just how important is PA?

because im currently playing as arsenal and adebayor cant score for sh*t.

his PA is something in the mid 180's so ive heard which is pretty good. but his stats, mainly the 'target man essentials' like strength, jumping, heading, finishing, composure etc are less than a player like cordoza. but my scouts only give him a 3 star rating and a 'decent signing' which im guessing means his PA is probably around the high 160's area.

so technically, shouldnt corzoza be a better player if his goal scoring stats are higher than a player like adebayor?

i understand that PA and CA are pretty essential for youngsters because it shows how well this kid can grow, but in an older player who's reached, or nearly reached his peak, surely stats should be more important?

if you could kindly stop reading the 'concerned girlfriend' thread and answer my request that would be great, thankyou!

Well, I can tell you this. It was extremely important in FM08, and by the looks of better player development in 09 vs 08 I guess it is even more importnat than before. But I have not played any long games yet. so I really don't know.

But I can see development of players is alot better/"easier" now.

The match engine caluclates what's going to happen based on attributes (finishing, composure, heading, strength etc.).

Coach/scout reports are based on CA/PA.

So if Cardozo has better target man attributes then Adebayor, it may be that he will play better there than him in matches. But on paper, the game will think of Adebayor as the better player, because he may have a higher CA. So, whatever your scout says, Cardozo may be a better option as a target man.

http://www.community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=15299

That's a similar thread I started a while ago, it's closed now, but you can read some of the responses if you like. IMO PA isn't half as important as attributes.

cheers. that old thread is an interesting read. player attributes seem alot more important then. but scout reports should always be taken into account