Scouting Tips For FM 09

Scouting is fast becoming vitally important in the real world of football. With the somewhat categorical inflation of prices that managers have been experiencing during this summer’s transfer window, the need for scouts to uncover the hidden talents of the beautiful game has never been greater.

Although I’m not here to attempt to justify the desperate need for top quality scouts in football. No, I’m here to attempt to explain how you can assemble the perfect scouting team on FM 09, allowing you to reap the rewards of unearthing that potentially decisive signing.

Knowledge

All non-players on Football Manager will have a certain amount of knowledge relating to specific nations. Be it where they spent most of their professional playing career or perhaps it is their country of birth, knowledge is particularly crucial when deciding where to send your scouts on assignments.

In this sense, if you have a scout who has full knowledge in say Brazil, they will be more comfortable in searching for talent on a Brazilian based assignment. Say for arguments sake they don’t quite have full knowledge of Argentina, but they know more about that particular country than England, you may be best served arranging the scout to scour South America for talent. I hope that made sense!
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Although don’t expect miracles just because a scout has full knowledge of a particular country. This purely means that they will be more likely to work to their full potential in a country that they are familiarised with. The attributes within their profile will have more relevance in their ability to uncover players.

Attributes

You don’t need to be Albert Einstein to work this out but when you are at the stage of appointing a scout for your club, make sure you pay particular attention to the Judging Player Ability and Judging Player Potential attributes. High attribute ratings in these two areas will most likely result in more accurate scouting reports.

Reports and Feedback

When your scout has compiled a report on a particular player, you will be the first to know about it. Depending on the attributes and knowledge of your scout, you will be presented with an accurate and extensive set of details on the player in question that can prove extremely useful in judging whether he is the right signing for your team.

The information at your disposal includes an assessment on the player’s current and potential ability, their personality, strengths and weaknesses and as well as some advice on any potential transfer, your scout will also offer an overall recommendation of the player represented by gold stars.

5 Top Tips

1. If you’re looking for the next generation of top quality talent, be sure to regularly send your scouts to youth competitions such as the European under 19 Championships.
2. When you receive a report on a particular player make sure you consider the transfer information and try and bid as close as possible to the minimum asking price that your scout considers the player to be available for. Should help save you bundles of cash!
3. Don’t always listen to the advice of your scouts, especially if they don’t have decent attributes for Judging Player Potential and Ability.
4. If you’re not totally convinced by the information that one of your scouts has relayed on a player, get a second opinion from another member of your scouting team or even a coach or your assistant manager.
5. Make sure your scouts are always kept busy. If a scout has finished an assignment, you may want to either restart the same assignment or send them on a new assignment. Dated information on a player will get you nowhere!

FM 09 - What makes a good attacking midfielder?

So what exactly makes a good attacking midfielder? Well obviously an abundance of goals, clever through balls and a bucket load of assists wouldn’t be a bad starting point. Although what are the specific attributes you should be looking out for to determine whether player X or Y are capable of being the creative force in your side?

5 Key Attributes

Creativity

If you have an attacking midfielder that is creatively astute, you might just be onto a winner. Creativity is associated with a player’s ability to spot an opening but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be able to execute the telling pass. Combine creativity with decent passing and technique attributes and your attacking midfielder is in a prime position to create chances galore.

Flair

Flair will work well in tandem with creativity and it may be worth giving the attacking midfielder in question a free-role within your team to boot. A flair player will be the type to try the audacious and sometimes outrageous to stamp their authority on a game.

Passing

As I mentioned earlier, if the creative potential of an attacking midfielder is going to be realised, then the passing attribute needs to be similarly elevated. The higher the passing attribute, the easier the player will find it to pick out and execute a range of passes and you may also want to set his passing style to short too.

Long Shots

One of the best things about both football and FM is watching a player cut inside before unleashing a 40-yard effort into the top corner. An attacking midfielder with a high long shots attribute will inevitably attempt more pot shots from range and we all know the age-old cliché that becomes particularly relevant here – ‘if you don’t shoot, you won’t score!’

