-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Football Manager Handheld 2009 (FMH09) for PSP Formation & Tactics FAQ version 0.8 by ray_lightcaster -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S/N Table of Contents (1.0) Introduction Section (1.1) What is this Tactics FAQ (1.2) What is not covered here (2.0) Formation & Tactics Section (2.1) Bugel 433 (2.2) Flat 343 (2.3) Flat 352 (3.0) One goal up in the 70th Minute (3.1) Minor Changes to Protect Lead (3.2) Brick Wall 4231 (4.0) Player Interaction Section (4.1) Two approaches (5.0) Closing Section (5.1) Sources (5.2) Notes of Revision (5.3) Disclaimer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1.0) Introduction Section When I first got my hands on FMH2009, I was shaking with excitement. Why will I not be? This is THE greatest job on Earth. However, my excitement soon turned to frustration. Formation 422, which in my humble view - is the more balanced approach in football, could not give me any decent wins in FMH09. I was taking charge of one of the better teams in English Premier League but yet, my team just could not score. I started scouting the Internet for tactics which would possibly solve my problems. I was relieved to find one gem on the Internet which solve my scoring problems. After a few seasons, I started to experiment with other alternate tactics of my own ... and they actually worked well for me. Thus, I will like to share my experiences with readers of the Gamefaqs.com website. There is a serious lack of information regarding FMH09 tactics on the Internet. I hope this FAQ will help some fans out there to start scoring some goals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1.1) What is this Tactics FAQ This FAQ will cover three basic key tactics for FMH2009. It will help to lay the foundations of your gameplay, regardless of which team you are taking charge of. The first key tactic covered here is called “Bugel 433”. I found this on the Internet and it works wonders for me. The second formation is a "Flat 343" attacking style which i devised after a few seasons. It won me a few EPL titles and I hope to share with fellow gamers. The third formation is a "Flat 352" which helps me capture the EPL title in the first season which I tried it. This tactic requires many talented midfielders in your side and it's a joy rotating the outfield players. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1.2) What is not covered here This FAQ will not answer questions such as which team is best to play as, which are best players to sign and what the bonus contents are. Perhaps, I will cover in future but for the moment, let's stick to the key basics. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2.0) Formation & Tactics Section If you are familiar with “Tactics” page, you can skip this section to (2.1). This section is merely explanation for new gamers. To access the tactics section, look at your main menu (vertical bar) on the left of screen. Select your team name ("AC Milan" as an example). In the next section, scroll down and select the "Tactics" option (which should be the third option from the top). Once in "Tactics" section, you will see the green field on the right, denoting the team formation. You are now in the key section to change tactics and formation. Remember, any customised formation needs to be SAVED. Any revision to team and player instructions needs to be CONFIRMED. If not, all your hard work will be lost. There are three key areas to take note here: formation, team instruction and player instruction. These will affect the way your players play on the pitch. First on formation. It is important to know how to create custom formation and to save them. If you do not save, the data will be lost and you have to start from scratch. Remember these simple steps: - Select a preset formation which you wish to edit (eg. 433) - Press triangle to edit the formation - Here, you can set your player runs (Square) or move their positions (X) - Once done, confirm the changes (circle) - You will note that the 433 formation has an asterisk (*) on it. - Asterisk (*) means formation is customised. Please remember to save! Select your "433*" option and hit Circle. Key in your own formation name, example "Johnny 433". Once completed, Johnny 433 will now appear as the last formation in a different blue colour. Second, we move onto the Team Instruction on the left vertical menu. Select this and a new screen will appear. These are basically your general instructions to the entire team on how they should play, such as the passing or the tackling. Not much to explain. Make your selections here. Third, you need to access the Player instruction page on the left vertical menu. These are the specific tactics you give to all your