{"id":13807,"date":"2017-07-14T10:30:18","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T09:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thehighertempopress.com\/?p=13807"},"modified":"2017-07-13T23:44:31","modified_gmt":"2017-07-13T22:44:31","slug":"10-things-learn-sacked-football-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehighertempopress.com\/2017\/07\/10-things-learn-sacked-football-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things You Learn From Being Sacked in Football Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"
So, you\u2019ve probably gathered by the title of this piece that I didn\u2019t have the success of a save with Bromley as I would\u2019ve liked. If you haven\u2019t read about my Bromley save it was a very topsy tervy journey that led to me getting let go. But getting let go isn\u2019t that bad as it seems at first, as I think most real life and virtual football managers would agree that management is very much a learning process. So, trying to put a positive spin on getting the sack I\u2019ll take you through what I learned from it.<\/p>\n
Firstly, even though you might instantly think that getting the sack will flush your career down the drain, it won\u2019t. Yes, you may not be considered for the more attractive jobs but the unemployment stage can help you reflect on what went wrong and how to rebuild your career. Whether that\u2019s dropping down a league or not it could make you more patient in your decision making, which in the long run will help you.<\/p>\n
This was probably the biggest learning curve for me in FM17. It\u2019s absolutely imperative to keep the vast majority of your squad happy. You might be able to get away with the odd player having a moan but believe me, you don\u2019t want that to spread through the team. If the squad\u2019s morale is low it becomes increasingly hard to get results, even against relegation candidates. Just like if you were annoyed that you were being nagged to do the washing and you do it in a lethargic manner, the player\u2019s attitudes are very evident on the pitch. Whether that\u2019s by conceding an early goal and going on to get thrashed or just lacking any enthusiasm to attack the game you cannot allow the squad to turn against you. If things do start to go sour though try a team meeting which could help get the players back on track.<\/p>\n
Another big thing I learned from being sacked in this save was to take your time. Unlike other games, Football Manager isn\u2019t the game to try and run through quickly, you need to take your time to fully help your chances of staying in a job and there are some aspects you can delve into while you bide your time in pre-season and in the run up to matches.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t just buy for the sake of buying. Especially if you\u2019re not a club like PSG or Real Madrid with bundles of cash. I kind of learned this the hard way with Bromley in what looking back now was probably the most stupid transfer of my life. Despite having quite a restricted budget I couldn\u2019t help but splash out a little. Into the market pops a 35-year-old central midfielder who\u2019s just a tad better than my starters. I bring him in for setting us back even further financially. Don\u2019t get me wrong, for the first few weeks it paid off with the player getting a couple of goals, but the reason I shouldn\u2019t have bought him soon caught up to me. Playing a 35-year-old as your starting midfielder can only lead to one thing\u2026a 5-month injury which sets you back even further as you pay for his recovery. So be smart in the business you do.<\/p>\n
This ties into #3 and #4 as you look to improve your chances of keeping your job. Getting rid of all deadwood no matter how much you might like them can help in many ways. Of course, it gives you more finances, but it could also prevent the morale of the squad dropping if you don\u2019t play them often enough for their liking. However, in moving the deadwood out of your club make sure you don\u2019t turn those players against you in making them feel you\u2019re forcing them out of the club.<\/p>\n
Fully utilise your staff. Even though it might seem like some staff members are included just for realism, they really do help. Whether it\u2019s your assistant taking over training because his methods are better suited to the players, or properly going through the data analyst\u2019s pre-match report like @LongBallFoot said in his guide<\/a>, it all helps give you that extra edge on the pitch.<\/p>\n Be smart with your tactics. When in a bad run of form, you may want to change formation to spark a reaction, which is fine but make sure you do it the right way. Seeing as your squad won\u2019t have a whole pre-season to settle into a new formation it\u2019ll probably be best to train a few during that time but if you haven\u2019t, make sure if you do, to change to a formation your players are comfortable playing in. Changing to an awkward fit could make things worse so it\u2019s best to try and play the way best suited to the players you have. Also, don\u2019t chop and change formations in quick succession. This could just confuse your players and damage your chances of staying in a job when you\u2019re looking for a solution.<\/p>\n7: Tactics<\/strong><\/h3>\n
8: Set Pieces<\/strong><\/h3>\n