Tactical Theorems & Frameworks: Football Manager 2009

By: Daryl | February 24th, 2009

Have you ever heard of the Tactical Theorems and Frameworks? It’s a strategy guide developed by the FM enthusiasts at FM-Britain, which I found yesterday while searching for other FM blogs.

It’s basically a massive guide – written every year since FM ‘06 – explaining exactly how tactics and other aspects of the game work.

Is it cheating? I’m not entirely sure, because I’ve only read a bit of it (the first bit of the last chapter). But based on what I did read… I say no, it’s not. There’s nothing that guarantees wins etc, it’s more just tactical hints and tips based on an understanding of how the game works.

As an example, when using the Opposition Instructions screen I’ve been showing players onto their weaker foot. Because I thought it was that simple. But seems there’s more to it. A lot more. Here’s what the TT&F guide has to say:

The ‘Show onto Foot’ OI

This OI is an excellent tool for combating threats from out wide. The key thing to think about is the type of attacker/s you are playing against.

• Tall & Slow Attackers: OI wingers to go inside
• Short & Quick Attackers: OI wingers to go outside
• Tall & Quick Attackers: OI wingers onto wrong foot

The reasons for this are threefold. If the opposition attackers are slow, then the defenders should easily mop up a through ball. In contrast, if the player is tall and good in the air, then the defence will struggle to cope with good crosses. If the attackers are both good with the ball in the air and on the ground, then the best option is to make the winger struggle to get a good ball in by forcing him onto his weaker foot.

Be aware, if the winger is technically good and has a major pace advantage over the defending full back, showing him onto his weaker foot inside may lead to the winger having a clear run on goal. The ‘Show onto Weaker Foot’ OI can also be very useful when trying to pressurise the back line and/or goalkeeper into making defensive errors.

Wish I’d realized that on my own, but now that I know it opens the game up for me a bit more. So I’m going to make an effort to give the whole thing a read (sort of, at some point) and share any information I learn.

Here are links to all the sections:

1. TT&F ‘09: Introduction
2. Player Roles and Mentality Systems
3. Managerial Types and Mentality Systems
4. Player Roles and Forward Runs
5. Closing Down & Passing Patterns
6. Framework Adaptation
7. Strategy Assumptions
8. Match Strategies
9. Individual Player Theories
10. Specialist Position Theories
11. Opposition Instruction Theories

Yep, it’s massive. And part of me wishes it was smaller and easier to digest. But another part of me is glad it’s massive, because that means this game really does have some depth.

Has anyone read this thing before? Any feedback or insights?