The 'I ruined his career' thread

Following on from stuff I've read in a couple of other threads, I thought about all the careers I have ruined either inadvertently or on purpose.

The most recent one was a bit sad. As Anderlecht I had through the youth system a promising young 15 year old goalkeeper called Silvio Vanaschen who attracted some initial interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and a few others.

20 years later he is still at Anderlecht having never made a single appearance, spending the whole time happily being my 3rd choice keeper.

He had talent but i sort of managed it a bit wrong, never tutoring him and he slipped through my fingers. The irony was he could have played a cup final about 10 years back as both other keepers were injured but the day before the game he got a stupid injury like a stubbed toe or some such and i had to play a youth team player or a grey player (i can't remember)

I ruined his career, although i'm tempted to give him one game whenever he announces an imminent retirement, or should i leave it?

Anyone else?

lol hope his wages wasn't so high.

Give him one game one the last day(game) before he retires....and then bring him back as a staff member if you can.

I ruined A. Johnson's career on FM08

I was Man City, and the only player to score 2 or more goals past me was always Johnson (EVERY GAME!). Oh he was so happy when he found out the league winning Man City wanted to buy him, only for him to find out he was going to sit in my reserves until his contract was out!

*insert evil laugh*

Aha his wages were quite small... i'm definitely hoping to keep him on, but i'm just not sure about letting him play. i feel evil but power crazed making that decision!

I did it, I had a class regen come throught my youth from Finland, was some of the best stats I had seen but he just did not perform for me at all, so I just put him in the reserves at about 24 and kind of forgot about him, retired at 31 having never played another first team match

OP: That's horrific If a player doesn't fit in I move them on ASAP. When I decide I don't like a player, they're as good as gone. But I actually do want every player to get first team football... just not neccessarily at my club!

To be fair i've never even had a third-choice keeper. I always have my first two and a promising youth keeper. Compared to most RL managers my backup keepers actually get a decent run of games, about 5-12 appearances a year depending on the form of my main goalie.

I would never do such a thing.

I feel like a bond villain, sitting in my chair with a cat, plotting the demise of promising careers.

I did it, I had a class regen come throught my youth from Finland, was some of the best stats I had seen but he just did not perform for me at all, so I just put him in the reserves at about 24 and kind of forgot about him, retired at 31 having never played another first team match

I quite literally always do this. i just forget about people. IRL i think they'd be lonely, broken empty lost souls

and u allways offered those poor fellas a new contract instead of letting them go and try to find their luck elsewhere?

Exactly what Linie said. If someone doesn't have a future at my club, I let them go out on a Bosman. I'd never keep around a player over 23 just for my reserve team.

Ha love this thread, but if your not being used in my squad or have potential to be in it for the future your out on your rear with me

I've posted this before (hit the arrow icon thingy to see the post):

Balotelli, like all enfants terribles, will probably play well and not complain if things are going well, but when things aren't...

I recently had a young and promising fourth-choice centre-back who was later promoted after my third-choice centre-back did his cruciate in (second time in his career I believe - he's never hit 40 appearances a season either, as he gets injured all the time). This was the first half of the season.

Towards January, he had become close to second-choice (I was alternating between second and third) but Juventus and Inter made a bid for him and despite him playing near-consistently for me and players ahead of him in both squads, he wanted to consider the deal. I did what you do on FM08 and offered a new contract, but he became unsettled the next day and refused. None of the deals were worth it so I decided to negotiate as the damage had been done, but neither club would budge. So talks fell down and he became upset.

I decided to play him enough so he'd reconsider - but things got worse. His performances collapsed and his mood never improved. I started to drop him and of course the infamous "death spiral" happened. He missed training and I fined him - but the final straw came when he missed a match and was became unavailable (i.e. he was partying the day before), and my first-choice centre-back had gone off crocked too - and all my good youth centre-backs were tired from recent youth and reserves matches (I arrange them manually in Italy). I handed a debut to what must have been the 6th-choice youth centre-back who had started 0 games and subbed on less than 10 times all season (although he was surprisingly not that bad). Then my second-choice centre-back picked up a knock too.

