Reserve Team

To cut a long story short, I only have about half a dozen players left in my reserve team due to contracts not being renewed and shortage of youth players coming through. I dont make any of my 1st team players available unless they need match fitness so I'm having to buy a few players just for the reserves.

What's the best way to deal with a reserve team?

Thanks

Rob

I generally don't have any players on my reserves unless it's players that i can't get rid of and don't want to terminate their contract.

Don't think you need to buy any players for them, i just make my subs and fringe players available when they need fitness and the rest is filled with players from the youth team.

I often withdraw from the reserve league when I play as it's to much hassle. I'll often just arrange friendlies against sides like Abingdon United Reserves and teams like that when I need to. It keeps my first team fringe players happy as they often hammer these sides. Then when I need them to play they are happy and do the job .

To cut a long story short, I only have about half a dozen players left in my reserve team due to contracts not being renewed and shortage of youth players coming through. I dont make any of my 1st team players available unless they need match fitness so I'm having to buy a few players just for the reserves.

What's the best way to deal with a reserve team?

Thanks

Rob

You don't need to buy player just for your reserves. If you are lacking players, I'm pretty sure that the game creates greyed out players in the position you are lacking.

I seldom have more the a couple of res players, so i set all potentially decent U18s as available for reserves. Seems to work well for their development too, as they nearly double the number of games played.

You don't need to set youth players to be available for reserve matches, as they alreday are. Any player too old for the youth team should be loaned out, unless you need him for European Cups home-grown players count. I try to keep having a good youth team because they develop better when they play well, so I buy players for the youth team every year once I have finished re-designing the first team.

OP: Doesn't matter - youth and greys can make up the numbers. If you don't have enough youth, and no first team squad members short of match fitness, what size squad do you have?

OP: Doesn't matter - youth and greys can make up the numbers. If you don't have enough youth, and no first team squad members short of match fitness, what size squad do you have?

I would have enough youth players, didnt realise that they make up numbers for reserves. I usually have a 25 man 1st team squad but tend to rotate regularly so everyone gets a game. Thats why I dont like having them available for reserves, especially as nine times out of ten, reserve games are 2 days before 1st team games and they haven't had time to recover.

Thanks

Yeh, 25 in the first team squad is sensible. I have that and the same number in my youth squad. I don't keep any players whose role is to be in the reserves, but the youths get extra gametime, and first team players who lose fitness get a game or two. It's also useful for when a first team player gets complacent and loses form.