Playing mind games tips

[Ursulla]

How do you consider yourself as a media handling Manager? If by any chance you like playing mind games kind of type, I would love to hear any stories or useful tips using all kinds of tricks...How do use the media to advance your agenda? What kind of tools are there for using the media in order to achieve a hidden goal?
What are the risks involved using such uncanny methods...If I subscribe to another manager who likes to play mind games would I get messages regarding his actions? I know that most people wouldn't care less about this aspect of the game but for those of you who learned a trick or two and whould like to share their experience ,I whould be very curious to learn...I think that any manager who personally handle meetings with the media would be more than happy to use it if the right opportunity comes up ?I mean I read a lot how tedious those meetings could be ,maybe because they are missing the point?That those meetings maybe have a hidden purpose which have been missed by the hasty managers eager to play the match...I would really like to hire an assistant who like to play mind games and let him handle the media but I don't think those meetings will be saved for me to read later...

 

[Cai1234]

The only tricks I use is complementing better teams and if a opposition defender or gk has a determination less than 12 I might say he is a weak link. Apart from that I stay away from mind games.

 

[fm20]

I have to confess that I'm not that great at mind games. I often have the opposite problem where I'm trying to be genuinely nice or complimentary about another team and after the match the opponent accuses me of playing mind games. *innocent face*

 

[mersk]

The only times I play mind games is when I'm up against Mourinho, I hate that ***** and I love beating him in his own game. He always loses his mind.

But I don't really have any "tricks" to speak of, I just make sure that when I win, I really rub it in.

 

[Ursulla]

Declare interest

What about If I declare interest at a player at a club ,would it be considered as playing mind games with their manager?

And if yes ,would the answer be different if he is a free transfer, meaning I mess with his head...

(Now you can have conversations with them trying to change their mind)....

 

[managingmanager]

Not a mind game in the traditional sense (involving a match), but I do sometimes declare interest in players to unsettle them (can make them easier/cheaper to sign). I was so sick of my players asking (read: coercing, threatening) me to accept a bid from a certain team that has shown interest, that I thought...payback time. There's one team in particular that keeps unsettling my players, so naturally I think I'm gonna start declaring interest on their players, including ones I have no intention of ever signing.

 

[Ursulla]

Not a mind game in the traditional sense (involving a match), but I do sometimes declare interest in players to unsettle them (can make them easier/cheaper to sign). I was so sick of my players asking (read: coercing, threatening) me to accept a bid from a certain team that has shown interest, that I thought...payback time. There's one team in particular that keeps unsettling my players, so naturally I think I'm gonna start declaring interest on their players, including ones I have no intention of ever signing.

What does it exactly mean when a player is unsettled...The whole mind games is to unsettle players...What happen to them exactly? Their moral drops,is that it? And can you also unsettle free transfer players and make them easier to sign?

 

[managingmanager]

What does it exactly mean when a player is unsettled...The whole mind games is to unsettle players...What happen to them exactly? Their moral drops,is that it? And can you also unsettle free transfer players and make them easier to sign?

Well the goal of typical mind games (e.g. identifying a player as a weak link in the match buildup) is to rattle the player, shake his confidence, or whatever in the hopes that he has a bad game. I don't think this affects his morale.

Declaring interest, especially if you're more attractive to the player than his current club (not necessarily bigger), can "unsettle" him. i.e. Now that he knows he could be playing for your team, he's no longer happy at his current club. Best case scenario, he asks for a transfer out., but even if he doesn't explicitly request a transfer, his team may be more willing to accept a bid for an unhappy player.

 

[Ursulla]

Well the goal of typical mind games (e.g. identifying a player as a weak link in the match buildup) is to rattle the player, shake his confidence, or whatever in the hopes that he has a bad game. I don't think this affects his morale.

Declaring interest, especially if you're more attractive to the player than his current club (not necessarily bigger), can "unsettle" him. i.e. Now that he knows he could be playing for your team, he's no longer happy at his current club. Best case scenario, he asks for a transfer out., but even if he doesn't explicitly request a transfer, his team may be more willing to accept a bid for an unhappy player.

Thanks...What would make a player as a weak link...That is something that intrigue me?
What could possibly make my team more attractive to him?Which means ,when I could see an opportunity to be more attractive to him than his club?

 

[managingmanager]

Thanks...What would make a player as a weak link...That is something that intrigue me?
What could possibly make my team more attractive to him?Which means ,when I could see an opportunity to be more attractive to him than his club?

I mean, what actually makes a player a weak link is that he's the worst player on the starting 11. But the purpose of pointing him out during pre-match media interaction is to rattle him. So you want to point out someone who'd be bothered by your comment, rather than the actual weak link. If anything, the better the player, the more you'd gain by messing with his head. I don't really use this, but what Cai1234 mentioned above about targeting players with low determination makes a whole lot of sense to me.

For a player who is a first-team or key player at his current club, he would be more attracted to bigger clubs, higher divisions, more competitiveness, continental competition (if applicable), better teammates, higher pay, etc (basically things that naturally come with bigger stature clubs). For those on the fringe or backups, a club that can offer more playing time and higher squad status would make it more attractive. Besides this, players may generally be swayed by favored clubs, personnel, maybe his nationality.