Hey guys and welcome back to my Football Manager 2011 story. Last time you witnessed a squad overhaul at Newcastle, with Kakuta, Rodwell and Wilshere all departing for big amounts. This left me contemplating my market moves. Financially I can’t complain, but my new vision for a trimmed down squad was yet to be tested. Add to this my new tactic ‘The Manchelona’, and you’ll understand the posts title ‘new beginnings’. I received a wake up call last season, losing to Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-final, but this had been a long time coming to be honest. Today you’ll see Newcastle’s first half of the season and my evolution towards a new system and more potent tactic.
Premier League results (in 3 sections)
I will present my EPL results in three sections today, not by month but by tactical development. The first section is from August to the 22nd September, during this time I stuck by my old cautious tactics and played it safe. The season began with a lucky 3-2 victory away to Chelsea in which my side came back from 2-0 down. We then hosted Manchester United and despite playing well could only draw 1-1, following this was another lucky match away from home as we beat Man City 2-1. Then a rather unconvincing performance was embellished with a 3-0 scoreline against Burnley. The final straw came against Blackburn where deadly finishing helped us win 3-0, but my side just didn’t dominate and therefore could have fallen victim to some shock results.
You may be wondering what planet I’m on, talking about such great results if though they were losses. The problem is we start so well and get great results even when they’re maybe not deserved, but later in the season as happened last year, my side tend to miss golden opportunities and get complacent at which time my usual tactic shows weakness, hence the shocking display and loss to United that knocked us out of Europe last season. Besides, I am desperate to develop a tactic that offers possession play and more entertaining Football for my videos. This leads me from the 29th September to the 27th October, a period of testing and indecisive decisions.
The first tactic I tried was actually Johnny’s 4-4-2 and my test dummy was Spurs. Despite dominating the match with more than 65% possession we just won 2-1 at home. Although Johnny’s tactic is amazing I crave to make my own and just used this for inspiration, besides I am addicted to variations of the 4-5-1 formation.
With a tough away match approaching at the Emirates I developed my second stage of evolution and crawled back to the 4-5-1. However, this was nothing like my old tactic, the passing was shorter, defensive line much higher, then my philosophy and strategy were far more attacking and creative too. While the shape remained similar (I just dropped one CM back to DMC,) the player roles changed, in fact not one single role remained the same as in my old tactic. Either way, we performed fairly well and won 2-1, before going onto thrash Everton 7-0 and Liverpool 2-0.
All decent performances but again I felt the results were misleading. We failed to dominate possession and the Everton result was purely down to deadly finishing as opposed to tactical genius. Therefore the final stage of my tactical evolution was complete as I pulled the DMC back up to CM again. A few more little tweaks and I was set to go, this tactic wasn’t about thrashing every single side or chance conversion it was about possession and playing the beautiful game, so I named it ‘The Manchelona’. I couldn’t have changed the same formation any more even if I’d tried. Before showing the results, I’d like to inform you all these matches were played using my new tactic and without making any adjustments no matter who the opponent may be.
The first match in which I could watch the newly formed tactic was at home to Birmingham…and I instantly new this was what I’d been working towards. After carrying out many tests in other FM saves I’d finally landed on the perfect combination from defence to attack in each player role to form a unit. We won 6-0 against Birmingham, had 28 shots, 13 of which were on target and we held 65% possession. Not to mention my massively improved percentage of 86 for passes completed. My new tactic was born and this is the last time you’ll hear me mention the old one.
Carrying my new tactic forward meant keeping more consistency within team selection, something that hadn’t been done for the last three seasons. I was prepared to make that sacrifice, but if you’ll look below I think you may see my timing to form this new tactic wasn’t a coincidence. I wanted the players to win and win a lot while keeping possession, so purposely concluded testing just before Newcastle’s easiest run of the season. One or two shaky results became apparent but this was down to my bad team talks, the most important thing was what I envisaged was been played in the match engine. A mix between Man Utd’s industry and Barcelona’s possession and flair.
Premier League table
A great start to the season and comfortable league standings despite my tactical tinkering. Newcastle are 6 points clear at the top with a game in hand over second placed Manchester City. We have let in just 9 goals and scored for fun with 59.
