Five Great Bits of Advice from Staff Meetings on FM22

November 8, 2021 Dictate The Game Comments 0 Comment

The introduction of the Staff Meetings has been one of Football Manager 2022’s key new features. It’s a total revamp of the way in which your staff helps you run your club, ditching the sometimes tiresome cascade of emails; instead, you get a concentrated, short order of business, that you can go through at any rate you want. With the release of the full game now just around the corner, we’ve all had a good chance to try out all the new stuff on the Early Access. But how to best take advantage of the Staff Meetings? Here are Five Great Bits of Advice from Staff Meetings on FM22.

Table of Contents

#1 Staff Vacancies

Arriving at a new club can be a daunting task, particularly if you’re playing in a league or a country you aren’t familiar with. That little obstacle can become even worse if you’re short-staffed. Not only you’re unaware of what’s the league standard for any given position on a club’s coaching, scouting or medical team, but you’re also on the blind on how much you should be paying any of these people, how competitive are the wages you can offer to potential candidates, and whether the people currently employed are competent, or overpaid.

Adverts take time, and if you’re playing in a league with a short preseason (or get hired mid-season) this can hurt your performance on the pitch. Luckily, one of the first pieces of advice you’ll hear from your Staff Meetings are which vacancies you currently have open on your staff. You’ll also get the suggestion of a competent candidate who could take the position at short notice. This will make those lengthy searches for capable scouts and coaches on the first couple of hours in a save a thing of the past. Of course, you can hire the suggested people, or use them as a comparison to the candidates you’re looking at. Regardless, having those early recommendations will help you put a working staff much quickly.

#2 Linking with the Development Centre

Every FM player knows the kids are the future. Regardless of whether it’s some young guns recently signed to bolster the squad looking forwards or your very own academy products, keeping tabs on the development of players can help you best suit training and playing time to aid their growth. That being said, if you’re managing a big club with lots of young players it can be difficult to find the moment with the demands of the day-to-day running of the club.

That’s where the FM22 Staff Meetings can help. You’ll get reports on which young players are looking like they have a bright future ahead. You can also learn whether any given player has outgrown their current squad and are ready to jump to the next level. Moreover, you’ll know whose contracts you should be looking to renew to keep other clubs away. If you’re playing with a club that focuses on youth development like Ajax or Lyon, this can help you keep track of every prospect on your squad, so you don’t miss out on any potential five-star youngster.

#3 Contract Renewals and Improvements

We’ve all had it at some point. You sign a player from a lower reputation league, for crazy cheap money (maybe even on a free) and minimal wages, only for him to outperform every expectation and you get lost enjoying the good times. When you realize, he’s got a list of fifteen tops clubs chasing his signature for peanuts. The moment he signs, he’s going to be valued maybe three or four times his current valuation; shame there’s no way you get him to extend his deal with you so you can get some extra cash.

Staff Meetings can help. You will get periodical warnings about players who could be in for an improved deal (ranging from youth prospects with tons of potential to underpaid overperformers) so you don’t sleep on the matter. You’ll also get reminders of players who are on expiring deals; that way no one can come and take your best guys for free. You can even set a reminder you get another warning next meeting, in case you still feel like it’s a bit early to talk money. Just don’t sleep on it again, there’s only so many times you can hit the snooze button.

#4 Coaching Team Improvements and Training Advice

Training is perhaps the most overlooked of the game’s module. You can find a plethora of tactical writings, lists of players to sign or statistical works, but the un-glamourized training ground remains the territory of few. Football Manager is (thankfully) one of those games that anyone can play however they please; despite that, the gains to be earned from Monday to Friday should not be underestimated.

Even if you’re not a fan of meddling with routines and workouts, FM22 Staff Meetings still nudge you on the right path, as you periodically get notifications of different training matters. Perhaps there are potential Coaching Team improvements to be made like signing a new, high-quality coach. Perhaps you could do with some reallocation of the existing staff to best suit the needs of the work. You will also get suggestions on specific weaknesses of your players, and how to work to improve them. There’s quite nothing like getting your hands dirty and working to get the last ounce of performance from your squad; however, thanks to the Staff Meetings, you can at least keep tabs on it if you’d rather never leave the tactics board or the negotiation room.

#5 Other People’s Opinion

One of the greatest things about the Staff Meetings in my opinion, however, has nothing to do with the actual advice you’ll get. What I really like is how easy it has been made to hear different takes on the same matter. With the “Ask Another Staff Member”, which you can find on the left of the screen, you can see what suggestions other staff members have on the matter.

This can be particularly useful if you’re unsure about a given decision. Does the rest of your staff think the same way? Then maybe there’s a chance it’s worthwhile. Does only one of your coaches or scouts suggest a particular approach? Well, maybe look deeper into the matter, or consider the attributes of the staff member making the suggestion. Ultimately, you’re the owner of your destiny, and no amount of suggestions will ever dictate your path.

Closing Thoughts

I’ve been a fan of the new FM22 Staff Meetings since I first came across them. I’ll be honest and admit that I wasn’t sure if they’d make a difference when they were first announced. However, I’ve enjoyed using them. I feel the new interface makes it much more agile to get this advice. It will also help newer players spot glaring mistakes in their decision making. For the more experienced player, perhaps they carry less weight. However, we’re all human and can overlook stuff like anyone. So hopefully you’ll be attentive the next time one of these meetings comes your way.