Glossary: the words manager games assume you know

By the editorial team · Checked 27 October 2026

Manager games are written for people who already speak the language. Here are the terms you will meet in your first week, explained without the jargon.

Match orders: Your instructions for the next match: who starts, where they play, the tactic and any substitutions. In games that play matches on a fixed clock, this is the one job you cannot skip. Hattrick's beginners' guide calls it the single most important thing to do as a manager.
Formation: The shape of your team on the pitch, written as defenders, midfielders and forwards: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2 and so on. The goalkeeper is not counted. Most games let you change it for every match.
Tactic: How the team plays within the formation: pressing, possession, counter-attacking and so on. Some games, such as Top Eleven, let you change it during a live match.
Training focus: The skill or area your squad works on. In Hattrick, training applies once a week, and a player only gets full training if he plays 90 minutes in the matching position that week.
Training report: A summary of how players progressed. Trophy Manager sends training reports alongside its three weekly league matches.
Youth academy: A way to produce your own players instead of buying them. Hattrick has a youth team; Top Eleven has a Youth Academy; goalunited LEGENDS points out that young talent also saves money.
Transfer market: Where clubs buy and sell players. Depending on the game it works by listing, bidding or live auction. Top Eleven uses real-time auctions.
Price pushing: Bidding on a player you do not intend to buy, just to raise the price. ManagerZone's rules ban it outright.
Scouting: Searching for players who fit your plan, often with limited information. OSM's store listing describes a scouting system alongside its market.
Friendly: A match that does not count for the league. Useful for testing tactics and, in Hattrick, for giving more players their weekly training minutes. OSM offers unlimited friendlies.
Season: The game's competitive cycle. A Hattrick season lasts 16 weeks; a Top Eleven season lasts 28 days, according to the publishers.
Promotion and relegation: Finish high and you move up a division; finish low and you drop. Hattrick starts every new manager in the lower divisions.
Federation, Association, Crew: Groups of managers inside a game. ManagerZone has federations, Top Eleven has Associations with weekend tournaments, OSM has Crews.
National team elections: Managers vote for who coaches a country's national side in the game. Hattrick, Trophy Manager and ManagerZone all run them.
Match engine: The software that turns both teams' line-ups and tactics into a result. Each game uses its own, which is why the same idea works differently from one game to the next.
Live viewer and replay: Ways to follow a match: as it happens, or afterwards. Trophy Manager offers both; Hattrick has a live commentary viewer with chat.
Facilities: Stadium extensions and club buildings that raise income or help players: clinics and restaurants in ManagerZone, a fan shop or train station in goalunited LEGENDS, a training centre in Top Eleven.
Premium layer: Anything paid: Supporter in Hattrick, TM PRO in Trophy Manager, Power Tokens in ManagerZone, Tokens in Top Eleven, a premium account in goalunited LEGENDS, premium currency in PowerPlay Manager.
Inactivity rules: What happens when you stop logging in. In ManagerZone, players stop training after 14 days away and the account counts as inactive after 70.

If you have met a term that is not here, send it to us at [email protected] and we will add it to the list.