Roy Rovers Guide To FM

carija92@gmail.
com 31 Oct 2019

carija92@gmail.com 31 Oct 2019
Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved.
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Contents
I. Must Do Things When Starting A New Save

II. Setting Up Staff Responsibilities
III. How To Use Training More Effectively
IV. Scouting For The Best Players
V. Developing Youth Players
VI. Transfer Budget Tips
VII. Achieve Lower League Success
VIII. Formations
IX. Team Instructions
X. Ways To Make A Comeback
XI. Unknown FM Tips And Tricks
Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <3>

Things You Must Do When

Starting A New Save In FM
Have you ever wondered what is the best way to start your new Football
Manager career save? What should you do first? Or how you can get the
best out of your players from the get-go?
Well, the following pages will take you through some areas which
should help you get started; setting up shortlists, tactics, coaching team
and your first/U21’s and youth squads.
Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved Contents <4>

Starting a game
If you enjoy bringing youth team players If you don’t focus on this, then don’t
through then make sure your youth team worry too much about who you employ
coaches are good enough to develop the for your lower ranks.
Have a look at your coaching team and players.
how many staff your board allows you for
each staffing position. This helps you
understand where you can expand and
improve on.
The more high-quality coaches you have,

the more your players will reap the
rewards and make improvements to their
attributes.
The coaching team’s workload should be

3½ stars/light workload, this allows more
specialised coaching for your players from
the youth team through to the first team.
The earlier in the game you set this up,

the earlier you see improvements and
developments in your players.
Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <5>

Starting a game
You could put these players into your first Make the players who you don’t see
team squad but make them available for being involved in your first squad
the U21’s to allow them game time and available for loan and offer them to clubs.
match fitness.
When offers come in make sure they are
Analyse each position and work out if you going to a club their current ability suits
have enough cover or whether you need the most.
to dip into the transfer market.
Evaluating your first team, as well as

U21’s and youth team is a good way to
begin before deciding on which areas you
need to improve on.
You may have a gem in your U18’s that

you decide you would like to develop and
introduce him them to the first team
rather than spend your transfer budget
on a proven player.
Your U21 squad may have a couple of

fringe players, who you want to be more
involved with the first team as squad
players.

Starting a game
Imagine getting to the end of the summer Season over before it’s even begun.
window, and your main striker picks up a
long-term injury, you need to find a At this stage, you could also assign your
new prolific goalscorer and are scouts to go out and find players for you,
devastated to realise that Moussa but I leave that responsibility to my chief
Setting your shortlist up as early as Dembélé has already signed for your arch scout to organise who goes where.
possible, identifying the targets you rivals for £15million.
would like to pursue makes sure that you
do not miss out on a club making a bid or
being interested in them without you
knowing.
Obviously, you can add players to your

shortlist as the season goes on, and you
will do with your scouts recommending
players to you, but the main thing is to
come up with a list of players you would
like to monitor and potentially make a bid
for.
The earlier you can make your signings

the more time they have to settle in your
club and get to know their teammates.

Setting Up Staff
Responsibilities
Now let’s talk about setting up your staff responsibilities to help
you in areas where you may not want to take full control.
By this stage, you should have your staff in place that you want to
go into the season with or know who you want to be bringing in.
That will help you be able to know where you want to pass control
over.
Now, let’s take a look at how to set up staff responsibilities.

Staff responsibilities
If you want this taken off your hands, I have personally never allowed this, but I
then you can select any board member to do know one thing, I wouldn’t want Ed
Not a lot you can do here apart from be doing this for you. Woodward doing this for me at
whether you want to be in charge of Manchester United!
hiring a Director of Football or you want
to pass that to a board members.
If you don’t want one, then leave yourself

in charge of it. If you do want one and are
not sure who to get, leave this staff
responsibility to a member of the board
to sort out.
For all these options, I always leave the

hiring and firing of all staff to myself
because I don’t want the potential for the
staff I like and enjoy working with being
fired, so I like to have full control over this
section.

not have discovered yet. I let the HoYD handle the contract
negotiations as well.
When they make the offer for the player, I
will still get him scouted by the scouting The only part different to what was
team, so I can fully cast my eye over who discussed earlier is that you will handle
I would assume most FM players would the potential signing is. the confirmation of the signing making a
want to take control of their incoming last glance at the players scout report
transfers. If they do not have a potential ability of a making sure he is right for my club.
minimum four stars, I will cancel the
I’ve never worked with a Director of transfer.
Football of FM (unless if I’m doing a DOF
Challenge), but unless they are bringing
you players to go straight to the first team
that you don’t already know about, then I
don’t see it working.
Similarly, I will handle new signing

contract negotiations; if you are signing
the players, then you may as well handle
the contract negotiations as well. Finally, I
will handle the confirmation of the
DOF CHALLENGE. Leave all of your duties to your Director of Football, which will leave
signing.
you with only running team training and the tactics.
I let my Head of Youth Development
Your Director of Football will be in charge of all other areas of the game, such as
make offers for young players of the
scouting for new players, contract renewals and incoming and outgoing transfers, and
future. This allows me to hopefully not
you will have to accept every decision he makes.
miss out on the next gem that you may

This section can be quite different to the The other option you have is to transfer You can also hand over responsibilities of
Incoming Transfer section. list the first team players you no longer incoming offers for youth team players to
want and let your board handle incoming the board, but you can also hand that
You can, which I do, handle all outgoing offers for these players. over to your Director of Football,
transfers yourself, therefore, having Assistant Manager, Head of Youth
complete control over it. It means that you don’t have to keep Development or U18 Manager.
negotiating with clubs and can
This is more time consuming but will concentrate on bringing new players in.
leave you with more control and more
money from the transfers.

We will discus scouting, especially for

For all staff/player contract negotiations I new-gen, aka regen, players later in
will handle them myself because as Setting assignments for the scouting team the book.
discussed before, I don’t want to is passed over to my Chief Scout.
potentially lose someone because the You will learn how to find the best
board made a decision not to renew a I never tend to get involved in this as the players possible before anyone else
contract. Chief Scout should be able to cope with finds them.
the demands of this task.
The only responsibility I hand over is that
of the youth players.
I do this because I have found that when I

have previously done handled it myself
and let some youngsters go because I
deemed them not good enough (rightly),
the fans were unhappy at them released.
So if my chief operator in the youth team

can handle who we should be keeping, it
should work out that we keep the ones
he thinks has the potential and lose the
ones whose career may be better
elsewhere.

My Head of Youth Development, or The First team manager (You), U21

First team training I hand over to my HOYD, sets up individual training for the manager and U18 manager all run match
assistant manager, but we will take a youth team players. training for their respective squads.
closer look on how to maximize the
training in FM. So passing on this task If he is of high enough quality, he should The manager is ultimately in charge and
also allows you to focus on other matters be setting this up to improve your youth should be seen to be trying to enforce
like tactics and who you’re going to team players and getting them ready for their tactics onto pitch and players.
select for the forthcoming match. the first team.
Youth training is taken by the U18

manager; he manages the team, so he
should be training the team (yes quite
contradicting to my statement in the first
sentence).
I also pass on the responsibility of setting

up individual training to the Assistant
Manager as again, again this I only do to
get more focus on other things I find
more important, but we will talk more
about the training in the upcoming pages.

The Head of Youth Development brings

youth players into the club, this is their Make sure both these teams are set up to
Good Ass Man should have good or
number one priority, making sure your play first-team match tactics, this means
excellent; Determination, Level of
youth ranks boast the best youngsters players are better prepared for your first
Discipline, Motivation.
around who can challenge for first team team and can slot straight in if/when
places. needed.
If you plan from your assistant to
carry out training, then you should
Get the team manager to arrange friendly
also look at his coaching attributes.
matches when there is not a game during
the week.
The only part of this screen that I change Also, if you’d like for your assistant
is to allow my Assistant Manager to to help you with tactics or to set up
This level of football isn’t always the
arrange the friendly matches. opposition instructions, then
best, and there can be gaps in the playing
include Tactical Knowledge and
schedule, so this keeps your players
This is because they get your schedule Judging Player Ability.
ticking over fitness and match sharpness
right, so you play enough games in wise.
preseason allowing your players to get Lastly, consider including
match fit and be able to try out some Adaptability if he is not from the
If you have a very modest squad you may
formations. nation you’re currently managing.
not want this option as your players can
get tired of playing twice a week.
You can also set that your assistant does
all the interviews for you in order to
speed up your game a bit.

