Mirror Football blog no.2

The last sentance is interesting; perhaps that means that the ass man won't be an ass in FM10

Hmm very interesting ... I think i can now see how this may be benificial to me. I see that it meansions how the opposition could find weaknesses in your team, now i find this quite a worry. The job as a manager is to identify weaknesses and solve them yourself, right? .. now if your backroom staff are basically doing that for you then surely this will make the game too easy ?

This feature looks good, but do the second and third opinions always 'agree with this advice'? A screenshot in which they don't would be nice

This feature looks good, but do the second and third opinions always 'agree with this advice'? A screenshot in which they don't would be nice

Common sense suggests that this is purely coincidental or the people agreeing want to sleep with the suggestor.

Hmm very interesting ... I think i can now see how this may be benificial to me. I see that it meansions how the opposition could find weaknesses in your team, now i find this quite a worry. The job as a manager is to identify weaknesses and solve them yourself, right? .. now if your backroom staff are basically doing that for you then surely this will make the game too easy ?

I have the same concern that all this extra information will make it too easy.. if the backroom staff tells us about almost everything, what is left to us to do?

People thought that with the Match Advice, can't remember it's proper name. I actually got worse when I took my assistants advice

very good i like the one click option so your coaches do the rest, it's easier this way and you can't get lost in the details when , who to set for what etc

looking forward to see it in action, and as mentioned hoping that they (staff) can disagree as well

Looks good, but like others I'm not sure I'd want all of that advice whether I ignore it or not. It looks like there would be a lot that I would find useful but other information which I would rather just figure out for myself. Is there a way to filter which information you choose to receive? i.e. you can block transfer suggestions (purely as an example)

Despiting the fact I can't spot the 3 new screenshots cause I'm blind,

I find this feature good, in real life a lonely manager can't take care about hundreds infos alone, he has its team made of advisors and tech persons who help him on taking decisions. They , I guess, are supposed to group data in a quick way, it will be always up to the manager take decisions.

+1 on that IMO

This looks a pretty good feature I must say. I hope the information is quite diverse and not repetitive though

Hmm very interesting ... I think i can now see how this may be benificial to me. I see that it meansions how the opposition could find weaknesses in your team, now i find this quite a worry. The job as a manager is to identify weaknesses and solve them yourself, right? .. now if your backroom staff are basically doing that for you then surely this will make the game too easy ?

Obviously having the support from your backroom staff is crucial and is quite realistic. Like the old saying goes, 2 minds are better than 1. Just because one is not the manager of a team, but rather the coach in charge of the attacking aspect of training, it doesn't mean they can't suggest or bring ideas forward to the manager. The final decision is the manager's and so you don't have to listen to them.

This looks a pretty good feature I must say. I hope the information is quite diverse and not repetitive though

That's my main concern as well.

"For a start, when one of the backroom staff suggests something, there is a one click button to say that you want to use the advice. So, say one of your coaches recommends that one of your players game could benefit by being asked to learn how to play a simple passing game, there will be a button there for you to click, and the coach will do the rest. You won't have to go to the players interaction screen, and choose the option yourself."

Well i assume if you change your line-up for example use 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 that you need to change players positions, or does the coach do this as well for you?

I like this new feature; especially the youth development. Cant wait till tomorrow for more explanation.

I don't think they will be too repetitive cause they are mainly based on players, both own and of the opponents, and players change during the year so I guess and hope their reports will vary a bit depending on circumstances.

The real useless feature were the press conferences but I dunno how they will be handled in FM10.

Obviously having the support from your backroom staff is crucial and is quite realistic. Like the old saying goes, 2 minds are better than 1. Just because one is not the manager of a team, but rather the coach in charge of the attacking aspect of training, it doesn't mean they can't suggest or bring ideas forward to the manager. The final decision is the manager's and so you don't have to listen to them.

That's my main concern as well.

Its not the fact that i have to listen to them or not, its the fact that iam basically being told WHY iam performing so well and WHY iam performing so bad. I feel that Football manager is now becoming and instructual manual that you either choose to read or choose to ignore

Excellent addition.

For those complaining (already) - dont use it or ignore it? Not hard!

