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.

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!

Making FM config files by hand can sometimes be a bit confusing, so this guide is here to help

The easiest way to edit the config files is with Notepad, Notepad++ or any similar basic text editor

The start and end of the config file is always the same for all graphics, so it is best to copy and paste another config file and just delete the middle

For the file to work with Football Manager then it MUST be named config.xml, otherwise the game will not read the file and the graphics will not work, naming the graphic files however is a lot easier, you can name them almost anything, but special characters and accented letters like áéíóú will not work, the easiest naming method is just to use the unique id (or UID) to save time

The Start

If creating the config from scratch, then start with this, it is the same for all graphics so do not change it, after the <list id=”maps”> section you need to put the config for logos/facepacks/kits/backgrounds in, and then end with the end section

<record>

<!– resource manager options –>

<!– dont preload anything in this folder –>

<boolean id=”preload” value=”false”/>

<!– turn off auto mapping –>

<boolean id=”amap” value=”false”/>

<!– logo mappings –>

<!– the following XML maps pictures inside this folder into other positions

in the resource system, which allows this folder to be dropped into any

place in the graphics folder and still have the game pick up the graphics

files from the correct places

–>

<list id=”maps”>

Logos

There are five different types of logos you can use on FM, these are; normal, huge, small and background left/right

Below is an example line of code for each

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/club/UID/logo”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/club/UID/huge”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/club/UID/icon”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/club/UID/background/left”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/club/UID/background/right”/>

For these to work you simple have to change the name and UID to that of your logo

If the logos are for a competition rather than a club then the XML should instead be like this

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/comp/UID/logo”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/comp/UID/huge”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/comp/UID/icon”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/comp/UID/background/left”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/comp/UID/background/right”/>

Facepacks

Facepacks are far simpler and just have one config setting, example line below

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/person/UID/portrait”/>

Kits

There are two different types of kits, 2d and 3d, so both have different XML, they also have a section on the end for home/away/third. A good way to name kits would be UID_Home/Away/Third or _H/A/T

2d

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/kits/home”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/kits/away”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/kits/third”/>

3d

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/kit_textures/home”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/kit_textures/away”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/kit_textures/third”/>

Backgrounds

There are a few different types of XML for backgrounds, these are; team backgrounds, stadium/matchday backgrounds, competition backgrounds and player backgrounds

Example XML below

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/team/UID/background”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/stadium/UID/background”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/comp/UID/background”/>

<record from=”NAME” to=”graphics/pictures/person/UID/background”/>

The End

</list>

</record>

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)

WOW!

That’s all I can say about this!

MinneapolisJon’s & kumquat have been working damn hard on this pack for a while and now we can tell you about it!

With over 600 teams, 30 leagues and 18 nations in here, this is probably the ultimate background pack for Europe!

List of leagues…

- Austria: Top League
- Belgium: Top League
- Denmark: Top League
- England: English Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Conference National, Conference North, Conference South
- France: Ligue 1, Ligue 2
- Germany: Bundesliga I, Bundesliga II, Bundesliga III
- Holland: Eredivisie, Eerste Divisie
- Italy: Series A, Series B
- Norway: Tippeligaen
- Portugal: Top League
- Russia: Premier League
- Scotland: Scottish Premier League, SFL First Division, SFL Second Division, SFL Third Division
- Spain: La Liga (BBVD), Liga Adelante
- Sweden: Allsvenskan
- Switzerland: Axpo Super League
- Turkey: Super Lig
- Ukraine: Premier Division
- Wales: Welsh Premier League

Pics, Download info and Install guide are located over on the forums, in this thread.

Hope you all enjoy these backgrounds!

This is a list of all the players on FM2011 with potentials of -10 or -9. The list is sorted with the highest CA at the top and working down. It’s broken down by PA and then Primary Position, and it shows the name, nationality, club, and age of the players (in that order).

As always the list is top heavy with strikers and attacking-midfielders but each of the other positions has a healthy number of players too so it shouldn’t be a problem to find one you like!

-10 Potential
GK
Alphonse Areola, France, Paris Saint-Germain, 17

MC
Aaron Ramsey, Wales, Arsenal, 19

-9 Potential
GK
Asmir Begovic, Bosnia, Stoke City, 23
Matej Delac, Croatia, Chelsea, 17
Luis Guilherme, Brazil, Botafogo, 18
Zacharie Boucher, France, Le Havre, 18
Jack Butland, England, Birmingham City, 17

D/WB L
Fabio Coentrao, Portugal, Benfica, 22
Fabio, Brazil, Manchester United, 20
Dodo, Brazil, Corinthians, 18
Atila Turan, France, GF 38, 18
Lucas Digne, France, Lille, 17
Jack Robinson, England, Liverpool, 16