Also untick the box that makes your This way if your DoF or some other staff
player automatically transfer listed and that you assigned to deal with players on
not needed when you offer him to other a loan or development list will still ask for
clubs. money and wages to be paid for the
player.
On this screen, I leave most of the You’ll find out why later in the book.
settings as already assigned apart from Loaning players that you see as surplus
how often you are reminded to speak to Also when loaning a player out to other can still bring in some cash.
your backroom staff. clubs be sure to change all of the values
to 100%.
This I change to every week as your staff
may have some advice for you which is
crucial to a game situation or have advice
on something a player can be doing
better to improve themselves and the
team.
Also, I change the option to add a player

I’ve recently scouted to the shortlist from
‘Don’t shortlist’ to ‘Indefinitely’.
And I also change the time a player is

scouted, from 1 week to 2 weeks, just so I
get somewhat better scout report. For
best reports, obviously go with scout until
full knowledge is obtained.

How To Use Training More

Effectively
Training can be so crucial in FM. If you misuse training and
overwork your players, it may result in injuries at the wrong time.
However, if you under train your players, it will lead to unfit

players that don’t know the tactic.
Following next pages will show you how to use training more
effectively and lead your team to glory.

Training
If a certain area needs strengthening,
This means that you would want more then by all means, add a coach onto two
than one coach in every category. to these areas.
I recommend having at least one coach
for every category, therefore not However, this means that this coach
Coaches are crucial in terms of training as overworking any of them. won’t be able to spend as much time of
they are the ones actually implementing each area, therefore reducing his effect.
what you want onto the team.
This means that you want the best

possible coaches available.
Ideally, your coaches would all be five

star and that is not impossible.
However, it is fairly difficult, especially if

your club is fairly low on funds. But
coaches are certainly worth investing in
and a good coach can be just as
important as a good player.
The workload of coaches is also very

important. If you over work a coach,
much like a player, there performance
will be poorer and less effective. You can ask your Ass Man to assign coaches to areas they best fit. This is a good way to
balance the responsibilities so one of your coaches doesn’t get over or underworked.

Training
I use these attributes as necessary ones Take these five attributes as main filters Take these four attributes as main filters
when filtering and hiring coaches in when searching for a perfect Attacking when searching for a perfect Handling
different training departments. Coach for your team; Attacking Coaching, Goalkeeping Coach for your team; GK
Tactical Coaching, Determination, Level Handling, Determination, Level Of
Take these four attributes as main filters Of Discipline and Motivating. Discipline and Motivating.
when searching for the best Fitness
Coaches for your team; Fitness Coaching, Take these five attributes as main filters Take these four attributes as main filters
Determination, Level Of Discipline and when searching for a perfect Defending when searching for a perfect Distribution
Motivating. Coach for your team; Defence Coaching, Goalkeeping Coach for your team; GK
Tactical Coaching, Determination, Level Distribution, Determination, Level Of
Take these five attributes as main filters Of Discipline and Motivating. Discipline and Motivating.
when searching for a perfect Tactic Coach
for your team; Tactical Coaching, Tactical Take these four attributes as main filters Take these three attributes as main filters
Knowledge, Determination, Level Of when searching for a perfect Shot when searching for a perfect HOYD for
Discipline and Motivating. Stopping Goalkeeping Coach for your your team; Working With Youngsters,
team; GK Shot Stopping, Determination, Judging Player Ability and Judging Player
Take these five attributes as main filters Level Of Discipline and Motivating. Potential.
when searching for a perfect Ball Control
Coach for your team; Technique
Coaching, Attacking, Mental Coaching,
Level Of Discipline and Motivating.

Training
I also try not to overwork my players, yet Getting this balance right is really what
they need to do enough training. sets your season up.
Individual training is so important in

encouraging that young starlet to
become a world class talent.
However, before you set individual

training, you should set up your tactic.
This will allow you to see where players

fit, therefore allowing you to train them
in the necessary position.
The more a player trains and plays in a

certain position, the more comfortable
they get in that role.
This is why individual training is so

important.

Training
Familiarity with a role can really help a

player.
It also helps if you have an AMR that you

want to play on the left but he isn’t even
accomplished in the role.
Individual training can help him to play in

that role.
This in turn will help your team as your

players won’t just be confined to the
positions they can play at the start.
This will allow your players and your

squad to be far more flexible.
Depending of the score of the player's Versatility attribute, which is hidden and ranges from 1 - 20, tells us how good player will
perform in a different position, than his natural one and how fast he'll get accustomed to new position/role through individual training.

Training
Another aspect of individual training that If your play a player in a certain role, but New preferred moves can also be taught
I use very heavily is additional focus. he is poor in a specific area, train it. via individual training.
This allows you to train a specific part of

a player’s game, and is great if they are
noticeably weak in a specific area.
Additional focus can drastically improve

that part of their game.
A good way to see if a player is weak in

any areas is to go to your team selection
screen and select required attributes for
the role that they are playing in.
This will highlight the key areas where a

player should be strong in that role.

Training
In terms of intensity it varies throughout For scheduling, I like to tick the ‘allow
the season. rest after match’ box but not ticking the
‘allow rest before match’ box.
In preseason, I train of high intensity too
ensure that my team is fit for the By doing this, it allows that players rest
upcoming season. and recuperate after a match.
Team training is so vital in making your
team familiar with each other and the However, training on high intensity This alleviates that risk of injuries caused
tactic. throughout the season can lead to by fatigue.
tiredness and injuries at the wrong time.
Misusing team training can lead to many By not allowing rest before the match, it
problems such as injuring and fatigue. That is why, when the season starts, I means that my players are fit and training
change to either medium or average all the way up to match day.
That is why you have to set up your team intensity.
training well.

Training
Now onto what I actually train. During Again this is beneficial if you have signed I also prepare training for whatever team
preseason, I train team cohesion and lots of players. I am facing next.
fitness.
When the proper season starts, I train on This is something that you will get better
Team cohesion helps drastically if you medium or average intensity. at over the course of the season as you
have brought in lots of new players over will be able to judge how well you team
summer, or if your squad isn’t gelling. Which one I chose depends on what type will cope against certain opposition.
of squad I have.
Fitness on high intensity prepares my Obviously, if you’re playing weaker
players in the best possible way for the This is something that you will have to opposition, train attacking and if you’re
upcoming season. decide when the season starts. playing strong opposition, train defence.
I also set match preparation to match I generally prefer medium and that is
tactics so my players are familiar with the what I generally start with.
tactic.

Scouting For The Best

Players
New-gens have not always been the way they are. Around eight
years ago, SI made a change from re-creating real-life players in the
game to randomly creating players.
The old way meant that all you needed to do to find the best
young players was to know when certain players retired. Then you
could find their regen.
Now, the process to find the best players is different. It is more

challenging, yet more rewarding.
It has been this way for around eight years now but still provides a
great challenge. But to enjoy this process, you must do some
simple things to discover the best players of tomorrow.

Scouting
The scouts that you want to get are ones This will lead you to make a better
with 20 Judging Current Ability and 20 decision when it comes to signing a
Judging Potential Ability, or as near to player.
these grades as possible.
To find the best players, you need the One thing that I love and hate about FM
best scouts. These scouts are the guys This way, when they return with a scout is that the potential ability is often a stab
that are watching and evaluating these report, you will see a more accurate in the dark.
players for you. representation of a player’s current and
potential ability. With better scouts, this stab may be
Obviously, you can have your own say on more accurate.
the matter as well, but do you want to
skim through hundreds of players?
The scouts are also vital in uncovering

the player’s stats.
If your club has a good knowledge and

scouting range, then this will be easier.
However, some players will still have very

vague stats.
You need scouts to uncover the essential

stats for you to make your judgment
then.

Scouting
To do this, you need to have a lot of I understand that this method can be
scouts, which I mentioned in my first time-consuming and requires a large
point. This is because there will be number of scouts, but it is the most
months where there are hundreds of effective way of finding the best regens.
players to scout.
By scouting everyone, you will massively It will take a lot of time looking through
reduce the chances of a potential world I recommend you scout each player for all the scout reports, but the satisfaction
beater slipping through your fingers. around three months. you get when you spot a real gem is
indescribable.
This has happened to all of us. We see a If you go Control-A, you can select all the
player but don’t scout him for whatever players from that month and choose to
reason, and he turns out to be the best scout them.
player in the world.
Obviously, each player that you scout will
To scout every youth intake player, not be world class, but this method slims
you need to know when there’s a youth your chances of missing out on a
intake date. potential worldie.
Click the ‘World’ icon in the top right of

the screen. Then select ‘world,’ then
change the drop-down menu to ‘Youth
Intake.’
You can then flick through each month

and look at all the youth intake players. I
highly recommend you scout all of these
players.

