The Best Backroom Staff Signings for Every Level on Football Manager 2008
Signing the best available players might seem like the simple answer to winning on Football Manager, but it isn’t the only factor. The quality of your team’s staff could become the difference maker in a tight relegation battle or fight to reach Europe or the playoffs. Take some time to evaluate your existing backroom team and decide whether replacing them might help give your team a competitive edge over league rivals.
The Best Assistant Managers for Every Level on Football Manager 2008
3 Best Assistant Managers for Elite Teams
Alfons Higl
Current Club: VfB Stuttgart
Wage Demand: £4.7k per week
Compensation Fee: £275k
Higl is the most effective all-rounder available to teams competing in Europe. His defensive coaching is above average, so he’s a good addition to your coaching team in addition to Assistant Manager duties.
Wolfgang Funkel
Current Club: Kaiserslautern
Wage Demand: £2.5k per week
Compensation Fee: £140k
Thanks to his good Man Management and Judging Player Ability attributes, Funkel is a good assistant. Although his other coaching attributes aren’t quite as strong, this shouldn’t be an issue if you have a good coaching team.
Nigel Gibbs
Current Club: Reading
Wage Demand: £4.5k per week
Compensation Fee: £35k
Gibbs is another good assistant who lacks the attributes to also deliver as a coach. His Man Management and Motivating attributes should help, particularly if you’ve delegated team talks.
3 Best Assistant Managers for Top Flight Teams
Nigel Gibbs
Current Club: Reading
Wage Demand: £3.5k per week
Compensation Fee: £35k
For clubs not actively competing in Europe, Gibbs becomes one of the strongest realistic options. His relatively low compensation fee means even budget-strapped teams can consider hiring him if the current Assistant Manager isn’t up to scratch.
Mark O’Connor
Current Club: Stoke City
Wage Demand: £1.3k per week
Compensation Fee: £210k
A solid all-rounder for mid-table sides, but O’Connor’s hefty compensation fee might be too high for relegation contenders to consider him.
Steve Gritt
Current Club: Charlton Athletic
Wage Demand: £1.4k per week
Compensation Fee: £95k
Steve Gritt is another reliable Assistant Manager that even clubs with tighter wage budgets can consider. He could be a difference maker for teams fighting to stay up.
3 Best Assistant Managers for Second Tier Teams
Marty Booty
Current Club: Huddersfield Town
Wage Demand: £500 per week
Compensation Fee: £24k
A reasonably good Assistant Manager whose best strength is keeping squad morale in good health. Booty can also handle your Defending Coaching on top of his assistant’s duties.
Bill Chetwyn
Current Club: Port Vale
Wage Demand: £425 per week
Compensation Fee: £12k
It’s worth considering Chetwyn if your resources are limited. In addition to his Assistant Manager duties, Chetwyn is versatile enough to fill almost any coaching role, allowing you to focus on improving other areas. But, at 61 years old, you may need to find a replacement within a few seasons.
Neil Maddison
Current Club: Darlington
Wage Demand: £450 per week
Compensation Fee: £26k
Maddison is slightly more expensive but offers the best utility pick at this level. He has good Man Management and can fill in as a decent Attacking Coach.
3 Best Assistant Managers for Lower League Teams
Bill Chetwyn
Current Club: Port Vale
Wage Demand: £250 per week
Compensation Fee: £12k
Despite his age, Chetwyn is a strong, affordable choice to help your team challenge for promotion, potentially opening up a wider pool of replacements when he’s ready to retire.
Neil Maddison
Current Club: Darlington
Wage Demand: £450 per week
Compensation Fee: £26k
Maddison’s abilities as an Assistant Manager and Attacking Coach could have a huge impact for lower league sides looking for an edge over their opponents.
Ian Culverhouse
Current Club: Wycombe Wanderers
Wage Demand: £450 per week
Compensation Fee: £100k
Culverhouse brings the right attributes to work as a Fitness Coach, but the upfront cost needed to compensate Wycombe may be too much for League Two clubs to consider.
What to Look for in an Assistant Manager on Football Manager 2008
It’s difficult to establish exactly what attributes contribute towards a “good” assistant manager on Football Manager 2008, in part because managers often use them differently depending on their requirements. Good general attributes to look for include Man Management, Motivating, and Level of Discipline for player-based interactions, and Tactical Knowledge and Judging Player Ability for match preparation. Any coaching strengths on top of that are simply a bonus.
The Best Scouts for Every Level on Football Manager 2008
3 Best Scouts for Elite Teams
Daniel Rolland
Current Club: AJ Auxerre
Wage Demand: £1.8k per week
Compensation Fee: £250k
Easily the best Scout available on the market but, at 62 years old, it won’t be too many seasons before he decides to retire.
Wolfgang Dremmler
Current Club: FC Bayern
Wage Demand: £6.75k per week
Compensation Fee: £300k
For a longer term scouting option, consider swiping Dremmler from Bayern Munich. The biggest downside to Dremmler is a slightly higher compensation fee and a weekly wage more than three times higher compared to Rolland.
Antonio Acosta
Current Club: Ejido
Wage Demand: £350 per week
Compensation Fee: £55k
Get the best value for money with 32 year old Antonio Acosta. His judging player attributes are slightly lower, but you’re getting a great long-term scout for a fraction of the cost.
