Packed full of advice, knowledge, and screenshots, the Guide is a 100% free, 287 page beast of knowledge – it’s got everything a manager could want.

Written exclusively by the staff of FM-View, the Guide is designed to elevate your understanding of the game. Everything from formations, contracts, roles & duties, board room interactions, training to the offside trap – the Guide is truly the be-all-end-all of FM knowledge.

Oh, and like everything on FM-View, this beast is 100% free. Did we mention that?

Get it here - http://www.fm-view.com/fm12-guide.html

Whenever I make a tactic one thing always jumps out at me, make the tactic to fit the players. Why you ask, creating a tactic in this way allows for you to not bankrupt your club. Instead of buying 11 new players to fit a tactic, you could buy just 2 or 3 players to improve what you already have in place. This also provides the added bonus of your team being more gelled come the start of the season. So first things first, take a look at your squad and assess both ­strong and weaker points of the players at your disposal. Any tactic created should aim for a sense of balance, usually a 5/5 split, five going forwad to create and score and five sitting back to defend goal. With this in mind you can now start to shape your formation around the players in your squad.

Now you should have your shape set out, this is where it gets tricky. The next thing you should aim to do is assign everyone a role. Players attributes seem to be overlooked when assigning roles to players, however they are there to assist you, simply left clicking on each player brings up a list of his attibutes, you can also assign him a role, the best part is each different role highlights the key attributes, meaning finding the perfect role should be easy. Whilst doing this you need to keep a balanced point of view, remember we are aiming for a 5/5 split, five forward and 5 back. Not all players will fit into this sort of occasion, in which case you should look to use the support role, this allows for somewhat of a inbetween attack and defense, having the player fill both roles in equal measures.

We are now half way to creating your tactic, a team and shape has been dedicated, all that’s left to do is sift through the Team instruction page ironing out any minor details you are not happy with. When clicking the team instructions button you are faced with a daunting list of choice, fear not because I hope to explain all to you. So let’s run through each of the team instructions:

Philosophy – Here your choices are; contain, defensive, counter, balanced, control, attack and overload. This setting affects how your team approach the game, do you want focus on stopping the opposition scoring, or would you prefer your team to go all out attack and ty to outscore your opponent. Starting with contain, ultra-defensive going all the way through to Overload which is ultra attacking. Each have their good and bad points, the more attacking you go the more players commit themselves to attacking phases of play. Choosing a philosophy all depends on the standard of your players, should they be strong defensively it makes no sense playing an attacking formation. Like wise if they are not the fastest around playing a counter attack is not recommended.

Starting Strategy – Your choices here are; very rigid, rigid, standard, fluid and very fluid. This setting will affect just how many phases of play each player within your starting line-up will participate in. For example on a very rigid mentality your players will generally only get actively involved in a single phase of play, alternatively on a very fluid mentality each player will look to assist in both attacking and defensive phases of play as much as possible.

Passing Style – One of the more simple choices; short, default and direct. This is pretty self explanatory, here is your setting to choose the style of play you wish your team to promote. Short being excactly that, however in FM a short passing game is translated into the match engine as a pass to the player in most space closest to the player on the ball. Direct is not as you would think either, instead the player on the ball will look to pass the ball to the player in the most space furthest up the field. Default appears to equate to a mixture of each. Your choice here should be influenced by the “starting strategy” you choose. Playing a direct game on possession based tactic may not be the best idea.

Creative Freedom – Your choices are; more expressive, default and more disciplined. This setting alters how adventurous your team will pass the ball. More expressive translates to taking more chances and looking for a pass that has a lower percentage chance of being successful. Again default will allow for the team to possess a bit of both, with the more disciplined option safegaurding the ball and opting for a more secured pass.

Closing Down – Your choices here are; press more, default, stand off more. Pretty self explanatory, this is where you can edit how the team defends as a unit. Using the press more option will mean your players try to win the ball higher up the field. This can be risky unless your side holds a lot of pace in key areas, such as the wings. Default means your players will hold there position or line, effectively trying to become a brick wall to the oppositions attacks. Standing off more is typically used when playing on the counter attack, playing this style of closing down will allow your opposition to come at the defense, with your defenders making a tackle as late as possible.

Tackling – Your choices here are; more aggressive, default and more cautious. This setting determines how hard your players will go in on tackling. There will be times in any career you will need to use all of the said options. What they do is pretty self explanatory, if you are struggling then simply replace aggressive for hard, default for normal and cautious for soft.

Marking – Your choices are; man marking, defualt and zonal marking. Again this is pretty self explanatory, however just in case there is any doubt, I shall try my best to explain it for you. These options instruct your players on how you want them to defend. When you select man marking your players will take on the opposition man for man in defensive phases. Default is once again a little of both and finally zonal marking equates to your players holding a set “zone”, or boxed area, of the field.

