Alright folks, it’s time for the big surprise we were telling you about yesterday! Darren and me have been working on this for a while, more than a month to be precise, and we’re proud to give you the first Football Manager Stories e-book guide, almost 50 pages of pure Football Manager 2011 goodness filled with tips, tricks, advice that should make your Football Manager 2011 experience a successful one. Many of you have asked us time and again «how do you do it?» after some of our successes in the game. Well, you will find the answers in the Football Manager 2011 Handbook, all of our secrets will be revealed in this cracking and 100 percent FREE Football Manager 2011 Guide.
Now let us give you a glimpse of what you will find inside the Football Manager 2011 Handbook. The structure is very easy to follow because we will take you from the very first moment after taking over a club to the dying seconds of the match that you desperately need to win. First you will find out which are the very first things that you need to do after getting a job in Football Manager 2011, the things that will lay the foundations for your future success. You will find out how to find the best assistant manager, how to spot the best coaches and the best scouts. Then you’ll find out what you need to know about scouting, where to look for players and also which are the essential attributes for every player role in Football Manager 2011. Once you get all that figured out you will be taken through all the steps that you need to take to build a successful tactic in Football Manager 2011: formations, team instructions, player roles and set pieces.
In the next chapter you will find out what to do before a game in Football Manager 2011: how to set up match preparation, what to take out of the pre-match meeting, how to research the opponent and what to look at when selecting your squad. As the first whistle comes closer you will find out all that you need to know about opposition instructions and team talks. The match is finally underway but your job doesn’t finish there, you will still have to know how to make substitutions, which tactical changes to make and also how to use touchline shouts in Football Manager 2011. Last but not least you will also have a list of useful online resources that can make you a better FM 2011 manager.
How to download the Football Manager 2011 Handbook
The FM 2011 Handbook will be distributed exclusively through our FaceBook page, that is our way of thanking our most loyal fans. Each and every one of our fans on FaceBook will get a download link for the Free Football Manager Guide within the next few minutes. If you were a fan and didn’t get the update, don’t worry: just go to our page and you will find a link in the left sidebar, just below the site logo. Those of you which, for some reason, didn’t hit the «like» button on our FaceBook page will still have the chance to get the Football Manager 2011 Handbook, you will just have to become a fan and then you will have access to the FM 2011 Handbook download link.
Now if you don’t have a FaceBook account you should not worry, we have a solution for you: our own Social Network! Some say that it’s better than FaceBook, you’ll just have to set up an account there (it takes under a minute) and then you will receive a private message after activating your account with the Football Manager 2011 Handbook download link.
If you still are not 100% sure that you want this Free Football Manager 2011 Guide let us show you just one page of it, you will surely want it after that!
What are you waiting for? Give us a like on FaceBook and get the Football Manager 2011 Handbook or head over to our own Social Network! And we didn’t tell you the best part yet: we have already agreed to make a bigger and better handbook for Football Manager 2012!
vaibhavc
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:21
Hey Johnny
Can’t wait for the download! I should be getting it soon.
Johnny Karp
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:23
Hey Vaibhav, you should have received a message (update) on facebook by now as I have already sent it out.
vaibhavc
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:32
I haven’t got anything so far.
Johnny Karp
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:34
Did you click the «like» button on our page? http://facebook.com/footballmanagerstory
vaibhavc
27 апреля, 2011 at 18:07
Haha obviously! I have been a fan since a king time ago. Anyway, I saw the comments and I am going to download it.
Laxeyman
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:28
Great idea Johnny, looking forward to reading it!
Darren Smith
26 апреля, 2011 at 21:07
Hope you enjoy it mate :)
Sears
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:34
Wow, I’m shell shocked. You and Darren have taking FM gaming to a whole new level, this is just…. Phenomenal. Tbh, I’m really a beginner at FM as I only really began to understand the game when I first came across this site last year. This handbook will be extremely beneficial and you and Darren deserve enormous credit for assembling it. It must have taking an age! I’m in total disbelief! You two guys are absolute genius’s!
Johnny Karp
26 апреля, 2011 at 19:48
You’re too kind Sears, it did take a while and some work but it’s not like we’ve built the Chinese Wall :)
Darren Smith
26 апреля, 2011 at 21:08
Thanks for the kind words mate. It took some time and effort but well worth it. Hope you enjoy the read and improve your game.
Sebastian
26 апреля, 2011 at 20:38
I keep trying to «like» the page on FB but i keep getting: «Temporary Error. Sorry, your connection failed at this time. Please try again.»
