I prepared the list of Football Manager 2010 tips and hints that I use playing the Game. Hope you'll find them helpful!

Tactics

- If opposition players have too much space down your flanks it's recommended to set you flank midfielders to Support duty. If you have full backs set their instructions to Defensive duty.

- Contain strategy helps really much if you play against stronger opponent and winning the game but it's still dangerous. In such cases I use it since 80th minute.

- Check referee strictness before a match. It's defined by numbers of judged matches and amount of yellow cards. Here is my personal formula:

(yellow cards / judged matches) < 3  - then use hard tackling opposition instructions and 'Get Stuck In' touchline shout more often.

- Let's suppose your team don't tend to use flanks much and your guys don't almost attack in current match. Try to use touchline shout 'Exploit the Flanks'. It can make a some kind of break-through in your team play.

- You may find several interesting FM2010 tips and hints in this post about my tactics. Take a look at the way how I use touchline shouts.

Wages saving

- Let's suppose contract of your player is coming to the end and he will leave your team in half of year. You can offer new contract now or later. If you do this later player will accept your offer with less wage very likely. But remember if you make a late offer you take a risk to loose a player because he can be signed by other clubs.

- Use your scout reports to save the wage money in FM2010.

Efficient transfers

- 'Offer to clubs' action helps to increase likelihood of selling a player.

- Status 'Not needed by the club' increases chances to sell a player as well.

- Selling players with age under 24 allows to raise perceptible sum of money. Just try to sell them setting asking price twice higher than their actual price.

- Making friendship by means of communication with other manager increases chances of transfers between your and his teams.

- There is nice FM2010 feature allowing to accept/reject all transfer offers using transfer centre. Just select offers and even different players by means of "Ctrl" or "Shift" clicking on them.

Scouting

- If you ask your scout to 'Scout Next Opposition' and after that you add another task that means scouting country or region in another continent, he will spend too much time travelling between continents. Therefore you will receive lower amount of scouting reports.

- Seems like you like this player but still not sure if he is worth buying. Try to ask your other scouts to analyze him. Scout more than once – you'll receive more realistic FM2010 information about player.

- You are interested in Brazil players, for example. Sign Brazil scout – he has more knowledge of them than any your English scout.

Player communication and morale

I would like to emphasize that player and manager communication is very important in the game. Efficient talks and media interaction results in 'Superb' morale of your players in Football Manager 2010.  There are many helpful tips about communication available in FM Book: Communication & Psychological Warfare . I recommend to read it.

Trainings

- Work Rate, Determination and Natural Fitness are the most important player attributes influencing upon development during trainings.

- Morale level influences as well. Try to provide and support high morale level.

- Too intensive trainings can cause many injuries. Try to set different levels of training intensity depending on Natural Fitness and Work Rate.

- Set of formulas that describes how coach stars are calculated in FM2010:

ddm = determination + discipline + motivating

Strength, Aerobics

fit * 9 + ddm * 2
>= 270 -> 7
>= 240 -> 6
>= 210 –> 5

Goalkeeping

gk * 2 + ddm
>=90 -> 7
>=80 -> 6
>=70 –> 5

Tactics

tac * 2 + ddm
>=90 -> 7
>=80 -> 6
>=70 –> 5

Ball Control

tec * 6 + men * 3 + ddm * 2
>=270 -> 7
>=240 -> 6
>=210 –> 5

Defending

def * 8 + (tac + ddm) * 3
>=360 -> 7
>=320 -> 6
>=280 –> 5

Attacking

att * 6 + tac * 3 + ddm * 2
>=270 -> 7
>=240 -> 6
>=210 –> 5

Shooting

tec * 6 + att * 3 + ddm * 2
>=270 -> 7
>=240 -> 6
>=210 –> 5

Set Pieces

(att + men + tec) * 3 + ddm * 2
>=270 -> 7
>=240 -> 6
>=210 –> 5

Additionally I would like to notice that almost all tips and hints from FM 2009 and FM 2008 are still working.

True Football Manager