individual players. There are many pages here. You flip the different pages by passing the Square or Circle buttons. There are about 14 pages in total. Here are some simple steps as examples: - First page is Passing. The first team 11 players are listed here. - You can set each player's passing style. - If you select "Team", this player will follow Team Instruction. - Once done, press Circle and you proceed to next page Tackling. You have keyed a lot information into three key sections by now, namely Formation, Team Instruction and Player Instruction. Remember to choose the "Confirm" option to effect the changes in Team Instruction and Player Instruction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2.1) Bugel 433 When I started playing FMH2009, I employed this tactic almost 90% of the time. The only time I do not use this is perhaps when the oppostion is having a 5-men midfield (eg. 352). I find that Bugel 433 loses a bit of effectiveness when it comes to a strong 352 opposition. To-date, this is my most successful formation. In my international management, national teams typically win with ease using this formation. France, in particular, was able to crusie through competitions with neligible chanages. Bugel 433 is named this way because it comes from an online poster named Bugel. I tried to trace the original post and person but could not. As such, I am unable to give direct credit. To re-emphasied, this is NOT my tactic and comes from Bugel. This is basically a 433 formation. In midfield, play two DMC with a AMC in the middle. For the forwards, play a SC in the middle of the three. For defence, simply play four defenders in their natural positions. Let's start with the customisation. You can refer to Section (2.0) if this is new to you. First, in formation page, select 433 and edit from 433. From the preset formation, remove all player runs. Leave the positions as they are. Second, go to Team Instruction page. Use the following: Emphasis : Attacking Passing : Normal Tackling : Normal Pressing : Yes Offside trap : No Counter : No Men Behind Ball : No Other options will be up to you Third, go to Player Instruction page. Use the following: Passing : "Team" for all. Tackling : "Team" for all, except "Hard" for three MC. Pressing : "No" for goal and defenders. "Yes" to MC and FC. Pass : "R/L/C" for all. Set Pieces (A) : "Back" for keeper, DL and DR. Use "Forward" for all others. Set Pieces (D) : "Normal" for middle of the CM, "Forward" for middle striker, "Back" for all others Free Role : "No" for all. Forward Runs : "No" for all, except for "Yes" for DL, DR, middle of MC, all 3 FC Run With Ball : "No" for all, except for "Yes" for DL, DR, middle of MC, all 3 FC Hold up ball : "NO" for all Long Shots : "No" for all, except "Yes" for the three MC. Through Balls : "NO" for all Cross Ball : "No" for all, except "Yes" for DL, DR. Marking : "None" for GK, "Zonal" for DL & DR, "Man" for 2 DC, "Man" for left & right MC, "Man" for middle CM, "None" for all 3 FC Remember to go back to save and confirm all customisations. Below are sources: http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/40609/t1268262-thebugel433-tactic/ http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?p=2124513#post2124513 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2.2) Flat 343 After a few successful seasons of using "Bugel 433", I started to experience with my own style of play. I wanted a formation which I can call my own. I was thrilled to find that a Flat 343 works well for my team. I am really proud of this Flat 343 because I was able to win EPL title in my first season of using this formation. The EPL title was won despite having 5 to 8 players injured most of the time. This was my EPL result after 37 games: Played : 37 (one game left) Won : 26 Draw : 7 Lost : 4 For : 52 Against : 18 GD : 34 Points : 85 In this same season, these are the awards won: EPL Manager of the Year (won by me) EPL Player of the Year (Nicklas Bendtner) EPL Runner-up Player of the Year (Carlos Vela) EPL Young Player of the Year (Alexandro Bruno) European Super Cup (my team won at the start of season) ECC (my team lost the final and ended as runner up) Let's start with the customisation for this Flat 343 style of play. First, in formation page, select preset 343 and edit from it. We will start with the 3 defenders. Leave positions as they are, but remove the player runs. Next, let's look at the midfield. The preset version has 1 DMC and 3 midfield. The idea is to change it to a flat 4-men midfield, similar to a standard 442 midfield. In the preset 343, you have to move the central midfielder one point to his left. Then, move the DMC up to a MC position. Then you have to remove the player runs for ML and MR. Finally, we look at the