Football Manager 2015

[Buzzell]

Well after a run of really bad results, I decided to scrap my 4-2-3-1 formation with all my in game instructions and go with a standard 4-4-2 with no instructions. Seems to have done the trick. On a nice unbeaten run just before the end of the season and into the quarter finals of the Europa League with Leicester.

Come on!

[Dan]

Can anybody tell me how to prevent getting a stupidly unrealistic amount of injuries (and out for long periods too) during a 3 month winter break? Tried what I thought would be the logical thing to do but not much luck, the team im with has a very low budget so i've only got one staff member for each role and they're not exactly the greatest. They seem to cope okay during the season though so everybody dropping like flies during the winter is a bit strange at the moment

 

I think when you're in that kind of situation you're probably on a hiding to nothing and whilst there are things you can do (rotation, improvement of staff, take a breather etc...) I think it's unfortunately part of the parcel of being a small club.

 

Finished 6th in the end I did. Lost to Marseille in the Europa Semis. Fantastic season again.

[LAprice_]

Started my second season with Shrewsbury Town. I'm not entirely brilliant and most of my decisions are based on instinct. It's also fair to say that my slight Leicester City obsession has got the better of me. Anyway, start of the 2015/16 season and this is my strongest team:

 

(4-2-3-1)

 

Jayson Leutwiler 

 

Luke O'Neil (loan from Burnley)

Connor Goldson

Paul Robinson (player/coach, free transfer)

Mickey Demetriou

 

Aaron Wildig

Ryan Woods

 

Jack Barmby (loan from Leicester)

Tom Lawrence (loan from Leicester)

Mark Yeates (free transfer)

 

James Collins 

 

Subs:

Conrad Logan (free)

Nathaniel Knight-Percival 

Liam Lawrence 

Reece Hayes (loan from WBA)

David McAllister 

Scott Vernon

Tom Hopper

 

My coaching staff consists of: Michael Jackson (assistant), Steve Howard (u21), Alexsandar Tunchev (u18), Bruno Berner, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen (all coaches)

 

I've spent no more than £600 on transfer fees, and that was only to bring in injury cover in the form of a 37yr old Exeter midfielder... 

[Stadt]

Barmby would be excellent at that level

[Dan]

Lawrence is decent as well. Worth about £6mil on my save.

[Wilson_6]

Aup Guys,

 

I'm in my first season with Rochdale in Championship (20 games in) after being sacked from Bournemouth in my second season 2 days after getting them automatic promotion to the prem (new Owners) I'm 3rd from bottom not won in 12 games moral at a real low. I play a 4-2-3-1. 

 

Any one got any ideas how to turn this around? i read above that some one totally deleted there current tactics and went for a simple 442 and seemed to freshen things up. Worth a shot? 

[Finnegan]

Deleting your tactics and going with defaults will only really improve things if your tactic was utterly abysmal to start with.

[Wilson_6]

Deleting your tactics and going with defaults will only really improve things if your tactic was utterly abysmal to start with.

 

Well the tactics i used worked amazingly well at Bournemouth although there squad was better to start with. Think i maybe need a tactic that will work well for less talented players.

[Stadt]

What's is your tactic? Roles, duties and team instructions, mentality?

[Donut]

Absolute heartache at Damson Park. Solihull Moors will be kicking off next season in the Vanarama Conference North, after missing out on promotion to the Conference cruelly by a penalties defeat in the playoff final.

 

Missing key forward Stefan Moore towards the end of the season, a late bid for the title was dashed with a poor run of only 2 wins from the last 8 games, which saw the Moors finish on 71 points in the league.

 

Playing a 4-1-4-1 counter attacking with pace system, Moors' success was built on being solid at the back. With Omar Bogle and Darren Byfield always capable of coming on and making an impact, it was the highest finish Solihull have ever recorded in the league.

 

 

[Donut]

Then into the playoffs, the semi was to be contested vs Hednesford, who i had already met 4 times that season and been undefeated, a win and a draw in the league, FA Cup and FA Trophy wins.

