Football Manager 2014 Tips: 10 Ways To Guarantee World Domination

8. Use The Assistant

Mike Phelan The assistant €“ always the bridesmaid, but never the bride of management. These guys work behind the scenes, tirelessly sweeping up whatever mess your neophyte arse makes, always on hand to offer useful advice. So obviously, with the guy popping up everywhere, it pays to make sure he's competent. In fact, I'd go beyond that €“ it's integral to make sure he's competent. Again, he's literally everywhere €“ he can help you with team talks, he tells you what he thinks of a potential signing and he advises on tactics. Hell, if there was an option to set the ticket prices, he'd be in there with a calculator. So before you do anything €“ before you sign players, scouts, sort tactics, anything €“ it's of vital importance that you hire in a decent one, because odds on your current assistant sadly lacks in places. Your assistant need to have a good tactical knowledge rating, a good handle on player ability and potential, and he's probably got to be able to hold his own coaching-wise too. Again, your assistant consults on everything, and it pays to make sure he knows what he's talking about. If the tactics fox you, he can step in. If you think team talks are something of a lottery, he can take charge. If you don't particularly fancy setting training, then he'll do that too. He's an integral part of the machine, so make sure that cog won't break down and turn training into a boot-filled Lord Of The Flies re-enactment. Make no mistake, it can be hard to track down a good one, but when you do, hold onto him. A good assistant can ease you into a game €“ a bad one can make you run a mile.
Contributor
Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.