Key Players

How many key players do you have on your team? Can you have too many key players? What's a good number to have? I have 8 key players on my team and I am wondering if that is too many. Can I change their status without making them unhappy or wanting to leave?

Thanks

I think I have 3, which to some is too many. 8 is far too many if they all play in different positions, then it might just suit. If you change their status within the squad the players won't be impressed. Offer them new contracts and put them in different squad status roles and see if they accept.

I have 11 Key players why do you think this would be too many?

I have 11 Key players why do you think this would be too many?

Keeping them happy and their demands each season.

I guess I am also looking at it from a motivation standpoint. I was reading in the tactics forum and someone was talking about trying to get a key player motivated and that having an affect on the rest of the team. It appeared to me then, that there should only be maybe a couple of key players and not the 8 that I have. Just curious what other people think and do.

Keeping them happy and their demands each season.

I havent had a problem so far athlough I am only in season 2. The trouble is that due to the fact I am managing Bognor means that when I sign players I need to offer Key Player contracts in order to meet player wage demands.

I've never had a problem from changing a players status from key player to first team but I've never really attempted to do it with a player with a high rep as they generally are my key players in my squad.

I agree that 8 is way too many, IMO I would have maybe 4 or 5 at the most but I understand that you have to offer them a key player role when offering them a contract or you'll struggle to make the wage demands - after signing them as a key player try changing them to a first team player after a month or so and hopefully it won't have too much affect on the player. However, I have seen instances where a player then goes on to say he believes he was brought to the club under false pretences. Tough call.

I've just changed one player from a key player to a first team player. I just changed the status without offering a contract. We'll see what happens.

It might be an idea to leave changing a players status until the end of the season; then, if there is any ill effect, they'll have all summer and the pre-season friendlies for it to wear off.

How many key players do you have on your team?

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Can I change their status without making them unhappy or wanting to leave?

I have only one key player. Happens to be my best player, well liked by almost everyone on the team & my team captain. After a string of great performances and interest from SEVERAL teams looking to add him to their squad, I renegotiated his contract to extend it for 5 years at exactly the wage he was asking for with the Key Player status. Also, worked my *** off to get me as one of his Favourite Personnel.

What I liked was when he got sent off for a Red Card and I fined him 1 week (first time offence), he accepted it with full understanding that a better example was to be expected from key senior members of the team.

I try to avoid negotiating squad status up in contracts whenever possible. I save it for when I genuinely need a morale boost on my player who is actually an important asset on my team. Essentially someone that I would be unable to replace in short order.

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As to question #2: In an effort to cut costs, I negotiated a number of contracts down while simultaneously assigning them the appropriate status on my team. Most of them didn't seem to care - happy to sign on for additional years, I suppose. However, one player developed a 'Slight Concern (SLT)'. He felt he should have a more prominent role on the first team. Took about 3 games - using him as a sub in each of them - to get him to forget about his concerns.

My biggest problem as someone has mentioned in here is that I need to offer a key role to be able to pay the wages the player is asking for. If I don't, then I can't afford him most of the time or that's the role they want before they agree to come to my team.

When you go to offer a player a new contract it will automatically select what role he thinks he should be at, so if you have key players and offer a contract and it comes up as a first team or squad rotation player, it usually means you can drop his status to the level he’s asking for without upsetting him. You don’t need to offer him a contract to do this, just go into the offer contract screen to see what he wants then come back out again.

However, this won’t work for new signings so if you sign a player as a key player then try offering a contract and he wants to be a first team player, if you drop his status he’ll be unhappy (although if he signs a new contract as a first team player he’ll be fine).

Got 2. Akinfeev who is actually &%*£! and the new signing who hasn't done much tbf. Bit of a curse if you ask me.

Got 2. Akinfeev who is actually &%*£! and the new signing who hasn't done much tbf. Bit of a curse if you ask me.

he's doing ok at Newcastle for me, but isn't as good as the game seems to rate him, my coaches seem to rate him as the 3rd coming of jesus!

I just offered a player a new contract and first team status. He was a key player and he accepted the new contract with no problems. So now I am down to 6 key players.

I will admit to being awful when it comes to key players.

I have 10 and only that many as i couldn't afford their wages at any other status

EDIT: Just sorted it to 7 who i think deserve that status.

For someone to get key player from me he has to be far and away better than any other player at the club. Generally if someone demands key player status I withdraw from negotiations, I know it probably has little in game effect, I just don't like players who think they are more important than anybody else.

I try not to have Key Players, or even Important First Team Members, simply because I use rotation and I cannot guarantee that any one player will be playing week in week out, and thus wouldn't want to deceive them by giving them a status I may not be able to guarantee.

Unfortunately though, in recent versions of FM players don't seem to take too kindly to being merely 'Squad rotation', so I'll try to reserve 'First team' or 'Key players' to players whom I think have better chances of playing more games. Back in 01/02 players are easier to please and would gladly accept 'Squad rotation'.