Crossing – Your options are; drilled, default and floated. This setting usually only applies to the wide men of your side, either the full back/wing back or winger. Drilled, defualt and floated can easily be replaced by the following three words, low, mixed and high. Ofcourse the type you select depends on the attributes your striker/s have. Playing a drilled cross, or low in simpler terms, to a striker/s with high jumping, heading and arieal ability attributes means the said striker/s talents are wasted. Before you choose any of the given options check out the strikers you have available and work out which is best for your side.

Roaming – Your options are; more roaming, default and stick to position. This setting will go hand in hand with your creative freedom setting. It instructs your players as to how much they are allowed to wander from their set place on the field to contribute to attacking phases. In simpler terms more roaming may see your full back end up at the oppositions byline in order to deliver a cross. Alternatively stick to position would see your full back look for a pass to a team mate in a more advanced area of the field, thus enabling the full back to stick in his set position better.

So there we have your basic team instructions. Hopefully using the information I have provided you will now have the skills required to create a solid base tactic for your team. There is very little chance of you making the perfect tactic first time, therefore you will need to tweak areas that you are not happy with after watching a game or two. Tactic making is not easy, far from it. It takes patience and a lot of trial and error. One tip I will provide for you is not to change too much, if you do then you could find it hard undoing all the changes should it not work out. Flexability is key and your tactics will have to adapt many a time over the season, against many different teams, both shape and quality wise. Keeping things simple and playing players in the right positions is a great start though.

All that’s left for me to say is thank you for reading. As always I am open to any constructive criticism or feedback. I hope you enjoyed reading this guide, more importantly I hope it has helped. Enjoy.

Deano.

Probably the most common of the defensive setups around, generally speaking its the one everyoe seems confortable with. In a 4 man defense you will, more often then not, find the full backs to be set to a zonal making game and the center backs a man marking system. So why do this? What does it offer? Let us start with the full backs, having a zonal system of marking allows for a greater freedom in finding space when your team go into an attacking phase. Also when required in a defensive phase of play the full backs are limited to one area of the field, meaning the likelihood of being caught out of position is reduced. In a 3 man defense everything becomes even easier to sort. Generally speaking it is favoured 2 of the center backs play a man marking system with the third, in a slightly deeper role, playing zonally. This should allow for the two man marking to keep tabs on the opposition attackers, leaving you with a ‘free’ defender to clean up should an opposition attacker get free of his marker. With a mixed setup in defense the biggest problem is knowing how far to either push or drop the defense. This will vary depending on the defenders ability and pace. I however believe this sort of set up is perfect for a normal line, not too far out, allowing for pressure to be applied higher up the pitch. Crucially a normal line is not too deep either, meaning your team will not have too much pressure applied to them.

Man Marking:

Man marking effectively means your team will take the opposition on in a series of one on one tussles. Each of your players will mark a single opposition player throughout the game. I feel that to have a successful all man marking system your defenders need to have better attribute levels then your opponents striker in key areas: Pace, strength, stamina, accleration and heading. This should allow for the opposition attacker to be dominated so much so that they become near enough useless. It’s very unlikely you will find three/four players equiped with said attributes, therefore I feel it is important to get a good blend. The full backs are probably the simpliest to get right, pace is essential, especially chasing after them wingers for 90 minutes. To cover at center back I usually go with one strong, one speedy. Thus allowing me to gain the upper hand in most matches. Ofcourse you will not out-attribute the opponent every game. It’s almost certain your defenders will be caught lacking either strength or pace at some point. I would therefore suggest this style of marking be deployed in games where you plan to sit deep and counter.

Zonal:

My personal favourite, zonal marking. Put simply in this setup each member of your team will be assigned a designated ‘square’ on the field, a square they are responible for guarding. Even though this set up restricts covering movements of defenders going back, it allows for the forward movements to be more free. This covers the whole pitch, with players not having to stick to a man, rather an area, they can roam a little more finding space. Therefore I feel this could make good for a possession based tactic, already you have little roaming in place. Another quality this form of defending holds over others is it allows your back line to hold the line better, making this tactic seemingly perfect for the offside trap. It is for that reason I would play a zonal marking system with a high line, it would allow for less distance between defense and midfield and also allow the tackles to go in earlier up the field.

Conclusion:

So there you have my take on the three types of marking. Each possess strengths and weakness’, some of which I have pointed out. To get the best out of any of them requires you having the players with the correct attributes to fill the role. Simply taking a look at what you have within your side should lead you to the answer of what marking system should I employ?

I hope what I have written both, makes sense and helps you to understand a little better. I would appreciate any comments or criticisms you may have.

Thanks for reading.

So what should you look for in a advanced playmaker? Well the first and most obvious stat that is important is creativity. This one player will be the main route your other players take in getting the ball forward. It’s also very useful if your selected player has higher numbered stats for each of: Passing, Flair, Shooting, Balance, Strength, Pace, Stamina, Decisions and Acceleration. I think that in order to get the best from your playmaker a free role is needed. To accomplish this on FM simply allow for the player to roam and give him plenty of creative freedom.

