Responsibilities
The Staff Responsibilities menu allows you to specify which members of your backroom staff are designated to carry out specific roles to do with the day-to-day running of your club. They can help take significant weight off your shoulders and allow you to get on with enjoying the things you love most about being a football manager.
The screen is broken down into ‘Areas’, such as ‘Board’, ‘Staff Recruitment’ and ‘Contract Renewals’. Each role and responsibility is described alongside the person currently occupying that position. You can select your desired member of staff from the appropriate dropdown list, but bear in mind that certain responsibilities may only be carried out by qualified individuals amongst the backroom team and therefore some names are omitted and are unavailable.
The ‘First Team’ sub-tab allows you to assign responsibility for press conferences, friendly matches and media handling to a member of your backroom team as well as other tactical and advice options.
The age-group specific sub-tabs allow you to dictate who takes charge of each of those teams on the pitch with options for tactics and friendly matches.
You are also able to designate areas of responsibility in the Backroom Advice section and ask particular staff amongst your ranks to deliver timely and appropriate information to you at each Backroom Meeting.
Finally, you can set a number of Transfer Options from the ‘Personal Assistant’ tab. You can select what type of players are offered to you by agents by selecting the checkboxes, and from the checkbox below it, you can automatically ensure that any players you offer to clubs are placed on the Transfer List and have their status changed to ‘Not Needed’. From the same section, you are able to pre-set negotiation values for players offered out on transfer or loan deals, and loan contributions to wages from interested parties.
What is the impact of delegating tasks to my staff versus keeping control myself?
It ultimately comes down to how you want to experience Football Manager™ 2019. If you want to have complete control of everything, micro-manage every detail, and know exactly what’s happening at any given time, then keeping control of everything will work for you.
There is no direct impairment on the standard of quality of management by a member of staff you’ve delegated a task to; it all comes down to their attributes themselves. If you delegate something to the theoretical best Assistant Manager in the world, one flawless in every regard, then the benefits will be plentiful and perhaps better than if you had retained control yourself. If the task is placed in less capable hands, however, it won’t be. That might mean that a player doesn’t develop as well as he might otherwise, that a team talk isn’t issued as productively as it could have been, or that a player is sold by the Director of Football that you might have otherwise wished to keep.
Make the decisions that work for you; understand the strengths and weaknesses of the support team at your disposal, and react accordingly.
Staff Attributes
The following details and describes how the ratings model for non-players works in Football Manager™ 2019. All attributes work on the 1-20 scale where 20 is the very best whilst 1 is the lowest possible value, in the same way as Player Attributes do.
Coaching Attributes
Attacking
Their competency and interest in coaching attacking football. This will be used to determine how likely a manager is to adopt a suitable attacking approach from game to game, how likely certain Player Traits are to be successful under their coaching, and a general attacking bias towards training, backroom advice and player evaluations.
Defending
The ability of the staff member to coach the defensive side of the game. Higher ratings indicate an interest and a proficiency in working well on the defensive side of the game. If the non-player in question has a higher Defending rating than Attacking, their bias when undertaking match preparation will be skewed towards the defensive side of the game, for example.
Fitness
This reflects a coach’s ability to work on the fitness side of the game, and to recognise potential issues before they arise during matches.
Goalkeeper Distribution
This reflects their ability to competently coach a goalkeeper in the quality and effectiveness of their distribution. Their technical attributes – Kicking and Throwing in particular - will govern the success of their delivery, this attribute primarily deals with identifying the right player to distribute to, and the method of getting the ball there.
Goalkeeper Handling
This reflects their ability to coach a goalkeeper’s Handling attribute as well as impacting upon their Aerial Reach, Command of Area and Communication.
Goalkeeper Shot Stopping
This reflects their ability to coach a goalkeeper’s ability to stop all types of shots. A better coach will see improvements in a goalkeeper’s Reflexes and One on Ones in particular.
Mental
The ability of the individual to provide the right help (particularly in backroom advice) when appraising the players with which he works.
Tactical
How tactically astute they are. More tactically astute coaches will not only be able to coach the tactical side of the game more effectively but any advice they may offer is likely to be more accurate and informative.
Technical
The ability of the coach to teach the technical side of the game; i.e. their work with the ball. It plays a part in the recommendations given concerning the individual attribute focus for player training, as well as the intensity of the training sessions they run.
Working with Youngsters
How successful a coach is at working with younger players – those aged 19 and under in particular. A non-player with a high rating here will improve players they work with if given a youth team training assignment, whilst the quality of an annual youth intake is affected by the rating of the person responsible for bringing them through. It is also used to determine an individual’s interest in young footballers overall, such as Chairmen when asking the Board for improved youth facilities.
Mental Attributes
Adaptability
Adaptability refers to how well the non-player adapts to living in a country that is not theirs. It will affect their interest in moving to another country too.
Determination
The mental desire of the coach to succeed. This isn’t a coaching attribute in terms of coaching a player’s mental approach – this is the coach as an individual and their own innate drive to better themselves and the players they work with.