Scouting
Clubs with Best Youth Recruitment in FM; Benfica, Sporting (Portugal), Sao Paolo, Santos
(Brazil), Boca, River (Argentina), Olympique Lyonnais (France), Chivas (Mexico), Olympiakos
(Greece), Basel (Switzerland), Dinamo (Croatia), FC Midtjylland, Brøndby IF (Denmark),
Ludogorets, Levski, Pirin Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria), Red Star, Partizan (Serbia), Legia,
Lech(Poland), Rosenborg, Valerenga (Norway), Nacional (Uruguay),Seoul (South Korea), Al-
Sadd (Qatar), Zeljeznicar (Bosnia & Herzegovina),Defensor Sporting (Uruguay), Shanggang
(China), Dinamo Tb. (Georgia), Breiðablik (Iceland).
It is common knowledge that clubs with
good youth academies will produce If this is the method you will want to If you have a certain league turned on,
better regens. utilise, I recommend that you target more new-gens will appear from that
smaller clubs that have good youth league.
This means that if you surf through the facilities.
clubs with the best youth academies, you This, in turn, will slow down your game
will find good players. This way, you will be able to get good but speed up the search for regens.
players for cheap.
If you plan on doing this, I recommend However, as I said earlier, the bigger
looking at clubs like Ajax, Midtjylland, By doing this method, you eliminate the clubs will demand a higher fee than other
Southampton, ASEC Mimosas and the chance of finding good players from odd clubs.
general big clubs such as Bayern Munich, countries, but it also reduces the time
Real Madrid, Barcelona, etc. that you would have spent doing the first This means that if you are doing a save
option. with a smaller club with limited funds,
The main problem you will face with this this method will prove rather challenging.
method is that the big clubs will demand If you are going to do this method, you But hope is not lost.
more for their players as they have a should select a few clubs that you will
larger reputation. target and turn on the leagues that they
are in.

Scouting
Obviously, Lillestrom won’t produce as This time can be worth it though if after
many world class players as PSG, but they hours of searching, you find a potential
will still provide you with the occasional world-beater for £50,000.
young talent and could be the source for
many of your players for years to come. My favourite way of finding regens is to
scout everyone from every month and
If you are in charge of a smaller club, or a These lower rep clubs don’t always have pick out the players that you feel will
club with hefty financial restrictions, you the worst youth setup though. benefit the club.
will need to look elsewhere for your new-
gens. Clubs such as Maccabi Tel-Aviv from By doing this, you will end up with
Israel and Rosenborg from Norway have players from across the world and
Clubs from small and obscure nations good youth academies, yet won’t ask for hopefully will not have missed any world
with low reps will charge less for players much for their players, due to their low beaters.
and therefore allow you to buy gems on rep.
the cheap. I understand that this method is time-
These sorts of clubs are an absolute gold consuming, but personally, it produces
Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and Africa mine if you are in the lower leagues and the best results.
are good places to look if you are cash- in dire need of some talent.
stricken. Countries in these areas still
have the potential to produce quality This, however, can be somewhat time-
young players and should not be consuming as you have to search through
overlooked. quite a few teams until you find a player
that is good enough.

Developing Youth Players

We all know that first feeling when you have acquired a very
talented youngster at your youth trials day.
When we first see the email from our Assistant Manager telling us
about the upcoming match, we straight away look at the
recommended player.
There is excitement and uncertainty as to whether what the

potential of the player could be as it sets out the standard for the
rest of the players.
A youth player’s development is critical and here I will give you

advice on how to maximise a youth players potential in FM.

Youth Development
Training Facilities levels: Poor, Basic, Below Average, Adequate, Average, Good, Great,
Superb, Excellent, State of the Art.
This is the most obvious thing to do, and I

would say 99% of players do this already,
but its worth mentioning because it is so
important...not on its own, but in
combination with the other factors you
will read in this guide.
If you want to create and develop your

own players in Football Manager, then
get at your boardroom every chance you
get and get as high a youth level as you
can get, as well as improving your youth
facilities and training facilities as much as
possible.
Don't forget youth recruitment level and

junior coaching, this is very important.
Youth Recruitment levels: Limited, Basic, Fairly Basic, Average, Above Average,
Established, Well Established, Extensive.
You can max out the junior coaching at
Vanerama National level, and will be
producing players good enough for 2 or 3 Junior Coaching: Exceptional, Excellent, Good, Average, Adequate, Basic, Minimal,
levels above, maybe even the odd player None.
good enough to be a decent prem player.
Youth Development
Current Ability will usually improve for a player as he develops prior to dropping once
the player passes the peak of his playing days.
This will seem out of the box to most

people. However the PA is basically a bit of a
guess, thanks to what I think is some
You get a youth intake and out of the 15 excellent programming from S.I, the
or so players, most have half a blue star perceived PA is one of the best features
Current Ability ( CA ) and half a black star of the game.
Potential Ability ( PA ).
I sign everyone from my youth intake
Why should you sign them? every year, and I know for a fact that
some of these players after a year , or
They will never make it will they? maybe two, will all of a sudden have a
lot higher PA than on youth intake day.
WRONG. It is true that your assistant and
coaches are pretty good at assessing a I have seen players develop 3 gold star PA
player. and higher.
Most of the time the CA is accurate,

there are exceptions to this but I would Potential Ability, however, is actually static and also determines the most that your
say 99% of the time the CA is correct. player’s current ability may in theory achieve.

Youth Development
Hiring the best head of youth

development staff again may seem
obvious, but there is more to it than the
average FM'er realizes.
I always go for a lad called Kristjaan

Speakman, and I will highlight the
reasons for my choice.
As you can see from the picture, he has Also, because his preferred formation is
judging players at 16/17, and working Firstly the youth intake will be influenced 4-1-2-3 DM Wide, he creates a wide
with youngster at 20, everything you by his personality and coaching style. variety of positions.
could wish for in a HoYD, and he is a Look at the info provided, he is balanced,
decent coach despite his DDM being with a preference for passing and tactics. Finally, because this links in to next,
relatively low. Speakman produces players who have
This means he creates players with high the right personality to develop most of
However there is more than meets the passing, first touch and vision and a good the time.
eye with Mr Speakman. mentality, usually the latest thing a player
develops. Not 100%, but that's what next point is
for.

Youth Development
Tutoring is absolutely vital. If the youngster and the tutor get on well, the tutoring phase will last for 180 days, or
approximately 6 months. Also, the relationship between the two players will improve.
Along with the next point it is probably
the most important aspect of young's
player development, although of course The other key part of tutoring is the Always choose the top one for
all 5 points should work together for the determination. developing attributes and personality.
very best results.
We need as high a rating for The second one will improve a
To develop quickly and to their max PA, a determination as possible. youngster, but not as much because it
players needs to have the right also focuses on the senior player
personality, namely professional. High determination also helps on the teaching the youth player their Player
pitch, especially when not winning, but it Preferred Moves.
If they do not have a high value for is massive for a player developing.
professionalism then forget it. This can be very useful, especially if you
When you ask a player to tutor a have a specific philosophy to meet, but
Of course, professionalism is one of the youngster, you get two options. for pure improvement of a player then its
hidden attributes on FM, and so it should the top option every time.
be, but because of this how do we know
how professional a player is and how do Even if there is a breakdown in tutoring process, the player that has been touted will
we make them even more professional still have some player attributes changed, as well as Determination. He could even
than they are? pick up some player preferred moves in the process.
The answer is to tutor.