Its not the fact that i have to listen to them or not, its the fact that iam basically being told WHY iam performing so well and WHY iam performing so bad. I feel that Football manager is now becoming and instructual manual that you either choose to read or choose to ignore

I think that most of these data were already present in the past editions, the only good difference IMO is that now they are supposed to be easily and quickly accessible without wasting 3 hours each match to find them here and there.

Its not the fact that i have to listen to them or not, its the fact that iam basically being told WHY iam performing so well and WHY iam performing so bad. I feel that Football manager is now becoming and instructual manual that you either choose to read or choose to ignore

What did you expect advise/feedback to refer to?

quick question- if we have a player injured or suspended will the coaches suggest who they believe would be best to fill the role?

Hmm very interesting ... I think i can now see how this may be benificial to me. I see that it meansions how the opposition could find weaknesses in your team, now i find this quite a worry. The job as a manager is to identify weaknesses and solve them yourself, right? .. now if your backroom staff are basically doing that for you then surely this will make the game too easy ?

In tomorrow's blog, I'll be looking at how your staff affect the validity of the backroom advice, and also looking at some changes in how you and the assistant manager interact in the game.

That suggests staff can and will be wrong, depending on their abilities. And as we can see in screenshots, staff can potentially have conflicting opinions.

I think SI have generally got the idea but its just that iam a little worried about the difficulty of the game thats all, like i said

Your backroom staff seem to be doing your job for you, and all your have to to is click a button and then it is solved, thats just not how it works in real life!

That suggests staff can and will be wrong, depending on their abilities. And as we can see in screenshots, staff can potentially have conflicting opinions.

I find that a nice feature indeed, if well implemented.

Yes ok, fantastic... But it is possible to have some information on my players when are dissatisfied?

for example: when my player wants to play on the right position and not on the left position. Or when my player wants to play all match... ecc. ecc.

Are there this type of information?

From the blog 'They'll also come to you requesting a meeting on your first day in the job, pre-season and pre-match.'

If your backroom staff are requesting so many meetings, especially before every match which is I assume what you mean when you say they'll request a meeting pre-match, then I am a bit concerned that this feature will become a bit repetitive and pointless like the press conference feature currenly is.

Did you design the banner? Your name is almost bigger than the football manager logo

Absolutely brilliant inclusion.

This takes the Assistant Advice that you currently have to the next level, and I'm glad to see that this has been done. Firstly I like the way that using this is optional. If it's not something you want to use or feel that you need then you can simply ignore it. But for all those people asking for unsackable options or difficulty levels this seems like a much better way to help newer users, or anyone struggling a little. It's also much more realistic.

I also like the fact that you can simply click one button to make changes suggested by the staff. One of my gripes with '09 is how long it takes generally to play the game, so any of these type of streamlining methods are a welcome addition for me.

All in all I've been wanting to see more interaction with staff, and to see staff take a more important role in the game. This looks like it could achieve that and help people get to grips with the game at the same time. It sounds great.

Anyone else having difficulty viewing the Screenshots

Anyone else having difficulty viewing the Screenshots

When I enlarge them, the banner on the right hand side remains on top, but other than that, no.

What problem are you having?

it just darkens the screen & i get a clockwise waiting circle but nothing else

I think SI have generally got the idea but its just that iam a little worried about the difficulty of the game thats all, like i said

Your backroom staff seem to be doing your job for you, and all your have to to is click a button and then it is solved, thats just not how it works in real life!

Surely the skill of management is knowing which advice to take and which to ignore?

To use Miles' example, you may not want a player to play a simple passing game if it doesn't fit in with your tactics.

It seems it's not just for the stats players. Looks good.

it's working now thanks anyway

Surely the skill of management is knowing which advice to take and which to ignore?

To use Miles' example, you may not want a player to play a simple passing game if it doesn't fit in with your tactics.

Plus it seems that the level of ability of your staff may have an affect on the quality of their advice. So you still need to make the final decisions yourself. You now just have some useful sources of information if you choose to use them.

I think SI have generally got the idea but its just that iam a little worried about the difficulty of the game thats all, like i said

Your backroom staff seem to be doing your job for you, and all your have to to is click a button and then it is solved, thats just not how it works in real life!

Patience guys! The blog ended thus:

"In tomorrow's blog, I'll be looking at how your staff affect the validity of the backroom advice"

All will be revealed tomorrow!!

