PC - Surviving Your First Day In Charge
When it comes to realism Football Manager 2007 is as good as it gets, so it's only natural that your first day in the manager's chair can be a bit daunting. However, all the stats and options on offer in FM2007 are tools you can use so don't let them intimidate you. This walkthrough should help you get your feet under the desk without putting anyone's noses out of joint...
Like your first day in any job it pays to be confident, but not to be afraid to ask questions. If you're unsure of anything you can always press F1 or click the Tutorial option (in the Options menu), which will explain how each screen works and link you to other areas of the game.
Remember too that the players and staff in Football Manager have personalities of their own. You should spend time getting to know them; looking at their stats and judging their attitudes so you can get a feel for the club.
The staff members have specific roles they can perform which you should take advantage of. They can give you a snapshot of the strengths and weakness of your team and the current set-up at your club.
For these reasons, it pays to spend your first day at the office simply settling in and effecting a few minor changes. We know it's hard, but try to resist the urge to jump in at the deep end and go straight to the transfer market to splash your budget on an expensive striker you may not need.
Because Football Manager is totally open-ended, there's no single right way to approach your first day tasks as a manager. Feel free to spend plenty of time wandering through screens, following links to find out more about the bustling universe at you finger tips. If you do need some guidance, have a look at the following schedule we've put together for new managers - it's an excellent framework for making the best possible start to life at your new club:
STEP 1 - Head to the Manager Snapshot page
This screen is new to Football Manager 2007 and basically represents the command hut of your empire. You'll find it by clicking on the Manager menu at the top of the screen and selecting your name. On the Snapshot screen you'll find a quick breakdown of relevant stats and links to all the key areas you'll want to visit to familiarise yourself with your new club. It's the perfect place to start your first day in the office.
STEP 2 - Check out the club
a) The Mood
Before you even look at your players it's worth getting an overview of the stature and setup at your club, looking at the how the team is fairing, the facilities and finances. It's important that you don't dive into squad management issues before you know what resources are at your disposal.
On the Manager Snapshot page you can see immediately where the team stands in the league and how they are faring in cup competitions, so this should give you an immediate indicator of the general mood in the camp. A team flying high is likely to be in a more buoyant mood, which should make it easier for you to effect changes in the set-up without encountering too much resistance.
If you've taken control at the start of the season you should be doubly cautious about making sweeping changes to the way the club is run, as you may not have enough information to judge the mood at the club. In these circumstances you should take a little longer to get your bearings before you impose your managerial style.
b) The Finances
You'll get an overview of finances on the Snapshot screen too. At this stage of your time in the job it's sufficient to know your club's bank balance, transfer budget and spending on wages. An overall picture of the cash at your disposal and whether the squad is under or over your wage budget will help you decide how central financial considerations should be to your approach.
Remember: it pays to keep an eye on the finances so your chairman is happy, but there's no sense in leaving millions in the bank if your think you may need to strengthen your squad. If you're unsure of the club's financial state, never fear - if your board are concerned about the club's performance in any respect they'll let you know in no uncertain terms.
c) The Task at hand
Which leads us nicely to the final two screens you should make a beeline for as you bid to finish your crash course in understanding your new club.
The first is the Club Info screen, accessed by clicking on the team name in the top, title panel of your Snapshot screen and then selecting Information in the left-hand panel of your next screen. This gives a good overall picture of the size of your club and the key personalities you're about to encounter.
The most important info at this stage of your stewardship is the reputation of your club (which in time will help you to understand the calibre of players you'll be able to attract and get an idea of the expectations of the fans and board) and the quality of your facilities (which tells you the resources available so you can mould your existing talent into a decent side).
Note too the Favoured Personnel info - if the people here are, for instance, serving players you should avoid any drastic negative action against them until you have had a little more time to settle in. Taking popular players to task will almost certainly result in disquiet in the squad and maybe amongst the fans. On the other hand - this may be the time to take advantage of your honeymoon period as boss to force someone out you have a particular aversion too!
Secondly, check out the Confidence screen, accessed from the Manager Snapshot page, to see exactly how you are viewed by the people who pay your wages - the board and fans - and what expectations they have of you. And don't worry if the fans are a little concerned about your lack of experience as a boss - you'd be amazed at how much good a couple of top signings and good results will do for their opinion of you!