For someone to get key player from me he has to be far and away better than any other player at the club. Generally if someone demands key player status I withdraw from negotiations, I know it probably has little in game effect, I just don't like players who think they are more important than anybody else.

I'm wondering if 'Ambitious' players are more likely to have these kinds of requests? It would make sense in the context of real life.

In real life, Ronaldo strikes me as the type of person who REQUIRES the title next to his squad status to reflect his importance whereas a player like John Terry probably doesn't give a fig as to what his official status is and prefers to let his work ethic on the field speak for itself. More a 'team first' mentality.

For someone to get key player from me he has to be far and away better than any other player at the club. Generally if someone demands key player status I withdraw from negotiations, I know it probably has little in game effect, I just don't like players who think they are more important than anybody else.

Well with Rangers Miguel Veloso wanted key player status with £71k a week, I offered him the contract he accepted. Then I offered him a new contract and usually the important first team player matches up with the players key player wage which it did. I offered him the same deal but with important first team player and he accepted.

I tend to sort key players by position, usually two for each tier of play. Normally, it tends to be along the lines of a centre-back, a fullback, a holding midfielder, a box-to-box man/playmaker, and two forwards. What is important is that you have multiple key players in these three different tiers of the pitch - players proficient, ie natural or accomplished in multiple tiers is an added bonus. Why? One reason.

Press conferences.

Or, more exactly, the whole 'opposition dangerman' question. I find that anyone who isn't a key player (and the players in the side who list him among their favourite personnel) will react adversely when he is singled out as the player who will neutralize the opposition dangerman. I found this out amusingly on my Liverpool save when I said Gerrard would handle the threat of Essien, and he responded by feeling 'unworthy' - and therefore JC and Nando were unhappy as well - because he had dropped to 'important first teamer' status.

This is really an optional thing, but it's always nice to give one of your key men and their allies within the team a boost using press conferences. As far as I know, squad status is the only thing that seems to determine this. Perhaps comparing CA should but I don't know, or think, that it does.

I'll only give the 'key player' status to those who earn it..

Currently, at Aston Villa, I have Gareth Barry, Ashley Young & Hulk.

They have all been key players for me so they are picked no matter thier form now

I have to give a key status to almost any good player I try to sign on a free, as it increases the wages I can offer. That's because sometimes he asks more than I can offer with a "first team" contract (so change it to "key player" with increased wages), or he's wanted by many rival teams at the same time, so I try to tempt him with a better team status and higher wage (if I can afford it).

Key Players expect to play pretty much every game providing they are fit. They might be okay to sit out minor cup ties to give the kids a go, but otherwise they should start.

Take Liverpool for example - key players are Torres and Gerrard, and probably Reina and Carragher. No more than that - other regulars would be first-team squad members.

If you have too many you either limit yourself to a small squad and not developing youngsters, or risking squad/player unhappiness.

Key Players expect to play pretty much every game providing they are fit. They might be okay to sit out minor cup ties to give the kids a go, but otherwise they should start.

Take Liverpool for example - key players are Torres and Gerrard, and probably Reina and Carragher. No more than that - other regulars would be first-team squad members.

If you have too many you either limit yourself to a small squad and not developing youngsters, or risking squad/player unhappiness.

Even then, Gerrard and Torres don't play every game, although I can see their importance to the team.

I think players in the game should be slightly more realistic, in that they shouldn't expect to play in every single match.

In FM key players will accept a certain degree of rotation providing they're professional.

I think key players increase as you go down the leagues, i mean not right from the start, but after a while. This is mainly due to the wage constrictions and offering key player is a work around for lower league teams. In my Gateshead team, nearly every player i buy that will improve the team, has to have key player status or else i risk not being able to get him to sign. The result is that im flying high in BSN, but am over my wage budget.

In reverse though, premier league teams that can afford the wages and have ridiculous wage budgets in comparison wouldnt always need to offer key player status, as long as the money is right for the player of course.

I would suggest max. 3 key players - one to each line (defender, midfielder, striker).

But this is purely psychological. What concerns team harmony it depends on how much you like to rotate your line up. If you have clear best 11 players that can get to game no matter what their form is then they can all be key players.

I think key players increase as you go down the leagues, i mean not right from the start, but after a while. This is mainly due to the wage constrictions and offering key player is a work around for lower league teams. In my Gateshead team, nearly every player i buy that will improve the team, has to have key player status or else i risk not being able to get him to sign. The result is that im flying high in BSN, but am over my wage budget.

In reverse though, premier league teams that can afford the wages and have ridiculous wage budgets in comparison wouldnt always need to offer key player status, as long as the money is right for the player of course.

Good observation in your first paragraph. I've just been reading in bbconline how Ferguson Jr. has brought success to Peterboro' through 3 expensive non-league signings - they will all be key players.

I don't fully agree with the second paragraph though. The like of Kaka and Ronaldo wouldn't accept less than key player status however much you offer them, and this is reflected in the game.