So far as the leagues go, League One and The Championship have a 46 (i believe) game season, each team home and away. At the end of the season, the top two teams get promoted automatically to the next division, the next four go into the playoffs. The third team plays the sixth, and the fourth plays fith, home and away. The winner of those two games on aggregate go to the Playoff final, where the winner is again promoted.
For the formations, your best bet is to watch some soccer and see what players play where. It's very difficult to describe, but your best bet is to get together the best team you can, play some friendlies and experiment.