Straight to the point: Since 2005:

[jjtile]

Straight to the point: Since 2005:


- I've bought almost every edition of Football Manager
- I've managed Sunderland every time
- I've been sacked in the first season 80% of the time
- I've never made it through the second season without being fired.


Having just bought Football Manager 2014, I'm 18th in the Premier League after 11 games with the sacking inevitably coming.


Even given that Sunderland haven't always been the best club on Football Manager, clearly this isn't a case of "tweak your tactics", "sign player x" or "here's a interesting guide that talks about y". I'm clearly approaching this game completely wrong.


Where do I go from here? What's your top-level strategy (as opposed to a list of 'tips')?

 

[Deano565]

Need more info:

What tactic(s) do you use? How many new signings do you usually make? Are the signings ready for the first team or just talented youngsters?

 

[jjtile]

Need more info:

What tactic(s) do you use? How many new signings do you usually make? Are the signings ready for the first team or just talented youngsters?

"What tactic(s) do you use?"
Used various formations over the years. 442, 433 mainly.
Over the last few years people have recommended multiple tactics so current has 451 Control and 451 Counter. Both the same except for the Control / Counter mentality. Use control against teams same/worse than me and counter against better teams.

"How many new signings do you usually make?"
Usually only one or two in the first season. Usually both are straight into the first team, replacing the worst players I've already got

 

[Deano565]

"What tactic(s) do you use?"
Used various formations over the years. 442, 433 mainly.
Over the last few years people have recommended multiple tactics so current has 451 Control and 451 Counter. Both the same except for the Control / Counter mentality. Use control against teams same/worse than me and counter against better teams.

"How many new signings do you usually make?"
Usually only one or two in the first season. Usually both are straight into the first team, replacing the worst players I've already got

Rather than continually switching between Control and Counter according to the opposition, why not stick with Balanced for every game - maybe that will give your team some more tactical consistency?

When managing a weaker side (no offence to Sunderland ) I always prioritise getting an excellent set piece taker in. Set pieces are separate from the rest of the tactics, I've never really modified my set piece instructions and have done fine - it's effectively a source of free goals. I got Thomas Drage for Blackpool in FM13 (15 free kicks and 15 corners), and at that level he provided countless goals and assists from set plays. Sunderland already have Seb Larsson, and although he probably wouldn't make it into your first XI for all round play, I'd play him/a replacement every game just for his set piece stats - with Diakite, O'Shea, Cuellar and Fletcher you've got some good targets to aim for.

Looking at the "Team Comparison" tab - Sunderland really lack two things:

- Creativity: Could be solved by signing someone like Keisuke Honda
- Speed: Especially in defence: Colback has 13 Pace and Acc but other than that they are all painfully slow. Play a deep defensive line and reinforce the space with a Cattermole/Cabral in the Anchorman/BWM role.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck

 

[jjtile]

Rather than continually switching between Control and Counter according to the opposition, why not stick with Balanced for every game - maybe that will give your team some more tactical consistency?

Bit confused by what you're talking about here. "Control" and "Counter" are settings for Mentality, whereas "Balanced" is a setting for "Playing Style". Could you clarify what you mean?

Do you mean "Standard? (the "middle" Mentality setting) and, if so, this seems to fly in the face of a lot of advice on the forums around varying tactics across opponents/the season. Is this advice wrong?

When managing a weaker side (no offence to Sunderland ) I always prioritise getting an excellent set piece taker in. Set pieces are separate from the rest of the tactics, I've never really modified my set piece instructions and have done fine - it's effectively a source of free goals. I got Thomas Drage for Blackpool in FM13 (15 free kicks and 15 corners), and at that level he provided countless goals and assists from set plays. Sunderland already have Seb Larsson, and although he probably wouldn't make it into your first XI for all round play, I'd play him/a replacement every game just for his set piece stats - with Diakite, O'Shea, Cuellar and Fletcher you've got some good targets to aim for.

Thanks, this is a really useful piece of advise - that set piece specialists are worth playing even above and beyond their stats. Never really thought of this.

