FM 2013 General Hints and TipsWhen 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.

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.

When setting club competition bonuses, a higher bonus is likely to motivate your players more, but be careful not to stretch the finances too thinly.

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.

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.

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.

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. Please note that this is only applicable when using the ‘Classic’ Tactics mode.

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 clicking the ‘Where Are They Now’ option from the ‘Best Eleven’ screen.

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

You can manually balance the funds allotted to you between the transfer and wage budgets. To do this select ‘Edit Budgets’ from the Budget Adjustment panel in the Boardroom. This is particularly useful if your board are unwilling to give you any more transfer or wage funds.

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.

FM 2013 Transfers Hints and TipsPlayers who are transfer listed are generally available at a knock-down price and are easier to sign.

When approaching to sign a player on a free-transfer who is under the age of 24, the buying club will have to pay the selling club compensation.

All incoming and outgoing transfer dealings can be handled within the ‘Transfer Centre’, which easily allows you to see all the important transfer details on one screen.

You can reject or accept multiple transfer bids for the same or different players at the transfer centre. Use [%control#1] or [%shift#1] to select the desired players and select ‘Accept’ or ‘Reject’.

Signing a player with a massive reputation can provide a commercial windfall through shirt sales.

A player may be more willing to sign for a club if they are one of his favourite teams.

If you offer an injured player to clubs, they are less likely to show interest until the player is over his injury.

A club may have more luck in signing a player if they are one of his favoured clubs.

Praising another manager in the media and building friendships with other managers may help your chances of having a transfer bid accepted for one of their players.

Making enemies with other managers by openly criticising them may damage your chances of having a transfer bid accepted for one of their players.

Should you wish to sign a player who is also interested in joining your club, you can sometimes unsettle him by ‘declaring interest’, which can make it easier to sign him in the long run.

Be careful when declaring interest in a player as you can unsettle those at your club who play in the same position.

When sending a player out on loan, with the ‘Can be recalled’ clause active, a club can recall the player at 24 hours’ notice.

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 sending a player out on a loan which involves a fee, the club cannot recall the player for the duration of the loan.

When sending a player out on loan, a club can prevent him from becoming cup-tied by ensuring the ‘Can play in cup matches’ clause is not active.

When trying to sign a player from another club who is on a long-term contract, be prepared that you may have to pay more than his estimated value to land him.

To avoid losing your players to other clubs on free transfers, you should look to renew contracts for those who are in the final year of their deal.

You can offer contracts to virtual ‘greyed out’ players from your own team. This is particularly useful if you’re a low profile club and in need of players.

To increase your chances of selling a player, go to his profile and click ‘Offer To Clubs’ from the ‘Transfers & Contracts’ button.

If you offer too many of your players to other clubs in a short space of time, you may damage your team’s morale as other players become worried that they’re next in line.

Setting a player’s squad status to ‘Not needed by the club’ will increase the chances of the player agreeing terms with another

club.

The game clock will stop at more regular intervals on transfer window deadline day to give clubs a chance to rush through last-minute deals.

Trialists are not allowed to play in competitive matches. They are only eligible to play in friendly games or reserve team fixtures.

You can sign a player that has played competitive matches for two different clubs in the space of a year, but he will not be eligible to play until that year has passed.

When managing a lower league club, you may be invited to an exit trials match. At this match, players released by their club will be playing to showcase their talents and hopefully pick up a new club.

When you receive news that you have successfully signed a player, you can immediately place them in the correct training schedule by clicking the ‘Player Training’ button at the bottom of the news report.

You can find out which players a club is prepared to loan out by browsing to their Overview screen and clicking ‘Get Loan Report’ from the actions menu.

FM 2013 Assistant Manager Hints and TipsYou can get your Assistant Manager to arrange pre-season friendly games by clicking ‘Team’ -> ‘Team Policy’ from the menubar and ticking ‘Arrange friendly matches’.

You can get your Assistant Manager to renew your players’ contracts by clicking ‘Team’ -> ‘Team Policy’ from the menubar and ticking ‘Contract renewals handled by Assistant Manager/coach’.

When viewing your squad screen you can get your Assistant Manager to pick your squad for a match by clicking the ‘Ask To Pick’ option from the ‘Selection’ button.

The relationships that form between the backroom staff can now be stronger. This can mean that backroom staff, who have each other set as favourite staff, may leave the club together when the manager is sacked or gets a new job.

Your assistant manager will give you up-to-the-minute feedback when in a game, providing analysis on tactics, performance, statistics and his pre-match observations.

It is possible to keep up with all the transfer gossip and rumours for each league. To find out the latest news and reports simply go to the relevant league screen and click the ‘Transfer Rumours’ sub-tab under the ‘News’ tab.

FM 2013 Training Hints and TipsPlayers who are very versatile are more likely to successfully retrain to a new position.

