1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789
_  _ ___ _  _    ___ ____ ____ _ _  _ _ _  _ ____    ____ _  _ _ ___  ____ 
|\/|  |  |_/      |  |__/ |__| | |\ | | |\ | | __    | __ |  | | |  \ |___ 
|  |  |  | \_     |  |  \ |  | | | \| | | \| |__]    |__] |__| | |__/ |___ 

____ ____ ____    ____ ____ ____ ___ ___  ____ _    _    
|___ |  | |__/    |___ |  | |  |  |  |__] |__| |    |    
|    |__| |  \    |    |__| |__|  |  |__] |  | |___ |___ 
                                                         
_  _ ____ _  _ ____ ____ ____ ____    
|\/| |__| |\ | |__| | __ |___ |__/    
|  | |  | | \| |  | |__] |___ |  \    
  ____ ______ 
 / __ \____  |
| |  | |  / / 
| |  | | / /  
| |__| |/ /   
 \____//_/                  

_______________________________________________________________________________

Training Guide for Football Manager 2007 (aka Worldwide Soccer Manager)

Training in Football Manager 2007 is a important way to improve your team and 
players. Spending a little time on training, looing for good coaches, and 
changing from the default training schedules, can help your team, among other 
things to:

* Overcome problem effecting the team such as speed, finishing, passing or any
other area.
* Improve the value of players brought into the team, but increasing the 
abilities that are required in their position. An astue manager could easily 
bring in players cheaply, then sell them after increasing their skills with 
training.
* Develop Youth Player into future superstars, by setting them up to for their 
future position.
* Increase the depth of your team, developing players by increasing the 
competency in extra positions.

All these and more are possibly with astute training setups.

Many people are not sure about what does what with regards to training, and I 
hope this will improve their understanding of this area of football manager.

Training Schedule Basics
How schedules work, and what they improve:
The default schedule, will be what all players are on until moved by the 
manager. For the most part, these will be an almost equal amount of each 
training area (ie Tactics, Strength, Goalkeeping etc). Whilst this is okay 
for those not willing to "micro-manage", it is not efficient.

When you set your own schedule, any training area which is being trained 
more than the default, will improve that area, although the more you set 
over the default, the more improvement you will see. Of course, specific 
players and situations (for example age) can change this, making a player 
less likely to improve, or more likely to improve. Setting a training area 
below the default, will decrease the training area and can lead to reductions 
in that area's attribute for a player.

Workload - As a result of how much training in each area you set, the 
"Workload" slider will move from None, to Very Light, Light, Medium, Heavy and
 Very Heavy. In general, the final notch of Medium is the maximum you should 
go, unless you are trying to destroy a player who is leaving the club in the 
future, in which case you should max out the physical training and 
goalkeeping, whilst retraining him in a position he hates. And sticking him 
in the under 18's. This slider can be moved itself, and it will adjust all 
the sliders down or up.

Many people advocate a pre-season training, but I personally do not see a 
need, using the regular training, as long as it has a decent phsyical 
workload, combined with a few friendlies, should see a player match fit 
and ready to go.

Training Area and Attributes
Each training area can improve a players attributes like such:

    * Strength - Natural Fitness, Stamina, Strength, Work Rate.
    * Aerobic - Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Jumping, Pace, Reflexes.
    * Goalkeeping - Aerial Ability, Handling, Kicking, Throwing, One on Ones.
    * Tactics - Anticipation, Decisions, Positioning, Movement, Teamwork, 
Command of Area.
    * Ball Control - Dribbling, First Touch, Technique, Flair, Heading.
    * Defending - Tackling, Marking, Concentration.
    * Attacking - Passing, Vision, Creativity.
    * Shooting - Finishing, Long Shots, Composure.
    * Set Pieces - Crossing, Corners, Free Kicks, Penalties, Long Throws.