Youth Development
At this stage, he is 15 or 16 and playing in youth too often, although the odd match
first team games would only make a shouldn't hurt and may speed up
A youth player will not become a first minimal difference, and could even pause development.
team player without experience. the progress of a player.
When they turn 18 is the key
This makes sense, how can you learn to It is far more important they play in the
do something unless you actually have a U18 team and you have great youth time.
go and do it? coaches as well as a great U18's manager,
who has a similar philosophy and If they are 18 years old and still in your
We have reserve/U21/U18 teams to help, preferred tactic as you do. U18 team, forget about them, they aren't
but there is no substitute for playing first going to make it.
team games, just as it should be. When the player turns 17 you should
offer them a professional contract, even Your only option now is to loan them out
It is important to realise how a player if they still have not shown their true and hope they get experience that way,
develops, whether to play them in potential to your coaches. its very rare they will develop into a first
games, how long to play them for, and team player but you may get them to
maybe even weighing up whether it is If you think a player can make it now is develop enough to sell them for a small
worth sending them out on loan or not. the time to move them to the fee or for free with a sell on attached.
U21/reserve team.
When a youth intake player signs a youth Not what your after I know but a good
contract, he will train with the youth They will play in a higher standard of way to help your youth section to
team, so be exposed to the coaching of football and they will benefit from become self funding.
your youth coaches. training with the first team, training is
still more important than match
experience at this age so make sure you
get it right and don't play your

Youth Development
If they are 18 years old and you have They should be playing 25+ games a If they don't, do not loan them out, ever.
hopes they can become a first team season, and you can use the training tab
player, now is the right time to get them to see how they are developing, tailoring Club like Leicester City are perfect, and
game experience and you need to play your training to improve what you want. clubs like Everton and Aston Villa are also
them or they will not develop. very useful.
If there is really no space at all in the
I'm not saying make them first team team or on the bench, but you think your For players not as well developed, clubs
regulars now, but they need the odd start player can improve, then using the loan in the conference still have excellent
( league cup is useful here unless you market is useful, but you must get it right facilities and do a good job.
really want to go all out in the 3rd round as you are giving up control of your
at home to Crewe! ), and they need to be players development.
brought on as sub.
The club you loan to must play your
The timing of the subs is player most weeks if not all, and must
have excellent coaches and facilities.
important too, you must put
them on before the 75th
minute so they get a match
rating, or they don't develop.

Transfer Budget Tips

Whether to push your club over the top and win the league, or to
get an edge in the relegation battle, you know exactly who you
need to sign.
Only one problem, you don't quite have the cash to finalise the
deal.
We've all been there. So what can you do?

Transfer Budget
Get the most out of your Well have you ever considered taking it We want to try and sign players that will
transfer budget in FM by upon yourself to build your transfer be good investments so we can sell them
budget at less wealthy clubs? on to other clubs in the future and make
buying and selling players. a tidy profit that can be pumped back
This can make a fun game and is a great into your transfer budget.
In this FM guide, I will discuss which alternative to managing an already cash-
types of players are best to sign, when to rich club. When looking for players to sign for
sign them, what not to do, and how to investment purposes, the aim is to target
make the biggest profit when it comes to You may not be able to build a budget players who are currently undervalued by
selling them on in the future. the size of Manchester City's, but with a their current club and whose value could
few smart strategies, you can build your be set to rise in the future.
Everyone dreams of being given a transfer budget gradually season upon
massive transfer budget on football season. I will discuss a couple of key strategies for
manager, but that usually limits you to making money on player transfers which
picking only the rich clubs to manage The money-making strategies all involve can help boost your transfer budget on
which can sometimes become a boring a bit of wheeling and dealing with the football manager.
or unfulfilling game to play. players, and the basic principle is to buy
low and sell high.

Transfer Budget
Young players have time on their side so I usually find that big clubs hold certain However if you can afford him, you are
generally unless you overpay for a young youngsters in very high regard, these looking at doubling your money over the
player you will at least make your money players are usually costly as they have next couple of seasons when clubs like
back on them in the future when another massive potential. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and
club comes in for them, as they will still Manchester City come calling.
be relatively young. It doesn't mean you shouldn't sign them,
however, but be careful and make sure But this guide is not about signing
If the player you choose to sign has any you don't spend beyond your means in expensive players; this is about tips on
ounce of potential about themselves, acquiring the player. how to pick up bargains and sell them on
then you are sure to make a profit. for decent profits in the future.
For example, Juventus won't let Moise
The key is not to overpay when trying to Kean go for anything less than
acquire the player in the first place. £15million.

Transfer Budget
First of all, you have young In a couple of years after getting games You can usually structure a deal where
players at large clubs, like here and there in your first team squad, you pay out bonuses on goals scored and
their values can easily rise by a couple of international appearances which allows
Barcelona.
million each. you to offer a lower fee up front.
They have a lot of competition for places,
The other type of youngsters These players go for more money than
there will always be a couple that aren't
the transfer listed players at the bigger
going to be the cream of the crop and are players that are at clubs.
break through into the first team.
relatively small clubs.
But they are still worth the money as
These players often languish in the
These players usually are the top talent they are usually good enough to go
reserves/B teams and get put on the
at smaller clubs, but you can pick them straight into your first team where if they
transfer list near the end of their
up for a cheaper fee than bigger clubs perform well, their market value will soar.
contracts.
best young prospects as they will accept
lower bids for their players.
These are good players to pick up on
football manager as they clearly have
pedigree and will turn out to be decent
players, but you can usually pick them up
for a couple of thousand pounds each.

Transfer Budget
Once they hit their peak, you can sell This is a handy little football manager tip
The final type of players I would
them on to other clubs for a profit. that a lot of people miss out on.
recommend are ones that are nearing
the end of their contract.
The contract situation also works both Giving contract to BOSMAN
ways. When it comes to selling a player, it
Once a player is in the last year or two of
is always best to keep your investments players is also a great way to
their contract their value will drop
under longer-term contracts as you will build up your transfer budget.
dramatically, and you will be able to
be able to demand a higher transfer fee
agree a much lower fee with the selling
for them. These are the players that will leave their
club.
respective clubs in a six months time and
to these players you can offer contracts
I usually go for players under the age of
without paying a transfer fee to their
27, so they still have a few more playing
current club.
years left in them before they reach their
peak between 28-30.
Use the scouting tool in FM to filter out
all the best players that you could
potentially snatch for free.

Transfer Budget
This tip will solve a lot of frustration I’ve Now, navigate to the player’s ‘Transfer
seen FM players encounter in their saves. Status’ page, and change their squad
status to ‘Rotation’. You can go higher
I guess many of you fall in the category of than this status, but it will deflect some
FM players who can’t sell their own potential buyers, but never go lower than
players for their value if your life this status.
depended on it.
Well, I’m going show you now that there

is a way on how to sell your players, not
only for what they’re worth, but with this
little trick you will get more money than
you hopped for in the first place. Now go to ‘Offer player to clubs’ page
and set your offer as the following; Fee:
This little tip works for me 9 out of 10 Unspecified, DO NOT TICK ‘Transfer list
times when I try to get rid of the and set player to not needed.’, and lastly
deadwood from my team. make your offer as ‘Negotiable’.
First what you want to do is take a good This way, various clubs will come in with
evaluation on which players you don’t their offers, some will lowball you, but
need at your team anymore. with a bit of luck you will manage to
negotiate a higher selling price for your
players.

Achieve Lower League

Success
Thinking of starting a career in the lower echelon’s of football, the
lower league?
This quick, easy guide has 5 great starting points that will get you
well on the way with a fantastic start to life nurturing the next
Jamie Vardy and completing the next Peterborough United story!

Lower League Managment
Your first step in the lower league

management, at any level of the football
pyramid but most importantly at the
lower levels where resources are scarce,
should be to hire a talented scouting
team.
Whilst we all know how important it is to

find a scouting team with a high rating in
judging player ability and potential, it’s
also really key to find someone who suits
your system.
It’s no good spending your limited staff

wages on a scout who can judge a player
superbly but has a preferred formation
and playing style which are entirely Stuart Harvey is a scout who fits my playing style and has good knowledge of England,
different to what your club needs. as well as good key attributes.
Similarly, don’t hire a highly rated, Italian

scout with expectations of finding
bargains abroad if your club won’t
finance scouting trips abroad.