D/WB R
Rafael, Brazil, Manchester United, 20
Serge Aurier, Ivory Coast, Lens, 17
Dennis Appiah, France, Monaco, 18
Romario, Brazil, Vitoria, 16
Luis Bareiro, Argentina, Atletico Atlanta, 21

DC
Mateo Musacchio, Argentina, Villarreal, 19
Leonel Galeano, Argentina, Independiente, 18
Danny Wilson, Scotland, Liverpool, 18
Dedryck Boyata, Belgium, Manchester City, 19
Sebastian Toro, Chile, Colo Colo, 20
Phil Jones, England, Blackburn, 18
Marc Muniesa, Spain, Barcelona, 18
Pichu Atienza, Spain, Atletico Madrid, 20
Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Greece, Schalke, 18
Raphael Varane, France, Lens, 17
Jordan Spence, England, West Ham, 20
Roderick Miranda, Portugal, Benfica, 19
Darnel Situ, France, Lens, 18
Tomas Kalas, Czech Republic, Chelsea, 17
Jorge Pulido, Spain, Atletico Madrid, 19
Tony Huston, France, Le Mans, 17
Tobias Figueiredo, Portugal, Sporting Clube, 16

DMC
Nampalys Mendy, France, Monaco, 18
Sergio Oliveira, Portugal, Porto, 18
Lorenzo Cristig, Italy, Internazionale, 17

MC
Franco Zuculini, Argentina, Hoffenheim, 19
Adrien, Portugal, Sporting Clube, 21
Necip Uysal, Turkey, Besiktas, 19
David Alaba, Austria, Bayern Munchen, 18
Tomas Horava, Czech Republic, Sigma Olomouc, 22
Kevin, Spain, Zaragoza, 18
Zakaria Labyad, Holland, PSV, 17
Jonjo Shelvey, England, Liverpool, 18
Josh McEachran, England, Chelsea, 17
Raphael Holzhauser, Austria, Stuttgart, 17
Alexandre Coeff, France, Lens, 18
Torric, Ghana, Hearts of Oak, 18
Quasim Bouy, Holland, Ajax, 17

M/AM L
Andre Scurrie, Germany, Mainz, 19
Adam Hilousek, Czech Republic, Slavia Prague, 21
James Rodriguez, Colombia, Porto, 19
Lewis Holtby, Germany, Schalke, 19
Antoine Griezmann, France, Real Sociedad, 19
Younes Belhanda, France, Montpellier, 20
Xherdan Shaqiri, Switzerland, Basel, 18
Zezinho, Brazil, Santos, 18
German Pacheco, Argentina, Atletico Madrid, 19
Simone Verdi, Italy, AC Milan, 18
Pablo Sarabia, Spain, Real Madrid, 18
Berkin Arslan, Turkey, Galatasaray, 18

M/AM R
Chung-Yong Lee, South Korea, Bolton, 22
Matias Ezequiel Schelotto, Italy, Atalanta, 21
Adem Ljajic, Serbia, Fiorentina, 18
Vladimir Weiss, Slovakia, Manchester City, 20
Bebe, Portugal, Manchester United, 20
Keko, Spain, Atletico Madrid, 18
Stephan El Shaarawy, Italy, Genoa, 17
Zeli Ismail, England, Wolves, 16
Toni Silva, Portugal, Liverpool, 16

AMC
Shinji Kagawa, Japan, Borrusia Dortmund, 21
Alan Dzagoev, Russia, CSKA Moscow, 20
Georginio Wijnaldum, Holland, Feyenoord, 19
Christian Eriksen, Denamark, Ajax, 18
Gylfi Sigurdsson, Iceland, Hoffenheim, 20
Edgar Ivan Pacheco, Mexico, Deportivo Atlas, 20
Jack Wilshire, England, Arsenal, 18
Levan Kenia, Georgia, Schalke, 19
THiago, Spain, Barcelona, 19
Mario Gotze, Germany, Borrusia Dortmund, 18
Coutinho, Brazil, Internazionale, 18
Alan Patrick, Brazil, Santos, 19
Oscar, Brazil, Internacional, 18
Dudu, Brazil, Cruzeiro, 18
Clement Grenier, France, Lyon, 19
Yacine Brahimi, France, Stade Rennais, 20
Gael Kakuta, France, Chelsea, 19
Jano, Georgia, Spartak Moscow, 17
Wendel, Brazil, Atletico Mineiro, 18
Thorgan Hazard, Belgium, Lens, 17
Haris Vuckic, Slovenia, Newcastle, 17
Davide Petrucci, Italy, Manchester United, 18
Mehdi Abeid, France, Lens, 17
Mateo Kovacic, Croatia, Dinamo, 16
Bryan Rabello, Chile, Colo Colo, 16
Suso, Spain, Liverpool, 16
Ravel Morrison, England, Manchester United, 17
Abdallah Yaisien, France, Paris Saint-Germain, 16
Denis, Spain, Celta Vigo, 16

