New staff limits are terrible for bottom table teams!

Give us more freedom, not limit it. How bout a staff slider, like the budget slider. If you use the slider and give up 2 scouts you can then sign 3 youth coaches or 3 first team coaches or 2 coaches. In that example 1 scout = 1.5 coaches, or 1 specialized coach. That will encourage people to actually use these specialized coaches. Give up a coach and your able to sign 2 physios, things like that.

In this way you limit total staff but give us the freedom to use staff as we need them.

The current setup is pretty terrible for 8.0.2. I just started my first game with the patch and I really don't like having such a strict limit. Whoever has been doing these coach changes for FM08 needs to start from scratch.

Firstly they introduce the whole coaching roles, youth, first team, fitness etc. But even pre-patch we as players don't get a chance to utilize these roles often. How many of you actually had the opportunity, without playing a world renowned club, to actually have specialized coaches?

Now with this limit theres no way anyone would have a coach just for the youth team when they can't get enough to cover each coaching skill for the first team with a mid table club.

Give us more freedom, not limit it. How bout a staff slider, like the budget slider. If you use the slider and give up 2 scouts you can then sign 3 youth coaches or 3 first team coaches or 2 coaches. In that example 1 scout = 1.5 coaches, or 1 specialized coach. That will encourage people to actually use these specialized coaches. Give up a coach and your able to sign 2 physios, things like that.

In this way you limit total staff but give us the freedom to use staff as we need them.

The current setup is pretty terrible for 8.0.2. I just started my first game with the patch and I really don't like having such a strict limit. Whoever has been doing these coach changes for FM08 needs to start from scratch.

Firstly they introduce the whole coaching roles, youth, first team, fitness etc. But even pre-patch we as players don't get a chance to utilize these roles often. How many of you actually had the opportunity, without playing a world renowned club, to actually have specialized coaches?

Now with this limit theres no way anyone would have a coach just for the youth team when they can't get enough to cover each coaching skill for the first team with a mid table club.

Surely that's part of the game tho'?

To do the best you have with the resources allowed? Perhaps your chairman likes a decent scouting network? I agree that I'm giving the programming too much credit here and the chairman too much of a personality, but can't it be aproached as that?

I am a little irritated that i can't have more coaches - it should be more dependant on financial status rather than the all powerful "reputation" - if i'm making £2m profit a year then surely i can afford another bloody coach?!?!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Queen of the Stevenage:

Surely that's part of the game tho'?

To do the best you have with the resources allowed? Perhaps your chairman likes a decent scouting network? I agree that I'm giving the programming too much credit here and the chairman too much of a personality, but can't it be aproached as that? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Doesn't really do that though, its all a set # for all teams based on their rep. This means that it hinders those of us who enjoy playing bottom table teams and trying to turn them into constant title contenders. It doesn't effect too much those that play the top teams, as by default they can still get enough coaches from the start.

Relegation battled teams and those gaining promotion however are penalized by this new lower limit. If you took a relegation battling team and wonderfully turned them into title contenders with a healthy bank balance you still wouldn't have gained enough rep to have as many coaches as other title challenging teams for a good many seasons.

If you are under your wage limit you should be able to sign wathever staff member you want unless you start to sign too much of them (20+ for medium-low level teams ex.)

I've had a fitness coach no matter what the level I'm playing - even at semi-pro level - the difference it makes to physical attributes is well worth it. Nearly always had a specialist youth coach as well. Just depends whether you're willing to invest a bit more in coaches or not to find the right ones.

Agreed it is frustrating when rep stops you signing more though - that should be linked to money rather than reputation and ultimately it's self-regulating how many you get - there comes a point where another coach has no effect

I agree that the coaching limit is slightly flawed - it should be based around finance as well as reputation. As for the slider, I don't think that's a good idea - people want sliders to solve all sorts of problems; they're ugly little things and this problem could be avoided if the board automatically gave you some leeway because you have limited staff in other areas.

Speaking from personal experience, I have managed to hire Goalkeeping & Fitness Coaches from around Blue Square Premier/Blue Square NS level, they're usually an integral part of my training setup. It's a good addition by SI.

The proposal in your first paragraph is a great idea in my opinion. I hope SI looks into this.

It's a bit of an irritant. Personally, I think the slider system is more complicated than necessary. Your staff should be part of your overall budget, just like real life.

Not sure why this limit was imposed. Was it to linked with the interference level of Chairmen?

