[irishgooner]

I have posted this on another forum but I wanted to see different opinions or ideas.

Im sure a lot reading this will probably think Im being lazy posting this and have not searched for the answer. The truth is I have searched for a long
time over various versions of FM. Ive been playing FM or CM since CM3 and have always kind of had the same problem but as the game got more sophisticated the issue obviously became much more of a problem.

I've had small amounts of success in previous versions of FM but my main problem is not knowing how to read the game (or match engine). I think most of
the changes I make are guessed ,some may be logical changes but some may turn out to be sheer luck. What I'd love to be able to do is watch the game and see what I need to change before Ive conceded a goal or before Im losing huge amounts of possession. On the other side I'd also love to know what I can change in a game if I need that goal, instead of just changing to a more attacking mentality.

I've read a huge amount of posts on here and on several other forums. Ive also read all the guides such as the Ultimate FM Walkthrough and while it gave me a great insite into aspects of the game, I still see the old problems raise their ugly heads!

I havent mentioned tactics because Ive usually just tried keeping tactics simple. At the moment Im just playing a basic 4-4-2 and have set up player roles according to the guides. Ive also followed many suggestions for team instructions and individual player instructions.

I really have tried over the past few years but I just cant seem to figure out how i can spot things early so that its not too late. Its getting frustrating playing at the moment because Ive spent so long setting up the team and reading tons and tons of stuff online. Currently Im Espihno in the Portuguese 2nd dvision and while they mightnt be the best team in the world, I seem to be losing matches where Im tipped to be comfortable winners. Ive looked at everything in pre match from pitch size, weather, danger man, scouting report.

If anyone can point me in the right direction to some sort of guide or post that would help please let me know. Before I posted this I read the sticky thread about the match engine but it didnt really go into what I was looking for.

Thanks for reading and any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Millie]

There's actually remarkably little been written about the match engine, I think because a) not a lot of people know how to do it and b ) the ones that do would have trouble explaining that in any meaningful way.

Because (like in real life) there are millions of combinations of passes, shots, runs and movements that go into a Football Manager match, it's difficult to get the balance right between being too specific (which might be irrelevant to your situation) or too general (which becomes so vague as to be useless).

The things I look out for most are defensive, which is probably why I struggle far more with scoring goals when things are going badly than keeping clean sheets.

I'm a big believer in shape - that is, who is covering who, who is putting pressure on who, and who is leaving massive gaps.

I did a couple of videos for FM09 which might still be relevant:
http://www.youtube.c...u/4/qufO8G3ZyjY
http://www.youtube.c...u/3/IZDaoAo91_E

Hopefully some other people will come up with some good match-reading articles over the next iteration of the game.

[irishgooner]

Millie, on 20 September 2011 - 10:37 AM, said:

There's actually remarkably little been written about the match engine, I think because a) not a lot of people know how to do it and b ) the ones that do would have trouble explaining that in any meaningful way.

Because (like in real life) there are millions of combinations of passes, shots, runs and movements that go into a Football Manager match, it's difficult to get the balance right between being too specific (which might be irrelevant to your situation) or too general (which becomes so vague as to be useless).

The things I look out for most are defensive, which is probably why I struggle far more with scoring goals when things are going badly than keeping clean sheets.

I'm a big believer in shape - that is, who is covering who, who is putting pressure on who, and who is leaving massive gaps.

I did a couple of videos for FM09 which might still be relevant:
http://www.youtube.c...u/4/qufO8G3ZyjY
http://www.youtube.c...u/3/IZDaoAo91_E

Hopefully some other people will come up with some good match-reading articles over the next iteration of the game.

thanks for reply, ill give the videos a look later. Ive maybe not explained exactly what I was looking for, maybe have made it sound too general and too expansive to cover. I guess I was wondering what people do in matches to relaise they need to make a change before its too late or have they done a huge amount of the work pre game (as in shape like you mentioned).

I've read tons of articles from people who have played the games for years and would be the fm forum legends I guess! but i havent seen too much written about making changes in game and knowing if the system isnt working. Maybe Im asking for something that cant really be explained though!

[supermini]

irishgooner, on 20 September 2011 - 12:12 PM, said:

thanks for reply, ill give the videos a look later. Ive maybe not explained exactly what I was looking for, maybe have made it sound too general and too expansive to cover. I guess I was wondering what people do in matches to relaise they need to make a change before its too late or have they done a huge amount of the work pre game (as in shape like you mentioned).

I've read tons of articles from people who have played the games for years and would be the fm forum legends I guess! but i havent seen too much written about making changes in game and knowing if the system isnt working. Maybe Im asking for something that cant really be explained though!

