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The concepts here are taken from our newest eBook available now:
Communication & Psychological Warfare ‘10
A lot of Football Manager players have complained in recent years of the repetitiveness of press conferences. They argue that in most cases they can tell the answer they want to give without even reading the question, mindlessly clicking through. A number of them leave all this sort of media nonsense to their assistant manager.
But is your assistant wasting your press conferences?
Of course, not every question you answer in a press conference will have a direct effect on your squad. But that is not to say that the press conference routines are completely useless. With the correct responses, the conferences can build morale in the squad, put pressure on the opposition and build long-standing friendships and loyalty with your players.
The assistant manager, no matter how good he is with motivation or man-management will always give different answers than you would in the same situation. Moreover, he is more likely to say things which could be damaging to your side – the human manager, once he understands how press conferences work, is always in a better position to give a more forceful answer.
How press conferences work
When facing the media, the vast majority of questions have 7 potential answers:
Given this structure, it is no wonder that a lot of managers see this aspect of the game as repetitive, but it should never be underestimated how much power can be wielded from just a few clicks through this questionnaire approach to media management.
For instance, with the right words about an opponent’s danger man, you can reduce an on-fire striker into a quivering wreck. By talking up your latest signing you can help him settle into the squad much more quickly. And simply by being positive about your chances against your next opponents you can motivate your lads to a famous victory.
As a general rule, it helps to be positive in press conferences. Whoever went into a new job telling the world that his new club was a last-resort appointment and he couldn’t wait to leave? Besides, confidence from the ship’s captain tends to permeate throughout the crew. Stop short of arrogance, and you can build a healthy atmosphere with just a few seconds spent answering the tedious questions of the assembled media.
So, why leave this to the assistant? Every little extra percentage point you can squeeze out of your squad should be seized with both hands. Of course, nobody expects you to spend hours agonising over every little detail of every press conference, but certainly handling these talks yourself gives you a much better chance of walking into the next game with your squad that little bit more motivated to succeed. It could be the difference between a defeat and a draw; a draw or a win; a runners-up medal or a trophy.
Bear this in mind the next time you’re considering leaving all of the media interaction to the assistant. As part of a wider strategy of player interaction, manual team talks, squad management and a good transfer policy, press conferences can really give you an edge over your computer-simulated rivals in the bid to becoming the best football manager on the planet.
We talk even more about these concepts in our latest eBook:
COMMUNICATION & PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE ‘10
The Ultimate Squad Management, Team Talk & Media Guide
Motivate your team to play their very best every game in Football Manager 2010! We will lead you through managing your squad – match by match, player by player – and show you how important psychology is in any football team’s performance on the pitch.
This will help you impose mental toughness alongside your already solid tactics as a one-two punch that will send any opposing manager shaking in fear!
Get more information and download this eBook from FM-Britain right now!
