10. Use The Scouts
A team is nothing without its players, but when faced with FM's reams upon reams of names, it can be easy to think you're pulling needles from a haystack. SI simply did their job too well here for some the database of players is so exhausting that new players understandably end up baulking at the morass into which they have to delve. I suppose it comes down to fail to prepare, prepare to fail, and nowhere is this more apparent than with the scouts. Simply put, a good scout can be the difference between getting the locks changed on your League Two manager's door and celebrating an unlikely Champions League win with Hayes & Yeading. One of your first jobs should be hiring the best one you can, because no matter how much you've 'got a feeling' about a certain player, I can guarantee that a scout with over 15 on both judging ability and potential will trump your homespun wisdom every time. It just makes the job of finding a player that much easier and utterly minimises risk. Yet be warned if that scout is incompetent (you'd be surprised by how many are on FM, even at the Premier League teams) then the whole process gets kneecapped from the start. Don't be the guy who signs Francis Jeffers always make sure the guy in recruitment knows what he's talking about, and use him as often as possible.