Stuck in a non-league rut

[FrankFizzle]

Team: FC United
Wage budget: 6K
Mission: Top 10


It's pre-season & with a respectable budget for a TSN team I should be capable to attract some good / leading star players for this division & have a respectable campaign. This was actually the case until last night where a 6-1 defeat to Blyth (just been promoted from non league wilderness) had me struggling to resist the urge to throw my laptop out the window.


Despite trying new tactics / formations & even obtaining help from people on this forum, I'm not going into each game thinking I'm not going to win. I've tried loading the game back a few weeks & trying something new but I always get the same feeling & result - frustration & never a win.


Decided to give one more determined bash at trying to make this work FC United, & have loaded back to the start of the season where I have 5 players contracted.


Where to go next? Is there a way of signing players specifically for your formation? Too many young players meaning side is inexperienced? Do I need more friendlies to make new signings gel in time for start of the season?


It's Groundhog Day on my venture with FC United & desperately need some help & advice!

 

[i Ninja Badger]

When I am in the preseason I make sure I do my transfer business early, you want all of your new signings to be playing in friendlies so they gel with the rest of the team. I usually get a pen and paper and write down which areas I need to strengthen, I make a shortlist of players I want to sign and I make offers for them straight away.

It is best to have at least 4 friendlies, and set the default match focus to tactics only. Make sure your training intensity is high and make the focus of your training on fitness to get your players ready for the season. I tell my assistant manager to play in the friendlies using my tactic, it saves a lot of time and lets you focus on transfers.

What kind of players do you have at the club? Do you have great wingers or great central midfielders? I have been sucessful on the beta using a 4-1DM-3-2 formation and packing out the middle of the park. I set passing to direct and exploit the middle, and my strategy is attacking.

Please tell me what positions your team is strongest in, I could help you out with a tactic.

 

[Dynamo_ZahnZee]

Sometimes it's better to call it a write off, consolidate and use the rest of the season to get more intimate with how your formation works for next season. The players will have a season down and won't have to gel in so much and really go for it that time.

 

[FrankFizzle]

When I am in the preseason I make sure I do my transfer business early, you want all of your new signings to be playing in friendlies so they gel with the rest of the team. I usually get a pen and paper and write down which areas I need to strengthen, I make a shortlist of players I want to sign and I make offers for them straight away.

It is best to have at least 4 friendlies, and set the default match focus to tactics only. Make sure your training intensity is high and make the focus of your training on fitness to get your players ready for the season. I tell my assistant manager to play in the friendlies using my tactic, it saves a lot of time and lets you focus on transfers.

What kind of players do you have at the club? Do you have great wingers or great central midfielders? I have been sucessful on the beta using a 4-1DM-3-2 formation and packing out the middle of the park. I set passing to direct and exploit the middle, and my strategy is attacking.

Please tell me what positions your team is strongest in, I could help you out with a tactic.

Many thanks for your advice guys.


Ninja - I took your advice & done my transfer dealings earlier & adopted your formation. Due to injuries I started with 3 center midfielders rather than 2 & 1 defensive.


Read on another thread that someone with had success with a combination of wide target man (AML) a winger (AMR) & a false 9 (FC). Along with exploiting the middle I switched from counter / attacking depending whether I was home / away.


My first 2 games I suffered losses with one being a heavy defeat. Understandable I suppose with so many new players. 4 out of the next 5 games I remarkably drew 2-2 with the other game a 3-2 victory.


My last game before I logged off I tried my fullbacks / wingers staying wide & every player passing short. This resulted in a great passing performance & a comfortable 3-0 victory at home.


Bar the first games it appears that I'm not getting absolutely hammered & the team looks like it's competing better in turn easing my frustration! Thanks for the insight.

 

[r1niceboy]

Also consider that the pitches you play on will more and more turn into the Somme over the course of the season. Concentrate the play on the wings more as the season progresses. Most seasons turn into a battle to keep players fit and the momentum going. People have a habit of wanting to play attractive football, but when the pitch is a quagmire, that's not always possible. You can win out by tweaking on a game by game basis. If you have a fast striker or two and a decent keeper, sitting really deep with eight in the box and thumping it long can pay off. It's not pretty, but it's effective. Ninja Badger is right about the deal-making. Early is better, although a star signing in the winter can be good too.