As with any formation, you will need a sense of balance throughout the team. Obviously the advanced playmaker is going to want to get forward. I therefore recommend you only use this role should you have a very good defensive midfielder or even ball winning midfielder. More then one is a bonus.

So what do you do if you come up against an advanced playmaker? I think the only logical answer to that is to play a holding midfielder to man mark the threat out of the game. Ideally you would need a Makalele type player, with pace to stick with the attacking player, good tackling, stamina and a lot of determination, after all he is going to cover a lot of ground. It’s also useful to position players with a high “Off the Ball” stat around him, thus giving you team options in covering the playmakers movement.

I hope this has cleared up one of the problem positions in Football Manager a little more for you. Any constructive criticism is welcomed. Thanks for reading, all the best. Hammy

As with anything you only receive what you put into the preparation, therefore you will need to think outside the box here and actually make an effort in time and thought. Scouting is a managers best friend, not only sending a member of staff to watch the opposition, but actually making your own decisions and scouting out opposition yourself. Sure the staff member can be helpful, giving you plenty of information to a high level of detail but this all depends on league level. When down in the lower leagues your scouts are generally worse, thus meaning the amount of information available is considerably less. Is it therefore unfathomable for you to go and scout the opposition yourself? I am not talking only one game ahead of that all important clash, oh no. Instead what I have been doing, to great success, is watching opposition 2 maybe 3 games ahead of the match with me. How many times have you seen Sir Alex Ferguson visiting another teams game to make notes and look for potential strengths and weakness’. Once again I will say this way of doing things is very time consuming, taking me a little over a day to get a third of the way through a season.

When you are watching the match be astute, look for potential patterns of play, what works well and what doesn’t work so well, both offensively and defensively and most importantly look for changes in shape. All this will help you build up a web of information to build upon what your scout says. I find to get the best possible report the scout sent on the next opposition mission needs to have between a 15 and 20 attribute in each of the following areas: Determination and Tactical Awareness. By scouting the opposition for a few games you can pick up trends in the play, even start to put together a way of countering this.

So now you have all the information you can possibly imagine from watching 2 or 3 games, it’s coming up to game time and you scout has come to you with a report. The fact you have your own information should not put you off from reading what the scout has to say, infact quite the opposite. What the scout report does is act as a glue, sticking all your note into one helpful and complete way of playing, giving you the answer to beating almost any AI team on the game. Almost use this in game accessory as a comparison, see how much your notes differ, maybe making a slight tweak here or there depending on what you feel is best.

I feel this way of playing could also see the use of the match preparation in a different way too. What if this engine was designed not to raise the squads familiarity with 3 variants of the same tactic, instead the three slots are to prepare your team ready for your next encounter, only weeks in advance.

Example:

Week one you are playing Chelsea, you have done your homework and feel a 4-5-1 is the best way to approach the game. You set up your 4-5-1 and start pushing the team to familiarise themselves with it a couple of weeks in advance, also starting to scout your next opposition. This time though you are playing a recently promoted Crystal Palace and you know a 3-5-2 will work better, thus you could set the second match prep. box to this formation, allowing for your team to start building some familiarity with that shape too, by the time the game comes around you would have the 3 boxes filled with tactics being worked on for your next three games, making your life so much easier. It would allow for a more structured method of tactical selection, also making good use of a system until now thought flawed.

So how can this help? Well I only recently started a game with West Ham, rather dramatically the same day they were relegated from the premier league in real life, putting this way of thinking into effect. So far after 12 premier league games I am unbeaten, infact I have won the lot. The only bad side is this conquest took most of the day, therefore if you want to just get through the seasons this isn’t for you. This style of play/way of thinking is instead for those that don’t mind things taking that little bit longer. You will feel a little more involved in the game, submersed into a whole world of cyber reality managing your chosen team.

I hope you have enjoyed reading and the information I have written out has gave you some food for thought. Any comments/critisims are more then welcome. Of course I am interested to hear what you think of this way of playing Football Manager?

As with any tactical decision there is an upside and downside. I hope to run through both the strengths and weakness’ in the following article.

To start with I shall outline the main reason why a Nike defense can be of good use to your team. Some wing backs are better on the offense then the defense, a key part to creating successful tactics is making the most of the talent at your disposal. Should you find you have a full back that is rather good going forward, it is not the time to sell up, rather the time to adapt your formation to suit him. One of the main advantages of this style of defense is of course winning the wing battle, by pushing your full back on you are effectively cutting one of your opponents wingers out of the game. Your wing back will of course want to get forward and support and attacks, thus meaning the opposition winger either follows him in order to mark or allows him to run leaving him unmarked and possibly bearing down on goal. Usually the winger will mark your wing back and follow him, this meaning should a counter attack be used, the opposition should only have their strikers and one winger in your half, that is manageable by any teams standard.