I was forced to recall my only centre-back on loan (who is now my first-choice right-back and has been a fantastic squad player for years).

I then decided that I would never play him again and decided to ruin his career. I retrained him as a striker and put him on a strict diet of goalkeeper training, clearly upsetting him more but at that point I couldn't really care any more. I didn't even play him in the reserves - he just sat in my first-team squad and never even got on the bench. When an injury crisis came round I dipped into the youth team. He missed training so many times - 3 times in a week on one occasion, and I gleefully fined him 2 weeks wages every time, upsetting him even more but saving me money. Eventually the fines started mellowing him and his professionalism must have increased behind the scenes, as he now started responding positively to fines (before missing training later anyway).

The season rolled-over and he didn't play in pre-season at all. He stopped missing training that often, which was unfortunate for my accountant who was looking forward to saving money. Unfortunately for the poor sod, he had 2 years left on his contract. So he rotted, and rotted, and rotted. Youth players came through and pushed him down the order even more. His attributes plummetted, but at least became competent as a striker (). No games. Bids flew in throughout the season and I turned them all down, upsetting him again (I didn't need the money, anyway). At the end of the season, he really was a wreck and his key attributes had fallen at least 2 point each.

Then the next season came round and again he played no part in pre-season and no part in the season at all. He became an accomplished striker - how he did this while training as a goalkeeper I have no idea (maybe he's Almunia in disguise). In January, Inter decided to bid £5m for him for some reason, despite the fact he would be available on a free in the summer - I turned it down (and upset him of course). This emboldened Juventus who put in an £8m bid (!) - and I bit their hand off. He then became a squad player for Juventus, and played his first game in 2 years or so. He's now first-choice for Juventus at centre-back and oddly enough gets deployed as a striker against me.

But he is the first player I have actually actively tried to ruin out of vengeance. If it were reality, I would probably be attacked by the players' union (if they had one in Italy) and various human-rights groups. Still, I paid his wages (except when he missed training) and financially hurt the club for him - and I'd do it again.

I can imagine the initial conversation after fining him for missing the game...

"You will never play for me again! Get out of my sight."

"So what - other clubs are interested and bidding good money. You'll let me go soon anyway!"

"I think you're forgetting this club makes over £50m profit a season."

"The chairman won't be happy you're paying my wages for nothing."

"Nothing? I've been at this club for nearly 70 years... I am the club. The club will pay your wages for you to rot in the stands - and it will be worth it. Actually, no it won't - you're banned from the stands. You're banned from the stadium. I don't want to see your face upsetting the kids in the crowd. You will train alone at the club and if you don't show up I will fine you. Juventus can come back with a £30m bid for all I care - you're staying. There's no coming back. You're not going to play for the reserves or youth. You're not going to play in pre-season. We're not going to give you specialist treatment in an injury as we only give that to players who deserve it. And you are definitely not going to play for me. And you know what's the biggest shame? You were going to be brilliant. When I'm done with you, you'll be lucky to be playing mid-table football."

"..."

"Oh, and one thing? Thanks for signing that 3-year contract at the start of this season. The club is delighted at your level of commitment. I'm looking forward to seeing you in training tomorrow, all alone behind the bushes with a football."

And just an update on this poor lad - he later moved to Manchester United where he's made a decent, but not great, career for himself as a centre-back and occasional targetman, and I believe he retired there.

I've posted this before (hit the arrow icon thingy to see the post):

And just an update on this poor lad - he later moved to Manchester United where he's made a decent, but not great, career for himself as a centre-back and occasional targetman, and I believe he retired there.

Ha good story.

Leon Clarke. Although I done this on prurpose. After his attitude at Swindon which resulted in the scupper with Paolo Di Canio I refuse to play him. Instead he sits in my reserves, not being allowed to play, doing nothing. For some reason he kept extending his contract too and retired with me about 5 - 6 years later having not played a single game.

I felt quite good about it.

Leon Clarke. Although I done this on prurpose. After his attitude at Swindon which resulted in the scupper with Paolo Di Canio I refuse to play him. Instead he sits in my reserves, not being allowed to play, doing nothing. For some reason he kept extending his contract too and retired with me about 5 - 6 years later having not played a single game.

