You can make your rise toward franchise glory easier by keeping the following tips in mind.
Find a good assistant. He'll offer helpful advice on almost everything else you do in the game, so don't settle for the (likely awful) default.
Hire a good scout. It takes the guess work out of recruiting, which can otherwise be an insane task.
Recruit from more nations. More nations means more likelihood that you can find an affordable, undervalued player who will transform your team into a winning machine.
Keep your facilities simple. It's easy to spend so much money on facilities that you don't have the resources to make the other changes your team needs more. Focus on smaller improvements and save the big expenditures for those wonderful days when you're finally in the premier league. Otherwise, you may never quite get there.
Limit your recruitment. You don't need to recruit every great player, and in fact, you often shouldn't. Build a team with a few core players who fill the required roles, then save your financial resources for concerns that aren't wage-related.
Don't rush to make drastic tactical changes. Sometimes, a tactic doesn't yield the desired results, but it just may need more time. Make slight changes, such as changing player positions, but don't give up too quickly on a sound plan that just didn't work when executed a certain way. Small adjustments are usually better than sweeping changes.
Have an alternate plan in mind. The game makes it easy to prepare multiple tactics, so you should always have a good offensive tactic and a good defensive one prepped and ready to go, in case the tempo changes unexpectedly.
Attend press conferences. Even if the interviews are a repetitive, they're a great way to improve dipping player morale and to perhaps do the opposite for the opposing team.
Look for young blood. Stats aren't everything, nor is experience. There are probably young players on your team who can play above expectations. Give them a chance, especially if a veteran has a run of three or four bad games. It may be time to bench the familiar guy and take a chance with someone unproven.
Pay attention to your contracts. You don't want a good member of your staff to leave because you let a contract expire, nor do you want to have to pay a premium to keep someone around when a contract renewal would have avoided costly negotiations.
Various Steam Achievements
Achievement
How to unlock
Attack!
Your team scored a goal in 20 consecutive competitive matches.
Back Of The Net!
Your team scored a goal in a competitive match.
Beating Expectations
You have gained 90% board confidence in overall competitions.
Best In Europe
Your player won a European Player award.
Best In The Business
You have won the Manager Of The Month award 10 times.
Best In The World
Your player won the World Player Of The Year award.
Brazilian Hero
You achieved promotion from the lowest to the highest league in Brazil.
Cash To Burn
You sold a player for 30 million or more.
Champions Streak
You won 5 different league competitions.
Champions!
You won the top league in a nation.
Childhood Dream
Get offered the chance to manage your favourite team.
Clean Sheet
You played a competitive match without conceding a goal.
Club Legend
You have stayed at one club for 20 seasons.
Comeback King!
You won a competitive match after being 2 or more goals down at half-time.
Confederations Winner
You have won the Confederations Cup.
Cup Glory!
You won a top domestic cup.
Cup Streak
You won 5 different cup competitions.
Custom Challenge
Challenge Completed: Custom Challenge.
Do The Double
You won a nation's top league and cup competitions in the same season.
Domination
You have won 3 consecutive top division league titles.
Double Hat-Trick
Your player scored 6 or more goals in one competitive match.
English Hero
You achieved promotion from the lowest to the highest league in England.
Fantastic Five
5 of your players were selected in the Team Of The Year.
Financial Storm
Challenge Completed: Financial Storm.
First Victory
You guided your team to victory in a competitive fixture.
Flexibility
Your team has maximum familiarity with 3 currently trained tactics.
Freedom Of The Country
You have won an international championship.
French Hero
You achieved promotion from the lowest to the highest league in France.
Full Faith
You have gained 90% overall board confidence.
Goal Machine
Your player was the top league goalscorer over an entire season.
Going Places
Your board decide to build a new stadium.
Golden Boot
Your player was the top scorer at a World Cup.
Hat-trick
Your player scored a hat-trick.
He's Signed!
You signed a player for your team.
He's Sold!
You sold a player to another team.
Headhunted
You were offered a job by a larger team than you were managing.
Highlight Reel
Your players collected 10 goal of the month awards.
How's that!
Ask a question using the "how to" system.
I'm The Boss!
You fined one of your clubs players.
Icon
You have received 10 Manager Of The Year awards.