 

Both games were keenly contested affairs. No doubt the turning point of the tie coming late at Damson Park. Trailing 1-0, and throwing on Darren Byfield and Daryll Knights, the call from the sidelines was to overload, play a ruthless long ball game and pump it into the box.

 

In the panic that took over, Michael Wylde could only slice a clearance from Knights' cross into his own net for 1-1.

 

The return leg saw a return to the familiar counter attack style. And produced a comfortable 4-0 win at Keys Park, with Dom Langdon leading by example at the back, Rich Taundry and Owen Story weaving their magic down the Moor's right wing with license to overlap.

 

The mood in the camp couldnt be higher, but a tough challenge awaited. An impressive North Ferriby team, on home soil at Grange Lane, who hadnt lost in their previous 7 games.

 

It was always likely to be a tight affair. No quarter asked of given. Jordi Gough was tackling like a beaver for the Moors, and Liam Kingsmill threading accurate passes into the channels created a number of opportunities. But without Steffan Moore, the Moors ran into a colossus at the back in Jake Skelton, who threw his head at anything that came his way and after 120 mins, the final remained 0-0.

 

Both managers selected their penalty takers. 14 perfect penalties had been taken.

 

That was until Liam Fleet placed the ball on the spot for Moors. He ran up, gave it power.....and blazed wide. Agony.

 

Plans have already been put into place for next season. Jay Denny and Peque will definitely be leaving the club, others sure to follow, while Joe Magunda, ex Leicester City will be joining from Leamington. As will Gambian Omar Koroma, who will be making the step up from Dulwich Hamlet to the Vanarama North.

 

The agony of this season will spur the lads to promotion next time.

[Fox92]

Lost in the play offs to Watford. Massive shame because I overachieved during the season (league and league cup) and doubt it'll happen again. Even more gutted because I drew 3-3 at Watford during the season and smashed them 4-1 at home. Get into the play offs and they beat me 5-3 on agg. 

[Wilson_6]

What's is your tactic? Roles, duties and team instructions, mentality?

 

i play 4-2-3-1

 

Counter / Fluid

 

Full backs to support

CB - Stopper

1 ball winning cm

1 standard cm midfield

 

Attacking cm support

 

Right and left A midfield attack

 

1 striker - poacher

 

Keep possession

Short passing

work ball into box

high defensive line

higher tempo 

 

I'm at work at the minute and that's all i can remember.

[Stadt]

i play 4-2-3-1

Counter / Fluid

Full backs to support

CB - Stopper

1 ball winning cm

1 standard cm midfield

Attacking cm support

Right and left A midfield attack

1 striker - poacher

Keep possession

Short passing

work ball into box

high defensive line

higher tempo

I'm at work at the minute and that's all i can remember.

Change your Centrebacks to defend duties

And change your ball winning midfielder to a central midfielder on defend.

Don't have wide players on the same duty, you're too predictable.

A lone poacher will probably get isolated, try a support duty forward with an attack duty AM behind him.

Your team instructions don't seem to suit playing a counter mentality.

[Wilson_6]

Change your Centrebacks to defend duties

And change your ball winning midfielder to a central midfielder on defend.

Don't have wide players on the same duty, you're too predictable.

A lone poacher will probably get isolated, try a support duty forward with an attack duty AM behind him.

Your team instructions don't seem to suit playing a counter mentality.

 

Yeah i know its a bit all over the place. But that's exactly what i was using at Bournemouth and got them automatic promotion. Do you think that is just because they had better individual players and staff?

[Stadt]

Yeah i know its a bit all over the place. But that's exactly what i was using at Bournemouth and got them automatic promotion. Do you think that is just because they had better individual players and staff?

if you hit good form then you can do whatever really

[Wilson_6]

if you hit good form then you can do whatever really

 

That makes a lot of sense to be fair. Where as now at Rochdale all the players morale is low and haven't won in 18. Think I'm going to bin my current tactics and go for something very simple. 

 

Cheers 

[Donut]

Well.........as I was building a squad for a second stint at Solihull Moors, one day at the training ground, the phone rang. Dave Bennett was on the other end, and he wanted me to come to an interview with Dagenham & Redbrige.