I want to read this before I go to sleep :X
Johnny Karp
26 апреля, 2011 at 20:44
I’m sorry but that’s not our fault… Hopefully it’s just a temporary glitch on FaceBook, please try again or head over to our own Social Network, there are less glitches there :)
the-dutch-fm-god
26 апреля, 2011 at 22:41
Wow really cool guys, that’s amazing! I will visit your Facebook tomorrow :)
Johnny Karp
26 апреля, 2011 at 23:17
Thanks mate, do leave some feedback after reading as we can only make the 2012 edition better with your help!
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 11:43
Thanks mate, like Johnny said any feedback would be appreciated
Desmo Wenning
27 апреля, 2011 at 15:47
For the next edition of you handbook, it’s maybe an idea to translate it in some languages?
Also a (very) little thing here: In Chapter 2, Building the future, you talk about scouting. One of the points is scouting in Eastern Europe. But you guys said: ‘if you manage an European club’ but didn’t you mean ‘if you manage an English club’? Because you don’t need work permits in Spain, Germany, Holland etc….
But that was just a little thing, and I like the book and definitely use it since I’m not that great in FM, thank you!
Desmo Wenning
27 апреля, 2011 at 16:03
Btw your FaceBook page is still doing weird stuff with the like button…
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 19:24
We’re sorry, we don’t own Facebook unfortunately :) Those problems are not our fault and we can’t fix them either, so you’ll just have to be patient.
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 18:48
Thanks for the feedback mate…not sure about the different languages as I only speak English so couldn’t fool proof it, plus this site is English speaking only. You have a point with the work permit thing…guess we were just been cautious there in case there are any countries we don’t know if that require work permits. The Facebook problem is from them not us, there is nothing we can do and its frustrating, but again thanks for letting us know. Its appreciated. :)
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 19:23
I might consider the translation idea but I won’t do it myself although I speak a few languages, translating requires a lot of patience and I’m not sure I’d have it after working on the guide. If some other people would want to do the translation I don’t see why not. You are right about that phrase, it should have been clearer: the reference was to Western Euroopean countries where non-EU players are subject to restrictions (work permit, limited places in the squad etc).
Desmo Wenning
28 апреля, 2011 at 13:53
Well I could translate it in Dutch :D
joelance
26 апреля, 2011 at 23:01
Wow! You guys totally blew me away. I didn’t know what to expect actually. Very nice what you have done. I’ve «like»d this site a long time ago on facebook. Didn’t get any notification or something. How do i get the download?
Johnny Karp
26 апреля, 2011 at 23:16
Thanks mate. You can go to the Facebook page and click on a link in the left sidebar, just below the page logo. If you are a fan then you should be able to download the guide.
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 11:44
Thanks buddy, hope you downloaded it OK. :)
Excessive
26 апреля, 2011 at 23:32
Thanks for this lads, it looks brilliant,
All the knowledge of two world class managers rolled into 48 pages! Definitely worth a read in my book :)
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 06:32
Thanks Jake, we appreciate your feedback.
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 11:45
Cheers Jake, we can make 2012 better with some help. So as Johnny mentioned please offer feedback.
Lye
27 апреля, 2011 at 01:55
Hi Johnny and Darren,
Wow, that was really a great surprise. You guys are rocking the FM world. Thanks for taking the time and effort to come out this handbook. I am sure to gain something out of it to enhance my enjoyment.
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 06:33
Thanks Lye, you already are a great manager but each of us still has something to learn :)
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 11:47
Thanks Lye, as a great manager yourself any feedback can only help us improve for next year :)
Nigel
27 апреля, 2011 at 03:15
I have just downloaded the guide, and it is insanely comprehensive. Credits to both you guys for doing the guide as I believe it will help many players and possibly my Premier League charge with Harrogate. Thank you once again.
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 06:34
Thanks Nigel, we’re very happy that you liked it. Good luck with Harrogate!
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 12:12
Thanks Nigel…knowing the guide has helped makes it all worth while!
Alex
27 апреля, 2011 at 03:41
Wow, I was not expecting that :P
Great guide, very long and full of detail. Some of the pictures are too close to the text in my opinion, but that is a small blemish on an otherwise fantastic piece of work. I heard you say something about a 2012 edition, what more could you add?!?!?! You seem to have everything in there, great piece of work guys :D
Btw, that picture on Facebook of what the cover would look like is very funny, look at the text on the spine, it doesn’t look right ;)
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 06:36
Thanks for the feedback Alex. The 2012 version will be different because the game might be different, we still don’t know much about that yet.
