Cheaper players:
To lower the price of your players contracts, near the end of the season lower all of their ratings and then resign them for less than what you were previously paying them.
Easier goals:
On breakaways, hold Speedburst and Square then shoot while at an angle to goal.
Avoid bad phone calls:
To avoid the possibility of receiving a bad phone call, save the game before answering the call. If it is a bad call, reload the saved game file and try again.