Just going to put down some good resources for understanding football tactics. As FM moves towards 'simulation', understanding what works and when becomes an increasing advantage. 
Please add your recommendations if you've got some.
Websites:
Zonal Marking - nice little website which tries to analyse tactics, formations, teams, players as well as having some nice chalkboards done using the Guardian website. Bit mixed in quality of analysis, but still a good attempt to try and take discussion beyond what you'll see on Sky.
Jonathan Wilson's blog at the Guardian. Most of what he writes seems to be taken directly from his book Inverting the Pyramid, but it's one of the best blogs in English about football tactics.
Lee Dixon's Tactical View. Ghostwritten for the BBC website, it's a bit hit and miss at times, but there's some good points made in the irregular 'blog'. Nice moving graphics to help explain what's being said too.
UEFA have several videos on their website aimed at explaining various tactics and theories. Roy Hodgson, Graham Taylor and Lars Lagerbaek are the coaches who do the analysis. Well worth a look.
Books:
Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics by Jonathan Wilson. It does what it says in the title - takes you through the history of football tactics from the days when passing was considered 'unmanly' up to the strikerless formation introduced by Quelroz. Not particularly in-depth but a very useful general read as an antidote to the junk analysis of great football minds such as, erm, Andy Gray and Paul Merson.
Teambuilding: the road to success by Rinus Michels. This is a real world coaching bible. Rinus Michels introduced the world to 'Total Football' with his Ajax and Holland teams and this is his guide on how to get another team to do it. FM actually seems to have implemented his view of how football works so it's useful to have a glimpse at what he thinks works well. It's not light reading though and unless you're planning to coach the under-8s team there's a fair bit which isn't relevant to FM.
Please add your recommendations if you've got some.Websites:
Zonal Marking - nice little website which tries to analyse tactics, formations, teams, players as well as having some nice chalkboards done using the Guardian website. Bit mixed in quality of analysis, but still a good attempt to try and take discussion beyond what you'll see on Sky.
Jonathan Wilson's blog at the Guardian. Most of what he writes seems to be taken directly from his book Inverting the Pyramid, but it's one of the best blogs in English about football tactics.
Lee Dixon's Tactical View. Ghostwritten for the BBC website, it's a bit hit and miss at times, but there's some good points made in the irregular 'blog'. Nice moving graphics to help explain what's being said too.
UEFA have several videos on their website aimed at explaining various tactics and theories. Roy Hodgson, Graham Taylor and Lars Lagerbaek are the coaches who do the analysis. Well worth a look.
Books:
Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics by Jonathan Wilson. It does what it says in the title - takes you through the history of football tactics from the days when passing was considered 'unmanly' up to the strikerless formation introduced by Quelroz. Not particularly in-depth but a very useful general read as an antidote to the junk analysis of great football minds such as, erm, Andy Gray and Paul Merson.
Teambuilding: the road to success by Rinus Michels. This is a real world coaching bible. Rinus Michels introduced the world to 'Total Football' with his Ajax and Holland teams and this is his guide on how to get another team to do it. FM actually seems to have implemented his view of how football works so it's useful to have a glimpse at what he thinks works well. It's not light reading though and unless you're planning to coach the under-8s team there's a fair bit which isn't relevant to FM.
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