Strikerless
Latest Posts
Using symetrics in Football Manager
Using symetrics like Sir Alex Ferguson did with Man Utd during season 2012/2013 Manchester United has been a club who dominated the English and European football for quite some time. The results Sir Alex Ferguson managed to get with the Red Devils are unbelievable. Loads of managers have tried but i doubt that they will ever […]
Out Of The Frying-Pan; Into The Shit-House
There is an old saying in Serbia: “Better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick, and better to be poor and sick than Vasa Orlovic”. I should have thought harder about this as I watched the middle aged but decidedly sickly looking Assistant Manager of Novi Sad swing open the metal door to […]
The Road To Novi Sad
Serbia is a country riddled with songs, sayings and poems, and the national psyche is built around this oral tradition, especially when it comes to football. Indeed, that’s the reason I ended up here. To cut a long story short, a large-breasted language student I met in London was travelling out to study the songs […]
Sing It Loud
Foreword This isn’t a traditional Strikerless post, as in that it is a story. A brilliant story I might add. It is also someone else’s work, namely an author operating under the pseudonym of Vic Flange, so I do not want to take credit for something I have not written. The story was written back […]
Getting Great Deals For Your Players
Teams like Udinese and Basel are hardly world class teams, filled to the brim with superstars. They are certainly not the teams who compete for the Champions League every season, despite occassional stunts in the tournament. Yet despite all of this, these are teams who excel in a very particular area of the game: the […]
#Roelwatch; On Fire!
Another year older, my son is scoring for fun again. He is maturing into one of the best shadow strikers in the world, which makes him pretty much ideal for my style of play and strikerless tactics.
Strikerless’ Classic Revival
Yeah, let’s just get this one out of the way. I’m honest enough to admit that no matter how much I try to look at things objectively, I am a human being and I bring my biases to the table. As a child of the late 80’s and early 90’s, I grew up in a […]
How To Properly Defend Corners in FM16
Next to the attacking corner routines everybody needs a solid defensive corner routine aswell. There are many ways to defend your opponents corner but i always try to give it a little extra. In this article i will show you my views on how to properly defend a corner and how you can turn your […]
Building A Dynasty Squad; Some Do’s And Don’ts
Sir Alex Ferguson was a manager renowned for his squad building skills. “Fergie’s never really looking at this moment, he’s always looking into the future,” Ryan Giggs once told newspapers. “Knowing what needs strengthening and what needs refreshing–he’s got that knack.” I want to look at my approach when building a squad, what is important […]
#Roelwatch; Another Year Older
As I race through this save-game, my virtual son is turning into a force to be reckoned with. As we celebrate his 20th birthday, he is turning into one of the continents most coveted talents.
#Roelwatch; He’s Maturing Nicely
Another year has passed, another year in which my virtual son has made me proud father. I know it sounds awfully sad, but it’s quite satisfactory to see a little pixelated man with your family name score a bunch of goals, knowing that he calls you “dad” in this particular save-game.
The Hartman Doctrine; Why The Hairdryer Treatment Works Surprisingly Well
Whilst sounding awfully pretentious, the Hartman doctrine refers to gunnery sergeant Hartman (geek alert for movie reference!) from the movie Full Metal Jacket. For those of you who may not have seen the movie, this is sergeant Hartman, who was an actual, bona fide US marine corps drill sergeant cast to play one. He looks […]
Forget About Near Post Corners; This Is FM16’s Most Effective Corner Setup
Set pieces have always been an important part of football. Especially corners can make or break a team. Corner routines are an important factor nowadays for most football clubs and they no longer can be ignored. Now that Football Manager 2016 has been out for some time everybody has been looking for a corner routine […]
Join The Team; We Need You!
In a combined effort to offer a stage to new authors and lighten the burden on my own shoulders, I plan to include more guest authors on the site. At least, I hope to have more guest authors on Strikerless. Whether this is a one time piece or a more regular contribution, it’s all welcome. So […]
FM Trivia Quiz
Just a wee bit of fun in between all the seriousness. A little FM trivia quiz for you all. Wonderkids from years lore, a few tactics questions, the odd challenge and a lot of “oh yeah, him!”-experiences lie in store. Play and let me know your score or stories regarding some of the players mentioned.
My Boy Is A Man Now
As the boy has now become a man, a proud (virtual) father stands before the task not to look back, but forward, to see what might be in store. As it happens, I am quite happy with the way Roel has progressed as a player. Tutoring by some of the finest players I had at […]
A Leicester City-Inspired 4-4-2-0
Over the past decade, people have fallen out of love with the humble 4-4-2 formation. It’s a shame really, as it’s a beautiful and effective tactic. Its beauty is also part of the reason why people tend to snub their noses at it, since it’s a rather straight-forward and simple tactic. Ranieri and his marauding […]
They Grow Up So Fast
Since I managed to spawn my own virtual son, I’ve decided to follow his career with more than just moderate interest and well… Now you all get to follow his career as well. Every year, I will look at his career and update you all on the progress he has made with some screenshots and […]
That’s My Boy!