My Youth, Full Time and Part Time Schedules
Part-Time - This has much less scope for training, as the players are 
(obviously) not full-time, and probably have pubs to go to, and families 
to ignore. You should never have an "intensive" training area, as doing 
so will sacrifice the other areas. You will generally get at most 1 "High" 
then 1-3 "Medium", and the rest as "Light". Most teams with "Part-Time" 
players would be in lower league teams, such as Conference in England.
Image - http://tinyurl.com/ylvvtj

Youth - Youth Training should be geared more towards physical attributes
and then their main areas. The Default for Youth is quite varied, and
includes a (compared to the other defaults) heavier Strength and Aerobic 
training. Positions generally have a "prefered" physical area, so you should 
work to that area. Like part-time, "Intensive" is ruled out, but mainly 
because you need to concentrate more on Physical training.
Image - http://tinyurl.com/yaflf6

Full-Time - Players who are Full Time play for the big guns, such as Grimsby 
Town and Peterborough. Most schedules will have at least 1 "intensive" and 
2-4 "High". "Light" and "None" for the other areas will depend on the 
position being trained.
Image - http://tinyurl.com/yethsb

Download All Schedules in FM2007's .tsh format for import into FM2007:
http://tinyurl.com/yys5cl

Position Overview
The goal then is to increase the areas that a player does need for their 
position, and reduce areas that the player does not use. A basic breakdown 
of this is:

Strikers or Forwards
Main Areas: Shooting and Attacking
Lesser Areas: Defending, Strength
This will improve Finishing and Composure, and other areas increase vision, 
movement, flair and other attacking skills. It will reduce tackling, marking 
and other defensive skills.

Wingers
Main Areas Attacking, Set Pieces, Ball Control, Aerobic
Lesser Areas: Defending, Strength
This will increase Flair, Dribbling, Crossing, Penalty Taking, Pace and 
others. It will decrease Strength, Tackling and other defensive skills.

Attacking Midfielders
Main Areas: Attacking, Control, Shooting
Lesser Areas: Defending, Strength
This will increase Flair, Dribbling, Technique, Pace, acceleration, and other
attacking skills. It will decrease strength and defensive skills.

Defensive Midfielders
Main Areas: Defending, Tactics, Strength
Lesser Areas: Shooting, Attacking.
This will improve Stamina, Workrate, Decisions, Tackling, Marking, Teamwork 
and other defensive skills. It will have a moderate decrease in Shooting, 
Attacking and Aerobic Attritbues.

Wing Backs
Main Areas: Aerobic, Defending, Tactics
Lesser Areas: Shooting.
Wing Backs are quite unique, this training will generally keep a balanced 
grouping of skills, with an increase in Defensive skills, but still maintaing 
attacking skills and crossing.

Center Back
Main Areas: Defending, Strength, Tactics
Lesser Areas: Shooting, Attacking
This will improve marking, tackling, Stamina, Work Rate, Decisions, 
Positioning. I will heavily decrease shooting, flair and attacking skills.

Goalkeeper
Main Areas: Goalkeeping, Aerobic, Tactics, Defending
Lesser Areas: Shooting, Attacking - This improves a range of goalkeeping 
skills both mental and physical.

Position Training
A player can be trained in a new position (or trained to improve an existing 
position). Players can be trained in any position barring Goalkeeper. 
A Striker can be retrained as a Central Defender, and vice versa. 
They can also be trained to "switch sides" such as a AML becoming an AMR. 
Ideas for re-training include:

* Giving a "one-sided" player like a Left Midfielder the ability to play more 
positions such as AML or DL.* Training a player who has natural talent for a 
position but does not play that position (such as finding a wing back with 
finishing, composure and dribbling, and retraining as a striker or attacking 
midfielder). Often found in quality youth players.
* For extra depth or cover for positions, such as training a AML to be a 
AMR\AMC, a DC\MC as a DMC, a DL as a DR/DC.