A second advantage of playing this specific type of defense is of course the freedom to change. With a full back being so advanced, you could decide that one player on the wing is enough, leaving you with a spare player to position how you like. For example should you be winning a game come the 70th minute, your opponent starts to get the upper hand, with a wing back, you could effectively take the winger on the same side off and replace with a defensive minded player whilst still posing a threat down the wing. Alternatively, should you be losing a game your winger could just as easily be replaced by either a striker or a more central attacking midfielder. This in essence is providing you a big advantage, flexability is the key to winning, your team can easily adapt to any given situation.

Now to the disadvantages. The first and most important one is the threat of being caught out of position. Of course your player getting forward is good, but fatigue will quickly set in meaning getting back could be a problem. Another worry is pacey strikers with the command to run the channels, one of your center backs would have to go wide to cover either the winger or the striker, meaning you are left a man short in the middle. To counter act this I would suggest using a good defensive midfield anchor man. The natural movement and behaviour of an anchor means when in a defensive phase he will drop back and almost become a center back himself, this would allow for your wing back to own the wing with less importance of him getting back as quickly, knowing your anchor man would be in position to cover.

Another possible problem, especially if using the tip above about free to make change, is your wing back being out numbered. When I play a nike defense, I rarely place a winger in front of the wing back, instead opting to control the middle of the field. I have noticed time and again when playing a team with a full back and winger, the wing back is often left 2 v 1 on his wing. Again I have found an anchor man in front of the defence goes a long way to controlling this issue. As said above the ancho would drop into your defense, therefore allowing a center back to go across in support of your wing back. This could potentially be enough to stop the attack and allow you to launch a counter whilst the opposition flank is exposed.

So now you know some of the pros and cons, how do we set up a well balanced nike defense. In my opinion your goalkeeper needs to sweep behind the defensive lines, on a support duty allowing him to come out to the edge of his area and clear any imposing attacks. I would most definately play the full back in a support role, this is so he can offer something going forward but also has defensive qualities in his play, perfect for stopping the tactic getting too lopsided. The center backs are pretty easy too, I would have the wing back sided center back on a defender cover role and the full back sided player on a defender stopper role, this would probably be the safest option due to the cover defender acting almost like a sweeper and the stopper breaking down the attacks before your cover needs to step in. The wing back should have an attack role, simply for you to make the most of his ability to get forward. It would also make sense to push the defense up in a semi high line and try to utilise the offside trap, after all you are only going to have 3 men to keep in a line rather then 4. To ensure your defense is as safe as it can be I would also play a defensive midfielder in an anchor man role with a defensive setting, having followed that you should see something like this:

All in all it is a risk playing this way, but used right you could produce some formidable attacking movements. I wouldn’t trust using a nike defense on a team outside the top 6 or 7 in any country, that’s not to say it wouldn’t work though. I am pretty much done on this article, so wish you the best of luck should you go off to try this out now. I hope what I have said helps in some way or another. Thanks for reading.

Despite the fact that Match Preparation is mechanical and limited at present, the potential is surely there to gradually add layers of depth that will eventually render “plug-and-play” tactics obsolete. That’s the direction which the feature needs to go in order to be a success, in my opinion. There needs to be more variety and more possibilities for the manager to consider. Downloading a tactic would become redundant if it’s subject to numerous selections and variables within match preparation. That can surely only be a good thing for the game.

For me, Match Preparation needs to accommodate both short and long-term effects for a team in order to reach its full potential as a feature. This would be beneficial to the tactics side of the game, as well as make training far more immersive and engaging. Match Preparation could pave the way for an evolution of training within the game. Perhaps a modification to special focus areas could go some towards achieving this. 3 days of Attacking Movement providing more of a match benefit than just 1 day would be a good place to start. How about going beyond even that? What if effects could be cumulative? Instead of choosing a benefit with a match in mind, what if it were possible to set your preparation with your team in mind and not of your opposition? For example, what if you could drill your team in Attacking Movement for an indefinite period of time, and your team become gradually better and more dangerous going forward as the weeks/months go by? Surely this avenue would really allow the manager to impose his/her philosophy on their team. The benefits wouldn’t be permanent, of course. They could also be so gradual, thus ensuring that it would take most of a season to have a maxed out efficiency in an area.

Another logical addition to the feature could be the ability to prepare for a designated dangerman for the upcoming match. Singling such a player out in the media can be a lottery, but what about having the ability to have your team prepare for a player? Whether it be their aerial dominance, their pace, or perhaps an exceptional set piece delivery, the possibilities should surely be there. I think this is an angle which would truly reflect a Match Preparation method with each a specific match in mind.

The manager should have freedom to allocate Match Preparation workload. If they wish for the team to have more emphasis on becoming familiar with closing down for a particular tactic, then that’s what should happen. If the rate in which players learn tactics were to be tweaked, this is another way in which managers could personalise their tactics. If the rate of learning tactics was far slower than it is currently, it would force the manager to prioritise categories according to their style of play. A defensive tactic would perhaps mean greater urgency in having players become familiar with closing down (in addition to a long-term Defensive Positioning benefit!) for example. This could come at the expense of one or more other fields, which would be learned slower as a consequence.

