Having been playing Football Manager since the Championship Manager 2 days, I have developed some, shall we say, habits whenever I start a new game: I'll usually 'rebuild' the coaching and support staff (i.e. many shall get axed), look into the youngsters that have talent, download trainings, download tactics and buy players!!! Tactics was an area I considered interesting, but definitely less enjoyable when compared to the search and capture of stars and wonderkids.

That changed recently. The Football Manager series has grown from a 'casual' (if you can call playing more than 3 hours per day that) to, as I have just realised, a highly realistic tactical game. Yes, many have advised that tactics are important even in the earlier versions, but I was always under the impression that you could just download a "super tactic" and use the great players purchased for seasons of success. I was indeed wrong, at least for the recent versions of FM...

Since 2005, a wonderful group of people have developed the Tactical Theorems & Frameworks (TTF). These theorems and frameworks are based on real-life tactical knowledge, and centre on customising tactics to the strengths and weaknesses of the teams, in light of various environmental factors (the opposition, pitch size, preferred approach to match, etc.) I have to hand it to these guys, as they have given me a breakthrough in the game and I'll never see football in the same light again. The frustration from Super Tactics is not knowing the reasons for defeat and underperformance. Now, all games are a source of learning and subject to further strategic and tactical tweaking. The beautiful game has just turned really sexy : )

And sexy was the way City played barely minutes ago, with quick passing and elegant displays of individual skills in our last match against Spurs (we won 2-0 away). This was also on the back of a 4-game unbeaten run which interestingly started when I implemented the principles of the TTF. Micah Richards, a highly defensive player in my other games, suddenly lit up, making wonderful forward runs that got the crowd roaring. Robinho performs as he should be, and our defence is tough as ever (having only conceded a goal in 4 games).

If you were to enjoy the beauty of Football Manager 2009, I would strongly suggest that you take the time to go through the Tactical Theorems & Frameworks.