Position Training Ranks
   
* Natural - This is the highest rank. It can never be trained. You either 
have a natural ability or not. Example - Cristiano Ronaldo as an Attacking 
Midfielder Right Or Left.
* Accomplished - The highest you can train a player. They have worked hard 
and know a great deal about this position, but do not have a natural, 
instinctive gift for it, perhaps training in this position after their youth,
or long-term exposure to playing in these positions. Example - Jamie Carragher 
as a Left or Right Defender.
* Competent - The player has some reasonble experience and training in this 
area, but would not be a first choice in the position - Example Jonathan de 
Guzman as a Defensive Midfielder.
* Un-convincing - Player has some training and experience in this area, or 
possibly the position is an opposing side of their main or secondary role. 
Example Micheal Essien as a Right Defender. 
* Awkward - Player has some basic training and ability in this position, and 
could play the position in an emergency. Example - Wayne Rooney as a 
Goalkeeper.
* Ineffectual - Usually only seen in a player who is theoretically capable of 
playing the position, or has just started training in the area.

Improving Position Training
Training a player from "nothing" to "accomplished" can take months of work and 
training. Some ways of helping or understanding the process better include:

* Player Age - The older a player is, the longer it will take. Conversely, a 
young player will often quickly pick up new skills.
* Once you have chosen a new position, check their personal page training 
section to see if they are happy with a new position. If they are unhappy it 
may be wise to stop re-training.
* Position Side - If the new position is on the same side as their usual 
position, it can help speed the process. Example a AMR training as a DR or 
WBR.
* Similar Role - If the new position is the same role as their usual 
position, it can help speed the process. Example a DR training as a DL or DC.

One final note is that the players ability in a trained position can degrade 
if they are started on another position, or are not being played in that 
position.

Training and Coaching
Coaches are a vital part of training. Using sub-standard coaches can cripple 
your training, and heavily reduce the the benefit of coaching. Good coaches 
can be found even for lower league teams, such as in the Conferance and also 
in "exotic" leagues such as in Africa or Asia. A team will have a 
"Star Rating" for each training area, and this will be made up the skills of 
any coaches training this area, from 1 to 5 stars. 0 Stars if there is no 
coach at all. Of course, the better your training facilites are, the better 
the overall training will be.

Staff Skills and star ratings
The following is what a coach will need to give you a "5 star" rating in a 
training area, note that some areas require coaching ability in more than 1 
area above a certain amount, and requires 1 area high, and 2 areas combined 
above a certain amount ( a "+" denotes equal to or greater):

* Strength - Fitness 18+
* Aerobic - Fitness 18+
* Goalkeeping - Coaching Goalkeepers 18+
* Tactics - Tactical 18+

* Defending - Defending 20 and Tactical 10+ or
* Defending - Defending 19 and Tactical 14+ or
* Defending - Defending 18 and Tactical 18+

* Ball Control - Technical 20 and Mental 10+ or
* Ball Control - Technical 19 and Mental 14+ or
* Ball Control - Technical 18 and Mental 18+

* Attacking - Attacking 20 and Tactical 10+ or
* Attacking - Attacking 19 and Tactical 14+ or
* Attacking - Attacking 18 and Tactical 18+

* Shooting - Technical 20 and Attacking 10+ or
* Shooting - Technical 19 and Attacking 14+ or
* Shooting - Technical 18 and Attacking 18+

* Set Pieces - Tech 20, Ment/Attacking = 30+ Combined (eg 20+10, 15+15) or
* Set Pieces - Tech 19, Ment/Attacking = 33+ Combined (eg 20+13, 17+16) or
* Set Pieces - Tech 18, Ment/Attacking = 36+ Combined (eg 20+16, 18+18) or
* Set Pieces - Tech 17, Ment/Attacking = 39+ Combined (eg 20+19, 20+20)

Finally, you can use the "Coaches" option in the Training menu and either 
"Auto-Assign" all your coaches to training areas, or do it yourself. 
Generally, the AI will do a resonable job of allocating coaches, but doing 
it yourself can give you some important gains in star rating as well as 
workload.

Thank you for reading my guide, and possibly downloading my training schedules.
I hope they improve your team and help you to victory. Or staving off
relgation. At the very least stopping you from getting sacked.

_______________________________________________________________________________
Inevitable Copyright section.

The various things in here are copyright. I don't really care what you do as 
long as you don't try to claim them for yourself. I don't care if you put this
on another site, just credit me.