Lower League Management
Whilst this does leave the club open to Part-Time;

Lower league sides play considerably Pros: Player cannot leave for no
losing the player free of charge, it is a
more games on poor playing surfaces, reason, other teams must agree a fee
convenient way of accumulating back up
without the high levels of training to get with you before talking to the
players, ready to step in at a moment’s
them into the best condition, and as players.
notice when your star striker picks up a
such, player fatigue and injury plays a
four-week injury.
huge part. Cons: You must pay the player no
Additionally, whilst in theory players can matter what, it will cost you to get
I learnt first hand the frustration of rid of them.
leave for free to other clubs, I have only
splashing out wages on 2 or 3 big
ever lost one player, and that was
signings, only to find them ruled out for Non-Contract:
because I wasn’t too fussed about
months due to injury, a luxury aside with Pros: The players only gets paid
keeping him.
minimal finances cannot afford. based on being part of the matchday
Usually when a player is offered a squad, easy to get shot of an
This is where the non-league side can unwanted player.
contract elsewhere they will happily stay
take advantage of the non-contract,
put when offered a new non-contract
whereby sides can pay a player per Cons: They can leave at anytime,
worth a few pounds more per
appearance, with no weekly wage. easy to forget about matchday fee &
appearance.
end up spend more than your club
can afford over a season.

Loan signings are a key in securing

success at the lower league, but it can be
difficult to afford the 20% of wages
required by the parent club or to
persuade a premier league youngster
that a season in Morecambe is really
what he wants.
These problems can all be alleviated by

finding a higher league parent club
(senior affiliate club), who will send you
players they want to obtain loan
experience without the expenses of their
wages.
It can also generate extra revenue, via

mandatory pre-season friendlies and
annual payments.

As I have mentioned previously, funds are As a result, while top strikers will still This will in return allow the rest of your
limited the lower down the pyramid you shine above the rest, the shrewdest way team to capitalise on the frequent errors
go. to work the transfer market in my by defenders at the other end of the
experience is to spend wisely on pitch.
Typically, defenders at this level of assembling a solid back 4.
football manager are prone to ridiculous
errors, which border on the ludicrous, In my experience, an experienced centre-
and in my experience goals are not hard back alongside a younger and pacey
to come by, even for the less talented of centre back ( possibly a loanee )
strikers. alongside two defensively minded >
narrow > full backs and a fast sweeper
keeper will ensure clean sheets.

I have found success through crowding Time spent on set pieces is time well
This one applies at all levels of the game everyone into the box with my highest spent, it’s the gift that keeps giving all
but is of particular importance at the
rated long shooter on the edge of the season long, as teams don’t have the
lower levels of the game. box. time to prepare for your set pieces,
particularly at the semi-pro level of the
When delivery is often of more inferior pitch.
quality if you leave the players to it on
the automatic setup.
Spend the time to ensure that when

defending set pieces you have your
fastest players waiting to counter-attack,
and create a number of routines for each
side of the pitch for corners.

Formations
Formations are the very basis of football tactics. They represent
the fundamental structure of your team and the starting positions
of each player in the squad. In FM, just like in real life and in any
other football game, choosing a good formation is essential to a
team’s success.
The reason formations are so important is because they represent

the position of each of the players in your squad, and have major
implications on how your team is going to behave during each
game.
There is a huge number of formations that could be very effective,

and while you will be given a few examples of universal
formations, it is really up to you to choose the formation that best
fits your team.
As a matter of fact, one of the most important things you need to

remember is that the formations should fit the players, not vice-
versa.

Formations
So these sets of digits simply tell you how For example, a central midfielder can
many players are playing in defence, in either focus on defending, on supporting
Before starting, we need to make sure midfield and in attacking positions. So in or on attacking. He could even be set on
you know the very basics. If you follow a 4-4-2 for example, there are 4 automatic, which will have him running
football on a regular basis, and have defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. back and forth a lot to cover more than
played the game for a while, you should one role.
probably just skip to the next section. When there are 4 or even 5 numbers on
Otherwise, read on as there is the other hand, the formation includes
information that you definitely should some players within the defensive
know. midfielder positions and/or the attacking
midfielder positions.
First of all, you might have heard people
describing formations using numbers, like Note that zeros are never listed, so, for
a 4-4-2, or a 4-3-1-2. These numbers example, a 4-4-2, which really could be
represent a specific formation, but described as a 4-0-4-0-2, includes 4
reading them is a lot easier than most Defenders, 0 defending midfielders, 4
think. midfielders, 0 attacking midfielders and 2
strikers.
You might in fact already have noticed
that all these numbers must always add Now, this does not mean that if you are
up to 10. Why? Because each team is using a 3-4-3 you necessarily must have 3
made up of 11 players (10 plus the players defending, 4 supporting and 3
keeper) and these numbers simply attacking. It depends on the additional
represent the positioning of all the settings you give to each player, and your
players on the pitch, excluding the keeper options vary by position.
(whose position is always fixed).

Formations
Reading Players Positions
This is just for those who are new to the So for example, if you have a player who
game, a quick reference that will help is listen as a WB (R), D (RC), M (R), this
you make sure you are reading the letters player could play either as a wing back on
correctly. the right, as a defender on the right or in
the centre or as a right midfielder.
The positions are pretty easy to read:
GK goal keeper Of course, you should check the player’s
SW sweeper extent of comfort around each of these
D defender roles, but knowing how to read the digits
DM defending midfielder is going to be important throughout the
WB wing back whole game.
M midfielder
AM attacking midfielder But we have got enough with numbers
ST striker and codes. Now that you learned how to
read the information on your screen, we
To these roles, there is always a will look at some more relevant
parenthesis with a few letters (either L, C information about formations, such as
or R): what to consider when choosing a
L left formation, or popular formations with an
C center analysis of their strengths and
R right weaknesses.’.

Formations
One of the most critical things to keep in The bright green dot on the field is his
mind when setting your formation is to natural position.
choose who is going to play, and where.
Then it progressively shades to darker
Each player has a well-defined comfort green, then to yellow and orange as the
within each position. players feel less and less comfortable,
until there is no dot, meaning that the
A player who is used to play as a left player just would not perform well in
defender may be somewhat appropriate those positions.
to play as a left defensive midfielder, or
as a central defender, but he is unlikely to Note that this dot will also show as you
perform well if he plays as a central prepare your formations, so you should
attacking midfielder or even a striker. be sure to pay special attention to it as
you tweak your formations before the
To check where a player feels most each game.
comfortable playing, just click on his
profile anytime.

Formations
What you need to keep in
Players Available: Check your players, Expectations: This is actually a great
mind: who is available, and how well in shape starting point. You should always
they are. If your best two strikers are consider what the press thinks the game
When you are preparing the formation injured, and some of your backups are is going to be like. Are you expected to
for your next match, there are quite a not match-fit, tired from last match or slightly win against a weaker team while
few things you need to keep in mind, and just not good enough, consider just also playing at home? Don’t be afraid, go
weigh in together before you choose the adding a central midfielder, and move full out, even with 3 strikers if they are
formation you are going to start the your outer midfielders to the outer available. This may be your chance to
game with. attacking midfielder positions. increase the confidence within your
team. In reality, there are almost limitless
Here is a list of things to think about Consistence: You also need to consider things that you could consider, such as
when making those tweaks for the next your teams’ formations knowledge. In the opponent’s strengths by positions, or
match. Note that we include some reality, teams usually have a couple, the effects of whether you are playing at
examples to help you understand what maybe three formations that they are home or not.
your thought process should be like. used to playing. Try stick to a few
different formations, maybe one for However, these are the most important
Opponent: Who are you playing against? easier teams, one for harder teams, and variables you should always keep in
And what is their formation? Are you a one that you use in case you are losing mind, and anyway, great starting points.
smaller team, playing with a top-of-the with only a little bit of time left.
league team? In that case you should
consider playing with a kind of defensive Playing Style: Consider the attributes of
formation, using a counter strategy with your team. Is your team a rather old
a fluid, or very fluid playing style. This team, who tends to get tired after
should help you hold your opponent, and 60 minutes? In that case you should
threaten them with quick counters. probably play a more balanced and rigid
kind of formation.