Players who are very versatile are less likely to lose new positions they’ve learned through retraining when they’re not playing or retraining the position.

When managing a semi-professional club, it’s a good idea to try and tie down key players to full-time contracts to maximise their training time.

Staff on part-time contracts have less time to train players than full-time staff.

Intense physical training is best carried out in pre-season, before the domestic season is under way.

Too much intense physical training during the season is likely to tire your players out faster and increase the risk of injuries.

Player’s attributes will naturally decrease during the off-season, when they are away on holiday or doing very little training.

The strength training category covers a player’s natural fitness, stamina, strength and work rate.

The aerobic training category covers a player’s acceleration, agility, balance, jumping, pace and reflexes.

The goalkeeping training category covers a player’s aerial ability, handling, kicking, throwing and one-on-ones.

The tactics training category covers a player’s anticipation, decisions, positioning, movement, team work and command of area.

The defending training category covers a player’s tackling, marking and concentration.

The attacking training category covers a player’s passing and creativity.

The shooting training category covers a player’s finishing, long shots and composure.

When assigning coaches to training schedules, take care not to overwork them. Even the best coaches can’t give the players the attention to detail they want if they’ve too much to do.

Remember that your youth players are still developing and as such will tire quicker. Be considerate with your workloads when devising youth schedules.

Youth team coaches only train youth players, they do not work with or train senior players.

Goalkeeping coaches work with and train both senior and youth goalkeepers.

Fitness coaches work with the senior and youth players, but only deal with the physical aspects of training.

First-team coaches only work with and train the senior players, they do not work with or train youth players.

General coaches work with and train both senior and youth players.

Retraining a player to play in a new position can be a cost-effective way of providing additional cover for your team without having to make a new signing.

When training players for lower league clubs, it would be important to focus more on the physical aspects such as pace and stamina.

FM 2013 Scouting Hints and TipsWhen viewing your club screen you can find out the level of scouting knowledge your club has by viewing the ‘Knowledge’ sub-tab from the ‘Scouting’ tab.

Your club’s level of scouting knowledge can be increased by either

signing scouts who already have a large knowledge base, acquiring an affiliate club or by sending your existing scouts out to investigate new territories.

Scouting your next opposition will give you an insight into their tactics and key players and help you plan your tactical approach for the game.

If you are managing a national team, it is now possible for you to scout players eligible for selection.

Parent clubs automatically expand their scouting network by using scouting knowledge from feeder clubs.

When signing scouts from a foreign country, your team will benefit from the scout’s knowledge of players from that nation.

Scouting a player more than once will increase the likelihood of the scout finding out more about his strengths and weaknesses.

The more scouting knowledge your club has, the more players will appear on the player search screen.

Assigning a scout to ‘Scout Next Opposition’ and to a country/region in another continent will result in that scout spending a lot of time travelling rather than actually scouting players.

You can change which scout closely tracks and follows the progress of any of your players out on loan by clicking ‘Team’ -> ‘Team Policy’ and then choosing your desired scout in the ‘Scouting’ tab.

To scout a team, select the ‘Scout’ menu from the Actions area of their ‘Overview’ screen and choose the member of staff you wish to compile the report.

To scout a competition, select the ‘Get Scout Report’ item from the Actions area of its ‘Overview’ screen and choose the member of staff you wish to compile the report.

FM 2013 Match Hints and TipsWhen an icon with a green cross appears next to a player it indicates he is carrying a knock.

Using easy or normal tackling in a match will reduce the risk of your team picking up cautions or red cards, particularly if the game is

being officiated by a strict referee.

Be aware of how the weather can affect your team’s performances. Bad conditions are more likely to penalise those who play a short passing game, try adopting a more direct style at times like this.

Players with low stamina may tire and struggle to play at their best, particularly in poor weather conditions or high tempo games.

When watching a match you can keep an eye on the opposing team’s formation and changes made during the game by selecting ‘Formations’ from the ‘tree’ menu in the side-bar.

When using the ‘Use Playmaker’ tactic, your players will generally look to try and pass the ball to the person you’ve assigned to that role.

A playmaker is someone who generally looks to receive the ball and dictate play.

A target man is someone who will look to bring others into play via flick-ons or holding up the ball.

Constantly changing your tactic and making dramatic alterations to the style of play will not help your players settle or find their rhythm and is likely to have an adverse affect on the team’s performances.

Allowing too many players to have a high level of creative freedom will likely see your team fail to adhere to your tactical instructions. Use creative freedom sparingly for full effect.

Passing style and tempo are linked. A short passing game works best with a slower tempo, whilst a direct, counter attacking style needs to be swift and quick.

If you like to play possession football and dictate the tempo setting your goalkeeper’s distribution to short and to a near player may help you succeed.

