Should I just ignore the meter on the bottom of the screen?

I attempt to create tactics that cause the meter to go in favor of my team, but even when it is well in favor of my team for the entire game, I rarely win.

How should the meter be used? Is it even useful?

Since no one cared to answer you...

I assume it's meant as some indicator of ball possession. But it really is pointless as possession does not equal goals.

Only reason to watch the bottom is for foul/card announcements. Otherwise have some widgets up to see whats really happening in the game and watch them.

Most of the time I forgot the meter was even there!

Don't think tony Pulis worries too much about the possession bar (if you didn't know, Stoke have never had over 50% possession in a match in their entire EPL history!)

If you watch the game in highlights mode, it tells you who has the ball when nothing's happening. I suppose if you noticed you were getting lots of possession without creating a highlight, you could try to do something about it.

Mostly it's just "oo, look at the pretty colours."

^^ kinda what he said, except it's more than pretty colours if you read between the lines (so to speak...). The possesion bar is an average amount of possession over the last five game-minutes. If you're getting lots of possession but not getting any highlights, your players are holding the ball and playing short, safe passes without really advancing on goal. After a time, the opposition manages to wrest possesion from you and advances, thus...ready for it? .... creating a hightlight.

Take off the "Pass to Feet" sideline shout and/or the "Shorter" team passing instruction. Obviously, your guys are passing well...give them a little more rope to play with.

If you notice you're not getting a lot of possession, and every highlight seems to be a highlight of something that the other team is doing, it's worth looking at your passing/tempo/strategy and changing things up a bit. It's not useful on it's own, but it can be helpful when used in conjunction with other things.

Out of curiosity, who is light and dark green on the possession bar? Maybe I'm thick (hell, I'm blonde) but I can never work out if it's my team or them who are light green etc.

Don't think tony Pulis worries too much about the possession bar (if you didn't know, Stoke have never had over 50% possession in a match in their entire EPL history!)

Erm they had 64% against Liverpool

Erm they had 64% against Liverpool

really??! My god, how bad were Liverpool!

On a slightly separate issue, does anyone ever take note of the Action Screen (the 3 pairs of bars dividing the pitch up into thirds)? Much as i'm a bit of an FM stat geek, I've never found a use for that screen.