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 11:49
Thanks Alex, Johnny has it spot on…who knows what the new game will bring. I have adapted as a manager since 2010 so there could be a lot of new tips to share for 2012
CsAtlantis
27 апреля, 2011 at 03:56
Oh yeah Johnny and Darren, I’ll go and read it now and post my thoughts later, but regarding the example page you posted up………..
In the first paragraph of «How many formations should you have?»
if used in the correct manor(manner?) :P
I have no doubt that the content of the guide itself will be awesome though :D
Alex
27 апреля, 2011 at 04:01
Damn, I was just about to say that when I saw this post! The actual content is brilliant, spend some time reading it and you’ll agree :)
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 06:36
The content should be quite useful CS, we’re sorry for any such mistakes. We’ve read through it loads of times but…
CsAtlantis
27 апреля, 2011 at 07:40
No problem at all Johnny, next time you can let me and Alex go through it first :P
For the position and role section, it seems to be missing defensive midfielder support and defensive midfielder defend from what I can see
The 4-5-1 is spot on for the part where a winger would get more assists, for me Kadlec and Holtby score goals for me, the interesting player is right winger Larsson who has 20 assists, just slightly below the total of Kadlec and Holtby combined (I play down both flanks)
I prefer 2 central mids (one box to box and one ball winning midfielder support) with 1 defensive midfielder defend personally, unless I have an advanced playmaker like fabregas :D
For the target man supply part, it seems like there is to feet, to head, run onto ball, and one empty bullet point there, is it for mixed?
Didn’t notice anything on the sending scouts to scout next opposition, there is usually some very useful info in the report on the opposition team’s strengths i.e. pacey strikers, strong or fast defenders, danger man alert plus any way to exploit their defence
It’s a great guide, well done! Particularly liked Chapter 5, just realized that most of the time I throw on substitutes for the most tired players without considering the wider picture :D
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 07:51
Those two roles are similar to the anchor man (defend) but I should have mentioned that, good point. About scouting next opposition, I do that as well but most times I get more useful info from the pre-match meeting.
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 11:56
Thanks for the feedback mate. We did miss one or two small mistakes but couldn’t have checked it more times. As for the roles I have listed the roles I use. Couldn’t possibly go through them all as it would take up too much and its pointless talking about stuff I have no experience in. Those midfield roles are purely what I use. Will have to check out the ones you’ve mentioned. Thanks again for the feedback its much appreciated.
CsAtlantis
27 апреля, 2011 at 13:23
Yea no problem, I just have some sort of proof reading tendency out of habit
Enjoyed the guide, should come in handy for my games, looking forward to another edition for the new FM :D
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 14:08
Alright then, consider yourself hired as a proofreader for the 2012 version! :) We won’t pay you though :)
Alex
27 апреля, 2011 at 14:44
Can I be a proofreader as well?
It would mean I get it early :D
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 15:02
We might have to set up a contest between you and CS :) Just kidding, we will need all the help we can get so you are more than welcome to give us a hand.
CsAtlantis
28 апреля, 2011 at 02:15
What, for free? :P
Sure why not, won’t take too long to read through hoepfully(could be more content though next edition if there are any new features :D )
CsAtlantis
28 апреля, 2011 at 02:23
Bleh, hopefully :(, things are not going off to a good start :P
Daniel
27 апреля, 2011 at 12:14
Great idea guys. Honestly think you should put it on the market if you get good reviews from people! it would be a top seller. Can’t wait to download it!
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 14:10
Thanks Daniel. We are not considering making such stuff for sale, our content will remain free for everyone.
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 18:51
Thanks Daniel…as Johnny said we follow the same morales as Football Manager themselves, nothing other than the game should be charged for. We love running this site and helping people, that is more than enough.
Timmy
27 апреля, 2011 at 15:56
just see the example,and it’s looks good,badly i can’t use
maybe some reader get the same problem with me,
I don’t have Facebook account(too lazy to make it)and having trouble to make Social Network account
Huh,btw great work,and once again,both of you shocking the FM world!
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 18:57
Timmy check your email inbox, the one you provided with your comment. There’s a little present waiting for you. :)
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 19:01
Actually Timmy, I couldn’t send you an email it says that address doesn’t exist. Do you have another email account, if using that one to sign up to the social network it certainly wouldn’t have worked.
Ana Garcia
27 апреля, 2011 at 17:14
Amazing work, well done!
I was reading some of it yesterday and you can see alot of work was put in to it, considering both of you have full time jobs a real credit that you managed to compose it whilst writing your stories and then allowing us to have it for free.
So a big thank you from me, I will be reading more of it tonight in my bed!
