"FML – THE COMPLETE ONLINE FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT GUIDE" ebook is out now!

Tired of being a rookie? You will now become a pro. Here’s all you need to know about the game. In‐depth tutorials and guides for the online football management M.M.O. This is all you need to master the '11 Match Engine!

Having 33 pages of tips, guides and tutorials that cover: How 1.6.5 changed the game, What to look for in a player, How to create a Tactic, Maintaining team morale, Effective Team Talks, Dealing with Injuries, Managing Club Finances, The 4-2-3-1 Super Tactic, and many others. 

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Written by Valex Ferguson with contribution of Tanel Tursk.

Copyright © FootManLive.com and the individual authors, 2010.

FML – THE COMPLETE ONLINE FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT GUIDE is an unofficial and unauthorized source for educational purposes. This guide has not been authorized by SEGA or Sports Interactive Games. Football Manager Live is a registered trademark of SEGA and Sports Interactive Games. This product was created for educational reasons, having the target of making Football Manager Live users to become a better manager, owned and operated by SEGA and Sports Interactive Games.

The contents of this information infringes no copyright laws.

The difference between real life and FML, with Mark Christie

You've always wondered what a real manager has to say about the game?! Wellm here it is, we got an exclusive interview with Mark, who happens to be a FML subscriber as well. 

Bio: Mark Christie is the Head Coach in the DMC Sports Soccer program.
The 26-year old graduated from Perth High School in 2001, Mark has been coaching since then. As a young player Christie played for Letham Boys in Perth, Tulloch Thistle In Fife and Kinnoull JFC In Dundee.

How to sell

Winning, community, youths, wheeling and dealing... one of these must be the main reason for you playing the game. However, regardless of which of those you find yourself in, selling is a key part in FML, and you should know how to do it in your favor. What you should understand right from the start, is that you have to act only after a good think; not when you are desperate, angry, or just saw a player in auction that you previously owned.

Mad Baboons' Clasic 2-2-3-3

As your already noticed, this is a 4-3-3 with Wing Backs instead of Full Backs. It's meant to give the team some power on the flanks, without sacrificing the central axe; however, all you defenders need to be physically capable to fully cover their own half, otherwise, you might concede a lot when being outnumbered on counters. The tactic will work good when your offensive players have enough vision and skill to move the ball around quickly; in case you see it's doesent work for you, maybe you need to reduce the tempo and the directness of passing, but leave the Defensive Line where it is!

Ramos GW's Voice - 1st of May, 2010

FootManLive has decided to open this column, meant to help managers express their feelings and thoughts, as well as the developers, collecting relevant feedback on a regular basis.

This has been done with the help of The Ramos GW Mod Team, and we are willing to extend, adding any GW that will show interest - mail us when you are prepared!

Youth Academies

Youth Academies have been brought in FML as a result of youth free agents going for silly wages since an early age. This was on of the best solutions prepared before the reset, if not the best. Although a treat for youth-minded managers, the Academies arent that popular troughout the GW. Because of that, I'll try to introduce you to the basic stuff about them. However, note that some things might change about them every now and then, so you might want to consult the manual or the game descriptions before starting anything.

Tanel Tursk, a successful manager's point of view

This is the big day - 2nd legg of Inter vs Barcelona, the UCL Semi Final; a meaningful day for Estonian manager of Squadra di Hiiuma, Tanel Tursk, recognised as a life supporter of Internazionale FC.

However, he found a bit of time to have a chat with us about FML. He probably is the most mature manager for his age, mastering most competitors he played against. He starts slowly, slightly anonymous, he makes his thing, gets the funds, builds a scary first 11 with wich he tries to hide his tactical downs.

How to plan for the next seasons

A few days ago, a manager was asking for help in the game's chat. He was on about: planning and spending for the next season. Giving it a short think, I realised that it's really something that many people do very, very wrong. The main cause of this - as ridiculous as it might sound - is that people actually don't plan at all. They just act for the current moment, without giving it a good think.

