How to play: your first month at the club

In Retranca you are the manager, and you also decide signings, wages and investments. The board sets a goal for the season based on the size of the club, and meeting it keeps your job and raises your reputation. This guide covers the first month.

Choose a club that suits you

In a new game, choose the country, the difficulty and the club. Starting in Brazil's Série D is the classic path, with little money and modest goals. At a big Série A club the squad is already strong, but the board expects the title. The leagues in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru have no relegation, so the pressure comes only from your league position. The Official World has the same players for everyone; the Random World generates one just for you.

Read your inbox

The first important message is the board's objective. After that come offers for your players, injuries, suspensions and contracts about to end. Messages with a yellow dot need a reply: an unanswered offer expires after 7 days.

Pick your lineup

In Lineup, tap a player on the pitch and then another to swap them. The number on each shirt is the player's rating in that position; an asterisk means they are out of position. The small bar is fitness, and it matters: a player at 60% fitness performs about 11% worse than when rested. If you're short on time, auto lineup fields the best available players.

Advance

The Advance button moves the days forward until something needs you: a match, an offer, the end of the season. Before each match, choose between Play live, with commentary, a pitch view, substitutions and changes of approach, or Result only, which simulates instantly. In live matches, you can leave the substitutions to your assistant.

What the board expects

The board's confidence in you changes with every match: wins raise it, defeats lower it and derbies count 50% more. Each month, the board also compares your position with the goal. If confidence falls too far after round 10, you are fired: below 12% on normal, 3% on easy and 22% on hard. Getting fired doesn't end the game. You are left without a club, your reputation drops a little and other clubs can make offers.

Look after your squad all year

• Renew important contracts before December. Anyone whose contract ends leaves for free.
• Young players need minutes to develop. From age 28, nobody improves any more.
• From age 30 (32 for goalkeepers), players start to decline, physically first.
• Cards lead to suspensions: 3 yellows in the same competition mean one match, and a straight red means two.

The first week, in short

1. Read the board's objective.
2. Check the lineup and the formation.
3. Look at the finances: balance, transfer budget and wage cap.
4. Look for a signing in the Market, if the window is open and there's money left.
5. Click Advance.