the box.

Volante on attack, because..... They act like box2box players when attacking, and cover the DM spot when defending. Mixed with wingbacks staying narrow.

Can't say I agree with that. FM is a casual game for most, tactics that do well in testers are suited for plug n play, and most FM players just want tactics that work well consistently. So it has it's purpose.

Ran it trough a tactic tester out of curiosity, it did ok. Nothing more nothing less. I just copied the roles and instructions he posted + added set piece routines. I assume changes are done during matches and small changes home/away etc so prob not meant to be plug n play anyway.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Hoofball was on fine display in the South Wales derby, as seen in the video. Tiki taka fan boys will never witness such simple yet beautiful football, with the ball bouncing all over and creating chaos. Jan Transfers: McBurnie was out of favour at Sheff Utd who looked destined for promotion. Mijnans is a decent set piece taker who can play as a wide midfielder on both flanks, Kerk is being overplayed so we needed a second option. Performance: Despite getting very good results in the second half of the season, it wasn't good enough to reach the play offs. We improved our total points tally by 2, from 79 points to 81. Our finest game was probably in the narrow win against a much stronger Wolves away, we played in a low block the entire game and won it on a set piece with Kolinger forcing in a header. I'm confident we can do better next season as we started this season with a long series of draws, gonna need to turn some of them into wins! The teams getting relegated from the PL are Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Blackburn, which is much easier opponents than the likes of Wolves. Trimming the squad: With several players out of contracts this summer there will be lots of new faces when the season starts. We now have a small core of players who get along well, and it's important to find players who fit into the group. The following players will all run out their contracts: We are then left with a senior squad where everyone is included in the core social group: In other news, the board has decided to drop their desires for the club to play attacking football! This is a big step towards the club becoming known for their football, especially the day we leave Cardiff.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Evaluating our squad In addition to having a set formation that we will start every match, we need to look for certain profiles in each position: GK: Good shot stopper, high aerial reach (think Asmir Begovic) Current GK: Lee Nicholls - 196cm and a commanding GK. CB: Defenders with the physique and intelligence to keep attackers away. Passing and technique is not important, but the tries long passes trait is a bonus. Current CB pairing: Kolinger and McGuinness - One is a brute the other more well rounded but also tall. Fullbacks: Our fullbacks should fit the profile of a wide center back. Enough pace to cover the flank, but also enough strength and intelligence to defend more narrow. Big plus if he can cross from deep or throw it long. Current fullbacks: Joel Bagan and Perry Ng - Hardworking and balanced fullbacks. Decent, but need a proper no nonsense fullback and still no long thrower CM: One intelligent midfielder with a bit of passing range, the other should be a aggressive pit bull that flies into tackles. Big bonus with trait should as: Argues with ref, gets crowd going. or Winds up opponents. Currents CMs - Blanco who came from Real Madrid is brilliant, very intelligent with his positioning and good passer. We have several workhorses that chase the ball, but they are a bit lacking one way or another. Wide players: One classical winger who runs down the wing and crosses, the other a wide midfielder type who cross from deep and work hard at both ends (bonus if he can do set pieces). Current wide players: Kerks and Lokesa - Kerks lack a bit of stamina and work rate, otherwise perfect with deep crosses and excellent set pieces. Lokesa has a bit of growing to do but fits the profile of an old school winger. Strikers: Minimum one big man up top, preferably two with one being strong and fast. Optional, a pressing forward type who never stops running. Current strikers: Chory and Lavery - Chory has the perfect physique but is not a real team player (lacking team work and determination). Lavery has 19 work rate, high bravery, team work, aggression etc so very well suited. Wish list: - A proper shithouser like Ashley Barnes or Materazzi. - A long thrower and no nonsense CB - More depth in certain positions Performance: We are the king of draws..... Cardiff Stadium is a fortress and we are undefeated at home so far this season. With so may strong clubs down in the championship I think it's very unlikely that we will be in a position to promote at the end of the season, but we are not far behind play off atm. Wolves, Crystal Palace, Sheff Utd, , Watford, and Leeds (13th place) are all in the championship. In terms of stats, we are bottom at possession and passes completed, not very surprising. According to the comparison page, we are top of the league in terms of average strength, jumping reach, bravery, aggression, team work and work rate. The Tale of Perfect hoofball goal:

Think I read that one, was posted on reddit also. Had Ashley Barnes and Jamie Vardy up top, both 35+ at the time, brilliant.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! One team, one formation - Committing to the 4-4-2 So far the team has experimented with different formations to make hoofball work. I feel like this goes against our mission, so to bolster our reputation as a industrial and traditional club, we are from now on only playing 442. Summer transfers 24/25 Transfer statement: "We are delighted to announce that Cardiff Football Club has made significant additions to our roster in the latest transfer window. Aaron Ramsey, a youth product of our club, has returned on a free transfer to provide invaluable experience and skill to our midfield. Alongside him, we have signed promising young talents Sam Curtis and Chris Lokesa, who will add depth and energy to our squad. In defense, we have acquired the services of Willy Boly on a free transfer, a proven performer at the highest level whose leadership and toughness will be invaluable to us. Additionally, we have signed Eugene Cheberko from Ukraine, a versatile defender who brings both physicality and technical ability to our backline. We are also excited to welcome Sammie Szmodics on loan from Blackburn, a hardworking attacking midfielder who will add creativity and tenacity to our team. With these new additions, we believe we have strengthened our squad significantly and are well-equipped to compete at the highest level. We cannot wait to see these players in action and look forward to an exciting season ahead." Lokesa has established himself as a standout player in Belgium. He possesses explosive pace, excellent technical skills, combined with a good work rate. Curtis is a well young, rounded fullback who impressed in Ireland with 7.28 average rating last season.

Seems like a good formation to use a IWB. Since you want to use the WP role, maybe make the opposite wide player into a defensive winger with a IWB behind him. This could also allow you to have both AMs on attack duty. Just from personal testing I find AM (A) with move into channels to be more effective than the SS role.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! By mid season we were in sixth place and in fairly good form. A good performance for team of ball kickers and work horses. We continue into the second half of the season with horrible morale as several players are unhappy for one reason or another. It doesn't seem to have a big effect on our results as we continue to gather points. Our big Czech striker, Tomas Chory, has found goals hard to come by lately. We would have been in big trouble had it not been for young Kion Etete banging in goals, together with Kolinger from set pieces. I continue to feel that we are being a bit lucky considering how often we are saved by a set piece goal, which isn't sustainable in my mind. Results: We missed out on the play offs and Pulis tells the team that we will aim for upper mid table next season, everyone nods their heads and agrees to this. The board and supporters both agree that our playstyle is satisfactory, despite the fact that the board wants attacking football and the supporters want counter attacking football. Despite or moderate success on the pitch I don't feel like we have made as much progress as I'd like towards building the club. Lots of players are unhappy and on short terms contracts, Ideally we want a loyal group of players who know what we are about and understand their role in the team. I think at some point a massive clear-out is needed, long time servant Joe Ralls is one of the first to go as he is running out his contract this summer. Tomas Chory wants double his wages despite barely scoring a single goal in the second half of the season, Etete thinks he is a big shot after a handful of good efforts. All this while we are in the red wage wise.