I felt quite good about it.

I applaud you. He is such a waster.

Ruined Van Persies careerin my first FM12 save, Got Tevez and whenever he was injured, so was Van Persie his value is only 150k now and nobody wants him cos of his wage.

I never have thus far, as I tend to just sell players I don't like or want. However, I can completely see why people react they way they do! I might make an example out of the next player to cross me, I tend to rule with an iron fist when it comes to conversations with the players, they almost always back down so I can't really abuse them!

I ruined Ravel Morrison's career on FM10, I started the game as Man United manager without knowing who he was. He was too young to be of any use and when I was sacked he didn't play once. Fortunately I took over Celtic and decided Morrison was one for the future and brought him in from United. Again, I chose not to play him as he wasn't good enough. I soon went to Porto though, spent a couple of seasons there before moving to Galatasaray where I thought I'd give Morrison another chance so I snapped him up from Celtic before realising I'd already hit the foreigner limit, doh!

Daniel Sturridge was my 3rd choice lw/st and he would regulary make appearances off the bench. He decided one day to come to my office and cry about a lack of first team football. I told him that I would let him go at the end of season (october now) He replied he could not wait that long, I replied, I would let him go right away, he left satisfied. Upon him leaving I offered him a mutual termination of his contract.. he came back very unhappy and stated that he was not ready to leave the club and felt like i was trying to force him out of the club.

He is now in the u18s, where he will remain for as long as I can keep him there.

When people complain about getting fines for straight reds for vicious fouls and decide it was "unfair" i decide i don't need them anymore, put them on maxed out physcial training into the u18 doomed never to play another game until his contract expires. i dont even try to sell them.

Safe to say, they never enjoy being injured all the time

I remember on FM08 when I was Barcelona, Eto'o was constantly saying he wanted out, I refused some big offers as his scoring rate was amazing, when I realised I had a better striker (newgen) I put Eto'o in the u19's for 3 seasons with no training. He left on a free and played at a Spanish B club for a season before retiring.

I never get this far.. if someone annoys me in game, then they're on the list and gone! Have had a few request transfers where the deal is done outside a window, in which case I'll put outfield players on intensive gk training just to be awkward, but I doubt it has much of an effect...

Marcus Bent was signed for my Arsenal side after scoring against me. I spent the next two years with him on intense physical training only. He got injured and his stats PLUMMETED.

I never ruin players... AI managers do that.

Seriously, I've had decent players who I use well tactically. Some of them are likely over-achieving, but when I eventually sign a better player and sell them on, they never again reach the dizzy heights they did whilst under my management.

I always signed Daniel Aquino when managing Granada in FM11. Last save he won Liga Adelante, Copa del Rey, Liga BBVA and even the Europa League and Champions League titles with me. Last year or two, he wasn't first choice of course, but he was a regular in my rotation policy. By the time I had a better second choice for his positions, it was time to sell him on, rather than let him rot on the sidelines.

The only club that came in for this chap, with lots of shiny winners medals to be proud of, was Burnley, who at the time were perpetually fighting relegation from the Championship. So off he goes, probably expecting to be their star man. He didn't play a single match for them in two seasons. No injuries, just wasn't picked by the AI manager. His contract expired, his attributes had tumbled quite dramatically too. He was a free agent for nearly a season, attributes declining further, until he was picked up by League Two Accrington Stanley (obviously he liked that part of Lancashire). They dropped down to the BSP after a season, then down to BSN in consecutive relegations, though he didn't play that regularly. His contract expired and he ended up at Hyde United in the BSN. He was a bench warmer for them whilst they continually attained mid-table status, up until he decided to retire at 32.

He didn't bother going into coaching...

it's nice to know it's not just me who gets vindictive at that bunch of pixels on my screen!

I don't want to say I ruined Neymar's career but after a torn ACL, leg break, and various muscles tears and ligament sprains in both legs, I'm surprised he hasn't retired yet.

He is currently playing for Leverkusen and has never been capped by brazil. I feel bad because he went through all that suffering while I was his manager