Time-Wasting is useful late in the game but be sensible – employ it too early it can backfire and cost you the game.

Taking the time to set up player positions on set-pieces can be very rewarding. Taking advantage in these situations is often the difference between a draw and a win.

Allowing your players to close down often will naturally put the opposition players under duress, but be aware that good players will find ways to avoid pressure and expose your team.

Players who pick up knocks but have no injury indicator may be able to shake off their injury and return to a good level of fitness later in the game.

Determination can be a key attribute. Players with low determination usually react badly to going a goal down.

If you find you’re leaving too much space behind your defence, try setting your centre-backs mentality to ‘Ultra Defensive’ or using a deeper defensive line.

When playing against a strong team, you may get some success by playing on the counter attack. This can be particularly effective when playing away from home.

When trying to hang onto a result, a good way to wind down the clock is to employ time wasting tactics in the latter stages of a game.

Defenders with low concentration are more prone to making costly mistakes in defence.

Strikers with low composure are more prone to buckling under the pressure and missing one-on-one opportunities to score.

New signings need time to settle in and gel with their new team-mates.

Too many new signings in a short space of time can upset the balance and rhythm of your team.

Foreign players with a distinctly different football cultural upbringing may take a while to settle into playing a different style of play.

The ‘Get Ball Forward’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to move the ball into the opponent’s territory with greater urgency. This is ideally used when your team is chasing the game and needs a goal.

The ‘Retain Possession’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to keep hold of the ball and play a low-risk strategy, with the emphasis on controlling the game. This is ideally used

when your team is looking to protect a lead.

The ‘Pass Into Space’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to look to pass the ball into open areas of the pitch, rather than directly into a teammate’s feet. This is ideally used when your team possesses quick players who will be able to reach the ball ahead of the opponent and can take advantage of the extra space.

The ‘Pass To Feet’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to look to pass the ball into the feet of their teammates, rather than into space or away from the body. This is ideally used when your team possesses agile, capable technicians who can move the ball accurately and at speed, drawing the opposition towards them in an attempt to create pockets of space.

The ‘Pump Ball Into Box’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to ignore their basic tactical instructions and adopt a direct approach to get the ball into the opposition’s penalty area as quickly as possible. This is ideally used when your team is chasing the game and needs a goal.

The ‘Clear Ball To Flanks’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to look towards the sidelines when clearing the ball from danger, rather than keeping it in a central position. This is a sensible approach as the ball is further away from the goal, and can be an effective counter-attacking strategy if you possess quick wide players who can swiftly transition into attack.

The ‘Shoot On Sight’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to take a shot at goal as soon as an opportunity presents itself. This can be effective if your team includes a number of capable finishers, but also increases the chances of scoring simply by ‘buying a ticket’.

The ‘Work Ball Into Box’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to attempt to play their way into attacking positions with patience and creativity. This is ideally used when your team features quality attacking playmakers and effective passers, but is a strategy which may struggle to break down well-organised teams that defend deep.

The ‘Exploit The Flanks’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to stretch the pitch and use their wide players to make an attacking impact. This is ideally used when your wide players are amongst your most effective, or when the opposition is struggling at full-back.

The ‘Exploit The Middle’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to contract the pitch and play the majority of the game in central areas. This is ideally used when your central players are amongst your most effective, or when the opposition is struggling at centre-back or in central midfield.

The ‘Look For Overlap’ touchline instruction will encourage your wider players to hold onto the ball and wait for the full-back to overlap them into an attacking position. This is ideally used when you have a very effective attacking full-back and can be an additional tool in breaking down tough defences.

The ‘Take A Breather’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to keep hold of the ball with no specific intention other than to rest with it and recover some of their energy. This is ideally used when you ask your team to adopt a high-intensity pressing game or a high-tempo attacking game which have a greater impact on fitness levels.

The ‘Play Wider’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to stretch the pitch even further in a bid to draw a well-organised defence out of their comfort zone and take advantage of the wider spaces between defenders.

The ‘Play Narrower’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to contract the pitch even further and play the majority of the game in central areas. This is ideally used when your central players are amongst your most effective, or when the opposition is struggling at centre-back or in central midfield. It can also help solidify your defensive structure and force teams to play on the periphery, further away from the goal.

The ‘Push Higher Up’ touchline instruction will encourage your defenders to adopt a higher defensive line, and in turn force your team to play closer to the opposition’s goal. This has the effect of putting your team on the front foot and forcing the opposition to play in a compact, congested area.

The ‘Drop Deeper’ touchline instruction will encourage your defenders to collapse towards their own goal and play a much deeper line, which in turn encourages the rest of the team to drop into their own half. This makes it harder for opponents to break you down and can be used either as a strategy to preserve a lead late in a game, or as a tactic used against much better teams in order to frustrate them.