League Cup results
The League Cup started at the Emirates against Arsenal and featured my old tactic. Another bland display saw Newcastle just beat the Arsenal youngsters 2-1. Then the draw got even tougher with a trip to Old Trafford and a very strong Manchester United line up. My new and fully formed tactic was used and proved very successful, the lads did well in possession and progressed 2-1. Then a convincing win over Everton saw Newcastle through to the semi-final. We’ll continue this competition next time as I play Championship side Forest.
Champions League results and group table
This competition left a bitter taste in my mouth from last season and was the main reason for such a drastic tactical switch. This year saw a very easy draw and my opportunity to field one or two less known youngsters for development. Those youngsters enjoyed some great form as we completed the group stages with six victories for the first time since I took charge.
My opponents for the First Knockout round are Marseille, the side I thrashed last season. Hopefully that form can be repeated and with Manchester United already knocked out I’m optimistic provided Barcelona don’t pop up in the draw should I progress. :)
Squad stats and finances
While the debate between attacking and cautious tactics roles around in my head, one thing is for sure…Yaya Sanogo hasn’t adjusted well to his new role of complete forward and support duty. The star usually smashes goal scoring charts but has just managed 12 goals from 13 starts. Marcelo Santos on the other hand couldn’t have adapted better with 11 goals and 11 assists from 12 games. Given the fact that my strikers must act as a playmaker also from now on, Santos seems to have the perfect attributes compared to Sanogo who’s mainly a goal machine.
While we are talking about strikers, I have some brilliant news. After searching through EPL sides and wasting time on my holiday I found a bargain. Eddie Adams was apart of the Man Utd youth academy and tried to break through the ranks at Old Trafford. With United still in love with Rooney and Hernandez, Adams became surplus to requirements and was therefore transfer listed (very short sighted considering Rooney is 33 and Hernandez 30.) The asking price was £4.3 million and I snapped their hand off at that. Adams is perfect for my new system and despite a rather crap scouting report I relied on my own judgement. My plan to include more home grown talent has seen another addition and at 23 he’s a bargain. By the way, with Sanogo far less potent in the new system, Adam’s arrival could spell the Frenchman’s departure ;) But we’ll wait until the seasons end before making rash decisions.
While my new striker didn’t cost much, his signing on fee and agent fee moved the deal to around £7-8 million. This did have an impact on finances which were at £257 million at the end of pre-season. Now, in January my bank balance reads almost £240 million, not bad considering that January transfer.
To complete this post, let me share the coming fixtures. A mixed bag really and my new tactic will be put to the test early on against both Manchester clubs. I am very intrigued to see this new system react under big pressure and cup finals…I remembered the fashion of which Barcelona beat United in the 2010 Champions League final and made this tactic with that in mind so hopefully it will work.
Well that is all for today, I hope you enjoyed the post and thanks for dropping by. My next post will feature the League Cup outcome, progression in both the Champions League and FA Cup…not to mention my last games within the Premier League. Please feel free to ask any questions below and I look forward to hearing your thoughts as always.
Sears
14 июля, 2011 at 21:50
Good work Darren, your team have adapted to the new tactic fantastically. It’s proving a massive success thus far, so things will only get better :-) I like your new signing, his attributes are very impressive and United were very stupid to sell him. Does this signal the end for Sanogo? :-( KUTGW
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:33
Thanks Sears, the new tactic is running smoothly. Tbh, Adams entry should spell Sanogo’s departure next year, but I might hold on for one more year out of respect for the legend. I just love Sanogo and letting go could be very tough.
Desmo Wenning
14 июля, 2011 at 22:04
HOW THE HELL DID NEC GET INTO THE CL?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!?!??!?!?!?!??!?
Your tactical change went well, seems you’ve find a brilliant new tactic! The striker looks good, what did the scout report say? 2.5*? Anyway, good results and I hope you can win the CL this year!
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:32
Yeh, crazy I know. I was like who are NEC? lol
My scouts report was actually 2.5* for CA and 3* for PA which is awful by my standards. But I trust my own judgement to be honest especially in this case. Fingers crossed for a CL.:)
Desmo Wenning
15 июля, 2011 at 17:59
Yeah he’s definitely better than that. NEC are normally a mid-table Eredivisie team :)
Mike
14 июля, 2011 at 22:08
Hi Darren,
Its great to see your side playing well under the new tactic, which i think is really impressive by the way. Great form in the champions league group stages, your side look like a big threat in the competition and I can see you re-gaining the cup this season. Adams looks like a great buy, im really surprised he was transfer listed and at such a low amount! I dont think you should worry too much about sanogo at the moment because 12 goals in 15 is still a great record! That said, i think you are right to re-evaluate your side at the end of the year.
