We often get people complaining that their managers don't pick the "best" players. However that's because people misunderstand how the manager picks the team - hopefully this article will help to explain.

As you will know if you've played the game, every player has a skill rating from 1-99. Clearly a player with a rating of 50 would generally be a "better" player than one with a rating of 45.

But the skill rating isn't the only factor that the manager takes into account when he picks the team.

Players also have three other important ratings: "Form", "Fitness" and "Happiness". These can range from +3 to -3.

It's the combination of these three ratings, along with the skill rating, which is what the manager uses to pick his team.

To give an example: let's say a manager has to choose between two players who play in the same position.

One player has a rating of 42 but his form, fitness and happiness are all -1.

The other player has a rating of 38 but his form, fitness and happiness are all +1.

In this instance, the manager will pick the second player (39 points vs 41 points), even though he has a lower "skill" rating.

That's why it's important to have a squad with strength in depth - so that some of your reserve players will be ready to step in if your normal first-team players have a dip in their form, fitness or happiness.

Of course, as chairman, you really don't need to worry too much about things that aren't your responsibility... like team selection.

Your job is to focus on the long-term objectives of running the club; that's what makes the game different from other games where you play the role of manager.