SimonHoddle

I played the P&P direct counter attack with 5221 (2 wingers, 2 WBs) and they played 442. Bang average is a slight exaggeration but 3 high quality CBs playing deep shouldn’t concede 4 goals to a CF in one half of football. there does seem to be a disposition in the game where a player scores early and confidence levels rise beyond recognition. It’s anecdotal yes but I’ve heard it mentioned by other posters. in all honesty I didn’t change my tactics no. I just replayed the game with the sane tactics and won 3-1 haha. I like losing but not if it’s absurd. and I didn’t MM because a lot of tacticians on this board say it screws up defensive positioning and considering I was playing deep and rigid it seemed wrong to get my team pulled out of positions. IMO……the always MM PI is very dated, contrary and vague. What does always MM really mean. Because it obviously doesn’t mean always MM.

I don’t think the stats will show it. The original post here referenced the poor passing. I can only give anecdotal evidence. Can’t put recordings cos too large a memory size. But you could have 99% pass succes rate and still make a dozy pass as a defender (or other silly mistake). I’m certainly not alone in posting this feedback and it comes up routinely on the main forum. out of curiosity. Which platform do you play on?

I said thank you multiple times when people help 😂. I thanked you on that thread. Idk how to upload a save and I didn’t want to bother you further. easy now lads. Closing ranks and all coming at me isn’t a good look.

It feels like every reply a moderator puts out there these days is either sarcastic or dismissive. You clearly haven’t read all my threads as there are several about bugs which SI directly acknowledge are unfixed for 2023. Also several where I ask for tactical direction from the community. But who cares about the truth when you can make a cheap dig. I am direct and challenging about this game - it needs to be rigorously reviewed. I also often acknowledge I’m wrong btw. Because no I don’t have the time to dive through tactics forums and watch videos. I would assume in a game like Touch or Console (understanding the gamer probably has less time to invest) the P&P tactics should be robust. Incidentally I get alot of support from the community. A little more empathy from you guys would go a long way.

I assume you’re taking exception to the word disproportionately. Because scoring and missing does impact confidence (as it should). I use the word disproportionate because a journeyman has just scored 4 goals in one half in Europe against a top defence and I’ve seen other examples where players score early and then go on an OTT hot streak in the match.

4 goals for a distinctly average player in one half against a strong defence isn’t realistic. There can be a massive OP of a player scoring early. Too many examples of that. If my mistake was to defend deep and counter in an away leg when I’m a goal up….when does one ever defend deep? I don’t mind losing but there has to be logic. Defending in this game (and I’m not a lonely voice here) is still way too vulnerable. Particularly the plug and play tactics for light users like myself. I also have several examples of DLs which are in exactly the same high position whether you play catenaccio or gegenpress.

I think it’s generally acknowledged that in FM an early goal (or miss) can disproportionately impact a players confidence. I have plenty of other examples of average players scoring early and then blitzing goals way beyond their abilities. I don’t think it’s realistic. be better haha. Good advice. The opposition were only one goal down and playing at home. I don’t think that meant they were going to come at my team like a bullet train from minute 1. Nor would they in real life btw. I stupidly selected a plug and play deep lying formation which, as most people know in FM, means my team gets constant passes over a static high line (despite low block set up) so I was asking for trouble. Should have just kept the sane 4231 control possession high line cos that means you concede fewer chances. i don’t get your last line at all. We were 4-0 down at h/t. We were never having an easy time of it.

I sympathise. SI clearly gone down a route to placate lower league fans and stop all teams passing accurately, unfortunately that means world class defenders frequently make idiotic mistakes in this version. It’s silly, inaccurate and not much to do with top level real life football. The current ME has its fans so it’s not easy to win the argument. we either have to stop playing or come to terms with the silliness. Think I’m going to stop playing tbh

Hugely frustrating when an average opposition player gets an early goal and then gets some ridiculous super charge to confidence like a power up from a super Mario game!! Not quite real life SI! But anyway…any ideas of how to stop the FM 23 super charged opponents ??

Appreciate the reply @Kyle Brown. It’s a shame as that was working before the update. whilst I have your attention would be great to get your thoughts on these i) does the ME have identical graphics and engine to console? ii) are you 100% sure data hub stats, next opponent stats and match stats are 100% accurate?

Hmmmmmm. I welcome your reply, both the sarcasm and the genuine parts :-) I pay £180 because I have Touch on Apple Arcade for £5 pm and Console on Game Pass for £10 pm. I don’t play any other games. I might actually be able to buy Console outright so could probably save money there. Either way it’s a premium price for a game. what you’re talking about with the grand title piece god only knows. V funny though. To clarify my post - which has received multiple likes so I assume is quite comprehensible…... what I want is pro-active communication from SI. I would like them to simply list out known bugs. And clear explanations of what is missing/ been changed in each version and update. If you truly think compiling a list of bugs and changes would eat up so much time that game development would be affected….then I can only believe there are millions of bugs or SI staff type very slowly. I would like a better YouTube communication strategy which doesn’t focus on fluff but goes into detail once or twice a year! Not exactly draining. FM has record players, therefore record profits I assume. Or at least revenues. Maybe employ one person who can take up more of a communication role. And I don’t give a damn what job title you give them but I do give a damn that SI would be proactively positively comprehensively communicating with its customers. love the moderators here btw. You do such a tough job for no money. Proper dedication