The tactical familiarity system in general could benefit from a face-lift. I for one don’t believe a team should be capable of having 100% understanding of 3 completely different systems within a couple of months. In addition to a slower rate of learning, I believe it would be better for there to be a “maximum” amount of understanding which the manager can carefully distribute to his tactical slots. For example, a 100% understanding of an attacking 4-4-2 system would mean the players are restricted in their ability to learn other systems as thoroughly! For the tactical chameleons who likes to mix it up, instead of pursuing a 100% understanding of one system, they could instead aim for their aim have a fairly good understanding of 3 systems with versatility in mind. On that note, players definitely need to be comfortable changing from one tactic to another in the middle of a match providing that it is one that has been learned in Match Preparation. There should be a “Plan B and a Plan C” and the tactics from these slots should not be treated as a completely new tactic when switching to them like they are currently.

Another immersive addition to Match Preparation could be the ability to drill strategies before a match. Do you think your team is vulnerable down the flanks? You should be able to prepare your players for this. Worried about the pace of your opposition’s front line? Again, you should be able to tell your defence. This could easily be organised by selecting shouts within Match Preparation. So, for the sake of the two examples, you could select Play Wider and Drop Deeper in the days leading up to a match. The benefit? When you use those shouts in-game, the team could enjoy benefits specific to those shouts. This sort of preparation would create the much desired illusion of actually being “on” the training ground with players and getting them ready for specific conditions in the next match.

Summary of ideas for improvement

A greater variety of short-term and long-term benefits to choose from.

Rectifying the well documented issue of only needing to select a focus area the day before a match in order to take have your chosen match bonus. effect

To be able to prepare for a dangerman.

The ability to prioritise learning so that one or more fields (such as closing down) can be learned quicker than others.

The option to drill your team to utilise specific strengths / exploit specific weaknesses with your opposition in mind.
A much slower rate of tactical learning for players, as well as a maximum amount of knowledge so that it is no longer possible to “max out” 3 systems.

The feature needs to accommodate a “Plan B” and “Plan C” so that the manager can switch between ‘familiar’ tactics without being harshly penalised.

Thoughts on the aforementioned? What would you like to see added to Match Preparation?

Have your say on the matter here!

Tractor Boys Top Loan Signings

So whilst the English Premier League clubs will no doubt be hitting the headlines with big name signings in the last few weeks of January, clubs in the Leagues below will be looking to delve into the sleazy backstreets of the Loan market, Sven-Goran Erikson’s Leicester already taking Yakubu from Everton for the remainder of the season. Below I’ve listed my Top 3 Loan signings by League on FM*.

Championship:

1. Kyle Walker, Tottenham, D RC. (Attacking Full-Back)
Loan Fee: None.
Wage %: None.
Walker’s done a decent job in real life in the Championship this season and he’d strengthen any Championship side.

2. Barry Bannan, Aston Villa, M LC (Midfield Playmaker)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
A decent prospect for the future, Bannan is a good playmaker at a winning price.

3. Fred Sears, West Ham, ST (Fast Striker)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Everybody should be familiar with Sears, he can bang goals in from anywhere.

4. Ciaran Clarke, Aston Villa, D C (Rock Solid Defender)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Clarke is a good signing for anyone wanting to boost their defensive line

5. Seamus Coleman, Everton, D/WB R (Traditional Full-Back)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Coleman is an old-style full-back, who would make good backup for the first team.

League 1:

1. Donal McDermott, Man City, M/AM LRC (Adaptive Winger)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
McDermott can play all across the front line, so is a brilliant singing to boost your squad.

2. Shane Lowry, Aston Villa, D RC (Defensive Rock)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Lowry will strengthen any defensive line, with high defensive stats for his age.

3. Peter Gulacsi, Liverpool, GK (Shot-stopper)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Gulacsi looks a good prospect for the future and should be a good first choice keeper for League 1

4. Wade Fairhurst, Doncaster, ST (Fast Striker)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
I’ve had experience with Fairhurst at this level and he could easily score 15-20 goals a season.

5. Javan Vidal, Man City, WB/M R (Attacking Full-Back)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Vidal is a brilliant, pacy full-back with decent technical stats.

League 2:

1. Theo Robinson, Huddersfield, ST (Fast Striker)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Robinson isn’t a bad Striker at League 1 level, so he should bang the goals in in League 2

2. Danzelle St. Louis-Hamilton, Stoke, GK (Shot-stopper)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
I promise you I didn’t make him up, probably a mid-table League 1 GK so should be immense in league 2.

3. Alex MacDonald, Burnley, M/AM R (Pacy Winger)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
My scouts saw him as more of a Striker, but MacDonald will do a good job on the wing for any League 2 club.

4. Eric Lichaj, Aston Villa, D RL (Pacy Full-Back)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Another player I’ve signed on a few occasions, Lichaj is a good, young full-back.