Unfortunately the only way around it is to use a flaw in the coding that lets you offer existing coaches contracts as assistant managers, freeing up "coach" slots and enabling you potentially to have no limit whatsoever.

Quite ridiculously in all honesty, I've managed to have 15 coaches including the assistant manager, with a BSN team in one save.

I do hope though that for future releases, the loophole I exploit to get more coaches is closed, and that the staff limits are linked more to financial circumstances than club reputation.

If you have the budget you should be able to have as many ppl as you want.

Didn't Sam Alladyce have 28 'technical' backroom staff?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jimboola:

If you have the budget you should be able to have as many ppl as you want.

Didn't Sam Alladyce have 28 'technical' backroom staff? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree. It's frustrating and unrealistic ATM. Why did they add this? I didn't hear people complaining about the lack of a limit. SI only listen to their customers when it happens to coincide with what they want to hear. Instead of fixing major letdowns like the transfer system or the lack of interaction, they decide to add easy-to-implement features like this one, in order to present it as one of the many novelties in the latest version. Wow, this really made my gaming experience so much better! I'm definitely buying FM09 now

Please, for the love of god, no more sliders!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jimboola:

If you have the budget you should be able to have as many ppl as you want.

Didn't Sam Alladyce have 28 'technical' backroom staff? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes but the only thing that did for us was cost as flipping fortune when we finally sacked him as we had to pay compensation to every single one of the idiots he brought with him.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rekluse:

Give us more freedom, not limit it. How bout a staff slider, like the budget slider. If you use the slider and give up 2 scouts you can then sign 3 youth coaches or 3 first team coaches or 2 coaches. In that example 1 scout = 1.5 coaches, or 1 specialized coach. That will encourage people to actually use these specialized coaches. Give up a coach and your able to sign 2 physios, things like that.

In this way you limit total staff but give us the freedom to use staff as we need them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's a damned good idea mate. If not a slider, then certainly more flexibility (depending on the attributes of the chairman/board). For instance, why not include staff within the wage budget and we can appoint as many/whatever staff we like, but the more we do the more constrained we are with players' wages. Compensation for poaching employed staff would come out of our transfer budget too.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ched:

I am a little irritated that i can't have more coaches - it should be more dependant on financial status rather than the all powerful "reputation" - if i'm making £2m profit a year then surely i can afford another bloody coach?!?! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

AMEN! You're preaching to the choir here.

The worst part of reputation dictating the number of coaches allowed, is that even if your rep increases, your coach limit remains sets to whatever corresponds with your start of game rep!!

Grrr!!

we should have a seperate Staff Wage Budget

i've never had this problem.

i manage wigan, almeria and watford. i sign 7 star coaches in nearly every area within a season.

just sign fitness coaches and gk coaches and 1st team coaches. there is a limit on each type of coach, as opposed to a limit on the total ammount of coaches.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Aaron_AO:

i've never had this problem.

i manage wigan, almeria and watford. i sign 7 star coaches in nearly every area within a season.

just sign fitness coaches and gk coaches and 1st team coaches. there is a limit on each type of coach, as opposed to a limit on the total ammount of coaches. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cost my Chelsea side a fortune getting rid of deadwood and getting in some 7-star backroom boys and scouts that can tell their arms from their elbows!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by canvey!!:

I agree that the coaching limit is slightly flawed - it should be based around finance as well as reputation . As for the slider, I don't think that's a good idea - people want sliders to solve all sorts of problems; they're ugly little things and this problem could be avoided if the board automatically gave you some leeway because you have limited staff in other areas.

Speaking from personal experience, I have managed to hire Goalkeeping & Fitness Coaches from around Blue Square Premier/Blue Square NS level, they're usually an integral part of my training setup. It's a good addition by SI. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

sorry, bout the reputation u mention in your post, is it the clubs' reputation or your manager's reputation?

sorry to double post, but i cant seem to edit my own post...

any1 knows how to increase the number of coach your board allows u to hire? or any factor tat affects the number of coach the board allows u to hire? my club only allowed 1 coach for me and i cant do any proper training for my players..

A staff budget should be provided, and you could sign as many staff as you wished, within that budget. Placing limits on number of staff for reputation reasons is silly.

I suppose it is so there are enough staff to go around for every club, but if clubs begin to lack staff, then for the nest season the game could generate more staff to counter this. Not every coach/scout/physio has to have been a player. There could be staff regens too, if there aren't already.