attackers. In the preset 343, there is a AMC playing just behind the 2 forwards. Move this AMC to the middle of the FC. The idea is to have 3 forwards. There, it is completed. The formation should look like: FC FC FC ML MC MC MR DC DC DC A few quick words of my player setup. The defence is easy to manage because you simply buy players who play in the central. Less hassle to worry about DL or DR getting injured. Sometimes u end up with no wing backs because they are all injured. For this style, I will simply buy central defenders. I will also not waste spaces in substitute bench by having 1 DL, 1DC and 1 DR. My bench usually have just 2 DC and the rests will be either DMC, AM and SC. I like to play the midfield with players who have flair for long shots, especially the ML and MR. For MC, I like to play one with good defensive stats (eg. head, tackle stats) and one with good attacking stats (eg. cross, dribble). FOr attack, simply put attackers whose natural positions are up there. These may be AM, F or SC. For me, I like to put 1 or 2 SC among these 3 players. SC seems to score more often in my games. Let us move to the Team Instruction page. Use the following: Emphasis : Attacking Passing : Normal Tackling : Normal Pressing : Yes Offside trap : No Counter : No Men Behind Ball : No Other options will be up to you Lastly, go to Player Instruction page. Use the following: Passing : "Team" for all. Tackling : "Team" for all, except "Hard" for 4 midfield. Pressing : "No" for defenders. "Yes" to midfield and FC. Pass : "R/L/C" for all. Set Pieces (A) : "Back" for keeper and DC. Use "Forward" for all others. Set Pieces (D) : "Forward" for 3 FC, "Back" for all others Free Role : "No" for all. Forward Runs : "No" for defenders, "Yes" for 4 midfield and 3 FC Run With Ball : "No" for defenders, "Yes" for 4 midfield and 3 FC Hold up ball : "NO" for all Long Shots : "No" for 3 DC and 3 FC, "Yes" for 4 midfield. Through Balls : "NO" for all Cross Ball : "No" for all, except "Yes" for ML, MR. Marking : "None" for GK, "Zonal" for 3 DC & 3 FC, "Man" for 4 midfielders Remember to go back to save and confirm all customisations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (2.3) Flat 352 After almost 11 seasons using Bugel 433 and Flat 343, I started to get bored and left my game alone. Over the next few Sat, my favourite EPL team just could not score (in real life, that is). Out of fustration, i picked up my game again and tried to do what the players could not in real life. This time, I started playing with a standard 352. After making some minor changes to the default 352 preset in the game, I started to challenge at the front of the pack. By mid season, I am among the top 3. At the end of game 35 in my season 12, my team picked up the EPL title. I was really surprised because my previous attempts at 352 did no such wonders. This formation needs many midfielders in your team. My team has at least 10 midfielders, most talented who can play in different positions and with flair to have long shoots from distance. I have no choice but to rotate them as some have the tendency to get themselves injured, sometimes in training. 34 goals out of 66 (all competiton) come from my midfield. These 34 goals are spread out among 9 players. At that point, I was wondering if these bunch can re-create the same magic in the next season. For my season 12, these are some notes worthy of mention: Jason Murray - Right midfielder. Bought from Derby at 7.5 million pound. Did not expect him to score much. Ended season with 10 goals. That's 29% of my 34 goals coming from midfield. Luca Conti - AMC/F bought from Inter Milan. Top scorer of the team with 15 goals (all competitions). Won the Young Player of Year award. Cup competitions - I lose all cups except ECC. Most of time, my cup ties ended up in ties (ie. draws, and pun is intended) and my team will lose out on penalty shootout. Strangely (but no complain), my ECC was won on penalties against the French side OL. In my season 13, however, the same tactics only brought me a 3rd position in EPL. Halfway through the season, the midfielders and strikers left their scoring boots in the lockeroom and the goals dry up. I really hope this Flat 352 is not a one-season wonder. One possible solution to such issue is perhaps the use of Player Interaction. I believe proper player interactions can whip the team in shape and push players to continue to perform. Have a peek at Section 4 if you are interested. Enough of tales and stories. Let us now move to the tactics proper. A Flat 352 is simple to set up. In the game, there are 3 pre-set versions of 352. The first is "353", the second is "352 defensive" and the third is "352 Attacking". Choose the first one. This is my so-called "Flat 352". Second, it is the