5. Chris Herd, Aston Villa, MC (Passing Midfielder)
Loan Fee: None
Wage %: None
Herd is a decent first team central midfielder, with good passing and dribbling stats.

*All players listed are available for loan at the beginning of FM11 as of the 11.2 update. ( I didn’t go below League 2 as Lower League Game rules are no player naming or tips)

FM2011 FM View Review

Ladies and gentlemen, but more predominantly gentlemen, it is that time of the year when every wife, girlfriend and prospective lovely lady take shelter to give rise to the most controversial British institution outside of Jeremy Clarkson. We love it for its addiction but we also hate it for its addiction. No other game in the world actually forces such a failure of self trust in a person quite as much as this epic monument of computer gamesmanship.

The latest version of Football Manager 2011 is out now and FM View has the review that will tickle your taste buds or wish you’d not bothered going through that episode of cold turkey that tore your iron grasp from the mouse for FM2010!

This will follow on from Niniev’s FM2011 Preview which is well worth a read before your eyes go any further here.

Anyway, on we go!

The first thing you notice about the new game is the opening sequence which can only be described as electrifying. Just when you think it can’t look any more slick, SI pull this bad boy out of the hat.

Next there is the new game set up menu. The screenshot shows how this new layout makes it easier to navigate and choose the leagues you want to play. The leagues are grouped in their regions which make it easier to find the league you want. The approximate player count and the computer specs are a constant at the bottom making it much more convenient to see what your computer can handle and how well it can handle it.

Then there is the Final Configuration screen. This new display gives this screen a better sense of clarity. Everything is at-a-glance which makes it feel much more comfortable to view. The inclusion, as touched upon by Niniev, is the addition of the ‘add players to playable teams’ option. This auto-fills the smaller squads of playable clubs in much the same way the ‘add key staff’ option works. A brilliant aspect added by the SI team. It is when you reach the next part of your game set up journey that you start to notice the innovative new inclusions from SI. Finally, social networking has come to Football Manager!

The first interactive addition is the YouTube application which enables you to upload your finest highlights to YouTube and compete in goal of the month competitions on the various fan sites across the Scene. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even want to share that embarrassing moment where your star striker shot over from 5 yards. No? Maybe not then!

Twitter is also welcomed to the Football Manager game with the option to add manual or automatic updates of your achievements. This is a quality addition and shows that SI is intent on keeping up with the global cyber trends and is readily embracing the social networking shift. This goes along with the ability to transfer your Steam profile achievements to the Football Manager site enabling you to brag about your glories on another outlet.

Another handy tool has been added to the ‘Select Team to Manage’ screen. At first sight nothing has changed, but look a little closer and you will notice that in the top right hand corner of the team details box you will find a small tab labeled ‘Detailed Team Information’. Click on this and it takes you to the squad list and the various accompanying tabs. This is much easier than navigating through all the tabs and options above as in previous versions, particularly if you’re unsure of who to manage. The option of picking a random league and club or starting unemployed are still available which is great to see.

Now it is time to begin…

SI clearly want to let potential new players know that in amongst all the furor of new features and additions the new guys aren’t forgotten about. SI don’t want to assume that when you start a knew game you should know how it all goes down. Therefore they’ve created the optional tutorial guidance tabs which give a step-by-step guide to help the new players ease into playing. It’s a jungle out there! We’ve all seen players with over a decade’s worth of experience cry at the possibility of finding a replacement for their 30 goal a season striker… what hope does a new player have? Well, SI have considered this and the guidance messages are very useful.

Ok, we see it, it’s all changed! This is perhaps the biggest visual alteration of the game this year. The layout has completely changed. Instead of the classic inbox that filled the top half of the screen on previous versions this inbox is now on the left, with the related news story information on the right and the message detail in the middle. I must admit, this was confusing to start with but as you get used to it you will certainly reap the benefits. It feels more organized this way.
A fair amount has stayed the same within the actual tabs and options. For example, boardroom advice still has the coaches recommending players, tactics and man management.

The match preparation screen a new addition to the layout. In here you can select your main tactics but also your back up tactics. Obviously SI appreciate how many of us there are who might not get the tactics right at the first time of asking! If you want, you can specify certain areas of focus before a game such as attacking movement, defending set pieces or defensive positioning. Or, if you can’t be bothered, let the assistant manager do it!

A knock on from this area is the training section. Training is a hotly discussed topic on the various forums and it is perhaps one of the most contentious areas of the game. Some claim to base their success on their training where as others don’t even know how many stars a coach can reach for a training attribute rating!

The major difference to this screen is the removal of the set pieces attribute for coaches. It was always the most difficult to cater for and I, for one, will be glad to see it removed. This is replaced by a second goalkeeping attribute. Now, there are two goalkeeping attributes. These are shot stopping and handling. Are SI trying to say goalkeepers need a helping hand? Or is it just realism? I’ll take a punt on the latter… despite goalkeeping blunders being prevalent in recent months!