The ‘Hassle Opponents’ touchline instruction will encourage

your players to set about winning the ball back from the opposition with relentless hassling and pressing. Adopting this strategy requires players with high levels of stamina in order for it to be most effective.

The ‘Stand Off Opponents’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to work in a cohesive and organised fashion when defending, with the focus on a solid formational shape and making it hard for the opposition to find space. This makes it harder for opponents to break you down and can be used either as a strategy to preserve a lead late in a game, or as a tactic used against much better teams in order to frustrate them.

The ‘Get Stuck In’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to be more aggressive in the tackle and assert themselves on the opposition in a bid to get the upper hand psychologically and physically.

The ‘Stay on Feet’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to stay on their feet when tackling rather than diving in and going to ground. This reduces the chances of an opponent hurdling an attempted tackle and leaving your team outnumbered in defence.

The ‘Take More Risks’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to gamble in pursuit of a goal and not worry about their defensive responsibilities. This is largely intended as a strategy for use late in games when chasing a goal as it will almost certainly leave your team short of numbers at the back (including the goalkeeper at set-pieces when used in conjunction with the ‘Overload’ team strategy in the closing minutes of a match).

The ‘Run At Defence’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to dribble at defenders when attacking. This is most effective when your team possesses quick and agile dribblers who can beat their man and take full advantage of their abilities.

The ‘Play Out Of Defence’ touchline instruction will encourage your defenders to look to build attacks from the back with shorter passing rather than a more primitive long-ball forward.

The ‘Hit Early Crosses’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to put crosses in almost as soon as they pick the ball up in wide positions. This can be an effective strategy if you also have forwards with high off the ball and anticipation ratings, as they will be able to take full advantage by reacting first.

The ‘Play Through Defence’ touchline instruction will encourage your players to look to break down opposing defences with passing and movement rather than pace and dribbling. This can be an effective strategy if you are fortunate to have good quality passers with the vision and technique to break down a defence.

FM 2013 Player Interaction Hints and TipsA player is more likely to agree to a rest if he is starting to feel jaded, especially after a tough prolonged period of games.

When resting a player, choose the length of rest carefully as many players don’t enjoy being out of action for too long.

FM 2013 Miscellaneous Hints and TipsIt is possible to check on your fans’ confidence. This can be an important indication of whether your team is heading in the right direction and producing the expected results.

Parent clubs are more open to accepting loan offers from their feeder clubs than other teams.

Players at parent clubs are more open to accepting loan offers from feeder clubs where a loan agreement exists between the teams.

During an impending board takeover, an enforced transfer embargo will prevent clubs from signing new players until the takeover is complete.

Criticising referees too often could land you a touchline ban, forcing you to leave the next match in the hands of your Assistant Manager.

You can move any player into your Reserve team squad by selecting ‘Squad’ and ‘Reserve Squad’ from their actions menu or from their right-click actions menu.

You can request that your Assistant Manager compiles a list of potential loan targets for a position within your team by selecting ‘Compile Loan Players Availability Report’ and the desired position from the ‘Assistant Advice’ button on the ‘Overview’ screen.

You can see a detailed form breakdown for any player in your squad by selecting the ‘Stats’ tab and then the ‘Form’ sub-tab.

You can get feedback on the effectiveness of your team talks either by selecting ‘Reports’ from your Assistant Manager’s profile screen and then ‘Team Talk Feedback’, or selecting the same option from the ‘Last Match’ option on the ‘Team Report’ screen.

You can request a coach or a scout report on any player by selecting ‘Scouting’ from their actions menu and then clicking ‘Coach/Scout Report’. If a report has already been filed, the ‘Reports’ tab will already be active for that player. This is also the case for any player at the team you are currently managing.

You can take control of your reserve and/or youth teams at any time by visiting the ‘Team Policy’ screen and clicking the ‘Control Team’ box on the appropriate team’s sub-tab.

You can move a player to an affiliated club by visiting their actions menu and selecting ‘Squad’ and ‘Move to Affiliate’ before choosing the desired team.

You can offer any non-player a role amongst your international team’s backroom staff by selecting the ‘National Team’ action menu from their profile and choosing the desired role.

You can view the international world rankings by selecting the ‘World’ menu, followed by ‘Overview’ and ‘World’, and finally the ‘Nations’ tab and the ‘World Rankings’ sub-tab option.

As an international manager, you can keep up with how potential call-ups and current squad players are faring at club level by selecting ‘Request Match Reports’ from the ‘National Team’ menu on their player profile.

You can request an injury report from your physio by selecting ‘Request Injury Update’ from the ‘Interaction’ menu on their profile.

You view statistical information and a post-career biography of any high-profile retired player by visiting the ‘Retirements’ screen from the ‘World’ menu. You can also use the search option to check if the player has been retained and can be viewed in retirement.

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