After several grueling seasons I have managed to get a lower league 2 team into the champions division in England (not going to bother posting the team), but it is going to be hard to stay up because the board is still limiting us to 3 coaches. I can sign 5, but they block any further attempts. This is simply not enough to develop the kind of players we will need.

So all we have to do is get the team reputation higher and we can have more coaches?

Totally agree, I got the mighty Weston-s-Mare out of the Blue Square South, into the heady heights of League 2. At the start of the game i managed to get 2 coaches, a gk coach and an ass.manager, even though the limit was one coach. In league 2 i decided not to renew some of the coach contracts to let them go and get better ones. So I released the coaches but couldn't sign any more cos the chairman decided i only needed 1 coach! One bloody coach in L2?!!! Ridiculous Totally ruined my game.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bterz:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jimboola:

If you have the budget you should be able to have as many ppl as you want.

Didn't Sam Alladyce have 28 'technical' backroom staff? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree. It's frustrating and unrealistic ATM. Why did they add this? I didn't hear people complaining about the lack of a limit. SI only listen to their customers when it happens to coincide with what they want to hear. Instead of fixing major letdowns like the transfer system or the lack of interaction, they decide to add easy-to-implement features like this one, in order to present it as one of the many novelties in the latest version. Wow, this really made my gaming experience so much better! I'm definitely buying FM09 now </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Spot on- when will SI actually start adding new features that have some true substance and depth to them, there seems to be no ambition to do anything other than tweak or add little new features.

When you look at areas that could be massive in FM such as the media, teamtalks, transfer market and player/manager interaction and the state SI have left them in you start to see wheres SIs priorities lie.

FM IS built on solid foundations, but because its competition SI can afford to effectively give us a data update with minor changes- they have a cash-cow and know it.

IF (and I know its a big IF) FM had a true rival then imo FM would lose a lot of sales, as after the last couple of releases, and in particular the disgraceful boxed version of FM08 theyve lost this players brand loyalty.

I hate the staff limits.

I presume the reason why the staff limits have been imposed is to stop playe-managed teams signing up far more good coaches than any other club at the level they play at, and consequently having significantly better training.

Not a well implemented idea though.

Having said that I do think the slider system of training is well-conceived and largely well-implemented - the only major change i'd make would be dropping the set piece slider in favour of having "specialists" list with players in line to take corners, free-kicks, penalties etc being automatically added to the relevant list for training in that area with other players to be optionally added.

Does anyone have any clue what sort of reputation you must have for your coach limit to go up from 3?

I'm at Newcastle and the limits aren't that strict, 8 recommended and I currently have 11 (including assistant manager).

The one thing that makes me wonder is why cant the manager do any training I mean surely us as the manager is capable of it.

As for the competition, I think you are spot on there, I haven't seen an LMA this year which is very surprising, haven't seen TCM/FIFA manager, premier managers little revival ended (although that game was quite a fun console management game - better than the FM console game) only CM is left, and to be honest that game is dreadful, I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy of FM for ages and CM was all my local store had... needless to say its now wasting away in the corner as a door prop.

Anyway, I digress, back to the coaches issues, the limits can be irritating but also in a strange way you only need a good coach for each category - if they aren't first team coaches they can train the youths too.

I don't have a single first team coach at my club and its working very well for my youth development because they have all 7 star coaches as well.

What I would prefer is if one coach could do attacking & shooting without the huge trade-off for ability in both of those areas.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by santy001:

you only need a good coach for each category </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The problem with that is if your only allowed 3 coaches all together, it is very hard if not impossible to find coaches who keep their 7 star rating while training in more than one area.

There's no way they would let you have a load of coaches in lower leagues (read conference/BS) even if you did have cash in the bank. It should be more complex than just budgetary.

On a similar note, I feel that players should get a bit more ****ed off about never getting a game in the lower leagues, as IRL squad sizes generally aren't massive. Probably 25 inc reserve team would be normal??

Well, if we are going to be realistic-ish, the backroom/coaching should be limited only by the wage budget.

If I have 914k/wk available in my wage budget, I should be able to sign another scout. The board shouldn't care about how many scouts I have, just whether the new addition is putting me over the budget. If I am under budget and able to sign another coach, scout or physio than I should be able to do it.

If you are Farsley Celtic and still playing in the conference or something, they won't want the club overloaded with staff even if the budget is there.