How to Play FM Guide Part 1

This guide is basically about playing FM. It may be wordy but this is only a basic look at some things in FM. If you want more, check out other guides compiled by other FM players which look more towards different topics, like training etc. Also, this is part 1 of my guide, which mainly focuses on being a new manager.

Adjusting to FM

First thing you have to do before you play FM is adjust your preferences! However good you are; if you are getting some irritating things you don’t want, you will probably stop playing FM. So go to options, preferences, and choose what you want FM to do for you.

Getting Hired

Remember this day, because it’s the first time you’re getting hired (I suppose you’re starting a new game)! Check your inbox, and what you'll probably find is that the fans are worried that you may not be the "right person" to lead the club. You might see this news in the News section rather than in your inbox. In the news column, you will find news that may not be of concern to you, but is of interest to you. You should try to check it out regularly. To not care about the outside world will eventually make you a caveman which could lead to your downfall in FM.

Confidence and Board Expectations

Now, it’s time to decide what you want to achieve at your time at the club. Don’t aim too high; if you don’t achieve it then you should pack your bags. Don’t aim too low either. If your club has what it takes to achieve great things then aim higher. The main point is: aim according to your squad strength. Aiming too low will also give you a low transfer and wage budget, but will put you at a lesser risk of getting fired should you do poorly. You can also check the confidence page to see how you are progressing with your objective. Fans may be unhappy after any match or may think that a player at the club has done well and deserve praise and one should act accordingly.

Rewards

Trust me, this is important. The reason why I could achieve an outstanding treble in my first season in charge of Arsenal could well be because of this. I decided to give my players high payouts for all competitions as my club is rich. This resulted in a treble which I myself did not expect. For poorer clubs, put high bonus payouts for competitions you want to focus on, and low ones for those you do not want to focus and think that you have no chance of doing well. This would definitely drive them on, it sure did for me, especially the young and ambitious.(Just a small note you can check your club personality in the club information page)

Staff

After getting hired you would have received a team report on your team by your Assistant Manager, provided you have one. Read it, as this is the one of many things your assistant can do for you. Over the years, you will soon realize that you cannot run this club on your own, and you will need various other staff to help make your job easier.

Assistant Manager - Your right-hand man and your sort of advisor when you can’t decide something. He can give player and team reports, handle team talks (we’ll go through that later), give advice, manage your teams for you, select your team and even train your players. You can assign jobs for your assistant by going to your manager options. Assign him tasks which you don’t want to handle, and at that point you will realize how important he is - doing jobs you would not want to do. So get one if you don’t have one already, and get two if you’re rich or if it’s possible. The more the easier.
Coaches - You manage your club, but you certainly don’t do the training. That’s where your coaches jump in. They do the training, and however good you’re at finding talents or managing your youth system, without these mighty coaches all the players you signed would not improve or even maintain their level. Get good coaches, and it doesn’t matter if you get more than ten (providing you can afford it) - it’s more beneficial.
Scouts - Your eye for talent. You may be able to tell and judge if a player’s good or not, but most of the time it’s your scouts that give you an accurate description of the players ability both current and potential. The two eyes of yours are never enough, and you don’t actually need so many scouts; try to maintain less than seven or five. You’ll only need one scout to scout a SINGLE player, which means you can scout numerous players simultaneously, providing you have the workforce. Make sure the scout has good player ability and potential judgment. For more info, you can check FM staff guide on finding the right staff.
Chairman/Owners - Last but not least, the chairman. Every manager’s cash source and worst nightmare at times. They provide the cash, and basically they own the club. Some are good; they will let you spend and spend and not give a damn but most of them will interfere in the management of the club, such as selling the players you don’t want to sell or not allowing something, such as two assistant managers or a “bad deal”. Suck up to them, worship them and obey them because, quite frankly, your job depends on them damn it!

Team Management

After reading your assistant’s team report, it is time to decide the fate of the players at your club. Whether they will be a first-team regular or a backup to the team depends on you. Choose your players to appear in the next match. If you’re not too sure then you can ask your assistant. After choosing your first-team, it’s time to choose a formation. This is because there is one saying that is very important for tacticians: Choose a formation to suit your players; don’t choose your players to suit a formation. Most of the time this works, so choose a formation that you think your players will work well with. After that it’s time to set-up team and player instructions. Tell the team what you want them to do. Allow too much creative freedom and it will backfire. Wasting time too often will result in mistakes. For more info you can check out the Vertanno’s Game Logic Guide or Ticking Boxes Guide . And finally, after all the tactical thinking, it’s time to set-up priorities. You decide your free-kick takers, corner takers and more. But there is one which I want to emphasize on.

Assigning Captaincies

Okay, not really that important but something I think you should know. A good captain is essential to your team’s performances. Choose a good captain; first thing you have to look at is influence. See which team-mate in your team is a good leader. Then see his work-rate, teamwork, and determination. You wouldn’t want a slacker to lead your team would you? But wait! Don’t assign captaincy to him yet. Check every single player’s profile in your team and see which player most of your players have good relations with. This will make most of your players happy. Pick the one with a majority of them having good relations with, and has high influence, work rate, teamwork and determination. Furthermore, make sure that he's not too young and inexperienced. There you have it, your captain who will lead your team to either success or failure.

Training

Yes, training is managed by your coaches, but at least you have some credit to claim when certain players have done well in training. It’s because YOU make the training schedule. Wouldn’t talk much about this, but just remember to check occasionally if you are on the right track for training. Just download Mikedadude’s Ultimate Training Schedule and if you think it’s not enough, you can make your own, which is what I did.

Friendly Matches

Friendly matches are like what the name suggests: “non- sanctioned” matches. Don’t think because it’s only a friendly that it’s not important; some managers want friendlies everyday! They are opportunities for you to try new formations, give your fringe players a chance, and most importantly make your team fit. You will want to rotate your players often, and sometimes even sub all 11 players in a match just to rest them and make sure they don’t get injured. Trust me, injuries during friendly matches are very annoying. Another advantage of friendly matches are that if you are at a poor club, competing with high-profile clubs will earn you a cash boost via gate receipts(if you keep them of course) and this cash may just help bring in a few vital signings.

Pitch Dimensions

Now, this is related to how your team plays. If in the team instructions menu you told your players to concentrate their attack in the middle, then it's suggested that play on a pitch with smaller dimensions. Using the wings? Then it is better to make the pitch wider. But most of the time I just use the standard dimensions. A long pitch suits a direct style, but can also mean if a team pushs too far up they will constantly get caught on the break. Long pitches create space behind defenders and may cause teams to defend deep, so you need fast defenders. If your team’s defenders are slow and lack the speed but have the strength, you may consider playing on a narrow pitch.