What to do when your team's gone rubbish

What to do? I don't get it, my team was doing so well untill now... Why has it gone all wrong?

The answer could be... many things: you've just signed/sold a player, transfer listing someone, changed a slider instruction in tactics, changed the line-up, and so on.

Fernandez 4-1-2-1-2 Wizard Narrow Overload

This tactic is all about picking up the ball and heading directly towards the goal. There are 5 outfielders set to Attack duty, and the other 5 to Defend, but, the thing is, that they must all contribute to both phases, the Philosophy being Very Fluid.

The Attacking Midfielder is given a Free Role. The key of the system is him taking out one of the central defenders, leaving one of the Forwards unmarked.

A mod's life on FML, with Stu Mackie

Today we had a chat with the flamboyant manager of tremendous FC Fife, also known as the 'galacticos', who has a long career as a mod in FML. He is well-known for his sportsmanship, conduct, helpfulness, and for his overall performances troughout the years - he's one of the few who managed to keep Tonis behind for a while.

Manager's Headache: Injuries

Injuries prove to be really important when you just forgot about them. Since the injury system in FML changed to the current one, from number of hours/days to number of matches, things became a little more complicated. That's because, you can't just wait 2 days and not play any league games whilst your player is getting fit, as injuries only count in major matches. 

The Idea of a Tactic - Part 2

After going through Part 1, you should have a good starting point - knowing how to set up your Team Instructions so it actually turns out to be as you imagined it. In the second part I will focus on individual Player Instructions. I won't talk about specific player needs for a certain position, because I'll presume you know what you want from your team. (Here's one if you're looking for that: What to look for in a player).

The Idea of a Tactic - Part 1

You caught some highlights on tv by accident, and you decided to make your team in FML play like Man Utd. Ok, I think everyone's gone through this kind of moment, at least once...

The first question that should be put after this would be: Do I have the players for it?

Just to make it clear, this article is not about advice regarding formations, just style of play. (More about Formations).

Getting more from your corners

Corner kicks have been very important in FML troughout it's history. A goal is a goal - we all agree with that - though, frustrated managers tend to diminuate their value, saying that corner goals are either exploits or result of a single player's effort, not reflecting the team's value, unbalancing the game, and so on. In fact, corner goals are a combination of tactical knowledge, man management and financial power.

Wonderkids in FML and FM 10.3

I'd like to present you the real wonderkids in the FM 10.3 database (same used in FML after the reset). There are only 17 wonderkids in FML at the moment, in Returning Stars GameWorlds. Maybe you've seen some other lists on other websites, but I tell you this one is genuine.

Wonderkids in FM or FML are players having -10, or above 180 PA. For a better understanding of this, read Current Ability and Potential Ability.

Current Ability and Potential Ability

Every single player on Football Manager Live has a Current Ability, also known as CA. This is a number ranging from 1-200, 1 being a very low ability, 200 being the highest. A players current ability changes throughout the game, depending on training, game time, and injuries. A player's current ability can also naturally go up, as a player gets older.

The feared Tonis Lohmus, having a chat with FootManLive

The Manager of Piraaja JK, also known as 'Don Tony', is probably the most famous manager on FML. All know him. Fewer like him. In fact, you don't have to like him, because he will always be your opponent :). Being in a different GameWorld than mine, for quite a while now, he became a bit boored after trashing everyone. But the fact is, the reset made him lose interest, as it happened to many managers, saddly.

Val's Clasic 4-6-0

This is the tactic I used for a long time. I did many changes during the seasons, but this one I'm gonna show here is one of the first versions (the 16'th to be precise). Its based on fast and gifted players, that will run not just the whole 90 mins, but injury time as well. As you can notice, there is no player on the ST position.
There are quite a few versions of 4-6-0, wich got their attention cause of their success. The tactic will deliver if you have a complete line-up of good players. Those 3 Attacking Midfielders will score most of your goals usually, but if you have good wingers that can cut inside and use their opposite foot, then you'll have a real competition!

