Guide to Man Management

How to succeed as a modern, media-friendly manager


Media and communication have become a major factor in the game and many real life managers seem to have failed simply because they were unable to communicate with media or with their players in an appropriate way. Whether you believe this aspect of management to be good or bad, FM07 reflects this development and you should learn to use these features to your advantage. If you are a communicative person, you will love it and likely excel, if not, you should at least learn how to make good use of it when needed. It will not turn a bad tactic into a brilliant one, but quality communication can boost your team’s success at critical stages of the season.


Manager relationships and interaction:

Making friends:

It is always good to have some friends in the game, especially if you are a small club looking for loan players and you don’t have the money to offer 100% of the wages. Your transfer and loan offers might simply be accepted because of the good relationship you have with the manager and this can save you millions. As you are probably aware, some players will lose moral if you praise other managers. Ignore it, they don’t pay your wage bill and transfer kitty.

However, you should pick your favourite team carefully. Rivalry is considered here too, so it will be hard to make friends with José or Sir Alex if Arsenal is your favourite team. If you are keen on loaning players from all top four teams, you should pick something neutral.


Making enemies:

Can be entertaining, but the effects on the squad are rarely good. I rarely ever followed a feud with another manager. The only exception is scoring some good psychological points after a game, like accusing a rival manager of negative tactics which may force him to come at you next time you meet.


Pre-match manager interaction:

Can be very helpful for key games. Usually it is always positive to expect an entertaining match for key games or a good rivalry for games against close rivals. Employing mind games such as 'being nervous' etc. have a similar positive effect on your squad, as does praising the opposition team. Angry comments and stirring up the pot are rarely ever helpful.


Media Interaction

Pre-match interaction


Getting your interaction with the media wrong pre-game can be catastrophic. If you tell the media that you expect a win with a close odds game, your players are likely to freeze and perform way below expectations. Deal with the media as follows:
Really close odds: No comment
Heavily favoured to win at home: We can win this if we play to our best
Heavily favoured to win away: They could cause us problems
Heavily favoured to lose away: I just want a good performance
Heavily favoured to lose at home: They could cause us problems

This seems to minimize poor player reaction and generally keeps morale levels high.

Not much to add here, except that for top teams you can be more positive. Only consider playing down your chances if you are facing another top team, although even then you can often be positive. But using I “expect a clear win” is rarely reasonable.

Check how your players react. Every one is different. The more ambitious your players are, the more you can stay on the positive side.

Nice tip for cup mismatches: I often stir up my squad by being “never confident about these games”. Half of your key players will want to go out and prove you wrong.


Player Interaction

General Team Talks

Pre-Game Team Talks

Generally, the ‘we can win this’ is the best option for home games and the ‘wish luck’ the best for away games. However, the ‘no pressure’ option works well against good sides and the ‘do it for the fans’ against local rivals. I rarely employ the ‘I expect a win option’, preferring the ‘we can win this’ followed by a ‘disappointed’ at half-time if the performance isn’t matching the pre-match odds.

Addition: for good teams or if having a good run, I stick with 'we can win this' most of the time. 'Expect a win' can be handy after some bad performances. Check the team talk feedback to see how your team reacts.

Half-Time Team Talks

When your team has good morale a ‘disappointed’ team talk works wonders at home if your team is performing below expectations. I have used it even when winning but playing less well than I would have wanted and seen an amazing second half performance. As in most away games you would have ‘wished luck’, a ‘we can win this’ if level or losing by one goal often changes the match. If you are winning, then ‘pleased’ does the trick, as it also does with a winning score line and good performance at home. If your morale levels are low, stay away from angry or disappointed comments and focus on encouraging.

With top teams I rarely use the disappointed route, and try to stick to 'we can win this' or directly go to 'I expect nothing less then a win' (especially if I switch tactics in half time) or to angered at home. If leading closely, I often use encourage or demand not to drop in performance. If the squad performs brilliant, I found that being thrilled never causes a drop. If you have reason to be thrilled there is no problem in showing it.

Post-Match Team Talks

Generally, be positive post-match. If your team has lost away but played well, be pleased. If they have drawn at home but should have won, be pleased. Only lay into the players if they have performed way below expectations. You will know if you have judged the mood correctly if morale stays high.

After very narrow wins, I often warn against complacency. If I lose or draw unlucky, I tend to sympathise as long as the performance was fine.

