Trainings in Football Manager 2008

Considering trainings in FM 2008, I would mention two different approaches which are most often used by FM gamers.

The first is very simple and standard. Some of the gamers do not spend their time on trainings setup and leave them without any change. This is not bad. I mean, there’s no any bad influence of standard trainings on players of your team. Fitness, mental and technical player abilities are supported equally and enough for getting big wins.

Anyway there is the second approach which could give you much more benefit. It consists in setting up trainings by your own hands. Usually an advanced FM gamer creates several trainings for different pitch positions: goalkeepers, centre defenders, wing backs, defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders, wingers, forwards.

Normally, for goalkeepers the following skills are trained: Goalkeeping on Intensive level, Tactics, Ball Control, Strength, Aerobic on Medium level.
Centre defenders are effectively trained with High setting of Strength, Tactics, Aerobic, Defending and Medium setting of Set Pieces, Ball Control.

Wing back defenders should have High setting of Defending, Tactics, Aerobic and Medium setting of Set Pieces, Ball Control.
For defensive and attacking midfielders I would advice High levels of Ball Control, Tactics. Other skills apart from Goalkeeping must be set with Medium level. Though there is difference between DMs and AMs: set for attacking midfielders High Attacking and for defensive midfielders High Defending. Isn’t it logically? :)

Winger players must be fast and creative – have a good dribbling, pace, crossing abilities. My recommendation for them: High - Attacking, Tactics, Aerobic and Medium - Strength, Shooting, Ball Control, Set Pieces.

And at least but not last – forwards. There can be different types of them, of course – towering strikers (like John Carew, Didier Drogba, Jan Koller) or fast dribblers (Robinho, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney). That’s why it is good to have corresponding types of training. Anyway I usually set only one common training for all forwards: Intensive setting of Shooting, High setting of Attacking and all other skills apart from Goalkeeping and Defending are set as Medium.

And don’t forget to set distinct training programs for player of youth team. I recommend to set the same settings increasing levels of Strength and Aerobic.