What to look for in a player

Everyone has their version of looking at a player. Even if we use the same filters, we might still pick players differently - this really makes the difference between the best and the rest. The thing is, that you should normally learn and experience a lot in your first years on FM or FML, therefore, chaging the way you see players radically.

What you'll find in the following lines, is my way of viewing it. This will serve you for a better understand of my Tactics that will be posted on the website.

Goalkeeper Attributes

Goalkeepers are often referred to as a different breed. They’ve got their own set of Technical attributes in Football Manager which are relevant only to them, and replace the standard Technical ratings (although they may have ratings in some of these areas which will remain invisible – for example, a goalkeeper who often takes penalties or free kicks could have a rating here).

Positions

These correspond with the text descriptions found at the top of the left side panel. Six strengths of position are considered:

Natural – This is the player’s natural position and the one he will perform at his peak in.
Accomplished – The player isn’t naturally at his best in this position but will perform in an accomplished and successful manner.

Technical Attributes

These attributes are the real meat of the football world, where the elite are separated from the very good, and the very good from the rest. These are the playing attributes, where you’ll be looking for consistent ratings across the board for most of your players, and high-end ratings for the elite players you want to add to your squad.

Captaincy and Set-Piece Takers

When considering your captain, one of the primary things to look for is a high Influence attribute. Anyone with 17 or above here should immediately be considered as a candidate, but there’s more to look at than just that. Your captain should be mentally strong enough to be a capable leader of his team-mates. In FML you can't see the player's Personality, therefore you have to figure it out from his mental attributes and his performance on the pitch.

A chat with Ash Fista, manager of 1975 Portsmouth

Ash Fista, well-known manager of 1975 Portsmouth, widely regarded as a talented manager, agreed to have a chat with FootManLive, about the past, the present, and the future of the game.

Self Bio: 'I started mt FML life at the launch of the GW Cantona... I stayed there for 2 seasons not winning a thing or even completing my team; It was shocking, and my tactical knowledge was very, very low.

Mental Attributes

Ideally you’ll want every one of your players to be mentally strong. If your players have high mental attributes you’re on the right road to success – you’ll have a team of determined and committed players who will give their all for the team, whilst having a nice balance of flair and commitment. As you probably know, defending is based on the mind-game. Therefore, if you understand these attributes, you have a better chance of picking the right player for your team.

Player Instructions

In addition to your overall team instructions, you can designate instructions to any individual to tailor their playing style specifically. To select a player’s instructions, click on their table row from the left panel and their instructions will appear in the right panel. Some of the options are identical to those listed in Team Instructions but enabling them for an individual and setting them differently to the team will override the team instruction and tell the player to play differently. Leaving the option un-checked and ‘greyed out’ will assume you wish the player to follow the team instructions.

Team Instructions

The Team Instructions panel is where you set up how your team is going to play. It has a few options you won't find on Players Instructions panel. Each tactical option is slider controlled, and further instructions are either in check box form or a dropdown list. The available options and configurations are described in this section.

Formations

The very first thing you should take into consideration is the formation you are going to play. Or indeed, formations, because the best managers will be able to adapt their shape based on the opposition and match situation. There are two basic schools of thought on formations – pick a shape that best suits the players at your disposal, or shoe-horn your best players into an XI and then pick the formation based on your players.

Physical Attributes

A player with strong physical attributes is one who can potentially fit into a team better than a player strong in only one area in the other attribute groups. If a player is strong in these attributes he’ll be able to play a competent game and make sure he isn’t embarrassed much should he be less than adequately skilled because he has the required attributes to be a solid footballer. A skilled and mentally strong player who also has strong physical attributes can be considered a fantastic all-round player, as being strong in all three areas is pretty much what you look for.

What are attributes all about?

It is quite important to understand the importance of player attributes in FML and how they affect various parts of the game, most particularly the match engine. Attributes are divided into three areas; Physical, Mental, and Technical (with Goalkeepers having their own Technical ratings). The attributes, how they react in certain situations, with each other, and alone, are detailed below, but it’s important first of all to outline how attributes work.