:)
Darren Smith
27 апреля, 2011 at 18:54
Thanks Ana, I hope you enjoy it and feedback is always welcome. Its been a long month between work, posts and the guide…but to be honest I enjoyed every second, of the guide and posting that is not work ;)
Johnny Karp
27 апреля, 2011 at 19:25
Thanks Ana, have a good bedtime read :)
daniel
27 апреля, 2011 at 22:55
Great guide guys this will help alot . P.S daniel who said about making money from the book was not me i am the one who used to blog for allthatisfootballmanager
Johnny Karp
28 апреля, 2011 at 16:56
Thanks mate, we hope it will help.
Darren Smith
28 апреля, 2011 at 17:53
Thanks Daniel, appreciate the feedback. :)
Daniel
28 апреля, 2011 at 19:08
so which one of you two are becoming the new west ham manager
Johnny Karp
28 апреля, 2011 at 19:24
Darren :)
Darren Smith
28 апреля, 2011 at 19:32
Naaah I’m holding out for Newcastle!!! Mike Ashley, if your listening, you’ve made a lot of terrible mistakes…why not make one more and hire me. :)
David Wiggins
28 апреля, 2011 at 02:25
Just did a huge response but it «timed out» when I went to submit! bums. In short — I have set up a new game to follow this religiously and it is working! A lot of it is common sense too!
Huge thank you to the pair of you! Only things I could see on 1st (and maybe 2nd) read is not much being mentioned about training or press conferences. At the moment, I am reading it all before every game to make sure I have everything covered so taken me ages to play just one game! If I notice anything else, I will let you know!
Darren Smith
28 апреля, 2011 at 17:57
Thanks for the feedback Dave and I really hope it helps. Quite funny that fm is mainly common sense, sometimes you just need someone to put that into clear words and it all crawls out of the woodwork. Unfortunately press conferences are my weakness, I always send my assistant and wasn’t comfortable writing about it…but I agree with the training, we could maybe elaborate more in future editions. Its tough to make it all readable and not too much I guess. :) Hope to hear and more feedback pal!
Johnny Karp
28 апреля, 2011 at 18:09
I don’t attend press conferences either. However, both me and Darren still get good results while sending the assistant to those conferences so I doubt their importance in the game.
CsAtlantis
29 апреля, 2011 at 05:04
The guide does cover good assistant managers, and good assistant managers handle press conferences well………………….:P
dami
28 апреля, 2011 at 20:33
I’ve spent the last few minutes thinking of a good word to describe the guide but couldn’t so i’ll make up my own word…
Awesomelyencompasinglybrillant :) :)
Darren Smith
28 апреля, 2011 at 20:43
Wow thats one hell of a word ;) ;) Thanks Dami, we just hope it helps. :)
Sayam Khan
29 апреля, 2011 at 23:27
I wasn’t comfortable reading this guide on my laptop, so what I did was I printed it on the day it was published, and I decided to read it when I have nothing to do. So last night, I couldn’t go to sleep and I read the whole book. Firstly, I would like to say a very big thank you from both of you, this guide has helped me a lot. One of the points I’ll mention is not applying opposition instructions against teams you should be winning and let your own team play there game instead of concentrating on other. This seems to have worked excellently for me! :D Thanks again!
Johnny Karp
30 апреля, 2011 at 04:35
I’m happy that you found it useful Sayam, that’s why we started working on it in the first place.
Darren Smith
30 апреля, 2011 at 13:15
Thanks Sayam, the opposition instructions are vital, but can be over used so I’m glad that helped. Hope you carry on gaining info from the guide. :)
paine
30 апреля, 2011 at 22:19
Seems interesting guys, I’d like to share my thoughts about that guide with you, but unfortunately I don’t use facebook, is there another way to obtain it?
Thanks.
Johnny Karp
30 апреля, 2011 at 22:39
There is, you can join our own Social Network: https://www.footballmanagerstory.com/socialnetwork/
You will receive a message with the download link after activating your account and I hope you won’t regret it since we’re having quite a few interesting football and FM discussions in there.
Tony Chau Yue Lung
10 мая, 2011 at 16:53
I can’t find any url when I have become the fans in facebook. Help!!!
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:09
Look on the left hand side, it should have a Football Manager handbook link near the top. Click that and the link will come up.
evilalien001
22 мая, 2011 at 21:08
Hi i love the idea but i dont have facebook and i would like a copy and it aint on my sidebar howelse can i do it?? sounds like a great post though
Johnny Karp
22 мая, 2011 at 21:12
The alternative to Facebook is explained in the post, our Social Network: «you’ll just have to set up an account there (it takes under a minute) and then you will receive a private message after activating your account with the Football Manager 2011 Handbook download link.»
https://www.footballmanagerstory.com/socialnetwork/
Thanks.