3 Best Scouts for Top Flight Teams
Ian Broomfield
Current Club: Portsmouth
Wage Demand: £2.4k per week
Compensation Fee: £100k
Broomfield is easily the best choice if your team has plenty of budget to play with.
David Hamilton
Current Club: Wigan Athletic
Wage Demand: £1.1k per week
Compensation Fee: £60k
On a slightly tighter budget, consider reducing upfront and ongoing wage costs with David Hamilton.
Bobby Hope
Current Club: West Bromwich Albion
Wage Demand: £500 per week
Compensation Fee: £28k
Hope is the most affordable scout option for top flight teams but, at 63 years old, won’t be likely to sign a new contract once his initial deal runs out.
3 Best Scouts for Second Tier Teams
Bobby Roberts
Current Club: Oxford Utd
Wage Demand: £275 per week
Compensation Fee: £45k
Roberts could help identify players to help your team reach the top flight. But make the most of him while you can, a 66 year old isn’t going to continue working for long.
Martin Wilkinson
Current Club: Barnsley
Wage Demand: £500 per week
Compensation Fee: £140k
Wilkinson is a younger but significantly more expensive option than Roberts. It’s only worth considering Wilkinson if you have healthy funds.
Dave Philpotts
Current Club: Tranmere Rovers
Wage Demand: £350 per week
Compensation Fee: £20k
For teams without much budget to work with, Philpotts should be enough to bolster your scouting department.
3 Best Scouts for Lower League Teams
Bobby Roberts
Current Club: Oxford Utd
Wage Demand: £275 per week
Compensation Fee: £45k
Somehow, Roberts is also willing to sign for League One and League Two sides, making him an absolute steal for teams looking to gain a competitive edge via the transfer market.
Alan Dafforn
Current Club: Dagenham & Redbridge
Wage Demand: £180 per week
Compensation Fee: £10k
At 61 years old, Dafforn also won’t be around forever, but most teams should be able to afford him.
There may be other decent scouts available for lower league teams but they’re likely to be generated on each new game.
What to Look for in a Scout on Football Manager 2008
A strong scouting department helps identify players who can make an immediate impact on your squad, or identify youngsters with long-term potential.
Good scouts rely on Judging Player Ability and Judging Player Potential when delivering accurate scout reports. Adaptability can also play a role in how quickly scouts build up knowledge in other countries.
The Best Physios for Every Level on Football Manager 2008
3 Best Physios for Elite Teams
Magnus Forsblad
Current Club: Unattached
Wage Demand: £1.3k per week
Compensation Fee: N/A
Grab Forsblad before another team does; you won’t get a better opportunity to sign a world class physio.
Leif Swärd
Current Club: Unattached
Wage Demand: £1.1k per week
Compensation Fee: N/A
Swärd is slightly cheaper than Forsblad, but his age (66) means he won’t be sticking around for too long.
Koen Walravens
Current Club: Anderlecht
Wage Demand: £1.6k per week
Compensation Fee: £80k
Walravens may cost more than Forsblad and Swärd but he’s a great long-term option. Aged just 25, he could easily anchor your medical department for decades to come.
3 Best Physios for Top Flight Teams
Glen Schmidt
Current Club: Bristol City
Wage Demand: £450 per week
Compensation Fee: £50k
Glen Schmidt is absolutely the first-choice physio signing unless your club’s finances are too tight.
Nick Dawes
Current Club: Bristol City
Wage Demand: £450 per week
Compensation Fee: £26k
A few years older and not quite as good as Schmidt, but slightly more affordable.
Nick Worth
Current Club: Unemployed
Wage Demand: £1.1k per week
Compensation Fee: N/A
Nick Worth is available without paying compensation, but comes with higher wage demands than Schmidt and Dawes combined. On the plus side, he’s the youngest recommendation at this tier, so should stick around for a while.
3 Best Physios for Second Tier Teams
Nick Worth
Current Club: Unemployed
Wage Demand: £1.1k per week
Compensation Fee: N/A
Worth is also available for Championship sides but may be out of budget for clubs that aren’t eyeing at least a playoff place finish.
Lee Martin
Current Club: Huddersfield Town
Wage Demand: £325 per week
Compensation Fee: £18k
A young and highly affordable long-term option, Lee Martin is a viable option for any Championship-level club.
Barry Holmes
Current Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wage Demand: £725 per week
Compensation Fee: £35k
Barry Holmes offers a middle ground option if Worth and/or Martin aren’t available, with enough years of his career left to be considered a viable long-term signing.
3 Best Physios for Lower League Teams
Steve Whitehall
Current Club: Southport
Wage Demand: £400 per week
Compensation Fee: £90k
Grab Whitehall if none of the earlier recommended options are available, which may be the case if you’re managing a League One or League Two club.
Michael Wait
Current Club: Lincoln City
Wage Demand: £400 per week
Compensation Fee: £95k
Wait is slightly older and comes with a slightly higher compensation fee compared to Whitehall, but ability-wise they’re on par.
Lesley Oleksyn
Current Club: Histon
Wage Demand: £210 per week
Compensation Fee: £3k
If you’re working on a shoestring budget, consider bringing in Oleksyn to bolster your physio department without breaking the bank.
What to Look for in a Physio on Football Manager 2008
This one’s fairly straightforward. The closer their Physiotherapy attribute is to 20, the better. A good physio team offers you better insight into when injured players will return to full fitness.
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