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had finally managed to spawn some virtual off-spring and well, I’m goddamn proud of my ability to reload a save-game numerous times, so I am going to follow his goddamn career. He looked average during the initial intake, but we all know our coaches and scouts tend […]
Going Down A Gritty Road; Compensating For Lesser Players By Instilling Fighting Spirit
Whilst beauty is certainly in the eyes of the beholder, not every team has the players to play Joga Bonito. It makes one wonder, is playing beautiful football a goal in itsself? What is beauty? Sometimes, beauty is being efficient and making the most of the material you do have. The results achieved by fighting spirit and team mentality […]
I Have A Son (A Virtual One, But Still)
I have played Football Manager and its predecessor Championship Manager for maybe 15 or 16 years now. So far, I have never been blessed by having a newgen appear who I can call “son.” Last week, I was fed up with this and I decided to reload my save as often as necessary to finally […]
Wingerless (not quite strikerless)
First, an introduction So you came onto Strikerless to read some brilliant tactical advice on the latest version of Football Manager. I can imagine your disappointment when you saw this… so, who am I? I’m 33, live in Sydney, Australia and have been playing FM since I was 18. I’m time poor these days so […]
FM Central Presents; The Solid Base
Let’s start off with a brief introduction here. As you may or may not have noticed over the past few days, #wearethecommunity is a thing now on Twitter. A bit of cross-pollination within the scene and a bunch of us trying to look beyond our own blogs and websites. In that regard, Paul from FM […]
Layering Your Attacks
In the past, I have published (with permission naturally) parts of Lee’s (@FMAnalysis) superb Mechanising The Play series. In an effort to explain what I’m doing, I am going to try and expand upon Lee’s work. The first topic I wish to cover concerns layering your strikeforce. What is it, why should you do it and […]
2015 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 720,000 times in 2015. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 31 days for that many people to see […]
Dealing With Crosses In The FM16 ME
Defending in football is not just about parking the bus á la Mourinho and placing as many players as possible in front of the goalie, forming a sort of human wall between the opposing offence and your own goal. Defending is too complicated and sophisticated to simplify it in terms as simple as stacking players in front of […]
Project Arrowhead; Total Defending In FM16 (With A Libero)
When people talk about Total Football, they are usually referring to the attacking phase of play. The positional switching and movement off the ball it delivers has always captivated managers around the world and it’s always been an ideal people are trying to replicate in FM. The whole concept is based on fluidity of positions, rotations and […]
Making The Most Of Your Veteran Players
Real life football is no country for old men and I guess the same applies to FM. Both have always been about getting results. Results are what keep you in a job, allow you to grow the stature of the club, attract better players and keep you from pulling your hair out and breaking things […]
Tweaking Your Strikerless Tactic
The following article is something I do not often do; it’s a special request piece. People kept asking me if my tactics are plug & play and if they require any tweaking. The answer is yes, they do require tweaking, which is 90% common sense and 10% trial & error. Still, people kept asking me […]
Counter-Pressing In FM16
With the arrival of Jürgen Klopp in the Premiership, more and more attention is given to one of the major developments in football tactics in recent years; counterpressing. Before Klopp’s move the Premier League, counterpressing or its German equivalent gegenpressing was already hot topic for the football hipsters among us. The act of pressing and closing down […]
FM16 Corners; Various Routines And Their Merits
Managers, coaches, players and pundits alike often make reference to the importance of set plays, which can be a crucial means to force in a goal when things don’t look good during open play. Set plays by their premeditated nature offer a relatively consistent level of defensive and attacking opportunity and by looking at the effectiveness […]
FM16’s First Throw In Routine; The Long Throw Makes A Return
Last year’s version saw the tremendously overpowered long throw tactic help teams soar to new heights. Putting the exploitative nature of this routine aside though, you could argue that the long throw has gained acceptance as part of a robust approach to the game, pioneered by someone like Rory Delap upto the point where many Premier League […]
Updating My Tactic; Strikerless 1.4
When it comes to tactics, I firmly believe there is no “one size fits all” approach to FM. You can create a framework that works, but you will constantly be tweaking, testing, analysing, rinsing and repeating to optimise the approach for your own team. For me, the main challenge in FM16 thus far lies in […]
FM16’s First Corner Routine
Managers, coaches, players and pundits alike often make reference to the importance of set plays, which can be a crucial means to force in a goal when things don’t look good during open play. Set plays by their premeditated nature offer a relatively consistent level of defensive and attacking opportunity and by looking at the effectiveness […]
FM16’s First Tactic; Strikerless 1.0
Like in previous versions of Football Manager, I have dubbed my initial tactic Strikerless Sexy Football because that is what the tactic aims to deliver (and often delivers), just the way that pretentious prick Gullit envisaged it originally. I have to admit, Gullit has a way with words. If his coaching skills matched his vocabulary and oral […]
Dynamic Midfield Presences
One aspect of football I deem important is control of the central areas of the pitch. When you control the heart of the field of play, you automatically limit the opportunities your opponent has, whilst increasing your own options exponentially. The freedom of choice is greater in the middle of the field. There is no boundary […]
The Triple Pivot Download
As I mentioned earlier in a more theoretic post about the Triple Pivot concept, a triple pivot is the deployment of three defensive midfielders, who may be used to protect the defence in a deep block, to prevent the opposition space for counter-attacks, to keep possession by overloading in the first phase, the reasons are almost endless, […]
That Little Touch Of Magic
In an age where football (and thus the games that simulate football) is becoming less about individual skill and finesse and more about team tactics and defensive responsibilities, sometimes players and their style of play are like a breath of fresh air as they surprise you with some sort of unthinkable move. Fans and spectators […]
A Brief Pause
Mrs. Strikerless and my good self are moving houses, which means dodgy new internet connections as well. It could take us a few days to get everything working again, priorities are unpacking boxes, not sorting the internet. So if there are no frequent updates, don’t worry, they will resume shortly.
