Season slipping away, help!

[bcfcbrad96]

I haven't decided whether this is a plea for help or a complaint about the bazar and unrealistic form FM can put you though, so be prepared for a bit of both.
So, i consider myself fairly experienced on FM (On 09 i won the 2038 world cup), and I was enjoying a sucsessful career on 2012 when i decided i would start a new career, back where i always start, with my beloved Bristol City. Unlike in previous seasons, the new update means i had some transfer budget, presumably after the real life sale on Nicky Maynard. I aquired some decent players across the park, and we had a very good first half of the season. 30 games in we were top of the league, and had held the spot for the best part of the season, dropping to second every now and then.
At the end of January we had a 4th round FA cup tie away at League One Tranmere, and i fielded a weaker side to rest some key players, although i would still expect that team to have got the job done. They didn't, we lost 1-0, and little did i know it was the beggining of a loosing streak that now stretches 9 matches. Missing out on 24 points means we have dropped from first to eighth, and now face an up hill struggle to reach the play-offs. I've tried everything... team meetings, some harsh teamtalks, a run of encouraging team talks, changing the team, the formation, and keeping those things the same for a little while. We now have the worst form in the league, which FM punishes us for, even though when we were just 3 matches into our poor run, FM was happy for Ipswich, on a 6 match loosing streak, to come and beat us 3-1. Players are inspired by my team talks, only to give the same poor performance in the second half/ next game. We don't take our chances, and in most games we have more shots on target than the opposition. The other team could only touch the ball once all game, but that touch is sure to be a thirty yard screamer. I'm just about to play a crucial game, but we're doomed befor we kick off. HELP!!!

 

[InValide jr]

i feel like your team meeting and harsh teamtalks have done more harm than helped, but i think the problem is your tactics after christmas i almost allways change tactic so the other teams cannot adapt to my style of play.

 

[TakedaLegout]

If you see my comments in other threads I call this the "FM patented losing streak death spiral". When the game decides it is time for you to lose, there is NOTHING, no matter what anyone on these forums tell you, that will stop the death spiral. I believe the coders of the game built this in to get your team's star ranking in the proper place in the standings. I had an incredible team this season, more talent than ever, but the AI was not happy with me vying for 1st place with the 12th highest payroll so it injured all of my stars, sent me on a death spiral, and then had my remaining stars demand to be traded. Now, after falling to 12th, they are letting me win again even though my team is much weaker. I believe that after the AI 'corrects' you, that it goes back to just letting things happen naturally, hence the winning again. Could be wrong but I have watched closely and the major clubs, the big spenders, almost never go on death spirals.

 

[DanPenk]

If you see my comments in other threads I call this the "FM patented losing streak death spiral". When the game decides it is time for you to lose, there is NOTHING, no matter what anyone on these forums tell you, that will stop the death spiral. I believe the coders of the game built this in to get your team's star ranking in the proper place in the standings. I had an incredible team this season, more talent than ever, but the AI was not happy with me vying for 1st place with the 12th highest payroll so it injured all of my stars, sent me on a death spiral, and then had my remaining stars demand to be traded. Now, after falling to 12th, they are letting me win again even though my team is much weaker. I believe that after the AI 'corrects' you, that it goes back to just letting things happen naturally, hence the winning again. Could be wrong but I have watched closely and the major clubs, the big spenders, almost never go on death spirals.

Ive noticed the same. When I was Wolves, the team played great with youngsters like Lucas Digne, Carlos Fierro and Connor Wickham leading the way. We were 4th by the end of Christmas and then the team just started getting owned every game by teams like Peterborough etc. The game is very cruel. I think that maybe it can dictate the 'Death Spirals' by changing the Season expectations? My expectations were mid table finish so yeah makes sense that it may try and death spiral you out of a higher position occasionally.

 

[Napushenko]

thats paranoia at its finest. really, its easy to blame ai and not yourself. i hear this all the time when im playing pes with buddies. "you didnt win, computer wanted me to lose" type of talk

 

[Napushenko]

Ive noticed the same. When I was Wolves, the team played great with youngsters like Lucas Digne, Carlos Fierro and Connor Wickham leading the way. We were 4th by the end of Christmas and then the team just started getting owned every game by teams like Peterborough etc. The game is very cruel. I think that maybe it can dictate the 'Death Spirals' by changing the Season expectations? My expectations were mid table finish so yeah makes sense that it may try and death spiral you out of a higher position occasionally.

i call that realistic, experience in those situations probably have some role in it. i see it on a lot of fm games in ai clubs, some lower club plays well above its expectations in the first part of season but generally start to drop as better teams regain their form in second part.

 

[DanPenk]

i call that realistic, experience in those situations probably have some role in it. i see it on a lot of fm games in ai clubs, some lower club plays well above its expectations in the first part of season but generally start to drop as better teams regain their form in second part.

Makes sense. I'll see anyway starting a new game with Birmingham, will let you know

 

[Flaphead]

i'm in EXACTLY the same situation as the OP right now. Those "death spiral" talks are definetly not paranoia, I believe the same. I'm just curious to know if you kept on with your Bristol City save or you just lost hope and started a new one!?

 

[Fleckster]

thats paranoia at its finest. really, its easy to blame ai and not yourself. i hear this all the time when im playing pes with buddies. "you didnt win, computer wanted me to lose" type of talk

Regarding PES, that is clearly untrue. In FM, however, I wouldn't say it is unimaginable.

For instance, and I'm not saying that my situation is as above or whatever, but I'm with Rangers, and we have gained 3 successive promotions back to the SPL and with a wage budget of £120k, £550k less than Celtic's, we are 2 points behind them in the league as of March.

For the second year in a row due to domestic cup exploits we've found ourselves in the Europa League. Last year we made it to the Quarter Finals while in Division 1, only losing in the QF stage (lost both games I think to Liverpool). This year, we again advanced from the groups with Sevilla, who we lost and drew against. Malmo and Montpellier were the other sides. We faced Zenit in the 1st KO and won 3-0 at home and drew 1-1 away. Then we faced Valencia who had beaten Wolves 5-1 on agg and Celtic once in the UCL groups, the other game being a draw. I've just finished the 2nd leg. On aggregate, a Rangers side fresh back into the SPL, with a wage budget of £16k beat Valencia 5-1 on aggregate. 3-1 at home and 2-0 away.

Yet, the same tactic and team couldn't beat Celtic in the League Cup final...

I believe the game is scripted to an extent but I tend to put my success down to my managerial qualities and my business in the transfer market, rather than what the game wants me to achieve

As for the OP, try telling the player's the pressure is off before the game (If you play you're game, you'll win.. sort of team-talk) and praise them at half time if they are winning, tell them they were unlucky etc.

Out of interest, what was your reaction to the weakened side after the Tranmere result?

 

[Flaphead]

in fm 11 I was able to achieve two consecutive promotions from serie c1 to serie a with my lecco side winning the playoff just because the engine wanted me to!! I'm not on drugs guys, I clearly remember beating verona in the playoff semi-final just because hallfredsson decided to score a random own goal letting me advance to the final in spite of playing terribly. In the regular season verona beat me both home and away so they were clearly superior. The same thing happened to me with Leicester in fm 12 championship play-offs...I love this game and I play it since cm 00/01 but don't tell me this is paranoia! I guess something has changed in the engine since the introduction of team talks....don't you also feel that sometimes team talks determine the result whatever the tactic you use?