STEP 3 - Assess Your Players
a) Their ability
This task needn't be as daunting as it may sound. From your main squad menu you can sort your players and filter out positions to make the job of looking at the talent at your disposal easier. You can click a player's name to look at their stats and then select the Compare With option from the Misc (miscellaneous) menu in the bottom left of your screen to size them up against other members of your squad or recently viewed players.
Better still, you can simply approach your assistant manager to ask his opinion of the players by clicking Get Team Report from the left-hand panel when you are in the Club screen. This tactic is ideal if you've taken over in the middle of a campaign and perhaps don't have time to assess your players fully before making team selections. The report gives a breakdown of the overall strength of your squad, areas in which it can be improved, a simple star rating for players and a suggested 1st and 2nd team line-up. In this way you'll get an at-a-glance idea of who are statistically your best players and where they could fit into your tactics.
Bear in mind that the best way to judge your players is not on paper but on the field of play, so if you have the luxury of a fresh start to the season, arrange a few friendly matches so you can see your boys in action. Click on the Club Menu, select Fixtures from the left-hand panel and then Arrange Friendly in the main window.
b) Their mentality
Another important consideration is the happiness and mentality of your players, so ensure you have a glance at all of your key players' Personal screen (accessed by clicking on their name and then selecting Personal from the left-hand panel). This not only describes the style of a player, but gives you an immediate indication of his happiness and future plans - key information as you begin the tricky job of keeping your squad happy while taking tough selection decisions.
It will be useful to know how a player is likely to react to bad results or your own media comments by looking at their Personality rating in their Personal screen. Watch out for rotten apples, or you could be in for a torrid time keeping your lads in check.
STEP 4 - Set A Target
The majority of the stats in the main Home window on the Snapshot page relate to the performance of your team. Revisit the info on league positions and upcoming fixtures to formulate your own targets for the team - if you take over a side foundering at the bottom of the league with five matches to go, chances are you'll be looking to avoid relegation. It's as simple as that.
It's crucial to set a realistic target, based on your position, resources and playing staff, to give your stewardship direction. Your goals should inform key decisions in the coming weeks - from tactics to transfer policy. After all, there's no point splashing out on a glamour striker when you're at the bottom of the league battling relegation with a poor crop of defenders.
STEP 5 - Consider Your Tactics
a) Playing assets
Once you've looked at your playing staff and your resources it may be worth thinking about the kind of formation you'd like to play. At this stage in your stewardship you certainly needn't rush into tweaking your tactics to perfection, but you should already seek to formulate an idea of the personnel you'll need and the roles you'll want them to perform.
It's pretty obvious that - if you haven't got a winger in your squad, but you've got a decent set of central midfielders - it may pay to adopt a more narrow formation, especially if you haven't the resources or time to draft in enough new players to work the wings and provide back-up.
b) Your philosophy
As a boss coming into a club it always pays to have a philosophy you can use to give consistency to your instructions, team selection and even training. You probably already have your own ideas about how the game should be played or how to achieve success, so consider how you can implement, say, a passing or direct style. Then, without getting bogged down in detailed player instructions just yet, prepare to build your style into your tactics and your overall approach to Football Manager.
STEP 6 - Familiarise yourself with your staff
Once you've had a good look at your club and players it's important to glance at your backroom staff so you can build a picture of the support team you'll have at your disposal. Remember: when you can't be everywhere at once you're only as good as the advice you get, so making sure you have good professionals around you is a must.
Again, don't walk before you run here - it may be that you can't make changes to your staff because it's mid-season or you can't afford to get rid of current employees - but get an idea of who are the men you want with you going forward.
From the Club screen click on Staff to see a full rundown of your employees (and the chairman - your boss). Make sure you have a good selection of coaches, scouts and physios, or that you have these posts covered in teams with little or no financial clout. By clicking on the personnel names you can see exactly what they bring to the set-up in terms of skills and preferences.
To begin with needn't be overly concerned with making changes to your staff - it will suffice to learn where they're coming from so you can utilise their skills more effectively as you settle into your new job.
