Hi!
From my experience, I can also add that you can play TIE a few times at the beginning of the season to load up enthusiasm, even at the cost of 1-2 wins (there doesn't seem to be an extra penalty if you lose with TIE, the fans get mad anyway) in order to prepare for the rest of the season. At enthusiasm 8 (eager) it sort of becomes a self-fueling machine because the team performance improves heavily and you can play TIE more often and still win. If you don't feel comfortable throwing a game or two early in the season, at the least you ought to play TIE in games against bots, especially in cup games, as they can help you load up enthusiasm early in the season.