Team Instructions. Please use the below: Emphasis : Attacking Passing : Normal Tackling : Normal Pressing : Yes Offside trap : No Counter : No Men Behind the Ball : No Third, it is the Player Instructions. Information is below: Passing : "Team" for all. Tackling : "Team" for all, except "Hard" for 5 midfielders. Pressing : "No" for keeper and defenders. "Team" to all midfield and FC. Pass : "R/L/C" for all. Set Pieces (A) : "Back" for keeper and 3 defenders. Use "Forward" for others. Set Pieces (D) : "Back" for all, except for "Forward" for 2 FC. Free Role : "No" for all. Forward Runs : "No" for keeper and defenders, "Yes" for 3 midfield and 2 FC Run With Ball : "No" for keeper and defenders, "Yes" for 3 midfield and 2 FC Hold up ball : "NO" for all Long Shots : "No" for all, except "Yes" for 5 midfields. Through Balls : "NO" for all Cross Ball : "No" for all, except "Yes" for ML and MR Marking : "None" for GK and 2 FC, "Zonal" for defence, "Man" for midfield If I am playing at home (and when I play a very much weaker team), I will play 5 attacking players or MC across the central. Idea is to go all out and score loads, if possible. However, if i play against a tough team (especially in away matches), I will make some changes to the 3 midfielders within the 5: I will use two DMC to flank a MC or AMC. All these three have to have "dark green" in those middle positions. "Dark green" means it is that player's natural position. By half time, I will assess if my team is losing % in tackling or creating very little chances. If so, I will switch the two DMC with AMC. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3.0) One goal up in the 70th Minute When you are 1-nil up at 70th odd minute, it is common sense to switch formation to protect your lead. There are numerous ways to do it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3.1) Minor Changes to Protect Lead One of the easiest is to make minor changes to your tactics. First is to switch Team Instruction's Emphasis as "Defending". I will switch "Men Behind Ball" to Yes and "Counter" to Yes. Next, I will go to Player Instruction's "Hold Ball" section. I will switch the forwards to "Yes" so that they can waste some time by holding ball. This usually works for me. Sometimes, my team is performing poorly (eg. losing tackles or creating little chances) but still with 1 goal lead. I will even start to switch to such defensive play as early as the 60th minute. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3.2) Brick Wall 4231 Sometimes, I like to use a 4231 formation during such situations. There are even a few occasions where my team found a second goal during the 80 ++ minutes. The problem is that it is cumbersome and I am lazy to use this after some seasons. If you are interested in using 4231 in closing minutes, below are some inputs. First, in formation page, select 451 and edit from this formation. From the preset formation, remove all player runs. Leave the positions as they are, except for 2 players. Looking at your 5 midfielders, select the 2th and 4th from the left (same actually if it is viewed from the right). Move their positions one point south. You will now have 4231. The 2 changed positions actually refers to 2 new DMC, protecting your back 4. Second, go to Team Instruction page. Use the following: Emphasis : Defending Passing : Short Tackling : Normal Pressing : Yes Offside trap : No Counter : Yes Men Behind the Ball : Yes Other options will be up to you Third, go to Player Instruction page. Use the following: Passing : "Team" for all, except for "Direct" for ML, MR, MC and FC Tackling : "Normal" for goal and defence, "Hard" for others. Pressing : "No" for keeper and 4 defenders, "Yes" for others. Pass : "R/L/C" for all. Set Pieces (A) : "Back" for all, except ML, MR, MC and FC Set Pieces (D) : "Back" for all, except for middle MC and FC. Free Role : "No" for all, except for FC Forward Runs : "No" for all, except "Yes" for ML, MR, MC and FC Run With Ball : "No" for all, except "Yes" for ML, MR, MC and FC Hold up ball : "NO" for all, except for FC Long Shots : "No" for all, except "Yes" for for ML, MR, MC. Through Balls : "NO" for all Cross Ball : "No" for all Marking : "None" for GK, "Zonal" for 4 defenders and "Man" for all others Remember to go back to save all customisations and confirm changes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (4.0) Player Interaction Section There are seasons when things go strangely wrong for no reason. Your players are more or less the same, no key player is injured - but somehow, your goals dry up or the team starts to drop points. I have experienced such bad runs several times and the most painful of all is probably my season 13 for my first play. I had just successfully utilised a new