Coaches now have preferred areas to coach. Now you don’t have to spend weeks finding that coach who will finely tune your attacking prowess. The rest of the training layout is pretty familiar.

The biggest change is undoubtedly the process of signing a player. The agents now have a bigger role to play which certainly makes the game more realistic.

As far as the player bidding is concerned there is no change here. You select your amount and any applicable conditions e.g. sell on clause, re-buy fee etc and then submit to the club in question.

If the bid gets accepted, then the fun begins…

As you can see this part of the transfer has altered. Instead of a simplistic effort of offering the player money you now have to go through his agent, if he has one. He will state what the player wants and then once you have decided upon an offer that you are most comfortable you submit it to the agent. He will then go to the player. You then have a choice of confirming the offer as a final offer or suggesting terms and awaiting the player’s response via his agent. It makes the whole player transfer saga more engaging. Is it too much? Some may find that so but for the purists it is a welcome addition. What makes this whole process even better is that the agents have personalities and some will be inevitably more difficult to deal with. SI has also taken note that certain players represent themselves in real life. They will also do this in the game. Very up-to-date!

Press conferences have also been improved slightly. More questions have been added to the catalogue. These include asking about the previous manager, new signings, competition-related questions, reaction press conferences to gauge your feelings on recent events such as cup draws and tournament draws plus questions regarding different milestones achieved by the manager, players and staff.

This just makes the whole press conference experience more appealing because many would just leave it to the assistant manager. The larger variety of questions is a fine tweak that is good news to many who just saw the press conference process as laborious and pointless.

Player interaction has also been improved. For years now the game has stated about player personalities but now we finally get to see these in action. The private player chats allow you to get to grips with the players individually in actual conversations. Before, it was a one click response, but now the player… dum dum dum… answers back! Depending on their personalities their replies might be reasonable and mature. These are professional footballers though so tread carefully. Some don’t understand diplomacy and might be a bit fierce with their reactions!

I know, on a personal basis, whenever I have had experience of managing a team or set of players in real life I have felt that man management is as important as the tactics. So for me this is a huge inclusion.

Another massive dimension added to the game is the set piece creator. Just when you thought Football Manager couldn’t get the details any more finely tuned the genius team of SI pop up with this little gem.

As you can see the set piece creator wizard does all the hard work for you and allows you to simply line up how you want the set pieces to be played. You can select the corner takers, the movements for attacking corners and defending corners, attacking and defending free kicks plus other set pieces such as throw ins. I have to admit, I was worried when SI announced this was going to be included. I was anxious that it would be over-thought, too complex and unnecessary. As it turns out, SI have kept it basic, kept it easy to understand and simple to use. Every care has been taken to make sure this section of the game isn’t over-complicated which is priceless.

The actual match screens remain relatively unchanged. This is great news for players of previous versions who have become used to the way they enter games. With the various tweaks added, the last thing seasoned players wanted was a massive overhaul of the match engine. SI have stayed true to their roots and made sure the only real change is the match preview screen.

This has more general information about both teams on it such as top scorers, key players, relevant milestones and predictions. There is also some match information regarding the referee and weather to give you some background information.

As for the actual match itself, the layout is slightly improved. The split screen view now has more match stats available at-a-glance making it easier for you to get an all round picture of how the game is shaping up without delving into various tabs. This means if you want to make a change or have a think about things you don’t necessarily have to pause the game. It enables you to whistle while you work if you will.

During the game, not much changes. The post match screens have enjoyed a revamp though. The general theme seems to be to have as much information available at-a-glance as possible. Lots of information is now laid out on one screen covering as many of the important areas as possible. These include the general stats such as possession and shots on target, how the key players faired, how the referee did and what the media thought of the result. It certainly gives the post match atmosphere a sense of greater importance. You will now feel as if every game had some significance. Even that Conference South fixture away to Farnborough will seem like a cup final!

The match analysis and various team statistics screens are still there in case you want to dig deeper into the match events to try and figure out what went right or wrong.

Football Manager 2011 is another step forward in the evolution process of the greatest managerial football game to have ever graced this planet. The thought and process behind this latest venture is clear to see and it is great to see that SI have clearly listened to what the players of the game want. The new features have been added with care and consideration for new and old players alike. Nothing has been over-complicated and if anything, things have been made a lot simpler.

Is this latest version the best edition yet? I don’t think we will be able to tell until we have walked in its boots for a mile. Only then can we truly determine the scale of its success. Based on what we have seen so far though SI have pulled another diamond from the rough and I have a feeling this will just add further weight to the football management computer game monopoly that SI have control over. Congratulations SI, you may very well have just created the perfect football management simulation.

By Zabier, screenshots from JackHammer and ChrisOrmie

What’s in Jose’s mind?

Ok let’s be honest. Everyone is trying to find the secret behind the mastermind of Inter’s success. The huge “why” he is so successful? The “why” he is a genius with tactics? Easy to find the “why”? No really, no. In the following article I will try to explain Mourinho’s tactic in the matches against Barcelona and Bayern, which is where Mourinho really showed his class. I am not sure if I could achieve my target, but at least it worths trying.