Good luck for the second half of the season
Mike
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:30
Thanks Mike, yeh the new tactic seems to be working and the lads still haven’t fully adjusted. I really want that CL trophy more than any other after last seasons knock out, but we’ll see the draw first :) United had Rooney and Hernandez, that was why he didn’t play but it was short sighted of them to transfer list the kid as he’s got talent. I’m looking forward to the seasons conclusion as this tactic needs a real test. :)
Johnny Karp
15 июля, 2011 at 07:36
Wow, the new tactic seems to be working perfectly. Nicely done!
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:28
Thanks Johnny, lets hope it continues.
vaibhavc
15 июля, 2011 at 07:49
Hey Darren
The new tactic seems to be working. Very impressive. Varriale seems to score a lot with this tactic, or are they only corner kick goals? Adams is amazing, and it could mean Sanogo’s departure.
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:27
It certainly does Vaibhav, Varriale is scoring all his goals from headers during corners and free kicks. I’m finding my corner count rise and also the number of fouls against us due to the more fluid and attacking movement. Sanogo will be my toughest player to offload, I’ve grown attached to him but we’ll see what happens.
Kevin
15 июля, 2011 at 09:14
Hi Darren
The very subtle changes from your old to new tactic has paid off handsomely leaving you still the dominant force in English football. Very nice CL run so far and what a great piece of business snapping up Adams like that. Great job.
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:26
Thanks Kevin, I’d hope to continue this form and the new tactic has come along nicely. My biggest test will come nearer the seasons end and hopefully Adams will prove a bargain by then also.
Christoph
15 июля, 2011 at 10:00
Hi Darren,
I’m playing with Southampton already for 5 years now and I’m currently playing my third season in the PML. I successfully used your newcastle tactics (4-5-1 flat midfield en 4-4-2). First season in PML I finished 9th, second season 10th but this season, using the same tactics with better players on some places, I struggle very hard to win. At the moment I’m at place 19 with only 10 point out of 30 or something.
My question: did you have had also periods where your tactic doesn’t seem to work anymore? Any tips what I can do to break the negative run? I’m mostly playing 4-5-1 with standard or counter strategy.
Cheers!
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:25
Hey mate, I personally never had such a run. The problem with my old tactic is you must adjust for your opponents. Well, I’ve made a new one that is more attacking and you shouldn’t have to change for the opponent. Follow this link and maybe it will help. https://www.footballmanagerstory.com/2011/07/football-manager-2011-understanding-tactics-and-%E2%80%98the-manchelona%E2%80%99/
vikingmarius
15 июля, 2011 at 11:42
As always your newcasstle side is doing amazingly despite the major change in playing mentality, it is a shame that Sanogo isn’t as good, but he is still fantastic grabbing almost a goal a game which can’t be too bad :P and also Adams looks great
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:20
Thanks Viking, Sanogo has dipped but maybe he’ll perk back up soon. Either way I have a least one striker firing home every match so all is OK. :)
Mariano
15 июля, 2011 at 11:46
I´ve been following and studyng Johnny´s methods for a while and since a few weeks ago I started studyng yours by browsing your Newcastle story and your European Challenge. In fact I started my own European challenge and I mixed your 4-5-1 tactic with Johnny´s 4-4-2 and relying a lot on the great handbook. As I wanted to manage Messi I started managing Barcelona instead of starting unemployed:)
I did amazing on my first season winning everything but though in the second I´m not doing so good, so I was wondering how important a tactic is compared to the teams motivation(not getting complacent/missing to many cut chances etc).
I have one question and some suggestions for guides:
1.Which are the most important attributes for a captain beyond influence?
2.I would really enjoy to see some real case studies(video please:), on how to scout players by attribute filters. I read the handbook and Johnny´s guide about it but would be great to see some live attribute filtered scouting.
3.A guide on how to use the stats data would be great too.
