Youths at lower leagues.

Specifically the Blue Square to the League 1 in England or the equiviliant elsewhere.

Do you bother with a youth team at those levels? I tried at League Two but found I ended up getting promotion through free transfer wheeling and dealing so quickly that youth prospects that would have been perfect for the "future" if I had been a crap manager were pointless due to the success going too quick for the youth prospects to keep up... (if that makes sense)

Anyway I'm at Blue Square South/North level now and have a bunch of wasters in the youth team. I'm split on whether to release them all or keep them because we're in a youth league. We have youth fixtures etc, but I can't really see much point in them if, say, free transfers will be the fast-track route to the Championship/Premier League in a sense.

So, I suppose my question is; What do you personally do with the youth team and the players involved when you're at a crap lower league club and expect fast promotions (as is probably likely with the free transfers around every year!)?

I don't expect fast promotions... I like to build steadily instead.

I don't do much with the youth players that come through the system at lower levels other than ensure they have the best training schedules and coaches that I can give them. Any prospects of 2.5 stars or better get moved into the first team squad, tutored and a contract so that they can train with the first team. They'll get bench places and the odd sub appearance or start against weaker opposition.

I currently have a PA 3 star 17 year old in my first team squad, I intend to keep him even if we're promoted... at least for another season anyway

On my Dresden save(where i got consecutive promotions all the way to the top) i had a 15 year old center back on my first season that looked good enough, i tutored him and gave him the occassional league appearance then i started loaning him and ended up selling him for 3.8M about 5 seasons later..

To be honest as long as any decent youngster has basic decent stats for the position, it's always worth it in my opinion to give them tutoring and then loaning them out.. even if they don't end up being good enough for your team you can always make money out of it.

There isn't a point signing players that are good enough for your league at all, until you reach the top league.

When you're in BSP you sign L2 players, and then you get promoted. When you are in L2 you sign L1 players and get promoted etc. A 4 star talent in BSP is "to be a leading BSP player in the future" or worse, and by the time he has reached his potential, 3-4 years later, he will be a 1-star player who's perhaps a decent L2 player. The money you'll get from him would be diminutive at best.

I tend to keep them until their contracts expire, because if I do get good prospects, they play better with a team of other youngsters than with non-existing greyed-out players.

Down in the BSP, the training facilities and coaches aren't good enough to let these youngsters reach their potential anyways.

Yeah, in the BSP and below, the youth stuff is worthless. usually they're on 5 quid a week though, so eh. in L1 & L2, youth you might get lucky and get a championship or premiership future star that you can play for a year before you're forced to cash in.

I poached a regen 'keeper from Gainsborough when I was in the BSP with FC United, put him straight into the starting 11, and he went on to be World Class and was an international regular for England by 24.

Do you bother with a youth team at those levels? I tried at League Two but found I ended up getting promotion through free transfer wheeling and dealing so quickly that youth prospects that would have been perfect for the "future" if I had been a crap manager were pointless due to the success going too quick for the youth prospects to keep up... (if that makes sense)

Anyway I'm at Blue Square South/North level now and have a bunch of wasters in the youth team. I'm split on whether to release them all or keep them because we're in a youth league. We have youth fixtures etc, but I can't really see much point in them if, say, free transfers will be the fast-track route to the Championship/Premier League in a sense.

?

Yes I said the said the same thing in another thread complaining about youth teams. It takes almost a season to improve youth facilities thats if the board agrees. They only improve a level at a time so if you take over a team with poor facilities it can be three years before a good proportion of the newgen youths have a shoot of getting into your first team. Thats if you don't get promoted in those three seasons which you probably will. You're essentially always playing at a level higher then the youngsters are suitable for. Only once you're established in the top division can you get the youth facilities up to the highest standard and start getting the odd first teamer through.

Can't we be given the option to ask the board to concentrate on youth and upgrade the facilities a significant amount reducing the wage and transfer budget or taking out a loan to pay for it?

There isn't a point signing players that are good enough for your league at all, until you reach the top league.

When you're in BSP you sign L2 players, and then you get promoted. When you are in L2 you sign L1 players and get promoted etc. A 4 star talent in BSP is "to be a leading BSP player in the future" or worse, and by the time he has reached his potential, 3-4 years later, he will be a 1-star player who's perhaps a decent L2 player. The money you'll get from him would be diminutive at best.

