http://users.bart.nl/~jamin

Championship Manager 97/98 is considerably more challenging than Champ Man 2 as 
Eidos' crack team of stat-men have taken the opportunity to fine-tune the game 
engine and iron out some of the, er, idiosyncrasies. Particularly, the 
overweening effectiveness of user-defined tactics has been downplayed. Try the 
following Eidos-approved directives to improve your game. 

Goal drought
If your charges simply aren't creating enough goalmouth incidents, then buy a 
player with high creativity or several forwards with high heading. Then purchase 
a good corner taker to service them. Players with high shooting and heading 
skills should improve your team's ability to convert chances into goals. You can 
further enhance your team by adding a bit of Leicester-style set-piece aptitude. 
Get a player with high set-piece and shooting abilities to take your direct free 
kicks.

Generous defence
If every shot on goal is bulging the back of your onion bag, then clearly you 
need a new keeper. But goalkeeper form is notoriously fickle and it could be a 
while before you find a decent one. 
If you're constantly under pressure, then the problem probably lies with a slack 
midfield who aren't holding up the ball and providing relief for the defence. 
One solution is to bypass your midfield all together by switching to the long 
ball tactic. If you're already using long ball or it offends your beautiful game 
sensibilities, then try packing the midfield with more players. If the diagnosis 
definitely is rubbish defence, then switch to a 5-3-2 formation with midfielders 
in the wing back positions. Put the most capable defender you have into the 
sweeper position in the centre, where he has the best chance of picking up 
opposition attackers who bamboozle your weaker defenders. 

Cunning tactics
Your best hope is to choose which of the standard tactics most suits your team's 
capabilities and then tinker it slightly for a better fit. For instance, if you 
favour a strong-on-set-pieces-and-crossing, workmanlike team, then you'll 
probably decide to play long ball with wingers. Thus a 4-4-2 long ball tactic is 
recommended when taking on superior opposition and a 5-3-2 long ball if you have 
the upper hand. 

Quality purchases
Newly purchased players will often take their time to find their feet and settle 
into the squad. Try playing them as subs in the first few matches and if they 
haven't begun to gain 7+ ratings after four or five games, then it's probably 
not going to work out and you can think about offloading them. If you have the 
funds, try a trawl of the Under-21 international sides and snap up several 
promising young 'uns near the end of the season. Put them on short term 
contracts to assess their performance. If by the end of the season they average 
over 7.0, then tie them up for the long term, preferably five or seven years. 
Anything less is dead wood. 
Player trawling is that much easier if you take some time to select your 
filters. Try this as a base filter (subject to the needs of your team). 

Heading		10+
Inj Proneness 	15-
Passing		10+
Stamina		10+
Strength		10+

If you're searching for a forward/striker, then refine the search with:

Creativity		10+
Shooting		15+
Heading		15+

Midfielders:
Tackling		10+
Positioning		10+

Sound advice
Younger players perform better under the wing of a seasoned captain. Therefore 
choose a player with high influence and experience (preferably 24+) to fill the 
role. Always ensure you take time to choose the correct free kick, corner and 
penalty takers. It's vital. Tread carefully when free-transferring players. Your 
board will doubtless take offence if you try to ship off players that could 
recoup them some dosh. They'll generally kick up a fuss over players worth more 
than £50,000 (if you're third division) to £200,000 (if you're premiership 
standard). Always appreciate the Faustian pact you make with your board when 
they slacken the purse strings at the end of a season. If they provide cash for 
squad strengthening, then they're going to expect a return on the investment 
with a good league position in the next season. 
Foreign players are required to play in 75% of games to retain their work 
permits. If their work permits are withdrawn, then you'll be stuck with a player 
in your squad who cannot play for you but is taking up a squad space. Always 
remember that any tactic in Championship Manager is only as good as the raw 
materials in your side. Try to tailor your plans according to the players you 
have available.