Since PS4 kindly saves about 15 minutes of footage automatically, which is give or take a few pauses and watching copious replays, about the length of an average Seasons game, I thought I'd start documenting some of my games as I (hopefully) rise through the ranks of trogs, Mexicans, dew chuggers, and dew chugging Mexitrogs.
Here are my basic rules for how I approach Seasons.
1) No teams better than 4*. I like to find a team I work well with and stick with them until it stops working well, but I do not capitulate and go pick Real Madrid just to run around like an asshole with Bale.
2) "Restrictive" team matching. I want every game to be as close as mathematically possible to even.
3) No mercy. Even if I score a penalty on a red carded foul in the box in the 2nd minute (happened tonight) I don't let off. I realize this isn't remotely realistic compared to real soccer, but fuck these pubers.
4) No quitting. Outside of something abominable happening (e.g., the reverse of the above situation, I give up a penalty and lose a guy in the 2nd minute), there's really no reason to quit outside of things happening in real life like an emergency that force me out. If I'm down 3-0 in the 75th, I'll change formations and maybe make a few subs and experiment with a different style.
Right now, until the opponents adjust, I'm playing a slightly defensive counter-attacking style 4-4-2 with West Ham. Song is my lone CM/DM but since he's an 80 and quite tall, it works pretty well. He makes up for a lot of what Jarvis, Downing, and Amalfitano lack in defensive qualities (which is everything, other than Jarvis, who is at least quick).
The bench/reserve bug means I literally can't bring in the heavyweights like Nolan and Carroll unless I start the game with them in the lineup, and since we're doing quick hitting counters, Valencia and Zarate are actually preferred even though they are small and twinkish. My bench quality is limited to Sakho and Noble, the rest of the subs blow.
As a bonus, Downing and Zarate are both pretty capable free kick takers, which is pretty beneficial at the 4* level, a good amount of those teams have nobody who is any good at direct free kicks.
Right now, there is a massive logjam with everyone having just started playing 5 days ago. I am in Division 6 but the quality in opponents vary from game to game. The guy who used Everton in this game where I committed the softest penalty ever (vid below) was really good.
I was unlucky to give up that penalty but probably lucky something else didn't go in, so 1-1 was pretty fair.
On the other hand, there are a lot of guys who are experimenting with teams but play the exact same way they do with Mexico or whatever. The last guy I played tonight kept trying to run me with Pelle, who was probably the slowest player on the field outside of the keepers. Note that James Tomkins (!!!) runs him down with absolute ease. To boot he rarely got the ball to his actual fast player (Shane Long) or his best player (Schneiderlin). So this is a good example of a not all that shitty player who just has no idea how to use S'oton. There's a lot of these types milling about right now.
I expect things will shake loose in the next few weeks and the crap players will drop down and wallow between divisions 7-10.
With that said, here's almost full video of my most recent game, a 5-2 win against Southampton. I was pissed to even give up the 2 goals, one of which was an auto switch nightmare. I scored 2 free kick goals and the first goal which isn't shown was slick as hell. Valencia got it after a quick 1-2 and was in on goal and I slowed up at the top of the box and waited for the keeper to come out a bit, then rolled it around him on the left.
The Zarate free kick looks like Kyle Walker's against Blackburn from a few years back.
Here's a highlight from an earlier game where I also pinged one in with Downing:
I'm getting the hang of free kicks now. What still kills me is that your players won't advance on goal when you try to swing a ball in if you're too far from goal for a shot, but still in the center of the field. If you're way out on a wing, you can swing it in dangerously, just not in the middle. It's annoying.
This was the half time situation in another game tonight, this was the guy who got the 3rd minute red card and penalty.
I was pretty much "on" this evening. 3 wins and all pretty comfortable.
Here are my basic rules for how I approach Seasons.
1) No teams better than 4*. I like to find a team I work well with and stick with them until it stops working well, but I do not capitulate and go pick Real Madrid just to run around like an asshole with Bale.
2) "Restrictive" team matching. I want every game to be as close as mathematically possible to even.
3) No mercy. Even if I score a penalty on a red carded foul in the box in the 2nd minute (happened tonight) I don't let off. I realize this isn't remotely realistic compared to real soccer, but fuck these pubers.
4) No quitting. Outside of something abominable happening (e.g., the reverse of the above situation, I give up a penalty and lose a guy in the 2nd minute), there's really no reason to quit outside of things happening in real life like an emergency that force me out. If I'm down 3-0 in the 75th, I'll change formations and maybe make a few subs and experiment with a different style.
Right now, until the opponents adjust, I'm playing a slightly defensive counter-attacking style 4-4-2 with West Ham. Song is my lone CM/DM but since he's an 80 and quite tall, it works pretty well. He makes up for a lot of what Jarvis, Downing, and Amalfitano lack in defensive qualities (which is everything, other than Jarvis, who is at least quick).
The bench/reserve bug means I literally can't bring in the heavyweights like Nolan and Carroll unless I start the game with them in the lineup, and since we're doing quick hitting counters, Valencia and Zarate are actually preferred even though they are small and twinkish. My bench quality is limited to Sakho and Noble, the rest of the subs blow.
As a bonus, Downing and Zarate are both pretty capable free kick takers, which is pretty beneficial at the 4* level, a good amount of those teams have nobody who is any good at direct free kicks.
Right now, there is a massive logjam with everyone having just started playing 5 days ago. I am in Division 6 but the quality in opponents vary from game to game. The guy who used Everton in this game where I committed the softest penalty ever (vid below) was really good.
I was unlucky to give up that penalty but probably lucky something else didn't go in, so 1-1 was pretty fair.
On the other hand, there are a lot of guys who are experimenting with teams but play the exact same way they do with Mexico or whatever. The last guy I played tonight kept trying to run me with Pelle, who was probably the slowest player on the field outside of the keepers. Note that James Tomkins (!!!) runs him down with absolute ease. To boot he rarely got the ball to his actual fast player (Shane Long) or his best player (Schneiderlin). So this is a good example of a not all that shitty player who just has no idea how to use S'oton. There's a lot of these types milling about right now.
I expect things will shake loose in the next few weeks and the crap players will drop down and wallow between divisions 7-10.
With that said, here's almost full video of my most recent game, a 5-2 win against Southampton. I was pissed to even give up the 2 goals, one of which was an auto switch nightmare. I scored 2 free kick goals and the first goal which isn't shown was slick as hell. Valencia got it after a quick 1-2 and was in on goal and I slowed up at the top of the box and waited for the keeper to come out a bit, then rolled it around him on the left.
The Zarate free kick looks like Kyle Walker's against Blackburn from a few years back.
Here's a highlight from an earlier game where I also pinged one in with Downing:
I'm getting the hang of free kicks now. What still kills me is that your players won't advance on goal when you try to swing a ball in if you're too far from goal for a shot, but still in the center of the field. If you're way out on a wing, you can swing it in dangerously, just not in the middle. It's annoying.
This was the half time situation in another game tonight, this was the guy who got the 3rd minute red card and penalty.
I was pretty much "on" this evening. 3 wins and all pretty comfortable.
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