Technique

Technique is associated with a player’s natural skill and will have a huge bearing on how effectively your attacking midfielder utilises his technical attributes. In this sense, a player with a higher technique attribute will be more capable of executing that tricky, eye of the needle through pass for instance.

FM 09 - What makes a good defensive midfielder?

When it comes to selecting your central midfield pairing it is essential that you consider playing a holding player as well as an attack minded midfielder. Whether he plays as a defensive midfielder with a duty to protect the back four or just simply as a more disciplined central midfielder, you will need a midfield enforcer to help stem the flow of the opposition attacks.

5 Key Attributes

Determination

You’ll no doubt want your whole squad to be a determined bunch but it can be one of the most crucial attributes for a defensive midfielder in particular. The determination attribute refers to a player’s desire to succeed. The higher the rating the more they are absolutely committed to giving their all to the cause. It certainly pays to have a determined individual in that area of the pitch.

Passing

Passing is obviously not the most important weapon in a defensive midfielder’s armoury but it is a useful attribute for them to possess nonetheless. While the traditional role of a holding man is to just get the ball and give it to a perhaps more technically gifted player, some of the best defensive midfielders on FM have proved that they themselves know how to pick a pass.

Work Rate

In most cases, your holding midfielder won’t need to be a box-to-box type player but if they have good work rate they will undoubtedly be able to utilise the attribute through a never-say-die attitude on the pitch. A will to work will result in them never giving up the ghost even if, at times, they are beaten by their opposite number.

Tackling

With a high tackling attribute, your defensive midfielder will be in his element when he is able to get stuck right into a challenge. After all, he is there to protect your back four and the better tackler he is, the more chance he will have of winning possession back for your team.

Stamina

A player that can last the whole 90 minutes game after game is always a positive for you as the manager. When that player is your battling holding midfielder it becomes even more decisive. When the rest of your team may be struggling to find the legs to carry them over the finish line, rest assured that a defensive midfielder with high stamina will keep trudging around the pitch, harassing the opposition for possession.

FM 09 - What makes a good winger?

It’s fair to say that Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the meaning of the word ‘winger’ to a whole new level during the last couple of years. The primary role of the man on the flank was once to create chances for the striker and deliver as many accurate crosses as possible. Ronaldo undoubtedly raised the bar with his flurry of goals from a wide position but the fundamentals still remain the same. If you’re looking to identify some of the attributes you need to be aware of when choosing a winger then you’ve come to just the right place!

5 Key Attributes

Crossing

As much as the role of the conventional winger may have changed over the years, I still like to persist with a winger that has an established crossing attribute. You can be confident that if you have a striker who knows how to find the back of the net, with decent supply from wide positions you can’t go wrong.

Dribbling

Dribbling is evidently key for a winger if you want him to be driving at the opposition full-back whenever possible. A strong dribbling stat will ensure your winger will be apt at travelling with the ball at feet but be sure to combine the dribbling attribute with acceleration, pace, balance and agility if you truly want the best outcome.

Flair

If you’re hoping for flashes of individual brilliance then make sure you have a winger with flair in abundance. The problem with a player that adopts the use of flair is that they will often attempt the outrageous and spectacular rather than just playing the simple five-yard pass. That said, the element of unpredictability should help worry and unsettle opposition defenders.

Technique

If you want to build a successful team at the highest level then you should really have a squad that is littered with technical ability. As a winger, technique is paramount for those at the peak of their game where technically gifted players are able to pull off that difficult threaded pass or extravagant lob over the goalkeeper.

Creativity

You won’t want a winger who is creatively a class apart to be looking to cross the ball at any given opportunity as this will clearly not be executing their full potential. Creative wingers will spot that little opening and attempt to make things happen but technical proficiency is a must for their creativity to have the maximum desired effect.