SC
Abel Hernandez, Uruguay, Palermo, 19
Guilherme, Brazil, Dynamo Kyiv, 21
Sercan Yildirim, Turkey, Bursaspor, 20
Daniel Sturridge, England, Chelsea, 20
Heung-Min Son, South Korea, Hamburger SV, 18
Romelu Lukaku, Belgium, Anderlecht, 17
Iker Muniain, Spain, Athletic Bilbao, 17
Federico Macheda, Italy, Manchester United, 18
Lacina Traore, Ivory Coast, Cluj, 19
Vaclav Kadlec, Czech Republic, Sparta Prague, 18
Ahmed Khalil, UAE, Al-Ahli (UAE), 19
Ishak Belfodi, France, Lyon, 18
Raul Nava, Mexico, Toluca, 19
Nassim Ben Khalifa, Switzerland, Wolfsburg, 18
Taufic Guarch, Mexico, Estudiantes Tecos, 18
Martin Galvan, Mexico, Cruz Azul, 17
Cedrid Bakambu, France, Sochaux, 19
Connor Wickham, England, Ipswich, 17
Borja Baston, Spain, Atletico Madrid, 17
Stanley Okoro, Nigeria, Almeria, 17
Mahatma Otoo, Ghana, ES Tunis, 18
Daniel Pacheco, Spain, Liverpool, 19
Luc Castaignos, Holland, Feyenoord, 17
Terence Makengo, France, Monaco, 18
Tiago Alves, Brazil, Santos, 17
Sofiane Hanni, France, Nantes, 19
Sergio Arujo, Argentina, Boca Juniors, 18
Alex Nimely, England, Manchester City, 19
Chris Gadi, France, Marseille, 18
Nelson Oliveira, Portugal, Benfica, 18
Marko Lijava, Croatia, FREE TRANSFER, 16
Jese, Spain, Real Madrid, 17
Francisco Alacer, Spain, Valencia, 16
Arsenio Valpoort, Holland, Heerenveen, 17
Wellington Silva, Brazil, Fluminense, 17
Nikao, Brazil, Atletico Miniero, 18
Piotr Parzyszek, Poland, De Graafschap, 16
Marko Maletic, Bosnia, Utrecht, 16
Lucas Piazon, Brazil, Sao Paulo, 16
Amine, France, Real Sporting, 16
Lenny Nangis, France, Caen, 16
Harry Kane, England, Tottenham, 17
Phillip Prosenik, Austira, Chelsea, 17
Sani Emmanuel, Nigeria, My People, 17

Keeping The Settings Updated – Beyond Day One

Now once your new players arrive you’ll need tomake sure their status are correctly set, assign a squad number, and put them in the correct training. For new scouts you’ll be needing to set them assignments, and for assistants/coaches you’ll have to assign them a training duty (and check to see if they are better candidates to run the youth/reserve squads). I’d also reccomend going through this guide again once a new Assistant is in place sue to the fact that his opinions may differ from the outgoing staff member. In fact it’s good practise to keep an eye on the things pointed in the guide every few months so that you are up to date on all aspects of your club.

Once your first match comes around it’s also important to pay attention to the advice your assistant gives you so that you’ll be able to deal with opposition strengths and hide your own weaknesses. If you can get a good balance over time taken to view a match and the level of detail and feedback you get from it then you’ll be able to get a good game going quite quickly. I find the 2D pitch view the best for my needs, and I watch the key incidents in a high speed – though you might prefer a lower setting until you become used to picking up information on the move. Now tweak those default tactics to take advantage of the opponents weaknesses and give yourself the best chance of winning, and don’t forget touchline shouts as they can really make a difference in a game!

With everything set up this way you’ll soon find that the game runs quicker, smoother and without much input needed from you – that’s not to say you can’t jump in where you feel like and do more than the minimum, but if you want to just take care of signings and matches on a day-to-day basis then this should work out well for you. Just remember that not everything may work out for you, but there is no need to panic as you’ll have the foundations in place to handle almost any problems. As you can see below, in FM2011 we may need to be a little more careful about our choices than in previous versions.

Good luck in your careers!

Applying The Settings – Scouting and Signings

Transfers/Transfer Centre

-Check deals already in place
As you’ve just taken over a new club it’s best to know if any sales or signings have already been put in place for the future. This is the screen where any such will be placed and so it’s a good place to visit during your first day of familiarisation with the club.

