From the manual

When playing long shots (LS) your players are instructed to rather go for a long shot than playing the whole attacking sequence through. In other words, you trade attacks through the middle and on the wing for long shots. A long shot then pits the shooter against the goalkeeper. This can be useful if you have a hard time scoring using your middle/wing attacks, and have decent shooters.

Advantage: The long shots tactic converts up to around 30% of side and middle attacks.

Disadvantage: Your wing and middle attack, as well as your midfield, get a little bit worse.

Relevant skills: Your outfielders' scoring and set pieces skills determine the LS tactical skill. Scoring is three times more important than set pieces.

When an attack has been converted to a long shot, any defending team using the pressing tactic has a chance to steer off the shooting opportunity. If the shot is not steered off, an outfielder (inners and wingers are twice as likely) takes the shot. The quality of the shot depends on the appointed shooter's scoring and set pieces skills, and then the goalkeeper can attempt to save the shot using his goalkeeping and set pieces skills. For both shooter and keeper: A bit of both skills is needed, and it's better to have some of both skills than much of one.

All long shots are reported in the match report, including any missed or saved opportunities.

Coach abilities

Skill: A skilled coach knows the right methods to train players in order to make them better. The more talented your coach is, the more effective training will be. A coach can never be better than excellent. All new teams get a passable coach to start with.

Leadership: Apart from planning training activities, your coach is also an inspirational source for your players. Your team spirit will be better in general if your coach is a good leader.

Tactics: Your coach can be offensive, defensive or neutral, which (only) affects your team's performance during the game. An offensive coach improves your attack at the expense of your defence and a defensive coach improves your defence at the expense of your attack. A defensive coach improves defence slightly more than an offensive improves attack, to the same expense. A neutral coach is neither offensive nor defensive, which means he doesn't aid any team part or incur any penalties.

Ability deterioration

After your coach has been in your club for one season, his leadership skill will start to slowly deteriorate. Once your coach reaches disastrous leadership, the deterioration starts hitting his trainer skill instead.

Change coach

After your coach has been in your club for one season, his leadership skill will start to slowly deteriorate. Once your coach reaches disastrous leadership, the deterioration starts hitting his trainer skill instead.

If you are not satisfied with your coach you can either recruit a new external one or make one of your players coach. You can do this from "Staff", under the “My Club" menu.

Remember, all new trainers of a certain skill level are equal. If you purchase a coach with passable trainer skill for example, he always becomes "average" passable (an excellent coach is however only 1/2 step greater than a solid coach).

When you hire a new coach your old coach will remain in the team as a player, but he can never become trainer again and you can not sell him either. If you don't want to keep him, you will have to fire him.

Recruit an external coach: When you recruit a new coach you first decide what style of play you want for your coach, and then you decide how good you want him to be. Each combination of leadership and skill has a fixed price, the better trainer the higher price.

Make a player coach: When you turn a player into a coach he will keep his current leadership. His experience determines how skilled he can become, and also how much the course to reach a certain skill level costs. So, if you have a very experienced player with high leadership, this can be a real bargain. However, a player can not achieve a trainer skill that is higher than his experience and the player must have been in your squad for a season (16 weeks) before you can make him a coach.