Individual Player Talks

They can be the dot on the 'i'. Use them wisely and check the assistant feedback to find out how your players react. It depends on their individual personality again.


Pre-match

Having faith: very useful for players with less morale then the team. Very useful for attacking players in key games.

No pressure: I use it for youngsters who are thrown in, recovered players or new players.

Expect a performance: I only use it for key players after a series of bad performances (and according media feedbacks).


Half time

Pleased or delighted: I try to acknowledge good individual performances.

Prove a point: The best option if under-performing and available, especially if you have to turn around a game

Having faith: better choice then angered or disappointing. I always use it if somebody has lower morale at half time despite performing well.

You can make the difference: probably the best choices available if you have to turn the game, score the winner.

Angered: only if somebody comes back with a plain 5 and superb morale. ;-)

Post Match

Most time they don’t listen anyway! However, I acknowledge key performances and sometimes single out bad performances. Youngsters and new players tend to listen and are happy if praised.


Player Feedback

Media

Good performance: especially (or only) after a win, you should single out your most valuable players. But keep in mind if you are praising a key player or a rotation or backup player. Be more generous with unexpected performances. Some key players will even get annoyed for too much praise or too gentle criticism, while youngsters will feel let down if you demand too much.

Delighted: generally only for a run of extremely good performances, the fans will support this praise too. If you are talking about the likes of Ronaldinho, it should be something like a 9-9-10 performance to praise them this much.

Pleased: for a very solid to brilliant run, most players will be encouraged and stirred up to go on.

Acceptable: Just like the word says. Almost a criticism, but it can help sustaining a player’s form who is on his way back to top.

Bad performance: be more harsh to your key players and less demanding to youngsters, backup and rotation players. Very handy after losses and bad draws.

Below-par: if you are talking about superstars, a 7-7-7-7-7 IS below par. Tell them and watch the next games. For normal players, anything below 7 can be singled out for criticism, especially after losses.

Disappointed: This is the way to go for key players or really lousy performances.

Deeply upset: the ultimate measure for a series of under-performances and losses.

If you are using feedback for a while, you will notice that they have a huge influence on your players, often reflected in the game’s comments. You can help your players to maintain good form, stir them up to improve even further, and also shorten individual dips of form. My impression is that it really helps coming back from a series of losses and lousy performances.

Another benefit: if your praise or criticism is spot on at several occasions, the players will be grateful and show you as favoured personnel. If you have enough players having you as a favoured personnel performance is likely to remain high.

Media Spotlight

Always use it when the media praise your players

Don’t get carried away: especially for youngsters and at start of the season, also for key players who definitely can do better. Usually results in a very high motivation.

Pleased and hope to maintain his form: Very hand to spur them on to further performances

First name on team sheet: Only use it if you run out of words and it hardly can come any better. Some players even tend to feel pressured.

 

Fines

There is a reason why you can fine players. It is amazing to read all the posts “player x got five red cards a season and is banned for most of my games”.

Of course it is good to have some players with aggression in your squad, but you have to keep them at bay. Usually in every season you will reach a point where the big sending off starts, and if you don’t react, it will develop into a flood. If you react, it is over before it has begun.

I simply follow this route:
2 weeks fine for one red
2 weeks additional (after the player reacted) if it was violent behaviour
2 weeks for missing training
1 week if for yellow/red if I was too stupid to substitute or set down on easy tacking ;-)
1 week for a 5 performance of key players
2 weeks for a 4 performance of key players

You will notice that most professional players will accept their fines and try to improve in future.

Influencing players from other teams

Yes, these transfer speculations can get on your nerves. However, don’t ignore them as soon as interesting players are concerned. Sometimes you really get them unsettled this way. If I want to lure someone away who might be interested to join I start this way: praise him and wait for a response, then declare interest. Sometimes this can help.

It can help to praise players who are on your long-term list. I never managed to buy Micah Richards for any acceptable amount of money, but at least my praise brought me on his favourite personnel list. So it might be useful if he ever gets available and it should save me some money on wages too.

 

Hmmm not so sure about some of them mate, think some could be considerd as harsh. I follow your violent behaviour one, as well as the 2 week fine for missing training. Think the straight fines for bad performances is a bit harsh, everyone can have an off day, even the best of players.

 

Some of it's alright like the missing training one but the performance one for key players is very harsh indeed.

 

i always go by warning on first red, 1 week fine on second and 2 weeks for 3rd offence