FM2010 new features blog Day 2: exclusive new screenshots and backroom advice explained

Over the next two days I'll be going into more detail with the new feature, and also talk about how assistant manager feedback has been improved for FM2010, as they are linked together in many ways.

The idea of the 'backroom advice' part of the game is to ensure that the manager is better informed about what is going on at their team, and to get help with areas that they might be missing out on.

You can call a backroom meeting at any point, and they will bring up any things that they wish to discuss.

Once a month, they will call a meeting, and you can attend, or decide not to. So it's not something you have to use, but we think you'll find it useful and easy to use. They'll also come to you requesting a meeting on your first day in the job, pre-season and pre-match.

For a start, when one of the backroom staff suggests something, there is a one click button to say that you want to use the advice. So, say one of your coaches recommends that one of your players game could benefit by being asked to learn how to play a simple passing game, there will be a button there for you to click, and the coach will do the rest. You won't have to go to the players interaction screen, and choose the option yourself.

There's a wealth of information that your backroom staff will come to you with. I'm not going to reveal everything here, as you'll have to play the demo and the game to find out the full extent, but the kind of things they come to you with are:

Staff and player recommendations for spaces in the back-room and the squad, both at first team and youth levels

Recommending set piece takers and potential captains

Tactical advice pointing out advantages and weaknesses that the opposition have over your team

Stats about your own team that will help you with your own tactics

Advice about player interaction - both your own players, and ones that you might be looking at

Advice about transfer status and contracts of your own players

Recommendations about training for individual players

Youth development recommendations

Comparing your squad against others in the division on things like pace, technique and age

Recent form

Training improvements and drops

Squad weaknesses

Areas which a scout should be assigned to

Best formation (based on the players at the club)

And many many more!

In tomorrow's blog, I'll be looking at how your staff affect the validity of the backroom advice, and also looking at some changes in how you and the assistant manager interact in the game.