Behind every successful manager in FM09, is a good backroom coaching team. Good coaching equals good training, which over time improves players and performances. When you first start off on the game, you will inherit the backroom staff of the team you take over. I’ve always found it best to keep this backroom team together at the beginning of a game in FM09, as some of the players you have may have coaches, youth coaches or your assistant as their favored staff. Getting rid might have a negative effect on your team.

Starting with the member of your coaching team I find most important, is the assistant manager. Your assistant manager will know the squad better than any other member of the coaching team and is also vital for finding out important information. Requesting a team report early on (after the one automatically given to you), will find out areas of the team that need cover, improvement and strengthening. You assistant can also offer advice on who they believe you should sign to improve certain areas of your squad. For example, early on in my campaign as Q.P.R boss, my assistant Tim Flowers advised I sign Kevin Doyle from Reading, and he went on to be my leading goalscorer for three seasons in a row (including my first in the Premiership). Try and keep the assistant you start with, but if for some reason you lose them (Tim Flowers was mine for two seasons before being offered the Managers job at Leicester), then make sure you sign the right man for the job. You have to look for an assistant who has attributes that match yourself. For example, if you like to play attacking football, make sure your assistant has a good attacking attribute. Remember, in most cases, people will ask their assistant to give team talks and occasionally pick the team, so they have know what they’re doing. High attributes in ‘Judging Player Ability’, ‘Motivating’ and ‘Tactical Knowledge’ will make sure your assistant can step in for you when needed and do a good job. As the game goes on, your assistant will most likely become a favorite amongst fans and players quicker than you will, which is a good thing because whenever you need to call on them to help, you know they’ll do a stand up job. In past games, my assistant has been liked so much that he usually gets offered my old job when I leave for another team, but they usually always end up joining me again as my assistant at the new club.

1st Team coaches are also important, and I usually find that most teams you take over will either have no 1st team coaches, or just the one. What I like to do is look through my clubs favorite staff/icons/legends and see if any of them are now coaches so I can bring them in as my 1st team coach. This works well as players and fans alike are happy that a club favorite has returned. If you already have a club favorite in your coaching staff, then try offering them a new contract with a promotion to 1st team coach. Good attributes for a first team coach include the style of play you like to play i.e. attacking or defending and ‘Technical’, as they will be working with the team that you will be judged on.

Coaches should already be in place at your team and shouldn’t be worried about too much until further in the game. Having a good coaching team will help your training and a good balance across your first team/youth team and goalkeepers is essential. I always try and sign club favorites and former players of mine as coaches as the game goes on. This is usually because I still have players and staff members at the club who are listed as favored personnel so can be good for moral. This is exactly the same for youth coaches, goalkeeping coaches, physio’s and scouts.

All the previous information was for when you are starting off at a new club at the very beginning of the game. If during the game, you move to a new club, then depending on your status on the game and how long you were at your previous club should determine what you do next.

If you have a world class reputation and won many honors with your previous club, then when you join your new club, always try and take across your old staff. As you may have seen throughout the game via tips, staff at clubs you take over will always agree to a mutual termination of contract, so take advantage of this and save some money, whilst also bringing your old team in. I recommend keeping one or two of the old staff at the new club, as they may be a favorite for some players so them leaving could have a negative effect. Check this out before you start releasing staff from contracts.

If you were fired, or don’t have a high reputation, then the best idea would be keeping all the staff at your new job, as they will be able to give you the same help/guidance/information as you get when you start off at the beginning of the game. Only when you are quite well respected, will you be bigger than the staff at a squad and be able to bring over all your own without having too much of negative response from players.

What do you think?

This was a guest article written by James Mertz so be sure to let him know what you think!

Related posts:

1. Football Manager 2008 – Staff Hiring Guide