If you could upload a few PKMs of the games that you lost and should have won comfortably, I'm sure someone will be able to help you see what went wrong and where. That should help you recognize the same situation when it happens again.

[irishgooner]

supermini, on 21 September 2011 - 07:18 PM, said:

If you could upload a few PKMs of the games that you lost and should have won comfortably, I'm sure someone will be able to help you see what went wrong and where. That should help you recognize the same situation when it happens again.

Cool will do, never done it before but Im sure I can find a guide on the net to show me how

[supermini]

irishgooner, on 22 September 2011 - 12:13 PM, said:

Cool will do, never done it before but Im sure I can find a guide on the net to show me how

Save the replay of the match and then attach the file in your reply. Click on the "browse..." button below the text box where you type, and click at "attach this file" when you've found it, and voila.

[irishgooner]

Millie, on 20 September 2011 - 10:37 AM, said:

There's actually remarkably little been written about the match engine, I think because a) not a lot of people know how to do it and b ) the ones that do would have trouble explaining that in any meaningful way.

Because (like in real life) there are millions of combinations of passes, shots, runs and movements that go into a Football Manager match, it's difficult to get the balance right between being too specific (which might be irrelevant to your situation) or too general (which becomes so vague as to be useless).

The things I look out for most are defensive, which is probably why I struggle far more with scoring goals when things are going badly than keeping clean sheets.

I'm a big believer in shape - that is, who is covering who, who is putting pressure on who, and who is leaving massive gaps.

I did a couple of videos for FM09 which might still be relevant:
http://www.youtube.c...u/4/qufO8G3ZyjY
http://www.youtube.c...u/3/IZDaoAo91_E

Hopefully some other people will come up with some good match-reading articles over the next iteration of the game.

I had a look at the videos last night...excellent work! the tips will definitely come in handy. The only question Id ask - in the first video you discussed the problems of leaving too much space on the wings and in the middle. Some of the solutions fixed 1 problem but not the other as you mentioned. Im just wondering what the best outcome would be? Obviously it will depend on the formation you play but is it just a case of having to sacrifise one for the other?

I looked at your profile on youtube, do you only have like 3 videos about FM? I was trying to find more, i enjoyed the insites you gave. Let me know if there is any more

cheers

[irishgooner]

supermini, on 22 September 2011 - 03:14 PM, said:

Save the replay of the match and then attach the file in your reply. Click on the "browse..." button below the text box where you type, and click at "attach this file" when you've found it, and voila.

Wont get a chance to play FM ove the weekend but will upload this start of the week. thanks for the help

[jontydale]

I think this is a really good question actually. I also have a similar issue. I too have read a lot of the guides and on-line literature, and it is all very good, but I often find myself asking the question, what does it mean to me and the team I am trying to manage.

I have found that over the years I have got a bit better at reading the game, some of the guides on using the analysis and stats have been very helpful. I also find listening to the pre-match meeting advice can also be very useful, especially when talking about what widths, tempos, defensive line settings the opposition struggle against. The in-match advise from your Assistant Manager is also useful. Still, I think it all takes a bit of practice and I am still no less frustrated a lot of the times by being undermined by inferior teams and tactical subtleties.

[betterthanburley]

The ease in which you can read the match engine and change tactics depends entirely upon how well you know your tactic. It's things that seem out of the ordinary or wrong that really jump out at you. Only you won't know what "out of the ordinary" or "wrong" are until you've seen "ordinary" and "right."

Most of the time when I get frustrated that's the problem. I designed a tactic without a clear enough idea of what I want it to do and/or I haven't seen the tactic enough to know it's strengths and weaknesses and how a typical game plays out. And then I panic and start tweaking things randomly, and that's the surefire way to mess your game up even worse.

One of the hardest things to do (and which may necessitate abandoning a game or two), but is totally necessary is to let your team lose. Sometimes badly. And in fact, sometimes the worse the better. Especially when you are just starting to familiarize yourself with a tactic. Just keep everything the same and see what happens.

The reason for this is simple. If there is a hole in your defense and you allow the other team to exploit it the entire game, then at the end of the game it will be VERY obvious to you what it is. They score four goals on you the exact same way, and then you go look at your tackles or intercepted passes by area and they are all the same. You'll know.

And you'll also see what happens to your tactic and your players when your team gets frustrated, nervous, or down. Nothing like a heavy 4-0 bombing to let you know which players have mental fortitude.

On the other hand, if you are constantly tweaking your tactics the first goal might have been scored based on one hole in your defense. The next goal might be scored because while you semi-addressed the first issue, you exposed a different hole. And the third goal might be scored because your players are totally confused now and just gave up a goal by running to the wrong place.