If anyone was wondering, this is how I imagine that a Pulis training schedule would look like in FM: From what I've heard it was a lot of focus on defending, physicality and set pieces. We attack direct and from crosses, so attacking direct and attacking wings is self explanatory.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! After an initial superb start the results have started becoming more mixed with our strikers struggling to make anything of the long balls we are supplying. We are however staying strong in our faith and trying out different formations to maximize our hoofball. Our new signings have been immense, although Kolingers total lack of pace have been a problem, even with lower defensive lines. By January our squad has started a mutiny with team leader Ralls being the loud voice of every single player demanding a new contract for mediocre performances. It's clear I need to strike down with force and replace every single player not willing to play and behave as a team. Winter transfers I had my eyes on a few out of contract players that was getting increasingly desperate as the season went on, but most importantly I needed players who was willing to go above and beyond out on the pitch by working for the team non stop. Technical ability is secondary, it's all about having the right mentality. Determined, hard working, aggressive and brave players are wanted. We made an exception when bringing in creative wide player Sebastian Kerk, who is excellent at set pieces with 16-17 corners and free kicks. Players that caused trouble are mostly gone, except Ralls because selling him would cause an uproar We now have the highest average jumping reach and strength in the league and we are well above average in work rate, team work, bravery, determination and aggression. I'm expecting us to fall out of the play off zone by the end of the season, I'm even kinda hoping we do so that the board and fans don't start setting unrealistic expectations. The fans are very happy with us making the most of set pieces and using counter attacks, the board is more neutral towards us. This is what we look like in the opponents half. Our two strikers and defensive wingers ready to run into the box for the cross, with CM (A) outside the box to recycle possession or take a long shot. When deeper we have our two strikers on attack duty and the CM (A) running into space, or challenging for a header and the second ball. Our wingers aren't world class when it comes to pace, but they can get past a man and put in a cross. Same setup as usual with two strikers waiting in the center, CM ready for the return and winger on the back post. So far we only had one goal from a long throw. FM is kinda buggy and the players swap places all the time so it's been rather difficult to get going with it. I also don't have anyone with the long flat throw specialty.

The club continues to strengthen our DNA both on and of the pitch, and we now have a very suited DoF:

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Transfer window is over and new players have come in to strengthen our way of playing ball. The current squad looks like this: Our key signings are just monsters that you'd never like to meet in a dark alley, Denis Kolinger and Tomas Chory: A couple of reject youngsters from Arsenal and Man Utd was signed to give some depth, who knows they might also grow into decent players. Okonkwo is already being used as a starter because he has a giant reach and has the key attributes we are looking for. Sosa is the type of fullback that can also play CB + he has a good long throw, perfect for a Pulis team. A couple of staff members got the sack because they lacked determination and discipline, and replaced by more suited staff: I tried to get Roy Keane in as assistant manager, but he expected us to match his pundit wage so that was a big fat no. This is our current tactic, with a backup tactic that I turn on if we are desperate for a goal: I played a few matches and the results so far are promising, we are not looking likely to fight relegation if this form continues. As expected we are very reliant on getting a good cross, a long ball into space, or a corner to score so we have to keep clean sheets to win. The fans have already started supporting our new brand of football, in stark contrast to the board who wants us to play attacking football. League Table:

Agreed, there are few things in FM that brings me more joy than a long throw followed by a scrappy goal from chaos in the box. Haven't used it much in this FM but I hope it still gets a few goals per season.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! After finishing the last run of games for the season we end up at 15th place, climbing from 21th when we took charge. The results are flattering and several team would have gotten a win or tie on a different day. We have decided on a 442 shape with 2xDMs, with the GK, defenders and DMs using more direct passing + early crosses to get the ball forward. The media has described it as parking the buss, fair enough. Our current squad: Certain players just don't fit our style and will have to move on if we can find a buyer. Jack Simpson is smart and fast but we want tanks in central defence. Romain Sawyers and Sheyi Ojo are technical players but lack the stamina and work rate that we need, Injury plagued Connor Wickham got a new contract and will be our big man up top together with Kion Etete promoted from our U21 team. With a bunch of new players needed and a few key players demanding a new (and improved) contract, there won't be much to go on with this budget. We obviously want leaders to stay and be happy for the time being, as there are very few of those in the team as is. We will also be hoping to get 1-2 new coaches in. One of our fitness coaches has a whooping 1 in Level of discipline! So he needs to find a new job ASAP. Recruitment plans: 3 CBs, focus on strength, bravery and jumping reach A striker who can be our main goalscorer. A set piece specialist (optional) A long thrower (optional) A proper giant GK with high aerial reach (optional) New staff with focus on discipline and determination