Players concerned about underachieving.

Just going through my worst situation since I become a manager.

Its only December but its looking like a relagation battle already.

Lost my GK as soon as the window shut and couldnt get a replacement and because of the EURO cup have about 4 games in hand so the situation looks a little worse than it is.

Now some of the players are moaning about underachieving. What do you do about these players?

Is this a sign that they are not very professional so should be sold when the situation improves? Or is it just one of those things? Its not very helpful when half your team have slt before their names. What do you do with players like this?

In situations like these I would like some sort of way to tell the underperforming players that if they dont get their fingers out they will be out the door. They always just seemed shocked or can't understand why they are transfer listed.

Part of me is kind of hoping we get relageted so I can have the challenge of bringing them back up with the reduced wage bill and having to get rid of the high earners but I'd probably get sacked before that happens.

I feel your pain. I spent four years bringing Forest Green into League One, then accepted a job at Southampton who had just been relegated from the Championship. So of course, promotion was the minimum expectation, and I got rid of all players who wanted to leave because of the relegation. After 15 games we're 9th, have lost or drawn a bunch of games we've dominated (sound familiar?) and just about every first team player now has "dismayed by lack of squad harmony" and "has lost confidence in his manager" in his personal section.

I've called two or three team meetings but it's slightly irritating, especially as it seems to enhance all the match engine bugs on 10.2 that little bit more.

Not to mention I get a news item every second day where a player is publicly distressed that we're underachieving. Do they not realise that they are the only ones who can do something about it?

They are all happy again after winning most of my games in hand. How do the idiots expect us to be where we should be if all the other teams have played 4 more games.

All their moaning has done is cost us from overachieving once we won those games in hand.

I wont forget who the moaners were when the transfer window opens.

you can hold a players meeting if you click on 'interation' on one of the biggest, oldest moaners. sometimes this helps.

happens a lot in this me, I get it all the time after fining players for dismissal, which is very rare as i try and sub a player as soon as they are yellow carded, but on the instance of a straight red card that warrents a fine imo, the players tend to gang up on you lol. Stay calm and turn the tide. As for your keeper crisis, what league are you playing in? I'm sure you can sign an emergency keepere at any time in England / scotland

I even have a 17 year old keeper who is out on loan coming out in the media about the lack of harmony.

How the feck would you know?

Again this game is so messed up. I happened to me with Reading. I was like 18th in the Championship when I came in and then worked my way back up but everyone kept whining. They have too many players anyways so I let nearly 20 players go and bought in only a few. Finished like 9th or something because the last few games I think the harmony and confidence eventually got to the new players. Which is completely dumb because next season I asked for a mid table finish and ended up winning the Championship. The board should give you when you come into the club to change the expectations (maybe it was just Reading that didn't because the board might of wanted promotion no matter what). But being realistic they should of lowered their demands. IE: Juve is not going to win the title now so with the new manager all they want is a top 4 finish. Plain and simple. They reevualted what they wanted. So should clubs when you first come in.

Some of my players should be giving maths lessons because everytime the games in hand mount up they start moaning again. If I win my games in hand I would be 4th but because the leage is so close I'm 16th.

The game doesnt take into account games in hand or potential winning games. Example that IRL teams will know even if struggling where they can get points. Look at Bolton, were struggling most of the season but players dont appear all that worried as they know or/and believe they can turn it around. Same goes for Wigan IRL and even Crystal Palace, who even with administration are still getting the job done. If it was FM, they would simply give up and start demanding a tranfer, very unrealistic.