Archie
23 июля, 2011 at 09:26
Try my 3-6-1 or 3-5-2
3-6-1: 3 CBs 1 DM (anchor man) 2 CMs (1 Advanced Playmaker and 1 Central Midfielder) 2 Wingers 1 AMC (Trequartista) and 1 STC (Target Man)
3-5-2 is the same but no AMC and 2 STCs
Darren Smith
24 июля, 2011 at 18:36
Thanks for the comment mate, I’ve already got a winning system so wouldn’t want to risk changing this year. Interesting formations though.
Frederick Köhler
9 августа, 2011 at 16:11
I’ve always tried Football Manager but could never seem to get going. So when I decided to get 2011 I started a career with Newcastle straight away (am fanatic supporter) I had a brilliant tactic set up that allowed me to beat the likes of Fiorentina 3-2, Arsenal 2-1 away and Tottenham 4-0. But I hit a low point and didnt win in 15 matches including getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Swansea. I couldn’t get a win from anywhere. So I look forward to reading your guide and finding out what I was doing wrong!! The guide looks brilliant though, thanks for your hard work!
Darren Smith
9 августа, 2011 at 19:36
Thanks for the the comment mate and we hope the guide helps you.
Dan
18 августа, 2011 at 15:50
Excuse me, What program do you use to open it? Everytime I choose to open it, it opens up with notepad and has text like this below
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Please Help!!!
Johnny Karp
18 августа, 2011 at 17:22
Any PDF reader would do, Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most popular.
Dan
18 августа, 2011 at 19:26
Thanks mate!
Michael Bellairs
29 августа, 2011 at 20:49
i liked it didnt get a link i clicked the icon and my requests keeps gettin time outs
Johnny Karp
29 августа, 2011 at 20:55
I have already answered you on Facebook, the link should work.
Alex Barlow
31 августа, 2011 at 07:04
Fantastic guide, guys. Really helped me get the most out of my players and staff, even has me set for the future seasons. Brilliant. :)
Johnny Karp
31 августа, 2011 at 07:18
Thanks for the kind words Alex, we’re very happy that we managed to help you with this guide.
Darren Smith
31 августа, 2011 at 12:00
Yeah thanks Alex, hearing comments like that make the time worth while.
Kenny
6 сентября, 2011 at 15:08
This guide is just great ! When I started FM I was rubbish and even managed to get the likes of Rotherham, Cardiff and Leyton Orient relegated. After reading your guide only ONCE I’m on my way to L1 with Morecambe !
Keep up the good work !
Johnny Karp
6 сентября, 2011 at 15:57
Thanks for the kind words Kenny, we’re happy that the guide helped you to become a better manager. Now if you read it TWICE you will get to the Premier League :)
Darren Smith
6 сентября, 2011 at 18:33
Thanks Kenny, it’s great to know the guide works. Don’t forget we’ll be doing another one for FM 2012.
christian
9 сентября, 2011 at 09:44
Hey, I downloaded the guide. Really nice work boys… If U are planning a new one, but looking for a better layout. Contact me… I can help U out.
Peace! :)
Glenn Patrick
10 сентября, 2011 at 18:13
I started playing Championship manager (as it was then! before FM) from the first game on my old Atari ST then Amiga and have loved it ever since, unfortunately when i started working abroad and far to many hours i didn’t play 2010 at all, so i just loaded up FM 2011 and thought i’d look for a few pointers, and your guide is pure class, easy to understand full of interesting info and great advice — Thanks for all the effort chaps!! Very appreciated!
Darren Smith
10 сентября, 2011 at 18:37
Thanks for the kind words Glenn, its always great to hear feedback and reading comments like that make the effort worth while. There will be another guide published for FM 2012 also.
Katagua
10 ноября, 2011 at 12:49
Hey guys I was wondering if this guide is still available.
I dont have/use facebook and the link to the internal social network doesnt seem to be working… So could someone please send me the link if still available, cause I could really use this guide ;-)
Johnny Karp
10 ноября, 2011 at 13:53
Here you go: http://www.mediafire.com/?btx9b73kw70c1q7
Katagua
17 ноября, 2011 at 14:40
Thanks a lot
sourov
13 апреля, 2012 at 06:27
Please give me the guide i liked your fb fanpage .
Johnny Karp
13 апреля, 2012 at 08:38
The download link is posted just two comments above yours.