If you had to come up with a list comprising of the fundamental aspects that contribute to success on Football Manager you may not be quite so quick to acknowledge the role of your fellow backroom staff. Ofcourse, while tactics, transfers and the ability of the players themselves are immeasurably important, possessing a strong team of assistants, coaches, scouts and physios can be equally key.
It is in fact extremely important that you carefully consider each and every member of your backroom team in your quest for FM glory. By using the guide below, you can familiarise yourself with non-player attributes to help ensure you assemble a behind the scenes team who will inevitably help with the smooth day-to-day running of your club.
Coaching Attributes
Attacking:
Their competency at coaching attacking football. A higher attribute doesn’t necessarily indicate a preference for attacking football, merely that they’re quite good at it.
Coaching Goalkeepers:
Their ability to coach goalkeeping fundamentals and beyond. A higher attribute means the coach is better at coaching goalkeepers to the higher levels.
Defending:
The ability of the staff to coach a defensive game. Higher ratings indicate a proficiency in working well on the defensive side of the game.
Fitness:
This reflects a coach’s ability to work on the fitness side of the game, and as such should be one of the key attributes to look at when hiring a Fitness Coach, and less importantly, a Physio.
Man Management:
How well the member of staff is able to deal with those around him and particularly below him. This is a mental approach; a high attribute indicates a coach who is capable of organising and keeping people happy.
Mental:
Their mental approach to players. A good mental coach will be able to observe and act upon each individual’s state of mind and react accordingly.
Tactical:
How tactically astute he is. More tactically astute coaches will not only be able to coach the tactical side of the game more effectively but any advice they may
offer is likely to be more accurate and informative.
Technical:
The ability of the coach to teach the technical side of the game – work with the ball. This can be one of the hardest areas to coach and it may be that a former player is particularly useful here.
Working with Youngsters:
How successful a coach is at working with younger players – those aged 18 and under in particular. Having a coach who is very good at nurturing young talent can be priceless if just one or two of them develop into useful players
Mental Attributes
Adaptability:
A high Adaptability attribute will enable the staff member to settle quickly predominantly in a new country but also will help a little in settling in at new clubs and new roles. The faster (i.e. higher rating) a member of staff can adapt to their new working environment, the quicker and better they can do their job.
Determination:
The mental desire of the coach to succeed. This isn’t a coaching attribute in terms of coaching a player’s mental approach – this is the coach himself and their own innate drive to better themselves.
Judging Player Ability & Potential:
When employing a scout, these two attributes are the first things you should look at. High attribute ratings in these two areas will most likely result in more accurate scouting reports. Judging Ability is important if you have assigned a scout to watch players you intend to bring in or are scouting upcoming opponents. Judging Potential is more important for the scouts you intend to assign to identifying the next generation of footballing talent. At the very top levels, a rating of 15 in these attributes would be considered the minimum requirement, but as you go down the ladder, a good scout can be a highly valuable commodity.
Level of Discipline:
This reflects the level of discipline the coach is likely to take in his approach. A higher attribute means that the coach will take up a harder line in his approach and keep things strict. A lower one means the coach is a little more relaxed.
Motivating:
The mental ability of a coach to motivate his players. High motivation will allow the coach to suitably pump his players up not only for a big match, but also in an every day sense – keeping a squad motivated towards their goals is imperative.
Physiotherapy:
This attribute is exclusively for use with Physiotherapists. Having a Physio with a high rating in this attribute is something you should always look to have. If possible, have at least three Physios with high ratings for this attribute to ensure your players receive high-quality treatment to both prevent and rehabilitate injuries.
Tactical Knowledge:
The tactical knowledge possessed by a coach. Their experiences in the game, where they’ve been and who they’ve worked with will affect the level of knowledge they have, and when using this knowledge they may have ideas lesser coaches haven’t become familiar with, which is an advantage.
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