formation and won the title in season 12. Season 13 started nicely but my first top-of-table clash saw my team lose 0-2 to the table leader and things went downhill. Is there a way to address such terrible form? I don't have much of a clear answer actually. My suspicion is that Player Interaction is a possible solution. I have to admit that the earlier sections on Formation & Tactics can be seen almost as a science at times (well, at least we can test out formation with end-results to compare), this area is probably an art. Unless you know the programming code, you probably have to grab in the dark and rely on pure instincts. Here, i am putting down my prediction that proper Player Interaction may help to keep the team in consistent form. Player Interaction is something I did not perform during my season 13. As that is the missing variable as compared to earlier seasons, I have a nagging feeling that this is an important factor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (4.1) Two approaches To interact with your player, go to that player's stat page. On the left-hand vertical bar, you will see Player Interaction as the last option. You will get the choice of addressing that player in public or privately, and for each case, you can give positive feedback or negative feedback. Positive feedback is supposed to encourage the player to continue performing well, while negative feedback is supposed to whip the player back into proper form. As you probably know, we will be unable to interact with the players too often. As the game is coded, giving too many positive feedback on regular basis will cause the player to be complacent, while giving too regular negative feedback will cause that person to feel unhappy. So, how often should we do the player interaction? I have 2 approaches to this. First is to do a twice-a-season approach. In this method, i will start interacting with all key players in start of season (around July) and around mid-season (maybe Jan or so). The idea is to motivate them at the start of season and to reinforce your message halfway through the season. The second way is to ignore player interaction until you see a dip in form - then you start talking to all first team players. Hopefully, they will rise on the pitch for better results. What tone should we take during the individual interaction? I usually follow the in-game recommendations. If the player reacts well to private talk, I will choose "private". If the player is performing well in recent games, I will simply choose "positive". No surprise here. If the player is on the unknown side (eg. not sure how to interact and the form is somewhat indifferent), I will probably choose a private session and use a positive tone. Again, I have to repeat the disclaimer that I am not sure how effective this section on Player Interaction is. I just have a nagging feeling that this works and I just have to put it down. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (5.0) Closing There you have it. Some tactics for you to burn your nights away with FMH09. The areas covered in this FAQ may not be the best as you may revise the tactics to suit your team better. Nevertheless, this should be a decent "starter kit" for those who are new to the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (5.1) Sources To me, the "Bugel 433" tactics is a gem which works wonders. I wish to reiterate that I did not invent it. I merely lifted from the Internet to share with fellow gamers on Gamefaqs.com website. Sources are listed as below: http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/40609/t1268262-thebugel433-tactic/ http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?p=2124513#post2124513 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (5.2) Notes of Revision Version 0.5 (12 Jan 2009) : My first time submitting the FAQ. Key tactic is Bugel 433. Version 0.6 (22 Jan 09) : My second time submitting. Key revision is that i have added a second formation called Flat 343. Version 0.7 (6 Mar 09): My third time submittin. Previously, i had a section called 352 as a supporting tactic. I have rewrote it as a core section of its own. It is called flat 352. Supporting formations are shifted to a new section 3. Version 0.8 (17 Mar 09): Minor fine-tuning to Section 2.3 to make explanations clearer and added a section 4 on Player Interactions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (5.3) Disclaimer This is a non-profit FAQ, created solely to share gaming tips with fellow gamers. I am in no way related to the game developer and publisher. There is no intention to cause any insult, embarrassment, harm or distress to any individual or organisation, should there be any. Have fun, mates. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------