FM 2009 Hints

Bagi pencinta game komputer Footbal Manager, dan bagi yang sudah memainkan FM 2009 pasti mengetahui bahwa pada saat kita install game tersebut ataupun pada saat “continue” dan game meloading data untuk ganti hari atau memproses hasil pertandingan team lainnya, ada Tips yang diberikan oleh Developer game ini, namun sayangnya hints atau tips ini hanya sebentar tampilnya seiring dengan lamanya waktu yang dibutuhkan untuk loading data. Padahal tips-tips tersebut amat penting untuk diketahui, bukan hanya untuk pemain pemula, tapi untuk yang sudah mahir dan sering memainkan game ini pun ada beberapa tips yang memang benar-benar baru, hanya terdapat di game FM seri 2009 ini.

Pada artikel saya ini, akan saya tuliskan hints-hints apa saja yang ada di game tersebut, mulai dari fungsi menu-menu yang ada pada game hingga bagaimana kriteria pemain yang bagus di tiap posisi.

• When viewing your team screen you can get your Assistant Manager’s assessment of your squad by selecting ‘Get Team Report’ from the actions menu.
• You can get your Assistant Manager to arrange pre-season friendly games by selecting ‘Manager’ -> ‘Options’ from the menubar and selecting ‘Responsible for arranging friendly matches’.
• You can get your Assistant Manager to renew your players’ contracts by selecting ‘Manager’ -> ‘Options’ from the menubar and selecting ‘Contract renewals handled by Assistant Manager/coach’.
• When viewing your team screen you can get your Assistant Manager to pick your squad for a match by selecting ‘Ask To Pick’ from the actions menu.
• 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.
• When 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 further expand it.
• 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 build his match fitness back 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.
• Disciplining players without justification is likely to upset multiple members of the playing staff.
• Notes can be used to record useful information about a player such as whether he responds better to criticism or praise.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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 now possible to ‘Declare Player Available For Reserves’. This could prove useful for players in your first-team squad who are just on their way back from an injury lay-off.
• A forward arrow on the tactical screen indicates where you want the player to be when you have the ball. Consider his mentality settings when doing this as mentality affects positioning too.
• 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 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.
• It is now possible to check on your fan’s 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.
• You can offer youth players full-time future contracts which automatically come into affect when they are eligible.
• Criticising referees too often could land you a touchline ban, forcing you to leave the next match in the hands of your Assistant Manager.
• Selecting the national flag icon on any screen will take you to the senior national team screen.
• When a player is listed in yellow, it indicates he is currently on your shortlist.
• When a player is listed in light blue, it indicates he is currently on loan at a club.
• When a player is listed in dark yellow, it indicates he is currently co-owned by another club.
• When viewing a team screen, players listed in dark blue are currently out on loan at another club.
• When viewing the preferences screen, you can set up your game to save automatically after a specified amount of time by using the ‘Auto Save’ option.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Wnt’ icon indicates that a club is interested in the player.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Bid’ icon indicates that a club has made a transfer offer for the player.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Trn’ icon indicates that the player has a future transfer agreed with another club.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Req’ icon indicates that the player has been placed on the transfer list at his own request.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, an ‘Unh’ icon indicates that the player is currently unhappy.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Fut’ icon indicates that the player is unsure about his future.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Ctr’ icon indicates that the player is currently out of contract at the club.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, an ‘Ine’ icon indicates that the player is ineligible to play in the next match.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Loa’ icon indicates that the player has been made available for loan.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, an ‘Int’ icon indicates that the player is currently away on international duty.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Lst’ icon indicates that the player has been placed on the transfer list by the club.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, an ‘Lmp’ icon indicates that the player is lacking in match practice.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Fgn’ icon indicates that the player is foreign.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, an ‘Inj’ icon indicates that the player is currently injured.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Frt’ icon indicates that the player is leaving on a free transfer at the end of his contract.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Pr’ icon indicates that the player has reacted to a media comment.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Cup’ icon indicates that the player is cup-tied and ineligible to play in the cup match.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Rst’ icon indicates that the player is in need of a rest.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Sus’ icon indicates that the player is currently suspended.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Yel’ icon indicates that the player is one yellow card away from picking up a suspension.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Yth’ icon indicates that the player is on a youth contract.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Hol’ icon indicates that the player is currently away on holiday.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Wdn’ icon indicates that the player has been withdrawn from international duty by his club manager.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Unf’ icon indicates that the player is not fully fit.
• When a ‘Wp’ icon appears next to a player’s name, this indicates that the player requires a work permit before he can play.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Slt’ icon indicates that the player has a slight concern about something.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Tut’ icon indicates that the player is currently acting as mentor for a youngster at the club.
• When viewing a team screen or person list, a ‘Lrn’ icon indicates that the player is currently learning from an experienced player at the club.
• When 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 effect 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.
• A good way to help avoid upsetting a dropped player is to warn him that you plan to rest him in advance. The player is less likely to get upset if you tell him you intend to rest him prior to the game.
• A 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.
• Once a player enters the latter stages of his playing career he will start telling you his long-term plans. This will give you an idea of what he wants to do when he hangs up his boots.
• A good way to strengthen your relationship with a player is to sign someone they have recommended to you.
• You can strengthen your relationship with a player if you sign the backroom staff member they have highly recommended to you.
• When viewing your team screen you can find out the level of scouting knowledge your club has by selecting ‘Knowledge’ from the scouting section in the ‘tree’ menu in the side-bar.
• 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.
• Ensure that your players don’t become complacent when leading well at half-time. Make sure they get the job done.
• A confidence boost at half-time can often be what your players need to win the second-half and turn a game around.
• Telling your players exactly what you think of them may buck their ideas up. Give them the hairdryer treatment when you feel it is needed, but be aware that some players may become disgruntled and complain to the media.
• Remember how your players react to certain instructions in certain situations. Their mental attributes will determine how effective your instructions are.
• Ignoring your players at half-time is generally a bad idea, but on rare occasions leaving them to stew over their performance may result in a better second period.
• Keep your players happy. Praising wins keeps morale up and provides greater impetus for the team to string good performances together.
• If morale is low, harsh team talks are unlikely to improve things. Aim to encourage your players and give them a lift.
• Pre-game expectations will impact on performances. Telling your players you expect a win in games you aren’t clear favourites for adds unnecessary pressure.
• Informing your players that you expect a defeat may lower morale, although it can have a beneficial effect should you go on to lose as your players may not get too downhearted by events.
• Be more generous with your praise for good performances when playing away from home.
• Be less harsh with your criticism for poor performances when playing away from home.
• Be more demanding of your players when playing at home, where your fans will be expectant of you to push on to try to get the right result.
• Team talks can be very useful for morale, but don’t always follow the same route. Constantly saying the same thing to your players may have less of an affect in the long-run.
• Think carefully about singling out players for criticism or praise. Only do it when it’s merited or risk causing rifts in the squad if the player or his team-mates feel it was unjust.
• Players 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.
• The set-pieces training category covers a player’s crossing, corners, free kicks, penalty taking and long throws.
• When assigning coaches to training schedules, take care not 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.

• Players 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.
• 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 criticisng them may damage your chances of having a transfer bid accepted for one of their players.
• When viewing a player profile for a player at another club, you can declare your interest in him by selecting ‘Player Interaction’ from the actions menu.
• 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.
• 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 select ‘Offer To Clubs’ from the actions menu.
• 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.