Formations
There are many sub-types, some of
which are shown on the far right. This
In this section we will be looking at a It has been used by a huge variety of perhaps is another reason that helps this
variety of popular formations and will teams, and continues to be widely used. formation be so popular, as the 4-4-2 has
discuss in broad terms their strength and The reason it is so popular lies in its a number of subtypes such as the 4-1-2-
weaknesses. These four formations are balance. 1-2, 4-3-1-2, 4-1-3-2, 4-2-2-2.
all rather different, and each has a main
strength (balance, attack, counter and It provides you with a 4 men midfield,
defence). covered by a 4 men defence to fuel 2
strikers who will be joined by some of
As we have already explained, these are the midfielders. This makes it difficult for
great starting points, but as you get more your opponent to quickly get forward as
experienced with them, you should it does not allow many wide-open
definitely do some tweaks here and spaces.
there.
This formation also allows a great
The explanations are also a way to just scattering of your players around the
get you thinking and to see some pitch, which should make it easier for
examples of the kind of thought process your players to do better ball possession.
you should undergo when evaluating
possible formations. The weakness of the 4-4-2 formation
shown in above deals with the fact that it
The Mr Popular: 4-4-2 is quite horizontal, meaning that it may
be hard to get the ball forward easily. To
The 4-4-2 is the most popular formation. solve this, you can tweak the formation
to some different types.

Formations
Mourinho’s Masterpiece: 4-3-1-2
This is a sub-type of the 4-4-2 as it simply The attacking mid-fielder chosen to do

moves one of the midfielders forward. the task has great responsibility. He has
This is also a very popular formation and to be, well, immense. Not only should he
one of my personal favourites. The main be able to threaten the opposition with
characteristic of this formation is a kind shots from outside, but he should be
of calculated attacking formation. fantastic at distributing the ball to the
forwards, or to the wingers so that they
Moving the mid-fielder forward moves can cross it. Choosing a quality central
the whole centre of gravity of your team attacking midfielder will be key for this
forward. This can be advantageous, but formation.
dangerous at the same time. It can be
advantageous, if you have a top-of-the- The wide midfielders here are also very
league kind of team, as your opponent important. You will require massive runs
has to play defensive football, otherwise by them, both to cover when defending,
they will loose. It is dangerous, when you but also to put pressure on the opposite
are unable to cover your opponent’s team when attacking.
counter attacks, as you are not so
numerous defensive-wise.

Formations
Vertical Strength
This formation is great for weaker teams, The wide-midfielders are essential here,
when playing against someone who plays as they should open up the opponents by
superior football or when adjusting your moving out wide, giving more space to
team when losing a match. move up the ball through the central line.
The reason for this lies in the nature of The striker in this case should be rather
this formation, which, being rather agile, as your players should constantly
vertical, allows the players to get the ball be trying to play the ball through the
forward rather quickly. opponent’s defence so that your striker
can run alone to the goal.
This formation is meant to be used with a
counter-attack strategy.
This formation is made for counter

attacks. With a rather scattered midfield
and a solid vertical line of players running
from the centre defence to the striker,
your players should be able to move the
ball forward with little problems.

Formations
The Pussy: 5-4-1
This formation is definitely defensive. You Have a variety of players as the central
should consider this formation if you, for defenders. You should have one rather
example, have won the first of two cup physical, one who is very fast and one
games at the elimination stage by at least who is great with headers.
a two goals margin, meaning that you
could afford to loose 1-0 and still get to Instruct your players to simply get rid of
the next round. the ball while also setting your forward
as the target man.
With 7 out of 10 players playing behind
the mid-field, and with only 1 playing in This will help just get rid of threats, while
front of the mid-field, you shouldn’t also creating potential one-on-one runs,
expect to be very threatening. with your striker alone against the goalie.
However, select very fast forwards and

wingers as they might get a couple of
chances to run behind the opponent’s
defensive and get a shot on goal.

Formations
Here is a list of some of the biggest Because you will be too unbalanced, and This will raise a calculated risk, that, as a
mistakes that people do with formations. will have a hard time getting the ball out winger, the player won’t be playing much
Don’t worry if you do some of these of the defence in the first place. In these defence.
things, regularly. You still have time to games, a strategy that I found rather
change, and this is exactly what this effective is putting players somewhat Only the Best: This is a less common, yet
guide is meant to do, at least your are vertically. So maybe putting something massive mistake some people make,
getting your money’s worth. like a 3-1-3-1-2. This will give you the always playing with the best. This is a
opportunity of having some wide wings, mistake before you are responsible for
Just put the forwards: The typical but it is also a very vertical type of growing a team.
scenario here is that you are playing a formation that should help your players
pretty average game, quite tied on the move that ball forward. So, when reading your scouts e-mails,
field. But it’s around the 70th-80th pay particular attention to those younger
minute, and you are losing by a goal. Symmetrical Obsession: (right) Many players who are doing very well in the
Both teams have been attacking and people think that formations always have second team, or even just people who
defending, and you just want to start to be symmetrical to be effective. This is are showing exception form in training.
only attacking. not true. Feel free to move your players
around, so that they are always in a So, unless your next game is very
So you consider moving things round, green dot position. important, play one or even a couple of
perhaps exchanging one of your younger, or less-fit players.
defenders or a defensive mid-fielder for a Sometimes, when I feel I need to push a
forward. little stronger, instead of playing with a This will boost their confidence, and
flat 3 midfield (R, C and L) and one make them more match fit. And for
This may be one of the biggest mistakes central attacking midfielder, I push my young players this is important as they
you can do (a mistake that I have to left midfielder to the left attacking need time in their legs to blow up as
admit I have done quite a few times)! midfielder position as a winger, so that much as you wish they do.
he is more threatening and should score.

Team Instructions
Team instructions is really the core of FM.
If you are playing this game, it is probably because you want lots
of control over your tactics, much more than other games like FIFA
and PES can offer.
This means that just setting up a great formation that fits your
team well is not enough.
You also need to change the your team’s game style for each
formation in order to make your team as effective as possible.
This guide will look at all the team tactics controls, giving lots of
suggestions.
Also note that you don’t need to remember anything as you go, as
we made a summarizing reference table for you at the end of this
chapter.

Team Instructions
1. Contain: I recommend only using this 2. Defensive: with this strategy, players This strategy better suits those weaker
strategy when you are finishing a game will often seat back, and make only a few teams, or those hard games in which you
which you are winning, or in which you runs forward into empty spaces. expect your opponent to be able to
received a red card and need extreme control the game anyway.
defensive efforts. They will mainly focus on preventing the
opposing team from scoring. It can be quite effective especially with
With this strategy your players won’t try formations like a 4-4-1-1, 4-1-2-1-2, or 4-
to score, and will simply focus on doing However, when opportunities come, 3-1-2.
everything possible to not conceding players will pass the ball up to try and
goals to the opposing team. score. 4. Standard: as you would expect, this is
a rather balanced kind of strategy. Players
Use a 5-1-3-1 formation or even a 5-3-1- This kind of strategy also suits the more will try hold your opponents, but will also
1. defensive formations like 5-4-1, or 5-3-2. attempt to score.
It is important to use defensive formation 3. Counter: in a counter strategy, your You should use this strategy when you
because you will need all your players to players will also allow the opponents to are playing with teams that are weaker
contribute to defending. control the game, however as soon as than you, or even similarly as good as
one of your players gains the ball, your your team is.
Also, set the majority of your players on a team will try and move forward quickly
defending duty to emphasize this effort. when the opposition is unprepared to This should be effective with balanced
create great chances of scoring. formations like any 4-4-2, a 4-3-1-2 or a
3-5-2.

Team Instructions
5. Control: this strategy aims at 6. Attacking: in this strategy, there is a 7. Overload: you are losing, there is little
controlling the game, playing the limited emphasis on defending. time left, and you desperately need to
Barcelona kind of game style. score.
Players will be more aggressive around
Your team will try to hold the ball and opponents and will take more risks. This is the only kind of situation in which
have a very high ball possession you should use this strategy.
percentage. They will focus on creating chances.
It is very risky, and will leave chances for
The team will move forward together and You should use this strategy in home your opponents, but if you really need to
rather slowly, and will attempt shooting games you expect to definitely win by a score and there is a very limited amount
only in advantageous situations. margin, or in those games you are of time left, it may be your only chance.
struggling, and maybe undeservingly
This strategy requires a similarly balanced losing by a couple of goals. Use this formation with a similarly
formation (like any 4-4-2, a 4-3-1-2 or a offensive formation (like a 4-2-2-2, a 3-5-
3-5-2). You should use a rather offensive 2 or a 3-4-3).
formation with this strategy, like a 4-2-2-
2, a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3.

