The Assistant Manager

He’s your right hand man, the second in charge, but often people do not realise their importance to your team. First of all he will need a good knowledge of the game and what defies that is his tactical knowledge. This is important as he is usually the man in charge of your reserve team. He may also need to be good at working with youngsters because he is, once again, the man in charge of the under 18s squad (unless you set a different coach to be). Motivational skills are important too because he will need to motivate your reserves and under 18s to reach new heights and so forth. He will also be motivating your first team squad in training and if you choose him to, he will also be motivating the first team in team talks. His level of discipline is important too because he will need to discipline the squad during training, making sure they do not get lazy etc. Adaptability is very important when signing an assistant manager; it basically defines how good he is at adapting to situations. If you’re signing an assistant manager from an abroad country he will need to adapt to his new surrounding and language. As well as this, he could have a distinct style of play which is different to yours, if he is highly adaptable, he can change to suit your style and tactic. The attribute called man management is very important as well; if your assistant is good at this he will know your players better and will be able to generate better player reports. Also, this can decide how good your assistant is at giving player advice, like player contracts and disciplinary decisions. Judging player ability is another useful attribute because then your assistant can give you more accurate reports on player and who your starting eleven should be. Like judging ability, judging player potential is useful as well. With this attribute he can spot a rising star in your team and will give you better reports on young players and their potential. It is also good if your assistant has good coaching stats as well so he contributes to your training sessions.

Key Attributes: tactical knowledge, motivation, level of discipline, man handling, adaptability.

Recommended Buys: Pako Ayestaran, Carlos Queiroz, Moracy Sant’Anna, Alan Irvine, Sammy Lee, Johan Neeskens, Italo Galbiati, Jon Andoni Goikoetxea, Baltemar Brito.

The Physiotherapist

His job is to tell you a player’s injury and to estimate how long he is going to be out; he is also responsible for how quick the player can recover. People often just look at how good his physiotherapy attribute is, but there are a few more attributes than determine how good he is at his job. So yes, the physiotherapy does decide how good he is at judging how severe a players injury is, also the higher this attribute is, the more accurate treatment he will provide that player, therefore, slightly shortening his time on the sideline. However, his motivational skills are the most important when it comes to speeding up a player recovery rate, because if he is a good motivator he will be able to motivate the player during his recovery stage. Also, the level of discipline is useful when a player is injured so your physiotherapist can make sure he tries his best to get back to match fitness and does not get lazy. Determination is sometimes hard to find in a physiotherapist attributes, but if he does have it then it will keep himself determined at the job at hand, which is helping a player recover.

Key Attributes: physiotherapy, motivating, level of discipline.

Recommended Buys: Gianni Nanni, Nick Worth, Hans-Wilhelm Muller Wohlfarth, Gary Lewin, Rodolfo Moura, Dave Galley, Derek Wright, Colin Lewin, Giorgio Panico.

The Scout

Some people say a manager lives and dies in the transfer market, and although it is you that has to click that final accept button to complete Ronaldinho’s record transfer fee to Chelsea, it is your scouts who can steer you in the right direction to buy the right man. Judging player ability is obviously essential for a scout, because that's what defines how good he is at judging how good, or how bad, a player really is. Judging player potential is basically the same thing apart from instead of judging how good he is, he is judging how good he can be in the future. It is always a great asset to you if you have a scout with a high tactical knowledge attribute. This is because you will usually have a scout, scouting your next opposition, so with tactical knowledge he will give you a better, in depth report on you opposition, which can often give you a tactical edge to win a match. Determination is also a good attribute for your scout to have because when you send him on scouting trips, he will be more determined to find players, and without this, you might just be missing out on the next Wayne Rooney. Whether that is a good or bad thing, I will let you decide.

Key Attributes: judging player ability, judging player potential, tactical knowledge, determination.

Recommended Buys: Andres Vilas Boas, Jose Ferreirinha, Bruno Conti, Ronald Spelbos, Eusebio (Porto), Paco Herrera, Roberto Bettega, Bora Milutinovic.

The Coach

Regular coaches will need specific coaching attributes depending on what you assign them too. Fitness coaches will need to be good attributes in fitness, goalkeeping coaches will need good coaching goalkeeping stats and youth team coaches will need to be good at working with youngsters so they can help them progress to their full potential. All coaches will need to be good motivators so they can motivate players to work hard in training. They will also need a good level of discipline, so like other staff, they can make sure they do not get lazy in training. Man handling skills are useful too so they can handle the players, and build good relationships with them. Thereby keeping them happy and working hard in training.

Some coaching roles require only one attribute. These are Defending, Attacking, Strength, Aero, and Tactics. The remaining three require combinations. All three have a primary attribute of Technique but they also require one or more secondary statistics. Shooting needs attacking as a secondary attribute, whereas Ball Control and Set Pieces need Attacking and Mental.


Key Attributes: motivating, level of discipline, specific attributes depending on the coaches role in training.

Recommended Buys: Rojo (Barcelona), Vito Scala, Paulo Paixao, Rene Meulensteen, Tony Colbert, Francesco Pedone, Eddie Niedzwiecki, Angelo Antenucci, Angel Pedraza.