 

Already being over budget at Solihull, and struggling to attract the quality needed to turn them into a promotion outfit and with the prospects of losing talented striker Omar Bogle to Burton Albion, we had a chat and thrashed out a contract. The Solihull fans were not happy, and the board disappointed, but its a career move.

 

Only problem is, what a team ive inherited. Its awful. Predicted to finish 24th in league 2, I inherited a squad with only one senior centre back, and an extremely inexperienced squad at that. And taking over half way through pre season, it left limited time to get players into the suad.

 

I am quite happy with the partnership of Abu "wake me up before you" Agogo, and Joss Labadie in the middle of the park, although i may have to tinker with their styles a little. Ive given Zavon Hines, ex West Ham, an inside forward birth hoping he can link up with a central striker and bag a few in the process.

 

At the back, i needed players first of all. But i was badly in need of experience. Ive brought in Justin Hoyte and Jon Ashton, both on free transfers. Hoyte brings plenty of championship level experience to the club having been a long servant of Middlesbrough and Millwall, while ex Leicester man Ashton was released by Stevenage despite having a season average of 7.20. He has come into the centre back position.

 

As for tactics, bearing in mind this is a squad that is staring relegation in the face, any thoughts on this set up going forward?

 

One attribute i do have is pace all over the pitch, so ill be looking to utilise that.

 

 

 

 

[Stadt]

Steer clear of limited fullbacks imo, they just hoof and you use the ball too much, plus your back four is too flat as a result. 

Use a proper holding midfielder instead of aBWM, they're to aggressive and leave you open especially with a DLP-S. So make the DLP-S a DLP-D or change the BWM to a DM-D or A-D.

 

 

 

I'd be weary of the striker getting isolated if you're against a side with a DM.

[Dan]

3-1-4-2 is the bollocks on this for me.

[Donut]

After coming into Dagenham & Redbridge with only 1 preseason friendly to work with, the situation hasnt been ideal.

 

But the league has kicked off. With a crippling injury list that has sidelined some key players, we have managed to beat Bury 2-0, but suffered a 2-0 loss away at Morecambe, not helped by a first half red card handed to Joss Labadie.

 

I just wanted to post this picture though. It was from Capital One Cup round 1, and Norwich City were the opposition.

 

Granted, they had much the better of the game. Lets be fair, we were battered. But after 120 mins, the scores were level.

 

What followed, was the longest penalty shootout ive ever been a part of. And we won.

 

 

[Narborough_fox]

First season with Palermo in Serie A and finished in 7th place. Played with this team and tactic pretty much all season, got wins at Inter and drew at AC, Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio...

 

 

Only made 2 signings, both in January, Digne (£1.8mill) and Zapata (loan). Looking to get Zapata on a permanent transfer but that's looking unlikely. Got Balanta joining at the end of the season which will hopefully help the defence out a little bit. 

 

Dybala and Vazquez were absolutely unreal for me. Vazquez got 20 goals and Dybala got 15 goals and 15 assists.

[Dan]

Biggest score you lot have seen on this version? Real Madrid stuck 9 past Levante on mine last night.

[Wilson_6]

after a run of 23 matches with out a win and Rochdale bottom of the Championship 14 points adrift i have resigned and taken over at Burton in league 2. Mid table and just need to keep them there with 15 matches left to play. Almost the same size wage budget as i had at Rochdale. 60k a week is no where near big enough to stay up in the championship. 

[Stadt]

First season with Palermo in Serie A and finished in 7th place. Played with this team and tactic pretty much all season, got wins at Inter and drew at AC, Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio...

Only made 2 signings, both in January, Digne (£1.8mill) and Zapata (loan). Looking to get Zapata on a permanent transfer but that's looking unlikely. Got Balanta joining at the end of the season which will hopefully help the defence out a little bit.

Dybala and Vazquez were absolutely unreal for me. Vazquez got 20 goals and Dybala got 15 goals and 15 assists.

Muñoz is very good