Team Instructions
FM has five different settings for the type For example, with this formation you can
of style you want your team to have, and have your team cover a large amount of
they range from highly structured to very the ground as wide players will stick in
fluid. their wide positions.
Changing this setting will mainly change Playing with a just “structured” style is
the amount of freedom your players have more appropriate in balanced
from their formation and the amount of formations, and has similar effects, just
running your players will do. to a lower extent.
These styles fit younger teams and more
There is no need to list the features of A flexible formation is more mobile. extreme kind of strategies or formations.
each one of these “styles” here as they Players should make more runs in empty
range from one extreme to the other. spaces, and will be less rigid also Very fluid just takes it to the next level of
defensively. fluidity. Your team will run a ton, but may
If you set a highly structured style, your get tired.
players will move from their initial Moving on to the fluid and very fluid
positions only occasionally. styles, your team will run more Also, because of this high mobility, the
intensively and hustle your opponents opponents may be able to take
This kind of rigidness should be used only more strongly. advantage of some empty spaces that
if your players need to save energy, or if resulted by your players escaping their
they really must stick to their roles. position.

Team Instructions
1. Passing Style: this setting allows you to 2. Creative Freedom: this setting is similar However, while I recommend leaving this
choose whether you want your players to to the “style” setting described before. setting to default, I do recommend going
pass the ball to nearby teammates to the individual players settings, and
(‘shorter’ setting), whether you want However it is a little different as it only increasing the amount of creative
them to sometimes play the ball to deals with how much a player is allowed freedom granted to your best
nearby teammates and sometimes more to break off from the overall tactical plan, playmakers, strikers, or even midfielders.
directly to forwards (‘default’ setting) or rather than the position, and it also does
whether you want your players to directly not affect the amount of running the Use the more rigid option to
pass the ball on to the more forward players are expected to do. inexperienced defensive players, as you
players most often (‘more direct’ setting). want them to stick to their roles rather
You can choose between more going off on their own initiatives.
I recommend using the more direct expressive, default or more disciplined
setting when you have physical, yet agile options.
forwards who can receive a high ball.
For this setting, I recommend sticking
Also, the more direct selection should with the default option.
work well with a counter strategy, as it is
more likely to create better chances. This is because only the very best players
have the capacity to read different
The shorter setting should be used in the situations well, and only these players
more defensive, and balanced formations should be granted a more expressive
and strategies. game style.

Team Instructions
The ‘stay on feet’ choice, as its name
implies, is just the opposite. Your players
Feel free to change up this setting even will make very few fouls, however your
3. Closing Down: this option deals with during the game. Also, consider using the opponent will likely have an easier time
how quickly you want a defensive player more aggressive, press more strategy getting forward.
to leave his original position to deal with when you are playing with a control,
an attacking threat from the opposite attacking, overload or counter strategy.
team. As you may guess, the default
option is kind of balanced and allows On the other hand, consider the more
players to use their own judgment. cautious stand-off more setting when you
are playing with a defensive or with a
More, and much more options are contain strategy.
definitely more aggressive, and instructs
your players to go running to the 4. Tackling: This setting allows you to I recommend using the aggressive choice
opposing player, and try gain possession. choose how aggressively your player will when you really need to get the ball and
try to win the ball from an opponent go forward, together with the more
This is of course risky, as they may allow when he is close to him. aggressive formations and with the more
lots of space in case their tackles are not aggressive closing down setting.
successful. The ‘get stuck in’ strategy is more risky,
and will have your players push, slide and Use the default settings in other
Much less and lees options is the exact just play more aggressively and may even situations, as I feel that the ‘more
opposite, instructing your players to result in a few yellow or even red cards. cautious’ setting is actually quite risky as
simply watch out for the opposition, your opponents are allowed too much
without risking anything. space.

Team Instructions
6. Crossing: This option allows you to 7. Roaming: This setting simply tells your
5. Tight Marking: This option allows you choose where the crosses are destined players how much they are allowed to
to choose between zonal marking and within the area. The float crosses setting break off from their normal position. The
man marking. This is extremely relevant will have crosses aimed at the far corner, ‘roam from position’ option will allow
in the way your defenders position while the whipped and low crosses your players to go out of their position,
themselves in set-pieces. In the real setting will have your crosses aimed while the ‘stick to positions’ option does
world, man marking has been the most towards the near corner. just the opposite.
popular choice, however, as set-pieces
tactics get more complicated, zonal I definitely recommend using the default When changing formations, I find myself
marking has gained a lot of ground. option here, as you need crosses to be often changing this option.
aimed in both destinations in order to
Tight-marking simply sets your players to not give away any expectations to your For example, when you are playing with a
organize themselves in a way that each opposition. counter strategy, and with a fluid or very
one has an opponent to cover, meaning fluid kind of game style, playing with a
that they will basically shadow opposing ‘roam from position’ setting will allow
players. Zonal marking is different. your players to run into space more
often, thereby creating more
Each one of your players will be opportunities.
responsible for a certain area, and should
not move outside this area. What you Use the ‘stick to position’ tactic, when
choose is really up to you. you need to be better organized
defensively.

Team Instructions
Playing narrower will have the players

1. Defensive Line: This control allows you gather towards the centre, however it
to choose how high you want your may be difficult to move forward, as
defenders to stay when the ball is further players would only move in a very limited
up the field. space.
Having a high line of defence gives you I normally recommend playing with a
the possibility of getting the ball earlier slightly wider than normal team.
and further up the field.
This is because it allows you to cover
However, it also leaves a lot of space more ground, while not having players be
back making it much easier for the so far wide that they have a hard time
opposing team to counter attack. holding back the opponents when they
advance through the centre of the field.
I recommend using a higher defensive 2. Width: This setting deals with how
line with the attacking and overload wide you want your team to be. A wider
situations, while I prefer a lower team will allow you to create more
defensive line when using the contain, space, and exploit the flanks more.
the defensive and the counter strategies.
However players will be further away
between themselves, which has a lot of
implications on the kind of game that
your team is going to play.

Team Instructions
3. Tempo: This deals with how fast you I recommend using a rather high tempo 4. Time Wasting: This is a great part of
want your team to play. A higher tempo when you are playing with counter, real world football, and while many think
will have your players running faster, attacking or overload strategies. of it as unsportsmanlike, most football
passing quicker and shooting earlier. teams use this tactic when they play.
This is because your players will simply
This sounds great, however the faster move quicker and will create more Normally, and for obvious reasons, you
one plays, the less precise the plays tend chances as the opposing team will have a want to waste time when you are
to be. harder time defending. satisfied with the result, while you want
time to pass slowly when you need to
Slowing down the tempo will allow for However, if you are playing a more change the result.
more precise passes and shots, however defensive game, use a rather slower
it may be difficult to move forward as the tempo, which makes it less likely to make
opposition will have more time to mistakes, and give up the ball in
organize itself. dangerous areas.
This is a setting that you should mainly

change as your team is playing in the
field as it varies with the result.

Team Instructions
5. Focus Passing: This setting allows you If you have one especially good wide- On the final note, if you have central
to choose who you want the team to midfielder, perhaps even helped by a defenders that are good in passing the
pass the ball to. talented wide-forward on the same side ball (ball playing defenders), you can
you may choose to focus the passing build up your attacks from the defence.
Your choices from are: mixed (nothing down one of the flanks.
selected), down both flanks, down left Pumping the ball into box is mainly used
flank, down right flank, through the Finally, if your formation is rather central, with the overload style, and should be
middle. feel free to select the through the middle used when you are tight on time and
option. need to catch up with the score.
The implications of changes within this
tactic only have to do with the way your
players bring the ball forward, and
therefore it does not really depend on
the strategy that you are using.
This means that my recommendation in

this case is a little different and simply
depends on your formation.
If you have fast and talented wide

midfielders or wingers capable of
bringing the ball up the field through the
flank, you can select using the flanks.

Team Instructions
As already mentioned before, it is extremely important to

understand the relationship between formations, strategy and
styles.
Like always, I recommend that you actively think yourself about

the best kind of formation, strategy and style combinations, and
that you also adjust the playing style as you change these
settings.
However, to end this team tactics chapter, I wanted to give you a

little more than our usual suggestions.
Here is a wonderful table that many of you should find useful.
If you are a beginner, feel free to stick to this like a bible, at least
at the beginning of your FM career, if not you may just use this as
a reference once in a while.

Ways To Make A Comeback

There are few things more satisfying in FM than an impressive
comeback in a match that doesn’t seem to be going your way.
There is an art to turning a game around in football manger,

however, and some potential tricks and techniques that can turn a
humbling, potentially morale-devastating loss into a triumphant
victory .
Most of these tactics focus on exploiting the nature of the game’s

dynamic systems of form, morale and condition.

