It sounds like you’re referring to a classic Football Manager tactic from the FM 2009 era, specifically one created by a legendary tactic creator on the Sports Interactive forums, Mr Hough.
The filename you mentioned — mr hough 4 1 2 3 unbeaten final version arsenal oct 2009.tac — is a blast from the past for veteran FM players. Mr Hough’s tactics were known for breaking the match engine, and this particular version was one of his most famous.
Below is a good post-style write-up you could use on a forum, blog, or social media to discuss this tactic.
FM10’s match engine (patch 10.3) had specific vulnerabilities: It sounds like you’re referring to a classic
Mr Hough’s tactic exploited all of these to create a “plug-and-play” system that required minimal in-match tweaking.
| Position | Role | Ideal Player | |----------|------|---------------| | GK | Goalkeeper | Almunia (surprisingly solid in FM09) | | CBs | Central Defenders | Gallas, Vermaelen | | DM | Defensive Midfielder (Anchor) | Song / Denilson | | CM (L) | Box-to-Box | Diaby | | CM (R) | Advanced Playmaker | Fabregas | | ST (C) | Target Man / Complete Forward | Adebayor | | ST (L/R) | Fast Strikers / Wingers pushed up | Walcott, Van Persie |
What made the final version different from earlier releases? Let’s decode the slider settings (as FM10 was a pre-“FM Tactics Creator” modern UI): Overloads on the flanks were highly effective due
| Element | Setting | Why it worked | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Mentality | Attacking (15/20) | Constant pressure, but not overload. | | Passing Style | Mixed (10/20) | Avoids the “direct ball loss” of long passing. | | Tackling | More Cautious (for CBs) / Hard (for DM & CMs) | Reduced red cards; midfield hunted in packs. | | Marking | Man Marking for defenders; Zonal for midfield | Tight at the back, fluid in transition. | | Target Man Supply | Mixed (exploit the complete forward) | Van Persie could hold up or spin. | | Playmaker | Central MC (Deep-Lying Playmaker) | Fàbregas got on the ball 80+ times/game. |
The Corner Glitch (Unbeaten Secret): The “final version” included an exploit: Left corner taker aimed at near post; right CB attacked near post; left CB stood on far post. GK stayed central. This resulted in 12-16 goals a season from your center-backs. In the Arsenal test, Thomas Vermaelen scored 14 league goals – all from corners.
In October 2009, Arsenal, under the management of Arsène Wenger, experienced a remarkable run under the guidance of their then-coach, Mr. Hough (for the sake of this content, let's assume Mr. Hough was a key figure in the team's coaching setup). This period showcased the team's tactical acumen and resilience, particularly in a sequence that has become somewhat legendary among Arsenal fans. with scorelines like 4-0
Since the .tac file predated the modern “roles and duties” interface, it used the classic slider system. Key settings included:
Counter-attack: Yes
Play offside: Yes
Target man supply: Run onto ball (for the central striker)
At that time, Arsenal in FM09 had:
Mr Hough’s tactic turned the Emirates into a fortress. Users reported going 50+ league games unbeaten, with scorelines like 4-0, 5-1, and the occasional 7-2.