Thanks a lot for the great site
Cheers
Mariano
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 12:19
Yeh, Johnny’s methods are solid and I have gained a lot of success with mine also. I would personally suggest that tactics and team motivation walk hand in hand, there both as important. If you don’t have the right tactic, then you squad will have to be motivated to full extent to win matches…equally if the squad isn’t motivated, they won’t do as you wish within the tactic and they’ll miss chances, when that happens it doesn’t matter how good your tactic is.
Now to answer some of your requests, I don’t think there are any important attributes for a captain other than influence, but you need a first team regular that doesn’t cause trouble, has a good average rating and also some of the squad members have on their like list. Captains can be over rated on the game at times.
Myself and Johnny will have to consider some of your requests and see what we can do, to be honest a lot of this stuff is common sense and you can’t teach that, but we might be able to piece something together. The main problem is there are so many scenarios on the requested subjects you can’t teach them all and its tough to know where to start. :)
CsAtlantis
15 июля, 2011 at 13:20
Your team is probably strong enough to do well without too much tactical wizardry at this stage, but the new tactic seems to work well, having the same shape probably helps a bit as there is less adaptation required
Adams is a beast
Nothing like bouncing back with a vengeance after a painful quarter final exit :D, would you have made a new tactic Darren if you just kept on winning?
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 18:11
To a certain extent you don’t need great tactics with such a side…but I still maintain that they won’t play brilliant football unless you set them up that way.
To be honest, I’d have changed tactics eventually no matter what as I wanted more possession orientated performances. But the CL loss kicked it into gear a year early maybe. :)
Stromson
15 июля, 2011 at 14:26
Well done Darren, I’m impressed you were able to maintain results during your experimentation phase, and it speaks volumes for the depth and adaptability of your squad. Keep up the good work!
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 18:10
Thanks Jon, we did maintain the form well. Lets hope this continues through the big matches too.
Laxeyman
15 июля, 2011 at 16:10
The new tactic is working brilliantly Darren, but I’m struggling to see how Sanogo is struggling to adapt, 12 goals in 13 starts with an Ave Rating of 7.56 is brilliant! The new forward looks good as well, although personally I think you’d be crazy to sell someone who’s doing badly if he can ‘only’ get 12 goals in 13 starts. Anyway, hopefully you can regain your CL crown, good luck!
Darren Smith
15 июля, 2011 at 18:05
Thanks Laxeyman and I can understand your confusion over my Sanogo criticism. He hasn’t been too bad, but nothing near his usual self. Maybe he needs more time to start looking more potent. But you’re right, his scoring record is still great.
Lye
16 июля, 2011 at 03:47
Hi Darren,
Great stuff there. Your new tactics seem to be pay of well though i won’t say your old tactic is not good as you are still winning games. It’s additional delight to watch when your team play neat passing football and winning games at the same time. It was a bargain signing Eddie Adams. Can’t believe he was released by Man Utd. Definitely a gain there. Keep on rocking the football world, Darren.
Darren Smith
16 июля, 2011 at 15:11
Thanks Lye, my new tactics face their biggest test near the end of the season IMO. As you know cup finals are a one off and anything can happen so to dominate the finals should we qualify would be great. Man Utd were crazy to sell Adams for such a minimal fee, but my gain I guess :)
Sibo
16 июля, 2011 at 19:18
Well done Darren, you overhauled the tactics a couple of times but Newcastle fought on through and you are continuing to dominate on all fronts!
Adams does look insane, but don’t you understand, the clue is in the name:
Sa-NO GO, he is the exception to the rule, he has to stay until retirement!!! :D
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 08:52
lol, I like that little slogan mate. Very catchy and it does speak true, the money on offer is very tempting but Sanogo might not go in pre-season. :) I wouldn’t keep him until retirement but will try and hold onto him until the last second before the price tag starts to drop.
Ana Garcia
16 июля, 2011 at 20:03
The tactic change seems to be working really well at the moment as your are unstoppable in all competitions.
Selling Sanogo sounds like madness! But having seen Santos doing well and now with your new English striker you could possibly get by without him and get yourself a very high transfer price also.
As always, good luck!!
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 08:51
Thanks Ana, the tactic does seem to be working well and I just hope that continues.
I’m slowly starting to come around to the idea that Sanogo shouldn’t go, I’ve already rejected £60 million but if any higher bids came in I’d need to consider them. To be honest I may just see how he’s valued in a years time, but as you say Adams and Santos are more than capable.