There has never been individual criticism from me and the likes of yourself are easy to engage with, which is very much appreciated. It’s the communication from the company that can frustrate. there are several instances when the gamer doesn’t know if they’re experiencing a bug or if it’s part of the game. Eg I play Touch and the scouting for opposition has deteriorated significantly since the update. Idk if that’s a bug or intentional. I have asked and haven’t had an answer. ultimately I pay £180 to access Touch and Console. Without getting into a debate about graphics, ME and bugs - there is significant scope for SI to be much clearer about several things. I think we would appreciate i) from SI a published list of known bugs and things that weren’t fixed post update. ii) much clearer communication on gameplay and ME. not some PR exercise YouTube video. I mean a grown up workshop or other interaction which discusses the idiosyncrasies of the latest version. FM isn’t real life football and I don’t think the gamers time is well spent guessing new dynamics every year. Someone from SI explaining that defensive football is particularly complex in the game and where DLs match up in ME versus tactical instructions for example iii) more interaction between gamer and company, and maybe a little acknowledgement of past missteps. My angst towards your brilliant company first really started from 17 to 18 when the match graphics were frankly ruined without any explanation and PR pieces about improvements when actually it went into full reverse. SI produce one of the greatest games IMO. your personal communication is really appreciated. Like I say, I spend £180 so I’m giving you guys good money. For that, frankly, we do expect a little more than we’ve seen this year.

It’s at a level we feel is realistic is not exactly a ringing endorsement 😂 . It’s good of you to communicate. whilst we have your ear, because Desmond hasn’t replied, have the Touch scouting issues been fixed?

Sorry to hear it’s impacting your health. FM should be a pleasant diversion, not the be all and end all. I think taking the advice of other posters above is very sensible. It is, after all, only a game. I agree that this is the silliest FM and their lack of communication as a company is woeful and probably shows that it’s not a happy camp tbh. offsides can’t be wrong as it’s a computer game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wrong offside in FM.

I think you’re right with injuries. But fatigue is a joke. CBs don’t get fatigued after 60 mins of controlled possession IRL. It’s like SI were desperate to do something different and found the fatigue piece easier to change. But it’s totally unrealistic. I think @mstev181 has called the absurdity of this version perfectly. I really don’t mind losing if I understand why. I even don’t mind losing when I’ve had 30 shots v 2. But the endless repetition of world class defenders making absurd mistakes is a bore. The developers have created a lower league chaos and rammed it into elite matches. Skill levels down, absurdities up, realism compromised. for some unknown reason I pay £60 for touch and £120 for Console. I think it’s like a fidget stick, keeps me occupied. I’m barely enjoying either version. For that money we should expect world class graphics, gameplay and developer communication. We get none of this. Graphics are worse than 8 years ago 😂 😂 😂, ME just odd and, as a company (individuals do try and talk) SI are arrogant, hubristic and out of touch. They need a bloody good hiding from an opponent but there isn’t anyone out there.

I’m beginning to realise this is the comedy edition of FM. joke keepers, clown defenders ignoring the ball, funny stats, ridiculous goals, nursery match graphics etc etc. they should have put Crusty on the cover to let us know. case in point. Just played Aston Villa who had lumbering CB Jan Vestegaard as CF. he managed a 100% passing success rate in 19 passes. As did his strike partner Leon Bailey with 27 passes all successful. Like I say….absolute comedy. Well done SI. it’s just that no one is laughing.

What a perfect description. You can’t critique what they don’t tell you! the only way FM will get competition that it needs is through a power player like EA or if there is a split in the camp like there was with championship manager. There might be a bit of tension internally at SI so that’s not impossible. I’m sure a lot of people at SI dislike their cold communication with the customer and the way the game is developing. feel for us Touch players. Since the update you can’t scout opposition properly so they made the game worse 😂. And all you get is the ostrich sand impression when you ask.

Hi Desmond has scouting been fixed in the update. TY

Can’t wait to see how many different answers you get! Which is where a lot of SIs problems lie. I loved 17 but maybe it was the graphics that seduced me. But I remember feeling everything is tactically realistic and changes had impacts. And i liked 22. Football is made up of teams supporting individual brilliance - think Argentina and Messi last WC. SI seem to routinely suppress individual brilliance in the ME but I don’t think it was so bad in 22 or 17

Agree with everything you say!

Everything is our own opinion. Some people. Many people love the game and the ME. They aren’t the ones joining forums to moan cos they’re happy ha. So we may well be in the minority. But I want to raise my voice on this because it’s not a cheap game anymore. SI rely on amazing YouTubers and forum moderators here to dispense wisdom and advice. It’s about time they served up their advice and guidance about their own game

You see that’s a major concern for me - creative long passes being made by all. It suggests the ME is less sophisticated than we hope it to be and doesn’t really account for the individual brilliance that lights games up. And it reminds me of very poor recent versions that you couldn’t distinguish individual brilliance from basic plodders. and where has the dribbling gone? It’s crazy. It existed before the update. Why would you take that away?? What’s the point of the vision attribute if it’s everywhere and why did the update make the situation worse? and. Ultimately this is my real bugbear. Why don’t SI communicate with their customers? Why don’t they tell us exactly what they’ve done with the ME to manage expectations? people like Desmond Richardson and Neil Brock always reply when tagged, which is v generous of them. But I don’t want to keep nagging at individuals. I want the company to front up. Give us a workshop. Or a video which isn’t full of fluff about renaming defend wide to trap outside! Trapping is one of the most sophisticated tactical innovations of modern football and SI thought they could replicate it by replacing one word with another. this is now priced at the very top end of the market. The game, the ME, the graphics and the customer interaction from the company do not match the price right now.

Agree with everything you’re saying except the positive about the ME 😂. It is nice that it has its fans. Makes me think it’s not a complete wash-out. But I’m playing on Touch iPhone which apparently has identical ME and graphics so hopefully I can start liking it as much as you.

Scouting is really broken. Next opponent doesn’t have proper readings and you can’t scout matches. It’s a known bug, do you know if this will be fixed?