Transfers/Player Search

-Identify Targets
Using the filters you should now identify targets to complete your starting XI, then if you have remaining funds bid on squad players and/or youth prospects as these are best bought early. Whilst transfer- and loan-listed players are easier to attract, also remember to check through the players with a year left on their contract as they could join for free once their contracts expire or be bought cheaper than normal when it’s running out. Add these players to your shortlist and get your assistant to scout them. I find the assistant best for this task as you can easily compare the reports he gives on these potential signings with the ones already done for your current players.

-Player Recommendations
If you have a player or two that you want to keep and fall into the right categories (unsettled, unhappy, wanted by a club, refusing to sign a new deal, or low morale), then it may prove beneficial to ask them for a note on any signings they think would improve the club. On the main player screen select the ‘Interaction/Have Private Chat’ option in the top right hand side of the screen, then select the ‘Advice’ option in the dialogue box that appears. This will give you the options to choose what advice you’d like from the player and if you are lucky then you’ll get a name from them – but it doesn’t always happen. If they give a name and you sign them, it could help raise the morale of that player and lead him to view you more favourably.

Transfers/Staff Search
-Identify Staff Targets
Using the filters you will need to fill out your backroom staff paying close attention to the areas of training you are missing with the current coaches. Once these people are in place you will only need to check back once per season to improve or replenish this area.

-Staff Recommendations
As with player recommendations, you can ask for an opinion as to who should be added to the backroom team. Signing a favoured staff member could help raise the morale of that player and lead him to view you more favourably.

Transfers/Scouting Assignments
-Set Assignments
Set your worst staff to scout the next opponent as the better ones will be used elsewhere. You should set the others as you feel best for your league, but I’d recommend scouting UK & Ireland, Central Europe, Southern Europe, and South America if you can.

Transfers/Loans
-Track players on loan
This gives you an overview of the players you currently have on loan from other clubs, and those players who you have loaned out to other clubs. good for keeping track and seeing how everyone is doing.

Transfers/Clauses
-Generating Cash
If any clauses are listed here then you should make a note of the impact on your finances they may have for the season ahead. Also if it’s possible to sell some then I’d advise doing so as you’ll not have to worry about the small amounts creeping in and out of your accounts almost unseen, but instead be dealing with lump sums that effect the bank balance once.

The final part of this guide (Beyond day one) is coming soon…

Club Information – Day One (continued)
Information/Overview
-Check information
You’ll find goodies such as club rivals, derbies, media expectations, and your current captains. This is useful stuff to remember during your tenure. Also here is the Chairman status so you can tell when he’s likely to sell up – watch this as you progress as any changes up top can affect things on the field and in your office!

Information/Staff
-Check Current Staff
It’s a good time to clear out the deadwood and extend the contracts of those you want to keep. Re-sign the remaining youth coaches as full coaches then release all remaining first team coaches as they won’t work with all the players you have available. Offer someone from each position a contract to check how many more signings in each area you’ll be allowed to make so you know which areas you’ll be allowed to strengthen. Then make a note of the worst scout and the two coaches (include your assistant) with the highest skill in Tactical Knowledge and Working With Youngsters.

Information/Contract Expiry Dates
-Check contracts
This information is still available under the squad screens under the Contracts option in the Views menu, but now it’s been moved under the Information screen for another easy way to access things.

Information/Affiliated Clubs
-Check clubs
This screen offers a one stop view into the links you have with other clubs. go through each club you are currently linked with and decide if the details of the agreements are beneficial to your club or not. End those that you think won’t help and you can apply for new links on this screen as well as under your Manager profile screen (via the link to speak to the board we used earlier).

Information/Team Settings
-Setup For The Season Ahead
This screen is very useful in deciding how much of the set-up you want to let your assistant handle and how much you want to do yourself. I normally spend a lot of time getting in the right assistant and so allow him to handle as much as he can (bar contracts). I can always check things anyway but he’ll do it if I leave things. I advise setting the 3 teams tactics to the same (by setting use current tactics). I also think that on the Scouting tab you need to use the worst scout to track your loan players, a good potential scout for those offered by agents, and then allow agents to offer all players to your club – sure it’s a bit more work to go through them or say no, but never pass up the chance at finding a good player.

Board Room/Overview
-Set The Budgets
First move the slider all the way to the right to see your top transfer budget, now you know this number you can then set it all the way to the left for the biggest wage budget. This allows you to offer the best wages you can and when the transfer is complete it will ask if you wish to auto-adjust the budgets to allow the transfer fee to be paid.

Board Room/Finances
-Get To Know Your Financial Footing
All the key information is here so check through it and note all debts as they’ll hinder you if left untracked. Next find your current balance and if your top transfer budget is above this then remember your top transfer budget as the current balance instead. It does no good to spend money you do not have in the bank.

Part 5 (Scouting and Signings) to follow…