Bolton - I suck at HOME

[atomkins04]

I am managing Bolton 3 rd season, patch 11.3. As I am a Wenger fan I do not like to spend money and so depend on cheap players and developing young players...

I do very well playing away. I am in Feb now and I have just lost one away match. At home, I suck. Draw after draw and a few defeats.

My pitch size is normal - 102 X 65.
Formation- 4-5-1, balanced philosophy, attack mentality, short passing, zonal marking, everything else default. For CB - man marking + no tight marking. For FB - zonal + tight marking. For AML, AMR- mark opponent full back.
Defensive line - 2 clicks into normal plus off side trap. I seem to concede goals from deep crosses from opposition full backs when I tick off side trap. Should I not play an offisde trap ?

Players and duties:

GK- defend - M.Amelia ( free), A.Smithies ( 850k)

RB- full back support - A.Hutton ( 1m ), G.Donati (500k ), M.Mancinenne ( 1m )
LB - full back support - Marcos Alonso, Stephen Salger ( 750k), Lee Wallace ( 3m )

CB - limited defender defend- G.Cahill, Andrea Esposito ( 3m ), J.Tomkins ( 6m + clauses )

DM - def mid defend / support - A. Fontas ( 350k), Nickoloas Nkolou ( free ), Oriol Romeu ( 500k )

CM attack - Thiago Alcantra ( free ), Tom Cairney ( 2.5 m) , Ilkay Gundongan ( free )

CM - deep lying playmaker support - Alexandre Coeff ( 500k ), Jamie O'Hara ( 650k ), Oriol Romeu. Against big teams I use Andreu Fontas here to provide some bite in midfield.

AML - inside forward attack - Diego Biseswar ( free ), Jiloan Hamad ( 850 k )
- winger attack - Pablo Sarabia ( on loan ), Martin Petrov ( permanently injured and too old )

AMR - advanced playmaker attack - Chung Yung Lee, Snodgrass ( 450k )
- inside forward attack - Alberto Bueno ( 650k )

STC - complete forward support - Cristhian Stuani (free), Liviu Ganea ( 2m ) and developing regens.
- occasionally trequartista - Alberto Bueno.

On loan at Red Star Belgrade - Pichu Atienza CB ( 650k )

My team is very solid in defense. Even if they concede, it is mostly through second balls in set pieces. And I am working on that.

My team seems to be unable to handle things when the opposition throws everything at me. Even though my AML and AMR track back, good opposition full backs ( eb. Kyle Walker RB of Sunderland always finds Elijero Elia ML of Sunderland to score a tap in with a deep cross ) always screw me.

I used to play Andreu Fontas as a ball playing CB, but his height of 186 cm made us very vulnerable from corners. So I shifted him to DM.


Bolton 1st season - League cup winners, qualified for Europa League, 7th in EPL
Boton 2nd season - FA cup runner up ( lost to Money Bags City ), 6th in EPL, qualified for Europa league and lost in quarter finals of Europa League against CSKA moscow on away goals.
Bolton 3 rd season - currently 6th. 3 points away from 3rd place with a match in hand.

The amount of clear cut chances missed by Chung Yung Lee and Biseswar are simply too much. But C Y Lee is my leading goal scorer and assist provider, closely followed by Stuani, thiago and Cairney.

I use a regular rotation policy so that everyone is happy. Morale is sky rocketing. I praise everyone through private chats, so I am listed in favoured personnel of all players except Oriol Romeu.

To bolster the AML role, I have already made a bid for Federico Carraro from Fiorentina who will arrive next season from 1 m.
O'Hara plays like an average player in deep lying playmaker role. So I am about to make a bid for Andrea Bertolacci of Roma for 1m pounds.

Please answer the following questions:

1. Do I need to change my pitch size ?
2. I have a decent transfer kitty. I have 15 million pounds to splash out. Who should I buy ? ( I am in Feb right now. So can only buy players in the next window. So hopefully my board will give me more transfer money )
3. Any tactical tweaks or change in player roles to improve my goal scoring and increase clear cut chances ?
4. Computer keeps injuring all my left footed players... Is that a bug or is it just plain bad luck ?

 

[ccc4hris]

1. if U like to use your wingers alot and play trough ball to your strikers then have maximum sized pitch.

2. Try signing a fast striker( 16+ pace) who has proven goalscoring and set him as poacher and set him target man with supply run onto balls. always gets me goals.

3. not sure why he's missing clear cut chances as he has good composure and what I said in number 2 to get goals. Not sure about tactics as my own tactic is a basic one as i seem to be more of a harry redknapp and look to use my budget to break into to champions league with my squad.

4. Do you have them all on same schedule if so put down workload and strength if not it's probably computer, it always seems when your doing well they keep making a certain position lose players.

 

[Robert Clough]

im playing as bolton currently i use Bueno as a poacher got over 25 league goals in a season, although bolton seem very shaky at home never consistant.