Backup for first team gripe

One of my biggest annoyances with fm2010 is the fact That players who you sign as backups, complain about not playing when they are BACKUPS!

Fair Enough if I set them as rotation, but BACKUPs should be used if a first team member is injured etc!

I had aqualani as a 32 year old as a backup and after 12 games of the season he complains! Even though he started one match and came as a sub for one match!

Hope this is fixed for fm2011

This gets on my nerves sometimes but I think it could be something to do with hidden stats/attributes although I could be wrong.

Did you by any chance change his squad status from a higher one (rotation/first team)?

Also backup does not mean no games and is carried over the off-season.

I always try to give my back up players a run out in cup games . I also try and put 1 or 2 of my fringe players into my team if i am playing in a game that I should win comfortably, but I make sure the rest of the players in the first 11 are as string as possible to ensure we do actually win the game and avoid a slip up!

Some back up players expect more games than others though - I dont get much grief from my backup goalkeepers (for example).

I feel your pain, this is one thing that bugs me on FM10.

You sign a player as a back up, and half way into their first season they start moaning, and say something like

" Play me, or lose me!"

It happen's with players in any position, even when i bring them on as subs and start them every now and then. They complain about not getting first team football, when they were signed as a back up to the first team!

I hope it's sorted on FM11. ;thup;

I feel your pain, this is one thing that bugs me on FM10.

You sign a player as a back up, and half way into their first season they start moaning, and say something like

" Play me, or lose me!"

It happen's with players in any position, even when i bring them on as subs and start them every now and then. They complain about not getting first team football, when they were signed as a back up to the first team!

I hope it's sorted on FM11. ;thup;

EDIT: nevermind just noticed he said he's unhappy at not being in the first 11, which seems weird.

To Barkermush:

No offense but you didn't play Enyeama at all until January? No wonder if he complains. By that time every big club uses at least 2-3 goalkeepers. (Like Man Utd did last year)

To Barkermush:

No offense but you didn't play Enyeama at all until January? No wonder if he complains. By that time every big club uses at least 2-3 goalkeepers. (Like Man Utd did last year)

Is that not what 'Squad Rotation' is for?

Anyways as i posted earlier, i have had other players who were signed as a back up to the first team. That i have played around 11-15 times as a sub and sometimes started them [in cup games, and when resting players etc.], and they still do the same thing.

Well they don't all hand in a transfer request, some do say sorry about their recent comments.

But they all get unhappy, have very poor morale and have a slight or major concern like

feels he should be a first team regular or is shocked you don't considered him as a first team regular etc.

Plus i always get messages from my assistant every other month, saying something like player X is unhappy about the lack of first team football and causing disruption to the rest of the team, maybe you should start featuring the player more in the first team.

But he's a back up to the first team....

Edit: I just checked Liverpools fixtures for last season, and Pepe Reina played in every single Premier League game last season. [38 games]

He did not play in the Carling Cup [2 games], but he played in the Fa Cup 3rd round and every Champions League/ Europa League game.

So there back up keeper, Cavalieri played just 3 games last season, 2 in the carling cup & the other in the Fa Cup 3rd round replay, against Reading.

I'll try giving Enyeama 3 games then, and this should make him happy Eles Gergo?

To Barkermush:

No offense but you didn't play Enyeama at all until January? No wonder if he complains. By that time every big club uses at least 2-3 goalkeepers. (Like Man Utd did last year)

I understand what you are saying but you cant really use Man Utd as en example. Van Der Sar is first choice but was injured. Foster started in goal but due to quite a few errors he was dropped for Kuszczak. As soon as Van Der Sar was fit, he was back in the team apart from league cup games.

We only used 3 keepers because of injuries and poor form. If Van Der Sar had been fit, he would have played nearly every league game with Foster/Kuszczak playing in the league cup.

I'll repeat my earlier post again:

Backup does not mean 0 games.

After that its down to patience/age/personality. He isn't exactly young and was first choice at his previous two clubs for four seasons. He joined you and never played one single minute in six months.

Giving outfield players cup games and regular sub apperances seems to keep them from complaining in my experience.

There is however an issue with Goalkeepers becoming unhappy. If you sign a 38 year old keeper on a free transfer and tell him he's back up to a world class keeper there should be no complaining whatsoever. Needs a tweak here and there

Yeah but if Liverpool approaced a goal keeper in real life, and said you will be a back up to Pepe Riena.

And the goal keeper did not play, i doubt he would hand in a transfer request 6 months later.

Regardless of his status at the other clubs, surely he must know that going to Liverpool he is going to behind Reina.

Specifically when he has been offered the contract as a back up, maybe with outfield players they can expect to get games often, but not in the goal keeping position.

I don't know many teams who rotate their goal keepers every week just to keep the back up keeper happy, they normally have a number 1 keeper and a back up keeper, who is there incase of injurys, or fitness, or even a drop in form...

But Reina as been in superb form for me so far, we have the best defensive record in the League.

Man City sent out Joe Hart last season, as Shay Given was the number 1, they did not rotate the Keepers.

And ok you can say why don't i send him out on loan, but i signed him specifically as a back up.

Joe Hart was the first team keeper under Sven, before Mark Hughes signed Shay Given the next season..

Anyway maybe i am in the wrong like you said, and it's my own fault that he his unhappy.

But i just thought a back up goalkeeper would not expect to get many games..

Yeah, I used to get this a lot from goalkeepers. I can manage playing time of the rest of the squad just fine, but when I stick one keeper in goal, I usually don't even click on that position any more. Few times I did change the keeper, I kept forgetting to put my first choice back for the next 5-6 games.

Nowadays I just use academy keepers or young prospects as back-up. Keepers rarely get injured or unfit anyway, at least on my saves.