FM 09 - What makes a good full-back?

Whether you decide to play with full-backs or wing-backs, having two quality players on either side can be vital to your team as a defensive unit. And if you happen to have Cristiano Ronaldo playing on the wing for you, it is clearly imperative that your full-back is a capable defender.

Although there is so much more that a tactical system that utilises two full-back’s can offer you - and particularly as an attacking outlet. In this sense think Dani Alves but while a free-roaming, attack minded full-back is great at times, it is important that your right or left sided defender doesn’t shirk their defensive duties either.

5 Key Attributes

Crossing

As much I have said that it’s essential for a full-back to be defensively conscious as well as more forward thinking, crossing will become crucial for those players that come anywhere near the opposition’s half. Whether you are looking for your full-back to deliver from deep or more towards the byline, the better their crossing attribute the more effective they will be at delivering into the box.

Acceleration/Pace

I believe it is hugely important that your full-backs are both quick off the mark and over a distance too. A right or left sided defender that is slow will clearly struggle to track back effectively in defensive situations and he will lack the speed to beat a man in more advanced positions too.

Tackling

While I appreciate that full-back’s will not be expected to make crunching challenges on a consistent basis, being strong in the tackle will no doubt prove useful. A high tackling attribute will result in it being a much tougher proposition for the opposition wide man to get beyond your full-back which will help prevent your opponent from creating chances at will.

Dribbling

The dribbling attribute can work particularly well with the acceleration/pace and balance and agility rating of your player where dribbling refers to a player’s ability to run with the ball at feet. If you’re hoping to have an attacking full-back who makes plenty of marauding runs forward then you won’t go too far wrong by concentrating on the dribbling attribute.

Stamina
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The chances are that if you are employing a formation that comprises of two full-backs, you’re going to be expecting them to get up and back. This is where the stamina attribute will become fundamentally important as your full-backs attempt to cope with the demands of consistently getting forward and back with little time for recovery.

FM 09 - What makes a good goalkeeper?

It’s pretty imperative that you possess a decent goalkeeper in FM if you are to have the makings of a successful team. The ‘keeper is always the very last line of defence and knowing that you have a decent stopper between the sticks will improve the confidence you have in your team tenfold.

You obviously don’t need me to tell you that keeping clean sheets will inevitably win you matches but even as manager of a Manchester United or Barcelona, you still need a goalkeeper you can rely on when your usually water tight defence is occasionally breached.

5 Key Attributes

Handling

It’s difficult to pick out the exact attributes that make a good goalkeeper as there are so many but handling is certainly up there with the most essential. Handling on FM refers to how well a goalkeeper holds onto the ball. A low handling rating will see your ‘keeper spill shots which is definitely something you will want to avoid.

Reflexes

A goalkeeper who has decent reflexes is always a positive. With the ability to make reflex saves, your number 1 will react to the unpredictable with more success and he will be more capable of making quick reaction saves.

Aerial Ability

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If a team is looking to play the long-ball system or pepper crosses at your team left, right and centre then a goalkeeper with a high ‘Aerial Ability’ attribute will come in very handy. Whether a strong punch or safe catch is required, a goalkeeper with ability in the air will know exactly what to do.

One On Ones

One on one situations are inevitable in FM. You know, when the opposition striker is clean through on goal and with just your goalkeeper to beat. A low ‘One On Ones’ attribute will mean your goalkeeper is quaking in their boots at such a situation – not good at all. A high ‘One On Ones’ attribute will denote a ‘keeper with presence and the confidence to believe he will come out on top and make the crucial save – now that’s more like it!

Communication

Remember that rock solid Manchester United defence of the 90’s? Well much of their success was undoubtedly attributed to one Peter Schmeichel and he certainly knew how to communicate. The communication attribute on FM is associated with your goalkeeper’s ability to open his mouth and instruct his defence. A goalkeeper who is a good communicator tends to mean that he works well with his defence.