If you decide not to make immediate backroom personnel changes, it pays to stick a job advert or two up in the job centre anyway (click Jobs in the left-hand panel, select Job Centre and then Place Advert in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen). It will give you an idea of the calibre of applicants interested in joining your club. For all we advise caution to begin with, don't totally rule out being ruthless. If a top coach comes along and wants to join your revolution it may be you have to guillotine an existing employee in the interests of the club and your own job security.
STEP 7- Establish a Training Regime
There's no reason to postpone a trip to the training ground/ Why not get your lads working hard to improve their stats and your chances of success as a boss? It only takes a few minutes to put in place a training regime that will keep the lads fit and incorporate your own footballing philosophy.
Click on the Training option in the panel on your Squad screen to make sweeping alterations or minor tweaks to your schedules. Or simply stick to the preset regime and let your assistant get on with things.
If you do want to shake-up the training regime, it pays to re-allocate coaches in the Coaches option to ensure they are working in areas that best reflect their skills and give them the greatest chance of impacting on your players' stats.
For now, though, the broad strokes of ensuring your players are getting fit and that you are working to your managerial style by creating a new schedule that incorporates, say, an emphasis on direct attacking play by upping the attacking portion of the regime, will be a good way of getting your career going.
If you don't want to spend much time as a tracksuit manager, remember to at least review your training after a few weeks to ensure that your players are developing in the areas that you want. You can do this by simply clicking the Show Recent Effects Of Training box on a player's Profile screen or by analysing the Overview screen on the Training option in the left-hand panel of your Squad screen.
STEP 8 - Do It Your Way
Take this quick tour of your first day in the office as advice - how you approach your new job is entirely up to you because, at the end of the day, you're the one who's name the fans will be chanting (or car they'll be egging) when the results start coming in.
You'll find that, with experience of navigating the game and of the pressure of management, you'll eventually become more ruthless and driven in your approach.
In the meantime, experiment with the tools at your disposal and remember that you, like countless real-life managers, might just have to learn the managerial ropes the hard way -by being sacked. Rest assured, however, that the next time you're hired you'll be wiser, tougher and even more determined to succeed.
Oh, and good luck!
Like your first day in any job it pays to be confident, but not to be afraid to ask questions. If you're unsure of anything you can always press F1 or click the Tutorial option (in the Options menu), which will explain how each screen works and link you to other areas of the game.
Remember too that the players and staff in Football Manager have personalities of their own. You should spend time getting to know them; looking at their stats and judging their attitudes so you can get a feel for the club.
The staff members have specific roles they can perform which you should take advantage of. They can give you a snapshot of the strengths and weakness of your team and the current set-up at your club.
For these reasons, it pays to spend your first day at the office simply settling in and effecting a few minor changes. We know it's hard, but try to resist the urge to jump in at the deep end and go straight to the transfer market to splash your budget on an expensive striker you may not need.
Because Football Manager is totally open-ended, there's no single right way to approach your first day tasks as a manager. Feel free to spend plenty of time wandering through screens, following links to find out more about the bustling universe at you finger tips. If you do need some guidance, have a look at the following schedule we've put together for new managers - it's an excellent framework for making the best possible start to life at your new club:
STEP 1 - Head to the Manager Snapshot page
This screen is new to Football Manager 2007 and basically represents the command hut of your empire. You'll find it by clicking on the Manager menu at the top of the screen and selecting your name. On the Snapshot screen you'll find a quick breakdown of relevant stats and links to all the key areas you'll want to visit to familiarise yourself with your new club. It's the perfect place to start your first day in the office.
STEP 2 - Check out the club
a) The Mood
Before you even look at your players it's worth getting an overview of the stature and setup at your club, looking at the how the team is fairing, the facilities and finances. It's important that you don't dive into squad management issues before you know what resources are at your disposal.
On the Manager Snapshot page you can see immediately where the team stands in the league and how they are faring in cup competitions, so this should give you an immediate indicator of the general mood in the camp. A team flying high is likely to be in a more buoyant mood, which should make it easier for you to effect changes in the set-up without encountering too much resistance.
