Top teams snap up talent at the start?

At the beginning of the game you start with virtually no knowledge and no players scouted. The AI teams meanwhile already has a comprehensive scouting network. This means before you get a chance to scout many of the players they have been bought by another team.

To make it fair I believe the scouts at your club should already have some players on their scout lists. After all they must have been doing something before you turned up.

In Backroom advice and Assitant Advice players will be recommended to you from the very start

Yeah i was told of a few players by my back room staff when i started with Manchester United.

Also if you get a team report, it suggests areas you are weak in and a couple of players to look at to help strengthen the area - which now I think about it may be the same info that you get in the Backroom meeting.

So....what they said ^^

I do believe the top clubs are rather over-eager to sign the best young prospects.

You usually have to get in there on the very first day to bid for anyone, and even then, someone like Real Madrid comes steaming along and steal him from your grasp.

I won't name any players, but I'm sure most people will know the kind of players I'm talking about.

I have also noticed in various games whether FM08 or FM10 that most EPL clubs seem to have vast sacks of money to play the transfer market i.e West Ham have signed new player for £15m yet if you opt to manage them their war chest is only £4m. How can AI managers do this???

I have always found AI finances to be in line with the finances you have if you control the club. The database pretty much confirms this.

I have seen West Ham twice taken over in the first season, so maybe this happened in your game? I only noticed when they signed Nigel De Jong for £26m.

With regards to top clubs signing up the talent, this happens in real life all the time. Today Man Utd are linked with a Cardiff defender for £5m and he's only 16.

Today Man Utd are linked with a Cardiff defender for £5m and he's only 16.

where have you read this? Sounds interesting as i support man utd and from cardiff to

People have been whingeing for the last three releases that top teams never sign decent youth players. Now they do and more people are whingeing? Predictable, I know, as with all complaints, but still a little disheartening.

With regards to top clubs signing up the talent, this happens in real life all the time. Today Man Utd are linked with a Cardiff defender for £5m and he's only 16.

Clubs are linked with transfer stories all the time. 90% of the stories are just the media pulling ideas out of their collective backsides to sell paper. As a United fan I would have thought you would have experienced this. I agree that clubs do sign young talent early, but it would be unwise to base decisions on how accurate the game is off RL media reports, as they are simply an unrealistic impression of actual transfer action. Much better to use cases of young players who actually were bought.

They've signed him - transfer happens in January

You're the manager, maybe you should know a few players?

You're the manager, maybe you should know a few players?

I view using my knowledge of the game at the beginning as a slight form of cheating. I like to find players through scouting nations/regions. Using the knowledge you've gained from previous games makes it too easy.

On my save Aston Villa have signed the two best regens in my save. Didn't notice because I was managing in Asia but when I got an interantional job and was asked to vote for player of the year I saw the pair of them both above 8 average rating for the season.

Dispite this Villa struggle to get in the top four.