Staff

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 ‘Responsibilities’ screen displays everything you’re currently responsible for. Here, each responsibility is described alongside the person delegated with that particular task, and each area of the club has its own section. 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 among the backroom team and therefore some names are unavailable.

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™ 2023. 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 they might otherwise, that a team talk isn’t issued as productively as it could have been, or that a player that you might have otherwise wished to keep is sold by the Director of Football.

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 describe how the ratings model for non-players works in Football Manager™ 2023. All attributes work on the 1-20 scale, where 20 is the very best while 1 is the lowest possible value, in the same way as Player Attributes do.

Coaching Attributes

Attacking

This reflects their competency and interest in coaching attacking football. This is used to determine how likely a coach 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

This reflects their competency and interest in coaching defensive football. 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 an ability to competently coach a goalkeeper in the quality and effectiveness of their distribution. A goalkeeper’s technical attributes – Kicking and Throwing in particular – govern the success of their delivery. This attribute primarily deals with identifying the right player to distribute to, and developing the method of delivery.

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 working closely with players. It also determines their skill at coaching mental attributes.

Tactical

This reflects how tactically astute they are. More tactically astute coaches are not only able to coach the tactical side of the game more effectively but any advice they offer is likely to be more accurate and informative.

Technical

This reflects 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

This reflects 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 the players they work with if given a youth team training assignment, while 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 the Chairperson 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 their own. It affects their interest in moving to another country and their ability to learn a new language.

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 takes a harder line in their approach and keeps things strict (which in turn discourages players from raising complaints in private chats and other similar aspects of managing players). A lower attribute means the coach is a little more relaxed but also easier for players to exert a little more power and influence over.

People Management

How well the member of staff can deal with those around them, and particularly below them. This is a mental aspect; a high attribute indicates a coach who can organise and keeping people happy, with special 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 the current situation.

Negotiating

This attribute simply comments on how successfully they negotiate transfer and contract deals. A higher rating represents strong dealings; a lower one less so.

Data Analysis Attributes

Analysing Data

The ability of an Analyst to understand data concerning an individual player or team and interpret it in a manner useful to the manager.

How does each attribute impact a player’s performance or development?

A high attribute typically delivers success more often, and more consistently, than a lower one. That means a scout with 20 for Judging Player Ability and Judging Player Potential submits top quality reports on players that can be relied upon wholly; it means a coach with 20 for Tactical Knowledge provides the best tactical advice, and it means a Physiotherapist with 20 for Physiotherapy is proactive and responsive in their treatment of injuries.

That much should be relatively clear from the outset, but what about staff who score, say, 10 in these areas? How does that affect the 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 are relative to the standard you’re playing at. A top-quality coach working with players below the coach’s ability is worth their weight in gold. The effect they can have on your squad is 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 as well as in the insight you’ll have into other teams and players if it’s a quality scout. 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 be divided into three 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

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 a profit

Sign U22 players for the first team

Sign U24 players for the first team

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, while the same level of delegation can be applied to First Team Fitness Coaches and Goalkeeping Coaches. First Team Assistant Managers and Coaches, however, may only work with the senior squad itself, and the same is true for all Reserve, Under-21, Under-19 or Under-18 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 available for anyone from any squad to move around freely.

Fitness Coaches may only work with the Strength and Quickness categories while Goalkeeping Coaches may only work with the Handling and Shot Stopping categories.