The concepts here are taken from Communication & Psychological Warfare ‘10.

Recently the an FM-Britain survey found that tactical consistency to be one of the biggest problems facing you. For many Football Manager players, being able to go through a season with consistent results is difficult, even if you are Manchester United or Luton Town. The days of finding one tactic and sticking to it, clicking continue throughout the season are gone. Consistent results come from good strategy and squad management.

Consistency will separate the likes of Hull and Liverpool from Manchester United and Chelsea. But each and every side you play against in a season will offer new and different challenges. Playing as Chelsea you should never underestimate Portsmouth even if you in the form of your life. Preparing for an upcoming game, considering who is the favourite and how the side will play against you will make your tactic in the game much more effective. Liverpool’s lack of consistency in previous seasons has been due to their in ability to adapt to teams will play with 11 men behind the ball. Getting frustrated at home against the likes of Stoke.

Take it on a game-by-game basis

Each team will offer their own challenge and unless you have an exceptional side that can dominate at each ground you will have to approach each game differently. Where you are playing and your reputation will change the way sides setup against you. If you are in good form, teams will then play with caution, looking to frustrate and hit you on the break. Therefore you will have to control the game, play patiently and look space around the field to create chances. Taking each game as it comes is a football cliché by now, but for good reasons, professional managers like Ferguson won’t under estimate the smaller sides. Watch how games develop and learn how to analyse and adapt to ensure you get the right results.

Micro Management

Throughout the season your players attitude and morale will be affected in different ways, a series of losses can bring the dressing room attitude down, while winning streaks can be great for morale, but it can also breed inconsistency as less professional players become complacent. Your assistant manager may make you aware of this in the backroom advice, but it is the day-to-day management of the game that will help you sustain good results, or stop you from entering a terrible run of form.

When discussing your team in the media or interacting during team talks, consider the betting odds which are formulated from current form and reputation of both teams coming up against each other. This will give you a good indication on how much you are expected to win, or how difficult the game is going to be. Therefore the pressure you put on your players is be based on how your current form is, the morale of the players and the expectation that is put upon them.

Player Interaction

Praising your players to improve morale will help you sustain good performances. Strong dressing room win leagues. Rewarding those players who are in good form, with good comments in the media will can spur them on game after game to keep up their performance. How much praise will be needed for each player will depend on their personality and ambition, those expecting to win the Premier League will have higher standards of play then a team looking to stay up or in the lower ends of the league. But also encouraging them when they are down, or criticising when they are playing under par will give your players an idea what is expected of them when they hit the pitch.

Press Conferences

What is said in the morning papers can certainly affect the way your players perform throughout the season. Using the media to your own advantage can shine the spot light on your players when you need it most, but when the pressure is hotting up you can equally deflect the pressure to allow your player to play freely, by commenting on the other team or their manager. The papers will ask you on many occasions, do you think you can win or what do you think of your current form. Entering a game you expect to win and you know your players can handle the pressure telling the media this can help boost morale and fire up players. But as under dogs you might want to take the pressure of winning away, if you lose it’s not too bad, all you want is to see a good performance from your players. With the pressure off it might spark brilliant performance that will see you through against all odds.

Team Talks

Your final interaction with your side before you send them into battle, team talks can give your side a little spur of motivation needed. Pre-match team talks can your side get off to a good start while at half time team talks will be a place where you can have much more of an affect on the final score.

Just like when you were talking about with the media it is about putting the right amount of pressure on your players in order for them to perform. But it will also be a chance to target key players in the game and raise morale. It can be important not to shout or expect to much if your side’s morale is down, instead encourage and lift. But if the side is on top form, prevent them from being complacent, expect the win against smaller sides. But be careful to watch their reaction within the game, we can’t always get it right.

Half time, will be the chance for you to keep hold of a lead or get back into the game. Depending on score, expectation and performance you should look to show anger at your team for poor performances, against a side you should be beating. Showing support and encouragement when you are playing well against bigger sides. Much of which is common sense and you will want to take these general rules, watch the reaction of your side to your team talk and adapt.

It can seem like hard work at times but ignoring squad and player management in Football Manager can be a something many sides can ill afford, unless you have the best of all sides. Consistent results come from fine tuning and micro management to ensure on a day-to-day basis and that your side is firing on all cylinders. If you have anymore tips on keeping a consistent run going, please comment in our forums.

We talk even more about these concepts in the Communication & Psychological Warfare ’10 eBook which you can download right now.