Immortality
You have received 20 Manager Of The Year awards.
Immovable Object
Your team hasn't conceded a goal in 30 consecutive competitive matches.
Injury Crisis
Challenge Completed: Injury Crisis.
International Superstar
One of your players was selected in the World Cup Best XI.
Invincible!
Your team played the entire season without losing a league game.
Iron Curtain
Your team conceded the least league goals over an entire season.
Irresistible Force
Your team scored a goal in 30 consecutive competitive matches.
Italian Hero
You achieved promotion from the lowest to the highest league in Italy.
Learning The Ropes
Complete one of the tutorials.
Legend
You have won the Manager Of The Year award 5 times.
Loyalty Card
You stayed at one club for 5 seasons.
National Service
You were offered a job in senior international management.
On A Roll
Your team hasn't lost in 20 matches.
On Top Of The World
You have won the World Cup.
Outstanding Defence
Your team didn't concede a goal in 20 consecutive competitive matches.
Overachiever!
Your team was chosen as the league overachieving team.
Parked The Bus
Your team didn't concede a goal in 5 consecutive games.
Parked The Tank
Your team didn't concede a goal in 10 consecutive competitive matches.
Part Of The Furniture
You have stayed at one club for 10 seasons.
Practice Makes Perfect
Reach a 5 star rating in all training categories.
Record Sale
You broke your club's record transfer fee received for a player.
Record Signing
You broke your club's record transfer fee spent on a player.
Scoring Streak
Your team scored in 10 consecutive competitive matches.
Scottish Hero
You achieved promotion from the lowest to the highest league in Scotland.
Shrewd Spender
You have gained 90% board confidence in controlling the club's wage bill.
Spanish Hero
You achieved promotion from the lowest to the highest league in Spain.
Splashing The Cash
You bought a player for 30 million or more.
Spread The News
You posted a status update.
Squad Depth
Win two consecutive matches fielding an entirely different starting line up in each.
Star Man
One of your players was selected in the Team Of The Year.
Super Cup Glory
You won a continental cup competition.
Superb Strike
Your player collected a goal of the season award.
Takeover Survival
You kept your job following a club takeover.
Team Performance
Five of your players were named in a team of the week.
The Boss
You won the Manager Of The Year award.
The Greatest
You have become the greatest manager of all-time!
The Invincibles
Challenge Completed: The Invincibles.
The Saviour Cometh
Challenge Completed: The Saviour Cometh.
Thumping
Your team won a competitive match by at least 5 goals.
Top Division Underdog
Challenge Completed: Top Division Underdog.
Top Form
Your team hasn't lost in 30 matches.
Top Of The Class
You won a manager of the month award.
Tremendous Trio
3 of your players were selected in the Team Of The Year.
Trophy Hoarder
You have won 20 cup competitions.
Tutorial Master
Completed all of the tutorials.
Unbeatable!
Your team was unbeaten in 10 consecutive competitive matches.
Undercover Agent
Pay over 10 million pounds in agent fees.
Unlock All Players Interested
You unlocked all players interested.
Unlock Attribute Masking
You unlocked attribute masking.
Unlock Foreign Influx
You unlocked foreign influx.
Unlock National Management
You unlocked national management.
Unlock No Loan Restrictions
You unlocked no loan restrictions.
Unlock No Sacking
You unlocked no sacking.
Unlock No Transfer Windows
You unlocked no transfer windows.
Unlock No Work Permits
You unlocked no work permits.
Unlock Son Generated
You unlocked the son generated.
Unlock Unlimited Scouting
You unlocked unlimited scouting.
Unrest At Home
Challenge Completed: Unrest At Home.
Unstoppable Force
Your team scored the most league goals over an entire season.
Value For Money
Congratulations! You have played Football Manager for 30 seasons.
Video Director
You uploaded a video to YouTube.
We Trust You
You gained the trust of the board to select a feeder team.
Well Travelled
You won 5 different top league competitions.
What A Goal!
Your player collected a goal of the month award.
World Renowned
You have made it into the worldwide hall of fame.
You Can't Win Anything with Kids
Challenge Completed: You Can't Win Anything with Kids.
You're On Fire
You won 10 consecutive competitive matches.
You're Up!
Guide your team to promotion in a domestic league.