General Hints

When choosing your captain, the most important attribute to consider is his influence.

A player with a high penalty-taking attribute is likely to be a good choice to take your spot-kicks.

A player with a high corner attribute would be a good choice to take your corners.

If you want to be a danger from throw-ins, choose a player with a high long throws attribute to take them.

With the right guidance a youngster described as a 'Wonderkid' could become a world class player.

Withdrawing a player from international duty with his national team may adversely affect his morale, or worse, cause the player to dislike you.

Rejecting a job offer from another club will improve your popularity with your club's board and the fans.

Players with high adaptability are less likely to get homesick as they are better able to adjust to new countries and cultures.

Teams in a strong financial position who consistently fill out their stadiums are prime candidates for stadium expansion.

The board may decide to build a new stadium if you don't own your current ground or if you are unable to expand it further.

Sending youngsters out on loan is a great way for them to get competitive match experience.

When a player has just returned from injury it's a good idea to build his match fitness up through reserve fixtures and then slowly reintroduce him back into the first-team.

The ratings for reflexes, handling, communication, jumping and positioning are generally a good indicator for how good a goalkeeper is.

If you're looking for a good wing-back pay special attention to an individual's positioning, tackling, stamina, pace and acceleration.

Positioning, tackling, pace and anticipation are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good full-back.

A good centre-back will usually have high ratings for tackling, jumping, positioning, heading, strength, marking, bravery and team work.

Pace, dribbling, passing, off the ball, creativity, stamina and crossing are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good winger.

Passing, off the ball, creativity, technique, dribbling and stamina are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good attacking midfielder.

A good defensive midfielder will most likely have high ratings for tackling, work rate, stamina and positioning.

Pace, acceleration, dribbling, technique, finishing and off the ball are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good pacey striker.

Jumping, heading, strength and off the ball are just some of the important characteristics that make for a good target man.

The better a physio the more able he is to accurately predict how long a player will take to recover from injury.

When a player is outraged over something it can indicate that he is quite temperamental and maybe has a low level of professionalism.

When a player is worried or upset over something it can indicate that he doesn't handle pressure very well.

Be wary when declaring an interest in another job. Your current employers may not take too kindly to you casting glances elsewhere.

You can increase your popularity with your club's board if you deny speculation in the media that links you to another job.

If your players are picking up lots of injuries in training, keep a close eye on the type of injury that has occurred and think about reducing the intensity of your strength or aerobic training.

You can improve squad morale by winning football matches or rewarding them with new contracts.

You can damage a player's morale if you continuously make offers for players at other clubs who play in the same position.

Be careful when asking an injured player to take an injection and play through the pain barrier for a game. There is a risk that you may upset him so save these instances for really important matches.

Think carefully before issuing your board with an ultimatum as there is a good chance they will remove you from your position as Manager if they think you're being unreasonable.

One of the best ways to ensure you do not run into debt is by keeping an eye on your total wage budget. The board will be more appreciative if you stay within the limits set.

When managing a low profile club, arranging friendly games during the pre-season against high profile teams is a great way to boost your club's finances through additional gate receipts.

Notes can be used to record useful information about a player such as whether he responds better to criticism or praise.

Having players in your squad who list one another as favoured personnel will generally benefit the team.

When negotiating contract terms with a player, you should consider how additional bonuses may impact your club's finances.

Sometimes placing a left footed striker in the right attacking slot increases the chances that he will score goals. Swapping strikers also makes them hard to man-mark.

If you are heavy favourites for an upcoming match, casting doubts on your team can sometimes make your side even more determined to prove you wrong.

When consulting your Groundsman over pitch dimensions, it is important to keep in mind how your team plays. Having a wide pitch may suit teams that play with wingers whereas it may have a detrimental effect on a team that plays narrow and through the middle.

It is possible to make a player 'Available For Reserve Squad'. This could prove useful for players in your first-team squad who are just on their way back from an injury lay-off.

You will now be asked by your reserve team manager for the first team players you wish to be available for reserve game. This will allow for the first team players to stay fit and match practised.

When setting club competition bonuses, a higher bonus is likely to motivate your players more, but be careful.

You can now ask your board to relay the pitch if it has fallen into a poor state.

When answering questions in press conferences your players will be listening and may react one way or another to your answers.

If your club have not been packing out the stands, the board will consider allocating a match a 'fan day', where offers are made to allow fans into the stadium cut-price.

It is possible to go over and re-establish what has been said in a press conference by going to your personal history and selecting 'Press Conference' from the 'tree' menu in the side-bar.

A forward arrow on the tactical screen indicates a player has been instructed to make forward runs often. Consider the player's positional responsibilities and his level of fitness when making these instructions.

When joining a new club as Manager, staff who were at the club before you joined will always accept 'Mutual Termination' of their contract.

Frequently altering the squad status of a player risks unsettling him and may make him unhappy.

Players aged 24 and above are less likely to see dramatic improvements to their attributes through training or natural progression.

Goalkeepers will generally peak and enjoy their best footballing years between the ages of 31 and 35.

Defenders will generally peak and enjoy their best footballing years between the ages of 27 and 32.

Midfielders will generally peak and enjoy their best footballing years between the ages of 27 and 32.

Strikers will generally peak and enjoy their best footballing years between the ages of 26 and 31.

Players will naturally develop their mental attributes through experience as they get older.

Physical attributes decline naturally and sometimes dramatically towards the end of their playing careers.

You can check out what past club stars and favourites are doing now by selecting the 'Where Are They Now' option from the 'Best Eleven' screen.

When setting club competition bonuses, a low bonus may save the club a lot of money, but it may also upset or demoralise your players.

It is possible to build up positive or negative relationships with journalists through your interaction in press conferences. A good relationship with a journalist may result in favourable reports, but a poor one may bring criticism.

You can manually balance the funds allotted to you between the transfer and wage budgets. To do this select 'Adjust wage and transfer budgets' from the list of board requests at the board room. This is particularly useful if your board are unwilling to give you any more transfer or wage funds.