Loaning players to affiliates

I just finished another season with Lazio and i started thinking about how to plan who will be sent out on loans to my feeders, and i sort of got discouraged to actually start planning it.

The way i'm doing it now is kind of random. I just look at the youngsters and just send them to wherever i think they get to play. But in order to make sure they will get to play matches on a regular basis i have to go through all my affiliates to find out what kind of players they need.

I have to admit that i'm kind of a lazy guy when it comes to stuff like that; but i was just wondering if it would have been an idea if it was possible to ask your feeders about what kind of players they would like/need.

Some sort of an enquiry, if you know what i mean.

Teams changes over time, and you might get some new affiliates while other agreements are cancelled, which means you sort of have to do it all the time (if you're really into sending them to feeders).

So basically - ask your feeders which players, or what kind of players they would like, and also find out how they would plan on using them.

I would like to believe that if they actually would like some players they would enquire about my back-up/young players without me having to do that, but i find that on my games that it doesn't happen very often. Then i would assume that they don't really need anyone. But if i try to send a few players they accept it anyways, without having any idea if they're going to be played or not. Of course i can recall them, but it would help me, at least, to know in advance, so i wouldn't have to waste my time and frustration that my youngsters wouldn't get any match-practice.

Have to say that i haven't really thought it through thoroughly, but would that be an idea, or am i just very unrealistic?

Basically just to take some of the load as a manger off my shoulders?

In my last savegame I chose as affiliates the best clubs on offer in Spain and Belgium. When I sent my new youth signings they stewed in the reserves and didn't play at all. This time I've chosen 2nd tier sides - their training facilities might be pants but at least my lads get regular games (since nearly all the squads are greys) until they gain EU citizenship.

i wouldnt mind an option like this... there should really be a way to find out what squad status a player will be if sent to that affiliate team... currently like how it tells you when a team are offering to loan a player from you

roykela, that's actually a very good idea. I've been doing much the same as you .. either looking painstakingly through my affiliates to figure out who will play, or just winging it and sending them there regardless. Having it function more as a conversation between players and affiliates would be a very good thing.

I could also imagine placing this information in the "Coach Report" - one of the future visions I have there is a "recommended playing level", for example,

- Coach A recommends that X get playing time in our Reserves this year

- Coach A recommends that X get a loan out to League One this year

- Coach A recommends that X get some substitute appearances with the first team this year

You could also add to that grouping:

- Coach A recommends that X be sent to our affiliate, T

When I send my players out they go to RC Lens in France usuall 4/5 play regulary. You could try to buy their player that is holding your player back.

roykela, that's actually a very good idea. I've been doing much the same as you .. either looking painstakingly through my affiliates to figure out who will play, or just winging it and sending them there regardless. Having it function more as a conversation between players and affiliates would be a very good thing.

I could also imagine placing this information in the "Coach Report" - one of the future visions I have there is a "recommended playing level", for example,

- Coach A recommends that X get playing time in our Reserves this year

- Coach A recommends that X get a loan out to League One this year

- Coach A recommends that X get some substitute appearances with the first team this year

You could also add to that grouping:

- Coach A recommends that X be sent to our affiliate, T

Great having the great Amaroq acknowledging that idea

Having some suggestions from your coaches in coach report would be great too. In one way it feels like that i have all that staff but i'm doing their job all the time. Not saying that that is the case, but it just feels like it.

Even though i know i am basically in charge of all the players and staff it would be nice if they could help me out with some more information and suggestions. The final call would eventually be mine anyways.

But with the youngsters and feeders, i love that part, but it takes up too much of my time when i'm trying to get my first-team ready for the new season.

quality idea, especially with the addition from Amaroq... the extra input from the coaches would help immensely.

too often i seem to find i send payers out on loan to affiliates and they dont end up playing, or even when clubs come in and ask for them on loan. personally, i like to have almost all of my reserves out on loan as much as possible, even though it means they dont get much time at their parent club, with out great facilities etc etc...

having the option to ASK the feeders which players they would like, however, should hopefully limit or even stop that altogether.

Exactly, Rinso.

I find I have to always add a "Recall" clause, and check about a month into the season to make sure my guys are playing. Its a man-management headache, for sure!

Heck - even adding a Coach Notification as an e-mail on the first of the month would go a long way:

Joe Bloggs is out on loan to Puddlemere United, but made no senior appearances this month. If he's just going to play in their Reserves, I recommend we recall him and put him in our Reserve squad, or loan him out to a team that will make use of him.

We should have some sort of options that we want all players in reserves to be sent to our affiliates by the AM, if they find it acceptable. So that the AM does it automatically.

i think that this idea should definitely be included, more interaction between the linked clubs' chairmen should also be included as there is no doubt that this happens in real life. However, i'm not even sure that affiliates help that much, my training facilities are obviously better than my feeder clubs so i would like to know which way is better: feeder clubs or top facilities? I only usually send out players with no chance of playing or those on the fringes of the senior squad

roykela, that's actually a very good idea. I've been doing much the same as you .. either looking painstakingly through my affiliates to figure out who will play, or just winging it and sending them there regardless. Having it function more as a conversation between players and affiliates would be a very good thing.

I could also imagine placing this information in the "Coach Report" - one of the future visions I have there is a "recommended playing level", for example,

- Coach A recommends that X get playing time in our Reserves this year

- Coach A recommends that X get a loan out to League One this year

- Coach A recommends that X get some substitute appearances with the first team this year

You could also add to that grouping:

- Coach A recommends that X be sent to our affiliate, T

Love that idea

normally i will offer my good prospects out on loan and then send them out to whoever says "X believe he will become a valuable member of the first team". if there are no "first team" oppotunites at clubs i offered to i will then ask the player to go to each affiliate i have (knowing that he will more then likely get first-team football at these weaker clubs). if this also fails i will offer the player out again to all clubs and send him to whoever he chooses to go to out of all the accepted offers, first team or not.

You should try try loaning him out on the open market before using affiliates because then you would get a better idea of who would use him, and also because you get someone else to pay his salary.

Failing that, if you don't want to go looking club by club, with some experience you can tell the level of players in each league/division.

eg. EPL players perhaps 140 CA and up, Championship maybe 120-150, etc. Rough gauges, and of course if you don't like using editor programmes a look at their stats give you a rough idea too.

Nothing beats looking at each club though, because sometimes your player plays in a position that the club doesn't use in its usual tactic, or the club already has an exceptional (for its league) player or two in the same position as your loanee, who would rarely get to play.

Occasionally you can loan out a player who supposedly would play in the first team and then that team buys another player in the same position too, so recall clauses and constant monitoring is unavoidable if you really want to develop those youth. I even ask for match reports for my most promising few loanees so I know how they're getting on - it's quite a useful feature.