I really like the way this is unfolding. It looks like a very nifty feature

I think SI have generally got the idea but its just that iam a little worried about the difficulty of the game thats all, like i said

Your backroom staff seem to be doing your job for you, and all your have to to is click a button and then it is solved, thats just not how it works in real life!

As in the real life of a football manager not all backroom advice is good advice. Why else would Anthony Pulis be at Southampton? People make errors of judgement.

So it really isn't a "click me to win at FM button" as you have to decide to accept the advice or not. Like with all advice you have to look at its source to determine if it is good or not.

Sounds really good - if implemented well!!!

I assume that the backroom advise will depend on how good your backroom staff are? and also as mentioned above, I hope that injured players / suspended players will be taken into account when giving team selection advise - this was very annoying in previous games. I also would like to have included '2nd' best team for choosing subs etc.

On a seperate note, does anyone know if the 'scout reports' will be any better this year. Example, when looing for a new right back and scouting a DL/R player I would be told that he is not as good as my best Left back.

I'm happy that the role of your coaching staff is being expanded in FM2010, as at present they don't do anything outside of training, and I've long thought they should be doing more.

Also looking at the screenshots I'm glad to see that the advice is just pointing things out to you, and not telling you how to fix it. In terms of trying to analyse where your team is going wrong it should make it a lot easier.

The meetings before each match sound good providing they don't get repetitive like the scout reports in next opponents do (Where every team plays a defensive counter attacking system with short passing apparently).

Sounds good so far.

I agree with SAFC1.

This is a good idea in principle, but I am worried that it will be like scout reports and Ass Man feedback on previous versions where, depending on the version, it is either infallible or completely worthless. SI don't have a great track record when it comes to striking the right balance in these sort of features.

I love the monthly meetings! This is something really good! More information about your team in a monthly base. I hope for middle-class teams, the recommendations are still reliable. Assistant managers become more important than ever.

Will bad backroom staff from a club such as a lower league one give worse advice than that of the Manchester United backroom?

I think it is an excellent and very realistic feature (if done right). Do you think that managers operate on their own, manually setting every detail from top to bottom? No, they make top-level decisions and tell the other coaches to make it happen. That's how I see this feature functioning. Your staff is bringing together information that is already available and making it more presentable and giving you some options they feel will help the team. You still ultimately decide what to do. And you know what? If you take their advice and it doesn't work, you still take the blame/axe for doing it.

Besides assistant coaches disagreeing, it's entirely possible you disagree yourself.

As for the frequency, maybe it's like the press in FM09, where it can appear pre and post match, but not so for every match. Maybe just occasional or really important ones.

Recommendations about training for individual players

Sounds interesting. Im hoping for a tactical wizard style overhaul of the system.

Sounds really good - if implemented well!!!

I assume that the backroom advise will depend on how good your backroom staff are? and also as mentioned above, I hope that injured players / suspended players will be taken into account when giving team selection advise - this was very annoying in previous games. I also would like to have included '2nd' best team for choosing subs etc.

On a seperate note, does anyone know if the 'scout reports' will be any better this year. Example, when looing for a new right back and scouting a DL/R player I would be told that he is not as good as my best Left back.

The default position is his best position. To see what he is like at right back, click on the button in the top right of the scout report. A drop down box will appear, and you can see a report for various positions.

Actually, this may only be coach reports...

Quite pleased with some of the detail that's been revealed. I posted in the other thread that much of the "advice" wasn't really advice, but was in fact just a summary of statistics. Looking at some of the new screenshots, it does appear to actually offer some advice such as setting a formation to take advantage of the players at your disposal. But there is still screenshots in there that fall quite short of the standards i expected.

"Marcus Gayle has noticed that Forest Green Rovers do well against teams who play a normal defensive line"

Without meaning to sound unappreciative, do the boys at SI honestly think thats a good screenshot to show off a feature? It's possibly the most open-ended snippet of information to provide. It's not advice because there's nothing you can act on, do i play a high-line and take advantage of my fast defenders and their slow attackers, or play a deep line because of my slow defenders?

Theres potential for information overload with this feature and not a lot of advice you can act on.

Damn, am hooked ! I already want to take on Forest Green with my lower D line for the first 5 mins then high D line there after.