Make A Comeback
Create more space on the pitch, and Switch your Team Shape on the tactical
In almost all iterations of Football therefore your chances of creating drop-down menu to be more flexible
Manager, the key to dominating games is chances, by increasing your team’s than it already is, and on the Team
the creation of space on the pitch. fluidity and encouraging more expressive Instructions menu, change your team’s
football. creative freedom to ‘Be More Expressive’.
When losing to a team, it is always worth
seeing how your team plays until half-
time - if they pull a goal or two back, let
them play their current game.
However if they are losing and their

overall ratings remain between 6.0 to
7.0, it’s time to change it up.

Make A Comeback
If it fits in with the overall goal to make Additionally, if you play a direct style, and
If you have a favoured formation on
the team more attacking and creative, have a strong centre-forward, you can
football manager ( mine is an attacking 4-
then change it to whatever it best suits. increase your chances of nicking a goal
2-3-1 ), then it may be worth altering
by changing his role to that of Poacher or
players’ roles to allow players to be more
For instance, you may want to change Target Man.
creative and more settled playing in ways
your wide players to inside forwards, and
that are more familiar to them instead of
your wide defenders to attacking full-
following their manager’s philosophy.
backs.
Use the Ability Wheel on the Main
Tactical Overview screen to see what role
players prefer to adopt, and which they
are most comfortable with.

Make A Comeback
Although it may be painfully obvious to

Check both your own and your Use substitutes sparingly.
opponents’ stats; if one of your players
acknowledge substitutions as an effective
isn’t playing effectively - for instance one The most effective time to make these
way of changing the game in football
of your wide players isn’t getting enough changes is between the 60th and 70th
manger, it is important to use them in the
crosses in - cross-reference his attributes minutes of a game - the perfect time to
right way.
with the opposing player on the other introduce some fresh new legs.
team.
Again, if you want to influence the match
positively, you should aim to create space You may notice that they have stronger
on the pitch and improve the number of stats, in which case you will want to
chances created. exploit their mental and physical
tiredness by introducing a player with
higher Creativity, Determination, Pace,
Acceleration or Strength.

Make A Comeback
The most rewarding technique for An attacking midfield player with good
Again, suggesting a change of tactics to grabbing that first comeback goal is to ratings in Long Shots, First Touch and
secure a comeback may seem painfully
convert a defence that has already been Composure works a lot better than
obvious, but it is worth examining with proven flimsy into a free-scoring attack. simply lumping another striker up top.
more detail in order to maximise
potential effects. Try to alter tactics to maximise attempts If you play with defensive midfielders,
on goal without compromising basic then it may be a good idea to convert
It is vital to plan accordingly depending defensive stability. one of them into an attacking midfielder
on both your own and your opposition’s and drop them into the hole behind the
tactics, as well as the current score and Look at your tactics in comparison to strikers.
how long is left of the match. your opponent; if there is an area of the
pitch where your players outnumber your Like the real modern game, Football
If losing 2-0 or 3-0 at half-time, your plan opponents ( usually a five at the back or Manager loves players who can play the
should be focused on scoring as soon as in midfield ), then substitute one of these Number 10 role well, like Lincoln,
possible after the restart, yet if the other players off for an attacking player. featured in the screenshot above, who is
team holds a slender 1-0 lead, send your a wonderkid who can flip games in your
team out with minimal tactical changes, Don’t be tempted to sub off your star favour.
if it still isn’t working, change it around centre-back for a striker. This can easily
the 60-minute mark. backfire.

Make A Comeback
Try to win their attention by using a Installing purpose and belief in them
The half-time team talk can be the most
passionate, calm, or assertive tone, and works much more efficiently, and is more
decisive factor in turning a loss into a by using a dialogue option that addresses beneficial to morale and form than
win. their apparent lack of desire to win, or merely congratulating or criticising them.
emphasise that each player can make a
With the right motivating, any team can difference to the outcome of the match.
battle back into contention.
When combined with a group of players

with a high determination stat, a team
talk that appeals to your team’s desire to
win can have extremely positive results.

Unknown FM Tips And

Tricks
Unlike the official FM hints and tips that show in the progress bar
when you continue your game.
These tips and tricks are unknown for most players yet they are
very useful and can make your life a lot easier whilst managing a
team in your save.

Unknown Tips And Tricks
For a marginally higher wage, you can

lock players down to 5 year contracts
with an optional 3 year extension.
So 8 years, and within those 8 years there

will 100% be a time where the player will
accept another contract which again you
can make for 8 years.
Alternatively you can increase the agent

fee instead of the wage and achieve the
same result.

Real and Barça are best for this but check

to see who all the big clubs are interested
in.
Every season or two you can find some

17 year old regen world beater that your
scouts have missed out on.
To find transfer rumours page navigate to

desired league screen > News > Transfer
Rumours.
League must be playable in order to see

the transfer rumours page.

When your player is on a yellow at half

time use the individual team talk
'Calm/Assertive - I need you to watch
your step / calm down to avoid another
booking'.
Works 95% of the time to avoid second

yellows.
Player's reaction will always be “seemed

to calm down".

When you get negotiable offers for

players that you don't want to sell, don't
reject or ask for more money as it might
unsettle the player.
Add "players to exchange" to the original

offer and pick the most expensive player
from the asking team.
They will withdraw the offer and your

player will not complain about being
transfer-blocked.

If a free transfer wants higher wages than

you want to pay then get him on trial
first.
After a few days at the club their

demands drop massively.
Trials are good for scouting too. You will

have a much better judgement of a
player if you trial them first.

Did you know you can do a single player draft mode against the
AI.
What's more is that there are lots of pre-set managers to choose

to play against such as FM YouTubers, game creators, and well
known celebrity FM players like Robbie Williams or Robbie Fowler.
Just go into draft mode as if you were playing with a friend, after
making the competition and adding finishing your profile, click
next to the invite player button there on the add AI manager
button, select AI managers you want to compete with and you are
all done.

It helps to have 4 or 5 scouts and assign There are many gems that you will find
them all evenly across the clubs so the and plus since they are coming from top
reports come back faster. clubs, they most likely won't require a
When managing in the lower leagues get wage contribution / loan fee.
team reports of all clubs in the higher The reports come back containing all
divisions to get loan players. players that you are able to loan from The loan report only contains players that
each club with scout reports. are willing to join you too, so the only
For instance go to the first team in the reason you wouldn't get a player is if you
top league in the country, go to their You can get some ridiculously good 3-4 got sniped by a team with higher
squad page of the main team and select star players by doing this. reputation.
"Get team report" for the main team
only. It's a little annoying going through each In the end you will get 5 or 6 quality first
team in the division but it's better than team players for free that will get you out
Then work your way through all the sifting through the loan list. of them lower leagues quite easily.
teams in the division.
The report that comes back also covers

the reserve and youth teams. Go through
each team in the top 2 leagues.


Roy Rovers Guide To FM

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I. Must Do Things When Starting A New Save

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Things You Must Do When

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The more high-quality coaches you have,

The coaching team’s workload should be

The earlier in the game you set this up,

Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <5>

Evaluating your first team, as well as

You may have a gem in your U18’s that

Your U21 squad may have a couple of

Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <6>

Obviously, you can add players to your

The earlier you can make your signings

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Now, let’s take a look at how to set up staff responsibilities.

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If you don’t want one, then leave yourself

For all these options, I always leave the

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Similarly, I will handle new signing

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We will discus scouting, especially for

I do this because I have found that when I

So if my chief operator in the youth team

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My Head of Youth Development, or The First team manager (You), U21

Youth training is taken by the U18

I also pass on the responsibility of setting

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The Head of Youth Development brings

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Also, I change the option to add a player

And I also change the time a player is

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How To Use Training More

However, if you under train your players, it will lead to unfit

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This means that you want the best

Ideally, your coaches would all be five

However, it is fairly difficult, especially if

The workload of coaches is also very

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Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <18>

Individual training is so important in

However, before you set individual

This will allow you to see where players

The more a player trains and plays in a

This is why individual training is so

Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <19>

Familiarity with a role can really help a

It also helps if you have an AMR that you

Individual training can help him to play in

This in turn will help your team as your

This will allow your players and your

Contents Copyright © 2018, All Rights Reserved <20>

This allows you to train a specific part of

Additional focus can drastically improve