Let’s begin with Mourinho’s style of play. Pretty well-known. Or not? Mourinho is someone who’s playing football of purpose. Not actually Catenaccio. Why not Catenaccio? Inter-Chievo Verona 4-3, that’s why. He is not the one who will give much unnecessary freedom to his players. He always want the result, and he will do whatever it takes to take it. But really, is it easy to understand Jose’s playing style? If I am gonna ask you “what’s his tactic?” I will list a couple of different options. Is he playing a 4-3-3? Maybe a 4-2-3-1? What exactly is Mourinho’s style of play? Let start with some theories:

Analysing the theories of how Mourinho approaches the game

4-2-3-1? Maybe. Why?
Let’s begin at looking his first match again Barcelona, 4 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 1 attacking midfielder, 1 right attacking midfielder, 1 striker and 1 hmm, was Pandev ML or AML? Mourinho had to find a way to keep Dani Alves outside of Inter’s area, and Pandev gave him his way. He kept away Dani Alves, and gave many attacking solutions. I can say that he was more than an AML rather than ML, but the thing here wasn’t entirely his position, but what Mourinho said to him, and what he said is pretty much what I said before.

Now let’s see if it was a 4-2-3-1 asymmetrical. Maybe again. Why?
Now we are gonna examine the second match against Barcelona. How did he started the match? 4 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 1 attacking midfielder, 1 left midfielder, 1 right attacking midfielder and 1 striker. Here we can’t be sure about where Chivu started. He was an ML or a WBL? I intend to believe that he started as an ML but then he changed. And of course he changed to DM due to Motta’s red card. And Eto’o came to left, Sneijder stayed were he was, and Milito came to right. With both Eto’o and Milito having instructions of getting in attack when they could.

4-3-3? I say no. Why? Let’s see.
If you check some things you will say that Mourinho’s Inter tactic was similar to Mourinho’s Chelsea tactic. NO. In Chelsea Mourinho had: 2 DMs, 1 AMC, 1 AMR-1 AML, and 1 striker. Where’s the difference? The difference is in players. If you remember the AMR/AML in Chelsea was Duff/Gudjohnsen/Joe Cole. Players born to be second strikers/wingers. In Inter Mourinho had mainly Eto’o/Pandev. Players born to be attackers. But Mourinho made them to run for the football, to care about the team. So 4-3-3, like Chelsea 4-3-3 no, like 4-2-3-1 yes.

Conclusion

Final Conclusion? 4-2-3-1.
That’s Mourinho’s view of football. And if you need proof that says that I am right about this theory you just have to check the match against Bayern.
4 DFs, 2 DMs, 1 AMR, 1 AML, 1 AMC, 1 Striker. But in this match all was about two things. The amazing finishing of Milito and the master Sneijder. He was a key player for Inter’s success. And to say the truth if you looked carefully the game Sneijder was also close for being a AML, and Milito was filling space by moving a bit right. This was the key that unlocked Bayern’s defence. And of course the proper defence. Mourinho knew that Zanetti’s huge experience would have helped Inter in he played as an DM, and closing to Muller and Altintop. If you remember both Muller and Altintop never showed up on field. Know let’s go to the other side. Did anyone remember how bad was Robben that day? Wanna know the reason? Chivu and Cambiasso. Robben is always trying to dribble and try to shoot, so he can score, but he never achieved to shoot. Both Chivu and Cambiasso was closing early to him so he won’t have the opportunity to shoot.

Reading all these you probably understand what the secret behind Mourinho’s successes is. Check the last paragraph once again.
Yes. There was never one player trying to do something. When Robben got the ball , Chivu and Cambiasso was closing up to him. When Sneijder got the ball Milito and Eto’o were moving forward. It’s all about teamwork here. And even if you see Mourinho like an ego-maniac, you can say that he is a lover of teamwork.

Giving the final words

Closing this article about Mourinho, could I make some predictions about what he will do at Real Madrid?
Expecting an 4-2-3-1, with his 4 defenders be Ramos-Albiol-Pepe-transfer, his 2 defensive midfielders probably Xabi Alonso-L. Diarra, his AMR C. Ronaldo, his AML a transfer that he would probably do, his AMC Kaka, and for striker Higuain/Benzema.
Some other theories that I have is that the may move C. Ronaldo as an AML, and Higuain as an AMR. But summer is close. We will see his signings and then we could judge him properly.

Hope you enjoyed reading this, I have putted a lot of effort to reading articles from zonalmarking.net and remembering the matches that I saw so I can write for you a good and full article.

For any complains/ideas/comments post here.
P.S It may come also as an FM-Tactic. Depends on you and if you like it. Eto’o were moving forward. It’s all about teamwork here. And if you see Mourinho like an ego-maniac, you can say that he is a lover of teamwork.