Looking at the "Team Comparison" tab - Sunderland really lack two things:

- Creativity: Could be solved by signing someone like Keisuke Honda
- Speed: Especially in defence: Colback has 13 Pace and Acc but other than that they are all painfully slow. Play a deep defensive line and reinforce the space with a Cattermole/Cabral in the Anchorman/BWM role.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck

Where's the "Team Comparison" tab? I thought that just compared height/age etc.? Or am I thining of something else?

What things do you look for in the comparison?

Is "Slow Team" = "Deep defense" always a good rule of thumb?

 

[fatun]

hi, i am reader of this forum, but not writer... but this time i cannot go to sleep without saying my opinion..
at this moment of this BETA time.. this game is total s.h.i.t.

managed SPURS for two time and both time been sacked after 10 games, 'cause i was in 20th position, never wining despite any oponent team.
right now i am maneging Anderlecth, try to guess which position am I ? right, the last. lol. tried to chage taktics, to download it, no one helped. i dont want to take BARCELOnA and win every game, but don't want to take spurs and be the last one.
good that we shared and bought this game with two mates, because this like flashing money to toilet.

 

[Deano565]

Sorry I meant use "Standard" for mentality. It makes sense that keeping it consistent would be beneficial - it certainly hasn't done me any harm. Maybe its better to change from game to game but if things are going as badly as you say, then its got to be worth a try!!

If you go to the squad screen and click "Report" in the top right corner, then "Comparison". That brings up "General", "All Positions", "Goalkeepers", "Defenders", "Midfielders" and "Attackers" tabs where you can compare your attributes to the rest of the teams in the league.

Certainly if your defenders are slow I would advise playing a deep defence as it deprives strikers space if they break through. A deep defence makes it more difficult for them to play off the shoulder of the last man, and gives your goalkeeper a better chance of rushing out to collect through-balls. The down-side is it can create a large gap where attacking midfielders can exploit space between your midfield and defensive lines. For that reason I'd recommend using an Anchorman like Cattermole.

 

[jjtile]

Sorry I meant use "Standard" for mentality. It makes sense that keeping it consistent would be beneficial - it certainly hasn't done me any harm. Maybe its better to change from game to game but if things are going as badly as you say, then its got to be worth a try!!

If you go to the squad screen and click "Report" in the top right corner, then "Comparison". That brings up "General", "All Positions", "Goalkeepers", "Defenders", "Midfielders" and "Attackers" tabs where you can compare your attributes to the rest of the teams in the league.

Certainly if your defenders are slow I would advise playing a deep defence as it deprives strikers space if they break through. A deep defence makes it more difficult for them to play off the shoulder of the last man, and gives your goalkeeper a better chance of rushing out to collect through-balls. The down-side is it can create a large gap where attacking midfielders can exploit space between your midfield and defensive lines. For that reason I'd recommend using an Anchorman like Cattermole.

Thanks mate. This makes sense.

It's this kind of advise - i.e. advise with logical explanations from first principles - that I think are sometime lacking on FM forums

 

[Sketchkov]

hi, i am reader of this forum, but not writer... but this time i cannot go to sleep without saying my opinion..
at this moment of this BETA time.. this game is total s.h.i.t.

managed SPURS for two time and both time been sacked after 10 games, 'cause i was in 20th position, never wining despite any oponent team.
right now i am maneging Anderlecth, try to guess which position am I ? right, the last. lol. tried to chage taktics, to download it, no one helped. i dont want to take BARCELOnA and win every game, but don't want to take spurs and be the last one.
good that we shared and bought this game with two mates, because this like flashing money to toilet.

Hate to say it mate, I don't think the issue is with the game, I've found myself doing reasonably well. If anything, it's easier than last year's game (which I really struggled with for the most part), but not as easy as FM12 (which I found a little too easy). Maybe post your tactics and players and we can have a look and try to help rather than just blame the game for not winning. If you've got Spurs to last place after 10 games I'd have to say you're doing something wrong.