I tend to keep them until their contracts expire, because if I do get good prospects, they play better with a team of other youngsters than with non-existing greyed-out players.

Down in the BSP, the training facilities and coaches aren't good enough to let these youngsters reach their potential anyways.

I don't see why the star rating should matter so much. My best player is 32 and rated at 2 stars by all of my coaches, he is the goal provider for my team, almost literally... and since he has been injured we have struggled to win matches. I signed him as a 3.5 star "good" league 2 player as cover for my then left winger... he took the shirt in his first game and nobody has taken it from him including higher star rated players for his position. My top scorer and the second highest in league 1 last season was a 1.5 star rated striker and the second highest assists was my 2 star rated 32 year old.

Stars mean nothing... it's what they bring to the team that counts

I'm in the Conference Premier and three of my regular first team players have come through the youth squad.

One has been sold to Manchester United and will move at the end of my current season.

I don't see why the star rating should matter so much. My best player is 32 and rated at 2 stars by all of my coaches, he is the goal provider for my team, almost literally... and since he has been injured we have struggled to win matches. I signed him as a 3.5 star "good" league 2 player as cover for my then left winger... he took the shirt in his first game and nobody has taken it from him including higher star rated players for his position. My top scorer and the second highest in league 1 last season was a 1.5 star rated striker and the second highest assists was my 2 star rated 32 year old.

Stars mean nothing... it's what they bring to the team that counts

Yeah, except that when you are up against better sides, your 2-star (below squad average ability) will fall through in most cases regardless of how well he fits your tactic. The players in my team who have the highest Av.R and/or goal-to-match ratio are youngsters having two or two and a half stars who I play almost exclusively against the minor teams in the league and cups.

This doesn't mean I confuse these "good player for most BBVA teams" CA players' contribution to the club to mean they are better than the established leading BBVA players they are backup for. Because of injury, my left back kid (2 star current, 3.5 star potential) had to replace Jordan Spence, one of the best left-backs in the game, against Real Madrid. It was terrible to watch him against Cristiano Ronaldo, because unlike when Spence plays, that slickster Portuguese terrorized my left side again and again.

I counter your argument up there with: it doesn't matter how much your players contribute to the team the majority of the time (as any slob could do that vs Levante and the like) - what matters is how well they contribute to the team when skill really matters: against the best teams in the league/world.

Yeah, except that when you are up against better sides, your 2-star (below squad average ability) will fall through in most cases regardless of how well he fits your tactic. The players in my team who have the highest Av.R and/or goal-to-match ratio are youngsters having two or two and a half stars who I play almost exclusively against the minor teams in the league and cups.

This doesn't mean I confuse these "good player for most BBVA teams" CA players' contribution to the club to mean they are better than the established leading BBVA players they are backup for. Because of injury, my left back kid (2 star current, 3.5 star potential) had to replace Jordan Spence, one of the best left-backs in the game, against Real Madrid. It was terrible to watch him against Cristiano Ronaldo, because unlike when Spence plays, that slickster Portuguese terrorized my left side again and again.

I counter your argument up there with: it doesn't matter how much your players contribute to the team the majority of the time (as any slob could do that vs Levante and the like) - what matters is how well they contribute to the team when skill really matters: against the best teams in the league/world.

My 32 year old is my best player, period... he IS the central figure in my team and we have missed him badly whilst he has been injured. His average rating is far and away the best in my team and this season he leads the league assists chart quite comfortably even though he has missed the last 9 games and will probably miss the next 5 or 6 (which will be the end of the season). He doesn't buckle or "fall through" when it matters, he delivers.... regularly and consistently!

Yes, I accept that I am in League One and he is not playing against the "best players in the world" but his CA is 2 stars and he is up against 3 star to 4.5 star opponents virtually every match and he is still performing to the standard that he is! On a relative level, it would be like a good league one left winger coming up against the best right backs in the world and terrorising them...

I play in Serie C and have just used 2 of my new 16 yr old youth intake players in midfield in a friendly against a Serie A team. Ok it was only a friendly but considering they are rated half a star not good enough for the team I was pleased with the standard of their play and both ended game on 6.8......plus 1 of them is English!

I accept what BiggusD says about matches when it really counts but I was a bit surprised by this experiment to be honest