If you've taken control at the start of the season you should be doubly cautious about making sweeping changes to the way the club is run, as you may not have enough information to judge the mood at the club. In these circumstances you should take a little longer to get your bearings before you impose your managerial style.
b) The Finances
You'll get an overview of finances on the Snapshot screen too. At this stage of your time in the job it's sufficient to know your club's bank balance, transfer budget and spending on wages. An overall picture of the cash at your disposal and whether the squad is under or over your wage budget will help you decide how central financial considerations should be to your approach.
Remember: it pays to keep an eye on the finances so your chairman is happy, but there's no sense in leaving millions in the bank if your think you may need to strengthen your squad. If you're unsure of the club's financial state, never fear - if your board are concerned about the club's performance in any respect they'll let you know in no uncertain terms.
c) The Task at hand
Which leads us nicely to the final two screens you should make a beeline for as you bid to finish your crash course in understanding your new club.
The first is the Club Info screen, accessed by clicking on the team name in the top, title panel of your Snapshot screen and then selecting Information in the left-hand panel of your next screen. This gives a good overall picture of the size of your club and the key personalities you're about to encounter.
The most important info at this stage of your stewardship is the reputation of your club (which in time will help you to understand the calibre of players you'll be able to attract and get an idea of the expectations of the fans and board) and the quality of your facilities (which tells you the resources available so you can mould your existing talent into a decent side).
Note too the Favoured Personnel info - if the people here are, for instance, serving players you should avoid any drastic negative action against them until you have had a little more time to settle in. Taking popular players to task will almost certainly result in disquiet in the squad and maybe amongst the fans. On the other hand - this may be the time to take advantage of your honeymoon period as boss to force someone out you have a particular aversion too!
Secondly, check out the Confidence screen, accessed from the Manager Snapshot page, to see exactly how you are viewed by the people who pay your wages - the board and fans - and what expectations they have of you. And don't worry if the fans are a little concerned about your lack of experience as a boss - you'd be amazed at how much good a couple of top signings and good results will do for their opinion of you!
STEP 3 - Assess Your Players
a) Their ability
This task needn't be as daunting as it may sound. From your main squad menu you can sort your players and filter out positions to make the job of looking at the talent at your disposal easier. You can click a player's name to look at their stats and then select the Compare With option from the Misc (miscellaneous) menu in the bottom left of your screen to size them up against other members of your squad or recently viewed players.
Better still, you can simply approach your assistant manager to ask his opinion of the players by clicking Get Team Report from the left-hand panel when you are in the Club screen. This tactic is ideal if you've taken over in the middle of a campaign and perhaps don't have time to assess your players fully before making team selections. The report gives a breakdown of the overall strength of your squad, areas in which it can be improved, a simple star rating for players and a suggested 1st and 2nd team line-up. In this way you'll get an at-a-glance idea of who are statistically your best players and where they could fit into your tactics.
Bear in mind that the best way to judge your players is not on paper but on the field of play, so if you have the luxury of a fresh start to the season, arrange a few friendly matches so you can see your boys in action. Click on the Club Menu, select Fixtures from the left-hand panel and then Arrange Friendly in the main window.
b) Their mentality
Another important consideration is the happiness and mentality of your players, so ensure you have a glance at all of your key players' Personal screen (accessed by clicking on their name and then selecting Personal from the left-hand panel). This not only describes the style of a player, but gives you an immediate indication of his happiness and future plans - key information as you begin the tricky job of keeping your squad happy while taking tough selection decisions.
It will be useful to know how a player is likely to react to bad results or your own media comments by looking at their Personality rating in their Personal screen. Watch out for rotten apples, or you could be in for a torrid time keeping your lads in check.
STEP 4 - Set A Target
The majority of the stats in the main Home window on the Snapshot page relate to the performance of your team. Revisit the info on league positions and upcoming fixtures to formulate your own targets for the team - if you take over a side foundering at the bottom of the league with five matches to go, chances are you'll be looking to avoid relegation. It's as simple as that.
It's crucial to set a realistic target, based on your position, resources and playing staff, to give your stewardship direction. Your goals should inform key decisions in the coming weeks - from tactics to transfer policy. After all, there's no point splashing out on a glamour striker when you're at the bottom of the league battling relegation with a poor crop of defenders.
