It really depends on how the opposition are playing. Personally I find that when playing an attacking team, it's best to use a quick tempo to try and exploit the spaces they are likely to leave, whilst against a defensive/counter attacking team, it's best to play at a slow tempo so as not leave yourself exposed.
As for passing, I'm not a fan of direct passing other then perhaps for my centre backs, or if my only hope is to boot the ball up to a target man. Short or mixed is the best
IMO. Also, you should have a look in the Tactics and TRaining forum as you'll probably get a much more in depth answer in there.