Level of Discipline
This reflects the level of discipline the coach is likely to take in their approach. A higher attribute means that the coach will take up a harder line in his approach and keep things strict (which in turn discourages players from raising complaints in private chats and other similar aspects of managing players). A lower one means the coach is a little more relaxed but also easier for players to exert a little more power and influence over.
Man Management
How well the member of staff is able to deal with those around them and particularly below them. This is a mental aspect; a high attribute indicates a coach who is capable of organizing and keeping people happy, with particular regard to interaction, morale, coach reports and backroom advice, as well as scheduling appropriate rest periods during training.
Motivating
The mental ability of a coach to motivate their players. This has an impact in player interactions, team meetings, team talks and training.
Medical Attributes
Physiotherapy
This attribute is predominantly for use with Physiotherapists. In general, a high attribute here indicates a more accomplished Physiotherapist, but the rating is also used for fitness tests, player transfer medicals, and assessing injury proneness.
Sports Science
This attribute is also predominantly used by members of the medical team and governs the competency of the individual to accurately manage every player’s fitness level and injury risk in such a way that they are able to keep them in condition to play regular football.
Knowledge Attributes
Judging Player Ability and Potential
When employing a scout, these two attributes are the first things you should look at, but it remains valuable for all non-players, particularly coaches too. High attribute ratings in these two areas will most likely result in more accurate scouting reports and player evaluations. Judging Ability is important if you have assigned a scout to watch players you intend to bring in, are scouting upcoming opponents, or ask a coach to provide reports or advice on players in your squad. Judging Potential does much the same, but concerning the player’s long-term outlook, rather than his current situation.
Tactical Knowledge
The tactical knowledge possessed by a non-player. This has many uses; from opposition and team scouting to training and match preparation focus and backroom advice, a higher rating will result in both more accurate and more detailed information being passed back to you.
Data Analysis Attributes
Judging Player Data
The ability of a Data Analyst to understand data concerning an individual player and interpret it in a manner useful to the manager.
Judging Team Data
The ability of a Data Analyst to understand data concerning a team and interpret it in a manner useful to the manager.
Presenting Data
The ability of a Data Analyst to present their data in an efficient and easily digestible manner to the manager and to the players.
How does each attribute impact a player’s performance or development?
A high attribute will typically deliver success more often, and more consistently, than a lower one. That means a scout with 20 for Judging Player Ability and Judging Player Potential will submit top quality reports on players that can be relied upon wholly; it means a coach with 20 for Tactical Knowledge will provide the best tactical advice, and it means a Physiotherapist with 20 for Physiotherapy will be proactive and responsive in their treatment of injuries.
That much should be relatively clear from the outset, but what about staff who score 10 in these areas? How does that affect my players?
In short, they become less reliable, but with that comes a few caveats. For example, if you have a Physiotherapist with 10 for Physiotherapy but the league average for staff employed in that role is 7, you have a significant advantage. The advice and treatment dispensed might not be the best it can be, but it could be the best it can be for your club, for your level and at this current time.
Numbers become relative to the standard you’re playing at. A top-quality coach working with players below his ability is worth their weight in gold; the effect they can have on your squad will be more tangible and obvious than someone working at the level suitable for their ability; you’ll be able to see it in the development of your own players, the insight you’ll have into other teams and players if it’s a quality scout, and so on. Conversely, if you have a sub-par member of staff working at a level they’re not qualified for, and is below the average for your club, for your level and at this current time, then you’ll be somewhat handicapped by their work until you’re able to upgrade that job.
Non-Player Tendencies
Players have traits; non-players have tendencies. All tendencies are scored on a 1-20 range like attributes, but rather than impact how well they do something, they determine how likely something is. They can broadly be divided into two main categories:
Managers, Coaches etc.
Operate without an Assistant Manager
Fit players into preferred tactic
Have a large senior squad
Make early tactical changes
Rely on set pieces
Select domestic players for National Team
Use counter-attacks
Use Target Man
Use young players in low priority cups
Use zonal marking for set pieces
Select a substitute Goalkeeper
Have a willingness to work in the lower leagues
Use non-first team goalkeeper for domestic cup games
Use non-first team goalkeeper for continental cup games
Doesn't use Data Analysts
Person responsible for transfer activity
Sign domestic-based players
Sign lower league players
Sign many youth players
Sign youth players for first team
Spend on youth signings
Use budget on one player
Use loan market
Offer high Promotion wage percentage increases
Offer high Relegation wage percentage decreases
Pay fees upfront
Target high-profile signings
Sign many young players to make profit on them
Staff Roles
Each member of the backroom team can be assigned to train at least one squad at the club, with some roles allowing more freedom, and greater flexibility. As Manager, you can assign yourself to any of the teams at the club, whilst First Team Fitness Coaches and Goalkeeping Coaches can do the same. First Team Assistant Managers and Coaches, however, may only work with the senior squad itself, as is the case for all Reserve, Under-21, Under-19 or Under-19 staff; they may only work with their assigned age groups with one exception. If two or more squads share facilities – for example a First Team and a Reserve Team train at the same site, then the assignments are opened up for anyone from any squad to move around freely.
Fitness Coaches may only work with the Strength and Aerobic categories whilst Goalkeeping Coaches may only work with the Handling and Shot Stopping categories.