STEP 5 - Consider Your Tactics
a) Playing assets
Once you've looked at your playing staff and your resources it may be worth thinking about the kind of formation you'd like to play. At this stage in your stewardship you certainly needn't rush into tweaking your tactics to perfection, but you should already seek to formulate an idea of the personnel you'll need and the roles you'll want them to perform.
It's pretty obvious that - if you haven't got a winger in your squad, but you've got a decent set of central midfielders - it may pay to adopt a more narrow formation, especially if you haven't the resources or time to draft in enough new players to work the wings and provide back-up.
b) Your philosophy
As a boss coming into a club it always pays to have a philosophy you can use to give consistency to your instructions, team selection and even training. You probably already have your own ideas about how the game should be played or how to achieve success, so consider how you can implement, say, a passing or direct style. Then, without getting bogged down in detailed player instructions just yet, prepare to build your style into your tactics and your overall approach to Football Manager.
STEP 6 - Familiarise yourself with your staff
Once you've had a good look at your club and players it's important to glance at your backroom staff so you can build a picture of the support team you'll have at your disposal. Remember: when you can't be everywhere at once you're only as good as the advice you get, so making sure you have good professionals around you is a must.
Again, don't walk before you run here - it may be that you can't make changes to your staff because it's mid-season or you can't afford to get rid of current employees - but get an idea of who are the men you want with you going forward.
From the Club screen click on Staff to see a full rundown of your employees (and the chairman - your boss). Make sure you have a good selection of coaches, scouts and physios, or that you have these posts covered in teams with little or no financial clout. By clicking on the personnel names you can see exactly what they bring to the set-up in terms of skills and preferences.
To begin with needn't be overly concerned with making changes to your staff - it will suffice to learn where they're coming from so you can utilise their skills more effectively as you settle into your new job.
If you decide not to make immediate backroom personnel changes, it pays to stick a job advert or two up in the job centre anyway (click Jobs in the left-hand panel, select Job Centre and then Place Advert in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen). It will give you an idea of the calibre of applicants interested in joining your club. For all we advise caution to begin with, don't totally rule out being ruthless. If a top coach comes along and wants to join your revolution it may be you have to guillotine an existing employee in the interests of the club and your own job security.
STEP 7- Establish a Training Regime
There's no reason to postpone a trip to the training ground/ Why not get your lads working hard to improve their stats and your chances of success as a boss? It only takes a few minutes to put in place a training regime that will keep the lads fit and incorporate your own footballing philosophy.
Click on the Training option in the panel on your Squad screen to make sweeping alterations or minor tweaks to your schedules. Or simply stick to the preset regime and let your assistant get on with things.
If you do want to shake-up the training regime, it pays to re-allocate coaches in the Coaches option to ensure they are working in areas that best reflect their skills and give them the greatest chance of impacting on your players' stats.
For now, though, the broad strokes of ensuring your players are getting fit and that you are working to your managerial style by creating a new schedule that incorporates, say, an emphasis on direct attacking play by upping the attacking portion of the regime, will be a good way of getting your career going.
If you don't want to spend much time as a tracksuit manager, remember to at least review your training after a few weeks to ensure that your players are developing in the areas that you want. You can do this by simply clicking the Show Recent Effects Of Training box on a player's Profile screen or by analysing the Overview screen on the Training option in the left-hand panel of your Squad screen.
STEP 8 - Do It Your Way
Take this quick tour of your first day in the office as advice - how you approach your new job is entirely up to you because, at the end of the day, you're the one who's name the fans will be chanting (or car they'll be egging) when the results start coming in.
You'll find that, with experience of navigating the game and of the pressure of management, you'll eventually become more ruthless and driven in your approach.
In the meantime, experiment with the tools at your disposal and remember that you, like countless real-life managers, might just have to learn the managerial ropes the hard way -by being sacked. Rest assured, however, that the next time you're hired you'll be wiser, tougher and even more determined to succeed.
Oh, and good luck!
Sports Interactive Ltd 2006 Commercial reproduction, distribution or transmission of any part or parts of this website or any information contained therein by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of SI is not permitted. Championship ManagerŪ is the registered trade mark of Eidos Interactive Limited.