Strikerless; The Triple Pivot
There is no such thing as overkill. When you’re playing around with abstract concepts like say… not fielding any actual forwards during a game of football, that’s not a bad code to live by. This got me thinking, especially after being inspired by a post by Chris Darwen… What kind of tactics do real-life teams […]
Direct Free Kicks; Defending
Has this ever happened to you? You concede a free kick in a semi-dangerous position and the opposition rifles the ball in. The ball seems utterly stoppable for your goalie, but instead of just holding it or punching it clear, he releases the ball and some completely unmarked forward blazes past your defenders, who have […]
Hipster Overload; 5-2-3 Strikerless With A Sweeper
Imagine a formation that takes you back to the times of the early nineties, to the times of teams like the 1990 West German squad. A sturdy, defensively reliable squad, with a proper defensive sweeper like Klaus Augenthaler. The Germans won quite a few trophies in their day playing, according to the pundits, a particularly cynical […]
The Libero’s Slightly Less Fashionable Cousin; The Ausputzer
It really is a majestic sight. Go back 30 or 40 years and watch teams defend. The majority of them will feature a type of player that seems to have been lost from the modern game. You’ll see an elegant defender sitting behind the defensive line, picking up a stray through balls from an attacker. As […]
Tactical Reviews; Chris Darwen’s Strikerless
It looks like the strikerless bug is slowly but surely spreading, which means I get to do these reviews more often. It hasn’t even been that long since the last review and there’s already a new one lined up. Chris Darwen, also known as @comeontheoviedo on Twitter, has submitted a 4-3-3-0 tactic he created for […]
Trying To Create An Old School Modern Defender Role; A 5-2-3-0 / 3-4-3-0 Hybrid
I’ll be honest, I enjoy three man defences. It’s retro, it’s vogue, it adds a bit of charisma to the tactic, for me anyway. It also gives me the chance to experiment with the whole libero-role. As I have read on other blogs, the role doesn’t work, but I can try to involve a sort […]
Tactical Review; Rodrigo’s 3-4-3-0
Our last tactical review dates back to February, when we reviewed @cdeekyfm‘s 4-5-1-0 tactic. Right now, we’re going to look at Rodrigo’s 3-4-3-0. Last year, he sent in a tactic as well, so we can consider this a semi-annual event. Anyway, I figured it was time to disect another tactic, so I fired up the […]
Sign-To-Sell Revisited; The Way Forward For Smaller Clubs
Modern football is changing. With money becoming more and more important, the club landscape has changed. That applies to FM just as well as real life by the way. There is now a top tier of untouchable clubs who, like big businesses, get constantly richer and keep football alive with a trickle down of capital (Man […]
Perishing Partizan; Halfway Into Season Two
In the Perishing Partizan series, I am chronicling the demise of a Champions League winning club after the AI has taken over. Erratic spending, no clear vision as to which new players are needed and only average results compared to the quality of the squad, so far we’ve seen it all. Today’s post focusses on […]
Perishing Partizan; Season 1 Completed, Season 2’s Setup
In this next installment of Perishing Partizan, we look at how the AI did in its first season in charge, result-wise. We also have a peek at their financial status and the transfers they conducted at the start of the second season. The previous accomplishments Partizan had a decent season, by AI standards anyway. The […]
A Strikerless Podcast
If you have never heard of The Deep Lying Podcast, for shame. Start listening. Besides this blatant bit of unsponsored advertising, there’s a secondary reason for me to divert your attention to the guys from the DLP (I like abbreviations, sue me…). Yours truly as well as regular blogger and fellow Strikerless fiend @cdeekyfm have […]