Football Manager 2014 - 10 Tips From Soccernomics That'll Improve Your Game

Does a successful approach to building a team in real life work in Football Manager?

By Guest Writer /

Soccernomics is a revolutionary book written by journalist Simon Kuper and economist Stefan Szymanski, and one that all football fans of all levels should read. The first chapter in the book takes a detailed account of the money thrown in the transfer window and how one can €œavoid making silly mistakes in the market", studying the transfer strategies of Lyon and Nottingham Forest (under Peter Taylor) to €œuncover the secrets€ of the transfer market that €œall other clubs are missing€. It brings up intriguing facts and I wanted to see whether the points highlighted in the book worked out in Football Manager; that is, if I followed the book€™s tips as to how to make good transfers, will I succeed? The sample club would be FC Barcelona, primarily because it offered a club with an excellent youth set-up, ample transfer funds (so that heavy splurges could be made if needed) and also a club where a minor overhaul over a prolonged period was required (bringing in youngsters and shipping out the deadwood). On paper, Real Madrid€™s team was better than Barcelona's, so that rivalry immediately offered a comparison and an objective for where my Barcelona team would need to get to. Right now, I am in my first season, leading the La Liga and having recently qualified for the knock-out phase of the Champions League.